Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Music at Midday
Each month the Boise Tuesday Musicale, the music teachers association in the valley, sponsors a wonderful, free, musical performance that is open to the public. It is held on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:00 noon and lasts for about 45 minutes.
The December program on Tuesday, December 8, is “Cathedral Bells and Pipes for Christmas” and features Sam Porter on the organ at the Cathedral of the Rockies at 12th and Franklin Street in Boise. These performances would be appropriate for any age that can sit quietly through a 30-45 minute program as they are geared to the general public, not just students.
Last month I met several homeschool families that attend each month from Mountain Home. The January program is Tuesday, January 12 at the Simplot Performing Arts Academy and features a trio of flute, clarinet, and piano called the Table Rock Trio. If you need any additional information, you can email Jill at jillcall@idahoidea.org.
The December program on Tuesday, December 8, is “Cathedral Bells and Pipes for Christmas” and features Sam Porter on the organ at the Cathedral of the Rockies at 12th and Franklin Street in Boise. These performances would be appropriate for any age that can sit quietly through a 30-45 minute program as they are geared to the general public, not just students.
Last month I met several homeschool families that attend each month from Mountain Home. The January program is Tuesday, January 12 at the Simplot Performing Arts Academy and features a trio of flute, clarinet, and piano called the Table Rock Trio. If you need any additional information, you can email Jill at jillcall@idahoidea.org.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thank you Sarah for Thanksgiving!
Sarah Hale (October 24, 1788 - April 30, 1879) is credited as the individual most responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States; it had previously been celebrated only in New England. Each state scheduled its own holiday, some as early as October and others as late as January; it was largely unknown in the American South. Her advocacy for the national holiday began in 1846 and lasted 17 years before it was successful. In support of the proposed national holiday, she wrote letters to five Presidents of the United States -- Zachary Taylor, Millard Filmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln. Her initial letters failed to persuade, but the letter she wrote to Lincoln did convince him to support legislation establishing a national holiday of Thanksgiving in 1863.
The power of the pen is amazing! Thank you Sarah for your legacy!The new national holiday was considered a unifying day after the stress of the American Civil War. Prior to the addition of Thanksgiving, the only national holidays celebrated in the United States were Washington's Birthday and Independence Day.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Ordinary Generals
Leaders are not what people think - people with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even looking to see whether anyone is following them. "Leadership qualities" are not the qualities that enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. They include, at the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness,determination, a keen sense of reality and the ability to keep a cool and clear head even when things are going badly.
True leaders do not make people into followers, but into new leaders. The homeschooling movement is full of such people, "ordinary" people doing things that they never would have thought they could do - learning the law, questioning the experts, holding their ground against arrogant and threatening authorities, defending themselves and their convictions in the press, on TV, even in court. Seeing them, other ordinary people think they can do the same, and they do.
This is why it may be a little misleading to speak of the homeschooling "movement." Most people think of a movement as something like an army, a few generals and a great many buck privates. In the movement for home schooling, everyone is a general.
John Holt
Teach Your Own
pg (68-69)
1981
True leaders do not make people into followers, but into new leaders. The homeschooling movement is full of such people, "ordinary" people doing things that they never would have thought they could do - learning the law, questioning the experts, holding their ground against arrogant and threatening authorities, defending themselves and their convictions in the press, on TV, even in court. Seeing them, other ordinary people think they can do the same, and they do.
This is why it may be a little misleading to speak of the homeschooling "movement." Most people think of a movement as something like an army, a few generals and a great many buck privates. In the movement for home schooling, everyone is a general.
John Holt
Teach Your Own
pg (68-69)
1981
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Jump Rope
I had a professor in college once tell me that I was struggling with my tests because I have a "hyper-active" mind. I believed her because I had a tendecy to get very distracted when I was in a classroom, listening to a teacher. Even when I am interested in the subject. So I solved this by doodling the same flowers over and over, up and down the margins of my paper that I was taking notes on. This did wonders for me. I was able to focus my mind on what was being discussed, to the point of almost perfect recall.
My 6-year-old son tends to have the same problem. He has found a way to solve his distracted mind by jump roping instead of doodling. That's right, today he listened to a book on CD (3-4 grade level) while jump roping the whole time. This repetitive action is just what he needs to focus his mind on what he is listening to. I am shocked that he has the ability to do it for 2 hours straight at age 6! He also almost memorizes what he is listening too. He gets very upset if I or one of his sisters opens the door to the room where he is.
I am so grateful that we are able to Home Educate my son. I just can't picture him in a classroom with 30 other 6-years-old being told to stop jump roping, sit down, sit still and do this work sheet!
My 6-year-old son tends to have the same problem. He has found a way to solve his distracted mind by jump roping instead of doodling. That's right, today he listened to a book on CD (3-4 grade level) while jump roping the whole time. This repetitive action is just what he needs to focus his mind on what he is listening to. I am shocked that he has the ability to do it for 2 hours straight at age 6! He also almost memorizes what he is listening too. He gets very upset if I or one of his sisters opens the door to the room where he is.
I am so grateful that we are able to Home Educate my son. I just can't picture him in a classroom with 30 other 6-years-old being told to stop jump roping, sit down, sit still and do this work sheet!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Why I Should Not Homeschool...
You should home school or you should not home school, that is the question that every thinks is their business. And honestly it is usually "You can't home school because..."
1. Your kids will be weird! (Honestly, I would rather my children be able to relate to people of all ages and be polite and respectful. They are reading instead of watching TV or playing video games. If this makes them weird, then let the weirdness begin!)
2. You can't home school because you have four children ages 6 and younger. (My son helps at home with the dishes, laundry, changes diapers, feeds the 2 month old and helps buckles his sisters into the car. I honestly don't know what I would do without his help. He is also learning responsibility besides how a family works.)
3. You need to be a professional expert in order to teach children. (I really believe that children can be inspired to learn on their own. I can become an expert in anything that I am interested in. So over time, I can mentor my child in anything they are interested in. If I am not the best mentor, I will then find my child one.)
There are a 1,000 other reason why I cannot or should not home educate my children that are told to me everyday. But I can, and I will do it. Why? Because I believe that it is the best education that my children can receive! That my husband and I are the most emotionally invested in our children's well being and therefore, you can not pay any "expert" enough to teach them any better than the people who love them and know them the best. We are the most qualified!
1. Your kids will be weird! (Honestly, I would rather my children be able to relate to people of all ages and be polite and respectful. They are reading instead of watching TV or playing video games. If this makes them weird, then let the weirdness begin!)
2. You can't home school because you have four children ages 6 and younger. (My son helps at home with the dishes, laundry, changes diapers, feeds the 2 month old and helps buckles his sisters into the car. I honestly don't know what I would do without his help. He is also learning responsibility besides how a family works.)
3. You need to be a professional expert in order to teach children. (I really believe that children can be inspired to learn on their own. I can become an expert in anything that I am interested in. So over time, I can mentor my child in anything they are interested in. If I am not the best mentor, I will then find my child one.)
There are a 1,000 other reason why I cannot or should not home educate my children that are told to me everyday. But I can, and I will do it. Why? Because I believe that it is the best education that my children can receive! That my husband and I are the most emotionally invested in our children's well being and therefore, you can not pay any "expert" enough to teach them any better than the people who love them and know them the best. We are the most qualified!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
"Render Unto Caesar"
It is written somewhere: "Render unto Caesar (or the Governor) that which is Caesar's ***etc.," but I am not Caesar's, neither is my mind, nor are my children, nor are their minds, and for me, and for them, God sets the standards and arranges the program in all things and unfolds it day by day, season by season.
Dr. Frank Merrill
Dr. Frank Merrill
Monday, September 21, 2009
Albert Einstein's Thoughts on Cumpulsory Education
It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.
To the contrary, I believe that it would be possible to rob even a healthy beast of prey of it voraciousness, it if were possible, with the aid of a whip, to force the beast to devour continuously, even when not hungry, especially if the food, handed out under such coercion, were to be selected accordingly.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
To the contrary, I believe that it would be possible to rob even a healthy beast of prey of it voraciousness, it if were possible, with the aid of a whip, to force the beast to devour continuously, even when not hungry, especially if the food, handed out under such coercion, were to be selected accordingly.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Museum Comes to Life
Museum Comes to Life, the Idaho State Historical Society’s annual living celebration of history, returns this year with new performances and a touch of space exploration at the Idaho State Historical Museum and surrounding Julia Davis Park in Boise . The annual program presents a rare chance for people of all ages to watch history come alive in person. The day’s festivities create a new form of time travel, enabling people to experience – or in some cases remember – what life used to be like.
More than 50 demonstrations and exhibits of historical skills and crafts will be in full motion throughout the entire day. Celebrating technology and artisans of the past, Museum Comes to Life visitors will see medieval reenactments of dance and jousting, experience a day in the life of a fur trapper, see how wool was originally spun, watch Civil War veterans fire the 1860’s-era cannon, and much more. A one-time addition to the event this year is the NASA Exploration Experience Trailer. The 60-foot Trailer enables people to learn about NASA’s most significant historical accomplishments, take a simulated visit to the moon, and participate in an interactive display of future space exploration vehicles. Museum Comes to Life will be Saturday, September 26, from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
More than 50 demonstrations and exhibits of historical skills and crafts will be in full motion throughout the entire day. Celebrating technology and artisans of the past, Museum Comes to Life visitors will see medieval reenactments of dance and jousting, experience a day in the life of a fur trapper, see how wool was originally spun, watch Civil War veterans fire the 1860’s-era cannon, and much more. A one-time addition to the event this year is the NASA Exploration Experience Trailer. The 60-foot Trailer enables people to learn about NASA’s most significant historical accomplishments, take a simulated visit to the moon, and participate in an interactive display of future space exploration vehicles. Museum Comes to Life will be Saturday, September 26, from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Things as They Really Are
By Elder David A. Bednar
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
CES Fireside for Young Adults • May 3, 2009 • Brigham Young University–Idaho
Brothers and sisters, I love you and am grateful to be with you. I extend a special welcome to those of you in your final year of seminary who are attending a CES broadcast for the first time. As you continue your education, I encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities you will have to learn and grow spiritually by enrolling in and actively participating in institute classes. You also will be able to attend future CES firesides, which will strengthen and bless you.
As I have looked forward to and prepared for this opportunity to learn with you, I have come to better understand the strong feelings of Jacob, the brother of Nephi. He said, “I this day am weighed down with much … desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls” (Jacob 2:3). The message I want to share with you today has over time distilled upon my soul “as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45). I invite your earnest attention to a serious subject that has both immediate and eternal implications. I pray for the Holy Ghost to be with and teach each of us during our time together.
I long have been impressed with the simple and clear definition of truth set forth in the Book of Mormon: “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13; see also D&C 93:24).
Tonight we will focus upon the first major element of truth identified in this verse: “things as they really are.” We first will review several key elements of our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness as the doctrinal foundation for knowing and understanding things as they really are. We then will consider methods of attack used by the adversary to distract us from or inhibit our capacity to discern things as they really are. And finally, we will discuss the responsibilities that rest upon you as the rising generation. You will need to be obedient, to honor sacred covenants, and to discern things consistently as they really are in today’s world that grows ever more confused and wicked.
Our Divine Destiny
In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles declare that as spirit sons and daughters of God we “accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize [our] divine destiny as heirs of eternal life” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102; or Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49). Please note the primary importance of obtaining a physical body in the process of progressing toward our divine destiny.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught with clarity the importance of our physical bodies:
“We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine’s body to having none. All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.”1
Our physical bodies make possible a breadth, a depth, and an intensity of experience that simply could not be obtained in our premortal estate. President Boyd K. Packer has taught, “Our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character.”2 Thus, our relationships with other people, our capacity to recognize and act in accordance with truth, and our ability to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are amplified through our physical bodies. In the classroom of mortality, we experience tenderness, love, kindness, happiness, sorrow, disappointment, pain, and even the challenges of physical limitations in ways that prepare us for eternity. Simply stated, there are lessons we must learn and experiences we must have, as the scriptures describe, “according to the flesh” (see 1 Nephi 19:6; Alma 7:12–13).
Apostles and prophets consistently have taught the mortal and eternal importance of our bodies. Paul declared:
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
And in this dispensation the Lord revealed that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man” (D&C 88:15). A truth that really is and always will be is that the body and the spirit constitute our reality and identity. When body and spirit are inseparably connected, we can receive a fulness of joy; when they are separated, we cannot receive a fulness of joy (see D&C 93:33–34).
The Father’s plan is designed to provide direction for His children, to help them become happy, and to bring them safely home to Him with resurrected, exalted bodies. Lucifer labors to make the sons and daughters of God confused and unhappy and to hinder their eternal progression. The overarching intent of the father of lies is that all of us would become “miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:27), and he works to distort the elements of the Father’s plan he hates the most.
Satan does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted. Just as water flowing in a riverbed is stopped by a dam, so the adversary’s eternal progress is thwarted because he does not have a physical body. Because of his rebellion, Lucifer has denied himself all of the mortal blessings and experiences made possible through a tabernacle of flesh and bones. He cannot learn the lessons that only an embodied spirit can learn. He cannot marry or enjoy the blessings of procreation and family life. He cannot abide the reality of a literal and universal resurrection of all mankind. One of the potent scriptural meanings of the word damned is illustrated in his inability to continue developing and becoming like our Heavenly Father.
Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, we should not be surprised that Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.
The Adversary’s Attacks
The adversary attempts to influence us both to misuse our physical bodies and to minimize the importance of our bodies. These two methods of attack are important for us to recognize and to repel.
When any of Heavenly Father’s children misuse their physical tabernacles by violating the law of chastity, by using drugs and addictive substances, by disfiguring or defacing themselves, or by worshipping the false idol of body image, whether their own or that of others, Satan is delighted. To those of us who know and understand the plan of salvation, any defiling of the body is rebellion (see Mosiah 2:36–37; D&C 64:34–35) and a denial of our true identity as sons and daughters of God.
Now brothers and sisters, I cannot tell you all the ways whereby you may misuse your bodies, “for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them” (Mosiah 4:29). You know what is right and what is wrong, and you have the individual responsibility to learn for yourself “by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118) the things you should and should not do and the doctrinal reasons why you should and should not do those things. I testify that as you desire to so learn, as you “watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives” (Mosiah 4:30), you will be spiritually enlightened and protected. And according to your faithfulness and diligence, you will have the power to discern the deception and repel the attacks of the adversary as he tempts you to misuse your physical body.
Satan also strives to entice the sons and daughters of God to minimize the importance of their physical bodies. This particular type of attack is most subtle and diabolical. I want to provide several examples of how the adversary can pacify and lull us away into a sense of carnal security (see 2 Nephi 28:21) and encourage us to put at risk the earthly learning experiences that caused us to shout for joy (see Job 38:7) in the premortal existence.
For example, all of us can find enjoyment in a wide range of wholesome, entertaining, and engaging activities. But we diminish the importance of our bodies and jeopardize our physical well-being by going to unusual and dangerous extremes searching for an ever greater and more exhilarating adrenaline “rush.” We may rationalize that surely nothing is wrong with such seemingly innocent exploits and adventures. However, putting at risk the very instrument God has given us to receive the learning experiences of mortality—merely to pursue a thrill or some supposed fun, to bolster ego, or to gain acceptance—truly minimizes the importance of our physical bodies.
Sadly, some young men and women in the Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment … : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13).
You may now be asking yourself, “But Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain.
We live at a time when technology can be used to replicate reality, to augment reality, and to create virtual reality. For example, a medical doctor can use software simulation to gain valuable experience performing a complicated surgical operation without ever putting a human patient at risk. A pilot in a flight simulator repeatedly can practice emergency landing procedures that could save many lives. And architects and engineers can use innovative technologies to model sophisticated design and construction methods that decrease the loss of human life and damage to buildings caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters.
In each of these examples, a high degree of fidelity in the simulation or model contributes to the effectiveness of the experience. The term fidelity denotes the similarity between reality and a representation of reality. Such a simulation can be constructive if the fidelity is high and the purposes are good—for example, providing experience that saves lives or improves the quality of life.
The image shown below is a computer-generated rendering of a sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple.
Rendering
This and similar images are used as part of the planning and design process for each new temple that is constructed. The rendering portrays fabrics, furnishings, fixtures, lighting, scale, and proportion to show how each component will look and feel when finished. In essence, the entire temple and all of its elements are designed in detail before construction ever begins.
This picture is an actual photograph of the sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple.
Please notice the fidelity between the representation of reality in the rendering (first image) and the reality of the completed room in this photograph.
This next image is a computer-generated rendering of a lobby area in the Copenhagen Denmark Temple.
Rendering
In each of these examples, high fidelity is employed to accomplish a most important purpose—the design and construction of a sacred and beautiful temple. However, a simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.”
Today I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes.
If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.
Listen carefully to the following quote describing an intense romantic relationship a woman had with a cyberspace boyfriend. And note how the medium of communication minimized the importance of the physical body. “And so PFSlider [the man’s screen name] became my everyday life. All the tangible stuff fell away. My body did not exist. I had no skin, no hair, no bones. All desire had converted itself into a cerebral current that reached nothing but my frontal lobe. There was no outdoors, no social life, no weather. There was only the computer screen and the phone, my chair, and maybe a glass of water.”3
In contrast, we need to heed the admonition of Paul: “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour” (1 Thessalonians 4:4).
Consider again the example I mentioned earlier of a young couple recently married in the house of the Lord. An immature or misguided spouse may devote an inordinate amount of time to playing video games, chatting online, or in other ways allowing the digital to dominate things as they really are. Initially the investment of time may seem relatively harmless, rationalized as a few minutes of needed relief from the demands of a hectic daily schedule. But important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy. Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement.
To feel the warmth of a tender hug from an eternal companion or to see the sincerity in the eyes of another person as testimony is shared—all of these things experienced as they really are through the instrument of our physical body—could be sacrificed for a high fidelity fantasy that has no lasting value. If you and I are not vigilant, we can become “past feeling” (1 Nephi 17:45), as did Laman and Lemuel long ago.
Let me provide another example of disconnecting gradually and physically from things as they really are. Today a person can enter into a virtual world, such as Second Life, and assume a new identity. An individual can create an avatar, or a cyberspace persona, that conforms to his or her own appearance and behavior. Or a person can concoct a counterfeit identity that does not correlate in any way to things as they really are. However closely the assumed new identity approximates the individual, such behavior is the essence of things as they really are not. Earlier I defined the fidelity of a simulation or model. I now emphasize the importance of personal fidelity—the correspondence between an actual person and an assumed, cyberspace identity. Please note the lack of personal fidelity in the following episode as reported in the Wall Street Journal:
Ric Hoogestraat is “a burly [53-year-old] man with a long gray ponytail, thick sideburns and a salt-and-pepper handlebar mustache. … [Ric spends] six hours a night and often 14 hours at a stretch on weekends as Dutch Hoorenbeek, his six-foot-nine, muscular … cyber-self. The character looks like a younger, physically enhanced version of [Ric].”
“[He] sits at his computer with the blinds drawn. … While his wife, Sue, watches television in the living room, Mr. Hoogestraat chats online with what appears on the screen to be a tall, slim redhead.
“He’s never met the woman outside of the computer world of Second Life, a well-chronicled digital fantasyland. … He’s never so much as spoken to her on the telephone. But their relationship has taken on curiously real dimensions. They own two dogs, pay a mortgage together and spend hours [in their cyberspace world] shopping at the mall and taking long motorcycle rides. … Their bond is so strong that three months ago, Mr. Hoogestraat asked Janet Spielman, the 38-year-old Canadian woman who controls the redhead, to become his virtual wife.
“The woman he’s legally wed to is not amused. ‘It’s really devastating,’ says Sue Hoogestraat, … who has been married to Mr. Hoogestraat for seven months.”4
Brothers and sisters, please understand. I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. But I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones. “Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to or better than their real-life friends, according to a survey of 30,000 gamers conducted by … a recent Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of gamers [who responded indicated that] the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in a computer world.”5
How important, how enduring, and how timely is the Lord’s definition of truth— “things as they really are.” The prophet Alma asked, “O then, is not this real?” (Alma 32:35). He was speaking of light and good so discernible they can be tasted. Indeed, “they who dwell in [the Father’s] presence … see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace” (D&C 76:94).
My beloved brothers and sisters, beware! To the extent personal fidelity decreases in computer-mediated communications and the purposes of such communications are distorted, perverted, and wicked, the potential for spiritual disaster is dangerously high. I implore you to turn away immediately and permanently from such places and activities (see 2 Timothy 3:5).
Now I would like to address an additional characteristic of the adversary’s attacks. Satan often offers an alluring illusion of anonymity. Lucifer always has sought to accomplish his work in secret (see Moses 5:30). Remember, however, that apostasy is not anonymous simply because it occurs in a blog or through a fabricated identity in a chat room or virtual world. Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace. Deceitful acts supposedly veiled in secrecy, such as illegally downloading music from the Internet or copying CDs or DVDs for distribution to friends and families, are nonetheless deceitful. We are all accountable to God, and ultimately we will be judged of Him according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts (see Alma 41:3). “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).
The Lord knows who we really are, what we really think, what we really do, and who we really are becoming. He has warned us that “the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C 1:3).
I have raised a voice of warning about only a few of the spiritual hazards in our technologically oriented and rapidly changing world. Let me say again: neither technology nor rapid change in or of itself is good or evil; the real challenge is to understand both within the context of the eternal plan of happiness. Lucifer will encourage you to misuse and to minimize the importance of your physical body. He will attempt to substitute the monotony of virtual repetition for the infinite variety of God’s creations and convince us we are merely mortal things to be acted upon instead of eternal souls blessed with moral agency to act for ourselves. Deviously, he entices embodied spirits to forfeit the blessings and learning experiences “according to the flesh” that are made possible through the Father’s plan of happiness and the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son.
For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:
1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?
You will receive answers, inspiration, and instruction from the Holy Ghost suited to your individual circumstances and needs. I repeat and affirm the teaching of the Prophet Joseph: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him.”6
These eternal truths about the importance of our physical bodies will fortify you against the deception and the attacks of the adversary. One of my deepest desires for you is an ever-increasing testimony of and appreciation for the Resurrection—even your own resurrection with a celestial, exalted body “because of your faith in [the Lord Jesus Christ] according to the promise” (Moroni 7:41).
The Rising Generation
I would like to speak specifically to you as you really are. You really are the rising generation in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In October of 1997, Elder Neal A. Maxwell visited the campus of Brigham Young University–Idaho to speak in a devotional. During the day he was on the campus, we talked together about a variety of gospel topics in general and about the youth of the Church in particular. I remember Elder Maxwell making a statement that greatly impressed me. He said, “The youth of this generation have a greater capacity for obedience than any previous generation.”
He then indicated that his statement was based upon a truth taught by President George Q. Cannon: “God has reserved spirits for this dispensation who have the courage and determination to face the world, and all the powers of the evil one, visible and invisible, to proclaim the Gospel, and maintain the truth, and establish and build up the Zion of our God, fearless of all consequences. He has sent these spirits in this generation to lay the foundation of Zion never more to be overthrown, and to raise up a seed that will be righteous, and that will honor God, and honor him supremely, and be obedient to him under all circumstances.”7
Parents and Church leaders frequently emphasize that the young men and women of this generation have been reserved for this season in the history of the world and are some of the most valiant of Heavenly Father’s children. Indeed, such statements are true. But I often have wondered if young people hear this description so often that it becomes overused and trite—and that its importance and deep implications may be overlooked. We know that “unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3). And the teachings of President Cannon and Elder Maxwell help us to understand more fully what is required of us today. You and I are to be valiant and “obedient to him under all circumstances.” Thus, obedience is the principal weapon upon which the rising generation must rely in the latter-day battle between good and evil.
We rejoice that the Lord through His authorized servants has “raised the bar” for the young men and women of today. Given what we know about who we are and why we are here upon the earth, such inspired direction is welcomed and appreciated. And we should recognize that Lucifer incessantly strives to “lower the bar” by coaxing us to misuse and minimize the importance of our physical bodies.
The Savior has warned us repeatedly to beware of deception by the adversary:
“Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you; …
“For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant. …
“And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:5, 22, 37).
Obedience opens the door to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. And the spiritual gifts and abilities activated by the power of the Holy Ghost enable us to avoid deception—and to see, to feel, to know, to understand, and to remember things as they really are. You and I have been endowed with a greater capacity for obedience precisely for these reasons. Moroni declared:
“Hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
“Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God” (Mormon 9:27–28).
As we heed that inspired counsel, we can and will be blessed to recognize and repel the attacks of the adversary—today and in the days that lie ahead. We can and will fulfill our foreordained responsibilities and contribute to the work of the Lord in all the world.
I testify that God lives and is our Heavenly Father. He is the Author of the plan of salvation. Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer, whose body was bruised, broken, and torn for us as He offered the atoning sacrifice. He is resurrected; He lives; and He stands at the head of His Church in these latter days. To be “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15) will be a real and not a virtual experience.
I testify we can and will be blessed with the courage and determination to face the world and all the powers of the evil one. Righteousness will prevail. No unhallowed hand can stop this work from progressing. I bear witness and testify of these things as they really are and as they really will be in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
1. Quoted by William Clayton, reporting an undated discourse given by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois; in L. John Nuttall, “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” 7–8, Journals of L. John Nuttall, 1857–1904, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; copy in Church History Library; spelling and capitalization standardized; see also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 211, 214.
2. Boyd K. Packer, The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character (Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Feb. 2, 2003), 2.
3. Meghan Daum, “Virtual Love,” The New Yorker, Aug. 25 and Sept. 1, 1997, 82; or Meghan Daum, My Misspent Youth (2001), 19.
4. Alexandra Alter, “Is This Man Cheating on His Wife?” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 10, 2007, W8, W1.
5. Alexandra Alter, Wall Street Journal, Aug. 10, 2007, W8.
6. Quoted by William Clayton; in L. John Nuttall, “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” 8.
7. George Q. Cannon, in Journal of Discourses, 11:230.
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
CES Fireside for Young Adults • May 3, 2009 • Brigham Young University–Idaho
Brothers and sisters, I love you and am grateful to be with you. I extend a special welcome to those of you in your final year of seminary who are attending a CES broadcast for the first time. As you continue your education, I encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities you will have to learn and grow spiritually by enrolling in and actively participating in institute classes. You also will be able to attend future CES firesides, which will strengthen and bless you.
As I have looked forward to and prepared for this opportunity to learn with you, I have come to better understand the strong feelings of Jacob, the brother of Nephi. He said, “I this day am weighed down with much … desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls” (Jacob 2:3). The message I want to share with you today has over time distilled upon my soul “as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45). I invite your earnest attention to a serious subject that has both immediate and eternal implications. I pray for the Holy Ghost to be with and teach each of us during our time together.
I long have been impressed with the simple and clear definition of truth set forth in the Book of Mormon: “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13; see also D&C 93:24).
Tonight we will focus upon the first major element of truth identified in this verse: “things as they really are.” We first will review several key elements of our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness as the doctrinal foundation for knowing and understanding things as they really are. We then will consider methods of attack used by the adversary to distract us from or inhibit our capacity to discern things as they really are. And finally, we will discuss the responsibilities that rest upon you as the rising generation. You will need to be obedient, to honor sacred covenants, and to discern things consistently as they really are in today’s world that grows ever more confused and wicked.
Our Divine Destiny
In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles declare that as spirit sons and daughters of God we “accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize [our] divine destiny as heirs of eternal life” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102; or Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49). Please note the primary importance of obtaining a physical body in the process of progressing toward our divine destiny.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught with clarity the importance of our physical bodies:
“We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine’s body to having none. All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.”1
Our physical bodies make possible a breadth, a depth, and an intensity of experience that simply could not be obtained in our premortal estate. President Boyd K. Packer has taught, “Our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character.”2 Thus, our relationships with other people, our capacity to recognize and act in accordance with truth, and our ability to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are amplified through our physical bodies. In the classroom of mortality, we experience tenderness, love, kindness, happiness, sorrow, disappointment, pain, and even the challenges of physical limitations in ways that prepare us for eternity. Simply stated, there are lessons we must learn and experiences we must have, as the scriptures describe, “according to the flesh” (see 1 Nephi 19:6; Alma 7:12–13).
Apostles and prophets consistently have taught the mortal and eternal importance of our bodies. Paul declared:
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
And in this dispensation the Lord revealed that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man” (D&C 88:15). A truth that really is and always will be is that the body and the spirit constitute our reality and identity. When body and spirit are inseparably connected, we can receive a fulness of joy; when they are separated, we cannot receive a fulness of joy (see D&C 93:33–34).
The Father’s plan is designed to provide direction for His children, to help them become happy, and to bring them safely home to Him with resurrected, exalted bodies. Lucifer labors to make the sons and daughters of God confused and unhappy and to hinder their eternal progression. The overarching intent of the father of lies is that all of us would become “miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:27), and he works to distort the elements of the Father’s plan he hates the most.
Satan does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted. Just as water flowing in a riverbed is stopped by a dam, so the adversary’s eternal progress is thwarted because he does not have a physical body. Because of his rebellion, Lucifer has denied himself all of the mortal blessings and experiences made possible through a tabernacle of flesh and bones. He cannot learn the lessons that only an embodied spirit can learn. He cannot marry or enjoy the blessings of procreation and family life. He cannot abide the reality of a literal and universal resurrection of all mankind. One of the potent scriptural meanings of the word damned is illustrated in his inability to continue developing and becoming like our Heavenly Father.
Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, we should not be surprised that Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.
The Adversary’s Attacks
The adversary attempts to influence us both to misuse our physical bodies and to minimize the importance of our bodies. These two methods of attack are important for us to recognize and to repel.
When any of Heavenly Father’s children misuse their physical tabernacles by violating the law of chastity, by using drugs and addictive substances, by disfiguring or defacing themselves, or by worshipping the false idol of body image, whether their own or that of others, Satan is delighted. To those of us who know and understand the plan of salvation, any defiling of the body is rebellion (see Mosiah 2:36–37; D&C 64:34–35) and a denial of our true identity as sons and daughters of God.
Now brothers and sisters, I cannot tell you all the ways whereby you may misuse your bodies, “for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them” (Mosiah 4:29). You know what is right and what is wrong, and you have the individual responsibility to learn for yourself “by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118) the things you should and should not do and the doctrinal reasons why you should and should not do those things. I testify that as you desire to so learn, as you “watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives” (Mosiah 4:30), you will be spiritually enlightened and protected. And according to your faithfulness and diligence, you will have the power to discern the deception and repel the attacks of the adversary as he tempts you to misuse your physical body.
Satan also strives to entice the sons and daughters of God to minimize the importance of their physical bodies. This particular type of attack is most subtle and diabolical. I want to provide several examples of how the adversary can pacify and lull us away into a sense of carnal security (see 2 Nephi 28:21) and encourage us to put at risk the earthly learning experiences that caused us to shout for joy (see Job 38:7) in the premortal existence.
For example, all of us can find enjoyment in a wide range of wholesome, entertaining, and engaging activities. But we diminish the importance of our bodies and jeopardize our physical well-being by going to unusual and dangerous extremes searching for an ever greater and more exhilarating adrenaline “rush.” We may rationalize that surely nothing is wrong with such seemingly innocent exploits and adventures. However, putting at risk the very instrument God has given us to receive the learning experiences of mortality—merely to pursue a thrill or some supposed fun, to bolster ego, or to gain acceptance—truly minimizes the importance of our physical bodies.
Sadly, some young men and women in the Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment … : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13).
You may now be asking yourself, “But Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain.
We live at a time when technology can be used to replicate reality, to augment reality, and to create virtual reality. For example, a medical doctor can use software simulation to gain valuable experience performing a complicated surgical operation without ever putting a human patient at risk. A pilot in a flight simulator repeatedly can practice emergency landing procedures that could save many lives. And architects and engineers can use innovative technologies to model sophisticated design and construction methods that decrease the loss of human life and damage to buildings caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters.
In each of these examples, a high degree of fidelity in the simulation or model contributes to the effectiveness of the experience. The term fidelity denotes the similarity between reality and a representation of reality. Such a simulation can be constructive if the fidelity is high and the purposes are good—for example, providing experience that saves lives or improves the quality of life.
The image shown below is a computer-generated rendering of a sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple.
Rendering
This and similar images are used as part of the planning and design process for each new temple that is constructed. The rendering portrays fabrics, furnishings, fixtures, lighting, scale, and proportion to show how each component will look and feel when finished. In essence, the entire temple and all of its elements are designed in detail before construction ever begins.
This picture is an actual photograph of the sealing room in the Newport Beach California Temple.
Please notice the fidelity between the representation of reality in the rendering (first image) and the reality of the completed room in this photograph.
This next image is a computer-generated rendering of a lobby area in the Copenhagen Denmark Temple.
Rendering
In each of these examples, high fidelity is employed to accomplish a most important purpose—the design and construction of a sacred and beautiful temple. However, a simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.”
Today I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes.
If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.
Listen carefully to the following quote describing an intense romantic relationship a woman had with a cyberspace boyfriend. And note how the medium of communication minimized the importance of the physical body. “And so PFSlider [the man’s screen name] became my everyday life. All the tangible stuff fell away. My body did not exist. I had no skin, no hair, no bones. All desire had converted itself into a cerebral current that reached nothing but my frontal lobe. There was no outdoors, no social life, no weather. There was only the computer screen and the phone, my chair, and maybe a glass of water.”3
In contrast, we need to heed the admonition of Paul: “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour” (1 Thessalonians 4:4).
Consider again the example I mentioned earlier of a young couple recently married in the house of the Lord. An immature or misguided spouse may devote an inordinate amount of time to playing video games, chatting online, or in other ways allowing the digital to dominate things as they really are. Initially the investment of time may seem relatively harmless, rationalized as a few minutes of needed relief from the demands of a hectic daily schedule. But important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy. Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement.
To feel the warmth of a tender hug from an eternal companion or to see the sincerity in the eyes of another person as testimony is shared—all of these things experienced as they really are through the instrument of our physical body—could be sacrificed for a high fidelity fantasy that has no lasting value. If you and I are not vigilant, we can become “past feeling” (1 Nephi 17:45), as did Laman and Lemuel long ago.
Let me provide another example of disconnecting gradually and physically from things as they really are. Today a person can enter into a virtual world, such as Second Life, and assume a new identity. An individual can create an avatar, or a cyberspace persona, that conforms to his or her own appearance and behavior. Or a person can concoct a counterfeit identity that does not correlate in any way to things as they really are. However closely the assumed new identity approximates the individual, such behavior is the essence of things as they really are not. Earlier I defined the fidelity of a simulation or model. I now emphasize the importance of personal fidelity—the correspondence between an actual person and an assumed, cyberspace identity. Please note the lack of personal fidelity in the following episode as reported in the Wall Street Journal:
Ric Hoogestraat is “a burly [53-year-old] man with a long gray ponytail, thick sideburns and a salt-and-pepper handlebar mustache. … [Ric spends] six hours a night and often 14 hours at a stretch on weekends as Dutch Hoorenbeek, his six-foot-nine, muscular … cyber-self. The character looks like a younger, physically enhanced version of [Ric].”
“[He] sits at his computer with the blinds drawn. … While his wife, Sue, watches television in the living room, Mr. Hoogestraat chats online with what appears on the screen to be a tall, slim redhead.
“He’s never met the woman outside of the computer world of Second Life, a well-chronicled digital fantasyland. … He’s never so much as spoken to her on the telephone. But their relationship has taken on curiously real dimensions. They own two dogs, pay a mortgage together and spend hours [in their cyberspace world] shopping at the mall and taking long motorcycle rides. … Their bond is so strong that three months ago, Mr. Hoogestraat asked Janet Spielman, the 38-year-old Canadian woman who controls the redhead, to become his virtual wife.
“The woman he’s legally wed to is not amused. ‘It’s really devastating,’ says Sue Hoogestraat, … who has been married to Mr. Hoogestraat for seven months.”4
Brothers and sisters, please understand. I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. But I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones. “Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to or better than their real-life friends, according to a survey of 30,000 gamers conducted by … a recent Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of gamers [who responded indicated that] the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in a computer world.”5
How important, how enduring, and how timely is the Lord’s definition of truth— “things as they really are.” The prophet Alma asked, “O then, is not this real?” (Alma 32:35). He was speaking of light and good so discernible they can be tasted. Indeed, “they who dwell in [the Father’s] presence … see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace” (D&C 76:94).
My beloved brothers and sisters, beware! To the extent personal fidelity decreases in computer-mediated communications and the purposes of such communications are distorted, perverted, and wicked, the potential for spiritual disaster is dangerously high. I implore you to turn away immediately and permanently from such places and activities (see 2 Timothy 3:5).
Now I would like to address an additional characteristic of the adversary’s attacks. Satan often offers an alluring illusion of anonymity. Lucifer always has sought to accomplish his work in secret (see Moses 5:30). Remember, however, that apostasy is not anonymous simply because it occurs in a blog or through a fabricated identity in a chat room or virtual world. Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace. Deceitful acts supposedly veiled in secrecy, such as illegally downloading music from the Internet or copying CDs or DVDs for distribution to friends and families, are nonetheless deceitful. We are all accountable to God, and ultimately we will be judged of Him according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts (see Alma 41:3). “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).
The Lord knows who we really are, what we really think, what we really do, and who we really are becoming. He has warned us that “the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C 1:3).
I have raised a voice of warning about only a few of the spiritual hazards in our technologically oriented and rapidly changing world. Let me say again: neither technology nor rapid change in or of itself is good or evil; the real challenge is to understand both within the context of the eternal plan of happiness. Lucifer will encourage you to misuse and to minimize the importance of your physical body. He will attempt to substitute the monotony of virtual repetition for the infinite variety of God’s creations and convince us we are merely mortal things to be acted upon instead of eternal souls blessed with moral agency to act for ourselves. Deviously, he entices embodied spirits to forfeit the blessings and learning experiences “according to the flesh” that are made possible through the Father’s plan of happiness and the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son.
For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:
1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?
You will receive answers, inspiration, and instruction from the Holy Ghost suited to your individual circumstances and needs. I repeat and affirm the teaching of the Prophet Joseph: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him.”6
These eternal truths about the importance of our physical bodies will fortify you against the deception and the attacks of the adversary. One of my deepest desires for you is an ever-increasing testimony of and appreciation for the Resurrection—even your own resurrection with a celestial, exalted body “because of your faith in [the Lord Jesus Christ] according to the promise” (Moroni 7:41).
The Rising Generation
I would like to speak specifically to you as you really are. You really are the rising generation in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In October of 1997, Elder Neal A. Maxwell visited the campus of Brigham Young University–Idaho to speak in a devotional. During the day he was on the campus, we talked together about a variety of gospel topics in general and about the youth of the Church in particular. I remember Elder Maxwell making a statement that greatly impressed me. He said, “The youth of this generation have a greater capacity for obedience than any previous generation.”
He then indicated that his statement was based upon a truth taught by President George Q. Cannon: “God has reserved spirits for this dispensation who have the courage and determination to face the world, and all the powers of the evil one, visible and invisible, to proclaim the Gospel, and maintain the truth, and establish and build up the Zion of our God, fearless of all consequences. He has sent these spirits in this generation to lay the foundation of Zion never more to be overthrown, and to raise up a seed that will be righteous, and that will honor God, and honor him supremely, and be obedient to him under all circumstances.”7
Parents and Church leaders frequently emphasize that the young men and women of this generation have been reserved for this season in the history of the world and are some of the most valiant of Heavenly Father’s children. Indeed, such statements are true. But I often have wondered if young people hear this description so often that it becomes overused and trite—and that its importance and deep implications may be overlooked. We know that “unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3). And the teachings of President Cannon and Elder Maxwell help us to understand more fully what is required of us today. You and I are to be valiant and “obedient to him under all circumstances.” Thus, obedience is the principal weapon upon which the rising generation must rely in the latter-day battle between good and evil.
We rejoice that the Lord through His authorized servants has “raised the bar” for the young men and women of today. Given what we know about who we are and why we are here upon the earth, such inspired direction is welcomed and appreciated. And we should recognize that Lucifer incessantly strives to “lower the bar” by coaxing us to misuse and minimize the importance of our physical bodies.
The Savior has warned us repeatedly to beware of deception by the adversary:
“Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you; …
“For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant. …
“And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:5, 22, 37).
Obedience opens the door to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. And the spiritual gifts and abilities activated by the power of the Holy Ghost enable us to avoid deception—and to see, to feel, to know, to understand, and to remember things as they really are. You and I have been endowed with a greater capacity for obedience precisely for these reasons. Moroni declared:
“Hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
“Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God” (Mormon 9:27–28).
As we heed that inspired counsel, we can and will be blessed to recognize and repel the attacks of the adversary—today and in the days that lie ahead. We can and will fulfill our foreordained responsibilities and contribute to the work of the Lord in all the world.
I testify that God lives and is our Heavenly Father. He is the Author of the plan of salvation. Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer, whose body was bruised, broken, and torn for us as He offered the atoning sacrifice. He is resurrected; He lives; and He stands at the head of His Church in these latter days. To be “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15) will be a real and not a virtual experience.
I testify we can and will be blessed with the courage and determination to face the world and all the powers of the evil one. Righteousness will prevail. No unhallowed hand can stop this work from progressing. I bear witness and testify of these things as they really are and as they really will be in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
1. Quoted by William Clayton, reporting an undated discourse given by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois; in L. John Nuttall, “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” 7–8, Journals of L. John Nuttall, 1857–1904, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; copy in Church History Library; spelling and capitalization standardized; see also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 211, 214.
2. Boyd K. Packer, The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character (Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Feb. 2, 2003), 2.
3. Meghan Daum, “Virtual Love,” The New Yorker, Aug. 25 and Sept. 1, 1997, 82; or Meghan Daum, My Misspent Youth (2001), 19.
4. Alexandra Alter, “Is This Man Cheating on His Wife?” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 10, 2007, W8, W1.
5. Alexandra Alter, Wall Street Journal, Aug. 10, 2007, W8.
6. Quoted by William Clayton; in L. John Nuttall, “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” 8.
7. George Q. Cannon, in Journal of Discourses, 11:230.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
MaryKay—or Your Mom Won’t Want You To Read This Article
This post is my plea to all Home Educators to be selfish, demanding, and overly critical! Not exactly what our mothers would want us to be is it? Seriously though, I REALLY mean it!
1. BE SELFISH! The years of our children’s youth are not worth sacrificing to any transient pleasures. Be selfish of your time with your children and help them be selfish of their time with you. Don’t answer the phone during story time! Don’t watch TV while folding laundry, instead have a sing-a-long or have a child read to you while working together. Don’t kick the kids out of the room so you can get some cleaning done, be patient with their efforts and teach them to work along side you.
2. BE DEMANDING! You have spent 9 months creating (or plenty more aching for) each of these treasures! Whether your child is home grown or heart sown, you went through a lot to get it safely in your arms and even more just to keep it alive and well! But more importantly God gave you each of your children and you hold a sacred trust to do your best by them. You deserve to be demanding of the kind of care each of your children receives! The duty of each family is to raise their children; not give birth and then pass the responsibility off to the government to raise its citizens! Unfortunately so many have been mislead into thinking that what worked fine 20 years ago will work now; that parents only need to create a loving and stable environment for about 5 years and then get back to their own lives—being available as needed on nights and weekends. Instead we need to demand more time with our children either by home schooling or speaking out against home work and not signing up for multiple activities that infringe upon time the family needs to strengthen itself.
3. BE OVERLY CRITICAL! I recently taught a group of youngsters at my church about keeping their body clean and healthy. I showed them a delicious looking brownie… it had syrup poured over the top and big chunks of white chocolate inside and every hand went up immediately hoping to get a bite… but then I told them that somewhere inside was a tiny piece of poison. It wouldn’t kill them right away but instead would slowly burn a hole inside of them. Their hands lowered as I asked if they really wanted to miss out on this really good brownie just because it had a little tiny piece of poison in it. You see the analogy don’t you? How often have you heard “It’s a really good movie, but it does have that one part” or “It was really suggestive but luckily that goes right over their heads” or “It wasn’t that good of a book but I just needed something to read” or “just push the mute button, close your eyes, or fast forward when it comes to that part”. The world needs more overly critical individuals. The future generations need more critical parents. We all need to be critical of the small poisons that erode away at our spirits just as much as we are critical of food that a tiny little fly drowned in or that sour cream that doesn’t quite smell right. Protecting our bodies should be second in line to the protection of our souls.
A few years ago I was sitting at a soccer practice talking to the other moms and watching my son play. One woman was very excited as her last child was "finally" heading off to school in just a few weeks. She was so excited to have some time to herself again! When I asked her what she was going to do all day she beamed as she said she was planning to sell Mary Kay & already had a long list of what she would buy with the extra money. I was shocked! Please believe me that I have nothing against the goal or reality of selling makeup nor of making lists of what to buy when you have extra cash. I also see no point judging or even arguing with this woman over her choices. But with how excited she was I thought for sure she must have had something bigger planed for her impending 30+ obligation free hours, each week. Instead, her long awaited wish was to use her extra time earning money to buy more stuff and I find that quite sad.
What is your long awaited wish? How will you get there? What will it give you in the end? …really?! You go girl!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
We all have those days...
This Joke was found in a Readers Digest
Following a tough day of homeschooling her children, my friend was in the kitchen muttering to herself when her 14-year-old son walked in. "What's going on?" he asked. "I'm having a parent-teacher conference," she growled.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
You Know that you are a Homeschooler When...
your mother and best friend give you curriculum for your birthday presents - and you are thrilled! I just had to share what they gave me because I am always looking for a good recommendation.
Note: My children are ages 5 1/2 and younger, so these things are for that age group.
The Core Knowledge Series - E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
Magic Tree House readers - Mary Pope Osborne
Leap Frog Alphabet Go Fish and Math Rummy
Note: My children are ages 5 1/2 and younger, so these things are for that age group.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Lessons found when you get your hands dirty...
Here are so many wonderful lessons that naturally occur when you grow a vegetable garden. Today, with the help of my husband turning the soil, I was able to plant my spring seeds! Yeah! It felt so good to get down and get my hands really dirty and plant some seeds. I can't wait for fresh produce right out of my own garden again. We planted peas, radishes, onion sets, carrots, spinach and 3 kinds of lettuce!
This summer we are planning on pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons, tomatoes, beans, and corn. I know I am squishing a lot into my little raised beds, but I can't help it. I am addicted! Plus, I have learned a trick of training the vining plants to grow up strong supports. So I can squish more in...I call it vertical gardening!
Besides eating great produce, I know that my children will be learning about seasons, how plants grow, nutrition, and the joy of being patient!
This summer we are planning on pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons, tomatoes, beans, and corn. I know I am squishing a lot into my little raised beds, but I can't help it. I am addicted! Plus, I have learned a trick of training the vining plants to grow up strong supports. So I can squish more in...I call it vertical gardening!
Besides eating great produce, I know that my children will be learning about seasons, how plants grow, nutrition, and the joy of being patient!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Playing Checkers
Lately, my 5 1/2 year old son has become obsessed with playing checkers with me. I love board games and am very competitive myself.I decided when I first introduced my son to any board game, that I would not just "let him win." Every other aspect of being his mother is helping him along this way...from assisting with reading to buttoning up his pants. I believe that being a good looser as well as a winner are needed skills to learn. I also know that life can be tough, and you are not given free hand outs all the time.
When we fist began playing checkers months ago and Isaac lost, he would cry and become very angry. I would comfort him and put the game away. Please note that every time we play, it was his idea in the first place...
Lately he wants to play non-stop. He is starting to understand that there is strategy involved and has began asking for insight. He has never beat me yet, but he is starting to get close. Isaac even tripled jumped me and got a king before I even noticed it.
The best part of playing checkers, are the thinking skills involved. He not only has to watch his moves, but anticipate mine. I have watched his academic skills skyrocket at the same time. So the ironic part is, the more me play games and I don't teach academic skills, the better his academic skills are becoming...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
And A Child Shall Lead Them...
A few weeks ago on a early Sunday morning I was quickly losing patience with my children as we hurried to get ready for church. No one was listening and instead had their own ideas of how to best use the time. Suddenly - out of nowhere - my son Nate started belting out the chorus to a favorite Primary song - "follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; don't go astray" his little lungs belted out quite loudly. As I tried to hush him - I realized I was being foolish - what a perfect song to sing a we got ready for church & I joined in.
Our home allows for learning to happen in the most suprising ways but most wonderful thing of all is that the usual roles are reversed quite frequently & I become the"student".
Our home allows for learning to happen in the most suprising ways but most wonderful thing of all is that the usual roles are reversed quite frequently & I become the"student".
Monday, January 19, 2009
TV Stands for "The Vampire" - Kill It
by Don Milne, an Editorial found in Deseret News
On Feb. 17, the "Vampire" in your home will be dead. The Vampire has sucked your life away day and night for decades. Years ago, your home maybe had one Vampire, but chances are now there are two or three or more stalking you. No matter where you go — living room, kitchen, even your bedroom — the Vampire is there. And because the Vampire has bitten you, you are a docile servant to his desires. He can say things and show you things that you would not put up with from your family or neighbors.
The Vampire spends more time with your child than your child spends in school. Report after report tells us of the harm he has done to your child. The more time your child spends with the Vampire, the more promiscuous he or she becomes. The Vampire makes your kid fat. The Vampire causes behavior problems.
If you are average, once the Vampire is gone on Feb. 17, you will have restored 28 hours of your life every week. In one year's time that's almost 40 full workweeks. What could you do with this extra 1,500 hours? You could get a lot of exercise. You could increase your job skills. You could spend more time engaged with your family. You could develop a talent like playing a musical instrument. You could get a part-time job and increase your savings. You could even read something more uplifting than the Vampire listings. I know. You mock me. You disparage me. This is an impossible dream. The Vampire is too strong and too alluring. Letting the Vampire die will cause you too much pain. Only outcasts and misfits can live without the Vampire. So you will not let your beloved, foul-mouthed, violent, sex-crazed Vampire die. You will give him new life with a converter box if you haven't done so already. Perhaps your Analog Vampire has already been replaced by an even more dangerous Digital Vampire. He will continue to dominate your life. Perhaps you already have a shrine dedicated to him in your home.
I killed the Vampire in my home in 2003. At first it was hard. The Vampire's poison was in my blood. I was drawn to raise him from the dead, but with time the desire left, and so did the ill effects. Shocked at my actions and shrouded in guilt, people I know would defend the Vampire. The Vampire brings news and even wholesome entertainment.
They don't understand.
The Vampire sucks life — hours, weeks, months, years. I can get news and entertainment without him and not cede away my control.
They say that less than 1 percent of Americans live without the Vampire.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
Won't you join us?
In January 2003 Don and Aneladee Milne of Bountiful promised to take their children to Disneyland if they went a whole year without watching television programs. A year later, when they got back from Disneyland, they turned the TV back. They liked things better without it. They've remained "TV free" ever since.
On Feb. 17, the "Vampire" in your home will be dead. The Vampire has sucked your life away day and night for decades. Years ago, your home maybe had one Vampire, but chances are now there are two or three or more stalking you. No matter where you go — living room, kitchen, even your bedroom — the Vampire is there. And because the Vampire has bitten you, you are a docile servant to his desires. He can say things and show you things that you would not put up with from your family or neighbors.
The Vampire spends more time with your child than your child spends in school. Report after report tells us of the harm he has done to your child. The more time your child spends with the Vampire, the more promiscuous he or she becomes. The Vampire makes your kid fat. The Vampire causes behavior problems.
If you are average, once the Vampire is gone on Feb. 17, you will have restored 28 hours of your life every week. In one year's time that's almost 40 full workweeks. What could you do with this extra 1,500 hours? You could get a lot of exercise. You could increase your job skills. You could spend more time engaged with your family. You could develop a talent like playing a musical instrument. You could get a part-time job and increase your savings. You could even read something more uplifting than the Vampire listings. I know. You mock me. You disparage me. This is an impossible dream. The Vampire is too strong and too alluring. Letting the Vampire die will cause you too much pain. Only outcasts and misfits can live without the Vampire. So you will not let your beloved, foul-mouthed, violent, sex-crazed Vampire die. You will give him new life with a converter box if you haven't done so already. Perhaps your Analog Vampire has already been replaced by an even more dangerous Digital Vampire. He will continue to dominate your life. Perhaps you already have a shrine dedicated to him in your home.
I killed the Vampire in my home in 2003. At first it was hard. The Vampire's poison was in my blood. I was drawn to raise him from the dead, but with time the desire left, and so did the ill effects. Shocked at my actions and shrouded in guilt, people I know would defend the Vampire. The Vampire brings news and even wholesome entertainment.
They don't understand.
The Vampire sucks life — hours, weeks, months, years. I can get news and entertainment without him and not cede away my control.
They say that less than 1 percent of Americans live without the Vampire.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
Won't you join us?
In January 2003 Don and Aneladee Milne of Bountiful promised to take their children to Disneyland if they went a whole year without watching television programs. A year later, when they got back from Disneyland, they turned the TV back. They liked things better without it. They've remained "TV free" ever since.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Help Fight Freedom of Choice Act
As most of you know, last night Obama made a public announcement that he is going to sign the Freedom Of Choice Act, which will allow all types of abortions including partial birth abortions, also allowing babies who are born alive due to botched up late term abortions, to be set aside without any medical care or nourishment and left to die (most of these babies have no medical problems and most of the ones that do, have things like cleft palates, club feet, things that are correctable, still they are murdered in the most cruel and inhuman way. They feel everything that is happening to them. There is more mercy for dogs that are put to sleep) This Bill also will make it mandatory for doctors and nurses to perform this murderous act even if they do not want to do so. This act also allows under age teens to have an abortion, even partial birth abortions, without parental consent.
Catholic Bishops have pleaded with Obama not to go ahead with this horrible murder of innocent babies. They have also told Obama that if he persists in signing this Bill which would require even Catholic Hospitals to perform these acts of murder, they will have no choice but to close all Catholic Hospitals. Please let us join with these courageous Bishops who will go to any length to change Obama's mind. Please take a minute to sign this statement and let our voices be heard.
This is a great, informative website. You can click on the video of Obama's speech to the Planned Parenthood group where he promised that the first thing he would do if elected President would be to sign the Freedom Of Choice Act. He isn't even in the White House yet and he made a statement last night that he will go forward with his plans to sign this outrageous bill. He still can change his mind because the Bill cannot be signed until he is actually the President.
Please let your family and friends know about this Bill and ask them to also sign this petition. Even those who voted for Obama would not want him to sign this Bill. May God have mercy on our country for the sake of the millions who would never agree with this Bill if they fully understood all that it encompasses. Please click on the web site below. It will take less than a minute of your time, doesn't cost anything and God will bless you for standing up for Him and His teachings.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing"
http://www.fightfoca.com/
For more information on what a partial-birth abortion click on NPR Partial-birth Abortion
Catholic Bishops have pleaded with Obama not to go ahead with this horrible murder of innocent babies. They have also told Obama that if he persists in signing this Bill which would require even Catholic Hospitals to perform these acts of murder, they will have no choice but to close all Catholic Hospitals. Please let us join with these courageous Bishops who will go to any length to change Obama's mind. Please take a minute to sign this statement and let our voices be heard.
This is a great, informative website. You can click on the video of Obama's speech to the Planned Parenthood group where he promised that the first thing he would do if elected President would be to sign the Freedom Of Choice Act. He isn't even in the White House yet and he made a statement last night that he will go forward with his plans to sign this outrageous bill. He still can change his mind because the Bill cannot be signed until he is actually the President.
Please let your family and friends know about this Bill and ask them to also sign this petition. Even those who voted for Obama would not want him to sign this Bill. May God have mercy on our country for the sake of the millions who would never agree with this Bill if they fully understood all that it encompasses. Please click on the web site below. It will take less than a minute of your time, doesn't cost anything and God will bless you for standing up for Him and His teachings.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing"
http://www.fightfoca.com/
For more information on what a partial-birth abortion click on NPR Partial-birth Abortion
Thursday, January 8, 2009
TJEd Annual Form for 2009
Mark your Calendars, it's time for the TJEd Annual Forum for 2009. It will be held on March 7th, in Salt Lake City.
If you are interested, the web site is found on http://www.tjedmarketplace.com/.
Early birds must register by Feb 7th, 2009.
Prices at a glance:
Early Bird Adult $52.00
Early Bird Couple: $72.00
Regular Price Adult: $72.00
Regular Price Couple: $92.00
There are special events the day before that cost more if you would like to go earlier. I am personally only attending, on March 7th myself. I think that you can order lunch through the conference or leave to get lunch. What a wonderful time to have a get-away!
If you are interested, the web site is found on http://www.tjedmarketplace.com/.
Early birds must register by Feb 7th, 2009.
Prices at a glance:
Early Bird Adult $52.00
Early Bird Couple: $72.00
Regular Price Adult: $72.00
Regular Price Couple: $92.00
There are special events the day before that cost more if you would like to go earlier. I am personally only attending, on March 7th myself. I think that you can order lunch through the conference or leave to get lunch. What a wonderful time to have a get-away!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Beaker's "Ode To Joy"
We are having a blast studying classical musicians with our kids. Whoever said classical music couldn't be fun? Ode To Joy is my 13-month-old's favorite song. She dances around to it every time I play it on the piano. Enjoy!
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