Are Biblical References Unconstitutional in our Courts and Government?

AGREE OR DELETE

< /FONT>Andy Rooney

DID YOU KNOW?

As you walk up the steps to the

Building which houses the U S Supreme Court

You can see near the top of the building a row

Of the world's law givers and each one is

Facing one in the middle who is facing forward

With a full frontal view ... It is Moses and he

Is holding the Ten Commandments!

. DID YOU KNOW?

As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the

Two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments

Engraved on each lower portion of each door.

DID YOU KNOW?

As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see

The wall, right above where the Supreme Court

Judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW?

There are Bible verses etched in stone all

Over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in

Washington , D.C.

DID YOU KNOW?

James Madison, the fourth president, known as

'The Father of Our Constitution' made the

Following statement:

' We have staked the whole of all our political

Institutions upon the capacity of mankind for

Self-government, upon the capacity of each and

All of us to govern ourselves, to control

Ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to

The Ten Commandments of God.'

DID YOU KNOW?

Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding

Father of our country said:

'It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too

Often that this great nation was founded not

By religionists but by Christians, not on

Religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ'.

DID YOU KNOW?

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Every session of Congress begins with a prayer

By a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid

By the taxpayer since 1777.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the

Constitution were members of the established

Orthodox churches in the colonies.

DID YOU KNOW?

Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would

Overstep their authority and instead of

Interpreting the law would begin making law

An oliga rchy

The rule of few over many.

DID YOU KNOW?

The very first Supreme Court Justice, John

Jay, said:

'Americans should select and prefer Christians

As their rulers.'

How then, have we gotten to the point that Every thing we have done for 220 years in this

Country is now suddenly wrong and

Unconstitutional?

Lets put it around the world and let the world

See and remember what this great country was

Built on.

I was asked to send this on if I agreed or

Delete if I didn't. Now it is your turn...

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God.

Therefore, it is very hard to understand

Why there is such a mess about having the Ten

Commandments on display or 'In God We Trust'

On our money and having God in the Pledge of

Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the other

14% to Sit Down and SHUT UP!!!

If you agree, pass this on

Charitable Contributions of Nominee's Well Under God's Tithing Law Percentage

According to tax records reported from up to the last decade of presidential and vice-presidential nominees from the country's two major parties, there is a serious deficiency in charitable contributions. One can look at the small percentages and see that none of the nominees, with the exception of perhaps McCain, if he contributed his tithes, are following God's law of the Tithe. God requires a tenth (10%) of income to be donated to the building up of His Kingdom. All 4 nominees are "god-fearing" individuals yet none are following this sacred law that has existed since at least the time of Abraham.

So here is my concern: in a time when leaders profess to follow God's commands and profess Christ's name, what does it say about their personal integrity when they do not follow such a basic law of sacrifice and charitable goodness? How can we expect these leaders to rule over us when they themselves do not follow the same laws they profess to uphold? What does it say about a candidate that is unwilling to contribute to charitable offerings, especially God's Kingdom, yet claim to have the answers to our nation's poverty and welfare problems?

I think it should be interesting to hear responses to their neglect in the charitable donation category especially when each are in the highest income brackets and none are struggling financially, nor will they in their lifetime. The people, us, must hold them responsible for their neglect.

What's your opinion on the obvious lack of interest in charitable contributions by our nation's nominees for the highest executive offices in the land?

What Not to Expect in a Mormon Meeting House

So yesterday was an adventure in the unexpected. For anyone that has visited an LDS church service, exciting is not a word that usually comes to mind to describes the proceedings. At times there are some unexpected comments made and I've sat through some pretty unusual witnesses of nothing in particular. But yesterday had to have topped all previously acknowledged strange experiences.

The first Sunday of each month a typical LDS congregation worships together having prepared themselves through prayer and fasting. After the holy communion, or sacrament, has been administered, lay members of the congregation bare witness of the truths or tenets of the Gospel, of the Living Christ and of the Restoration of the Church of Christ. Testimonials include baring witness of the Book of Mormon and Bible, of living prophets and apostles and of personal faith promoting experiences.

As yesterday's meeting was drawing to a close with just 10 minutes left, the members of the church (at least 2 congregations) were shockingly jolted by the piercing sounds of the fire alarm and the annoying flashing of the strobe lights (glad we don't have any epileptics). The Bishop and I bolted to the side door to find out a young feller had pulled the alarm. Without even taking a 2nd breath we bolted for the system to shut off the alarms (in retrospect I probably should have gone back to the microphone and notified the congregation that there was in fact no fire and to remain calm).

Through the remainder of the testimonies, the alarm hiccuped another 3 times, jolting the listeners to attention and forcing mass amounts of adrenaline to pump voraciously through our veins. All-in-all the meeting ended well and I'm sure we'll not soon forget the excitement we felt at the meeting as well as the calming influence of the Holy Spirit before and afterwards. Quite a contrast!

Inspiration and the Ward Calling

As I ponder how to write this entry, I realize what I'm about to write may touch a sensitive nerve with some individuals (great lead in I know). But what I attempt to do with these entries is not mask my dealings with the church but give insight and a fresh perspective. What I want to emphasize is this is just my perspective, not doctrine or nearly authoritative. It is experience, not law. It is personal, not public.

Having served in my first bishopric for the past 1.5 yrs one could say my experience as a congregation level leader is quite infantile and I would agree. Though in that period of time I have gained some experiences which I would call unique compared with some that have never served in this role. Something that I continue to learn is the church is headed by Christ, inspired through revelation to men called of God and executed by men that do all they can in a voluntary role. Was that generic enough for you? What does it really mean?

What it means is the world wide church, the kingdom of God, is lead by a living oracle, namely a prophet, which receives revelation straight from God. Not through studying the Bible alone or attending myriads of theology conferences. Direct communion with the Omniscient One. The Word travels through him and through the Apostles which are likewise prophets to the various regions of the world. On a local level the keys to exercise the saving ordinances, namely baptism and sacrament, are bestowed and exercised regularly. This authority helps the church to grow. Yet through all of this, everyone involved, from leaders to regular members, is a volunteer.

The subject of volunteerism is one I enjoy in that what you give to the effort often is what you glean from the experience. If you give very little you can hope to obtain as little or less in return. Those that serve and do so faithfully do not always fully recognize the direct correlation of blessings received in return and often do not see it as a reciprocal relationship. Yet it has been my observation that the Lord is not withholding anything from those that love and serve Him. We just need to open our eyes to those blessings.

As serving in the church is a voluntary obligation, it must also be an orchestrated exercise else chaos and disorder take over and frustrate the object of the voluntary spirit. Where this gets complicated is finding a balance between accessibility and desire on behalf of those that are called to serve. In the early days of the church timetables and schedules rarely were a factor in how one served. If asked to do so, the member would walk 50 miles to milk the widows cow, cut some wood, mend a fence and return the next day. Would this create an imposition and hardship on the member? Likely. But if the call was extended, for the most part, the faith was matched to the task and eventually the blessings were realized.

In today's growing, bustling and often overscheduled church, the member sees the opportunity to serve as secondary to the worldly responsibilities they burden. I have had individuals state that their schedule just simply did not allow for the calling to be fulfilled. At to some degree I would concede that for reasons of health or familia duty this is rightly so.

In laying all of these individual concerns out on the table in trying to make sense of the complex chaos of membership responsibility, is it any wonder that inspiration is at times mired by logic and orchestration? What of inspiration and the individual calling? I've heard many people state that "if the calling was truly inspired..." And here is what I've learned (no big secrets here, just experience).

Inspiration, or revelation, is the duty, obligation, and right for anyone serving or having stewardship for another. For leaders it is essential. I have felt it's influence and seen the fruits of it's labors. I can also say that not all callings or assignments are thought to be inspired. Sometimes we have a position that logically needs to be filled by a warm body. But we hope when extending the calling that inspiration lead us to that point and by the same hope the individual will fulfill the assignment. I can also tell you that the Lord's Spirit whispers truth through the chaos when directing the saving efforts of his children.

Did I really answer what I had set out to reveal? Who knows. For me I'm satisfied. Maybe you have more questions. Feel free to ask them. But let me state unequivocally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is led by revelation from the top to the bottom, in varying degrees mind you, and will continue in this order until the Christ Himself reigns personally upon the earth whereby inspiration is replaced with direct knowledge from it Source.

What to Expect in a Mormon Meeting House?

The LDS church release a great news clip on what to expect if you visit a Mormon Meeting House, or chapel. The details are accurate and fair. I especially liked the following:

"Mormons tend to
have large families, so be prepared to see — and hear — a
lot of children. And though Mormon parents try to teach
their little ones to be reverent, children are also
encouraged to be involved."

Hit this link to read the rest.

Lonely Heaven?

Were your ancestors, or even your parents, converted to the Lord? Did they profess the name of Jesus prior to death? What would your current church say about their eternal reward or punishment?

Most religions will tell you that they'll not be eligible for heaven and will be eternally punished. What does the LDS church say about this?

The article linked here is a good summary of the general belief and doctrine of the LDS church. High level, those that never had the chance at redemption or those that had no opportunity to receive Christ can still be saved. The New Testament alludes to this and modern day prophecy expounds on this eternal doctrine. Read more or go to mormon.org for more info.

Also, please feel free to comment below. I'd be interested to know what you think.

Roach Mormon to Compete in Olympics

Funny how small a world the LDS Church makes it especially through the wonders of world wide distribution of Mormon-centric news. On their newsroom site is an article (I subscribe to their RSS feed) about an Olympian that is set to compete in Beijing. Her last name is what caught my eye. Anyone with the name of Roach catches my eye as I have worked politically with that family and know of their fervor. When I read that the origin of the article was a composite from the Tacoma News Tribune and that the Roach sited was from Bonney Lake, Washington I knew I had the same family. Confirming this with the name of the husband being Dan, I knew I had worked along side Dan and had ridden back from Yakima, WA with Dan from the Washington State Republican convention as an 18 year old. Small world.

Priesthood Doubles in Hanson Home

Just posted this on the main site but it completely applies to this Church blog as well. Have a son that received the Priesthood? What were your thoughts at the time?

Witness of God's Spirit Personal Strength

This last Sunday I had an assignment to address the Relief Society and was overwhelmed by the outpouring of the Spirit prior to my announcement. I caught the tail end of the meeting and was so blessed by having sat through that quiet and still moment. When I went to address the sisters, I first witnessed of the manifestation of the Spirit and was completely overcome. The power of the witness of the Spirit is like nothing else and I'm grateful for that experience.

Youngest Son Baptized

I did a write up on my main blog about this last weekend's events, included in the post was some details of our youngest son's baptism. Hit this link for more about his baptism.