Freedom and Righteousness

I remember when the twin towers came down. It was a terrifying time for all of us. There was a lot of shock, uncertainty and fear. I remember that I wanted to know what the prophet was going to say in the wake of this terrible tragedy. I was listening very closely to President Hinckley's words at the October 2001 General Conference. Thankfully he addressed the topic directly and told us all exactly what we needed to know. He gave a talk titled "The Times in Which We Live".

The part of his talk that I will never forget and I often recall is when he said, "Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God." It reminded me that I only need to worry about the things I have control over and leave the rest to God. He also reminds us that we are a blessed nation, and we need to pay our tithing for protection.

I remember around this same time reading in the Book of Mormon and I came to Ether 8:23-26. I thought to myself, "This is referring to the terrorists." Of course they hate our freedom, because they have been inspired by the evil one who has sought from the beginning to take it away from us.

I really liked this Prager U video that gives us a better understanding of what it means to take the name of God in vain. As we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, we need to be very careful that we don't do anything to soil that name or damage his church. It blows my mind that some people can be so deceived that they can truly believe that they are performing these acts of terror in the name of God. They will surely suffer terrible consequences.

If this wickedness has come upon us, then I have to believe that it is because of our need to repent as a nation. This was a principal that Lincoln seemed to have understood. He makes reference to this understanding in his second inaugural address. There is even some speculation that he may have been influenced in this understanding by the Book of Mormon, but surely with his understanding of the Bible.

The thought I had on this subject that has been playing through my mind each time there is an attack is the need for us to stand in holy places. This isn't to say that innocent and good people have not or will not be killed in these evil attacks but when I look at some of the deadliest attacks that have happened, they have been in some very unholy places where the spirit of God cannot be present.

On a side note, what does it mean to stand? To answer that you might want to check out Deuteronomy 11:25, Psalms 1:5, Psalms 24:3, Proverbs 12:7, Isaiah 28:18, Isaiah 40:8, 3 Nephi 24:2, Luke 21:36, Alma 58:40, and Ephesians 6:13.  There are many more but I am sure you can figure out what I am trying to get at.

One of the attacks was in the Bataclan Theater. The name in French literally means junk or trash, but the most eye opening part to me was the lyrics of the song Eagles of Death Metal sang when the bullets started to fly. I will not list them here because they make me sick, but they do connote devil worship. The other attack with huge casualties was at the pulse night club. I don't think I need to go into any specifics on why that was an unholy place to my readers.

On the flip side I think of the Brussels Airport attack where four missionaries were helping a sister missionary get off to her mission in Ohio. This one was personal for me because I used to work indirectly with Elder Richard Norby who was the senior missionary involved in that attack and who suffered the worst injuries from it. When they could have been killed, they all survived and thanked God all along the way. This horrible tragedy turned into a missionary opportunity in the end.

I am grateful for the men and women who love and fight for our freedom every day in the military and in law enforcement. I am grateful for those in the past who have died for it. I am also very grateful for those who teach us how to live righteously and raise up righteous children. If we lived in a righteous world these problems would be less abundant around us I am sure.

Lastly we have been told by modern prophets that we should pray for the Lord's Coming. Although there will be great destruction and a whole lot of  sorrow before he comes, everything will be made right at his coming. It will be a glorious moment that I hope I get to witness and I also really hope I am prepared for. Do I think he will come soon? I can't say for sure but I do know that we are due for some serious cleansing. Our founding fathers would be ashamed of what we have done with the freedoms they fought and died for.