Share The Light

No, I am not! I hired some teachers that are devoted to teaching my children and any other student. They do not discuss religion with my children. I do that. A couple of those teachers are of LDS background and have had a good exposure to the fundamentals of the Mormon faith. Another has no religious conviction whatever. They are good teachers and are doing a good job!

My faith is as it has always been. I was taught in the days of Uncle Roy. He was for good education, strong families, everlasting marriages, and peaceful living. He was for squaring what you heard with the basic teachings: Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph  Smith. He was for free agency. He loved his neighbor.

I did talk about having a grizzly bear roaming around outside and the care that must be given to protect your children in those cases. Grizzly Bears come in many shapes and sizes. An adult that wants to supply alcohol to a minor is one example. A relative that tries to talk your family into leaving you is another. A friend hitting on your wife is yet another. A brother that pretends your son is his very own is yet another. A father or mother making an effort to interrupt your family are another enemy.  A Bishop or prophet that will take your things and sell them are nothing more than a grizzly bear.  In short, anyone that will seek to destroy you and your family, your peace, your industry, your faith, are in the grizzly bear category.

Christ said to love your enemies and do not hurt them.  He also said to pray for them, so I pray for my enemies.  I pray that the prayers they pray against others will fall upon their own heads, that they will be dealt with as they have done to others. I have already seen it happen.  Some of the thieves have been robbed, some that have attacked my family have had theirs attacked, some that have sought to destroy mine have had theirs destroyed. I also pray that they will repent of their wickedness and be decent to their brothers, sisters, and other family members along with their friends and neighbors.  If they ever hope to be restored to family and friends then they must restore.  And–though I don’t quite know what God thinks of it, I keep some bear spray around just in case they come skulking around again.

When I was young we celebrated Christmas in the traditional way. Tree, lights, decorations, presents and the works. The presents were things that we needed, mostly clothing items, with lots of homemade useful other things. Brandon was a craftsman of wood. He made boxes, rocking chairs, play house sets, and anything you could think of from wood. Mac was a mechanic and world renown horseman and he loved things like bridles, pliers in leather pouches, pocket knives and the like. The girls would sew shirts, help with the cooking and got to stay up late.  Dad was the one who bought the shoes, socks, boots and coats, not to mention the underwear and overalls.  He was a dairyman so we were dairyman and nothing happened at all until the chores were all done.

I got carried away there so I will get back to the question. Many people don’t believe that December  25 is the day that Christ was born. Christ definitely is no baby. But, He once was born and he was a baby, and that truth is an important one for children to learn. Christmas songs are such a refreshing change from the norm. Doing good for your fellowman, peace, love, kindness, forgivness, family, singing, going to church, remembering God and His dear now old Son, greatly eclipse anything that people normally do. Why Santa ever got mixed up in all that is a mystery to me, or what he has to do with anything Christian, has long ago failed me.

I really enjoy Christmas day.  I plan on eating lots, reading, snowmobiling, and maybe watching a good show.  I will say my prayers as I always do and ask my heavenly father for His blessings on that beautiful day.  I will sing of my Redeemer with my family, (I have some kids that are kind of good singers) and we will be thankful that Christ was born into the earth, that He grew up and lived a sinless life, that He brought salvation into the world and redemption for all those who will keep the commandments of God. I will tell my children that Jesus Christ died on the cross that we by forsaking our sins and becoming like He is, free from sins, might live with Him in heaven. Those simple truths are fundamental to my Mormon faith and for every person in the world who takes the time to reflect upon those truths tomorrow, and think of our Lord Jesus Christ, I say, God bless you and may you have a Merry Merry Christmas!

God is not the author of confusion. When children are legally adopted by parents they usually(and naturally) take the name of their new adopted family. I honestly don’t know where, what and why the confusion of the modified church came from.  It was not had among the early saints.

In early days, the old prophets had this rule.  If a man died leaving no son to carry on his name in the earth, his widow could apply to his nearest kindred, that she join him in marriage and seek to have a son to keep his name alive in the earth.  It didn’t matter if he already had a wife and family, and they were both blessed by the community and elders for trying to do this. It was an honorable thing and not confusing at all. The son was to be called exactly the same name as her deceased husband and was to be considered his son. This would keep his name alive in the earth.  Any subsequent children, if there was any, were the children of their natural father. Nothing confusing about that.

I think that we will find this simple truth. Parents will be held responsible for their children. It is not an honor for a father, mother or children to be moved around like cattle. One last name is just as good as another.

I believe that when two people make a vow with each other, they should keep it. We were once proud of our marriage statistics but now should be ashamed. I also know that if one party to a sacred promise breaks it, it is broken.

Many different reasons are cause for divorce.  Physical abuse, alcoholism, sickness, apostacy, family interference, dishonesty, religion, new revelations and adultery are just some of the excuses that people use to end their marriages. Adultery, is the major reason that people part ways. Our church has allowed that divorce happen in most every case of adultery. I personally think that if reconcilliation can happen in marriage then it should. It is a hard subject and is ugly to think about and deal with. Heartache, resentment, emotional breakdowns, and sometimes alcoholism, not to mention all the tears, anger and regrets that end up being bi-products of unfaithfulness.  All too often, divorce is the way that most couples choose to end the misery.

When my father was cut off the church  back in the 1940’s, the Stake President told my mother that she was now free to leave him and be grafted back into the church.  She told him to take a hike and kept her covenants with father. Her sacred promise meant far more to her than it obviously meant to the church.  Even today some goofball from the modified fundamentalist church will plead with some of my family members to leave me and go join them.  In a million years I would not allow my family nor myself to try and talk anyone into leaving their family. It could ultimately lead to divorce. It is just wrong!

The idea probably came from someone who wanted another wife!  A search of the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, finds nothing of how many wives a man must have. I don’t know of any of the teachings of the Prophet Joseph that says so either.

I am sure that someone has said it somewhere in days gone by.  The challenge of a fundamentalist is to square what you hear with the fundamental teachings and revelations of God. I know, I can just hear the response of “present revelation, modern prophets” and so on.  If all those past and present revelators would have stayed with the teachings of our Lord Jesus, Mormonism wouldn’t have taken the detour that it has around things that are decent and fundamental to our faith.

If you go back to early Mormon history you will discover that many great men did not have three wives. Where do you suppose that they are?  Joseph saw in vision his brother Alvin sitting on the right hand of God.  He was never married. In our society there have been dozens of very fine people that have never had an opportunity to live the “principle” as some call it. To think that salvation is simply a numbers game is an insult to a host of good honorable people and should not be preached.

When the original twelve were called, none of them were polygamists.  Some of the men set apart in 1886 were not polygamists. At a later date than that, some of the great men of our time were not polygamists when they were called to be in the service of God and keep his fundamental principles alive.

It is quite easy to make a set of new rules for people to live by. It is more difficult to try and get folks to live by the ones that already exist.  Once I went to see brother Jeffs and he said; “did you know that a Patriarch must have five wives”?  As I gave him a puzzled look he explained, “that is what a Patriarch just told me”.  I rest my case on the wife thing and make this addition which is fundamental to our faith.  Marriage is ordained of God and it is the privilege of anyone who is not married to be married. If you go and court someone else’s wife then you are coveting your neighbors wife and breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Do not commit adultery or you will be damned if you don’t repent. If you are married and minding your own business, looking after your family and the two of you are virtuous people, should some other virtuous woman(I will add who is old enough to make her own choices in life)want to join your family, and all are agreed, then whose business is that.  No one is hurt, no society is hurt,no family is broken, no vows are violated. Celestial implies virtuous.

If you get a chance, even if you are a single person, to take your valise in hand and wander to the ends of the earth declaring repentance to the nations, then do it. Like Paul the Apostle, whether in or out of chains, declare faith, repentance and baptism, spreading peace, honesty, decency and goodwill. You don’t need to be a polygamist to do right or earn you a place in heaven.

I have never cut anyone off the church for gambling.  I wanted to, but hoped that the gamblers would see what they were doing to themselves and family. Over the years many housewives, and even some husbands, have complained about their spouse gambling away the grocery money, car payment, taxes, tithing, etc. It was rough to watch, and even more difficult when the contributions of others was needed to subsidize someone who had lost their paycheck at the casino.

I know that there can be innocent forms of gambling.  Brothers will bet a buck, toss a coin, bet on a hamburger or make wagers that are never intended for anything but bragging fun. Still, almost everyone finds it difficult to resist that five dollar ticket when the 649 is at 15 million!  There are sweepstakes, raffles, fundraisers, and entry fees for events that seem nothing more than a gamble. But, if you take your paycheck to the casino before you pay your power bill, car payment, medical bills or groceries, and you lose it, you are not going to like going home to Betsy. 

 I know one couple who gamble a couple times a month and do it as their entertainment.  They have set a strict limit on what they intend on losing. It is a combined total of $300.00. They have raised their family, paid for their home, and still both work. Their goal is to  bet their three hundred and bring it all back and hopefully more. If they lose it then they quit and spend the rest of their time taking in some good eating, shows, or sight seeing.  They are both there and realize how hard their savings have been to come by, how important it is to be disciplined about their gambling, and the value of their entertainment.  It has worked well for them. They are the exception to my gambling rule, which says that gambling is a good way to go mentally, spiritually, physically, and family bankrupt.

My advice when you get your paycheck. Before you go to the casino, pay your credit cards off, buy some groceries, pay your car payment, pay your utilities, put a few bucks in the food hamper for the poor, and take the old girl(s) out for dinner.  When you have done all of that, check to see if your speeding and parking tickets have been paid, if your insurance is coming due, pay your brother back the twenty you borrowed from him and replace that emergency stash that you have in your junk drawer under the fishing tackle box.  Then, if the urge to go gambling is so great that you simply must do it, gamble away what is left of your paycheck. For goodness sakes! Don’t lose your marriage or standing in your church over gambling!

Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants was given less than three years from the beginning of the Church. It is very plainly set out as a guideline for healthy living among the Saints. Interestingly enough though, it says that it is adapted to the capacity of the weakest of all who could possibly be called saints.

For whatever it is worth this is my take on it all.  The revelation talks about hot drinks. Put some cream, sugar, and an ice cube in the thing and make it a cool drink.  Do the same with hot chocolate and tea. Don’t scald your mouth, which in my view is wisdom. I don’t drink coffee, my father never drank it, his father never drank it, but I know some very fine honest people who will say, I drink coffee, my father drank it, my grandfather drank it. Should they be cut off the church? There is no wisdom in doing that, so just cut the dishonest coffee drinkers off, eh! All joking aside, I know that if you have the stomach flu a cup of coffee is the best medicine that you can take.

Beer! I have heard all the arguments. “Barley is for mild drinks”.  Beer is a barley drink and it can make  you drunk and if you are driving you can get dead or kill someone else. That definitely is not wisdom. One friend of mine told me that he got hooked on beer when he was on tour of duty in Vietnam. He said the water was gray over there so he drank the beer. Another said that beer helped him relax and get the good spirit. Still others deal with their sorrows by sitting at the bar drinking beer. I don’t drink, nor did my father, nor did his father. I have seen saints and sinners that were drunk and they were all the same.  There is no wisdom in it.

Smoking! It is no longer a matter of debate. Smoking is not good for anyone. Don’t do it.

Ouch! I wish that you would have asked that question two administrations ago. But, it is a very valid question because “marriage” implies that we all want to do this. I know that many people can learn how to love each other, and that love can grow on a person.  That I suppose is why people who work with each other, socialize, meet casually, talk, etc. develop affections that they consider to be long lasting, loving feelings. They call it falling in love. 

From my own experience, I have worked very hard within myself to develop those feelings of affection that are not instantly there. I have also seen many cases of men who were so big and holy that it would be quite difficult to survive them. I have seen and experienced one sided affection which involved both partners many different times until I can say with some certainty that our past has had many different flaws that it should never have had.

What is the point in marrying some man who does not want you?  What is the point in marrying some woman who hates you? No point at all! There is nothing holy or lasting about that scenario.

First a little history. One of the fundamental concerns that Mormons had when our faith was new in the early eighteen hundreds was that we were disliked as a church and people. The dislike and persecution inspired the early leaders to caution the members to make every precaution to do what it takes to take care of ourselves in everthing that we do. Many people were overcautious, some bordering on paranoia, others were careless, but time has gone by and we have survived up to now. A good example in the health care business would be vaccinations, blood transfusions, organ transplants, etc. Those concerns reflect upon many denominations and they were a concern to us.

Creston has a history of having good medical people. We of the Creston Valley have always had a decent hospital and a first rate public health system. When the “powers that be in our society” finally decided that vaccinating your children was the lesser of the evils, I felt like a picked on pin cushion, because, at school we had to get our shots.

Our nurses and midwives are an important part of the health care system of the Kootenays and any other location that they may serve in.

That is a good question.  Many of the people who once gave media interviews have decided that they no longer will. I have been interviewed more than a hundred times over the years.  They have showed up all over the place in our lives, all wanting to finally “let you people tell your side of the story for balance.”  At least once a month some media outfit calls and wants to spend a day or two in the life of a polygamist family. In the past couple of years three different outfits have talked about reality tv and one was very serious, even talked about money.

I have noticed that some people from the other side of the community have started talking to the media and I like that. My old sister even wrote a long letter to the Editor of the local newspaper, explaining her situation. The outcome is no different though, because the media knows their craft.  They can spin you anyway that they want, and when it is all published, you feel as dumb(foolish) as they make you look.  In my case, I am too dumb(foolish) to not tell them just to take a hike, so when they write me into that foolish charachter I guess that I deserve what I get. Right!

I have pointed out to some media people that they were no friends of my family.  Let me explain. We are what we are, which is a big family of mothers and children. Our life seems impossible to most people. The media can actually create a problem where none existed before. They can turn children against their parents and cause them to dislike a parent that they should never dislike. Children should love their mothers and do them honor as one of the Ten Commandments declares.  A two minute TV interview can take a lifetime to repair the damage done in a family. A moment of fame is traded for a lifetime of regret.

Larry King is live! People hear what you say. From the experience that I have had with the media, at least the Canadian media, you can count on one thing; you won’t like the outcome.  I think their job is to make you look foolish and they do it well, so plan on it. As for Larry King, you get more than an interview, you get to shake hands with the King!