Every once in a while I read a statement that seems so true and important that I want to share it with others who I hope will understand and recognize the wisdom of it. That happened last evening as I was reading on Page 94 of "The Doctrine Of Liberty" by Arizona State Senator Andy Biggs.
"When people believe that their own personal righteousness will save them from enslavement, they fail to watch what their government is doing, unless governmental action touches their lives. Self-government, without scrutiny, allows wicked, ambitious leaders who desire personal gain and notoriety more than the common good, to be elected or appointed. Over time the cancer of corruption can spread until the public awakens to find that government no longer protects their freedom but oppresses them and abuses their liberty."
It was an attempt to foment a governmental action in Massachusetts in 1975-1976 that would have deprived the people of Massachusetts of a right spelled out by the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution that provided a wake-up call that I needed to get informed and get involved, which I did. It was my very first intrusion into the political arena, other than having stuffed envelopes for a candidate for the US Senate some years before . The intended governmental action was defeated by way more than 2 to 1 in a state-wide referendum. I thought all was well with that issue after that. Fortunately though, some people remained awake so that when shortly after the referendum certain politicians and others in Massachusetts who had initiated and supported the intended action tried an end run around the voices of the large majority of voters who had opposed the intended action, that attempt was successfully blocked by a fierce legal battle.
Since that awakening about 40 years ago I have continually noted a complacency among people who I think should know better on matters that affect our life, liberty, and control of private property. You may recognize the wisdom in the admonition to get informed and get involved. But I want to call attention to one more statement in Andy's book as found on Page 8: "Taking part in the policy making of America, on any level of government, is detrimental if the participants are ignorant of where the bounds of government are with respect to individual freedom". So let's please not vote in ignorance and make things worse.
Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
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lundbaek
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Bee Prepared
- captain of 1,000
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Re: Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
Good advice. We are all so busy with jobs, family, etc. that we are letting our civic duties slack.
Men and women have fought and died fighting to protect our country’s founding principles of freedom and equality. We have an obligation as a citizens and to ourselves to let our voices be heard.
Men and women have fought and died fighting to protect our country’s founding principles of freedom and equality. We have an obligation as a citizens and to ourselves to let our voices be heard.
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Kingdom of ZION
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Re: Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
Shalom Brethren:
Our Father's counsel has never changed... it cannot, for His words are eternal! Those who stand idly by are more then just the fence-sitters, they are the masses who go in thereat for wide is the way and many their be that go in that way, but narrow is the way and few their be that find that strait and narrow way and go in thereat. How few? A tithe of a tithe, the Holy Portion.
This counsel is to the Brethren! The sins of the Blood of this Generation lieth upon our skirts. It is easy to say that this Generation has no work ethic, is willfully ignorant of the truth, and are the cannon fodder that is to ferment the end-time events, as there must first be a great falling way (Matthew 24)! But that truth does not excuse our silence! We are here to be tested, to see what our metal is made of. If we fear men more than what our Father has commanded us to do, THOSE who do such WILL fall short of the glory they seek!
Aman?
D&C Section 123
1 And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them by the people of this State;
2 And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;
3 And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.
4 And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements and affidavits; and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat;
5 And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people--
6 That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place; and also that the whole nation may be left without excuse before he can send forth the power of his mighty arm.
7 It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hands of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
8 It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.
9 Therefore it is an imperative duty that we owe, not only to our own wives and children, but to the widows and fatherless, whose husbands and fathers have been murdered under its iron hand;
10 Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy.
11 And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart--
12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it--
13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven--
14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.
15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.
16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
Our Father's counsel has never changed... it cannot, for His words are eternal! Those who stand idly by are more then just the fence-sitters, they are the masses who go in thereat for wide is the way and many their be that go in that way, but narrow is the way and few their be that find that strait and narrow way and go in thereat. How few? A tithe of a tithe, the Holy Portion.
This counsel is to the Brethren! The sins of the Blood of this Generation lieth upon our skirts. It is easy to say that this Generation has no work ethic, is willfully ignorant of the truth, and are the cannon fodder that is to ferment the end-time events, as there must first be a great falling way (Matthew 24)! But that truth does not excuse our silence! We are here to be tested, to see what our metal is made of. If we fear men more than what our Father has commanded us to do, THOSE who do such WILL fall short of the glory they seek!
Aman?
D&C Section 123
1 And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and sufferings and abuses put upon them by the people of this State;
2 And also of all the property and amount of damages which they have sustained, both of character and personal injuries, as well as real property;
3 And also the names of all persons that have had a hand in their oppressions, as far as they can get hold of them and find them out.
4 And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things, and to take statements and affidavits; and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat;
5 And all that are in the magazines, and in the encyclopedias, and all the libelous histories that are published, and are writing, and by whom, and present the whole concatenation of diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people--
6 That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place; and also that the whole nation may be left without excuse before he can send forth the power of his mighty arm.
7 It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hands of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
8 It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.
9 Therefore it is an imperative duty that we owe, not only to our own wives and children, but to the widows and fatherless, whose husbands and fathers have been murdered under its iron hand;
10 Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy.
11 And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart--
12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it--
13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven--
14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.
15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.
16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
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Rose Garden
- Don't ask . . .
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Re: Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
I think I define personal righteousness differently. To me, there is hypocrisy and then there is true righteousness. Hypocrisy looks shiny and pure on the outside but is filled with ugliness on the inside. These would be the types who believe that their personal righteousness is enough when it's not.
True righteousness drives you. A truly righteous person does not care so much what the outer vessel looks like because they are so inwardly troubled by the heartache they see that they don't have time to be endlessly polishing a shiny image. They must get up and work for freedom, and not only work, but sacrifice, place their own life in the line, because that is who they are. They cannot stand to see their own or anyone else's liberties violated.
I say personal righteousness is the only thing that will save you but it must be true righteousness, not hypocrisy. We are not truly righteous until the words of the Declaration of Independence have left the paper on which they are written and entered our hearts. We are not truly righteous until love is our dictator and concern for our fellow being is our driving motivation. Then our righteousness will be enough, not only to save ourselves, but also to save others.
True righteousness drives you. A truly righteous person does not care so much what the outer vessel looks like because they are so inwardly troubled by the heartache they see that they don't have time to be endlessly polishing a shiny image. They must get up and work for freedom, and not only work, but sacrifice, place their own life in the line, because that is who they are. They cannot stand to see their own or anyone else's liberties violated.
I say personal righteousness is the only thing that will save you but it must be true righteousness, not hypocrisy. We are not truly righteous until the words of the Declaration of Independence have left the paper on which they are written and entered our hearts. We are not truly righteous until love is our dictator and concern for our fellow being is our driving motivation. Then our righteousness will be enough, not only to save ourselves, but also to save others.
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Sirocco
- Praise Me!
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Re: Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
And if you're Canadian or Swedish or something?...Jezebel wrote:I think I define personal righteousness differently. To me, there is hypocrisy and then there is true righteousness. Hypocrisy looks shiny and pure on the outside but is filled with ugliness on the inside. These would be the types who believe that their personal righteousness is enough when it's not.
True righteousness drives you. A truly righteous person does not care so much what the outer vessel looks like because they are so inwardly troubled by the heartache they see that they don't have time to be endlessly polishing a shiny image. They must get up and work for freedom, and not only work, but sacrifice, place their own life in the line, because that is who they are. They cannot stand to see their own or anyone else's liberties violated.
I say personal righteousness is the only thing that will save you but it must be true righteousness, not hypocrisy. We are not truly righteous until the words of the Declaration of Independence have left the paper on which they are written and entered our hearts. We are not truly righteous until love is our dictator and concern for our fellow being is our driving motivation. Then our righteousness will be enough, not only to save ourselves, but also to save others.
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Rose Garden
- Don't ask . . .
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JohnnyL
- Level 34 Illuminated
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Re: Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
Reminders from chapters 10-12 of the TotP book this year...
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lundbaek
- Level 34 Illuminated
- Posts: 11123
- Location: Mesa, Arizona
Re: Personal Righteousness Is Not Enough
The brightest spot on the 2016 elections foe me, nationwide, is the election of the current President of the Arizona State Senate, Andy Biggs, to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona Congressional District 5. Andy is a true supporter of the U.S. Constitution and fighter is the battle to preserve our God-given inherent rights to life, liberty and control of our own property. And as a Latter-day Saint, he has expressed concern for "a widespread complacency within the Latter-day Saint community on all things political", and "the widespread acceptance of socialized government in the name of "charity"."
Every once in a while I read a statement that seems so true and important that I want to share it with others who I hope will understand and recognize the wisdom of it. That happened again while I was reading on Page 94 of "The Doctrine Of Liberty" by Arizona State Senator Andy Biggs.
"When people believe that their own personal righteousness will save them from enslavement, they fail to watch what their government is doing, unless governmental action touches their lives. Self-government, without scrutiny, allows wicked, ambitious leaders who desire personal gain and notoriety more than the common good, to be elected or appointed. Over time the cancer of corruption can spread until the public awakens to find that government no longer protects their freedom but oppresses them and abuses their liberty."
Every once in a while I read a statement that seems so true and important that I want to share it with others who I hope will understand and recognize the wisdom of it. That happened again while I was reading on Page 94 of "The Doctrine Of Liberty" by Arizona State Senator Andy Biggs.
"When people believe that their own personal righteousness will save them from enslavement, they fail to watch what their government is doing, unless governmental action touches their lives. Self-government, without scrutiny, allows wicked, ambitious leaders who desire personal gain and notoriety more than the common good, to be elected or appointed. Over time the cancer of corruption can spread until the public awakens to find that government no longer protects their freedom but oppresses them and abuses their liberty."
