Brethren, it is an honor to be with the holders of the royal priesthood of God. We are living in the last days, in “perilous times.” As bearers of the priesthood, we have the responsibility to stand strong with a shield of faith against the fiery darts of the adversary. We are role models to the world, protecting God-given, inalienable rights and freedoms. We stand in defense of our homes and our families.
I know that he's addressing Priesthood holders, and I was a little reluctant to share this paragraph because of that, because I know that many of my readers are women. I don't mean to offend any of you. The reason I'm sharing this paragraph is because most of it applies to all of us:
We are living in the last days, in “perilous times.” ...we have the responsibility to stand strong with a shield of faith against the fiery darts of the adversary. We are role models to the world, protecting God-given, inalienable rights and freedoms. We stand in defense of our homes and our families.
As I review this revised paragraph, I realize that I've shared many of these points before. Using our faith as a shield against the evils of the world, standing as role-models or examples of righteousness for anyone who may be watching. But there are some topics in this paragraph that I haven't touched on, mostly because they're too political. "We stand in defense of our homes and our families," ..."protecting God-given, inalienable rights and freedoms."
I wonder about this. I understand the "God-given" part. There's no way in the world a group of colonists could stand up against the entire British armada without heaven's help, and I recall hearing that the Constitution was "inspired," so I know that God had a strong hand in the creation and shaping of this country, and the colonists knew that, too. But when I hear people nowadays talking about our "rights," they seem to really be talking about entitlements. I don't know where the line between inalienable rights and entitlements and privileges is drawn.
I partially understand how protecting various rights and freedoms will help us defend our homes and families. We have an obligation to preserve the rights and freedoms God has given us and pass them down to our children. If we lose our freedom, so will they.
But what freedoms are we talking about? Freedom of speech, surely, and freedom of religion. And...? The right to bear arms? So we can physically defend our homes and families? It makes sense, but in order to make use of that right, I'd have to actually have a gun, and that thought scares me a little. Would I be brave enough to use it? Would I be smart enough to use it right?
What other rights do we need to preserve? I'm growing concerned about the loss of parental rights. I'm hearing all kinds of nasty things, that parents are losing their rights to educate their children or choose what healthcare they get, that teenagers are getting more freedom to have abortions without parental consent or even knowledge. It's scary. But I'm not sure how much of it is true.
I know so very little about our government and our laws. I don't know how our laws are changing. I don't know what I can/should do about it. To quote Alice from an Alice in Wonderland themed video game, "If ignorance is bliss, I must be ecstatic." But I don't feel ecstatic. I feel concerned, though apparently not as concerned as I should be. I should be concerned enough to learn what I need to do and then do it. Mostly, I'm barely concerned enough to worry about it. I guess I need to change that. If I'm going to protect my God-given rights and freedoms, I'll have to learn what they are and how I can fight for them.
But first I have some homework to do, and then I have to get to class.
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