Shoud We Support Obama?

Abraham Lincoln once observed: “Bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible; still, while they continue in force, they should be religiously observed.”

Christ gave us the great example of a law-abiding citizen when the Pharisees, trying to entangle him - as the scriptures say - asked him if it were lawful to give tribute money unto Caesar. Jesus asked whose inscription was on the tribute money, and the Pharisees noted that it was Caesars' image on the coin. Then Jesus said:

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matt. 22:21.)

in Conference Oct. 1987 Elder L. Tom Perry said: “All members of the Church should be committed to obeying and honoring the laws of the land in which they live. We should be exemplary in our obedience to the governments that govern us.

and Elder James E. Talmage explained: “It is the duty of the
saints to submit themselves to the laws of their country. Nevertheless, they should use every proper method, as citizens or subjects, to secure for themselves and for all men the boon of freedom in religious service. It is not required of them to suffer without protest the operation of unjust laws; but their protests should be offered in legal and proper order”

Protesting particular laws should be done within the laws governing protest. Resorting to violence or any behavior that is immoral or outside the law is offensive to the Lord.

So even though many of us may have difficulty giving our allegiance to Obama our soon-to-be Commander and Chief, we need to remember that as members of the church we are bound to follow the laws of the land as stated in the 12th Article of Faith. However if we believe that a political leader is attempting to take away our freedoms or abuse his/her power to oppress us we should do what we can, within the law, to change things.

The government is supposed to work for us, not be our nurse maid. We need to be an independent people, capable of providing for ourselves, and able to detect immoral and ungodly governmental constraints instead of blindly or ignorantly following narcissistic, power hungry leaders.

The Book of Mormon in 97 Days - A Tribute to President Hinkley

Perhaps you have already heard but there is a website that is set up for those who want to honor President Hinkley by reading the Book of Mormon in 97 days - one day for every year of his life.

The website is nice and worth looking at whether you decide to join in the Book of Mormon challenge or not. Go to www.hinckleychallenge.com/warriors .php to log in and join the thousands who have already taken on the challenge.

President Hinkley understood how vital it is for each of us to gain our own testimony of the Book of Mormon. And those of us who took him up on his prophetic challenge to read the Book of Mormon before the end of 2006 have reaped countless blessings for doing so.

I teach seminary in my ward and I and my students have decided to take on this challenge as a way to keep President Hinkley's memory alive. It is giving us all a spiritual and fulfilling way to grieve the loss of someone we love so dearly.




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Thomas S. Monson Set Apart as new Prophet

President Thomas S. Monson is now the President, prophet seer and revelator for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the world. Today the announcement was made to the church and to the press announcing that President Monson has called Elder Eyring to be his 1st counselor and Elder Uchtdorf as his 2nd counselor in the first presidency. President Boyd K. Packer, is the new president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

President Monson is the 16th president of the church. he has served the church for most of his life and was called to be a Bishop at the early age of 22. He was made an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age 37. In the press conference this afternoon he said that he has worked with President Hinkley so closely for so long that he believes that they both have the same goals and hopes for the church.

I loved President Hinkley so much, and like most members of the church, I trusted him with my eternal welfare. But I also love President Monson and I feel certain that he is led by the Lord. As with all loss, we need to grieve the loss of a wonderful family member. At the same time let's embrace President Monson and determine to keep on keeping on.
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Gordon B. Hinkley, A Legacy of Love and Service

At around 7:00 this evening our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinkley died at the age of 97. Now President Thomas S. Monson will be set apart as our new prophet and president of the church.

We have lost a giant. President Hinkley's impact on the world is, I believe, beyond our comprehension. He has brought the church into the age of technology. He oversaw the building of our beautiful conference center. He is responsible for more temples being built around the world than any other leader in church history. He started the Perpetual Education Fund so that members from around the world could get a college education. He brought Rick's College from an LDS community college to a new BYU campus.

Membership has gone from 9 million to 13 million since President Hinkley has been the prophet. He brought the missionaries to Russia and other former USSR countries. He gave us The Proclamation to the World, and increased size and beautification of Temple grounds in Salt Lake City. And most important of all, he unceasingly gave us his unconditional love. He sanctioned the creation of Latter-day Saint Charities to distribute surplus goods worldwide to people in need. One crowning achievement was the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple in 1999.

A refreshing sense of humor is one of President Hinkley's most ingratiating talents. His quick, intelligent wit is as much a part of him as is his charismatic ability to make everyone he met feel special. Upon addressing a group of missionaries at the Mission Training Center in Provo Utah he said "You all look alike. I look at you in your white shirts and ties and think of your age and say to myself 'well your not much to look at but you're all the Lord's got.'"

Once when asked if he had aspired to become the president of the church he said "No I never expected to become the president of the church, but those who preceded me, those with more authority, all died."

President Hinkley never failed to express his deep love for the members of the church when he spoke at conference. It was not uncommon for tears to come to his eyes as he did so. He was like the warm, loving grandfather I never had. He reminded us that "the gospel is an anchor in a world of shifting values." He comforted us by reminding us that regardless of how intolerable the world becomes, we will always find refuge in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God be with you 'til we meet again.