February 27, 2012

silly scripture of the week is Deuteronomy 22:11-12

now, here is where i talk about a few of the silly scriptures that i have used. many of these verses are silly because of the depravity of the ancient israelites at the time and hence, the lord had to give them strict laws. some are silly because of translations, as someone who is bilingual, translation are definitely sometimes tricky because languages are very different in more than just the words, but also structure and meaning. many of these scriptures seem unrelated to the gospel (and truly they are) and are sometimes very silly, but they are still scripture none the less. (except for the song of solomon that's not) wearing certain clothing administered by the lord is not something silly or new. many of these commandments are very symbolic and the deeper meaning can be known only through deep study of the scriptures. for jesus himself said (when speaking to his apostles) that "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables" so there are many secrets hidden by the lord so that they can be revealed to us. the world around us is full of symbols you are looking at symbols right now. a few lines put together make a letter, a few letters put together make a word, a few words put together make a thought. it is through these small symbols that we build big thoughts.and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. as we look at symbols in the bible, we need not suppose that these symbols cannot be used in today's' application. i have also included an excerpt from preparing to enter into the holy temple.

On one occasion one of the brethren was invited to speak to the faculty and staff of the Navy Chaplains Training School in Newport, Rhode Island. The audience included a number of high-ranking naval chaplains from the Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faiths.

In the question-and-answer period one of the chaplains asked, “Can you tell us something about the special underwear that some Mormon servicemen wear?” The implication was, “Why do you do that? Isn’t it strange? Doesn’t that present a problem?”

To the chaplain who made the inquiry he responded with a question: “Which church do you represent?” In response he named one of the Protestant churches.

He said, “In civilian life and also when conducting the meetings in the military service you wear clerical clothing, do you not?” The chaplain said that he did.

He continued: “I would suppose that that has some importance to you, that in a sense it sets you apart from the rest of your congregation. It is your uniform, as it were, of the ministry. Also, I suppose it may have a much more important place. It reminds you of who you are and what your obligations and covenants are. It is a continual reminder that you are a member of the clergy, that you regard yourself as a servant of the Lord, and that you are responsible to live in such a way as to be worthy of your ordination.”

He then told them: “You should be able to understand at least one of our reasons why Latter-day Saints have a deep spiritual commitment concerning the garment. A major difference between your churches and ours is that we do not have a professional clergy, as you do. The congregations are all presided over by local leaders. They are men called from all walks of life. Yet they are ordained to the priesthood. They hold offices in the priesthood. They are set apart to presiding positions as presidents, counselors, and leaders in various categories. The women, too, share in that responsibility and in those obligations. The man who heads our congregation on Sunday as the bishop may go to work on Monday as a postal clerk, as an office worker, a farmer, a doctor; or he may be an air force pilot or a naval officer. By our standard he is as much an ordained minister as you are by your standard. He is recognized as such by most governments. We draw something of the same benefits from this special clothing as you would draw from your clerical vestments. The difference is that we wear ours under our clothing instead of outside, for we are employed in various occupations in addition to our service in the Church. These sacred things we do not wish to parade before the world.”

He then explained that there are some deeper spiritual meanings as well, connecting the practice of wearing this garment with covenants that are made in the temple. We wouldn’t find it necessary to discuss these—not that they are secret, he repeated, but because they are sacred.

The garment, covering the body, is a visual and tactile reminder of these covenants. For many Church members the garment has formed a barrier of protection when the wearer has been faced with temptation. Among other things it symbolizes our deep respect for the laws of God—among them the moral standard.

i will change subjects now. many people have tried to disprove the book of Mormon by very clever means and a lot of the time, very idiotic means. but for each and every argument, it has withstood the test of time. many of the old arguments that i have heard are now obsolete. people laugh about horses on the american continent because everybody knows that the Spanish brought horses to the Americas. but not everyone knows that before that, there is evidence of horses living and then gradually becoming extinct before the Spanish arrived. some laugh at translation mistakes but no one remembers all the incorrect words in the bible, for instance, i have created a long list of scriptures which show bad translations in my silly scriptures. when i get home, i would invite anyone to try to disprove my religion and then i will tear apart theirs and show how what they believe is little more than smoke and mirrors. and that the catholic church is little more than a false church which has VERY far away from the truth. i could spend more time going into detail about things like this but i must get going.

well for this week, there is no real news. just been working on helping ALOT of less active members return to church. there's talk of me going into the office, i'm not sure what yet though. maybe i'll step up soon. but it's still just talk right now, nothing is finalized.

sometime this week, i found out that most American missionaries have embraced the Filipino culture of bathroom etiquette. meaning that they don't use toilet paper, "oh well when in rome." i propose this question though, if you can buy it every week, why not use it. and why also do you use your hands to eat as well. check and mate. as for me, i will still use toilet paper and kitchen utensils. for people preparing to go on a mission, either prepare yourself in advance, or make a promise to yourself that you will continue to utilize proper hygienic procedures. like i did. all you need to do is plan in advance.

one thing that annoys me is that people are still like children here. it is true that many are children raised by children with very little schooling. but that is no excuse for not having any manners. many people make fun of my accent, obviously i'm an american, i'm not native, so i will speak a little differently. many also grab things out of people's hand without even asking. like a child grabbing a toy from his sibling. even adults do this. a lot of the time the thing that they are grabbing at is a very expensive and very delicate thing like a camera. then they fight over it when it's not even theirs and it ends up breaking. advice to prepare for a mission, get used to things like this.