THE INIQUITY OF INEQUITY

There is an idea known as the Adams Equity Theory. It’s a device of man to keep IMPloyees “satisfied” with their servitude to the Devil. But since Truth is: All that is, then we can find some great truths within the framework of this Babylonian struck-sure. We want and need to examine these truths from an eternal perspective.

If we look in the dictionary we will see that INEQUITY and INIQUITY are actually the same exact word at their root. Wisdom shows us that the opposite of love is not what we call hate, but rather FEAR. If GOD is LOVE and His Plan, love-based and love-infused, then we know that FEAR as the “opposite” of love is actually just love in dangerously low amounts. It is opposite to Love but on the exact same spectrum. It is vital to remember that what we call “opposites” are not opposed to each other in the way we suppose. Rather, opposites are always special relationships. Two things so intimately related that they are not two thing but only two halves of ONE WHOLE. Male, Female, Right, Left etc. And this relationship of opposites is so intimate in fact that ironically if one desires to learn anything about one side he/she must do so from and through the other side and visa versa. One way to demonstrate the accuracy of the ancient saying and commandment “Hear Oh Israel, The Lord Your GOD IS ONE” is by observing the connection between Light and Dark. You can not shine darkness into light. But neither does light serve any real or good purpose without darkness to contrast it.  Like dark, fear is not the Positive or Active principle of the universe. Remember Father Lehi speaks of two categories to help us make sense of the Universe and those are “things to act” and “things to be acted upon”. But let us remember that ALL is ONE. If not GOD would be a liar and cease to be like Lehi also endeavored to explain. God claims to be ALL-Powerful and ALL-Knowing. But supposedly there is an opponent who succeeds fairly in deceiving, leading away and destroying God’s offspring? As usual, it is not GOD who is mistaken but just a matter of lack of understanding on the part of us, God’s Children.

GOD the FATHER is the Active, Male Principle. GOD the MOTHER is the Passive, Feminine Principle. Monogamists, who have any fear or anxiety over the “Plural” marriage issue, can relax knowing that there are essentially only TWO PEOPLE in the WHOLE UNIVERSE, Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. They will never be unfaithful nor can they be to each other. So this shows the eternal aspect of fidelity that monogamy seems or claims to demonstrate so flawlessly. Of course if and in as much as fear takes over, then monogamy becomes a set-up for GOD to show unto us our weaknesses and hypocrisy as stated in Ether 12 with the express purpose of eventually strengthening us in those very areas. But truly…it is only ever helpful to speak of thing in terms of TWO in ONE or THREE in ONE etc. Always in One, otherwise confusion and fear sets in. At this point in time we may seem more confused trying to fathom ONENESS but this is only because we “THINK we are wise”.

I said all of “that” to say “this”…. Fear is the root of all sin. And, the IMMEDIATE EFFECT of FEAR is INEQUALITY. We can correctly term inequality, the First Fruits of Fear or the immediate effect of the hallucinatory Forbidden Fruit. As soon as we fear we start to view opposites as diametrically opposed or locked in CONFLICT/ COMPETITION / CONTENTION with one another. We lose sight of the special relationship and complimentary completion between and within opposites which embodies LOVE because essentially, we lose SIGHT of GOD with as little as one bite. The BITTER/SWEET sensation of perceiving something so good tasting disappear even as we enjoy it is SCARY as it is sending us into a spiraling frenzy of SCARCITY mind-set which can be extremely difficult to correct. LOVE becomes LUST. DOVE becomes DUST in that memorable moment when the dove (symbolizing peace, both inner and outer) flies, affrighted from Eve at the approach of Lucifer. The woman is from that time onward focused in fear on the concerns of the flesh only. The inequality or IMBALANCE begins and the man follows suit.

These 3D glasses we wear may be fun for a while but they ultimately distort our view-starting with our view of ourselves. Adam beholding his reflection in the water has already begun to mistake the reflection for the real thing. Is it any wonder then, that we are led by our eyes primarily and whatever the sense that DOMINATES in your personal life, becomes your personal Lucifer. Lucifer, the Narcissist, like ‘El Guapo’ in the 80’s classic ‘The Three Amigos’ inevitably becomes the tyrant of the town. Near the end of that movie, Steve Martin’s character reminds us that we each have our own “personal El Guapo to face”. The “Good Looking” one can only rule and oppress if others are labeled to play the part of “Ugly”. Whichever role you choose at any given moment, you are participating in evil. You are perpetuating INEQUITY / INIQUITY. And it does not matter that you think you are being humble or meek on one end with your put downs and low self esteem. Seeing yourself as wretched facilitates inequality just as much and actually a bit more effectively or quickly than boastfulness. Paying heed to the PRIDE of the WORLD as a select few mock and scorn from the Great and Spacious Building only serves to enforce the foundation and walls of that Den of Inequity. For every Nazi that rises to “power” there are at least a hundred or more Niceys who prostrate themselves to prop the Nazi up. Up and Down, UP and DOWN. There we go again. HIGHER does not necessarily mean BETTER. LOWER does not mean INFERIOR. Our thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways.

When a child rebels against his or her earthly parents does this necessarily mean the child is in the wrong? Not at all, in fact in many cases the parents are wrong in their foolish following of the false traditions of their earthly fathers. But in the case of truly loving parents we will still see rebellion. Why? Why will even very young children willfully rebel and what separates BABES from BRATS? Babes are learning whereas brats are resisting truth. Brats are old enough and experienced enough to know or at least sense strongly that THERE IS NO ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CREATOR AND THE CREATION. As the TEMPorary illusion of Father Time plays out, a brat begins to act out. And acting it is, for they are keenly aware of their capacity and their limitations at this particular juncture. Yet, they will act as if they are in need of babying in areas where they are not and conversely they will act as if they are matching the parent’s capacity in areas where they are yet unable. WHY DO WE DO THIS? FEAR and its immediate effect – INEQUALITY are the reason. Tantrum throwing brats, Lucifers, rebellious children, feel themselves unequal to GOD and thus miss out on basking in the warmth of GOD’s never-ending stream of Eternal and Unconditional Love. They focus so much on the current conditions that they freeze themselves in their progress, imagining themselves to be frozen due to the bitter cold winds of unfairness blowing from the mouth of an unjust, unfeeling father. They could not be FURTHER from the FATHER or further from the truth --that they are ONE with the FATHER at all times and in all circumstances. 

Oh how simple it is to switch from brat mode to believing mode --from devil child to Christ Child…in an INSTANT. But the simpleness of the way bewilders many of us much of the time. In our stubbornness, hard heartedness and blindness we see a need to RISE ABOVE our brothers and sisters when we should in such moments pull down our prideful egos to remove the overhanging cloud of evil that we have created. This same blindness causes us to see things that aren’t there. Egos our own and those of others slipping from us at any given moment and allowed to linger undetected, all pollute and culminate over our heads like dark clouds. THICK MISTS OF DARKNESS eventually obscure our vision to the point where we think that we must cower to show humility and elevate ourselves to lofty stations in moments where we feel we must somehow teach a fellow classmate a lesson. BUT, WOE UNTO THE TEACHERS OF RELIGION! They are equal to their brethren in all ways, but until they see and acknowledge this truth then remains [in their false reality] “in them the greater sin” AND, WOE UNTO THE BLIND FOLLOWERS OF SUCH BLIND LEADERS. Both end up in the ditch. If you grovel and submit to tyranny you do not believe in EQUALITY any more than the tyrant or Devil himself does. And if you do not believe in EGALITARIAN principles you do not believe in GOD. You will be as the brats who seek to correct when there is no error, who feel the need to fix what is not broken and who cry as if they were helpless babies when they have had placed within them the POWER TO CHANGE. They exercise unrighteous dominion, when all the while they could have so easily observed the Father and Mother’s relationship and perfect stewardship and by following their example in love, had ALL THINGS become subject, flowing unto them forever and ever without compulsory means!

I have heard it said, too many times to count, as of late, that “God creates, Satan imitates.” This is simply not true, at least not in the way we think it is. I challenge all God’s Children within the reach of my words to IMITATE GOD. DO IT NOW and ALWAYS with ALL your might, mind and strength. Satan is us when we find ourselves in group think mode or in any way shape of form, abdicating our god-given agency over to anyone or anything that may serve some other undeserving faction of ourselves as the Lucifer or Man of the moment, the Devil of our day, the god of this world. It can not be stressed enough. EQUALITY IS THE ANSWER, THEY WAY, THE ONLY WAY TO RESTORE AND RETAIN BALANCE. Without it we remain broken and cut off from God’s presence. ABOVE and BELOW are illusions. Let us pray neither as the Pharassites or the Publicans…neither boastfully neither in a self-deprecating manner. But AS CHRIST. We should pray AS JESUS in His name, that The Kingdom come and God’s will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven so as to abolish this IMAGINARY FINE LINE / VEIL OF UNBELIEF between the two. We need to pray to God on equal ground, common ground (Zion) with GOD. We need to GROW UP UNTO THE LORD ALREADY and answer His call to come and “REASON TOGETHER” seeing eye to eye as only EQUALS can and do. This is my Sin-Seer prayer for all of us, in the name of Jesus Christ AMEN.

Leprosy, Society & The Weekend

We are all like the lepers with visible wounds/signs of our sickness. Our beings are falling apart just like the bodies of lepers.

We try to fill the wounds of our souls with junk. The food we eat is a perfect symbol.

Hopefully some will have awakened to these during the past few days. These are the holidays that really bare witness of our physical sickness and spiritual sickness, which gets proven again in a few more weeks come Christmas time.

We attach things (clothes, make-up, etc) to ourselves, in the false order rather than attaching to each other. All the consumerism is about falsehood. To temporally fool ourselves. But like the body rejecting a false organ, the spirit does so too. It rejects and then we go for more and more. Until our spirits are like the bodies of drug addicts. We fill our bodies with empty foods even though our bodies crave nourishment and movement. We fill our spiritual stomaches with similarly empty things and we end up with spiritual diarrhea. The Oneness...the connections between us go on unsatisfied and we cover those irritated bowels with more veils to cover the sounds of the rumblings and we deafen the senses so the spirit and body don't let us go insane with the struggle.

We already have veils over us and many continually put more veils over themselves in similarity to bandages on wounds. Those wounds need to be exposed! They need to breath as the saying goes.

Look at the examples of those the Carpenter's Son helped. They represent us. The lepers who fell apart (as we fall apart from each other!) and the whores who sold their bodies and spirits for that which has no value. For that which doesn't last. I think reincarnation is pretty on the spot with what it is teaching us. If you don't understand this life as it is, a part of eternity and do not seek that which is eternal, then you will get a mulligan or a redo and given another chance because you only lived in the temporary. You keep living in the temporary and you get a temporal life and you keep going until you get it. Yet the biggest "secret" is right under our noses, which is that it is about living in the moment, realizing each moment is eternal.

The weekend! There is a popular union (a false forced/coerced union/connection) sticker that says, "from the people that brought you the weekend." The people who brought us the weekend. The people who brought us the weekend. The people who brought us the weekend. The religions that brought us the sabbath day. We are living in the 7th day as the Bible symbolically tells, then all days are part of the day of rest. Yet here we go again tearing things apart and separating that which truly is ONE. If there was no weekend, what would happen? People would revolt. They would go insane! They wouldn't tolerate rarely being with their families. Life would be about your job and that would be basically it for almost everyone (even though we are nearly there now). People wouldn't take it and they would fight back. But people have the weekend to let out their pent up energies and frustrations. They get almost to the tipping point and then they let it all out and comeback slumbering to work a few days later. We truly live in a leprous society. Our bodies are falling apart.

My brother shared this in the Reconciliation Movement page:

“The aging process is accelerated through DNA processing. Aging accelerates the moment the brain reaches 21 years and refuses to accept the importance of the childhood level. You’re not getting any older - you’re just GAINING MOMENTUM. There’s no time, only momentum. Yesterday and tomorrow are right here. Above all, my dear brothers and sisters, don’t practice suicide.”
[It may seem strange to think we might all be practicing suicide, however if we are living with the thought of eventually dying, then we are just doing this in a very slow way. We are ‘taking our life’ by all the limiting thoughts, beliefs and feelings we have every moment. When one is truly LIVING TO LIVE they have left the thought and feeling of death behind. As long as ‘death’ is there as your reality, you are Living to Die and walking among the Living Dead. I do not write this out of judgement, I write this out of personal experience. My experience is that I am in the process of overcoming this ‘death urge’ in order to truly live forever. It is a process of cleaning up our acts, moment to moment

If we don't reconcile with our selves...stand in the mirror with ourselves. This doesn't come by goals. That is something that took me a while to come around to. It never can. Zion can never be established by a goal. The Zion within you nor the city are achieved by the Babylonian system. True change comes from a hunger within that cannot be explained or described to the unexperienced.

Don't be afraid to follow your desires, to let your hungry stomach growl and rumble. Then feed it.

People speak of the 2012 Mayan prophecy as something big. Maybe...maybe not. I do like the interpretation that it is about a new revelation, a new era. The old era dies as the new era sprouts and blooms. I think this is happening. Looking at the collapse of society (which is obvious to everyone except society...does anyone except a few really see their destruction coming the next morning as they go to bed?), there really is only hope in Zion. I have seen this hope in those that are connecting. This isn't anything particularly special about one being or people. It is within all of us and all things. All things are one. It is happening all over. People talk about Christ Coming! Well, it truly is Christ is come. Think about and understand who Christ is. It changes everything.

I am an Agnostic, and a Transhumanist. I am also a Mormon.

"I do not take seriously any Liberal who is not a Christian, nor any Conservative who is not an Agnostic or Atheist." — Stanczyk

You cannot truly understand Mormonism unless you embrace heterodoxy, that is, until you stop allowing others to define truth for you. It is with this in mind that I put forth the following:

What is Transfiguration?

Doctrine and Covenants, section sixty-three, verse fifty-one reads that one day, “...children shall grow up until they become old; old men shall die; but they shall not sleep in the dust; but they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.” This is what is known in Mormonism as Translation, or permanent Transfiguration.

I believe the transition from a telestial or stellar (scattered, isolated) state of consciousness to a terrestrial state (see Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76 for the most important and illuminating text in all of Mormonism) also implies a moral transfiguration. Additionally, I believe this shift is possible for some of us—but not all—preceding the anticipated physical transfiguration during the so-called Millennium. I do not see this transfiguration as necessarily overcoming physical or moral weakness, but rather overcoming egoism—or death, in a figurative or spiritual sense—which is in many cases the source of our weakness. I believe figures like Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, et cetera were all able to undergo this transfiguration without an accompanying physical transfiguration. In that sense they and others attained "Christ" despite being mortal (I believe in the "legendary Jesus", but strictly as a legend and not historical fact).

Being in a terrestrial or lunar (unified, enlightened) state of consciousness means "knowing the knower", even though we have not yet obtained a "fulness". This is where the proper but largely misunderstood concept of grace comes into play. As Christians and Mormons, we personify the "Light of Christ"—which is known in many different religious and philosophical traditions albeit by other names—as the corporeal Jesus and set him up as "the Way". I do not mind this as long as we acknowledge that this Light illuminates all religions and, in fact, every aspect of our lives. Furthermore, the transition from a terrestrial to a celestial or solar (emanating, whole) state of consciousness means "being the knower", that is, having a fulness of knowledge and love. This is what it means to become a god in Mormonism.

It is in this way that I have a deep and enduring testimony of Mormonism while simultaneously being an Agnostic and a Transhumanist. In other words, I submit that all religion is merely self-fulfilling prophecy—a dim outline—adding that Mormonism is particularly effective at arousing and pointing the mind to the loftiest of possibilities, thereby provoking the "strenuous mood", so to speak—even to the extent that it arouses fear and disgust in others. This is why I believe it is not impossible that Joseph Smith and other mystics throughout the ages have literally mingled with post-humans, the evidence being that Joseph did not always seem to comprehend the nuance or profundity of his own revelations.

From this religious inclination sprouts art, (then) philosophy, (then) science, and "humanity" itself. For the record, this is why I consider the New Atheist movement short-sighted and ignorant despite that fact that it renders the invaluable service of removing the stumbling blocks of dogma and blind faith that beset us all, thereby helping religion to "shed its skin".

Obedience, Grace, and Love

Separation

It is said that Christianity deals primarily with the problem of sin—acts that violate the will of God. Through sin, we are told, we are cut off from God, and through repentance, we return to his presence. However, this one-dimensional view only explains the will of God for us and not the will of humankind with regard to God. Why, it should be asked, are we such deeply religious creatures? The answer is that we’re not so much burdened with the problem of sin, but separation. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, their separation from God was not only finalized, they also became self-aware. They became separate from everything—the Godhead, one another, Eden, their posterity (as children literally come out of you). To borrow a term from one of my favorite philosophers, Charles Eisenstein, the human race is suffering from the “wounds of separation”. The problem of separation is not exclusively the concern of Christianity, but is universal across all religious traditions, simply because the problem is universal to the human condition.

Through partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, humankind became carnal. That isn’t to say it became inherently evil, only that by becoming self-aware men and women came face to face with their impending mortality. There was undoubtedly death before the fall, but was it understood, or anticipated, with such great anxiety? Thus, men and women became preoccupied with matters of the flesh, i.e., with self-preservation. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is nothing more or less than the “right and wrong” of survival, pleasure and pain, etc.

It is only by partaking of this fruit that wisdom can be gained. Wisdom is a hard word to pin down, but it means applying knowledge in a way that yields a strategic advantage. It means you are competent in life or death situations, seeking pleasure, avoiding pain, securing your own well-being, etc. Before the Fall the human race survived by instinct; we were just another animal. After the Fall, we survived by wisdom. We are, all of us, still partaking of the tree of knowledge. Without duality, subject and object, all things would remain a “compound in one”, and nothing could be known.

Earlier, I asked why humans are such deeply religious creatures. What are we trying to accomplish with religion? After giving it a lot of thought, I have concluded that, at its most fundamental level, religion is trying to answer two very challenging questions: 1) Who am I, and 2) knowing who I am, how ought I do be? The following is a look at how we, as humans, try to answer these questions.

1. Saved by Satan. The wrong way of the Tree of Knowledge

Lucifer is, of course, a liar. It could be said that he is the father of all lies, but his main lie is the one he told Korihor, which is that “every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.” In short, he told Korihor that everyone is completely and utterly alone; and if alone, then vulnerable; and if vulnerable, then we have great reason to fear. Lucifer is himself paranoid and distrustful. In response to this paranoia, he seeks to amass power, which he obtains through exploitation, oppression, and all out war. Because he perceives that he is alone, everyone is an enemy, including God and nature. Everything he says to Adam is meant to incite fear. Lucifer’s self-aggrandizing plan—which is in essence converting life or livelihood into wealth—works by separating negative actions from consequences, or more accurately, by making others responsible for his choices. Lucifer makes a lot of deals that he can’t honor (for example, “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it.”), but the terms are always the same: “I have the answer. I have the way. I have the money. I have the power. I have the status. Give me your power, and I will preserve you.” In other words, we trade our freedom for security. Of course, the end result is utter chaos and destruction. As absurd as this plan sounds, Lucifer is the god of this world. We are all under bondage to this plan.

2. Saved by the Law. The right way of the Tree of Knowledge

Of course, after reading the above heading, the Law of Moses comes to mind for most of us. But it could apply to any law or set of codified laws we use to protect ourselves. It even includes natural law. The scriptures tell us again and again that the Law cannot save us, and in fact, will only damn us. Yet we keep slogging away—especially the Latter-day Saints. That isn’t to say the Law isn’t important. It is. However, the Law without love is cruelty. It does not unite, but divides. With knowledge comes rules, with rules comes rigidity, and with rigidity comes division. This is because if you abide one law, then you think you are right, and if you think you are right, then anyone who doesn’t abide your law is wrong. This is why Christianity has a thousand different sects. Joseph Smith was told to “join none of them, for they were all wrong,” and “all their creeds were an abomination in his sight”. This is why we have Christians and Muslims, Mormons and Evangelicals, Liberals and Conservatives, Communists and Fascists.

However, suppose everyone in the world miraculously abided by the one set of rules. Would everything work out fine then? Without love, you have one kind of law, carved in stone (the Ten commandments), unchanging, inflexible. However, is it always wrong to lie, to steal, to kill? Nephi lied, stole, and killed, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Circumstance changes everything, meaning the law is impossible to follow in all cases. Rather than carved in stone, the law must be written upon the heart. This only occurs when guided by the principle of love.

Finally, suppose the law—carved in stone—was possible to follow in its entirety. Suppose it didn’t just condemn us. Many of us are under the false impression that perfect obedience to the Law, in theory, can save us. However, the law alone does not bind us together in love. The first and second great commandments are to love God and one another. Yet, unlike the other commandments, love cannot be forced. The Law by itself is reactionary, neither kind nor merciful. Somebody steals your Xbox, you seek restitution. Somebody cuts you off on the freeway, you give them the finger. As Paul tells us, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” The law is means to an end, not an end in itself. It is impossible to abide by law without love, but it is also impossible to be bound together in love without it. “Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.”

3. Saved by Grace. The “other” right way of the Tree of Knowledge

The Law of Grace, admittedly, resides higher up the Tree of Knowledge, but it is not the ever-elusive Tree of Life. Again, it is only a means to an end. Grace is a difficult subject to approach because hardly anyone can agree on what it is. We have one version that finds its origin in the Reformation. This version suggests that Christ will save you in your sins, if you but have faith in him. However, Alma asks, “Do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.” And of course, the Book of Mormon is right. Christ cannot and will not do for you what you must do for yourself.

However, even more harmful is the popular Mormon interpretation of 2 Nephi 25:23, which reads “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” We translate this to mean “Do your best, and Christ will do the rest.” We use this verse to excuse our shortcomings, but ultimately it only compounds our suffering. This interpretation is harmful because it keeps us under bondage of the law—it gives us false hope in eventually being justified. We tell ourselves that if we almost live the law, maybe ninety percent, we can still be saved in our sins. Thankfully, this is not what Mormonism actually teaches. Many will disagree because this distorted interpretation is pretty well entrenched. However, it keeps us from partaking of the Tree of Life, and instead keeps us enslaved to the Tree of Knowledge.

Besides, none of us can honestly say that we’ve done our best; none of us can say we’ve done all we can do. None of us.

As I said, the Book of Mormon is clearer on the matter elsewhere. In 2 Nephi 10:24, Jacob preaches, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.” That’s true Grace. It is meant to forgive people of their sins only after they have turned away from them. For “unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return” (D&C 82:7). This is what Mormonism actually teaches. Though it may seem harsh, I believe it serves a greater purpose.

4. Saved by Love. The Way of The Tree of Life.

If the Law damns us, and grace cannot save us in our sins, what are we to do? Many people find this frustrating. If they are honest with themselves, they will agonize over it, and some will even abandon Mormonism altogether. Nevertheless, the problem (as always) is that we are still partaking of the Tree of Knowledge, trapped in a Telestial frame of mind, concerned only with our self-preservation, hopelessly carnal. We pray to God to give us what we need, and seek out the Holy Ghost to tell us what is right. In this frame of mind, the law will inevitably defeat us, and so will grace. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it….”

Love is an ambiguous term. Many will counter that love is not enough. For love without the law is ruinous. By love I mean something like Christ-consciousness, or possessing the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It means being connected—to everything, because God is in everything through the Light of Christ—and knowing that you are not alone. Guided by the principle of love, the law is no longer carved in stone, but written upon the heart. It becomes flexible rather than inflexible, changeable rather than unchanging. “All things are lawful for me,” Paul writes, “but all things are not expedient.”

The crushing lesson we learn from the scriptures is that if we are in it for ourselves—to save our lives—we will fail. The Tree of Life is guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword. We must all pass through this sword, which will cut our ego to pieces. If we remain carnal, concerned with self-preservation, our hearts will be irreparably broken. But with that broken heart we may finally turn to Christ, embracing the law of love. Only wisdom coupled with love will provide us with what's necessary to obey the Law—and only then will Christ’s grace be sufficient for us. "Yea, [the Tree of Life] is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things." This is Celestial Law—the law of love—the Body of Christ functioning in perfect harmony and understanding.

The scriptures are full of warnings. These are meant to frighten those who remain in a carnal state of mind. However, one who is guided by the principle of love, possessing the Holy Ghost, is impervious to such warnings. They don’t faze him. Christ is love and faith is loyalty to the cause of Christ. One who is truly rescued cares nothing for his own life and is instead fully engrossed in healing the world. To take upon you the cause of love is Eternal Life. I don’t live for the cause of reconciliation for my own sake; I do it for the sake of the world.

Reconciliation

Does grace still serve a role? Is the Law still important? Grace for grace (D&C 93:12), Jesus was filled with the Light of Christ so that he was Christ. By the same token, I would say that Gandhi was Christ, or that Buddha was Christ. We, too, can and must become Christ. Jesus is THE WAY, the standard, the example to follow. It is in that sense that we are saved by grace, leaving our old sins behind.

Regarding the Law, we must forge a middle way. The trick in life is to avoid getting too caught up in the it. Instead, we must recognize that the struggle is merely part of the plan. This is what it means to let go. "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." If love is our guiding principle, we see that the Tree of Knowledge, the Telestial phase, is an necessary part of our spiritual maturation. We no longer fear, having nothing to lose. Nevertheless, if we are intent on saving ourselves, we will remain slaves to the law.

Reconciliation is the opposite of separation, and it is what the heart truly desires when not clouded by the delusions of a carnal mind. As is written elsewhere on this blog, “the Mormon endeavor towards reconciliation is exemplified in—and finds its culmination in—the ideal of Zion.” We struggle not for ourselves, but for the cause of Zion. “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18). We cannot save ourselves; we must be saved together. We must carry the cross as one.

Our current understanding of heaven is the vain hope of a carnal mind. We think that if we are “good”, we'll die and be rewarded with eternal bliss. Thus, our deeds remain wholly self-serving as we continue in a telestial haze. Nevertheless, we, too, are meant to be the second coming of Christ! “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). We must become Christ, as Jesus was Christ. We are not going to heaven. The Earth is our Celestial inheritance (D&C 29:22-24; 63:20-21; 88:17-20, 25-26; 130:9). If we want heaven, we must build it here. “And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself” (D&C 105:5). “And this is the secret: Christ lives in you” (Colossians 1:27, NLT). The Celestial Kingdom starts with Zion, and Zion starts with “Christ in you”.

Again, what are we trying to accomplish with religion? As I noted earlier, with religion we pose to ourselves two very challenging questions. 1) Who am I, and 2) knowing who I am, how ought I do be? Mormonism has the right answer, as does all good religion, but since Christ cannot compel us to love, nor can he save us if we lack love, we arrive at the answer with tremendous difficulty. Nevertheless, the purpose of religion is to remind us of a long lost truth. The answer—that is, the great reminder—is that we are one, so we ought to live as one. Separation is a myth, a Telestial veil, a carnal delusion—and so we must be reconciled with God, whose light fills the immensity of space.

Art...Loving/Living Life

What is art?

The sensory experience. What is life for most people? Busy, loaded, dull, empty, meaningful, pointless, secret, awesome, painful, weird, stressful, boring, irritating with highlights of high expectation weekends and the covetted holiday break. Yet life is so beautiful, so amazing, living in the now, life is full and it is great. I took a switchpoint in life, seeking the city Zion, on this journey I have found the Spirit of Zion. I have seen and heard it in others.

I do not know if this will explain it to anyone, other than those who have experienced it. Also, as I read it over, I see things that I don't really know and haven't experienced on any level, yet they came to me and I put them in writing.

What is scripture...what is the gospel...what is that legendary beings have shared...Art.

If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied would thus have been kept active through use. The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness. -Charles Darwin

When you hear an amazing singer and you get the chills...is that your body grabbing it, in excitement? Probably. The same as when you are cold, being covered in a warm blanket. It feels sooo good. Even when you are warm and feel a cool breeze. That chill is similar if not the same. Why does music do the same as the weather and temperature? That beauty, we hunger for. Our bodies are starved. I mocked the monks and yogis who starved and tortured themselves, thinking they were so ignorant and foolish. Yet I and all of us do the same thing on a different level.

I remember as a child and seeing my own children at the beach. In the Pacific Northwest, the beaches are in my opinion, the most beautiful on earth. The water is frigid. Adults are scared of it. Children love it. They splash around and will play all day in the water, exploring the tide pools and loving/living life. A friend once explained that adults priorities are different. They are concerned with survival/comfort, while children are concerned with enjoying the moment and playing. How true that is. Man, Jesus couldn't have said it any better when he showed us the way...to be as little children. That is what he speaks of. Not some idea of obedience. It's living life...loving life. Do our lives have life if art is dead to us?


Darwin, who was able to see what few could see, saw this. 

What is Art? Art is when we experience something sensually. Think about it. When you see a painting, when you hear a song, when you feel the rhythm and dance, when you smell a delicious meal, when you taste the beautiful art that is the person you love. Art is an experience on the sensorial level. If we don't, it is dead to us. That is why the scriptures for many only occur as a result of goals as Zomarah mentioned rather than passion. For example, without ART, words on paper or computer screens, are just that...words. Which are symbols, not the actual thing they represent. When we experience the art, we go through words to what they symbolize, we experience them as one would a song or painting or a meal...something on a different level.

For example, what is GOD? God is not much. It is a three letter word. That is it. Is Jesus Christ GOD? No, he is a mask we have put on God. We have to go past the mask, which is the legends and stories of a Carpenter's son. We have to experience who that being is. Such an experience is art. There is beauty beyond the black and white text. In the 4th chapter of the Epistle of John, he speaks of love. Why? Because he wants us to have a spiritual, metaphysical experience. He wants us to go inside ourselves, re-experience love that we know and then connect with God through love. Art.

Martial arts. The spiritual seeking, lead to the physical side. Which in a way, can be a manifestation of the spiritual side and when coupled with physical, amazing things happen. The first becomes the last and the last becomes the first. Most martial arts schools and instructors, do so for money. What is the purpose for students? To learn respect, get into shape, build self confidence, kick someone's ass, etc. Self discipline, which can be a natural result, not an effort, but a way of living, an aspect as a result rather than the goal or purpose. Look at the way it has been polluted, diluted now. How did that start/change/go? A thorough examination is for you. I want to share that it can be different. There was a time when I thought that focusing on the body was wrong. How foolish? That comes from a perspective that doesn't understand this experience on earth. The body is amazing and so much can be experienced. Martial arts can be both spiritual and physical. So much can. Look at the name...martial arts. Martial:inclined or disposed to war; warlike, which this whole term is a western term of an eastern philosophy (though it is abused there for war as well). It has been used for war, yet the art still can be experienced.

Becoming alive in Christ. That is what can happen. It is beautiful. Living the art around us, that is us.

Reconciliation? Just as in the works of my people, (aka, those I'm associated with via culture, work, heritage, Facebook, etc.) are dead works, the same is the case for most other peoples.

The native Americans have only a hollow shell of their works. Not that the works of the ancestors were perfect. I do not look back and wish for the good old days. Looking at the now, the works of people are mainly dead. They feed the ego and the body and starve the spirit. Even though what they feed the body is obviously corrupt and poison. The same goes for the little spiritual nutrition we consume.

We have become sick. Most don't really know it because everyone else is sick. Like the Siddhartha, where he didn't realize the world, because his environment was skewed so as to not see anyone old or sick. When he went outside the palace, his world changed. It reminds me of a song Sacar la Voz, by Ana Tijoux. One of her lines

Liberarse de todo el pudor, tomar de las riendas no rendirse al opresor

Caminar erguido sin temor, respirar y sacar la voz 

En un cordel a colgar la copla que el viento mece

Que pocas veces merece, cada pena suelta voz, cada toz

Pensando en sacar la voz

Uno respira--va adentro...donde estás TÚ. Búscate, encúentrate, hállate.
Y sacar la voz---záfate de lo que está dentro de ti.
Cada pena---el dolor y la pena que nos hacemos, que nos hace la "vida/mundo" nos causa soltar la voz. Es lo que me pasú a mi. Lo que dice Max Skousen en cuanto a la religion...o sea, cualquiera institucion.


An annual even in Seattle, a Pow-Wow, that my family went to in my youth, had an event planned for this year. But a short time before the event, it was cancelled. It was very disappointing. I was excited to take my wife and children to their first such event. I read online, that the event was cancelled due to lack of money. The spiritual/physical manifestation and celebrations are now dependent on money? One of the commenters online, said that money isn't necessary. People should just show up and share, bond and celebrate. Money is not necessary. There are those who understand Zion.

When we have Zion in our heart, Zion will then become a physical manifestation. Both are important. The Gemini. Once the zion heart happens, reconciliation will be in our heart, reconciliation then will become a physical manifestation.

So much is now sold. It shows the lack of understanding of what is. If they sell it, they believe it has a set value that is defined. Also, it shows that it can be possessed. It is a commodity.

When people start to experience Art in their lives, in their culture...then things change. Art has no price.

Neil Gaiman, in a college commencement, said something great about this. The whole speech is amazing, but for the part about money, jump to....5:39

Make Good Art

sidenote I do realize how he is dressing. Where he is at. A major stumbling block for so many, is descrediting and dismissing truth for petty reasons. Do you believe Neil sees his attire the same as you? Probably not. Though he does mention that he never saw himself going to college, let alone giving a speech at one...he does mention that he sees value in what his friends have learned in college. I have too. As a whole, I think it is off. The premise of the system is off. But there are beautiful people on campus who have taught things that opened my eyes. Even the Carpenter's Son spent time in the synagogues.

Experience Art. 

Reconcile the whole.

"Culturally Mormon"

This is not an anti-Mormon blog. While I am not in charge of what other contributors write, it is not my personal intention to attack the SLC-based, LDS Church. Reconciliation, to me, means loving your enemies. If you love your enemies, you always want to hear what they have to say. You're always willing to hear them out, to engage them, to try to understand. That is, “enemies” must always hold a place at the table. In fact, reconciliation means having no enemies, which I think is what Jesus was getting at—even when people try to make enemies of us. So it should go without saying that traditional, orthodox Mormons are more than welcome to join the Mormon Reconciliation Movement and share their ideas with others.

The idea for this blog and corresponding Facebook group came to me after a discussion with a friend (who is also a contributor on this blog and goes by the name ProvoJoe). The conclusion, ultimately, was that the Book of Mormon was a book about reconciliation. Many Latter-day Saints mistakenly think the Book of Mormon is about the righteous Nephites and the wicked Lamanites. It is assumed that whenever the Lamanites came around to the Nephite way of thinking, there was peace and prosperity and all sorts of good results. However, this is simply not the case, and the Book of Mormon is saying something far, far different. The Nephites were as wicked as, if not more wicked than, the Lamanites. The Lamanites had forgotten their status as a covenant people. The Nephites, however, never forgot, but were outright rebellious at times (also consider the Amalekites, Amulonites, and Zoramites). The Nephites were beset by pride cycles and more tolerant of the Gadianton Robbers. The Lamanites shared neither of these failings, but were the more stable of the two groups. If one actually reads the Book of Mormon without racial bias, things were actually at their best when the Nephites and Lamanites were reconciled and got along as one people. The Lamanites compensated for the cultural shortcomings of the Nephites, and the Nephites did likewise for the Lamanites. They were hopelessly incomplete when they were at odds with one another. In the end one group was annihilated culturally, the other literally.

I think that is the overarching message of the Book of Mormon...and why the Mormon Reconciliation Movement exists. I also think the modern-day, Utah Mormon bears many of the underlying characteristics of the ancient Nephite. We are, I would argue, hopelessly Nephite. But if we are wary of ourselves, we will adopt the Book of Mormon as our own, unique history. We, too, are beset by pride cycles that threaten to destroy us (the 2008 Global Financial Crisis was part of a modern-day pride cycle). We must heed the warnings of the Book of Mormon and learn from the Nephites’ mistakes (that’s why we have the Book of Mormon in the first place of course).

Again, this blog is not intended to tear down the LDS Church. However, it is my personal opinion that we are not, by and large, heeding those warnings. I still identify as a Mormon, but I no longer identify as a member of the Monson-headed, SLC-based Church. That is, I am a Mormon, but I disagree with the LDS Church’s interpretation of Mormonism. Furthermore, I do not believe said Church has a monopoly on Joseph's religion. The point being that Mormonism should be open to interpretation all of the time—a living, dynamic, expanding religion.

Admittedly, I have some opinions about the role the Church of Jesus Christ should be fulfilling—just bear in mind that these opinions are my own and I do not speak for the entire group. I think Mormonism can be compared, somewhat loosely, to the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece. When I think of Mormon temples, and the purpose they serve, there is a great deal of overlap between what the Eleusinian Mysteries did for the ancient Greeks, and what the Mormon Temple rituals do for modern-day Mormons. The distinction I want to point out, however, is that the Greeks also had their popular state-religion, which was flavored by the common customs and traditions and superstitions of everyday Greek culture. Mormonism has this, too, in its Utah religion.

The parallel I’m drawing here is of "Temple" Mormonism and "Cultural" Mormonism—the sacred versus the profane. Cultural Mormonism has very little resemblance to Temple Mormonism, but shares a great deal in common with your average, run-of-the-mill, christian sect. Throw in some aspects of the American Dream and the Protestant Work Ethic and a deeply conservative bent, and you’ve got modern-day, cultural Mormonism—a brand of Mormonism that I reject outright because I think the branches betrays their roots.

“Profane Mormonism” flows in the opposite direction of “Sacred Mormonism”. Sacred Mormonism really has nothing to do with the Word of Wisdom, or pioneer heritage, or wearing a white shirt to church and being clean-shaven, or keeping up appearances, or being nauseatingly nice, or the undoctrinal doctrine of self-reliance, or Jell-O, etc. Sacred Mormonism—though marvelous and unique—is trying to accomplish the same thing that all of the great religions—at their core—are trying to accomplish. Pure religion is about achieving mystical union with God but also about achieving that union with each other. It is, in a word, about reconciliation—that we may “be one,” Jesus says, “as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.”

The problem with Profane Mormonism is that when it abandoned the ideal of Zion, we gutted Mormonism of its heart; it became totally cut-off from Sacred Mormonism. Zion is the heart of Mormonism, the culmination of the gospel of Jesus Christ on Earth. Nobody really had the authority to say we should put Zion on hold indefinitely. On the contrary, the Doctrine and Covenants includes repeated warnings to those who would transgress the “everlasting order” of Zion—that they would be delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption (D&C 78: 11-12, 82: 20-21, 104: 10).

We still have the temple, and many of us even attend it, but few of us comprehend it. Sacred Mormonism is not a cultural religion—bogged down with all of the traditions and customs, dogmas and creeds, and other baggage that make us appear strange and insular to “outsiders”. Sacred Mormonism, or pure Mormonism, is what I would term a meta-religion. It doesn’t have a culture, or a tradition, or a particular religious flavor. Its purpose is to tear down the barriers to reconciliation and dispel the myth of separation. WE ARE ONE. GOD IS IN US. WE ARE IN GOD. Pure Mormonism is trying to remind us of that sacred truth. And once reminded, we should live by it.

So what is a Mormon? What is his or her mission? Is it to convert people to the church in Salt Lake City? Is it to make people stop drinking coffee and tea and alcohol? I really don’t think so. If you read Don Bradley’s talk here, you will recall that Joseph Smith laid out the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism as truth, friendship, and relief. In my old ward the members were deeply preoccupied with how to convert the local Mennonite population. But we had it all wrong. We were trying to get them to trade in one religion for another. But what was the point? Rather, we should have been preoccupied with the work of reconciliation—with converting them, and ourselves, to the principles of truth, friendship, and relief. Or, in other words, reminding them of the one great truth that underlies it all. It is the truth that Jesus Christ lived and died for, and the truth that many prophets presently understand, i.e., that solemn reminder: We are one, and we ought to live as one. This is what Zion is all about. Zion, the Millennium, the Terrestrial phase—they all rest upon the ideal of reconciliation—when the “wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

The job of a Mormon is to direct others to the Tree of Life, as Lehi did in the Book of Mormon. A Mormon should not be engaged in trying to make people abandon their old religion—essentially committing cultural genocide across the globe. Brigham Young suggested that Zion would include non-Mormons. I’ll take it one further. I don’t even think Zion will be mostly Mormons. I don’t even think it will be Mormon-ish. A Mormon’s job is to be an Ephraimite. That is, his or her job is to gather others. They’re not even supposed to build Zion. They don’t know how after all. I think Jesus himself defined what a Mormon should be: “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” All of the good religions lead to God (as do art, philosophy, and science); our job is to strengthen people in their religious traditions and help make their religions come alive for them (including, ironically, Mormonism). Just add salt. Our job is to make bad Buddhists good, and good Buddhists better. Or bad Atheists good, and good Atheists better, etc., etc., etc. This is why the Mormon Reconciliation Movement is a movement. It isn’t about hunkering down in Salt Lake City, building a shopping center, and declaring ourselves an ethnically and culturally unique people. It is a movement because it’s light on its feet; devoid of dogma, creed, and tradition; inclusive rather than exclusive; and wholly committed to gathering Israel. If you want to be culturally Mormon, fine, but it certainly isn’t the price of admission. “For behold the field is white already to harvest…. And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.”

As a final note, I want to say I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for what John Dehlin does. I absolutely love the Mormon Stories podcast. He espouses and promotes big tent Mormonism, which I agree with wholeheartedly. I support the “us, too” message and thrust of his work. However, the inclusiveness of the message is based on the notion of culture. That is, we are all befitting the label “Mormon” because we are all “culturally Mormon”. If that’s your religion, your heritage, then so be it. I'd like build upon John's ideas, which have inspired me. I think we should engage Mormonism in a much deeper, more profound way. I believe we should invoke the Spirit of Elijah and become true Ephraimites. The “us, too” message should extend beyond Mormon feminists, LGBT Mormons, and liberal Mormons. That is, Zion should (and will) include feminists, LGBTs, and liberals who are not members of the SLC church. It will include Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus. It will include agnostics and atheists. It will include black, white, and brown. It will include young and old, men and women, priests and priestesses. Zion’s strength is in its diversity. It is not homogenous as many Mormons believe it will be (it is not, to put it another way, about falling in line with the Nephites). “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” That is what the Mormon reconciliation is all about.