When you are dating the wrong guy

The name Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie are now household names because the sad turn of events of Gabby’s murder but that happens a lot more than you think. 

 

Years ago, I worked for the Family Support Center and was listening to a friend tell us about her life with her ex-husband. If she only knew then (when she was dating him) what she knows now. Most of the times, what couples overlook in their relationship that is not going so well is the fact that they need to draw a line between determination and desperation. You cannot make them care unless they want to by heart.

 

Here are 18 Signs that you are dating the wrong guy.

 

They make themselves the focus of attention

While you are making sure about your partner’s needs, desire, and such to be met accordingly, it eventually leaves no room for you and all the things that you are doing for their “me-world.’

This is a major sign that they do not care about you nor the relationship to make it a part of their happiness.

 

Even if you did not do something grand for them, they would still take your hand and have you walk with them on every path of life.

They are too busy to give you time

Time, when once given, cannot be taken back. Partners always give each other time in a relationship, a way of showing their care and love for each other.  your partner tells you they are too busy and will not be able to spare a couple of hours to come home and have lunch with you – they’ve already lost the care card. Partners always give each other enough time in a relationship in order to show that they care and love each other.

 

They are indecisive

If they are keep on playing the cat and mouse game, the moment you give up, they are all into the relationship, when you call it quits, they will begin to think of getting back together.

 

Stop letting them take such grave advantage of you and let them know relationships are not determined by such cliché aspects like coming and going when one wants to.

You get to have a say in it too. If they cannot accept this fact, then it is you who needs to leave for sure because clearly, whether you leave or stay is of no such concern to them.

They put the blame on you

Even if it is not actually your fault, your partner will always blame you for both of little and big things in your everyday life together.

They do not care enough about the healthy course your relationship can and should take and so, putting blames on you becomes habitual to them because holding someone else accountable for their own actions is easier to fulfil, is it not?

 

They treat you arrogantly

There is nothing cool about treating other people below, so if your partner acts in such this way where they are using their high rank,

charm or power just to bring you down in any way, then it is definite sight that they do not care enough to protect your feelings.

You know that homily feeling you get when you’re with your significant other? That feeling of security and stability’s among the first bricks to put in any relationship.

Being disrespectful to you

All of the things that are important and have value to you should be respected and cared for by those people around you too but only those who deeply care about you. What can actually make you would make them happy as well.

But if your sweetheart shows disrespect for the things that matter to you, then you do not need to stay with such a person who cannot treat the things you so value with equal respect.

They are not supportive

There is no good in being with someone who does not have your back. Support to a relationship is what water is to plants; it makes the other grow.

Support is a whole lot more that saying the same things that you are about to say, going to the same places as you date and hangout with the same group of people.

 

They will treat you like an outsider

If you are a way ahead of your relationship and yet you still have not met their parents or gotten to know if they have any siblings and other personal things,

just take it as a sign that they are not that serious about the relationship that you have

You are with them yet they make you feel like an outsider. It is a fake concept you are following blindly and so, you need to stop and set your priorities straight.

They make you feel worthless.

Being with somebody who only sees the darkness of life is not good for you.

Even if you have stopped believing in the greater good, they should still show you the optimistic side of things because that would make you feel better.

Being with someone who only sees the darkness of life isn’t healthy for you. Even if you stop believing in the greater good, they ought to show you the optimistic side of things as that would make you feel better.

 

Their apologies do not mean anything

“Sorry” is just a word not until somebody will come along and will give a meaning to it. Your partner will commit the same things that they would later be sorry for, or will they?

Care and thought has to be put into an apology and it does not mean anything if not enough care is put into it.

Being with such a person can be very damaging for you, someone who does not care about what they do or say that you may dislike and then not having the decency to apologize for it in earnest either.

They try to change you

You have actually stopped feeling yourself anymore every time that you are with them. If your partner really cares about you,

they would not try to change you, as a matter of fact; they often do the opposite so that you will enjoy a healthy relationship.

But a careless partner makes you change yourself in so many ways, you feel exhausted.

All sex, no love

You should not be involved physically with anyone who you are not married to by the way but some do, you will actually know when your partner literally stops caring about you and your relationships when they only engage themselves in the physical aspect

and do not pay that much attention to your feelings, as well as the respect that you deserve from them.

Love isn’t defined by something as mediocre as sex; that’s just a part of the relationship, not the whole thing.

They begin to cheat on you

Loyalty is said to be in a relationship when you deeply care enough for that person, but if not, you can easily jump to the next one.

If your partner actually cares about taking the relationship to a serious level, they will never go and cheat on you. It’s only when they stop caring or lose their interest in you and the relationship that they waste their time with someone else.

 

No efforts was made to protect you

Not protecting you or at least trying to do so would actually mean your partner will not fight for you and the relationship, once they lose interest in it.

If your partner lets little obstacles come in the way of your relationship, they don’t deserve your time.

If they did, they’d want to fight for the bond you two share, not throwing it away when things get rough.

 They do not bother remembering what you say

When we really care about the person who is speaking, we earnestly listen to them. When we do not care, we are just hearing things out.

It might be something you said last week or just a couple of minutes ago…if your partner does not even bother recalling it,

much less keeping it in mind despite your emphasis on how important that thing is to you then take it as a sign they do not care enough for you nor their relationship with you to listen to what you say.

They make you cry more than often

When your partner hurts you and makes you cry then don’t bother to come and make sure that you are fine, could they be more careless and not serious about your relationship?

When your partner doesn’t pay much heed into being with you and at least trying to maintain the relationship with you, they’ll keep all the good stuff for themselves and not bother including you in any of it.

Being together means doing all the fun things together too but if they don’t care at all, why would it even matter to them that you are out there with them enjoying some happy moments?

They have it all to themselves

Whether it is going out in a Saturday night or planning a trip with friends together, when your partner does not play much attention in into being with you and at least trying to keep the relationship with you,

they will keep all of the good things for themselves and they will not bother to include you in any of it.

Wanting all the good things for themselves steals your partner’s ability to compromise with you too, because that would mean you getting some of that good stuff every once in a while too.

They have commitment issues

You have to realize that it wasn’t about you; it’s all about the other person wants. If your partner has fear of committing to a relationship, they will not really mind wherever the relationship is going.

You’ll know your partner has lost interest in the relationship when you feel like you don’t know them anymore because their lack of commitment will leave you questioning their place in the situation. You’ll know instantly they aren’t worthy of your love and effort when they turn your good days into bad ones.

Important lessons to learn from Gabby’s tragic life and death.

 

1. Based on the body camera video posted by the officers who pulled Gabby and her fiancé over for suspicious driving, some viewers assumed Gabby was suffering from mental illness and Brian was the stable one. 

2. Some people may have assumed both partners were equally abusive and equally at fault. The old “it takes two” myth that doesn’t really apply to most abusive situations.

3. Some people may have even assumed Gabby was the abuser and Brian was the victim.

4. These assumptions are classic. Why? Because, in many cases, the target manages to keep things together until her breaking point, at which time others may see her crying or hear her yelling or see her breaking, and then they assume she’s “crazy.” 

5. Meanwhile, the abuser plays the part of the poor, patient partner who has to deal with this crazy person. But all the while, he’s been acting very differently behind closed doors, pushing her to this point intentionally and feeding on her emotional break. He LOVES to see evidence that he has hurt her. He LOVES to see her pain. 

6. For this reason, “breaking her” has been his goal from the start. It may take him hours or weeks or months or even years to break her, but he won’t stop until he gets that reaction, and then he’ll point the finger and say, “See? She’s crazy. I’m just trying to keep her calm.” And then he’ll do it again. And again. And again. 

7. As a result, some people will buy into that false narrative. Even the target. Which brings me to my next point.

8. In the video, we see Gabby making many excuses for Brian’s behavior, and she takes all the blame for everything he does. 

9. We also see Brian blaming Gabby and saying he was just trying to keep her calm.

10. This is also the norm for victims of long-standing abuse. A target becomes conditioned to believe everything the abuser does is her fault. 

11. Also, she clearly doesn’t want Brian to be in trouble. She’d rather pay the price and protect the man she loves. Also, remember she truly believes he only acted this way because of her, so she doesn’t want him to be blamed. This is also the norm. 

12. Smart officers see right through this. Others buy the cover-up story. (And because some officers are also abusers, they all too frequently side with the abuser even when they know exactly what’s going on.)

13. I actually credit the police in Gabby’s situation. They were calm, they separated the couple, they interviewed them individually, they split them up for the night, they did everything right. I’m sure the officer has tremendous guilt about the end result and wonders if he could have prevented it, but I don’t blame the officers in this case. I was actually pretty surprised and impressed with how well they treated both Brian and Gabby 

14. Many people have been shocked by Brian’s family’s refusal to cooperate with police. I’m not shocked at all. Let’s look at that a little more closely.

15. I’m also not surprised to learn that Gabby lived with the Laundrie family for a year. We all see this family will do anything to protect their son, even at the cost of an innocent young woman who was a real part of their family and soon to be their daughter -in -law. While most of us can certainly understand them wanting to protect their child, they crossed a moral line when Gabby went missing. 

16. But I think it goes deeper than that. I think it shows them as a system of enablers who not only allowed Brian to abuse Gabby over a long term (which probably led to her intense anxiety) but also a system of gaslighters who were probably always shifting the truth to keep Gabby confused and make her believe she’s the problem. She was caught in an entire system of abuse. And once you’re in that web, it’s very very very difficult to see a way out.

17. I imagine they probably contributed to her abuse from the start and encouraged their son’s abusive behaviors by rewarding him, making excuses for him, blaming Gabby, flipping the script, and keeping her in the fog that breaks down a person’s psyche and spirit over time.

18. Gabby and Brian had been together since their teens. This is also common. These immature relationships work beautifully when both partners grow together and mature emotionally. But when one wants to keep the other down, naive, and under his control…and the other is growing, learning, and maturing, it doesn’t work. 

19. We hear Gabby tell the officer that Brain didn’t think she could do her travel blog. It seems clear that he didn’t believe in her and was trying to make her not believe in herself. 

20. She also says he didn’t like her working and that he locked her out of the van because she wouldn’t calm down. But when you listen to the full video, it sounds like he was upset because they’d spent too much time at the coffee shop with her working on her website when he wanted to go hiking. She wasn’t in her seat when he was ready to leave. Control issues?! He squeezed her face with his hand in anger. He cut her down and criticized her, verbally abusing her until she was a wreck of tears. He was breaking her spirit, intentionally. 

21. Why? Because her focus wasn’t 100% on him. And because she had found a job she enjoyed and was good at and that allowed her to connect with other people, when he wanted her all to himself. 

22. She now had this one little piece of her life that he couldn’t completely control, so he wanted fo get rid of that. It angered him. He punished her for it. See the pattern? 

23. The overall takeaway? When you see someone crying like this, don’t assume she’s crazy. Don’t buy into the false narrative given by the abuser. Don’t believe the cover-up story by the target who has been conditioned to carry all the blame and shame. And don’t assume she’s going to be okay. She just may end up your next recovered body.

24. If you or someone you love are in an unhealthy relationship, please don’t assume it will get better in time. I haven’t heard one single story where it got better. Not one. Not with therapy. Not with church. Not with prayer or forgiveness or complete surrender. Nothing works when the abuser is determined to destroy that target. He will not stop until she is erased from this world or from her life. And in many cases, he’ll walk away without any consequences.

Please don’t let the next Gabby be you or someone you love. 

Domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233

 

I hope no one I know is in an abusive situation but if you are? GET OUT!!!

 

Con amor,

Vero

What does it mean to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ?

My talk for this Sunday is found on the April Conference 2017 by Elder Hales

What does it mean to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ? A disciple is one who has been baptized and is willing to take upon him or her the name of the Savior and follow Him. A disciple strives to become as He is by keeping His commandments in mortality, much the same as an apprentice seeks to become like his or her master.

Many people hear the word disciple and think it means only “follower.” But genuine discipleship is a state of being. This suggests more than studying and applying a list of individual attributes. Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry.

Listen to the Apostle Peter’s invitation to become a disciple of the Savior:

“Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

“And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

“And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”¹

As you can see, weaving the spiritual tapestry of personal discipleship requires more than a single thread. In the Savior’s day, there were many who claimed to be righteous in one or another aspect of their lives. They practiced what I have called selective obedience. For example, they kept the commandment to refrain from work on the Sabbath yet criticized the Savior for healing on that holy day.² They gave alms to the poor but offered only their excess—what they did not need for themselves.³ They fasted but only with long faces.⁴They prayed but only to be seen of men.⁵ Jesus said, “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”⁶ Such men and women may focus on mastering a specific attribute or action but do not necessarily become as He is in their hearts.

Of these, Jesus declared:

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”⁷

The attributes of the Savior, as we perceive them, are not a script to be followed or list to be checked off. They are interwoven characteristics, added one to another, which develop in us in interactive ways. In other words, we cannot obtain one Christlike characteristic without also obtaining and influencing others. As one characteristic becomes strong, so do many more.

In 2 Peter and in Doctrine and Covenants section 4, we learn that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation. We measure our faith by what it leads us to do—by our obedience. “If ye will have faith in me,” the Lord promised, “ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.”⁸Faith is a catalyst. Without works, without virtuous living, our faith is without power to activate discipleship. Indeed, faith is dead.⁹

And so, Peter explains, “add to your faith virtue.” This virtue is more than sexual purity. It is cleanliness and holiness in mind and body. Virtue is also power. As we faithfully live the gospel, we will have power to be virtuous in every thought, feeling, and action. Our minds become more receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the Light of Christ.¹⁰ We embody Christ not only in what we say and do but also in who we are.

Peter continues, “Add to [your] virtue, knowledge.” As we live virtuous lives, we come to know our Heavenly Father and His Son in a special way. “If any man will do [the Father’s] will, he shall know of the doctrine.”¹¹ This knowledge is personal testimony, born from personal experience. It is knowledge that transforms us so that our “light cleaveth unto [His] light” and our “virtue loveth [His] virtue.”¹² By our virtuous living, we make the journey from “I believe” to the glorious destination of “I know.”

Peter exhorts us to add “to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience.” As temperate disciples, we live the gospel in a balanced and steady way. We do not “run faster than [we have] strength.”¹³ Day by day we move forward, undeterred by the refining challenges of mortality.

Being temperate in this way, we develop patience and trust in the Lord. We are able to rely on His design for our lives, even though we cannot see it with our own natural eyes.¹⁴ Therefore, we can “be still and know that [He is] God.”¹⁵ When faced with the storms of tribulation, we ask, “What wouldst Thou have me learn from this experience?” With His plan and purposes in our hearts, we move forward not only enduring all things but also enduring them patiently and well.¹⁶

This patience, Peter teaches, leads us to godliness. As the Father is patient with us, His children, we become patient with one another and ourselves. We delight in the agency of others and the opportunity it gives them to grow “line upon line,”¹⁷ “brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”¹⁸

From temperance to patience and from patience to godliness, our natures change. We gain the brotherly kindness that is a hallmark of all true disciples. Like the Good Samaritan, we cross the road to minister to whoever is in need, even if they are not within the circle of our friends.¹⁹ We bless them that curse us. We do good to those who despitefully use us.²⁰ Is any attribute more godly or Christlike?

I testify that the efforts we make to become disciples of our Savior are truly added upon until we are “possessed” of His love.²¹ This love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”²²

It is faith, hope, and charity that qualify us for the work of God.²³ “And now abideth … these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”²⁴

Brothers and sisters, now more than ever, we cannot be a “part-time disciple”! We cannot be a disciple on just one point of doctrine or another. The constellation of characteristics that result from faith in Christ—including the ones we have talked about today—are all necessary to our standing strong in these last days.

As we earnestly strive to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, these characteristics will be interwoven, added upon, and interactively strengthened in us. There will be no disparity between the kindness we show our enemies and the kindness we bestow on our friends. We will be as honest when no one is looking as when others are watching. We will be as devoted to God in the public square as we are in our private closet.

I testify that everyone can be a disciple of the Savior. Discipleship is not constrained by age, gender, ethnic origin, or calling. Through our individual discipleship, we, as Latter-day Saints, build up a collective strength to bless our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Now is the time to recommit ourselves to being His disciples with all diligence.

Brothers and sisters, we are all called to be disciples of our Savior. Let this conference be your opportunity to “begin as in times of old, and come unto [Him] with all your heart.”²⁵This is His Church. I bear my special witness that He lives. May He bless us in our eternal quest to become devoted and valiant disciples. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

What to call a Christmas Tree?

More and more I get excited about another Christmas. Today marks three months before Christmas, but this time once again I will spend it in a foreign land. I love that still in some parts of the world people do not get offended to say “Feliz Navidad!” or  “Arbolito de Navidad.” Ben Stein said the following about Christmas trees: 

 

“Apparently, the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time this year, which prompted Ben Stein, to say, on a CBS Sunday Morning show:

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

 

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a nativity scene, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

 

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

 

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

 

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.” Ben Stein 

Well said, and I could not agree more. 

Con amor,

Vero

Make the Chili

I saw this post from a friend and agree with her 100% 

 

A good friend of mine unexpectedly lost her husband. A couple months later we were running together, chatting about nothing She asked what my dinner plans were and I told her hubby wanted chili, but I didn’t feel like shopping at the store. We ran a few more minutes when she quietly said, “make the chili.” 

 

It took me a few minutes to realize we were no longer talking about dinner. I was about going out of your way to do something for someone you love because at any moment, they could unexpectedly be taken from you. 

 

So today I’m sharing with you that wisdom handed to me by my dear friend, that I’ve thought of many times since that day. Next time someone you love wants you to go for a walk or watch a football game or play a board game or just put your phone down and give them your undivided attention, just do it. Make the chili. 

 

Con amor,

Vero

In Light of Recent Events

Sharing some thoughts surfing the internet in light of recent events in Afghanistan. 

 

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

 

In light of recent events... terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

 

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

 

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

 

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit.If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what a bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Smart People

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have intrigued me ever since Mike Huckabee back in 2007 claimed that they believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. With the recent election over, I decided to check out Mormons a bit more. My hope in doing this was to explain to readers who Mormons are and whether or not 22 percent of the people were justified in opposing having a Mormon president.

But instead I’m going to share an intriguing bit of Mormon theology I learned that I think makes them perhaps the most politically wise human beings on the planet. Ironically, this story stems from that Huckabee quote about the relationship between Jesus and the devil, but the lesson to be learned is one that, regardless of our political or religious views, we would all be wise to consider.

So here’s what I learned: Mormons, unlike most other Christians, believe that all humans lived a life before mortality. They call this the pre-existence or pre-earth life. At birth a veil is placed over our minds so that we don’t remember it (you’ll see why in a minute).

In this pre-earth life, we were all in the presence of God as His spirit children. Jesus was there—the first-born of God’s spirit children, and a leader in the councils in Heaven. Lucifer was also there, and was another leader among the children of God. He was called a "son of the morning."

At some point in this existence, the Father called all of His children together to explain how things worked. All of His children would have to leave His presence and come to earth for a period of testing. The goal was to see if we would live a righteous life even when we had to live by faith, as we would no longer be able to remember God or heaven (that’s the reason for the veil).

If we would live a righteous life, we would be given the opportunity to return and live with God forever. Otherwise we would forfeit that chance, because no unclean thing can live in God’s presence. However, God knew that we would all make mistakes, so he would provide a Savior for the world. This Savior would live a sinless life, and because of that, he would qualify to pay for the sins of the world through what would be called the "Atonement." If people would sincerely repent of their sins, then the Atonement would essentially erase their sins, and they could still return and live with God. The Father called for volunteers to be this savior, and two stepped forward: Jesus and Lucifer.

Lucifer said that he would be the savior and he would force everybody to live righteously, thus guaranteeing that all of God’s spirit children would return to Him in heaven. Jesus said that He would follow the Father’s plan and allow God’s children their free agency. They could choose for themselves whether to live righteously and take advantage of the Atonement or whether to live in sin and forfeit the opportunity to return and live with God.

God rejected Lucifer’s plan, causing Lucifer to rebel and declare war on God. One-third of God’s spirit children joined Lucifer in this rebellion. In the end, the rebellion failed and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of heaven. They came to earth without bodies and now, continuing the war they started in heaven, they tempt men to do evil to one another and lose out on the chance to return to God.

PAY ATTENTION HERE; THIS IS THE GOOD PART

Now, any traditional Christians reading this will see similarities to their own belief system. Most traditional Christians believe that Lucifer lived in heaven as an angel, but then declared war on God and was cast out.. However, the causes for that war are not necessarily clear in traditional Christian theology.

That is where Mormon theology is so intriguing. For Mormons, the greatest of all battles, the war in heaven, was fought over LIBERTY—or as they call it, "free agency." Lucifer wanted to take it away, while God demanded that humans have it.

Although a Mormon might balk at my making comparisons between their religious beliefs and modern politics (and as I said earlier, every Mormon I’ve ever known was a very good person, so I apologize to any I offend), I see a direct correlation here. For a Mormon, the battle for liberty is not unique to this life; it is the core battle of the ages. Lucifer lost the war in heaven (he really thought he could beat God?), but the war continues on earth. So seeing the government become more and more tyrannical is not just a political concern; it’s a fundamental, eternal concern.

I’m inspired by this Mormon theological idea: God intended for humans to be free to make our own choices and live with the consequences of those choices. The Founding Fathers of this country said essentially the same thing in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

My study of Mormonism has not only given me newfound respect for this people and their religion; it has also made me evaluate my own attitude towards the liberty that seems to be slipping through all of our fingers. Is this just something that is nice to have, and for which I thank the Founding Fathers? Or is it really something that is endowed by God, and that He expects me to fight for. According to Mormon theology, I already fought for this once. The fact that I’m here says that I was on God’s side in the war in heaven, and fought for liberty.

A Mormon might ask, why should any of us be less willing to fight for it here than we were there?"

 

Con amor,

Vero