I have found that there are two parts to Mormonism. Part A. and Part B.
Part A - Those people who are devout in their belief in the doctrine and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, that faithfully follow
the teachings and the laws of the gospel, who's morals and ethics are indisputable, commitments unmovable, belief's concrete. Live their Temple laws and covenants.. Pay their tithes faithfully, follow the Prophet and live their life in a manner pleasing to the Lord.
Part B- Those who show up sometime between the start and finish of Church services pretending to be Part A.
One would wonder why there are two distinctly different pictures at the start of this blog. One of course being the Book of Mormon (self explanatory) and the other of me preparing to depart in a PA-28 Cherokee-Warrior for Wyoming to "Old Faithful" on a vacation trip with the family. The difference? None! One would need to read and study the Book of Mormon in order to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, following the teachings and lessons enclosed, as would one would read and study the Ground School Flight manual as well as other ancillary books, such as the Bible or the Aerodynamics manual of flying, other LDS Doctrine or AIM/FAR manual for regulations of legal flight. Both accomplishing a final and proud goal. Both becoming LDS and a private pilot require dedication, knowledge, direction and faith. Another accomplishment of both is the reasonable acceptance of Consequences...
As I sit week after week in Sacrament meeting I am awed at the lack of simple respect shown to our Savior. It's evident even in some of the leaders. Adults reading magazines, playing with their PDA's, texting on their cell phones and letting their children run amok in the Chapel. Young men wearing tattoo's, young women dressed like they are leaving for a school dance, steadily texting throughout the meeting, pausing only to grab a piece of bread or sip of water passed through the congregation. Cell phones going off during the Sacrament. What is going on in my beloved Mormon Church???
It's simple, like non-Mormon's and non-Christians, members although taught weekly, forget or simply ignore the "Consequences".
They sit in church because they really have no self awareness of what is really going on in the world. We sit in an era where the so called "Muslim" religion is fanatically trying to overtake the world. We have a rouge President elect taking office on January 20th 2009, a man nevertheless inexperienced or worthy of this office, isn't even a Natural born citizen of the United States of America. Lest the "sheep" (see Major the sheepdog blog) sleep and go through the motions daily, weekly and monthly unaware that these are the last days. It has never been so obvious in any time in my life.
Those who ignor or disbelieve in a higher being, a supreme being or be it a God, simply exist day to day with the belief that their only consequence for anything evil, wrong or unrighteous, is simply retain a good lawyer and hope for a lenient judge. On the other side of death, they sense no other consequence, for the pain of being accountable for anything is simply daunting to them.
With LDS people the "Repentance" rule of thumb has become cliche, and runs in accordance with the Catholic religion when you simply go talk to a Priest each weekend, get a few "our fathers" and "Hail Marys" and your good to go... It simply isn't like that at all.
The scriptures are very specific about accountability and consequences...
Like flying a rotary or fixed wing aircraft, you make similar commitments, and objectives reaching to be perfect not only in your daily behavior but as a pilot. The difference is that unlike religion, there is an innate reality when your flying. Sin and you go to a Bishop and get a hand or two slapped. When you err in flight the consequences and accountability are often fatal.
The Helicopter is somewhat less forgiving. Because I love the use of analogies, I use the Helicopter as someone who has "gone through" the Mormon Temple, made commitments and covenants and wear the undergarments required to attend. When you screw up in a Helicopter, the only one your going to be responsible to is yourself and your work and studying the dynamics of flight. Unfortunately, when you lose engine power in a Helicopter it flies like a 20 case Coke machine. The consequences are much more harsh... More deliberate and often more devastating.. Most often Fatal...
On the other hand, a fixed wing aircraft is a little more forgiving. Without engine power, you still have options and forward air speed to allow you to often but not always recover from your "sins" in flight error. If you can regroup "repent" of your errors, you are often spared of the ultimate death on earth. I have often after a quiet, warm and peaceful flight used the term, "it's time to get busy" with turning downwind, to base and then ultimately onto final. A lot is going on and your focus is everything. Unfortunately, LDS people seem to shun off the consequences that might accompany stupid mistakes in their daily life. Sadly they cannot recover and are horribly reminded of those consequences when it's too late. For those who have "gone" through the LDS Temples, their options are at best less. Their consequences and accountabilities are far higher and far greater. Thus, the Helicopter falling out of the sky...
Why is it then that people take flying and the consequences of living, breathing and eating and sleeping flight school so seriously when they become pilots but as Mormons they seem to be undaunted by the consequences of their behavior here upon the earth, when ultimately the end results in either an earthy or spiritual death???? It's the same...Dead is Dead.
I no longer attend meetings other than Sacrament. Perhaps it's time to forget about what happened thousands of years ago, or fifty years ago, maybe not worry about what Abraham and Isaac were doing so long ago and start worrying about what is going on now.
Perhaps, we should be going to church and teaching the fundamentals of Church, respect for the Savior, Reverence, Spirituality, dress standards, Child rearing. Instead of talks about what was. We had better start looking into the next four years.... Revelation's is clear in it's prophecy's. We are truly in the last days. Our Constitution hangs by a thread, there are wars and rumors of wars, un-natural weather events.
We had better wake up and understand that although we might not crash and burn into the side of a mountain anytime soon, we are headed for a spiritual death worse than anything Mortally significant on this earth.
This is the real deal.... One day you will stand before God and answer for your actions....
will you be prepared for those consequences???
God Bless,
A. Lane
Http://allanes.blogspot.com
