IDLE LATTER-DAY SAINT MUSINGS

******************************** ******************************** Brothers and Sisters: This message, while published on my personal blog, is intended solely for my fellow members in The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints (i.e., the "Mormon" church), as our theology is so unique, that people of other faiths may have difficulty comprehending our peculiar beliefs. Tonight, as I was watching the 1950 Walt Disney movie, TREASURE ISLAND, I was musing over what life must have been like for our ancestors. I read somewhere that, back in those days, few people could swim. Maybe that was because nobody had time to learn how to swim. From the time they could walk, every minute of every day was devoted to survival, struggling from dawn to dusk to successfully grow enough food to last through each Winter. So, kids never had a chance to play or do kid stuff, such as swimming or climbing trees. Another thought that struck me was the millions of souls who have lived and died on this Earth, with no written record that they ever existed. How will they be resurrected if they can't be identified? Okay, we've been told that during the Millennium, the Veil will be parted so that genealogical work can be expedited. Well, that's when it dawned on me. That genealogical assistance is not meant for us, for we can read and write, and we do have access to a massive accumulation of recorded documentation. Furthermore, there are plenty of temples conveniently available geographically for the majority of us to do the necessary work. No, that Millennial blessing is meant for those millions for whom there are no written records, and where there isn't even any DNA evidence of their long disappeared corpse. As for us, we are supposed to be busily engaged in doing the research and performing the ordinances for our ancestors, and if we don't do it, we may be damning ourselves, our ancestors, and our posterity, since the scriptures plainly state that the one cannot be saved without the other. Now, doesn't THAT there thought scare the liver right out of you? I don't know about you, but even though I'm a "Mormon", I'm still a very worldly GUY, and I enjoy doing "guy" stuff, such as being lazy, goofing off, and committing SIN. Here's something else I'm wondering about. We're Americans. We're independent and cherish our liberty as individuals. But, the Kingdom of Heaven is an absolute theocracy, ruled by a king, something inherently odious and contrary to the mortal American ideal, which was bred, born, and forged in the fires of violent rebellion. So, are we Americans, by our very nature, destined to ultimately be condemned to Hell? The same question, for identical reasons, could be asked about those of us with fiery Scottish, Irish, and Viking blood coursing through our veins. What happens when, while in our Heavenly home, and during the heat of some family emotion, we spontaneously shout something insulting at our king, or we balk at carrying out some Eternal assignment? Will our king take into consideration that we were born and raised American, and cut us a little slack? With the ever increasing trend towards "political correctness" within The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, what happens to those of us who refuse to quietly accept it? Unlike the overwhelming majority of Latter-day Saints, I readily admit I'm racially prejudiced, and I'm not likely to change my opinion, since it's based on a lifetime of personal observation and experience. Also, unlike most Latter-day Saints, I do openly advocate for night riding vigilante justice and violent bloody armed revolt in order to RESTORE our lost republic, our divinely inspired CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, our inalienable rights as individual citizens, sovereignty for the several states (including their right to secede), a free enterprise capitalist economy, and preservation of traditional Christian family moral values. Isn't what happens within our Church here in mortality an indication of what we may expect in the Hereafter? No, I don't have the answers. These are just some things I was wondering about, which you might also want to give some thought to, unless, of course, you already do have all of the answers. Maybe, if you happen to have SOME of the answers, you might be so kind as to share them? Thank you. John Robert Mallernee Armed Forces Retirement Home Washington, D.C.  20011-8400 ******************************** ********************************