Knowledge

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (introduction to the Book of Mormon)

I was raised in a 'Mormon' family.  My mother is an adult convert to the Book of Mormon, and I might say that despite being raised in a Mormon family, my father is for all practical purposes a convert.  This because he went through a period of adolescence in the which he indulged a lifestyle that was antithetical to believing the Book of Mormon.

At around 19 years of age he decided that he wanted to know if he was making a mistake with his life or not and so he decided to pray about the Book of Mormon.  The logic was that if the Book of Mormon was truly what Mormons proclaimed it to be, then he was making a mistake and needed to repent.  But if it wasn't then he could indulge beyond his current lifestyle to do things that his conscience wouldn't at the time permit.

He actually struggled with this for years going back and forth on the issue.  Finally resolving that he NEEDED to know, he set out with what he described as real intent to know.  The result of that was something that he frequently recounted to me growing up.

I am not going to recount his experience because it is sacred to him and I don't feel that I have the right to mix up the details, as I most assuredly would; having not been there myself.

I only recount his part of the story so as to bring you now into mine.  Growing up, I never struggled with doubts about the Book of Mormon.  I have even tried.  I have read a lot of criticisms, debated with a lot of people -much smarter than I- about the Book of Mormon.  I feel like I understand any of the serious arguments against it.  Yet, they all have fallen back into disarray.  I find it impossible to seriously entertain these doubts.

This hasn't been due to social or peer pressures.  I guess it is more due to the love I have felt in my family.  I know that loving families are not an exclusive 'Mormon' property.  However, I have yet to see people as weird, nutty, offensive, and eccentric as those who make up my family, that can love each other as deeply, wholly and without reserve as can those in my family.

I believe that this is the result of lives lived in conformity with the truths contained in the Book of Mormon.  At least those fruits that my family has been able to find appealing enough to consume up to this point, (thus leaving the door open for even greater growth from the additional truths that as yet we still do not recognize.)



This isn't magic.  It's not: proclaim to believe the Book of Mormon to be the most correct book on the face of the earth, and you will have a guarantee to get the love that I am proclaiming is a result of doing so.  Rather it is a fruit of my fathers active, faithful exercise to go and get an answer from God, conform his life to the truth that was revealed and then raise his children up believing and living those same things.

At this point I should make something clear.  Despite my ability to not doubt the Book of Mormon, I have struggled deeply with my inability to replicate the experience my father had when seeking to know if the Book of Mormon is true.  I have believed that the promise contained in verses 3-5 of Moroni chapter 10, applied to securing from God a divine answer regarding the authenticity of the promise made by Joseph Smith, quoted at the beginning of this post.

Yet frequently I would wonder where my answer was.  On numerous occasions I would search, ponder and pray regarding this issue.  Yet nothing akin to what my father described, or really anything that I felt comfortable describing as giving me the power to say "I know" that statement is true, occurred.

This has caused me great stress in my own personal spiritual journey.  Largely because whenever I would read the scriptures and Joseph Smith's own account, the feeling would often come to me that, if so-and-so can do it, then so can I.  This contrast of reality vs. perception continued in spite of consistent counsel that significant spiritual manifestations were rare, and used by God only for 'special people in special circumstances.'

Perhaps these are the special people who get the special circumstances?

In August of 2011, I set out to read Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman.  Unique from the experience of many others who read that book, my faith was uplifted by that book.  Whereas I had spent my life comparing myself to Joseph Smith and the subsequent recognized Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and feeling wholly inadequate to ever be in the same room as them.  That book exposed many of Joseph's weakest personal attributes and characteristics.

This had an amazing effect on my spirituality.  It fortified my faith in God and my personal belief that I could approach Him.  It caused me to believe that certainly if Joseph could encounter angels sent by God, who told him to stop 'treasure seeking,' and yet in his weakness continued; then there was still a chance that God could possibly be patient with my weaknesses consistently performed before Him in my life.  And if that was the case, then there was still reason to seek for authentic, divine answers from God to me, that would give me power to KNOW things about Him, instead of mere supposition.

Passing the Heavenly Gift

Within a month of reading that book, I was referred to another book by a close friend.  It was a book
that dealt with the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints™, by an author who I was vaguely familiar with from another book -that dealt with a VERY different topic- that I already owned.  The book that I had owned dealt with man's right and obligation to come closer to our Lord, indeed even to come to Him face-to-face and to have an audience with Him.

I had perused that book and had not endeavored to read it, due to a feeling that I wasn't at a point in life to be able to dedicate the time necessary to study the points made in the book.  So I had put it on the shelf.

However, with this new book -the one that dealt with the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints™, that was referred by my close friend- I had just got done reading Bushman's book, and was deeply interested in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints™.  So I began reading it.

It was incredibly hard.  You should know that I was no slouch previous to this.  I had already read Michael Quinn's three book series on Church History.  I had even read some of Gerald and Sandra Tanner's material.  Yet for some reason, what I read in this book was incredibly much harder to deal with than anything before.

Here I should explain something.  What was hard about this book was not what I would call faith-challenging.  What I would define as faith-challenging is something that is deliberately bringing forth selective material for the intent to cause you to disbelieve central, core tenets of your current faith system.  Rather this book dealt with the hard issues associated with those who have been Mormons in the past, while exposing the doctrinal truths that required more diligent effort on the part of every individual Mormon.

I had never before considered that I wasn't living up to my part of the Covenant made by me, upon accepting baptism.  What I experienced in that book, was hard because it broke my heart about myself.  I had made SERIOUS logical errors about what I needed to do in this life in order to gain exaltation in the next.  This book had now exposed this personal dilemma.  I needed to be a better Mormon!

This book did something else as well.  The author testified, that he had met Christ.  Perhaps to a more sane person this might come off too weird.  Perhaps right then and there I exposed my own craziness by not claiming that, "God use to do things like that, but not anymore!"  However, being foolhardy, I was actually motivated by that testimony.

Once again, this declaration brought me back to believe even more than before that if miracles happened to others then I might be invited as well.  Perhaps God really did not have respect of persons.  To be clear, the author of this book was an attorney by profession.  He had held NO previous ecclesiastical authority other than as a father in his own home.  He had not even served an official mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints™!  So if our Lord could come and talk to a man who was nothing more than someone who believed the Lord -and an attorney to boot- then why should I not be invited?

I did consider that maybe he was lying.  Or perhaps insane.  Delusional?  He certainly wasn't dumb because the book that he produced was very meticulous in presentation of detail.

I decided that in order to get a better picture I needed to read more of what he wrote.  I wanted to find out what his slant was.  So I started reading the first book that he had written -which was the one I already owned.  I read it.  I was amazed at the doctrine contained!  The book was self-declared to be a manual on how to come unto the Lord, who is described as The Second Comforter.  If this wasn't totally preposterous it surely was presumptuous.

The Second Comforter

Yet despite the lofty claim by the author of the book to be a manual for such a thing, the principles were simple.  Nothing I had not heard or read before.  Just arranged in a manner to leave me with an even more enhanced sense that God not only left open the possibility of my coming to Him, but that He actually intended for that to happen.  God expected, while in this life for me to come into His presence and receive a remission of my sins! Just like Enos in The Book of Mormon.  (See Enos 1:1-5)

For me, this was unheard of.  Absolutely ground breaking principles that shattered my previous paradigm.  I decided then and there that I would not only read the rest of this author's books, but that more importantly I really did need to be a better Mormon.  With each book I read, Mormonism became more delicious to me.  Things I had been taught as a child now clicked in my head and heart.  Instead of finding it hard to do those things, they now became a delight.

Then love happened.  I began to love a lot more than I ever could previously.  Love for everyone.  People whom I normally looked upon with indifference or even disdain, now became people with whom I could completely empathize.  In some ways I became very liberally minded socially.  Even those who criticized me, opposed me, or ridiculed me could find no animosity in my heart to retaliate against.

I began to see King Benjamin's testimony of how I am a beggar being fulfilled.  This then caused me to love the beggars.  Even those I know/knew are/were gaming the system.  I didn't care.  I gave to them.  I tried to get to know them.  Their fears.  Their needs.  Their worries.  In whatever way I could I would help them.  Sometime this took on the form of donations.  Sometimes it was having a chat.  Other times it was giving a ride.  And sometimes it is nothing more than praying for them because I have nothing to give.

Some have told me that this is nonsense.  That I am doing more damage than good.  What they say I agree can be true.  However, the feelings that have come into my heart can not be changed.  I can not put them away now.  I believe I now know why.


Last night, after corresponding with a friend about these things, my wife and I read from Alma 32.  The words in that verse helped me see what knowledge is and that I had been missing the boat for a long time.

I want to share those verses with you, so that you can have knowledge too:

26 Now, as I said concerning faith-that it was not a perfect knowledge-even so it is with my words.  Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

Faith is not knowledge. 

 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

The Book of Mormon is exposing itself here and now as an interactive experience.  There is no use for you or I to read it if we are not going to interact with the designs of the book.  Here and now you are being taught how to know the truth of any proposition.

 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

For this interactive experience to work you have to go along.  To know the truth of a proposition, you have to be willing to allow it to plant it in your heart to see where it is going to take you.  If you allow your unbelief (not lack of belief but something that actually removes belief) to cast it out, then it does you  no good to think that you are truly finding out if a proposition is true.

Now the next thing that I want to discuss is the difference between how truth is defined in The Book of Mormon and how we try to define it contemporarily.  You may think that science discovers truth through a process of experiments that produce verifiable and quantifiable results.  However, this is not truth.  While one does produce results that then can be sustained and repeated through the scientific method, it however does not produce truth.  In fact the purpose of the Scientific Method is to demonstrate what is not true.  However, because in this world truth is a contradiction of itself, the Scientific Method can never arrive at truth; only explores the options of what is not true.

So the proposition of what is being described here in these verses (how to come to KNOW something) is inherently antithetical to everything you experience in this world.  Therefore it should not come as a surprise to you that like seeing in another dimension the things expressed will be counter-intuitive to everything else in this world.

The first step to KNOWING something is after having given room and planted the thing that you want to know in your heart, it will begin to swell.  Swelling enlarges.  This indicates the possibility of life.  All life is generated by Christ.  Life is truth.  The Word of God is truth.  But not all swelling indicates life.  However, this swelling in your heart is delicious to your soul.

 29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

Because not all swelling indicates life, just because you have swelling, does not indicate that you have truth.  In order to be truth it needs to have life.  If it has life it will grow past swelling (providing you don't or haven't cast it out by unbelief.)

 30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

Swelling, sprouting, and beginning to grow.  Now this indicates life.  If something causes your soul to stir, it is only moving.  That doesn't mean it has life.  However, if it makes itself manifest in this world, in a tangible, visible manner, then we now know that it has life.  This is sprouting.

For me this happened in the actions the Word gave to me, that changed how I lived my life.  I read something and it struck me as true, and as a result it became manifest in my actions.  

Beginning to grow is the step when it not only caused me to change the actions prescribed but also changed my heart.  Love for others grew as an outgrowth of the original sprouting.  

Swelling, Sprouting, and Beginning to grow.  IT IS BY THIS THAT ONE COMES TO KNOW!

 31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

If after swelling, it doesn't sprout and grow, then cast it away.  

 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

Think about it: This is Knowledge.  This is how to know Truth.  Not by going through the things that you should disbelieve (scientific method.)  Rather Knowledge comes by believing.  Allowing a place in your heart for truth to be planted.  Letting it grow and watching earnestly for it to sprout and grow after it has been planted.  

Why do you think that so much emphasis was placed by Christ proclaiming that you must BELIEVE, during His mortal ministry? (see Matt 9:28; 21:22, 25, 32; Mark 1:15; 5:36; 9:23; 11:24; 16:16; Luke 1:20; 8:12; 8:50; 22:67; 24:11, 25; John 1:7, 12; 2:11, 22-23; 3:12; 16, 18, 36; 4:42, 53; 5:24, 46; 6:29, 69; 7:31; 8:24, 30, 45; 9:35; 10:25-26, 38; 11:15, 25, 27, 45, 48; 12: 11, 36, 42, 44, 47; 13:19; 14:1, 12; 16:27; 17:8, 20, 21; 19:35; 20:25,27,29,31.  I hope you realize that I didn't waste my time looking up these references just to show that I could list a bunch of scriptures.  You should really look at these references....at least a few of them.)  

You don't need to believe in men.  You don't need to believe in an institution.  You need to believe that He is capable of clearing the way before you.  All of this if you will #1-) clear a place in your heart for the seed to be planted #2-) let it grow #3-) believe the results!

 34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

Your faith is dormant!  This because Knowledge supplants faith.  Swell, enlighten, expand.

 35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

This is as real as this world gets.  You may enter into different realms above that of the plane upon which this world resides, but for the here and now, this is real.  It may be anecdotal, but it is nevertheless real.  At the day in which you go to meet God, you will not be able to deny that it wasn't.

Whatsoever is light, is good.  That because it is discernible.  From what?  The darkness which surrounds you.  This world is full of darkness.  Light swells.  Light brings life.  Therefore it grows.
   

 36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

 37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

Nourish the plant.  The garden of Eden was a place where food grew spontaneously without labor on our part.  We are in the process of returning to that condition.  In order for that to happen, there must be a garden full of trees that produce fruit.

In the world to come I doubt there is a need for food to give energy to the physical body.  However, there will be need to feed that which is spiritual.  If you do not have the tree, you do not have the fruit.  Nourish the plant that it may get root, grow up and bring forth fruit.

 38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

 39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

Is your ground barren?  Do you refuse to nourish the plant?  Regardless of whether your ground is barren, it can be made fertile if you will just nourish it.  This requires care.  Do you care?  Or do the cares of this world overrun and choke out the plant that grows to be the tree?  

Alma has been speaking metaphorically.  However, this is real.  It is a real tree that produces real fruit.

 40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

The Tree of Life that was in the Garden of Eden is guarded by a super ninja angel with a flaming sword!  When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.  When God cuts your path off to just walk up and eat of the Tree of Life, grow a new one!

Don't think that you are circumventing Him or His plan.  This is His plan.  This Tree is the Tree of Life, because it comes from Christ, the only One who has life!  He has made it possible for you to do this.

However you are circumventing His plan when through your disobedience or through the traditions of your fathers, you refuse to allow the seed that He freely gives out to grow!

Look forward with an eye of faith to the fruit that will one day grow in abundance due to your diligent labor in nourishing and caring for the tree.  Believe that it can and will happen!

 41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

 42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

This is not nor will it ever be easy.  It requires faith, diligence, patience and long-suffering.  The tree is the Mother of God.  (1st Nephi 11:9-15)  She produces children for God.  Children with Life!  That is what Christ came to do for you: to give you the opportunity to have life and that eternally!

He will do this if each of us will individually allow Him to do what He came to do.  What is described above is HOW I know.  I have shared this with you because it is part of my plant sprouting and beginning to grow.  I wanted to share with you, because the change in my heart compels me to do so.  I know it is so.  You can too.
God bless you!

Light And The Absence Thereof

In the heavens, the Sun is the only source of life sustaining light as far as we are concerned.  The Moon and the planets receive their light from the Sun and are not able in and of themselves to produce light; only reflect the true source.  

The light reflected by the Moon can illuminate a pathway sufficient enough to give direction, but who would want to live solely by it?  

All light illuminates.  It originates from Christ.  

God associates His power with His word.  This typology is given to John in John's documented revelation of Jesus Christ, as a sword that issues forth from Christ's mouth (Revelation 1:16; 19:15.)  Additionally we find this type in the men who are given His power in their word, to "kill the wicked with the breath from [their] lips." (see Isaiah 11:4)

God's Power is His word.  God's word is truth.  His truth is light. (see D&C 84:45)

God's Power is therefore also typified by the visual light we see.  God's power -the authorized version of it given to man- is expressed in the term, Priesthood.  

Therefore Priesthood is typified in light.  Through the Sun's light reflected by the Moon, the lesser priesthood is typified.  It points to the true light at night.  It stands as a nearly invisible, side witness during the day; fulfilling the calling given it for serving as a sign and processing through the seasons.  

Lesser priesthood is that of a fellowship among men or a 'hood' of priests. It serves only to allow men to point a mind to Christ by those to whom it will be 'received', (Jacob 4:5.) 

However, despite the lesser priesthood being a fellowship of men, they -like the Moon- wholly derive whatever light that they reflect from the true and only source of light in our darkness.  If the conditions by which the light is governed is not obeyed, then the light is cut off.  

In order to reflect light the Moon must face the Sun.  When through the process of only operating in the lesser/reflective light the Moon steps into the shadows and seeks to become a light unto itself, simultaneously with that action the light is taken away.  

Isn't this an interesting testimony that we have in the heavens?  On April 4th there will be a lunar eclipse.  Creating a display that cuts the light off to the Moon which is a type of the fellowship of men.  Instead of the usual illuminated semblance of a full moon deferring glory to the Sun from which it derives it's own light, that would be in effect otherwise;  there will be a symbolic display of blood which comes from a cutting.

The testimony of the heavens set there from the foundations of this world by God can not be changed, only disregarded (Jeremiah 31:35-36.)  It makes me want to be more aware of all of His works.  I wonder what other neat stuff is happening on the 4th of April?

Understanding The Truths Restored In The Book Of Mormon

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents.  Therefore having been taught somewhat in all the learning of my father.



Nephi equates being a good parent with teaching children in ALL of the learning that an individual may posses.  The children may not retain all of this learning, but if our desires are to live according to the definition that Nephi gives of being a "good" parent: we will teach them.

This principle was emphasized in the days of Joseph Smith.  On May 6, 1833 The Lord explained, "I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."  A commandment given to all Latter-Day saints to bring up your children in light and truth.

Previously in the same discussion the Lord told Joseph, "The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words light and truth."  

A few months earlier He explained, "The Word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ."

So the first truth restored in The Book of Mormon that we encounter is the reality that all parents have a command from God to bring up their children in light.  Whatsoever is truth, is light.  Whatsoever is light, is the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  Which is His glory.  Which glory is intelligence.  

Earlier in the process of the restoration came a warning, however.  The Lord explained to Joseph's brother Hyrum that, "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."  This warning is puzzling in our day.  We are not familiar with a process of how to obtain the Word of the Lord unless it means simply to purchase scriptures.  Hyrum did have scriptures available to him at this point.  However, not the Book of Mormon as it had not been published yet...   

So on one hand we are commanded to teach our children after the all of our learning.  While at the same time we are warned against declaring the word of the Lord until we have first obtained the word of the Lord.  

-What does it mean to obtain the Word of the Lord?  
-What does that look like?
-Why the warning of not declaring before first obtaining?

Going back to the discussion the Lord gave to Joseph on May 6, 1833 He stated, "that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers."  The warning of declaring before first obtaining is given because we don't/shouldn't want to be responsible for passing on disobedience to God to anyone, especially our future generations due to the traditions of our fathers which traditions we are not adequately trained to differentiate from the Word of the Lord.

In speaking of faith, Mormon explained, " ...so great was [The Brother of Jared's] faith in God, that when God put forth His finger He could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of His word which He had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.  

And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, (because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith) the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore He showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil."

If we go back and read the Brother of Jared's account preserved within the Book of Ether, we find that -after praying that he, his family and friends not be confounded- he later petitioned the Lord to know whether it were His will to lead the Brother of Jared, his family and friends out of the land where they currently resided and into a new land of promise.  

He received a promise that the Lord would lead this group to such a place.  As a result of obtaining this promise, the quote cited above indicates that the Brother of Jared was able to posses the faith necessary to enter into the presence of the Lord; to see not only His finger but His face and whole body; and to commune with Him there.

Obtain is not a passive verb.  It is an action verb.  It requires effort from the person doing the obtaining.  If effort is not exerted then the appropriate word to use would not be obtain but rather received.
  
We have a commandment to bring up our children in light.  We are warned against the folly of declaring God's word when we have not obtained it.  

The Book of Mormon has restored the light to understand the escape from this conundrum.  

The Untoward Generation

The Burning Fire Shut-Up In My Bones (Jeremiah 20:9)

I apologize to any faithful readers that I have made wait so long for this post.  One thing you should know about me is that I am lazy.  I have felt promptings to write many times since my last post, but have avoided those promptings due to that laziness.
I don't want to be lazy right now, so I have decided to repent and attempt to write down some of the thoughts that have been like fire in my bones for some time.

One thing that might seem odd to some readers in this post is my use of market-place/economic terms to describe or define religious or philosophical principles.  This is not an attempt to denigrate anyone persons belief or to cause unbelief, but rather to just facilitate in getting across the point that often times due to our cultural background things gain a unique insight in a economic/market-place sense.

The Reverse Definition: Insanity

Most people have heard the common adage that the definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results each time or over time.  A notion that is implicit if this is accepted is that if you do things different than was done before, you can not or will not get the same results.

As a society we have changed the way we function in comparison to former societies, generations, cultures.  The basic way of life and superstitions of previous societies have been neglected and replaced by a more modern and intellectual process.  We call this progress and pat ourselves on the back for what we define as forward movement because a change of scenery has taken place.

Yet declaring forward momentum or progress occurs simply because scenery changed is a poor use of logic and if not ceased, inevitably dangerous.

But Why, And How...?

Many consider evolution to be a relatively new principle or theory.  When in actuality it is very old.  I am not going to cite sources because my laziness is kicking in, but the information I give you is well worth your time to study and understand for yourself.

Nobody actually knows when and where the propounding of the principle of evolution had a start.
 If you ask who is Darwin, then Alex Trebek is going to deduct 1000 points from todays Daily Double!  It had been taught in the ancient mystery schools from at least the time of Pythagoras, but I suspect that it had been adopted by them from earlier mystic teachings.  It does have true application.

Micro-Evolution (e.g. small changes in the beak size of a finch, or the length of a lizard, etc.) has never been very much disputed.  I'm not saying that it hasn't had it's detractors or critics, but the solid evidence for its presence can be and has been shown to occur in a process of time that can be monitored.

Macro-Evolution (organisms developing wholly unique cells with a variety of interdependent and yet completely different functions), however is where the hang up begins.  This is not because of a lack of evidence, but rather the haphazard acceptance of what constitutes evidence and more divisively the philosophy that lies behind the How-and-Why of Evolution.

The God Argument

Critics of evolution have largely allowed themselves to be herded into one camp, and that camp is defined by those who claim to posses beliefs about God and man which they claim are threatened/offended by the philosophy of evolution.

Often times those folks are opposed by an equally vocal opponent that has corralled the opposition into an agnostic or atheist origin of thought.  These two groups hurl insults back and forth despite the lack of hard evidence or even good reasoning from either side.

As a result there are many in the independent camp who can be for/or against a belief in God and who are for/or against evolution, but never vocalize their viewpoints out of fear of being caricatured by something that they do not believe or stand-for.


All of this, however is a detour from the real crux of the argument.

The Purpose Of Life And Man

Long before Darwin, evolution was a philosophy.  It was a principle used to show that mankind is forever progressing forward.  The idea was immortalized in allegorical principle, and became married to the idea that man would one day evolve to a perfect state.  These allegorical understandings were perpetuated in the secret societies that became prominent in Europe.

The Aristocracy of Europe became enamored by these secret societies because they truly believed that they were better than the common-man.  Evolution, for them, meant that the more base-men needed to be "weeded out" or at least could be treated with impunity and the stronger, more intelligent (read: them, the rich dudes who owned land and had power of one source or another) of our species put forward and defended.  

The principles of this type of thinking can be seen in stories or even teachings, common to that era.
 The fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin taught the idea of a secret knowledge that made possible the turning of straw into gold.  This was based off the idea that had been rumored for millenia that there was a gnosis/science which could turn base elements/metals into the most prized element, gold.

We know this as alchemy and many mock it as foolish, simpleton wishings but at one time it represented the edge of scientific exploration.  The principle of al-CHEM-y is even the root of the form of learning that we call CHEM-istry.  (As an aside, recently in the field of nano-research, we have found that gold is a compound of elements made up of nano-strings that are composed of a wide ranging set of varying things found in nearly everything else.  So we still are looking for a way to turn base elements into gold.)

Back to my point however, the principle of alchemy was based on the once mystic teaching of the evolution of man.  The process by which the people of this world would evolve to one day arrive at a state of perfection.  This idea has had a recent shot in the arm, by the budding trans-humanist movement.

Ray Kurzweil: Prophet of The Coming
TransHumanist
Singularity

The devil is always in the details and the path to perfection has always been multi-faceted due to the differing opinions of how it was to be accomplished.  Some believed that it only required "weeding-out" (read:slaughtering) the more base people.  Others believed that they needn't be eliminated just managed (read: turned into slaves.)

Others still, believed that it would be impossible to eliminate all of the "undesirables" and instead they could be processed.  Each of these examples are not comprehensive of the number of teachings that exist or have existed and propounded.  But they in themselves have evolved to the circumstances of the society in which they are taught, and tailored to meet the needs of the aristocracy of that given group.

Forward March!

You can see how this type of thinking would be both alluring (to those who were being told that they were the great ones) and offensive (to those who would be told that they were undesirable and at best worthy only to be a slave and at worse worthy of death.)  For this reason it remained repressed and taught only to those few who would become initiates in the mystical schools of thought that propounded these things.

Frequently the different schools of thought would clash with one another regarding who were the great ones and who were the undesirables.  Priest against priest and convert against convert, they would wage war.  When bloody war became impractical then psychological war would be engaged.  This presented itself by the adherents of a given school of thought bringing out proof to the public for their proof of progress.  Always these theories would be presented in the form of the buzz word, "progress" instead of evolution.  This so that the "sacred" teaching of ones own ideas of evolution wouldn't have to be brought out into the eyes of the masses-to-be-slaughtered, thus circumventing their ire.

So everyone would be shouting about the "progress" that their camp had demonstrated and brought to society at large to gain support if not straight out converts.  Always with flattering words to the unsuspecting masses who would align themselves to a school-of-thought-idol that issued decrees about progress with which they would feel secure despite their terrible situation.  (Side-Note: being a convert did not guarantee ones position as a "desirable."  In fact many of the ancient mystery religions maintained that lower orders of initiates were to be used as pawns and nothing more.  They could straight out be lied to and fed all sorts of nonsense because they were nothing more than meat bags in this strategic game of chess.  Read Albert Pike's works for more evidence of this.)

"Tell a lie long enough and loud enough and eventually people will believe you."  (attributed to Adolf Hitler, somewhere in Mein Kampf...I don't know if he really said it and I'm too lazy to Google it

For the most part, people didn't believe this progress propaganda.  It's too hard to believe a philosophy about how everything is getting better when travel and trade are made nearly impossible due to the dangerous circumstances that lurk around every corner.  When your superiors have power over your life and don't value it very highly it's hard to believe that the world is getting to be a better place.  When one out of three children are dying from diseases it is hard to have faith that we are smarter now than before.

However, the common-man had not yet realized his potential.  He was accepting of his futile state.  So attempts were made to recruit those who had the power of government (read: kings, nobles, etc.) for endorsement purposes of the thought-product which was being sold to others who held positions of power.

On the mid-levels this worked splendidly, but in the upper echelons of power, this didn't go so well.  Because tyrannical kings have no need to believe a story about how things are getting better; and don't really care to admit such because doing so implies that there use to be room for improvement and therefore probably still is.

So inasmuch as it might help them, they tolerated it, but all too often the infighting among the priests of the schools of thought created a polarizing position for a King that couldn't be risked.  After a variety of unsuccessful attempts were made the schools of thought abandoned these attempts and took another route.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."  - Someone who hated someone else and figured out that two are greater than one

So instead the priests turned on the governmental powers and subterfuge became the name of the game.  This was first enacted through the empowering principles that began in the reformation.  Overwhelmingly many of the reformers, playwrights, artists, doctors and philosophers were members of or at least affiliated with secret societies such as the Free Masons, Rosicrucians and the Priory of Sion to name a few.  These became the heralds of the renaissance and the later revolutions that changed the face of Europe from a feudalist society to...well to the convoluted mess that it later became.

Even after the New World became populated, the war continued albeit from afar.  The ancient schools of thought that had dominated intellectualism for millennia, at first missed their cue at the prominence of this new world.  This despite one of the leading proponents alluding that this New World could become the final pedestal to put on display the practice of true Alchemy: turning man into God.

Although an early opportunity had been missed, after independence was gained in the New World everyone in the old schools saw the potency that such a fresh, untainted landscape-of-the-mind could hold in reshaping the balance of power between them.  Like wolves to a carcass, the zealous adherents -that had been trained in the potential danger of the lack of presence in this new world- each made a claim.  The failure to take possession of a substantial piece-of-the-market could spell out doom by way of a lack of relevancy and practitioners to espouse and defend your ideology.

Fights ensued and mortal blows were inflicted.  Some claims of powers that at one time held sway in the Old World diminished.  Other powers that had newly grown in the fertile soil of the New World took hold and grew on their own.  Each continued to declare that their form of progress was the real progress that the whole world needed.

What Is Progress?

Having examined this short history we should ask ourselves.  Which (if any) of all these forms or schools of thought are right?
In the midst of this war of ideas, many people who were not sure began to ask themselves that very question.  This was a danger because in this New World, the common man had actual power.  Whereas previously one only needed to win over the feudal lords that controlled a populace this could possibly lead to an over-saturation of the market place for Schools with ideas.

Consolidation needed to be made.  This could only happen through compromise.  Adherents of certain schools of thought that were similar gathered together under the banner of a new school: Science.  Science was unregulated and untested.  Anything in Science could be called progress because hardly any efforts in that realm had practically been applied to real understanding.  All things could be reorganized under the progress of Science because science means knowledge and that through observation.  This meant no more faith in unseen things that could previously only be hoped for.  In Science, progress would be applied only to things that could be observed, quantified and qualified.

This had REAL application because instead of trying to convince the masses that their lives were improving, Science could be used to point to things that everyone could see had changed.  The change couldn't be disputed and when the change was proclaimed to be progress, who could dispute?  But the struggle for "Progress" was an old battle.  A new word that Science could apply that didn't rely on the power or training derived from old institutions was needed.  This Science, after all was a merger of multiple schools of thought to become one.  So all things needed to become new...even the buzz words used to excite the masses.  

A Revolution of Evolution!

Evolution, once seen as too dangerous to be taught to the masses became unfeared provided it were taught abstractly.  The newly merged, powerhouse school of thought (Science) could receive the law of three witnesses by pointing to Micro-Evolution, inferring Macro-Evolution and pointing to the change that came with the Industrial rEvolution; and by these take the position of benefactor to all mankind!

Scatter a lot of flattering words coupled with patriotic sentiments and some Manifest Destiny and voilà: All of the other schools of thought that didn't join in with the new power house Science, got demoted to second or third position in the market place of thought.  This point was so dramatic because of the lack of real assistance that those who got demoted had previously exercised in the average persons life.

While reviewing this competitive jockeying it needs to be seen that those in power of any form often only benefit/bless a few select-group of people, and this out of necessity.  If any person falls out of the line of exigency then they generally don't receive the real world benefits that are reserved for a select few.  This works until the power of the powerful few is outweighed by the power of the neglected many who no longer care to uphold that institution because they are on the outside looking in.

Who is paying this guy's salary?
Who do you think he is paying attention too?
This is not to denigrate family or religion, just a reality of concern.

You might recognize that by a large majority many religious entities were/are appalled by the new power house school of thought.  There wasn't just one reason for this.  Some were repulsed due to ideological principles.  Others were repulsed because of strategic placement of sworn enemies now aligned within the camp of Science.  Thus was adopted the old principle: if you can't or won't join 'em, then you gonna have to beat 'em.

A war has been waged ever since.  I believe that many would declare the fight to be over if not in name only.  Many of those who were once on the side of the anti-Science camp switched sides, when they felt that it wasn't a battle they could afford to lose.

A good measure to the power of Science has been due to the technological advances that came with the industrial revolution.  Technology is now one of the biggest buzz words to fill in the place of progress.  Yet despite the awe inspiring technological advances that have been made, the question that many still are asking: Is this progress?

There is not any shortage of defenders of "The Real Progress" from the branches of this new school of thought that is Science.  A large portion of advertising that we receive in the United States of America comes in the form of a defense of the progress that technology provides to mankind.  Beyond that, even in church I can be serenaded with testimonies about technology being a proof that God loves me (which must mean that He didn't really like anyone that lived pre-1800, at least not as much as He loves me.)

Isis Comes Walking In

"And then you sense a change, nothing feels the same, all your dreams are strange: 
Love comes walking in.
Some kind of alien waits for the opening, then simply pulls a string and love comes walking in." 
-Van Halen: Love Walks In


For this post I want you to swap the word Love with Isis in the above partially quoted song.  Not the Egyptian godess Isis but the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.  Because at this point in our discussion ISIS comes walking in.  The short history lesson that I gave above was given so that you could understand the precarious position that our world is in right now.

Earlier I declared that many would believe that what has become the battle between religion and science is over.  However, for many who are a silent majority, Science (and by association the Western World) has not brought us progress.  Heretofore this silent majority has been divided by their own divisions amidst the different schools of thought to which they belonged.  Yet separately they are grew dissatisfied with the "progress" that the Western World has offered and promised.

Typically this restlessness was not a major disruption.  That is changing.  One of the major contributing factors to the success of the group known as ISIS/ISIL/DAESH is their ability to find support all over the world.  Typically with most religious organizations it's hard to attract anyone outside of the circle of influence of that specific culture.  Proselytizing can enlarge this circle of influence but proselyting for people who have no attachment to that culture, to sign up to wage war against civilians as well as armies is something that nobody could or would have ever have thought possible.

DAESH has proven this notion wrong.  With success that would be described as amazing if it wasn't so terrifying, DAESH has drawn people from all over the world to come and either wage war or support the war that they wage.  And not just video game addicted, nihilist, matrix watching young males who have no real idea of the terror of war, but even women are signing up.  These people lose the prospects of the progress that they have always been promised and instead head out to support a militant, religiously fanatic and hard-nosed group of unwavering warriors.

When I look at the level of acceptance that many of these people have to make in order to "join" I am nothing but flabbergasted.  Think about it for a second.  Think of all that these folks give up and ask yourself what it would take for you to do the same thing.  Then realize that these folks are not that different from you as far as what it would take...the difference is that that requirement has been filled for them.

This makes sense when you look at the profiles.  All of these folks are from the minority, outcast segments of society that are fed up with the empty promise of progress.  Their faces have been ground down by the rich, the wise and the learned of the world.  They have no hope in that world.  So they cling to the next hope of promise that lends it hand their way.

In With The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

This occurred on a much smaller level with the election of President Barack Obama in the United States.  The masses had grown sick of the promises of the old powers and overwhelmingly united behind an icon that had never been given the chance to wield power in recent memory.  This icon brought a campaign built on change (i.e. Progress) that YOU could believe in.  Yet on the shaky foundation upon which our world rests, the new progress was exposed to be nothing more than the same old change of scenery slapped with the silly label: progress.

The masses are not easily fooled anymore.  At least not by the same old methods that have been in practice over the last 100 years.  The sales job that is going to work to seal the deal needs to be TOTALLY revolutionary from anything that any who live now, have ever experienced.  DAESH is just that type of revolution.

The problem is that a lot of you, in fact the majority of you don't really believe that DAESH can gain any type of traction because their ideology is not persuasive to you.  You need to see though that it isn't always about the numbers but the passion.  No Fear clothing brand slickly marketed to those who were least likely to be defined by the proverb, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters."  The same proverb is true here.

People who have full stomachs won't fight.  They have too much to lose.  They may bitch and moan but they won't rebel.  Those of us in the advanced world deal with such trivial issues that its a joke.  We struggle with the softness of our toilet paper.  When those from areas in the world that have to deal with daily murders, extortion and overall corruption come and visit us, they find it hard to not hate us.

This because they see what a joke our 'progress' is.  We have to be medicated just to tolerate each
other.  So with a heart full of passion they hate us and insist on fighting us.  In the pride of our hearts we insist that we are better than they, and that they need to subordinate themselves to our superiority before they receive anything from us.

A Common Tale

The ending to this story shouldn't be a surprise.  It has been played out time and time again in the history of this world.  What should be more surprising is that we are going to re-live it.  Even more so because the ending has been told us long ago (See 2nd Nephi 18:7-9; 20:1-6.)  But we refuse to pay attention.  We refuse to believe (See Alma 9:4).  We look around and see that we prosper and count it as proof of God's acceptance, blessing and protection of us (see Mosiah 12:15).  We see our mighty military and trust in the arm of flesh that has brought us our technological progress (See 2nd Nephi 28: 31)  .  We have no care for the ease in which our military technological advances would be and could be brought down.

We receive calls of repentance from a loving God but instead we insist on trusting in our own arm (See 2nd Nephi 33:9.)  What was knocked down by God, we say we will rebuild with greater strength (See 2nd Nephi 19:9-10.)  We mock the loving words that He not only so diligently declared but lived and loved us with (see 3rd Nephi 12.)  We cast out His servants preferring our own leaders who soothe us with flattery of our greatness and assure us of our victory if we just follow them (see 2nd Nephi 28:4-6.)

We trust that if there is a God, surely He is with us.  We believe that we can with impunity break His laws, neglect His people, and seek after the lusts of the flesh with impunity because surely He will justify in committing these sins.  If not, then surely He will castigate us to some small degree and then after a while embrace us again as if it were all some running joke (See 2nd Nephi 28:8-9.)

We declare that we live in the last days but we look not with fear and trembling for the salvation that must be sought by those who desire not to perish (See Phillipians 2:12; Mormon 9:27.)

All the while the unpleasantness felt in the hearts of those who have suffered under the hand of pride grows and grows.  They are witness to murder, rape, extortion and corruption from childhood.  They know not the ways of mercy because they have never been shown mercy by their 'brothers'; therefore those who will seek mercy at their hands will at once see the burden that they could have lifted and would not (See 2nd Nephi 23:11-18.)

In The Mouth Of Two Or Three

Perhaps you think me wrong.  Perhaps after considering these things you believe that if this was how the story was going to unfold then surely God would reveal His secrets to those who lead you (see 2nd Nephi 28:14.)

Recently I was reading in the Teachings Of The Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs 47-49, and I came across this section which I found to be relevant.  I am going to quote it mingled with a few of my own changes (emphasis, underlinings, grammatical/punctuation corrections and all) and it is lengthy.  I do so because I find it to be a highly valuable juxtaposition between those who truly know Christ and those who pretend to such:

"Consider for a moment, brethren, the fulfillment of the words of the prophet.  For we behold that darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the inhabitants thereof.  That crimes of every description are increasing among men.  Vices of great enormity are practiced.  

The rising generation growing up in the fullness of pride and arrogance.  The aged losing every sense of conviction, and seemingly banishing every thought of a day of retribution.  Intemperance, immorality, extravagance, pride, blindness of heart, idolatry, the loss of natural affection; the love of this world, and indifference toward the things of eternity increasing among those who profess a belief in the religion of heaven, and infidelity spreading itself in consequence of the same-men giving themselves up to commit the acts of the foulest kind, and deeds of the blackest dye.

Blaspheming, defrauding, blasting the reputation of neighbors, stealing, robbing, murdering; advocating error and opposing the truth, forsaking the covenant of heaven, and denying the faith of Jesus.  

And in the midst of all this, the day of the Lord fast approaching when none except those who have won the wedding garment will be permitted to eat and drink in the presence of the Bridegroom, the Prince of Peace!

The First Type Of People:

Impressed with the truth of these facts what can be the feelings of Those who have been partakers of the Heavenly Gift and have tasted that good word of God, and the powers of the world TO COME?  Who but those that can see the awful precipice upon which the world of mankind stands in this generation can labor in the vineyard of the Lord without feeling a sense of the World's deplorable situation?  

Who but those who have duly considered the condescension of the Father of our spirits, in providing a sacrifice for His creatures, a plan of redemption, a power of atonement, a scheme of salvation, having as its great objects, the bringing of men back into the presence of the King of Heaven, crowning them in the celestial glory, and making them heirs with the Son to that inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away-who but such can realize the importance of a perfect walk before all men, and a diligence in calling upon all men to partake of these blessings?

The Second Type Of People

Some may (and certainly do) PRETEND to say that (uttered with a high head and pontificating voice, at least in my mind): the world in this age is fast increasing in righteousness!  That the dark ages of superstition and blindness have passed, when the faith of Christ was known and held only by a few.  When ecclesiastical power had an almost universal control over Christendom, and the consciences of men were bound by the strong chains of priestly power.  

But now, the gloomy cloud is burst, and the Gospel is shining with all the resplendent glory of an apostolic day!  And that the kingdom of the Messiah is greatly spreading, that the Gospel of our Lord is carried to divers nations of the earth, the Scriptures translating into different tongues.  The ministers of truth crossing the vast deep to proclaim to men in darkness a risen Savior, and to erect the standard of Emmanuel where light has never shone; and that the idol is destroyed.

The temple of images forsaken; and those who, but a short time previous, followed the traditions of their fathers and sacrificed their own flesh to appease the wrath of some imaginary god, are now raising their voices in the worship of the Most High, and are lifting their thoughts up to Him with the full expectation that one day THEY will meet with a joyful reception in His everlasting kingdom!

But a moment's candid reflection upon the principles of these systems, the manner in which they are conducted, the individuals employed, the apparent object held out as an inducement to cause them to act, we think, is sufficient for every candid man to draw a conclusion in his own mind whether this is the order of heaven or not...We shall present the points as we consider they were really designed by the great Giver to be understood, and the happy results arising from a performance of the requirements of heaven as revealed to every one who obeys them; and the consequence attending a false construction, a misrepresentation, or a forced meaning that was NEVER designed in the mind of the Lord when He condescended to speak from the heavens to men for their salvation.

Did You Catch That?

I want you to ask yourself: are you part of that first group of people or second?  Which group do you think Joseph was/is in?  Does/did he view the world as increasing (progressing) in righteousness?  Did he see the millennial day as the result of the gradual, progressive effort that mankind gives to one day sluff off the dross from among us?

Why is he characterizing the evidence of progress typified by the gospel going forth and scriptures being translated into many tongues as the evidence for pretenders?  Why does he prioritize the views and perceptions of those who have actually transcended the veil and give testimony of what they witnessed upon receiving of the Powers in the world to come?  What does it mean to duly consider the condescension of the Father of our spirits?  How does one duly consider such a thing?  Is this all just conjecture or is Joseph speaking from experience?  Can one duly consider the condescension of the Father of our spirits by thinking really hard about it, or does being in the presence of the Bridegroom come into play with such a thing?

What is progress/evolution?

Another Witness

Nephi saw our day.  He was worried about and for us.  He was shown the tools of progress that would be in our hands and weighed them against what he knew was real progress.  He labored countless hours etching on metal plates words of Isaiah that he knew we would already have.  Why the redundancy?  To show off his skills of etching?  Because he really really liked the words of Isaiah and thought that just telling us to read Isaiah's words just wouldn't get that point across?

He told us of a group that he called 'Assyrians.'  He warned us of them.  He said that they would be the instrument that God would use to punish a 'hypocritical nation.'  He told us that they would not have mercy upon ANY!  He told us that there would be some few that God would take from under the ruling hand of the Assyrian to establish Zion.  (Meaning that they first fall under the hand of the Assyrian.)  These were termed a 'Remnant.'  (Remaining from what?  Why just a Remnant?)  This remnant is told to be patient in their suffering.  This because the Assyrian will have power over them for some time as the Egyptians enslaved ancient Israel.  Yet the remnant is promised that God will remember them and deliver them from under the hand of the Assyrian, even as He did by Gideon at the Slaughter at the Rock of Oreb.

Conclusion

Let us repent!  Let us repent lest God smites us all by the rod of His mouth.  By His wrath, and by His anger, and our sufferings be sore.  How sore we do not yet know.  How exquisite we do not yet know.  Yea, how hard to bare we do not yet know.  

A situation taught in the Book of Luke regarding the message of repentance given by John the Baptist can be very helpful here:

4 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned YOU to flee from the wrath to come?

 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit (True Progress?) is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

It all kind of sounds a lot like the principles taught later in the Sermon on the mount, right?  Must be a coincidence...