Blake's Epiphanies

Creating a Zion Culture in the Midst of Babylon

Blake — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:56:32 +0000

This is a duplicate of the article I wrote for FatherThyWillBeDone.com . If you wish to comment, please do so on that site, not here.

Elder David R. Stone of the Seventy delivered a fantastic talk in the April 2006 General Conference on the Subject of “Creating Zion in the Midst of Babylon” I found particularly poignant his comments on popular culture:

Link to Full Article Text with links for video or Audio

I quote some specific excerpts below that stood out by their relevance to the issue of Popular Culture.

Too many of the people of the world [ and I would add even people of the church] have come to resemble the Babylon of old by walking in their own ways, and following a god “whose image is in the likeness of the world.”

One of the greatest challenges we will face is to be able to live in that world but somehow not be of that world. We have to create Zion in the midst of Babylon.

“Zion in the midst of Babylon.” What a luminous and incandescent phrase, as a light shining in the midst of spiritual darkness. What a concept to hold close to our hearts, as we see Babylon becoming more widespread. We see Babylon in our cities; we see Babylon in our communities; we see Babylon everywhere.

And with the encroachment of Babylon, we have to create Zion in the midst of it. We should not allow ourselves to be engulfed by the culture which surrounds us. We seldom realize the extent to which we are a product of the culture of our place and time.

…

What an insidious thing is this culture amidst which we live. It permeates our environment, and we think we are being reasonable and logical when, all too often, we have been molded by the ethos, what the Germans call the zeitgeist, or the culture of our place and time.

Because my wife and I have had the opportunity to live in 10 different countries, we have seen the effect of the ethos on behavior. Customs which are perfectly acceptable in one culture are viewed as unacceptable in another; language which is polite in some places is viewed as abhorrent in others. People in every culture move within a cocoon of self-satisfied self-deception, fully convinced that the way they see things is the way things really are.

Our culture tends to determine what foods we like, how we dress, what constitutes polite behavior, what sports we should follow, what our taste in music should be, the importance of education, and our attitudes toward honesty. It also influences men as to the importance of recreation or religion, influences women about the priority of career or childbearing, and has a powerful effect on how we approach procreation and moral issues. All too often, we are like puppets on a string, as our culture determines what is “cool.”

There is, of course, a zeitgeist to which we should pay attention, and that is the ethos of the Lord, the culture of the people of God. …

It is the ethos of those who keep the Lord’s commandments, walk in His ways, and “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God” (D&C 84:44). If that makes us peculiar, so be it.

…

Seduced by our culture, we often hardly recognize our idolatry, as our strings are pulled by that which is popular in the Babylonian world. Indeed, as the poet Wordsworth said: “The world is too much with us”

…

We do not need to adopt the standards, the mores, and the morals of Babylon. We can create Zion in the midst of Babylon. We can have our own standards for music and literature and dance and film and language. We can have our own standards for dress and deportment, for politeness and respect. We can live in accordance with the Lord’s moral laws. We can limit how much of Babylon we allow into our homes by the media of communication.

We can live as a Zion people, if we wish to. Will it be hard? Of course it will, for the waves of Babylonian culture crash incessantly against our shores. Will it take courage? Of course it will.

We have always been entranced by tales of courage of those who faced fearsome odds and overcame. Courage is the basis and foundation for all of our other virtues; the lack of courage diminishes every other virtue that we have. If we are to have Zion in the midst of Babylon, we will need courage.

…
I pray that we will be strengthened to resist the onslaught of Babylon and that we can create Zion in our homes and our communities—indeed, that we may have “Zion in the midst of Babylon.”

People today young and old think they are being independent, courageous and non-conformist when they rebel against the standards of the Gospel. They fail to see that those who rebel against the Lord are now in the conformist majority and to follow the Lord and his Gospel today is to be in a small non-conformist minority. But whether we are surrounded by like-minded saints or by the citizens of the Wicked City, we should not make a pride-based choice of ethos in order to be seen as independent and non-conformist. We should be courageous to embrace the truth of God, whether that means we are in conformity with the local culture we live in or standing alone as a peculiar island in a sea of digression. I do believe however that until Zion is purged, the tares separated from the wheat, and the remaining faithful gathered, we will not find ourselves in perfect conformity with even our ward or stake culture if we are truly following the Lord. Let us lead out and begin building the City of Zion, the way that Enoch built it of old, by persuading our brethren and sisters to cleave wholly to the laws of God and make every choice, I mean EVERY choice, one that we know would bring joy to Christ and Father.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Lead Kindly Light

Blake — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:15:57 +0000

I believe the essence of the Gospel is simply: are we willing to be guided and led by a Father in Heaven when we do not see where He is leading us, but simply trust Him. I believe that is the really crucial test of this life. The reason is this: we cannot hope to become like Him without growing in ways that are uncomfortable and seem unnecessary at the time, or rather have reasons we cannot hope to comprehend until we have passed the test. This process of growing up into the fullness of our Father’s likeness will not be completed in this life. actually it will scarcely be started by the time we pass into the spirit world. What we must gain here is not a precise understanding of the reasons in God’s mind for each of our trials, but rather simply that we must arrive at a state of total willingness to submit to His tutelage, no matter how little we may comprehend his reasons.

I think the Hymn “Lead Kindly Light” sums this up.Here is a stirring performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I give the lyrics below that.

1. Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.

2. I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.

3. So long thy pow’r hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

The Futility of Religious Debate with Unbelievers

Blake — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:33:01 +0000

I remember a conversation I once had with a fellow student who lived in my university dormitory. We were talking about a conversation he had had with another student late one night. My friend, a Christian, was trying to defend the fundamental principle of theism, while his conversant, an atheist was trying to defeat it. Back and forth they argued for hours. My friend said that on several occasions in their debate he had laid out such a logically impeccable train of arguments that they were very close to concluding that the existence of God, while not exactly provable, was far more likely than His non-existence. Every time that my friend and his conversant began to close in on a strong argument in favor of theistic faith, however, his conversant would quickly lead the conversation off away again on some tangential concept, as though trying to derail it before he was forced to admit the strength of my friend’s arguments. After several hours of fruitless discussion, in the wee hours of the morning, they had reached exhaustion and the debate sort of fizzled out. My friend turned to his atheist companion and asked very simply, “Isn’t the real reason you reject the idea of God is simply that you want to make choices without any authority figure telling you what is right and wrong?” Surprisingly the atheist responded, “Yeah, that’s about it.”

My friend concluded that the majority of atheists and, I would add, even spiritualists who reject an authoritarian and personal God in favor of a more pantheistic concept do so not because of any real philosophical issue they have with theism, but more because they are proud and willful and choose a belief or non-belief that allows them to justify making choices without reference to any concept of universal right or wrong. They are alright with defining their own idea of right or wrong, or with subscribing to some general concept of natural law, provided that it is not morally binding and does not proceed from a “Father in Heaven” or “Creator God”. That way, they only have to answer to themselves. The reason they still appeal to some concept of natural good and evil is that it permits them to justify anger over the choices of others that hurt or annoy them, without reference to some universal standard that would bind their enemy to moral accountability, but would similarly bind them as well.

Why I am a Latter-day Saint

Blake — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:39:17 +0000

Religion is such a personal issue. What makes a person embrace a particular faith? What makes him change from one faith to another? These are questions that not even the most knowledgeable psychologist can answer for certain. Sometimes we make the often unfair judgment that someone holds or converts to a faith out of some sort of fanaticism, that he or she was brainwashed. While brainwashing can and does occur, I think most people have sincere reasons for believing as they do. As a member of a church that is frequently labeled a “cult” I wish to share my reasons for believing as I do. Having actually been in a “cult” once in which I experienced actual brainwashing, I can speak from firsthand knowledge and can, I believe, make the claim that I know the difference between genuine proselytizing and brainwashing. This is particularly poignant given that the “cult” I was involved with was doctrinally almost identical to the “born-again” Christianity promoted by the majority of those who label Mormonism a cult. Apparently the term “cult” has little to do with precise doctrinal viewpoints and more to do with the social dynamics of a fellowship and the methods that they allow themselves to use in order to obtain or retain converts (eg. brainwashing, heavy guilt, social isolation). By this definition many so-called Christian fellowships would probably be easily defined as cults. A more academic definition of the word “cult” is any belief system which centers on the personality or identity of particular person or persons. Based on this definition, most religions of the world would be classified as “cults” including all of Christianity.

I am a Latter-day Saint because of certain undeniable experiences in which I believe the hand or voice of God was manifest. I went through a period in my life in which I was decidedly non-Mormon if not anti-Mormon and would have grown angry if anyone suggested that I would one day embrace that faith. What brought me to make such a change in my loyalty and beliefs is a matter of personal history. My conversion to Mormonism was a gradual process. It began with a period of softening, in which my anger and hostility toward the LDS religion was ameliorated by feelings of respect for LDS people and anger toward other Christians who attacked Mormons and Mormonism with a savagery that seemed most decidedly unchristian. As I developed sympathy and respect for the LDS people and their faith I gradually came to a point where I was willing to weigh their beliefs against my own. It is remarkable how few so-called Christians who love to attack Mormonism actually know anything rational about it.

I discovered that much of my hostility toward Mormonism was based on misinformation and some of it was an extension of sympathetic anger I felt toward those Mormons who had offended my parents. Once I could separate out my personal bias and false notions I was prepared to take a fair and unbiased look at the LDS faith. Eventually I made the conscious decision to evaluate Mormonism fairly, fully prepared to convert if that is where the Lord led me, or to cancel my childhood membership should the Lord lead me to do so. In all, I would be free of anger toward the LDS church. Should I choose to leave I would do so respectfully, saying “Thanks, but I think my path lies elsewhere.” What happened next was a period of study in which I learned all I could about the LDS religion and compared it carefully with those biblical principles I was already converted to. During this time I prayed continually that the Lord would teach me through the Spirit whether or not the things I was learning were true.

I am a Latter-day Saint because the Holy Spirit confirmed to me the principles of LDS theology and the historical authenticity and divine origin of the LDS Church. In short I came to believe the church’s teachings and to believe that it was intentionally established by God through a living prophet as a restoration of the ancient faith. This witness came to me through sacred feelings and impressions that came as I studied, listened, pondered and prayed. It became confirmed as I found harmony with biblical principles I already believed in and as I continued to receive confirmation day after day, month after month, year after year. I have never seen the Lord Jesus. I have never had a vision and what dreams I have had from the Lord have been confused and in need of careful interpretation. What I have received is the experience of being as recorded in the Book of Acts “cut to the heart”. I have felt the touch of the Lord’s hand upon my heart. I have felt my soul filled with spiritual light and my mind expand with divine air. God has spoken and I have heard his voice, not with my natural ears, but with my spiritual.

I wish to add my voice to millions of others in bearing witness of the divine messiah-ship of the Lord Jesus Christ. I bear testimony that He suffered and died to bring to pass the resurrection of all men and the spiritual rebirth of those who exercise faith in him, repent of their sins, are baptized by his authority, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and endure faithfully and valiantly to the end. I bear my witness that man is literally a spirit child of God and may grow up in Christ unto a fullness of the Father’s stature. This is what is meant by the Mormon doctrine that man may become divine. It is not earned; it is a gift to those who love Christ and the Father with all their souls and serve them diligently. Man does not make himself a god. God makes faithful men and women into beings like Himself through the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is what was meant by the Psalmist who wrote “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6) a verse quoted by the Lord Jesus himself. I bear my witness that God has restored his ancient faith after centuries of religious chaos and that it today holds His holy priesthood and has the authority to preach His word and administer the ordinances of salvation. I testify that this restored church is led today by a living prophet who receives his direction from the Lord Jesus Christ. Its mission is to gather the elect of God together and prepare them for entry into Paradise or the Lord’s Second Coming, whichever comes first. I believe these things with all of my heart and desire to share my faith with all men.

Blake Knightley

The Inherent Flaw in Atheism

Blake — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:41:57 +0000

Atheism is to be distinguished from agnosticism, which asserts only that since God’s existence cannot be proven, no one can know whether or not there is a god. Atheism is the proactive statement that there is definitely and conclusively no God. Really the question of God’s existence is secondary. A more fundamental question is whether or not individual consciousness continues beyond and outside of this mortal life. If conscious souls are eternal, then it is not inconceivable that one might be brightest among them and therefore God. Atheism asserts that consciousness ends with death and that there is therefore no God. Atheism also asserts the absence of a creative or governing intelligence in the universe on the grounds that the creation and function of the universe can be explained by natural laws.

Many assert the truthfulness of atheism on the grounds that it is “scientific”, that the claims of religion cannot be substantiated by physical evidence or logical proof and therefore must be abandoned. They assert that since God cannot be proven to exist, he therefore does not exist. Proponents of atheism make a crucial mistake in their logic. It is simply this: to claim that because something cannot be proven that it therefore does not exist. For centuries Europeans believed that the sun was a perfect entity, spotless and without flaw. It came as a supreme shock to them to learn that the sun had spots on its surface. Up until the time of Galileo no one had ever reported having seen spots on the sun. Evidence of the sun’s physical imperfection did not exist. Anyone who tried to assert that the sun was an imperfect object would have been dismissed or even persecuted for saying so. Nevertheless the fact that proof did not exist at the time did not change the nature of the sun. In reality the sun had spots. It has always had spots. Just because men did not have proof of that fact did not change the fact itself. Similarly the absence of proof of God’s existence does not permit an assertive statement that God does not exist. It permits only the statement that he MIGHT not exist.

Another mistake made by proponents of atheism is the assumption that there is no creator on the grounds that creation can be explained by natural laws. The problem is that most people do not perceive the mind behind nature any more than an ant perceives the mind that placed a block across its customary pathway. The natural laws that the ant comprehends do not permit it to question what caused the block to arise, only that it is now there. Similarly our imperfect minds do not comprehend the laws of nature sufficiently well to be able to rule out the possibility of there being an intelligence behind them. Just because the ant has a “natural” account for the existence of the obstacle does not mean that an intelligent mind did not put it there. The ant cannot perceive any difference between an obstacle that arose by natural means and one that was placed by a sentient being. Similarly no experiment can prove the action of an intelligent mind behind natural events, but no experiment can disprove that either. If God created the universe, then his actions within it could conform so well to the laws he created as to be indistinguishable from them. In short, God can accomplish his purposes through natural laws and natural events.

On the scale of the very small, physics has shown the universe to be inherently fuzzy. The smaller particles and events are, the less deterministic they are. An electron’s velocity can vary within a certain range of freedom without violating the laws of nature. Yet the precise position and velocity of an electron, as random as that may be can determine whether or not a radioactive atom will decay at a particular moment. This in turn determines the speed and direction of ejected particles. If one such particle happens to strike the DNA molecule within an egg cell of a particular human being, she may give birth to a child with a particular mutation, perhaps even a birth defect. The quantum behavior of a single electron may then lead directly to a child being born with a defect. The behavior of the electron was not determined by natural laws. It was a free and unpredictable event. It is conceivable that if a God exists, he could operate through the quantum behavior of matter and energy.

There is a more philosophical flaw in the arguments of atheists. If consciousness does not continue beyond this mortal world, then nothing that happens or doesn’t happen in this life will have any permanent effect. Whether I am happy or miserable will not matter to myself in the end. I will not exist to remember it. Only my children and the people whose lives I touch will be affected. These in turn will also cease to exist and nothing that happens to them will matter either. We can extend the reasoning forward to the eventual demise of the human race and eventually the extinguishing of life on the earth. It will not matter in the end whether I was an atheist either. All the efforts of atheists to assert their cause are therefore inconsistent with their beliefs. Atheism and nihilism are inseparable. The only logically consistent consequence of nihilism is apathy. Atheists want to eliminate moral laws so that they can pursue pleasure without limitation, but they act as though it will matter in the end whether they experience pleasure or not. If atheism is true, then all of their efforts are the vain wiggling of earthworms, just highly evolved earthworms.

A more fundamental question is this. Why does anything exist in the first place? Atheism cannot answer this question. The atheist universe is a bleak, meaningless chaos, exhibiting only temporary order on its inevitable rush to oblivion. If atheists were honest, they would be so depressed at the outlook of their own beliefs that they would lose all interest in life and would starve to death. I have never met an honest atheist. Most or all of them borrow concepts of existential meaning from the world of religion. They claim to live for pleasure, as though that had some inherent purpose or meaning. They claim to live for the good of their children, or the human race, willfully forgetting that in a godless universe human life will one day be extinguished. The fact is that few if any atheists have really applied logic to their own system of beliefs. They use logic to tear holes in the claims of the religious, yet fail to see the gaping holes in their own claims. They steam and fume with anger against the religious world, as though it mattered one hill of beans what a person believed in. The fact is that most and perhaps all atheists hold to atheism for entirely negativistic reasons. They are atheists out of rebellion against religion, not because they really believe in the tenets of atheism. This can be for a number of reasons. For some it is because they were offended or abused by a religious person or persons. For others it is because they were disciplined for bad behavior by religious authorities. Others still simply want the freedom of hedonistic expression without guilt. They reason that if religion is done away with, moral guilt with disappear as well.

In a college course I took, we were taught the principles of “cultural relativism”. This philosophy maintains that the truthfulness or “goodness” of any behavior or principle of belief is only determined within the relative context of a person’s culture. Thus all so-called “truths” are not truths, but only matters of belief that either work or don’t work within a given cultural context. This cultural relativism is actually one of the favorite tenets of atheists in the academic world. There is, however, an inherent flaw in the argument. If all would-be truths are only relative, then so is the doctrine of cultural relativism. It is only relatively true, which means that it is not a universal truth. Atheism suffers a similar fatal flaw. By denying the existence of God and of continued consciousness, it denies the meaning of things and therefore its own meaning and significance. Atheism commits logical suicide.