Weekly Math Updates

December 18, 2008

Contents:

• Your Christmas Present
• Obama's Education Secretary
• Bush: "I've abandoned free market principles in order to save the free market system"
• World Watch
• Articles of Interest

Your Christmas Present

Howdy folks,

Those of you that got the final WMD comic yesterday noticed the announcement that a free WMD screensaver is now available for you to download at the WMD website.  I'd like to thank Bob Bonham again for his great work and dedication in providing us with a respite from the insanity that is constructivism.  Click this link to go get your free screensaver with all 127 comics.  It's Windows only at this point.  Sorry Mac users, but if one of you wants to get a screensaver made for Mac with these comics, then I'll post it on the site.

www.weaponsofmathdestruction.com

Obama's Education Secretary

Obama has selected Harvard educated, Arne Duncan as the new education czar.  This is sort of a mixed bag...I guess to be expected...

Arne is connected to Bill Ayers' Annenberg Challenge, and he has vocally supported a segregated school in Chicago where only gays would attend and be on a social justice curriculum. Oh, and he is also tied to a sex-ed curriculum which held it's fundraiser in the Playboy mansion.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=355938
http://educationmatters.us/2008/12/15/arne-duncan-to-be-named-secretary-of-education/

On the other hand, he has also been a proponent of charter schools, public schools operated by outside entities, and supports merit pay for teachers.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122938427050108751.html

Yea!  Go Arne...

For the rest of you, watch what your children are being taught in school like a hawk and be sure it meets with your approval.

Bush: "I've abandoned free market principles in order to save the free market system"

What else can one say to this but WOW.  How does that really work Mr. President?  Embrace socialism in order to save capitalism???

Watch the video here

It's just painfully obvious that there is practically no difference between Democrats and Republicans at the national level.  They are both taking us down the same road to socialism just from different angles.  It's amazing to see Bush prepare the way for Obama by implementing policies that are expected in a Democratic presidency, prior to the Democrat coming into office.  That way there is less resistance from Republicans because "he's our guy" doing this while he's in office.  Read on for the only solution to these issues.

World Watch

With everything going on in the world today, there is much to be worried over. The economy is sliding badly, we have corruption everywhere, people are losing hope, and in general, there's an awful lot of negativity. I want to share something with you that I've been thinking about the past several weeks and I'll warn you in advance that I'm going to be sharing some LDS theology and scriptures but I see no need for this to scare anyone off.  The things I'm discussing are relevant and apparent in our society.  I will give you a little LDS background though so you're not coming into everything cold.

Let me start with a little LDS background to lay the foundation. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have the unique belief that God still speaks to prophets today, just as he did anciently to Moses, Isaiah, and the rest.  Our modern-day living Moses is a man named Thomas Monson.  We refer to him as the President of the church and believe him to be a prophet, seer, and revelator.  We believe Joseph Smith was the first of these prophets to be called in the latter-days when God and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him they had a work for him to perform.  We believe that this latter-day restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ was only possible because our Founding Fathers first gave us political freedom in the form of the United States Constitution.  We believe these men were inspired of God and even have that canonized in latter-day scripture recorded by modern prophets. We refer to this book of additional scripture as the Doctrine and Covenants.  In section 101 of that record, Joseph Smith recorded these words from the Lord.

77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.

Only in an atmosphere of political freedom, could religious freedom be allowed to flourish.

Part of the work Joseph was called to do was to bring forth the Book of Mormon, an ancient record of scripture from civilizations that lived on this continent.  The book speaks of two great civilizations that were destroyed over something the ancient prophets on this continent referred to as "secret combinations." 

Secret combinations were evil societies built up to get power and gain over the people they controlled.  They involved murder, backstabbing, intrigue, and every manipulation possible to achieve their corrupt desires.  The last prophet to be the record keeper of this book was named Moroni and he was Mormon's son.  After Moroni wrote the sad final tale of his own people's destruction, he wrote another short history of a civilization that inhabited this continent before his people ever arrived.  That more ancient culture was called the Jaredites.

The Jaredites were a people that left the Tower of Babel when God caused their languages to all become different.  This group of people were righteous and were led by God to a land of promise (America).  They built a massive civilization and then by embracing secret combinations, it led to the entire downfall and destruction of the people except for one lone survivor who was told by a prophet of God named Ether, that if he and his people would not repent, he would live to see their entire destruction and only live to see another group of people inhabit this choice land.  This final survivor lived 9 months with the people the Lord brought here to replace this wicked and corrupt nation, and then he died.

Moroni's writings included promises and warnings based on his knowledge of what God had shown him concerning our day, as well as a knowledge of what led to the downfall of his people.  First, I'll share his warning to the people that would inhabit this land in the latter-days. (My comments are in green)

Ether 2
8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.
9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity (remember this phrase) among the children of the land, that they are swept off.
11 And this (Book of Mormon record of the destruction of these people) cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles (latter-day Americans), that ye may know the decrees of God-that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.
12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.

America is a Christian nation, established by Christian men.  Some claim Jefferson and others were "Deists" and not Christians.  This is partly true, but Jefferson and others came to understand that they were establishing this country in order that the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, which they didn't feel was alive on the earth, could at some point be restored.  Jefferson said:

"If the freedom of religion guaranteed to us by law in theory can ever rise in practice under the overbearing inquisition of public opinion, truth will prevail over fanaticism, and the genuine doctrines of Jesus, so long perverted by his pseudo-priests, will again be restored to their original purity. This reformation will advance with the other improvements of the human mind, but too late for me to witness it."
(From The Real Thomas Jefferson, pg 301)

Jefferson was a true believer in the doctrines of Jesus Christ.  He just didn't feel that the churches of his day had those teachings in purity, but felt confident that if the political experiment they had constructed in the constitution could come to fruition, then the genuine gospel doctrines of Jesus Christ would be restored.

Continuing with Moroni's warnings, we read about how this country would face serious issues in the last days.  Concerning secret combinations that would begin to overtake this nation, he wrote:

Ether 8
20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.
21 And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.
22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.
23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles (modern day Americans), it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain-and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.
26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.

In modern times, we believe prophets of God have also given us strong warnings.  Ezra Taft Benson was one prophet who spoke strongly on these matters and I have links to several of his powerful talks on civic duties and upholding the constitution on this page of my site.

Several decades ago, the First Presidency of the church (comprised of the prophet and 2 councilors) issued this statement concerning the destruction of the Jaredite nation.

“We are not given the step-by-step backsliding of this Jareditic civilization till it reached the social and governmental chaos the record sets out, but those steps seem wholly clear from the results. Put into modern terms, we can understand them. First there was a forsaking of the righteous life, and the working of wickedness; then must have come the extortion and oppression of the poor by the rich; then retaliation and reprisal by the poor against the rich; then would come a cry to share the wealth which should belong to all; then the easy belief that society owed every man a living whether he worked or not; then the keeping of a great body of idlers; then when community revenues failed to do this, as they always have failed and always will fail, a self-helping by one to the goods of his neighbor; and finally when the neighbor resisted, as resist he must, or starve with his family, then death to the neighbor and all that belonged to him. This was the decreed ‘fulness of iniquity’ (Ether 2:10).” (Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, David O. McKay, Messages of the First Presidency, 6:99 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 507-8)

These words, written sometime prior to 1945 when President Grant died, depict a scene that is all too visible in our day.  They echo the words of Moroni and other ancient prophets from this continent. As people turn from the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they become hardened to the point that they lose their conscience.  They lose their sense of justice and mercy.  They devolve into inquitous relationships for power and gain.  So what are we to do to?  Moroni put it, "awake to a sense of [our] awful situation" and prevent the overthrow of our freedoms.

These are the steps to national survival.

1) Get educated on the principles of freedom.  There are two types of freedom: political, and religious.

Political freedom principles can be found in a study of the work and intent in what our Founding Fathers gave us in the constitution.  Excellent books for this study are "The 5,000 Year Leap" and "The Making of America".  If you order "The 5,000 Year Leap" from nccs.net, put 10 in your cart and the price drops to $5 each.  Give 9 away and help your friends and neighbors get educated. This is no longer a "someday I'll study that" type of issue.

Religious freedom comes by a study of the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Religious freedom leads to peace of mind and conscience and a proper understanding of moral principles.  A proper study of the scriptures is essential to maintaining political freedom.

2) Observe the things going on in the world.  Our first amendment rights and freedom of speech are always the first thing to go in a society that becomes wicked. Cries of intolerance and hate speech always come first from those who are intolerant and filled with hate. Watch for signs that principles of the constitution are being corrupted and trampled on.

3) Speak out for correct principles. Stand up for what's right. You can't do this though, unless you have studied the constitution and its principles and know what they say and why they say it.

4) Have charity. This may seem out of place in this list, but after having someone point this out to me recently, I think it's very fitting.  We can't respond to hate with hate. Remember, "a soft answer turneth away wrath" (Prov. 15:1). Respond with love and kindness to others and use persuasion, not railing and force, to bring them back into the fold of freedom.

If any of you would like a free copy of the Book of Mormon to see what else it says, feel free to contact me for a copy, and feel free to ask me any questions about it you might have.  I'm always happy to discuss religion in a non-threatening way.

I would like to remind you to please check out the talks on this page. The first talk listed is the most motivating talk I have ever read and it was the impetus behind everything I've done the last few years.

Articles of Interest

Dictionary removes Christian Words

Citing space limitations, the Oxford University Press has removed several words from their children's dictionary to reflect the fact that we live in "modern" times. 

Words taken out include: Abbey, aisle, altar, bishop, chapel, christen, disciple, minister, monastery, monk, nun, nunnery, parish, pew, psalm, pulpit, saint, sin, devil, and vicar.

Words put in: Celebrity, tolerant, vandalism, negotiate, interdependent, citizenship, childhood, conflict, common sense, debate, EU, drought, brainy, boisterous, cautionary tale, bilingual, bungee jumping, committee, compulsory, cope, democratic, allergic, biodegradable, emotion, dyslexic, donate, endangered, Euro.

English Parliament Enacts Rule that God Doesn't Exist

I'm kidding on this one, but really how far off are we from this?

Till next week,

Oak Norton