29 Sep 2023, Friday

 29 Sep 2023, Friday

Prioritized Daily Task

11:00 a.m. - Zoom conference with Eric Fisher, Attorney in Atlanta also invited are Michael, Matthew, and Melodie

Talk to Matthew before purchasing a package tour to Machu Picchu and Peru 888-718-3570, James

trim fingernails 

Compose and mail a letter to National Airways in Cottonwood Heights

Debbie was up early and went to Clara Goruley's softball games.  I had prayer, and read.  Later when Debbie got home we ate a light brunch.  At 11 a.m. Michael, Matthew, and I had a conference call with Eric Fisher, Attorney.  Michael is going to try and set a meeting for him to meet with Nancy Abercrombie and her family next Monday or Tuesday, to see if they will sell their 1/3 interest in A&M Investments.  His offer will be more than they are getting while dealing with Janie.  I booked a 10-day trip to Peru all-inclusive for both of us including air for $4,000,  from Wednesday, 22nd Nov. to Thurs. 30th with Timthony "Tim".  I put the charge on my Citi Visa Card.   We fly out of Salt Lake City to Lima.  I tried to contact Breeze Airways and was online texting and waiting for a response from 9:14 a.m. to 10:28 a.m. before I was cut off.  I then composed a letter to Breeze Airways, Attention: Guest Concern, 6430 South 3000 East, Suite 400 Cottonwood Heights, Utah 84121, and mailed it first class asking for a credit of $164.98, on my return flight from Orange County to Provo in November.  I cut my fingernails and read.  Debbie made pizza for dinner and afterward, we watched the BYU and Cincinnati football game in Provo.  Ryan, Stephanie, and the children Kylie, Abby, Carter, Mackay, and Andrew, came to the house at about 1 a.m.  After the game, they came up and spent the night with us.  Debbie and I had prayer before going to bed.  

Note: President Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Clark G. Gilbert: Stand Fast with Love in Proclaiming Truth

Isaiah 20: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!                                                                                           21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Why is this upside-down view persuasive to so many? There are many reasons but three of them stand out in my mind:

Some are persuaded to call evil good because of the false doctrine that we are not accountable to God for our behavior.  This persuades some that there will be no eternal consequences for their actions, but we know from the scriptures that this is a “false and vain and foolish doctrine.” 

Second, is the pervasive sense of intellectual supremacy that exists in society and especially in colleges and universities.  President Spencer W. Kimball responded to this when he stated that we must become a “bastion of righteousness,” resisting “the invading ideologies that seek control of curriculum as well as classroom.  We do not resist such ideas because we fear them,” he said, “but because they are false.” 

The third influence is the tendency of those who call good evil to bully or shout down or put negative labels on those who disagree.  They seek to intimidate them by shaming or silencing opposition to their untruths.  Korihor in the Book of Mormon is someone who tried to intimidate and bully others’ beliefs and make them feel foolish for the things they held most dear. From Alma 30:

Korihor’s arguments seek to belittle and embarrass belief. He tries to make the argument that we are hedged in by the prophets, that we are bound by tradition, and we lack evidence for belief. Korihor wants us to feel that only a fool would believe. Unfortunately, he ignores the divine nature of a prophet’s call–the sacrifice and love of our forefathers–and minimizes our authentic spiritual confirmations of belief.                                            Korihor suffers from his own logical fallacies, which he eventually confesses toward the end of his life. 

Prophets are not perfect,  Alma was not perfect, Moses was not perfect, and Joseph Smith was not perfect.  Jesus Christ is the only perfect being who has ever lived. 

The family is a core institution of civil society; it is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.  Of course, the adversary will attack such a central part of the plan, and try to persuade the children of God to depart from it.

Religion stands as a firewall against the adversary’s onslaughts on many other key institutions and ideas in the world.  Our charge is to stand fast when truths are mixed with untruth.  

President Nelson has taught: “Each of us has a divine potential because each is a child of God. Each is equal in His eyes . . . God does not love one . . . more than another . . . I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice.”