Are We Fully Ripe With Iniquity?

We, as Americans, no longer pray in public gatherings; public schools and their associated sporting events, we no longer acknowledge the Ten Commandments in public places for fear of upsetting the godless, we no longer define morality in terms which might offend those who stand in open rebellion to that God who is the Author of our liberties; by definition, are we fully ripe with iniquity? I delight in the run on sentence; there must be a Welshman in my ancestry, my words flow as poetry, one after another without end, without interruption or ending punctuation, until the thought has run its course.

In an interview with Robert Bork published in Meridian Magazine last year, Maurine Proctor reminded everyone, “The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Tuesday that the state cannot deny gay couples the right to marry, which flies in the face of the gay marriage initiative defeated just last year by that state’s legislature. Once again the courts have snatched the voice of the people, overriding it for their own version of social progress.”

http://www.meridianmagazine.com/ideas/031119borkprint.html

Later, while answering questions regarding the cultural war which has torn our nation apart, Robert Bork answered, “Antipathy toward religion. The biggest divide between so-called intellectuals and everybody else is on religion. They are indifferent to or very hostile toward religions. It is perfectly clear and has been spelled out in Philip Hamburger’s book Separation of Church and State. There is no possible ground for this wall of separation, but the court moves ahead obliterating religion from the public square.. Religion accounts for civility and self-restraint in our society, which is vanishing as religion has been marginalized and pushed to the sidelines of the debate. The Supreme Court has played a large role in doing this.”

This past week we have seen the Senate vote down a constitutional amendment on marriage; some claiming that it is not in the interest of our nation to deny individual rights to certain segments of our society (voters), or to impose morality on a diverse people (voters), to open the door to further constitutional amendments which would address topics such as divorce or military service.

Quoting from an article written in The Hill, by Carrie Sheffield, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid protested against the amendment, “Will it next be to constitutionally dictate the cause of divorce or military service or even what America’s religion must be?” Reid said on the floor. “The reason for this debate is to divide our society, to pit one against another. This is another one of the president’s efforts to frighten, to distort, to distract and to confuse America.”

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/060606/reid.html

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Reid is a member, issued a statement of support for the amendment and urged its members to contact their senators about this week’s vote”, again, quoting from Carrie Sheffield’s article. Harry must have left his phone off the hook, or maybe he was out bar hopping with Ted Kennedy, another fine example of the Christian faith; a Catholic “in good standing”, as they exemplify their courageous stand on abortion and same sex marriage. If their holding to the teachings of their respective religions is any indicator of their honesty and diligence to serve the American public which elected them; then it’s no wonder why we are in the state we are, a sad empty husk that at one time resembled a Christian nation. Maybe I should start my antagonisms and direct your attention to the ACLU; no, wait just a little longer.

“I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman,” Reid said on the Senate floor during debate on the amendment; that was just before he voted against the amendment. Wait a minute, that sounds exactly the same as another Senator, John Kerry, “ I voted for the military expenditures just before I voted against them…”; yup same waffling, different Senator.

I find it interesting that Harry still considers himself to be a member “in good standing”, speaking as a fellow member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I would hope that we, collectively as Americans, are all a "bit frightened" as we come to the realization of how far we as a nation have fallen from what is expected of a God fearing people. The distortions Harry brought up regarding the amendment are from the Senate floor and from the activist judges intent on destroying the fabric of our nation, not from the President; at least when referring to the marriage amendment. The President and the Senate; working in combination to distort and confuse the public regarding the issue of illegal immigration and border security, maybe that was what Harry was talking about.

Is it any wonder that our leaders in Washington; the Supreme Court, the Senate and the House of Representatives reflect the path which we as a people, a people who have come to define our greatest legacy as “diversity” rather than our collective and united efforts to be, first and foremost, worthy to call ourselves children of our Father in Heaven, desirous to submit to His laws? Is it any wonder that such leadership cannot bear the thought of standing as a unified body politic to proclaim our desire to serve the Lord? Politically correct has replaced being correct; how unfortunate for us all.

One way I have found that is nearly fool proof, a litmus test if you will, is to look up the ACLU’s stance on important moral issues; whatever side they take will, as a rule, be in direct conflict with what the Lord would have us do. These are the folks who made sure that prayer was not to be found in public schools, that Nativity scenes are no longer permissible in public squares. These are the folks who fought hard to insure that abortion was a “woman’s individual right”; something which our Supreme Court claims they were able to pull from wording within the Constitution. These are the same folks who have organized all the gay and lesbians to oppose a constitutional amendment which would define marriage, clearly and definitively, as between a man and a woman only.

If you look up the purpose of the ACLU, you’ll find that its primary goal is to remove religion from America and to replace it with Communism. Hey, Harry, is that a temple recommend or your ACLU membership card? It looks like the ACLU, with the help of the Supreme Court and the Senate, have been successful on many of their agenda items.

Are we fully ripe with iniquity yet? Have we fallen so far from the level of Christian morality, once expected and now removed from view, that God will remove His blessings, blessings which have provided us with prosperity, enough that the world is envious and would have us loose at any cost? Have we gone past that point, instead being in open rebellion to God and worthy of being cursed, to have our enemies overtake and remove us from this land of promise? What, you’re not aware that America was set aside as a land of promise?

I am submitting this as my entry to the Carnival of Liberty, sponsored by Life, Liberty and Property. The remainder of this article will be direct references from the Book of Mormon. If I haven’t dented your thoughts up until now; you might as well leave, it only gets deeper.

“But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them” 2 Nep 1:10

“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.”
2 Nep 2:27

“And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.” 2 Nep 2:13

“Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law” How could there be a law save there was a punishment? Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man. Now, if there was no law given – if a man murdered he should die – would he be afraid he would die if he should murder? And also, if there was no law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin. And if there was no law given, if men sinned what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would have no claim upon the creature? But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted which repentance mercy claimeth: otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed and God would cease to be God.”

“But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement, and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.” Alma 42:17 – 23

“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.” Ether 2:9

“And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should possess the land should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon such, saith the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath.”