Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Finally over

The elections are finally over and I feel we have much to celebrate. California, Arizona, and Florida all passed gay marriage bans. This will have to be a runner-up prize for not having John McCain win.

I had an interesting conversation about the presidential election with a staunch union member yesterday. Both of us were having a hard time picking a candidate because we thought neither of the guys running had all of the qualities and stances we would have selected. He told me what his deciding factor was: he believes that he needs his wages to take care of his family. After he has his wages taken care of (through the benefits of a union), then he has the money to support the organizations he believes in such as the NRA for anti-gun control and his church for anti-abortion. I thought this was an interesting point of view and one I'm not familiar with because I've never been part of a strong union. A thought then came to me on how I should vote. I had read the Book of Mormon on the bus that morning and had come across one of the major themes: if people keep the commandments, they will prosper. If they don't keep the commandments, they will be destroyed. I then explained my position to my friend as well as understood my own position on voting. In my personal life, if I live a life of high morales, then I will be blessed. If a presidential candidate takes a stand on morales, then shouldn't the same be true for our country?

As I stated in previous posts, I believe that the LDS church did in fact uphold the Constitution, especially in California where they actually amended their Constitution. What an awesome time to live!!! A time in which you can see the signs of the times revealing themselves. At a time in which there is so much doubt about our government, the financial system, and our national security, I find comfort in reading about and identifing the signs that are promised to precede Christ's coming!!!

I found a couple of more signs of the times in my studies that are being fulfilled. Bruce R. McConkie, in the Millenial Messiah, states that, "Every temple built in the last days, every new wave of genealogical interest and research, every baptism performed for the dead, every vicarious ordinance performed in a house of the Lord-- all these are signs of the times, witnesses that the Lord's coming is near, even at the door". Think of the recent explosion in the number of temples. Can there be any doubt that this sign is being fulfilled? Another sign in his book that he mentions is about the worldly conditions in the last days: "Robbery, plunder, murder, and violent crimes of all sorts; many of the strikes and labor disputes in the industrial world; much of the litigation that clogs the courts of the nations; drug abuse and indecent and immoral conduct; the spreading plague of evil abortions; the abomination of incest and homosexuality-- all these things are signs of the times".

The last thing I would like to say in this post is that we are commanded to think about the signs of Christ's coming and as we do, they will be unfolded to us. Elder McConkie says "in our present state of spiritual enlightenment the Lord deliberately leaves us to ponder and wonder about many things connected with his coming; in this way our hearts are centered upon him so that we will qualify in due course to receive absolute and clear revelation on many things". I invite people that visit this site to ponder on the signs of the times with me.

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