Supernatural knowledge and lights is so completely detached and removed from all the intelligible forms, which are objects of that understanding, that it is neither perceived nor observed. Nor is mystical insight a purely intellectual act, for the higher and more sublime the Divine light, the darker is it to our understanding. Union with God transcends all knowledge. The difficulty is increased by the doctrine that in mystical experience is increased by the doctrine that in mystical experience the subject-object distinction breaks down, and with it, naturally enough, go all our thought models for cognitive activities. Faced with the risk of complete failure in communication, the mystic usually resorts to a characteristic complex use of the language. This works in part by negations (not ordinary perception, not simply emotion) and in part by descriptions of one’s religious situations as one interprets it in metaphysical and theological terms, enhanced with poetical imagery; God now dwells in the individual, or has absorbed the person in the embrace and abyss of the Lord’s sweetness. The mystical experiences are objective and reliably cognitive in nature. However, sometimes it is suggested that the mystic’s language might by best understood not as a description of reality but as the expression of a state of mind. Yet, this does not imply that the mystic is psychotic. Some psychotic experiences are mystical experiences, but it hardly follows that all mysticism is psychosis. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10

The person’s basic motivations remain the same; that, for instance, one’s respect for life and human dignity is part of oneself, not subject to change. In the same sense we have faith in ourselves, we are aware of the existence of a self, of a core in our personality which is unchangeable and which persists throughout our life in spite of varying circumstances, and regardless of certain changes in opinions and feelings. It is this core which is the reality being our absolute knowledge of our own identity. Unless we have faith in the persistence of our self, our feeling of identity is threatened and we become dependent on other people whose approval then becomes the basis for our feeling of identity. Only the person who has faith in him or her self is able to be faithful to others, because only he or she can be sure that one will be the same at a future time, as he or she is today and, therefore, that one will feel and act as one now expects. Faith in oneself is a condition of our ability to promise, and human beings can be defined by their capacity to promise, faith is one of the conditions of human existence. What maters in relation to love is the faith in one’s own love; in its ability to produce love in others, and it its reliability. The critic could confine oneself to pointing out this disturbing parallel in the use of language: both mystical and psychotics use situation-descriptive language for what, in the latter case at any rate, is a serious misperception of one’s situation, a projection of inner disturbances upon the outer World. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10

Furthermore, the projection occurs, partly at least, because the disturbances are not understood for what they are, and there is a failure of insight, the critic might claim. However, it must be pointed out that to analyze one’s experience as a state of mind is not necessarily to discredit it. States of mine can be—and normally are—elicited by objective states of affairs, properly interpreted. People do, on occasion, fall victim to real persecution; their fears and anxieties can be very well founded. “Behold multitudes of people who have not fallen because of the great and terrible judgment of the Lord,” reports 1 Nephi 12.5. Enough people believe in God for God to be real. In most cases, 75-90 percent of people in developed nations believe in the Lord. In decisiveness, either in criticism or defense, is once more not to be had. Of course one’s fears can be well-founded, but a person who says he or she does not really exists any more must be deluded. Significantly, as soon as such remarks verge on the paradoxical, we cease to take them at their face value and treat them as certain signs of disorder. The mystical experience is characterized by loss of individuality and dissolution in a limitless divine totality, little or nothing has been said from a philosophical or psychological viewpoint. “The Holy One shall execute judgment in righteousness,” reports 1 Nephi 22.21. Maybe it is God’s way of choosing his angels. God’s ways are not our ways, they are better than our ways. Thus, a revelation fills the gap left by philosophical skepticism. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10

Maybe what is gone today will steer us from danger. Maybe you were told how the closing moments would unfold. Logical principles (and even pure Reason), are necessary but not sufficient instruments for acquiring knowledge or discovering truths about reality. Keep in mind, all claims to knowledge, even those most impressively supported by evidence and experiment, are subject to revision or rejection in the light of new advances in knowledge. Contingency is a real trait of nature and fallibility as an inescapable future of human inquiry. God is the Father, lovingly merciful, omniscient, almighty, our eternal contemporary, the great companion who understand. Individual souls enter the World mysteriously; by God’s power we may be sure, but how or for what reason we are unable to fully explain. Given the human mind it its normal condition, the World appears as we see it. However, we have no right to infer from this that reality is in itself the ways it so appears. We assume the World we see to be in itself as we see it whereas in actuality it is a correlate of the particular psychophysical condition our minds are currently in. To change the metaphor, our sense receptors pick up only those wave lengths to which they are tuned. With the assistance of amplifiers and microscopes we pick up other wave lengths, but it is only when we rise to the condition of superconsciousness that we know reality itself.  When the Spirit touches the heart, hearts are changed. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10

In superconsciousness our receptors cease to reflect, like a prism, the pure light of being into the spectrum of multiplicity. Reality comes to us at last as it actually is: one without a second, infinite, unalloyed. These blessings should not be taken lightly. “Trifle not with sacred things,” reports Doctrines and Covenants 6.12. The temple and the holy ordinances are indeed sacred, and we should be spiritually sensitive to them. It is a sacred blessing to attend the temple to worship the Lord. There is a difference in just attending the temple and having a rich spiritual experience. The real blessings of the temple comes as we enhance our souls. To do so, we must feel a spirit of reverence for the temple and the spirit of worships.  All who should attend the temple or a living memorial should remember the counsel of the Lord when he reported in Leviticus 19.30, “Reverence my sanctuary.” Reverence is an expression of a deep respect, honor, and adoration for the Lord. It is having reverence for the Lord’s name, the Lord’s words, and for the Lord’s ordinances and covenants, for the Lord’s spiritual council, and for God’s temples and chapels. It is an outward indication of an inner feeling that we have for God. We should always remember that it is by God’s invitation that we come to his holy house, the temple of the Lord. We should respond to God’s invitation by being worthy, being prepared, and by having the temple as a priority in our lives. While in the temple, we should act as if we are in God’s holy presence. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10

Alchemy of the soul is a spiritual practice carried out for the benefit of the soul. When individuals, both members and investigators, feel the Spirit working with them, or when they see the evidence of the Lord’s love and mercy in their lives, they are edified and strengthened spiritually and their faith in God increases. To be reverent is not just to be quiet. It involves an awareness of what is taking place. We must have a divine desire to learn and to be receptive to the promptings of the Spirit. With this reverence, we are to strive to seek added light and knowledge. When a person is willing to experiment upon the word of God, these experiences with the Spirit follow naturally. This is how we come to feel the gospel is true and understand the role of everyday work in the soul by looking more closely at the revelation of God’s Kingdom. The Lord is our secret weapon. We are not bound by rigid rules. We have unlimited flexibility and are entitled and have the privilege to have our prayers answered. God’s great work of brining to pass the immortality and eternal life to all of his children is the Lord’s official goal. Let us all work harder to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit and bring about deeper spiritual conversation. However, the great wicked one is unleashing vulgar, revolting, violet, and sleazy filth with the design to destroy the spiritual sensitivity of our Father’s children. We are truly at war with those who mock God and shun the truth, so let us keep our covenants. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10

 If what we do or make is not up to our standards and does not reflect the attention and care when we stand back and look at it the soul suffers. Not understanding soul, some people look to other cultures and try to mimic their methods. However, it may not be enough to copy surface strategies, ignoring the deeper evaluation of the feeling and sensibility that gives work grounding in the human heart and not just in the brain. Irreverence is not only an act of disrespect for God, but it makes it impossible for the Spirit to teach us the things that we need to know. It is in the temple that we must speak in reverent tones. Reverence is no minor nor mundane matter. It has eternal consequences and should be treated as divine in nature. To be reverent in the temple, we must sense it to be a place of purity and a place of holiness. The temple is a place of purity. It is of the utmost importance that we keep the temple pure and holy. The Savior promised “And inasmuch as my people build a hose unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean things to come into it, my glory shall rest upon it. Yeah, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it,” reports Doctrines and Covenants 97.15-16. God creates the cosmos, we create the microcosmos, the human World. Entering our fate with generous attentiveness and care, we enjoy a soulful kind of creativity. This is an extension or reflection of yourself. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10

Those who enter the temple should prepare both their hearts and their minds. They should be able to answer in the affirmative to the questions asked by Alma. “Can you look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? Can you look up having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?” reports Alma 5.19. When we go deeper than intellectual abstractions, we move closer to the soul’s work. As we are reverent in the temple, we help to create an atmosphere that is pure and holy, free from distractions and offenses to the Spirit. We must remember to say nor do anything that would be offensive to the Lord. Reverence is a supernal form of worship. It is the form of worship that is found in the celestial kingdom. Leave the World behind and feel what it will be like when we enter the presence of God. We may consider what thoughts we would think and what communications we would have in God’s holy presence. If we can catch the visions of this eventual event, it will help us in preparing to enter God’s presence. This is an ancient idea: ordinary life is the means of entry into higher spiritual activity. Or we could say that at the very moment we are hard at work on some spiritual endeavor, we are also working on a different plane. Without knowing it, we are engaged in the labours of the soul. Many of us put a great deal of time into our spirituality because it is essential to the soul. We are crafting ourselves. We must move forward with the promise that the Spirit will bless us to know what to say as we assist those who are seeking truth. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10

Gaining added light and knowledge is not a passive process. It involves focusing on the things of the Spirit and seeking the spiritual lessons to be learned. “And if your mind’s eye be single to my (God’s) glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehends all things,” reports Doctrines and Covenants 88.67. It is during these times that we see the relationship between the Earthly and the eternal. And the Spirit can only teach those who are willing to learn. We work on the stuff of the soul by means of the things of life. Are we ready and willing to go through thick and thin for the cause which we are engaged? Do we reflect in our countenances the joy of living the gospel of the Lord as true disciples should? Everyone must come to understand that the doctrines of the Restoration are true and of great value. And everyone who accepts the message must strive to live the gospel by making and keeping sacred covenants and by participating in all of the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. We often think of conversation as applying only to the investigators, but there are some members who are not yet fully converted and who have yet to experience the mighty change of heart described in the scriptures. Let us go forward with ore faith, never forgetting that the will help as we turn to God in mighty prayer. Our Heavenly Father lives and loves each of his children. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10

The Lord has called for cheerful hearts and countenances. He also has asked us to so speak and act that we edify or build one another and has indicated that things which do not edify are not of God, and is wicked. The Holy Ghost is listening to the promptings of the Spirit and we should speak with the tongue of angels. If we enter the temple seeking added light and knowledge, we can learn and understand something new during the temple experience. “That which is God is light; and one that continues in God, receives more light; and that light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day,” reports Doctrines and Covenants 50.24. This attitude of mind and heart includes a desire to know the truth and a willingness to act for that desire. Every day each of us is implicated in obscuring the light or in chasing away the darkness. We have all been called to invite the light and to be a light, to sanctify ourselves and edify others. God uses words on the basis of our redemption, to create something in those who listen which otherwise could never have been created. When we speak and act, we should ask whether our words and expressions are calculated to invite the powers of Heaven into our lives and invite all to come to the Savior.  We must have absolute faith in God and the Lord’s goodness. By going through the trial, we learn to know God better. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10

Most individuals find God in the World of everyday affairs as readily as anywhere. Great things are brought about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many hands anxiously engaged in a good cause. Work is a staple of human life, and the impulse to work is psychologically, not economically, motivated. Through the human intellect, we have an affinity with God; and through the contemplative life, we can in principle attain a state where one can see God’s essence. Even people who are born into the leisure classes love to work because, not only does it set the passions of life into motion, but it also allows one to give back to the World and help others. As we learn the secret of work by which every movement can carry us Godward, things are being accomplished on human and spiritual level.  The point of life is to transcend the finite self by shifting the center of interest and affection to a personal God experience as distinct from oneself by identifying our being with the impersonal Absolute God that resides at the core of our beings. However, forced to be idle, most people become irritable; even in retirement people take on hobbies like restoring classic cars, gardening, or writing to take the place of their former career. When we wisely give our heart and soul to our occupations, it will bring us the highest rewards and not just monetary compensation, as we concentrate on the cultivation of the sense of divine presence. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6

Every act of our diurnal routine is performed without concern for its effect upon oneself is performed as a service to God; it is regarded as prompted by God’s will, executed for God’s sake, and transacted by God’s own energy which is being channeled through the devotee. We are the doer and God is the instrument. Each task becomes a sacred ritual, lovingly fulfilled as a living sacrifice to God and his glory without thought of profit that might be redound to the individual. Thus, we shall be free from the bondages of actions that bear good and evil results. The Savior’s words are simple, yet their meaning is profound and deeply significant. We are to love God and to love and care for our neighbors as ourselves. If we join together, united as followers of the Lord, imagine what good we can do in the World, anxiously and busily responding to the needs of others around us—our families, our friends, our neighbours, and our fellow citizens. What would be the cumulative effect of millions of small, compassionate acts performed daily by us because of our heartfelt Christian love for others? Over time, this would have a transformative effect upon all of our Heavenly Father’s children through the extension of the Lord’s love to them through us. Our troubled World needs this love of God today more than ever, and it will need it even more in the years ahead. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6

There is power in our love for God and for the Lord’s children, and when that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Christian kindness, it will sweeten and nourish the World with the life sustaining nectar of faith, hope, and charity. Surrendering ourselves to the Lord of all, we remain untouched by the uncertainties of life over which we have no control. As a result, many never grow discouraged for we do not ask to win; we ask only to be on the side where we belong. Work as a path toward God takes a different turn for persons whose dispositions are more reflective than emotional. It is true that the Apostle Paul underwent a powerful experience of being caught up in the third Heaven, which could have had a mystical character, although it is also reminiscent of certain prophetic experiences, such as those of Muhammad. Only when our testimony transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart will our motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior’s. It is then, and only then, that we become deeply converted followers of God empowered by the Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellow beings on Earth. The Holy Ghost is our constant companion, and the doctrines of God are distilled upon our souls as the dews from Heaven. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6

As we assimilate the scriptures deep within our hearts and our souls we will act and live consistently and with integrity in accord to what we profess to believe. This integrity simplifies our lives and amplifies our sensitivities to the Spirit and to the needs of others. It brings joy into our lives and peace to our souls—the kind of joy and peace that comes to us as we repent of our sins and follow the Savior by keeping the Lord’s commandments. The cultivation of the spiritual life, whereby a foretaste of the beatitude of the blessed in Heaven can be gained is the ultimate destiny of human beings. It is important that in our morning prayer each new day that we ask the Heavenly Father to guide us and to helps us recognize honest opportunities. Then we must go throughout the day with our hearts full of faith and love. This will allow our spiritual sensitivities to be enlarges and we will discover opportunities to serve that we never before realized were possible. Our true selves are vastly more wonderful then we realize and a passion for direct experience of their full reach will allow us to bring the Light of God to this ever-darkening World. Bound together, we will being love and compassion to our own family and to the lonely, the poor, the broken, and those of our Heavenly Father’s children who are searching for truth and peace. The personality will be able to absorb and integrate the new forces that are being tapped and will experience an almost superhuman degree of self-awareness and masterful control. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6

We must not worry about how inexperienced we are or think we are, but think about what, with the Lord’s help, we can become. The intent is to drive our psychic energy into the deepest part of our being and activate the lost continent of our true selves. Philosophers tend to find the idea of Infinite Being a the center one one’s self more meaningful than the thought of a personal Heavenly Father who stands over and above people and the World ruling them wit a love that is eternal. This perspective allows them to experience a remarkable expansion of their powers, and a vivid refreshening of life. If we could resurrect something forgotten not only by ourselves but also by humankind as a whole, something which provides the clue not simply to our private compulsions and idiosyncrasies but to all life and all existence, what then? Would we not have discovered something of historical moment? Would we not become truly devoted to humanity? Because a veil of forgetfulness was placed over our minds at birth, we have had to find a way to relearn in this life what we once knew and defended. Part of our preparation in this life has been to find that precious truth so that we can then recommit to it by covenant. That has required faith, humility, and courage on our part as well as help from the people who had found the truth and then shared it with us. For us to qualify for eternal life, our service in this life must include working with all our heart, might, mind, and strength to prepare others to return to God with us. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6

The laws of logic work admirably for every situation where multiplicity is present, and this may leave us with a discomforting worry. The responsibility to endure is uniquely ours. However, we are never alone. The lifting power of the Lord can be ours. We must be alert about the things that may appear to be the least likely to tempt us, and beware of thinking that the areas of our life where we have experienced victory in the past are not the least likely to cause us to stumble and fall. It is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect. They may not be forceful and dominant, but they are there. And if we are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip us. Whatever our work may be, endure at the beginning, endure through opposing forces along the way, and endure to the end. Any job must be completed before we can enjoy the result for which we are working. We must stick to our task until we can do it with least effort. Beginners are many, but enders are few. Honor, power, place, and praise will always come to the one who stays. Most often, intense physical challenges are accompanied by spiritual challenges as well. The Lord’s ultimate concern is for the salvation and exaltation of each individual soul. What if the Apostle Paul’s conversion hand not been enduring? He never would have testified as he did at the end of the ministry: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept my faith.” This is how we achieve the blessings of immortality and eternal life. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6

We each belong to and are needed in the family of God. All of us dwell on the brink of the infinite ocean of life’s creative power. We all carry it within us; supreme strength, the fullness of wisdom, and unquenchable joy. It is never thwarted and cannot be destroyed. We seek the infinite and religious truth not to simply increase our store of general information, but as a way to access the profoundest vault of our being, as a means to guide us to a higher state of being. The religious person is one who is seeking to transform our nature, remake it into a superhuman pattern through which the infinite can shine with fewer obstructions. The goal is to dedicate our commitment to freedom, truth, and justice. In the premortal realm, we learned that we are all spirit sons and daughters of God and worshipped the Lord as our Eternal Father. In that realm, we learned about our eternal identity, and knew that we were each a beloved child of Heavenly parents. Our mortal journey to Earth did not change those truths. We each belong to and are needed in the family of God. Earthly families all look different. And while we do our best we can too create strong traditional families, as membership in the family of God is not contingent upon any kind of status—marital status, parental status, financial status, social status, nor even the kind of status we post on social media. Only in this way will justice be introduced into an unjust society. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6

Religion is meant to enlighten us and unite our spirits with God who is manifested everywhere. The whole course of events subsumes under the evolution, which is the expression of God’s purpose and embraces all that has been and all that will be brought about in the course of evolutionary advance. Evolution is a mystery, unexplained and inexplicable except, perhaps, to God. Religion is always more than morality, but if its structure is to stand it has to be built on a strong moral base. We must seek to cultivate habits and practices such as non-injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, self-control, cleanliness, contentment, self-discipline, and a compelling desire to reach the goal. “We must love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind,” reports Matthew 22.36-37. Spiritual aspirants who have a strong intellectual bent, are on the path to oneness with the Godhead through knowledge. The person is a spiritual being, subsisting by its adherence to a hierarchy of values freely adopted, assimilated, and lived through, thanks to a responsible commitment and a constant process of conversions. The wise use of our freedom to make our own decisions is crucial to our own spiritual growth, now and for eternity. We are never too young to learn, never too old to change. Our yearnings to learn and change come from a divinely instilled striving for eternal progression. Each day brings opportunity for decisions for eternity. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6

The scripture teaches that the body and the spirit are the soul of each person. As a dual being, each of us and thank God for the Lord’s priceless gifts of our body and our spirit. Many medical professionals have a profound respect for the human body. Created by God as a gift to us, it is absolutely amazing! Incredible things can be done with the body if this is what interests us and we are willing to give our life to it. The brain lets us learn, think, and reason. Our eyes allow us to see, ear allow us to hear, and we have hearts that pumps tirelessly day and night, almost without our awareness. Our body protects itself. Pain comes as a warning that something is wrong and needs attention. Infectious illnesses strike from time to time, and when they do, antibodies are formed that increase our resistance to subsequent infection. The body can repair itself. Cuts and bruises heal. Broken bones can become strong once again. There are just but a tiny sample of the many amazing God-given qualities of our body. However, sometimes stellar spirits are often housed in imperfect bodies. The gift of such a body can actually strengthen a family as parents and siblings willingly build their lives around that child born with special needs. With our bodies being such a vital part of God’s eternal plan, it is little wonder that it is the temple of God. Each time you look in the mirror, see your body as your temple. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6

When we focus on our bodies as our temple, that truth refreshed gratefully each day can beneficially influence our decisions about how we will care for our body and how we will use it. And those decisions will determine our destinies. How could this be? Because our body is the temple for our spirit. And how we use our bodies affects our spirit. Our spirit is an eternal entity. “The Lord’s Spirit dwells not in unholy temples,” reports Helman 4.24. Love also allows people to see the true angelic nature of another person, the halo, the aureole of divinity. Love brings consciousness closer to the dream state. And it is love that find the body and our humanity as a route toward eternity. As a good actor gives his or her best to one’s part, we too should play ours as close to perfection as possible. We must never lose sight of the distinction between our true self and the veil of personality that can become a costume. God is incomparable and unclassifiable. The mind that controls the senses when they disciplined is in the reins. The decisional faculty of the mind is the driver, and the master of the chariot who is in full authority, but need never life a finger is the Omniscient Self. Our Heavenly Father has known us for a very long time. As his son or daughter, we were chosen by him to come to Earth at this precise time, to be leaders in his great work on Earth. We were chosen not for our bodily characteristics, but for our spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6

The purist of works (religious and moral duties) need not bind one to the World if they are performed in a spirit of self-surrender to God; the way of works should be seen in the light of the way to devotion. The higher form is the vision of the personal God, in which the soul is in a state of loving dependence on the Lord. The worshipper has a strong sense of the majesty and glory of God, and thus of the difference between oneself and the object of worship. Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith beings where humankind’s power ends. For instance, Abraham’s unwavering faith arouse from his great thoughts of God. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the Lord appeared to him again and reported, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” Abraham bowed with his face to the ground, and God reported: “I promised that you will be the father of many nations. That is why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. I will give you a lot of descendant, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God. Abraham and all of his future family had to promise to obey God.”  In return, God would guide them and protect them and give them the land of Israel. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6

 Abraham kept saying to himself, “God is able, the Lord is able.” He knew that God would not have said what he could not perform. Abraham knew that no word of the Almighty was destitute of power. He fed his faith by cherishing lofty and profound thoughts of God’s infinite resources. There rang in his heart the assurance. The promise was fulfilled at the end of the Exodus from Egypt. Deuteronomy 1.8 reports, “See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that LORD swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.” The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading. God implanted strong appetites within us for nourishment and love, vital for the human family to be perpetuated. When we master our appetites with the bounds of God’s laws, we can enjoy longer life, greater love, and consummate joy. It is not surprising, then, that most temptations to stray from God’s plan of happiness come through misuse of those essential, God-given appetites. Controlling our appetites is not always easy. Not one of us manages them perfectly. Mistakes happen. Errors are made. Sins are committed. What can we do then? We can learn from them. And we can truly repent. Almighty God holds our future in his hands, goes before us, fights our battles, and makes crooked places straight. God promises if we stay in faith, he will bring us through every challenge. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6

Life needs some blueprint, some map the mind can trust to move ahead. There is no more beautiful sight than a person who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because one is virtuous. Tremendous stress is laid on the human will. Anyone who is serious about improvement will have to exert oneself enormously. There are virtues that must be developed, passions to be curbed, and evil mind states to be transcended if love and honor is to have a chance. If one understands moral rules as commands, one may argue to the existence of a commander. The commander cannot be the individual human moral agent, for what today I command myself to do, I can tomorrow command myself not to do. I can have absolute moral obligations only if God exists to command them. Because I do have absolute moral obligations, it follows that God exists. The Lord has blessed us with a very clear understanding of who we are and why we are here on the Earth at this time. God loves us, and we love him. It shows in our countenance, in our modesty, and in our commitment to remain virtuous and pure. Whether or not our reason has the power to pull life in the direction it envisions, it clearly holds the power of prohibition; let it not believe something and it will be impossible for the individual to move wholeheartedly in that direction. If we recognize moral authority, we must ipso facto recognize the existence of God as alone able to confer that authority. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

We judge that the moral law retains its authoritativeness whether particular human wills are at any time actually accepting its rules and principles or not; therefore, the source of its authority must lie altogether outside those human wills. Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goes. You are not alone. You can rely on the strength of the Lord. We must sanctify ourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us. We simply cannot do the work we have been reserved and prepared to do unless we can access the strength and confidence that comes by living a virtuous life. We are people of great faith. When we came to this Earth, we brought faith with us. The notion of moral law itself is incomplete without reference to God, for law implies lawgiver, a divine legislator. Our very acknowledgment of a moral law, therefore, presupposes theism. We have fought with our faith and testimony to defend the plan that was presented by God. We knew the plan was good, and we knew that the Savior would do what he reported he would do—because we know the Lord! We stood with him, and we were eager for our opportunity to come to Earth. We knew what was going to be required of us. Even though we knew that life would be difficult, we had the confidence that we could accomplish our divine mission and make a difference. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

People who achieve greatness are almost invariably passionately interested in some one thing. We are choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in being architects of the foundation of God’s Kingdom on Earth. God has written his laws in our hearts. We are under moral obligation to perfect ourselves and to attain a highest good (summum bonum) that is manifestly unattainable in a life lived under the conditions we know here and now. We can, at best, make a start to moral development that requires very different conditions for its completion. However, since that complete development is demanded for us as duty, it must be attainable. God and immortality are thus presupposed in our actual moral existence. When we seek liberation with single-mindedness and intensity of this order, when we focus our energies on overcoming life’s dislocation, we may expect our steps to turn from a slippery sandbank scramble into strides. We now begin to reach down and take hold of the control mechanisms in our lives. No wonder the wicked have increased the intensity of their attacks on our identity and virtue. If we can be dismayed, discouraged, distracted, delayed, or disqualified from being worthy to receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost or to enter the Lord’s holy temple, the great wicked one wins. An immature moral agent may see one’s duties as commands (parental, for example); but the mark of mature moral judgement is self-commitment to a policy on which one has deliberated. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

This moral policy may or may not be in harmony with someone’s command; in any case, it does not owe its authenticity to its being commanded.  Because God is a celestial being, if he commands what is right and obligatory, that is cause for thankfulness, and we should be thankful over a truth of logic. Words carry an immeasurable significance: by his word, God created the World, and by our words we worship God. Language furnishes both an indicator of our character and a lever for shifting it. We will do well to begin with language as indicator. Our first move is to become aware of our speech patterns and what they tell us about ourselves. Instead of starting with a resolve to speak nothing but the truth, let us say—a resolve which is likely to prove ineffective anyway at the outset because it is too advanced—we will do well to start further back with a resolve to notice how many times during the day we deviate from the truth and follow this up with an inquiry into why we did so. The same with the lack of charity in our speech; begin not by determining to speak only charitable words but by determining to watch our speech until we are more aware of the motives that prompt the lack of charity in what we say. Deceit is bad because it reduces one’s being. We must choose to heed prophetic counsel, recognize and act upon spiritual promptings, be obedient to God’s commandments, and seek personal revelation. “Let us walk in the light of the Lord,” reports Isiah 2.5. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

Apostolic voices urge us to prepare ourselves with the powerful light of spiritual strength.  “The Lord will be light unto them that hear his words,” reports 2 Nephi 10.14. God is the authorizer of all our moral judgments—otherwise they would carry no authority; and we find, contrariwise, that God can play the role of authority only if we are able to make certain moral judgments without appealing to any external authority whatsoever. The value of truth is not moral but ontological. People deceive because behind their arguments and defenses the motive is almost always a fear of revealing to others or to themselves what they really are. Each time one gives in to the motive they protect their id and in so doing they move themselves further from life and the long-range prospects of happiness. Speech should move toward being kind and honest. Bearing false witness, idle chatter, abuse, and slander are to avoided not only in their obvious forms, but also in their covert ones, for the latter—subtle, belittling, accidental tactlessness, poisonous with—are often more vicious precisely because their animus is concealed. Understanding one’s behavior is more objectively a prerequisite to improving it. The trainee is to reflect on the things he or she has done, with special focus on the motives which prompted them. In the end, how much kindliness was involved and how much self-seeking? As to direction in which change should proceed, the answer again is given in terms of selflessness and charity. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. DO not be unchaste. Do not drink nor inhale intoxicants. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

In our lives, the extended hand of the Savior may take the form of help from a trusted friend, leader, or loving parent. While we are struggling in the darkness, there is nothing wrong with relying temporarily upon the light of those who loves us and have our best interests at heart. When we are struggling and receive a helping hand, it is a lot like a person who has a gas lamp in his or her room, but now uses electric light. They will experience for a long time a definite feeling of please when one pressed the electric light button; this pleasure continues as long as that moment one remembers the complicated arrangements necessary to light the gas lamp (which represents life). The economy which impressed us is an important item in the psychological conception. However, we cannot rely on the light of others forever. The Lord teaches, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and you shall find me; ask, and you shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” We must act, expecting that the Lord will fulfill his promise to lift us from the darkness if we draw near unto him. The adversary, however, will try to convince us that we have never felt the influence of the Spirit and that it will be easier just to stop trying. However, doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.  There are things many have felt that they cannot explain in any other way except that they are of God. This is spiritual integrity. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

When faced with questions or tempted to doubt, we should remember the spiritual blessings and feelings that have penetrated our hearts and lives in the past and place our faith in Heavenly Father. Do not doubt the Lord nor his goodness for we have proved in in days that are past. To ignore and discount past spiritual experiences will distance us from God. Our quest for light will be enhanced by our willingness to recognize when it shines in our lives. Modern scripture defines light and gives a promise to those who accept it: “That which is of God is light; and one that receives light, and continues in God, receives more light; and that light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” Like the light at the end of the tunnel, God’s influence will bring us confidence, determination, comfort, and—most important—the power to know that God lives. There is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light. As evil increases in the World, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the World slides from its spiritual foundation, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight. “The Lord will be your light in wilderness,” reports 1 Nephi 17.13. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7

Some have said that this is the most critical period in the history of this nation and the World. Expedients are for an hour, but principals are for ages. Each age develops its own style of thought, and comparisons between these styles are impossible, since each posits a different basic (or, so to speak, relatively absolute) sphere. Even within each time of life there are conflicting tendencies toward conservation, on the one hand, and toward change on the other. Commitment to conservation tends to produce ideologies—to falsify thought by excessive idealization of the past and overemphasis on the factors making for stability. Intentness on change is apt to produce utopias, which overvalue both the future and factors leading to change. Between ideology and utopias there is at least the possibility of completely realistic (situationsgerecht) thought that functions without friction within the given framework of life, and is set neither on pushing forward nor on holding back the development of society. However, there is a very strong tendency toward the polarization of society into hostile camps. Specifically it consists in drawing a sharp line between the empirical self immersed in action and the enteral self which stands aloof from it. Human’s usual interest in life relates to the consequences it will have for their empirical self, the pay or acclaim it will bring. Such interest obviously inflate pride and thicken the insulation between our conscious selves and the Infinite that is beneath them. #RandolphHarris 1 of  9

Even among the so-called respectable people, one can readily demonstrate a double behavior when it concerns the theme of money and possession. The primitive greed of the suckling which wishes to seize every object has generally been only imperfectly subdued through culture and training. False reminiscences of having already paid something are often very obstinate. When free sway is given to avaricious intent outside of the serious interest of life, when it is indulged in in the spirit of fun, as card playing, we then find that the most honorable people show an inclination to errors, mistakes in memory and accounts, and without realizing how, they even find themselves involved in small frauds. Such liberties depend in no small part also on the physically refreshing character of the play. The saying is that in play we can learn a person’s character may be admitted if we can add one’s repressed character. If waiters ever make unintentional mistakes, they are apparently due to the same mechanism. Among merchants, we can frequently observe a certain delay in the paying out of sums of money, in payments of bills and the like, which brings the owner no profit and can by only understood psychologically as the expression of a counter-will against giving out money. It is basically an epigrammatic keenness: We are more apt to mislay letters containing bills and cheques. #Randolphharris 2 of 9

Relationism does not impugn the validity of an insight: it merely draws attention to the fact that the insight is dependent upon, and confined within, some specific sociohistorical situations. However, this argument merely shifts the relativity, and does not remove it. Every sociohistorical situation is located at a specific point along a unilinear, ever-progressing and never-returning temporal continuum—history. Each situation is therefore unique, and the knowledge to which it gives birth, and which is true within it, is equally unique, bound to its time and place, and relative. Therefore, truth is an attribute, not much of discourse, as of reality. The individual who is in contact with the living forces of one’s age has the truth, or better, is the truth—a conception which shows at one’s historicism, and pragmatism. For example, many people support illegal immigration. Although it is illegal and dangerous to travel without documents, the public is saying it is something they approve of. In contrast, a report was released that stated that African American males were more likely to be discriminated against in classrooms in the Sacramento County school district, which is also illegal. And when these students report being harassed, they are labeled a problem and noting is done to correct the situation. Yet, there is no public outage about legal citizens not being allowed to receive an education. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

The traditional adaequatio rei et situs (correspondence of thought and situation) should be replaced by a new test, the adaequatio intellectus et situs (correspondence of thought in situation). We should be more interested in the genuineness, rather than in the truth (properly so-called), of a given World view. It has long been a World view than an African American male with an education is dangerous because it gives him a change to show is abilities and become financially independent, and live an honest life, which make them harder to take and label and call an undesirable part of the population. However, because the historical fear of powerful African American men, people are more willing to let people come to this country, who they have no idea who they are, what their intentions are, what they believe, and are unaware of the history of the country because they are viewed as harmless, helpless beings, escaping from danger and should be given an opportunity to break the law. Whereas, African American men, whose ancestors were brought here as slaves, built much of the country, do not even deserve the right to freedom and education. It is like the system wants to take African American youth out of the classroom, not give them a chance to grow up and experience freedom, restrict them for gainful employment, and lock them in prisons because of historical attitudes. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

During these years of extreme tensions, we may constantly have in mind the admonition of the Lord himself: “Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet. One that keeps the laws of God has no need to break the laws of the land,” reports Doctrines and Covenants 58.22,21. Today we are constantly heading from the unenlightened and misguided, who demand what they call free agency, by which they apparently mean, as evidence by their conduct, that they have their agency to do as they please or to exercise their own self-will to determine what is laws and order, what is right and wrong, or what is honor and virtue. These are frightening expressions when you reflect upon that fact that all humankind will be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.  A moment’s reflection will help us to see that when one sets oneself up to make his or her own rules and presumed to know no law but his or her own, those type of people is but echoing the plan of the great adversary, who sought to ascend to God’s throne, as it were, in the being the judge of all that rules humankind and the World. There has ever been, and ever will be, a conflict between the forces of truth and error; between the forces of righteousness and the forces of evil; between the dominion the adversary and under the banner of our Lord. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

We need to adopt a more practical and political orientation because a completely unregulated society, such as liberalism has crated, is more apt to produce its own opposite, totalitarian dictatorship. To secure the value of democracy, it is necessary to avoid the weaknesses of both liberalism and totalitarianism. As a viable synthesis, we must advocate planning for freedom, a social system which will insure economic stability by regulating the more objective aspects of life, such as production, but at the same time grant freedom to people’s subjective strivings (for example, in matters of taste), thereby releasing cultural creativity. Education can sometimes be the prime means of radical democratization because in attempts to build consensus, gatekeepers oppress differing opinions, races, classes, genders, and Worldviews. There become oppressive power relations in society, and those oppressive relations should be made visible, renegotiated and altered. By building democracy around difference and dissent, oppressive power relations existing in societies are able to come to the forefront so that they can be challenged. The modernized Christianity holds out some hope for a new integration of society’s value system, which has become splintered and self-contradictory. Learning without thinking is labor scattered; thinking without learning is dangerous. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

The greatness of the individual is in proportion to one’s self-knowledge. A mature individual does not resent correction, for one identifies oneself more with the long-range self that grows through correction than with the momentary self that is being indicated. Both learning and thinking are indispensable. Without learning there are no data for inquiry. Without thinking no principle or concept can be reached. Thoughts and feelings are to be perceived as swimming in and out of our awareness but in no way a permanent part of us; they are to be taken intellectually not emotionally. Everything we witness, especially our moods and emotions, is to be traced to the cause, much as in contemporary psychoanalysis. A miscellany of others practices are also recommended: the aspirant is to keep one’s mind in control of one’s sense instead of allowing the latter to become lord; one is to pray on fearful and disgusting sights until one overcomes one’s aversion to them; an individual is to picture vividly his or her desired goal; and one is to pervade the World with loving thoughts for all creatures. Obviously it will take practice. In addition to working at it to some extent all the time, one should set aside special times for undistracted self-analysis and occasionally withdraw for several days—into complete silence and solitude until the conscious mind understand and can control each physiological function of the human body. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

There is no purpose in life, there is no joy without the struggle and the exercise of one’s own natural abilities. Now in the exercise of the God-given right of free agency, or freedom of choice, how may one distinguish between that is truth and what is error? Truth is the logic of the Universe. It is the reasoning of destiny; it is the mind of God. And nothing that one can devise can take its place. There is no progress in the fundamental truth. There is no progress in fundamental truth. We may grow in knowledge of its meaning and in the modes of its application, but its greatest principles will forever be the same. And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; and whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit od that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. There is not a person born into the World, but has a portion of the Spirit of God which gives to one’s spirit understanding, each in accordance with one’s capacity to receive the light which will never cease to strive with humankind, until men and women and children are brought to the possession of the higher intelligence. To those not acquainted with the language of the scriptures, it might be explained that the Light of God could be described as one’s conscience, or the voice of the divine within one’s own soul. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

The only thing we will ever ask you to do is to vote for that which in your heart feels right. We would rather many times over that you would make a mistake doing that which you felt was right, then to vote for policy sake. Be sure to meditate prayerfully and give the Lord a chance to assist you in solving the problems of life. We must always keep in mind that the greatest weapons that can be forged against any false philosophy are the beneficial teachings of the Scriptures. Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of humans, but in the power of God. It has been well reported that one does not teach honesty by telling people how to burglarize a safe, nor do we teach obedience to authority and laws by encouraging breaking the laws for a certain group of people. If we allow illegal immigration, perhaps we should allow people on Wall Street to cook the books and make the best souffle. It is inspired wisdom that our efforts must be spent in teaching truth by the power of Almighty God, and thus we can forge the most powerful of all weapons against the vicious doctrines of the wicked. Teach people correct principles and they will govern themselves. Be alert and active in your business and political interests. The great danger in any society is apathy and a failure to be alert to the issues of the day, when applied to principles or to the election of public officials. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9