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God Wants You to Fulfill Your Destiny!
In the consciousness of God’s indwelling in life, inspires character to the highest achievements. Do we never perceive our own foibles? It is happy we can find consolation in the follies of our neighbor. The other day, as I overheard one neighbor criticizing another, I was reminded, perhaps we need to investigate why it is so important to consciously choose where we put our attention and how we spend our time. Are we finding fault and tearing down or uplifting and helping to heal? When you are being negative towards another people you are hurting that individual, and the negative energy you put their way changes who they are and how they perceive the World around them. At the same time, that negative energy you are putting out there will come back to you. What you put out is what you get in return. Every action creates a separate, but equal reaction. When you make a derogatory comment about others, you are really talking about yourself. It is a form of projection, it is a defense mechanism, and when you speak badly about others know you are off kilter, and that there is an imbalance in your life which requires you to place the blame somewhere else. That is your ego at work. All emotions toward others involve the basic belief that we are incomplete within ourselves, and therefore, others are viewed and utilized as a means to an end. #RandolphHarris 1 of 14
Sin never fails to find an echo in the souls of some people. The inner-actions between create vibrational energies that their emotions are radiating into space. Once the mind is supplied with simple ideas, the association of sensations and ideas may come into play. Nations as well as individuals commit sin, and sin is more than a simple injustice. The first requirement is that we must have a given set of sensations a sufficient number of times. These sensations then acquire such a power over their corresponding ideas that when any member of the set is impressed on the senses, it is able to excite in the mind the rest of the corresponding ideas that belong to the set. In this way, simple ideas collect and become a complex idea. There is a kind of association that depends on the sensory vibration. Regularly occurring sensory vibrations leave behind in the nerves miniatures of themselves which are called vibratiuncles; and even as a general sensation is able to call up a corresponding set of ideas in the mind, so a sensory vibration is able to call up a corresponding set of vibratiuncles in the nerves. Similarly, a complex idea may call into being the set of vibratiuncles attending upon complex ideas may be as vivid as any of the sensory vibration excited by the direct action of objects. The energy of the vibration, and thought form with which it is associated, creates a readable record. #RandolphHarris 2 of 14
It seems common practice for people to talk about their friends and neighbors and to criticize their seeming peculiarities and weaknesses. In fact, it is so general that one would think that gossiping about and judging others was the thing to do. How often have we heard of young people who were criticized, judged, and ridiculed because of their peculiarities and yet who eventually become leaders in their different fields. One of our most respected community-minded citizens began to act as though his feelings had been hurt and would stay away from socials where, in the past, he had gone and taken a most active part. People started accusing him of being a sorehead, a poor sport, antisocial, and even evaded him whenever possible. Later, a medical diagnosis showed that he was suffering from serious medical conditions, which had been the cause of his lack of interest in activities that he had previously attended and even sponsored. Let the divine love become the inspiration of personal and social life and a host of evils will disappear, and only those would remain which result from our naivety of Nature’s laws and forces, and from the limitations of human intelligence. #RandolphHarris 3 of 14
Do not prejudge, but give a person an opportunity. Let individuals decide for themselves what is best for them. Sometimes when others invade a person’s privacy, they illegally disclose personal information that will allow people to expose a person’s defects and exploit that individual. When you pry into someone’s personal medical business, not only is it unrighteous, but it probably causes people to treat them and their family with prejudice and causes them to lose respect for their family member and will weaken their faith. This shows how important it is that we do not judge, but encourage rather than denounce. Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago, realizing the human tendency to make unrighteous judgments said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and the way you have treated others, you will be treated the same way.” Before you take it upon yourself to get involved in someone’s private life, you should make sure your life is perfect. The reason we cannot judge is obvious. We cannot see what is in the heart. We do not know motives, although we impute motives to every action we see. They may be pure while we think they are improper. #RandolphHarris 4 of 14
Ethical societies aim is not speculation, but the alleviation of human wickedness. It is not possible to judge another fairly unless you know an individual’s faith, desires, and goals. Because of a different environment, unequal opportunity, and many other things, people are not in the same position. One may start with success and privilege, and the other may start with a meager background and oppression, and they may meet as they are going in opposite directions. However, it is not where you are, but the direction in which you are going that counts; not how close you are to failure or success, but which way you are headed. How can we, with all our weaknesses and frailties, dare to arrogate to ourselves the position of a judge? At best, a person can judge only what they see; one cannot judge the heart nor the intention, usually, or begin to judge the potential of another individual they do not know. When we try to judge people, which we should not do, we have a great tendency to look for and take pride in finding weaknesses and faults, such as vanity, dishonesty, immorality, and intrigue. As a result, we see only the worst side of those being judged. And when people sin against another openly, cruelly, the speculations of the cloister, in which sin is treated as an illusion magnifies. #RandolphHarris 5 of 14
Our news media today also seems to be interested mainly in controversial subjects or someone who is being attacked; and regardless of the ninety-nine good things one may do, it is the one weakness or error that alone is emphasized and heralded to the World. We are too prone to listen to, accept, and repeat such adverse criticism, such maliciously spoken or printed words, without stopping to realize the harm we may be doing to some noble person. In contrast to bullying among children, it workplace bullying, the instigators are very often people in positions of organizational leadership, or who have the organizational support of someone in a position of leadership. Reporting a bully in the workplace thus puts the worker at risk of being targeted by management for retaliation and ever more aggression. More importantly, when bulling in the workplace is instigated or condoned by someone in a position of organizational leadership, efforts to report or stop it can quickly escalate from bullying to mobbing. Mobbing involves a group of people, acting under the influence of someone in a position of organizational leadership, who become increasingly aggressive and increase in number until the targeted worker is removed from the group, or the gang is completely disempowered. The fire is malice is usually started by some envious person. #RandolphHarris 6 of 14
Mobbing is not the same as being disliked by a lot of people. Mobbing starts when someone in a position of authority communicates to the population that they want a particular person gone. When this happens, people in the community will be encourage to target and exploit and attack the individual and report them for any infraction, real or rumored, and they quickly learn that any adversarial action, physically or verbally, taken against the individual, is acceptable. The mob also will quickly mobilize to protect their own interest and align with community leaders, and recast the target as a trouble maker who must be removed by any means necessary—but most will do so under the genuine perception that it is the targeted individual who is the problem, and not the instigating aggressor(s). The aggression is often unfair and illegal, and the purpose is to facilitate and reinforce a shared negative perception of the targeted worker, regardless of the individual’s prior reputation or value to the community. Sometimes even when our friends are accused of wrongdoing or gossip is started about the, we disloyally accept and repeat what we hear without knowing all of the facts. It is sad indeed that sometimes friendships are destroyed and enmity created on the basis of misinformation. Secretive and specious investigations will rapidly frighten, anger, and exhaust the individual while tension, fear, and compliance are heightened among others. #RandolphHarris 7 of 14
If there be one place in life where the attitude of the agnostic is acceptable, it is in this matter of judging. It is the courage to say, I do not know. I am waiting for further evidence. I must hear both sides of the question.” Or when it comes to mobbing a person, we could say, “That is not something I am interested in doing. It does not sound rational.” Only by suspending judgment do we exhibit real charity. It is hard to understand why we are ready to condemn our neighbors and our friends on circumstantial evidence or by request, while we are all so determined to see that every criminal has a fair and open trial. Surely we can try to eliminate pride, passion, personal feeling, prejudice, and pettiness from our minds, and show charity to those around us. Let us look for the good rather than try to discover any hidden evil. We can easily find fault in others if that is what we are looking for. Even in families, divorce has resulted and families have been broken up because the husband or wife was looking for and emphasizing the faults rather than loving and extolling the virtues of the other. Also, if you are trying to attract business to your company, city, or trying to find a new job, it is not going to help you get a contract if it is known that you are involved in mobbing oppression. Even some people may shy away from you just for being associated with an evil cult. #RandolphHarris 8 of 14
Let us remember too that the further out of line or out of tune we ourselves are, the more we are inclined to look for error or weaknesses in others and to try to rationalize and justify our own faults rather than to try to improve ourselves. I want to reduce the amount of negativity in my life because I do not want it to affect the people around me, so I have to remove myself from certain groups. When you keep a private journal, and are not expressing to anyone what is going on, but trying to appear happy all the time, if you know someone is reading it, it is a good idea for your sake and the sake of others to stay away from the unnecessary problems. I do not want to be responsible for someone finding my private journal and getting upset and taking it out on someone else, especially when they have a touch job. So, I have to stay away from some of my friends because they are associated with people involved in mobbing and I do not want that energy to affect anyone in my life, nor myself. Almost invariably, we find that the greatest criticism of Church leaders and doctrines come from comes from those who are not doing their fully duty, following the leaders, nor living according to the teaching of the gospel. #RandolphHarris 9 of 14
An outstanding example of bullying and oppressive behavior can be found in the story of Cain and Able. Cain neglected his own stewardship and became so bitter over Abel’s righteousness and favor in the eyes of the Lord that his insane jealousy caused him to murder his brother. How much better would his situation have been had he congratulated and honored his brother and set about to improve himself and correct his own failings. Those who cannot do for themselves get jealous and try to hurt others. Let us examine or own lives and actions, bring ourselves in tune with righteous principles, and never attack or spread misinformation about others. Gossip is the worst form of judging. The tongue is the most dangerous, destructive, and deadly weapon available to human beings. A vicious tongue can ruin the reputation and even the future of the one attacked. Insidious attacks against one’s reputation, loathsome innuendoes, half-lies about an individual are as deadly as those insect parasites that kill the heart and life of a might Cyprus tree. They are so stealthy and cowardly that one cannot guard against them. It is easier to dodge an elephant than a microbe. What a different World it would be if we could learn to love each other. Instead, we are all so inclined to judge others by a standard different from the one why which we wish or be willing to be judged. #RandolphHarris 10 of 14
If Jesus were to stand by and be asked to judge those whom we accuse and should say to us, “One that is without sin among you, let one cast a stone,” and then should stoop and write in the sand, how many of us would feel to steal away shamed convicted of our own conscience. How sound is his counsel. The form of the Son of God stands forth pre-eminent; his cross rises against the sky; the perfect ideal of love is realized. The secret of the victories of Christianity is revealed at the conquest of human nature by Eternal Love immanent in the World from the first, and struggling for recognition. If we could accept and practice the second great commandment to love others as we love ourselves, and really learn to love our neighbors, there would be no vicious gossip or bearing false witness. In the Lord’s prayer, we have these words, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. For if you forgive people their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not people of their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6.12-14-14.) Christ is our greatest example of forgiveness. On the cross he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23.34.) Relinquishing anger brings many benefits. It allows us to move up to a more effective and effortless state of inner freedom. #RandolphHarris 11 of 14
The tongue of a viper is less hurtful than that of a slanderer. Slander: a lot of that often falls from bad people’s mouths upon good people’s names and professions. Regardless of our ego, our pride, or our feeling of insecurity, our lives would be happier, we would be contributing more to social welfare and the happiness of others, if we would love one another, forgive one another, repent of our wrongdoings, and judge not. It is true that we must have appointed judges to deal with the laws of the land and judges in the Church to deal with its members; and they are given the heavy duty and responsibility of judging, which they must not neglect, but they must give righteous judgment according to the law of the land and of the Church. Let us stand on principle—high principle. Also, it is important that all of us, including our politicians, strive to live so that our actions will be above reproach and criticism. We never gain anything nor improve our own character by trying to tear down another. We have seen close friendships destroyed, and families ripped apart by words spoken and accusations made in the heat of a campaign. There have been tirades against people and families that tend to cause our youth to lose faith in humanity and others in government and often even our form of government itself. #RandolphHarris 12 of 14
As mature individuals, we have the responsibility in our houses to guard against anything that is foul from taking root in our foundation. It is important to protect your family and children. Also, we must realize that every word and every act influences the thinking and attitude of the child. It is in the family that the child picks up the elementary lessons in getting along with people and the virtues of love, compassion, and concern. These lessons will have been well taught if parents can bring up their children without prejudicing them by precept or example against any other children on the grounds of color, race, religion, social status, physical capacity, or intellectual capacity, and if they teach them to love the Lord. I am so thankful that my parents, through their tolerance and understanding, were able to accomplish this with their children. May I humbly say in all sincerity that I love the Lord with all my heart and that I love my fellow human beings, the animals and nature. I hold no hard feelings of any kind toward any people, and I sincerely pray for forgiveness wherein I have offended anyone. To all the World, and especially to those who do not understand, but who ridicule the teachings of the Church, judge not until you know and understand those teachings which are contained in the restored gospel. #RandolphHarris 13 of 14
We believe, with you, that God lives, and that Jesus Christ is his Only, but truly Begotten Son in the flesh, who came and gave his life and was resurrected so that all humankind might enjoy immortality. He said, “This is my work and my glory—to being to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings” (Moses 1.39). And he gave us the gospel plan by which we can prepare ourselves to go back into his presence and enjoy eternal life. Know that the Lord has loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. If you ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it on to you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of all things. God is saying you need to get ready. He is going to finish what he started. No one and nothing can stop him from fulfilling his promises. He will complete your incompletions, even the secret petitions of your heart. This is the promise and testimony I leave you with in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 14 of 14
Southern Living–It is Fall Y’all!
Watching Good Times, I always wanted to see them come up out of the transient high rise building. I used to not like the show, but after ever episode, I thought maybe the tide would turn in their favor, so I keep tuning in. We are not here to punish the innocent. Forgiveness is the economy of the heart. The focus of life should be on the calmness of the mind. Only when the mind is calm—that is, free from selfishness, cunning, and deliberate effort—can it be peaceful. One can then respond to things as they come and naturally maintain a balance between the internal and the external. Changes have exerted tremendous influence throughout the ages, and progress is naturally turned to for inspiration and support. We live in the most enlightenment since the creation of the World. Scientific achievements of today are staggering to the human mind. We realize that the law under what these achievements have been accomplished has always been in existence, but it was not until this era that human learning and understanding have sufficiently increased to make use of natural laws to produce the accomplishments of today’s World. A few generations ago, goods were manufactured with hand tools from crude materials; but in these times, mass production has replaced the antiquated methods with greater efficiency and in some cases superior quality because of the genius and skills of humans and the machines that have been developed. #RandolphHarris 1 of 17
However, much of modern architecture cannot rival the hand built houses, with decadent materials, and geometrical shapes of the Victorian era, which proves old is sometimes superior. Perspective is a study of human nature and destiny on the basis of principle ascetics. The spirit of life is in everything. It is the principle of Nature, the self-evident Universal truth that carries with it the dictate to distinguish right from wrong and the imperative to do good. Agriculture is the means of livelihood for more than half of the World’s population. As we pass through modernized farming areas, we no longer see farmers tilling the land with horse and plow, cutting one furrow at a time, or families working together in the fields at harvest time. These things seem to have disappeared. Today, large pieces of mechanical equipment with the strength of a hundred horses plow many furrows at one time. Not many years ago, the hand sickle was used to harvest the fields of ripened grain. The sheaves were flailed by hand and tossed into the wind to separate the chaff. Large combines now do all of the work in one operation as they mow the fields. #RandolphHarris 2 of 17
Unfortunately, ducks build nests in the fields and because humans are no longer harvesting the fields by hand, many duck eggs are being destroyed before they even hatch. However, because humans were originally good and endowed with the innate knowledge of the good and the innate ability to do good, some farmers are inviting dozens of volunteers to scour their fields over a few weekends before the harvest to collect the wild eggs. Over the past 15 years, on just one farm, more than 30,000 eggs were brought to a local wild bird hatchery before the tractor blades got there. Inside of those little eggs, it starts with a little tiny heart and little tiny veins going to the inner lining of the egg. That is the embryo, and it just grows and grows and eventually turns into a little duck in there. And that is amazing. It is life. It is amazing how it happens. Also, eradicating the wild grasses and then over-farming the land leads to deep erosion that helped contribute to the Dust Bowl crisis. People hope that in Sacramento, California America that we can sustain the land and leave this ground better than we found it. We do not want be mining the soil, and chasing away wild life, instead we want to build it up and improve it. #RandolphHarris 3 of 17
We have to be ecologist and keep the spirit. Happenings in faraway places are viewed in the quiet of our own houses, a phenomenon which would have been considered a miracle in the generations preceding ours. Modern living requires that we have instantaneous communications at our side so that we may quickly dial and transact business or have the luxury of visiting, regardless of long intervening distances. Animals provided human beings transportation for centuries, but these have now been replaced by vehicles of great speed and comfort. There has always been a curiosity to what lies beyond the river. Today’s rapid flight through the air has made the oceans no wider than the rivers of years past and humans have quick access to the World. We take great pride in modern accomplishments—the fact that we are better housed and fed, have greater conveniences, improved medical facilities, greater advantages in education, and the highest standard of living ever enjoyed in the history of the World. Currently, President Trump set up a new hotline to help the 470,000 veterans who are appealing their denied claims for financial and medical disability assistance with the Department of Veteran Affairs. #RandolphHarris 4 of 17
Many of my ancestors were engaged in the World’s most followed occupation of tilling the soil. Some of them left their old moorings in England and came to the shores of the New World, settling in the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies. I get a warm feeling when I read the soul-stirring accounts of their conquest against hardships and the difficulties that faced them and their families. They used to rotate their crops—letting the fields go fallow every other year to replenish the soil’s nutrients, and used cover crops in the off season. We have to stop paving over our food-producing land. Also, I do not think what the ordinary farmer is doing can be long-term, because pretty soon the ground will not produce anymore. It will just be poison. If you want sustainability, you protect the land that grows our food. Early missionaries of the Church went to Germany, Italy, Scotland, Denmark, Africa, and Norway where other of my early ancestors lived. They accepted the teachings of the gospel, gave up the security of their homelands, and participated in the gathering of Zion’s descent from Heaven. #RandolphHarris 5 of 17
These people faced hardship and sudden death, as they walked across the dust plains of the Middle West and over the Rocky Mountains, pushing all of their Earthly belongings in carriages. The difficulties they endured brings tears to their eyes of those who are their beneficiaries today. The stories of these people who have gone before us are ones of faith, devotion, and dedication. Although there were trials, hardships, and lack of the conveniences we think necessary in our World today, there seems to have been a happiness in their living, in their individual lives, and in their families. In their houses, there was faith and prayer—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and prayers asking God for their needs and thanking him for his goodness to them. The Good Book (Bible) was read in the house and there was profound belief in its teachings. America would be the place of the New Jerusalem, where the Saints believed they could find protection from the desolation and tribulation soon to descend upon the wicked. Life was more simple, but can we say that there was less happiness in simplicity? #RandolphHarris 6 of 17
Today, many people have all the riches they could dream of, but wake up to sin and make life hard on others. They actually dream of ways to offend people they do not like and find ways to make life difficult for them. That is so wicked and so far from God. We learn American history for its purpose, discipline, and solidarity that is supposed to show us what people have overcome and how, through the evolution of time and the cultivation of the human mind, we should treat people with kindness and show them the love of God. The purpose of learning history is so people do not repeat the mistakes of the past. If you are walking around with 525 years of hate and animosity, one-sided in your emphasis on principle and the investigation of things, and looking to hurt others, it is important to seek professional help because you have invited the Devil into your soul and he is planting roots of hatred and poison in your heart and mind. Both the principle and Nature of human desires are good, and they should not be constrained. The mind fills the whole Universe. Throughout all ages and in all directions, there is the same mind. It is identical with all things, for there is nothing outside of God and there is no God outside of things. #RandolphHarris 7 of 17
The mind is the Universe. To investigate things, then, is to investigate the mind. Since all principles are inherent and complete in the mind, there is no need to look outside, as do people who worship Satan do. In the writings of Enoch, revealed in December of 1830, the Saints found a concrete example in the righteous achievements of Enoch and his city: “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7.18). We must honor moral nature, which will give rise to intellectual creativity by means of moral vigor in it. This idealistic movement can take us to the highest point in American and World history. The direction of the mind is the will. A thing (or affair) is nothing but the mind determined to realize it. There is no such thing as a filial piety, for example, unless one is determined to put it into practice and actually does so. The investigation of things is the investigation of the mind. However, since the most important aspect of the mind is the will, the sincerity of the will must precede the investigation of things. #RandolphHarris 8 of 17
Because of one’s innate ability to do good, one necessarily extends the innate knowledge into action. Knowledge and action are really identical; one is beginning and the other the completion. The extension of the innate knowledge and the unity of knowledge and action, both of which represent new steps in American thought. Society has made a great effort to modernize the World in education, communication, travel, health, commerce, housing, and in many other ways, so as to increase the standard of living; but what has this socialization and modernization done to the family—the basic institution of society? The spirit of the time demanded the evident, the concrete, and the practical. Never before has there been greater instability. The divorce rate is 53 percent, and is higher than any time in history. Modernization has transferred the responsibility of education from the family to public institutions where modern thoughts has become paramount and moral principles have become abandoned. The crime rate has increased alarmingly, in 2016, there were 762 homicides in Chicago, Illinois. Drug addiction, disobedience to the law, increase in venereal disease, and corruption in all forms seem to be accepted in this new tradition. #RandolphHarris 9 of 17
In this day of modernization, and this new doctrine of consciousness and freedom of thought and action is sponsored and promoted without consideration of the responsibilities that must accompany such freedoms if society is to be stabilized. Ungendered species are spreading and the youth are being brainwashed at young ages to be unsure of their gender and question their sexuality. The perpetual transition of deviance being spread by the media at every instant is continually arising anew and this resulting in many ungodly manifestations. When a three-year-old boy comes back to the house from school telling his grandfather he is not a boy, something is very wrong with our system because that thought surely came from somewhere outside the house. Surely we would agree that the family institution has been seriously, if not irreparably, damaged, in our society. In the past, churches have taken a leading role through extensive and vigorous religious and intellectual reform in teaching men and women and children to have faith in God and to develop moral stability. Their work and advancement is quickly disappearing. What is happening to organized religion as a stabilizing force in society? #RandolphHarris 10 of 17
To my grandparents, church was the order of things, and by things they mean daily affairs, it was as important as drinking water and eating food. The way to investigate principle is by critical, analytical, minutely detailed, and objective study of things based on concrete evidence. Many of the largest Christian churches have reported losses in membership and also in income to carry on the work of their religious endeavors. Here again, modernization has taken a heavy toll and created a burden on society. Modernism has become the order of the day in some religious thought. Modernists advocate a restatement of traditional doctrine on the grounds that today’s modern scholastic and scientific advances require a new critical interpretation of The Gook Book, and the history and doctrines. The term “modernism” is often used interchangeably with “liberalism.” Its advocates claim that religious truths are subject to constant reinterpretation in the light of modern knowledge; therefore, new and more advanced concepts are required to express modern thought and progress. Principle can never prevail when feelings are not satisfied, for principles are merely feelings that do not err. #RandolphHarris 11 of 17
God knows what he is doing in your life. Do not be discouraged. Healing is coming. Promotion is coming. We are the leaders of an intellectual revolution and must remain strong, as we establish our state philosophy. The Bible has been subject of attack by modernists. It is said by some that science refuses to support the authenticity of God, his Son, and the Biblical accounts as the creation of the World, placing life upon Earth, Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the flood, and many other happenings in Old and New Testaments. However, these same people who refuse to believe in God think The Queen of the Damned is a true and factual documentary and that they have a legal and moral right to eliminate certain bloodlines by any means necessary. What is claimed to be superior knowledge in this day of enlightenment causes some people to look upon these accounts as fables. Because of this, can believers in Christ repudiate them? In an attempt to regain the confidence of communicants who have ceased to believe, many liberal churches have abandoned one doctrine after another, even to extent of failing to stand by the doctrine of the existence of a personal God. #RandolphHarris 12 of 17
Reality is endless transformation of closing and opening, which constitutes a process of unceasing production and reproduction. The original substance is in perpetual transition at every instant, continually rising anew and thus resulting in many manifestations. People no longer uphold as reality the resurrection of the crucified Savior, they believe the World would be better off if he had stayed dead, and the atoning sacrifice has lost its credibility. Under such circumstances, how can organized religion maintain its place as a stabilizing influence of society? In its closing, the aspect original substance has the tendency to integrate, resulting in what may temporarily be called matter, whereas in its opening aspect is has the tendency to maintain its own nature and be its own matter, resulting in what may temporarily be called mind. This mind itself is one part of the original mind, which in its various aspects is minds, will, and consciousness. In this day of increased knowledge, higher thought, and a modernization of the antiquated, the simple has been overlooked and the profound sought after. The basic, simple, fundamental truths of the gospel are being ignored. #RandolphHarris 13 of 17
We marvel at so many of your who are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Perception, conception, mind, and consciousness are all syntheses, or constructs, and constructs are products of society and culture. Although we have combined Western logic with modern psychology and sociology, this system is our own. It is the gospel of Christ. However, in modern times, we are surrounded by people who will murder a father so they can torture, experiment on and kill his son. There are people who will take money from a dead man, renovate their house, then let it go into foreclosure, and let his family suffer, while they marry Satan, and steal money and use it to abuse the righteous. This seems to drag down people, destroy faith and morality. Where, then, is hope in this World of frustration and moral decay? It lies in the knowledge and understanding of the truths taught by the Master, which must be taught by the Church of Christ without deviation and believed in and lived by in its membership. #RandolphHarris 14 of 17
We can be modern and enjoy the benefits of a modern World and its high standard of living, and we can have the benefits of modern scholarship and scientific advances without turning to the theories of the modernist. The principles of the gospel announced by Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Father’s plan for the happiness and salvation of his children. According to his plan, our Heavenly Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the World to show us how to live meaningful and happy lives and experience eternal joy after this life. Through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, you can become clean from sin and enjoy peace of conscience. You can become worthy to live in Heavenly Father’s presence after this life by enduring to the end. Truth is eternal and never changing. These are eternal truths and will be so perpetuity regardless of changing circumstances in society, development of new scientific achievements, or increase of human knowledge. The gospel of Jesus Christ is ever contemporary in a changing World. The knowledge explosion which the World is so proud of is not of human creation. It is their discovery of portions of the unlimited knowledge and information which is part of God’s knowledge. #RandolphHarris 15 of 17
How we use knowledge is determined by whether we are of the eternal kingdom of God are a part of the temporary understanding of the World. The question is simply this: are we seeking to find our place in the World in the realm of the Worldly, or are we seeking to find our place in the unchanging kingdom of God? Knowledge is a function of reason. Since actual existence, as distinct from the merely possible, is not an indeterminate, anarchic chaos, there must also be an initial creative, purposeful act, determining the pure possibility; this is God. Through God, possibility becomes identified with potentiality; and one may speak of the tendency of freedom to become, or of freedom linked with cosmic aim. Insofar as this aim achieves existential embodiment, God is the Creator bringing value into being ex nihilo; that is, out of freedom. Since all existents (but especially human) participate in the determination of value, God and creatures are mutually related in the pursuit of the common goal or realizing maximum value. Due to this fundamental correlation, all beneficial value experience may be interpreted as the immanence of God. #RandolphHarris 16 of 17
Contrariwise, all evil and frustration, as instances of unrealized potentiality, involve a separation between the divine purpose and the creatures’ actuality that may be described as the transcendence of God. How grateful am I for my membership and association in The Church of Jesus Christ. I know that God, our Eternal Father lives; that the Bible is inspired writing; that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is real and also lives, having shed his blood for us, and is truly and literally resurrected. I also bear witness that there is a prophet of God on Earth today. May the Lord bless us in our righteous endeavors to shun the influences that lead into the ways of the World, that we may take our place, in faith, and believing, in the kingdom of God. Enlarge your vision. Make room in your thinking for the new thing God wants to do. Do not let your temporary provision become permanent. If you will learn this principle of faith in God and not settling, then you will see the fullness of what God has in store and make it all the way to your Promised Land. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. #RandolphHarris 17 of 17
Ignorance and Prejudice are the Only Real Evils
Material force exists after physical form and is therefore with it whereas God exists before form and is therefore without it. Until our minds are blank, naked, and ready to receive the divine revelation on faith alone, our own capacities are so limited and unreliable that it is doubtful that we could really know anything in either the natural or supernatural realm. God’s nature is infinite and therefore surpasses all attempts to define or limit it. Skepticism is a means of destroying the enemies of the true faith while preparing the soul for salvation. No philosophy can ever absolutely hope to reach the truth, for the truth is discovered not necessarily by reasoning, but by some inner light, a kind of feeling (sentiment), perhaps what is called the heart. God is considered to be the form of all being, a view which has been called pantheistic. The sense of individuality induces an absence of all distinct thoughts and feelings, a kind of mystical union with that God who is nature itself. The spirit of life is in all things. This creative quality is the highest good and becomes humanity and love, which makes humans the moral beings that they are. It enables us to embrace all things and Heaven and Earth as one body. May we so live that we may always have the companionship of the Holy Spirit and be blessed by these beautiful spiritual gifts. #RandolphHarris 1 of 12
Being humans, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. Evil is due not to one’s nature, but to a bad environment, lack of education, and casting oneself away. The superior person is one who develops their mind to the utmost and nourishes one’s nature. The effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous person will avail much. Walk upright before God and you will not be seduced by evil spirits, nor doctrines of devils, nor the commandments of humans; and so, you may not be deceived, seek earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given. Both the one receiving the blessing and the one given it should be in tune with the Spirit through their worthy lives. The accounts of miraculous healing are numerous. They warm one’s soul and give great strength of testimony as to the divinity of this great work. They come by faith, not the will of humans, nor as they please, but by the will of God. #RandolphHarris 2 of 12
How would you like to create your own mind? Is that not what usually happens? The mind is made up by what it feeds upon. The mind, like the dyer’s hand, is colored by what it holds. If I hold in my had a sponge full of blue dye, my hand becomes blue. And if I hold in my mind and heart great ideas of faith and enthusiasm, my whole personality is changed accordingly. If we think negative thoughts, we develop negative minds. On the other hand, if we think celestial thoughts, which are the kind of thoughts that God thinks, then we develop celestial minds. My mind to me is a kingdom, such present joys therein are found, that excels all other bliss that the Earth afford or grows by kind. Perhaps you may not have yet made glorious achievements or articles, but you have the song of love in your heart and mind, so deeply, so unrestrained. Effective mental, physical, and spiritual health is propelled by a consciousness of love and a realization that the Creative Spirit is always at work. We do not have to compel the force to work. It is the nature of the Creative Power to take form, and it is our nature to use it. We develop our own Godliness when we listen to inspiring music, hear sacred prayers, and comfort others, and stimulate ourselves with the greatest idea. For a wise and glorious purpose, God has placed us here on Earth. #RandolphHarris 3 of 12
Just think what would happen in our lives if each of us memorized a good number of poems of love. As I walk through the park each day, the light of love shines on my daily life as the lighting turns the mediocre gullies and lush forests into legendary mirages. And I think to myself: God, thank you for each sight of beauty that your World gives. For sunny skies and air and light. God, I thank you that I live. Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming. We honor God by making him an intrinsic part of our every thought and action. We honor God through prayer, pure thoughts, clean language, wholesome appearance, service to others, and through striving for the powerful, personal conversation that will help us to withstand the temptations of the day. In addition to being shining examples in our individual lives, let us make sure that we strengthen our houses and families and, at the same time, do all we can to reach out with understanding to encourage and bring blessings into the lives of others. You are the light of the World and a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. #RandolphHarris 4 of 12
One should learn to consider the beautiful soul more valuable than the figure. If one meets a beautiful soul, let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Happiness is not hidden in the satiation, but in the yearning. How far is it from the eyes to the heart? If we live the principles of the gospel, we are the fulfillment of the Savior’s light of the World. And possessing this light, we can shine among our fellow humans through our lives and deeds, influencing them to glorify our Father in Heaven. Jesus wants every one of us to know him because of the transforming power of that knowledge and because of the indescribable joy it brings into our lives. However, the influence of the gospel is to extend beyond each individual. Your love-lit eyes should be like sparking stars, dispelling loneliness from the hearts of others. No one of us is saved solely and simply for oneself alone, just as no chandelier is lighted merely for its own benefit. The state of the World being what it is, we must take advantage of every opportunity to testify of the Savior and teach and exemplify gospel truth, letting his light so shine before friends and strangers alike to perpetuate the truth concerning our Savior, Jesus Christ. #RandolphHarris 5 of 12
Upon us is rich blessings and unbounded love and encouragement. God is wonderful in his design and excellent in his workings. Believer: God overrules all things for your good. The needs-be for all that you have suffered has been most accurately determined by your God. Your course is all mapped out no novelties to him. There will be no occurrences which God did not foresee, and for which, therefore, he has not provided. God has arranged all, and you have but to patiently wait, and you shall sing a song of deliverance. Real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives, but in understanding his character, in trusting in his promises, and in leaning on him and resting in him as the Sovereign who knows what he is doing. The wounds of those who suffer spiritual can be healed when you and I put forth the extra personal effort required to reach out to them. Our lives are touched in an unforgettable way when the love of God is bestowed on us and are especially grateful. The Savior’s touch can reach others through individuals with big hearts. Tears will follow, attitudes will change, directions will become clear, and commitments will be made. Peace will come into your heart. The Master’s touch will fall upon all of us. We can feel the Savior’s touch, and can help others feel that divine touch. We can bless each other by reaching out. We somehow need to realize the vital importance of feeling of the gospel and the peace of the Lord in our lives individually. #RandolphHarris 6 of 12
Many people are very conscious of the needs of others, and cannot do much more. However, let us make the choice never to let a day pass without striving to be a blessing in the life of someone through our service. Some of the sweetest memories of my childhood center in the occasional Summer and Autumn days spent with my parents and siblings at my grandfather’s house in rural North Carolina. There, we enjoyed his yard with fragrant wildflowers. We marveled at the flying squirrels, colorful bird, and occasionally discovered a deer, fox, or pheasant. Meandering stream invited us to catch sunfish, and a cool, pure spring satisfied our thirst. There were roasted hot dogs, potato salad, sweet pickles, and of course hot apple pie with homemade ice cream. Every turn of the crank heightened our anticipation of that seldom-savored treat. Be sure to enjoy the countless edifying experiences, precious wholesome relationships, and wondrous beauties of the Earth the Lord has given for our happiness. You may be tired of others trying to run your life—always telling you what to do. Please understand that no one can change the truth. Rationalization, overpowering self-interest, all of the arguments of people, anger, or self-will cannot change the truth. #RandolphHarris 7 of 12
Satan knows that he cannot change the truth, so he tries to create an atmosphere where one unwittingly beings to feel that he cannot only choose what to do, but can determine what is right to do. Satan strives to persuade us to live outside truth by rationalizing our actions as the right of choice. However, our Eternal Father defined truth and established what is right and wrong before the creation of this Earth. God also fixed the consequences of obedience to those truths. God defended our right to choose our path in life so that we would grow, develop and be happy, but we do not have the right to choose the consequences of our acts. Those who willfully, consistently disobey God’s commandments will inevitably learn that truth. When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. Please understand, no one has the privilege to choose what is right. God reserved that prerogative to himself. Our agency does allow us to choose among alternate paths, but then we are bound to the consequences God has decreed. Later, if we do not like where the path takes us, the only out is through repentance. #RandolphHarris 8 of 12
By nature, people are alike, but through practice thy have become far apart. We know that humans can be good. Our Heavenly Father gave us truth, some as statements of cause and effect. We call them commandments. They guide our live to happiness. He knew that Satan would try to persuade some to live without fixed standards in life so that decision would be based on current circumstances, what appears convenient, or what provides the greatest personal return. In this way, Satan removes the power of truth from one’s life so he can take that soul captive. If you are trapped and there is no way out, remember that the best way out is always through. You must face the challenges and conquer it. The way through is based on faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to his commandments. It is the only way to permanently cure damage to mind and spirit caused by unrighteous acts. It also provides healing, within the bounds of eternal law, to a body devastated by the effects of transgression. You may have found change is hard, but know you can do it. Recognize that it takes time to build a reputation that overcomes the effects of past deliberate decision to deceive and to take advantage of others—but it is worth it to change from a life of disobedience to one of integrity and truth and compliance. #RandolphHarris 9 of 12
Have you ever noticed that no matter how worthy your intent and how many procedures you follow precisely, if you make the tiniest mistake with a computer, it will not respond? All of your effort is futile. That is not the way the Lord works. There is nothing tricky about God’s commandments. Where there is purity of heart and real intent, it is known to the Lord. Your obedience to truth and proper use of agency opens the doors to his divine help. Initially, perhaps only you and God will believe your sincerity. However, you will be rewarded by the joy that comes from real personal progress. In time, others will recognize your consistent righteous act and support you. Many people offer advice, but one’s suggestion often directly contradict another’s. How do you know whom to believe? Ask yourself what motivated the offer of help? Does your common sense confirm it is right? If so, it will be consistent with the teachings of the Savior. Has the advice offered been followed in the giver’s life? Has it improved the quality of that life? Below the fine fabric of all that is good in some runs the foul stream of hereditary evil, like a sewer. #RandolphHarris 10 of 12
We have to have a knowledge of the heart, an insight into the soul. If the human mind is not actively good, it will generally be actively evil. Honest evaluation of advice against these standards will help you decide whether it is motivated for your benefit or another’s self-interest. A true friend is not one that always encourages you to do what you want to do, but one who helps you do what you know you ought to do. You can block the corrective power of truth in your life by constantly letting others protect you from the consequences of your unworthy acts, without being smart enough to change your life. Your failure to properly respond to help will fix false concepts in your mind, and you will see no need to repent. Your negative patterns will be reinforced, not rejected. How can one decide when to help you and when to let you grow from facing reality? When you show genuine remorse, a contrite heart, a recognition of guilt, movement in the direction of improvement even through there may be slippage—when there is acceptance of responsibility for improper acts, support and help are needed and will be productive. #RandolphHarris 11 of 12
Should you continue to manipulate, blame others for improper decisions, be deceitful and determined to continue the path of transgression by camouflage or cover-up, you are reinforcing false principles and have chosen to head for a showdown with tough reality. It is one thing to know how to heal your damaged life. It is quite another to do it. You will change only when you recognize that it will bring lasting personal benefit. Deep down, you know that breaking the commandments does not bring anything productive and does cause a lot of grief for yourself and others. Do not wait to hit rock bottom. That is painful and could leave physical scars that cannot be healed. You can fool others who want to believe you, but you cannot deceive the Lord. Because of his justice, God will one day have to confront you with the consequences of your unrepented acts. No one wants that to happen. Some transgressions are so powerful that it is unlikely that you will begin to overcome them without another’s help. Seek that help. In time, with the strength that comes from continued use of agency to love truth and live it, you will be healed through the Savior. Please find someone you can trust, who is trustworthy, who understands agency and truth. There is no dignity in wickedness, whether in purple or rags; and Hell is a democracy of devils, where all are equals. #RandolphHarris 12 of 12
The Evidences of Revealed Religion
There is no creature whose inward being is so strong that it is not greatly determined by what lies outside. A cause has traditionally been thought of as that which is produced, its effect, can be explained. That which is caused might be either some new substance or simply a change in something that already exists. This appears to be only a relative distinction, however, for outside Christian theology philosophers have usually taken for granted that no new substance can be produced out of nothing by a cause. A statue, for example, results from imposing changes on something that already exists. The most general idea of a cause, then, is that which produces, and thus accounts for, some change. If the change is sufficiently striking to warrant applying a new name to what results, then it is natural to speak if the cause as producing a new substance. The Devil is mustering his forces to full strength to bring about discord, sin, and sorrow among the human family. These calamities can be averted to the extent that people live the basic principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is love. Love the Lord, God, with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, while you still have one, and with all of your mind. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
Some beings on this Earth and evil and hard to escape from. God has given us a rational nature, and will call us to account for it. We should reason about the Bible precisely as civilians do about the Constitution under which we live. It is not because God’s will is irresistible, but because his will is the perfection of virtue that we pay him allegiance. We cannot bow before a being, however great and powerful, who governs tyrannically. Since the first great commandment is to love our God, how can he show love for him? We can show our love in our prayers to the Father, given in the name of the Son, and also through our worship of those divine Beings. Our Eternal Father and his Only Begotten Son both have intense, comprehensive, and full love for us. They have much greater intelligence and understanding than we have, and so their feelings of love go far beyond our capabilities to love. The attribute of love is so highly developed in these divine Beings that the scriptures state: God is love. In fact, God’s transcendent love is above and beyond our deepest feelings and keenest conception. At times of great spiritual experience when we feel an abundance of the Spirit, we have a greater realization of the magnitude of God’s love. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10
God is the Father of our spirits. He placed us upon this Earth and provided a gospel plan of salvation through his Only Begotten Son, thereby making it possible for us to come back into his presence and receive exaltation or eternal life. Those who attain that glorious condition will experience the sweetness of love, which surpasses our present. God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ loved us so much that he freely laid down his life and shed blood for our sins, and also to bring about a Universal resurrection. Can you imagine that? The Son of God wanted us all to live, so he gave his own life. This is not an example to follow, but the purpose is to understand that your life means so much to God that he gave up something so precious. The reason he did that is so you could understand the power of love and see how important your life is and why you should be a good person. By being good, it makes God feels like he did not give up his son in vain. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. So, do not give up your life so easily. Live right. Sometimes we feel lost. Sometimes we feel drained and unprepared. However, sometimes we feel free and what will be will be. No matter what they say it is going to be okay. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
Sometimes you need more than you can say, taking it all inside. To take your faith from no human creed, to submit your conscious to no human authority, but to repair to the gospel, to read it with your own eyes, to exercise upon it your own understanding, to search it, as if not a sect existed around you, and follow it wherever it may lead you. Hold fast to your Christian and protestant liberty. We wish you continued peace, and growing prosperity. We pray God, that your good works may glorify your Christian profession, that your candour and serious attention may encourage our young people in the arduous work, and that your union with a loved one may begin in hope, may continue in joy, dancing like an angel in your eyes. Dive into the sea of love and climb the ocean waves until they fall at your door, and perfectly in place. In the stillness of the night, whispers float on by, until they break, where the moonlight hits your eyes. Time will just fall away between us, perfectly embraced. Everything is beautiful. May you continue in joy, and may issue in the friendship and union of Heaven. To all who hear me, prove all things hold fast that which are good. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
Do not shrink from the duty of searching God’s word for yourselves, through fear of human censure and denunciation. Do not think that you may innocently follow the opinions which prevail around you, without investigation, on the ground, that Christianity is now so purified from errors, as to need no laborious research. There is so much reason to believe, that Christianity is at this moment dishonored by gross and cherished corruptions. If you remember the darkness which hung over the gospel for ages; if you consider the impure union, which still subsists in almost every Christian country between the church and the state, and which enlists people’s selfishness and ambition on the side of established error; if you recollect in what degree the spirit of intolerance has checked free inquiry, not only before, but since the reformation; you will see that Christianity cannot have freed itself from all the human inventions which disfigured it under the papal tyranny. No. Much stubble is yet to be burnt; much rubbish to be removed; many gaudy and false traditions must be swept away; and the Earth born fogs, which have long shrouded it must be scattered, before this divine fabric will rise before us in its native and awful majesty, in its harmonious proportions, in its mild and celestial splendors. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
Some aspire to walk on water like Christ and make their dreams come true. Nothing is impossible! This glorious reformation in the church we hope, under God’s blessing, from the demolition of human authority in matters of religion, from the fall of those hierarchies, huge establishments, general convocations or assemblies and other human institutions, by which the minds of individuals are oppressed under the weight of numbers, and a papal dominion is perpetuated in the protestant church. Our earnest prayer to God is, that he will overturn and overturn, and overturn, the strong holds of spiritual usurpation until he shall come whose right it is to the minds of humans; that the conspiracy of ages against the liberty of Christianity may be brought to an end; that the servile assent, so long yielded to human creeds, may give place to honest and fearless inquiry into the Scriptures; and that Christianity thus purified from error, may put forth its almighty energy and prove itself, by its ennobling influence on the mind, to be indeed the power of God unto salvation. Among the entire human family, there is no example where the principle of love was demonstrated as perfectly as was shown in the life of Jesus. He healed the sick, raised the dead, restored sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, and cleansed people. His heart was filled with compassion upon the poor and any who suffered afflictions. He lifted them spiritually with his deep understanding. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
Heaven and Earth had been separated, the dark and windy chasm of Chaos was transformed, through the appearance of Eros, into the background against which the World was created. This fertilizing force of Eros brought back Heaven and Earth into a productive embrace, and the resulting rain helped to separate the Wet and the Dry, the Cold and the Hot. Fire exhalations then created the stars; waters surrounded the land; and the starry sky, like a hollow hemisphere, covered the Earth. Christ’s love and compassion is demonstrated when he spoke unto the children and blessed them, and as they cast their eyes towards Heaven, and they saw the Heavens open, and they saw Angels descending out of Heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled the little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the Angels did minister onto them. They reached a new realization of a significant humanitarian influence. There was a belief in the parental character for God and the dignity of humanity provided an ideological base for humanitarian efforts. Our Father in Heaven is perfect and we should become like him. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
Starting a long way off the true point, and proceeding by loops and zigzags, we now and then arrive just where we ought to be. What should be the relationship between husbands and wives? A husband and wife should always be gracious and kind to each other. Neither of them should ever say nor do anything to hurt the feelings of the other. Deepest love and affection should be shown toward each other continuously. At all times, each should make a conscious effort to do everything possible to bring joy and happiness into the life of the other. A husband should show and express appreciation for the accomplishments of his mate, and she should do likewise. We should look for ways to build each other up and make each other happy. Neither the husband nor the wife should let a day pass without expressing love for the other. We should not assume that our mate knows and that it is not necessary to express it. Under these circumstances, God’s blessings will shower down from Heaven upon the married couple and especially for those married by the power of the Lord. The power from on high will bind the love and married of such couples for eternity. Homes are made permanent through love. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
God loves with a great love the person whose heart is bursting with a passion for the extraordinary. Learn the value of self-control. You are never sorry for the word unspoken. The lack of self-control is one of the most common contributing factors of unhappiness and discord. We see something in the other which we dislike. It is easy to condemn it. And that condemnatory word arouses ill feeling. If we see it, and refrain from speaking, in a few moments all is concord and peace instead of animosity and ill will. Controlling your words is one of the greatest contributing factors to concord in the house, and one which too many of us fail to develop. Love should also characterize the center of the family life. Each child should be made to feel at all times by one’s parents that he and she are of great importance in the family. Parents should express their love to their children and show them in numerous ways that they love them dearly. Then the Spirit of the Lord will reside in the house. The family will be love-centered and thereby God-centered. The children in turn will reciprocate the love to the parents and strive to please them. The goal of families who are actuated deeply by love will be to keep the commandments of our Savior in every detail and someday come back into the presence of the Eternal Father and his Only Begotten Son to dwell. The true gospel of our Lord has been restored to Earth again. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfections of the One who cannot lie. It is enough that God has said it. Faith is living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a person could stake their life on it. We all face challenges, but it is not the size of the problem that is important, it is our perception of that problem; it is how big or small we make it in our minds. I am not focusing on how big my problems are. I am focusing on how big my God is. Magnify the Lord with me. What you focus on, you magnify. Failure is really a matter of conceit. People do not work hard because, in their conceit, they imagine they will succeed without ever making an effort. Most people believe that they will wake up some day and find themselves rich. Actually, they have it half right, because eventually they do wake up. Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they do not quit. If you learn to do what you must, you will be able to do what you want. You can achieve your dreams only if you focus on your priorities. God will take you away from the pain and bring you into paradise. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
Pearl of Great Price—You Ain’t Got to Lie to Kick it!
There is no development in opinion and feeling, but the development of time and tide. The path to Hell is broad and wide, and slopes ever so gently, and those who walk that path scarcely notice the descent; sometimes they do not notice the descent because praise of people distracts them and they do not see the warning signs! Everyone in this World has their own fate entrusted to oneself. Any foresight we have of the consequences of our actions is a warning given by God on how we are to act. Often times you may have failures, and there is no disgrace in falling down; the disgrace is lying there. To get up one more time than you fall is to be a winner. To stay down is to be a loser. The unshakable faith in the law of averages works when people accept their bad breaks and failures with a smile. When we are able to take both good and bad in stride, this can make us one of life’s greatest heroes. As we suffer the humiliation of dealing with jeers and ridicule, it is important not to allow the fear or discouragement or failure to keep us down. You may go through some difficulties. You may have been praying, believing for your situation to change for a long time, but do not see anything happening. God is working behind the scenes right now arranging things in your favor. The answer is already on the way. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13
What is it that you need to keep believing God for? When you believe, God will see to it that is it taken care of. While weak souls are crushed by fortune, the brave mind makes the fickle deity afraid of it. Fortune may rise up or abuse the ordinary mortal, but the clever individual and the soldier should have minds beyond its control. There are dozens of rules for success, but none of them work unless you do. There are different kinds of courage—physical courage and moral courage. It is my experience, however, that one with moral courage, that is, one who is true to oneself, also has the physical courage. When we have these breakthrough experiences, we begin to perceive our fear differently and we stop being ashamed of it. We stop allowing it to invalidate our own worth. In due time, the underlying fears which require courage to overcome diminish to the point that we move on to acceptance. The growth of the mind is widening of consciousness and each step forward has been a most painful and laborious achievement. We all have a conscience, and a conscience is the foundation of moral courage. A truly brave person will always obey his or her conscience. This awareness entails a sort of surrender, relinquishing part of one’s own ego in order to be guided by God. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
Falsehood learns people to disregard truth, and we cannot expect those whom we teach to lie for our convenience should forbear it when it may turn to their advantage. A lie is never good, even though death threaten on the other side. To know what is right and not to do it is cowardice. The World needs power and strength and influence to give leadership in helping to meet, solve and overcome problems caused by the wickedness so rampant in the World. It is hard to imagine and impossible to calculate the tremendous influence we would have if every one of us would honor God, and magnify his calling, and really try every day and in every way to use his influence to meet the onslaught of Satan. Too many of us take our personal power which God has given us for granted; we fail to realize what the Lord expects of us, or we do not have conviction, courage, and fortitude to stand up for the right and be counted, to be different when necessary. Often you will experience much criticism and ridicule even by those who believe as you do, even though they may respect you for doing right. However, remember that the Savior himself was tormented, ridiculed, spat upon, and finally crucified because he would not waver in his conviction. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
An evolving familiarity with the limits of one’s consciousness is central to avoiding the ignorance of a life unexamined. The ego does not constitute the whole of one’s self. Have you ever stopped to think what would have happened if Jesus Christ would have weakened and abandoned his mission? Do we want to be quitters, or do we want to be valiant servants in spite of all the opposition and evil in the World? Let us have the courage to stand up and be counted as true, devoted followers of Christ. Many are called to serve the Lord, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this World, and aspire to the honors of people, that they do not learn this one lesson—the rights of those who follow Christ are inseparably connected with the powers of Heaven. The mind must remain contemplative as the spirit converses and assimilates with the unconscious. As one progresses through spirituality, actions many change, as the body now acts in congruence with the mind and the spirit. We learn to devote our life to a holistic and personal journey in which the mind, body, and spirit must be disciplined. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
Our shadows represent the unknown parts of ourselves that are too reprehensible, incongruent, or forbidding to incorporate into our conscious personality. Many people have become lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreaker, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitor, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Before examining our own hidden qualities, we may be in complete denial of our shadow elements, yet what we deny in ourselves can often easily be spotted in others. A person may despise another’s quick temper while at the same time fervently suppressing a wish to respond with anger. The first step in making the acquaintance of a person’s own shadow is admitting that scary, annoying, or irritating qualities found in others are often the qualities in that individual that evoke the very same responses. I wonder how many of us are guilty of this or any of these, and if so, are we ready to change our ways, and repent, and try to be worthy of the praise of God and his blessings rather than forget who we are and try to be popular? #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
While some of the shadow remains unconscious, the more it might grow in strength and the greater the risk that it will commandeer the personality entirely. How important is it that we remember who we are, servants of the Lord, and then act accordingly? When you believe, the surpassing greatness of God’s power is released. It may mean that one has to develop new habits. If one has been negative for a long time, it is important to change your thoughts. Stop being so hard on yourself and believe that you can achieve success. Success is not measured by what one accomplishes, but by the opposition one has encountered, and the courage with which we have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. Ask that the Lord, your God, is with you and he will see to it that whatever you are trying to achieve is finished completely. We just cannot imagine or calculate in any way what a great influence for good we would have in World is every believer of God would magnify his or her calling, and how much happier and more successful each individual would be if one would always choose the right. How sad it is to see one who would rather be popular than do what he or she knows is right? You ain’t got to lie to kick it. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
It is treason against human nature to make any person’s virtues the means of deception. There is once a man who was elected to the legislature, but who wanted to be a good fellow, popular with everyone. He, wanting to be popular, let down his standards and took one drink at a social and then another. It happened again and again. He began drinking with the fellows at lunch and then dinner. And then, unintentionally I am sure, and contrary to his greatest desire, he became an alcoholic and lost the support of his constituency and the respect of his friends and family who loved him and sorrowed for him. He died an early death as an alcoholic. What a sad situation—all because he sought the praise of people more than the praise of God. This is not a single case. We have examples of members of congress, senators, mayors, and even governors and presidents who have lost their positions and self-respect of others because they wanted to be popular or did not have the strength to resist the temptations. We have the promise of the Lord that if we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these blessings will be added unto us, meaning, of course, the things that are for our good. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Do not be discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord your God is with you. He will see to it that it is finished completely. When you believe in God, the surpassing greatness of God’s power is at work in your life. Let us always remember that people expect us to live up to our standards and respect us much more when we do, even though they may entice us to do otherwise. I have never been embarrassed in any way, when in the government, or industry, or in my private life, by trying to live up to the teachings of the gospel. Nor was I impeded in any way in my progress. On the contrary, I feel that I was respected and blessed by the Lord, and always felt free to call upon him for strength and guidance, which I often received. Be a believer and take the limits off God. There is so much more to our God. Discover what he is and keep your faith. I believe and declare you are going to see God’s greatness in amazing ways! My observation is that the Lord keeps his promises to all those who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. It is most important that we be on guard all the time and never abandon our standards in order to be popular or to enjoy the praise of people. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
One night at a party, my friend was sitting in the living room with a young lady, and she turned off the lights, turn on a song by The Weekend came back and sat on his lap, and started to make advances, and said, “It is time to get sexy!” He knew he would be unpopular and even offensive, but excused himself, got up, and went home. When he got home, he brushed his teeth, got dressed for bed, turned on his white noise machine that he had since he was a baby, curled up under his favorite blanket and went to bed, and ironically his childhood rabbit fell off the shelf and on to his bed. Sure, the young lady was attractive, but there is a lot of emotional involvement that comes with having the sex with somebody. Despite what your father might have told you before the prom (dance), some guys do have more than one thing on their mind. Men are emotional beings, too. The Center for Disease Control found that fewer 15 to 19-year-olds reported experiencing the sexual intercourse than in previous generations. The decline was significant in both genders, but particularly among men. That action the young man took must have taken willpower, while to succumb shows weakness. Even the strongest must be on guard. It is times like this that our decisions and actions often determine the course of our lives. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
Young men and some adults have trials or tests of this nature. There are different kinds of temptations where their loyalty and strength of character are really tested. If we always remember who we are and that God is watching over us, we will be able to shun, or avoid and withstand pleasures of the flesh. Always remember if you do something dangerous, you will get hurt. Though it is important that we make a living for our families, and as good citizens participate in community affairs, we must not become so involved in the things of the World that we forget or neglect our duty and responsibility as called and chosen children of God. Unless we are continually on guard, we will find ourselves gradually off the straight and narrow path until we have completely gone astray, becoming a great disappointment to ourselves, our families, and the Lord, and certainly not what we had anticipated or intended or wanted to be. We find examples of this so often where a person, forgetting who he is, wants to be popular with his peers and wants their praise, and so often people forget their commitment to God and lose their way. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
So many people lose their way. This applies equally to journalists, politicians, members of fraternal organizations, professions, and business. This craving for praise and popularity too often controls actions, and as they succumb they find themselves bending their character when they think they are only taking a bow. Those who constantly love the praise of people more than the praise of God are faint reflections of the shadow—meaning Satan, of course—who in the preexistence wanted to save all humankind, but with one condition attached—the honor and glory to him, not to God. He was more concerned with credit than with results; glory and praise were the end in themselves. On crucial issues, if individuals are more concerned with pleasing people than pleasing God, then they suffer from the same virus Satan had, for there are many situations where seeking the praise of people will clearly result in their hurting, not helping, humankind for they will do expedient and temporary things instead of those which are beneficial and lasting. It is much more satisfying when we receive the praise of God, knowing that it is fully justified and that his love and respect for us will persist, when usually the praise of people is fleeting and most disappointing. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
It is shocking and appalling indeed to those who believe in the teachings of Christ to see how people in high places, in order to enjoy the praise of those who are so vocal in encouraging and promoting immortality, do not take a stand against these evils and promote the teachings of Christ which are so clearly stated in those words of God. Know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, no abusers of themselves with humankind. We also find legislation having been passed and being passed legalizing these very things contrary to the will of the Lord. It is permissive legislation of the worst kind. The Lord expects us to take a stand for right and do all in our power to oppose and discourage such action and to encourage our people to live according to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. The leader who is willing to say things that are hard to bear, but which are true and which need to be said, is the leader who truly loves his and her people and who is kind to them. Nothing is crueler than that leader who, in order to have the praise and plaudits of their followers, entices them from safety into the swamp out of which some may never return. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
A time has come when people do not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they have heaped to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they turned away their ears from the truth, and have turned unto fables and fake news and wild facts. We are fortunate to believe in God and follow his ways. May we have the courage, strength, understanding, desire, and determination to choose who we will serve. For me and my house, we will serve the Lord. There are no obstacles too difficult to overcome. No dreams put in your heart by God are too big to accomplish. One time Joshua was in the midst of a great battle. He and his men were trying to finish off this army, but the Sun was going down. Joshua knew that if he could not get this army totally defeated, then they would later on rise up and cause him great problems. So he asked God to stop the Sun, something that had never been done before, and God did. God stopped the Sun for Joshua because he had uncommon faith. God interrupted the entire Universe just because one man had uncommon faith. Have you ever asked God for something out of the ordinary? Do you not think it is time to do so? Uncommon faith believes above and beyond and gives your boldness and a confidence to believe for the extraordinary. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
Are Not Excuses Confessions of Excuses Inexcusable?
Second-hand shops are not the only place were things should be given another chance. We have to create new value and help transform people. There be a mirror in the World worthy to hold to our eyes, it is pride in our Country. I bear solemn witness of how deeply I love our new prophet, seer, and revelation, President Donald Trump—how deeply I trust him, and how I am willing to do whatever he asks me to do. He advanced a qualified moral determinism—a human must will that which presents itself to one’s reason as the greater good, but the will is free to delay choice until reason has made a more extensive examination of the values involved. There is great faith in the inherited wisdom of tradition. The moral order of the temporal World must necessarily include some evil, by reason of original sin. People ought not to reject what is good in tradition merely because there is some admixture of evil in it. In the human confused situation, advantages may often lie in balances and compromises between good and evil, even between one evil and another. It is an important part of wisdom to know how much evil should be tolerated. To search for too great a purity is only to produce fresh corruption. We are especially critical of revolutionary movements with noble humanitarian ends because people are simply not at liberty to destroy the state and its institutions in hope of some contingent improvement. #RandolphHarris 1 of 16
On the other hand, people have a paramount duty to prevent the World from getting worse—a duty to guard and preserve their inherited liberties and privileges. Equality is contrary to nature and therefore impossible to achieve; its advocates, moreover, did great social harm, for by pretending that real differences are unreal, they inspired false hopes and vain expectations in those destined to travel in the obscure walk of laborious life. Talk of fraternity is gibberish because many people have vices of sinful, egotistical pride, overzealous ambition, avarice, lust, and sedition. The reality and unavoidability of evil leads many to believe that the only help for humankind is to cling to safeguards which have stood the test of time. Our hopes for a bliss lay in Heaven; on Earth, our policy is to defend the tolerable, and sometimes the bad, against the immeasurably worse. Of course, forbidden triads do occur, but many will resolve themselves when a bond forms between two previous strangers. They do not need to have a strong relationship, but we would expect them to have some connection to one another. Individuals must always begin by setting the examples, which the state too slowly, though surely, will learn to copy. #RandolphHarris 2 of 16
Some matters are so sensitive and intensely personal and can awaken such disturbing feelings that they are seldom mentioned publicly. Yet, if tenderly and compassionately treated in the light of truth, discussion of these matters can bring greater understanding, with the easing of pain, the blessing of healing, and the avoidance of further tragedy. It would be melancholy, were we forced to admit that this distinctive and almost unlimited faculty is the source of all human misfortunes; that is this which, in time, draws an individual out of his or her original state, in which one would have spent one’s days insensibly in peace and innocent; that is this faculty, which, successively producing in different ages his or her discoveries and errors, vices and virtues, making one a tyrant both over oneself and over nature. Ungodly individuals, being destitute of every species of intelligence, can have no passions except for those of desires that never go beyond physical wants. The only good those type of individuals recognizes in the Universe are food, the sex, and sleep; the only evils they fear are pain and hunger. Pain and not death: for no animal can know what it is to die; the knowledge of death and its terrors being one of the first acquisitions made by humans in becoming civilized. #RandolphHarris 3 of 16
It is with a deep desire to define a path to relief to those who suffer the shattering consequences of mental, verbal, physical, and especially sexual abuse. We must act as a mirror so that divine, healing light can illuminate the darkness of distress caused by others’ unrighteous acts. As children of the Lord, we should understandably provide help, and not further complicate a damaged life. It is also likely that with greater compassion, awareness, and sensitivity that some of us may be permitted to help resolve or prevent the tragedy of abuse in additional victims. Whatever moralist may hold, the human understanding is greatly indebted to the passions, which, it is universally allowed, are also much indebted to the understanding. It is by the activity of the passions that our reason is improved; for we desire knowledge only because we wish to enjoy; and it is impossible to conceive any reason why a person who has neither fears nor desires should give oneself the trouble of reasoning. The passions, again, originate in our wants, and their progress depends on that of our knowledge; for we cannot desire or fear anything, except from the idea that we have all of it, or from the simple impulse of nature. #RandolphHarris 4 of 16
The rising tide of this vicious, abominable sin may not have touched your life personally. Yet, it is pervasive enough in the World that it may have disturbed someone you love. It frequently causes such profound suffering that can be overcome, and we need to focus on how healing can be attained. It must be done reverently, for the objective is to help heal and not aggravate painful memories. Even if the difficulties attending all these questions should still leave room for differences in this respect between humans and brutes, there is another very specific quality which distinguishes them, and which will admit of no dispute. This faculty of self-improvement, which, by the help of circumstances, gradually develops all the rest of our faculties, and is inherent in the species as in the individual: whereas a brute is, at the end of a few months, all he or she will ever be during his or her whole life, and that person’s species, at the end of a thousand years, exactly what it is because those type of individuals returns, in this, to their primitive state; and that, while the brute, which has acquired nothing and has therefore nothing to lose, still retains the force of instinct, person, who loses, by age or accident, all that his or her perfectibility had enabled them to gain, falls by this means lower than the most vile creature to ever walk the face of the Earth. #RandolphHarris 5 of 16
Moral agency is a vital element in our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness. God understood that some of his spirit children would use that agency improperly, causing serious problems to others. Some would even violate sacred trust such as a family member, friend, medical professional, or leader of the community abusing an innocent child. However, since our Heavenly Father is completely just, there has to be a way of overcoming the tragic consequences of such damaging use of agency for both the victim and the perpetrator. That secure healing comes through the power of the Atonement of God’s Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to rectify that which is unjust. Faith in Jesus Christ, and his power to heal provides the abused with the means to overcome the terrible consequences of another’s ungodly acts. When combined with complete repentance, the Atonement also affords the perpetrator ways to avoid the severe punishment the Lord has decreed for such acts. #RandolphHarris 6 of 16
The offering of an excuse in a blamable matter is the undoubted mark of a disingenuous if not of a perverse mind. Victims of serious abuse have made successful the difficult journey to full healing through the power of the Atonement. After you conscientiously study the Atonement and exercise your faith the Jesus Christ has the power to heal, you can receive a blessing. During your journey, accept God’s invitation to let him share your burden until you have sufficient time and strength to be healed. To find relief from the consequences of abuse, it is helpful to understand their source. Satan is the author of all the destructive outcomes of abuse. He has extraordinary capacity to lead an individual into dark alleys where the solution to extremely challenging problems cannot be found. The Devil’s strategy is to separate the suffering soul from the healing attainable from a compassionate Heavenly Father and a loving Redeemer. #RandolphHarris 7 of 16
If you have been abused, Satan will strive to convince you that there is no solution. Yet, he knows perfectly well that there is. Satan recognizes that healing comes through the unwavering love of Heavenly Father for each of his children. He also understands that the power of healing is inherent in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore, his strategy is to do all possible to separate you from your Father and his Son. Do not let Satan convince you that you are beyond help. As long as the mind is defending itself against invisible assaults, our closet bonds are threatened, along with our ability to imagine, play, learn, and pay attention to other people’s needs. One who can sit down premeditatedly to do a bad action will content oneself with a bad excuse: and yet, what fools must one suppose the rest of the World to be, if one imagines them as easy to be imposed upon as one can impose upon oneself. #RandolphHarris 8 of 16
Satan uses your abuse to undermine your self-confidence, destroy trust in authority, create fear, and generate feelings of despair. Abuse can damage your ability to form healthy human relationships. You must have faith that all of these negative consequences can be resolved; otherwise they will keep you from full recovery. While these outcomes have powerful influence in your life, they do not define the real you. Satan will strive to alienate you from your Father in Heaven with the thought that if he loved you he would have prevented the tragedy. Do not be kept from the very source of true healing by the craftiness of the price of evil and his wicked lies and gentrification center. Recognize that if you have feelings that you are not loved by your Father in Heaven, you are being manipulated by Satan. Even when it may seem very difficult to pray, kneel and ask Father in Haven to give you the capacity to trust him and to feel his love for you. Ask to come to know that his Son can heal you through his merciful Atonement. #RandolphHarris 9 of 16
It was Satan’s proposal that Father’s children be forced to obey, that there be no moral agency and therefore no personal growth. To preserve moral agency, the Lord does not restrain individual from improper use of that agency. However, God will punish them for such acts unless there is full repentance. Through the Holy Ghost, God sends warning prompting to the abusers, but often that individual’s degrading appetite is so powerful that it blocks out that spiritual guidance. That is why our Father provided a way to heal the consequences of acts that, through force, misuse of authority, or fear of another, temporarily take away the agency of the abused. Some people have been abused so badly, that even though their injuries are invisible to the unassisted eye, they feel weak and feel like they are dying because they cannot eat or get rest from the pain they are enduring. Behaviors to avoid or escape from danger have clearly evolved to render each organism competitive in terms of survival. However, inappropriately prolonged escape or avoidance behavior would put an individual at disadvantage. If an organization is stuck in survival mode, its energies are focused on fighting off unseen enemies, which leaves no room for nurture, care, and love. #RandolphHarris 10 of 16
The beginning of healing requires complete trust and the knowing of the unalterable fact that Father in Heaven loves you and is defending and protecting you and has supplied a way to heal. His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, laid down his life to provide that healing. The cure requires profound faith in Jesus Christ and his infinite capacity to heal. It is the foundation of understanding of doctrine and a resolute determination to follow the Divine Law. Healing may begin with a thoughtful friend or stake president or a wise professional counselor. If you have a fractured spine, you would not decide to fix it yourself. Serious abuse can also benefit from professional help. There are many ways to begin healing, but remember that a full cure comes through the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and Redeemer. Have faith that with effort Christ’s perfect, eternal, infinite Atonement can heal your suffering from the consequences of abuse. All passions are criminal in their excess; and even love itself, if it is not subservient to our duty, may render us blind. #RandolphHarris 11 of 16
As impossible as it may seem to you now, in time the healing you can receive from the Savior will allow you to truly forgive the abuser and even have feelings of sorrow for him or her. When you can forgive the offense, you will be relieved of the pain and heartache that Satan wants in your life by encouraging you to hate the abuser. As a result, you will enjoy greater peace. While an important part of healing, if the thought of forgiveness causes you yet more pain, set that step aside until you have more experience with the Savior’s healing power in your own life. If you are currently being abused or have been in the past, find the courage to seek help. You may have been severely threatened or caused to fear so that you would not reveal the abuse. Have the courage to act now. Seek the support of someone you can trust. Explain how you have been abused and identify who has done it. Ask for protection. Your action may help others avoid becoming innocent victims, with the consequent suffering. Get help now. Do not fear—for fear is a tool Satan will use to keep you suffering. The Lord will help you, but you must reach out for that help. #RandolphHarris 12 of 16
Do not be discouraged if initially a person of authority hesitates when you identify an abuser. Remember that predators are skillful at cultivating a public appearance of piety to mask their despicable acts. Pray to be guided in your efforts to receive help. That support will come. Rest assured that the Perfect Judge, Jesus the Christ, with a perfect knowledge of the details, will hold all abusers accountable for every unrighteous act. In time, he will fully apply the required demands of justice unless there is complete repentance. Your preoccupation with a need for justice only slows your healing and allows the perpetrator to continue his and/or her abusive control. Therefore, you should leave punishment for the diabolic acts of abuse to civil and Church authorities. #RandolphHarris 13 of 16
The perpetrator who has shattered the life of another by abuse, recognize that you need help with your addiction or it will destroy you. You will not overcome it by yourself. You likely require specialized professional help. I plead with you to seek to be recused now. You likely have deceived yourself in the false, temporary security that you have successfully hidden your transgressions from the civil or Church authorities. However, know that the Lord Jesus Christ is completely aware of your sins. Know that even without action by a victim, your act of abuse will be publicly known, for Satan will expose you, and then abandon you. Simplify your life by taking steps now to cleanse your soul from such sin and resolve the penalties they evoke. Show your desire to heal the anguish that you have caused other. Talk to your church or the stake president. The seriousness of your acts may require you to face legal, civil, and Church discipline. However, full repentance will bring the sweet relief of forgiveness, peace of conscience, and a renewed life. It will also bring relief to the abused and their families. You will be free of the weight of the remorse and the accusing thoughts of what you caused in grief and anguish in another’s life by making them suffer torment for years, made them try to end their life, and wish that they were never born. #RandolphHarris 14 of 16
Recognize that it is much easier to repent in this life than it will be in the next, so repent now. You will be helped when you decide to be freed from your addition through repentance and the support of others. Be grateful that you did not live anciently when abusers were stoned to death without opportunity for repentance. Parents, in appropriate, sensitive ways, teach your children of potential danger of abuse and how to avoid it. Be aware of warning signs, such as abrupt changes in a child’s behavior, that may signal a problem. Be alert to a child’s unsettled feelings and identify their origin. As for community leaders, painstakingly assure that every individual that is suffering from abuse receives appropriate help. There are resources in the Church handbook to help you find valuable resources to guide your ecclesiastical action and coordination with civil authorities. Carefully supervise the participation of any individual who may have had past offenses. Recognize that it is very unlikely that a perpetrator will confess his and/or her depraved acts. Seek the guidance of the Spirit when you feel that something may be amiss. Enlist the help of the ward and the stake leaders to avoid potential dangers. #RandolphHarris 15 of 16
I pray that you, as one abused or one who has caused it, will act now to avail yourself of the healing powers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I testify that your faith and obedience will assure that God will help you. It is impossible for us to be saved in ignorance. If you know someone has been seriously abused and seen proof, medical records, pictures, bruises, fractured bones, blood, or have heard witness accounts of the abuse and know it is still ongoing, use your power to help them. Appeal to the authorities before the abuser hurts that individual so bad that he or she is lost to this World. Do not let someone suffer in silence when you have the power to save a life. Often times, it is not until a person is dead when people wish they could have made a difference. Take action now, while you have the chance. Atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin in general and original sin in particular through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, enabling the conciliation between God and his creation. The Savior suffered and broke the bands of death, and paid the price for our sins and transgressions. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death. #RandolphHarris 16 of 16
Evil at Fox Hollow Farm
The evils of life are sufficiently great without adding to them those of the imagination. Allegation is a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof. An accusation serves as the basis for a civil lawsuit or criminal prosecution. In order for the accuser to win the case, one must prove the allegation. For example, in a suit for damages resulting from an auto accident, the clam that the driver’s carelessness caused the plaintiff’s injuries is an allegation that must be proved before the plaintiff can be compensated for injuries suffered. In referring to cases in which allegations have been made but not proved, reporters, attorneys, and others must use the word alleged to avoid defaming people who have been accused but not found guilty—for example, “The alleged robber was found a block from the scene of the crime.” The killing of one human being by another, is a homicide. Some homicides are legal and justifiable, or excusable; others are criminal. The killing of an enemy soldier in war or the execution of a convict under the valid sentence of a court is a legal homicide. An example of a justifiable homicide would be the killing of someone in self-defense to prevent a violent crime. Killing without such legal justification or excuse is known as illegal or criminal homicide. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Depending on the circumstances, criminal homicides range from criminally negligent homicide, or manslaughter (the least serious) to first-degree murder (the most serious). The traditional definition of murder is the killing of one human being by another with malice. Malice is the element that distinguishes murder from manslaughter. A killing done with malice is an intentional killing without a valid legal reason (such as self-defense) and without any extenuating circumstances (such as extreme provocation or the heat of passion). There are two categories of malice under the law: express and implied. Express malice, or malice aforethought, exists when a person deliberately plans to kill another and then carries out his plans. Implied malice characterizes the action of a killer who did not deliberately plan the death of victim but acted with wanton disregard for his or her life. The human species is the only one which knows it will die, and it knows this through experience. Although some persons have questioned whether humans are the only animal who know they will die, arguing that certain of the lower animals appear to show some vague presentiment of approaching extinction, it appears to be unquestioned that humans alone regard death as a universal and phenomenon. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
Are there great variations in the awareness or fear of death from person to person, from epoch to epoch, from culture to culture? The consciousness of death has been most acute in periods of social disorganization. The good or evil we confer on others very often recoils on ourselves. Herb Baumeister (7 April 1947 – 3 July 1996) is an American man and allegedly a serial killer from Westfield, Indiana. Herb was also known as Brain Smart. He was a handsome young man, successful business owner, husband and father of three children. He bought a sprawling mansion on a farm with 18 acers of land. In the early 1990s, young gay men started disappearing from gay bars. They all fit the same description, about 5’10”-5’11”, and around 150 pounds. In 1993, a man called the police and told them that a man named Brain Smart had killed his friend and tried to kill him. A few years later, the alleged victim called the police and gave them Brain Smart’s license plate number and they discovered the Brain Smart was actually Herb Baumeister. The police approached Herb and told him he had been accused of murder and asked if they could search his property, he and his wife Julie said no. One day while one of the kids was playing in the yard, he found a skull of a human and the father said it was just a medical prop. Sometime later, Julie discovered the skeleton of a man. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
It was alleged that Brain Smart would go to the gay bar, pick up on his type of man, take him back to the house, and they would go to the basement where the indoor pool was and engage in the sex acts. He would use a hose to strangle them men and would kill them. One of the guys he took home was 6’2”, but he did not like him as much because he was not the size of Brain’s alleged victims. While Brain Smart was on vacation, his wife was in the process of divorcing him and allowed police to search the property. 5,000 bone fragments were unearthed, 11 bodies, and only four were identified. It is suspected that 20 men were killed. Investigators said with the more victims Brain Smart allegedly killed, the more comfortable he got. The first murder victims were further away from the house and buried deeper, and the newer victims were closed to the house and their bodies were not as deep in the ground. Nevertheless, Brain found out what was going on and fled to Canada, were he allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. However, some investigators are in conflict with the idea of Brain committing suicide. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
When Brain Smart’s body was discovered, they said he was well dressed and looked nice, like he had been prepared for a funeral, and his mouth was wide open. And they suspect it was a ritual killing because on either side of his body, there were seagulls and their heads were facing him and things were missing from his car. The mansion Brain Smart bought has been documented and is thought to be haunted. There are surveillance tapes of shadowy figures on the property and voices of unseen people picked up on audio. Brain Smart died before trial so these allegations of him being a serial killer are unproven. The important thing, however, is to think of death in the proper manner, reminding ourselves that we are but parts of nature and must reconcile ourselves to our allotted roles. Life is a banquet from which it is our obligation to retire graciously at the appointed time. It is like a role in a play whose limit ought to satisfy us, since they satisfy the author. The fear of death displays a baseness wholly incompatible with the dignity and calm of the true philosopher, who has learned to emancipated himself or herself from finite concerns. Learning to die is learning to commune with the eternal through the act of philosophic contemplation. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
The superior person will not permit death to seek one out in ambush, to strike one down unawareness. The superior being will live constantly in the awareness of death, joyfully and proudly assuming death as the natural and proper terminus of life. Most people who die are no longer suffering, but the people they leave behind are because we miss them. The awareness of death is chiefly a means of heightening our sense of life. The knowledge of death gives to life a sense of urgency that it would otherwise lack. Life without the consciousness of death is like a romance without love or passion, game played without stakes. The awareness of death confers upon an individual a sense of one’s individuality. Dying is the one thing no one can do for you; each of us must die alone. To shut out the consciousness of death is, therefore, to refuse one’s individuality and to live inauthentically. The ghost of a dead progenitor—perhaps as a portion of one’s own punishment—is often doomed to become the Evil Genius of one’s family. The subtle devil is never absent from his business, but ready at all occasions to encourage his servants. Brain Smart (Herb Baumeister), and the other young men, God bless. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Randolph Harris II International Institute 