The Spirit has been weighing a lot of thoughts in my mind recently, so here is another post. In Genesis 3: 22 it says, “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil…”
Though Adam and Eve had transgressed, this step was a vital part of the plan. Without knowing the difference between good and evil, there would be no point in us having to prove ourselves to God. We also had to have opposites. In Doctrine and Covenants 29:39 it says, “And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet –”
If evil was never introduced to Adam and Eve, they would not fully understand good because there was nothing to compare it to. Likewise, they would not fully appreciate God and the good that He is without knowing the devil and the evil that he is.
Now let’s think for a moment why freedom of speech is so important. If what we say is censored and we are only allowed to hear one side of an argument, then it removes the ability we have to “be agents unto” ourselves. And do you see how the evil side could take advantage of that? If we only heard evil, then we would not hear the good, know it's contrast to evil, and be able to stand up against it.
And what if evil could force their narrative, and censor out good to the point that we started to believe that evil was good – good for us, for our families, and for our country? And that lies were actually truth?
In Isaiah 5:20 Isaiah warns us that in the last days we will start to confuse good and evil, “ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.”
What if we didn’t even know it was happening, because evil gained our trust, and then began to feed us lies instead of truth and facts? Is it our responsibility to actively be seeking truth and good? Even if our information and facts are being censored removing truth and good from everything we are told?
Absolutely.
Moroni 7: 12-19 says, “Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil. For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.”
God knew that the side of evil would try to confuse us. That is why he has given every one of us the Light of Christ and the Holy Spirit, which helps us to discern truth from falsehood and good from evil.
So if we are just accepting what is happening in the world around us without actively asking and seeking and truly trying to find out what is truth and what is good, then we are not utilizing these precious gifts that God has given us to be able to know that we are truly following Him. And the alternative is evil. Are we willing to risk our ignorance which could lead to following evil?
Why does this matter right now? Have you heard of fake news? Journalism was once founded on the telling of facts to inform the people. But have you noticed recently that only one side of the story is being told and it always seems biased? I used to be an opinion columnist. There is a big difference between facts and opinion, what is biased and unbiased. But people are still trusting the news as if they are telling facts. Are you unsure? Then I invite you to use those precious gifts that God has given us.
And what about “Fact Checkers”? They wouldn’t lead us astray, right?
What if fact checking organizations were created to emphasize the narrative being told by the media, and those doing the “fact checking” are biased as well?
For some, this sounds ridiculous, and I would have said that a year ago too. But once you start seeking truth – really seeking truth – you can’t unsee the falsehoods all around you. And it pains you to know that so many people are idly and blindly following that false narrative because the knowledge of what is really going on is too brutal for them to accept. We don’t want to know or see how bad things have gotten. We don’t want to accept that the organizations that we have trusted for so long are actually deceiving us. But could it happen? That is where we need to use our own critical thinking skills. Could you say beyond a shadow of a doubt, the media could not have been paid-off by large companies and political agendas to say what they want you to hear? I can’t. Which is what led me down this path of seeking my own knowledge and finding out for myself what is true. It seems so simple, but it was a long lonely path. And you can’t just talk about it openly amongst friends because most people are so blindsided that they would call you a conspiracy theorist, or worse. And if you get vocal enough, the powerful other side could even shut you down by publicly slandering you, “proving” that it is truth with their paid “fact checkers”, preventing you from being able to find a job to provide for your family, or even murdering you and making it seem like a suicide. It seems extreme, but when the devil’s plan is to indoctrinate the entire human race with lies, hatred, and confusion to lead us astray, is any tactic too extreme against those that fight back? Have millions across the world been slaughtered for their beliefs and faith?
In my first of these series of posts I talked about the Gadianton Robbers, and how we read about them in ancient times. These individuals worshiped the devil and plotted against everything right and good, and infiltrated top levels of government and society. And eventually brought the downfall of the Nephite and Jaredite nations. If the devil can have so much power over other generations, do you think he would stop there and not continue to build back up his own kingdom with his schemes and power struggles, corruption and lies through the same channels? Through the elite, wealthy, entitled, power-hungry, politicians? Of course not. If anything, knowing that we are in the Last Days and quickly approaching the time that our Savior will return and overcome him, he would of course be stepping up his game. Of course the devil will be building his army by whatever means he has available to him. And of course they would involve secret societies and secret combinations – because if the general God-fearing public were aware of his schemes and could see them out in the open, they would rise up against it. Wouldn’t they?
So if the wealthy and power-hungry are at the center of these evil secret combinations, you know, the ones who have money and are in powerful and influential places, then why would they not pay-off the media and social media companies to censor out what is truth and get us to fight and disagree with each other in regards to what is true and what is really happening in our country and all around us?
We live in a day and age where information spreads like wildfire. And we also live in an age where Photoshop and video editing software is ever present and available. It is so easy to create something false or manipulate something that is true into something that is false and make it still look true, and then sharing it on whatever platform is available to share it. Anyone can create a website and put statistics on it, and hackers can change and manipulate those statistics on those websites. It really isn’t a jump from knowing that these tactics are possible, to knowing that if they are possible, in this climate, that they are probably being used. And with everything we have learned and know about psychology, is it possible that we have been “trained” to believe every single thing without ever doubting that something could be amiss?
Aren’t you glad we have a God-given remedy to help us seek out and know what is truth? In Moroni we are reminded, “seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.”
Can you say with a clear conscience that you did everything in your power to seek out truth and light? Or did you accept what you were told because it was easier? I am also guilty, for years it was easier to let everyone else find and deliver the information to me, even though it could have been false. Even though it could be supporting an evil agenda or narrative.
The great thing about this post is that I’m not telling you what is going on around us is good or evil. I’m not telling you what to believe and what not to believe. I’m reminding you that you have a God-given right to find out for yourself what is true and what is false. And it doesn’t matter if the media or social media is censoring truth. We don’t have to accept what we see or read at face value. We have the Light of Christ and the Holy Spirit, who’s charge it is to validate truth. You don’t have to take my word for it, or anyone else’s. You don’t have to accept what you hear and see without question. You have the power within yourself to know what is true or not. The only scary part is that we will be held accountable for our own truth-seeking actions. If we fail to seek out and follow good, then by our inactions we are actively seeking out and following evil.
In Matthew 7:7 we are promised, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
And in John 14:18 we are promised, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
And in Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
And in Doctrine and Covenants 11:12, “And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good – yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”
I personally don’t watch the news anymore, or search on web browsers or social media sites that censor information. I don’t fall for the “fear mongering” of the media and their calls to action by giving up my freedoms. I will fight for truth, for honor, for my family and for my God. I’m doing my best to receive information from unbiased sources (because both sides are there – good and evil – but at least both sides are there so that I can learn and know for myself) so that then I can ask the Holy Spirit if it is in fact truth or not and if it does in fact require my attention or action and how to respond. Because now that my eyes have been opened, I can’t unsee the deception and lies all around us. I’ve also realized that the news in other countries are reporting more truth about what is happening in our country than ours is. We’ve been lied to and conditioned to believe what we are told, and the world is watching us, shouting at us to wake up and see what is REALLY happening around us. Because what happens in America will affect the world, and they know that. I can share with you the unbiased and uncensored sites that I have been using if you are interested. But again, you are responsible for your own journey toward truth. I am happy to help and give suggestions along the way, but I can’t make anyone see what they have to eventually see for themselves, especially anyone who is not even ready to seek it out yet. The same goes for our own testimonies of Jesus Christ. People don’t convert people, the Spirit converts people.
I know that God lives and that we are living in the Last Days, preparing the world for the Second Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that there seems to be a lot of scary things going on in the world, and knowing now that what we have been told may not be exactly how it is can be confusing and fear inciting. But God has given us tools and we can trust in him.
Are you willing to watch a video with an open heart and mind? Are you willing to do your own research? Are you willing to understand the risk that not finding out the truth will be on ourselves, our families and our country? I’m not suggesting you believe it, but I’m hoping it will encourage you to think for yourself and to start questioning what is happening right in front of our eyes.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/KKxCuKtGyYZh/
If you want to learn more about the Gadianton Robbers you can find more information here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/gadianton-robbers?lang=eng
Daniel C. Peterson, a professor of Islamic Studies and
Arabic at Brigham Young University in an article called “The Book of Mormon and the Descent into Dissent” said, “The Book
of Mormon testifies “that Jesus is the Christ” (title page). But it also offers
case studies in how dissension arises and how it damages the Church and individuals.
It was written “unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of
contentions, and establishing peace” (2 Nephi
3:12). It doesn’t merely describe the foibles and foolishness of
previous generations. It is for our day. We can, therefore, read it as a
commentary on our time, a guide and a warning to us.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/09/the-book-of-mormon-and-the-descent-into-dissent?lang=eng
The future is ours, but we can only “be agents unto” ourselves if we are given both good information and evil information to judge from – which is the whole point of our existence. Now, what we do with that information is up to each one of us. However, like always, we can’t choose the consequences that will come because of our actions or inactions. But through our faith and trust in God, we can know that He will deliver on His promises.
It makes freedom of speech have a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?
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