It was given in 1978 by Elder Neal A. Maxwell...
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or
political life.'
"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.
"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes
will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."
--- Elder Neal A. Maxwell
And, as a doctor myself, I couldn't help feeling some resonation with this article. Although I can't forsee any similar circumstances for my profession, if I had to consider changing 21 years of school because of a new ruling similar to prop-8 failure, it would be a very hard pill to swallow.
And, as a doctor myself, I couldn't help feeling some resonation with this article. Although I can't forsee any similar circumstances for my profession, if I had to consider changing 21 years of school because of a new ruling similar to prop-8 failure, it would be a very hard pill to swallow.
3 comments:
Wonderful talk, and great find. I know that people will try and rationalize this away as his opinion, but it is so straight forward and clear that you can't deny what the Lord's servant has said. We are seeing this exact thing happen today in society. How prophetic of Elder Maxwell to declare this 30 years ago. This one part in particular gave me chills, "This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions." How incredibly true this rings today. With groups like the ACLU and Democratic party which hail every lifestyle, practice and opinion except the Christian one. They claim equality for all, as long as it's not for Christians. They reek of their hypocrisy. It's sad that we can't believe what we want and follow our religious convictions without experiencing social, political and professional back lash. Satan and his crafty deceptions have blinded people so badly today. He has such an amazing hold our society, and the one anchoring source of light and direction (our apostles and prophets) is being ignored at a time when we need their counsel most.
As a nation we are unfortunately moving further and further from what Christ taught. We are also moving closer and closer to the Helaman Chapters of the Book of Mormon. The book that was written for our times shows eerie parallels to our day. I've read it enough to know what follows these days and it makes me sad for my kids and what they will have to deal with. The signs truly are there showing that 'summer is nigh'. It give me renewed vigor to teach my children correct principles, strengthen my family and live my life in harmony with Christ's teachings and the counsel of our Prophets so I can withstand the heartache, sorrow, and trials that await us as a nation. You don't have to take my word for it, just look at what the modern day prophets have been saying.
Great points, oh wonderful Calderwood brothers. I am happy to stand strong next to you two! In case you didn't see this, I found this very interesting today:
http://www.ldslivingonline.com/article.php?articleId=82645
Thanks for the link Deon, it's always nice to read things like that.
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