The Meditations of a Latter-day Saint

Courage "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." -Joshua 1:9 Fear, the Counterfeit "And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory." -Moses 1:20 Three Christ-like Attributes: Faith, Hope, and Charity To begin with these attributes it's appropriate to pose the following questions: What is faith? What is hope? And, what is charity? To the first of these three, faith is defined thus: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen." -Hebrews 11:1, with the Joseph Smith Translation and Greek Mark 5, with the Greek A good illustration of this comes from the story of   Jairus, w...

 What is Stoicism? Stoicism has been exaugurated to be defined as one who is without feeling or emotion. But this is simply not true. It means to compose oneself. To regulate one's thoughts and emotions. In the Book of Mormon, Alma shares the following counsel with his second son, Shiblon, who had was "stoned for the word's sake". Alma 38:10-12 10. And now, as ye have begun to teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things. 11. See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength. 12. Use boldness, and not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness. The list of these four cardinal virtues of stoicism: 1. Wisdom 2. Courage 3. Justice 4. Temperance This blog is the beginning of a new series wherein I will address these virtues.

 The Pursuit of Wisdom "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." -Philippians 4:8 The appreciation I have for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the invitation we receive to find things in this world which are true, good, and beautiful. In the pursuit of these things, I believe it's important to take these things and elevate them to a higher plain or standard. In a world where Post Modernism places truth and beauty into moral relativism, the Gospel allows us to take the good things that can be found and to remove them from the mire of sophistry. A House of Learning In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord stated that we should seek an education with faith. "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another wo...