| Contents
Hymns of Inspiration
Recent and Upcoming Events
From the Mission Field
International Observances
Remember in your Prayers
Dedicated to Holiness
Blowin' in The Wind
Sunday School Notebook
The Life and Times of Wilford Woodruff
Come Now, and Let us Reason Together
Hymns
of Inspiration
When the Saints of Zion
Keep his law in truth
Hate and war and strife will cease
Men will live in love and peace
Heav'nly Zion, come once more
And cover all the earth
Hymn 47 - We Will Sing of Zion - click
here to sing along at home!
(Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Recent and Upcoming Events
Local Chapters
To get an idea what's going on at the local chapters of MESJ all across
the United States, you may want to have a look at the online MESJ
Calendar of Local Events.
Upcoming events have been planned so far by our chapters in San Francisco
and Las Vegas, and more events will be added on the calendar as information
comes available.
If you live within the geographical boundaries of a local MESJ chapter,
please contact the local contact person to offer support and to find out
more about activities.
Becoming Anxiously Engaged
Anxiously Engaged invites you to become Anxiously Engaged!
Please feel free to submit material for our columns From the Mission Field,
Recent and Upcoming Events, and Come Now, and Let Us Reason Together.
In addition, if you know of local events in your area that need our attention,
please email us and let us know.
The Cause of Zion
Saints both ancient and modern have found the quest for Zion
was and is always an imperative where they should build a society that
has no poor.
Indeed, at the very beginning of the restoration of the Jesus Christ's
ancient church the cause of Zion was declared by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
(D&C 6: 7.) Through out early church history its members made Zion
their ultimate cause as they settled in Jackson County, Nauvoo, and the
Great Basin Territory and surrounding areas. New economic
arrangements were instituted that made the pursuit of commerce for the
collective good of God's Kingdom. The saints were trying to achieve economic
equality when the pursuit of wealth was not to be only for personal enrichment.
but that others will be also rich like them selves.
As it is so stated in the Book of Mormon. "But before ye seek
for riches seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtain a
hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them: and ye will seek
them for the intent to do good….to clothe the naked, and to feed
the hungry, and to liberate the
captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted"
(Jacob 2:18-19)
Read an open letter
MESJ received from Barton Tippets, a new member of our Salt Lake City
chapter.
MESJ is welcoming initiatives like 'The Cause of Zion' and hopes Bart's
letter will resonate among the members of MESJ. Please read Bart's letter
prayerfully and contact him by phone or email.
From the Mission Field
Both at home and abroad the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
is perceived as 'an American Church' by most people. Not surprisingly of
course, since the church was founded in the United States, with her historic
Pioneer-trek accross the plains as an American Epic.
And even today, in an increasingly International Church, her geographical,
cultural and organizational center is still very much American. But apart
from the question how the church could become more diverse there is another
pressing issue; unfortunately American foreign policy to a large extend
determines how people perceive our missionaries, young and old, accross
the world.
Unfortunately that general perception is not good.
Many people around the world perceive 'Mormon missionaries' as exponents
of 'all things American'.
Mormonism is quickly branded as 'one of those' American fundamentalist faiths.
People know little or nothing about Mormon history, but quite a bit about
American foreign politics. We may or may not agree, but it's a well known
fact that the present US foreign policy is widely seen as unintelligent,
arrogant, and culturally ignorant. These are not values that we as Latter
Day Saints want to be associated with. Hostile to the United Nations, refusing
to honor earlier commitments like the Kyoto Treaty, and the manipulation
around the war in Iraq has created further disrespect, sometimes outright
hatred for 'America', and for what people perceive she seemingly stands
for; unbridled capitalism, social inresponsibility, and disdain for cultural
and ecological environments.
Mormonism is of course based on values like: cooperation, social standards,
respect for cultures and for God's creation, but that is not people's perception.
Newsreports on televison screens around the world show quite a different
picture of American culture. The bottom line is that as long as the church
is seen as 'an American church', American foreign policy to a large extend
will determine how our missionaries around the world are perceived.
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "We must work harder to build mutual
respect, an attitude of forbearance, with tolerance one for another regardless
of the doctrines and philosophies which we may espouse. Concerning these
you and I may disagree. But we can do so with respect and civility."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997), 665.)
Anxiously Engaged welcomes submissions
from returned or presently serving missionaries!
Even if you served your mission many years ago, your observations of the
social circumstances of the people that you served, are likely to create
a greater awareness among us of social injustice.
International Observances
From our list
of international observances promoted by the United Nations: click
on each link for suggestions about how to commemorate the observance with
a brief family devotional (perhaps at the dinner table or before family
prayer).
Aug. 09 International Day of the
World's Indigenous People
Aug. 12 International Youth Day
Aug. 23 International Day for the
Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
and please remember these observances in your prayers (see the column
below)
Remember
in your Prayers
- Give thanks for your family's cultural heritage.
- Give thanks for the ways cultural diversity enriches the Church and
the world.
- Pray that indigenous peoples will be able to preserve their cultural
heritages.
- Pray for the efforts of those who work to address the problems of
indigenous peoples
- As applicable, give thanks for the ways younger members of your family
contribute to the family, the Church, and the community.
- Pray that younger family members will be able to successfully cope
with the special challenges they face.
- Pray that young people throughout the world will make wise choices
as they prepare for the future.
- Pray that societies will give priority to creating a brighter future
for young people.
- Give thanks for the abolition of the slave trade.
- Give thanks for living in a time when there is a global awareness
of the evils of racism and of the need to respect human rights.
- Pray for an end to ongoing problems with racism and human rights violations.
- Pray for those who suffer because of the lasting effects of the slave
trade. .
Washington D.C. Temple
Dedicated to Holiness
Latter-day Temples dot the globe in ever greater numbers, and MESJ would
like to reflect on their significance, specifically in regard to what
these holy edifices have been dedicated for in relation to an equitable,
just, peaceful and sustainable society. In our series 'Dedicated to Holiness'
we'll tour temples around the world, inspiring us to aspire to something
higher! This month's selection:
From the Washington D.C. Temple Dedicatory Prayer:
"Father, we are concerned with the political world of today and that
nations seem to need only the lighting of a match to bring war and desolation
and destruction. Bless, we pray thee, the leaders of nations, that they
may rule wisely and righteously and give thy people freedom to worship
thee in truth and righteousness. Stay the powers, our Father, that would
bring us to the brink of annihilation."
President Kimball in his dedicatory prayer probably made quite a few
political dignitaries, present at the dedication of the Washington D.C.
Temple, feel uncomfortable with that statement.
Pres. Kimball:
"nations seem to need only the lighting of a match
to bring war and desolation and destruction"
Where as the prophet says it crystal clear, the general membership of
the church in the US seems to have no reservations whatsoever to continue
to support political leadership that manipulates the American people into
supporting foreign wars. The war in Iraq has indeed brought 'desolation
and destruction' upon an innocent civilian population, bringing the Iraqi
people 'on the brink of annihilation' and despair with the outbreak of
a civil war. The number of GI's that gave their lives will very soon exceed
that of the victims of '9/11', not to mention the
countless wounded in battle.
Remarkably, we keep score of the casulties on 'our' side, while the numbers
of casulties among the people we're 'defending' seem to be irrelevant,
or at least of little consequence...
Pres. Kimball continued his dedicatory prayer as follows:
"Our Father, in blessing thy people with prosperity, we pray
that they may not be surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns
and wealth which would bring them to worship these false gods."
Some of the 'false gods' pres. Kimball was refering to are the ones
that he described in a statement less then two years later. This historic
statement has since been quoted over and over again.
It no doubt has become one of the most irritating prohetic statements
in the ears of some....
"We are a warlike people...When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources
to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel--ships, planes, missiles,
fortifications--and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When
threatened, we become anti-enemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train
a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of
Satan's counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior's teaching:
"Love your enemies..."
(Spencer W. Kimball, "The False Gods We Worship,"
Ensign (June 1976): 4.)
Blowin' in The Wind
Where have all the protest songs gone? Well, we're collecting them
in our MESJ Music Archive!
Nothing drives a point home better than a good old protest song, sung
from the heart with conviction.
Many protest songs are a little rough on the edges, evident for feelings
of frustration and indignation that are so often being denied expression
elsewhere. This month's selection:
Soldiers - (running time: 6.13 min) by the UK band Everking
All things being equal, how come soldiers of the 'coalition of the willing'
have second thoughts about the harsh reality of 'fighting someone else's
war'?
This soulful anti-war song by the band Everking was inspired by the fact
that the UK has lost over 100 soldiers in Iraq. The song speaks from a
soldiers' perspective.
The poem at the end of the song is "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke
who died in 1915. That, and a coversation with the brother of a British
Forces Squaddie was the inspiration for the song.
George Albert Smith, J. Reuben Clark & David O. McKay:
"By building a huge armed establishment, we shall belie our protestations
of peace and peaceful intent and force other nations to a like course
of militarism..."
(from: Messages of the First Presidency of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6:241)
Sunday School Notebook
by Susan Morgan
Sunday School Notebook recognizes the importance of connecting spirituality
and social justice through the scriptures. Following the Gospel
Doctrine Lesson Schedule for each week, we encourage you to actively
participate in the class discussions.
The following are the scheduled reading assignments for the sunday school
this year, which may vary from ward to ward. Click on each assignment
to read the reflections from Susan Morgan in our Sunday School Notebook.
The permanent link: The Scriptures
on the MESJ homepage will take you to an index page where all commentary
will be permanently available to assist you with your studies.
Sunday School Notebook will continue to add commentary as new material
becomes available, so please come back and visit often!
Just click on the reading assignments below, to read Susan Morgan's commentary.
The Life and Times of Wilford Woodruff
by Robert Poort
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, is the seventh
in a series of books of the teachings of Presidents of the Church, used
for personal study and for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society instruction
in church on the second and third Sundays . MESJ during 2006 will examine
the life and times of Wilford Woodruff in connection with social justice
issues each month in this online newsletter. This month in The Life and
Times of Wilford Woodruff:
Joseph Smith jr. as a presidential candidate
The life of President Wilford Woodruff (1807-1898) not only covered just
about an entire century, but also covered the lengthy geographical distance
from coast to coast. Born in Connecticut, moving in western direction
with the saints, he passed on in San Francisco after a brief illness.
The life and times of Wilford Woodruff thus encompasses much of the early
history of the church, including the lifetime of the prophet Joseph. Elder
Woodruff certainly could be called an insider of the events surrounding
Joseph Smith, he would serve as church historian from 1856-1889.
In 1844, while Wilford served a mission in the eastern United States,
the beloveth prophet Joseph would in that year become a candidate for
President of the United States.
Joseph's presidential bid seems to underscore the importance of being
'“full participants in political, governmental, and community affairs,”
as urged by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Joseph's candidacy was a political act, and as history would show, even
his death would be described as a political assassination.
In the book
"Junius and Joseph" by Robert Wicks, the author examines
Joseph Smith's nearly forgotten [1844] presidential bid, "JOSEPH
SMITH DECLARED HIS CANDIDACY in the 1844 presidential race as a political
reformer on an independent ticket..." the events leading up to his
assassination on June 27, 1844, and the tangled aftermath of the tragic
incident. It . . . establishes that Joseph Smith's murder, rather than
being the deadly outcome of a spontaneous mob uprising, was in fact a
carefully planned military-style execution. It is now possible to identify
many of the key individuals engaged in planning his assassination as well
as those who took part in the assault on Carthage jail. And second, this
study presents incontrovertible evidence that the effort to remove the
Mormon leader from power and influence extended well beyond Hancock County
[Illinois] (and included prominent Whig politicians as well as the Democratic
governor of the state), thereby transforming his death from an impulsive
act by local vigilantes into a political assassination sanctioned by some
of the most powerful men in Illinois. The circumstances surrounding Joseph
Smith's death also serve to highlight the often unrecognized truth that
a full understanding of early Mormon history can be gained only when considered
in the context of events taking place in American society as a whole."
(Amazon.com)
Both Joseph's decision to become a presidential candidate and president
Hinckley's call for active participation in political affairs show the
nessecity of becoming 'Anxiously Engaged' with the affairs of society
as a whole.
Wilford Woodruff, while on a mission in the eastern US, and learning
of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, returned to Nauvoo with other
members of the Quorum of the Twelve on aug. 6th, 1844.
Come Now, and Let us Reason Together
Isaiah 1:18
Who says Latter-Day Saints aren't interested in social justice issues?
MESJ is taking note of awareness creating online discussions on the internet
that can make all the difference. The following external links will connect
you to a number of web logs. While MESJ feels these discussions are relevant
to issues of equality and social justice, she of course doesn't necessarily
agree with all opinions voiced in these discussions. Please join the conversation!
a blog assuming Mitt Romney
will be the next president of the United States!
(Presidential Candidate) Joseph Smith takes on John Calhoun by Justin
Butterfield
A Mormon
Image: Mormons on the Picket Line - by Nate Oman
Marriage
Amendment to the Constitution - by Beliefnet
Mormons, Polygamy and
Gay Marriage - by Matt Evans
On the left: pioneer
ancestors and the International Church - by Wilfried Decoo
A Funny Thing Happened at the Forum on Mormon Feminism - by Kristine
Haglund Harris
Hiroshima - by Wilfried
Decoo
Mormons and Darfur -
by Ronan Head
Earth Day and the Church
- by Wilfried Decoo
If you know of other interesting online discussions for this column please
let us know!
|
|
