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ZION IS AS MUCH ADJECTIVE AS NOUN
Once again Albert misperceives the nature of the elephant

Three words for you Albert:

Ba.

Lone.

Eee.

I fear Paranoia is getting the best of you, aided by its running mate, Ignorance.

Do Mormons "seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion" (D&C 6:6; 11:6; 12:6)? Yes.

Do you understand what that means to us? Obviously not; else you would not be so fearful of it.

I will attempt to illuminate your mind: Zion simply means "the pure in heart"; that is the definition given in latter-day revelation (Moses 7:18; D&C 97:21).  We seek, through the grace of Christ, to purify our own lives and hearts with an eye single to the glory of God.  We would be such a "Zion people" that our Lord will delight to dwell among us. 

"Zion," to us, is as much adjective as noun.  Our goal is to be culturally comfortable with celestial beings, and vice versa.  Were Enoch's city of Zion to return (as we believe it will) we'd like to be their fellow-citizens.

This produces the outward morality, the "good neighbor" syndrome, you write of every so often.  One in harmony with the laws of God has no need to break the just laws of man (see D&C 58:21).  One filled with the love of God increases in wisdom and stature, and in favor with Him and with men, as exemplified by our Lord (see Luke 2:52).

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world," and it will remain so until He personally returns.  If you don't think that great and dreadful day will ever really come, then I suppose you have nothing to fear from a "Mormon theocracy" or "Taliban Lite" or any other aspersion you care to cast upon the LDS community. 

Nor need you fear, if you believe that when He comes He'll reject the LDS claims of being His own "true and living church."  He can do what He wants, and associate with whom He will.  We only wish to be the kind of people He can and will use in His kingdom, whether in this world or the next.

Do not mistakenly assume that rebellious freaks like the FLDS have a place at our table, nor have our sympathy as anything other than fellow American citizens.  Do not mistake the codifying of community standards as local law for the federal establishment of a religion, nor as a uniquely LDS phenomenon, nor as anything inherently to be feared.  The beauty of our Constitutional system is that laws can and should reflect the values of the people who institute them.  Such was the intent of the Founders.

© 2009 Michael Christenson - 5/20/09

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Date Other Titles - by Michael Christenson Comments
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Aug 30, 10 THE GUY THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT 2
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Aug 27, 10 WHAT I WROTE TO SHARRON ANGLE 3
Aug 26, 10 A NATION OF ROBBERS ARE WE 9
Aug 23, 10 SOMETIMES 'CIRCULAR THINKING' ISN'T SO BAD 7
Aug 22, 10 OBAMA ON HIS FAITH, IN HIS OWN WORDS 4
Aug 19, 10 SPECULATIVE SPIRITUALITY = SELECTIVE IGNORANCE 8
Aug 18, 10 REALLY INCREDIBLY AWESOME AND AMAZING 4
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Aug 16, 10 RANDOM STUFF AND CRAP 3
Aug 14, 10 HEALING IS TENUOUS AT BEST 10
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Aug 10, 10 THE GODHEAD: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FATHER 5
Aug 9, 10 OBAMA AND THE BOO SCOUTS 4
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Aug 3, 10 SO EASY, EVEN A CAVEMAN... 4
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Jul 26, 10 A SIGH. TEA? WHY, YES. 3
Jul 24, 10 COME, COME, YE SAINTS 4
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Jul 16, 10 IS IT EVEN WORTH EXPLAINING AGAIN? 10
Jul 9, 10 GONNA HAVE TO KILL SOME CRACKERS AND THEIR BABIES 5
May 16, 10 ROBOT PRESIDES AT WEDDING...ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS? 4
Apr 16, 10 SEX, MURDER, AND THE SCALE OF SIN 10
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Apr 3, 10 YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED... 3
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