Counterculture part 2

      Let's go into theological law here for a second.  In a typical Christian church, there are twelve laws that all have to try to follow:

• Let God be your top priority (Exodus 20:3).
• Idolatry is very bad (Exodus 20:4).
• Deity is not to be mocked (Exodus 20:7).
• Worship God on the Sabbath (Exodus 20.8)
• Respect your parents (Exodus 20.12).
• Don't kill (Exodus 20:13).
• Don't canoodle with a woman that isn't your wife (Exodus 20:14).
• Thievery is condoned (Exodus 20:15).
• Lying is not good (Exodus 20:16).
• Acting upon jealousy is a sin (Exodus 20.17).
• Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22:37).
• Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 22:39).

     Yet most people don't seem to follow them as well as they can.  Many other Abrahamic religions such as Judaism and Islam have a book of laws (i.e. Talmud and Sharia respectively) that govern life so that one can live to be the best Jewish person or the best Muslim person God may want them to live.  There are rules and aphorisms for many of us to think about and apply to our own lives-- to be the decent human beings that we are.

     "Bigoted."
  
     "Chauvinistic pigs."
  
   "Narrow-minded."

     People come to disrespect the law-- other religions' laws.  Many become ashamed of their faiths and go down the deep end toward disillusionment.  Intolerance is a culture molded from a deep misunderstanding of one's own faith.  Many give up the faith after not being up to par with the laws in place and the people who slander them.

     Anarchy.  This religion-lacking population topples down the theological laws that have been put in place since the dawn of time-- a set of laws that each faith believes have been set by God Himself that cannot be compromised.  With that comes a contrast in "conservatism" and then "reform" flourishes**.

     As democracy is slowly filled with these secular men and women, there is much neglect in the theological laws that are put into place and the laws voted upon by the people are mostly those to advance those without such goals to benefit mankind-- sure, it may look like it, but the strife too often see among the religionists and the seculars result in a stalemate or an unappeasing compromise. For both sides.  Therefore, this low tolerance leads to a degradation of the purpose of democracy in the first place-- productivity goes down the drain and bickering jumps to uncomfortable proportions.

     Without applied theological law, socio-ethical law begins to weather away, as its foundation came from the very laws God has given us.

     When the people care more about their rights than their responsibilities, then you know that we're in trouble.

     See this pattern today?  Scared?  Angry?  Guilty?

     Here in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we do believe, like any other religious denomination, the belief that obedience [to God] will bring blessings regardless of its outcome.  It's a hard thing to do, but it's do-able.  We have the choice between doing so and reaping the long-term rewards thereafter or not doing so and suffering the consequences.

     Now, God doesn't expect us to follow ALL His commandments at once, but He asks us to improve each passing day.

     "Exact obedience means trying your best," I heard someone say.  It's true.  Because we're not perfect, every day is a learning and improving experience!

     "To be religious in this day and age means you have to sacrifice a lot of freedom and be persecuted by all the intellectuals out in the world," I hear.

     I'd like to take the example of one thing that Jesus pointed out to do-- a LOT.  That is to "love thy neighbor."   Regardless of situation or background, this is the one thing that is universally preached by all religionists.  It's hard to love people* who have wronged you and are different from you; however, it's possible.  Done properly, even if the other party may not be particularly fond of you, you will find that optimism and hope springs forth from a world filled with cynicism.

     I say that a lot-- that the world is cynical and mean, but it doesn't all have to be if we can go back to our roots!  Without religion, the world will not be able to function correctly.  Without pure Christianity, the world will not be as bent in loving others but loving the individual.

     The world* isn't a perfect place by far; it doesn't have to be.  We just need to make the choice to obey what God has instructed us to do.  This law is more universal than anything political-- those come and go, but God's law stays the same.  It has been given to us in this imperfect state that we may find joy-- not immediately, but over time.  To obey the [celestial] law in an ideal world means having utopia on Earth.  To obey the [celestial] law in an imperfect world means being that much closer to having utopia in the soul.



 *: "the world" and the general term for "people" refers to an assumption to mean citizens of the United States of America.  Much other parts of the world is unknown in the perspective of this peculiar person due to a lack of information, therefore not much argument or support can be backed up for them and their situation.
**: I do believe that many civil reforms were necessary for the advancement of society (e.g. the civil rights movement, the child labor reformation, the Catholic reformation (excluding the Inquisition), and many more.)

I may not be as informed as the majority of the American population about current events, but this opinion has arose from what I have seen over the days.