The Book of Nate

A Little Armchair History Sleuthing

2011-10-21T20:31:00.002-10:00

I'm a Mormon, and I have to admit I really like being a Mormon. As a result, I read a lot of news articles about Mormons and Mormonism. I particularly like to see what non-Mormons have to say about us Mormons, especially how they explain our history and beliefs. It's usually quite gut-bustingly entertaining.

A portion of one recent article by David DiSalvo in Forbes was particularly amusing, so much so, I'd like to share it with a little commentary (in italics). Apart from splitting up some DiSalvo's original paragraphs to make way for my comments, I haven't changed a word. Even the struck-out text is from the original. Take it away Mr. DiSalvo:

To figure out how that conclusion was reached [that Mormonism is a "heretical cult"], we have to do just a little history sleuthing.

History sleuthing! Come, I'll get my cap and magnifying glass--the game is afoot! Since there's so much about Mormonism available in print and online by both Mormons and non-Mormons--much of it of very good quality--our discoveries should be gangbusters good.

Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, claimed visitations by quite the who’s who of celestial beings.

Yes, he did, but we wouldn't consider that strange coming from one who also claimed that original Christianity had been lost and needed to be restored by those who were key leaders in the same, would we? (For the avid history sleuths among our readership, a nice summary list of all who visited with Joseph has been provided by the kind folks of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research.)

First, when he was a contemplative 14-year old, round about 1820, he said that God and Jesus appeared to him in the woods to tell him not to join any of the existing Christian denominations.

You're on the right track, Dave, though I wasn't aware that in addition to writing about science, technology, and culture you had mind-reading on your resume:

Smith made a bold face mental note of the command and steered clear of the established flocks.

Truly remarkable! You don't know Fawn Brodie, do you? She could read Joseph Smith's mind too, though I wonder if she could see the type-face of Joseph's thoughts as you can?

A few years later, he said that an angel named Moroni (the one that sits atop the spire of every Mormon ~~church~~ temple) [. . .]

Nice job noticing that the angel Moroni can't be found on the spires of any of our chapels, but you'd also be hard pressed to find him on any of the temples. Rather, Moroni is out there doing his angel thing, while gold-leaf covered statues depicting the angel Moroni adorn most--but not all--temple spires.

[. . .] he said that an angel named Moroni [. . .] appeared to him to reveal the history of the Nephites, an ancient Middle-eastern tribe named after a fellow called Nephi, that allegedly migrated to the Americas after the Tower of Babel fiasco.

Whoa! Hold up, buddy boy! I believe it was the Jaredites who left the Old World for the New during said fiasco; Lehi's family wouldn't begin their trek to the western hemisphere until around 600 BC, roughly 1600 years after the Jaredites dug out from the Tower of Babel scene and went off in their "tight" ships. Also, the Book of Mormon isn't just about Nephites and Jaredites, but also Lamanites and all manner of -ites to boot.

Moroni’s father, Mormon, became the leader of this tribe, Smith claimed, and in the grand tradition of holy plate inscribing, he wrote something called “The Book of Mormon” on a set of golden plates. The angel Moroni instructed Smith that it was up to him to unearth the plates and translate the ancient writing in a form suitable for 19th century publication.

Yeah, Mormon did become leader to the Nephite "tribe", but only about 900 or so years after its institution. True-blue history sleuths would also know that Joseph Smith's claim that he had found an ancient historical and religious record inscribed on metal plates was considered absurd in the early 1800s--a claim, though scandalizing academics at the time it was made, has since been vindicated.

Happy coincidence, the plates happened to be buried near Smith’s house in Palmyra, New York. Smith rendezvoused with Moroni at least once more, and was then graced by an appearance from John the Baptist, who ordained Smith to finish the translation and begin the work of preaching the true gospel that had been lost for centuries.

Happily, it wasn't coincidence, Dave. And actually, Smith rendezvoused with Moroni at least 19 more times, but one is a good conservative estimate, so no problem.

We’re missing a few details here and there, but the overall gist of this story is that Joseph Smith, prophet of God, was by his account the only person who had received these special revelations, effectively making him caretaker of a sacred text on par with the Holy Bible. The notion caught on with enough people to form a church of sorts, and Mormonism was born.

Missing a few details? More like missing most of them and supplying a few of your own creation! And the historical record, should you have read it, indicates that those early converts to Mormonism were expecting a "restoration of all things," and yearning for someone with actual prophetic or apostolic authority to restore primitive Christianity, stripped of all the non-biblical, risible creeds that had grown up since the deaths of Christ and His apostles. And Joseph and his band of believers didn't just form a "church of sorts:" they formally and legally incorporated Mormonism into a literal church according to the laws of the state of New York on 6 April 1830.

Turns out, this was a “good news, bad news” story for Smith. ~~Since The Book of Mormon endorsed polygamy~~ (Note: I do believe this statement was in error; there is, however, ample evidence that Smith had multiple wives and had children with a portion of them, though the exact number is in dispute).

Good catch, Dave. I was wondering for a second whether you had actually read the Book of Mormon, which explicitly forbids polygamy except in very rare instances where the Lord wants to "raise up seed"--or produce a righteous nation--unto Him, ostensibly the very thing Joseph Smith felt he and the Mormons were commanded to do. To date, the only confirmed children of Joseph Smith he sired with his first wife, Emma, and DNA research is quickly reducing the already small number of children possibly sired with other wives.

Smith may have had as many as 33 wives and lassoed in a few other perks.

What were those perks, again? Getting tarred and feathered? Beaten? Jailed for months on end on false charges and against due process as vouchsafed in the US Constitution? Being driven from New York to Ohio to Missouri to Illinois, where finally his enemies caught up to him and brutally murdered him while he awaited his trial for the also false charge of treason? Sweet! Sign me up!

His brother, Hyrum, also got into the act and worked alongside his enterprising brother to promote the good word and derive all benefits thereunto appertaining.

See the above comment on the so-called perks of Joseph's--and Hyrum's--work "promoting the good word."

A lot of wives, family business, loyal audience, things weren’t going so bad—until they went really, really bad.

Actually, Dave, things were bad for Joseph Smith from the very beginning, when as an innocent youth he confided his spiritual experience--what we Mormons call the First Vision--to a trusted local minister. Joseph himself once noted ruefully, "It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself."

Smith and company quickly became the top tier public enemies of neighboring Christians, and were persecuted and chased out of New York to Ohio, and then chased from Ohio to Missouri to Nauvoo, Illinois. There, Joseph and Hyrum made the mistake of destroying a printing press that was being used to produce anti-Mormon literature, and both were jailed. A mob assembled and Joseph and his brother were shot dead in their jail cells.

This was a low point in the history of Illinois history, to be sure. A mistake it may have been to destroy the press that had printed nothing but libel and slander, but Joseph and Hyrum went of their own accord to Carthage jail with the assurance of the soon-to-be-perjured promise of Governor Ford that they would be kept safe there. History super sleuths would know that the state of Illinois formally apologized for its citizens' treatment of the Mormons in the 1840s.

One other point of trivia for all the history super-duper sleuths out there: Joseph and Hyrum were not in jail cells at all at the time of their deaths--a kind jailor had put them into a nice, furnished bedroom near the cells, and it was there that the brothers were ambushed and killed.

We won’t get into the church’s split after Smith’s death, Brigham Young’s famous trek to Utah, Mormonism’s littany of bizarre beliefs, etc. Suffice to say, just about everything Joseph Smith said and did contradicts doctrines of the established Protestant Christian denominations and Catholicism in its Roman and Eastern Orthodox forms. He was, in the parlance of orthodox Christianity, a heretic, and if there’s one thing most Christians can agree on, it’s that the church Smith built has no place in their ranks.

We won't get anymore into the litany of bizarre claims you've made in this article, Dave, except to note that by the time Joseph Smith was on the scene to "contradict doctrines of the established . . . Christian denominations," those hundreds of disparate denominations bore little resemblance to the "heretical cult" set up by one Jesus of Nazareth some 1800 years before.

Suffice it to say, you're not a history sleuth at all, Dave. Forsooth! I'd stick to writing about that other stuff you write about regularly, you know, the science, technology, and culture, and leave the history sleuthing to those willing to sleuth out actual history. But thanks for all the laughs--now I don't need to do my abs workout.

Newer, Fresher Revelation

2011-10-10T22:48:00.000-10:00

Much ado is being made at present over Pastor Robert Jeffress's remarks at the Values Voters Summit, where he minced no words in expressing to reporters his view that Mormons--members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--belong to a cult.

When news commentator Anderson Cooper interviewed Pastor Jeffress, the latter maintained his previously stated position, though he did do us a favor by clarifying that he considers Mormons to belong to a theological as opposed to a sociological cult. I have my doubts that the American public, and specifically Jeffress's 10,000 congregants, could describe the difference between the two (I can't). Thus cult remains the operative word, ostensibly a bad thing to be a part of, especially if you are running for President.

Though I disagree with most of what Pastor Jeffress said to Mr. Cooper regarding my faith, I did enjoy his characterization of the Book of Mormon as "newer, fresher revelation."

In contrast to the venerable Bible, the Book of Mormon was published relatively recently, early 1830, to be exact. But like the Bible, the Book of Mormon was authored anciently as a record of God's dealings with His children. In this sense the Book of Mormon is not new at all, but a genuine documentation of old-time religion.

The Book of Mormon also provides a fresh look at old problems that have perplexed Christian theologians for many centuries, shedding light on topics such as the proper mode of baptism, the propriety of infant baptism, authority in the Church, the relationship of God the Father and Jesus Christ, spiritual gifts, and so forth. Since there is little historical, let alone current, consensus among Christians on these topics, it's worth the effort to see what the Book of Mormon can contribute to the discussion.

The Book of Mormon was not given to replace the Bible, but to buttress it. In this age of faltering faith and surging secularism, when the fundamental claims of Christianity are increasingly under attack, we need another witness that there is a God and that salvation is obtained through Christ Jesus. And the Book of Mormon forcefully testifies of Christ, something that "competent" Christians should value, if not treasure.

Consider the following typical references to Jesus Christ as found in the Book of Mormon:

I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest.

I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.

Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.

Mormon scholar Susan Easton Black once pointed out that some 100 different names and titles are used in the Book of Mormon to refer to Jesus Christ. In total, mention is made of Him 3,925 times in the space of 6,607 verses, or once in every 1.7 verses, making the Book of Mormon one of the most Christ-centric books of all time. Surely such a work is deserves the attention of every "competent" Christian, irrespective of denomination.

As I said before, "above all things, the Book of Mormon is manifestly a Christian document . . . any Christian who prayerfully studies the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible will find his or her faith in Jesus strengthened in ways he or she never thought possible." I stand by that promise and invite you to test it.

Other Scripture for Other Sheep

2011-10-07T12:00:00.000-10:00

As a missionary in the Samoan islands, my primary objective was to "invite all to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

Samoans are nearly 100% Christian, belonging to a variety of sects, including congregationalist, Methodist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Mormon, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist, and so forth. And as far as I understand these differing parties, they all explain the Bible very differently.

Yet interestingly, despite the lack of unity in scriptural interpretation among the many denominations in Samoa, all but the Mormons (whom I was representing) were unified in their belief that John's conclusion to his Revelation precludes any additional scripture apart from the Bible.

Never mind that Moses said practically the same thing way back in Deuteronomy. Never mind that the Bible as a whole didn't exist in John's, let alone Moses', day. Never mind that the order of the books in the Bible is quite arbitrary. Never mind that John presumably added his Gospel testimony after writing his injunction against adding to the scriptures. The unified consensus among Samoan Christians was that the Bible was all the word that God would give to His people for all time, and that we don't need any more so-called scripture.

Quite frankly, the idea that the Bible contains all of God's word receives no actual support in the Bible itself. In fact, the Bible leaves ample room for additional scripture, not to mention the prophets and apostles who produce it under heaven's inspiration.

For the sake of brevity, I'll just share one verse that I'll call the "leave room for additional scripture" clause:

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16)

In a mere 31 words, Jesus says a lot. I'll focus on just two ideas: first, that not all of Jesus' sheep were located at Palestine in which His mortal ministry was confined; second, Jesus' other sheep would hear His voice.

A terrible idea has snuck into post-New Testament Christianity that most of God's children will be damned for eternity, suffering eternal hellfire for not accepting Jesus, when the vast majority of God's children throughout the history of the world never even receive the opportunity to hear of such a being as Jesus.

Following this logic, were it not for the written word, which allows for the wide transmission of "not only the deeds but also the very thoughts of [humankind] through unlimited expanses of space and time," a woefully small number of Old World Christians would be all who could claim salvation through Christ Jesus.

I've played the game telephone, where the original message is greatly distorted by the time it reaches the last person in line, and if we had to rely wholly on an oral transmission of the gospel of Christ--arguably the most important message of all time--imagine what the final result would be after nearly two-thousand years' worth of distortion!

Jesus Himself wrote no scripture; instead, we rely on the testimonies of certain of Jesus' Old World sheep, the evangelists and Peter, Paul, James, and others, to tell us of the deeds and teachings of Jesus--all of whom committed to writing their testimonies of what they saw and heard.

This leads me to the second point, that Jesus' other sheep--who did not live in the land of His mortal ministry--would hear His voice. If they heard His voice, does it not stand to reason that they would commit His sayings to writing? And isn't it at least as possible that we might learn about those sayings someday, in a manner at least as marvelous as the coming forth of the Dead Sea scrolls, which had been hidden up for many years, just waiting to be found?

Enter the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is the voice of the Good Shepherd to others of His sheep living in the New World. It was given to be another testament of Jesus Christ, a second witness for the purpose of "convincing the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations. It is a witness that truly God is no respecter of persons, that His words never cease, and that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Above all things, the Book of Mormon is manifestly a Christian document, produced by ancient Christians, who by the spirit of prophecy and revelation produced a work that benefits us today by drawing us closer to God and Christ. It was brought forth in our day by the gift and power of God.

My message to the Samoan Christians during my mission was that any Christian who prayerfully studies the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible will find his or her faith in Jesus strengthened in ways he or she never thought possible. This has been my experience with the Bible and the Book of Mormon and indeed all holy writ.

New Provo Temple

2011-10-01T09:29:00.002-10:00

I was greatly saddened when the Provo tabernacle burned down. It was a beautiful example of Mormon Pioneer architecture, where as a student of nearby Brigham Young University I attended a number of church conferences. It was also on the grounds of the Provo tabernacle that I proposed marriage to my sweetheart Deb. Between spirit-filled conferences and our engagement, the Provo tabernacle and it's grounds were already hallowed.

I've watched the news with much interest to see if the building could be salvaged and returned to its former glory. When I read (here and here) that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had purchased additional land surrounding the tabernacle, I thought that perhaps a multi-stake center like the one going up just a few blocks north east was going to be built to replace the tabernacle.

Imagine my joy when I heard this morning that the Provo tabernacle will be restored to become a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where men, women and youth will go to worship God and draw closer together as families. I hope to go there someday with Deb for a visit.

The Whiz of Wit

2011-09-13T17:30:00.000-10:00

So we're bathing our 7-week-old son, who for blogging's sake we call Manu, and despite the fact that boys are wont to, Manu hasn't whizzed at all this time.

As we're finishing up and Deb's going for the towel, I say to Manu, "If you're going to whiz, you'd better whiz now."

To which Deb adds, "Whiz now, or forever hold your pees!"

First Name Nate, Last Name Is . . .

2011-07-23T09:17:00.004-10:00

Just in case you wanted to know, this old Geico commercial says it all:

So Said Vizzini: "I'm waiting!"

2011-07-18T17:23:00.003-10:00

They say that patience is a virtue, but there's a few things that I'm tired of waiting for:

3. The new Mac OS Lion

2. Psych season five on Netflix

1. The birth of our boy

Unless Apple or Netflix surprise us, which I highly doubt, I think our little guy's going to arrive first.

After all, he is due TOMORROW.

Harbinger of a Robot Uprising?

2011-07-06T10:13:00.003-10:00

I changed my password to my school account. In return, I received the following in an automated email:

Hello null.

What am I supposed to make of that?

Faʻafetai le Tapuaʻi!

2011-06-10T16:28:00.002-10:00

Whenever someone undertakes a difficult task in Sāmoa, he is never alone. Critical to his success are the petitions made on his behalf by his friends and family to Deity.

Upon being congratulated for a job well done, the Sāmoan will always acknowledge his ʻau tapuaʻi, or supporters.

The point of all of this: I just passed my qualifying exam.

Faʻafetai le tapuaʻi--thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and even fasting on my behalf!

Samoan Translation Opportunity

2011-06-04T15:43:00.004-10:00

Occasionally, I'll hear from a missionary, recently returned from serving in Samoa or New Zealand, asking how I've maintained my Samoan language abilities in the years since I served.

I usually respond by saying that I've tried to read and write in Samoan as much as possible, and study the grammars. When I was living in Provo, Utah, close to the Missionary Training Center, I'd sometimes volunteer to either interpret meetings, firesides, and devotionals, or to meet with the newly called missionaries who were either English speakers learning Samoan, or Samoan speakers learning English, so they could practice their languages.

In addition, I took a couple of Samoan language and culture classes at BYU, and since moving to Hawaii, I've been able to take a number of Samoan classes, taught in Samoan, at the University of Hawaii.

Though some of my experiences have been unique (e.g., classes at UH), much of what I've done to retain my Samoan language abilities could be duplicated by anyone with the desire, discipline, a few key texts, and a computer. Fortunately, there are more resources now available online than there ever has been before (fodder for another post, but if you must know, leave me a comment).

The newest resource for retaining, and even improving, your Samoan language skills has just arrived, only this time you can have your puligi and eat it too: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created opportunities for anyone--not just its members--to participate in online service projects through the website Helping in the Vineyard.

There's a lot you can do there, regardless of language ability, but let me cut to the chase for the Samoan speakers. We are now able to participate in a community translation project where we can do our part, however small, to translate the Religion 333 Institute course entitled Teachings of the Living Prophets.

Using a slick online platform, you can translate as little as a sentence or as much as the entire manual, all in the comfort of your own living room. The more translators we get involved, the faster this project will be finished.

To get started, create an account at Helping in the Vineyard, sign up to do translation in the Opportunities section, then do the short training to familiarize yourself with the Lingotek program. Before long, you'll be improving your Samoan language abilities and helping out in a good cause.

Ia tatou faʻaauau la tatou galuega faʻafaifeʻau talaʻi, ina ia tatou aumaia o tatou uso ma tuafafine ia Iesu Keriso! Ia Soifua!

Samoan LDS Scriptures Now a Triple Combination

2011-05-20T12:55:00.003-10:00

I just saw the following bit of exciting news, found on the News and Events webpage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

A Samoan edition of the triple combination of the scriptures--the Book of Mormon; the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Guide to the Scriptures, a study aid, all bound together--is now available in local Church distribution centers and at store.LDS.org.

Those familiar with me and my blog know that I served a full-time, two-year mission to the Samoan islands, beginning in 2001. Ten years ago we were hearing rumors of this project, and now it has come to complete fruition. You can imagine how stoked I am.

Though the Samoans have had the LDS scriptures in their language for many years, this is the first time all three volumes have been bound together with the footnotes, maps, chronologies, etc. The Book of Mormon was first translated into Samoan beginning in 1900, and was finished sometime in 1903; whereas the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price were translated by the early 1950s.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as Mormons, consider the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price to contain God's words as revealed to ancient and modern prophets. We do not, however, consider these books of scripture to be substitutes for the Bible. We use all four works to increase our understanding of and faith in Jesus Christ as Son of God and Savior of the world.

Generally, when a new language edition of the triple combination is made available in print, an Internet version follows soon thereafter. So stay tuned...

Major Dilemma

2011-05-15T19:04:00.004-10:00

Today at church, a 16-year-old young man says to me, "I like your beard."

I've had a goatee for about a week now. Deb likes it.

"I don't," I replied, "I'm probably going to shave it."

He nearly floored me with his round-house-kick-of-a-response, "You're beginning to look like Chuck Norris."

Granted, I'm one of two white guys in the whole congregation, and the only one with a full head of hair. Sandy blonde hair. So of course I look like Chuck Norris to a kid who is only used to seeing folks with black hair.

Maybe I won't be shaving; after all, Chuck Norris counted to infinity--twice.

I'm Afraid You're Crazy because I Don't Know What's Going On

2011-03-17T09:29:00.004-10:00

Great news for those who are troubled by gluten but don't have celiac disease: recent research shows that there actually is such a thing as gluten sensitivity, a condition that has, until now, largely avoided detection and description by the science and medical communities.

Apparently, until now, doctors have simply had to diagnose their patients as being "crazy" if the patients reported having problems with gluten but tested negative for celiac disease.

Cynthia Kupper, executive director of the nonprofit Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. "Patients have been told if it wasn't celiac disease, it wasn't anything. It was all in their heads," she says, "There's a lot more that needs to be done for people with gluten sensitivity,but at least we now recognize that it's real and that these people aren't crazy."

My question is this: is it routine procedure for the medical establishment to deny the reality of patients' problems simply because science hasn't shed enough light on the matter? Or is there enough room in medical profession for a little faith that patients aren't just trying to fake them out?

At least we can breathe a collective sigh of relief that we aren't nearly as crazy as we were once thought to be.

Tsunami

2011-03-11T03:57:00.005-10:00

No, sirens did not wake us in the middle of the night to warn us of the tsunami, our friends and family did, wondering if we were OK. We're OK. It's good to know we're still remembered on the Mainland.

Sadly, we missed the governor's announcement requesting that we "act with aloha" and "be mindful of [our] neighbors, especially the elderly," because we went to bed at a responsible hour of 11:00 pm. My question is, do I still have to act with aloha?

I can assure you, too, that in addition to the Hawaiians, the local Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Whites, etc. were also bracing for the possible 6-foot waves. C'mon, people, not everyone living in Hawaii is a Hawaiian.

Best reporters' statements from the live coverage so far (around 4:00 am, HST):

"As you can see the water is beginning to make a lot of noise." The reporter must be experiencing synesthesia, or something like that, because for most people noises are heard, not seen.

One reporter noted that the water at Waikiki was going "in an out, in and out...back and forth, back and forth"--a remarkably astute assessment, no doubt. But the same could be said of any ocean, anywhere in the world, at any given time, regardless of tsunami activity.

Really, we're going to be OK here in Hawaii.

Our hearts go out to those in Japan who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami there.

It's a Boy!

2011-02-15T21:09:00.002-10:00

Anyone have any suggestions for names?

Curse of the 10th Grade English Teacher

2011-01-24T17:53:00.002-10:00

Many teenage boys are smart alecks; I was no exception.

I thought I had a good relationship with my 10th grade English teacher; that is, until she answered one of my comments with, "Heaven forbid you should ever reproduce!"

Well, I'm happy to report that later this year, after four years of marriage, a portion of my genetic code will be making its first debut since my own birth.

Chicken Nuggets

2010-11-04T17:40:00.004-10:00

I had to draw some chickens on the fly for my Samoan oral traditions class, as there is an important story in Samoan legend about some very special chickens from which the name of the country may have been derived. Inspired by a particular clipart, I set pencil to paper and came up with these "fowl" specimens.

For those interested in the story, go here and scroll down to number 14.

And, no, I won't be quitting my day job as a full-time student to become an artist.

Building Bridges of Understanding

2010-10-10T16:39:00.007-10:00

Steve, my brother-in-law, and one of my best friends from my time at Brigham Young University shared with me today an article about Mormon expatriates. But before I could read it I was distracted by two addresses that were given at a forum at BYU on October 10th, 2006. The first by President Boyd K. Packer, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was a special introduction to the second address by Dr. Alwi Shihab, then Indonesian Presidential Advisor and Special Envoy to the Middle East. These two great leaders spoke on the need to build bridges of understanding between the West and Islam.

I was able to attend this special forum assembly and was greatly impressed by the messages that President Packer and Dr. Shihab delivered. I was happy to review their words today, exactly four years since they were given. I share with you a few of their remarks.

From President Packer:

"Ahead of us, indeed already all around us, is the world of Islam. Christianity and Islam will clasp hands in cooperation and understanding or clench fists in confrontation and prejudice....

"It is important that we in the West understand there is a battle for the heart, soul, and direction of Islam and that not all Islam espouses violent jihad, as some Western media portray.

"It is as well important that friends in the Islamic world understand there is a battle for the heart, soul, and direction of the Western world and that not all the West is morally decadent, as some Islamic media portray."

From Dr. Shihab:

"It is worth noting that the Muslim world is too large and too diverse to march to the beat of a single drummer. Many people of the West mistakenly assume that the Muslim world is equivalent to the Middle East. The fact is that the Muslim world extends from Morocco to Merauke, Indonesia, and from Uzbekistan to Cape Town, South Africa. In addition, more Muslims live in China than in the Arabian Peninsula, and more Muslims live in Indonesia than in the entire Arab world combined....

"It is a sad reality that even international efforts to counter radicalism and terrorism often themselves become radical—and, hence, counterproductive. We must, therefore, deal with religious radicalism and intolerance not with brute force but with wisdom and the willingness to address the root causes of these problems....

"For almost a millennium and a half, Islam and the West have been viewed as two civilizations interacting in conflicting dialogue. To reach constructive dialogue and find solutions to the obstacles, it is important to think in terms of actual existing conditions in today’s world of the twenty-first century and not impose concepts and programs from an earlier age....

"...We must always bear in mind that religion is not just an abstract doctrine or simple belief. It has been and continues to be the significant factor that shapes people’s identities as individual persons and as groups. It is...our duty to find the way to harness the potential of religions to motivate their adherents to strive for peace, justice, and tolerance in everyday life and in all walks of life."

There is much more that could have been shared. I encourage you to read their full remarks. President Packer and Dr. Shahib are shining examples of how to successfully participate in interfaith dialogue and cooperation. Their messages are deserving of thoughtful consideration by all.

Unto the Least of These

2010-10-07T10:11:00.008-10:00

Yesterday, as I was walking into the University of Hawaii Campus Center, I overheard a snippet of two guys' conversation.

In reply to something the one said that I didn't hear, the other said, "I'm not homeless! How many homeless people do you see who wear Guess jeans and American Apparel?"

I cannot comment on what he said relative to its actual context. But he said it with so much sneering disdain in his voice that it seemed clear that he considered himself much higher in class than any of the ubiquitous Honolulu homeless. And all because he was wearing expensive clothes.

True, Mark Twain did once say, "Clothes make the man," but he qualified his comment by continuing, "Naked people have little or no influence on society." It's the covering of our bodies that's important, not the cost of that covering.

I'm reminded of Paul's first epistle to Timothy wherein he gave this sage advice, "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:7-8). Just a couple of verses later Paul reminds us that "the love of money is the root of all evil."

One of the many reasons why I enjoy studying the Book of Mormon is because it has much to say about social injustice (a favorite theme of Isaiah, too).

For example one writer prophesied that in the last days people would "rob the poor because of their fine clothing" (2 Nephi 28:13).

Another writer continued this same thought, saying, "Ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel...more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

"Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?" (Mormon 8:37, 39)

Expensive clothing is a quintessential Veblen good--for some strange reason, the more expensive clothes are the more desirable they become as a means to impart higher social status to the wearer. Yet the money saved by not buying costly apparel could be put to actual good use helping those with little to nothing to call their own, including clothes.

Even despite the lousy economy, "the hand of providence hath smiled upon [us] most pleasingly, that [we] have obtained many riches," to use the words of another Book of Mormon writer who then continues, "and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they" (Jacob 2:13).

Instead, our writer informs us, "Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you" (Jacob 2:17).

He assures us that if we seek for riches we will find them, but we are reminded of the true reason for seeking after riches: "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 2:19).

Yet another reminds us that "if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need"--in short, "if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men" (Alma 34:28-29).

Ultimately, as Paul said, "we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (1 Timothy 6:7); or, as Job put it, "Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither" (Job 1:21).

Therefore, as the Book of Mormon counsels, "Do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy" (2 Nephi 9:51).

Instead, "I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants" (Mosiah 2:26).

Then, come the day of judgment, "the King [shall] say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

"Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:34-40).

If You were Mormon or Moroni

2010-06-25T10:01:00.003-10:00

It dawned on me today that the greatest sermons in the Book of Mormon were given, for the most part, to members of the Church, or to recent dissenters, or to apostates. Very little of the text comprises teaching or preaching to so-called "non-members"--those who were not, and never had been, members of the Church--perhaps the work of the sons of Mosiah among the Lamanites being the most notable exception.

If you were compiling the Book of Mormon today using sources from 200 years ago to the present, what sermons would you include in the "hundredth part" of our history, written and redacted for the instruction of generations to come?

Samoan Sayings

2010-03-30T20:26:00.009-10:00

I've gotten a lot of hits on this blog where the visitor had searched for Samoan sayings or famous Samoan sayings or Samoan proverbial sayings and the like, mainly because of a couple of posts (here and here) wherein I related a number of them to gospel principles. I hope all those who've landed on those pages were able to find some of what they were looking for.

In the years since my mission to the Samoan islands I've wanted to buy a particular book of Samoan sayings. It's a classic, but it's out of print and I've never gotten around to purchasing an old used (likely beaten up) copy. I'm talking about Schultz's Samoan Proverbial Expressions or Proverbial Expressions of the Samoans, whichever you prefer.

Well, in honor of all those who have landed at this site looking for more Samoan sayings than I had to offer, I now present the mother lode: all 560 of Schultz's collected expressions--all for free.

Introduction through number 197

198 through 317

318 through 414

415 through 492

493 through 560 and the Index

Here we have the ultimate collection of ancient Samoan wisdom and allusions to their myths, legends, nature, and material culture. Samoan sayings or proverbs are a key component to chiefly rhetoric. This handy-dandy reference is a veritable pearl of great price for anyone hoping to make any sense at all of what chiefs really mean when they say something like,

183. E sau le fuata ma lona lou. When the breadfruit harvest comes, the lou will be found, too.

The lou is a long pole with a crook at the end, used in gathering breadfruit. After the harvest the pole will be laid aside or thrown away. For the next harvest the old lou will be fetched again or a new one will be made. Thus, there is a lou for every harvest.

Upu fa'amafanafana. Consolatory words used at the death of a matai: Every generation has its chiefs and orators.

But, you have to be careful. Schultz's great work isn't infallible. For instance, the following example tripped me up about 18 months into my mission:

375. E toa e [sic] le loto, 'ae pa le no'o. The will is strong, but the hips are broken.

The spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak.

It seems innocuous enough, except that in this case no'o doesn't mean hips, it means bowels. And pa doesn't mean broken, it means burst.

A little background is in order: I was serving in American Samoa at the time and had come down with the flu. After visiting with a doctor at the hospital, my fellow missionary, a Samoan, and I were dropped off by some other missionaries at the furthest point in our area so we could make some visits.

We stopped by one family's place and they had prepared the customary meal for us. I ate but little for I had no appetite. The woman who retrieved my tray of food commented on how little I ate. I attempted to smooth over the insult with an apology, which translates as follows: "In truth the desire to eat a lot was there, but as the saying of old men goes, 'The will is strong, but the hips are broken.'"

My Samoan missionary companion burst into laughter. I was startled somewhat and asked him why. That made him laugh even harder because he realized that I'd made my mistake in complete innocence. He asked me where I had heard that saying. I told him that I'd found it in my dictionary, the author of which had drawn from Schultz's earlier work. He asked me if I knew what it meant. I answered in the affirmative, telling him what its figurative application was supposed to be.

He assured me that in that sense of it I wasn't wrong. It was the literal meaning that I hadn't understood. He asked me if I understood the word pa. Yes, I said. He asked if hips, as in hip bones, burst. I had to admit they don't. He then asked me if I knew what was located near the hips which could burst.

It took me a second to think his question through. Then, in a burst of inspiration, it dawned on me what I had said: "The will is strong, but my bowels have burst."

The thing about Samoans is that they have a splendid sense of humor; fortunately, one that can even accommodate a little inadvertent potty humor from an unsuspecting foreigner.

Enjoy the Samoan sayings.

Some Thoughts on the Book of Mormon

2010-03-24T15:03:00.001-10:00

I finished rereading the Book of Mormon today, and was impressed by a few things.

I've been impressed by the Lord's urgent plea to us, His latter-day children, to avoid falling into the same traps as did the Nephite and Jaredite peoples which led them to destruction.

I was impressed by the idea that by faith we can become the "sons and daughters of God"--a topic which demands elaboration by further study.

I was again impressed by Moroni's 8 exhortations, all found in Moroni 10:

Remember how merciful the Lord has been to the children of Adam from the very beginning
Ask God if the Book of Mormon is true
Deny not the power of God
Deny not the gifts of God
Remember that every good gift comes of Christ
Remember that Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that spiritual gifts will never cease or be done away so long as the world shall stand--except through unbelief
Remember the words of Moroni because at some point in time we will know, without a doubt, that he didn't lie
Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him

I was impressed by the stark contrast presented in Moroni 9 and 10: that is, the contrast between consummate evil and lack of civilization (chapter 9), and the standard of virtue and righteousness Moroni gives us (chapter 10). It's as though the diamond of Moroni 10 is set against the blackness of Moroni 9, thus we can more readily see the brilliance of the light of Christ as it shines forth through Moroni's final testimony to his brethren.

I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God! I rejoice in this knowledge and pray that I may live true to it.

Food for Thought

2010-03-09T08:51:00.004-10:00

In the news, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are advocating taxing foods like pizza and soda pop in an effort to decrease obesity among Americans.

Given my education in the exercise and nutritional sciences one would think I'd be turning cartwheels at such a brilliant suggestion by such esteemed scientists.

Far from turning cartwheels, however, instead I'm shaking my head at the latest manifestation of scientist advocated intrusion into our personal lives. Apparently, these scientists and the lawmakers that buy into their tax-fat rhetoric have little to no faith in Americans' ability to face and overcome the growing obesity-related problems in the way they have overcome problems for over two hundred years: by hard work and the grace of God.

Whatever happened to that indomitable American spirit which enabled our forefathers and foremothers to break free from monarchical tyranny and establish a new nation, abolish the barbarism of slavery, and fight for the survival of democracy and freedom in this land and around the world? Whatever happened to the American work ethic which fostered the industrial and agricultural revolutions, landed our astronauts on the moon, and tamed a wild and oft times barren American continent?

In short, have we come so far from the American ideal that we are no longer masters of our own fate or captains of our own souls? Must Congress decide for us how to control our obesity problems?

Perhaps this thought by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can offer insight into the crux of the matter: "Self-discipline has eroded and societies are left to try to maintain order and civility [and citizens' health] by compulsion. The lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by governments." (Source)

Our problem isn't the fact that pizza and soda pop exist and are widely available and aggravatingly delicious. Our problem is that we have diminished self-discipline, a lack of internal control.

Americans everywhere, Rise up! Claim that glorious heritage bequeathed to you. Pursue the American dream. Accept responsibility for your actions, including the act of eating. Realize that we are free to choose but we are not free to choose the consequences.

Understand that in this universe governed by immutable laws that there is no getting around the laws of thermodynamics: If you put calories into the body they will either be put to use to keep you alive and well or they will be stored, primarily as fat.

And finally, for those who are able to enjoy pizza and soda pop responsibly, tell the scientists to get to work solving world hunger and the lawmakers to find a way to reduce the national debt and to stop trying to make food more expensive than it already is.

Toward the Building of a Better World

2010-03-05T08:32:00.003-10:00

I haven't blogged much lately, mainly because I'm busy with school and life in general. But I'm reading good things and thought I'd share a thought with you from something I'm reading.

As a student of science, naturally I enjoy reading the writings of scientists. Most of that which I read, however, is in the form of textbooks and journal articles. Both are interesting and necessary in my development as a scientist, but at the same time it's refreshing to occasionally read a work written by a scientist who is able to step away from the nitty-gritty technical aspects of his or her field and talk about the big picture--the so-called "grand scheme of things"--and do so in a manner that inspires the human soul.

Henry Eyring was just such a scientist, and is the source of today's thought:

In times of uncertainty, such as the present, the increasing effort to understand man's place in the grand scheme of things proceeds at an accelerated pace. That understanding is a problem not alone for the laboratory; many of its answers will be found in the realm of the spiritual. It is important that all men of good will use their energies, their talents and their learning in their chosen fields, mutually assisting one another toward the building of a better world--that world which men of faith in all ages have envisioned and toward which they have labored.

Henry Eyring. The Faith of a Scientist. Bookcraft, 1969, pg. 3.

Of Course You Should Pray for It!

2010-01-12T09:14:00.004-10:00

Well, the new semester is underway and that means commuting on TheBus. I've had "plenny"--as the locals say--adventures riding TheBus to and from school.

Today's is brief, but golden. As I boarded this morning I overheard a man speaking to another passenger from across the aisle. He said,

If you want something, like win the jackpot in Vegas, of course you should pray for it!

I would have chosen a different example than the filthy lucre coming out of Vegas, but nonetheless I admire the man's willingness to pray about everything that's important to him.

Wise Men and Women Still Seek Him

2009-12-24T12:06:00.004-10:00

Christmastime always provides the perfect opportunity to reflect upon the many blessings we’ve received over the past year. The most meaningful of blessings are made even more meaningful when considered in the light of God’s greatest gift to us, His children, even the gift of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate at this season.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Were it not for the divinity of Christ’s paternity, were it not for the sublime events which we celebrate at Easter—Jesus’ suffering on our behalf in Gethsemane and upon the cross, His death, burial, and ultimate triumph over death through His resurrection—there would be no reason to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmastime.

But in truth all humanity has every reason to rejoice and to celebrate that Jesus Christ is who He and all the holy prophets said He is: even the Son of God, the Redeemer and Savior of the world. Indeed we may rightly say that wise men and women still seek Him.

May we find the peace and joy that are obtainable only through Him; may we anxiously look forward to and prepare for His Second Advent, when He will come to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God

2009-12-01T21:17:00.006-10:00

I saw this today and thought it looked really interesting. I thought you'd be interested in it too. Looks like my alma mater is up to good things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T10:52:00.004-10:00

I'm thankful for God and Jesus Christ; for my family and friends; for freedom, safety, and good health; for work and school; and plenty.

What are you thankful for?

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
--Psalm 100

Gross!

2009-11-12T18:28:00.003-10:00

I ride TheBus to and from school each day. It's a pretty good system, albeit a very crowded one. When I do get a seat, I try and make use of the time by reading.

Monday started out no different from any other day. I got on the first of the two buses I ride to school, found an open seat on the very back bench, and began reading through a paper I'm trying to write with nine other classmates (don't try that, by the way).

The man I was sitting next to was a friendly fellow. He spoke a lot to me, very enthusiastically, asking me where I was from and how long I'd been on island. He said a lot more but I could hardly understand a word of it. We didn't chat long because his stop was well before mine.

Just a couple of stops before mine, the girl on the same back bench as me suddenly threw up! I instantly felt bad for her but also had thoughts of H1N1 running through my head. I tried not to make a scene as I packed up to get off at my stop. Before exiting, though, I informed the driver of the situation, hoping that the girl's day would get better.

When I stood up from my seat, however, I was shocked to notice something cool on the seat of my pants. I felt behind me and realized that my pants were completely soaked through with who knows what liquidy substance!

It took all the fortitude I had to keep from freaking out as I walked to the front of the bus to talk with the driver about the girl who had thrown up in the back of the bus. I didn't know if I'd sat in water, or soda pop, or urine. All I knew was that I was half-way along my hour-long trip to school and I had to turn back to change out of my soaked shorts.

After I got home and cleaned up and made it to school the rest of the day went just fine. Ever since then, however, I've been a little more leery of sitting in the seats on TheBus.

An Inconvenient Truth, Indeed!

2009-10-05T20:56:00.002-10:00

Dear Mr. Gore,

I watched your film, An Inconvenient Truth. It was interesting, though I couldn’t tell if the movie was about global warming or about you. My wife said that the inclusion of your personal story was probably an attempt at connecting with Joe Publics like me. Frankly, I didn’t think we connected very much at all.

In truth, you and I do have some things in common. We’re both guys. We’re also both white. And we’re both married. In high school we both played on the varsity football team and threw for the track and field team. But that’s about where our similarities end.

You see, Mr. Gore, you are old, I am young. You are famous, I am not. You are rich, and, by governmental standards, I am poor. You have at least one car, I have none. You own at least one house with at least 20 rooms. I rent a two bedroom apartment. You probably have air-conditioning; we do not. You probably keep your hot water heater on all day and all night. To save money, we only turn ours on for up to two hours each day. If you do your own laundry, you probably dry your clothes in an ultra-efficient dryer. We can only afford to hang our clothes and dry them in the sun and wind.

The data you present in your film is convincing. I too think we have a burgeoning problem with the effects of global warming. I too believe we’re going to have to change a lot to avoid catastrophes. You made it sound like the governments of the world would bring about these necessary changes. What I find hard to believe is that an educated man such as yourself--who has seen government from its very insides--would still believe that the government can run as efficiently as a top-of-the-line energy-saving refrigerator. You know better than I do that it simply cannot happen.

Instead of increasing the size of an already bloated, sickly government, why not promote increased individual self-government? Why not preach a doctrine of personal sacrifice today for the welfare of our children tomorrow? I listened anxiously to hear you say in An Inconvenient Truth that we each needed to check personal greed, or curtail wasteful commercialism. I waited for you to say that we ought to use fewer resources and live simpler lives. Instead, you surprised me with a remarkable social gospel with the premise that we can have our cake and eat it too--that we can save the earth while living in the lap of luxury.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I found it easy to swallow the gnat of global warming but strained to choke down the camel of your extravagant personal lifestyle. Regardless of whether you ever intended to, you have set yourself up as a messiah to the world. Why not try coming down and living at the level of your most humble potential disciples? Or would you find their way of life to be a very inconvenient truth?

Day of Disasters

2009-10-01T09:25:00.003-10:00

We are living in a day of disasters. I don't know if I've ever seen news of so many catastrophic natural disasters in a row in so little time.

The Samoan islands were hit by a tsunami on Tuesday morning. The death toll has reached 150 and the need for relief is great.

The Philippines have had serious flooding and now are expecting more as another 'super-typhoon' approaches their many islands.

And an earthquake in Indonesia has left more than 777 dead.

The odds are that you are only one or two degrees removed from the effects of these disasters. Either you have friends and family, or you have friends with friends and family, that are caught in these tragedies.

There are many agencies and organizations working to administer relief to these disaster stricken peoples. Please consider making a donation, however small (remember the true worth of the widow's mite).

LDS Philanthropies Red Cross Oxfam International MercyCorps

------

Samoan Tsunami: Aftermath

2009-09-30T08:47:00.008-10:00

From what I've been able to read in the news and hear from friends, the death toll in the Samoan islands has reached at least 100 with a high chance that it will continue to increase as rescuers pick through the wreckage left by the tsunami that hit yesterday morning.

Now that the tsunami has come and gone, we begin the massive relief and rebuilding efforts in Samoa and American Samoa. Islands in both polities have suffered devastating losses of life and property, but many people and organizations, both on and off the islands, have already mobilized to administer relief to the Samoans.

A friend of mine, Sam Denton, said he "called the [LDS Church] headquarters and they were able to tell me that all missionaries are accounted for and OK. I also spoke with the emergency response division of the church. They advised they of course are already working on the ground in Samoa to start relief efforts. Their advise at this time was to give to the humanitarian efforts fund or donate in kind donations to Deseret [Industries]."

An official report from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirms that the Mormon missionaries in Samoa have all been accounted for, but "two local sister missionaries from the Tonga Nuku’alofa Mission serving on the Tongan island of Niuatoputapu, which borders Samoa," are currently missing.

Your prayers and money or in-kind donations are much appreciated. I know that this is a tough time economically for many of us. But think, if you have food and shelter, that is more than many Samoans have at this time.

One easy way to free up some funds is to fast, or abstain from food, for one or two meals and then donate at least the value of the food you would have eaten. The prophet Isaiah said that a true fast is not for the purpose of self-torment, but to administer to the relief of those who need it. He also promised that God would bless those who fasted in this manner. (See Isaiah 58:1-12)

Jesus Christ also taught, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (See Matthew 25:31-46) Another ancient prophet reminds us that "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (See Mosiah 2:17)

For the Samoans, this tsunami is as 9/11 or Katrina were to Americans. Our hearts go out to them. Our prayers ascend to heaven for them. But as faith is an action more than it is a mere passive belief or profession, we will administer to the Samoan people of our substance.

(All photos were taken in American Samoa. Photo Credits: Phil Murphy)

Samoan Tsunami

2009-09-29T13:16:00.003-10:00

A large earthquake hit today off the coast of American Samoa, generating a number of tsunamis which struck both American Samoan and Samoa. Deaths have been reported from both polities, as well as significant damages to villages.

In addition to praying for the people down there, we might consider making donations to organizations that are likely to get involved in the disaster relief. Here are two likely candidates:

American Red Cross

LDS Philanthropies

If you can think of others, please let me know.

Man o' War!

2009-09-15T10:15:00.004-10:00

Yep, this is for real. Portuguese Man o' War. A lifeguard put up this sign no more than 10 minutes after we arrived. Kailua beach is beautiful, and we hadn't been in the water yet, so we risked the jellies and went for a dip.

After we'd been in for a while I felt a stinging, burning sensation on my left hand. I instantly thought of the Man o' War warning and started looking in the water around me. Sure enough, a small Man o' War with a head about the size of a ping-pong ball and tentacles no longer than six inches was floating in the water right where I expected it to be. Fortunately, the sting was extremely mild. I didn't need any treatment, but I count myself blessed.

We've since been back to Kailua beach park, and we saw a few more Man o' Wars but none in our party were stung. We were approached, however, by a lady whose hand got stung and were able to point her in the direction of the lifeguard tower.

I guess even paradise has its downsides. Still, I'd prefer the risk of an occasional Man o' War sting to the guarantee of another stinging, biting, months-long winter on the mainland.

Remembering 9/11

2009-09-11T08:00:00.000-10:00

September 11th, 2001 began as any other day in the mission field. At 6:30 am, my alarm went off. I hopped into the shower, dressed, and was studying the scriptures by 7:00 am. After a bit, Elder L. and I decided to go to a small store located around the corner from where we lived to buy some milk and cookies.

We arrived at the store unaware that anything important was happening in our distant homeland, the conditions in Samoa are that idyllic. I perused the aisles until I found myself near an open doorway leading into the store owner’s home. From within the next room, I heard a seemingly disjointed and unconnected series of words: America, terrorist attack, World Trade Center, etc.

None of it made any sense to me. My interest piqued, I peeked my head through the door to catch some more of the report. The shop owner’s son beckoned me to enter. I did so and was confronted by a most confusing image on the TV screen: the World Trade Center towers, clearly on fire, belching thick black smoke into the sky above.

The anchorperson (I cannot remember if it was a man or women) was saying something about the towers having collapsed. I said to myself, They haven’t collapsed; I can see them right there. I knew that the Empire State Building had once been hit by an airplane; surely the twin towers could withstand the impact of a jet liner.

Then the report switched to a video of the towers’ collapse. A wave of shock coursed through my body and I suddenly burst into tears. My slow descent into the chair behind me mirrored the collapse of the first tower. I watched as the second tower fell and soon Elder L. joined me in viewing the tragic news.

We walked to our flat, then made our way to the home of the family slated to make us breakfast that morning. Before we arrived, a mission van pulled up and Elder H., a man in his mid-sixties from my hometown area, instructed us that Salt Lake City had issued instructions for all missionaries to remove their nametags—obvious indicators that we were affiliated with an America-based church—and to remain in their living quarters until further instructions were given.

Elder L. and I took all this very seriously. We went to the home of our breakfast appointment and explained, in broken Samoan—partly because of our greenness, partly because of the emotion—that we needed to forgo the meal and return to our flat. At the time, the thought hadn’t occurred to us that we were, in fact, in the safest place on earth; that no one in all of Samoa would ever dream of harming a missionary, or any other American for that matter. We only knew our orders and risked offending the family by refusing their generosity.

We spent three days indoors and seven days without our black nametags. Once, when we could go back outside, we were mistaken for Jehovah’s Witnesses because we were dressed in slacks, white shirts, and ties, but our signature symbol as Mormon missionaries was gone.

The most difficult part about witnessing such a horrific tragedy was being so far away from family. If I hadn’t yet experienced homesickness (which I had a little), then this plunged me into an acute yearning to go home and get on with life while the world was still semi-sane.

Fortunately, our wise mission president counseled Elder L. and I to work harder and get the Church members to assist us. We did and found ourselves as busy as we’d ever be. Thus our minds were taken off the pain of what we had witnessed and of being so far away from home. Our sorrows were literally swallowed up in a hope in Jesus Christ, whose message we sought to share with all we could.

(This was originally posted on 22 May 2208, as Samoa Part 16: 9/11)

Hawaii Pics, Again

2009-09-10T18:54:00.003-10:00

This beautiful flower is a member of the ginger family (Alpinia sp.), but the Samoans call it teuila. They have a festival for it in early September every year in Apia.

Another shot of our buddy, Gus.

Couldn't tell you the name of this one but it's awesome anyway. These roots belong on Dagobah.

"The solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Hibiscus.

More Hawaii Pics

2009-09-07T18:38:00.003-10:00

I'm not sure what this plant is but we liked it enough to photograph it.

Nu'uanu Pali, where King Kamehameha I fought a terribly bloody battle to secure control over O'ahu. Apparently, "more than 400 of Kalanikūpule's [Kamehameha's rival's] soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below" (Source). The Pali lookout provides a stunning view of the windward side of O'ahu.

This little pigeon is but one of many of its kind, each only a fourth to a third of the size of an average city pigeon. We have those too, but they aren't nearly as cool as these wee ones. The cooing of these pigeons is also very different from their larger cousins. We were on Skype with Deb's family and they could hear one cooing from outside; of course, the louvers let in a lot of sound anyway.

'Ōhi'a lehua: Anciently, "it was believed that picking lehua blossoms would cause rain" (Source). I picked one once on the Big Island, whose flower this is, and sure enough it rained before too long.

Hawaii Pics

2009-09-03T12:27:00.003-10:00

This is a view of the Honolulu skyline--Waikiki, I think--with Diamond Head as a backdrop. It's being taken from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or Punchbowl National Cemetery.

More of Honolulu from Punchbowl.

A Bird-of-Paradise flower. Deb took this photo. I think she did a pretty good job. It looks like the head of a bird. In paradise. Interesting.

Bus Stop

2009-08-28T19:30:00.006-10:00

I ride TheBus to school every day. I've heard both good and bad spoken of the Hawaii bus system. True, in Honolulu the buses are crowded, but in my two weeks' experience it's worked great.

Yesterday morning I was almost to school. The bus was filled beyond capacity so the driver only took some of the passengers at a stop and instructed the rest that there was another bus on the way.

One woman who didn't make the cut was on her way to work. She and her husband were so angry that they stepped out in front of the bus and refused to move unless she got a spot. The furious driver opened his window, hung out his upper body and screamed at the husband and wife to get out of the way. They wouldn't budge for at least five minutes.

The girl next to me was worried about losing her spot in an O-chem lab she needed. She complained a bit while frantically texting a friend to have the professor hold her spot. A bigger Polynesian man next to the rear door hollered up to the driver to let him out so he, the able Polynesian, could remove the human obstacles. I called Deb to let her know about the awesomeness of it all.

Of course, the couple eventually backed down. I think they realized that an angry bus driver behind the wheel of a who-knows-how-many-ton bus would probably eventually snap and run them over. I made it to school with time to spare. As I stepped down from the bus I looked up the road a bit and saw another bus of the same route. I'm assuming the angry lady got to work just fine, just as our bus driver told her she would.

Gus the Gecko

2009-08-26T16:04:00.002-10:00

As we settle in our new place in Hawaii, we have been making a lot of new friends. This little guy, a cousin of the Geico gecko, met us by our front door one evening. We named it Gus. After playing with it and taking some photos together, we let Gus go on our back lanai, or porch. Often, when we leave open our door to the lanai , we'll find one of Gus's brothers or sisters or cousins has made it into our kitchen. Deb and I are very fond of the local mo'o, geckos.

Nalhan?

2009-08-06T08:58:00.003-10:00

Getting settled into a new place requires attention to a lot of little details. Like getting a new driver's license, for example. My jaunt through the Honolulu DMV was remarkably quick and relatively painless, though not without a few moments of wincing.

First, I had to score at least a 24 out of 30 on the written driver's test to pass. I scored a 26. Cutting it a little close, are we?

Second, somehow I managed to forget the ever practical advice to dot all is and cross all ts. I got my license back from the guy at the desk and didn't notice for at least ten minutes that I had signed it Nalhan. The signature appears twice on the front of the license, so if I ever get pulled over by a police officer the first thing I'll hear after License and registration, please, will likely be, What, are you an idiot or something, brah?!

Third, you'd think my mother never taught me how to dress myself because I managed to get to the DMV, work my way through a few lines, barely pass my test, sign my license with Nalhan, and retrieve my newly printed Hawaii driver's license--all before noticing that my fly was down. Sorry, Mom, for reflecting poorly on your ability as a parent. I'll start using again the Things to Do, Check, Secure, and Double-Check Before You Leave the House checklist.

In other news, Hurricane Felicia in the North Pacific is now a category 4 and is on its way to Hawaii. Fortunately, "from Thursday on [Hurricane Felicia] will start to weaken to the point that is expected to be a tropical storm or weak hurricane at its closest point of approach to the [Hawaiian] islands late Sunday or Monday. It's still a little too early to know the intensity or track of this system." (Source)

I asked my friend Josh, a Hawaii native, what he thought about the hurricane. He said comfortingly, "It's hurricane season, man!" On Monday we heard the test sounding of the disaster warning sirens. I asked Josh about it and he replied, "That's the last sound you'll hear before you're hit by a hurricane or other similar disaster." That, too, is a comfort. I remarked that I'd much rather hear the Scorpions' Rock you like a Hurricane, but that wouldn't apply well if a tsunami hit us, would it?

Image credit: www.noaa.gov, specifically here.

Aloha!

2009-07-29T09:18:00.004-10:00

Deb and I arrived on O'ahu on the evening of the 22nd to begin a major new phase of our life together. Earlier in the year I was accepted to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa to pursue a graduate degree in Nutrition. My research emphasis will most certainly be Pacific islanders' nutrition- and lifestyle-related health issues. You might be wondering whether we'll remain permanently in the islands. The answer to that depends largely on what job offers come at the end of my program--something that we just cannot foresee at this time. We will go wherever we feel that the Lord wants us to go.

As you may have suspected, Hawaii is beautiful. By the light of our first Hawaiian sunrise I was able to identify for Deb a number of species of tropical flora: bananas, coconut palm, papaya, etc., plants that I was familiar with during my mission to Samoa and American Samoa. The tradewinds keep the warm, humid air from being stifling. I didn't miss the winter while in Samoa, I don't think I'll miss it here, either.

Honolulu, at 370,000+ people, is the largest city that I have ever lived in. The same is true for Deb, though she grew up near Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it is about as populous as Honolulu. Of course there are drawbacks to urban life, but we are hoping that we can quickly adjust.

Until we sign an apartment contract, our dear friends, Josh and Julie K, are generously hosting us. Josh is local and he and Julie have been here together for the last three years, so they are seasoned veterans on how to get by in Hawaii. So far we've applied to four apartments and have been accepted at two of them. We're going to take the one that puts us in the same complex as Josh and Julie.

Since our focus is on settling in, we haven't done much by way of tourism, though we did visit the National Cemetery of the Pacific, which is a "memorial to those men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces." The cemetery grounds were both solemn and beautiful, filled as they were with many different tropical flowers and trees. The cemetery is huge, making it a humbling experience to think that so many have sacrificed so much to ensure the continuance of our precious liberties as established and vouchsafed in the United States Constitution.

On Sunday we went with Josh and Julie to the Lanakila Ward (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We felt instantly welcome, though we were little more than complete strangers. The powerful sense of community amongst fellow Mormons is one of the reasons I am grateful to be a member of the Church. In addition to making us feel welcome at their Sabbath services, some of the ward members offered leads to apartments and jobs.

On Monday, we met again with some of the young couples and their children from the ward for a group family night and potluck dinner. Again, as on Sunday, Deb and I were made to feel very welcome as possible new additions to the Lanakila Ward. The ward members are so very diverse: there are many different cultural backgrounds represented, yet the unity in Christ is remarkable.

In short, we are excited to be here and are looking forward to the things to come. We will tell many of our stories and recount our adventures on our respective blogs, mine and Deb's. And of course, we would always love to have visitors!

Healthy Snakes May Prevent Childhood Obesity

2009-04-20T07:47:00.002-10:00

We're in the process of moving, which means going through all our belongings and stuff, sorting through it all, and deciding which to keep and which to toss. There's something satisfying about an occasional good, thorough purging.

For the past three years I've been an instructor in various university classes, from the undergraduate exercise physiology lab to weight lifting to water aerobics. Working with students has been a lot of fun, it's part of the reason I'm going on in my own education--so I can keep on teaching.

Occasionally, students would turn in assignments that they wrote on the fly and it was clear that they weren't too careful about what they wrote. Most times the resulting errors were pretty funny. I wish I would have saved them all and compiled them for future laughs. Unfortunately, such foresight usually escapes me.

Here is the choicest gem of them all, one I managed to keep around. Deb and I frequently refer back to it. Writing about physical fitness in school-aged children, one student wrote, "The best way to fight off obesity in your children is to have only healthy snakes and diets in your home." (Emphasis mine)

I suppose if your children are terrified of any kind of snake, especially healthy ones, having one in the home might increase their daily physical activity levels as they run from room to room whilst pursued by said healthy snake.

I have no doubts that healthy snake-induced increases in physical activity coupled with a healthful diet will prove beneficial in fighting the onset of childhood obesity. But always consult with your children's pediatrician before implementing a healthy snake-based physical activity program in your home.

Sakura, Sort Of

2009-04-16T11:42:00.002-10:00

I know sakura actually refers to cherry blossom or cherry tree. I have a brother in Tokyo and I'm sure he's livin' la vida sakura right now. But that's besides the point.

I was greeted this morning by sadness. The two beautiful plum trees that I've passed under nearly every day for the past four years were greatly damaged by late spring snow.

Most of the snow we've gotten all winter has been light and dry, powder, if you will. It's that way year after year after year in Utah.

But yesterday and today brought a very wet, heavy snowfall. The plum trees in full bloom couldn't handle the extra weight of the snow.

I'd say about half the trees' bulk was lost.

Before the week is through it will all be cleaned up and the trees newly manicured.

By the end of the summer few will remember the damage and terrific loss.

I will remember.

Wet unwelcome snow
In spring breaks beautiful bows.
Sakura, sort of.

Great Day!

2009-04-14T13:03:00.002-10:00

Yesterday I formally defended my thesis. A total of eight people showed up to watch the show: my loving wife, Deb, the three professors on my committee, another professor I've worked with on some research, and three of my fellow students.

It was a smashing success, made the more so because I brought some suafa'i, or banana soup, which I've blogged about previously. Try it out. My committee congratulated me on my defense but didn't ask for more. They did, however, all ask for the recipe for suafa'i. The moral of the story? A good bowl of banana soup trumps a boring thesis. Anytime.

But passing (with revisions) my thesis defense wasn't the best part of the day. Not by a long shot, though it was an important segue to what came after: a letter from the University of Hawaii.

"I am pleased to inform you that you have been admitted for the Fall 2009 semester to the Nutrition-PhD program," the letter read. I won't know, however, until May 1st whether I've been selected to be a TA in the undergraduate nutrition classes. Without that funding life in Hawaii would be prohibitively expensive. Please pray for Deb and me that things work out.

He Lives!

2009-04-12T04:00:00.003-10:00

"What is the one single event that has most influenced and changed human history? The disciples of Jesus Christ have only one answer, which they proclaim without reservation, indisputably and absolutely: the dying and rising of God's only-begotten Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!"

So wrote Bishop Paul S. Loverde of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington for his Easter Sunday homily. To my knowledge no one before Jesus Christ claimed power over death and no one has claimed it ever since. Sure, there have been plenty of self-proclaimed messiahs and saviors pushing their particular versions of the social gospel on their fellows, but none ever has claimed the power to lay down their lives and take them up again. Only Jesus Christ made and fulfilled that claim. We are the blessed beneficiaries of His labor of love.

I love Easter time. I love the reminder it brings that life should be filled with hope that regardless of how difficult it gets we have the promise that life continues beyond the grave and that all will be made right in the hereafter.

For his own Easter message, Pastor Chuck Worth of the True Word Christian Church in Franklin, Virgina, wrote,

"Everyone you know was born! Granted, Christ’s birth was miraculous, like no other. We should celebrate it. But there is only one man who ever walked this earth, died and rose from the dead to never die again. That man is Jesus of Nazareth."

In truth, were it not for the miracle of the first Easter Sunday, we wouldn't have any cause for celebration on Christmas day. So continues Pastor Chuck,

"...[O]n [Easter] Sunday morning the hope of every Christian was born. He arose! It is about much more than this singular event. In His resurrection we all have faith that death is not the end. We will one day rise just as He did. In Christ we have our hope of eternal life. In Christ we have the perfect sacrifice to complete the law of God, not do away with it. In His life we may all have life!"

In one of the greatest sermons on Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice that I have ever heard, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of Christ's living apostles and witnesses said,

"Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, 'I will not leave you comfortless. [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].'"

Now let me add my voice to the worldwide chorus of Christians who celebrate and sing praises to God for the incomparable gift of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. He does live! He is our hope and our joy. The price of discipleship is worth paying, for this is life eternal: that we might know God and Jesus Christ whom He did send. May the dying and rising of Jesus Christ most influence and change you as it has me. I wish you all a very joyful Easter Sunday.

Good Read

2009-04-08T16:13:00.005-10:00

I recently began rereading the Book of Mormon and am finding that I am learning and seeing more than I previously have. Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon is meant for frequent study, teaches of God's interaction with His children, testifies of Jesus Christ's divinity, and illustrates the consequences of righteousness and sinfulness. You can read the Book of Mormon online for free, or you can request a free copy of the Book of Mormon, the Bible, or other media. Here is a nice video about the promise associated with the Book of Mormon.

At Long Last

2009-04-01T13:32:00.002-10:00

And the big news is...

My thesis defense is officially scheduled!

The secretary to one of the associate deans in our college of Health and Human Performance emailed the following to 123 people inviting them to my defense. Of course you're invited too. In fact, the whole university of 30,000+ students, staff, faculty, and administration is technically invited. Too bad the room will only hold about 20 people.

Thesis Defense

Nate

Exercise Sciences (Master of Science)

“Development of an Exercise Test to Predict VO2peak in Children and Adolescents”

Committee: Vehrs, Hager, George

April 13, 2009 2:00 pm 119 Richards Building

Why Mormons Build Temples

2009-03-12T05:59:00.001-10:00

I'm on vacation so no more posts for a few days. But here is a little video explaining the reasons why Mormons build temples. If you're the reading type you can find more information on the purpose of temples on the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Blessings of the Temple

2009-03-07T08:15:00.006-10:00

This morning Deb and I went to the open house for the Draper, Utah temple. The edifice is beautiful in both design and purpose.

Before a new temple is dedicated and its doors closed to all but faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, any person, Church member or not, may tour the building and learn more about its sacred purpose in God's plan for us, His children.

Once dedicated the Draper, Utah temple will be the 129th operating LDS temple in the world. Amazingly, in my lifetime I've witnessed that number grow from under 50 temples to where it is today. Truly the Lord is blessing us all by bringing the blessings of the holy temples to peoples around the world.

A temple is different than a meeting house, or chapel. Everyone is welcome to come to an LDS worship service, but temple attendance is reserved for faithful members of the Church.

The purpose of temples is to teach God's children His eternal plan for them. There we learn more fully the answers to "life's great questions" such as where do I come from, why am I here, and where do I go after this life.

The idea of the temple is not a new one. In fact, temples have been the center of worship in all civilizations in all ages of the world. The ancient Jews had the tabernacle in the time of Moses, Solomon's temple and its successor after the Babylonian captivity, and the temple of Herod which stood in Jesus' day. Jesus Himself cherished the temple and honored its sanctity, driving out the money changers on two different occasions. Modern scholars such as Hugh Nibley and Margaret Barker have greatly increased our understanding of the centrality of the temple in ancient religious thought and worship.

I am grateful for the blessings of the temple. When I married Deb, I did so in the Boise, Idaho temple. There we received the promise that if we remain faithful to God our marriage relationship will not end at death but endure for eternity. Knowing how much I love her now and that cultivated love tends to grow, I rejoice in the prospect of staying by her side forever. Through temple worship I have a better understanding of Paul's statement to the ancient Corinthians, "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:11).

You too may enjoy all the blessings of the temple, God has commanded none to not partake of all that He has in store for His children. Instead, God has given His Son Jesus Christ to stand as the supreme example in whose footsteps we must follow. To learn more about God's plan of happiness, please visit www.mormon.org or ask me a question through the comments feature below.

Good Read

2009-03-05T05:00:00.001-10:00

For Valentine's Day Deb got me a book: Mormon Scientist, a biography of Henry Eyring.

Dr. Eyring was a remarkable scientist, publishing over 600 scientific papers in his career. He was also widely known for his unshakable faith in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He ardently defended both science and religion, often passing on the wisdom given him by his father: "In this Church you don't have to believe anything that isn't true."

I recommend this book to everyone: to those interested in chemistry, to those who are not; to those interested in prominent Mormons, to those who are not. Why? Because Dr. Eyring lived a life worthy of study and emulation. We can only amass precious little by our own experiences, why not study good admirable lives and learn what others have to teach us?

Self Reliance

2009-03-02T13:22:00.004-10:00

Self-reliance is an important principle to Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The ability to take care of one's own needs, and the needs of one's family, is something many of us have long taken for granted. But these hard economic times we are experiencing are bringing the importance of self-reliance into greater relief.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to helping its members and friends of all faiths develop greater self-reliance. Mormons are not an insular people who only take care of their own. We subscribe to and seek to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ on social justice, equating our service to our fellow brothers and sisters of humanity with service to God.

This video illustrates the efforts the Church is making to ensure that people around the world establish the principle of self-reliance in their lives.

The Church provides free resources to anyone interested in increasing his or her self-reliance, including materials on home food storage, managing finances, education and literacy, and employment services. Again, most if not all of these services are available for FREE regardless of one's religious affiliation.

Being self-reliant brings peace of mind; it frees us up to increase our service to others. And when we are in the service of our fellow men and women, we are in the service of God.

Additional Information:

Article on easy home storage.

Article on self-reliance.

Church Humanitarian Services.

Welfare and Self-Reliance.

Towards Greater Equality

2009-02-25T10:48:00.004-10:00

Yesterday evening I experienced something that has caused me to think a little and I'd like to share my thoughts and then have you respond with any and all ideas that come to you while you read this post.

Deb works at one of the local grade schools. She has made friends with a number of the children and sometimes will come home with the announcement that we should go to a play, or a music program, or a science fair to show support for these kids.

Last night we went to the science fair. Children from all over the district gathered with their cardboard displays to show off their talents as budding young scientists. It was fun to see a number of the same old projects being done back in my day and to see a number of genuinely creative experiments.

It was really easy to spot the displays that probably had a lot of parent involvement and represented a higher socioeconomic status. They were crisp. The written portions exhibited good grammar and clarity of thought. Most of the experiment titles were very clever.

Then there were the displays done by children who likely had little, if any, parental assistance. They were poorly organized, sparing in details, and often indicated that English was the students' second language.

When it came to the awards ceremony, I watched as at least two prizes went to children whose fathers are university professors; I know because I know their fathers. I'm not saying that their fathers did the work for them, so I'm not crying foul play. I'm talking about a much bigger problem.

I left the science fair grateful that Deb and I both have college degrees. We'll likely give our children better educational guidance than we would otherwise have been able to.

But parents without much education, or parents who don't speak English, or parents who don't take an active role or interest in their kids' schooling will many times watch as kids from better educated, more affluent families take home the prizes from the science fairs.

Here are the questions I'd like us to discuss:

How do we level this playing field?

How do we diminish or eliminate this disparity?

What can we do to help others help themselves and their own families?

What did your parents do well to help you on your way to educational and eventual career success?

I'll start our discussion by posting the first comment. Please, I'd like your feedback.

On Mead and Samoa

2009-02-18T11:27:00.006-10:00

Back in the day when the Nurture vs. Nature war was going full tilt, Franz Boas, the most eminent anthropologist of his time, sent 23-year-old Margaret Mead to do some field work in Samoa. A short time later she returned to the States and in 1928 published her startling book Coming of Age in Samoa.

Coming of Age in Samoa was a smashing success for at least a few reasons: 1). its preface, written by Boas, very strongly endorsed Mead's conclusions, 2). it was uncritically accepted by scholars and laymen alike, and 3). Mead's conclusions were that free love was the rule in Samoa and Samoan girls didn't suffer, like their American counterparts, from the storm and stress associated with adolescence. Mead went on to generalize that all youth wherever would benefit from following the Samoans' lead.

It wasn't until 1983 before anyone seriously challenged Mead's conclusions, and when he did, Derek Freeman started an uproar in anthropological circles. For a while, Freeman was considered the anthropological Antichrist, attacking as he was the conclusions of Mead--the 'Mother-Goddess' of anthropology, but now his work concerning Mead is much more widely accepted.

I've recently read most of Freeman's Margaret Mead and Samoa (1983) and all of his Fateful Hoaxing of Margaret Mead (1999). Both are fascinating and I'd recommend them to anyone interested Samoa, anthropology, or good old-fashioned scientific controversy.

I've learned a few lessons from Mead's work in Samoa that should prove helpful to any aspiring scientist. Mead could have avoided posthumous embarrassment at the hands of Freeman had she or her advisor, Franz Boas, done three things before publishing Coming of Age in Samoa:

1. Checked her conclusions against her own field notes,

2. Checked her conclusions against the extant ethnological data,

3. Checked her conclusions by returning to Samoa for additional study.

Freeman makes it clear, however, that not only did Mead not do any of the above mentioned things, she insisted in the preface to the 1973 edition of Coming of Age in Samoa that revision was an impossibility:

"Some young critics have even asked me when I am going to revise this book and look unbelieving and angry when I say that to revise it would be impossible. It must remain, as all anthropological works must remain, exactly as it was written, true to what I saw in Samoa and what I was able to convey of what I saw; true to the state of our knowledge of human behavior as it was in the mid-1920's; true to our hopes and fears for the future of the world." (Emphasis mine)

So, instead of revisiting and revising her terribly flawed work, Margaret Mead doggedly upheld its conclusions for the rest of her life. Perhaps Mead thought she'd lose her credibility if she ever reversed her stance.

Contrast that attitude with Hugh Nibley 's: "Everything...is being reappraised....I refuse to be held responsible for anything I wrote more than three years ago. For heaven's sake, I hope we are moving forward here! After all, the implication [is] that one mistake and it is all over with. How flattering to think in forty years I have not made one slip and I am still in business! I would say about four-fifths of everything I put down has changed. Of course! That is the whole idea; This [research] is an ongoing process...." (Source)

We have to reappraise and revise all the time, of necessity, or else we are liable to be made to look like fools. There's no shame in admitting a mistake; it's bar none the best way to correct our course and start moving in the right, or a better, direction.

Dr. Paul Alan Cox, an ethnobotanist who has done extensive field work in Samoa, has a differing view than both Mead and Freeman:

"Noncompetitive, lenient, and somewhat promiscuous [Mead's conclusions]. Authoritarian, competitive, and touchy [Freeman's conclusions]. Margaret Mead's and Derek Freeman's descriptions of Samoans seem worlds apart. The longer we [Dr. Cox and his family] lived in Falealupo, the more I wondered if what one sees in Samoa is merely a reflection of one's own preconceptions." (Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rainforest, pg. 68)

Enter another piece of advice for budding young scientists: be careful of preconceptions; science is supposed to be unbiased and objective. But since it's nearly impossible to completely remove one's biases and subjective views, one must lay all of them on the table before stating one's conclusions.

I agree with both Freeman and Cox: the Samoans are not to be characterized as the libertines Mead made them out to be.

Enough pontificating! You get the point.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T18:57:00.000-10:00

It is Better to Give...

2009-02-08T15:50:00.001-10:00

I've always loved this story, now portrayed in video. I hope you enjoy it too.

That's Astronomical!

2009-02-06T05:57:00.003-10:00

As a boy I used to have a recurring nightmare where my mind was forced to comprehend the size of infinitely large objects. I hated those dreams! The human mind is not programmed to comprehend infinity.

The United States' government is currently attempting to pass a $900 billion dollar stimulus package. In some minds it will be a nightmare if it doesn't pass, in other minds a nightmare if it does. Let's try to comprehend together what $900 billion represents in different units of measurement.

Time

If each dollar of the stimulus package were a second of time, then $900 billion would equal

15 billion minutes,
250 million hours,
10.4 million days, or
28,538.8 years.

If I lived that long I wouldn't die until the year 30,519--move over Methuselah, you spring chicken!

Weight

$900 billion is equal to 90 trillion pennies.

The combined weight of 90 trillion pennies is 225 billion kilograms (kg)!

That's the equivalent of

2.25 billion people my weight (100 kg), or

41,246,562.8 average male African elephants!

Distance

90 trillion pennies set end-to-end would extend for 1.7145 billion kilometers,

Or enough distance to circumnavigate the earth at its equator 42,780.15 times;

That's equal to 11.46 Astronomical Units (AU), or 11.46 times the earth's distance from the Sun.

That's further away from the Sun than the planet Saturn.

90 trillion pennies stacked on top of each other would be

139.5 million kilometers or .93 AU, almost the distance between Earth and the Sun.

Conclusion

We could consider more but I have other things to be doing. Any way we figure it, though, $900 billion is a lot.

You're Thinking of Doing What?!

2009-01-23T08:44:00.005-10:00

Life is filled with crossroads. I am at one of those crossroads right now as I put the finishing touches on my thesis and prepare for graduation in April.

What should I do once school is over? Do I plunge myself into a weak economy with fewer and fewer jobs? Nah, I think to myself. That doesn't sound like fun.

Instead, I've decided to go for more schooling, this time at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, provided I get accepted.

If you've been following the frustrating experience of my thesis, you may be wondering why I would ever get back into the system once I'm finally free of it. That's a good question.

For starters, I don't feel like I'm finished with schooling. That is, I don't feel like it's time to stop just yet. There are greater things for me just over the horizon.

Additionally, if you've been following this blog you know that I'm really into Samoa and its people and language and culture and food. I don't know that I've ever specifically mentioned it in any of my posts but Samoans (and Pacific islanders in general) are quite susceptible to the chronic diseases associated with a Westernized diet and lifestyle. I'd like to gain the education and experience necessary to be able to do something about this in ways that are harmonious with indigenous cultures.

Furthermore, the late Gordon B. Hinckley, a man I consider to have been a prophet, repeatedly taught that we should get all the education we can get.

“Get all of the education you can possibly get. Education is the key which will unlock the door of opportunity, and the Lord has laid upon you the responsibility to secure an education.” (Source)

“Be smart. The Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands, whatever your chosen field. Whether it be repairing refrigerators, or the work of a skilled surgeon, you must train yourselves. Seek for the best schooling available. Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you. I repeat, you will bring honor to the Church and you will be generously blessed because of that training.

“There can be no doubt, none whatever, that education pays. Do not short-circuit your lives. If you do so, you will pay for it over and over and over again.” (Source)

My wife has to continually remind me that there are many good interpretations of the phrase get all the education you can, that it isn't referring to a one-size-fits-all, PhDs-for-everyone kind of plan. I know she is right, of course. She is my wife, after all, and a wise one at that.

But as we have counseled with each other, Deb and I both feel good, that this plan to go to Hawaii, provided they accept me, is a good plan.

And so, despite the difficulties I've faced with my thesis and the inevitable hardships of a PhD, I feel great at the prospect of continuing my education, especially if it will make me more able to serve my fellow brothers and sisters in the great human family.

(Photo: My Hawaiian bruddah, Josh, and me on the Big Island of Hawaii, May 2005. Great times!)

RE: Doomsday!

2009-01-19T08:12:00.004-10:00

I recently wrote, here, about the federal government's $1.3 billion Hollywood stimulus package but thought I'd briefly revisit the idea.

A New York Times piece, which read more like an article from the Onion, recently reported that the feds, including the nascent Obama administration, are calling for a delay in the scheduled February 17 switchover from analog to digital TV.

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, D-West Virginia, a proponent of the switchover delay, indicated his concern that a February 17 switchover "is going to hit our most vulnerable citizens — the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and those with language barriers — the hardest."

My heart bleeds too, Mr. Senator, but it does so more along the lines of doing something to ensure that "the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and those with language barriers" get the food, shelter, clothing, love, medical attention, and education they need, not a government promise of subsidized digital TV.

I'll tell you why I feel this way, Mr. Senator. Everyone is talking about how bad the United States' economy is, how we're headed for some tough times. Yet the federal government's move to provide mind-numbing television brings us alarmingly close to Aldous Huxley's idea of "amusing ourselves to death," as found in his novel Brave New World.

Perhaps you hadn't considered it this way, Mr. Senator, but during this recession what we need is less TV watching and more wealth producing labor. Let me illustrate. The New York Times piece indicated that 7.8 million American households were without a digital TV converter box as of December 2008. The Economist reported that in 2005, the average American household daily watched 8.18 hours (8 hours, 11 minutes) of television. The current, federally mandated minimum wage is $6.55 per hour.

What then is the gross value of a year of TV watching given the aforementioned numbers? 7.8 million American households x 8.18 hours TV watching per day x $6.55 per hour x 365 days per year = $15,239,413,000!

Again, that's $15.2 billion, Mr. Senator; enough to make even a Rockefeller smack his lips a little, don't you think? Yet the federal government is providing the incentive for the American people to sit on their duffs instead of going out and generating the type of wealth that would buttress the failing economy.

Yes, Mr. Senator, my heart bleeds: in part for the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and those with language barriers; in part because the government's subsidies for digital television are greater than its support for graduate students; in part because this controversy is indicative of a decaying society.

On the bright side, however, this unfolding drama should, no doubt, prove worthy of a good made-for-TV movie. I hope everyone can get a digital converter box by the time it airs.

A Year in Blogging Statistics

2009-01-17T07:10:00.004-10:00

Being the budding young scientist that I am, and an exercise scientist at that, I have a natural propensity toward numbers and performance statistics. So on 17 January 2008, I began collecting stats on this blog to see where my readers were coming from and how long they spent on the site and what content they were reading most, etc.

I am pleased to report that in the past year I have had 3,172 visits by 1,657 visitors from 603 cities in 46 countries and territories;

That those visitors have spent a total of 91 hours, 37 minutes, and 23 seconds reading from the Book of Nate, each visit averaging 1 minute and 44 seconds in length;

That the most time spent in a single visit was 35 minutes, 38 seconds, whereas the least time spent was 0 minutes, 0 seconds;

That 89.22% of visits are from folks in the United States and 94.66% of the time spent is also from the United States;

That these numbers are piddly compared to other blogs, which can get thousands, even tens of thousands, of visits daily;

But that I've had a ton of fun blogging in the past year, and I thank all you readers for making this a success!

On Dishes

2009-01-14T14:26:00.002-10:00

I'm not a big fan of having to do the dishes by hand. Though doing so does free the mind to think about things.

So as I was doing the dishes today I remembered that in Old Samoa the people used very few dishes in their food preparation. They mostly used sticks and leaves and rocks and fire to do their cooking, all of which nature, or a little muscle, provided.

I couldn't begin to count the number of banana-leaf dinner plates I used when I was in Samoa. Clean up was a breeze!

I thought I'd give you a taste for what dinner preparation might be like for many of the meals we ate in Samoa. The amount of work that goes into a nice traditional meal is one reason why Samoan men and boys are quite muscular. I suppose that makes up for not having many dishes to wash.

Things Will Always Get Better if We Live and Love the Gospel

2009-01-12T13:58:00.003-10:00

The world these days is a pretty wild place to live in. But speak with any octogenarian, or read a history book, and you'll realize that it's been that way for a very long time.

That's why I particularly liked the optimistic perspective in the following statement by Howard W. Hunter, fourteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's proof positive that the Lord's prophets are not all about doom and gloom.

"In my lifetime I have seen two world wars plus Korea plus Vietnam and all that you are currently witnessing. I have worked my way through the depression and managed to go to law school while starting a young family at the same time. I have seen stock markets and world economies go crazy and have seen a few despots and tyrants go crazy, all of which causes quite a bit of trouble around the world in the process.

"So I am frank to say tonight that I hope you won't believe all the world's difficulties have been wedged into your decade or that things have never been worse than they are for you personally, or that they will never get better. I reassure you that things have been worse and they will always get better. They always do—especially when we live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ and give it a chance in our lives."

(Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 202.)

Facts and Figures Relating to the Book of Mormon

2009-01-09T08:47:00.002-10:00

140,000,000: copies of the Book of Mormon distributed since 1830

275,000: approximate number of words in the Book of Mormon

5000: copies produced in the first edition printing of the Book of Mormon

3000: dollars it cost to print the first edition of the Book of Mormon

531: pages in current Latter-day Saint edition of the Book of Mormon (compare to the 403 and 1184 pages respectively of the LDS editions of the New Testament and Old Testament)

239: chapters in the Book of Mormon

107: languages in which the Book of Mormon is currently available

60 – 90: working days it took Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon (compare to the 7 years it took for the King James Version of the Bible)

24: age of Joseph Smith when the Book of Mormon was published

1: number of translators of the Book of Mormon – that's right, only Joseph Smith as he was inspired by God (compare to the 47 scholar-translators for the King James Version of the Bible)

Begin your reading of the Book of Mormon here.

Flowers in Winter

2009-01-08T05:00:00.003-10:00

One of our dear friends, Whitney, is a professional photographer. She's done amazing work with our engagement and wedding photos. You can see her work on her blog, which I highly recommend as you may want to employ her skills yourselves.

Quite a while back I told Deb that I really wanted a few specific prints of some of Whitney's other work. So, Deb got them, framed them all nice-like, and gave them to me for Christmas.

With Whitney's permission, I present to you the amazing photos Deb gave me.

These are amazing. Seriously, visit Whitney's blog...and then hire her or purchase from her.

Doomsday

2009-01-07T08:23:00.005-10:00

For some, February 17th, 2009, means Doomsday. At least it could if you don't get your piece of the $1.3 billion the federal government set aside to assist Americans in the analog to digital TV switchover.

But things are looking grim for avid TV devotees. According to a report on msnbc.com, there's no more money left in the program, and "for millions of people it's too late to get a government coupon to help pay for the converter boxes in time for the deadline."

While Americans suffer through the worst recession since the Great Depression, the feds are struggling to deliver on their promise of 'two converter boxes for every home.' "Thousands of people are now on a waiting list, as Congress scrambles to find a way to allocate more money to the program."

It looks as though Americans will have to find new ways to pass their extra time created by the advent of digital TV. A rediscovery of books may be a good place to start. Or--going out on a limb with this one--vis-a-vis interaction with fellow human beings.

According to the Economist, in 2005 American households watched an "average of 8 hours and 11 minutes [of TV] every day." In other words, in this time of economic recession when money is tight, the average American household is spending enough time in front of the boob-tube to account for another full-time job!

Well, what are we going to do about it? I'll tell you what, if you or your children watch any TV, even if it's just an hour a day, why don't you pay me a dollar for every hour watched? I don't have a TV so I don't have an extra 8 hours and 11 minutes hanging around every day, but I would like to pay for my schooling.

If you think this is a good idea--me helping you to break the TV habit, you helping me to get a TV-free education--let me know in the comments and I'll set up a PayPal account so we can make the transaction. Deal?

Christmas Break

2008-12-19T07:46:00.001-10:00

Today marks the beginning of Christmas break for Deb and me, so my posts on the blog will likely be less frequent for approximately two weeks.

Or, I may find so much material to write about that I'll be posting like mad.

Either way, stay tuned!

A Solution to Our Economic Crisis?

2008-12-17T05:00:00.004-10:00

As a poor college student admittedly this whole 'economy' and 'recession' thing isn't bothering me too much. I don't have a 40-year accumulated nest egg cracking before my eyes, draining out its contents into a hot cast-iron skillet, to be eaten by forces I don't even pretend to understand.

But the advice given in the following clip is priceless for one such as me who hasn't a lot of discretionary funds. I think you'll enjoy it.

The Spirit of Christmas

2008-12-16T05:00:00.004-10:00

Deb and I went to the grade school she works at to help with the Christmas gift-giving program for children of low-income families. What we saw and experienced there is the highlight so far of this Christmas season.

The staff and faculty of Deb's workplace put together an 'angel tree' and the staff, faculty, and more affluent parents picked angels from the tree which corresponded to a boy or girl in kindergarten to the 6th grade. A toddler category was also included for younger brothers and sisters who would inevitably accompany their older siblings to receive their presents.

There were probably close to 100 presents under the trees and each child came up to the tree corresponding to his or her grade level and chose a present from a pile of gifts designated as 'boy' or 'girl'. A couple of baskets of books were set out for the children to take in addition to their gifts. Santa and Mrs. Claus came and handed out candy canes and spoke with each child.

The school had also procured turkeys and large sacks of potatoes to give to every family, and two live Christmas trees for two lucky winners.

The children were a delight to watch, their eyes sparkling as they took their pick from the presents. The parents beamed gratitude and some wept for joy as they and their children received perhaps all they would this Christmas season.

If I receive nothing else this Christmas but the memories of those happy children and parents I don't think I would care a bit. This has already been the best Christmas season I've ever experienced.

Ratings

2008-12-15T08:35:00.003-10:00

In an effort to make this blog more productive I've added feature to let you rate each post. That way I can gear my future posts toward subjects that are more interesting to you readers. Feel free to go back to any past posts and rate them. I'd really appreciate that.

Here's my rationale for doing this. A good personal trainer will always test the fitness levels of his or her clients to get an idea of what they currently are. That allows the personal trainer to map out a plan for the clients' future workout routines. Fitness testing provides for the individualization of workout plans. Repeat testing gives the clients an idea of their progress over time and provides an important incentive to keep exercising.

Consider this new ratings system to be a test of my blog's fitness. Knowing how each individual post rates will allow me to provide additional similar content that will benefit and interest you, the reader. Thanks for helping me out.

Can I Headbutt You in the Stomach?

2008-12-12T07:44:00.003-10:00

Yesterday I went to Deb's workplace, an elementary school, to deliver cookies to the 'after-school program', where the children were to have a going away party for one of the adult leaders.

I arrived to witness the utter mayhem that Deb has repeatedly told me about, but my own experience with the kiddies left me wondering whether I should laugh my head off or shake it in dismay until it falls off.

Promptly upon my arrival I was confronted by a girl who seemed remarkably tall and large for her age. She stood nearly toe-to-toe with me and stared and grinned at me without saying a word.

I greeted her and asked her name. No answer, though her friend (or lackey, I'm not sure) quickly let me know who I was dealing with: a girl with a boy's name.

I asked her what grade she was in. A long pause, then, "The 3rd grade." Then came the unexpected, "Can I headbutt you in the stomach?"

I calmly declined her generous offer and informed her that that would be assault (actually battery). She responded with the third-grade-girl equivalent of maniacal laughter. I started worrying about my personal welfare.

"Can I kick you in the shin?" she inquired. No, that too would be assault. More giggling. "Can I punch you in the arm?"

Boy was I glad when she had to go early.

Paradoxically, the boys were uncharacteristically sedate, a number of them sat at a table with knitting hoops making stocking caps.

I felt like I had stepped into an alternate universe.

Good Eats

2008-12-06T09:30:00.000-10:00

At the suggestion of a friend and his wife, Deb and I went to a nice little Chilean restaurant for dinner last night. Pantrucas, as it's called, offered a inviting, homey atmosphere to compliment the warm hospitality of its proprietors.

Upon entering, we were kindly greeted by the owners themselves, Ricardo and Margarita Minond, who also do all the cooking and serving. I asked Ricardo what he suggested and he graciously described the items listed on the hand-written menu contained in three wall-mounted chalkboards.

I went with the churrasco palta and Deb ordered the ave palta: delicious sandwiches consisting of a soft roll smothered in avocado (hence, palta) with tomatoes and in mine, grilled steak, in Deb's, chicken. We also got one of their ham and cheese empanadas and a side of french fries.

Based on the friendly service and comidas deliciosas, I would recommend Pantrucas (3161 N. Canyon Rd.) to anyone in the Provo area.

See here for an additional review of Pantrucas as published in the BYU campus paper.

Telephone, Anyone?

2008-12-05T11:00:00.000-10:00

If you've been following this blog you know that I love Samoa and I also love Samoans. But though I've been told by many a Samoan that I'm "brown on the inside" that doesn't hide the fact that I'm about as far from being brown on the outside as I could get...unless I was an albino.

Nevertheless, beginning in 2003 I became affiliated with the campus Friends of Samoa club, and as my schooling has increased its demands on my time over the years my affiliation became looser and looser.

But my old mission buddy sent me a flier for a Wednesday night Friends of Samoa club dinner which indicated that not only was the meal free, it was being catered by campus dining services. Not a bad gig if you ask me.

So Deb and I make our way up to the seventh floor room where our hot meal is going to be served and I see one of my former students and his wife dressed all fancy and obviously on their way to something too. I wondered what his connection to Samoa was.

I ask him where he's headed and he tells me a dinner. My heart sank a little, but I brushed it off with the thought that multiple dinners could be happening on the same night on the same floor of the same building.

But when we exited the elevator and I asked a caterer where the Friends of Samoa club dinner was being held we received a blank stare and then the reply, "There's an athletics dinner tonight."

My heart sank a little further. We walked down the hall toward the dining room. I didn't have the guts to go inside so I called my mission buddy to confirm that we were there on the right night.

Then the guests started arriving and I recognized some of them as my fellow graduate students and former students. "Why are you here?" one of the PhD students asked. The dinner wasn't for athletes, we found out, it was for athletic trainers - a field that shares my same academic department.

The only thing is, I'm not a trainer. I study exercise physiology. So I'm called either an exercise scientist or an exercise physiologist, but I know very little about athletic training. If you get injured I'll probably tell you to get a bag of therapy ice and make a snow cone with it.

Deb saw one of her former lifeguard buddies and asked her what was going on. She informed us that the dinner was a "Seniors' Night" for the graduating class and that it was doubling as a recruiting effort to get Polynesians interested in majoring in athletic training.

Then my mission buddy and another mission buddy and the first mission buddy's wife show up. Deb explained to them the situation. Apparently there had been some sort of mix-up we come to find out. My mission buddy's coworker happens to be the staff adviser to the Friends of Samoa club. She had received the word that this dinner was happening and she passed the word on to my friend who passed it on to me, etc.

And now we're back where we started: I'm white. My wife's white. And so is my buddy and his wife and our other mission buddy. We could have gone into the athletic training dinner and filled five of the ten reservations in the name of the Friends of Samoa club, but we felt a little sheepish about doing so, and I was a little more than embarrassed to face my peers and former students as the lone exercise physiologist, non-Samoan crashing the athletic trainers' special evening.

Do you remember that game you used to play in grade school? You know, the one called telephone where the teacher whispers into the first kid's ear who whispers into the second kid's ear and so forth until the umpteenth kid blurts out what she heard to everyone else and all the kids roll around because it's so ridiculously funny?

Yeah, we lived that game Wednesday night. Except there's nothing funny about walking away from a free catered meal when you're hungry.

Good Read

2008-12-04T09:00:00.000-10:00

Every now and then I like to pick up a good biography and more fully acquaint myself with an other's worthy life.

To date I've read a number of such works, including books on Joseph Smith, Gordon B. Hinckley, Hugh W. Nibley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and other such figures.

Currently I'm enjoying Brigham Young: American Moses, by Leonard J. Arrington. So far, I'm liking it, and I would recommend it to any who would like to better understand the the man who, in addition to dedicating 46 years of his life to God's service, lead the settlement of a vast portion of the American West.

The End is Near

2008-12-03T13:39:00.003-10:00

Is this post going to consist of apocalyptic foretellings and prognostications?

Not hardly. I've got better news for you than the end of the world.

I'll finish my thesis data collection within two weeks.

Starting in January we'll crunch the numbers, write the report, defend the thing, then in April walk the plank (graduate), and be off to who knows what.

In the Service of Others

2008-11-13T08:30:00.005-10:00

Mormons have received a lot of media attention lately, and not all of it has been good. We've taken a lot of heat for our beliefs during Mitt Romney's bid for presidential candidacy, in the aftermath of the raid of the FLDS compound in Texas--a group which has no affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and most recently because of the involvement of Mormons in passing Proposition 8.

But the stories which indicate that Mormons really do believe in being "benevolent...and in doing good to all men [and women]" (Articles of Faith 13) are largely overlooked.

Joseph Smith, whom Mormons regard as a Prophet of God, once said, "Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." (1)

Here are some notable illustrations of Joseph Smith's point.

A group of food scientists at Brigham Young University have developed a process whereby small, local tortilla mills in Mexico can fortify tortillas with vitamins and minerals "that are too often absent from Mexican's diet." Read more about their work here.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has presented 750 wheel chairs worth 100,000 dollars to the Department of Social Welfare for distribution to disabled persons in three regions of [Ghana] this year." According to this report, here, "last year, the church presented 600,000 wheel chairs to 60 countries world wide and provided some relief items to 52 countries as humanitarian gesture."

The state of Georgia is known to many as the Peach State. But recently Georgia charities found their shelves rapidly emptying as more people hurt by economic troubles and bad weather came for assistance. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The Mormon church sent 70,000 cans of peaches to charities in metro Atlanta. Apricots, too." Those peaches came from Utah and Idaho where orchards experienced bumper crops. "The fruit was picked and processed by church members at church facilities, packed in boxes in Salt Lake City, and shared among churches for their needy. There were still tons left over." So they were sent to Georgia where they were greatly needed and appreciated.

The forgoing are but a sampling of ways in which Mormons are seeking to reach out beyond themselves to people of all ethnicities, nations, and religions to "bless the whole human race."

Additional Stories:

BYU student-designed device to help poor East Africans coax oil from coconuts. Read it here.

BYU and Empower Playgrounds install electricity-generating merry-go-round in Ghana. Read it here.

And Who is My Neighbor?: Highlights of humanitarian endeavors during 2007. Read it here.

1. Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, Deseret Book Company, 1979, pg. 174.

On Prop 8

2008-11-10T08:02:00.003-10:00

The Los Angeles Times reported, here, that “as of Saturday morning [November 8th], the [California] secretary of state reported 5,661,583 votes in favor [of] and 5,154,457 opposed [to Proposition 8].” That’s a total of 10,816,040 votes.

According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are 749,490 Californian members of the Church, ages 8 and up. (See here)

Let’s pretend all those Californian Mormons are of voting age (which they aren’t), and that all of them voted yes on Prop 8 (which they didn’t). What percentage of all who voted on Prop 8 (either for or against) could have been Mormon? 6.9%. What percentage of all who voted yes on Prop 8 could have been Mormon? 13.23%.

That’s hardly a majority in either case, yet those are the maximum percentages of Mormon participation if (1) all 749,490 Californian Mormons were of voting age, (2) all Californian Mormons voted, and (3) all Californian Mormons voted in favor of Prop 8.

So why is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being “being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election”?

“Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States — that of free expression and voting.

“While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.

“Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information.” (Church Issues Statement on Proposition 8 Protest)

The day after the citizens of California decided on Prop 8, a majority of which were not Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement:

“Most likely, the election results for these constitutional amendments will not mean an end to the debate over same-sex marriage in this country.

“We hope that now and in the future all parties involved in this issue will be well informed and act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different position. No one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information.”

“...Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong. The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches.

“Some, however, have mistakenly asserted that churches should not ever be involved in politics when moral issues are involved. In fact, churches and religious organizations are well within their constitutional rights to speak out and be engaged in the many moral and ethical problems facing society. While the Church does not endorse candidates or platforms, it does reserve the right to speak out on important issues.” (Church Responds to Same-Sex Marriage Votes)

I fully respect others’ right to entertain different opinions, and I hope others would respect my right to the same. Angry marches, vandalism of church buildings, or attempts to revoke the tax-exempt status of churches which exercise their “right to speak out on important issues” but do not cross the line to endorse candidates or parties do not bespeak love or tolerance on the part of those who speak so much of deserving love and tolerance.

If my math is correct, the Mormons as a group did not swing the vote in favor of Prop 8 at the ballot boxes by any stretch of the imagination. That many, many other people of all faiths, races, and creeds supported Prop 8 indicates that the traditional definition of marriage is not important to Mormons alone, but to a much larger percentage of California citizens.

Persecuted?

2008-11-03T15:05:00.001-10:00

Today I read that some consider it ironic for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be encouraging its members to defend the traditional definition of marriage. According to one,

This is a church that has been persecuted for its flavor of Christianity, for its past marriage practices, for its past religious practices. And here they are turning around and persecuting another group of people...

However, I'm failing to see the irony. Perhaps it's because no honest person in good conscience can compare the Church's involvement with promoting Proposition 8 to the persecutions heaped on the Mormons in the 19th century because of their religious beliefs.

For example, how many people have been tarred and feathered by the Mormons? I haven't read about any in the news, but many Mormons, including Joseph Smith, were tarred and feathered by angry mobs.

How many have been driven from their homes because they support same-sex marriage? Or how many have been robbed of their property? Or how many have been beaten, raped, or unjustly imprisoned for months on end?

Or how many can relate to the experience of one of my ancestors, Martha P. Thomas? She recorded:

When in 1839 the mobs came upon us in force and drove us away from our home with the loss of all we had save five children, a small yoke of cattle, one old wagon, the clothes we wore and one pair of shoes, all we had for our children....The leaders of the Church were imprisoned, my husband with them. We had to leave in a great hurry on account of the mob and to save our lives, many of our friends, the Saints, being killed.

Because of violent persecutions the Mormons were forced to leave New York, Ohio, Missouri, and finally Illinois, and it wasn't even a full decade after they settled in Utah but what the Mormons were again the target of persecutions at the hands of corrupt individuals. How many proponents of same-sex marriage can make such a claim?

Again, we are reminded that

...under dreadful conditions, the Prophet Joseph Smith suffered in Liberty Jail for months while the mobs drove the Saints from their homes [in Missouri]. The words liberty and jail do not fit together very well.

...The Lord told the Saints to seek redress from the judges, the governor, and then the president.

Their appeals to the judges failed. During his life, Joseph Smith was summoned to court over 200 times on all kinds of trumped-up charges. He was never convicted.

When they sought redress from Governor Boggs of Missouri, he issued a proclamation: “The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good.” That unleashed untold brutality and wickedness.

They appealed to President Martin Van Buren of the United States, who told them, “Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you.”

...The final paragraphs of their third petition addressed to the Congress of the United States [read]:

“The afflictions of your memorialists have already been overwhelming, too much for humanity, too much for American citizens to endure without complaint. We have groaned under the iron hand of tyranny and oppression these many years. We have been robbed of our property to the amount of two millions of dollars. We have been hunted as the wild beasts of the forest. We have seen our aged fathers who fought in the Revolution, and our innocent children, alike slaughtered by our persecutors. We have seen the fair daughters of American citizens insulted and abused in the most inhuman manner, and finally, we have seen fifteen thousand souls, men, women, and children, driven by force of arms, during the severities of winter, from their sacred homes and firesides, to a land of strangers, penniless and unprotected. Under all these afflicting circumstances, we imploringly stretch forth our hands towards the highest councils of our nation, and humbly appeal to the illustrious Senators and Representatives of a great and free people for redress and protection.

“Hear! O hear the petitioning voice of many thousands of American citizens who now groan in exile . . . ! Hear! O hear the weeping and bitter lamentations of widows and orphans, whose husbands and fathers have been cruelly martyred in the land where the proud eagle . . . floats! Let it not be recorded in the archives of the nations, that . . . exiles sought protection and redress at your hands, but sought it in vain. It is in your power to save us, our wives, and our children, from a repetition of the bloodthirsty scenes of Missouri, and thus greatly relieve the fears of a persecuted and injured people, and your petitioners will ever pray.”

There was no pity, and they were turned away.

In 1844, while under the avowed protection of Governor Thomas Ford of Illinois, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot to death in Carthage Jail. Words cannot express the brutality and suffering the Saints had endured.

Can any of the supporters of same-sex marriage truly say that they have suffered like persecutions at the hands of the Mormons?

The injustices suffered by the Mormons rank right up there with those suffered by the blacks and the Native Americans; same-sex marriage proponents have yet to even see a hint of suffering at the hands of the Mormons.

It's one thing to fight for your beliefs, but it's another thing entirely to resort to false analogies and distortions of history to advance your cause.

Halloween

2008-11-01T04:00:00.000-10:00

Deb and I celebrated Halloween a little early this year with the ward we're serving in. We were in Fairview, UT, with Deb's maternal grandparents last night so we didn't dress up. Here's some pics for you to enjoy of our sweet costumes.

Deb as a 70s snow bunny, Nate as a used-car salesman.

The mustache is real, sort of. I really did grow out my mustache for a week but I'm so blonde that you could hardly see it. The trick in darkening it up? Mascara!

Would you buy a car from this guy?

So, here's to dressing up for Halloween. Three years ago at a friend's, now brother-in-law's, birthday party, when Deb and I first officially met, she and her roommates weren't very impressed with my 'plain-clothes, undercover cop' costume. I thought it was genius, but it didn't win me any points with Deb at the time: it wasn't until nearly a year later when we met for a second time that I made any sort of good impression.

Defending an Institution – Not Spreading Hate

2008-10-31T11:32:00.001-10:00

Deluge of Thoughts Precipitates Writing Drought

2008-10-30T08:15:00.005-10:00

I haven't been a great blogger as of late and I think it's due to having too much on my mind.

For one, I'm concerned with the long-term outcome of this year's presidential election. Will it be President McCain or President Obama? Does either one truly have our best interests in mind and the ability to mobilize the deeply divided American citizenry to achieve those best interests? With such a deeply divided citizenry do we even know what our best interests are? Are our differences about what constitutes our best interests the source of our division? Are our differences so great, so insurmountable that the ideal of a united America is a myth of a bygone era? What of "united we stand, divided we fall?"

I'm also concerned about the passage of Proposition 8 in California and what the outcome of this issue will mean for the other States. I do not think it wise to redefine the traditional concept of marriage: that marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, that ideally children are raised by a loving father and mother, that the family is the most fundamental, foundational unit of a healthy society.

I'm concerned that my religious beliefs may cause some to brand me as a bigot. I am not a bigot. I have never resorted to violence to attempt to force others to believe as I do. I have never promoted or condoned any acts of violence toward any person with differing views. What is it exactly about my beliefs that would make me a bigot?

I'm concerned at the development of a "tyranny of tolerance"; that tolerance toward religion and faith in God and those who espouse them is diminishing, while various groups demand tolerance for their particular viewpoints. Such unidirectional tolerance is in actuality intolerance. This concerns me.

I have other concerns too, but maybe I should save them for another post so that I'll have material to help end this writing drought.

Faith, Works, & Grace: A Mormon Perspective

2008-10-21T13:24:00.004-10:00

I had a wonderful conversation yesterday with a friend of mine who is an evangelical Christian. We talked about faith and works and grace and the need to rely on Jesus Christ for our salvation. He asked questions about some of my beliefs as a Mormon and I tried to answer to the best of my ability.

Afterwards, I had a lot to think about because my friend seemed to believe that Mormons trust in their works to get them into heaven. I found that interesting because I don’t believe that and I’m a Mormon. If there is any substance to that claim then I think that we Mormons haven’t been clear enough about our beliefs.

What do Mormons believe about faith, works, grace, and Jesus Christ’s role in our salvation? Are we saved by grace? Are we saved by works? Do faith and works conflict with each other? I don’t think they do if we understand what each is and what each is for.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Christians, Mormons included, center their faith in Jesus Christ as the sole source of salvation. Faith, then, becomes the motivating force in the Christian’s life, driving him or her to seek to do God’s will in all things.

And what of works? Well, unfortunately this is a very loaded concept. But I don’t think it needs to be. Let’s turn to the Bible to see what is said about works.

Jesus, Paul, and James each teach the importance of works as an aspect of discipleship. (Matthew 5:16; Acts 26:20; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Timothy 2:10; 6:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Titus 2:7, 14; 3:14; James 3:17-26)

And Jesus, Paul, and John also teach that we are judged and rewarded according to our works. (Matthew 16:27; 2 Corinthians 11:15; 2 Timothy 4:14; Revelation 2:23, 26; 20:12)

But Paul says that “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Is Paul contradicting himself on the issue of works? Is he contradicting his Master, Jesus, or his fellow servants, James and John? What are we to do?

Like the Christians in Joseph Smith’s day Christians today “of the different sects [understand] the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:12)

What are we to do then? Should we throw out the Bible entirely? God forbid, as Paul would say. What we need is some corroborating but clarifying testimony to support the Bible. “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” (2 Corinthians 13:1) We have such a testimony in the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon was given for “the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace,” (2 Nephi 3:12) and for the intent that we believe in the Bible. (Mormon 7:9) So, let me turn to the Book of Mormon to examine the interplay of faith, works, grace, and our reliance on the Savior for salvation, and let’s see if we can shed any light on this matter.

On the title page of the Book of Mormon we read that one of its purposes is to convince the “Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God….” Later we read that “all mankind [are] in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on [the] Redeemer,” (1 Nephi 10:6) who is Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, we Mormons rely “alone upon the merits of Christ, who [is] the author and the finisher of [our] faith” (Moroni 6:4; emphasis added); indeed, we rely “wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (2 Nephi 31:19; emphasis added).

What does the Book of Mormon say about grace and its role in our salvation? First, “redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth” (2 Nephi 2:6).

Second, “there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8)

Third, a plea: “….My beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God…and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved” (2 Nephi 10:24).

Fourth, “…We labor diligently…to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).

This last verse is probably the one verse in all scripture unique to the Mormons that is misunderstood to mean that we believe that we are saved by works. But a careful reading of the rest of the Book of Mormon clarifies this completely.

Perhaps the best way about it is to understand our terms. What do we mean by works? King Benjamin captured it nicely when he taught his people that “all that [God] requires of you is to keep his commandments” (Mosiah 2:22). Is it work to keep the commandments? I should think so. Fortunately, keeping the commandments is not all drudgery: we experience joy, happiness, and success in our lives as we keep the Lord’s commandments.

“Well,” one might point out, “it is impossible for a mortal to actually keep all of the commandments all of the time. Something’s got to give.” This is true, and herein we see the mercy of God’s plan for his children. In providing a Savior to work out an infinite and eternal atonement, God could bring about the conditions of mercy and repentance.

As recorded in the Book of Mormon, one group of converted sinners understood best what the extent of their works was. They had been a vicious, wild, and wholly godless people. But they had come to know their Savior. They had repented of their sins. Their king related that “it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God” (Alma 24:11; emphasis added). After that, knowing their repentance was sincere and that God is mighty to save, their guilt was swept away. (See also, Enos 1:2-8)

Upon baptism, we enter into a covenant with God, a contract of sorts, wherein He promises to save us from sin and death and the devil, but He asks us at the same time to work in His kingdom to assist Him in bringing about “the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). We fulfill our obligations to God by following in the footsteps of His Only Begotten, Jesus Christ, and seeking to lead others of God’s children to Him.

So, let me recap a bit. We believe, unequivocally, that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The clause “after all we can do” refers to our obedience to God’s commandments (truly all He requires of us), and our ability to repent sufficiently. All this is made possible through the enabling power of the atonement, which is grace.

Joseph Smith stated it this way, “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (Articles of Faith 3).

Mormons do believe that God requires obedience of His children in order for them to receive His blessings. (See D&C 130:20-21) But it is inaccurate to say that Mormons believe that they earn God’s blessings. Blessings are gifts from God and cannot truly be earned by the merits of mortal, imperfect men and women; else, like impudent children, we might boast one to another of our achievements. Rather, God bestows His blessings on His own terms.

“Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.” (1 Nephi 17:35) Though God “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust,” (Matthew 5:45) only those who love Him and keep His commandments will be saved in His heavenly kingdom (Mark 16:16; John 3:5; 14:15 , 21; 15:10; 1 Corinthians 2:9).

In the end, God will not force any of His unrepentant children to come home to live with Him in eternity. But as long as the earth stands, the invitation to “come unto Christ and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32) will remain extended.

I hope that I haven’t added to the confusion by what I have written here. I am grateful to be able to share my perspective on these very important concepts. They have brought me peace in this life and can do the same for you.

In a Pickle

2008-10-17T08:44:00.012-10:00

Every once in a while one of the other exercise science students offers money to anyone who will be a part of his or her research study. I like to participate in these as often as I am able for at least two reasons: 1). I get some pretty sweet moolah, and 2). I get to learn a number of nifty experimental design features and protocols that I otherwise might not have learned.

I read once that Midwesterners are most likely of any group of people in the United States to use the phrase "in a pickle". I'm not sure why that is, but after volunteering to be a subject in a study examining the gastric emptying rate of pickle juice versus water, a study designed and carried out by Kevin from Wisconsin, I came to know a little better what it means to be in a pickle.

Here's me, not fully knowing what I'm getting myself into, but giving my full consent to do it.

After being weighed, Kevin gave me a beaker of water to drink to flush my stomach of anything that might be in it. I drank it and sat for 30 minutes to let it do its work.

Ahhhh...

Periodically, 5 mL blood samples were taken throughout the test, so Kevin put a catheter into my right arm.

Then it was time to put in a 67 centimeter (2.2 feet) plastic tube up my nose, down my throat, and into my stomach. First, I had to numb up and lube my nose:

Then, Kevin gave me the most amazing wild cherry-flavored throat-numbing spray:

After focusing the chi, I was ready to insert the tube:

The most difficult part is passing the uvula area at the back of the throat. Mission: Try not to hit the gag reflex.

Glad that I had gotten past the worst part, I kept on swallowing and pushing, swallowing and pushing until the tube had reached my stomach.

Then Kevin flushed my stomach with water:

With the tube in my stomach, I then had to drink something like 7 milliliters (mL) of water for every kilogram of body weight (body mass for you real sticklers). That worked out to about 705 mL (about 3 cups). On top of that, I had to drink it all in 1 minute and 30 seconds. Since Kevin is studying the difference of the rate of exit out of the stomach between water and pickle juice, I had to complete all these steps twice. So where you read that I had to drink 705 mL of water, also realize that on another day I had to drink 705 mL of pickle juice; all in one-and-a-half minutes.

Over the next forty minutes Kevin infused phenol red into my stomach, took samples of the water (or pickle juice) from my stomach, and sampled blood from my arm, while I periodically rated my level of nausea.

Later Kevin would analyze the samples he drew from my stomach to determine how much phenol red was present (phenol red doesn't leave the stomach very quickly compared to the two test fluids), indicating the rate of exit from my stomach of either the water or pickle juice.

In total, I twice spent over an hour and a half in that dilapidated dentist's chair with a tube down my throat. All this for $40 and a greater understanding of my field of study. In the end I think it was worth it, though I would probably think twice before I did this type of study while exercising like they do at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

A friend of mine also wrote about this with even more pictures illustrating the process. Her account is well worth reading: Musings of a Mad Scientist.

So what do you think? Was it worth it? Would you do it for $40? After going through this and comparing these procedures with those of my thesis, I'm even more confused why we can't get enough teens to come in to only run on a treadmill. I don't even joke about needles in their presence; they've got it easy.

(Photo credits: Dave Nielson)

An Unsung Hero

2008-10-08T12:45:00.012-10:00

Lately, I've been studying the history of the London Missionary Society and its accomplishments in the Samoan islands. Not only is their history fascinating in its own right, but some of the personalities involved in the initial evangelizing of Samoa are quite remarkable.

I don't mean to do John Williams any injustice by not focusing this post on him and his incomparable work; indeed, were it not for Williams's enthusiasm, the message of Jesus Christ might not have made it to Samoa until many years later than 1830.

But one whose work is often passed over is that of the Reverend George Pratt, from Great Britain. According to The History of the London Missionary Society, 1795 - 1895, "Mr. [and Mrs.] Pratt reached Samoa [on October 26th, 1839], [and he] laboured there for forty-one years," Mrs. Pratt having died sometime while in Samoa. (4) Forty-one years in Samoa! What a sacrifice, and one that cost him his wife's life at that. Surely this man and his life's work is worthy of our admiration and attention.

"...Worthy of the highest regard and honour, the Rev. George Pratt, who [laboured] in the district of Matautu, on the island of Savaii, did a work of lasting worth in shaping the Christian thought and life of his flock." (1)

But perhaps his most enduring accomplishment was the Rev. Pratt's work on the translation of the Holy Bible into the Samoan language. "While many willingly and lovingly contributed their share of toil in the Samoan translation of the Scriptures, to Mr. George Pratt belonged the chief honour, and to his remarkable linguistic skill and diligent scholarship much of its great excellence was due. " (4)

One of the Rev. Pratt's colleagues, Mr. Samuel James Whitmee, eulogized Pratt with the following:

To him, more than to any other person, although several rendered efficient aid, the excellence of the Samoan version of the Scriptures is due. I think I may say he did more than all the rest put together. The translation, and then the revision of the Samoan Bible, was the great work of his life. To this he devoted almost daily attention for many years, with the result that the Samoans have a Bible which, as a classic, is, and will be to them, very much what the Authorized Version has been in England. (4)

Another wrote,

Only those who have had a share in such work can understand its difficulty. A beginning was made with the New Testament. Book by book this was put into the Samoan language and issued to the people, who from the very first were trained to purchase their books with their own money. The New Testament completed, the Psalms followed, and at intervals the rest of the Old Testament. Afterwards the first translations were carefully gone over word by word three or four different times, and numerous corrections made, so as to make the translations as perfect as possible, and in this work...most of all, as stated above, Mr. Pratt took the lead...in securing the result. (1)

In fact, the translation of the Bible into Samoan is considered so good that as of 1894, "all further revision [had] been laid aside, the present translation being regarded as practically as perfect as it can be made," (1) and Spencer Churchward, twentieth century linguist and writer of a remarkably good Samoan grammar, remarked, "There can be no doubt that the Samoan Bible is almost faultless." (5)

Apparently, the Rev. Pratt stood "pre-eminent as a student and master of the Samoan language," (1) and he

spoke it like one of the natives of a generation now passed away, before the language had suffered from modern corruptions. He was so familiar with the classic traditions of the people, and could illustrate and give points to his speech by such telling references and allusions, that it was always a treat to the natives to hear [Palate] speak. He had no uninterested hearers. He accordingly had little patience with missionaries who were contented with an imperfect knowledge of the language of the people to whom they preached, or who were given to careless speech. (4)

Moreover, "'Mr. Pratt was a specialist. He was a born linguist, and he faithfully used and cultivated his special talent in the service of Christ." (4) On June 5, 1876, Mr. Pratt wrote, "For my own amusement in 1875 I wrote out a syntax of the Samoan grammar."

I was led to do this by observing, while reading Nordheimer’s Hebrew Grammar, that the Samoan, in many points resembled the Hebrew. Shortly afterwards the Rev. S. J. Whitmee asked me to contribute the Samoan part of a comparative Malayo-Polynesian Dictionary. I at once, with the aid of pundits, commenced revising the first edition of my Dictionary, which was printed at the Samoan Mission Press in 1862. I read through the Hawaii, Maori, Tahiti, and Fiji Dictionaries, and from these I obtained some words which occur also in the Samoan dialect, but which had been overlooked in the first edition. I also culled words and examples from Samoan genealogical accounts, songs, traditionary tales, proverbs &c. In this way I have been enabled to add over four thousand new words or new meanings. (3)

As mentioned, in addition to his work on the Samoan Bible, the Rev. Pratt compiled a Samoan - English dictionary and wrote a grammar of the language, (3) both considered standard works to this day. He also translated a number of parables and allegories from many lands into Samoan, including a number of Aesop's fables. (2)

And so, this man, remarkably gifted in languages, of whom it was also said that "...his Hebrew Old Testament and his Greek New Testament were among his most cherished companions, whether he was at home or travelling," (4) spent out his days seeking to raise his English- and Samoan-speaking peers' understanding of both the Samoan language and the word of God.

I think I can say that anyone who learns Samoan as a second language is indebted in some way to the Rev. George Pratt. That all Samoan-speaking Christians are indebted to him for the Samoan Bible goes without saying. His work will stand as an eternal memorial to his dedication to a noble work.

1. George Cousins, The Story of the South Seas, London Missionary Society, 1894.

2. George Pratt, O Faataoto ma Tala Faatusa Mai Atunuu Eseese, Religious Tract Society, 1890.

3. George Pratt, A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, 3rd ed., Religious Tract Society, 1893.

4. Richard Lovett, The History of the London Missionary Society, 1795 - 1895, H. Frowde, 1899.

5. Spencer Churchward, A Samoan Grammar, 2nd ed., Spectator Publishing Co., 1951.

Koko Rice

2008-10-03T04:00:00.000-10:00

Like Kopai Koko, and Suafa'i, Koko Rice (or Alaisa, Samoan for rice) is one of my favorite Samoan dishes that is easy to prepare here in the States. Deb and I recently made some koko rice for our friends, Justin and Angela. I thought I'd share some pics and the recipe so you can make your own if you'd like.

First thing, you need only five ingredients: water, white rice (not instant), sugar, coconut milk, and, of course, Samoan cocoa. The last is kind of hard to get unless you have connections, so you can use any cocoa powder. Just know that Samoan cocoa has a very distinctive taste that cannot be matched or beaten by any domestic cocoa powders.

I'm not good at making recipes; when I cook I experiment till I feel I've gotten things right. So for you who want more specifics, here's a recipe for Koko Rice I found online at Samoan Sa'o:

Ingredients:
1 Cup Calrose Rice
4 Cups Water
1 Can Coconut Milk
5 Table Spoons Grated Koko Samoa
Granulated White Sugar

Add rice and water in a sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil. After the water reaches a boil reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the rice cook for 20 min. (watch carefully as the water may boil over.) After 20 min. Turn off heat, add coconut milk, koko Samoa, and Sugar to taste (You'll probably need a lot of sugar.) then stir and serve hot with butter and bread or just by itself.

Substitutes:

If you don't have koko Samoa you can use cocoa powder. You obviously won't get that unmistakeable koko Samoa flavor.
If you don't have calrose rice you can use any white rice.

This recipe also works with hot coco mix. But, instead of using 5 tablespoons koko Samoa, I added 10 Tablespoons of hot coco mix and 3 Tablespoons sugar. It tasted good but if you can get koko Samoa don't waste your time with hot coco mix.

My way is a little bit different. I like to cook the rice first in a rice cooker. While the rice is cooking, I grate the koko.

Then I put a large pot of water on the stove and turn the heat on to medium high. I mix in the powdered koko like so:

I sweeten the koko to taste with sugar. Some like it really sweet, others like it almost bitter. I am usually conservative with the sugar to accommodate the bitter enthusiasts, and put out a bowl of sugar for those sweet types. After I've sweetened the koko, I scoop in the cooked rice.

Then comes the coconut milk. Don't by coconut cream or creme d'coco, or whatever it's called, it's nothing like the coconut milk used in this recipe.

Share the deliciousness with friends:

Photo credits: Angela.

Samoa Part 20: Milovale's Faith

2008-10-01T08:55:00.001-10:00

On Upolu, south of Pesega, in the Vilimaa area, up at the top of the road there is the source of the area’s name: O le Vilimaa--the rock grinder, or in more familiar terms, the gravel pit. Right before one enters the compound one can look to the left and notice a house. There lived an old lady 76 years of age (as of 2001) named Milovale. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but hadn't been to church for about 3 months: the time that she had lived in that house with her daughter and Catholic son-in-law, since the time she moved there from further away on Upolu.

We asked Milovale if we could get a ride to come and pick her up on Sundays and take her to church. She enthusiastically agreed. We told her that we probably couldn’t get her a ride for the upcoming Sunday but definitely for the next.

On Sunday morn while we were listening to the message of the speaker in the English-speaking ward, someone came to us and told us that an old woman and her daughter had asked for us. We exited the chapel to find Milovale and her daughter; they had walked from the Vilimaa to the chapel without really knowing where to go. The weather was hot, she had no water to quench her thirst, and the dust of the road only mocked her, I’m sure, as she set out, a 76 year old woman, to go to church. She hadn’t known exactly where the church building was, she just set out to find it.

The first thing that she asked for was a tithing slip and envelope that she might be square with the Lord and contribute to her son’s mission fund as he was serving in New Zealand. I did not see how much she put in the envelope, but I am certain that it was comparable to the widow’s mite.

The great faith of this woman drove her from the comforts of her daughter’s home to attend the meetings of a congregation unfamiliar to her. She had arrived 2 ½ hours early and patiently waited until the Samoan-speaking ward started, and she then remained there for the full 3 hour block. We secured a ride for her to take her home after the meetings.

Elder John H. Groberg who served his mission in Tonga, a close neighbor to Samoa, once wrote about the Tongans' faith. I think it is equally applicable to the faith typical of the Samoans. He wrote:

I would not characterize their faith by the English word simple, but rather the word profound. If we say there is a "simple faith," then by extension we need to say there is a more complex or sophisticated faith and that one faith may be superior to the other. I do not believe this. I do not believe there are various types of faith, such as simple or advanced or complex or sophisticated. I believe there is just faith or lack of faith. We either have faith or we don't. Of course, some have stronger faith than others. (1)

It may seem a simple thing for Milovale to have walked all the way to church that day in the blistering heat, but it still took faith to do it. Her example illustrates that faith is a principle of action, not only belief. Her belief in the resurrected Savior impelled her to church that morning despite the inconveniences of going.

After witnessing Milovale's expression of faith my own faith was strengthened. My desire to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only increased (see James 1:22). And thus, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6); that is, as we see the natural expressions of others' genuine faith in Christ, the fire of their faith kindles within us the desire to also live by faith. Such is the power of true testimony.

1. John H. Groberg, In the Eye of the Storm, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1993, pg. xii.

Junk Mail

2008-09-27T04:21:00.003-10:00

Are you tired of all the junk mail you get? Here's a tip I found while reading a post from No Impact Man, a New Yorker who is doing his best to reduce (and eliminate, if possible) his negative impact on the environment.

On his post Stopping the junk mail tree killers--repost I found the following comment from one of his readers:

[The junk mail] seems to be going down even more since I started following a tip a friend gave me -when someone sends me an offer I don't want, I take all their literature, including the original envelope, put it all into the postage paid envelope they include, and send it all back to them. Invariably, I never hear from them again!

Another readers adds: "If it's a credit card offer, make sure it is VERY clear that you are not accepting the offer!"

Deb I make it clear we are not accepting the offer by writing VOID all over the papers, thus eliminating the possibility that anyone could use the forms in our name and the possibility that the credit card company would issue us a new, unwanted credit card.

Yesterday while we stuffed a postage paid return envelope with all the literature the credit card company sent us, and with a little note asking to be taken off their mailing list, we admitted to each other that we had a strange feeling of satisfaction returning the company's garbage to them for disposal.

So here's to stickin' it to the men and women who care for nothing but increasing the thickness of their own pocket books by grinding up "100 million trees...each year to produce junk mail." As for me, I'd prefer the trees. As we discovered during our trip to the Oregon coast, trees are much prettier as trees in their natural environment than as junk mail in our mailbox, in our apartment, or in the landfills.

Oregon Coast 3

2008-09-08T10:16:00.003-10:00

If you go to the Oregon Coast, you have to stop in at the Tillamook Cheese factory. We did and found the place was hoppin' with folks trying to escape from the rain. But we wanted to see how the cheese was made and to get some ice cream so we braved the crowds and stayed.

The Morning Star was used to ship cheese up the coast and up the Columbia River to Portland.

Tillamook ice cream being delicious, we decided to share three scoops of it. We also would have bought some of the famous cheese, but ironically it was expensive. We thought the factory would sell it at rock bottom prices, but since it was sold in a gift shop it was treated like a novelty and priced accordingly.

Deb and the Morning Star.

Tired of the rain, Deb and I drove to Lincoln City after Tillamook. We were hoping to see some glass blowing and perhaps even try our hand at it. Some glass shops offer lessons; what we didn't know is that they are far from free. Nevertheless we did get to see some glass being blown by others whose pocketbooks were a little fatter than ours.

After setting up camp in a state park in Lincoln City, Deb and I went to find some more fish 'n chips. We found some at a fifties diner and I decided that I preferred the cod to the tuna I'd had at the Wet Dog in Astoria. Apparently the chef at the diner knew we were honeymooners (albeit nearly 1-and-a-half years late) so he made us a special potato chip:

Awww....

The fish 'n chips at the fifties diner had fresh potato chips instead of the traditional chips, which most Americans would call fries. That's a mistake I'll never make again. Nevertheless, fish 'n chips no matter what form it takes is worth it.

Oregon Coast 2

2008-09-04T09:56:00.005-10:00

We spent a day at Cannon Beach and found it very windy there on the beach. I thought it was nice but I'm a little better insulated than Deb, who was cold the whole time. I've been to Cannon Beach a couple of times before and was looking forward to taking Deb there.

We hoped to see the fauna of the tide pools at the foot of Haystack Rock, but once we arrived they were being shut down because, as the guide explained, a storm was coming in and rapidly bringing the tide with it.

The tide pools at Cannon Beach.

So we walked up from the beach to the town and found this crusty old sea captain.

The Cap'n and me.

We bought a kite at one of the shops but didn't get to fly it: too much wind. We milled around town, poking our heads into art galleries, toy stores, and candy shoppes (always spelled shoppe). I was hoping to get some more fish 'n chips but settled instead for some tasty clam chowder.

Haystack Rock.

Later we stopped at the outlet malls to find Deb a jacket to keep her dry and to protect her from the piercing wind. We found one at the Eddie Bauer outlet. At the book outlet I found an interesting read for $2.99 called Death Sentences: How Clichés, Weasel Words, and Management Speak are Strangling Public Language. We returned to Fort Stevens at set up camp and, feeling tired, decided to call it a day.

A dry, warm, and happy Deb in her new jacket.

Oregon Coast 1

2008-09-02T07:26:00.005-10:00

To celebrate Deb's graduation and my break from work and school, we decided to take a trip to the Oregon coast. Here's a few pics and descriptions of some of our trip.

We started our trip in Astoria, a town known best as the location where the Goonies and Kindergarten Cop were filmed. Part of the excitement to me of going to the coast was fish 'n chips. So we asked a local where the best fish 'n chips place was; he gave us two place names and we were off to find them. The best place had just closed so we went to the second best place: The Wet Dog.

The Wet Dog had pretty good food, but the folks working there were most excited about their many uniquely named house brews. I think our waitress was confused why we didn't order any beers. The restaurant had a nice view of the Columbia River, but I thought the food was overpriced. And the fish 'n chips, though good, did not rate highest in my book.

For the first two nights in Oregon, Deb and I pitched our tent at Fort Stevens State Park. Both nights it rained on us. But our little tent, a wedding gift from Josh and Julie K., kept us very dry.

A sunken ship at the beach near Fort Stevens.

Ahoy!

Our camp ground. The trees in Oregon are unbelievably beautiful.

In the picture above of our tent, Deb and I had unwittingly pitched it right next to a depression. The rain fly dripped water, filled the depression, and sent the puddle underneath our tent. It only took about a half and hour to and hour of that before we decided to relocate to the small patch of grass next to the car.

Why the Wait?

2008-08-24T04:32:00.002-10:00

If you're a regular reader of this blog (there might be three of you and I thank you), you've undoubtedly noticed a drop off in posts lately. There's a good reason for that: busyness and lack of computer access.

The first was due to things like a family reunion and my wife's graduation ceremonies and celebrations with family. Way to go, Deb!

The second is the result of our vacation to the Oregon coast. We just got back and as soon as I can get the pictures onto a computer, I'll post about our adventures. The break was much needed and very refreshing.

So stay tuned.

O That I Were an Angel

2008-08-11T07:35:00.002-10:00

“O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart,” wrote Alma, a Book of Mormon prophet. And what was Alma’s wish? “That I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!”

“Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder,” he continued, “repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth” (Alma 29:1-2).

Alma lived sometime in the century leading up to Jesus’ birth and knew that his wish, his heart’s desire, could not be fulfilled in his lifetime: “I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me,” he concluded (Alma 29:3).

Perhaps because it was his desire to preach repentance and the plan of redemption to the ends of the earth that it is fitting that many of Alma’s sermons and writings are recorded in the Book of Mormon and now available in some 100+ languages.

We live in a day when our voices can be heard as it were in any part of the world via the Internet, a technological wonder Alma probably never dreamed of but would likely use, were he alive today, to share his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ to any who would listen.

I feel like I am living Alma’s dream to at least a small degree. The opportunity to share something of my faith with friends and family and readers from across the United States and around the world has been a source of great joy in my life.

I have personally tasted of the sweetness of the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ, and I would like to share it with any who are seeking for lasting happiness and joy. If some of my religion-themed posts have sounded preachy, it is only because I am anxious to get the message out and struggle in my efforts to communicate it.

But, oh, what a message it is! At its core is God’s love for His children, all of humanity, and His desire to bless us beyond measure, beyond our current comprehension. The plan of redemption mentioned by Alma is God’s way of bringing us back to live with Him. Central to that plan is Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Or as Jesus put it on another occasion, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

Therefore, “I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written” (Ether 12:41). I would also encourage you to make these things a matter of fervent prayer: “Ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true” (Moroni 10:4). God will answer your sincere prayers without chastising or upbraiding you (James 1:5-6). I can affirm that one of the sweetest feelings is the understanding that God has actually communicated with you directly. That He is eager to do so is amply evidenced in the scriptures.

Great Thoughts

2008-08-04T04:00:00.003-10:00

I'm now an avid blog reader--I actively follow a number of friends' and strangers' blogs. Here are a few of their thoughts that I've particularly enjoyed.

From Steve, my brother-in-law and good buddy:

I’ve heard people complain about there being too much conformity among members of [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], saying that we don’t have enough diversity. I’ve heard other people speculate that it’ll be pretty boring in heaven if everybody has to follow the same rules to get there. But how much do the commandments say about how we can and can’t behave, really? The gospel is that we should have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then continue on in keeping the commandments and our covenants to receive the remaining ordinances of salvation. The only limitation on diversity I hear in that list is a limitation on sin. And anyone who can’t imagine a way to be an individual without fornicating, backbiting, abusing, stealing, or being irreverent is suffering from nothing so much as a severe lack of creativity. Diversity will never be a problem in a church that declares heaven to be full of people from every nation, kindred, tongue, and era of human history. [Emphasis added]

From No Impact Man:

[W]hen people ask me how I don't get engulfed in despair about the human race, I tell them I pay attention to what's going on around me on the street. I see people laughing, people helping old ladies, mom's loving their kids, doormen joking together.

Sure, humanity has it foibles--and I admit that those foibles could cause a lot of suffering for us if we aren't careful--but for the most part, I think we're pretty neat. Remembering that, I keep the despair at bay.

From Kristen's Mental Notes:

Aside from obvious evils, it is hard to think of a greater evil we inflict upon ourselves and others than that of insisting on our own misery. Refusing to forgive or be forgiven; finding nothing but fault in ourselves and others; always looking for what is wrong or what might go wrong; refusing to acknowledge or accept any positive or lovely thing. The only thing that makes this disposition worse is if one also professes to be a Christian.

Again, from Steve:

Perhaps I can mention some things that won’t be a part of eternal life, which I think we’ll all be glad to be rid of: In the celestial kingdom there will be no more sickness or death (Isa. 33:24), no more sectarian confusion and fighting (D&C 76:99-100), no more lies, infidelity, hate, abuse, starvation, sickness, cruelty, injustice, or sin of any kind. Finally, all our enemies will be gone (D&C 76:61). If they remained wicked, they’ll be somewhere other than the celestial kingdom, and if they repented, they will be there; they’ll just be our friends, instead! Would it change the way we treat our enemies if we knew they might some day be our friends and live with us with God? Maybe that’s one reason Jesus commanded us to pray for them (Matt. 5:44). [emphasis added]

And lastly, from Sans Auto, a thought about how to spend more time together as a family:

People will often ask my wife what she does with the kids since we don't have a TV. This may be hard to believe, but she spends time with them. They help clean and cook. They play and she plays with them. Try turning the TV off and see just how entertaining your kids can be, really it's incredible.

There you have it: a few quotations that have got me thinking in the past little while. Thanks to the writers quoted for doing their part to share good thoughts with the world.

Samoa Part 19: Saved from Trouble

2008-08-01T04:00:00.001-10:00

One day, Uilifoti and I were walking along a dirt road in a remote part of our area. It was the beginning of the rainy season and the road was very muddy, so much so that my shoes and the lower part of my pant legs were caked with mud.

As we walked in the direction of the main road we saw a taxi approaching us. We could very clearly hear a song by either the Cars or the Police blaring from the car radio. As the taxi drew near we could see that it had four passengers, all inebriated. We said hello as we passed and continued walking in the opposite direction. Once about 50 feet separated us we heard someone from behind us.

“Elders!” the voice called out.

We turned around to see one of the men getting out of the car. He was young, perhaps near our ages—between 19 and 21 years. I noticed that he had a large plastic alcohol bottle in the front of his pants; the bottle’s neck protruded above his waistline.

“Hey, come here.” We walked the short distance to see what he wanted to say to us. He told us that he desired to be like us, a common remark from people whose lives needed reordering. Then he asked us for some money.

Uilifoti replied that we didn’t have any money to give to him. The man continued his mumbling about money and asked us a few more questions. Without any forewarning his demeanor suddenly became serious and aggressive.

He looked at me and asked, “What would you do if I shot you through the head right now?” At that very moment a wave of evil feeling coursed through my body. I realized that this guy wasn’t stable and that we needed to leave.

Concerned at the possible consequences of turning my back on the man, I looked him directly in the eyes and replied, “Nothing.” He asked me again and my answer was the same, “Nothing.”

Then he turned his attention and questions to Uilifoti. “What would you do if I punched you? You want me to punch you? Do you want to fight?” Then swearing and cursing, he explained that we were on his stomping grounds, his turf.

Uilifoti looked at him and said, “We’ve got to continue our work.” Then he looked at me and urged, “Let’s go!”

I didn’t notice when they had gotten out of the taxi, but the man’s friends had made their way over to him by this time. At Uilifoti’s “Let’s go!” we slowly started walking away. The man’s friends began apologizing profusely for their friend’s behavior but we replied, “No worries, we just want to leave. We’re going to go.”

Fortunately, the man didn’t pursue his violent course of action—he let us leave in peace. The further away we got from the four drunk men the faster we walked, then jogged, then sprinted to put as much distance between us and our would-be assailant.

The adrenaline from the experience and the sudden burst of exercise set our blood to boiling. Once we were walking again, Uilifoti and I verbally raged between us at the indiscretion and utter rudeness of that man. By the time we made it to the paved main road, we had calmed down enough to feel gratitude to the Lord for having spared us any serious, violent altercation.

That day I witnessed the literal fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to his servants: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).

Jesus and Sinners

2008-07-28T04:00:00.000-10:00

What did Jesus teach about sin, repentance, and judgment? The most widely invoked saying of His is "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone..." (John 8:7). Yes, Jesus did say that and we should not go around seeking to destroy sinners in the manner of the scribes and Pharisees as described in the account of the woman taken in adultery (John 8:1-11).

But often when this particular saying is invoked, the implication is that we are all sinners (which we are) and that we can't ever expect change, reform, or repentance from each other (which simply isn't true). The mindset is that expecting such infers judgment ("Judge not," we readily quote from Matthew 7:1), and is like throwing stones. Unfortunately, we live in a time when many invoke Jesus’ teachings to justify sinful behavior rather than use them to overcome it. Lest anyone think that this is an indictment of all but myself, think again. This is as applicable to me as it is to anyone, and truly it applies to everyone.

The following synopsis of Jesus' words spoken during His mortal ministry as recorded in the Bible is given to bring to our consciousness His expectations of all of us. I highly encourage you to follow the links to the references to read His words for yourself and to come to your own conclusions on the matter.

Obedience, not lip service, is the first law of heaven (Matthew 21:28-32). Jesus taught that to know God’s law and not comply with it is sin, but ignorance of God’s law is forgivable (John 9:39-41). Sin is a type of slavery, but the truth will make us free (John 8:31-34). Jesus declared that all but the unpardonable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, are forgivable (Matthew 12:31-32). But once made whole, Jesus instructed, we shouldn't continue in sin lest a worse thing come upon us (John 5:14). Ultimately, evil works lead to damnation (John 5:29).

Without question, Jesus preached repentance (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15). He also commissioned others, like His twelve apostles, to preach the same (Mark 6:12). He taught them to “rebuke the transgressor,” to admonish sinners to cast away their sins (Luke 17:3-4). Jesus instructed that repentance should be preached in His name, for He alone had power given Him of God to remit sins, and His atoning sacrifice and resurrection bring about the conditions of repentance and the remission of sins (Luke 24:46-47).

Unequivocally, Jesus proclaimed, “Repent or perish” (Luke 13:1-5). He taught that the unrepentant will be condemned at the last day and will not go into the kingdom of God (Matthew 11:20-24; 12:41; 21:28-32; Luke 10:13-16; 11:31-32).

Often accused of defiling Himself by associating with sinners, Jesus taught that the whole need no physician, but they who are sick (Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:30-32). Sin, compared to an illness, requires repentance to be healed by the Physician. Jesus taught that all efforts to reclaim even a single sinner are worthy of our time and attention. God, His angels, and all heaven rejoice over repentant sinners (Luke 15:1-10). We too should celebrate and rejoice rather than be as the brother of the repentant prodigal (Luke 15:11-32).

Jesus has power to forgive and heal those with faith in Him (Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 5:5-12; Luke 5:19-26). The faith of friends and family can work great miracles in the lives of their loved ones. Faith in Jesus and repentant service to Him bring forgiveness. Those who feel that they need little forgiveness love God the least, whereas those who perceive that they need the most forgiveness love God the most (Luke 7:36-50). The faithless do not perceive or understand God’s will for them; they usually are not converted to Jesus and will not be forgiven of their sins (Mark 4:11-12).

Forgiving others opens up the avenue for our own forgiveness (Matthew 6:12-15; 18:21-35; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 6:37-38; 11:4). Jesus taught that we should forgive as often as we are sinned against (Matthew 18:21-22). In fact, Jesus instructed His followers to forgive unceasingly the repentant sinner (Luke 17:3-4). As we extend mercy to repentant sinners, we in turn receive mercy from God (Matthew 18:23-35).

Jesus commanded His followers to judge righteous judgments (JST Matthew 7:2; John 7:24). He also emphasized that we correct our own faults before we attempt to correct others’ (Matthew 7:2-5; JST Matthew 7:4-8). God the Father has given Jesus authority to judge all humankind (John 5:22-30). His judgment is reserved until the “last day” (John 8:1-11, 15-16; 12:47-48). Christ’s word, or teachings, will judge us (John 12:47-48). Christ came to save the world (John 3:16-17; 12:47), not to judge and condemn the world (John 3:17; 8:10-11, 15-16), but some will be condemned at the last day by their works and unbelief in Jesus’ word (John 5:28-29; 12:47-48). Rather than judging others and justifying ourselves (Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:36-38; 18:9-14; John 8:7), we ought, as the publican, to acknowledge our unworthiness before God at all times (Luke 18:9-14).

In summary, Jesus did not condone sin—He preached against it and taught about the consequences of sin: separation from God. He taught that He came to take away the sins of the world by the shedding of His blood (Matthew 26:27-28; John 1:29-34). He showed mercy to repentant sinners and indicated that final judgment would be reserved till the last day. However, He indicated that unrepentant sinners would incur stiff penalties for their lack of faith and their disobedience to His commandments. Jesus commanded His followers to repent, forgive, and extend mercy and to not justify their sins and find fault with others. That we all have need for repentance and improvement should be self-evident. That we will do Jesus’ words and not simply hear them; that we will repent and not perish; that we will have faith on His name unto salvation is my prayer and hope for all of us.

Samoa 18: Changing of the Guard

2008-07-24T05:13:00.000-10:00

After three months of serving together in the Pesega area, Elder L. was transferred to American Samoa. I stayed in Pesega on Upolu where I was joined by Elder W., or Uilifoti as we called him, also from Arizona.

Uilifoti and I were mission companions in the Missionary Training Center for two months. Of the eight of us in our batch, only Uilifoti and I began our service in the field on the big island of Savaii. Due to my bout with dengue I only spent three months out there, but Uilifoti stayed, primarily on the very culturally strong west end of Savaii, for six months--one quarter of his mission time.

When we were reunited, the assistants to the mission president gave us the instruction that neither of us would be the "senior" companion, a break from tradition due, in part, to our being batch-mates. We were told that we were on equal status with each other because Uilifoti had better Samoan and I knew the area.

Thus began our service together in Samoa which, unfortunately, would only last for one month's time. But it would be a period of rapid growth and many adventures.

Got Teens?

2008-07-21T15:15:00.002-10:00

Earlier this year I got pretty despondent about my thesis. I had been through a few different topics and nothing was coming through. It didn't help that I've been hoping beyond hope to graduate in two years and equally antsy to move to a new and exciting place--preferably Samoa.

Finally, with the help of my thesis chair, or advising professor, I got a good topic: the teens on a treadmill study. On the day of my thesis proposal I wrote, "Now we need to figure out all the logistics of bringing in over a hundred teenagers to test their cardiorespiratory fitness levels."

Those logistics have proved much more difficult than we could have imagined. We felt pretty confident that ~4,500 flyers in staff and faculty mailboxes would result in sufficient subjects. But we may have gotten 15. Now we've started recruiting through local sports teams. Still the response has been meager.

In total, I need to do almost 160 tests to have sufficient data. If the kids came at a rate of a mere 10 per day I would be finished in 16 days! But since they haven't come in as expected I'll be tacking on an extra semester--15 weeks--to make up the difference. That is, if the local kids are any more willing to help out during the school year than they have been during their summer vacation.

I have a friend, currently pursuing his PhD, who once mentioned that he spent a lot of time playing Insaniquarium during his Master's degree. I'm beginning to see why that might have been. I haven't yet picked up video gaming to pass the time: Blogs and books still do a good job at captivating my attention. But should they ever lose their appeal...I'll begin a search for a taco like the one in the commercial below. That ought to keep me satisfied for a while.

Pure Love of Christ

2008-07-14T05:09:00.005-10:00

Yesterday, the speakers at Church addressed the topics of faith, hope, and charity. I'll focus my remarks on just the last one.

Charity has been defined as the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:47). One of the speakers mentioned that Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice, His taking upon Himself the punishment for our sins--the "chastisement of our peace" as Isaiah calls it (Isaiah 53:5)--was the greatest act of charity ever done.

I got to thinking about that. On the surface it makes sense: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). But I wanted a little more insight.

Soon I realized that Jesus Christ suffered infinitely, even to the point of bleeding from every pore, to pay the price of sin and transgression and feel the pains of all mortal vicissitudes for all God's children--even for those who completely reject the idea of God and Jesus.

That Jesus would suffer as He did, with the complete understanding that a significant portion of humanity would hate, deride, and militate against the very idea of Him, is indeed incomprehensible.

I cannot think of a greater love, or charity, than this, even the pure love of Christ.

In Praise

2008-07-09T05:00:00.000-10:00

Blessed be the name of God! Let us sing to His praise. Let us give thanks to His holy name, for He doth work righteousness forever.

Who can glory too much in God? Who can say too much of His great power, and of His mercy, and of His long-suffering towards the children of men?

Why do you suppose that God would be so merciful as to snatch us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?

Why does God not now consign us to an awful destruction? Why does He not let the sword of His justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?

God is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God, who has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding, is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on His name.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

So we will talk of Christ, we will rejoice in Christ, we will preach of Christ, we will prophesy of Christ, and we will write according to our prophecies, that all may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Sources: Alma 26: 8, 16-17, 19, 35; John 3:16; 2 Nephi 25:26; JST 2 Peter 3:9.

The foregoing panegyric was inspired by my scripture study. Much is direct quotation whereas some is paraphrased. All is my testimony of God, our loving Father in Heaven.

In the Mouth of Two Witnesses

2008-07-03T10:52:00.004-10:00

Within the space of a month’s time, two modern-day Apostles of Jesus Christ have taught and testified of the importance of heeding the prophet’s voice. President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have again reminded us that there is safety in the prophet’s counsel.

Wrote President Eyring, “In our own time we have been warned with counsel on where to find safety from sin and from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they are repeated.” (1)

Twice, now, we are reminded that God calls and sends prophets with the intent to “lead us to safety….” (1) President Eyring reminds us that “when the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time.” (1)

Anciently, the Lord established the law of witnesses: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1; see also Deuteronomy 17:6). So, in accordance with the ancient law, two modern prophets have testified to us of the importance of following the prophets and of the peace and safety gained in pursuing such a course.

President Uchtdorf asked, “Are we following the inspired counsel of the prophets?” (3) President Eyring added that “having listening ears requires humility.” (1) We can know that prophet is truly called of God by the power of personal revelation as given through the instrumentality of the Holy Ghost. This is not an exclusive knowledge; it is available to all who would seek it. But it requires humility and meekness to receive revelations from God and a real intent to live according to the knowledge gained.

Often, the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, are criticized of blindly following the prophets. I can personally attest that such a view is not only false, but it is impossible. Latter-day Saints are free to choose whom they follow. To choose not to follow the prophet may mean straying from the fold, but that choice is given to each Church member. None of the prophets would, neither could (legally or morally), lead by compulsion, rather they lead by “persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness and pure knowledge…without hypocrisy, and without guile….” (D&C 121:41-42)

President Eyring further emphasized this point. He wrote,

...Men and women have falsely argued from the beginning of time, that to take counsel from the servants of God is to surrender God-given rights of independence. But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel that comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence. We reject the protection of a perfectly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of his love. In rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred. We have moral agency as a gift of God. Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the inalienable right to submit ourselves to whichever of those powers we choose. (1; emphasis added)

At this time of great turmoil in the world we can find peace in these words of President Uchtdorf:

“Today, we have again apostles, seers, and revelators who are watchmen on the tower, messengers of supernal, healing truth. God speaks to us through them. They are profoundly aware of the different circumstances we…are living in. They are in this world but not of this world. They point the way, and they offer help for our difficulties, not through the wisdom of this world but from an eternal Source.” (3)

Prophets, like the Savior, have our eternal interests in mind. Like the Savior, they cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. They know that no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven and live in the presence of God. Thus they preach repentance to a sinful world. In doing so they are often accused of being harsh, bigoted, or hateful. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Like the Savior, prophets are motivated by love for all of God’s children. God commissions them to lead us to safety and eternal life if we would follow their counsel.

President Eyring shared this insight about receiving counsel, “Sometimes we will receive counsel that we cannot understand or that seems not to apply to us, even after careful prayer and thought. Don’t discard the counsel, but hold it close. If someone you trusted handed you what appeared to be nothing more than sand with the promise that it contained gold, you might wisely hold it in your hand awhile, shaking it gently. Every time I have done that with counsel from a prophet, after a time the gold flakes have begun to appear, and I have been grateful.” (1) Time, as Hugh Nibley wrote, will always vindicate the prophets. (2)

Finally, a plea from President Uchtdorf, “Let us listen to the prophets of our day as they help us to focus on the things that are central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” (3)

Sources:

1. Eyring, Henry B. “Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, June 2008.

2. Nibley, Hugh. The World and the Prophets, 3rd ed. Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1987.

3. Uchtdorf, Dieter F. “Heeding the Voice of the Prophets,” Ensign, July 2008.

Power of the Word, Friendship

2008-06-30T05:29:00.004-10:00

I just stumbled across the blog of a person in Indiana who is passionate about giving free copies of the Book of Mormon to anyone he can, most particularly those whose native language is not English. I believe his practice is to give an English Book of Mormon in addition to the specific foreign language copy, thus enabling that person to use the Book of Mormon as a means to improve his or her English language skills in addition to learning more about God and Jesus Christ.

While on my mission to Samoa, I used a side-by-side, verse-by-verse comparison of English and Samoan copies of the Book of Mormon to help me learn Samoan. This practice helped immensely. If you are familiar with the movie the Other Side of Heaven, which was first a book, you will remember that Elder John Groberg had a particularly remarkable experience as he used his Tongan and English Bibles to help him learn Tongan. There is power in the word of God.

Bookslinger, the blogger in Indiana, has personally given out copies of the Book of Mormon in 56 different languages! Here's the list as it appears on Bookslinger's blog:

Afrikaans (South Africa), Albanian (Nov 2007), Amharic (Ethiopia), Arabic, Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Cambodian, Cebuano (Philippines), Croatian, Dutch, Chinese, English, Fante (Ghana), French, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hiligaynon (aka Ilonggo) (Philippines), Hindi (India), Hungarian, Igbo (Nigeria), Ilokano (Philippines), Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kisii (Kenya), Korean, Laotian, Latvian, Lingala (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Lithuanian, Mongolian, Navajo, Persian (aka Farsi) (Iran), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Shona (Zimbabwe), Sinhala (India), Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya), Tagalog (Philippines), Tamil (Sri Lanka, India), Telugu (India), Thai, Tongan, Tswana (Botswana), Turkish, Twi (Ghana), Ukrainian, Urdu (Pakistan), Vietnamese, Xhosa (South Africa), Yoruba (Nigeria), Zulu (South Africa).

I can't help but be impressed by his efforts. I'm sure that he's made a number of friends simply by showing that he cares, that he's interested in people, and that he wants them to have reading material in their native languages. I know the importance of that from personal experience.

When I was in Samoa, I met an elderly man named Allen. He had been in the islands for decades but still didn't know much, if any, Samoan. He told Elder L. and me that he was a Southern Baptist and knew his Bible (which he did) and that he wasn't going to change religions. We visited him anyway because he liked to talk to us and we liked to hear him talk. He'd tell us about his life in Alaska and in Samoa. He once said that he'd read anything he could get in English, so we started taking him copies of the Church News. I explained to him that we weren't trying to push religion on him as much as we wanted to give him something to read. Many of the articles in the Church News are about men and women of Allen's generation. He did enjoy reading them. I never taught Allen a single lesson about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints per his suggestion that he wasn't going to change religions. But we became friends anyway.

Sometime after I was transferred out of the Pesega area in which Allen lived, I received the news that Allen had been baptized, he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a 70 to 80 year old man Allen found a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He did so, in part, because he felt genuine concern for his well-being from a number of young men who represented Jesus Christ and who visited him regularly as friends.

I share this experience, and those of Bookslinger, to show that there really are no ulterior motives in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ when we are motivated by a spirit of love and friendship.