Friday, January 20, 2017

The Light of Freedom burns brightly within our souls 3 Nephi 2:12

3 Nephi 2:12

The Light of Freedom Burns Brightly

All of us can be involved by making certain the light of freedom burns brightly within our own souls.”—Elder L. Tom Perry, “Family Traditions

What
 12 Therefore, all the Lamanites who had become converted unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were compelled, for the asafety of their lives and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their bliberty.

Why
They had to fight to maintain their safety, rights, religious freedom, freedom in general and their liberty.

Pattern
Alma 58:12
12  And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.

in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing: Ex. 21:2 .
  • proclaim liberty throughout all the land: Lev. 25:10 .
  • I will walk at liberty: Ps. 119:45 .
  • to let the oppressed go free: Isa. 58:6 .
  • to proclaim liberty to the captives: Isa. 61:1 .
  • made a covenant … to proclaim liberty unto them: Jer. 34:8 .
  • I proclaim a liberty for you: Jer. 34:17 .
  • it shall be his to the year of liberty: Ezek. 46:17 .
Christ-
Jesus sets us free through living the gospel and the atonement.

to set at liberty them that are bruised: Luke 4:18 .
  • know the truth, and the truth shall make you free: John 8:32 .
  • If the Son … make you free, ye shall be free indeed: John 8:36 .
  • glorious liberty of the children of God: Rom. 8:21 .
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty: 2 Cor. 3:17 .
follow me, and you shall be a free people: D&C 38:22 .
  • law of the land … supporting that principle of freedom: D&C 98:5 .
  • Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free: D&C 98:8 .
  • laws and constitution … maintained for the rights: D&C 101:77 . ( D&C 101:76–79 . )
  • laws … secure to each … free exercise of conscience: D&C 134:2 . ( D&C 134:1–3 . )
  • laws … holding sacred the freedom of conscience: D&C 134:5 .
  • liberty to the captives … unto all who would repent: D&C 138:31 .
Conference
APRIL 2015 Preserving Agency, Protecting Religious Freedom
By Elder Robert D. Hales Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

This is Easter Sunday: a day of gratitude and remembrance honoring our Savior Jesus Christ’s Atonement and Resurrection for all mankind. We worship Him, grateful for our freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and our God-given right of agency.
As prophets foretold about these latter days in which we live, there are many confused about who we are and what we believe. Some are “false accusers … [and] despisers of those that are good.”1Others “call evil good, and good evil; [and] put darkness for light, and light for darkness.”2
As those around us make choices about how to respond to our beliefs, we must not forget that moral agency is an essential part of God’s plan for all His children. That eternal plan, presented to us in the premortal Council in Heaven, included the gift of agency.3
In that Grand Council, Lucifer, known as Satan, used his agency to oppose God’s plan. God said: “Because … Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, … I caused that he should be cast down.”4
Through our faith in Jesus Christ, believing in His Atonement, repenting of our sins, and being baptized, we may then receive the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift provides knowledge and understanding, guidance and strength to learn and gain a testimony, power, cleansing to overcome sin, and comfort and encouragement to be faithful in tribulation. These incomparable blessings of the Spirit increase our freedom and power to do what is right, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”8
As we walk the path of spiritual liberty in these last days, we must understand that the faithful use of our agency depends upon our having religious freedom. We already know that Satan does not want this freedom to be ours. He attempted to destroy moral agency in heaven, and now on earth he is fiercely undermining, opposing, and spreading confusion about religious freedom—what it is and why it is essential to our spiritual life and our very salvation.
There are four cornerstones of religious freedom that we as Latter-day Saints must rely upon and protect.
The first is freedom to believe. No one should be criticized, persecuted, or attacked by individuals, or governments either, for what he or she believes about God. It is very personal and very important. An early declaration of our beliefs regarding religious liberty states: ...
The second cornerstone of religious liberty is the freedom to share our faith and our beliefs with others. The Lord commands us, “Ye shall teach [the gospel to] your children … when thou sittest in thine house.”11 He also said to His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”12,,,
The third cornerstone of religious liberty is the freedom to form a religious organization, a church, to worship peacefully with others. The eleventh article of faith declares, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” International human rights documents and many national constitutions support this principle.

The fourth cornerstone of religious liberty is the freedom to live our faith—free exercise of faith not just in the home and chapel but also in public places. The Lord commands us not only to pray privately13but also to go forth and “let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify As we face increased pressure to bow to secular standards, forfeit our religious liberties, and compromise our agency, consider what the Book of Mormon teaches about our responsibilities. In the book of Alma we read of Amlici, “a very cunning” and “wicked man” who sought to be king over the people and “deprive them of their rights and privileges,” which “was alarming to the people of the church.”15They were taught by King Mosiah to raise their voices for what they felt was right.16 Therefore they “assembled themselves together throughout all the land, every man according to his mind, whether it were for or against Amlici, in separate bodies, having much dispute … one with another.”17
In these discussions, members of the Church and others had the opportunity to come together, experience the spirit of unity, and be influenced by the Holy Ghost. “And it came to pass that the voice of the people came against Amlici, that he was not made king.”18
As disciples of Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to work together with like-minded believers, to raise our voices for what is right. While members should never claim or even imply that they are speaking for the Church, we are all invited, in our capacity as citizens, to share our personal witness with conviction and love—“every man [and woman] according to his [or her own] mind.”19
Our Savior’s Second Coming is drawing nearer. Let us not delay in this great cause. Remember Captain Moroni, who hoisted the title of liberty inscribed with the words “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.”21 Let us remember the people’s response: exercising their agency, they “came running together” with a covenant to act.22
My beloved brothers and sisters, don’t walk! Run! Run to receive the blessings of agency by following the Holy Ghost and exercising the freedoms God has given us to do His will.
I bear my special witness on this special Easter day that Jesus Christ used His agency to do our Father’s will.
Of our Savior, we sing, “His precious blood he freely spilt; His life he freely gave.”23 And because He did, we have the priceless opportunity “to choose liberty and eternal life” through the power and blessings of His Atonement.24 May we freely choose to follow Him today and always, I pray in His holy name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
APRIL 1990 | Family Traditions
L. Tom Perry Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“‘Who will redeem the earth, who will go forth and make the sacrifice for the earth and all things it contains?’ The Eldest Son said: ‘Here am I’: and then he added, ‘Send me.’ But the second one, which was ‘Lucifer, [a] Son of the Morning,’ said, ‘Lord, here am I, send me, I will redeem every son and daughter of Adam and Eve that lives on the earth, or that ever goes on the earth.’ ‘But,’ says the Father, ‘that will not answer at all. I give [unto] each and every individual his agency; all must use that in order to gain exaltation in my kingdom; inasmuch as they have the power of choice they must exercise that power. They are my children; the attributes which you see in me are in my children and they must use their agency. If you undertake to save all, you must save them in unrighteousness and corruption.’” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941, pp. 53–54.)
As these spirits have come forth from the council in heaven to take their “turn on earth,” they are still desiring their free agency, and in fact, they are willing to sacrifice for that freedom. We are witnessing today remarkable events occurring throughout the world: evidence of the strength of man’s desire for freedom. The history of man’s mortal experience would indicate that the desire to be free has spiritual roots.
Apply
How is our freedom being challenged today? In so many ways that it boggles the mind. We should be aware of these struggles and do all we can to preserve our freedom and to use our agency to do good. Exercise our freedom to worship and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ today. Live our religion to the best of our ability. Let us always remember to thank the Lord for these freedoms that we do have.

Hymns
Know This, That Every Soul Is Free (#240)

Upon the Cross of Calvary (#184)
Children
The Eleventh Article of Faith (#130)


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