Tag Archives: Liberalism

O Captain! My Captain!

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Utah Senator Mike Lee compared President Donald Trump to Captain Moroni in a recent Trump-Pence campaign event in Arizona, which has a very large LDS population, and which has become a swing state. The Salt Lake Tribune covers the story, which I include below. Because Lee has received a lot of criticism for his comments from LDS and non-LDS people alike, I want to take a moment to weigh in.

Senator, thank you for your courage and for being willing to speak the truth. You realize, unlike some members of our Church, that President Trump, love him or hate him, is the last man standing between freedom and tyranny in this the United States of America. I wish Mitt Romney had 1/10 of your courage and humility.

Your humility is especially refreshing as most of us remember that you were a never-Trumper with Mitt 4 years ago. But, you, like many of us, have seen the results of this President, who has lowered taxes, reduced regulations, been unabashedly pro-life, nominated 3 conservative Justices to the Supreme Court, funded our military while bringing troops home, supported law enforcement, supported Israel, supported governors and states during times of crisis, and much more… And now, realize that this is a man who is doing all that he promised and more.

I fully support your leadership in our State and Nation and love your comparison between President Trump and Captain Moroni. Honest people know and appreciate the message being conveyed and I think it’s quite apt and timely. Thank you, Senator Lee!


Sen. Mike Lee says Donald Trump is like Book of Mormon hero Captain Moroni

By Lee Davidson:

Americans may have called President Donald Trump just about everything possible this year, good and bad. But standing by his side at an Arizona rally on Wednesday, Sen. Mike Lee called him something new to urge Latter-day Saints to vote for him: “Captain Moroni.”

That’s a reference to an ancient military commander in the Book of Mormon who inspired soldiers to fight for their freedom. He also expressed anger over his government leaders’ apparent indifference about liberty. The scripture says that if all men were like Captain Moroni, “the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever.”

“To my Mormon friends, my Latter-day Saint friends,” Lee, R-Utah, said as he pointed to Trump standing by his side, “think of him as Captain Moroni. He seeks not power, but to pull it down.”

Lee added, “He seeks not the praise of the world or the ‘fake news,’ but he seeks the well-being and the peace of the American people.”

He then asked a crowd with many cheering Latter-day Saints — which a video shows had many sitting close together without masks — “Are you willing to stand with me and millions and millions of others who want four more years?” A loud cheer followed.

Lee, an Arizona native, campaigned at numerous rallies in that swing state on Tuesday and Wednesday, including one sponsored by Latter-day Saints for Trump. The president’s campaign spokesperson Samantha Zager said earlier that was part of a “concerted effort with our outreach to the LDS community in Arizona and Nevada, seeking to expand President Trump’s base of support.”

Polling has showed former Vice President Joe Biden having a narrow lead over Trump in the swing state.

Lee comparing Trump and Captain Moroni — who is a different character than the prophet and later angel Moroni whose statue tops many of the faith’s temples — quickly brought attacks on social media and elsewhere.

“These are the moves of a desperate campaign, one that fails to understand that governing from the extreme right does not work for our United States,” Rob Taber, president of Latter-day Saints for Biden Harris, wrote in a news release.

Taber complained that it was another example of how “Latter-day Saints for Trump, who never signed Mormon Women for Ethical Government’s pledge, have time and again exploited our shared faith. They have willfully used sacred symbols, including the temple multiple times, in their propaganda.”

Social media also erupted over Lee’s comments, from humorous to condemning.

Sam Houston State historian Benjamin Park tweeted, “I didn’t think I’d have to say this, and I don’t feel like writing a whole op-ed about it, but let me be clear: Donald Trump is not a Captain Moroni.”

@hmdoppelganger tweeted, “@SenMikeLee you humiliate your state and your religion. And Captain Moroni.”

Instead of describing Trump as Captain Moroni, Barbara Jones Brown tweeted that Lee should have realized “King Noah is more like it.” He was an evil ruler in the Book of Mormon who overtaxed his people to support harlots, and who burned a prophet at the stake for criticizing him.

@reluctanteng tweeted, “@SenMikeLee, I knew Captain Moroni. Captain Moroni was a friend of mine. @realDonaldTrump, you’re no Captain Moroni.”

After the backlash, Lee posted a statement on Facebook to explain his remarks.

“Some people found that comparison upsetting, blasphemous, and otherwise wrong,” he noted. “I respect their right to feel that way, and realize that my impromptu comments may not have been the best forum for drawing a novel analogy from scripture.”

Lee went on to say that he never meant to suggest that Trump was a prophet or “should [b]e revered as a religious leader.”

Instead, Lee said he meant to convey that he sees Trump differently than he once did and illustrate parallels between Captain Moroni and Trump. Where Captain Moroni “s[ought] not for power, but to pull it down,” Trump has tried to “drain the swamp,” Lee said.

Lee was a Never Trumper in 2016 who has in recent years fully converted to an ally and supporter of the president.

“In short,” Lee wrote about the comparison, “Donald Trump has far exceeded my expectations by sticking to his effort to reform the federal government even when it’s hard and unpopular.”

During that same rally Wednesday, Lee also sought to appeal to evangelicals and Protestants.

“To my Protestant and evangelical friends, we have to remember that it is by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we’ve had four years of prosperity and peace,” he said as he urged them to vote for Trump.

Reporter Paighten Harkins contributed to this article.


Summer of Love

https://quillette.com/2020/06/16/seattles-summer-of-love/

There seems to be confusion as to what love is, and what it’s not. Some would have you believe that true love is to remove all consequences so that no one is ever punished or “hurt” by their own choices.

“We should simply love those who commit crimes, not punish them. We should simply love those who commit sin. Love those who are gay or criminal or confused or addicted. We should get rid of laws–the police, prisons, Courthouses, and while we’re at it, churches too, since those things just seem to make people judgmental.” So they say.

Yet what’s interesting is that these same people who have attained to this highest, purest form of love a human can attain to in this life, it turns out, are intolerant, violent, angry, murderous, and lawless. They rejoice when people die, black or white. They mock and would kill a gay man or a black man if he happens to be of a different political persuasion than their own. They love the world’s “Karens” who pepper spray mask offenders and injure and patrol the non-compliant. They love their right to kill their children. If it was up to them, all American cities would look like Portland. Anarchy would rule. America would fall.

American politics was meant to be messy. Fools such as Jeff Flake and Mitt Romney (who should know better), seemingly forget that our system is always a choice between the lesser of evils. All worldly governments are inherently evil, because they are endowed with the power to control people. Hence the need for checks and balances and most importantly, the need for wisdom, virtue, morality, and religion. Our system only works when we are moral and virtuous.

“Liberty considers religion as the safeguard of morality, and morality as the best security of law and the surest pledge of the duration of freedom,” said Alexis de Tocqueville.

“The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous,” said Frederick Douglas.

“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society,” said
Theodore Roosevelt.

“History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster,” said Douglas MacArthur.

Luckily we still have by and large a two-party system, where the majority of the people can choose their president. The voice of the people is important. Countries that allow for multiple candidates often elect presidents without this “voice of the people.” Without a majority. And so minority voices can take over a nation.

“Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct and which were given them by the hand of the Lord. Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right, but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right. Therefore, this shall ye observe and make it your law: to do your business by the voice of the people.” Mosiah 13:6

When the voice of the people, or the majority, choose that which is not right, the die is cast for our destruction as a nation. We are defined as a nation by what the majority of us choose to be and to do.

And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands. Wherefore, he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off, for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land that they are swept off. And this cometh unto you, O ye gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness be come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land hath hitherto done. Behold, this is a choice land; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who has been manifested by the things which we have written. Eth. 1:7

An example of true love is the example of Moroni. He loved his nation and fought to preserve freedom. He wasn’t violent although he killed many. He wasn’t an angry man. Although he hated sin. He realized that letting immoral and evil people like BLM and Antifa get control of the powers of government would lead not just to death, but to millions of souls being swept off this continent. Moroni, filled with love, saw the bigger picture, and acted accordingly. He defended his nation and their freedoms with love and with violence.

And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah. And it came to pass that he rent his coat, and he took a piece thereof and wrote upon it: In memory of our God, our religion and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children. And he fastened it upon the end of a pole thereof. And he fastened on his headplate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole which had on the end thereof his rent coat, and he called it the Title of Liberty. And he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land. For thus were all the true believers of Christ who belonged to the church of God called, by those who did not belong to the church; and those who did belong to the church were faithful. Yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them gladly the name of Christ — or Christians, as they were called — because of their belief in Christ who should come. And therefore at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians and the freedom of the land might be favored. Alma 21:7

Let’s be crystal clear, a vote for Joe Biden in this year’s presidential election is a vote for Antifa and Black Lives Matter. You may think he is somehow a better man than Trump. More “moral”. Or you may think Trump is too offensive and is the reason so many are rioting and are angry. Either way, if you choose to vote for Joe Biden, you are, as a Christian, voting for a man who is being funded by these anti-Christian groups who seek to overthrow our nation.

A vote for Biden is also a vote for gay marriage and the advancement of the aggressive LGBTQIA+ agendas. And they are legend! Literally. In fact, there is now a push to decriminalize pedophilia in our country. LINK LINK This is the problem with the Queer agenda — IT NEVER IS CONTENT AND WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED. Vote for Joe and if he wins and your child’s Kindergarten teacher someday soon is a Transexual MAP (Minor Attracted Person), don’t be surprised. That slope, will slip quicker towards Hell than any other. A vote for Biden will lead to more abortions, more lawlessness. More control.

If you think otherwise, I invite you to ponder further and to reconsider. No reasonable person, in my opinion, can support a candidate that IS unwilling to renounce those who seek to overthrow our government, WHICH was at one point, approved of by God. It is not valiant in my opinion, to embrace, support, vote for, those who will “get us to the Second Coming sooner.” WE MUST choose more good over more evil. God will do His part when the time comes. HE does not need our votes for more wickedness to accomplish His works. HE will judge us based on our ability to discern and to choose, as it has always been.