This week, our Come Follow Me curriculum brings us to Jeremiah 1-20. We discuss how God knew Jeremiah before his birth, hunters, fishers, and an unpopular message. Study with me!
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Showing posts with label #choice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #choice. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
How to Survive the 2016 Presidential Election
Let me begin by explaining my perspective. Even if you disagree with my positions, I hope you find value in my suggestions for dealing with this election.
I did not support John McCain in the primaries of 2008, but I voted for him in opposition to Barack Obama. I did not support Mitt Romney in the primaries of 2012, but I voted for him with similar opposition in the November election.
Then came 2016.
Early in the race, I recall being frustrated with people who were already saying there were no candidates they wanted to support. If you believed everything Barack Obama said about himself, you could support Hillary. If you wanted to ignore every failure of socialism hoping that this time it would be different, you could support Bernie Sanders. If you wanted someone outside of politics to make a difference, Ben Carson fit the description. If you wanted someone who had political experience and constitutional principles, Ted Cruz was the man. If you wanted a compromiser who could relate to younger voters, Marco Rubio was viable. If you wanted an establishment Republican, there was Jeb Bush. Finally, if you wanted to flip people off, there was Donald Trump.
Through a series of events I am not sure I understand yet, the two parties lifted up Trump and Clinton as the nominees.
Any frustrations I had with people who said there were no good choices disappeared. On the one hand, Hillary Clinton has been tied to pay-for-play corruption in the State Department. She has obfuscated and lied about things even when she did not need to (such as her pneumonia episode). Even Democrats who supported socialist Bernie Sanders recognized her corruption in the primary process. For non-democrats, Clinton represents every flaw that accompanies big-government politics. On the other hand, Donald Trump is a crude individual who has used personal attacks and media manipulation to propel himself. He and his campaign promoted insane conspiracies that Ted Cruz's father might have been involved in the JFK assassination, and unnecessarily shameful attacks about Cruz's wife. His record with infidelity and morality directly conflicts with the standards that Republicans have typically tried to espouse. Even worse, his ideas for policy are all based on large government solutions including large tariffs, undefinable immigration changes that may or may not include a wall, and confusing foreign policy positions that have difficulty differentiating between friends and foes. Essentially, Americans are being given the choice between two Democrats... two unlikable Democrats.
Third party candidates have risen to try to position themselves as viable alternatives. Of course, Jill Stein of the Green Party is even further to the left of the major party nominees, but Gary Johnson has, in an attempt to court disenfranchised voters, put himself in roughly the same position as Trump and Clinton in terms of policy. He praised a lot of the Bernie Sanders strategy, and is left of Clinton on immigration. His foreign policy understanding is famously lacking, and his major priority is the legalization of drugs. Essentially, the major third party candidates have offered us two more Democrats from which to choose.
This, among other precedent, has led many people to conclude that the best thing they can do with their vote is to oppose one of the two major political candidates. The media is all over the Trump tapes (that reveal nothing new; Donald Trump has always been a crude man) to encourage people to prevent Trump from becoming President. Conservative sites have a target-rich environment to show Hillary's record of corruption (that also reveal nothing new; Hillary Clinton has always been a corrupt manipulator) that they use to encourage people to prevent Hillary from becoming President.
I completely understand wanting to prevent either one of these people from becoming President. Frankly, I understand wanting to prevent some of the third party candidates from becoming President as well.
That having been said, let me suggest the following:
1. Don't make excuses for any candidate. I know that Hillary Clinton will cause awful harm as President of the United States. That doesn't excuse Donald Trump's awful behavior. Additionally, I know that Donald Trump is unlikely to keep any of the promises he has made, and would be a disaster for America. That doesn't mean Hillary's dishonesty and criminal activity was OK. Acknowledge the imperfections that each person has.
2. People who have opposing political views are not incompetent racist traitor bigot liars (necessarily). Of course it is possible to find Trump supporters that are hateful lunatics, and Hillary supporters that actually hate America, but it is likely more productive to talk about ideas, principles, and values rather than slinging disrespect. If you have to become an awful person to show that someone else is an awful person, then what have you really accomplished?
3. The Government is incapable of solving most of our problems. Having voted for or against a candidate does not absolve an individual of personal responsibility. You must still help other people. You must still be decent and law-abiding. You must still work hard. You must still try to better yourself. Ultimately, the most significant sources of improving people (and in turn, society) are Jesus Christ, and strong families (in that order). The most important education, the preservation of values, the way people of different races, genders, and backgrounds can improve interactions... all of these things are best improved by fathers and mothers who love one another and their children. Religious institutions that promote faith and family, as well as charity, honesty, respect, virtue, and forgiveness support families in these efforts. These elements will do the most to solve the problems our society faces.
4. Don't let political frustration discourage you. It is easy to become cynical. It is easy to avoid participating in elections or political conversations. Sometimes, it seems justified. The outlook on the 2016 Presidential Election is not encouraging, regardless of which party wins. That does not mean that you should stop caring. That does not mean that your conscience is unimportant. That does not mean that America is beyond redemption. This nation has been in precarious situations before, and we have triumphed when enough people did the right thing when it was difficult.
5. In the end, the good guys win. I don't want to suggest that life will be sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows... There will be perils, disasters, tragedies, and horrors... many of them will be perpetrated by people (2 Timothy 3:1-7). I do want to suggest that, in the end, God will make everything right. No one will "get away with" their crimes. No injustice will go uncorrected. No wound will remain unhealed. No hurt will persist. In the end, good will triumph over evil. Have faith. Have confidence. Even if it doesn't look good right now, Jesus Christ is coming... and he will save us all.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Agency and the freedom to choose
An important concept in Mormon theology is that we lived with God before we were born. The implications of this idea include:
1. We are literal children of God
2. Men and women are brothers and sisters to one another
Loving God and our neighbors as ourselves as Christ taught (Matthew 22:37-39) is the natural extension of this idea, as is the importance of family.
It is also understood that during our pre-earth life, there was a great war between the followers of our Heavenly Father, and the followers of Lucifer. (Revelation 12:7-9) The source of this conflict involved the destiny of humanity. Scripture from the Pearl of Great Price presents additional detail:
" And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice." (Moses 4:1-4)
The concept of agency is something frequently taught in LDS lessons and talks. The idea that people are "agents unto themselves" and that they are free to "act and not be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day" is fundamental to understanding the purpose of life on earth. (Moses 6:56, 2 Nephi 2:26)
As important as the concept of free will is as identified in these passages, it is not the same as agency, even though they are frequently used synonymously.
I have at times heard people talk about using their agency to make choices about what kind of food they want to eat or what destination they prefer for vacation. Certainly it is possible that some of these choices involve agency, but these choices do not really portray agency in the most important sense.
Before discussing the truth behind this concept, it is important to highlight the three great powers that influence the world:
* Humanity. It is not difficult to see the amazing accomplishments of mankind in the age of information. Powerful computer processors are available in devices as small as phones and watches that harness numerous technologies for tasks as simple as "liking" a cheeseburger. Humanity has harnessed power from various sources and constructed great buildings, composed beautiful music, written moving books, and launched probes beyond our atmosphere to study the universe. Mankind has demonstrated great power...but in spite of our power, humanity is the weakest of the three.
* Satan. Having accumulated experience from mankind's beginnings, the power of evil is adept at manipulating men. Great societies have crumbled due to the persistent and patient efforts of those that love to see humanity fail. In the shadows, he persuades people to secretly steal and murder sometimes without even knowing they are being persuaded. Occasionally, he does risk using his full power. Joseph Smith saw it when he prayed to God. He noted "I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being" (Joseph Smith History 1:16) Only the power of God himself could free him from the powers of evil. Humanity, by itself, is powerless against Satan.
* God. The great achievements of humanity and the subtle machinations of evil are nothing compared to the power of the Most High. He that forged the earth and became mortal only to conquer death represents the ultimate strength in existence. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and his power is omnipresent.
By understanding these forces, it becomes clear that being an agent of oneself is extremely limited. The real power of agency comes not from making trivial choices... but from becoming an agent of a higher power.
Becoming an agent of evil is actually quite easy. People can do this without even realizing it. The person that encourages dishonesty, turns a blind eye to cruelty, and practices selfishness can gain power. Marriages and families can be destroyed when seemingly innocent indulgences and poor decisions win over selflessness and integrity. Greed, lust, wrath, pride, envy, gluttony, and sloth do not encompass every ill... Jesus taught "wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matthew 7:13) Constant effort may be necessary to avoid becoming a destructive influence.
Becoming an agent of God is simple, but not nearly as easy. In the Book of Mormon, prophets counseled men to "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness" and " if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." (Moroni 10:32, Mosiah 4:30) Many prophets have indicated that it is a strait and narrow path that leads to God. Christ was clear in declaring that the only way to our Heavenly Father was through him. (John 14:6)
Although the path is substantially more difficult, and the rewards are not always immediately visible, the true power that God intended for his sons and daughters comes from becoming the kind of person that Christ was. If we are the children of God, then it is as the Apostle Paul noted: "if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)
Agency in the sense of becoming an agent of God himself, is the very purpose for which humanity is on the earth. Agency is the slow process by which bad men can become good men, and good men can become better men. Agency is the purpose of the conflict between good and evil. Agency is the promise that Christ gives to the faithful... for "he came unto his own, but his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Rejecting the Illusion of Ownership
Property is a concept that is learned at an early age. In fact, before children can learn what it means to share something, they must first learn what is theirs. Parents, including myself, frequently define objects by their owners from clothes to shoes to rooms and especially more fragile and valuable belongings such as smartphones, computers, and tablets.
It is no wonder that the concepts of property and ownership seem so important in our culture. Our laws protect property owners from warrantless searches and seizures. Stealing or vandalizing property is illegal in every state. Corporations invest substantially in protecting their ideas, creations, and inventions, labeling these things intellectual property.
In political circles, heated debates arise from laws that may affect health or even life. Defenders of abortion have been known to argue their case using slogans such as "my body, my choice." (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/29/codepink-protesters-heckle-paul-ryan-my-body-my-choice/)
On the other side of the political spectrum, members of the Mormon church differentiate the concept of the law of consecration with socialism or communism principally by pointing out that the law of consecration embraced private ownership. For those unfamiliar with this concept, the idea is largely based on the Utopian society that existed in America based on the account in the Book of Mormon. "And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another. And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift." (4 Nephi 1:2-3) The concept of giving all ones belongings to the church is not unique to the Book of Mormon, the Apostles of Christ in the New Testament also practiced a form of this united order. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." (Acts 4:33-35)
This law as was once practiced by Mormon communities involved giving all property to a church leader, and then claiming back only what was needed. The need of the individual was determined largely based on the claims of the individual, and in this sense differed from Communism or socialism where need is determined by the governing entity. Church leaders have spoken passionately regarding the position of the LDS church on these other practices: Communism and all other similar isms bear no relationship whatever to the united order. They are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the gospel plan. Communism debases the individual and makes him the enslaved tool of the state to whom he must look for sustenance and religion; the united order exalts the individual, leaves him his property, "according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and his needs," (D&C 51:3) and provides a system by which he helps care for his less fortunate brethren; the united order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys man's God-given free agency; the united order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies. They will prove snares to their feet." (Conference Report April 1942, emphasis added)
The problem with any of these philosophies is this: Ownership is an illusion.
No man owns anything. While people can argue "it's more mine than yours" regarding a great many things, the ultimate truth for nearly all objects is that do not belong to any man.
Certainly objects may be in the possession of men temporarily, and it is true that men may be responsible for certain things temporarily... They may even be entitled to be responsible for certain things, but the temporary nature of this responsibility prevents true ownership.
If an individual gains possessions throughout their life, they cannot retain them after death. Even the treasures the Pharaohs hoarded for the afterlife have been claimed by thieves and archaeologists. While some control may be carried out by means of a will, typically, a will only reinforces how all of ones possessions will belong to someone else.
Land that may have been occupied by a family for generations was there before any family was. Homes, vehicles, and furnishings were constructed using resources that have been on and/or nurtured by the earth for ages... and in the beginning, God created the earth.
Even more than things around us, our bodies are not our own. The effort that mothers invest in bearing and delivering children is difficult to fathom. The care of many parents for young children to help them is vital, especially since humans are unable to care for themselves in their early years. In having a body, each person also has a debt to those that helped them obtain and maintain it.
More than this, each human being can find themselves owing far more when they realize the magnitude of the sacrifice that Christ himself offered to purchase immortality and eternal life for the children of men. The Apostle Paul observed: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Another way to put this is instead of "my body, my choice" it is "not your body, so be careful with your choice."
After considering all things, no one really owns possessions, they simply borrow and modify them during their brief lives. No one really owns their body, they are occupying it temporarily. Those that have gone before to develop tools and technologies, or those that have nourished and nurtured people in their youth have laid the foundation for any accomplishment or acquisition later in life.
God's role in the foundation of all property or his investment in humanity is impossible to quantify. The amount of effort in making a world as complex and beautiful as the earth and setting in motion all the natural processes that have sustained humanity from the days of Adam and Eve represents more than a whim. Even Christ who seemed to restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead with ease asked for some other way than to face the suffering that he inevitably endured. (Luke 22:42) In the end, he not only suffered for sin, but he single-handedly broke death. Leaving his tomb not only brought life to him, but promises permanent life, peace, and healing to all those who have had cause to suffer in mortality.
The question then becomes, if God sacrificed so much and invested so much in humanity, why does he hide himself? Why does he not plainly walk among men exclaiming his love personally? Why create the illusion that man owns anything, body or property, if he does not? If God was always capable of immediately saving us, why create such an elaborate façade in which some men who are good are made to suffer and some who do evil appear to triumph?
The truth is that God is an engineer. He is like a computer programmer. Frequently, the purpose for writing a program is to assist in solving a problem or finding the answer to a challenging question. A program is particularly useful for repeating similar steps with variable input. Even God, who knows everything, invested to find the answer to a difficult question and to repeat the general algorithm for each human being that ever has or ever will live.
The question is "what do you want?"
This may seem like a simple question. Why not simply ask it?
Of course the question is more complicated than the possible answers one might receive. For a hungry man, food might be the answer. The man that is lonely might answer companionship. The man that is bored might answer entertainment. Perhaps every man has wanted each of these things at different times.
How do we know what we really want?
Living in a world with an illusion that possessions are long-lasting if not permanent, or that the satisfaction of appetites and passions are the only source of positive feelings allows people to pursue these things without needing to consider what lies outside the illusion. A truth that cannot be clearly seen and that demands investment of those who seek it is less desirable when the promised positive outcomes are not verifiable. Consequently, spiritual truths are only sought after by those that truly want them, not by those that have a casual curiosity, or that wait for proof instead of leaping in faith.
This is not to say that life is completely artificial, or that those who work hard in professions which may be temporary or of little spiritual significance are misplacing their effort. In the life to come for example, we will not have need of doctors, but those that ease the suffering of the sick provide important and real service here and now.
Principles of religious piety such as chastity, honesty, benevolence, and the desire to learn are not backward ideas from spiritual nuts. These principles represent the pursuit of God himself... the quest to find the truth beyond the illusion of mortality. Those that embrace these principles reject the illusion of ownership.... or at least ownership here. They believe that Christ was literal when he taught "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
There will come a time when God's program reaches a conclusion for each of us. There will be a day when life on earth has manipulated us into revealing what we really want. Fortunately, desires are malleable. There is time for everyone to learn to see through the illusion. The end is not yet here.
Whether or not you accept the principles of Christianity, realize that it is worth the investment to find the truth, even if it means experimenting with less scientific principles such as faith. Illusions may have their purposes, but ultimately, the truth shall make us free.
It is no wonder that the concepts of property and ownership seem so important in our culture. Our laws protect property owners from warrantless searches and seizures. Stealing or vandalizing property is illegal in every state. Corporations invest substantially in protecting their ideas, creations, and inventions, labeling these things intellectual property.
In political circles, heated debates arise from laws that may affect health or even life. Defenders of abortion have been known to argue their case using slogans such as "my body, my choice." (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/29/codepink-protesters-heckle-paul-ryan-my-body-my-choice/)
On the other side of the political spectrum, members of the Mormon church differentiate the concept of the law of consecration with socialism or communism principally by pointing out that the law of consecration embraced private ownership. For those unfamiliar with this concept, the idea is largely based on the Utopian society that existed in America based on the account in the Book of Mormon. "And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another. And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift." (4 Nephi 1:2-3) The concept of giving all ones belongings to the church is not unique to the Book of Mormon, the Apostles of Christ in the New Testament also practiced a form of this united order. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." (Acts 4:33-35)
This law as was once practiced by Mormon communities involved giving all property to a church leader, and then claiming back only what was needed. The need of the individual was determined largely based on the claims of the individual, and in this sense differed from Communism or socialism where need is determined by the governing entity. Church leaders have spoken passionately regarding the position of the LDS church on these other practices: Communism and all other similar isms bear no relationship whatever to the united order. They are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the gospel plan. Communism debases the individual and makes him the enslaved tool of the state to whom he must look for sustenance and religion; the united order exalts the individual, leaves him his property, "according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and his needs," (D&C 51:3) and provides a system by which he helps care for his less fortunate brethren; the united order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys man's God-given free agency; the united order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies. They will prove snares to their feet." (Conference Report April 1942, emphasis added)
The problem with any of these philosophies is this: Ownership is an illusion.
No man owns anything. While people can argue "it's more mine than yours" regarding a great many things, the ultimate truth for nearly all objects is that do not belong to any man.
Certainly objects may be in the possession of men temporarily, and it is true that men may be responsible for certain things temporarily... They may even be entitled to be responsible for certain things, but the temporary nature of this responsibility prevents true ownership.
If an individual gains possessions throughout their life, they cannot retain them after death. Even the treasures the Pharaohs hoarded for the afterlife have been claimed by thieves and archaeologists. While some control may be carried out by means of a will, typically, a will only reinforces how all of ones possessions will belong to someone else.
Land that may have been occupied by a family for generations was there before any family was. Homes, vehicles, and furnishings were constructed using resources that have been on and/or nurtured by the earth for ages... and in the beginning, God created the earth.
Even more than things around us, our bodies are not our own. The effort that mothers invest in bearing and delivering children is difficult to fathom. The care of many parents for young children to help them is vital, especially since humans are unable to care for themselves in their early years. In having a body, each person also has a debt to those that helped them obtain and maintain it.
More than this, each human being can find themselves owing far more when they realize the magnitude of the sacrifice that Christ himself offered to purchase immortality and eternal life for the children of men. The Apostle Paul observed: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Another way to put this is instead of "my body, my choice" it is "not your body, so be careful with your choice."
After considering all things, no one really owns possessions, they simply borrow and modify them during their brief lives. No one really owns their body, they are occupying it temporarily. Those that have gone before to develop tools and technologies, or those that have nourished and nurtured people in their youth have laid the foundation for any accomplishment or acquisition later in life.
God's role in the foundation of all property or his investment in humanity is impossible to quantify. The amount of effort in making a world as complex and beautiful as the earth and setting in motion all the natural processes that have sustained humanity from the days of Adam and Eve represents more than a whim. Even Christ who seemed to restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead with ease asked for some other way than to face the suffering that he inevitably endured. (Luke 22:42) In the end, he not only suffered for sin, but he single-handedly broke death. Leaving his tomb not only brought life to him, but promises permanent life, peace, and healing to all those who have had cause to suffer in mortality.
The question then becomes, if God sacrificed so much and invested so much in humanity, why does he hide himself? Why does he not plainly walk among men exclaiming his love personally? Why create the illusion that man owns anything, body or property, if he does not? If God was always capable of immediately saving us, why create such an elaborate façade in which some men who are good are made to suffer and some who do evil appear to triumph?
The truth is that God is an engineer. He is like a computer programmer. Frequently, the purpose for writing a program is to assist in solving a problem or finding the answer to a challenging question. A program is particularly useful for repeating similar steps with variable input. Even God, who knows everything, invested to find the answer to a difficult question and to repeat the general algorithm for each human being that ever has or ever will live.
The question is "what do you want?"
This may seem like a simple question. Why not simply ask it?
Of course the question is more complicated than the possible answers one might receive. For a hungry man, food might be the answer. The man that is lonely might answer companionship. The man that is bored might answer entertainment. Perhaps every man has wanted each of these things at different times.
How do we know what we really want?
Living in a world with an illusion that possessions are long-lasting if not permanent, or that the satisfaction of appetites and passions are the only source of positive feelings allows people to pursue these things without needing to consider what lies outside the illusion. A truth that cannot be clearly seen and that demands investment of those who seek it is less desirable when the promised positive outcomes are not verifiable. Consequently, spiritual truths are only sought after by those that truly want them, not by those that have a casual curiosity, or that wait for proof instead of leaping in faith.
This is not to say that life is completely artificial, or that those who work hard in professions which may be temporary or of little spiritual significance are misplacing their effort. In the life to come for example, we will not have need of doctors, but those that ease the suffering of the sick provide important and real service here and now.
Principles of religious piety such as chastity, honesty, benevolence, and the desire to learn are not backward ideas from spiritual nuts. These principles represent the pursuit of God himself... the quest to find the truth beyond the illusion of mortality. Those that embrace these principles reject the illusion of ownership.... or at least ownership here. They believe that Christ was literal when he taught "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
There will come a time when God's program reaches a conclusion for each of us. There will be a day when life on earth has manipulated us into revealing what we really want. Fortunately, desires are malleable. There is time for everyone to learn to see through the illusion. The end is not yet here.
Whether or not you accept the principles of Christianity, realize that it is worth the investment to find the truth, even if it means experimenting with less scientific principles such as faith. Illusions may have their purposes, but ultimately, the truth shall make us free.
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