Women of God

            Women occupy a unique place in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [also known as Mormons].  Although none of us bear the priesthood of God and most of us have no desire to do so, the leaders of the Church heap words of praise upon the women of the Church.   We often hear our leaders make statements such as “We, the Brethren of the Church, honor and respect our good sisters for their unselfish devotion to this glorious cause.”

                In the years following the organization of the Church, women of the Church wanted an organization of their own and wrote bylaws for their organization.  They took their ideas to the Prophet Joseph Smith for his approval.  He told them that their ideas were good, but the Lord had something better for them.  On March 17, 1842, the Prophet met with a number of the sisters and organized them into a society which was given the name of “The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.”  Today that organization is known as the Relief Society and is one of the largest and oldest organizations for women in the world.  All sisters in the Church, eighteen years and over, are members of Relief Society.  We work together to care for ourselves, each other, and our families.

                President Joseph Fielding Smith stated, “That this organization was by revelation, there can be no doubt.  This truth has been abundantly demonstrated throughout the years and today its value and necessity are abundantly attested.

                “Surely the Church of Jesus Christ would not have been completely organized had not this wonderful organization come into existence….  This restoration would not have been complete without the Relief Society in which the sisters are able to accomplish a divinely appointed service so essential to the welfare of the Church.”  (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  Joseph Fielding Smith, pp. 297-309.)

                The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that the women of the Church should be organized because they had an important work in establishing the cause of Zion.  The organization was primarily responsible for the benefit, encouragement, and advancement of the women of the Church, but a secondary responsibility was to aid in the work of mercy and relief from distress and suffering of the poor, the sick, and afflicted throughout the Church.  The Relief Society continues to carry out these responsibilities.

                President Smith stated, “The Relief Society … has grown to be a power in the Church.  Absolutely necessary – we speak of it as an auxiliary, which means a help, but the Relief Society is more than that.  It is needed….

                “The Relief Society was established by the spirit of inspiration, has been guided by that spirit [ever since], and has instilled into the hearts of countless of our good sisters those desires for righteousness which have been pleasing to the Lord.”

                The women of the Church are expected to stand by the side of their husbands and to work with bearers of the priesthood to bless and strengthen individuals and families both in and out of the Church.  The Lord has blessed us with the qualities of sympathy, tenderness of heart, and kindness and has given us the responsibility to minister to the needy and the afflicted.  Women serve under the direction and in harmony with our bishops as we work together to bless our people both spiritually and physically.

                President Smith stated, “It is the duty of the Relief Society, not only to look after those who are members of the Relief Society, but their labor should extend beyond those borders.  Wherever anybody is in trouble, needs help, in difficulties, sick or afflicted, we call upon the Relief Society.  … They can perform a great and wonderful work by encouraging the wayward, helping them, bringing them back into activity, helping them to overcome their weaknesses or sins and imperfections, and bringing them to an understanding of the truth.  I say there is no limit to the good that our sisters can do.”

                President Gordon B. Hinckley echoed this statement while speaking to the National Press Club on March 8, 2000:  “… We are now operating in more than 160 nations.  Our worldwide membership is approaching 11 million.

                “Of these, approximately four million are women who belong to what we call the Relief Society.  I think it is the oldest women’s organization in the world, and perhaps the largest.  It has its own officers and board and these officers also sit on other boards and committees of the Church.  People wonder what we do for our women.  I will tell you what we do.  We get out of their way, and look with wonder at what they are accomplishing.”

                As a member of the Relief Society I have the opportunity to serve and bless other people.  I also have the blessing of being taught by priesthood leaders and my peers.  I have been taught  the Plan of Salvation and my place in it.  I understand that I cannot be saved in the Kingdom of God in ignorance, and I have learned the importance of studying the scriptures to gain and keep a strong testimony.  I understand that the blessings of the priesthood belong to me and my sisters as much as they belong to the brethren of the Church.  I know that women of the Relief Society are becoming women of God.  As women of God, much more is required of us. 

                Sister Margaret Nadauld expressed this requirement with these beautiful words:  “Women of God can never be like women of the world.  The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.  There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.  There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.  We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.  We have enough greed; we need more goodness.  We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.  We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”  

Soil Is Interesting

                I finished my Master Gardener class and learned something new from every lecture.  The class I found most interesting was the lecture on soils – what they are made of, what is in them, how we can work with them, etc.

                Are you aware that soil is made up of weathered rock fragments, organic matter and living organisms?  There are components that are living and some that are not living.  Minerals and dead organic matter make up one portion, and microorganisms, invertebrates, and plant roots make up the living part.  “Soil provides nutrients, water and physical support for plants and air for plant roots.”

                The temperature of the soil has a huge impact on “seed germination, root growth, microbial activity, and nutrient availability and uptake.”  Soil in Alaska is cold and must be warmed to garden successfully.  Many Alaskan gardeners use raised beds in order to garden successfully; others use black plastic or other covering to warm the soil.

                For successful gardening soil must “be both permeable to water and able to supply water to plants.  These two characteristics depend on the network of pores in the soil.  Large pores are made by insects, earthworms, and roots and allow water to rapidly drain with gravity.  Small pores are responsible for increasing the soil’s capacity to hold water against the force of gravity.  Plants need sufficient water but not too much water.

                Whether or not soil has large or small pores depends on its “texture, structure, compaction, organic matter and living organisms” in it.  Texture describes when the soil is more fine or coarse, and this depends on the mixture of sand, silt, clay in the soil. You can tell the quality of the soil by the feel of it.  Sand feels gritty, silt feels smooth like flour, and clay feels hard when dry but can be molded easily when moist.  The difference is made by the size of the individual particles.  Sand particles are the largest; silt particles are smaller than sand, and clay particles are the smallest.  “Although all of these particles seem small, the relative difference in their size is quite large.  If a typical clay particle were the size of a penny, a sand particle would be as large as a house.”  A good garden soil crumbles in your hand when it is ready for tilling.

                “Nearly all soils contain a mixture of particle sizes, giving them a pore network containing a mixture of pore sizes….  A soil with roughly equal influence form sand, silt and clay particles is called a loam.  Loams usually make good agricultural and garden soils because they have a balance of macropores and micropores.  They usually have good water- and nutrient-holding capacity, along with moderate permeability.”

                Sandy loams are similar to loams but will drain water more quickly.  Silt loams will hold more water.  Clays and clay-loams are hard when dry and sticky when wet; they have the greatest capacity to hold water and nutrients.  “Almost any texture of soil can be suitable for gardening, as long as you are aware of the soil’s limitations and adjust your management to compensate….  Many soils can benefit from additions of high-quality organic matter….”

                Besides the texture of soil a gardener needs to be aware of the slope, the aspect (direction of exposure), and the depth of the soil.  Slope determines the availability of water because water flows down with gravity; there is usually more water in a valley than on the mountain ridge.  “Site aspect also is important.  South- ad southwest-facing exposures collect the most heat and use the most water.”  Depth is important because deeper soil holds more water than shallow soil.

                Soil is alive.  “Besides the plant roots, insects and earthworms you can see, soil is home to an abundant and diverse population of microorganisms.  A single gram of topsoil (about ¼ teaspoon) can contain as many as a billion microorganisms.”  Most of the microorganisms are located in the soil surrounding the roots of the plants – an area known as the rhizosphere.  The organisms break down plant remains and other organisms and make energy, nutrients, and carbon dioxide available to the plants.  This also helps to stabilize the soil more.

                Soil supplies 17 essential plant nutrients.  There are macronutrients and micronutrients.  The primary nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).  Secondary nutrients are sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca), carbon (C), hydrogen (H),

oxygen (O), and nickel (Ni).  Micronutrients are zinc (Zn), boron (B), iron (FE), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), and

chlorine (Cl).  If the soil is deficient in any of these nutrients, the plants will be affected.  For example, soil that is deficient in nitrogen will produce plants with yellow leaves, and soil that is deficient in phosphorus will have red leaves.  I found it interesting to learn the plant will take the nutrient from the older leaves and supply it to the newer leaves; therefore, it is the older leaves that change color first.

                Nutrient deficiencies can be corrected by adding organic or non-organic fertilizers.  Processed fertilizers work faster and make their nutrients available to plants quicker.  Organic fertilizers release their nutrients more slowly, making the nutrients available to the plant over the growing season.  There are some organic fertilizers, such as fresh manure and fish meal, which contain available nutrients.  Some nutrients are not even available for the plants until the next growing season.  “Repeated application of organic fertilizers builds up a pool of material that releases nutrients very slowly.  In the long run, this nutrient supply decreases the need for supplemental fertilizer.”

                Gardeners can determine the need for fertilizer and how much by having their soil tested every few years.  If the pH level is too low, lime can be added.  If the pH level is too high, elemental sulfur or iron sulfate can be added.

                I have learned a lot about soil and its effects on plants and realize there is much more knowledge to gain as well as how to apply it in my garden.  The Master Gardener course is very interesting and worthwhile to me.

William Jennings Bryan

                William Jennings Bryan was born on March 19, 1860, in Salem, Illinois, to Silas Lillard Bryan and Mariah Elizabeth Jennings Bryan.  His maternal ancestry was from England.  Mariah Bryan mother joined the Salem Baptists in 1872.   Bryan attended services at the Methodist Church on Sunday morning, and then he attended services at the Baptist Church in the afternoon.  About this time Bryan began spending his afternoons at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  When he was 14 years old, he attended a revival and was soon baptized in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  He later stated that his decision to  be baptized was the most important day of his life; however he later left that church and joined the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, a larger church.

                Silas Bryan was of Scottish-Irish and English heritage.  He was also an avid Jacksonian Democrat.  He entered politics when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate but was defeated for re-election in 1860.  He was also elected as a state circuit judge.  In 1866 he moved his family to a 520-acre farm north of Salem with a large ten-room house.

                Bryan was home-schooled until age ten.  He used the Bible and McGuffey Readers to support his views that gambling and liquor were evil and sinful.  In 1874 he was sent to Whipple Academy, in Jacksonville, Illinois.  After finishing high school at Whipple Academy, he attended Illinois College.  He graduated from Illinois College as valedictorian in 1881; he was also a member of the Sigma Pi literary society and Acacia (fraternity). 

                Bryan then studied law in Chicago at Union Law College, which later became Northwestern University School of Law.  He taught high school while studying for the bar exam.  He also met Mary Elizabeth Baird.  Bryan and Mary Elizabeth had a common cousin, William Sherman Jennings.  Bryan and Mary Elizabeth were married on October 1, 1884 and then settled in Jacksonville, a city of 2,000.   They became parents of three children:  Ruth Bryan Owens, William Jennings Bryan, Jr., and Grace Bryan.

                Mary joined Bryan as an attorney and worked with him on his speeches and writings.  Bryan practiced law from 1883 to 1887 in Jacksonville and then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.  There he met James Dahlman who helped carry Nebraska for Bryan in two presidential campaigns, and the two remained lifelong friends even though Dahlman was associated with the shady side of Nebraska.

                Bryan was elected by a landslide to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska’s First Congressional District in 1890, becoming only the second Democrat to be elected to Congress in the history of Nebraska.  In his bid for re-election he won by only 140 votes in 1892.  In 1894 he campaigned for the Senate but lost in a Republican landslide.

                “Bryan was a leading American politician from the 1890s until his death.  He was a dominant force in the populist wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as the Party’s candidate for President of the United States (1896, 1900 and 1908).  He served two terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska and was the United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1915), resigning because of his pacifist position on the World War.  Bryan was a devout Presbyterian, a strong advocate of popular democracy, and an enemy of the banks and their gold standard.  He demanded `Free Silver’ (because it reduced power attributed to money and put more money in the hands of the people).  He was a peace advocate, a prohibitionist and an opponent of Darwinism on religious and humanitarian grounds. With his deep, commanding voice and wide travels, he was one of the best-known orators and lecturers of the era.  Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people, he was called `The Great Commoner.’

                “In the intensely fought 1896 and 1900 elections, he was defeated by William McKinley but retained control of the Democratic Party.  With over 500 speeches in 1896, Bryan invented the national stumping tour, in an era when other presidential candidates stayed home.  In his three presidential bids, he promoted Free Silver in 1896, anti-imperialism in 1900, and trust-busting in 1908, calling on Democrats to fight the trusts (big corporations) and big banks, and embrace anti-elitist ideals of republicanism.  President Wilson appointed him Secretary of State in 1913, but Wilson’s strong demands on Germany after the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915 caused Bryan to resign in protest.  After 1920 he was a strong supporter of Prohibition and energetically attacked Darwinism and evolution, most famously at the Scopes Trial in 1925….”

                Bryan continued to edit and deliver speeches and traveled hundreds of miles in five days following the end of the trial.  He traveled from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Dayton, on Sunday, July 26, 1925.  There he went to a church service, ate a large meal and died in his sleep from diabetes and fatigue that afternoon.  He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery

Without Due Process

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:  “…nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law….”  Every person living within the United States – citizen and non-citizen – has the right to the protection of their life, liberty, and property and to know that none of them can be taken away without due process of law. 

                W. Cleon Skousen explained, “One again, this provision is simply a repletion of what was already guaranteed in the Fifth Amendment:  `No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.’

                “`Due process’ means a full hearing as provided by law.  Due process does not necessarily require a jury unless that is the established process for the type of problem involved.  Nor is a formal trial necessary for due process, if there is a full and fair hearing and an opportunity for the determination of the merits of the case.”  (See The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 273.)

                James W. Ely, Jr. of The Heritage Foundation explained, “Both the Fifth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibit governmental deprivations of `life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.’  The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment serves three distinct functions in modern constitutional doctrine:  `First, it incorporates [against the States] specific protections defined in the Bill of Rights …. Second, it contains a substantive component, sometimes referred to as `substantive due process.’ …

Daniels v. Williams (1986) (Stevens, J., concurring)

                “Modern law interprets the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to impose the same substantive due process and procedural due process requirements on the federal and state governments….”  (See The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, p. 394.)

The Creation

                We are spirit children of heavenly parents.  While we lived in our heavenly home, Heavenly Father called us together in a grand council to tell us about His plan for us to become more like Him and gain our salvation and eternal happiness.  We shouted for joy after hearing His plan and were anxious for the new experiences He described to us.  Heavenly Father told us that we would need to leave His presence to receive mortal bodies and to gain the necessary experience.  He told us that He would create a new home for us, which would be known as earth.

                Jesus Christ created the earth and everything in it as well as many other worlds.  He created these worlds under the direction of Heavenly Father and through the power of the priesthood.  Heavenly Father said, “… Worlds without number have I created; … and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:33).

                The earth and everything on it were created spiritually before they were created physically (see Moses 3:5).  While drawing his “blueprint” for creating the earth, Christ said to those in His presence, “We will go down, for there is space there, … and we will make an earth whereon these [the spirit children of our Father in Heaven] may dwell” (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:24).

                Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ formed and organized the earth out of existing matter.  He divided the light from the darkness to make day and night.  He formed the sun, moon and stars and hung them in their places.  He divided the waters from the dry land to make streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans.  He made the earth beautiful and productive.  He made grass, flowers, trees, and other plants to beautify the earth and to provide food.  He made plants that contained seeds in order for new plants to grow and make sure there were always plants on the earth.  He created all kinds of animals – fish, birds, insects, and cattle – and gave them the ability to reproduce their own kind.

                When these preparations were completed, the earth was ready for mankind – the greatest of all God’s creations.  “And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning:  Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness, and it was so”  (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 2:26).  The Gods formed Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on earth.  They were given bodies that resembled the bodies of our heavenly parents.  “… In the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27).  Adam and Eve were given the ability to have children and create bodies for the spirit children waiting in heaven for their chance to come to earth.  When the Gods finished creating Adam and Eve, they were pleased with their creation and pronounced it good.  Then the Gods rested.

                Gods created this beautiful world where we now live.  They created the sun to give us light and warmth.  They created rain to water the plants and cleanse the earth.  They created our wonderful bodies with ears to hear the songs of birds and laughter of children, with eyes to see beautiful sunsets, and noses to smell the wonderful scents of flowers.  They made our bodies so we can work, play and rest from our labors.

                The creations all around us are proof of God’s existence and His love for His children here on earth.  All things on the earth were created for the benefit of mankind because He loves us. 

Teach the Children

                Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when parents fulfill their responsibility to properly teach their children, including the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Since the gospel of Jesus Christ includes everything about life – education, work, good manners, faith, repentance, baptism, etc. – parents have a very big responsibility to care for and teach their children properly.

                The charge to teach children came from Heavenly Father through His prophet Joseph Smith:  “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents” (Doctrine and Covenants 83:25).

                Dr. Ben Carson was the “worst student” in his fifth grade class, but he was the top student in his seventh grade class.  What made the difference?  Although she was uneducated, his mother recognized that her two boys needed to learn to read.  She allowed her sons to watch three hours of television per week and insisted that they read two books per week and reported to her about the books.  Ben Carson did not like the new rules but admitted as an adult that his mother rules changed the course of his life.  He attended Yale University on a scholarship and then was accepted at Johns Hopkins medical school.  He was only 33 years old when he became the chief of pediatric neurosurgery and a world-renowned surgeon at Johns Hopkins.  His success is proof that his mother magnified her calling as his mother.

                Elder Matthew O. Richardson was the bishop of a young single adult ward when he noticed the young adults in his ward “approached dating with very little purpose, understanding, or direction.  Some were apathetic, while others were much too zealous.  Often they didn’t know how to treat each other properly.” 

                Elder Richardson discussed the situation with his wife.  They determined that “the skill of developing worthwhile relationships is something a person indeed learns, whether from peers, family, a course or book, culture, traditions, or religious beliefs and practices.”  After determining that they wanted to teach their children the importance and purpose of relationships, they began searching for ideas of how to do it.  They “wanted to teach realistic, proper, and practical behaviors that would empower self-confidence, engender confidence in others, and lay a foundation for healthy relationships.

                “In all of this we felt that we needed to start early – long before our children began dating – and we wanted our experience to be filled with learning and teaching that were natural and hopefully fun.  We fully understood, too, that we would be competing with the way the media portray relationships.”

                The Richardson family began the “Richardson Dating Academy.”  Their children entered the academy when they turned twelve years old, and the teaching continued long after the child graduated from the academy.  The academy accomplished much more than preparing the children to properly develop and navigate relationships.  It also instilled self-confidence and taught respect for others.  It also forged strong relationships between parents and children.

                Elder Tad R. Callister, SundaySchool general president, taught that parents “are to be the prime gospel teachers and examples for our children….  As their prime gospel teachers, we can teach them the power and reality of the Atonement – of their identity and divine destiny – and in so doing give them a rock foundation upon which to build.  When all is said and done, the home is the ideal forum for teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ….

                “One of the most meaningful things we can do as parents is to teach our children the power of prayer, not just the routine of prayer.  When I was about 17 years of age, I was kneeling by my bed, saying my evening prayers.  Unbeknownst to me, my mother was standing in the doorway.  When I finished, she said, `Tad, are you asking the Lord to help you find a good wife?’

                “Her question caught me totally off guard.  That was the furthest thing from my mind…. I replied, `No,’ to which she responded, `Well, you should, Son; it will be the most important decision you will ever make.’  Those words sunk deep into my heart, and so for the next six years, I prayed that God would help me find a good wife.  And, oh, how He answered that prayer.”

                Parents’ responsibility for teaching their sons and daughters never ends even when their children become adults.  The titles and duties of mothers and fathers will continue throughout all time and eternity.  If parents accept their roles and responsibilities and teach their children properly, they can strengthen their families, communities, and nations.

Freedom from Responsibility

                The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns food stamps and other government aid programs.  People are free when they have the means to provide for their basic needs; however, they often become slaves to those who provide their daily needs.  The War on Poverty is a good example of how single mothers and poor people have become slaves to the U.S. Government.

                When President Lyndon B. Johnson began the War on Poverty, there was one welfare program to assist single parents, Aid to Families with Dependent Children.  In the fifty years our nation has been fighting poverty, our government added approximately eighty welfare programs: Earned Income Tax Credit, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Women, Infants and Children food program, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, child nutrition programs, public housing and Section 8 housing, and Medicaid.

                Robert Rector of The Heritage Foundation  believes that the War on Poverty is the main reason for the collapse of marriage in America.  “Although married couples with children can also receive aid through these programs, the overwhelming majority of assistance to families with children goes to single-parent households.

                “The burgeoning welfare state has promoted single parenthood in two ways.  First, means-tested welfare programs such as those described above financially enable single parenthood.  It is difficult for single mothers with a high school degree or less to support children without the aid of another parent.

                “Means-tested welfare programs substantially reduce this difficulty by providing extensive support to single parents.  Welfare thereby reduces the financial need for marriage.  Since the beginning of the War on Poverty, less-educated mothers have increasingly become married to the welfare state and to the U.S. taxpayer rather than to the fathers of their children.

                “As means-tested benefits expanded, welfare began to serve as a substitute for a husband in the home, and low-income marriage began to disappear.  As husbands left the home, the need for more welfare to support single mothers increased.  The War on Poverty created a destructive feedback loop:  Welfare promoted the decline of marriage, which generated a need for more welfare.”

                The Obama Administration added more “slaves” of all colors to the government “plantation” when they allowed states to waive the requirement for work before receiving food stamps.   Most Americans believe able-bodied adults should work or at least be looking for work before receiving welfare benefits, and several states have taken steps to put the work requirement back into effect. 

                New Mexico’s attempt to encourage people to work for welfare was set to go into effect on November 1, but two nonprofit groups and a few food stamp recipients sued the state.  A district judge put a temporary hold on the work requirements.  The governor announced that the state would simply restart the process to pursue the same work requirements rather than go through litigation.

                “While the food stamp program doesn’t have much of a work requirement, it does have a modest one for able-bodied adults without children (or other dependents).  Able-bodied adults without children are limited to three months of food stamp benefits unless they work or participate in some type of work activity for at least 20 hours a week….”

                New Mexico is not the only state to make a change.  Indiana waived the federal requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to work before receiving welfare benefits.  The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration recently announced that the federal requirement will be enforced as of 2015.  Able-bodied adults without children will need to work for at least 20 hours per week, be searching for employment, or be in job training to qualify for food stamps.  Approximately 65,000 people could be cut from the program.  

                Work requirements hold welfare recipients accountable and help to build the self-esteem of people in need.  There is no reason why able-bodied adults should sit around and expect other people to provide their food.  Encouraging welfare recipients to work encourages them to become self-sufficient.  Welfare recipients must become independent of the government plantation before they can be truly free.