Monday, March 2, 2009

Memo #102 ~ (89 to go to my 105th birthday)

March 1, 2009
To: My loved ones
From: The ancient one (Richard M Pratt)
Re: The current persecution of the church by Gays

NOTE: Just a quick reminder: You can access the memos at: prattmemos.blogspot.com A GREAT BIG THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO GIVE POSITIVE FEEDBACK via email, blog and letters! Congratulations on the mission calls and happy family events you have shared. Feel free to share the blog with others. Also the blog has pictures! Dad had a bout of illness but is on the mend. March 14th is Dad’s 97th birthday! How many cards or letters do you think he will get? We can celebrate his good life and relish his wisdom!

No one can successfully take issue with the fact that God is the creator of all things and all his children are subject to his laws of love and when they refuse to live by his law of love they must, by justice, suffer until they comply. And then they receive an eternal reward. The ultimate reward is to become as they are, an eternal Father and Mother.
The greatest of all the temptations to disobey is centered around the power invested in us at our mortal birth to have children. But the temptation to exercise this power for sensual satisfaction is so overwhelming that it is diverted into actions that would thwart the Lord’s great plan of eternal families and has been the cause of destruction and suffering from the days of Adam.
The world is teetering on the edge of total financial collapse. Morally it has already fallen and unknowingly faces a terrible time of suffering until they again re-throne the home as the center of all happiness.
September 23, 1995, President Hinckley and counselors issued to the church members a one page “Proclamation to the World”. It is recommended that every LDS family have a copy of it in their homes and that they refer to it often. Here are a few quotes. “We solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of his children…. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”
“We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”
And this is what I want to warn about. Many good people are now siding with those who call themselves, “Gay” because the “gays” keep preaching that their citizenship entitles them to all the rights of any other citizen. Hopefully, I can give a little enlightenment. Only God can issue rights. Any rights, so called, issued by any man-made laws that are contrary to god’s edicts are not rights. And if pursued will soon destroy that person and persons and their government who promote, encourage, sympathize or support such wicked practices. It has been so from the days of Adam and will be so eternally.
The breakdown of the family, abuse, pornography and sexual deviations have caused the destruction of billions and will be that which will finally destroy the current world in the near future UNLESS WE CAN HALT IT! God, the Father of us all, never allows a people to continue after the majority become hopelessly ensnared by their illicit appetites and passions.
The earth, to fulfill its destiny as the final home of the “meek”, had to be baptized. Not one soul needed to perish and all who BELIEVED were removed from the earth except Noah and the seven that were with him. In spite of that awful tragedy in which billions were drowned, by the time of Noah’s death 350 years later, the whole world had fallen back into the slime pit of immoralities ranging all the way from abortion, to human sacrifice to homosexuality.
The Lord continued his great love and mercy to remove millions more from the earth that they might be rescued from their own wickedness and have a second chance to repent and learn to obey that they might have some happiness in a Telestial heaven, separate and single, eternally.
According to the proclamation, the final end of wickedness and perversions in general has been for told by modern and ancient prophets. I will briefly allude to one of each and will start with my own great grandfather Parley P. Pratt. Remember, all the prophets both modern and ancient tell the same story.
“The people before the flood, and also the Sodomites and Canaanites, had carried these corruptions and degenerations so far that God, in mercy, destroyed them physically and thus put an end to the procreation of races so degenerate and abominable.
The over throw of those ancient degenerate races is a type of that which now awaits the nations called “Christian”, or in other words,…”for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered their iniquities.” (Revelations 17:1, 18:5)
NOW LISTEN AS HE CONTINUES: And there is no way we can deny it.
“Where is the nation called “Christian’ that does not permit prostitution, fornication, and adultery with all their debasing, demoralizing, degeneration and corroding effects, with all their tendencies to disease and crime, to leaven and corrode all classes of society?
Where is the “Christian nation” that punishes the crime of adultery and fornication with death or other heavy penalties?”
NOTE: Parley P Pratt probably never heard of homosexuality or he would surely have included it. I was probably middle aged before I heard of it and had to look it up in the dictionary and it was probably another ten years before I heard the word, “lesbian”.
In my life time, and I’ve lived longer than most, yet it’s still a short time, our once great nation has gone from a strictly moral people to a cess-pool of filth and immoralities. It has gone from a nation of loving families to a nation of children betrayed. Where a third of all pregnancies end in abortion. The murder of innocent blood. And nearly half of the children given birth are raised in broken homes or in many cases no homes. Is it any wonder that these children often subject to physical and mental abuse grow up confused as to their identity and uncertain as to who they really are ~ male or female. But still there are many good and moral people and happy families who need to be proselyted. We must redouble our efforts. There is still time. If there had been only ten such people in Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities would have been spared. A future memo will be on missionary work and its importance. Wish I could go again. Remember our Heavenly Father, through his Son, Jesus Christ, is going to save all his children in some degree of happiness if they will let him.
“Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Junior. And spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven;…for I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken form the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.” D & C 1:17-35
That day of peace has been taken from the earth and that ancient prophet Isaiah describes it perfectly: Isaiah chapter 24
“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.”
“And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.” (Notice, all people will be included in the following described mishaps.)
“The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled: for the lord hath spoken this word.”
‘The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.” (“Haughty” means the upper class and so called “learned”)
“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the (moral) laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant.”
“Therefore hath the curse (disobedience) devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.”…”All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone.”…The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones (corrupt government) that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as the prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded and
The sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” Isaiah 24:1-6, 19-23
We learn a great number of things in these 13 verses.
God will not tolerate the breaking of HIS law in the least degree. If we are to live eternally in his presence we will live by every word that proceedeth forth from his lips. Where is free agency? Why it’s right there. We can choose to live HIS law or move. That is the choice. But to live the law is so highly rewarded that only a moron would choose otherwise. Listen to this: Jesus is speaking, “He that receiveth my Father, receiveth my Father’s Kingdom and he that receiveth my Father’s kingdom, receiveth all that my Father hath to give.” And all that He has to give is to be LIKE HIM, a God and what more could one hope for.
He maketh the earth empty. In these last days war, famine, disease and other calamities will remove the disobedient.
He maketh the earth waste.
He scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
The land will be utterly emptied.
It will be utterly spoiled.
The haughty people will languish.
The earth will be defiled.
The people will be left desolate.
All joy will be darkened.
All mirth will be gone.
The earth will be utterly broken down.
The earth will be clean dissolved and returned to its paradisiacal glory as it was before Noah and the flood.
Rulers to be punished.
Moon and sun darkened.
And finally the earth will be BURNED and few men left.
As no one needed to drown in the flood neither does anyone need to be burned in the great holocaust at the coming of the Lord; but the majority will be because they refuse to live by law. THE LAW OF GOD, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.
God loves them too much to allow them to continue on the downward road to destruction. What then happens to them as their spirits leave their bodies in the change we call death? Why they go into the “spirit world” but not where the righteous dead go, for their area of that great “waiting room’ is called “paradise” where the obedient are at rest from all the trials and troubles of this wicked world.
The spirits of the disobedient are in a spirit prison where they will have a second chance to learn to obey and receive a degree of eternal happiness. But they must suffer until they have paid for their own misdeeds. For the Savior’s blood and suffering only pays for the sins of the repentant.
As the Savior’s spirit left his mangled body on the cross where did he go? The scripture gives us a quite clear picture: “I saw the hosts of the dead both small and great. And they were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality. I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand. They were assembled (in Paradise) awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death.”
While this vast multitude (righteous) waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful. But among the wicked he did not go…Where these were darkness reigned, but behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead. D&C 138:16-30
“And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the gospel and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel (Good news) Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.
These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves…” for the eternal blessings of a loving Heavenly Father.
And thus the Lord prepared messengers that they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of their rebellion and transgression, that they thru the ministration of his servants might also hear his words. Thus the dead who repent will also be saved thru obedience. What a loving Father! We thru our obedience to gospel principles can create strong family units where joy and peace can be felt. Cast off sin and feel the peace of the Savior surround you.
From this loving Father,
Dad, Grandpa, brother, etc Richard Pratt

PS. March 14th is Grandpa’s 97th birthday! How many cards or letters do you think he will get? Next Month’s memo is: The Greatest Missionary! VIEW memos on the blog at: prattmemos.blogspot.com

3 comments:

Amy E said...

We are so thankful for your memos and lessons you teach us! We love you and miss you very much.

April Rose said...

I did a presentation on Gay Adoption in my ethics and values class. It was so hard to find facts that I could use to prove that it is wrong without using the gospel and as soon as I brought the gospel into the discussion my professor was telling me that I didn't have to say that because my bishop wasn't going to hear about it. I wish I had read this before the presentation. It gave more insight into ways I could have stood up for myself! Thankyou grandpa! I love you!

Unknown said...

Dear grandpa, We love you and are keeping you close in our hearts, minds and prayers. Thank you for all you have taught us and sacrificed for your family. What a wonderful 97 years! Wishing you a happy belated birthday,

Marie and Family in Kansas City