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THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST KEN'S COSMOLOGY

CATHOLICISM JEWISH STUDIES MUSLIM

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him"
James 1:5

"I did not like the old man being called up for erring in doctrine. It looks too much like the Methodist, and not like the Latter-day Saints. Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or be asked out of their Church. I WANT THE LIBERTY OF THINKING AND BELIEVING AS I PLEASE. It feels so good not to be trammelled. It does not prove a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine." Joseph Smith

Much has been said concerning religion. I am not here to argue the matter. I am a citizen of the United States, and therefore entitled to my beliefs. Indeed, I claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of my own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege. The hatred shown by some toward anyone with such beliefs has no basis in any Christain, Hebrew, or Muslim ethic. Such irrational behavior by a so-called learned or pious people leaves me to question their true motives.
If anything offends you, it certainly is not my intention.
That being said, these are my beliefs, and I do not apologize.
I hope you enjoy my view of things.
If not, I hope you the best in this life and in your life to come.

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"

Ken's Kitchen!

Ken Lightens Up!

The Writer's Life

Cosmology - Philosophy

Analecta Politika

Veterans Special

Disclaimer: This site is not officially connected with any church, faith, sect or any other organization in any way.
The views presented here are those of the site owner.

As a young man I questioned everything. It never seemed right to me that the various Christian churches would be so much at odds over the doctrine of Jesus Christ. And I gave my own faith no quarter in this regard.
     There were just so many things in the bible that Christian churches didn't teach. I reasoned that if John 3:16 is all we needed, then why do we have the rest of the bible? Within the same faith, different preachers would teach different interpretations of the same scripture. How could this be from men ordained by God?
     In no small amount of consternation and grief to my parents, I took my own way to find the truth.
     First, I considered Catholicism. A careful reading of Matthew 16:18 reveals, " And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (italics added). Considering its problematic origins, all the dubious acts of the popes, tortures, crusades - not to mention the imperialism which practically wiped out huge civilizations in the western hemisphere - is this really what God had in mind? It seems like the "gates of hell" corrupted quite simply the so-called church.
     And the Protestants? During the Reformation thinking men, like Martin Luther, knew that something wasn't right. But was reforming a corrupt church changing anything? I look at the numerous protestant churches, each with their own interpretations of God's will. I look at the host of TV evangelists, mere modern day equivalents of the traveling preachers of the nineteenth century, and their constant harping for money.
     I searched, but with each denomination there was something lacking. And I wondered; why did none of these churches teach the whole gospel? Why did the congregations, instead of revelation, decide what doctrine should guide their respective churches? From whom were these men and women called to carry out the holy ordinances of the priesthood?
     No, a simple reformation could not work because of the corruptness that led to the Dark Ages, the vast "falling away". Thessalonians 2:2-4, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
     Clearly what was needed was a restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And after much research I came to believe that the outline of history - from the Reformation to Columbus to the puritans to the formation of the United States - was and is part of the Devine Plan to facilitate that restoration.
     I believe that Heavenly Father restored His gospel and His Priesthood in these latter days through prophets as in days of old.
     But still, while I knew the evidence was clearly on the side of the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I did not always follow those straight paths. The adversary worked hard on me, and it took much more than an academic understanding or belief in God to shed his hold. I will not go into the squalid details, but I will testify to you that it took faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentence and prayer, and work to change my actions and thoughts.
     I know there is a God; I prefer to call him my Heavenly Father for indeed He is. He loves me and has a great plan for my eternal progression. I have tried the way of the adversary, and it has left a hole in my being. I tried to fill this loneliness with friends and work and danger and physical pleasures. (to be continued)

I believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

I believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

I believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

I believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach
the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

I believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers,
evangelists, and so forth.

I believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

I believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; I also believe the Book of Mormon
to be the word of God.

I believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and I believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

I believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built
upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and
receive its paradisiacal glory.

I claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of my own conscience, and allow all men the same
privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

I believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

I believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, I may say that I follow the
admonition of Paul�I believe all things, I hope all things, I have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.
If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, I seek after these things.

* Yes, I paraphrased, plagarized, borrowed, stole or just plain copied these things from the Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I don't think they'll mind.

Ken's

"If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains be lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

Samuel Adams wrote this to those at the dawn of this country's existance who were faint at the thought of the struggle for individualism and freedom.

I believe American society is mistaken in its belief that our history is irrelevant to today's world, and again it's mistaken by assuming that we must conform to a "new order" simply because of the complexity and numbers of our society. To me, wisdom is lacking in such sentiments.

Indeed, as technology and the social strata increase we must be the more vigilant to protect our freedoms from the ebb of totalitarianism and secularism that threatens our society and families.

I adhere to a political philosophy of conservatism, free thought and individual freedom, combined with a code of honor, integrity and rationality in my struggle for personal success. I believe in God; that as a loving Heavenly Father he wants me to choose those things which are "honest, true, chaste, benevolent, and of good report." I believe this mortal life a mere kindergarden on the road of eternal progression which my Heavenly Father has laid out.

Yes, I know it's not chic for a learned man of my age to be talking of God and morals and responsibility; but I do not apologize. And before you think my dogma has whipped my catma, let me add a few things.

First, I like to have fun. At one point in my life, I liked having too much fun. Yes, it's all true. I've made mistakes, fell down, got up, and fell down again. If you're the guy with the "first stone" go ahead and throw it. Hell, I've been hit with worse.

Secondly - yes, I'm conservative. But that doesn't mean I'm a bigot, or a misogynist, or a facist or any other "ist" that the liberal, self-righteous, or hypocritical crowd want to imply.

Finally - no, there is no conflict between the ideals of
conservatism, belief in God, and love of family
versus those of
enjoyment, financial success, and individual freedom.

But somewhere along the line the government and social workers and psychologists have deemed these two sets of ideals as incompatible.
(more to come)