This Election and Another Look at the Great Plan of Happiness

Since this piece contains my political views for this Presidential Election, I want the reader to know that the views are mine. The Great Plan of Salvation is taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The suggestion to vote for the Presidential candidate whom I see as supportive of principles in that Plan is mine.


I firmly believe in our Father’s Great Plan of Happiness. In our Pre-mortal lives, we lived with our Heavenly Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. When Father presented His Plan for us to come to this earth, gain bodies, have a testing period, learn obedience, and have the chance to become like Him, we all shouted for joy. We were excited to be born into families and gain a body and help our Father in accomplishing His great plan.

We learned that we would all fall short in our abilities and sometimes our desires to do right. We would be lost forever from returning to live in our Father’s presence if it weren’t for the perfect gift of His Son Jesus Christ and His willingness to suffer and die for us, and be resurrected again. Because of the gift of His Atonement, we can all repent, be forgiven, progress, find happiness here through the Spirit that God sends the obedient, and have joy in the eternities forever with Him.

We accepted our Heavenly Father's Plan. We chose life! Whenever there is a viable choice, I believe that we should choose life. When we consider that we accepted God’s Plan while we lived with Him in heaven, we should consider again now what we can do to help further that Plan on earth.

The family has been under attack for years; and the sacred means by which children enter the world has also been under attack. Abortion remains the most barbaric and greatest evil of our day. 

Our Country has become increasingly wicked. The world has become much less safe for everyone; but, in the last while, we have seen that it is becoming increasingly dangerous for believers in Jesus Christ. So we need to assess what we can do to make sure that we are faithful ourselves in keeping the commandments of God, and also that we are seeking leaders, who want to uphold those principles of righteousness, even if they do not have an understanding yet of God’s Plan and our role in it.

Our government has become increasingly corrupt. We see those in power, upholding and defending each other in their wickedness, so that they do not have to bear accountability for their actions. This was also true in The Book of Mormon times. We also see citizens who do not value the freedoms that this Country has had to offer, but seek more and more for government entitlements; which will actually enslave them and rob them of their freedom. The more accountable we are able to be, the more free we become. One measure of our accountability is taking responsibility for our vote. 

We have an election coming up very shortly. Some have felt certain that one Latter-day Saint candidate came into this race with the intent to do good, “because it is never too late to do the right thing,” he said. We know that our Prophet and Apostles do not endorse candidates, but ask us to study the issues and prayerfully consider whom we should vote for. There is not a perfect candidate, and all of them are tainted in some way to some degree. So the erroneous quote that if we vote the lesser of two evils, we are still voting for evil, is just wrong here, for a number of reasons.

First , of all, as stated already, each candidate is flawed. Second to that, I believe that we can all count higher than two. If we were looking at two candidates and didn’t like either of them, then we should not just accept a third one because he is a member of the Church. What is his purpose in running? He obviously, did not make a serious commitment to do so through thoughtful planning and prayer. He did so as a last resort move among the Society of “Never Trump”. He did not give the citizens of the United States a chance to even know who he is; and, he has told his following that they will not win, that he will not be President, but that they will be able to stop Trump.

Now, I am not endorsing any evil that anyone who is running has done. But let’s face the facts: Hillary has a long record of criminal activity for which the government, the media, the FBI, and half the Country is turning a blind eye. McMullin, a rather unknown single man without the experience gained from having a family of his own and without any real leadership experience entered the election solely to stop Trump from winning the Presidency.

Now, this is the principle I am endorsing: Trump has said that he wants to appoint Pro-life Supreme Court Justices and, with that, he seeks to reverse Roe vs. Wade. Do we believe in our Heavenly Father’s Plan? Do we believe that abortion is a great evil? Do we know that there are spirits waiting to come to earth and get a body? Abortion was legalized in my youth. Since then, I have not heard of one politician who has said that he wants to repeal it. Most politicians only seek to make each other happy and keep the status quo, and take us spiraling down with them.

Ask yourself, "When will another President seek to end abortion in our Country?" We may not get the chance to see a leader committed to doing so again.

Not only does Trump want to end abortion, he wants to help families through the creation of more jobs and economic growth, better education, and better insurance. He also wants to support and sustain and build our law enforcement and our military. And he wants to ensure that our Constitutional freedoms, as found in the Constitution and The Bill of Rights, are protected. We should also seek to safeguard those freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and all other freedoms that we hold dear which have been under attack.

Hillary has shown that she is dishonest. McMullin and the “Never Trump”ers have shown that they are Kingmen who do not want the average citizen voting in a way with which they disagree. We as citizens, need to defend our freedoms in every way we can: first, through righteous living, keeping the commandments, being faithful, and serving; but also, we must take the chance when an opportunity presents itself to vote against the establishment which we already know is evil.

I have had so many losses in my life. Sometimes I really am saddened by them. Then I remember my God and His Son Jesus Christ and the promise of those I love being restored to me again. Indeed, it is a Great Plan of Happiness. But, if we think that we can just have faith that God will protect our freedoms without taking thought to do what we can to defend them, we are wrong. Freedom has never, ever been free. Jesus paid a great price; our military has paid a great price over and over; our Forefathers paid a great price; and, if we do not do what we can now to support these principles of freedom, we will also find ourselves paying a great price. If we do not value the cost of freedom, we will have to learn it.

More than anything, I see this election as a chance to give our voice to the desire to support those principles which will aid in furthering our Father’s Plan for our happiness. 

What Do I Think of Today's Decision?

What do I think of today's decision?

I think that The Constitution is not failing us because it was poorly written; rather, it is being poorly interpreted and stretched beyond its frame.

Even so, life continues to be what we make it. We can use our agency to be angry or to continue in love. “Perfect love casteth out all fear.” If we continue to teach and uphold correct principles in our families, we as the little leaven will be blessed to raise the whole lump through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I think that we now have a state-imposed religion in our Country, by a government who claims that we should not mix church and state. Will there be implications following? Of course there will. I'm not a prophetess, so I will not say "Mark my word" or any such nonsense; but, I believe that all churches whose beliefs are founded in the moral tradition of marriage being between a man and a woman will be in jeopardy of losing their tax-exempt status if they do not bow to the demands of those who desire same-sex marriages in their congregations, as these people will appeal to the government in the name of equality. And I no longer trust our Republic to represent the virtuous principles on which this country was founded.

I don't fear losing tax-exempt status. I think that this can serve to make believers even stronger. Yet I do hope that our Country, which was founded upon the Judea-Christian Tradition by great men of faith, will not become a country that persecutes those who hold to that tradition and strip them, or anyone else, of their freedom of religion.

I think that we were all expecting the outcome of today's decision. It has been years in the making. I think that awareness of same-sex relationships has been good and bad, because we all need to learn to inhabit this earth as brothers and sisters; and, we all have our own challenges. But none of them are terribly unique. On the plus side, we have sought to engage in better conversation and become more understanding. On the minus side, there are those who will not measure anything by religious belief, because they have abandoned any beliefs that won't condone their or their friends' personal choices. To deny the right of religious freedom is one of the biggest evils ever perpetrated, and religion freedom is something that our Founding Fathers demanded for us as a people in The Bill of Rights.

I think that the rainbow itself is a token of the covenant God made with Noah to never again flood the entire earth. To flaunt that token in living the kind of life led by those who were destroyed in the flood shows open rebellion to God. He cannot continue to bless those who curse Him.

Before this earth life, we all lived with our Heavenly Father. There He presented His Plan for our progression, and He chose His Firstborn Son to be our Messiah. We accepted His Plan, we accepted Jesus as our Savior; and we were given the opportunity to come to earth, receive a body, and learn obedience. Why? So we can become like our Father.

Lucifer and one-third part of the host of heaven rebelled against God and His Anointed. They did not want to live by God's laws, and so they were kicked out of heaven.

Every human being who has lived on this earth, who is now here, and who will yet be born, accepted our Father's Plan for our Happiness and His Chosen Son. But if we turn from His laws, we cannot expect to receive heaven's blessings any more than the one-third who lost out for the same reason.

I think that those who are cheering today's decision will one day find themselves weeping. Then it won't be up to us to say, I told you so,” but to feel sorrow with them in their pain and loss and do the best we can to bring comfort and restoration.

It is interesting to me that people think that they can be moral without a moral code. Yes, time-tested marriage is based in the moral traditions of the people who lived according to their books of Holy Writ, no matter what religion they were.

It is also obvious to me that when people turn their backs on scriptures, history, and the Lord and His prophets, that they lose their moral compass; and, they don't even realize that they've lost it.  

The scriptures were so important to Lehi's family, that Nephi and his brothers were sent back to Jerusalem, at the peril of their lives, to get the plates. Why? Because without the scriptures, they would have dwindled in unbelief, as the Lamanites did, and perished.

Unfortunately, in today's world, people turn their back on God. They still think that they can be just as kind and loving. I, myself, am more capable of loving my neighbor when I put the commandments in the order the Lord gave them: First, to love the Lord God with everything that I have; and second to that, to love my neighbor as myself. I believe that those who put themselves and their neighbors first, before God, fall far short in finding the joy that they can in their own lives or in giving joy to others through their service. 

When we forget God, we become self-serving and lost.

With all that said, I did not feel any particular anger and concern in today's ruing. Why? Because we were expecting this. And God is at the helm. If we continue to teach and live the gospel, we can become the leavening agent that will invite and draw others to Christ as we prepare for His return.

Every single one of us accepted God's Plan of Happiness in our pre-mortal realm. Agency was a gift in the plan, and so was the Atonement. I hope that we will all use our gifts to accept God's grace.

I think that because human emotions are involved by those who support traditional marriage and by those who are in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriage, we need to make sure that we respect human dignity. I think that we need to remember that God made us all just a little lower than the angels. When some take God out of the equation, they are denying our roots and that we have a Father who is Diety; in so doing, they also are denying the deity within themselves and within others. We cannot afford to do that. We need to respect each other as children of God even when we do not agree.

The Lord allows for agency in this life, where men are allowed moral interpretation. Sometimes our governments legalize those things which are not lawful. But God's laws remain constant, and I am happy that the Church reflects that.

It's nice to have the surety of God's love and His Plan for our Happiness. This we need to teach; this we need to live; this we need to pass on to the next generation, and the next.

I think that it is still important to stand up for family values, for traditional marriage, for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for religious freedom in general. Why? Because these things are still important to us, and their value will not change because of temporal legislation. Remaining faithful means something to me, and it means something to God. If we can hold on faithful to Him and to His laws, I believe that one day even those who are fighting against us will actually thank us. We can never serve our fellowmen properly by abandoning God. And we can best love our neighbors when we remember to put the first commandment first.

I choose to be positive, and I seek to do as the Spirit guides. But I do think that today's ruling will have a profound effect in damaging society further and in lessening the credibility and security of us all. Soon, the only safety to be found will be in the Stakes of Zion and in the walls of the homes of the righteous, be they of whatever religious persuasion they may.

I also firmly believe that now is the time for us to bear strong and positive testimony of the things which we believe and most assuredly know to be true, rather than engaging in petty arguments that testify of defeat; for, we are not defeated. God is at the helm.