“That which does not edify is not of God.” (D&C). What does this mean? Edify means to build. Therefore, if something just dulls and numbs, if it just entertains and lulls, if it just passes the time, it does not build, and is not worthy of our time.

Prophets have assured us that recreation, “unstringing the bow” as Joseph Smith said, is necessary. As we approach this exciting commandment, let’s make sure we understand the doctrines surrounding the subject so that we do not exceed the bounds the Lord has set. There is so much that is good & beautiful, that we don’t need to bother with lesser things. We can become confident that our choices and standards are creating a strong family environment & culture of faith that will span generations. We all need to take care of ourselves if we are to be able to care for others. Without overstepping these bounds into ‘toxic self-care-ism’, we can find ways to maintain ourselves which please God in that they lead to our eternal happiness in his kingdoms of glory.

God expects us to enjoy life. We preach, we work hard, but we also play hard. Of course God’s work is often fun and any work we do building His kingdom is but a small token of gratitude, but we are also afforded the opportunity to seek wholesome recreation. In fact, due to its power to keep us and our relationships running smoothly, we could even consider recreation a commandment.

Christ was a man of sorrows a cquainted with grief, and we should always maintain a sober view toward life & our need to serve the needy. We avoid loud laughter and trivial forms of recreation. Many claim the couch lounging hours are their needed recreation, but we will look at higher and holier ways to fulfill this need.

In this book we will take a bold look questioning some popular forms of entertainment. In an attempt to be non-dogmatic, I present both sides of several controversial subjects such as movie guidelines, music guidelines, the use of fictional and fantasy novels, video games, and other controversial topics, letting you chose for yourself with significant evidences at your view. We will look extensively at why to question pop rock and rap music. We will look into not only harmful messages, but harmful rhythms and beats.

There is a way of manhood, of the true man, even God our father, and we becoming like him, shed various things which are not compliant with the standard of his character (and there is a female counterpart hidden presently from view for sacred protection which pertains to our trial; we know she exists but do not as yet see her nor know her name). This letting go will include sloppy whiney unnaturally sounding music. it will include being unclean and disorderly in dress and maintenance of possessions. It will include the dedication of one’s time to building the kingdom of God and learning useful things and becoming skilled persons, with knowledge of truth, and love of beauty and excellence. Lesser things will be let go, and higher things adopted, until the highest is obtained. Many argue in favor of sloppiness, vanity, and claim that those who finer things are simply bias, and that various scenarios of varying valor coexist in the kingdom of God. But these opinions are merely reflections of weak character which will be purified. The person atop the mount must not be persuaded to come down but wait patiently for others to likewise rise. The kingdom of God is like unto various cities, some greater and some lesser, but those of the lesser will always be constrained to honesty confess that the higher are indeed higher! The man whose moral convictions are atop the mountain is Jesus Christ, and he will not come down.

When looking at specific media things get difficult. Decisions along these lines can be quite personal and based on many factors. I will however endeavor to give some personal opinions.

As we look at these specific resources, remember that each person ultimately must bear in mind correct principles, and use those to govern themselves.

My general feeling about entertainment is that it is important, but must be kept carefully within the bounds the Lord has set.

Often, we can do things which help us recreate, but which are also educational. We can seek entertainment which isn’t just fun or leisure, but also builds character, knowledge, faith, etc.

President Nelson has been very specific in teaching that if we chose unwholesome entertainment, that the Holy Ghost will leave our home. Remember, he has called for our homes to be sanctuaries of faith.

Let us also remember the prophet Isaiah’s stern warnings about being overly consumed with violence for its own sake.

President Nelson walks out of movies where there is contention (see Wendy Nelson’s book “The Heavens are Opened”). We should seek to follow his example as guided by the Holy Ghost. There is a trend in Hollywood etc. to make stories far too graphic and disturbing, beyond what is required by the plot. Often we excuse horrifying scenes because “they’re the bad guys doing bad things”, but I feel these scenes often are not pleasing to the Lord, and that the theme of the negative consequences of evil can often be taught without being overly explicit and graphic.

You can and should skip bad scenes, but try to focus on materials which are beyond that need. Take into account the age of the audience, and skip scenes in films which are not age appropriate.

Movies books games music etc. can teach of the complexities of life and its challenges but remember there are limitations to what should be presented, especially with the age of the audience.

Holy meaning sacred, wood meaning a tree, thus it’s an idol set up that they worship, a false god. For oh how many people dedicate their lives to its teachings! Is that not the sumim-bonim of worship? Consider persons chasing Hollywood versions of love etc., at the price of leaving behind one desolated person after another in their path, in their addiction, seeking the larger high relentlessly in their dissatisfaction. All of this reminds me of the unforgiving declaration of President Boyd K Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, that because of Television, our generation is LIVING INSIDE the great and spacious building (the pride of the world) (ref).

A Few Key Quotes on Recreation

“Just as honest toil gives rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steadying companion of work… Music, literature, art, dance, drama, athletics—all can provide entertainment to enrich one’s life and further consecrate it…” ” (Elder Christofferson in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

Make your entertainment high quality culture: “Too often we use many hours for fun and pleasure, clothed in the euphemism ‘I’m recharging my batteries.’ Those hours could be spent reading and studying to gain knowledge, skills, and culture.” (President Henry B Eyring in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

“And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing” (Moroni 10:30)

“You must excuse me, but when I’m with the boys I make all the fun I can.” -Joseph Smith (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

Brigham Young says theatre can aid the pulpit: “Upon the stage of a theater can be represented in character, evil and its consequences, good and its happy results and rewards; the weakness and the follies of man, the magnanimity of virtue and the greatness of truth. The stage can be made to aid the pulpit in impressing upon the minds of a community an enlightened sense of a virtuous life, also a proper horror of the enormity of sin and a just dread of its consequences. The path of sin with its thorns and pitfalls, its gins and snares can be revealed, and how to shun it.” (Brigham Young, JD 9:242; Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at the Dedication of the New Theater in Great Salt Lake City, March 6, 1862. Reported By: G. D. Watt.)

Brigham Young says we need the arts to be healthy: “There are many of our aged brethren and sisters, who, through the traditions of their fathers and the requirements of a false religion, were never inside a ballroom or a theater until they became Latter-day Saints, and now they seem more anxious for this kind of amusement than are our children. This arises from the fact they have been starved for many years for that amusement which is designed to buoy up their spirits and make their bodies vigorous and strong, and tens of thousands have sunk into untimely graves for want of such exercises to the body and the mind. They require mutual nourishment to make them sound and healthy. Every faculty and power of both body and mind is a gift from God. Never say that means used to create and continue healthy action of body and mind are from hell. Such means never originated there.” (Brigham Young, JD 9:242; Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at the Dedication of the New Theater in Great Salt Lake City, March 6, 1862. Reported By: G. D. Watt.)

“A man may be judged by his standard of entertainment as easily as by the standard of his work.” (Ben Shapiro)

“Largely because of television, instead of looking over into that spacious building, we are, in effect, living inside of it. That is your fate in this generation. You are living in that great and spacious building.” (President Boyd K. Packer, Lehi’s Dream and You, BYU Speech, 2007)

“Why do people feel guilty about TV? What is wrong with it? Just this: it shuts out all the wonderful things of which the mind is capable, leaving it drugged in a state of thoughtless stupor.” (Hugh Nibley)

“All movies are made for a religion. Many G rated movies are made for Satan.” -James Stoddard of The Joseph Smith Foundation

“When a community or nation grows careless in its Sabbath activities, its religious life decays and all aspects of life are negatively affected. The blessings associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy are lost. We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly desecrate the Sabbath. Latter-day Saints should set this holy day apart from activities of the world by entering into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and family-centered activities appropriate to the Sabbath. As Church members endeavor to make their Sabbath activities compatible with the intent and Spirit of the Lord, their lives will be filled with joy and peace.” (Preach My Gospel: What Should I Study And Teach: The Commandments: Keep the Sabbath Day Holy; https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-4-the-commandments?lang=eng)

“When some music has passed the tests of time and been cherished by the noble and refined, our failure to appreciate it is not an indictment of grand music. The omission is within. If a young person grows up on a steady diet of hamburgers and french fries, he is not likely to become a gourmet. But the fault is not with fine food. He just grew up on something less. Some have grown up on a steady diet of musical french fries.” (Your Refined Heavenly Home by Douglas L. Callister, A BYU speech given September 19, 2006, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/douglas-l-callister/refined-heavenly-home/ )

“We . . . live in a world that is too prone to the tasteless, and we need to provide an opportunity to cultivate a taste for the finest music. And, likewise, we’re in a world that’s so attuned to the now that we need to permit people to be more attuned to the best music of all the ages.” (Neal A. Maxwell, remarks at the inauguration of KRIC-FM, Ricks College, May 1984.)

“My lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wish to make them better.” (said by Handel after writing Messiah, In George Hogarth, Musical History, Biography, and Criticism (New York: J. S. Redfield, 1848), 67; see “A Tribute to Handel,” Improvement Era, May 1929, 574)

^`“There is no music in hell, for all good music belongs to heaven.” (Brigham Young, JD 9:244.)

“To be vulgar is to do that which is not the best of its kind. It is to do poor things in poor ways, and to be satisfied with that. . . . It is vulgar to wear dirty linen when one is not engaged in dirty work. It is vulgar to like poor music, to read weak books, to feed on sensational newspapers, . . . to find amusement in trashy novels, to enjoy vulgar theatres, to find pleasure in cheap jokes.” (David Starr Jordan (Former President of Stanford University), The Strength of Being Clean: A Study of the Quest for Unearned Happiness (New York: H. M. Caldwell Co., 1900), 25.)

“Let us . . . show to the world that we have talent and taste, and prove to the heavens that our minds are set on beauty and true excellence, so that we can become worthy to enjoy the society of angels.” (Brigham Young, JD 11:305.)

“Run and not be weary, walk and not faint.” -D&C 89

Exercise & Healthy Lifestyles – Teachings of the Prophets

“I would not want you to neglect your body. It deserves daily care. Physical conditioning through regular exercise requires self-mastery too. I marvel at Elder Joseph Anderson, now in his ninety-sixth year. For decades, the strength of his spirit over his body has induced him to swim regularly. But his motivation has never been to attain physical longevity. That has come only incidentally. His desire has been to serve God and His anointed. Elder Anderson has followed what I label as the Lord’s prescription for a long and useful life. Those faithful in “magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. They become … the elect of God.” (D&C 84:33–34.) Elder Anderson’s exercise program agrees with the perspective of Paul, who said: “Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8.) Handsome and fit, Elder Anderson personifies this scripture: “Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20.)

(Self Mastery, by Elder Russel M Nelson, General Conference Oct 1985)

“Take responsibility for your own physical well-being. Your soul consists of your body and spirit (see D&C 88:15). Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem. If you are out of shape, if you are uncomfortable in your own body and can do something about it, then do it!”
(Approaching The Throne of God with Confidence by Elder Jörg Klebingat October 2014 General Conference; https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/approaching-the-throne-of-god-with-confidence?lang=eng)

Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that we should “regard our body as a temple of our very own” and that we should “control our diet and exercise for physical fitness” (“We Are Children of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 87; Liahona, Jan. 1999, 103).”

President Boyd K. Packer has taught “that our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character” (“The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character” [Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 2, 2003], 2; speeches.byu.edu)

“please use good judgment in what and especially how much you eat, and regularly give your body the exercise it needs and deserves. If you are physically able, decide today to be the master of your own house and begin a regular, long-term exercise program, suited to your abilities, combined with a healthier diet. Spiritual confidence increases when your spirit, with the help of the Savior, is truly in charge of your natural man or woman.” (Approaching The Throne of God with Confidence by Elder Jörg Klebingat October 2014 General Conference; https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/approaching-the-throne-of-god-with-confidence?lang=eng)

“We will regard our body as a temple of our very own.24 We will not let it be desecrated or defaced in any way.25 We will control our diet and exercise for physical fitness.” (Russel M Nelson, “We are children of God”, 1998 General Conference https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/we-are-children-of-god?lang=eng)

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? … The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

“Nutritious meals, regular exercise, and appropriate sleep are necessary for a strong body, just as consistent scripture study and prayer strengthen the mind and spirit.” (Thomas S. Monson, Standards of Strength https://www.lds.org/youth/article/standards-of-strength?lang=eng&_r=1)

“I remember a blessing I received when I was serving in the military. It included counsel that’s good for every young person: “You have been given a body of such physical proportions and fitness as to enable your spirit to function through it. … You should cherish this as a great heritage. Guard [it] and protect it. Take nothing into it that shall harm the organs thereof because it is sacred. It is the instrument of your mind and [the] foundation of your character.”” (Boyd K Packer, 1996 May Ensign The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promise https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1996/05/the-word-of-wisdom-the-principle-and-the-promises?lang=eng)

“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” (Mosiah 4:27)

“The Lord sets a high standard for us in telling us to consider our bodies a temple. … [He] has established some basic standards for the governance of our physical bodies” and mental health so that we may become more self-reliant and better prepared to progress personally, strengthen the family, and serve in the Church and community (see L. Tom Perry, “The Tradition of a Balanced, Righteous Life,” Liahona, Aug. 2011, 32)

“Maintaining the best possible physical health has been a gospel ideal throughout the ages—from the strict dietary laws of ancient Israel, with the example of Daniel and his associates, to the Word of Wisdom in this dispensation and the counsel of today’s prophets and apostles. The physical body is a gift from God and should be properly cared for and respected. Mental health is also important and should not be overlooked, as it can affect us both physically and spiritually. We must do all we can to take care of both our bodies and our minds.”
(Topic: Health: Intro; https://www.lds.org/topics/health?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR0NwsaZoh-iAshDxS-EUlGJkdguZNw61s9o7MilPqh8t7KJodTzxMhEnJ0) )

“Nutritious meals, regular exercise, and appropriate sleep are necessary for a strong body, just as consistent scripture study and prayer strengthen the mind and spirit” (Thomas S. Monson, “That We May Touch Heaven,” Ensign, Nov. 1990, 46)

“Rest and physical exercise are essential, and a walk in the fresh air can refresh the spirit. Wholesome recreation is part of our religion, and a change of pace is necessary, and even its anticipation can lift the spirit” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Do Not Despair,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, 66)

“The Lord has commanded members to take care of their minds and bodies. They should obey the Word of Wisdom, eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, control their weight, and get adequate sleep. They should shun substances or practices that abuse their bodies or minds and that could lead to addiction. They should practice good sanitation and hygiene and obtain adequate medical and dental care…” (Handbook 2: Administering the Church [2010], 6.1.1)

“Exercising physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual abilities is required to not only maintain but also improve these abilities. Without exercise, these abilities diminish. Furthermore, fitness in one area can strongly influence fitness in another. For example, improving physical fitness enhances mental, emotional, and even spiritual acuity.

Specific exercises are designed to improve strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic capacity. But every exercise must be tailored to meet a person’s individual requirements, such as age. Where weight bearing is a problem, water exercises are helpful. Chair and desk exercises are useful for those who spend long hours in a sitting position. There are many exercises and activities like these that are inexpensive and can fit the budget of almost anyone.” (Provident Living: Exercise and Health: Physical Fitness https://providentliving.lds.org/self-reliance/health/exercise-and-fitness?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR3-IcdkMEarfJta8s6jUeXkpR2DokGr5AqZnvs-_ei0ufpJZhT9fKhdXHA)

“The Lord has commanded you to take good care of your body. To do this, observe the Word of Wisdom, found in Doctrine and Covenants 89. Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. When you do all these things, you remain free from harmful addictions and have control over your life. You gain the blessings of a healthy body, an alert mind, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. …” (Elder L Tom Perry, October 2008 General Conference, “Let Him Do It With Simplicity” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/let-him-do-it-with-simplicity?lang=eng)

“Your body is a temple, a gift from God. You will be blessed as you care for your body. Choose to obey the Word of Wisdom (see D&C 89). When you are obedient to this law, you remain free from harmful addictions and have control over your life. You gain the blessings of a healthy body, an alert mind, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. You will be prepared to serve the Lord. Never let Satan or others deceive you into thinking that breaking the Word of Wisdom will make you happier, more popular, or more attractive.
To care for your body, eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Practice balance and moderation in all aspects of your physical health.” (For the Strength of Youth: Physical and Emotional Health https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/physical-and-emotional-health?lang=eng)

Here is an excellent article from the Ensign about running 20 miles a week to lose weight, since less than that doesn’t really work. He has alternatives to running for heavier people such as swimming. He also addresses the diet cycle. He also has strategies for building up your exercise amount. “Running away from it all” 1981 https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1981/02/running-away-from-it-all?lang=eng

Here is an excellent Ensign article on the benefits of exercising with weights. 1932 “Why Train with Weights?” by Larry Tucker, director of health promotion, Brigham Young University https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1993/02/random-sampler/why-train-with-weights?lang=eng

Don’t Make Entertainment the Top Priority – Quotes

“In a materialistic age, when recreation and convenience are the suggested priorities of our society, we might all well ask ourselves, ‘How well are we providing for the spiritual well-being and strengthening of our families? …Are we clothing family members with ‘garments of salvation’ as anxiously as we provide clothing for their wardrobe? Is our diet of entertainment and recreation balanced with the food offered by Him who said, ‘Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely’ (Alma 5:34).” (Elder Ballard in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

“Parents should act to preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together and fixes children’s values on things of eternal worth…Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children.” (Elder Oaks in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

Elder Bruce R McConkie’s family was not a recreation-based family. He didn’t play sports with his children, didn’t go to sporting events, didn’t teach them sports because he didn’t know them himself. He did do some running and hiking, but time together in the McConkie family

Top 5 Music Warnings from the Prophets

Here are 5 compelling quotations of modern prophets giving poignant insight regarding our choices of music. These words may be difficult to hear but hearing them will help you grow into the character of Christ. Remember, the prophets are simply the mouthpiece of Christ. When we meet Christ, we can expect him to measure our conduct based on the teachings we had received from his messengers, the prophets. We should not be surprised that music is one of the choice mediums of the adversary to slowly and gently lead us to hell.

President Boyd K Packer of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles said this in a 2008 address titled “Lehi’s Dream and You” where he speaks of entertainment standards: “You live in a time of war, the spiritual war that will never end. War itself now dominates the affairs of mankind. Your world at war has lost its innocence. There is nothing, however crude or unworthy, that is not deemed acceptable for movies or plays or music or conversation. The world seems to be turned upside down (see 2 Peter 2:1–22). Formality, respect for authority, dignity, and nobility are mocked. Modesty and neatness yield to slouchiness and shabbiness in dress and grooming. The rules of honesty and integrity and basic morality are now ignored. Conversation is laced with profanity. You see that in art and literature, in drama and entertainment. Instead of being refined, they become coarse (see 1 Timothy 4:1–3; 2 Timothy 3:1–9). You have decisions almost every day as to whether you will follow those trends. You have many tests ahead. … Largely because of television, instead of looking over into that spacious building, we are, in effect, living inside of it. That is your fate in this generation. You are living in that great and spacious building. You will be safe if you look like and groom like and act like an ordinary Latter-day Saint … The mist of darkness will cover you at times so much that you will not be able to see your way even a short distance ahead. You will not be able to see clearly. But you can feel your way. With the gift of the Holy Ghost, you can feel your way ahead through life.”

Elder Oaks taught that there are 2 lines of communication: the priesthood line and the personal line. If our personal line (our feeling) tells us something is okay, but the priesthood line (our priesthood leaders, especially the Apostles) say that something is not okay, we must not do it. Our choices must always be kept within the bounds which the Lord has set (ref).
President Ezra Taft Benson in an address titled Satan’s Thrustgiven December 1971 gave this specific warning against rock music. Surely this council can apply to any genre that is based in rebellion, rage, lust, wildness, lack of self control, lack of solitude, and other debased characteristics: “It has been well said that “there comes a time when the general defilement of a society becomes so great that the rising generation is put under undue pressure and cannot be said to have a fair choice between the Way of Light and the Way of Darkness.” (Hugh Nibley, An Approach to the Book of Mormon,1957.) …The devil-inspired destructive forces are present in our literature, in our art, in the movies, on the radio, in our dress, in our dances, on the TV screen, and even in our modern, so-called popular music. Satan uses many tools to weaken and destroy the home and familyand especially our young people. Today, as never before, it seems the devil’s thrust is directed at our youth. A letter from a concerned father about the evil effects of some popular music is one of many. I quote from this well-informed teacher of youth: “Music creates atmosphere. Atmosphere creates environment. Environment influences behavior. What are the mechanics of this process? Rhythm is the most physical element in music. It is the only element in music that can exist in bodily movement without benefit of sound. A mind dulled by drugs or alcohol can still respond to the beat. Loudness adds to muddling the mind. Sound magnified to the threshold of pain is of such physical violence as to block the higher processes of thought and reason. (And turning down the volume of this destructive music does not remove the other evils.) … Repetition to the extreme is another primitive rock device. …Gyrations, a twin to rock rhythm, are such that even clean hands and a pure heart cannot misinterpret their insinuations Darkness [and dimmed lights] is another facet of the rock scene. It is a black mass that deadens the conscience in a mask of anonymity. Identity lost in darkness shrinks from the normal feelings of responsibility. Strobe lights split the darkness in blinding shafts that reduce resistance like the lights of an interrogator’s third degree or the swinging pendulum of the hypnotist who would control your behavior. …The whole psychedelic design [this father continues] is a swinging door to drugs, sex, rebellion, and Godlessness. Combined with the screaming obscenities of the lyrics, this mesmerizing music has borne the fruit of filth. Leaders of the rock society readily proclaim their degeneracy. …And the most diabolical deceit of this infamy is that it denies evil to be an absolute. Our religion is one of absolutes and cannot be rationalized into a relativistic philosophy of the ‘liberal Mormons.’ We cannot safely rationalize away righteousness. “What could be more misguided than fear that ‘if rock music were not endorsed by our leaders, we may lose many young people.’ (MIA music committee.) Even now we are losing them to the songs of Satan, drugs, sex, riot, and apostasy. We could be well reminded by a message from the Mormon Miracle pageant: ‘Moroni knew that you cannot compromise with evil. If you do, evil always wins.’” (Richard Nibley, excerpts from letter.) “The hedonist, who proclaims “Do your thing,” who lives for sinful, so-called pleasure, is never happy. Behind his mask of mock gaiety lurks the inevitable tragedy of eternal death. Haunted by its black shadow, he trades the useful, happy life for the bleak forgetfulness of drugs, alcohol, sex, and rock.” (END OF BENSON QUOTATION)

In “Worthy Music, Worthy Thoughts” by President Boyd K Packer (General Conference in October 1973, and reprinted in the New Era magazine in 2008 see https://www.lds.org/new-era/2008/04/worthy-music-worthy-thoughts?lang=eng): “Probably the greatest challenge and the most difficult thing you will face in mortal life is to learn to control your thoughts. In the Bibleit says, as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Those who can control their thoughts have conquered themselves… Have you noticed that shady little thoughts may creep in from the wings and attract your attention in the middle of almost any performance and without any real intent on your part? These delinquent thoughts will try to upstage everybody. If you permit them to go on, all thoughts of any virtue will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the influence of unrighteous thoughts. If you yield to them, they will enact for you on the stage of your mind anything to the limits of your toleration. They may enact themes of bitterness, jealousy, or hatred. They may be vulgar, immoral, even depraved. When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the most clever persuasions to hold your attention. They can make it interesting all right, even convince you that they are innocent, for they are but thoughts… If you can say that a song is spiritually inspiring or that it urges you to see yourself in a more noble perspective, the music is worthwhile. If it merely entertains or lifts your spirits, then it also has a useful place. But if it makes you want to respond in a carnal, sensual way or to consider unrighteous desires, then that music should be avoided. It is not worthy… A wise man once said, “Music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind.” Whether it governs in a positive way or a negative way is determined by what it brings onto the stage of your mind. If you can say that a song is spiritually inspiring or that it urges you to see yourself in a more noble perspective, the music is worthwhile. If it merely entertains or lifts your spirits, then it also has a useful place. But if it makes you want to respond in a carnal, sensual way or to consider unrighteous desires, then that music should be avoided. It is not worthy. There have always been those who take the beautiful things and corrupt them. It’s happened with nature; it’s happened with literature, drama, art; and it certainly has happened with music. For centuries it has been obvious that when the wrong kind of words are set to appealing music, songs can lead men astray. And music itself, by the way it is played, by its beat, by its intensity, can dull the spiritual sensitivity. We are living at a time when society is undergoing a subtle, but powerful, change. It is becoming more and more permissive in what it will accept in its entertainment. As a result, much of the music being performed by popular entertainers today seems to be more intended to agitate than to pacify, more to excite than to calm. Some musicians appear to openly promote unrighteous thoughts and action. Young people, you cannot afford to fill your minds with the unworthy music of our day. It is NOT HARMLESS. It can welcome onto the stage of your mind unworthy thoughts and set a tempo to which they dance and to which you may act. You degrade yourself when you identify with those things that at times surround extremes in music—the shabbiness, the irreverence, the immorality, the addictions. Such music is not worthy of you. Be selective in what you listen to and produce. It becomes part of you. It controls your thoughts and influences the lives of others as well. I would recommend that you go through your music and throw away that which promotes degrading thoughts. Such music ought not to belong to young people concerned with spiritual development. I don’t mean by this that all of today’s music produces unworthy thoughts. There is music today that builds understanding of people; music that inspires courage; music that awakens feelings of spirituality, reverence, happiness, and awareness of beauty… Let me say to you young leaders, pay careful attention to the music you plan for your activities… the breach between the Church and the world, with the extremes of its music, is wider in our day than ever in generations past….You must stand firm and not compromise with what you know is right and good; you must have the courage to turn the lights up and the music down when they don’t contribute to the kind of atmosphere that produces worthy thoughts; and YOU MUST INSIST ON HIGH STANDARDS OF DRESS AND PERFORMANCE FROM THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN as well as those who attend… The Lord Himself was prepared for His greatest test through the influence of music, for the scripture records, “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Mark 14:26)… As you young people involve yourselves with righteous and worthwhile things, keep your minds filled with worthy thoughts, for as a man thinketh so is he, and you will have the ability to accomplish those things that will bring fulfillment to your lives.”

From the “For the Strength of Youth” church manual on entertainment: “Take care that your use of media does not dull your sensitivity to the Spirit or interfere with your personal relationships with others…If you are not sure whether something is appropriate to watch or listen to, talk to your parents and other adult leaders. The Holy Ghost will give you strength to make correct choices.”

And from the same on music/dance: “Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Some music can carry evil and destructive messages. Do not listen to music that encourages immorality or glorifies violence through its lyrics, beat, or intensity. Do not listen to music that uses vulgar or offensive language or promotes evil practices. Such music can dull your spiritual sensitivity….Learn and sing the hymns. Hymns can lift your spirit, move you to righteous action, and help you withstand the temptations of the adversary…. Remember that the Spirit speaks with a still, small voice. If you listen to music constantly, you may not have the quiet time you need for thinking, feeling, and receiving spiritual guidance. Dancing can be fun and can provide an opportunity to meet new people. However, it too can be misused. When dancing, avoid full body contact with your partner. Do not use positions or moves that are suggestive of sexual or violent behavior or are otherwise inappropriate. Attend only those dances where dress, grooming, lighting, lyrics, music, and entertainment contribute to a wholesome atmosphere where the Spirit may be present.”

Joseph Smith’s Examples & Teachings on Recreation

“You must excuse me, but when I’m with the boys I make all the fun I can.” -Joseph Smith (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph Smith was quite fond of wrestling. Joseph had a clerk to whom he said ‘you know if you were bigger I could have some fun with you’ he responded ‘well don’t let that stop you Joseph’ then Joseph wrestled him and broke his leg. Joseph carried him home and the clerk said ‘when Jacob wrestled an angel he got a blessing. I want a blessing.’ Joseph gave him a blessing, and he was miraculously healed. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph Smith told one man who had done much work for the building up of God’s kingdom, that this brother needed to rest a while, to enjoy himself. The man responded, “I cannot”. Joseph said, “then you will die.” The man indeed later died a premature death, and Joseph spoke at his funeral. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-When others chastised Joseph for playing sports, thinking that a prophet shouldn’t do such things, Joseph taught them that if you don’t unstring the bow from time to time, it loses its spring. This meant that to be effective he had to relax sometimes.

-Joseph Smith was known to be easily drawn to laughter, and frequently played with children and his brethren, playing sports and joking with them. He said we shouldn’t be too involved in the fantastic, but that a good sense of humor is of God. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Many saw Hyrum Smith as more prophet-like than Joseph, as Hyrum was less jovial and playful, but we know that these traits of Joseph helped him cope with his many trials, and uplift his fellows. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph was hired as a farm hand not only because he was a hard worker, but because he could get the others to work too. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph had a clerk to whom he said ‘you know if you were bigger I could have some fun with you’ he responded ‘well don’t let that stop you Joseph’ then Joseph wrestled him and broke his leg. Joseph carried him home and the clerk said ‘when Jacob wrestled an angel he got a blessing. I want a blessing.’ Joseph gave him a blessing, and he was miraculously healed. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph had a few ministers come over to his home who challenged him in the scriptures. Joseph was able to answer all their questions, and pose questions to them which they could not answer. They decided to leave, and as they did, Joseph went ahead of them, drew a line in the sand, and ‘jumped at the mark’, meaning measured how far he jumped. Joseph said, ‘there you see I bested you in the scriptures, let’s see if you can beat me in this!’ The men left very disappointed. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph was known for excelling at the stick pull, where 2 men pulled no a stick, and the one to pull the other off the ground won. Another version of this was both pulling on a stick, and whose ever hands slipped was the weaker man. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph was being pestered by a man volleying threats; Joseph told the man he was with, I think it was Sydney Rigdon to ‘throw that man’, which his companion did, and the men thenceforth left him alone. (from lectures on the prophets by Truman G Madsen)

-Joseph was about 6’2” and over 200 pounds. He was very strong from all his farm work.

-once all they had was some Johnny cake (corn bread), Joseph prayed ‘dear God we thank thee for this Johnny cake, and please send us something better.’ Just before their meal was ended, someone knocked on the door and presented him a turkey and a ham. Joseph jumped for joy and said, ‘you see Emma, my prayer was answered!’ (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

Once Joseph Smith was fund raising to get Porter Rockwell out of jail. He went to the temple building site, told them of the plight of Porter, and asked them to put money in a hat for Porter. Many did so. Joseph saw some people jostling, and decided to wager that he would win in a wrestling match against the strongest many present. The strongest stepped forward, and Joseph won, which helped raise much funds for Porter. After winning the match, Joseph picked up the man by his collar and trousers, and tossed him into a river. After this he hugged the man and spoke of how it was good fun.

One man from another church came to see Joseph, asking if he was the prophet. Joseph said, “I am, do you want to wrestle?”

-on one occasion Joseph dressed in as ragged of clothes as he could and rode out to the ship of the most recent arrivals. He asked the first man he saw ‘why are you here?’ the man said ‘I have joined the Mormon church’. Joseph said ‘what do you know about Joseph Smith?’ the man said ‘I know that he is a prophet of God’. Joseph said ‘what if I told you I was Joseph Smith?’ the man said ‘then I would know that you are a prophet of God’. Joseph then got off his horse and shook the man’s hand and said ‘I am Joseph Smith, and I have dressed like this to show you that if you’ve come to expect anything more than a man, you may as well get right back on that boat’. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

Other Prophets on Recreation

-Brigham Young: reportedly the night bugle sounded and they were about to end a dance, but Brigham said something to the effect of ‘forget the bugle, I want to dance!’ and proceeded to dance till around 3am (see Truman G Madsen’s lectures on the prophets)

-Brigham said “now we are to rest here” while on the trial. Then he said, “now we dance”. Porter Rockwell said “first he tells us we can rest, now he tells us we must dance!” (see Madsen presidents of the church book)

-the prophetic ‘Family Proclamation to the World’ (1995) teaches that wholesome recreation is one of the key elements to successful family life.

-Elder Neal A Maxwell played tennis even into his late years.

-President Thomas S. Monson taught old folks in rest homes about how a football game works, so they can understand what is going on the television and enjoy it. He speaks about current ball games. He says fishing is good and spiritual. He says having animals and going to fairs is joyful. He says road shows and dance festivals are uplifting. He knows about what is going on in the local barber shop. Henry the 8th was his favorite Shakespeare play. Among his favorite theatrical works is the Phantom of the Opera. He enjoyed raising pigeons. (see book To The Rescue by Heidi Swinton)

-President Russel M Nelson skied even into his 90’s.

-President Monson was a regular swimmer.

-“Just as honest toil gives rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steadying companion of work… Music, literature, art, dance, drama, athletics—all can provide entertainment to enrich one’s life and further consecrate it…” ” (Elder Christofferson in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

-Make your entertainment high quality culture: “Too often we use many hours for fun and pleasure, clothed in the euphemism ‘I’m recharging my batteries.’ Those hours could be spent reading and studying to gain knowledge, skills, and culture.” (President Henry B Eyring in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

-Don’t make entertainment your top priority: “In a materialistic age, when recreation and convenience are the suggested priorities of our society, we might all well ask ourselves, ‘How well are we providing for the spiritual well-being and strengthening of our families? …Are we clothing family members with ‘garments of salvation’ as anxiously as we provide clothing for their wardrobe? Is our diet of entertainment and recreation balanced with the food offered by Him who said, ‘Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely’ (Alma 5:34).” (Elder Ballard in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

-“Parents should act to preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together and fixes children’s values on things of eternal worth…Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children.” (Elder Oaks in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng)

-One of the reasons the Church is commanded to obey a strict health law “The Word of Wisdom” is to enable their spirits to be at peak of intellect, so they can discern better between good and evil, fill the measure of their creation, have joy, and invite others to enjoy the beauty of Zion.

-You can set a good example by not saying of the words that are not polite in the books you must read. Thomas S. Monson encourages the Saints to please not swear (Gen. Conf.).

-We have to be aware of things, reading even Osama Bin Ladin and Scarlet Letter and other things that are very controversial.

-Stay away from “anti-Mormon” books, rather learn what LDS believe by asking LDS.

-Some men are called to review anti-Mormon books, but they are set apart for that, and given a special blessing to be able to discern between truth and error as they do that mission for the church, seeing as it’s easy to get deceived in cunning and crafty words, and even blatant lies.

-One example is the Apocrypha, the LDS Bible Dictionary speaks how these documents are not entirely true, but if the reader reads them with the Holy Ghost, he can find much to benefit from them.

-Things like Les Mesrables teach how little people had morals and how conditions were, and that there are take aways from such, for the message is that such is bad;

-When we read something the Holy Ghost can teach us of weather it’s something we need to put down.

-The Apostles of The Church are not ignorant of what happens in the world but are very aware. They travel all over the world, and are very involved, not out of date (Elder Ballard Gen. Conf. Oct. 2014).

-To a certain degree, what we entertain is up to the interpretation and judgment of the individual.

-We can look for the best versions of things, learn from the best books.

-Greeks in plays did the graphic parts off stage, that respect is gone now.

-Prophet of the LDS Church President Hinckley said no “R” rated movies a long time ago. Since then, now what then would have been x rated is R, and much of what was R then is PG-13 now. There is a lot of politics in film ratings, and there is a lot of compromise and finding ways for something to barely make the cut off for a certain rating.

-The Phantom of the Opera is one of Thomas S Monson’s favorite plays (see “To The Rescue”).

-Victor Hugo’s Les Mesrables is often quoted in General Conference.

– “Whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Therefore, choose only entertainment and media that uplift you. Good entertainment will help you to have good thoughts and make righteous choices. It will allow you to enjoy yourself without losing the Spirit of the Lord. While much entertainment is good, some of it can lead you away from righteous living. Offensive material is often found in web sites, concerts, movies, music, videocassettes, DVDs, books, magazines, pictures, and other media. Satan uses such entertainment to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal and exciting. It can mislead you into thinking that everyone is doing things that are wrong. Do not attend, view, or participate in entertainment that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in entertainment that in any way presents immorality or violent behavior as acceptable.” (from “For the Strength of Youth” at https://www.lds.org/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth-fulfilling-our-duty-to-god/entertainment-and-the-media?lang=eng&query=clean+entertainment) note: many of the adult leaders of the Church carry this manual with them as these standards apply to all ages.

– Excerpt from latter-day saint guide to the scriptures on cleanliness:

-He that hath clean hands and a pure heart shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord: Ps. 24:3–5;
-Do not call any man common or unclean: Acts 10:11–28;
-Can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?: Alma 5:19;
-The Lord will chasten Zion until she is clean: D&C 90:36;
-Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord: D&C 133:4–5, 14; ( Isa. 52:11; )

For an excellent lecture on the personality and character of Joseph Smith by Truman G. Madsen, including his inclination to play sports and laugh with others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVXkBX0JNjI

Joy Analysis – Hugh Nibley Excerpts

Highlights from Book of Mormon & Pearl of Great Price Lectures

-Mosiah 4:11-12 is the key, always remember your own nothingness and the goodness, of God, and you’ll always rejoice!
(Me Nothing + Good God = Rejoice!)

-Nephi said he lived after the manner of happiness, which means they were happy all the time and so should we be.

-There is no end to what we can and will receive so long as we don’t reject it.

-Shakespeare was right about this world being a dross and sleep, but when the gospel in fullness you find, all else is cast aside, it’s not just fine arts where you look at the menu, it’s the feast.

-5 times Brigham Young was driven out entirely. He said let ’em burn the temple the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. Let go of all and go worship. Things will care to themselves. Nothing has worn to me a gloomy aspect since I got the gospel. Even facing mobs. All works toward the good of the Kingdom.

-Never you find a sad true Saint. Joy to each needed measure. Brigham Young saw the temple burning and said “Good. 3 cheers.” What the Lord lets go, we do too, with joy. All that matters is the work the Lord has for me to do today. This is what Brigham Young was known to say.

-Visions of minds being opened isn’t like a symphony, but much more.

-Who live as they should constantly see glimpses of eternity.

-Brigham Young said ‘The secret of mine is to never worry. I never do.’ Also, Joseph Smith came to Brigham Young oft and said don’t be in a hurry.

-Greek tragedies show what life is like without the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Approaching Zion: To Our Glory or To Our Condemnation by Hugh Nibley – Lecture Highlights

Here Hugh Nibley explains key differences between Zion and Babylon.

Topics: economics, environment, Satan, Babylon, Zion, paradise, academics, money, career, beauty, Eden

-Jewish legend that Adam was only allowed to the parts of the earth that he worked in. That he tilled and cared for.

-There is a difference between working to make a living and taking from the earth. Many of us rob the earth of its beauty for thousands of years in order to live in wealth for a little season. It’s easy to do; all you do is sign a few papers.

-Zion is to be beautiful. It’s always said that Zion is beautiful, then joyful. They come in that order because the beauty is what makes Zion glad. This is not to be mistaken with Babylon, who is described as being beautiful in the scriptures.

–Children are reckless in part because their parents are. The parents go around wasting time but in different forms, like watching football games, watching R rated movies, driving cars, etc.

-Heaven is to be a paradise. So, make Zion that way. Brigham Young said we should plant shade trees and flowers and make rivers until this earth appears as the Garden of Eden. We preach the gospel by how beautiful our towns are. People see it and think, wow this is paradise!

-Brigham Young said that beauty is our surest safeguard. When we see beauty we feel joy. We can trust those feelings to guide us a right!

-Making earth as Eden is not a one-crop enterprise.

-Historically we read of Satan, Cain, Cesar, etc., getting dominion over things by force, and burning wildlife, and killing animals and humans.

-We read of great hunters like Nimrod Cain etc. that kill for sport. Brigham Young said this is sinful, and only to kill animals as we need to for survival.

-Just as sure that Zion will be established, Babylon will be destroyed. She won’t be converted. No, she won’t have that. Her destiny is to be destroyed.

-Babylon is the inverse image of Zion.

-Babylon is the center for commerce and business.

-The economy of Babylon is built on deception.

-Babylon lusts after human slaves.

-When Babylon falls the entire world will be involved. She thinks none see her, but that is not the case. (*She is to be exploited every whit).

-Rome itself was Babylon the great in every respect.

-The Roman Church called itself the church at Babylon.

-The plan Satan proposed to Adam that Adam rejected was to put everything on the earth up for sale, so that you could have anything in this world for money. But you had to have money!

-We are like children in our understanding for we think it’s silly to wander in gardens with seemingly nothing to do and would rather be in the marketplace.

-There is an unbridgeable gap between Babylon and Zion for they lead in two opposite ways.

-Many LDS people teach mixing Babylon with Zion but when that occurs Babylon is already won.

-Hebrew word for money is mammon, and pertains to money and people who deal with money. Thus the financing business is of the devil. Jesus taught we are to avoid such at all costs, and only befriend the mammon of unrighteousness to the needed degree to survive.

-Our society is not like the earth that God designed us to have. There have been times when people have lived without doctors, lawyers, beauticians, auto mechanics, dentists, generals, used car salesmen, garbage men, prostitutes, etc. Some of these can be an unpleasant necessity because of the society we have set up. These are unnecessary just as Kings and Dukes are not necessary in the United States. We are not living in the world the way God intended it to be and we need to get it that way. These things pertain to our glory or our condemnation.

-Nature admonishes that paradise is a reality. Modern revelation tells us that Zion is a reality, and paradise is the natural state of Zion

-We all have full time employment discovering the world

Apostolic Warning Against Cyberspace from Elder Bednar

Elder Bednar gives “an Apostolic warning” about getting too into avatars, virtual realities, and certain cyberspace interactions in an address titled “Things As They Really Are”. In that address, Elder Bednar says “a simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.” I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes. If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.” (June 2010- Ensign, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/06/things-as-they-really-are?lang=eng).

Beware Playing Cards – Teachings of the Prophets pending

Biblical Verses Against Witches, Soothsayers, Magic, Divination, etc. pending

Though I do not find all books etc. which have some supernatural power not ascribed to God as evil, I do see that we must take caution against many of the overly magical card games and other forms of entertainment which often carry a dark and occultic theme.

There is a trend to spiritualize the scriptures in a corrupt way of saying that nothing in them is to be taken literally. Let us consider some scriptures against witchcraft, which may guide our choices regarding media consumption.

We are Living in The Great and Spacious Building, A Post-Christian World – Quotes

-Lehi had a dream (1 Nephi 8) representing the love of Christ vs the evil of Satan. There was a great and spacious building floating in the air where people made fun of Christ.

-“Largely because of television, instead of looking over into that spacious building, we are, in effect, living inside of it. That is your fate in this generation. You are living in that great and spacious building.” (President Boyd K. Packer)

– “The goal of honoring the Lord and submitting ourselves to His will is not as valued in today’s society as it has been in the past. Some Christian leaders of other faiths believe we are living in a post-Christian world.” (Elder Quinton L. Cook)

Wholesome Recreation: More Than Just Fun

“Too often we use many hours for fun and pleasure, clothed in the euphemism ‘I’m recharging my batteries.’ Those hours could be spent reading and studying to gain knowledge, skills, and culture.” (President Henry B Eyring in “Today’s Family: Chose Wholesome Recreation” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/choose-wholesome-recreation?lang=eng

Is the fact that something is fun or pleasurable sufficient reason for it to occupy our time thoughts and resources? I should say not.

We all need recreation, but there are many toxic venues which promise recreation.

To be effective, Satan doesn’t need to use evil, but merely to distract. Distraction then becomes a form of evil. Sins are not only of commission, but omission.

The Family Proclamation speaks of “wholesome recreation” being an important part of strong families. We should consider the word wholesome. Surely it suggests activities which invigorate the spirit mind relationships and body. It is hard to see how many popular forms of entertainment today would qualify in these categories as wholesome.

Perhaps an activity doesn’t need to inherently nurture all 4 of these categories (spirit body mind relationships) simultaneously, but some activities are inherently lacking in any one of these. Further, if an activity is good in one area but has a negative effect in any of the other 4, there is concern (particularly when any harm the spirit).

Further, the addictive nature of some forms of entertainment cause what started as innocent to become a beast, devouring time and energy far beyond the original intent.

Remember that the Holy Ghost is a sensitive companion, and leaves when his standards are violated. When we offend the spirit in an attempt to meet an innate need of some kind, we like Esau, trade our birthright for a mess of porridge.

In these last days of mass deception by conspiring men, we must use utmost caution that the content and culture of our leisure activities are not tainted with the ways of the world. To get a better idea of what does and does not qualify, we must look at not only how a certain activity immediately affects us, but now it affects people in general. Surely we do not want to foster a culture of recreation which statistically leads many to lose their morals. Some things which are innocent on one level should be avoided as they are corrupt on another level.

May we ensure our choices align with what we would do were the Savior present, and Zion redeemed. The way to judge is clear when guided by the Holy Ghost, and judge we must.

In all things, even recreation and art, we should be our best, and be reverent toward God. The great composer Haydn “dressed in his best clothes to compose because he said he was going before his maker.” (Reid Nibley, in Hal Williams, “Dr. Reid Nibley on Acquiring a Taste for Classical Music,” BYU Today, April 1980, 14.)

Concerns about Non-Denominational & Bazar Story Telling

Here I will suggest that in the household of faith, we should emphasize teachings of truth and of the gospel rather than fantastical stories which have little to no connection to reality. These stories of fantasy and myth are helpful, potentially, in sharing the gospel to those who have these stories as their primary frame of reference. We seek common ground, to teach them where they are, based on the symbols they are familiar with. But when it comes to rearing children in the gospel, we can focus on bible stories, and other historical and otherwise uplifting stories and accounts which are centered on eternal truths more so than that of fables.

Some excuse works of fantasy etc. on grounds that they are non-denominational stories which teach lessons. Ok, but does God want us to be going around sharing non-denominational stories when we have the gospel to offer? Leave the gentiles to their non-denominational business, we have higher duties to attend to. We know that the gospel is the only hope for world peace, and we press toward that mark. Our calling isn’t to tell soft stories, but to preach the gospel. Therefore, our primary focus should be on teaching gospel truths.

If any tolerance is to be had for fables, it should take a clearly secondary role when compared to gospel truths. Who among us can say that we are sufficiently versed in the teachings of the Lord, and that our children know his ways like unto the status of the ancients? Surely we have much work to do, much to focus in on with our studies and stories.

Our recreational materials can carry the message of the gospel as well. A great example of this is the book series “The Work and the Glory” by Lund. Reading something like this gives purpose and meaning. It teaches those hard situations, those emotions, those colorful characters, that exploration, all of those fun elements, but in a context of reality, with a focus on heroes being godly characters, seeking to build the kingdom of God. Think of the increased growth testimony and maturity that would develop in a youth from becoming more familiar with these stories of the restoration when compared to being filled with a similar length series on random fables. The contrast is obvious. As I’ve said before, if you chose to have the fables in your home, oh how they must be small compared to the use of better materials!

This generation has lost the principle that as we educate, as kids learn to read, etc., they can also be learning good morals. They can learn by faithful characters and realistic scenarios. There are real heroes, and we want the rising generation to become real heroes. Perhaps it is a disbelief in real heroes as found in the bible and elsewhere that has driven this indulgence in the fantastic. Remember the McGuffy Readers? They taught morals while teaching reading. So must we, to the best of our ability, in purchasing good texts or writing our own (as Brigham Young endorsed), seek to learn from the best books (as the Lord implores in the D&C).

I’m reminded of a children’s book author who spoke at a local school assembly. His books were mostly fantastic and silly. He said once an old man approached him at his first lecture about his books and grilled him, telling him that his books didn’t have morals, and were therefore shameful. When he told this story the audience laughed, as if to say ‘what a ridiculous old man!’ But this story has stayed with me. Perhaps the old man was right. Perhaps this author retells this story years after the fact because it is lodged into his conscience. I too worry that far too much of children’s books today are trivial, over the top fantasy which has little to no application for their lives. There is moderation in all things, but I think we are now living on a steady diet of French fries when it comes to literature. Too much of anything, including too much of reading which is solely suited to entertain, is not good. Let us rather look for more wholesome books. We call upon the saints to create their own materials when the world fails to come up with them, rather than compromising with the world.

Some make their stories intentionally bazar in order to attract the attention of children. This is either to make more profits, or perhaps occasionally based out of a sincere desire to get kids reading who would otherwise not be reading. But such frivolous fiction is not the cure. The cure is to teach children in the home (and wherever else you can) of the beauties of life. An appreciation for OUR world, OUR heroes, OUR wars, etc., is what must be fostered in youth. Using literature only for the sake of increasing one’s ability to read is vain and ridiculous.

Do we hope that we will train them up on this nonsense, and that then once they have learned to read fluently thereby, that they will have a sudden change in interest to be drawn to great writing, particularly the scriptures? No, but such vanity will train them to be addicted to trivial play throughout their lives. They will struggle throughout their lives to develop a real sense of duty and concern about the issues in the world. Even if a child takes a bit longer to learn to read, it is better than a child who quickly consumes fables, and thereby develops an addiction and affinity toward the bazar (and often obscene) from his youth, and thereby finds himself with a dulled sensitivity to the lofty importance of truth and reality.

What if there are no engaging books of good character? Brigham Young would answer this by saying that we the saints should make our own. He called upon the saints to make their own clothes, make their own textbooks, to do whatever they can to be completely separate from Babylon. Sadly we seem to have entirely forgotten his counsels. The time to redeem Zion has come, let us come unto the Lord with boldness by once again and forever putting Him and His ways above all others!

I have been bold in my writing here, and feel a general exodus away from Babylonian culture is in order. This being said, I do want to express tolerance for varying points of view. Some find fables and fantasy based stories as good learning resources. One must quickly recognize that even in those genres, there is good better and best. May we be committed to, as I have said, putting truth and the gospel first, and may we use lesser things with caution and moderation if we are so inclined.

Recreation & Dimensions of Good

Does a thing need a moral “lesson” to be “good”?

There are many dimensions of good. There are good morals. There are things good for the strength of the body but otherwise meaningless. There are things good for gladdening the heart but otherwise meaningless. There are things which are good because they are fun. Some things meet several levels of good and are therefore particularly good. But we honor each category of good.

Sometimes we can reach for highest good. Handel said after writing the Messiah symphony, that he would be terribly disappointed if all it did was entertain people. It had a much deeper/higher purpose.

But we need not throw things out which do not simultaneously meet all the levels of good. Basketball for instance, a favorite of President Kimball, won’t get you to heaven, but it will help you keep the commandment to take care of your body and enjoy life.

Should we have a steady diet of only the fluff, only the ‘trivial’? No, but we need not entirely ban it either.

A boy who enjoys a sport does it because he enjoys it. At the same time, he is strengthening his muscles, and extending his lifespan, which are good things. The same can be said of someone who enjoys a mentally stimulating video game or novel, it can exercise those organs and faculties. He does it because he enjoys it, but it also serves to exercise his faculties. All of this said, we must have moderation in all things. Someone who just plays ball all day and someone who just plays games or reads novels all day, they all need serious course correction, and to become more in tune with the faculties which they are neglecting. Video games, sports, novels, these can be downright edifying sometimes, we just need to make sure we are staying balanced and keen to the promptings of the Lord.

We may not need excessive time to relax and unwind, we may be quite able to unwind very well in more useful endeavors. It may be wise to keep recreational pursuits in general at a minimum. The Bruce R McConkie family certainly kept entertainments to a minimal. They were a gospel and learning oriented family, they hardly even did sports together.

Entertained Goons in Babylon: The Gospel of Consumerism & Its Absurd Advertising

Violence is on the television screen at the public places and the people cheer; this is the sign that the hearts have waxed cold. They do this for entertainment – they don’t care about reality. They will not lift a finger to protect their nation nor the morals of their nation. They have no morals except what they need to get gain. And all hell fights against the church of the lamb of God and those whom seek for such. The science is biased in their favor and we are in Babylon the great, though it shall fall. Praise God! Hosanna, Lord save us!

-For more critical info about this, see the film “The True Cost: Who Pays the Price for Our Clothes?” about the sweat shops which suffer for us to have cheap nice clothes. And we just let it happen. We can boycott this by where we choose to spend our money! The film is on Netflix, and here is a link to my notes on it: https://richardsonstudies.wordpress.com/category/the-true-cost-who-pays-the-price-for-our-clothes/

-Also mind you, in 4th Nephi, it gives the first reason for the falling apart of Zion as the love of costly apparel.

-on 2018 the beer vending company Bud Light had advertised that their beverage was “for the many, not for the few”. Wow! Sounds like the broad road to hell which Jesus spoke of!

-on 11/9/15 I saw a clothing brand called “No Boundaries”. It is notorious for being extremely tight fitting! This is open rebellion and sexual debauchery!

-One store is called “Vanity”. “Ah, they have the best jeans!” some say. No! You don’t shop at a store named vanity people!

-One makeup brand is called “Lavillin”! It’s like the name “Cruella Deville”! Look at it: la means the, then is the word “villain”. Why people?!

-in May of 2016 in the New York Times I was flipping through and saw a picture of a woman with extremely expensive clothing, gaudy and pride full, she was the center of the universe, her own deity. The caption said, “Believe in The Magic of Giving”. It was to sell a 400$ coat from Calvin Clein. In the next page or so was a picture of a woman living in a small hut not even big enough for her to fully lay down in, with a tarp for a roof, and a couple of eating utensils stacked up around the door. The floor was dirt. She was in Myanmar. I wept at how backward and heartless our society is.

-A shopping mall in Utah county says, “The Center of it All!” What planet are we on?! We are in trouble folks! The center of it all used to be the temple! Truly, we have made this place our temple! We believe not in the Lord our God, but in the works of our own hands! Think no longer that we are superior to those who worshipped the work of their hands in days of old!

-One shirt I’ve seen often lately says “Ball is everything!”. Wow let’s not have diversity, nor healthy recreation, let’s have this consume every aspect of our lives and define us!

-A radio advertisement I heard said “When I wake in the morning I think of sports and media, this consumes my life, I want a career in this.”

-When you’re in a shopping mall (God help you to not be in there when it falls), you see “Victoria’s Secret” underwear products being advertised in much more than life size images right there in open sight. Is nothing sacred anymore? So much for the secret, Victoria. This is not normal folks.

-Do we question folks, that these things are an abomination and a sign of the times that we live in the last and most wicked time of this earth, and on the most wicked planet in the universe? This is the doctrine. This is part of the problem folks.

– “Darkness prevails at this time as it did at the time Jesus Christ was about to be crucified. The powers of darkness strove to obscure the glorious Son of righteousness, that began to dawn upon the world, and was soon to burst in great blessings upon the heads of the faithful” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 90‑91.)

-one surf store in Provo is called “Called to Surf”, a pun, obviously, on “Called to Serve” a mission. Surfing is fun and all, but I don’t like the sound of this. Further, it sort of sounds like becoming a serf / peasant. Hopefully no one opts for the call to surf instead of the call to serve!

-one Utah county billboard said, ‘diamonds were women’s best friend until they invented Botox’. This speaks volumes of vanity!

– “Find the Urge to Splurge” said a bill board pointing to the Utah Fashion-place Mall! I don’t think anyone has trouble finding that urge!
– “OBEY WORLD AGENDA”! said on cap I saw. What does that mean?!
-“the bravery of tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon; The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers; The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings; The rings, and nose jewels; The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins; The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils.” (Isaiah 3)
-“15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.
16 ¶ Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21 The rings, and nose jewels,
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils.
24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.” (Isaiah 3:15-26)

The following is a little satirical essay poking at the advertising theory using beauty products to replace the need of a Savior:
Springy-Clothing and Ultra-cleanse body redeeming product for sale! A satyrical mocking of fashion and their claims to attend to ALL your needs, and other filthy media and cultural practices:
(As you proceed indulging in public television and public schools, you’ll find the following messages in a blink!)

-Tired of waiting around for a Messiah to come and glorify your body in immortal splendor and beauty? Weather you feel like you don’t fall in with that group, or whether you of the 21st century just don’t have the time to wait around that long, or whether you just don’t believe God is powerful enough to give you mercy, you’re about to learn about a product that’s just right for you so you can stop worrying about all that!
-Have 10% of your income extra that you don’t know what to do with? Tired of giving it to some Church that just crimps your style? Put it to somewhere that will really count!
-Feel bad for the mistakes you’ve made in this life?
-Want to know the secrets to soap operas? SOAP! It’s all about washing your body to feel renewed and regenerated, even redeemed and free!
-It’s like those in days of old, the Romans were famous for washing their bodies sometimes more than 3 times a day to wash off their sins and mistakes! It’s all about refreshing, renewing, redeeming yourself!
-All that you need is money! It’s that simple!
-Tired of feeling weighed down by your mistakes and being rejected by your peers and loved ones?
-Try this new formula, the cleansing refreshing redeeming wash of ultra-cleanse!
-You’ll be born again as you wash your body! You’ll forget all your flaws and have no more regret or remorse! Oh what dazzling confidence you can have!
-with our products, no matter what moral choices you make, you can live happily ever after just like all the teen films and television shows we pay for to show off our products!
-Buy now and we’ll throw in free this ultra-hair-redeemer, so you can even avoid the plagues foretold by Isaiah the prophet that the wicked would at a soon coming day be bald and stinky!
-As a woman of the 21st century you have way too much to worry about to be concerned with moral character choices you make! Trust us ladies, there is only one way to bypass all of that, and it’s with our all new everlasting body and hair formula’s! You won’t be stinky, on the inside or the out, we guarantee it! Improving the out improves the in!
-no longer reserve sacred parts of your body, curves, lines, etc., for your husband or wife to see, but show everyone! Be free!
-Sacrifice all dignity and principals of modesty to have the competitive advantage in sports and other areas of social life!
-make it impossible for people to ignore you, you’re better than that! It’s like driving down the road with your stereo blasting!
-don’t waste your time trying to become a poet, author, scientist, builder, artist, philosopher, physician, historian, just get money and get it fast! Then you can use this product which brings you all!
-spending all your time hanging out with friends isn’t going to cut it these days, you need to do more to establish yourself socially and find success! You need accessories!
-And remember, the way to get wealth, as popular vote has shown, is to inherit it, or to win the lottery, or to sue someone! If you can’t do any of those, you can always just put us at the top of your budget and rely on government bailouts despite your rank poverty, because life is about priorities, and rights! Don’t let anyone fool you, or anything in the way of the lifestyle you deserve!
-be righteous and holy like the ever so coveted Egyptians and all their pomp! They really had it down!
-Being comely and clean in your apparel is simply not enough! You must make yourself gaudy to be truly attractive! You deserve more!
-find your true self!
-See our great new clothing product line, “OBEY WORLD AGENDA”! What does that mean? Don’t worry about it, they’re just cool clothes!
-So come “Find the Urge to Splurge” at the Utah Fashion-place Mall!
-someone has got to be responsible for you and your needs!
-as a 21st century new age American, it’s a whole new world with whole new rules! You qualify for and deserve to have your cake and eat it to. Your beauty and success are all up to you, and you deserve them just as much as anyone else! Buy your way into the elite social class because you can!
-find a new you!
-be the person you always dreamed you could become!
-success is now with in your reach with the new clothing and accessories of Ultra-Cleanse!
-men today demand 1st rate view into your unique personality talents and character by your wearing tight clothing like everyone else! Show who you really are inside! Nothing says more about your truly unique self and special personality than extra cleavage, extra short shorts, extra tight clothing all around, and sporting the name brands clothing that everyone else is wearing! You just can’t afford to go without!
-don’t worry about caring to the needs of the poor, someone else always takes care of them! You need to put yourself first or you’ll lose everything!
-And for you BYU students whom I’ve seen wearing the “Ball is Life” shirts, boy have you found the right place, we ENTIRLY agree with you! Sports make the world, your scholarships, and your opportunity to play and never have to work, go around! Let us celebrate sports all the more!
-Come here to find the latest innovations to help you survive in this hip-hop world, we have everything you need in the following departments: the bravery of tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon;
The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers;
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings;
The rings, and nose jewels;
The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins;
The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils.

Recreating the Holidays: Culture Shift: HOLINESS TO THE LORD

Christmas is a holy week like Hanukkah. No man can serve 2 masters: help the children understand it is Christ, not Santa, that is to be thanked for their gifts.

“Jesus Christ is the source of every blessing we receive” said President Henry B. Eyring. Teach the children that gifts are from people who love them like parents, siblings, and neighbors. Teach them that the Holy Ghost, whom is the messenger of Jesus Christ, is who inspired them to be kind and give gifts.

President Nelson recently received the revelation for the church that using the title of Mormons was inappropriate and offensive to God, in that it sidetracks from the real name of the church, which is the church of Jesus Christ. Would it not stand to reason that we are doing something similar with Christmas when we make Santa the focal point of benevolence & accountability? Surely the time in which we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World should be one where he is the central character. There was no room for his birth back then, and there is apparently still no room to this day.

When children are contemplating weather they are on the ‘naughty or nice list’, teach them that it is Christ, not Santa, who holds that list. Christ truly holds them accountable, and truly does watch their every move. It is interesting how the secular world uses Santa to hold children accountable. They recognize that the key factor in behavior is accountability. Conveniently, they have selected a man who has set no real expectations to be their standard of accountability.

While Santa isn’t the epitome of evil, he has, however well intending, gotten in the way of teaching children about Christ. If Santa gets in the way of Christ, we can say, like Christ said to well-intending Peter, ‘get thee behind me Satan, for thou savorest not the things of God.’ Santa is Satan when he undermines Christ. If ‘Santa’ does good to others, then he is of Christ, because whatsoever persuades men to do good is of Christ. But the second he becomes bigger than Christ, he needs to step down. Perhaps Santa used to be a good message, a rewarder of good, curser of evil who knows the thoughts and intent of the heart, but now it appears to be wholly commercial and gluttonous.

Easter, the true time of the birth of Christ, must also be used to teach symbols of new life in Christ.

Halloween can be a time of light rather than darkness, a time of abiding joy rather than fear and fleeting pleasures. Wear white all week long. Keep the lights on all week long. If you are celebrating the dead, celebrate them in beauty, looking forward to the resurrection of the dead. Looking forward to the realms of light in which we will meet them again.

New Year’s should be a time to contemplate the creation of the earth. In ancient times, the new year was always a time to reenact the creation of the earth through dramatic plays and ceremonies. Similarly, we can contemplate the beginning as a new era comes upon us. A time to start afresh doing things the way that God originally intended them to be.

At the end of the day, we may as well throw out the pagan holidays, and put in Judeo-Christian ones. Celebrate Passover and other biblical festivals. Ensure your celebrations are centered on the plan of salvation.

Caution in Associations

The culture of our peers quickly becomes our own.

We don’t need to have a rule of not letting our children play with other children who aren’t members of the church (April 2021 General Conference), but we should have standards that discourage our children from frequently associating with children who are godless and unruly.

Often we think of sending ourselves or our children into fallen cultures for missionary efforts. These usually result in our sheep being eaten by the wolves.

In the October 2020 General Conference, we were reminded that when Lehi partook of the fruit, he called out from the tree, rather than leaving the tree. He didn’t go over to the Great and Spacious building (Babylon) in efforts to try and give them the fruit.

Naturally we go among the peoples of the world everywhere offering them the gospel, but we don’t adjust our standards to theirs.

The Savior did eat with publicans and sinners, but only those who were humble and teachable. He didn’t spend endless time bible bashing with the hard hearted, nor did he push the complacent and rebellious into submission. He invited and ministered, but he did not join in their games.

Zion is Joyous: Good Times After Leaving Babylon

Leaving Babylon involves withdrawing from things we used to enjoy which we have found are not the Lord’s way. In this article I will briefly mention some of those things which we may want to leave behind. But after leaving them, then what? How do we find joy together as friends and family, without dabbling in fallen culture? Here are some ideas…

Sections:

ARTISTIC CREATION

DANCE

SPORTS

OUTDOORS

LEARNING

VISITING

WORK & SERVICE

MUSIC

TREATS

DATING

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

ARTISTIC CREATION:

Children (& adults) love to create.
-wood working
-painting, sculpture
-cooking
-sewing
-origami

-Legos, blocks, Knex, trains, ball-rollercoasters, wooden ships/planes…
-Elder Scott would paint.

DANCE:

-Ballet
-Irish
-Folk
-English country swing
-some forms of eastern & country swing
-(remember to leave behind costumes & methods that do not invite the spirit, or that provoke lust)

-Brigham Young loved to dance

SPORTS:

-wrestling. Joseph Smith loved to wrestle, and often asked even strangers if they wanted to wrestle him. This is a good winter indoor sport – throw down some mats in the living room
-sparring & target sports such as sword fencing, paintball/airsoft/nerf, HEMA (historical European martial arts), AMA (Asian martial arts), target shooting.

(But don’t kill animals for sport, President Kimball says this is a sin if not needed for food.)
-(not so much watching sports. Prophets have rebuked us becoming lazy unskilled spectators via TV. Further, we don’t want to feed into a culture of Sabbath breaking etc.)
-(I place strong cautions against skateboarding. Though fun, it is particularly saturated in evil rude rebellious culture. You must chose where to draw the line in cultural connections to various activities. When in doubt, do without.)

OUTDOORS:

-hike near your home. Elder McConkie said great men climb mountains.
-walks around town with family or friends. This is also the quintessential traditional method of courting. It’s free and allows for great conversation.
-camping. This is hands down the largest reported family fun event when compared to all other family recreation events when youth rate their favorite family activities.
-(do not skip church and other Sabbath worship to have more time camping etc. Many prophets have discouraged this. Even traveling large distances on the Sabbath often leads to shopping, working, and taking worship lightly, sending a message to youth that fun is more important than God.)

LEARNING:

-Friends over for food & conversation about the signs of the times, etc. When Bruce McConkie and Joseph Fielding Smith got together, they didn’t discuss politics or the weather, they basked in talking about the doctrines of the kingdom.
-car rides can be great times to teach
-You’de be surprised at how fun learning can be, even for kids. A deep gospel conversation can thrill them and keep them asking questions for hours.
-Hugh Nibley says we all have a full time job learning the history of our world.
-hands on sciences can be great fun
-create a reading culture. Fill your home with books. Let your children observe you reading jot only fluff books, but deep books. Like the Ben Carson family, let the wonder if reading lift your family to an entirely different way of life.
-Brigham Young spoke of how in the millennium, as there will be no free loaders and we will all share in the work, we will get all the days work done in only 2-3 hours, and can spend the rest of our time doing what we were really sent to this Earth to do, namely learning. Brigham also said 8 hours to sleep, 8 to work, 8 to play. By play we can easily reason he referred to, at least in large part, learning. He also spoke of how he would love to study chemistry.
-The Bruce McConkie family wasn’t an entertainment-based family. Bruce didn’t know anything about sports and didn’t teach his children sports. Though they did hike (Bruce said great men climb mountains) and sing etc., much of their leisure time was spent learning & preaching the gospel.

VISITING

-tell stories
-read aloud, particularly classics & other books which teach morals or skills.
-read silently, but still together
-healthy snacking
-tell about your day, the future, the gospel, etc.
-look at family pictures & family videos.
-(don’t need a movie every time we settle in for free time. If that’s your go-to recreation, you are living far beneath your privileges)
-(I strongly recommend against card games. Many prophets have spoken against these time filler trivial wasters of life.)
-(I do not recommend spending inordinate time and money on recreation. President Packer said no one owes children entertainment.)
-(I recommend children not having cell phones, or at least very limited use educational large tablets not connected to Wi-Fi or data. Not only spiritually dangerous, phones waste inordinate amounts of time)
-(I recommend no video games. There are simply many better ways to enjoy life, socialize, learn, problem solve, etc. VGs are overly stimulating and will thereby keep your child from turning to healthy recreation such as reading & instruments. It’s like the rat who chooses the cocaine instead of the food constantly until it starves to death.)

WORK & SERVICE:

-JustServe.org and app to focus on the needs of others
-meeting neighbors
-helping neighbors; get tools for the little kids so they can feel involved
-gardening. It has been said that there is in dirt an enzyme that produces dopamine in the brain
-ministering assignments
-Vocational training can be very fun; fun experimenting/tinkering can be what inspires/leads to discovery of what one is interested in for a vocation.
-in the McConkie home, when father came home from work and his children were just sitting around, the first thing he would say to them would be, “isn’t there something you could be doing to help mother?”
-President Kimball said a life full of leisure and free time is unnatural and unhealthy.

MUSIC:

-in the spirit of Zion being independent, learn to make your own music. The confidence and deep abiding joy that come from learning piano (usually the foundation) and other instruments cannot be overstated. Learning instruments also helps youth orient themselves toward classical symphonic music.
-uplifting genres include classical, symphonic, folk, choral, Celtic, opera, etc.
-gone are the days when families would sit around the front room or the fireplace and sing songs together. Bring them back!
-Presidents of the Church have said in regard to music, there is so much good, don’t bother with the bad. Easy access to beautiful music is one of the most powerful tools from the Lord in these last days. (And easy access to evil music is one of the most powerful tools of the Devil in these last days.)
-(I highly advise against pop, alternative, rock (even soft rock), & rap. Studies have been conducted wherein these have been shown to correlate with unchaste behavior.)

TREATS:

-Banana cashew vanilla extract ice cream
-berry smoothies
-popcorn with yeast, cinnamon, etc.
-apples with peanut butter, honey, etc.
-see Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book on how to feed kids right
-(partake not in the plagues of fast food, junk food, etc. It’s tempting to justify using these to build relationships, but such is Babylon logic. Junk food is a gateway to other drugs, getting a person in the habit of overstimulating dopamine & insulin.)

DATING:

(weekly for couples & mature singles over 16)

-Walks are the way it was don’t for millennia. It works great. It’s free, its conversation stimulating. It releases endorphins, which you then associate with the person you walk with.
-(avoid movies, they don’t build relationships nearly as well as conversation & interactive activities.)
-picnic. Way cheaper than restaurants.
-(avoid any places where there will be bad influences or unsettling unholy music)

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY:

-President Monson said every boy needs a dog. (see “To The Rescue” biography)
-learning to care for and even train animals can be an excellent & fun way to teach behavioral psychology & relationship skills.
-animals teach us many things, and help in temporal preparedness.
-with caring for animals youth easily step into the world of biology, anatomy, & physiology, which can then lead them to microbiology, chemistry, etc.
-though we avoid eating meat as directed in the D&C, raising farm animals is fun, educational, and helps with preparedness.
-hunting for meat can be educational preparedness when the youth understand that we eat meat only sparingly in time of need.

Careers and making the world a better place: Happiness theory

Its true we must provide for our families, and that some trades are safer than others.

Perhaps as a side hobby and later something greater when skill becomes a reality, a person can do something that they enjoy.

Someone said “don’t seek what the world needs. What the world needs is people who have come alive, so do what makes you come alive.”

Many are the stories of people who sought money focused careers, quickly burnt out, then found real joy and provided with a smaller yet sufficient wage in something they greater enjoyed.

Perhaps a fella wants to make hats. He could find some real joy in becoming an excellent hat maker. He could enjoy seeing the people glad he sells them to.

What we must avoid of course is becoming a pessimist, always grumpy, outwardly doing all the right things, but being a wreck inside, a smiling face at work, and a downer at home.

A related thought is this: we must react to life’s difficulties in healthy ways. Perhaps this is a key to God, that he reacts the curve the nature, to bend the will to the Father, to make something good out of a difficult situation.

Some take this too far and have a life of minimal thought, and maximum pleasure. This is surely not pleasing to God.

A man must, to be without flaw, have thought for the economy. He must, particularly if his vocation is ethereal, have supply laid up in store for a change in times which could require him to a life of more financially driven work.

It is a noble thing to seek learning, and this must be in the heart of the fabric of whatever we are doing, and not just limited to the skills of our chosen vocation.

Be Simple Concerning Evil

A scrip says be ignorant/simple when it comes to evil. I think this applies to movies which show horrendous evil abuse vulgarity and violence but say “its ok he is the bad guy, the good guy will crush him”…
It’s an excuse to indulge in and relate to the evil. We don’t need to see so much detail of how evil people conduct their lives.

Find adrenaline rushes in ways God permits. “Touch not the unclean gift.”

Nibley points out how both nephites and lamanites were wicked in much of the warring.

Isaiah says turn from violence. Surely this good guy vs bad guy violent genre of entertainment is not becoming of saints.

I hearken to the day when plays did killings behind the curtain when such was needed for the plot.

No Ones Owes Children Entertainment: Meditations on a Boyd K. Packer Statement

President Packer said no one owes children entertainment. I’ve long pondered on what was meant by this.

Alas the purpose of life is knowledge And saving souls

Isn’t the movies
Isn’t the games
The free time is not free, but is to learn, not fake but real learning.

The single thing that should be on our minds every day is to learn to read to think.
The Lord puts his stamp of approval on this theory when he said in the next life those who have more knowledge will be to so much greater advantage. The other thing he highlighted as a significant advantage is to save souls therefore we are to combine these 2 And use our knowledge to save souls.
The purpose of parenting should not be to make memories of fun silly things together though some of that is important look at the Bruce R McConkie family they were not a recreationally based family they spent their time learning and preaching. This is what makes the character of a person, not the fun.

Children should be an asset to the family. They should be expected to work along side the parents. Play, yes, but with intermittent work, even in evenings and weekends.

A parent has no obligation to provide the thrills of the neighbors, or elaborate incentives for the obedience of their children.

Limits with peers of your children are acceptable also. Never let a friend of your child do things in your home which you would not allow your child to do, such as use immodest clothing, have unrestricted access to phones and internet, be exempt from whatever work the family is doing that day or evening, etc. Along these lines, a parent should know the parents, home, and specific activities of what the child is doing when at another person’s home, and should collaborate with the parent, not the child, about these play dates.

Video Game Concerns

Main points:

There are some Possible Benefits namely of educational and uplifting games.
It’s a Waste of Time. Learning and fun can take place in much more productive venues.
It’s Not Creative, typically just repetitive and flashy.
It’s Addictive in Nature. No one can argue against that.
It often removes morals from stories and just focuses on fighting and mashing buttons in certain combinations.
It weakens the physical body by immobilizing us for typically inappropriate lengths of time.

Video Games don’t teach a life lesson and they rob from other important social and intellectual play, Perhaps our pleasures need to be contributing to a larger ideal..

-Beware the virtual reality effect, which is that people consider that life itself is a program of little importance, and that it is therefore not important to treat others respectfully. Some even take this to the extreme and kill others claiming to be setting them free from the simulation/Matrix/game etc. Some lose the moral compass of fairness in the 1st person mentality, thinking that you can and should do anything and everything to promote your own success and welfare without thinking on the welfare and happiness of others. Elder Bednar gives “an Apostolic warning” about getting too into avatars, virtual realities, and certain cyberspace interactions in an address titled “Things As They Really Are”. In that address, Elder Bednar says “a simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.” I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes. If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.” (June 2010- Ensign, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/06/things-as-they-really-are?lang=eng). For a documentary on how Hollywood is pushing a doctrine of life being a virtual reality, and some of the consequences of that narrative, see “Hollywood’s War on God” by Good Fight Ministries (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC7jYfL2Ufc).

-ensure they aren’t losing out on too many social activities replacing them with video games

If you are spending large amounts of time on video games, you might do well to consider whether you’re avoiding something about your real life which is causing you to spend so much time in a virtual one. Life is short, and we can do great things in it, even adventurous things which are real! We need to sharpen our bodies and minds and souls so we can take on challenges in life and become real heroes! As great as it is to be skilled at a game, it doesn’t begin to compare to be skilled at something productive. I never heard of successful video game playing being a key to heralding in world peace.

Introductory Caution from “For the Strength of Youth” section on entertainment and media, “Satan uses media to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal, humorous, or exciting. He tries to mislead you into thinking that breaking God’s commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for you or others. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable.” (https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/entertainment-and-media?lang=eng)

-Interactions with other humans including touch warmth etc. only had in a personal contact, don’t occur in screen time. Development of the brain and everything else thrives with human contact. Even baby carriers are dangerous because it takes away from time one on one with mother. Read “the connected child” by Karyn Purvis, who specializes in working with difficult children.

-Screens overstimulate nervous system in infants/toddlers

-potential to have autism-like symptoms if use too much https://www.madinamerica.com/…/virtual-autism-explain…/

-potential for addiction

-rapid images the little brains can’t handle i.e. before age 3, could if exposed greatly before that age decrease social and language skill

-negatively limit and effect the prefrontal cortex

-kids zone out when on screens and neglect their conscience whispering to them to attend to their duties. It could be said that video games have an overwhelming effect on children, which results in a minimalized agency, a captivating effect similar to drugs, which take over further and deeper than the user intended.

-speaker from BYU who is a research doctor of neuroscience- one of the foremost experts in the field. She talked about the damage that screen time does to the developing brain in terms of physiology, emotional growth and potential for addiction

-too much games and kids can be at a loss as to how to play creatively without them (like how people who use alcohol begin to not be able to have a good time without alcohol (same goes for other drug abuse, pornography use, fornication, gambling, over eating, etc.))

-social media in particular can be a source of much negative peer pressure

-a lack of hands on aspect can decrease learning / long term storage of what is learned

Screens present a lot of sensory output at the same time

-screens can tempt kids to not practice musical instruments, to not do homework etc., so you have to monitor them to make sure they aren’t abusing screens

-screen time potentially correlated with fine motor delay (the ‘why’ on that should be obvious)

-may cause ADHD symptoms; see book: The Pied Pipers of Autism—How TV, Video, and Toys Cause ASD. 2011: Merced by Oestreicher, L.

-potentially decrease long term memory

-potentially disrupt sleep time

-Even though gaming with others could build relationships, we likely should try building relationships in productive ways rather than trivial ways.

-Some military trainers speak of how they use violent games to train their soldiers to kill, as it is otherwise unnatural to kill. They know fully well that these games desensitize to violence.

-See Ensign article “It’s Only Violence”

-Though fun is inherently good, we should avoid fun which is a slippery slope, which video games often are.

Educational Video Game Suggestions

My top suggestions for games would be puzzle based games and simulators which are not just fun, but are educational at the same time. We have so little time in life, and we can often multitask.

Oregon trail wii
Trauma center new blood wii
Anno create a new world wii
Nat Geo challenge! wild life wii
My horse and me wii
Blazing angels squadrons of ww2 wii
Hysteria hospital emergency ward wii
Trauma team wii
Zoo hospital wii
Fishing master world tour wii
Food network cook or be cooked wii
Animal kingdom: wildlife expedition wii
Cooking mama: cook off wii
Grey’s anatomy wii

Stardew Valley on farming

There are computer games (can’t find them on a game console) of various “simulators”. Flight, ambulance, truck driving, helicopter, Emergency Room, Farm, Ranch, etc. There are likely others such as mechanic, etc.

Roller Coaster Tycoon – teaches how to manage a park, build coasters that work, etc.

Mine Craft – some say this can be useful like sandbox play or Lego play to practice building structures.

Tetris –builds spatial skill

Cautionary Note: Not all supposedly educational games are appropriate. Some suggest Assassins Creed due to it being very historically accurate, but from what I’ve seen it is too violent, despite the ability to turn off the blood/gore/foul language. The same would apply for games like Prince of Persia.

Cautionary Note: Not all “family friendly” games are appropriate. The characters often are still violent, rude, etc. Further, most family friendly games are still a waste of time and addicting. This said, you may find some of these more ‘clean fun for the sake of fun’ games to have some usefulness. One could make a case that plain old fun games are in and of themselves educational due to the puzzles and exploring one does in them, I’ll let you decide. Those games are fairly easy to find so I won’t list them here.

Competition & Violence Guidelines

Wendy Nelson reports in her book “The Heavens are Open” that if characters in a movie argue, President Russel M Nelson walks out of the movie! Praise the Lord for the revelation of this mighty standard! Truly this man speaks with God! She talks about how this is in following with the Saviors injunction to have zero contention. With this foundational principle of avoiding contention as the foundation, lets take a further look.

I know violence is bad, but wrestling and exercise/sport are good. Joseph Smith was a great wrestler. So where is the line between violence and ‘grappling’? Is it anger vs competition? Can we fight / spar in good spirits? Then we get into the violent gaming conversation (grappling games, war games, etc.). Is it OK if we’re shooting “aliens” / “bad guys” just not civilians? The For the Strength of Youth manual on entertainment states “Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable.” Some say let kids essentially chose their entertainment with some guidelines, focusing on letting them safely explore their interests/talents rather than micromanagement.

What about the stories of the hero’s with their bow and arrow, their sword on their horse, is it so different to have the hero holding a gun? Even scripture characters use “violence” when needed. Should we just say ‘hands off’ policy on violence unless someone is literally trying to kill us?

Can we picture George Washington, Captain Moroni, or Joseph Smith playing war/battle-based video games in their free time? It seems these men of combat who we hold highest in our esteem are they who liked it the least. One the other hand, perhaps what they do for recreation doesn’t matter so much as that they didn’t seek to have too much of it.

A study showed that those who watch violent media are slower to react with compassion to the suffering/needs of others. This violent media could include film, gaming, or even music with improper lyrics or tones. Are we sensitive, or past feeling (ref)?

As a father, I often take the role of “you can do it, be strong, toughen up, get ready for the outside world, compete, try it on your own, you don’t need help, make your own decision” sort of character.

I don’t think paintball is bad (glorified tag), so why would a game doing something similar be? It’s tricky and several factors are involved, such as one is killing the other is tagging, and one potencially involves gore and delight in bloodshed while the other does not. What is violence? The dictionary says _________. Is it just intent to harm? I suppose any sport could be violent if the intent was to harm the weak rather than to enjoy the fair exchange of skills.

Porter Rockwell certainly liked to shoot guns, and guns are often a friend to the friend of liberty, a tool to be respected and restrained rather than a venom to throw away.

In the book “Daughters in My Kingdom” (published by the Church about the Relief Society), one sister preaches that we should not let our children play with guns (perhaps she was referring to very small children? I would agree if such is the case.)

Joseph Smith reportedly said that those who tote firearms will one day live to regret that. Obviously, Joseph wasn’t anti-gun, he hired Porter to defend him with a rifle, and Joseph carried his sword when acting as military leader for the citizens of Nauvoo, him being the governor. He had a gun at Carthage, and some fault him for using it, but it is wise and just to defend oneself against a murderous mob.

To be immersed in blood baths and gore, and detailed killings, these things are obviously not good at all. If a game has a sense of fear and darkness, it is likely not of God. Perhaps the greatest measuring rod is the spirit which the activity produces. If it creates the spirit of contention (which is of the Devil), or if it produces a simple uplifting competitive activity.

As for violence in the games: does it glorify violence? You make the call. Kids wrestle, etc. Some “fighting” is more playful grappling than warfare. I don’t think paintball is bad, so why would a game doing something similar be? Granted it also seems that you’ll need to judge the disposition of the child to see if they are mature enough to remain a peaceable soul if they play such games. The body is a blessing from God which we can use to grapple etc. Joseph Smith liked to wrestle people, and was very good at it. Porter Rockwell certainly liked to shoot guns, and guns are often a friend to the friend of liberty, a tool to be respected and restrained rather than a venom to throw away. There is debate on the subject. In the book “Daughters in My Kingdom”, one sister preaches that we should not let our children play with guns (perhaps she was referring to very small children? I would agree if such is the case.) Also Joseph Smith reportedly said that those who tote firearms will one day live to regret that. Obviously, Joseph wasn’t anti-gun, he hired Porter to defend him with a rifle, and Joseph carried his sword when acting as military leader for the citizens of Nauvoo, him being the governor. It’s also good logic to say that you don’t bring a knife to a gun fight, and thus we should be armed in whatever grade equipment which the military has, so we could, as a local militia, defend ourselves if ever a tyrannical government sent troops upon us, as happened at that time of the revolution of America. So we see that men must deal in guns and so forth at times. We might consider that the age of man used to be lower than what it is now, namely that 12-year olds were essentially considered often mature enough to have a job, and perhaps a few years later to start a family if another mature candidate of their age so inclined. The historian will understand that we used to consider our younglings our able of understanding mature topics, and participating in the transition to adulthood at a younger season. Today a new advent of transition to adulthood from age 18-25 has risen, perhaps an older standard for maturity (as measured by the willingness to assume mature roles in society, namely those of being a spouse a parent and an independent worker (and yes college students can live on their own with their own created families and be independent workers, they need not wait for all those things until graduating college)). It seems to me reasonable that some amount of becoming familiar with weaponry through video game consoles could be beneficial in the fun aspect (fun is good in and of itself), and the aspect of learning respect for firearms. But to be immersed in blood baths and gore, and detailed killings, these things seem not good at all. If a game has a sense of fear and darkness, it is likely not of God. Perhaps the greatest measuring rod is the spirit which the activity produces. If it creates the spirit of contention (which is of the Devil), or if it produces a simple uplifting competitive activity.

Do not the heroes of the stories go about with their swords, the bow and arrow, and was not their bravery with those tools considered something of high regard? Do not even the characters of scripture at times use weapons? The Book of Mormon depicts that usually it is both parties in a way who are in the wrong, but it also points out that it is better to fight back to defend one’s self than to let an enemy mow you down.

It seems not very different wheather the hero wields a sword or a gun. Their hero is noble if he only uses force when absolutely needed, and never to an opponent unworthy of battle, never with by standards who need not be engaged.

It would also seem useless to have a conquest where there is no story, no scenario to show that the battle was needed. And surely if the character warring is doing so for an evil motive, such as taking money from bystanders not involved in a declared war of defense, surely such a character is the one who glorifies violence. To glorify violence, to love and thirst for blood, to war monger, to seek destruction, this is the opposite of the man who only resorts to violence when it is to defend life liberty and property, as such are sacred.

Perhaps it’s just a simulation and violence is only when we are using our body to harm someone else’s body? This cannot be. Violence must be an attitude and intention. It can be by word or thought as well as deed.

See also this Ensign article denouncing violence in entertainment: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2003/06/its-only-violence?lang=eng

-how does it make you feel about the holiness (sacredness) of life?

-are they in control like any good sport, or losing control?

-are they getting interpersonal skills, or are they known for being one who quickly resorts to violence?

-Do the characters get more or less power when they get angry?

-killing is crossing the line and no longer is ok, it’s not a sport we tolerate

-wrestling is good and right for body and soul

-there must be consent between competitors

-the scriptures tell us to not do violence or anything like unto it, and simulating is like unto!

-does it correctly portray good and evil?

-does it involve strategy, or just violence as the answer to everything?

-remember context, intent, boundaries, cooperation, sportsmanship,

-aggression in man needs to be expressed correctly

-3D simulation tricks the mind and leads it hungry for more since no physical activity accompanies it. Pause often for physical activity.

-is winning more important than people?

-not only have no evil, but have the presence of good, not a void

-sports, not violence, are the channel God has given us to entertain ourselves.

-would I be ok with myself doing this in real life? Do I wish for my subconscious repeat this scene of “my” actions over and again?

-Recall the need for restraint and self-control. As the scripture says, the man who controls his temper is better than the man who conquers cities (ref).

For me, I tend to look at when violence is gratuitous or being glorified. I think there are ways to tastefully show tough/violent events that is done with a respect towards the weight of subject matter but without gratuitous blood and slow motion and over focus on the violence that almost opens up this sort of glorification or blood lust.

When learning about the Holocaust you encounter a lot of death, almost more than one can stomach. It isn’t right to dwell in or obsess over darkness, but still it is necessary to know the darkness so we can fight it.

“But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” (Moroni 7:13)

Brigham Young says to beware tragedy violence in the arts: “Tragedy is favored by the outside world; I am not in favor of it. I do not wish murder and all its horrors and the villainy leading to it portrayed before our women and children. I want no child to carry home with it the fear of the fagot, the sword, the pistol, or the dagger, and suffer in the night from frightful dreams. I want such plays performed as will make the spectators feel well; and I wish those who perform to select a class of plays that will improve the public mind, and exalt the literary taste of the community.” (Brigham Young, JD 9:242; Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at the Dedication of the New Theater in Great Salt Lake City, March 6, 1862. Reported By: G. D. Watt.)

Women Should Not Be Warrior Killer Heroes

The adversary wants a woman anywhere but in the home nurturing her children or building the kingdom of God.

Women are heroes, but do they need to be the typically male type of hero, or is there another place for them to be heroic?

Should women be military figures? Should they go around killing people for the good of mankind? Should they be body builders? Haven’t the prophets called for more kind women, not more mean women? Isn’t it a theme of many movies these days to have women as the killers? Aren’t women’s bodies built different for a reason?

Well did a prophet say that when we get the real history is the world and what made greatness, it will be mother’s who traded children well, more so than military generals, etc. When God needs change on earth, he sends a baby who will grow up well taught by its mother.

One summarized the shift in equalizing gender roles, “In 2003 we started really seeing women going to war overseas and placed in harm’s way. We are blind if we do not see the social impact that this has had on our families, especially our fathers and the men in our lives. Men have abandoned the Christian principles of “Women and Children First”. Sending women overseas would make no sense whatsoever if as a society we did not stop teaching this. Now, it is survival of the fittest with evolution thinking winning. No longer is it where men lay will down their lives for women. This principle is gone and we have been desensitized to it through movies, books, and images that are constantly thrown at us. No one is protecting their homes from this evil thinking that is part of shaming our men. We are now okay to hear women raped, and legs blown off or captured and attacked- it doesn’t shock us as we have allowed an agenda through our amusements to come into our homes and shred the most foundational part of our Christian upbringing.”

Women should not serve in the military for many reasons. We are built differently inside and out. There is a lot of scientific evidence to support this. Women are made to be nurturers. We bring individuals together and provide comfort. Men are built to provide protection and strength. We fulfill our roles best when we follow the principles of the gospel.

Judge Deborah apparently went into battle with her husband barrack. Joan of Arc also went into battle (though perhaps as more of a figure head). But these are the exception to the rule.
But it is obvious that Hollywood is pushing for a complete deletion of roles. Some stores are being fined now for separating boys and girls toy sections, etc.

The world seems to only put value on a woman if they use their gifts to fill mens roles in relation to violence and war. But then, the world is obsessed with war. What would the world really be like if our men could put their strength and gifts fully into creative endeavors instead of destructine ones. Obviously there are plenty of women with exceptional physical strengths and gifts, but it makes me so sad that the world twists everything so that women only have value if they are more like warring men and men only have value if they shed their righteously protective and creative gifts.

I started making a list of the many movies pushing the woman warrior narrative, but was quickly overwhelmed as its such a prevailing theme these days. The agenda is obvious. The home is the last place for a brave and respected woman to be.

Pre-Mature Content Exposure Harms Children

As we analyze a movie, we need to look at not only the deeper meanings, but the surface meanings which many viewers will see. A big reason we need to make sure the audiences are mature and can analyze the bigger picture is because isolated scenes can lead someone to get the wrong idea. Young children in particular are only capable of fragmented understandings, and need content which is less dramatic which they can comprehend.

For example: an immature audience can see a sword fighting scene and say “swords are the way to solve all of our problems.” The mature person can see the same scene and say “swords were the last resort to solve that problem.”

If a child sees one of its parents abusing the other, it is considered child abuse, as no child should be exposed to that. Could we not argue then, that it is child abuse to expose children to horrific movies where abuse takes place? Surely the tender spirits of our children need to be protected with utmost care, and only a mature young adult should be exposed to such things.

Each parent needs to measure the maturity of their child to see what will and will not be appropriate for that child to see. Maturity is often different than just age related. For example, some people are ready for marriage and other adult roles earlier than others. Some youth are more prepared to understand the complexities of life than others.

Movie Philosophy

There are so many uplifting movies that we don’t need to trifle with the bad. No more sitting at the enemies’ table!

When screening movies we should be sensitive to more than just flagrant sexuality or violence. We should be sensitive to rude attitudes toward peers and parents. To subtle suggestions of rebellion, etc.

There are great suggested movies at “Zion Tube”, a Joseph Smith Foundation website. They have a genius method of categorizing movies: simply as Good, Better, & Best. Naturally, many commonly viewed movies of all ratings don’t make it on to any of their lists.

Movies should teach, not just entertain. A movie without moral lessons should be thrown in the trash! We don’t have time for that! Sister Nelson pleads with us to realize our divine destiny on earth, and reminds us that we don’t have time to do things in ways other than the Lord’s way! Further, President Nelson told a group of Mission Presidents in training that when their 3-year missions were over, they were to return home and prepare for the Millennium. Truly His coming is neigh! May we not be guilty of whittling away our precious time!

Movie Suggestions: Children

Note: Do not rob older children of development by sheltering them from movies about some of the hard lessons of real life. Movies should teach, not just entertain. This being said, be considerate of what is age appropriate.

Torch Lighter series (cartoon episodes on courageous religious characters in history of the reformation, etc.)

Lassie

Prince of Egypt

Liberty Kids

The Black Stallion

The Living Scriptures: Animated Stories

Davy Crocket

The Other Side of Heaven

Because of Winn Dixie (Based on the book)

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

Muppets Treasure Island

Muppets Christmas Carol

Wallace and Gromit

Chicken Run

Wish Bone

The Pagemaster

Around the World in 80 Days

Young Sherlock Holmes

Tom Sawyer

Huckleberry Finn

Swiss Family Robinson

Jeremiah Johnson – western – 1972 ?

Movie Suggestions: Action/Suspense/War

Valkyrie

Ben Hur

1984 (George Orwell) – black and white version

The Great Escape

Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) – space suit version

Lawrence of Arabia?

Sherlock Holmes (older not newer, the newer ones have lots of violence and questionable scenes)

Man in the Iron Mask

The purple rose of Cairo

The Patriot (seek edited version)

Braveheart (seek edited version)

Erik the Viking?

Hamlet – 1990

Iron Will

Elizabeth: The Golden Age – PG13 – 2007 ?

All quiet on the western front?

Gone With The Wind

Movie Suggestions: Drama

My Fair Lady

Beautiful Mind

Life is Beautiful

It’s a Beautiful Life

October Sky

Patch Adams

Mr. Smith goes to Washington

Little Women (book is better, movie has less references to God, etc.)

Charles Dickens BBC Dramas

Shakespeare Dramas

Movie Suggestions: Theater/Musicals

Hunchback of Notre Dame – Broadway

The Sound of Music

Little Women

King and I

Singin’ in the Rain

Annie

My Fair Lady

Darby O’Gill and the Little People

Movie Suggestions: TV Series

Little House on the Prairie (the books are better, the videos have less references to God, etc.)

When Calls the Heart

When Love Comes Softly

Andy Griffith Show

Beverly Hillbillies

Perry Mason (one of Thomas S. Monson’s favorites)

MASH

BBC Productions of literature by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, etc.

Movie Suggestions: On Classic Literature

Sense and Sensibility – 1995

Pride and Prejudice – 2005

Gone with the Wind

Scrooge – Patrick Macnee ?

The Damnation of Faust

Cassablanca

Its a wonderful life

Life is Beautiful

Les Mesrables – old version

The Scarlet Pimpernail

The 10 Commandments by Cecil Demille (other modern versions often wrongly portray Moses as very doubtful and angry, and overly emphasize violent encounters)

To kill a Mockingbird

Wuthering Heights – 1939

Bleakhouse – 8 hr version, BBC

Edmond Druid, BBC of Dickens

Oliver Twist – BBC series

Little Dorrit – BBC

Other Dickens

Star Wars Concerns

Some consider Star Wars to be an uplifting story of good vs evil, of using good religion (Jedi/light side) vs bad religion (Sith/dark side), being aware of personal weakness and passions, etc. I won’t extoll the possible virtues of the series here, everyone seems to be savvy of those already. Here I wish to highlights some possible concerns, then each can chose for themselves.

Language: Generally wholesome with a few exceptions. The newest trilogy Eps. 7-9 has a few swear words.

Costumes: Generally wholesome and modest clothing of robes. I can say that the heroes always chose to dress modestly, which is great. One scene depicts Leah as an captive sex slave, being forced to wear immodest clothing. Yes it is evil that the bad guys did this and it isn’t saying it’s a good thing, but they didn’t have to show that. The casino/bar scenes do have a few immodest characters passing by, as is common in those unruly environments. Unfortunately, Fin calls the casino they’re in while looking for a hacker, a delightsome place.

Fantasy: There is much of the fantastic in these movies. This is potentially dangerous as it desensitizes the viewer to reality. On the other hand, this can stimulate creativity.

Gender Roles: With exception of Ep. 7-9, the male and female roles are typical and appropriate. More on this in a section below.

Violence: The level of violence portrayed in the films are concerning, particular for young audiences. The choreography of the sword play is quite good, especially in Eps. 1-3.

Horror: The final scene of Ep. 9 was particularly terrifying. It included a demon man calling for human sacrifice, transfer of spirits, and dead demons chanting in the background, typical of demonic scenes. This scene is too scarry and will cause nightmares. Exposure to such evil is likely not healthy, especially for children. Also scenes of Sith holding people in the air and choking them is quite terrifying, and exposing children to that is potentially abusive. There is also a scene where a nice robot appears to be possessed by a demon, having red eyes and speaking in a low dark voice. The robot is translating an evil text which is needed to unlock something, but the demon moment is scarry and unnecessary.

Dangerous Yoga & Scarry Force Powers: The Jedi have a sort of yoga-related out of body experience. This is dangerous.

Images of people using a power to choke each other, push each other, etc., are particularly horrifying.

The force is accessed not by obedience to God but by getting in tune with nature. Seems like yoga and new age. The other view of this is the god is the god of nature, and their access to him as they knew him was through nature. That was all that was revealed to them in that age, they did their best.

Redemption of Anakin / Vadar: Despite running around killing children etc., this character is redeemed based on a single good deed. This is questionable at best. Possible, but sends a message of death bed repentance which is false doctrine. We don’t know the heart and pressures etc., but the message the vast majority of the audience likely hears is “I can live an evil life and turn around any time I wish and be just fine.”

Burning the Temple: On face value, Yoda (the chief prophet figure) seems to say “away with organized religion” by burning the Jedi temple, and what looks to be like burning the sacred texts / scriptures (despite the hidden message that maybe the texts were saved, which few viewers would catch). A closer look shows this isn’t what Yoda is saying (he is trying to help Luke balance his views), but for most viewers (particularly susceptible children, a large portion of the audience), that’s the message that gets across.

Possible Anti-Christian Storyline: The chosen one Christ figure Anakin turns out to be super evil and overly controlling. Some interpret this as an anti-Christian message saying that Christ (and organized religion) are really the bad guy. I don’t think this interpretation of the story is necessary, but I do point it out. Likely the story is designed to say “watch out or you’ll mess up your destiny for greatness if you give yourself up to your passions,” but in today’s predominantly anti-Christ culture, the story may not be interpreted that way.

X-Men: Blatant Gay Agenda

While we do need some training on how to be tolerant to those different than ourselves, the X-men series was over the top propaganda for homosexuality. The producers admit this, and this alone is sufficient reason to boycott the series.

These are a few notes from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qWceLl65IM&t=24s

Put the link of good fight ministries

These are a few notes from that

the producers of the films specifically said in their own words that these movies were meant to be analogy of mutant is homosexual

There’s a coming out of the closet scene one of the movies where a boy admits to his parents that he’s a mutant and his parents try to talk to him about it and the boys mutant friends are over there with him and bully the parents for even questioning mutant status

Magneto played by that one guy I have to find his name Ian McClellan or somebody he wasn’t going to be in the movie but it’s only when he found out it was an analogy for gay rights that he decided it would be worth his time. He says whenever he visits a hotel he finds the Bible and rips out the page in Leviticus against homosexuality he says he’s done that to around 70 Bibles

There’s a luciferian scene where a mutant jumps out of a window and is falling like Lucifer the fallen star and then last minute catches himself with magnificent wings it’s about saving ourselves instead of needing a savior

One mutant is called the beast and he is a diplomat who tries to get laws passed in favor of mutants

Frozen Movies: Unthawing the Propaganda

Kids see it and list after their powers and looks

Grown women in a bed together

Many lesbian themes

Weak men

Songs about exploring forbidden paths

Songs about letting go of social norms

Frozen is a mockery of Puritanism, of Martin Luther, of everything Christianity and Christian culture stands for.

It is both interesting and ironic to compare the sung speech of the character Elsa in Frozen with that of Martin Luther before the Holy Roman Emperor. Both say, “Here I stand.” But Luther meant he was free from fear and from other authorities because he was bound by the Word of God and its norms. Elsa speaks for the contemporary culture by saying she can be free only if there are no boundaries at all.

The phrase “Here I Stand” has gone down as a famous and treasured Christian motto from the Reformation. For centuries it was recognized as the call of those who were brave enough to stand by the scriptures, to stand by the truth and to stand by God, whatever the cost. Play video

And now…… we have a female protagonist, in the midst of utter rebellion to God and His law, stamping her foot down and shouting, “Here I stand” after she has thrown away here crown (symbolic?), her robe (symbolic), “loosened” up her previously tight and refined hair, changed her manner of walking from those of an innocent child to a seductive woman, exchanged her clothes for what Liz called a “very immodest and revealing dress” and a host of other symbolic changes. Just an accident? Not a chance.

The Let It Go song says, “No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free!!”

At this point it goes without saying that Elsa is not a good example for our children to become obsessed with.

Disney tried to get people more accepting of homosexual relationships in a more subtle unconcious way with this movie, because they knew that christians were not ready to let their children watch a movie that was openly about homosexuality. The first time I watched it, I loved it and didn’t really notice anything wrong with it, but later as I thought about it and watched it again, I realized that it turned the standard Disney movie, of girl meets boy and longs to be married, they fall in love and live happily ever after, on it’s head. They made a mockery of Anna falling in love with a man and wanting to marry him, by the song that she and the bad guy sing together and then it turns out that she was just stupid and naive for wanting love and marriage, because the man she loved was evil. The song let it go, talks about letting go of doing what’s good and and worrying about that anymore and just doing whatever she wants to. It also shows how the main character, Elsa was the strong, smart powerful one, because she doesn’t need a man or marriage. It also shows how the standard “true love” that saves all can be between two women and doesn’t need to be between a man and a woman. There are lots of other subtle things, but those are the main things that stick out to me. It is very anti marriage between a man and a woman and has lots of subtle messages that the love of 2 woman is what is the greatest of all love!

The cinematogogrophy, animation and cgi in this movie is one of Disney’s most dazzling. They followed all the rules of aesthetic and made it an absolutely enjoyable movie to watch. I think that was designed on purpose to distract from the messages. To create a positive experience while listening to the awful programming. Like a spoon full of sugar to help the messages go down. Let it go is one of the most enchanting scenes Disney has ever created.

The Matrix: Antichrist Propaganda

Is the Matrix an analogy of resisting futuristic tyranny, or an attempt to dismantle the doctrine of Christ? Though I can see either interpretation, the following evidence suggests the latter.

Sections:

UNCLEAN CONTENT

TRINITY AS THE UNHOLY GHOST

NEO AS ANTI CHRIST

MORPHEUS AS LUCIFER

ORACLE AS FALSE PROPHET

ZION AS HELL

CREATOR GOD AS EVIL TYRANT

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

UNCLEAN CONTENT

If for no other reason than the unclean content that fills this movie, this movie would be detectable as a movie inspired by Satan. God doesn’t teach with such means. This reveals the movie’s overall philosophy is not pro-God/nature and anti-tyranny, but rather pro Lucifer and tyranny.

-The movies are inherently violent, and gratuitously so.

-Several characters are dressed very immodestly.

-There is at least one sex scene.

-Frequent foul language

TRINITY AS THE UNHOLY GHOST

-Neo meets Trinity, the Holy Ghost symbol, at a dirty bar.

-Her costume is immodest in how tight it is

-Trinity hovers in a bird shape, making the symbolism increasingly obvious

-Neo dies and Trinity in her kiss gives him the breath of life resurrecting him, and sparks are shown in the background, giving the spark of life. So this questionable character somehow has power to bestow life.

-She saves Neo at a place with a street sign of obvious biblical significance

NEO AS ANTI CHRIST:

-Neo is obviously a Christ figure. He is a Messianic hero. This is a useful motif in many stories and analogies. However, the way he is depicted and the philosophies he espouses suggest that he is more of an antichrist than a Christ.

-Neo says he will show a world without boundaries or limits. But of course, such a world cannot be.

-Neo dies in a cross shape

-Thomas A Anderson is Neo’s name; Thomas is the doubting apostle, the one who demanded tangible evidence.

-Neo (new) Ander (man) son (son): New son of man.

-Neo finally ascends like Christ; questionable music is played during this by heavy metal band Rage Against The Machine.

-Neo was much more violent than Christ as far as methods of revolution go.

MORPHEUS AS LUCIFER

-He offers Neo the fruit of the tree via the pills which have power to eject him from the Matrix

-tells Neo the Matrix is what he experiences when he goes to work (communist anti work), when he goes to church (anti religion), and when he pays his taxes (anti government and social order)

-He tells Neo to follow a white porn symbol rabbit to a bar

-He gives Neo instantaneous skills which Neo doesn’t have to work for. This resembles communism of getting things for free, and resembles deals with the Devil, where in exchange for the soul, a candidate gets great skill, etc.

-The ship of the rebels is called Nebuchadnezzar, symbolizing the stone that would smash the icon.

ORACLE AS FALSE PROPHET

-She tells Neo that he is NOT the one, lying to him because ‘that’s what he needs to hear’. But true prophets don’t lead people via lies.

-She gets turned into an agent, whose job is to police and destroy those who question the Matrix

ZION AS HELL

-Zion is depicted as a nasty rave

-Zion is depicted as underground deep in the earth, the typical area symbolized as hell.

-Everyone is jumping around in a disorderly way, and scantily clothed.

CREATOR GOD AS EVIL TYRANT

-Some argue the Matrix is good as it suggests resistance against a futuristic tyranny. Here I’ll explain why I don’t think this was really the case.

-The philosophies that inspired the matrix weren’t that the God of nature is good and the system of control is bad, but that Jehovah the creator made this earth as a place of control, that our bodies are bad and usurp our spirits, that Lucifer was the good guy, and that Jehovah was banned for his tyranny.

-The creator of the world as we know it is shown as the bad guy. This is anti God. It isn’t saying the false system is bad and nature is good, its saying life on earth itself is bad.

-Several homicides have said they did what they did because they were freeing people from the Matrix.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

-Good Fight Ministries Gnostic etc.

-Jonathan Pageau analysis of the Matrix

Twilight: Yikes, No!

This series targeting female drama is not to be trifled with. It contains gruesome and terrifying themes. It depicts characters formerly known as evil, such as vampires werewolves etc., as actually being good.

It was said that the value of Harry Potter is that it teaches to have good friends, but that the value of Twilight is that it teaches the importance of having a boyfriend! Not at all a very noble theme. Harry Potter is another debate, but it does appear far superior to this series.

It is also not honorable that the boys stalk the girls in criminal ways.

I am not very familiar with these books or movies, but really can’t stomach the idea of becoming so.

Potential Dangers of Disney

There are perhaps a few Disney movies that are uplifting, but by and large, I believe we should reject these teachers of magic and their immorality which are crafted in pleasant packages.

Does not Lucifer appear as an angel of light?

It is disturbing to see the various propaganda put into Disney movies.

It is well known that the Disney actors often grow up to be abominations.

It goes beyond subliminal and hidden messages of sex and other depravity.

Often the characters are rebel against their parents.

Often the parents, especially the fathers, are shown as incompetent when compared to the children.

Religion is usually depicted as an outdated useless structure.

Parents are often depicted as dying, and are otherwise disposable.

Additional resources:

-Disney Magic Kingdom or the Kingdom of God – The Movie // Jason Cooley: (~1 hour)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH0fBWwpP6A&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3zhp1SxdDRH87jRQe0N35ydyaXf80UuBPL59ZF2bhBoJUySeQYh_dKTgA

-SATANIC DISNEY EXPOSED AND OTHER ILLUMINATI MOVIES DOCUMENTARY 2018 by 123 Conspiracy (~10 hours) (a Christian presenter) (even points out how Bambi, Dumbo, etc. have corrupt gender agenda planted in them)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMBaXVCl62A

-SATANIC ILLUMINATI MUSIC EXPOSED DOCUMENTARY 2018 by 123 Conspiracy (~10 hours) (shows corruption in music in the 1930’s) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmWg579aDq4&list=PLGN0R6JwkIYESLiwMQjBefX_7mJutN7nf&index=2

Fantasy Concerns

Here is the case against fantasy, which I find noteworthy at least, true at best. The feast on fantasy must be filling some need people have. Fantasy is sometimes a more morally clean and modest genre of writing, it also allows for exploration of big ideas hard to explain with non-fiction. This said, I hope we can find other venues to fill these needs, at least by and large, based on some of the concerns listed below.

Sections:

(pending)

Fantasy Desensitizes to Reality & The Gospel

Fantasy is Wasteful

Prophets have Discouraged Use of Fantasy

Fantasy is often Dark & Horrifying

Fantasy Easily Becomes an Obsession

Joseph Smith was known to be easily drawn to laughter, and frequently played with children and his brethren, playing sports and joking with them. He said we shouldn’t be too involved in the fantastic, but that a good sense of humor is of God. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

Avoid witchcraft in all its forms like the plague. Many are the scriptures in condemnation of such. Do not think that we can have these fantasies of alternate universe without God where the wizards rule the day. Such is not true, no, and never was nor will be, worlds without end. There are always Gods governing the cosmos. Not wizards and magicians! Such things are of fallen kingdoms, and are cast out, not given power and authority. The Lord is whom we should seek.

A friend pointed out, “Films can have a powerful influence on worldviews—how we see and understand reality. No medium, be it film, art, literature, or music, exists in a vacuum. In short, ideas have consequences.”

Perhaps we aren’t looking hard enough if we feel fantastic stories are needed to teach us life lessons. Hugh Nibley said we all have a full time job discovering the history of this world. Do we know more about fictional narratives and characters than about characters of the reformation, the bible, the restoration, the renaissance, the inventors, the various heroes of reality who really have overcome the world? Perhaps reality is a better teacher after all.

Several prophets have spoken against consumption of the fantastic, as it desensitizes a person to reality. Joseph Fielding Smith suggested that Christ would not try to teach us with far removed fantastic ideas. Joseph Smith said to not dabble too much in the fantastic. Some prophets have even said fiction in general is unworthy of our time.

God is creative, but he doesn’t create bazar things. He follows the standards of the universe & regular nature.

Some say, “without fantasy, what would we read/play?” this is an embarrassing statement, showing great ignorance. We live in a time of greatest availability of books etc., and this is no longer a good point, if it ever was.

It could be said that fantasy is to be used only sparingly, that it is like eating French fries. Is it healthy? For those who know anything about nutrition the answer is an obvious no. Is it fun? Of course. Is it worth it? Rewarding alternatives can be found, but if we are to use the ‘junk food’ of literature, it should be done only sparingly. (Naturally this is offensive to those committed to the genre, and yes I’m sure there are some meaningful points in those books)

Fantasy often involves witches and wizards. This is potentially dangerous as the bible speaks against them, despite of the possibility of them being unrelated to reality in their alternate universe.

Perhaps for those called to serve the Lord (which can be any of us), fantasy is not worthy of their time. Joseph Smith was chastised in the Doctrine and Covenants several times for becoming distracted or taking something too lightly. He was told that he would lose his gift and become like other men if he treated lightly the things of God (D&C 3:4-15).

Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

Someone suggested that we can’t say there’s good and bad magic, “White magic is described as “good” magic, as opposed to black magic, which draws upon the powers of evil beings. Opinions vary as to the differences between black and white magic, ranging from the idea that they are two names for exactly the same thing to the belief that they are completely different, especially in goals and intent. The Bible DOES NOT differentiate between “good” and “bad” magic. Magic is magic as far as the Bible is concerned. IT IS A COUNTERFEIT to the priesthood. Scripture doesn’t distinguish whether the magic is supposed to be used for good or for bad; it’s all forbidden because it appeals to a source of power other than God.”

Some suggest that we must use teaching tools which explicitly show Gods point of view, and that fantasy doesn’t do that, “Satan is so subtle and crafty, and that these books are truly a way to normalize and wrap witchcraft in an attractive package. Satan believes in “a fight of light over darkness.” He has just inverted light for darkness and darkness for light (Isaiah 2). As Christian families, we must look for books and movies that teach about the fight from God’s perspective, not from the twisted perspective of the adversary. You don’t learn about good and evil from Satan.” Others might suggest that they can in fact find God’s truths through lessons taught in fantasy settings.

Children remind us of the magic and wonder that is our reality our earth our life

The quote saying the mark of a truly learned man these days is to know which books not to read or a truly wise

do we know the stories of Star Wars or other fictional things better than we know the stories and characters of the Reformation of the restoration of the founding of this country of the great prophets of old of the Bible characters of the great inventors of the Great contributors in the enlightenment and Renaissance

BY: “Now is the time for labor. Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the house of the Lord, burn in your hearts like flame unquenchable.”

Have you listened to the heavenly Man or God’s Smuggler? I should say that is how we build the Kingdom of God and is what is expected from us…not puzzle building and building ourselves first up… The world tells us to work on ourselves first…this is a pure lie….instead, we are to lay down our lives in the service of God, glorifying him, and that is how we are BUILT to then go build the kingdom. We have been trained to not have a Christian worldview only humanized worldviews. Show me in scriptures where it says to focus on ourselves first. However, I do love puzzles but not as a tool in building the kingdom of God.

Also, I just have one ultimate question………… Who has the time?! Honestly, if you feel good about returning to God and reporting that the time HE gave you was spent in another reality. And that your reason was that you were trying to find Him and His symbolism instead of going to the source, well albeit

We are not on our own time. Every single second belongs to building up the Kingdom of God. Spending time in a world of fantasy or places or things that “could” exist seems like a tool of Satan used to DISTRACT us and TRAP us.

“A fanciful and flowery and heated imagination beware of; because the things of God are of deep import; and time and experience and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity–thou must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart! None but fools will trifle with the souls of men.”
— History of the Church volume 3
— Joseph Smith’s letter to the saints from Liberty Prison March 25th 1839

“If I spend a minute that is not in some way devoted to building up the Kingdom of God and promoting righteousness, I regret that minute, and wish it had been otherwise spent. This proves to me that the Spirit of the Lord is with me.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 12, pp. 217-221, May 17, 1868

Resources for additional study against fantasy:

https://ldsanswers.org/5-reasons-our-family-does-not…/
https://www1.cbn.com/…/harry-potter:-the-hero-for…
https://christiananswers.net/q-eden/harrypotter.html
http://www.mcreveil.org/…/witchcraft/harry_potter_en.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2aUXXeRfkc…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uzTulaKLhg

On corruption in Disney: https://youtu.be/tH0fBWwpP6A and https://youtu.be/s3tSzM5iU4g

Fictional Reading Ok if Realistic

Brigham Young said, “Now understand it—when parents whip their children for reading novels, and never let them go to the theater, or to any place of recreation and amusement, but bind them to the moral law, until duty becomes loathsome to them; when they are freed by age from the rigorous training of their parents, they are more fit for companions to devils, than to be the children of such religious parents. . . When I was young, I was kept within very strict bounds, and was not allowed to walk more than half-an-hour on Sunday for exercise. The proper and necessary gambols of youth having been denied me, makes me want active exercise and amusement now. I had not a chance to dance when I was young, and never heard the enchanting tones of the violin, until I was eleven years of age; and then I thought I was on the highway to hell, if I suffered myself to linger and listen to it. I shall not subject my little children to such a course of unnatural training, but they shall go to the dance, study music, read novels, and do anything else that will tend to expand their frames, add fire to their spirits, improve their minds, and make them feel free and untrammeled in body and mind. Let everything come in its season, place everything in the place designed for it, and do everything in its right time.” (Brigham Young, “Organization and Development of Man,” Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, (Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1855), 90-96; Discourse was given on February 6, 1853.)

Elsewhere in the sermons of Brigham, he didn’t seem to like the reading of fiction as it was a waste of time when we could be doing otherwise prudent things. Are we in a generation so prosperous that we actually have time for these things? I don’t know.

Fiction talks about things which are hard to understand. Folk tales from the beginning have done this.

There is a difference between fantasy and science fiction. Fantasy has more witchcraft. Science fiction deals mostly with advancements in technology. However, Orson Scott Card says the only real difference between these two genres is that one has a forest theme on the front cover, the other has a space theme on the front cover.

BY does call for cultivating the mind, don’t some classic novels cultivate the mind, like Faust, which teaches the folley of a deal with the devil? Or jekyll and hyde which teaches to avoid substance abuse? Or dorian grey which teaches to not be narsisistic etc?

I do prefer nonfiction and to learn of reality and useful things, but always thought great classic fiction books were of high regard and to be used sparingly and that a life void of them was living beneath it’s privileges and wasn’t deep as it ought be?
…

Some have said novels like little women and Jane Austen are good
..

Some prophets like Brigham Young, Joseph F Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, and George Q Cannon have spoken against reading fiction. But has this sentiment of zero fiction been echoed? I think Elder Holland recently said a list of some of his favorites as he studied English in college. David O McKay also was an English major and memorized poetry from Shakespeare and many others. What remains however is that none of them seem to be in favor of fantasy novels which are far removed from realistic scenarios. However, if there is a good book of fantasy, it would belong to Zion, as Brigham said all good things belong to Zion.

Pres David O McKay read tons of classic fiction, he woke early to review books from 4-6am, he would quote thousands of them.

There are times when prophets and apostles speak from their own opinions and the cultural opinions of the times. Not everything they say is inspired. There is a lot of value in a variety of literature Follow the Spirit.

I am not one that likes to read “girl” books and always thought Jane Austin was going to be just that…but knowing she was an Eminent author, piqued my interest in learning more. (I love reading from pure fountains only…I don’t like wasting my time elsewhere). She is now a favorite of ours and worthy of a place on my bookshelf and heart. My grandchildren are in love with her, as we now have a rooster named Mr. Darcy, and a rabbit named Bingley and Emma. Her writings have taught us much about refinement, courting, patriarchs, roles of servants, true love, and sacrifice. They are keepers! 🙂

It’s not sci-fi that made us think of invention it’s the other way around. We don’t need sci-fi to inspire invention. It could be said that yesterday’s fiction is today’s reality, and we do invent etc., but we don’t need trivial novels about it.

Eternal principles can be learned from dark, depressing literature (just read the Russian authors).

Some Tolerance for Fantasy Genre Themes with Expanded View of Religion

Hearkening Back to a Noble Time:

I think many Christians, including latter-day saints, have an affinity for the fantasy genre as it often depicts a time of nobility. The costumes are often elegant and modest. The characters have a sence of duty, chivalry, country, family, and chastity. Romantic relationships are depicted as delicate and courteous, with marriage and family as the goal. Characters struggle through the hero’s journey fighting against evil against all odds. People are starving for virtue and direction in this world of fluid morals and evil opinions. To some, many fantasy writers capture the good in their work.

Naturally some take the fantasy genre and go off the rails, mixing in all manner of evil, gender distortion, obsession with female warriors, and other perverse roles. If you find some merit in fantasy writing, then seek the good authors and reject the bad, just like you would in any genre.

Multiple Gods:

Some fantasy considers multiple Gods ruling in the universe. The restored gospel perspective of mankind’s ability to become like God makes these stories of interest.

Catastrophic Nature:

An understanding of a catastrophic past rather than a uniform past gives

God Creating Via Existing Materials:

This restored doctrine opens the gates for many ideas.

Cosmological Religion:

Catholics and Protestants saw anything related to cosmology as Pagan and of the Devil. The truth is that both God and the Devil use cosmological symbols. Satan, of course, userps God’s teaching tools. A significant aspect of the restored gospel is cosmology. The book of Abraham speaks of the various star systems. Joseph Smith taught of Kolob, the “heart star” near God’s throne, as it may be interpreted.

Anthropomorphic God:

The restored truth that God has a body and was once a man who progressed to the full stature of Godhood opens the door for much expansion of the mind.

Caution When Condemning:

Many familiar with the bible reject the Book of Mormon as additional scripture. We should be careful that we are not rejecting things without careful analysis. We know that the words of God are many, that humans are inherently creative, and that there is some stock in the mythology of old, as God has spoken not only to the Jews, but to all nations.

Resources on Movies & Games

Book: Oestreicher, L. The Pied Pipers of Autism—How TV, Video, and Toys Cause ASD. 2011: Merced

David Williamson Shaffer: how computer games help children learn

You Can Find Me in the Garden: Quotes & Analysis of Candide by Voltaire

Quotes:

“Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste.”

“You’re a bitter man,” said Candide.
That’s because I’ve lived,” said Martin.”

“Let us cultivate our garden.”

“But for what purpose was the earth formed?” asked Candide. “To drive us mad,” replied Martin.”

“I should like to know which is worse: to be ravished a hundred times by pirates, and have a buttock cut off, and run the gauntlet of the Bulgarians, and be flogged and hanged in an auto-da-fe, and be dissected, and have to row in a galley — in short, to undergo all the miseries we have each of us suffered — or simply to sit here and do nothing?’
That is a hard question,’ said Candide.”

“Our labour preserves us from three great evils — weariness, vice, and want.”

“She blushed and so did he. She greeted him in a faltering voice, and he spoke to her without knowing what he was saying.”

“When a man is in love, jealous, and just whipped by the Inquisition, he is no longer himself.”

“In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.”

“Martin in particular concluded that man was born to live either in the convulsions of misery, or in the lethargy of boredom.”

“And ask each passenger to tell his story, and if there is one of them all who has not cursed his existence many times, and said to himself over and over again that he was the most miserable of men, I give you permission to throw me head-first into the sea.”

“I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our more stupid melancholy propensities, for is there anything more stupid than to be eager to go on carrying a burden which one would gladly throw away, to loathe one’s very being and yet to hold it fast, to fondle the snake that devours us until it has eaten our hearts away?”

“But there must be some pleasure in condemning everything–in perceiving faults where others think they see beauties.’
‘You mean there is pleasure in having no pleasure.”

“All men are by nature free; you have therefore an undoubted liberty to depart whenever you please, but will have many and great difficulties to encounter in passing the frontiers.”

“Cela est bien, repondit Candide, mais il faut cultiver notre jardin.”

“Even in those cities which seem to enjoy the blessings of peace, and where the arts flourish, the inhabitants are devoured by envy, cares and anxieties, which are greater plagues than any experienced in a town when it is under siege.”

Analysis:

Analysis of this book is divided into 2 sections: The Pococurante Episode and Cultivating Our Gardens. Candide is a social critique satirical book.

Pococurante Episode:

The Pococurante episode draws much from its name- Pococurante in French means someone who attains or possesses. The character Pococurante had it all. The episode illustrates how that’s not the solution.

Candide had seasons of begging for his bread, like when he first left his boyhood “best of castles” castle, and the Bulgarian men let him eat with them, but he said no, not having money even to sup. They insisted, and Candide ate. Candide carried his optimism at this time, saying that all that happened was for the best. Candide eventually lets his pursuit of Cunegonde be a driving factor of his life, and he comes upon much evil and beatings along the way, but when he gets to El Dorado and receives lots of money, he becomes a weaker character. He begins to try to buy everyone out, trying to be a hero how he deemed it in his childish optimistic mind. Pococurante, like those who get money from Candide, the slaves etc., don’t get happiness from their money. Voltaire was satirical in his writing to attack bad social systems of his day, be they the aristocrats like he (a very bold denunciation) or abusers of women (as we see how the prostitutes don’t like their livelihood they hate it, as Paquette, whose name means gift in French, but they do it to stay alive although in mystery), or church leaders, or governors. Voltaire was a defender of good, he showed the lifestyle of Pococurante was bound for failure, that not dozens of the best thinkers works would please him. Even Martin, the ultra-pessimist old man of the book things to find some good in Pococurante’s immaculate library, but Pococurante insists that it’s all rubbish, not more than a handful of it all worth any time. At least Martin, the pessimist, made himself to be patient in the farm cottage where the narrative ends, seeing that he would be ill-treated, bad off anywhere he goes. At least he wasn’t so much of a problem.

In Voltaire’s day, the Catholic church extracted money from its people (of whom these were many as forced by the crusaders), and in other ways were very abusive to the people. They were killed for having a copy of the bible or wanting one. It was a time where “Great Inquisitions” were happening, where to do something about it were killed. The church leader “The Grand Inquisitor” so named in the text was a personification of this. Be it paying off sins, or paying friars for sermons, as we see in the last few chapters of the text, the church was largely built on money. We see it failed in being good for its people and did more harm than good. The friar in the text gives sermons for money, but at the end of the day, he, as he says all his comrades, go home gloomy as the rest, and we find this friar looking for happiness with the prostitute Paquette. So, Voltaire has this other character, Jean the Anabaptist, who isn’t so “religious” formally as he is just a good person, always acting for others. Ana-Baptist in the 18th century when this was written could mean anti, or, that he was obviously not the stereotypical religion person of his day, yet he was more “religious” than the best of them. Voltaire fearlessly teaches the renunciation of pride and riches, showing repeatedly the unhappiness from them. Candide loses his El Dorado treasures when the robber voyage man’s ship sinks, and we find our hero wanting him dead, and rejoicing in his sunken ship almost as he would rejoice in love, being with Cunegonde. He is addicted to riches, rejoicing when one red sheep laden with money comes back to him, thinking that he is on top again, deeming that the world is good because it gave him money, and he is so audacious as to link that with the hope for true love, that he would have chance at finding “his” beloved Cunegonde. Candide Martin Dr. Pangloss Paquette Cunegonde and the old lady nestle in a cottage home choosing farming as their intent Turkish neighbor with merely 20 acres of farmland he tills himself with his household to avoid the 3 evils highlighted in the text (weariness, vice, and want), reasoning that maybe there they would find more than what Pococurante, the owner of the pleasure that comes from being pleased by nothing, had found, or than the glory-ease-loving x-kings they supped with who were dethroned by war who went around seeking special treatment and to live in the past where they merely were popular and at ease. Candide is ready to renounce the world and all its madness he has seen in it and go to his Cunegonde dispute her new ugliness to honor his honor and manhood. To cling to the only virtue he ever knew, however small it was.

Cultivating Our Gardens:

Candide saying they need to work and maintain their gardens was the solidity he had in his life that kept him going. Finally he had a homestead away from the Bulgarian army with 30 thousands being killed in their wars for not enough reason, or from his make out to be perfect home castle where he was hidden from the world and learned virtually nothing, and worse, did virtually no work, making him be weak, and making him take a long many whippings beatings from Bulgarians etc., loses of riches from robber sailors and demanding slave owners he bought the slaves Dr. Pangloss and his brother in law loses of his love Cunegonde from expulsion from the castle from holding her to her being a sex slave dish washer depressed barely surviving victim of prince in Constantinople, or her having minimal faithfulness, marrying merely to satisfy her temporal want of money.

Candide had been raked over the coals by experience, and pessimist friend Martin that his philosophy that he held so dear in his heart of all-encompassing-optimism, seeing all was as it ought to be and was for the best, Candide saw slowly to renounce that, all though he still clung to happy moments like reuniting with Dr. Pangloss and seeing the Turkish farmer be simple and happy, and seeing Cunegonde dispute her barbarity and unattractiveness.

Candide in effect is done philosophizing, he has taken to the method of the only stable truly happy individual he knows, the Turkish farmer. He doesn’t want to get mixed up in more war and loose more friends and must masquerade all over the world again. He says to Pangloss, at Panglosses suggestion, at all whit’s end, that rather than play with the idea of all things they had been through having worked to their good, Pangloss feeding his atrophic desire to be a professor of a distinguished German college, oppressed with philosophy and thinking and talking to be at peace in his life, set on the come what will and just let it be that way- attitude, being grateful for the seeming “cheerios” they were munching on, these tiny gratuities they were not at ease to enjoy, Candide doesn’t but all this now! Now perhaps we didn’t act in the prime way, and maybe that’s why we’re out here in this forsaken place eating these forsaken victuals. No, Pangloss, let’s just get humble before we fall on our ignorant faces again and go start digging our way out of this whole. Let’s not let fate wash over us lest this garden we’re enjoying the small ravishes of even be overtaken by weeds, and we lose everything else of the everything we’ve lost. Pangloss, our eating these things right now, lives how they are now, have NOTHING TO DO with the pirates, the wrappings, the misfortunes, the cannon ball experiences we’ve walked into. The world is crazy Pangloss, and I want to just stay here and take care of the one thing I have liberty over. It seems these basic human rights you’ve preached to me all through life aren’t so basic, and I’m not dancing in that circle any longer. You’d do well yourself to set those books down a moment or two and till this garden, lest it gets over run and we’re back on the luck shop riches poverty chase lifestyle, and I’m tired of that! El Dorado was a hoax, they wouldn’t admit us there anyway we need to work what we’ve got and see if we can’t blunder it away too. Depending on others to survive is as good as putting your cheeks in the butcher’s hands and shaking on the salt. I’m all for philosophy and optimism Pangloss, but not what you’re used to. One too many harlots Pangloss, one too many free tickets and quick fixes. You can find me in the garden, and maybe then we’ll talk.

Comparing Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid

I will show how the Odyssey was positive and encouraging for people like the Aeneid also, and importance of God’s and man’s wills. Homer shows men act and Gods help, Virgil shows Gods act and men are pawns, but in a good way. Both are Hero’s to look up to- Aeneas commanded ship men to stay true on scary waters to Italy, Odysseus helped the men stay strong when approaching the island where Polythenia the one eyed moister lived.

They both like humans and revere the God’s- Aeneas helped his dad get away from their homeland in Troy so he would be safe even carrying him on his back (and wept for the welfare of others). He acted that way to the Gods also, trying to pay due respect to their wishes, and believed that as he did that he would be protected- He was – Odysseus on the other hand would pray to Gods for aid but go do his own thing. Odysseus and Penelope were very shrewd, whereas Aeneas and his Dita were very opposite, he is stern, she is kind.

Aeneas was self-centered- political movement over family- they both united with then left women on their journeys, but Homers moves were to help him get to his family, and those of Aeneas were to establish a political kingdom, Rome. There is some sympathy for Aeneas however, seeing as how his homeland was taken over.

Both Homer and Virgil play up the character to be the role model for human beings, and better than anyone ever known up to that point.

Odysseus was more like a spy, having to often wait to reveal his identity like when he was with Cyclops, and waited until he was rowing softly away before he deemed it safe to reveal his identity and also in Ithaca making sure all was as how to best do things based on his intellect that might otherwise fail whereas Aeneas could show up and off the cuff take over and win every time.

Odysseus was a more solitaire journeyer, not so much support, being cast from one island to the next we hear little of his companions although he does have some at times. Aeneas we find in more battle situations, and we only hear of Odysseus’ past battle experiences. They’re similar because the main victory of the battle over Troy was given to Odysseus, and the main person who founded Rome was Aeneas. There are enemies to these heroes. It seems that for Odysseus, the God Zeus is only looking out for him because he was a just fellow, and the Gods value justice and just people getting, by blessing the just persons, the Gods are making a good investment so to say, getting something back for what they put in -but Aeneas seems to be secure in his destiny (from the readers point of view maybe not from the point of view of Aeneas) because he is the one whose fate is elected to start Rome. The Gods seem to like him a lot more than Odysseus since Odysseus got tossed around the sea more and had more one on one battles than Aeneas – aka more life-threatening encounters. Aeneas mom is a God named Venus, naturally he would have a lot of help. It’s to say he is part God himself, whereas Odysseus was only aided y Pallus Athena to look like a God sometimes when he needed to persuade people. We see Odysseus as being as it were, a lot more proved to real human infirmities dispute his zeal- like when he found himself on the island of the Athenians he was so beat up he looked like driftwood- even left naked. Also, Odysseus, who usually held his composure, yelled out his true identity when sailing away from Polythenus to irritate him. Odysseus was very good at wowing people- all the girls wanted to have him, from Athena, to Calypso, to the daughter of the king of the Athenians and so on. Odysseus had to earn his respect with people who didn’t know him whereas Aeneas seemed to have a self-inherent respect.

There is an enemy to Odysseus namely the suiters for his wife Penelope waiting back at home where he was the king of Ithaca, and Aeneas had a foe as well that he ended up killing, but it was just one man instead of a myriad of suiters. Odysseus had already helped Ithaca, and wanted to go there again to keep things, especially his nuclear family but also his kingdom there, in order. Aeneas had a different path, he was aging to establish the great mighty God-ordained Rome. He had a lot bigger of a mission to go on to, whereas Odysseus seemed a lot more normal of a person, but oh the way he introduced himself and spoke so dazzlingly to people- like when he begged for the mercy of clothing from the Athenian princess and called her a Goddess, asking her if she was so. It seemed Odysseus earned his favor with Zeus, and Aeneas was just picked to settle Rome etc. because of who his mother was. It seems the Odysseus was a lot more refined of a man because he kept his composure and hardly ever wept except for on one occasion where the Athanasian Islanders were having a festival celebrating the grandeur and losses of Troy. Odysseus seems more independent. Odysseus seemed more family centered that being his main drive (even though he obediently his family for a season out of obedience to the Gods). We hear about how Aeneas was entrusted with the tutelage of a lad at war times, but Odysseus and his son worked very closely together to restore unity and normality in their home against the suitors.

Homer’s Odyssey appeals more to the human side of people because it is a man always on the edge. Virgil’s Aeneid is unique in that it is a telling of a preexisting tale but in a different way, but that the main hero is more unable to fail makes it less applicable to the reader (perhaps the Romans wanted to look better than the Greeks by having a more invaluable hero). It is to say, “Join the strong establishment of the Gods” whereas Homers Odyssey is to say, “Do all you can in your sphere”. Rome and Greece are both noble places on some accounts, but the literature proses that Rome was the best, that it was what had been waiting to happen.

These works were both to show the art of language since they utilized language (Homer in Greek, Virgil in Latin) like no one else did. Both are to teach of what humans do when pushed to their limits, like Dita’s suicide and Penelope’s strange putting off suitors for 20 years awaited her husband’s return. Hence both teach the valor of women being true to whom they fall in love with. Both depict that the best woman type is a strong woman. Dita was a great leader of a warrior people and Penelope was strong and wise enough to trick suitors and not give in to twenty long years of their relentless antagonism (they were after power she had etc.) After Dita’s husband was killed she shut down, as did Penelope when Odysseus was so long gone, but powerful deep hope was shown in both by Penelope awaiting the return of her Odysseus, and Dita in opening her heart again once she had found this new love Aeneas. They both show a woman’s dedication to her husband as being a key trait of their valor.

Both works are extremely religious where God’s and mortals are constantly involved in each other’s affairs. The Gods want the mortals to acknowledge them and let them run the show in The Aeneid, while in the Odyssey it’s more of a dog eat dog situation, but for anyone who is super determined like Odysseus, a Goddess will, like Pallas Athena, help you where you would otherwise fail. Both heroes get helped by The Gods, but in the Aeneid the big picture is displayed- the Gods want a utopia society, so they have one man make it happen. In the Odyssey, it’s like the Gods are letting the mortals figure things out, and helping them as they ask for it, like Odysseus constantly praying, seemingly getting his cunning as a gift from the Gods because he asked for it.

Analyzing Don Quixote’s Cave of Montesinos

Quijote’s inner self he sees himself as something very different than an old commoner who, yet intellectual and likes to read, is just a man like the rest of us. The encouragement from seeing his beloved yet enchanted Dulcenia del Toboso there helps him to renew his journey, so he can go on and continue to change the public feelings on expressing one’s inner self, ones dreams and convictions to the utmost. Quijote can, in a very real sense (since it forms his and others’ behavior), to change his destiny by small and insignificant things, like 30 minutes in a cave. It was much more than a cave to him though, just like how everything else in his poverty-stricken low-class life. He had to make do with what he had to create his ideal reality, and the ideal reality for the rest of humankind.

So, the immaculate detail we read of in the episode of the cave of Montesinos is just as necessary as all the other detail we hear of in the tale on The Knight of the Sorry Fact who becomes the Knight of the Lions. Detail, when you have so little adventure to whorl with in the reality that you have been given, makes all the difference. Palace halls, divine callings from a mysterious enchanted being, these all go to confirm to Quixote the importance of his mission and renewed his confidence in it. He had renewed confidence in part 2 vs part 1 to begin with, deciding to leave his home yet again besides the petitions of his caring niece and maid. Like Virgil’s Aeneid in something of a decent to Hades, Quixote relished the opportunity to have a rebirth experience, rising out of the cave like a birth canal or a tomb. Quixote had to have sources of strength so he could be one for his people, first of all for his squire Sancho Panza, whom he had to reassure constantly that his island awaited him, and that he need not doubt the many requirements of chivalry as being entirely necessary in every case, be it attacking sheep, windmills, these giants and armies, or whether it be demanding involvement in the releasing of a boy being whipped, or swiftly getting princess M. who turns out to be Dorotea, getting rid of all the giants in his way in whatever from he saw them, wine skins of what have you.

There is always Quixote telling Sancho promise of reward so great that he should not ever spend his time asking about how great the reward will be (isn’t that how the gospel of Christ operates to a point? Or at least should operate if we live it?).

Panza’s desires for rewards turn from islands to a more blessed pleasant existence from time to time, but Quixote revives Sancho constantly, and Sancho takes courage at the words of this dedicated man living the lives of the knights and realms of his books, seeing those as the only path toward a good society.

One may consider the need to defend into the pit a peas of Quijote’s dedication, seeing we could say, to defend into every possibility for adventure. The essence of a Knight errant is that he is something of a “yes-man”, taking upon him nearly every adventure so long as he could justify it (so long as it was just).

Quixote was unconquerable and laughed at the prospect of being put under arrest for the deliverance of criminals. Quijote’s method was that he was so important, being on his quest for peace on earth, especially the sake of his dearly beloved beautiful to him although extremely unacquainted Dulcenia del Toboso, as Knights errant do. He must go into that cave for his fame now growing, he becomes even more brave and developed finding out his story has been published, and although detailed it is yet with some discrepancies he would say of its completeness, he was still proud to be going down with the heroes in being in a book of chivalry. Quixote although still insane, begins to be seen in part 2 how society is being to imitate him, and he must carry on doing every civic deed he is blessed with the opportunity of partaking of. The magic is still very alive to Quixote even when he recognizes the knight of the woods and mirrors to be Samson, the college student, it was a mere enchantment to show that he was to have mercy on this fellow and let him live.

Quijote has enemies and friends but he goes on in his adventures and be it going in a cave on sleeping in the woods when a bed at an inn is offered him at time to time, he must act congruent to a Knight because he is one. At least he is set on service rather than trivial matters like the inn keeper so concerned about his dues on strange occasions like dealing with lunatics like Panza and Quijote. The cave descent is important as all Quijote’s extravaganzas, and out of loyalty, for certainly no money was coming in, nor a whole rib uncracked remained in his stomach for that matter, Panza followed Quijote as his traditional Knight Squire, and his wife even allowed him to go.

Quijote’s errands were strange, all of them, but the important fact was that he was doing them, not so much that he was successful in every case (he usually doesn’t get the outcome he expected). By doing what he says to do, Quijote reunited the eternal lovers Leona and D. as well as the revived lovers Don Fernando and Dorotea. We see Quijote does a lot of good even when he doesn’t realize it. Since Quijote decided to be a Knight errant and go on every feasible quest like into the cave, he set up the stage for things to happen. Were the priest and the barber sitting around doing their normal tasks, the deranged forsaken wilderness bound lovers would have remained that way and perished by depression and grief comp rending on their souls day by day as that was the consuming thought of their conscience and their first story to tell anyone who met them. Quijote’s cave dive is symbolic of great things happening by following your dreams. The vision he received there , we have no reason to dispute he did receive it since he is the only witness of his conscience, save it were the short duration of time he spent there- time means nothing to Quijote, this shows that we create our own reality and build with what we have to give us the motivation to do as we see right and true. Quijote had seen, in his mind, through his books, 100’s upon thousands of warrior Knight errants who made their name known this by sword rather than by pen, and he knew in himself that he could revive chivalry and a society with Knights at its core defense and virtue, a revived symbol of a character and force that stops not at their own experience to do right, and laughs at opposition. Sancho, never having had seen Dulcenia del Toboso, randomly picked who was available to be she when they were in Toboso for Quijote. Seeing her appearance different Quijote fell back on truly wicked enchantment, which so often played part in the mysteries of his journeys, attributing her altered appearance to mystery or magic. Quijote was fine to begin with about the pact that compared to other women, a commoner would not think Dulcenia beautiful, but this didn’t matter to Quijote, what she steer for in his mind made Quijote admire her as much as anyone ever adored anyone, this he explained to Sancho when Sancho thought she was not ugh to look at having known her from town.

It’s a long dark descent into the cave, where revelation comes, where we all need go to get our eternal bearings but ascend we must. We think it take s longer than it does to go through these type things, because we are experiencing the full weight of them in detain, and they are the world to us, we are so sure that this absolutely must be where we are supposed to be, loving the adventure of it. Be it in a dark cold difficult cave, it beats sitting at home and watching life go by. Who them is willing and bold enough to ascent their caves, and who will believe virtue? (For Quijote spoke virtue, and none believed him. None were willing to leave their riches for the master).

Musical Instruments: A Fun (Working) Approach

-Playing an instrument can be fun, that’s why we want to learn and teach it, more so than for everyone to be on a professional orchestra. Granted reading sheet music is fun too, but perhaps not a great place to start. Perhaps learning ‘tabs’ to learn new songs is a great foundation before moving on to sight reading sheet music, so the artist gets a feel for the potential and joy of playing songs on the instrument. Granted this approach may work better for some instruments than others. Many great musicians didn’t know how to sight read. Many folk musicians learned by tradition and family playing around together more so than learning sight reading. The training in sight reading is often void of musicality, rhythm, or predictability.

Here is a great video on how learning music should be fun, rather than obsessed with teaching sight reading “Rant: music lessons should be FUN” by Lindybeige https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iMOmYcZ2KY

A key part of learning instruments is learning to enjoy hearing that instrument. Therefore, some of what I’ll present with each instrument will be videos of delightful performances thereby.

Key fingering charts, chord charts, etc., are easily found in PDF format on the web or in inexpensive beginner instrument books. There are however great video and otherwise tutorials on the web for learning instruments.

Someone said “We learn to read and write after we’ve mastered speech. But the standard of terrible music instruction is to learn an entirely new and unintuitive writing system before we have any real idea what it means.”

Surely a desire toward any instrument will involve both hearing it played well and toying with it in a casual setting for quite some time before much reading and drilling takes place. After the formal trainings begin, much time still is required for freestyle playing, “scrimmaging” if you will, and an at least partially self-elected book of songs to learn, in addition to classical arrangements.

Instrument Resources

Sections:

Accordion – Bagpipes – Banjo – Clarinet – Flute – Guitar – Harmonica – Harp – Percussion – Piano – Tin Whistle – Violin – Vocal

Accordion

Dolan’s pub (Limerick, Ireland) – Irish Traditional Music Session (with great accordion)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9a8pVGa1Mo

Bagpipes

Bagpipe lessons: Garden valley pipe band

FourWinds. The Flags of Dublin – (With fast bagpipes & accordion)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uqcoeLR7TA

Banjo

Clarinet

Flute

-Sacred Place by Mary Youngblood on Sacred Place

Guitar: General

-Here is a great acoustic guitar teacher, Kelly Valleau (kellyvalleau.com); about $11/month to subscribe to his website. The free portion is videos of him doing songs which you can learn lots from, but for tutorials and tabs to music he wrote for guitar based on popular music, subscribe to his website. Check out his YouTube channel too. Buying tabs on his songs are about 5$ when you’re a subscriber (half of the usual about $10). From what I’ve seen of his videos, he is a great teacher with lots of fun songs.

-free tabs and tutorial videos etc www.tabs4acoustic.com

–www.ultimate-guitar.com (free or pro versions)

-Materials from TL (takelessons.com): Why to use sheet music not tabs by TL https://takelessons.com/blog/classical-guitar-tabs-or-sheet-music ; Learn to read sheet music for guitar by TL https://takelessons.com/blog/learn-to-read-guitar-sheet-music ; Reading guitar tabs by TL https://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-read-guitar-tabs-z01 ; Guitar chords for beginners by TL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwPswoolmz0&feature=youtu.be&list=PL6sZOxaobhPa8t8YI0NCFSBHY5rz509D_

-Mr Levi Clay: the country fingerstyle guitar method: a complete guide to Travis Picking, Fingerstyle guitar, & country guitar soloinn

-Rob Thorpe: first pieces for classical guitar

Guitar: Celtic

-Stephen Wake, acoustic Celtic fingerpicking guitarist: Buy tabs for music by Stephen Wake at his website. ; Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar – Three Irish Reels – DADGAD – Stephen Wake (one of my favorites) https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=37&v=IVlvhfWcNho ; Celtic Guitar – Return to Kintail/ Calliope House – Stephen Wake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLm7O2hIYIo ; Celtic Guitar Jig and two reels – Stephen Wake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EriD_PKRmAE

-Flatpicking Celtic guitar book and audio CD on Amaon https://www.amazon.com/Flatpicking-Celtic-Guitar-Book-audio/dp/1934163279

Guitar: Finger Callus (likely delete all this)

acoustic strings are harder so help with callus

short frequent practices rather than long sessions

dip fingertips in alcohol to dry the skin out (Eric Clapton did) (seems harmful though)

keep your left (fret) hand with short fingernails so the finger does the pressing, not the nail

press fingertips on a plastic card or other hard thin solid edge

you can buy a guitar callus builder tool, like “Varigrip” by Planet Waves

apple cider vinegar soak before and after practice may relieve pain

don’t play guitar right after hands wet or the strings shave off weeks of calluses; you could use a hair drier to dry your hands if you need to play soon after water.

You don’t need to press on the strings super hard, that just makes fingers tired faster, and potentially develop carpal tunnel or tendinitis.

don’t put superglue on finger, makes strings messy, and doesn’t develop callus

don’t pick at the callus

in a month or so the callus will develop and you won’t have pain when you play

get the fingertip to callus in more than just one spot by intentionally using other parts of the fingertip so that when you need to do slides etc. you’re ok

dig your thumbnail into your other fingertips

do exersizes of playing 3 notes at a time as seen in this article https://www.guitarhabits.com/21-cool-3-notes-per-string-exercises-to-rock-on/

playing 30 minutes a day you should have calluses in about a week

some layers of skin may fall off, there are harder layers of skin underneath, this is normal

some advanced guitarists say calluses are not needed, and are even more responsive to the strings, but most guitarists seem to have calluses.

If there is sharp pain you may be hurting nerves so take a break

If you play for a long time like 4 hours, your fingers will hurt even if you have callus

If you use hand lotion, wipe if off of the fingertips

Look into finger exercise tools

Harmonica

-see Glenn Weiser’s stuff Harmonica Main (from celticguitarmusic.com)

Harp

-The Butterfly by Aine Minogue on Circle of the Sun

-Artist: Amy Turk

Percussion

Piano

– Peter PlutaX: This is a brilliant piano teacher, check out his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/MrPeter19916). His videos are of piano keys with lines showing where to play, meaning beginners can learn fun pieces without becoming discouraged by years of basic sight reading drills. His program is like Simply Piano.

-Check out the Simply Piano by Joytunes (an app etc.) (see also joytunes.com) which shows both notes and keys to learn simultaneously. 25 courses for different music levels. Many fun songs.

-Flow Key (flowkey.com) is another piano school which shows where to place fingers while showing notes.

-I’ve seen some brilliant apps and computer programs pop up lately which are a sort of tabs for piano, helping the student learn some music from the get go without being bogged down by what looks like the impossible skill of sight reading music.

-YouTube Channel Rousseau (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPZUQqtVDmcjm4NY5FkzqLA) shows intense classic piano pieces (more than just Rousseau) played along with the streaming lines, amazing.

-Bollywood Piano tutorials with Dhruv Gandhi on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClUDTB6EJvzP7eY5Wgl4lRw); his stuff has piano keys, no hands, moving bars, and piano key notes labeled. Free mp3’s and sheet music as well.

-Simply Piano app appearently prepares you better to read sheet music than does the Yousician app.

-Become a Piano Superhuman youtube channel; this guy has great suggestions on specific plans for learning, and fast. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1V2zI_VQ5et66WtKXhAXXA/playlists

-Artist: Ludovico Einaudi

-Stars by Helen Lane Long on Porcelain

-On A Magician’s Flight by Faun

Tin Whistle

Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Music [Doolin Style] (By the Online Academy of Irish Music) (amazing fast tin whistler)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpN36I9xr-o

Violin

Irish set- Banjo & fiddles (with great fiddling) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCw4O_L1LFQ

My hope is that an elementary amount of skill with the violin can suffice to play for dancing. This is a good start on the way to classical violin.

Vocal

Jane Zhang Sings The Diva Dance from 5^th Element (Epic Soprano Heights) https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=286&v=kJl2uPNsJEk

YOGA Concerns

Sections:

-POP CULTURE PUSHING YOGA

-LETTING GO OF SELF CONTROL

-OBSESSIVE-SELF-CARE / IDLNESS

-YOGA SEEKS CONVERTS

-KRISHNA TEMPLE PROMOTES YOGA

-MIRACULOUS YOGA-RELATED HEALINGS

-YOGA PROMOTES THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF MULTIPLE PATHS TO SALVATION

-YOGA PROMOTES IMMODESTY

-YOGA MAY INVOLVE SPIRITUAL MEDIUMS IN ITS POSES ETC

-RESOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY

POP CULTURE PUSHING YOGA:

Why is Yoga pushed by celebrities & pop culture? It is a quite possibly a portal to manipulation by Satanic forces. Doing the opposite of what Hollywood Stars promote is a good rule of thumb.

Beware that Satan makes himself appear as an angel of light. He is a brilliant salesman! His counterfeits to truth are often accepted even by the very elect.

I’m not saying people who do yoga are going to hell. I’m saying eventually they’ll learn better ways (if the hypothesis that yoga is corrupt is a true hypothesis). It’s like when someone asked me if a saint who drinks coffee is going to hell- the answer is no, but it’s a dangerous path connected to rebellion (since we know it is forbidden), and rebellion can indeed disqualify someone from the higher blessings.

LETTING GO OF SELF CONTROL:

One of the biggest problems with yoga is that it encourages an Eastern form of meditation involving clearing the mind, letting go of ideas, giving control over to ‘the universe’ or ‘nature’, rather than retaining self-control.

You should never give away control of your body to anything or anyone. Even a latter-day prophet, Lee Grant or Taylor I think, said he would willingly serve God, but never be God’s slave. Brigham Young taught of the need to stand on your own and not blindly follow others.

In hypnotics the student gives his will away to someone else. This is not true for all mindfulness practitioners, some just relax and try to focus on breathing, but many take it to a whole other level, seeking spiritual manipulation. The parallels are worth considering.

Yoga may be a gateway drug to these higher forms of manipulation. Christian scripture passages suggesting meditation involve pondering ideas, not dismissing all ideas.

OBSESSIVE-SELF-CARE / IDLNESS:

Perhaps the Devil rejoices when he sees people investing so much time into something that matters so little. There seems to be a growing culture of obsessive-self-care, taking this far further than it needs to be.

Remember, deception doesn’t need to be evil to be effective. Further, this deception may not be as innocent as many were led to believe.

The yoga teacher sits as a god enthroned to her class showing off her body, her perfections and masteries. She often not only boasts skill in yoga, but wisdom in all philosophy. Perhaps she is ignorant to the potentially negative effects of her teachings.

YOGA SEEKS CONVERTS:

Before we discovered these truths about yoga, my wife was enrolled in yoga certification classes. She saw that they teach to seek after those who are at a low point in their lives to target them, as it is they who remain yoga students for life. This to us suggests that yoga is a religion seeking converts.

Upon learning about the questionable nature of yoga, my wife dropped the classes. She has found healthier alternatives in Pilates, simple stretching, walking, etc.

I believe Yoga becomes more than a healthy hobby, it becomes an all-encompassing way of life, often even replacing former religious convictions.

A Pew research study shows most stay in yoga for spiritual reasons despite starting for physical reasons (https://truthaboutyoga.com/spiritual-effects-of-practicing-yoga/).

What persuades to believe in Christ is good / good spirits, what persuades “believe not” in Christ (that’s how the Book of Mormon words it, which is instructive; they don’t have to pull you over to some other god to be evil, they just have to pull you away from Christ to be evil) is evil. And like I’ve pointed out, yoga often leads away from western Judeo-Christian culture & belief, and toward either agnosticism, atheism, or eastern religion.

KRISHNA TEMPLE PROMOTES YOGA:

When we visit the Krishna temple, we see their signs calling for diligent yoga. We saw many questionable things in the trainings, including instructions to call upon spirits to be of assistance.

The fact that they promote it isn’t in and of itself grounds to banish yoga, but it does further establish the link between yoga and Hinduism.

MIRACULOUS YOGA-RELATED HEALINGS:

Some say yoga really works, so why not use it? Remember the Devil can perform little miracles to get people’s souls.

When one does something bad in exchange for a blessing, it is called selling the soul to the devil.

Just because something works isn’t ample reason to do it.

YOGA PROMOTES THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF MULTIPLE PATHS TO SALVATION:

Die hard new age / yoga students are often committed to the idea that there are little bits of good everywhere, and that there isn’t one way to salvation/lasting peace, but many. This sort of pantheism strongly echoes the paganism of old condemned by the prophets in the bible.

It is very different from Jesus Christ’s declaration that he is the way, the truth, and the light, and that no man cometh to the father but by him. Christ declared that those who will not partake of his word will not enter the kingdom of God.

This goes back to the old ‘several camps in heaven’ idea (one campe for Adventists, another for Baptists, Methodists, Islam, Hindu, etc.) which is a false notion, inspired by the Devil. Baptism and faithful adherence to the councils of God are the requirements to enter the presence of God the Father of all.

YOGA PROMOTES IMMODESTY:

The pants they promote certainly cause one to question! It’s like Thomas Moore’s book Utopia about cannibals, at the end he says, ‘but you know the strangest thing about them, no one wore any pants!’ Moore was correct – people who call themselves civilized but do bizarre things like not clothing their bodies appropriately are anything but civilized.

Thought the yoga pants facilitate free movement, other uniforms could do this while accommodating modesty.

I suspect hidden agendas in the promotion of yoga pants. Many wear them everywhere. They are becoming a part of day to day culture rather than a fitness uniform.

The human body was never meant to be fully on display in day to day activities. It is sacred and deserves reverence.

YOGA MAY INVOLVE SPIRITUAL MEDIUMS IN ITS POSES ETC:

The poses themselves are supposedly each a worship to a different Hindu god or goddess.

The bible condemns the practice of communicating with the dead through mediums. Not all who practice yoga do this, but high level ones may.

Ancient Israel was absolutely forbidden from practicing anything that had to do with other gods.

Some are unaware of yoga being worship of Hindu gods. However, like how smoking hurts people even if they aren’t aware that it is hurting them, we can’t claim ignorance is bliss.

Even if gods of myth have basis in the True God, that doesn’t mean they should be worshipped.

Just because something appears spiritually uplifting doesn’t mean it is from a good spiritual source.

Few yoga practitioners are aware of the potentially dark side of their practice. Similar to Free Masons, most of them are good people, just unaware of evidence of satanic usurpation of their trade.

The Preach My Gospel manual warns against getting spiritual direction from the wrong source.

This article further demonstrates how each pose represents a prayer to a specific god: https://www.ekhartyoga.com/…/practice/6-sacred-yoga-poses

Certainly the Reiki Masters are taught to call on certain Hindu spirits for aid (What is Reiki? – Truth Behind Yoga).

MYSTICS VS PROPHETS

God’s ways are not the ways of the mystic. Read Nibley’s stuff on prophets vs mystics. The devil tries to get us sold into a gospel of mysteriousness, incomprehensibility, vagueness, and shifting morals.

Even psychotropic medications are ways the Devil takes over someone, see drugawareness.org.

The views of Yoga compared to biblical views are detailed nicely in this article: What Does the Bible Say? The Teachings of Yoga and the Bible are Antithetical. – Truth Behind Yoga

RESOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY:

-A short video on “Why Christians Should Avoid Yoga” by Doreen Virtue, a former New Age Master: https://youtu.be/3PkGIQNkJC8

-1.5 hour video featuring the story of the author of TruthBehindYoga.com https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AkiNFjzJ6y4&feature=youtu.be

-See LDS Energy healing/emotion code exposed Facebook page/group.

–Is yoga Spiritual? | Truth About Yoga

Dance Resources

(I’ve deliberately excluded various corrupt dance forms. The following may have the potential to be wholesome.)

African traditional

Albanian

Arabic (see also Turkish, Lebanese) (beware these forms, fraught with unwholesome belly dancing; there may be something good there, but it is often infiltrated with inherently suggestive dancing)

Ballet (France)

Ballroom Classical

Indian (South Asian) Traditional

Indian (South Asian) Modern (Bollywood) (this is often corrupt)

Brazilian fight dance (Capoiera)

Breakdance (beware the bad music that often accompanies this)

Bulgarian

Chinese Classical

Clogging (see also Irish Step and Tap)

Cossak (Russia)

Flamenco (Spanish) (see also tap, Irish step, clogg)

Folk (Deutschland)

Foxtrot (Ballroom variant; fast version called Quickstep)

Gavotte (Renaissance, Baroque, Gallantries)

Gregorian

Highland (Scotland)

Hungarian

Irish

Irish Step (see also clogging flamenco and tap)

Israeli

Italian

Jive (see also swing)

Kurdistan

Quickstep (fast Foxtrot)

Mazurka (Poland)

Swing, Eastern, Western, Country / Country Line (USA)

Tap (see also clogging, Irish Step, flamenco)

Tarantella (Italy)

Turkish (see also Lebanese, Arabic)

Ukrainian

Waltz & Viennese Waltz

Resources on these Dance Forms:

-Swing Kids Alumni Page (BYU) (783 member) https://www.facebook.com/groups/BYUswingkids/

-Utah Irish Dance Exchange (for Utah Irish Dancers and Parents to Ask, Discuss, Sell or Buy anything concerning Irish Dance! This is NOT for just one school, but EVERYONE in Utah areas!) (291 members) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438686883035432/

-Salsa and Ballroom Dancing in Utah (364 members) https://www.facebook.com/groups/125440385180/

-Clogging vs. Tap vs. Irish Step (competition between the 3)

-Top 10 traditional dances

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvPWgo3JL9c

part 2 of 10 traditional dances (10 more): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igGEwbzE3V8

-The Difference between East and West Coast Swing Dances

https://myballroomdanceclub.com/2011/08/24/ballroom-dance-explained-the-difference-between-east-and-west-coast-swing-dances/

(west more sensual, east faster. Explains time periods and other sub types of swing also.)

-Sky Dancing: How One Dance Group Defies Gravity (Bandaloop Dance Company)

-East coast vs west coast swing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P_o_ERFLwo see also westcoastswingonline.com

(west is slower and in a line back and forth, east is faster and in a cirular patturn)

African traditional

Albanian

Arabic (see also Turkish, Lebanese)

I’m not a fan of belly dancing but I’ve not given up on the search for good Arabic dance.

Ballet (France)

Ballroom Classical

For a Wikipedia article on Ballroom dance and subtypes including modern variations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballroom_dance

Indian (South Asian) Traditional

Indian (South Asian) Modern (Bollywood)

Much of this is scandalous but some can be uplifting.

Tutorial from Monkey See: https://monkeysee.com/how-to-bollywood-dance/

Brazilian fight dance

Breakdance

Bulgarian

Chinese Classical

Clogging (see also Irish Step and Tap)

Cossak (Russia)

Country Swing (USA) (see also Eastern Swing, Western Swing, Country Line)

After searching high and low for dance instructions with modest teachers, we found a series “Swing Dance Lessons on DVD”.

Country Line (see also country swing) (USA)

Flamenco (see also tap, Irish step, clogg)

-Flamenco Street Dancing in Spain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwO3aeBLtQ

– 2016 IDO World Championships – “Spanish Flame” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCVtQirdNkc

Folk (Deutschland)

Foxtrot (Ballroom variant; fast version called Quickstep)

Gavotte (Renaissance, Baroque, Gallantries)

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0tB2rGh1kM

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavotte

–https://www.britannica.com/art/gavotte

Gregorian

-Georgian Dancers Push Their Physical Limits for Tradition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lObbGydVSg4

Highland (Scotland)

Hungarian

Irish

Irish Step (see also clogging flamenco and tap)

Israeli

-Rosh Hashanah Rock Anthem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_M5-qthA8w

-Y-Studs (A Capella) – Evolution of Jewish Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbeArPQqsc8

Italian

Jive (see also swing)

Kurdistan

Quickstep (fast Foxtrot)

Mazurka (Poland)

Swing, Eastern (USA) (see also Western swing, country swing)

Swing, Western (USA) (see also Eastern swing, country swing)

Tap (see also clogging, Irish Step, flamenco)

-Arther Duncan – “Tea for Two” – tap dance on The Lawrence Welk Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=homQ3kgI4Fo

Tarantella (Italy)

Turkish (see also Lebanese, Arabic)

Ukrainian

Waltz (see also Viennese Waltz)

Viennese Waltz (see also Waltz)

Sport Philosophy

(Note: This is sport philosophy, not sport psychology. It is about the morality of sports, not about how to motivate people to do well in sports.)

“You must excuse me, but when I’m with the boys I make all the fun I can.” -Joseph Smith (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

Physical sports involve not only the strength of the body, but the strategy of the mind. They can be called physical chess, and are arguably one of the greatest ways to learn grow and recreate. Some have said that sports build character – I’m not sure about that, since many professional athletes are senseless immoral brutes. However it could well be said that sports REVEAL character. And for those who are seeking to build good character, I’m sure sports can help them do that. We don’t give a clean stamp of approval on “sports” or “business” etc., as many of the skills needed for them are amoral, meaning they are needed for skill in either good or bad things. Courage, discipline, perseverance, teamwork, mental fortitude, problem solving – these are all great, but are traits that can describe either the well trained gentleman, or the well trained bank robber alike.

Many look upon sport team involvement as highlights to their school days (though others see them as more of plagues). Sports can be an environment to channel energy in positive ways. Be careful to not be too trapped in the ultra-competitive school and community sports, where parents overly harp on children for performance. If the element of fun is present, the student will excel naturally and with minimal coaching. High intensity coaching situations should be elected by the child, not forced. Naturally there is a time and place for hardcore coaching, hell weeks, running drills, technique drills, etc. to maintain health, but the sport is to be foremost a delight. If teams are too competitive to even let you play without selling your soul to be good enough, look to your siblings neighbors and others to have fantastic sporting experiences.

Which sports are better than others? Other than avoiding brain damage or other frequent and serious bodily damage, I don’t suppose some sports are much better than others. The skater is an athlete just as much as the footballer. The tennis player and footbag player win a strong bill of health just like the soccer player (not Hercules perhaps, but most of us don’t need to be Hercules).

As for peer pressure, it’s found in any sport, football, skating, dancing (see my dancing materials in a book of their own), all have peer pressure. The dancer is tempted to dress less modestly than she needs to at both practice and while going through day to day life, and is tempted to judge her worth on her appearance. The skater is offered drugs and alcohol. The footballer is offered chewing tobacco alcohol and one-night stands. The wrestler and dancer are tempted to become anorexic to an unhealthy degree.

Those of any sport can be tempted to carry their passion to an extreme, which then gets in the way of religious and familial duties. The soccer mom can not have time for self or quiet time with the children because she runs around so much. The student can not have time to learn mathematics science reading literature drama music and other intellectual skills when the sport devours all attention. Parents should not feel pressure to shuttle everyone all the time. Some say boredom is the root of bad behavior, so they seek to overly fill their children’s schedules. In reality, bad behavior isn’t from boredom, it is from lack of discipline and a rebellious attitude. Overloading a child isn’t the magic recipe for character development, as an unruly child will be unruly wherever they are. Too much leisure time, including sport time, will tend to corrupt anyone. Children should be expected to give significant help with home chores, and develop not only physical and social talents, but mental and spiritual ones too.

Flexibility and strength help athletes and intellectual students alike to avoid burn out as they’ll enjoy more comfort throughout the day, having gained this level of control over their bodies. Bodies are central to any activity mental or otherwise, and therefore cannot be eliminated from any equation entirely. For most people, the happy way to exercise is through sports. A brilliant workout is one that you’ll actually be excited to do, and therefore, do. Buying a soccer ball may be much more effective than buying a treadmill. Workout equipment will appeal to athletes, but sporting equipment can appeal to almost everyone, even the “uncoordinated”.

Some claim that ‘sports build character’. This is true on some levels, but not entirely, or we would see without fail that the professional athletes were the towers of moral integrity in society! Someone pointed out that perhaps rather than sports building character, they reveal character. It has been said of Abraham that the reason he was commanded to do a hard thing was not for growth, but to learn how strong he was. Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham. Often sports can help young people to learn that when they apply the character traits they have learned (hard work, sharing, integrity, consistency/diligence, thoroughness, study, etc.), they can excel at things, and enjoy their lives. Can immoral people become good at sports? Yes, just as much as the traits to become a good bank robber also involve hard work, intelligence, team work, etc. So learning a sport or other trade doesn’t really build character (good character anyways), but it reveals character. Will Johnny stop to help the one who got hurt? Will he offer to teach a team mate who isn’t getting it? Will be practice at home when no one is looking? Will he refrain from cheating when no one would notice? Will he be truthful to his peers and leaders even when not doing so appears to promise short or long-term gains? Will he resist the invariable harlots that will flirt with him as he becomes an excellent athlete (and chose the virtuous woman instead)?

-the prophetic ‘Family Proclamation to the World’ (1995) teaches that wholesome recreation is one of the key elements to successful family life.

-Elder Neal A Maxwell played tennis even into his late years.

-President Thomas S. Monson understood that life should be joyful. He taught old folks in rest homes about how a football game works, so they could understand the game on television and enjoy it. He speaks about current ball games. He says fishing is good and spiritual. He says having animals and going to fairs is joyful. He says road shows and dance festivals are uplifting. He knows about what is going on in the local barber shop. Henry the 8th was his favorite Shakespeare play. Among his favorite theatrical works is the Phantom of the Opera. He enjoyed raising pigeons. (see book To The Rescue by Heidi Swinton)

-President Russel M Nelson skied even into his 90’s. He also spoke highly of the discipline of another man who regularly swam, not selfishly, but to keep his body strong so he could serve the Lord.

-President Monson was a regular swimmer.

-Joseph Smith told one man who had done much work for the building up of God’s kingdom. He needed to rest a while and enjoy himself. The man responded, “I cannot”. Joseph said, “then you will die.” The man indeed later died a premature death, and Joseph spoke at his funeral. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

-Joseph was hired as a farm hand not only because he was a hard worker, but because he could get the others to work too. (see Truman G Madsen Joseph Smith lectures)

In the Preach My Gospel manual we are taught to reserve the sabbath as a day free of sporting events: “When a community or nation grows careless in its Sabbath activities, its religious life decays and all aspects of life are negatively affected. The blessings associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy are lost. We should refrain from shopping on the Sabbath and participating in other commercial and sporting activities that now commonly desecrate the Sabbath. Latter-day Saints should set this holy day apart from activities of the world by entering into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and family-centered activities appropriate to the Sabbath. As Church members endeavor to make their Sabbath activities compatible with the intent and Spirit of the Lord, their lives will be filled with joy and peace.” (Preach My Gospel: What Should I Study And Teach: The Commandments: Keep the Sabbath Day Holy; https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-4-the-commandments?lang=eng)

Introduction & Resources for Wholesome Athletics

Book Suggestion: As we start to look at various sports, I suggest a book called Rules of the Game: Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of all Sports.

Avoid Extremes: Also allow me to say that playing sports is good, but watching them can be a toxic addiction when taken to an extreme, especially when that extreme takes away from family duties, church duties, physical health, or violating the holy Sabbath of our God.

Ballet: The finest of dances, the French revelations on dance have revolutionized the modern world of art.

Flexibility: A BYU cross country running coach once said something to this effect: give me the strongest runner, and though he may not currently be the fastest, I will train him in flexibility, then he will be the fastest.

Footbag (Hacky Sack): Minimal equipment, maximum fun! Get your 1^st 100 kicks down, then move on to tricks. This is fun for indoor and outdoor play, alone or with friends.

Jumping: While holding stick, jump through it and back. Jump over things, standing and running, and make it higher and higher. Pole vault. Long jump / Jump at the mark. Weighted shoe jumping. Jump roping. Jumping jacks

Gymnastics: The sky is the limit here! This is one of the most magnificent arts of the body and requires great strength.

Martial Arts: Have fun while learning to defend yourself. Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) as well as Asian Martial arts. From what I understand, there is a $40/month club in the Provo Utah area for HEMA. Groups for this sort of thing are hard to find. You will find HEMA duels at Renaissance festivals. It would also be interesting to see modernized HEMA type dueling, using the blunted broad sword, but with much more convenient armor.

Running: If you can avoid injury, running can be a good in many ways. If you’re into marathon class shoes and want a “fit like a glove” special shoe, go to Salt Lake Running, but you’ll not get out without spending at least $100. Runners Corner is also good. They’ll analyze your gait, etc. Some aren’t running fans. Runners insist, “it’s because you don’t run enough.” I heard a story of someone who set out and ran 2 marathons then never ran again just to prove that they hated running. So, running isn’t for everyone.

Soccer: The #1 sport of the Millennium! Ok maybe that’s an overreach, but I love this game! If you can get people together, this minimal equipment sport is an excellent puzzle, and requires great stamina. I once had a coach tell me that to play a soccer game effectively you should be able to sprint 9 miles. Bring it on!

Strength Training: Naturally you’ll gain strength in any sport, some more than others, but independent strength training in addition to your sport will help you excel in your sport to a most satisfying degree. Strength training isn’t to be emphasized for small children, as their training is focused on finding joy in the sport itself, and later with more maturity will they recognize a need for independent strength training if their passion for sports flowers. Be careful with taking protein supplements, God intended you to get them through eating foods they way they occur in nature. Taking too much protein is extremely detrimental to long term health, overly expediting the metabolism. Humans are not fragile, and are meant to be strong. This being said, even if we are eating healthfully, eating to the point that we build up ultra-massive muscles is seen as harmful to long term health by many physicians. Linebackers in football are the shortest lifespan career in the USA (part of that of course is due to their atrocious diet).

Sword Fencing: One of my favorites, what’s not to love about sword fencing? Brigham Young endorsed learning this sort of thing as well. Here are a few basics:

The sword fencing Piste (platform) is 2m wide & 14m long. Epee Foil and Saber are the three types. In Epee the target is the whole bod. Foil upper body no arms. Saber all upper body yes head. Typically, only the point of the sword scores a point, but in Saber one can hit with side of sword too.

Wrestling: We’ve highlighted this elsewhere, but Joseph Smith was great at wrestling (especially when he wrestled under the influence of the spirit of the Lord says Truman G Madsen, that when in this condition, he never lost a match!) Kids of course need to wrestle with their dad. This rough and tumble time is a great time to teach kids boundaries. They can learn how to interact physically without hurting one another. This is great bonding time, and is good clean fun.

Simple Active Play

We could get more extravagant, but these are simple affordable ideas for independent child play. As President Packer said, no one owes children entertainment (ref). We should not try to outdo our neighbors with the latest gadgets and extravagant sport careers. Sport and play should typically remain in its proper place: as a side recreation. We should not encourage youth to seek professional sport careers, that is not what life is about.

Outdoor:

-trampoline, swing sets, jungle gym

-explore the town, meet people, buy candy

-city park

-scooter, bike, rollerblade (be careful with skateboarding, the culture is often toxic)

-airsoft guns

-sand box, dig holes, find bugs

-play with farm animals, walk the dogs

-basketball, soccer, baseball, frizbee, golf, croquet, badminton, wrestle

-field games: hide and seek, capture the flag

-set up camp tents, fires, picknicks, ropes in the yard

-swim pool, sprinklers, water balloons

Indoor:

-put wrestling/gymnastic mats on floor of garage, make it a rough n’ tumble play area or living room etc.

-fun or educational video games

-board and card games (take great care with these, they easily waste time and can lead to gambling)

-nerf guns

-dart board

-sword fencing (metal plastic or foam depending on age/skill)

-Legos, Knex, etc. hand building toys (better than Minecraft as increases hand eye coordination, etc.)

-playdough

-color & paint

-reading! Make this a popular event in your home!

-fun or educational movie, educational shows (Though they shouldn’t just entertain but also instill good morals and teach things)

Chose Minimal Equipment Sports:

These are sports you could play even in a bad economy where supplies aren’t very available. Its also wise to not become overly invested in these things as most aren’t financially able to responsibly take on major expenses like boats (and even if they can, there’s often better things to do with the funds).

Stock piling a few supplies for slightly more complex sports, such as a ball pump or a football, could help, but bear in mind others won’t have these excess items, so the sports of the day won’t include those complex equipment sports, so you won’t have anyone to play with. Also bear in mind that in case you need to travel and only bring a few belongings, bulky sporting items would be among the first to be left behind.

(I’m not counting running, stretching, weightlifting, as those are foundational things to be doing for any sport)

– old pioneer games (they didn’t have anything)

-foot bag: easy to sew little cloth bag with sand, crushed bean, or ground rock, just need feet, and shoes if you’re lucky

-soccer: just need a ball

-fencing: just need sticks; metal swords if and armor if you’re lucky; variations include baton spinning & bo staff etc.

-wrestling: no equipment

-gymnastics & parkour/free running

-dance: preferably you’ll have some instrument to accompany it; a tin whistle is a reasonably simple instrument, such that you could even inexpensively stock pile a number of them. All instruments are hard to construct, so buy extras in this season of plenty, and learn how to repair them.

-Your health and your greatest asset in these matters.

Basketball Shooting Tips

Feet point at hoop
Feet even, not 1 in front
Middle finger in center
Aim for the 3 lace holders in front of you
Ball thrown high so tall can’t block it
Ball should spin backwards
Practice shooting with 1 hand
Nondominant hand is only for alignment
Don’t aim for backboard Square unless layup

PART 2: MUSIC STANDARDS

“The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.”

Introduction to Music Philosophy: Balm or Blasphemy

Music is a gift from God. It can help us express emotions of joy and love, and process through emotions of depression despair or rage. They can help us heal, endure, and understand. It can help us be brave and push through trials valiantly. Songs bring needed relief to muster faith to keep going and enjoy the journey. I also adore the power of music to bring people together. Truly the mass availability of music today is one of the great blessings and great tests of faith of our time. Use music in a positive way to enrich life and bless the next generation.

Music is not something to be taken lightly. Isaiah speaks of the Devil being cast into the pit with his musical instruments, which suggests music is a key tool of the Devil. In Hebrew 5:13-15 we read that we must be spiritually mature and discern between good and evil: “13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Dance Standards

Not infrequently have the scriptures spoken of holy dances of celebration of the saints! Not unfrequently did the early Latter-day Saint pioneers dance upon the plains and in Zion! It is said that Brigham Young wanted to dance longer one evening, and when the night bugle sounded, he said in essence, ‘away with the bugle, I want to dance!’ and proceeded to do so until around 3am. Humans need to dance.

Corruption is found in dance anciently as well as our time. The ancient Arabian belly dance and the various sexual gyrations in many modern dance forms (too numerous to list) remind us that humans have no qualms about using their bodies to gain inappropriate advantage of one another. But as Brigham Young taught, there is ultimately no song or dance in hell. I’m also wary of many Latin dances (though not all) which overly emphasize sexual movements, albeit in a form that many consider beautiful. I would suggest that such things are too sacred for public display, even in simulations where some clothing is used (and usually not very much of it). The dance types listed in this presentation simply don’t include forms which I have deemed too questionable. One can throw in or take out inappropriate moves into just about any dance form, but certain types are inherently sexual. Many modern dances have no place in Zion.

The type of dance that music inspires people to do tells us lots about the quality of that music! The opposite is also true: if good music typically accompanies a certain dance form, that form will typically be good also. Dance is inseparably connected to music; it is the expression and interpretation of the sound, movements which mirror the sound, and sounds which mirror the movements. A society is on the “highway to hell” when their music doesn’t prompt them to dance righteously, or when they dance sensually to neutral or even good music.

Not even the BYU has a keen market on this topic. I remember being horrified a one of their dances. I had to take my wife and leave the room, the entire environment was akin to a den of thieves, a simple house of horrors, a place where no accountability was felt for one’s actions. I regret not leaving sooner than we did and felt deep shame that my people would do these things. Naturally the BYU is ahead of the curve on many moral issues when compared to other universities, but unfortunately in this and other worldly trends (like evolution), they follow suit, even if a ways behind, perhaps just far enough behind to where they think they aren’t seen, and won’t be identified with the big bad guys.

` Our day will be spoken of as one which had virtually no dancing. There is a twisted counterfeit of dancing in Babylon, now let Israel learn to dance! Song and dance originally belonged to Israel, but Satan has corrupted it and offered it in Babylon. Zions forms of dancing are so rare they are all but extinct, and are only occasionally examined as remnants of ancient culture which no sophisticated person would take seriously.

What remains of wholesome dance in our society is a subgroup, hardly taken seriously, or seen as a legitimate pastime for young people. Any participation in it is rather considered an exploration of ancient arts as they are so foreign to our time. Truly our obsession with Babylonian dance is also an enactment of ancient arts, though we do seem to have taken it to a new level of depravity.

A sad sight is that of popular dance, wherein one hops around aimlessly without really knowing what they are doing. This is the status quo of social dance today. Why do we cater to club style dancing instead of teaching some legitimate dance, and host dances which call for such? We’re grooming children to become club hoppers by the type of song and dance we put on for them at our public schools and universities, and sadly even the churches. As my competitive ballroom dancing friend put it, “Learning to dance in partnership teaches more value than club dancing ever will.”

Dance costumes can be immodest in even good genres, so watch out for that. Look for not only uplifting dance forms, but uplifting costumes. When it comes to dance and technique, gripping one’s partner etc., there can be something of a need for different dress than is publicly common. I don’t have all the answers on this but here is an interesting read from a latter-day saint dancer on some reasons why dancers wear the costumes they do: https://www.ldsdaily.com/personal-lds-blog/modesty-heres-dancers-often-wear-less/

Don’t waste your time training as a priest or priestess of Babylon by learning their dance forms. Shame on the BYU Cougarette dance team for dabbling in these styles, notwithstanding their usually modest costumes. When you shake and gyrate in sexual patterns and all manner of boisterous rampages, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, it’s still inappropriate.

The dance forms which will live on into the millennium without sinking into oblivion are wholesome forms, which do not inappropriately provoke sexuality or violent behavior. They are also forms which involve some skill and real talent. What the prophets have said about music can also apply to dance: There is so much good that you don’t need to bother with the bad! Many can’t find good dance because they are unwilling to find good music. Both are required like how spirit needs body. The music is the spirit, the body is the dance. Body and spirit constitute the eternal soul (ref). Do not sell your soul for popular music and dance!

“If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.” (D&C 136:28)

“Dancing can be fun and can provide an opportunity to meet new people. However, it too can be misused. When dancing, avoid full body contact with your partner. Do not use positions or moves that are suggestive of sexual or violent behavior or are otherwise inappropriate. Attend only those dances where dress, grooming, lighting, lyrics, music, and entertainment contribute to a wholesome atmosphere where the Spirit may be present.” (For the Strength of Youth Manual, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth/music-and-dancing?lang=eng)

-…it must be admitted that the close embrace of the modern style of this whirling, giddy, seductive dance is not proper for the modest maiden, and it is not exactly the position in which a prudent wife should place herself” (Deseret News, 20 Sept. 1877)

-This is reportedly from William Clayton’s journal, from an article at this address https://bycommonconsent.com/2007/05/04/apologia-pro-saltando/ “The labors of the day having been brought to a close at so early an hour viz; half past 8, it was thought proper to have a little season of recreation, accordingly, Brother Hans Hanson was invited to produce his violin. He did so, and played several lively airs, among the rest some very good lively dancing tunes. This was too much for the gravity of Brother Joseph Young, who indulged in a hornpipe, and was soon joined by several others, and before the dance was over several French fours were indulged in. The first was opened by President B. Young with Sister Whitney and Elder H.C. Kimball with Sister Lewis. The spirit of dancing increased until the whole floor was covered with dancers. After this had continued about an hour, several excellent songs were sung, in which several of the brethren and sisters joined… After dancing a few figures, President Young called the attention of the whole company, and then gave them a message, of this import, viz; that this temple was a Holy place, and that when we dance, we danced unto the Lord, and that no person would be allowed to come on to this floor, and afterwards mingle with the wicked. He said the wicked had no right to dance, that dancing and music belonged to the Saints.

Church Approved Music

We can enjoy a variety of music. I once asked a friend what kind of music they liked. Their response was puzzling, that they only like “Church approved music”. Well, I too don’t want to listen to music that would offend God, and I greatly commend the attitude of this person to remain devoted to God’s laws, but there’s actually no “church approved music.”

Elder Richard G Scott taught that if we only read or participate in church things, we will be living a life less rich and happy than what God intended. Further, President Spencer W Kimball believed that many of the great authors etc. can be viewed as “miniature prophets” whom have much to offer to humanity despite their not being in the church. May we be “anxiously engaged in a good cause” without being “commanded in all things”.

One thing is certain however when it comes to church music: Our top priority in entertainment should be restorative music that reunites our souls to God. Music should primarily be of a religious nature. Hymns, our favorite most known songs, and praise the attitude of our souls from morning till even. Satan thrives not only when we do evil, but when we don’t do good. Distraction is, perhaps, Satan’s key weapon against the saints. This is one reason I advocate homeschooling: we don’t have time for all the nonsense and bias, there is so much truth to learn, so much good to do! Spirituality can’t just be a side show that we are involved with “after” all the other things we do.

Hannah Stoddard (an author with the Joseph Smith Foundation) in a recent interview expressed her shock when on a planning committee for stake youth activities, the youth only wanted to do pointless and vain activities. The leader said, “sorry to say so, but the stake president says we need some sort of tie into the gospel with our activities.” The youth then spoke of how they would go to the lake, and after the activity, would talk about how life involves waves of trials. It was a bogus excuse, but they went for it.

Pre-Screening Basics, & Knowing the Background

Because music is so powerful to influence either for good or evil, I suggest listening to planned music which you have screened beforehand rather than random radio, or listening to anything just because it is by a certain musician, or of a certain genre or era. This is particularly true when dealing with non-classical music. We should not support musicians who have material which is blatantly evil. We should avoid genres of music which are saturated in evil or commonly known for evil themes. We cannot listen to music which is vulgar, has blatant or suggestive themes of violence, drug use, sexuality, or which mocks Jesus Christ and his teachings. If a song makes you feel evil or tempts you to set aside any of God’s commandments and councils, get away from it. Do not spend time with music that preaches false gospels of entitlement, lust, selfishness, idleness, sloppiness, or other damning character traits. 2 Tim. 3:2-5 tells us to turn away from evil groups.

Before you chose to label a musician as a “personal favorite”, and allow their products to more freely be a part of your life and identity, and you join social circles who admire said artist, research their corpus of music and their character to ascertain that they are not wolves in sheep’s clothing. Though we need not require a person to be our same religion to appreciate their music, we can hold them accountable to the standards of conscience which is given to every person, which condemns evil and impure practices.

Music Videos

If you are unable to discern weather a song be good or evil, watch the music video. The video will further reveal the intent of the artist, and will usually be a warning sign to back off, or occasionally a welcome balm. Many songs are easy to discern whether they be good or evil. If the video is bad, get rid of the song as such delivers subliminal messages of evil, even if the rhythm is attractive and the artist skilled. Unsuspecting youth are drawn to these videos, and we must not lead them inadvertently to such evil by pretending all is well. Beware that your music choices will be passed on to your associates and more importantly to your children. The music you enjoy they may further investigate, seeing it’s videos and looking into the characters of the artists. Thus we must use discretion and wisdom and not “negotiate at the table of the enemy”. We must (as the Lord warned in the Doctrine and Covenants (ref)) depart from the ungodly.

Seek & Stand in Holy Places

Here is why we avoid questionable music, musicians, and genres. Looking in bad places for good stuff can be like dumpster diving for food to sustain life. We look for scraps of tasty nutritious fresh food in these questionable venues, but we can’t very well stay clean during the search! Not only is the search dangerous, but at the end of the day, there isn’t much there to be found! Most of what you find there is garbage, and what looks good there usually isn’t! Simply by being around garbage, food that used to be good becomes garbage. There are much better places to look for food! There are buffets overflowing with wonderful foods if we can but escape the alluring attraction of the baited hooks of Lucifer, our enemy. Let your soul delight in fatness (ref)!

Even if bad music makes us temporarily feel pleasure, that pleasure will suck the life out of us, and we will have damned ourselves to a state of depravity where the doors once open for joyous exploration and exquisite participation in uplifting experiences have become shut. If you have indulged in evil music, your only hope is to call upon Jesus Christ to free you from the bad thinking patterns and beliefs which that music has infected you with. Remember always that there is so much wholesome music that we don’t need to bother with the evil!

Cultivate Creation

Elder Robert E Hales speaks of how his father who worked in creating industrial designs explained to him that there is a spiritual aspect of creation, which requires a reverent atmosphere (for more on that story see “Fathers of Fatih” by Maller et al.). So be it studying or working with the mind in any way, we need a calm environment where the spirit can teach.

One of the issues with pop music is that it is technically, well, stupid. The vocabulary is at a low grade level, and the same phrases are repeated relentlessly. Verse, chorus, similar verse, same chorus, similar verse, and grand finale with same chorus!

People say music is all subjective, but this is false. Some music is objectively bad shallow and easy. Other music is objectively excellent complex and follows the eternal laws of musical composition.

Beware Desensitization

Remember, Satan leads us down by degrees, not all at once. Tragically, one of the core deceptions of the Devil is desensitization to evil, so we often don’t even realize when it is all around us. What a better topic than music to apply this timeless poetry: “Vice is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.” (Alexander Pope).

Remember that the Beetles came with their long hair and lack of respect for authority, women, etc., and see how now the hair isn’t considered long, and the manners aren’t considered rude, etc.

You must be sensitive to warning signs, red flags which suggest something isn’t right. You must act when prompted in these matters, you must be courageous. Trust that the true messengers will come if you but hold out for them, seek them, and obey the word of the Lord.

Some people play questionable music and claim that it is ok since the children present do not know the words being said. However, the children do learn the genre and feeling of that music, and therefore will, as they get older, seek out that questionable music and that fallen culture.

Prepare for Zion, & Eliminate Excuses

Ask yourself: Will this music be played in the place I want to go, namely the celestial kingdom, in the presence of Almighty God Ahman, and his son Jehovah, the prince of peace? Yes earth is lower than heaven, but are we not seeking to make a heaven out of this earth? Brigham Young said we are not going to wait for Zion, we are going to build it (ref). Are we not strangers, seeking a city whose foundations are made by God (ref)? Hope we not for the city of Enoch to return to find a city of saints? Is not the coming of our Lord neigh, even at the doors (D&C refs)? How hardly do we even have the time of day to fool with the fotter of Babylon. To be effective, Satan’s distractions need only distract you, they don’t even need to be evil. Innocent activities become evil when their consumption results in sin of omission. If Satan has distracted you from your holy work for Zion, then he has succeeded, even if he bought you at the price of a catchy tune. Oh how short is this life, and oh great the tasks beset upon Israel to accomplish herein! Like Joseph Smith and other mighty saints, have a sense of urgency about the Lord’s work.

We often must rely on our feelings, not just broad written law, or advice of well-meaning peers when making choices. I’m confident that God will not tolerate an excuse of “no one told me that was bad” in the many seemingly gray areas of life. How hardly can we ignore the whisper of conscience and expect the kingdom of God. God will judge us based on not only what we did about what we knew, but what we did about how we felt. If we chose to say of questionable music, “but I felt fine about it”, then we approach a slippery slope. Don’t stay skin deep. Don’t pretend ignorance to the implications of the artist, etc.

God is Charming. So is Satan.

God is joyful because he is unchanging and “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (ref). God isn’t an old grouch. He is youthful and charming. He has a sense of humor. He likes to relate with us. Just like our ability to become as he is, so has he has been where we are (ref couplet Snow). He likes culture and custom so long as such is not promoting evil ideas and attitudes. God is happy, and wants you to be happy (3 Ne. 28:10). You can find great joy in this life. God loves the free will offerings we bring to him. God loves all nations, and the cultures in each have uplifting forms of music which can be help us in the quest to “let your soul delight in fatness” (Jacob 9:51).

Beware that the Devil is also charming, but for the wrong reasons, and in a superfluous way. In my mission that the most disobedient missionary who had been leading other missionaries into disobedience, when being sent home by the mission president was told essentially, ‘you know Elder, you are very charismatic. But you know who else is very charismatic? Lucifer.’ Truly the Devil seeks to imitate God, and seeks to make his plan appear to be another, or a better path to happiness. In reality, there is only one way, Jesus Christ.

Christian Priorities: Seek & Find the Best

If you think I’m calling for you to be prudish and shallow in your music choices to avoid evil, you have much to learn. What I am suggesting is that we refine our tastes to find the greatest possible lasting joy in wholesome materials. Sometimes a Christian life involves setting aside things we currently enjoy so we can pursue higher causes. Like the fat man who somewhat enjoys his unhealthy food must leave it for his own good, so can we leave the culture of unwholesome music and learn to love the good and the increased life that will come with it. We’re not all expected to be the same, and are allowed personality and taste. Let us have good taste, leaving the narrow lower for the vast expanse of the higher.

The good is out there, you just have to have the faith to find it. Finding takes faith. The Holy Ghost will aid you in your search if you do not lower your standards. Be patient as you won’t find it all at once, nor will your capacity to appreciate goodness all develop at once. Moral restraint (regarding questionable entertainment etc.) during seasons where we don’t have all the answers is a core aspect of faith. Some day you will have all the answers. That day will come sooner if you exercise more righteous restraint. Our passions must be bridled as we wait upon the Lord to lead us to ‘green pastures’ (Psalms 23). Let us fix our hope on the scriptural promise that if we let the Lord be our shepherd, no want shall we know, and our cups will run over with blessings. As Elder Neil A Maxwell put it, our hearts will be “brim with joy” as we increasingly consecrate our lives to the Master (“Brim with Joy” (Brigham Young University devotional, Jan. 23, 1996).

May Jesus Christ be the central figure in our lives, and may we pay close attention to our conscience and the words of the prophets.

Separating the Art from The Artist: A Virtue and A Vice

To some extent it seems we can separate the art from the artist. Not everyone will have the same standards as you, but more people than you may think actually do share your standards, in and out of the church; the community of wholesome music has a long history, and new creations of that type are still being born to this day. We praise the artist for his good work, which motivates him to create more good work and leave behind the bad. We remember David of old, the writer of the great Psalms of worship which we revere as the word of the Lord, we revere his writing even though he was not without serious flaws. This doesn’t excuse entirely the character of the artist. David made a bad choice and it has eternal consequences, but David overall was a godly man who loved the Lord.

Caution: Recall that President Packer taught that those whom we allow to entertain us should themselves groom reasonably well (ref). We can’t ignore the effect of the culture of the singer entirely. We must choose positive role models, and favorite entertainers are certainly role models (especially as our children watch how we chose and further explore and adhere to the cultures of our role models).

Some will say that we must in all cases separate art from the artist, because all people are flawed, and the complete separation is needed to enjoy any art. Perhaps however there is a continuum, and it’s those whom are particularly evil are whom we should reject, both them, and their art. We must also take caution, for the Lord warned that we cannot always recognize the good from the evil when it comes to people (D&C 10:37). Oh what caution we must take! Let us be vigilant in righteously judging the fruit of artists, both immediate and cultural. What people wear, the words they say, the messages they support, the way they act, these are the hints which we must boldly act upon when determining what to reject, and what to support. Corrupt musicians often hide corrupt messages into their music.

It will be fun to note here that Brigham Young said there is no song or dance whatsoever in hell.

Ayn Rand’s ‘Fountainhead’ though burdened with humanistic error does have many great lessons. It speaks of the depravity of loving something uplifting someone did while knowing that the personal life of that person was fraudulent and immoral. A sermon to ‘be ye good’ becomes nullified when spoken by the Devil or one of his angels; you know they have something up their sleeve. Does this mean people with corrupt motives shouldn’t be admired when they do something good? No, it means we can’t set them up as someone to emulate, and that we must take utmost precautions when dealing with them, if we chose to at all. Corrupt people are often double minded and seeking to trick their audience. Their employer the Devil has great plans for their work, even if it sometimes appears innocent. An innocent track of an evil-inspired musician is often the bait on the hook.

The 13^th Article of Faith says we seek anything virtuous lovely etc. This may allow for some flexibility on who the artist is so long as their product is good.

Music Genres

This certainly requires some self-governing based on correct principles, but I will wager a few do’s and don’ts here.

Genres which are generally uplifting are classical, opera, choral, Celtic, and some folk. Genres which are generally degrading are rock, pop, punk, rap, & techno. There are examples of beauty in many categories, but it is wise to focus the attention on cultivating that which is most rewarding. Some music forms genres and cultures should be completely avoided. There are objective measures of excellence in music, and these are usually mastered in genres listed here as uplifting.

There is so much beauty to be found in the uplifting genres that we have no time for the rest. Though genres of the various cultures of our time can at times assist us in life’s trials and to find expression as we are on the path of self-discovery, or perhaps can be employed in various missionary efforts to speak to others in the language they are familiar with, the truest expression of beauty and excellence is found in the first series of uplifting genres listed above. All of our emotional needs can and should be met with resources pleasing to the Lord. Taste in music may differ from culture to culture, but we should not allow any evil cultures to become a part of our character. We must succeed in this endeavor as much is at stake for both our lives and generations to come.

Rap and rock are particularly evil, often featuring themes of gangs, violence, rape, theft, selfishness, and adultery. Much pop music has these same messages. It seems rap is the worst of these, as it is more out in the open evil. Pop and rock often try to blur the lines, and can be considered a gateway drug to increasingly evil music. Music considered normal today was yesterday’s abomination. This is one of the reasons why the scripture warns that if we do not turn our hearts to our fathers, we will be destroyed. All common sense has been lost to this generation, and destruction is eminent.

“Contend Against No Church Save It Be the Church of the Devil”: Avoiding Satanic Musicians

The Lord admonishes us to “contend against no church save it be the church of the Devil” (D&C 18:20). I chose to not listen to known devil worshippers, even if they have songs that seem innocent. I avoid those artists entirely. Other artists who aren’t open devil worshippers I can at times pause and admire some of their artwork, even when I know they have some other artwork which is more questionable, morally speaking. I am also aware that in some cases and scenarios, certain types of music which are very emotional can help people get through very emotional episodes of life. The general music we chose however, should likely focus on genres like classical, opera, tenor, soprano, folk, and other high-quality types of music whose melody and lyric reflect dignity, self-control, integrity, reverence for life, reverence for the sacred, and an overall message of goodwill toward men.

Popular Devil Worshipping Musicians

Here are some known devil worshippers whom we must refuse to listen to or associate with in any way. This list is from goodfight.org whom has conducted research into the messages and backgrounds of these groups, exposing their Satanic ways: Robert Johnson, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Harrison, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, David Crosby, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Fleetwood Mac, Hill & Oats, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Van Halen, KISS, AC/C, Sting, Iron Maiden, Prince, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Beyoncé, Queen, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Adam Levine (of Maroon 5), James Franco, ACDC, Ellie Goulding, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, & The Red Hot Chili Peppers. MANY more could be listed.

One example of propaganda from an evil musician is the ultra-famous rapper “Snoop Dogg”. His music, like much or most rap music, usually involves substance abuse, robbery, defiling women, idling life away, blaspheming God, and every other sin. He is truly a high priest in the church of the Devil. He put out a video of him holding a gun to someone who looks like President Donald Trump. Snoop targets young boys who never had a dad, and men who live in their parents’ basement, who think that Snoop is the image of a real man. Snoop knows that his audience is a bunch of arrested development kids and that he is robbing and brainwashing them. Pimping them. Making a bunch of kids dress like gangsters so they get picked up by the cops, put in jail, and made into a prison labor force. This suits well Satan’s plan of captivity. He wants anarchy and should be put in jail for inciting riots and violence against the President. In his videos they are pointing guns at cops all the time. They’re being trained to kill cops; to make chaos, exaggerating the mistakes of the police.

If you want political change, use the political process, or a 1776, not a strange assassin thug culture or an immoral French Revolution (beheading everyone) approach. This is ghetto and evil.

Remember that every dollar you spend and every online track you play is a vote cast in favor of or against the entity to which you have spent it. In this digital age, not only dollars but page and song views also count. Take caution: Is the group that you’re supporting going to take the $ you give them and turn around to spend it on creating something evil?

Even if a musician doesn’t come out and praise the Devil (as many do), if they promote evil, they are prophets of the Devil just the same.

When someone has proven to be openly evil in full rebellion, we blacklist, or so to speak, excommunicate them, from our association. We don’t hear their music, not even their “good” ones. We don’t get close to them. We don’t expose our children to them in a positive light, because they aren’t a positive light. They are a tree of abomination, and partaking thereof, though it may seem sweet in the mouth, will in the stomach, be bitter. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and the sheep have no business associating with them, no matter how cunning wise or charming the sheep believes itself to be. Hugh Nibley wisely teaches that we aren’t to resist evil, rather we are to stay clear away from it! President Hinckley says no dirty magazines are allowed in his home as he cannot trust himself around evil. Not trusting oneself around evil isn’t the mark of a weak man, but of an honest one, and a saint indeed. The D&C instructs us to depart from the ungodly (ref). What about missionary work and fellowship and building bridges? We don’t need bridges to Babylon, we need to flee from it. We do befriend others, but we don’t worship at their altars. In the April 2020 General Conference, one pointed out that when Lehi partook, he didn’t leave the tree in his efforts to invite and persuade others to come partake (ref). We do love sinners, but we don’t worship their Gods. We do embrace multiculturalism, but we don’t embrace idolatry, fornication, lasciviousness, and filth. Culture, however diverse, must stay within the bounds the Lord has set. Satan is the father of lies, the father of filth, and those who have sworn allegiance to him cannot be reasoned with, and they especially cannot be used as sources of entertainment. God your maker is best able to entertain you in ways that build a foundation for a long happy life. Evil musicians are not fountains of truth from which we can drink joy, fulfillment, and satiation, the things which good musicians can bring. Good musicians draw upon the light of Christ which is given to all people to make the world a better place. I’m not saying entertainers need to be perfect to offer wholesome entertainment which can move and rejuvenate our souls. I am saying that there is a line, and when it is crossed, supporting that artist or their creations in any way becomes inappropriate, destructive, and leads us to hell.

We recall Brigham Young’s statement that there is no song or dance in hell (ref). Therefore we can say that ‘bad’ music & dance, doesn’t really qualify for the titles of music and dance, but something fallen, and despicable, to be renounced entirely. Evil “music” is something that won’t last when Babylon The Great falls.

Emotional Regulation Therapy in Various Genres

Some songs have personal meaning to us as they bring back fond memories of spending time with friends, and the series of emotions and questions we dealt with in life.

In the spirit of Paul’s statement about being all things to all people, that saviors on mount Zion have the privilege of “time travel”. What I mean by this is that it was their opportunity to adopt the cultures of those whom are around them, including those of their age, those younger, and those older. This means a person can, for the sake of teens, be like a teen sometimes, etc., enjoying with them their sports and wholesome music in genres which they enjoy. Some genres have little if anything to offer when it comes to wholesome music, and we would do well to steer youth in a different direction where possible.

These things said, remember that we do not partake of Babylon in efforts to share Zion. We must NEVER touch the unclean gift (ref). Yes we want to connect with and relate to others, but we must do this within the bounds the Lord has set. We must seek excellence and cleanliness. We may enjoy various flavors, but we cannot partake of poison. Beware that not only do certain words suggest filthiness, but certain tempos rhythms beats and cultures themselves are degrading to the spirit of the Lord. Be a friend to everyone, but only share with them things which are wholesome. There is enough good to share that we do not need to worry about tampering with the bad.

A friend shared his succinct definition of bad music with me, with a caution to beware any genre: “I define bad music as erratic, jarring, and unstable—with a lack of melodious underpinning. I always feel uncomfortable around bad music, no matter whether it is part of rock, classical, country, spiritual or jazz. Every form of music, except the specific offshoots of hard rock, are capable of producing pleasant feelings. Some forms are more generally suited to emotionally stable music (classical and hymns). But you should feel nervous around any type of music that is destabilizing and not uplifting. Worse, yet, if you actually like hard, acid rock or wildly erratic classical show-off pieces or wild jazz, your conscience is in bad shape. Nothing dulls the feeling sense of conscience more than bad music—unless it is sexual sin.”

Retaining Control of Yourself

Music which speaks of “going crazy” and “losing [ones] mind” and living only in/for the night often refers to evil, and things connected with evil, such as giving in to the immoral pressure to be unchaste, or resignation in general. The mind along with the gut are connectors to the soul and spirit. Satan wishes to take over minds and bodies so he can get souls (the soul is a combination of mind/spirit and body (ref); if Satan gets one or the other, it’s a package deal. The same goes for God, if we turn our souls over to him, we get both an exalted spirit, and an exalted mind). Retaining control of ourselves is why we don’t practice hypnotism or certain forms of yoga which involve “letting go” of one’s mind, of one’s consciousness, will, control, etc. Demons are real. Demons can and do possess people. Often what we think is some natural illness is actually the operation of demons, whose job it is to torment us, and those can often be avoided or cast out if we have faith (see Brigham Young and Joseph Smith for more on the illness demon connection and healing/protection from it). Be firm and do not allow things into your mind which don’t belong there. Do not leave it empty, as such invites evil. God wishes us to be active in upkeeping both our bodies and minds. The Savior taught of someone who cleaned demons away, but then left an empty house, where later even more demons came (ref). Keep a firm resolve. Dancing to the extent that one feels to “loose their mind” is not good dancing. Dancing can be good. Brigham Young was known to dance late into the night at parties. But tones lyrics and contortions which lead one to be overpowered and lose control are not of the Lord.

Judge the Cover

If an album cover features explicit images or suggestive postures (connotating drug use, sex, violence, pride, arrogance, or general rudeness), this is a significant warning sign. An album cover is designed to be an embodiment of the themes which can be found in the album. Sex is not bad, but when people make it a public thing that is bad, and they’re usually suggesting it be used outside of marriage.

When a song slips in blatant or even hidden references to bad things or bad language, it shows that the musician is seeking to please not the Lord, but the world. Beware the spirit of the masses which condemn evil, then run to the theaters when a suggestive film is being presented. They have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof (ref). A theatre is a dark place where one feels they are in private. Earbuds and vehicles suggest privacy and often lead to mental then physical fornication. But no one can hide from God, and for that matter, from their ancestors who stand as guardian angels, and indeed watch their lives.

Be Natural

Be careful with electronic sounds which cannot be produced naturally, or which cannot be produced at the speeds they are being played on naturally. Some electronic components of music can be uplifting, but much precaution is needed in this area. Loud beats, fast rhythms, unnatural sounds, all of these contribute to the disturbance of body and spirit.

One of the plagues that accompanies unnatural and ungodly music is immodest dress. Remember the days of dancing around the camp fire, remember the times of smiling in the pure joy of modest fun, where all participants cover their bodies handsomely without showing their skin or their form. Brigham Young chastised the sisters in Zion, telling them that it made them look uncomely to show their form, drawing their dresses tightly around their bodies as was the fashion in Babylon (ref). He called upon the saints to make their own clothes, fashions, and culture all together (ref). They succeeded at this for a long time, and now it is our generation’s turn to create again a culture of Holiness to the Lord! Often the ways of the world simply aren’t the ways of the Lord. Beware what music you hear, as music is a trigger of behavior, particularly moral behavior.

Music for Workouts or other Intense Moments

It is not uncommon to see people using much more wild music for their workouts, claiming that such helps them to be enthusiastic. Even for intensive training and workouts, we don’t need thrashy trashy music. We can “get pumped” with compelling and rhythmical classical style songs not involving overly repetitive and dulling tones beats or lyrics.

The spirit needs a reverent atmosphere to inspire the creative process, even, I would argue, the creation of a strong body and mind. Let us not harm the mind and spirit with the excuse of supposedly helping the body. Later the revelation will come showing that those who indulged in harmful music will have sustained not only long term damage to their attitude, and spiritual sensitivities, but along term decaying effect on their bodies.

Many athletes will attest to the importance of focus during practice and performance, some even refrain from using any music for this reason. The most skilled in body and mind often require reverent quiet in their training where they can more easily access the creative spirit of God in their work. Our minds must be fully focused on the task at hand. Wild music can also lead someone to push themselves further than they should, resulting in unnecessary injury or other dangerous and compromising situations which they would not have otherwise encountered.

Athletes used to train to intense/invigorating piano music. They would meet in a gym and there would be a pianist playing music.

Using Music to Study

For some reason we think classical music is only for background while doing other things. In reality, for something like high concentration study, it often hinders the process. Music is complex, yes, even music without words. We can plan an outing of just listening to a symphony. We are overstimulated in our society, and would do well to simplify, and stop trying to multitask. Music is best absorbed when you’re paying full attention to it. In Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”, one of the great freedom novels (a great book other than a few unnecessary humanist themes), the main character hero known for her great work ethic, would go to work, and when coming home, would sit and listen to classical music as her recreation. The music would have distracted her if she listened at work, she had to give full concentration to her business to make it what it needed to be. Her work was important to her, she gave her best self to it. She was innovative, and not just punching a time clock. She used her mind to create and didn’t just live for money. In other words, what she did each day was about leading not following. She used her mind rigorously in her work. Then when it was time to rest, the music assisted. The music was majestic, and deserved attention when it was played.

Ben Carson the famous neurosurgeon was known for listening to Handel’s Messiah while he studied. It can differ person to person on how music helps or hinders the focus and concentration needed to study. Many with anxiety can use music to calm them down, and then cancel the music outright once they’re in a calm mood. The nature of some of the work we must do can sometimes be aided by music.

They Sold Their Souls for Rock & Roll by Good Fight Ministries – Documentary Highlights

Based on documentaries by Good Fight Ministries

They Sold Their Soul for Rock & Roll & Hollywood’s War against God: Documentaries by Good Fight Ministries (from GoodFight.org)

Here we have a documentary on the evils of rock music historically and today. We also have short films about the same. Finally we have a documentary about Hollywood’s use of Gnostic undertones to teach rebellion against God’s plan for us (the core idea of Gnosticism being that the creator is a wicked dictator, and Lucifer is the “unsung hero” bringing wisdom to mankind).

This documentary and short video by Good Fight Ministries (GoodFight.org) show that the Satanism once reserved for death metal bands is now pushed into main stream pop music. They also show the roots of Satanism in Rock and Roll:

Documentary: They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll: This documentary includes themes such as the following: literal pacts with the devil for talent/fame/wealth/pleasure seen frequently in the rock music industry; rock song writers being inspired by the devil for lyrics and tones of songs “seeing concerts and taking notes on them” to create their music and the playing of those backward (or even just forward often) speaking of overt Satanism, which backward lyrics are sophisticated creation of Satan not of the musicians; the creator of the documentary reports that when he was a song writer before being born again, he too would have lyrics of songs come to his mind, even to the extent that he would have to look up the meanings to the lyrics which came to him, not knowing their meaning; the roots of Aleister Crowley and other Satanic leaders; the pervasiveness of Satanic themes in old and modern rock rap and even pop music; from bluegrass singers who sold their souls to the devil at the cross roads, to Elvis, to the Doors and the rest of them, these singers are deeply involved in the occult; pedophilia rape murder drug abuse free sex homosexuality and all manner of evil are openly promoted by rock singers and their intellectual forefathers. Terms such as New Age and New World Order were inspired by the Devil. The Peace spoken of in the 60’s was about how people could live wickedly and yet have peace, the thing most negated by the scriptures. Crowley points out that the family is the biggest hurtle against the Satanic agenda, therefore homosexuality is promoted. Also is covered the demons plaguing these artists which they drown out with alcohol etc., and their eventual sad disappointed forsaken deaths. It is shown how yesterday’s extremists are today’s moderates, and how we would today laugh at what offended people in the 50’s. We are desensitized to evil. It is shown how music is the most powerful venue for Satanic doctrines to be spread, such as the phrase from the Satanic Bible, “Do as Thou Wilt” which became “Do your thing”, and moral relativism in the false name of tolerance which dominates society today. Demonic doctrines of humans being no more than animals are promoted. The extremism once reserved for metal bands is now becoming mainstream as seen in pop music. More modern examples of this are documented in other films at goodfight.org. While contributing to the delinquency of minors used to be illegal, we see this is no longer the case. This documentary makes it painfully clear that the religion of Satan is alive and well today, and their churches are the rock concerts. Let me note that this documentary gets one thing wrong, they say the doctrine of being able to become a God is of the Devil, but in reality, Satan’s doctrine is to become a God by evil, whereas God’s doctrine is to become a God by good works and grace as outlined in Christ’s doctrine.

They Sold Their Souls For Rock and Roll: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSByCxGXXeM&t=120s

They Sold Their Souls For Rock and Roll: Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et40kj2mDg4

They Sold Their Souls For Rock and Roll: Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsohgBRbhac

They Sold Their Souls For Rock and Roll: Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqkTQ0Et4Q

They Sold Their Souls For Rock and Roll: Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-UNitDy9sY

“Hollywood’s War on God” full documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC7jYfL2Ufc

it speaks of Gnosticism which turns God’s plan upside down, saying the creator is evil and Lucifer is good and that Lucifer is manifest in Sophia or learning; they state that rules and limits are bad, and that the creator (God) is an evil dictator who punishes us by putting us in bodies; they hate bodies; they think they can change the future and eliminate the second coming of Christ by initiating some new order. Speaks of the root of scientology as being Satanism as seen in the writings of Aleister Crowley. Shows how V for Vendetta, The Matrix, Harry Potter, and others are hidden gnostic teachings.

HP Lavatski is a witch which Harry Potter is based on. Harry Potter’s escape from the material world into the spiritual one is via communication with a serpent. Aleister Crowley also discovered he was a “wizard” at age 11 like Harry Potter, and other analogies of Potter and Crowley are shown.

Alan Moore is a film maker in whose films the heroes are always the devils.

Gnosticism of The Truman Show exposed, where “Moses” and “Christoff” are the bad guys, and Truman must escape the world he lives in which is a set up, and Truman gets a hint that the world is fake with a “falling star” item like Lucifer falling from heaven (the old Prometheus tied to a rock as being the good guy who brought fire to mankind and being punished by God inverting God as bad and Lucifer/Prometheus as good). Truman sees a woman who tries to tell him he is deceived she is sitting by a tree whose name is Sophia like Eve in Eden. Truman also looks within himself for divine identity rather than looking to Jesus Christ. They show 139 often to mock Psalm 139 which speaks of God constantly watching us. Truman becomes his own savior with the help of the fallen star, the woman, and the self-discovery. Truman’s freedom is in his daringness to break the rules of the creator.

In the x-men movie, the hero’s job is to overthrow the creator. The winged man is like the fallen angel who like Lucifer starts as good then becomes bad, and who rejects his father, then falls from a window just before catching himself. The dark angel shape changer as the 4^th horse of the apocalypse is also featured. The Beast is one character, whose job is to be a US ambassador to advocate for mutant rights. The mutants represent homosexuals.

Dan Brown’s Divinci Code is also based on Gnosticism and thus strikes the doctrine of Christ. It leads people to worship a dead woman’s bones rather than to worship Christ.

In a movie Pleasantville, when they sin, the world becomes more colorful and beautiful and a rainbow appears.

Truman wants to escape the real world to go to Tahiti.

But in reality, God created color, God created Tahiti and beaches etc. Rebellion is what taints the beautiful creation.

Hollywood has reintroduced the Gnosticism to deceive us in these last days (the idea that Lucifer is the good guy, and the creator is the bad guy).

The Matrix is a heavily gnostic movie of rebellion against the creator. Much details of that in the presentation.

[End of notes on They Sold Their Souls For Rock & Roll by Good Fight Ministries.]

[GFM denounces theosis (man becoming like God), here’s a bit of my letter to GFM in favor of theosis:] I want to thank you for your profound work; I’ve watched all of your videos and look forward to more productions. I’m going to spread your videos all I can…I still strive for guidance on how to choose Christian music, and I was praying for more guidance on that subject when I came across your website. I have knelt to thank God for leading me to your website. I am a latter-day saint and know there is a difference between us doctrinally about becoming gods. Briefly I say yes Lucifer wants people to TAKE GOD’S PLACE and become gods via evil. But God would have us become like him (NOT TAKE HIS PLACE) like a father wants a son to become like him, but this is only possible through righteousness. We wouldn’t take God’s place ever, but would be extensions of his enterprise, so to say. “Joint heirs with Christ”, “if children then heirs”, etc. For a bit more on this topic, my favorite sermon on this topic about how we need a Savior (Jesus Christ) because of God’s justice, and that’s how we avoid Lucifer’s tyranny. See Elder Christofferson’s 2017 BYU Devotional titled “A Message at Christmas”. I will also suggest that the serpent symbol, though correctly now represents the Devil, could have originally been divine (as in new testament “be ye wise as serpents”), and Satan’s use of it in particular in Eden could have been a cunning move to deceive our first parents. (Thus anciently and in various cultures, some have used serpents to describe the real Christ also, like the ancient American Indians with Quetzalcoatl, or the Book of Mormon footnote to the flying serpents being a type of Christ.) One more thing I think you will like. You speak of the evils of Gnosticism, and how they hate our bodies etc. (‘why are you wearing that man suit?’ said the rabbit in Danny Darko, etc.) I believe that Jesus Christ currently has a body, that he always will, and that we too will always have our bodies after the resurrection. In other words, I believe in a literal resurrection, and I think any Gnostic would detest that. So I’m very satisfied with that belief. Spirit and matter connected are where we have joy; in other words, we need bodies to have full joy (D&C 93:33-34) (if interested, here is an article on how bodies are a blessing in greater detail drawing from scripture: “The Body as a Blessing” by John S Tanner, Ensign Magazine July 1993 https://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/07/the-body-as-a-blessing?lang=eng) [End of my letter to Good Fight Ministries.]

Here are shorter films from Good Fight Ministries on the music industry etc:

Summary of musicians who use 666 openly: https://youtu.be/HwaeDVnaJ-k

Robert Johnson, Satanism, and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUK1P5x9Xak&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=1

Little Richard and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oVlspnsVSI&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=2

Bill Haley and Satanism: The Trojan Horse of Rock and Roll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIf52wVXiVU&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=3

Elvis Presley and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M813ZdDK4kE&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=4

Jerry Lee Lewis and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZi3el3YB3M&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=5

George Harrison and Satanism (including song starting with Hallelujah, changing to Hare Krishna): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQJOAJrbcvA&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=6

The Beatles and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIm-yx_638s&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=7

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JCrx3LP78I

The Beach Boys and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBAgm-kfBmo

David Crosby and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSuRatj2rkI&index=10&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

David Bowie and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfTVYGqMots&index=11&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Pink Floyd and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MyipGXrO0E

The Grateful Dead and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85AsVlmpX2M&index=13&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Jimi Hendrix and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5vh6-7Skvs&index=14&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Carlos Santana and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRbCN4cse88&index=15&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Fleetwood Mac and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6xG06r2fN4&index=16&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Hill & Oats and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0UUTrDjxcA&index=17&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Black Sabbath and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw4FGhe9_AA&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=18

Led Zepplin, Jimmy Page, and Satanism (including performing directions rite on stage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F80RzK4jWUA&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=19

Led Zepplin and the Stairway to Heaven and Satanism (including automatic writing & reverse lyrics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMR9DdYiA-w&index=20&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

The Eagles and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhqCGtPkyk&index=21&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Van Halen and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xiYKBWfZAk&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=22

KISS and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwLj0hyJyws&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=23

AC/CD and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtMVzNdl5pM&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=24

Sting and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu3OrGR2QyI&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=25

Iron Maiden and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGfDQ7Bsl_I&index=26&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

U2 and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkBHGeqcbDs&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=27

Prince and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khgDLsP55JI&index=28&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4

Metallica and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCEMOWfO1TY&list=PLxSUMS3CSNTaYIdBrGdswCXFMNUBmlhe4&index=29

Michael Jackson and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811AQTeHI7c

Bob Dylan and the Devil at the Crossroads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JCrx3LP78I

Beyonce and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21GOSnJc4Mg

Queen and Satanism: https://youtu.be/zrIzs6v1HOA

Ariana Grande and Satanism: https://youtu.be/4i8VmxM0GxY

Lady Gaga and Satanism: https://youtu.be/-fZSHPf3j2g

Adam Levine (of Maroon 5), James Franco, ACDC, Ted Bundy, and Satanism: https://youtu.be/KTKZUvb0enM

Ellie Goulding and Satanism: https://youtu.be/FCEFz2pYdgI

Miley Cyrus, Perverted Sex Pusher, Her Dad’s Lament for Not Being a Good Dad, footage of an AIDs diseased man, and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=PIfOH428_p8

Kesha, the Satanic Cult Leader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8GfWJKyPVc

Katy Perry, the Super Bowl, forsaking Christianity, and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHknzzJeK6Y

Bruno Mars, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Super Bowl, and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj5bI38yGUU

Satan Worship at the GRAMMYs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMMfgsF6DnU

X-Men Movies and the Gay Agenda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qWceLl65IM

The Noah Movie, Gnosticism, and Satanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1413&v=k2Uzm7kE4Uw

Note: I’ve learned Good Fight Ministries has some documentaries casting shame on the founding fathers of the US; I’ve seen theories like those before, and I don’t buy them. The D&C also upholds those men as being the best on earth at that time, and we know that they came to the St. George temple seeking their temple work to be completed at a later time after their death. Notwithstanding that research which I don’t support, I am very much in support of their research regarding the influence of the Devil in the music industry, and wish for everyone to see it.

Resources on Music

imslp.org – Petrucci Music Library – public domain sheet music & recordings

8notes.com – much free sheet music for various instruments, even more for the 20$/year subscription

-seek chord charts (piano, guitar, accordion, etc.)

-seek fingering charts

-seek fret/note label/location stickers (violin, guitar, piano, accordion, etc.)

-Essencial Elements is a good series of how to books for various instruments

-for dummies series: classical guitar, home music recording, singing exersizes, music theory

-metronome

-Note: avoid cheap music vendors, they’re likely pirates just trying to make a profit off of you, instead of giving credit to the artists. If you have some backup mp3’s, ensure you have a public streaming service you pay for monthly so the artists are getting paid.

PART 4: MUSIC THERAPY PLAYLISTS

Visit the Richardson Studies YouTube channel for links to similar playlists on YouTube

Introduction to Music Therapy Playlists

These playlists are designed to bring wholesome recreation and healing by virtuous music. Each song has been carefully screened. Genres and artists known for their corruption in content or style have been excluded. May this music enrich your life and the lives of those with whom you can share.

Some have said that music is the embodiment emotion in all of its dimensions. God is an emotional person who cries when you cry, and rejoices when you rejoice. He loves music when it is used in a good uplifting way and is kept within the bounds He has set.

We are all in different places in life and there can be different songs that can speak to us to help us in our time of need. Of course there are limits to what is appropriate, but there is also a bit of flexibility. We should all strive toward truly Christlike music, and strive to minister to one another’s needs.

We speak to each in their language. With exception of those which are corrupt, I’ve attempted to communicate these therapeutic messages in more “languages” (genres/styles) than one. We can easily reject artists whose messages and demeanors are obviously teaching illicit sex, rebellion, and other atrocities. Mozart and other great musicians have had struggles in life. This however does not mean that we excuse artists whose material REPRESENTS a repeated dismissal of conscience. The D&C says the Lord will reach us a pure language in the millennium. I feel part of that teaching will be holy forms of music. We should follow the conscience to try to align ourselves with that holy language today. Remember the theme of the millennium: HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Contention rudeness slothfulness and forgetfulness are what Elder Bednar identified as what make the Liahona (compass from the Lord) stop working. If a song communicates those themes, dismiss it.

An important note on connecting with others via music: At the April 2020 General Conference a speaker pointed out how when Lehi remained at the tree while he attempted to get others to come to the tree. This means we cannot compromise our standards in our efforts to connect with and guide others. We cannot use bad music which might have a good part to it. That is not the tree we are trying to get them to. There is some flexibility on style, but there is NO flexibility when it comes to moral correctness of media. Jesus ate with sinners, but he did not sin with them.

I do not endorse all artists on these lists, some merely have a few good songs fitting for the topic at hand. Screen all of your music before casual listening to make sure your playlist or library is pure and holy. For radio I stick to classical as the other genres often throw in questionable songs.

When a song is questionable, throw it out. Remember what Jesus Christ said, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” (Matt. 5:29). There is enough good, we do not need the bad.

Be willing to give up the bad when we have found the good. Jesus Christ said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 13:45-50).

I hope you find as I have, happiness instruction and healing from these songs. Feel free to reach out to me if you find some error in them which I may not have been aware of, or if you have other meaningful suggestions to add.

50’s

(see also musicals)

Smile by Jimmy Durante

Singin’ in the Rain – Gene Kelly

Bluebird on my Shoulder

Puttin’ on the Ritz

Feed the Birds – Mary Poppins

Precision & Order – Mary Poppins

Spoonful of Sugar – Mary Poppins

Unforgettable

Nat King Cole

Unforgettable

L-O-V-E

Nat King Cole

L-O-V-E

The Way You Look Tonight (Remastered 2008)

Frank Sinatra

Nothing But The Best

I Love You Baby – Frank Sinatra

Hushabye Mountain – Dick Van Dyke

Doggie in the Window

80’s

St. Elmos Fire, John Parr

Abuse

-Remember That by Jessica Simpson

-Elements by A Fine Frenzie

-Children of War by Moya Brenna

Addiction

-Born of God by Steven Kapp Perry on From Cumorah’s Hill

-Plastic Roses by Jessica Sanchez

-Humoresque No. 7 in G-Flat Major, Op. 101 by Dvorak performed by Jeno Jando on Piano Red Classics (played in the worth of a soul man and violin video)

-All About Your Heart by Mindy Gledhill

-The Preacher and the Stranger by Joey+Rory

-Bring Me to Life by Katherine Jones

-Hold on by Stacy Clark

Adoption

-Everything that I am by Josh Strickland on Tarzan Broadway

-Journey to the Past by Christy Altomare on Anastasia Broadway

Angels

-Step in Time by Dick Van Dyke on Mary Poppins

-Calling All Angels by Dee Harraington on Celtic Woman – Make You Feel My Love

-Angel by the Wing (you can do anything) by Sia

-Shiver by Coldplay (Celtic cover by Celtic Angels)

-The Little Match Girl by the Tabernacle Choir

-Angel by Jackie Evancho

-Angel by Katherine Jenkins

-Goodnight My Angel by Celtic Woman

-Hold You Up by Shane Harper

-Angel Doves by Lynn Hilary

-Hear My Prayer by Moya Brennan

-Isengard Unleashed by Howard Shore

-Like An Angel Passing Through My Room by Celtic Woman

Apocalypse / Millennium

–Willow by Jasmine Thompson on Under the Willow Tree

–Storm is Comin (feat. Liv Ash) by Tommee Profitt

-Who will Wait? By Stephen Kapp Perry on From Cumorah’s Hill

-Thus Saith the Lord..But Who May Abide on Handel’s Messiah

-They loathed to drink of the river on Israel in Egypt by Handel

-Shall We Meet? by Rob Gardner

-To Believe by Jackie Evancho

-Who Will Wait? by Steven Kapp Perry on From Curmorah’s Hill

-A Spaceman Came Traveling by Celtic Woman

-Someday by Celtic Woman

-Awakening by Celtic Woman

-O Come, O Come Emmanuel by the Tabernacle Choir, also by Enya

-Let Me Fly by BYU Concert Choir

-Swing Low Sweep Chariot by the Tabernacle Choir

-Make Them Hear You by BYU Concert Choir or Brian Stokes Mitchell

-Somewhere by Celtic Woman

-Wayfaring Stranger by Meav

-Album: Israel in Egypt by Handel

-Album: Messiah by Handel

-Returns a King by Tyler Bates

-The End of All Things by Howard Shore

-White Shores are Calling by Howard Shore

-The White Rider by Howard Shore

-Carol to the King by The Tabernacle Choir

-V. Angus Dei by Caroline Ashton

-Bringing in the Sheaves by The Tabernacle Choir

-He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands by the Tabernacle Choir

-Safe & Sound by Jackie Evancho

-She Moved Throught the Fair by Charlottle Church

-The Plagues on Prince of Egypt Soundtrack

-God’s Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash

-The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash

-Ain’t No Grave by Johnny Cash

-Everything That Has Breath by The Parachute Band

-What’s This? by Danny Elfman

-How Long O Lord by Fiddlesticks

-Finally Here by Ari Goldwag

-Angels from the Realms of Glory by Brian Stokes Mitchell & The Tabernacle Choir

-I Will Find You by Moya Brennan

-When the Morning Breaks by Moya Brennan

-We’ll Shout and Give Him Glory by BYU Men’s Chorus

-Dona Nobis Pacem: II. ‘Beat! Beat! Drums!’ on album Vaughan Williams: Dona mobis pacem etc.

-Swimming in the Barrow by Lynn Hilary

The Heavens Are Telling

Franz Joseph Haydn

Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

The Philadelphia Orchestra

As The Skies Cascade

Eurielle

My Lord Has Come

English Chamber Orchestra

Will Todd: The Call of Wisdom

Dies Irae

Eurielle

Arcadia

Peace Shall Come

Hayley Westenra

Winter Magic (International Version)

The Morning Trumpet

Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square & Mack Wilberg

Men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Angel

Libera

The Houses of Healing (feat. Liv Tyler)

Howard Shore

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (Complete Recordings)

Billy Boyd – The Last Goodbye Cover – The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

Rachel Hardy

Lord of the Rings – Into the West (cover) – Ella Roberts & Nick Roberts

EllaRoberts

Zero Hour

Eurielle

Goodbye Butterfly

The Great Escape | Soundtrack Suite (Elmer Bernstein)

Soundtrack Fred

Over A Thousand People Came Together To Break a Record – Angels From The Realms Of Glory

The Piano Guys

March to Glory

1 Revolution Music

Swords and Thrones, Vol. 3

Burning Cold

Eurielle

Arcadia

Castle On A Cloud

Isabelle Allen

Les Misérables: The Motion Picture Soundtrack Deluxe (Deluxe Edition)

Should You Eat Breakfast Before You Run In The Morning?

Lone Endurance

Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square & Mack Wilberg

Praise to the Man

The Return of the King (feat. Viggo Mortensen, Renee Fleming & Sir James Galway)

Howard Shore

Lord Of The Rings 3: The Return Of The King

One Day (Reprise)

Maccabeats

One Day More

Apostacy

-Perfect World by Tom Jones on The Emperors New Groove

-Thou Didst Blow with the Wind on Israel in Egypt

-The Lord Hath Exalted Thee on Elijah by Mendelssohn

-The Point of No Return on Phantom of the Opera

-Gollum’s Song by Emiliana Torrini on The Two Towers

-The Plagues on The Prince of Egypt

Arabic

Bab al Raja (Eng subs) | Nasheed for the distressed | Muhammad al Muqit

mohammadzafar

Assala – A simple question – ( Learn Arabic )

Arabic Songs With English Subtitles

Desert Magic

Adrian von Ziegler

Arabian Music & Middle Eastern Music

Fantasy & World Music by the Fiechters

Turkish Ney Music: Your Love is My Cure

Buddha’s Lounge

Assala – 60 Dqiqa Haiah | آصالة – ٦٠ دقيقة حياة [LYRICS]

Assala Nasri

Mohamed Fouad | How are you doing – Taminy ‘Aleek | Sad Love Song

Arabic Songs With English Subtitles

Fi Hagat

Nancy Ajram

I’m thinking about you – Learn Arabic & Enjoy the beauty of Arabic Music (Exclusive)

Arabic Music Empire

انا بحبك

Fadel Chaker

Ana Nesetak

Jannat

Barbarossa

Antti Martikainen

Set Sail for the Golden Age

Rain

Faran Ensemble

Rough Guide To The Best Arabic Music You’ve Never Heard

Ya Mo

Dozan

Rough Guide To The Best Arabic Music You’ve Never Heard

Attachment

-Losing Hope by Jack Johnson

-Humoresque No. 7 in G-Flat Major, Op. 101 by Dvorak performed by Jeno Jando on Piano Red Classics (played in the worth of a soul man and violin video)

-All About Your Heart by Mindy Gledhill

Bagpipe

Celtic Air

Andy Schofield

The Best Traditional Irish Music

The King of the Highlands

Antti Martikainen

The Last Chronicle

Ballet

Nutcracker Ballet – Full Performance – Russian State Ballet & Opera House

Russian State Ballet and Opera House

Cinderella

Victor Getmanov

Swan Lake – Pas de Quatre (Dance of the Small Swans) rehearsal

Pacific Northwest Ballet

1:57

Giselle – Royal Danish Ballet 2016

Astrid

Roberto Bolle and Misty Copeland – Romeo and Juliet

Out About

Prokofiev – Ballet Romeo & Juliet

Volodimir Balyk

2:29:31

La Bayadère

Tôtô

Raymonda Royal Danish Ballet

Violet

1:57:45

Raymonda Bolshoi Ballet Bolshoi Orchestra Music by ALEKSANDER GLAZUNOV 전곡듣기

강창학

А.Глазунов. Раймонда. И.Колпакова, С.Бережной. Raymonda. Mariinsky theatre (1980)

Советское телевидение. ГОСТЕЛЕРАДИОФОНД

Adolphe Adam: Le Corsaire – Ballet in three acts

Alexander Shameyev

1:54:27

Корсар. А.Асылмуратова, Е.Нефф. Le Corsaire. Mariinsky theatre (1989)

Советское телевидение. ГОСТЕЛЕРАДИОФОНД

Le Corsaire

Alexander Shameyev

Don Quijote (Ballet)

LMFA

Mikhail Baryshnikov. “Don Quijote”. LUDWIG MINKUS. American Ballet Theatre

Scoresdecine

ROBERTO BOLLE and Diana Vishneva ~The Sleeping Beauty

BlueRaspberry

Coppélia 1990

Arte Música

Coppelia

Grand Prix Kyiv

1:42:02

BALLET COPPELIA, EN LA ÓPERA DE PARIS

Florian Yubero Cañas

1:02:30

Kristina Kretova, David Hallberg – MS

Balletomane O

D.Shostakovich ballet “The Golden Age” 2007.

Сергей Дружинин

Д.Шостакович. Золотой век. Большой театр. The Golden Age. Bolshoi Theatre (1994)

Советское телевидение. ГОСТЕЛЕРАДИОФОНД

1:49:04

La Sylphide with Eva Evdokimova and Peter Schaufuss

ondine217

Репетиция концертной программы. Балет Игоря Моисеева.

Государственный академический ансамбль народного танца имени Игоря Моисеева

Ballroom

Hungarian Dance no. 5

Brahms

Victoria Day Celebration

Book of Mormon

-Album: From Cumorah’s Hill by Stephen Kapp Perry

Brass

Journey To The Island

John Williams

Jurassic Park

Brave New World

-Cookie Jar by Jack Johnson

Born Again

(see also repent, forgive)

-Writing’s on the Wall by Jackie Evancho

-Who Am I? The Trial by Gary Morris on Les Misérables

-Aniron by Enya

-The Houses of Healing (ft. Liv Taylor) by Howard Shore

-The Impossible Dream (The Quest) by Brian Stokes Mitchell on Man of La Mancha

-My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee by Rob Gardner

-Bring Me To Life by Katherine Jenkins

Breakup

-At the Ceili by Celtic Woman on A New Journey

Calm, Instrumental

-A Last Reading by Adrian Johnston on Becoming Jane

-Sacred Place by Mary Youngblood on Sacred Place

-Gymnopedie No. 1

Celtic/Folk

Scarborough Fair

Taryn Harbridge

Dragoncrest

Antti Martikainen

Throne of the North

Winter Moon

Erutan

Raindancer

Battle for Camelot

Tartalo Music

Battle for Camelot

The Lone Wanderer

Antti Martikainen

Creation of the World

Sleepsong (feat. Fionnuala Gill)

Secret Garden

Earthsongs

Call of the Ancients

Antti Martikainen

Eternal Saga

Mairead Nan Cuiread

Tannas

New Celtic Dimensions

My Mother Told Me

Rachel Hardy

Holla

Faun

Märchen & Mythen

The Mummers’ Dance

Loreena McKennitt

The Book Of Secrets

Mists of Avalon

BrunuhVille