Could the Earth Be Square?!

Blind Men & the Elephant
See image info below footnotes

and circular? and flat? and spheric? and cubic? all at the same time?

It's interesting how sometimes an “either / or” question is asked of God and (in paraphrase) He answers: “Believe it or not, both / all are right.”¹

To seriously consider the title question “Could the earth be square?” would take far more than a blog post, but perhaps this question and a few quotes from

A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science: A Voyage from 1 to 10
by Michael S. Schneider

will open our eyes, ears, and minds to reconsider and ponder²

▪ the “science” of an oft-blind world,
▪ the myths, legends, and mathematics (both ancient and modern) that may carry hidden clues; and
▪ if God is more literal in His scriptures than we give Him credit for?

Concerning the Circle and the number One

To ancient mathematical philosophers, the circle symbolized the number one. They knew it as the source of all subsequent shapes, the womb in which all geometric patterns develop.³

The circle is a reflection of the world’s— and our own— deep perfection, unity, design excellence, wholeness, and divine nature.⁴

The circle accommodates all shapes within itself.⁵

We’ve seen the creating process emerge from the Monad’s point to the Dyad’s line and Triad’s surface, that is, from zero dimensions to one dimension to two dimensions. Our journey corresponds with the emergent structure of a plant: the point of the seed, the line of the stem, the surface of the leaf. We now come to three dimensions, to volume, to the fruit of our geometric plant.⁶

Concerning the Square (plus volume: sphere and cube, ...) and the number Four

The flat square or tetragon (Greek for “four sides”) has four equal sides. The tetrahedron (Greek for “four faces”) is a volume of four identical triangular faces. And the cube or hexahedron (“ six faces”), the most well known volume, is enclosed by six square faces.⁷

The ancient Greeks noticed that four is the first number formed by the addition and multiplication of equals (4 = 2 + 2 = 2 × 2) and so was considered the first even number and first “female” number.⁸

The planet earth below us, solid ground, terra firma, is the supreme symbol for substance, mass, volume, strength, and stability. We organize space on the ground by the four cardinal directions of the compass and our body, dividing the circle of the horizon around us into four quarters in front and back of us, to the left and right. The four-cornered cross in a circle has long been the astronomical symbol for planet Earth. The four traditional winds blow across the four corners of the globe. We quarter not only space but time, naturally dividing the year into four seasons based on the relationship of the sun with the earth around the two equinoxes and two solstices.⁹

Regardless of the culture, the square was the preeminent symbol for the ancient Earth Mother goddess. The association of the earth with the number four, femaleness, and justice is very ancient, far preceding recorded history.¹⁰

In the way that a mother provides nourishment for her developing child, the “world mother” is described in myths as nourishing the emergent archetypal patterns with matter, consisting of four types of food, called the four ancient elements: earth, water, air, and fire. These elements provided the mythopoeic way of referring to the modern scientific four states of matter: solids, liquids, gases, and plasma or electronic incandescence.¹¹

Four shows up whenever there is reference to earth and matter.¹²

With our ability to construct a square we can bring the principles of the Tetrad to our universe. We can create volume and clothe it with the four elements, or states, of matter. The ancients symbolized this materialization process by weaving.¹³

Mathematicians have long known there can be only five possible “equal divisions” of three-dimensional space. Highly respected, discussed, and wondered at in ancient times, the construction and study of these five volumes were considered the ultimate goal toward which the elementary constructions built, the culmination and pinnacle of ancient geometric and esoteric knowledge.¹⁴

The first thing one might notice about these forms is that their faces are either triangles, squares, or pentagons. No other flat shape used alone will enclose a volume without gaps. These are the most economical expressions of space from which nature’s designs derive their characteristics.¹⁵

This simultaneity of three and four is a simple blueprint of ourselves: the triangle denoting a divine trinity “above,” or deep within, and below it a square unfolding the four elements of familiar human nature and body outward.¹⁶

The mathematics of “structure, function, order” are indeed amazing. The above quotes from Schneider hardly scratch the surface of his book, but for me the questions arise:

▪ if shapes and volumes unfold and interact in a mathematical sequence, why can't our world manifest in a “transcend and include” manner of structure-function-order just as it does in biology and communication?¹⁷
▪ where are the pillars and foundation of the earth?¹⁸
▪ don't pillars and foundation usually support a flat or triangular or spherical upper structure of floor or roof?
▪ if gravity is a weak force, how does it keep everything glued to a spherical ball including water that by all the laws of physics demands and seeks its own flat level?¹⁹
▪ could firmament²⁰ be the capsule cover that insulates us from the forces of outside motion and energy, somewhat like a car, bus, plane, train, etc.?
▪ where are those four corners²¹ if the earth is really and only spherical?
▪ could we, in this 21st Century, be more gullible and unobservant than some of the ancients?
▪ why do we argue about points of view:

» when our reach, grasp, and personal experience of this world (elephant) is so limited?
» when too much of what we actually observe does not jive with what we have been told or what has been fogged-out by indoctrination?
» when we know that the god of this world²² is known as the “father of all lies”²³ (and entrancing CGIs²⁴)?

Of course, Michael S. Schneider does not posit (in any way) a square, flat land-and-ocean mass surrounded by an (Antarctic?) ice-circle arched over by a spherical, celestial firmament supported below by a series of pillars (foundation) which pillars / foundation are contained in a cubic space volumized below the flat square and contained within the bottom portion of the sphere. In other words, a flat square within a circle where we all live sustained by a foundation cube, all of which is contained within a protecting sphere.

Perhaps now, everyone can be calm and quit arguing about whether it's a snake or spear or fan or wall or tree-trunk or rope,²⁵ or flat or round or square or spheric or cubic or spinning or not-spinning²⁶!

If the above discussion leaves you fuming or fog-bound, try this as a distraction:

Multiply nine 1s X nine 1s. i.e.,

111111111 X 111111111 to find

__________ !?!²⁷

Perhaps it all comes down to this:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways [and designs] higher than your ways [and designs], and my thoughts [and views] than your thoughts [and views].²⁸

-------------/
1. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 77:3 ~ Q. Are the four beasts limited to individual beasts, or do they represent classes or orders? A. They are limited to four individual beasts, which were shown to John, to represent the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation, in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity.
Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 22:1-3 ~ AND now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which are spiritual, which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh? And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh. Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; … [bold emphasis added]
Note: God’s replies were not confined to an "either / or" paradigm because a compound understanding was required. We encounter this all the time—people passionately defending their “theory” against some other “theory” when, in God’s comprehension, economy, and plan, dual or multiple explanations fit.  Not unlike the nature / nurture controversy; or the grace / works debate. (Do we not have to make it to the door with oil in our lamps (NT | Matthew 25) so we are there, ready to enter when the door is opened ONLY by and through His grace? See also
New Testament | James 2:14, 26 ~ 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ... 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
2. NOTE: If you and your family want an adventure for the year 2020, you might consider Schneider's  book. And remember, God has spoken to His children worldwide for generations, so there is much truth in all societies and cultures that must be gleaned from under the continual corruptions that man has overlaid in his so-called wisdom.  So as we pursue truth, let us not let the co-opting of God's design elements by opponents of the Good, blind us to the origins of all things and to the truth of:
New Testament | Colossians 1:15–17 ~ [His dear Son:] Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
3. Schneider, Michael S.. A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science: A Voyage from 1 to 10 (Kindle Locations 464-466). Harper. Kindle Edition.
4. Ibid., (Kindle Locations 463-464). Harper. Kindle Edition.
5. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 545-547). Harper. Kindle Edition.
6. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1384-1387). Harper. Kindle Edition.
7. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1390-1393). Harper. Kindle Edition.
8. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1470-1471). Harper. Kindle Edition.
9. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1477-1482). Harper. Kindle Edition.
10. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1487-1488). Harper. Kindle Edition.
11. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1496-1499). Harper. Kindle Edition.
12. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1519-1520). Harper. Kindle Edition.
13. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1567-1569). Harper. Kindle Edition.
14. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1723-1726). Harper. Kindle Edition.
15. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1728-1730). Harper. Kindle Edition.
16. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 1820-1822). Harper. Kindle Edition.
Three additional quotes:
● When either the radius or circumference is measurable in whole, rational units, the other is an endless, irrational decimal. Thus, a circle represents the limited and unlimited in one body. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 490-491). Harper. Kindle Edition.
● Symbolized in nearly every culture as a wheel, the circle represents nature’s universal cycles, circulations, circuits, orbits, periodicities, vibrations, and rhythms. Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 620-621). Harper. Kindle Edition.
● A circle expresses the most practical and efficient geometric space for natural and human creations to occur. Of all shapes, a circle encloses the most space by the smallest perimeter. In other words, the most enclosure with least exposure. The Monad’s third principle is maximized efficiency.  Ibid.,  (Kindle Locations 684-686). Harper. Kindle Edition.
17. Transcend and Include: “A natural hierarchy is simply an order of increasing wholeness, such as: particles to atoms to cells to organisms, or letters to words to sentences to paragraphs. The whole of one level becomes a part of the whole of the next. ... Virtually all growth processes, from matter to life to mind occur via natural holarchies, or [nested] orders of increasing holism or wholeness—wholes that become parts of new wholes—and that’s natural hierarchy or holarchy [transcend and include].” From A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber, © 1996, Shambhala, p. 28.
18. Pillars / Foundation: All bold emphasis added.
Old Testament | 1 Samuel 2:8 ~ He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.
Old Testament | Psalms 102:25 ~ Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Old Testament | Isaiah 48:13 ~ Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
Old Testament | Zechariah 12:1 ~ THE burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
New Testament | Hebrews 1:10 ~ And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 20:13 ~ Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens. I call unto them and they stand up together.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:1 ~ HEARKEN, O ye people of my church, to whom the kingdom has been given; hearken ye and give ear to him who laid the foundation of the earth, who made the heavens and all the hosts thereof, and by whom all things were made which live, and move, and have a being.
Pearl of Great Price | Moses 6:44 ~ The heavens he made; the earth is his footstool; and the foundation thereof is his. Behold, he laid it, an host of men hath he brought in upon the face thereof.
19. Gravity: If satellites, planes, birds, balloons, hang-gliders, etc., etc. can make it aloft for long periods, what keeps massively heavy water flowing obediently around a spinning or not-spinning ball in contravention of liquid properties? But then what do I know for sure? Not a lot. I mostly have questions and (sometimes wild?) suppositions.
20. Firmament: All bold emphasis added.
Old Testament | Genesis 1:6-8 ~ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Old Testament | Genesis 1:14-20 ~ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Old Testament | Psalms 19:1 ~ THE heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Old Testament | Ezekiel 1:25-26 ~ And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. ¶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 1:10 ~ And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 76:70-71, 81 ~ These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical. And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the Firstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. ... And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.
Pearl of Great Price | Moses 2:6-8, 14-20 ~ And again, I, God, said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and it was so, even as I spake; and I said: Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it was done; And I, God, made the firmament and divided the waters, yea, the great waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so even as I spake. And I, God, called the firmament Heaven; and the evening and the morning were the second day. ... And I, God, said: Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years; And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And I, God, made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the greater light was the sun, and the lesser light was the moon; and the stars also were made even according to my word. And I, God, set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And the sun to rule over the day, and the moon to rule over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good; And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And I, God, said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl which may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 3:13 ~ And he said unto me: This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon. And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven.
Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 1 Fac.:12 ~ Raukeeyang, signifying expanse, or the firmament over our heads; but in this case, in relation to this subject, the Egyptians meant it to signify Shaumau, to be high, or the heavens, answering to the Hebrew word, Shaumahyeem.
Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 2 Fac.:4 ~ Answers to the Hebrew word Raukeeyang, signifying expanse, or the firmament of the heavens; also a numerical figure, in Egyptian signifying one thousand; answering to the measuring of the time of Oliblish, which is equal with Kolob in its revolution and in its measuring of time.
21. All bold emphasis added:
Old Testament | Isaiah 11:12 ~ And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
New Testament | Revelation 7:1 ~ AND after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 21:12 ~ And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 124:3 ~ This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president–elect, and the high–minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 124:128 ~ Which Twelve hold the keys to open up the authority of my kingdom upon the four corners of the earth, and after that to send my word to every creature.
22. New Testament | 2 Corinthians 4:4 ~ In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
23. All bold emphasis added:
New Testament | John 8:44 ~ Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 2:17–18 ~ And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 9:9 ~ And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
Book of Mormon | Ether 8:25 ~ For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it [this secret combination] up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 93:24–25 ~ And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.
Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:4 ~ And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
24. CGI = Computer Generated Image
25. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant
26. Could spinning or not-spinning, moving or not-moving entail another “either / or” scenario depending on circumstance and view? as in: Ship's captain (via the bridge surveillance intercom): “Is that saltshaker you just set down moving?” Diner: “No, not as far as I can see.” Captain: “As far as I can see, 'tis moving.”
Old Testament | Joshua 10:12–14 ~ Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man:
Old Testament | Habakkuk 3:11 ~ The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
Book of Mormon | Helaman 12:11-15 ~ Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake; Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center. Yea, and if he say unto the earth—Move—it is moved. Yea, if he say unto the earth—Thou shalt go back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours—it is done; And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:45 ~ The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God.
27. Answer: “The ancient philosophers conceived that the Monad breathes in the void and creates all subsequent numbers (111111111 X 111111111 = 12345678987654321). Numbers only express different qualities of the Monad.” Schneider, Michael S.. A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe ... (Kindle Locations 475-476). Harper. Kindle
28. Old Testament | Isaiah 55:8-9

Blind men & elephant Image Source: By Hanabusa Itchō - This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: rotated, cleaned, cropped, centerline fold/crease removed (original Ukiyo-e print was on two pages), and scan fog haze removed., Public Domain, Edition. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2265247

A Plea to Church Authorities

Dear Authorities:

(Concerning ward realignments in long-established rural areas*)

Perhaps you have never considered that all things,¹ even geophysical locations (like villages, towns, cities), might have been divinely appointed with one or more angels / spirits / servants having stewardship over “place” as invisible, spiritual interiorities as real as the visible, exterior features and infrastructures of those villages, towns, and cities.²

Perhaps you have never thought about the unique spirit of community — of place — of belonging — of destiny — that permeates every hamlet, village, town, city, or metropolis that exists.
,
Perhaps you have never considered that realigning rural ward boundaries³ might not always parallel urban realignments in that one can divide a town or city into multiple ward configurations without fracturing a member's sense of civic belonging to their town or city.

Perhaps you have never lived in a long-established RURAL ward long enough to appreciate:

● how often the ward is the community and the community is the ward⁴;
● how fractured from community and place many long-term historical ward members feel when they are aligned out of their rural  community to another distant community for statistical purposes;
● how almost immediately non-members of a realigned ward are viewed as guests when attending their community (home) ward;
● how busy one can become in serving in a realigned ward outside one's home community such that one has little time or energy left for home community;
● how often realigned- and home-ward events conflict so that one cannot attend or participate in both;
● how rural community events (above and beyond ward events) seem to fall to the ward for organization and funding — events that become known to non-ward members only through special invitation;
● how intrusive one feels to attend a “home-ward” function without invitation (like a form of ward double-dipping?);
● how artificial it feels to pretend one “belongs to” and must be committed to a distant community / ward where one has no history or heritage.

Of course, this appeal (and decade-old 15+ year-old complaint) will anger some. “Just do what you're told,” they say. “The authorities have their reasons. It is a test of faith and obedience. There are thousands of saints who have far greater trials and problems than yours, so get over it. And anyway, the idea of 'spirit' of place is not important, even questionable.”

To those persons, I say: We do not ask you to agree with those of us who feel alienated and fractured by being aligned out of our home community. We just ask you to hear us without scorning our right to think and feel as we do. We know that not everyone feels as strongly about place and belonging as we do. Some never question authority, but some of us have too much experience and knowledge about how easy it is for men and women to be persuaded by the doctrines / philosophies / ideas / agendas of the social sciences and the natural man,⁵ even when sincerely trying to do what's “right and best”; or even more common, to be caught in the grip of the spirit of power.⁶

So this is the plea. Please, remember:

▪ we are more than statistics.
▪ we are more than members of wards.
▪ we are members of heritage communities who feel alienated by insensitive or artificial alignments.
▪ the spirit of communities can differ greatly, as much as the spirit of nations do.
▪ the spirit of a community can be  wounded by domination.
▪ many of us need a sense of community that feels authentic, not artificial, not mandated by another's design ideas.

So please, align us back to our community ward. We are now 15+ years in mis-alignment (i.e., in missing our community ward). What a more appropriate year than 2020 to recognize how important the spirit of community, place, and belonging is in each and every life.

-------------------------/
* Two local examples that I personally know that happened over a decade ago and are still impacting lives, involving:
a) the engineered mixing of rural and urban wards where a small, vibrant historical community ward was divided into parts and realigned with other distant wards in a town site. The idea seemed to be to mix the best of both worlds: “the spirit of the urban” with “the spirit of the rural.” The result has been devastating to the spirit of the rural community. It was as if the supposed “sword of Solomon” had no one to question or prevent the severing of the spirit of that unique historical place – that no one had the strength to question the “wisdom” of what was done without open consultation of those effected. A decade plus has passed and the spirit of the community remains fractured.
b) the engineered realignment of 30+ members of a long-established hamlet / village from their home community ward to another long-established, rural community ward (requiring 11X the travel distance on winter roads for now 15+ years).
The question is: How frequent is and has this been throughout the Church where the powers-that-be (in local, stake, or general leadership) have been persuaded to ignore or discount the spirit of belonging and place in order to achieve what they believed to be good or reasonable ends? (Though in one instance, the leader seemed, in his remarks, to take pride in breaking the community bond and compelling obedience.)

1. New Testament | Colossians 1:15-17 ~ For by him [the firstborn of every creature] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Bold emphasis added.)
2. Walter Wink: “In Naming the Powers I developed the thesis that undergirds all three volumes of this work: that the New Testament’s “principalities and powers” is a generic category referring to the determining forces of physical, psychic, and social existence. These powers usually consist of an outer manifestation and an inner spirituality or interiority. Power must become incarnate, institutionalized or systemic in order to be effective. It has a dual aspect, possessing both an outer, visible form (constitutions, judges, police, leaders, office complexes), and an inner, invisible spirit that provides it legitimacy, compliance, credibility, and clout.” Wink, Walter; Collected Readings (p. 67). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition. (bold emphasis added.) See also footnote 4 herein.
3. Except in the case where realigning an existing rural community into two wards because of growth while respecting its community boundaries. Of course the realignment requires adjustment, but still leaves members with a sense of belonging to their hamlet / village.
4. Consider: Apostle John's detailing of the unique essence for each of the seven churches named by location in New Testament Revelation chapters 2 and 3: “[John, in addressing the seven churches] assumes always that the Church is, in a sense, the city. The local Church does not live apart from the locality and the population, amid which it has a mere temporary abode. The Church is all that is real in the city [town, village]: the rest of the city has failed to reach its true self, and has been arrested in its development. Similarly, the local Church in its turn has not all attained to its own perfect development: the “angel” is the truth, the reality, the idea (in Platonic sense) [the potentiality] of the Church. Thus in that quaint symbolism the city bears to its Church the same relation that the Church bears to its angel. But here we are led into subjects that will be more fully discussed in chapters 6 and 16. For the present we shall only review in brief the varied characters of the Seven Churches and the Seven Cities, constituting among them an epitome of the Universal Church and of the whole range of human life.” Ramsay, W. M.. The Letters to the Seven Churches: A History of the Early Church (Kindle Locations 688-694). Endeavour Compass. Kindle Edition.
5. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 46:7 ~ But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils. (Bold emphasis added.)
6. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:39–42 ~ We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

“Conspiracy Against God”?

("Worshiping power^* instead of God"?)

Recently I came across two phrases that succinctly describe the déjà vus of world history: 1) “conspiracy against God” being the subtle, mostly unacknowledged what of world systems¹; and 2) “worshiping power instead of God” being the how — the modus operandi.

We see the full scenario played out in Old Testament Daniel 3 — in the conspiracy for power orchestrated by visible and invisible forces,² and in the compulsory worship of Nebuchadnezzar's massive, golden idol.

How many permutations of this story have played out within every nation, kindred, tongue, and people?

Here is Walter Wink's take on the condition of nigh every human in this world of fallen, corrupted systems:

We "[are\]were dead," because the total world-system is a conspiracy against God, a lie perpetuated by people and presided over by Satan. We "were dead" because we were born into such a world and never had [or pursued] any other options. "Dead," because having taken in its deadly vapors, we breathe them out on others; we become its carriers, passing it into our institutions, structures, and systems even as these have reciprocally passed on the same deadly fumes to us.³

It is, in short, what we mean today by such terms as ideologies, the Zeitgeist, customs, public opinion, peer pressure, institutional expectations, mob psychology, jingoistic patriotism, and negative vibes. These constitute "the power of the air," the invisible but palpable environment of opinions, beliefs, propaganda, convictions, prejudices, hatreds, racial and class biases, taboos, and loyalties that condition our perception of the world long before we reach the age of choice, often before we reach the age of speech. It "kills" us precisely because we "breathe" it in before we even realize it is noxious. Like fish in water, we are not even aware that it exists, much less that it determines the way we think, speak, and act. To seem not to appear is part of its essence, as Schlier put it." So invisible are its assaults, in fact, that only a special coat of invisible arms can protect even those who have been made aware of and delivered from it. I refer, of course, to the "panoply of God's armor" spoken of in Eph. 6:10-20.⁴

Wink asserts that Christ's life, death, and resurrection unmask the truth about world systems — that from divine purpose and vocation,⁵ systems (both visible and invisible) and their stewards have strayed⁶ into “worshiping power instead of God.”⁷

So the question arises for each of us: What good is the unmasking if seeing, we do not see and hearing, we do not hear what "the spirit of power"⁸ does and has done to people and systems throughout history? Can we see that the pursuit of power (the “conspiracy against God”) is reaching its zenith as competing factions and systems battle for the “throne” with technologies of power never before seen?

What should We The People do? take sides with competing, mortal powers? believe / support some lies while rejecting others? let ourselves be led about by people and powers without conscience? refuse to acknowledge the full spectrum truth of every power-player?

Truly, we are in desperate need of seeing and understanding the truths and déjà vus of powers and power-players, and of

becoming united as one in prayer and action for their exposure, awareness, healing, transformation, and redemption.

-----------------------/
* (which includes the power of wealth / riches / gain)

1. (political, military, economic, social, religious, scientific, philosophic, commercial, cultural, etc.)
2. Old Testament | Isaiah 14:13–14 ~ For thou [O Lucifer] hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
New Testament | Ephesians 6:12 ~ For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high (heavenly?) places.
Note: invisible forces were clearly at work in Daniel's life and times: see Daniel 10:10-14, 20)
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 29:1, 36 ~ “... for he [the devil] rebelled against me [Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM], saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; “ (Bold emphasis added.) | Note: Could honor for Satan mean praise and power; but for Christ, could it mean integrity ("on My honor")?
Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:1, 3-4 ~ AND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. ... Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; ... ; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Bold emphasis added.)
3. Walter Wink. Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (The Powers : Volume One) (Kindle Locations 950-952). Kindle Edition. (Bold emphasis added.)
Consider: New Testament | Ephesians 2:1–3 ~ AND you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4. Ibid., (Kindle Locations 960-966). Kindle Edition.
5. New Testament | Colossians 1:16–17 ~ For by him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Bold emphasis added.)
6. “[T]he Powers from which Paul would protect his Colossian correspondents are not evil spirits in the sky, but philosophy, tradition, rules and rituals, food laws and ascetic practices, the basic elements of religion, and even the good angels. None of these Powers is evil in itself. All can even be useful aids. The author ]Paul] himself counsels self-mortification (3:5), religious rituals (baptism, 2:12; singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 3:16; acts of prayer and thanksgiving, giving, 1:12; 4:2-3), and makes rules (3:18-4:1). They become dangerous only when they become ends in themselves, or divisive, or egocentric, or divert the believer from union with Christ ...” Ibid., (Kindle Location 926-934). Kindle Edition. (Bold emphasis added.)
7. Walter Wink. Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (The Powers : Volume One) (Kindle Locations 902). Kindle Edition.
8. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:39 ~ We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. See also: https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-spirit-of-power.html ; or the Label: Power.

Unanswered* (Refused) Prayers?

If we counted the YESes vs the NOs over a lifetime of prayers, what would the percentage be? 80/20? 20/80? Do we ever feel like Nephi, that the more anguished and fervent the prayer, the more rebellious / stiffnecked / antagonistic the siblings (or in other cases: child, spouse, parent, friend, “enemy,” leader, institution, nation, and on and on)? or the more dire the situation becomes? or the greater the sense of fear or failure?

Of course there are thousands millions on millions of answered prayers, but the mystery of refusal for things that seem right, just, equitable, and surely within a loving Father's will, is, perhaps, beyond mortal ability to fathom. Does it sometimes seem that the harder we try the further away we feel? Here are some insights from C.S. Lewis:

    Prayer is not a machine. It is not magic. It is not advice offered to God. Our act, when we pray, must not, any more than all our other acts, be separated from the continuous act of God Himself, in which alone all finite causes operate.
    It would be even worse to think of those who get what they pray for as a sort of court favourites, people who have influence with the throne. The refused prayer of Christ in Gethsemane is answer enough to that. And I dare not leave out the hard saying which I once heard from an experienced Christian: ‘I have seen many striking answers to prayer and more than one that I thought miraculous. But they usually come at the beginning: before conversion, or soon after it. As the Christian life proceeds, they tend to be rarer. The refusals, too, are not only more frequent; they become more unmistakable, more emphatic.’
    Does God then forsake just those who serve Him best? Well, He who served Him best of all said, near His tortured death, ‘Why hast thou forsaken me?’ When God becomes man, that man, of all others, is least comforted by God, at His greatest need. There is a mystery here which, even if I had the power, I might not have the courage to explore. Meanwhile, little people like you and me, if our prayers are sometimes granted, beyond all hope and probability, had better not draw hasty conclusions to our own advantage. If we were stronger, we might be less tenderly treated. If we were braver, we might be sent, with far less help, to defend far more desperate posts in the great battle.¹

Could it be that at some point in our spiritual progression, we will be required to choose good for its own sake with utter disregard for fear of consequence or expectation of favor?

---------------------/
* (As in, “God didn't answer my prayer: I didn't get what I asked for — what I needed”; in short, not acknowledging that “no” may be the answer.)

1. Lewis, C. S.. The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings (pp. 361-362). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. (From 'The Efficacy of Prayer', The World's Last Night)

Casting Out?

I have lamented a few times in this Déjà Vu ~ Times II blog about our latter-day failure to talk about or practice a prime healing modality of the Savior and His apostles:

Why?¹
What Did Jesus Do?²
“We are Legion”* ???³
Jesus: à la mode*?⁴

But the other day, I ran across an insight that caused me to reflect on the casting out of spirits that seem disruptive and disturbing to our peace of mind. Here is something to consider:

Jesus does not subscribe to the opinion that our emotions or habits can or should be cast out by exorcism. To attempt to cast out something essential to the self is like performing castration to deal with lust. Great harm is done by well-intended, self-appointed “exorcists,” largely in neo-Pentecostal circles, by exorcising people who are not genuinely possessed (that is, are not possessed by outer personal or collective demons).

I once took a depressed friend to a charismatic prayer meeting where the leader offered to pray for her. In doing so he “cast out” her spirit of depression. In her case, however, as we learned somewhat later, her depression was being caused by frustration and repressed anger over the denial of opportunities for creative expression in the new community to which she had moved. To “cast it out” was merely to cast her depression’s causes deeper into the unconscious, denying her the opportunity of gaining insight into her problem. And on top of everything else, it added an additional layer of guilt for not getting better.

It is imperative then that any person dealing with the demonic (that is to say, any morally sensitive human being) learn to discern between inner and outer demons. Inner demons are usually not intrinsically evil but are rendered grotesque from suppression, paralyzed from disuse, or wounded from rejection. They are the parts of us regarded as socially unacceptable. They rob us of our self-esteem. They undermine our ego’s strategies for gaining respect by an outer show of competence or virtue. They are not worthy of fear, yet are a terror to the person who has not entered upon the death of the ego and rebirth to an honest life. Here the aid of psychotherapy can prove invaluable.

Traditional societies spoke of this distinction between inner personal and outer personal demons by contrasting “losing one’s soul” and “being freed from a spirit.” By “losing one’s soul” they referred to the danger of being deprived of some essential aspect of personal identity that all the subpersonalities taken in their totality go together to create. To this they contrast being freed from a “spirit,” the latter being understood as an alien invader that has seized the personality and holds it captive. It is therefore a loss to “lose one’s soul,” but a relief to lose a spirit.

If the demonic manifests itself in such a variety of ways— collective, outer personal, and inner personal— then it follows that a variety of responses is in order. How, in each of these situations, are we to go about dealing with our demons?⁵

Given the complex and problematic nature of the demonic, what function then does exorcism have? There is no simple answer to this question. Not only is a different response required for the inner personal demonic than for either outer personal possession or collective possession, but within each type we must discern, in each case, what is needed.

The Inner Personal Demonic

In the case of inner personal demons, as I have indicated, exorcism has no place at all. Exorcism is, as the medical people like to say, contraindicated. Inner personal demons must instead be handled the way the father treated the returning prodigal son in the parable: “His father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced and kissed him” (Luke 15: 20).

Traditional Christian pietism has done little to help us embrace these inner demons. It has either denied their reality and projected the evil out on others, whom it has then “demonized” (communists, adulterers, homosexuals), or it has demonized the very emotions themselves, naming and “casting out” a Spirit of Anger, a Spirit of Envy, or a Spirit of Lust.[ 39] Neither solution acknowledges this evil as our own; indeed, as I noted in the introduction to this book, Christians have never dealt well with the inner darkness of the redeemed. The general tendency of spiritual direction over the past centuries has been to lead from strength: to try continually to increase one’s commitment, obedience, faith, love. This high road to God has produced a kind of brittle and self-righteous sanctity whenever significant reserves of shadow simply remained repressed.

It has become our destiny today that the way to God should lead us first down into the depths, to encounter God in the darkness there— not in order to return purified to face God, but as the physicist Alfred Romer put it, because the darkness is where God is.⁶

After giving several examples, the writer cautions:

Nevertheless, even here it is hazardous to hand down hard and fast advice. Sometimes we need to stand our ground and wrestle the inner spirit to grant its blessing, but at others flight is the only counsel of wisdom, if the power of evil threatens to inundate us. Everything depends on whether the spirit is inner or outer, whether it is a matter of healing one’s own soul or being freed from an alien power.[ 43] At such times there is no substitute for the objectivity and experience of a spiritual guide who can help us determine whether what we face is “ours” or “outer.”

Having said that, one must also say its opposite. Excessive fear of these dark shapes encroaching from our depths may stampede us into flight just when we need to summon all our courage to step forward with open hands to embrace them. There is that of God in every one of us which is sovereign over whatever aspects of demonic darkness we encounter. It is our fear itself which gives the demonic its power.

...

Yes, perhaps everything terrible— or at least most of what is terrible in our own souls— is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us. To trust that, not only personally, but in our social world— to see the massive evils of our day as twisted and contorted “goods” that want to be redeemed— takes a certain kind of faith. But those outer evils will not loom quite so terrible if we have already begun to face our own demonic powers within.⁷

So, perhaps some of our anxiety, angst, depression, anger, frustration, sadness, etc. is the voice of God's Spirit trying to break through into our consciousness—to turn us into the purpose and mission of our unique life. If we resist through fear, apathy, laziness, distraction, conformity, or for a thousand other reasons, will that Spirit leave us in peace? Probably not, considering how the Great Creator views the worth of souls.⁸

Thus, if we fail to consider and discern the cause of dis-ease, could we be attempting to cast out a Spirit that is essential to our spiritual growth and salvation? Just something to consider? something to discern?

--------------------------/
1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2018/12/why.html
2. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/12/what-did-jesus-do_16.html
3. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/10/we-are-legion.html
4. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/08/jesus-la-mode.html
5. Wink, Walter. Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence: 2 (Powers, Vol 2) (Kindle Location 1568-1587). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.
6. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 1635-1651). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.
7. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 1670-1687). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.
8. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 18:10 ~ Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

What is Our Real History?

“There are two ways to be fooled.
 One is to believe what isn’t true;
 the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”¹

“[O]ur own individual point of view makes a great difference to how we see things.”²

Which raises the quandary footnoted (being #10) in a blog post of January 16, 2016.³ The quandary? How can we be sure of church history when so many revisions were made to it in 1845, the year following the martyrdom of Joseph in 1844? Here is the reproduced footnote:

10. Re Mormon history revision: All the following quotes are from History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., [purported author, Joseph Smith], introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951]. (All bold emphasis added.) Note: [Do we] know what B[righam]Y[oung] meant by revising—just grammar and style errors or something more? [And is correcting the same as revising?]
» Moreover, since the death of the Prophet Joseph, the history has been carefully revised under the strict inspection of President Brigham Young, and approved by him, (1:v-vi; 7:243)
» Tuesday, April 1, 1845.—I [Brigham Young] commenced revising the History of Joseph Smith at Brother Richards' office: Elder Heber C. Kimball and George A. Smith were with me. President Joseph Smith had corrected forty-two pages before his massacre. It afforded us great satisfaction to hear Brother Richards read the history of the infancy of the church. Adjourned at eleven p.m. having read one hundred and forty pages in Book 'A'.
» Wednesday, [April] 2 [1845].—Engaged at Elder Richards' office with Elders Kimball and Smith revising Church History. (7:389)
» Saturday, [May] 10 [1845].—Brother George A. Smith called upon me this morning and I [BY] accompanied him to the Historian's Office where we read and revised Church History. …
» Monday, [May] 12 [1845].—Evening, with Brothers Heber C. Kimball, W. Richards and George A. Smith at Brother Edward Hunter's revising history.
» Tuesday, [May] 13 [1845].—With Elders Heber C. Kimball, W. Richards and George A. Smith reading and revising Church History at Brother Edward Hunter's where we had retired to keep out of the way of writs reported to have been issued against us. (7:408)
» Wednesday, [May] 14 [1845].—Continued at Brother Edward Hunter's as yesterday; my health, and that of Brother Richards poor; but we read and revised history all day. …
» Friday, [May] 16 [1845].—I spent the day at Brother Hunter's in company with Brothers Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, George A. Smith and N. K. Whitney revising history: …
» Saturday, [May] 17 [1845].—Revising history as yesterday, with the addition of Brother John Taylor: … (7:411)
» Tuesday, [May] 20 [1845].—With the brethren named I remained at Brother Pierce's; Willard Richards and George A. Smith joined us. We read and revised fifty-seven pages of History of Joseph Smith from Book 'B': … (7:414)
» Wednesday, [June] 18 [1845].—I met with Elders Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor and George A. Smith at Brother Taylor's; we revised a portion of the History of Joseph Smith. …
» Thursday, [June] 19 [1845].—I spent the day with Brothers H. C. Kimball and George A. Smith revising history. …
» Friday, [June] 20 [1845].—Elders H. C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, and myself engaged revising Church History. (7:427-428)
» Saturday, [November] 8 [1845].—Revising history in company with Brothers Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards and George A. Smith till 4 p.m. (7:514)
» Monday, [November] 10 [1845].—I spent the day with Elders Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards and George A. Smith revising Church History; …
» Tuesday, [November] 11 [1845].—Forenoon, Elders Willard Richards and George A. Smith revising history. Afternoon, Elder Kimball and I joined them, and assisted in revising history. (7:519)
» Wednesday, [November] 26 [1845].—At the Historian's Office with Elder George A. Smith and revised fifty pages history. …
» Friday, [November] 28 [1845].—I went to the Trustees' Office, attending to church business. Elders Willard Richards and George A. Smith read and revised history to the end of 1843. (7:532)
» Monday, [December] 29 [1845].— … Elders George A. Smith and Amasa Lyman revised history. (7:556)

So what was the purpose of so many revisions made to our history? Do we know what and how extensive the revisions were? Were they innocuous? Were they just cleaning up errors? adding things that should have been recorded but had been forgotten as in the Savior's admonition to Nephi⁴?

Maybe someone has researched and written about these revisions in depth (if they can even be ascertained), but the question remains: How can we know the full truth if we are not open to seeking it? And if we refuse to see and hear 360°, how can we take dogmatic positions with only 180° (or less) awareness? Why do we attach ourselves so readily to rigid positions? holding to hard priors⁵ instead of viewing as best we can the 360° view and being truly open to proving all things⁶ with a discerning spirit? Have we not learned from the déjà vus of record-keeping and the prescience of George Orwell's 1984 how easy it is to amend, revise, mis-state, or mis-remember “events”? sometimes deliberately toward error?

What, too, is our real U.S. history? Are we not witnessing every day allegations of “suppressed facts”? of CIA and ST⁷ psych-ops orchestrated without conscience, sometimes just for the “fun and games” of it? Have we not already been put on notice of the “revision / false attribution” strategy of those early deceivers in our own church history⁸? How can we be sure what is original-Joseph and what is revision-Joseph? and in these last days what is deep-state propaganda and what is fact?

Perhaps that is why we need to reserve final judgments⁹ in our Bernayzian¹⁰ world, not only about Joseph, but about US until we are ready to hear and see 360°.

-----------------------------/
1. (Søren Kierkegaard ~ 1813-1855); see https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/35782-there-are-two-ways-to-be-fooled-one-is-to
2. Midgley, Mary. The Myths We Live By (p. 28). Taylor and Francis.
3. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/01/part-one-evil-speaking-discernment.html
4. Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 23:8–13 ~ And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said: Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so? And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled. And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.
5. The science writer Sharon Begley gives insight into such motivated reasoning: “If you have a strongly held belief with an emotional component, the brain defends information that reinforces those ‘priors’ and is skeptical of information that challenges them. … People who hold these hard priors filter information to support their perceptions.” (Bold emphasis mine.) These observations are from the work of political scientist Hank Jenkins-Smith of the University of Oklahoma as quoted, in Newsweek, October 13, 2010, pp. 29-30 by science writer Sharon Begley about voter tendencies—observations that seem applicable to almost everything that requires choice or discernment. We all do it, (even this writer) and without awareness of a “priors” bias, are we not all more prone to biased judgment—whether pro or con? Shouldn’t 360° honesty in dealing with all the facts help control that bias?
6. New Testament | 1 Thessalonians 5:21 ~ Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
7. See L. Fletcher Prouty's, The Secret Team:The CIA and its Allies in Control of the United States and the World
8. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 10:8–37 ~ And because you  [Joseph] have delivered the writings into his hands, behold, wicked men have taken them from you. Therefore, you have delivered them up, yea, that which was sacred, unto wickedness. And, behold, Satan hath put it into their hearts to alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you have translated, which have gone out of your hands. And behold, I say unto you, that because they have altered the words, they read contrary from that which you translated and caused to be written; And, on this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work; For he hath put into their hearts to do this, that by lying they may say they have caught you in the words which you have pretended to translate. Verily, I say unto you, that I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing. For behold, he has put it into their hearts to get thee to tempt the Lord thy God, in asking to translate it over again. And then, behold, they say and think in their hearts—We will see if God has given him power to translate; if so, he will also give him power again; And if God giveth him power again, or if he translates again, or, in other words, if he bringeth forth the same words, behold, we have the same with us, and we have altered them; Therefore they will not agree, and we will say that he has lied in his words, and that he has no gift, and that he has no power; Therefore we will destroy him, and also the work; and we will do this that we may not be ashamed in the end, and that we may get glory of the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that Satan has great hold upon their hearts; he stirreth them up to iniquity against that which is good; And their hearts are corrupt, and full of wickedness and abominations; and they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; therefore they will not ask of me. Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction. And thus he has laid a cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God; but I will require this at their hands, and it shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment. Yea, he stirreth up their hearts to anger against this work. Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. And thus he flattereth them, and telleth them that it is no sin to lie that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him. And thus he flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; and thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare. And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men. Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God. Now, behold, they have altered these words, because Satan saith unto them: He hath deceived you—and thus he flattereth them away to do iniquity, to get thee to tempt the Lord thy God. Behold, I say unto you, that you shall not translate again those words which have gone forth out of your hands; For, behold, they shall not accomplish their evil designs in lying against those words. For, behold, if you should bring forth the same words they will say that you have lied and that you have pretended to translate, but that you have contradicted yourself. And, behold, they will publish this, and Satan will harden the hearts of the people to stir them up to anger against you, that they will not believe my words. Thus Satan thinketh to overpower your testimony in this generation, that the work may not come forth in this generation. But behold, here is wisdom, and because I show unto you wisdom, and give you commandments concerning these things, what you shall do, show it not unto the world until you have accomplished the work of translation. Marvel not that I said unto you: Here is wisdom, show it not unto the world—for I said, show it not unto the world, that you may be preserved. Behold, I do not say that you shall not show it unto the righteous; But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous, therefore I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter.
9. New Testament | 1 Corinthians 4:5 ~ Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
10. “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” (Source: https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Edward-Bernays-ebook/dp/B0097D76MG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NLE7CZI9MORU&keywords=propaganda+bernays&qid=1570053969&sprefix=propaganda%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1  |  “Edward Bernays (1891–1995), pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he famously dubbed “engineering of consent.” During World War I, he was an integral part of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda apparatus that was mobilized to package, advertise and sell the war to the American people as one that would “Make the World Safe for Democracy.” The CPI would become the blueprint in which marketing strategies for future wars would be based upon. // Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, became an outspoken proponent of propaganda as a tool for democratic and corporate manipulation of the population.”

The Nature of “Seeing” and “Seeing Not”

Seeing reality?

Discernment does not entail esoteric knowledge, but rather the gift of seeing reality as it really is. Nothing is more rare, or more truly revolutionary, than an accurate description of reality.¹

A delusional system?

The delusional system is a game being played on us by the Powers That Be. That game is nowhere more trenchantly exposed than in the surrealistic images of Revelation 12-13.° // Of first significance is the fact that the insights in these chapters are given as revelations. John sees what for others is invisible (13:1, 2, 11); what has previously been unseen "appears" to him (12:1, 3).²

The one who sees

The seer^[3] [see-er] does not, however, simply read off the spirituality of the empire or an institution from its observed behavior. The situation is more complex. The demonic spirit of the outer structure has already been internalized by the seer [see-er], along with everyone else. That is how the empire wins compliance. The seer's [see-er's] gift is not to be immune to invasion by the empire's spirituality, but to be able to discern that internalized spirituality, name it, and externalize it. This drives the demonic out of concealment. What was hidden is now revealed. The seer [see-er] is enabled to hear her or his own voice chanting the slogans of the Powers, is shown that they are a lie, and is empowered to expel them. The seer [see-er] locates the source of the chanting outside, and is set free from it.⁴

Do we see any parallel? Any déjà vu?

The Roman Empire had brought peace to a fratricidal world. It presided over a period of unparalleled prosperity (for the prosperous). Its might was so legendary that a single emissary could prompt surrender. But this facade of magnificence was bought at a horrible price. The revelation that comes to John strips off the mask of benevolence and reveals, beneath it, the true spirit of Rome. ... He sees, instead, a grotesque and monstrous deformity bent on supplanting God (Revelation 13), or a harlot seated on Rome's seven hills, inviting promiscuous intercourse with the client-kings she has intoxicated with the aphrodisiac of power (17:1-18).⁵

It is a signal achievement to have discerned Rome's monstrous spirit, though certain Cynic philosophers may have done as much. What gives John's vision added depth is its awareness that the Domination System transcends its current embodiments. No regnant Power is ever identical with the Domination System. There are too many survivals of partnership, too many outbreaks of human decency, too many compassionate, fair-minded people and strong women and equitable laws and humane officials, to achieve pure domination. But beyond each regime (symbolized in Revelation by the Beasts from land and sea) stands the ancient System of Domination, whose spirit is Satan (symbolized by the Dragon).⁶

When nations, peoples, animals pretend to be blind

A rise or fall in hierarchical position [pecking order position] can radically rearrange the way we see the world.⁷

Now and then, [when my friendly, playful German Shepherd dog and I are out walking, we encounter] a mastiff or Great Dane, a hulking giant that makes my well-built pooch look like a fuzzy midget. When one of these really big dogs appears, a strange thing happens to my pet’s enthusiasm: it disappears. Faced with a creature he knows will beat him soundly, my shepherd plays a perceptual game. He trots along staring resolutely ahead, feigning obliviousness to the massive monster in the distance. // Ethologist Frans de Waal has noted the same behavior in chimpanzees. ... [W]hen strength and swiftness [of dominant males] fade , the aging leaders ... [l]ike my dog, ... pretend they do not see. A rival may swagger toward the reigning monarch determined to assert his claims. ... He [the rival] makes terrifying noises by pounding on any resonant object in sight. He swings huge branches intimidatingly through the air. But the weakened elder deals with this pecking order challenge in a strange way. He turns his head and pretends to be utterly absorbed in examining a banana peel. For a time, the aging leader who refuses to see his rivals retains his top position. His old system of alliances props him up. ... [But] eventually, the older statesman will be forced to yield his position, and the young turk will become the new head chimp.⁸

What are we pretending not to see?

Like the chimp who hopes he can cling to his preeminence by ignoring a rival [or some glaring truth], we toy with our equivalent to a banana peel. While events of grisly horror grind down humans by the millions, we simply turn away.⁹

Seeing our way through

But how can we affirm victory in the midst of repeated defeats? // Because there are people who are now beginning to see and act free of the Domination System [the pecking order reality]. No matter how terrible the sufferings of those detained and tortured in nonviolent demonstrations in South Africa or South Korea or Burma, the reign of God has already begun! This is no pious fiction. The power of God is already made manifest, because people formerly craven and terrified are ready to be fired from jobs, bludgeoned, jailed, or killed for the sake of a fairer system. The authority of Christ is already establishing itself, because victims are not only affirming their own humanity, but doing so in a way that affirms the humanity of their oppressors. The salvation of God is a present reality, because the very struggle for liberation would not have been possible had the powerless not discovered within themselves resources laid up by God in their creation: to be nonviolent yet powerful, loving yet immovable, joyous yet prepared to die.¹⁰

Are we prepared to be seers—ones who see things as they really are? to hear the witnesses? to acknowledge that a bestial spirit has taken power in secret combinations? that our “facade of magnificence [has been] bought at a horrible price”? Or will we refuse to see? refuse unless leaders countenance our seeing? PLEASE, let us not wait for permission to see.

Let us be see-ers and doers NOW.

[A] seer [see-er] can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them [the see-ers] shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them [the see-ers], and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.¹¹

And seeing the spirits of domination and blindness that now reign, what better admonition to repeat than this one:

6 That we may not only publish to all the world, but present them to the heads of government in all their dark and hellish hue, as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place; and also that the whole nation may be left without excuse before he can send forth the power of his mighty arm.
7 It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
8 It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.
9 Therefore it is an imperative duty that we owe, not only to our own wives and children, but to the widows and fatherless, whose husbands and fathers have been murdered under its iron hand;
10 Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy.
11 And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart—
12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—
13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—
14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.
15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.¹²

Has this imperative duty ever been done: THEN or NOW?

-----------------/
1. Walter Wink. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Kindle Locations 1316-1317). Kindle Edition. (Bold emphasis added)
2. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 1314-1316).
3. Seer = the one who sees: the see-er
4. Walter Wink. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Kindle Locations 1318-1322). Kindle Edition. (Bold emphasis added.)
5. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 1324-1330). (Bold emphasis added.)
6. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 1330-1333).
7. Bloom, Howard. The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History (p. 291). Grove Atlantic. Kindle Edition.
8. Ibid. (p. 291-292).
9. Ibid. (p. 298). (Bold emphasis added.)  Peruse this blog and its companion Déjà Vu ~ Times to review the hundreds of things we seem to continually turn away from like child abuse and trafficking, CIA drugs and weapons running, treasons, PWOCs in power, etc., etc., etc.
10. Walter Wink. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Kindle Locations 4575-4581). Kindle Edition.
11. Book of Mormon | Mosiah 8:17-18  Consider also:
New Testament | Hebrews 8:10-11 ~ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 123:6-15 (Bold emphasis added.)

The ABCs of Current Events

To put it bluntly, if one is consistently listening to a favorite MSM station, whether Right- or Left-leaning; whether Fox or CNN or MSNBC or CBS, etc., etc., one is being royally, regularly, deliberately deceived. Yes, WE ALL ARE—every last soul of us—because the past 100 years has been devoted to the mix-up¹ of truth and error in proportions so massive we will scarce believe our gullibility and folly when all is revealed.

And why are we being deceived? Because it's all part of repeating POWER plays; because competition for power is the natural order—the perennial déjà vu—of nature² and history—of this entire fallen world. If one wants the graphic details, one can read:

THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History.³

Then we can observe the world as it is instead of living in a fantasy that we are not fallen; that competitive capitalism⁴ does not exacerbate the worst of human nature; that we are immune to The Lucifer Effect⁵; that this entire earth experience doesn't boil every last one of us down to the test of power. Will we abuse it in whatever small or large degree when we gain access to it? That is the question.

So what are the ABCs of current events? What are the POWER plays playing on?

Abominations. (Get people who have power or the potential for future power to involve themselves in abominations of some sort or other whether wittingly or unwittingly.)
Blackmail, bribery.
Corruption, conspiracy, coercion, compartmentalization, cover-ups.
Deception, denial, deflection. (Lie and deny there is such a thing as conspiracy though it is a factor in nigh every crime and combination. When necessary, deflect and accuse others.)
Energy. (Control the world's energy resources and you control the world.⁶)
Faking, frauds,⁷ fear.
Gullibility, greed, graft.
Hubris, hypocrisy, humiliation.
(And the list goes on.)

If one wishes a more targeted ABC of current events, one might profit from a citizen journalist's⁸ video-log of what is befalling US and the world—with names, dates, places, and powers plays.

A for Awan Spy Ring: The Webb Report - ... Chapter One - Page One (Sept. 6, 2019; Time 12:24) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5A2lOxb2nI

B for Blackberries: The Webb Report - ... Chapter One - Page Two (Sept. 7 2019; Time 10:58) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM10AQUNRZw

C for Cassandra (Drugs for Weapons = Operation Cassandra): The Webb Report - ...Chapter One - Page Three (Sept. 8, 2019; Time 10:40) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8R4xJIK6t0

Webb Report Chapter One - Preview Of Next Three Pages – Dyncorp, Epstein, Flynn (Sept 10, 2019; Time 3:10) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shZAv7Qz4Fk

D for Dyncorp: The Webb Report - Chapter One - Page Four (Sept. 12, 2019; Time 12:53) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_rNnJWBZ1E

E for Epstein: The Webb Report - Chapter One - Page 5 ... (Sept. 16, 2019; Time 11:55) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAPCx6Tv5Y0&t=66s or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAPCx6Tv5Y0

F for Flynn: (watch for The Webb Report – Chapter One – Page 6; and subsequent pages as they are posted.)

And let us remember:

Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be. Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up. For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.⁹

----------------------------/
1. https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/search/label/Mix-up ; https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/search/label/Mix-up ; https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-babylon-con.html
2. Not Nature as it was created, but nature in its fallen state. See: https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2019/03/natural-or-unnatural_16.html  ;   https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/search/label/NaturalMan
3. Bloom, Howard. The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History. Grove Atlantic. Kindle Edition.
4. https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2019/03/classic-capitalism-for-romantics.html
5. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-spirit-of-power.html
6. How and Why Big Oil Conquered the World (2 parts) by James Corbettt at https://www.corbettreport.com/bigoil/
7. Just one example of many: https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2017/10/operation-psychopath.html
8. George Webb: Can we trust him? You decide after listening to his ABCs, keeping in mind that corruption, conspiracy, secret combinations, and power plays are the déjà vus of history; and also considering:
Book of Mormon | Helaman 6:21–33 ~ But behold, Satan did stir up the hearts of the more part of the Nephites, insomuch that they did unite with those bands of robbers, and did enter into their covenants and their oaths, that they would protect and preserve one another in whatsoever difficult circumstances they should be placed, that they should not suffer for their murders, and their plunderings, and their stealings. And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant. And thus they might murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God. And whosoever of those who belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and their abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their country, but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton and Kishkumen. Now behold, it is these secret oaths and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world, lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction. Now behold, those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit— Yea, that same being who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the world. And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth. And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell. Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time. And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men. And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver. And it came to pass that all these iniquities did come unto them in the space of not many years, insomuch that a more part of it had come unto them in the sixty and seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And they did grow in their iniquities.
Book of Mormon | Helaman 7:4–6 ~ And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment–seats—having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men; Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills— Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in the space of not many years; and when Nephi saw it, his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; and he did exclaim in the agony of his soul:
9. Book of Mormon | Ether 8:23–25 (Bold emphasis added.)