Economy and Family

http://byutv.org/watch/b3dfa9f3-6e20-4d64-af96-fbf3fd64670a/new-economic-reality-demographic-winter-part-2

ByuTV is featuring a documentary highlighting the problems of declining fertility rates worldwide. World population has been stable for millennia however in the past several hundred years the population has experienced exponential growth. The reasons are not because women were having more children but because of modern sanitation, vaccines, and antibiotics, more children are surviving into adulthood and living longer.

A critical connection the documentary makes is that strong families are integral to a growing and prosperous economy. Consequently demographic and family considerations may be even more fundamental to economics than most economic theories.

GDP (economic growth) = population grown x productivity.

Therefore, if population is in decline, economic growth cannot continue unless there is an commensurate increase in productivity. However, the problem the documentary points out is the same factors that are eroding worldwide fertility rates and future population growth are also eroding productivity.

The major factor eroding worldwide fertility us the decline of family values. However, study after study also provide strong evidence that declining family values also limit individual productivity. Children born into broken homes and who are only children have lower IQ, lower cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Consequently, the social capital in the society is diminished.

The result is that several factors are leading to the weakening of families:

1. Sexual Revolution: reliable birth control has separated the idea of sex from reproduction has led to the exploitation of women where men co-habitate with women, get their needs for companionship met; but leave the relationship ambiguous for as long as possible, denying women marriage and children.

2. Environmental Extremism: With the booming population, public opinion shifted against family and children. Environmentalist started warning that people were liabilities and not assets and that overpopulation would put a strain on limited resources, pollute and destroy the environment. They even fear-monger that population would lead to catastrophe.

3. Feminist Movement: Education and voting rights are good, but women have been focused on education and employment and have put off or set aside concern for marriage and family. Less women are getting married. More women are getting married later in life and consequently having less children.

4. Illegitimacy: 40% of children today are born out-of-wedlock. Children born outside of traditional marriage have limited social and economic resources and will be, on average, less productive, more prone to addiction, less educated, less intelligent on average, and less happy.

5. Industrial Revolution: in an agrarian-based economy or a cottage-industry society, more children means more workers. In the machine age, child labor within the family is no longer required. Instead, modern families focus on increasing the productivity of children through education.

6. No-fault Divorce: Ronald Reagan passed the first bill as Governor of California making divorce cheap and easy to obtain for any or no reason. Easy divorce leaves children with a broken social support structure and limited financial resources. Also, expected divorce leads to children being seen as a future liability.

7. Pop Culture and Materialism: Advertisers target young adults while they are emotionally immature, have limited world experience, and long-term planning ability. Advertisers get young adults to focus on consumerism, materialism and hedonism over saving, planning, and making preparations for future family life. Pop Culture also reenforces all the other negative forces on the family.

8. Secularism: people of higher spiritual and religious faith tend to have higher birth and fertility rates, stronger families, and more productive, intelligent, and educated children. Secular people seemed to be locked onto being programed by the media and pop-culture telling them not to reproduce.

Consequently, the documentary says the cloud of of a demographic decline may have a silver lining. Because people of faith have more children, it may be that the coming secular-based demographic winter may be followed by a spiritually-based demographic spring.


[Optimism aside, some are not so confident about the conclusion, though, because the maintained or even increased birth rate among people of faith is so easily overshadowed by the high birth rate among the unwed, poor, and disadvantaged. I am not sure there will be enough of the faithful to provide a social support network for the needy.]


[Most of the needy are people of faith and are not taught virtue. I say, after some cleansing, the faithful will care for and convert the needy and return them to virtue]

Burden of Damascus

I remember learning that the great prophecy leading up to the Great Flood was that it was to occur after the death of Methuselah. God was merciful and Methuselah was the oldest living human at 969 or 960(Jasher). Methuselah means "his death shall bring"

[By the way if you take all the names of the Patriarchs from Adam to Noah, the names prophesy of Christ. The names together read:

Adam = man
Seth = appointed, placed, set
Enosh = mortal, human
Kenan = sorrow, low, humble
Mahalalel = blessed God, praise of god
Jared = descent, shall come down, descending
Enoch = dedicated, teaching
Methuselah = his death shall bring
Lamech = despairing
Noah = comfort, rest

Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest."]

Could there be a parallel prophesy for the Last Days. Except this time the prophecy involves the oldest city in the world and not the oldest man. Isaiah 17:1-3 warns:

"Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. . . The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim,"

I'm not sure what this means for Damascus or Ephraim but it doesn't sound good. I'm keeping my eye on Damascus.

Book of Mormon Prophecy

I think it's generally accepted that some stories in the Old Testament are types and shadows of the Last Days such as Noah's Ark (Christ said so), Joseph in Egypt (Pres. Hinkley said so), Joshua and Fall of Jericho (John in Revelation said so).

What about the Book of Mormon. Are some Book of Mormon stories prophetic in the same way as these OT stories?

1. The peaceful submission to foreign occupation and miraculous deliverance of Alma in Helem.
2. The militant resistance to foreign occupation and suffering by Limhi in the City of Nephi.
3. Peaceful submission of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's towards the attacking kindred Lamanites.
4. Miraculous preservation of the 2000 stripling warriors of the Army of Helaman.
5. Success of Captain Moronihah in converting occupying enemies to Christianity vs. militantly retaking their lands. (word mightier than the sword)
6. Nephi being given the sealing power to seal the heavens and interrupt a terrible war with a great drought and famine.
7. The gathering of the people together in the center of the land by King Lachoneas against the Gadianton armies.
8. The calamitous destruction and cleansing of the land by Earthquake and fire preceding the appearance of Jesus Christ in America.
8. Threatening of the believers on the eve of the predicted sign.
9. Mission of the 3 Nephites
10. Abinadi being burned and prophesying those who burned him would suffer the same fate and that his death would be a type of things to come (Alma 25:10)
11. Alma and Amulek watching the righteous die in Ammonihah while only a remnant fled with Zeezrom to Sidom.

I guess we won't know until whatever happens happens. However, I think we easily draw parallels with some Book of Mormon stories:

5. Nephi being given the sealing power to seal the heavens and interrupt a terrible war with a great drought and famine.
(parallels with 2 witnesses in Jerusalem)

6. The gathering of the people together in the center of the land by King Lachoneas against the Gadianton armies.
(parallels with the future gathering at Adam-ondi-ahman)

7. The calamitous destruction and cleansing of the land by Earthquake and fire preceding the appearance of Jesus Christ in America.
(cleansing preceeding the Second Coming)

8. Mission of the 3 Nephites
(mission of 144,000)

The question is if there are any other Book of Mormon stories which serve as types and shadows of future events?

1. Alma in Helam vs Limhi in Nephi (this was brought up in a recent General Conference).

2. Abinadi's death and prophecy that his burning would be a type of things to come. (Alma 25:10, D&C 112:25)

3. Alma and Amulek witnessing the burning of the righteous in Ammoniahah. Only a remnant fled with Zeezrom to safety in Sidom.

Call Out Expectation

A few years ago I was preparing a lesson on the Last Days out of the "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith" LDS Sunday School manual. I remember being astonished at the following quote. I realized that I may have subconsciously expected something that may or may not be so.

LDS believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and in the calamities that are foretold to precede His coming. LDS understand that the Bible does not teach a pre-Trib Rapture, but teaches a post-Trib, pre-Wrath Rapture (ye shall have tribulation; not appointed us to Wrath). That means believers like Noah and his family need to be prepared for the Tribulations that surely will come.

“[I] explained concerning the coming of the Son of Man; also that it is a false idea that the Saints will escape all the judgments, whilst the wicked suffer; for all flesh is subject to suffer, and ‘the righteous shall hardly escape’ [see D&C 63:34]; still many of the Saints will escape, for the just shall live by faith [see Habakkuk 2:4]; yet many of the righteous shall fall a prey to disease, to pestilence, etc., by reason of the weakness of the flesh, and yet be saved in the Kingdom of God. So that it is an unhallowed principle to say that such and such have transgressed because they have been preyed upon by disease or death, for all flesh is subject to death; and the Savior has said, ‘Judge not, lest ye be judged.’ [See Matthew 7:1.]”12
--TOTPJS

This was a surprise to me when I read this quote by Joseph Smith republished in a current LDS teaching manual. I realized that I subconsciously believed the Saints would always be warned and always be safe. I subconsciously have always believed that like Lehi in Jerusalem and Alma at the waters of Mormon that faithful LDS would be "called out" and forewarned of any and all danger.

However, this quote got me thinking and realizing; some things you can't warn the public about. Imagine getting up and announcing an Earthquake or a nuclear detonation. Something like this happened in Italy this year. You just can't do it. You can talk about preparedness, but I wonder how many people in the church have the expectation that the Brethren would warn them. Or, how many like me are subconsciously expecting some sort of "callout" before anything bad would happen affecting the Saints.

Elder Bednar commented on this a few conferences ago. Elder Bednar closes his remarks by testifying and inviting:

"I bear witness that parents who consistently read and talk about the Book of Mormon with their children, who share testimony spontaneously with their children, and who invite children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon will be blessed with eyes that can see afar off (see Moses 6:27) and with ears that can hear the sound of the trumpet (see Ezekiel 33:2–16). The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families—“watching . . . with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18)—to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity. I so promise and testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

Elder Bednar seems to be putting the responsibility of warning and watching on the members and not the Brethren. It seems to me that we have to be the "watchman" for our own families and not rely on the Brethren because there will be no "one size fits all" solution and any public announcement would trigger panic and mass hysteria.

I admit that many believe any throughts or study on this is prideful. They think members shouldn't take responsibility in this area beyond what the Church tells us. Some believe watching with perseverance and studying the scriptures to understand the signs of the time is going beyond the mark and feeding a dangerous gospel hobby leading to apostasy. Maybe it is, but the quotes above and the church teaching on self reliance and taking the Holy Ghost as a guild suggest otherwise.

I wonder if something were to happen catastrophic many church members may apostasize thinking the church should have warned its members. I wonder how many members have a subconscious expectation like I did that the LDS leadership who we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators would give the LDS a "call out" warning before Tribulation strikes?

Look, I am not saying no warning will be given. I don't know what will happen or when. What I'm saying is, when it comes to a "call out" or specific warning; if warning comes --wonderful. If it doesn't, that's okay too. I don't expect it.

My concern is that there are persons already in the Church feeding this expectation of a "call out" and even openly critical that the Breathren are not more vocal on speaking about revelations and visions many have already received about the Tribulation.

Remember that Alma and Amulek were expected to watch believers cast into the the fire. Only some believers got out of Ammoniah and escaped to Sidom. What made the difference between the righteous that escaped to Sidom and the righteous that were martyred in Ammonihah? I don't know.

Abinadi's Fire

"Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of death by fire" (Book of Mormon, Mosiah, Chapter 17:15)

The Book of Mormon tells the story of Abinidi who was a great Ancient American prophet who testified to the King and corrupt priests of the people concerning their wickedness and immorality. In consequence of Abinidi's boldness, the King ordered Abinadi be burned by fire. Abinadi's final prophecy foretold the same fate to the king and his priests that he had suffered. And according to the Book of Mormon not long thereafter the king was killed by his people for leading a cowardly retreat.

The Book of Mormon was written for our day. The people chronicled in the book never had it. The details selected by another ancient American prophet named Mormon we're written as a witness and a warning to the Gentiles who would inherit America after the collapse and destruction of the Nephite civilization. It is believed that the overall plot themes are prophetic and foretell what will eventually befall the Gentiles in the Last Days.

The same is true of the Bible. Jesus Christ Himself tells us that the Last Days will be like the days of Noah before the Flood. Therefore, as we read about Joseph in Egypt's preparation for the 7 years of famine and we read about Noah's preparation in building the Ark, we see how God's people are preserved through terrible calamity. John the Revelator makes the connection between Joshua and the fall of Jericho and the 7 Trumpets of Tribulation that will sound before the fall of Babylon. This pattern has been and can be applied to foretell the fall of Jerusalem, the Roman Empire, and the eventual fall of our current western civilization.

The Bible also gives specific warning like in Isa 17 which warns Ephraim that when 'Damascus ceases to be a city, (one of the oldest cities in the world), the fortress of Ephraim will fall.'. Daniel 8 warns about the division of Greece when Alexander the Great (goat) attacks Syria and Iran (ram). Joel 1-3 warns of an invasion of heathen armies. Rev 18 warns of the future burning of Babylon where the merchants stand afar off and mourn its burning. Zachariah 5 foretells of burning judgement upon Babylon brought about by flying missiles (megillahs). Also, the great prophecy regarding the gathering of the Jews back to Israel (fig tree nation) and the rebuilding of the temple and the eventual gathering of a great army at Armageddon.

The Isa 17, Damascus warning is a lot like the pre-flood prophecy surrounding Methuselah. Methuselah was the oldest man ever to live upon the Earth at 969 years old. Methuselah means "his death shall bring" and the prophecy foretold that the Great Flood would occur following his death. Similarly, Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world and it's complete destruction in Isa 17 foretells a great judgement upon Ephraim and the world.

In the Book of Mormon, there are additional plot elements that may also be prophetic. Some of these include:

1. The peaceful submission to foreign occupation and miraculous deliverance of Alma in Helem.
2. The militant resistance to foreign occupation and suffering by Limhi in the City of Nephi.
3. Peaceful submission of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's towards the attacking kindred Lamanites.
4. Miraculous preservation of the 2000 stripling warriors of the Army of Helaman.
5. Success of Captain Moronihah in converting occupying enemies to Christianity vs. militantly retaking their lands. (word mightier than the sword)
6. Nephi being given the sealing power to seal the heavens and interrupt a terrible war with a great drought and famine.
6. The gathering of the people together in the center of the land by King Lachoneas against the Gadianton armies.
7. The calamitous destruction and cleansing of the land by Earthquake and fire preceding the appearance of Jesus Christ in America.
8. Threatening of the believers on the eve of the predicted sign.


Of course we cannot forget the central warning of the Book of Mormon to the Gentiles that if we allow secret combinations and conspiracies to overrun our government, the support of these 'special interests' will lead to our destruction.

Currently we are hearing about conflict with Syria that should get our attention. When Iraq was in a protracted war with Iran, Western interests provided Saddam Hussain with biological and chemical weapons. Just before the Gulf War 2, Russia transported most of those weapons to Syria. The media is telling us that King Assad may be desperate enough to use those chemical weapons against Tel Aviv or the rebels in Syria. If that were to happen, it is easy to see how a nuclear-equipped Israel could fulfill the Damascus prophecy.

But what about Abinadi's story? Why did Mormon bother to tell us this story? Who in our day would represent a modern righteous Abinadi suffering death by fire? If nuclear war is the fire, could Japan or Damascus serve as Abinadi? I don't think so.

Maybe there is no future parallel here but some see the great FEMA preparations over the last decade since Katrina and it is clear with how SuperStorm Sandy was poorly handled that FEMA has not been preparing for hurricanes all this time.

FEMA seems to be preparing to handle something much worse involving many more casualties. (DMORT, mega-morgues, FEMA cemeteries, MREs, SRS nuclear evidence processing center, FEMA Residency Centers). Could FEMA be preparing for a future mega quake? Or maybe a nuclear detonation in a US metropolitan area. Will there be an Abinadi sacrificed that would give Western powers the excuse to deal with Syria and Iran? And will those actions against Iran precipitate a response by Russia and China against the West?

There is an unofficial report of an LDS Tongan Patriarch Yohani Wolfgramm receiving a vision of the tribulation that will befall the northern Utah Area. Patriarch Wolfgramm is reported to have predicted the election of George Bush Jr and a financial failure during the 3rd year of his 2nd term. Following the financial problems there would be a great drought throughout America followed by a nuclear bomb that would detonate in Northern Utah and then foreign invasion. My question is, if the Northern Utah detonation was isolated or part of a more global coordinated attack? Could Patriarch Wolfgramm have been shown Abinadi's fire?