Seeds of Destruction

2004-12-29 06:00:00

Sterling has a question:

JJ writes:

Remember this: Every problem has a solution, every disease a cure and every enemy carries the seeds of its own destruction within its being.

The first two phrases are clear to me. However, the last statement is not. Would you mind elaborating?

The reasons I get a fog on this is because of the saying, "One man's terrorist is another man's hero."

"Enemy" is relative. Good v. evil. The good considers evil an enemy, and evil considers good an enemy. Right-wing politics v. left-wing politics are often a mix of good and bad on both extremes. Each is the "enemy" of the other, so to speak, yet each has faults in their perception.

Hence, the statement, "every enemy carries the seeds of its own destruction within its being", seems simplistic, considering the complexity of "enemy."

While it is true that the extremes of the left and right are usually both in error this does not apply to a member of the Brotherhood who sees the pros and cons of the left and the right and functions from the vantage of the second key of Judgment.

Let us take the example of Christ and his relationship with the Jews of his time. Are we to say that the Jews were on the left and Jesus was on the right and both were in error? Was the Christ merely an opposite polarity?

No. The opposite polarity to the Jews of that time were the Romans, not the Christ. The Master saw himself, not as an enemy to either the Romans or the Jews, but a servant to both.

On the other hand, both the Jews and the Romans saw Christ as their enemy and themselves as an enemy to him. Both groups had this "enemy" consciousness which carried the seeds of their destruction.

This principle is taught in the Book of Mormon. Here are a couple quotes:

"And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, ... yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God... " I Nephi 14:3

"And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. "And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it." I Nephi 22:13-14

Notice that it is not the church of the Lamb of God which carries the seeds of destruction within it, but the abominable church.

Why?

Because the great and abominable church sees the church of God as its enemy which must be destroyed as well as seeing itself as an enemy to the Lamb.

The workers in the light do not look for enemies. They will deal with opposition in the most effective manner when it confronts them, but even here they see themselves as servants and seek to help rather than to hurt.

An example of this can be seen in World War II.

Hitler created enemies and thus manifested the great conflict. The more harmless countries did not seek an enemy nor additional territory but sought to defend themselves. The Allies won and after victory did not see German and Japan as enemies but assumed the roll of the servant and assisted the two countries so in the end they were both better off than if they had won the war.

On the other hand, if Hitler had won the war the subdued counties would have still been seen as the enemy and would have been treated as such and their way of life and their liberties destroyed.

There is a tremendous difference between true light and dark. Those in the light have the seeds of eternal life and those in the dark carry the seeds of their own destruction which indeed will spout and grow and do their work in due time.