ChaunceyRiddle

Monthly Message, February 2021

We human beings normally are able to choose our actions. This is called “agency.” None of us has total agency. But we are each responsible for how we use what we have.

Our Father in Heaven has asked us to use our agency in a special way, and he sent his Son to show us how it can be done. That special way is to return good for evil. One mark of every true servant of Jesus Christ is the many ways in which they return good for evil. Such as:

When someone smites us, turning the other cheek to be smitten again.

When someone speaks ill of us, saying something good about them.

When someone takes what is ours, giving them more of what is ours.

When we find a mess, cleaning it up.

When our neighbor is in prison, visiting them and encouraging them.

When our neighbor is ill, visiting them and ministering to their needs.

When our neighbor has an overwhelming good task, helping them to complete that task.

There is no way to count all the ways we may bless our neighbor, but trying to do so always is one special mark of the true children of Jesus Christ. Doing this sometimes results in pain. But it always brings happiness. We do not do it because it brings happiness. We do it because it is right. This is the way of righteousness.

Monthly Messages, January 2021

1. The word “saint” means a holy person.
2. A person is made holy by the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
3. To have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost one must:
4. Hear and accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. Repent of his or her sins (turn from one’s old ways to the way of Christ).
6. Receive the covenant of baptism from an authorized servant of Christ.
7. Actually receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after being confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
8. Remember the Savior always.
9. How a Saint lives:
10. A saint lives by prayer. All matters are taken to the Lord for consultation: plans, decisions, hopes, fears, thanks, etc. The answers received from the Lord as to how to proceed are then the basis for all action. No human authority supersedes this consultation, but the saint recognizes that he or she must also be fully acceptable to his or her bishop and stake president, for they are his or her witnesses.
11. The saint is pure. Desires are cleansed of all selfishness and are filled with a love of God and neighbor. The mind is cleansed of all untruth and unbelief, and is filled with the revelations of God, and with ever other good thing that is virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy. The body is cleansed physically and morally, and is used by the saint to wear out life and strength in blessing one’s fellowmen.
12. The saint is a doer. Time and substance are not wasted. Hard work is a way of life. Pleasure is not sought for its own sake, but is received only in the process of accomplishing the Lord’s work. Money and property of the saint are honorably obtained, ordered and maintained.
13. A saint supports the work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He or she prays for those in authority, for the missionaries, and for the success of the programs of the church. Missionary work, genealogy and temple work, and the perfecting of the saints are his or her constant study and concern.

Sum: A saint is one who loves the Lord with all of his or her heart, might, mind and strength, and serves Him in the name of Jesus Christ.

Note: These ideas are ideals. They are the personal conclusions of CC Riddle. Do you share them?

Monthly Message, December 2020

This is in response to the request by President Russell M. Nelson’s recent plea on November 20, 2020 to #GiveThanks with a daily post to social media for 7 days.

I give thanks #1 (Nov. 24, 2020)

I am thankful for my Heavenly Father. “Man of Holiness” is his name because he only does that which blesses others. In him there is no selfishness of any kind. His actions are one eternal round of creating and blessing. Because he does no evil and is dependable in doing all the good that can be done, he is trusted by everyone and everything in the universe that is not satanic. All the elements of the universe obey and worship him because of his goodness. This gives him great power to bless. He became a God by choosing righteousness over evil. And he blesses all of his children with that same opportunity.

I give thanks #2 (Nov. 25, 2020)

Because Father so loved his children, he sent his unfaithful son to cause his human children to fall in dying both spiritually and temporally to create a mortal situation. But this fallen condition made each child an agent, the perfect context for each of Father’s children to choose for himself or herself what each would be happiest doing in eternity. The context and agency were made complete when Father also sent his faithful son, the Son of Man (of Holiness), to atone for the sins of all mankind and to bring about the resurrection of each person. And messengers were sent to Adam and Eve and all of their children so that they could know how to be saved from the power of the unfaithful son by committing to and following the faithful son, Jesus Christ. Thus it is that all who love blessing others like the faithful son can become free from the power of the unfaithful son by binding themselves to the faithful son to become like him and by rejecting the messages from the unfaithful son.

That is why I am so grateful for the faithful son, Jesus Christ, and his precious gospel.

I give thanks #3 (Nov. 26, 2020)

Father has given his human children two great gifts to guide them away from the grasp of his unfaithful son to be able to follow his faithful son. The first is conscience, the light of Christ which lightens every human being, and which brings to each of us feeling of what is right to do and what is wrong to do. The second is the Holy Ghost which brings to those who accept the light of Christ and try to do what is right a witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind. If any human accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and makes the covenant to remember and to serve Christ always, then the Holy Ghost will bring to each accepting soul a knowledge of the truth in any matter where the person needs it.

Thus accepting a feeling for righteousness is the first step to salvation from eternal servitude to the unfaithful son. The second step is to accept the witness that Jesus is the appointed Savior of mankind, then to accept Christ through the covenant of baptism, then to follow the Holy Ghost until we gain a new being in the image of Christ himself, full of righteousness and truth.

Oh the graciousness of our Father in giving us these two great gifts to guide our mortality!

I give thanks #4 (Nov. 27, 2020)

One of the greatest blessings of being a human is to have physical body. We are not that body. The real “us” is our eternal intelligence (person) clothed in a spirit body given to us by our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Our physical body is a temporary “loaner” from our Heavenly Parents to see what we will do with it while it lasts. How we use it determines what kind of physical body we will be rewarded with for the rest of eternity: celestial, terrestrial, telestial, or perdition.

The basic options for use of our mortal human tabernacle are to use it to bless others or to use it strictly for our own imagined pleasures. The first option is called righteousness and the second is called selfishness. Almost all humans try both to see how they feel about each, then settle into a pattern favoring one or the other.

The greatest power our Heavenly parents have given us is to use this physical tabernacle to beget children, to bless other spirits with physical bodies. Satan hates this power because he will never have a physical body and tries to destroy as many human bodies as he can through wars, murders, drug use, celibacy, etc. But his favorite tactic is to entice humans to murder their own children. Anciently he did this by getting his followers to pass their children through fire as a sacrifice to some fictitious god. Today he prevails upon humans to kill their children in the womb, preferably at conception.

Blessed are those humans who choose righteousness and bless others, especially their own children.

I give thanks #5 (Nov. 28, 2020)

Because of the Fall of Adam all accountable humans are in the power of Satan and sin, breaking the commandments of God. Having sinned, we become unclean, and no unclean thing can come back to the presence of our Father in Heaven. Some sin much, some sin little. But we all sin and would be lost forever were it not for our Savior.

But Christ is of sin the double cure: He saves from wrath and makes us pure. He saves those who accept his atonement from the punishment justice demands for their having sinned. And he makes us pure by teaching us to repent, to replace each of our ways of disobedience with coming into the strait and narrow way of righteousness.” Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1: 18)

Could there be a blessing greater than having a Savior? Could there be a human action wiser than giving ourselves to follow our Savior, to become his humble imitators? There is hope for all of us, but only in true faith in Jesus Christ.

I give thanks #6 (Nov. 29, 2020)

Consider the marvel of the planet on which we reside, earth. So delicately balanced for heat and cold, light and darkness, air and water, plants and animals, minerals and soil to provide a wonderful habitat for human probation. All bespeaks the hand of a careful creator, though some prefer to give the credit to blind chance. But thanks be to the gods who put all things in order for our wonderful habitat. Those persons of a spiritual inclination see that appreciation for nature is one form of worshiping that generous God who gave us all this.

What a miracle it is to drop a seed in the ground and have it reliably turn into a tomato plant or a melon vine. What a blessing that sun and rain bless the ground so plentifully in most places. What a blessing that this earth can sustain billions of God’s children and could support many times more people than there are now were it not for selfishness and greed.

Part of our human probation and training for godhood is the opportunity to deal with the delightful earthly environment with which we have been blessed. May we each prove appreciative of this great blessing and strive to leave our physical surroundings better, cleaner, more productive than we found them.

How grateful we should be!

I give thanks #7 (Nov. 30, 2020)

Last but not least, I am grateful for you. These thanksgiving messages have been sent to you because you have had a special place in my life. The people we travel with in this mortal sphere add joy, richness and color to our passage. As we struggle together to overcome the problems of mortality and rise to the challenges of our environment, to do this in the company of and with the assistance of good people makes the journey much more rich and rewarding.

And I am mindful and grateful for those dear ones who have already departed this vale of joys and tears. Leaving this mortal sphere to join them will be one of the great joys of our eternal path.

So thank you for the precious addition you have been to my mortal journey. May every good thing come to you through the grace and goodness of our kind Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

March 2023

The most important temporal warning? What a value judgment! But there are reasons why it might be so. The temporal warning is as follows:

“And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites. And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they will be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of the saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet avenge them not. Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby you 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 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 you shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of the secret combinations which shall be among you; or wo be unto it because of the blood of those 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 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.” (Ether 8:20–25)

Through Moroni the Lord here plainly warns us that the opposition to the work of Christ is deadly, deliberate and well organized. This force is world-wide, operating in every nation, kindred, tongue and people. It seeks to enslave the majority of humans for the benefit of a few who enjoy power, prestige, and wealth. This force has no moral scruples. For it, the end justifies the means. Some of the reasons why it is the greatest temporal threat to mankind are as follows: 1. This threat is organized from the Spirit world, inspired and guided by Satan. 2. It will be a major player on the world scene until the Savior comes in his Second Coming. 3. Those who cooperate and participate in this programmed evil are the tares of the earth who will be burned at the Second Coming of Christ.

It is important to recognize three aspects of this threat to the peoples of this earth. It is a conspiracy because many of its players and supporters meet in secret to plan their moves (“conspiracy” means to breathe together). 1. One of its main ploys is to ridicule conspiracy theories. 2. This movement is actually a religion, with all the trappings of a religion. It is currently the dominant religion on earth. 3. This movement seeks control over all of culture and civilization.

1. One of its main ploys is to ridicule conspiracy theories.

The Theosophical Society of America offers this comment on a book about conspiracy theories: “Conspiracy Theories, then, are far from harmless. Such wrongheaded thinking can be pernicious, and ultimately downright destructive. Cassam runs down a list: antivaxxers; anticredentialism in general; “the death of expertise”; Brexit; anti-Semitism on both the left and the right. Therefore Conspiracy theories promote symbols and beliefs that have consequences unforeseen by moderates. Furthermore, they “diminish the credibility of legitimate criticisms” and are also a “distraction from big-picture social issues.” Review of Conspiracy Theories by Quassim Cassam, Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press, 2019.

In other words, public, just believe what you are told.

2. This movement is actually a religion, with all the trappings of a religion.

This religion has its temples (universities), priestly vestments (cap and gown), ordinances (graduation ceremonies), a theology (there is no God, all things are natural, there is no right and wrong). This religion is behind getting rid of public displays of the Ten Commandments. It is behind the LGBT+ movement. It encourages “living together” instead of marriage. It promotes abortion and euthanasia. This movement is the great and abominable church mentioned in the scriptures. This threat is organized from the Spirit world, inspired and guided by Satan. It will be a major player on the world scene until the Savior comes in his Second Coming. Those who cooperate and participate in this programmed evil are the tares of the earth who will be burned at the Second Coming of Christ.

3. This movement seeks control over all of culture and civilization.

The humanist movement is the dominant force and ideology in the world today. It is the philosophy behind communism and socialism. It has quietly taken control of our education systems, threatens scientific objectivism, controls our media, and is behind the “woke” movement. Politics in the United States mostly concerns how much socialism we shall allow, with socialism gradually increasing and taking over our politics. Socialism, the governing of the masses by those “most intelligent” human beings, is the antithesis of what the true disciples of Christ seek, which is Zion, a people so pure in heart that they all do only the will of Christ. They spend their time blessing others in his name and through his power. Zion is a people who do not take their instructions from any human being unless those instructions are confirmed by the Holy Spirit, which is the will of Christ. The will of Christ is that they become fully honest, true, chaste and benevolent, having all things in common out of a pure heart.

These latter days are a show-down between the cause of Christ (Zion) and humanism. Humanism seeks to govern all mankind by a socialist world-order. Moroni would have us be fully aware of this confrontation and to make sure we promote the cause of Christ and do not give power to the cause of Satan.

Monthly Messages, February 2023

1. The Most Important Commandment in the Book of Mormon

The most important commandment? What a value judgment! But there are reasons why it might be so. The commandment is: ”Ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.” 3 Nephi 11:37

To repent is to turn from the ways of the world to keeping the commandments of Christ. To become as a little child is to give up all worldly pride and humbly submit to and follow the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. To be baptized in his name is to sincerely make the promises of the baptismal covenant as administered by one having true priesthood authority from Christ. Anyone who does these things and then continues in the gospel covenant path becomes heir to all that Christ is and has.

There are some good reasons why this might be the most important commandment in the Book of Mormon: 1. It is the key to receive all of the blessings Christ gives to his children. 2. It is a warning against pride, which is the great damning sin. 3. It is the pattern which Christ himself followed in relating to His Father.

2. It gives the key to receive all of the blessings Christ gives to his children.

It is our Savior’s purpose and desire to bless all mankind with as many of his own blessings as each can stand to receive and use for good: “And he gave some, apostles, and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 11–13) But he has to bless, not harm, with his gifts: “He (God) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.” (1 Nephi 26:24) Because he wishes to bless and not harm, Christ asks his disciples to follow the covenant path, which path prepares them to use all of his blessings to bless others, to minister in the same purity which he does. This enables us to only bless, even as he does. The only stance which makes this possible is humility and child-like obedience. Thus Christ asks each of his followers to be his little child, to be able to grow up unto receiving all that he has to give them.

2. It is a warning against pride, which is the great damning sin.

Pride is the attitude of self-sufficiency, of not needing any help from others. It is the attitude that one’s own wisdom is sufficient to select and pursue the path that leads to success and attainment of the desires of the self. Thus being centered on the self, it pretends to have the universe in control and to assert that its own desires are the sufficient guide to all progress in attaining the goals desired by the self. The self who thus selfishly asserts itself is aided by an unseen power in the person of Satan, who is the ultimate personification of selfishness. This aid is real, sometimes being the cleverness that actually attains a selfish goal sought. Success in being selfish leads to a hunger for more selfishness, and that eventually leads the person to the opposite of what Christ is: a person rebuilt in the image of Satan, a devil in the service of the devil of all devils.

The opposite of pride is for the person to recognize that he or she has limits and needs help to attain desired goals. The optimum opposite of pride is to become as a little child, one who “yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19)

3. It is the pattern which Christ himself followed in relating to His Father.

When the Savior appeared to the Nephites on the American continent one of the first things he said unto them was: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

And I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.” (3 Nephi 11: 10–11)

And we note the words of Abinadi: “I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. And because he dwelleth in the flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and the Son—And they are one God, yea, the Very Eternal Father of heaven and earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people. And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.” (Mosiah 15: 1–7)

Our Savior sought not to do his own will, but to do the will of his Father and of our Father in all things. This is the pattern of faith. If we have faith in Jesus Christ, we will seek to do his will, even as he did the will of his father in all things, even as little children.

Is it possible that 3 Nephi 11: 37, immediately repeated in verse 38, is the most important commandment in the Book of Mormon?

Monthly Messages, January 2023

The most important verse? That is a strong value judgment. But there are some reasons why it might be so. The verse is 2 Nephi 26:24:

“He (God) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.”

“Benefit” means doing good, blessing and ministering to others. God does this because of his heart-felt love for each human. The totality of all human beings is “the world” in the scriptures. Christ has suffered for the sins and pains of each and every human being in order to be able to bless each one with forgiveness of sins, resurrection, and glory. He hopes to bless each human will all, with exaltation in eternity. But he respects each person and will put upon each only that which each has shown he or she wants to receive and does follow the covenant path to become able to receive. Not everyone can stand to receive all that God tries to give them.

The reasons why this verse is the most important verse come under three headings:

1. This verse gives us a most important feature of our knowledge about our God.
2. This verse solves the problem of evil in the world.
3. This verse sheds great light on the commandments God has given us.

1. This verse gives us a most important feature of our knowledge about our God.

Usual discussions of the nature of God sometimes focus on how much he knows, what he can do, and where he is.

Our God is said to be omniscient, that he knows everything that can be known, past, present and future. In the Book of Mormon, Jacob exclaims: “Oh how great the goodness of our God. For he knoweth all things and there is not anything save he knows it.” (2 Nephi 9:20). This means God is never puzzled or in the dark about anything. He knows and understands all things. Therefore he knows how to bless each of his children.

Usual discussions also emphasize the power of God, that he has allpower. This means that he can do anything that can be done. The Savior said: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18). Thus he is never frustrated by inability to bless each human being.

Our God is also present everywhere in the universe. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalms 139:7–10) This is to say that wherever any of his children are the in universe, God finds and blesses them.

And our God is also good, which is to say that he blesses or helps each of his children to enjoy as much blessing as each can stand to receive. And this is where our special verse from the Book of Mormon quoted above applies. It is well understood by mankind that God blesses his children. What is not as well-known is what this verse explains: God only blesses his children. Some persons are wont to attribute curses to God, and the scriptures actually use that word. But this verse in the Book of Mormon tells us that any so-called curse from God is actually a blessing and will result in some great benefit and opportunity for the recipient. Thus, God only blesses. Everything he does is to advance the happiness, power, and well-being of his children. But again, he will not put upon any child of his any blessing in eternity which the person cannot profit from. Thus some are damned to spare them blessings which would cause them to regress. And this damnation itself is a blessing.

2. This verse solves the problem of evil in the world.

Anything is evil if it is not as good as it could or should be. Every human sin is an evil, something which need not and should not be. For every human sin shortens the blessings and welfare of the sinner’s fellow-beings. God’s commandments are given so that we will have guidance and power not to do evil, but to bless only, even as God does. God holds each human being accountable for all evil each has done, and our Savior counts any evil we do to any person as if we had done it unto him. If we repent of doing evil, our Savior forgives us. But if we will not and do not repent, he must hold us accountable on the day of judgment.

But there is a lot of evil in this world that is not the doing of any human being. There are diseases, natural disasters such as storms and volcanic activity, opposition from wild animals, heat and cold that devastate, etc. The point of this special scripture from the Book of Mormon is that all so-called evil in this world is the hand of God delivering something to his human children which will eventuate blessing which they will eventually recognize and be grateful for. For God’s hand is in all things. Nothing happens in this universe except by his permission. He lets what we call evil treatment by humans and by natural disasters in nature function as avenues for blessings greater than the evils humans suffer. Thus each human should be grateful for any suffering he or she undergoes, understanding that if he or she will turn to God as a little child and humbly submits to the so-called evils that come upon them, that paves the way for greater blessings from God. “For the natural man (a man without Christ in this mortal world) is an enemy (does not love) to God, and has been since the fall of Adam (because of the influence and temptations of Satan) and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit (accepts Jesus Christ as his father and guide), and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint (having the companionship of the Holy Spirit) through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love (for Christ and for all of God’s creation), willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him (to bless him), even as a child doth submit to his father (for that person who comes unto Christ counts Christ as his father). (Mosiah 3:19)

This discussion of evil makes no sense to those who do not believe in the immortality of the human soul: no pre-mortal and no post-mortal human existence. For only in the post-mortal life do all the evils of mortality become known as blessings.

Thus everything God brings to pass happens because God is using it to bless his children, to help each enjoy all the blessings and powers of God himself if they can stand to receive such magnificence.

3. This verse sheds great light on the commandments God has given to us, his mortal children.

Salvation in Christ is to change our personal character from the way we were as a natural man in this mortality into the character and nature of Christ himself. This is done by the individual exercising faith in Christ unto repentance from everything we are and do that is not like him, to “come unto the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) This explains why our Savior commands us to: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust … Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Mathew 5: 44–48) This is what Christ himself does, and he bids us to follow his example.

This verse in the Book of Mormon is the most important verse because it clarifies for us the most important characteristic of our God: that his heart is filled only with unmixed, pure love for all of his children and for all creation. Knowing the most important thing about God our Father is the most important thing any human could know. And gaining and using that pure love from him in order to purely minister to others is the most important thing any human will ever do.

Monthly Message, December 2022

Why I worship Jesus Christ at Christmas and all year:

• I first began to feel about the Christ when I was baptized at age 8.
• I felt I should read the Book of Mormon and began to do so.
• I could not understand it, but I had a strong feeling that it was a true record
• And that Jesus Christ was my Savior.
• My next step up in testimony was when I became a Deacon.
• I had a Quorum Advisor who taught us about Christ
• With tears in his eyes, and I felt what he was saying was true.
• In my teenage years I began to experience problems, and found I could take
• them to the Lord in fervent prayer. I was comforted and blessed.
• As a junior in college, I met a wonderful girl, rejected her because she was too beautiful.
• But a friend talked me into going with her anyway, and I did.
• I married her in the Holy Temple, and we began a family in Christ.
• We were blessed with thirteen special children, and as we raised them
• In Christ, our faith grew.
• We fasted and prayed about many things, which brought us together as we both
• Received answers in the Holy Spirit which, when enacted, bore precious fruit.
• We grew old together, serving difficult missions and callings, but always
• Buoyed by the Holy Spirit and a multitude of blessings and many answers to prayer.
• We served in the temple together, we did home teaching together
• And we struggled together to raise our children in Christ.
• Now she has gone to the great beyond to serve loved ones in the Lord.
• I continue to struggle in mortality, anxiously awaiting reunion with her
• In Christ and in the Spirit world.
• For I know and believe in that great God I worship, Jesus Christ and His Father.
• For they are gods of righteousness. Whatever they do, they do to bless.
• They are One God in that righteousness, and invite all of their earthly children
• To join them in that eternal work of righteousness, blessing others to all eternity.
• Will you join me in worshiping them?

Chauncey Cazier Riddle

Monthly Message, November 2022

We humans do not know much of ourselves. The things we really know are the familiar things we repeatedly observe. Most of what we believe at any given moment we do not observe, such as our belief in Europe or the Far East. But we have built a fabric of beliefs about many things we do not now sense perceive, and we live our lives in this web of present knowledge firmly located in a web of present beliefs.

So we have at least two kinds of ideas: Things we presently perceive (our knowledge) and the web of beliefs which gives meaning and reality to the imaginations in which we hold all of our present perceptions. The Greeks called these two kinds of ideas physics (the things we sensorily perceive) and metaphysics (the unseen reality beyond the seen reality). It turns out that most of our important ideas about the reality of the universe are metaphysics, not physics. And metaphysics is the realm of faith, the things we believe but cannot prove, that give understanding to the things we can see and prove.

Every normal human being has a metaphysics which he or she believes but cannot prove. Some people have a better metaphysics than others, and this enables them to better predict the future and better explain what is going on in the realm of the things that can be seen. Since no one can prove that their metaphysics is correct, we may conclude that every human being lives by faith in something, and that something is their metaphysics. Faith is trusting in something you cannot prove.

Not all faiths are equal. Some are much better for helping the believer to get what they want than are others. Politics is largely the activity of trying to affect the faith of other persons in order to gain power for the politician. Much so called general education in colleges is the attempt to enlarge and control the faith of others to affect their politics. Every charismatic political leader is adept at manipulating the faith of other people.

But to the main point of this discussion: Faith of all kinds and for all persons is built by sequences of choices. Each normal human being lives by faith in a metaphysical structure he or she has built and maintained by daily choices. And I assert that each of these choices is controlled mostly by the heart and not the mind of the individual. In other words, people believe and act as they want to, and they adjust their metaphysics to justify what they want and want to do.

What is the evidence that the heart and not the mind controls persons’ metaphysics? Just watch as smokers deny that smoking is harmful. Many know the rational evidence that smoking is harmful, but because they want to smoke, they disregard that evidence and smoke anyway. Many know that deficit spending by the government is bad for the country, but they support it anyway because they want the short-term benefit that it brings. Many know that stealing is wrong, but do it anyway because they want to, etc.

Now the real point of all this is that faith in Jesus Christ is not for everyone because many just do not want to be like Christ. So they do not build a metaphysics which allows Christ to redeem them.

They would rather be like the non-believers and relish their favorite sins than to repent and become a blessing to all around them as Christ is. Some don’t mind being partly like Christ, but they trust in themselves to fashion a life that brings them all the satisfactions they desire rather than the pattern of the true Christian.

So the conclusion is that many people have all the evidence they need to fashion a solid testimony that Jesus is the Christ, but have no testimony of his divinity and power simply because they do not want to live the way he commends. They build testimonies or webs of understanding to self-justify their rejection of the moral standards Christ enjoins upon his faithful followers.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a moral test to all who hear or know it. Hearing about Christ from books or the testimonies of other humans is a partial test, but the full test comes only when the Holy Spirit bears witness to the individual that Christ is the only pattern of character which can be blessed with a fullness of knowledge and power unto all eternity, which is the only full salvation from this fallen world.

September 2022

Some things to know about it:

1. It is found among every nation, kindred, tongue and people, and covers the whole earth.
2. It is operated under the direct control of Satan.
3. It has its own temples, ordinances, and priestly vestments.
4. I has its own gospel, which is taught everywhere and is believed by many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
5. It tries to either capture or drive out every other church, and is very close to doing so.
6. It fosters abortion, artificial birth control, and euthanasia.
7. It tries to destroy the Ten Commandments and Christian standards.
8. It pretends to like democracy, but is actually totalitarian.
9. It is the most influential force in the world.
10. It is in your face every day of the world.

But almost no one talks about it. Most people do not realize it exists. But it is doing the task God has assigned it to do and makes the blessings of the New and Everlasting Covenant possible to be received and enjoyed for everyone who deliberately rejects it in favor of Faith in Jesus Christ.

CC Riddle

Monthly Message, August 2022

D&C 86:4–8 “But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender — Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields; But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also. Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then shall ye first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.”

I now give my personal interpretation of this scripture:

I believe that there are three main types of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

First are those who are active or semi-active and who are keeping the covenants they have made with the Savior and the Father. Some are strong unto mighty works of righteousness, ministering carefully under the Savior’s tutelage. Others are weak, and are barely hanging on, but nevertheless they try to keep the commandments. These, the whole spectrum, are the wheat, those whom the Lord will save and lift up at His coming.

Secondly are those who once were active in the Church, but because of the cares of the world and the temptations of the adversary, no longer participate in the activities of the Church. When the Savior comes, these will be treated basically as non-members of His Church. They will either not be burned if they are keeping the Ten Commandments, or will be burned if they are breaking the Ten Commandments.

Thirdly are those who are active members of the Church, but who quietly or sometimes not quietly seek to challenge those in authority and who encourage others not to be “true blue” members of the Church. Sometimes these persons are church officers, such as bishops and stake presidents, even mission presidents. But they do not engender faith in Christ nor humility. They tend to represent the pride of the world. And sometimes they are well-connected, enjoying the friendship of General Authorities. Their mission is to block the true work of Christ by substituting a semblance of show, pretending to be faithful while actually working to hamper the Kingdom of God. These I believe are the tares, those who will be gathered and burned first when the Savior comes in His Second Coming.

What should you and I do about the tares? I believe it the task of those who are truly faithful Latter-day Saints to be on the lookout for tares and identify them in their own minds. But it is not the task given to ordinary members to “do” anything about the tares. Bishops and Stake Presidents do have the responsibility to do something about them, but sometimes they are prevented from doing so because someone higher in authority prevents them from doing so.

Remember that it is the Savior’s will to let the wheat and the tares grow together and not to root out the tares until the end. The task of those who are truly faithful to Christ is to continue ministering in all humility and let those who have keys worry about the tares and deal with each one as the Savior instructs them.

But please be aware that there are tares.

Related scriptures:

D&C 45:56–57: “And in that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.”

D&C 112:24–26: “Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.”