Books I can Remember I Read Update: Stranger in a Strange Land

My brother Vince introduced me to Robert Heinlein when I was a teenager and I really liked his books like Starship Troopers and Tunnel in the Sky as a kid. But I never read his opus magnum Stranger in a Strange Land until this month and it disappointed me. This book makes me see Heinlein as a poor philosopher, a creepy theologian, and an un-pragmatic observer of human behavior. As for this novel being an allegory of religion (or more specifically Mormonism, as some people have speculated), I found it about as similar to my own religious experiences as the last few scenes of Tommy. I can see why the hippies in the sixties liked this book. Unfortunately, humanity has learned through several sad experiences that free love without jealousy and communal living without rivalry just doesn’t work out. If I had known that’s what this book was about I probably would have skipped it. I thought Stranger in a Strange Land was a tedious to read, pretentiously cerebral, and obnoxiously self righteous. And I’m afraid Valentine Michael Smith, the Martian sex-maniac, does not hold the keys to Utopia.

And speaking of Utopia, I also read The Giver by Lois Lowry this month. It won the Newbery Medal for children’s literature, but only the most precocious of children would really get this book. It shows why the adversary would be so keen to take away our choices and why there needs to be “opposition in all things” in order for us to experience love and joy. I highly recommend this book.

===========================================================

Books I Can Remember that I’ve Read (In no particular order)

I'm only counting text books if I read the entire thing.
I'm counting books that I read more than half of but stopped because I couldn't stomach it (Lolita) or hated (Moby Dick). I'm not counting books that are mostly pictures (The Cat in the Hat) although they are still some of my favorite books. I'm counting books twice if I read them in English and in Spanish. Also, I have not counted all the Bathroom Readers, mostly because I'm ashamed of how much time I spend on the pot. I've read almost all of them though.

***** - I really liked
**** - I liked
*** - OK
** - I didn’t like
* - It sucked.


1. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald****
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce**
3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen****
4. Walden - Henry David Thoreau**
5. Claudius the God - Robert Graves*****
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez***
7. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess****
8. As I Lay Dying -William Faulkner***
9. Animal Farm - George Orwell****
10. The Book of Mormon - Written by the Hand of Mormon. Translated by Joseph Smith Jr.*****
11. The Holy Bible - King James Version*****
12. The Doctrine and Covenants - Joseph Smith, others****
13. The Pearl of Great Price - Moses, Abraham, Joseph Smith****
14. Travels with Charley (In Search of America) - John Steinbeck****
15. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket***
16. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Reptile Room - Lemony Snicket***
17. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Wide Window - Lemony Snicket***
18. Les Liaisons Dagereuses - Pierre Choderlos de Laclos****
19. Tom Sawyer Abroad - Samuel Clemens***
20. The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey****
21. The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell***
22. The Faith of a Scientist - Henry Eyring****
23. The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell****
24. What are People For - Wendell Berry***
25. The Miracle of Forgiveness - Spencer W. Kimball****
26. The Greatest Salesman in the World - Og Mandino***
27. 1984 - George Orwell****
28. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Samuel Clemens*****
29. On the Road - Jack Keroac****
30. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens****
31. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller****
32. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra****
33. Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe***
34. Deliverance - James Dickey****
35. The Best of Edward Abbey***
36. Rosaura a las Diez - Marco Denevi****
37. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow****
38. Tom Sawyer Detective - Samuel Clemens***
39. The Iliad -Homer****
40. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein*****
41. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky***
42. The Double - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky***
43. The Trial -Franz Kafka***
44. Moby Dick - Herman Melville**
45. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison***
46. Principles of Surgery Companion Handbook - Schartz, Shires, Spencer*
47. Standing for Something - Gordon B. Hinckley***
48. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis*****
49. The Sound and the Fury -William Faulkner**
50. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck****
51. Slaughter House-Five - Kurt Vonnegut****
52. Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald****
53. Under the Volcano - Malcolm Lowry**
54. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -Samuel Clemens*****
55. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler*****
56. The Call of the Wild - Jack London****
57. Kim - Rudyard Kipling***
58. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens****
59. Howards End - E.M. Forster****
60. Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence***
61. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad***
62. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -Robert M. Pirsig****
63. The Stranger - Albus Camus****
64. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf***
65. The Lonely Men - Louis L’Amour***
66. Sacred Clowns - Tony Hillerman***
67. The Covenant - James A. Michener****
68. Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card****
69. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy -Douglas Adams****
70. The Quick and the Dead - Louis L’Amour***
71. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee*****
72. The Gift of the Jews - Thomas Cahill****
73. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis****
74. The Christ Commission - Og Mandin****
75. Ender’s Game -Orson Scott Card*****
76. People of Darkness - Tony Hillerman****
77. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis****
78. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis****
79. Memory of Earth - Orson Scott Card***
80. The Odyssey - Homer****
81. The Source - James A. Michener*****
82. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger****
83. The Story of England - Christopher Hibbert****
84. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway****
85. The Changed Man - Orson Scott Card****
86. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl****
87. El Milagro del Perdon -Spencer W. Kimball****
88. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley****
89. A Marvelous Work and a Wonder - LeGrand Richards****
90. A Treasury of Classical Mythology - A.R. Hope Moncrieff****
91. The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien****
92. Pure Drivel - Steve Martin***
93. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens****
94. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens****
95. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling*****
96. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling*****
97. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -J.K. Rowling*****
98. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -J.K. Rowling*****
99. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling*****
100. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling*****
101. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling*****
102. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis*****
103. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis*****
104. Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis****
105. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis*****
106. The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis*****
107. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis****
108. That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis****
109. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway***
110. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov**
111. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley****
112. I Claudius - Robert Graves*****
113. Anthem - Ann Rand***
114. Lord of the Flies - William Golding****
115. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner***
116. The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad***
117. Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein****
118. A Room With a View - E.M. Forster****
119. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad***
120. Citizen of the Galaxy - Robert Heinlein****
121. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesley****
122. Tunnel in the Sky - Robert Heinlein****
123. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum****
124. Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card****
125. Xenocide - Orson Scott Card****
126. Songmaster - Orson Scott Card**
127. Saints - Orson Scott Card****
128. Red Prophet - Orson Scott Card****
129. Cruel Shoes - Steve Martin***
130. The Great Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald****
131. Me and My Little Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald****
132. Jesus the Christ - James Talmage*****
133. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas****
134. Dracula - Bram Stoker****
135. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown***
136. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown****
137. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire****
138. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - Roald Dahl**
139. How the Irish Saved Civilization - Thomas Cahill***
140. Fundamentals of Family Medicine - Robert B. Taylor***
141. Medical Physiology - Rodney A Rhoades and George A Tanner**
142. D'aulaires Book of Greek Myths - Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aurlaire****
143. El Libro De Mormon - Un Relato Escrito por la Mano de Mormon. Traducido de las Planchas por Jose Smith, Hijo*****
144. Generation X - Douglas Coupland***
145. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe****
146. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice****
147. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde****
148. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen****
149. History of the English-Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchhill****
150. A Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking - Barbara Bates**
151. Complete History of the World - Richard Overy****
152. The American Religion - Harold Bloom***
153. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck****
154. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote****
155. A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo****
156. Religion in the New World - Richard E. Wentz***
157. The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck****
158. The Pearl - John Steinbeck****
159. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck****
160. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John le Carré****
161. The Education of Little Tree - Forrest Carter*****
162. The Chosen - Chaim Potok****
163. The Work and the Glory, Pilar of Fire - Gerald N. Lund*****
164. The Work and the Glory, Like a Fire if Burning - Gerald N. Lund*****
165. The Work and the Glory, Truth will Prevail - Gerald N. Lund*****
166. The Work and the Glory, Thy Gold Refine - Gerald N. Lund*****
167. The Work and the Glory, A Season of Joy - Gerald N. Lund*****
168. Stepen King On Writing, A memoir of the Craft - Stephen King***
169. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris****
170. Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, The Evidence for Ancient Origins - Edited by Noel B. Reynolds. **** (March '08)
171. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko****
172. Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal - Desmond Morris****
173. Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes****
174. Mormons and Masons, Setting the Record Straight - Gilbert W. Scharffs* (March '08)
175. San Manuel Bueno, mártir - Miguel de Unamuno****
176. Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith - Hartt Wixom**** (March '08)
177. Mormon Country - Wallace Stegner****
178. The House of God - Samuel Shem**
179. The Way of All Flesh - Samuel Butler****(March '08)
180. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel**** (April '08)
181. Religions of the World - A Latter-day Saint View - Spencer J. Palmer, Rober R. Keller, Dong Sull Choi, James A. Toronto****
182. Julius Caesar - William Shakespear****
183. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare****
184. Hamlet - William Shakespeare****
185. Macbeth - William Shakespeare****
186. One Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions - Stephen W. Gibson*** (May '08)
187. Jay's Journal - Beatrice Sparks**
188. Blueprints in Obstetrics and Gynecology - Tamara L. Callahan, Aaron B Caughey and Linda J Heffner***
189. Clinical Microbiology Made Rediculously Simple - Mark Galdwin and Bill Trattler****
190. Prescription for the Boards USMLE Step 2 - Radhika Breaden, Charyl Denenberg, Kate Feibusch, Stephen Gomperts***
191. The Instant Exam Review for the USMLE Step 3 - Joel s. Goldberg**
192. Appleton & Lang's Review of Pediatrics - Martin I. Lorin**
193. Pathology - Arthur S. Schneider and Philip A Szanto**
194. Internal Medicine - Edward D. Frohlich**
195. The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien****
196. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien****
198. The Mountain Meadows Massacre - Juanita Brooks****
198. A Thief of Time - Tony Hillerman****
199. Naked Pictures of Famous People - Jon Stewart**
200. La Casa de Bernarda Alba - Federico García Lorca***
201. Why Things Are and Why Things Aren't - Joel Achenbach****
202. Why Things Are - Joel Achenbach****
203. Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? And Other Imponderables - David Feldman****
204. First Aid for the Family Medicine Boards - Tao Le, Christine Dehlendorf, Michael Mendoza, and Cynthria Ohata*** (May '08)
205. Why Don't Cat's Like to Swim - David Feldman****
206. The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer**** (June '08)
207. Encounters with the Archdruid - John McPhee***
208. Desert Solitaire - Edward Abby***
209. Family Medicine Board Review - Robert L. Bratton, MD*** (July '08)
210. View of the Hebrews - Ethan Smith** (August '08)
211. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle****
212. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens****
213. The Book of Mormon and DNA Resarch - Edited by Daniel C. Petersen**** (Sept '08)
214. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis**** (Sept '08)
215. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson**** (Sept '08)
216. The Great Angel - A Study of Israel's Second God - Margaret Barker**** (Sept '08)
217. The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Sept,08)
218. The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Oct, '08)
219. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer** (Oct, '08)
220. Sophie's Choice - William Styron*** (Nov, '08)
221. Revolt of 2100 - Robert Heinlein****
222. Farnham's Freehold - Robert Heinlein****
223. Between Planets - Robert Heinlein****
224. The Giver - Lois Lowry****(Nov, '08)
225. History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith****
226. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein**

The Aesthetics of the Obama Cabinet

As the Obama cabinet begins to take shape, I know the question on all the pundits minds' is, "who's sexier, Hilary Clinton


or Janet Napolitano?"


I hope he finds a way to bring back Janet Reno too.



I know I'de pay to watch the 3 of them in an bikini-clad oil wrestling match.

In Case You Still Thought Opposition to Prop 8 Was All About Tolerance

How tolerant are Prop 8 opponents when it comes to Mormons? Meridian Article. Make sure you read all the “peaceful” signs in the photos in this article - “Protect My Marriage - Ban Mormons”, “Mormon Scum”, “Go Back to Utah”. Can you feel the love? If you have ever wondered what exactly they were yelling at Lehi from the Great and Spacious Building, now you know.


I don’t expect this to get any better. I suppose it's good they targeted us. After all, Mormons are used to this kind of hate directed toward them. We have to walk through worse twice a year to get to conference. Elder Hale must have known this was coming when he gave his conference talk Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship in October. I’m still surprised how blatantly hypocritical these particular proponents of gay marriage were - preventing people from worshiping at the LA temple and beating the sisters to the ground who tried to remove the hateful signs from the temple wall.


I am reminded of when pundit Lawrence O’Donnell (he’s not a Mormon, but he plays one on TV) suggested last year that Mitt Romney was unfit to be president because of his Mormonism and called Joseph Smith "a madman, a criminal and a rapist". When asked by Hugh Hewitt if he would say the same things about the prophet Mohamad O’Donnel responded:

O'DONNELL: Oh, well, I’m afraid of what the…that’s where I’m really afraid. I would like to criticize Islam much more than I do publicly, but I’m afraid for my life if I do.
HEWITT: Well, that’s candid.
O'DONNELL: Mormons are the nicest people in the world. They’re not going to ever…
HEWITT: So you can be bigoted towards Mormons, because they’ll just send you a strudel.
O'DONNELL: They’ll never take a shot at me. Those other people, I’m not going to say a word about them.
HEWITT: They’ll send you a strudel. The Mormons will bake you a cake and be nice to you.
O'DONNELL: I agree.


So how should we respond to the anti-Mormon hatred most recently spewed in the name of “tolerance and diversity”? I know it makes us an easy target, but I suggest we continue to send strudel.

Whitney and Dane's Christmas Pictures

Sophie's Choice

I don’t feel like writing a synopsis or a critique of William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice. Sufficeth to say that this is the most heartwarming novel about mental illness, domestic abuse, drug addiction, anti-Semitism, suicide and the holocaust I have ever read. Sarcasm aside, about half way through this book I started wondering why I subject myself to such uncheerfullness. It’s still a good book, although a bit of a downer.

So the last 3 books I’ve read are The Scarlet Letter, Twilight and Sophie’s Choice. I definetely need to read something that will get my testosterone level back up to a normal. May be something by Louis L’Amour or Robert Heinlein.

===========================================================

Books I Can Remember that I’ve Read (In no particular order)

I'm only counting text books if I read the entire thing.
I'm counting books that I read more than half of but stopped because I couldn't stomach it (Lolita) or hated (Moby Dick). I'm not counting books that are mostly pictures (The Cat in the Hat) although they are still some of my favorite books. I'm counting books twice if I read them in English and in Spanish. Also, I have not counted all the Bathroom Readers, mostly because I'm ashamed of how much time I spend on the pot. I've read almost all of them though.

***** - I really liked
**** - I liked
*** - OK
** - I didn’t like
* - It sucked.


1. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald****
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce**
3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen****
4. Walden - Henry David Thoreau**
5. Claudius the God - Robert Graves*****
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez***
7. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess****
8. As I Lay Dying -William Faulkner***
9. Animal Farm - George Orwell****
10. The Book of Mormon - Written by the Hand of Mormon. Translated by Joseph Smith Jr.*****
11. The Holy Bible - King James Version*****
12. The Doctrine and Covenants - Joseph Smith, others****
13. The Pearl of Great Price - Moses, Abraham, Joseph Smith****
14. Travels with Charley (In Search of America) - John Steinbeck****
15. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket***
16. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Reptile Room - Lemony Snicket***
17. A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Wide Window - Lemony Snicket***
18. Les Liaisons Dagereuses - Pierre Choderlos de Laclos****
19. Tom Sawyer Abroad - Samuel Clemens***
20. The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey****
21. The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell***
22. The Faith of a Scientist - Henry Eyring****
23. The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell****
24. What are People For - Wendell Berry***
25. The Miracle of Forgiveness - Spencer W. Kimball****
26. The Greatest Salesman in the World - Og Mandino***
27. 1984 - George Orwell****
28. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Samuel Clemens*****
29. On the Road - Jack Keroac****
30. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens****
31. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller****
32. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra****
33. Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe***
34. Deliverance - James Dickey****
35. The Best of Edward Abbey***
36. Rosaura a las Diez - Marco Denevi****
37. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow****
38. Tom Sawyer Detective - Samuel Clemens***
39. The Iliad -Homer****
40. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein*****
41. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky***
42. The Double - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky***
43. The Trial -Franz Kafka***
44. Moby Dick - Herman Melville**
45. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison***
46. Principles of Surgery Companion Handbook - Schartz, Shires, Spencer*
47. Standing for Something - Gordon B. Hinckley***
48. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis*****
49. The Sound and the Fury -William Faulkner**
50. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck****
51. Slaughter House-Five - Kurt Vonnegut****
52. Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald****
53. Under the Volcano - Malcolm Lowry**
54. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -Samuel Clemens*****
55. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler*****
56. The Call of the Wild - Jack London****
57. Kim - Rudyard Kipling***
58. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens****
59. Howards End - E.M. Forster****
60. Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence***
61. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad***
62. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -Robert M. Pirsig****
63. The Stranger - Albus Camus****
64. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf***
65. The Lonely Men - Louis L’Amour***
66. Sacred Clowns - Tony Hillerman***
67. The Covenant - James A. Michener****
68. Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card****
69. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy -Douglas Adams****
70. The Quick and the Dead - Louis L’Amour***
71. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee*****
72. The Gift of the Jews - Thomas Cahill****
73. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis****
74. The Christ Commission - Og Mandin****
75. Ender’s Game -Orson Scott Card*****
76. People of Darkness - Tony Hillerman****
77. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis****
78. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis****
79. Memory of Earth - Orson Scott Card***
80. The Odyssey - Homer****
81. The Source - James A. Michener*****
82. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger****
83. The Story of England - Christopher Hibbert****
84. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway****
85. The Changed Man - Orson Scott Card****
86. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl****
87. El Milagro del Perdon -Spencer W. Kimball****
88. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley****
89. A Marvelous Work and a Wonder - LeGrand Richards****
90. A Treasury of Classical Mythology - A.R. Hope Moncrieff****
91. The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien****
92. Pure Drivel - Steve Martin***
93. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens****
94. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens****
95. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling*****
96. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling*****
97. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -J.K. Rowling*****
98. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -J.K. Rowling*****
99. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling*****
100. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling*****
101. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling*****
102. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis*****
103. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis*****
104. Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis****
105. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis*****
106. The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis*****
107. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis****
108. That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis****
109. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway***
110. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov**
111. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley****
112. I Claudius - Robert Graves*****
113. Anthem - Ann Rand***
114. Lord of the Flies - William Golding****
115. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner***
116. The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad***
117. Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein****
118. A Room With a View - E.M. Forster****
119. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad***
120. Citizen of the Galaxy - Robert Heinlein****
121. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesley****
122. Tunnel in the Sky - Robert Heinlein****
123. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum****
124. Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card****
125. Xenocide - Orson Scott Card****
126. Songmaster - Orson Scott Card**
127. Saints - Orson Scott Card****
128. Red Prophet - Orson Scott Card****
129. Cruel Shoes - Steve Martin***
130. The Great Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald****
131. Me and My Little Brain - John Dennis Fitzgerald****
132. Jesus the Christ - James Talmage*****
133. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas****
134. Dracula - Bram Stoker****
135. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown***
136. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown****
137. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire****
138. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - Roald Dahl**
139. How the Irish Saved Civilization - Thomas Cahill***
140. Fundamentals of Family Medicine - Robert B. Taylor***
141. Medical Physiology - Rodney A Rhoades and George A Tanner**
142. D'aulaires Book of Greek Myths - Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aurlaire****
143. El Libro De Mormon - Un Relato Escrito por la Mano de Mormon. Traducido de las Planchas por Jose Smith, Hijo*****
144. Generation X - Douglas Coupland***
145. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe****
146. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice****
147. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde****
148. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen****
149. History of the English-Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchhill****
150. A Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking - Barbara Bates**
151. Complete History of the World - Richard Overy****
152. The American Religion - Harold Bloom***
153. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck****
154. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote****
155. A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo****
156. Religion in the New World - Richard E. Wentz***
157. The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck****
158. The Pearl - John Steinbeck****
159. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck****
160. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John le Carré****
161. The Education of Little Tree - Forrest Carter*****
162. The Chosen - Chaim Potok****
163. The Work and the Glory, Pilar of Fire - Gerald N. Lund*****
164. The Work and the Glory, Like a Fire if Burning - Gerald N. Lund*****
165. The Work and the Glory, Truth will Prevail - Gerald N. Lund*****
166. The Work and the Glory, Thy Gold Refine - Gerald N. Lund*****
167. The Work and the Glory, A Season of Joy - Gerald N. Lund*****
168. Stepen King On Writing, A memoir of the Craft - Stephen King***
169. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris****
170. Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, The Evidence for Ancient Origins - Edited by Noel B. Reynolds. **** (March '08)
171. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko****
172. Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal - Desmond Morris****
173. Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes****
174. Mormons and Masons, Setting the Record Straight - Gilbert W. Scharffs* (March '08)
175. San Manuel Bueno, mártir - Miguel de Unamuno****
176. Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith - Hartt Wixom**** (March '08)
177. Mormon Country - Wallace Stegner****
178. The House of God - Samuel Shem**
179. The Way of All Flesh - Samuel Butler****(March '08)
180. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel**** (April '08)
181. Religions of the World - A Latter-day Saint View - Spencer J. Palmer, Rober R. Keller, Dong Sull Choi, James A. Toronto****
182. Julius Caesar - William Shakespear****
183. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare****
184. Hamlet - William Shakespeare****
185. Macbeth - William Shakespeare****
186. One Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions - Stephen W. Gibson*** (May '08)
187. Jay's Journal - Beatrice Sparks**
188. Blueprints in Obstetrics and Gynecology - Tamara L. Callahan, Aaron B Caughey and Linda J Heffner***
189. Clinical Microbiology Made Rediculously Simple - Mark Galdwin and Bill Trattler****
190. Prescription for the Boards USMLE Step 2 - Radhika Breaden, Charyl Denenberg, Kate Feibusch, Stephen Gomperts***
191. The Instant Exam Review for the USMLE Step 3 - Joel s. Goldberg**
192. Appleton & Lang's Review of Pediatrics - Martin I. Lorin**
193. Pathology - Arthur S. Schneider and Philip A Szanto**
194. Internal Medicine - Edward D. Frohlich**
195. The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien****
196. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien****
198. The Mountain Meadows Massacre - Juanita Brooks****
198. A Thief of Time - Tony Hillerman****
199. Naked Pictures of Famous People - Jon Stewart**
200. La Casa de Bernarda Alba - Federico García Lorca***
201. Why Things Are and Why Things Aren't - Joel Achenbach****
202. Why Things Are - Joel Achenbach****
203. Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? And Other Imponderables - David Feldman****
204. First Aid for the Family Medicine Boards - Tao Le, Christine Dehlendorf, Michael Mendoza, and Cynthria Ohata*** (May '08)
205. Why Don't Cat's Like to Swim - David Feldman****
206. The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer**** (June '08)
207. Encounters with the Archdruid - John McPhee***
208. Desert Solitaire - Edward Abby***
209. Family Medicine Board Review - Robert L. Bratton, MD*** (July '08)
210. View of the Hebrews - Ethan Smith** (August '08)
211. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle****
212. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens****
213. The Book of Mormon and DNA Resarch - Edited by Daniel C. Petersen**** (Sept '08)
214. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis**** (Sept '08)
215. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson**** (Sept '08)
216. The Great Angel - A Study of Israel's Second God - Margaret Barker**** (Sept '08)
217. The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Sept,08)
218. The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne**** (Oct, '08)
219. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer** (Oct, '08)
220. Sophie's Choice - William Styron*** (Nov, '08)
221. Revolt of 2100 - Robert Heinlein****
222. Farnham's Freehold - Robert Heinlein****
223. Between Planets - Robert Heinlein****
224. The Giver - Lois Lowry****(Nov, '08)
225. History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith****

Rush's "The Trees"

I've been listening to Rush (the band, not the talk show host) lately. I'd forgotten how much I liked those guys. I liked watching them play with their beautiful mullets on MTV when I was a pimply faced 'tween in junior high. I never really paid attention to their lyrics back then. Listening now I realize their big libertarians. In this season of Obamamania it is good to be reminded of what happens in a forest when equal rights become equal outcomes? “The trees are all kept equal / By hatchet, axe, and saw.”



THE TREES

There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.

The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.

There is trouble in the forest,
And the creatures all have fled,
As the maples scream "Oppression!"
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.

Here's how you fight "homophobia" with "Mormophobia".

(I had to break my promise for no more political posts after I saw this commercial)

Here's how you fight "homophobia" with "Mormophobia".



I thought it was interesting who the opponents of Prop 8 chose as their evil villains. With so many different groups supporting Prop 8 they could have just as easily shown a couple of nuns, some Hasidic Jews, or stereo-typical evangelicals with big hair barging into the house. Even better, since African-Americans overwhelmingly (70%) supported Prop 8, they could have shown a couple of black men breaking into the white women’s house. (I think that commercial got George Wallace elected governor or Alabama, didn't it?) So why the Mormons? Simply put, Mormons make up less than 2% of California’s population (no big voting block lost)and lots of people hate them. They wanted to exploit that. It’s nice to know where the tolerance ends.


(You'll have to enlarge this to get the joke.)

My Elusive Quest for Wealth in America: How Obama has Already Decreased Your Access to Healthcare

(I’m up at 1:30 AM on election night scribbling this down so I can get some sleep. I promise this will be my last political post in at least a month. Sorry for the ranting. I hope I don’t regret this in the morning.)

My Elusive Quest for Wealth in America: How Obama Has Already Decreased Your Access to Healthcare

I am about to commit a big social faux pas and publically disclose my personal finances. I apologize for this in advance. It embarrasses me. But I think it is necessary in order for me illustrate how Barrack Obama’s proposed tax and “wealth sharing” program will affect not only me, but all of us.

Barrack Obama promised that if elected he would raise taxes on Americans making more than $250,000 a year. He says he plans on cutting taxes for a majority of Americans - those making less than $200,000. That sounds pretty good, right? Most of us should have more money in our pockets while the rich snobs on the hill get the fleecing they deserve. (Of course, this is all misleading, since Obama has also promised to allow almost all of Bush’s tax cuts lapse, so we are due to see to the biggest tax hike in U.S. history for everyone making over $25,000 in 2011. But that’s another story. Sorry suckers!)

Here’s where I’ll have to give specifics about my income (gulp, blush). I am a family practice physician (the proletariat of medicine) and I have been in practice for about 7 years. I went to 5 years of undergraduate college, followed by 4 years of medical school and 3 years of residency. I spent those 12 years poor, stressed out and sleep deprived and finished them over $200,000 in debt. As with most new physicians, my practice started slowly. The first day at my clinic I had exactly zero patients scheduled. But through the years my practice has grown and I usually see between 32 and 38 patients a day now. Last year my taxable income was $241,546, of which $64,769 went to taxes and over $50,000 to student loans (not tax deductible if you make more than 60K). This year I’m projected to make just over $260,000.

As you can see, I have crossed into what Obama considers the “ultra rich” category. A few weeks ago I was talking to an accountant friend about this (shout out to Aaron G. Evens). I asked his advice on how I could keep more of my money should Obama win the election. His answer was surprisingly simple - “Just work less.” So now, instead of trying to find ways to work more, be more efficient, see more patients and provide more healthcare, I am trying to find ways to work less in order to keep more. I am considering taking an extra half day off a week or just taking more vacations. This will mean my medical assistant, who is trying to support her family on about $27,000 a year, will also have fewer hours to work and will make less money. It will also mean my clinic will make less money. When my clinic makes less money we hire less support staff or sometimes we have to do lay offs.

More importantly, this will mean my patients will have a harder time getting in to see me. Currently patients can get in to see me within a week or two. That wait time for appointments will increase, probably to about a month. (My partners who see fewer patients a day are booked out 2-3 months.) I know my small practice is only a drop in the bucket of healthcare in the U.S., but I’m sure thousands of your primary care physicians are making the same calculations that I am.

There might be other ways to keep myself out of Obama’s higher tax bracket. I could give more money to my church or to other charities for the deductions. But, believe it or not, forced altruism is not as motivating to me as working for my favorite charity - myself and my family. Joe Biden has characterized people like me as “selfish” and “unpatriotic” for not wanting to pay more taxes. Evidently Ann Rand’s The Virtue of Selfishness is not required reading for U.S. senators. I had to read it in my high school English class when I was 17. I guess the last century has not taught us that government disincentives to work are very real and very poisonous to economies and cultures.

One of Obama’s campaign slogans was “Hope.” My hopes may be a bit different from his. I hope that he does not keep his idiotic pledge to raise taxes in the middle of a recession. I hope that if he does, that for the first time in recorded history he succeeds in taxing a nation into prosperity. Also, I hope that for the first time in history a government taking control of the healthcare system actually improves the quality of healthcare instead of giving citizens equally crappy care and waiting lists. I hope I’m wrong about all of this. Since America has made a clear choice for socialism, hope is all we have left.

Grandpa Woolf's Obituary

Wilbur Coombs Woolf passed away in the 91st year of his life on November 1, 2008. He was surrounded by his children Mac, Bill, James, Bruce and Paul Woolf and his daughter Arleen Wilson who cared for him with devotion and tenderness through his last illness. Wilbur Woolf served in many positions of responsibility with humility and dedication. He practiced as a dentist and then as an orthodontist in Mesa for over thirty five years. His trademark Woolf smile graces the faces of many local residents. He was a Rotarian, a scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America, a bishop for the 9th ward, stake president in the Mesa South Stake, mission president for the Suva Fiji Mission (1984-1987), and a stake patriarch for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, his most important calling and accomplishment was that of husband, father, grandfather and great grand father. His little ones did not know him as Dr. Woolf, or Bishop Woolf or President Woolf but as Dad or Grandpa. When his beloved wife Wanda died in 2001, his last and most difficult challenge was to go on without her and to follow her advice to “circulate not hibernate”. Wanda knew that Dad was more naturally reticent than he was outgoing. She had exemplified that charming and warm personality trait in abundance. Wilbur, true to her advice, soldiered on. He attended the far away weddings of grandchildren, visited with his children and shared stories of his life, traveled to Canada to visit family there, enjoyed and shared the cabin the in the Arizona pines that he and Wanda built, traveled to Fiji with a son to visit those he loved and had served on his mission and worked in the Mesa, Arizona temple. His children loved the stories of his Canadian youth, of his years in France when he and his brother and sister accompanied their parents on a mission for their church. Grandpa Woolf served in World War II as a naturalized citizen of the United States and loved his country. He is a beloved man who is well described by a former Fijian District president in a letter of condolence who wrote, “President Woolf always had a verse of scripture to share; ‘Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” Wilbur Woolf, Dad, Grandpa, did not weary in well doing, At the very end of his life, he expressed his love to the sister, friends, children, grandchildren and great grand children anxious to speak with him for the last time. He blessed them and affirmed his love for them. He endured his last illness patiently. His last ten days gave his children the opportunity to attend to his physical needs as his life ebbed and to stand at his bedside at the moment of his death knowing that they had loved and served a father who was and is a supreme example of a humble and willing servant of God and family. We celebrate the life of Wilbur Coombs Woolf and his legacy of faith, love and gentle determination to finish his course well.Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, November 8th at 10:00 a.m. at the Mesa South Stake Chapel located at 1415 E. Southern Avenue between Stapley and Gilbert Drive in Mesa, Arizona. A visitation will be held at the same location, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday, November 7th and again on Saturday, November 8th , 8:30-9:30 a.m., preceding the funeral service. Internment, Mesa City Cemetery .

Wilbur C. Woolf - 1918-2008

My grandfather Wilbur C. Woolf passed away quietly yesterday, surrounded by his family. I could write pages about all the lessons my grandpa taught me during my life. But the greatest lesson he gave me was the example of his life. I can’t think of anyone I would rather emulate. He was one of the only men I have ever know who was completely without guile or enemies. Even in his death he was an example of dignity and graciousness. I am so glad that my family and I were able to go down to Arizona to see him last week. He was in such good spirits and was so cheered by watching Whitney and Dane play around his house. Although I'll miss you Grandpa, I'm thankful for the knowledge that you are with Grandma and for the hope of seeing you again someday.

Book of Mormon Lesson 40

Rough Draft.

Disclaimer: I was hesitant to post this lesson because it contains quite a bit of speculation - particularly about the gathering of Israel and the building of New Jerusalem. But what the heck. I would remind you that nothing below, even quotes from general authorities and prophets, necessarily represents L.D.S. doctrine. I’m wrong about stuff all the time - just ask Michelle.

Book of Mormon Lesson 40
“Then Will I Gather Them In”

I. Introduction
A. We will be covering 3 Nephi 16 and 20-21 today. We are still in the climax of the BoM - Christ’s visit to the Americas. Christ has appeared to the Nephites and Lamanites. He has taught them about baptism. He has taught them many of the same sermons that he delivered in the Old World. He has called disciples.
B. Today we going over what Christ teaches the Nephites about his “other sheep.” We will be talking about the 10 lost tribes, the gathering of Israel and the building of the New Jerusalem.

II. Other Sheep.
A. Read 3 Nephi 16:1-3.
1. Who were these other Sheep? The 10 lost tribes? Remember that the 10 northern tribes of Israel were taken captive out of Israel by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.. (An interesting side note is that the people who identify themselves as Assyrians today are one of the main persecuted Christian minorities in Iraq today.)
2. I’ve gotten in trouble for talking about the 10 lost tribes in the past, so I don’t want to speculate about this. No one knows (or no one is telling us) exactly where or who the lost tribes are. Whether they are under the polar ice caps, in outer space, in Afghanistan, China, Russia, we don’t know.
3. Neal A Maxwell said: “Will there be an additional or third group of convincing and witnessing scriptures? Yes. Will the lost Ten Tribes– those of ancient Israel who did not remain with Judah, as well as a portion of Benjamin— bring their own records and scriptures? Yes. And eventually, by three scriptural witnesses, the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth will be finally established.”
B. In an article about the Book of Mormon and DNA research, John L. Sorenson and Matthew Roper note the following: “as a person’s genealogical lines go back in time, the number of his or her ancestors obviously multiplies. Withing a few centuries all of us have thousands of forebears. Ultimately or theoretically our foreparents could number in the millions. Yet there is a paradox here. Beyond a certain point in time the theoretical number of one’s ancestors exceeds the number of persons who were actually alive then! The truth is that our genealogical lines eventually converge on a restricted set of people. Joseph Chang, a statistician at Yale, in a 1999 article showed that there is a high probability that every European alive today shares at least one common ancestor who lived only 600 years ago. Science writer Steve Olson, who has explained this principle in greater detail in his superlative book, Mapping Human History, observes: ‘The forces of genetic mixing are so powerful that everyone in the world has [for example] Jewish ancestors, though the amount of DNA from those ancestors in a given individual may be small. In fact, everyone on earth is by now a descendant of Abraham, Moses, and Aaron–if indeed they existed.’ In parallel, if one assumes that Lehi was a real figure, Chang’s or Olson’s model would argue that all Amerindians today are likely to be his descendants. But would present-day DNA research indicate anything of the kind? Actually, it would be virtually impossible via today’s DNA procedures to document such slender genealogical links as Chang and Olson are talking about.”
1. We see from this that it is very unlikely that anyone sitting here if not descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - everyone in the world is, by biological heritage, of the House of Israel.
2. I wonder if we obsess too much in the Church about lineage. I wonder if being part of the house of Israel if more a cultural and spiritual distinction then a genetic one.

II. Jesus commands them to write down what he says for the Gentiles.
A. Read 3 Nephi 16:4.
1. Why does he command them to write what he says down? For the Gentiles.
B. Who are the Gentiles? This gets a bit confusing, because reading about the Gentiles in the Book of Mormon it becomes clear that he is talking about us, the modern member of His Church. But we don’t think of ourselves as Gentiles. We think of ourselves as the House of Israel. In fact, we call people who are not members of the Church, even Jewish people, as Gentiles.
C. The Bible Dictionary says: “The word Gentiles means the nations, and eventually came to be used to mean all those not of the house of Israel... As used throughout the scriptures it has a dual meaning, sometimes to designate peoples of non-Israelite lineage, and other times to designate nations that are without the gospel, even though there may be some Israelite blood therein. This latter usage is especially characteristic of the word as used in the Book of Mormon.”
D. Brother Robert J. Matthews said: “America, as is the case with Europe, has been peopled by those who have been without the fulness of the gospel for many centuries, yet they have much of the blood of Israel in their veins. They are not easily identified or recognized as Israelites and therefore are spoken of as Gentiles, in contrast to those of more recognizable Israelite identity such as the Jews and the lamanites. Hence, the great American nation is spoken of in the Book of Mormon as a Gentile nation, even though we, as Church members, know we have the blood of Israel in us. This condition is described by the Prophet Joseph Smith in D&C 109:58, 60, saying we are “the sons of Jacob’ but are ‘identified with the Gentiles.”“
1. I would argue once again, that it doesn’t matter how much “blood of Israel” runs in our veins, but what we know and how we live that makes us truly the House of Israel.
E. Read 3 Nephi 16:5. It is interesting that he talks about the gathering of Israel right in the middle of talking about the Gentiles. I suspect he means he will gather us from among the Gentiles.
F. Read 3 Nephi 16:6-7. What is promised to the Gentiles? Remember that at least for the Jews at the time of Jesus , the idea that the Gentiles should be taught the gospel and should be looked at with anything but disdain was a completely foreign idea.
G. Read 3 Nephi 16:9-11. I wonder how this will be fulfilled. Certainly the “Gentiles” (European nations in America?) Are already “lifted up in the pride of their hearts.” I wonder if this is referring to the gospel eventually being carried to the world mostly by the Lamanites or if it is talking about the eventual conversion of the Jews.

III. The New Jerusalem.
A. Read Moses 7:62
B. Read Ether 13:4-6
C. Read 3 Nephi 21:20-25.
D. This last conference when they were announcing new temples to be built, when they announced they were building one in Kansas City I started yelling to Michelle, “Hey, their building a temple in Jackson County, Missouri.” I didn’t here the other temples announced and when I turned back to listen it was several seconds later and I heard people gasping and mumbling in the audience. At first I assumed it was a late reaction to the Kansas City temple, but then I heard it was from the announcement that they were building a temple in Rome. Which temple do you think is more significant? The one where the New Jerusalem is to be built or the one within spitting distance of the Vatican? (Not that I suggest that we actually spit at the Vatican from our new temple.)
E. Bruce R. McConkie said: “In addition to the rebuilding of the Jerusalem of old, the latter-days are to see the initial building of a New Jerusalem on the American continent, a city which like its ancient counterpart will be a holy city, a Zion, a city of God. This new Jerusalem is to be built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Jackson County, Missouri is the spot designated by revelation for its construction. It shall be built when the Lord directs.”
1. How this will happen, since most of Jackson County from what I understand, is today part of the suburban sprawl of Kansas City, I’m not sure.
F. John Taylor had a vision of the United States in turmoil. (Sound familiar.) He then said, “Immediately after I seemed to be standing on the west bank of the Missouri River opposite the City of Independence but I saw no City. I saw the whole states of Missouri and Illinois and part of Iowa were a complete wilderness with no living human being in them. I then saw a short distance from the river Twelve men dressed in the robes of the Temple standing in a square or nearly so. I understood it represented the Twelve gates of the New Jerusalem, and they were the hands uplifted consecrating the ground and laying the Corner Stones. I saw myriads of Angels hovering over them and around about them and also an immense pillar of a cloud over them and I heard the singing of the most beautiful music the words “Now is established the Kingdom of our God and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever, and Kingdom shall never be thrown down for the Saints have overcome.’ And I saw people coming from the River and different places a long way off to help build the Temple, and it seemed that the Hosts of angels also helped to get the material to build the temple. And I saw some come who wore their temple robes to help build the temple and the city and all the time I saw the great pillar of cloud hover over the place.”
1. I don’t know what this all means. It sounds like the construction of the New Jerusalem may be a millennial event.
2. When will this happen? When we are ready. D&C 105:2-5, 13.

IV. Conclusion
A. It was humbling for me to study about the gathering of Israel and the building of New Jerusalem and to learn how much of this will depend on the faithfulness of members of Christ’s Church. During this political season in the United States it has been a bit disheartening to me as it becomes more and more evident that the world’s values are becoming less and less similar to God’s values. I testify that although the standards of the world may change, the Church’s standards will not. I believe it will become more important in the coming years for us to “stand in holy places” and protect ourselves and our children from the corruption surrounding us so that we can remain a safe beacon for all humanity. Amen.

References:
Bill Beardall
John L. Sorenson and Matthew Rober - Before DNA.