The band was playing, drowning out all other sounds.
The crowd was immense and everywhere to be found.
The music was enticing, thrilling, titillating and strong,
dulling the senses to things that are blatantly wrong.
The beat was steady and had a familiar rhythm,
appealing to the masses and silencing the competition.
This marching band had a faithful following who walked to the beat of the drummer,
much like the pied piper who lured children away from Hamelin
in the middle of the summer.
In Babylon, one can do most everything that is wanted -
the rules of God being frequently abandoned.
For the worldly, it is every man for himself and survival of the fittest.
A man prospers only because of his pretended genius.
But going down the road toward Babylon
is a recipe for disaster for those who succumb.
For those who stop to pay attention to what is really happening,
they can hear a message that whispers a gentle invitation:
“There is a better path that is more sure and precious -
the teachings of Jesus will guide and secure us”.
Seekers of truth will find that the word of God will light their way
and keep the dangerous music of Babylon at bay.
We can receive direct revelation from heaven above,
said the apostle James: “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God”
So, constant communion with God will save the day.
Turning toward heaven continually is the key to silencing Babylon’s sway.
June 2023
Helaman 3: 27-30 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.
James 1: 5-6 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Russell M. Nelson, “ Make Time for the Lord”, October 2021
“The voices and pressures of the world are engaging and numerous. But too many voices are deceptive, seductive, and can pull us off the covenant path. To avoid the inevitable heartbreak that follows, I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life—each and every day. If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study,
you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true. Even Saints who are otherwise faithful can be derailed by the steady beat of Babylon’s band.”
The Philosophy of Korihor
Alma 30: 17-18 And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime. And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many
women, and also men, to commit whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.
Thomas S. Monson, “Guided Safely Home”, October 2014
“Our Father provided the sun, the moon, and the stars—heavenly galaxies to guide mariners who sail the lanes of the sea. To us, as we walk the pathway of life, He provides a clear map and points the way toward our desired destination. He cautions: beware the detours, the pitfalls, the traps. We cannot be deceived by those who would lead us astray, those clever pied pipers of sin beckoning here or there. Instead, we pause
to pray; we listen to that still, small voice which speaks to the depths of our souls the Master’s gentle invitation, “Come, follow me.” Yet there are those who do not hear, who will not obey, who prefer to walk a path of their own making. Too often they succumb to the temptations which surround all of us and which can appear so enticing. ....We live in a complex world with currents of conflict everywhere to be found. Political schemes ruin the stability of nations, despots grasp for power, and segments of society seem forever downtrodden, deprived of opportunity and left with a feeling of failure. The sophistries of men ring in our ears, and sin surrounds us. … We are strengthened by the truth that the greatest force in the world today is the power of God as it works through man. To sail safely the seas of mortality, we need the guidance of that Eternal Mariner—even the
great Jehovah. We reach out, we reach up to obtain heavenly help.”
D. Todd Christofferson, “The Blessing of Scripture”, April 2010
“God uses scripture to unmask erroneous thinking, false traditions, and sin with its devastating effects. He is a tender parent who would spare us needless suffering and grief and at the same time help us realize our divine potential. The scriptures, for example, discredit an ancient philosophy that has come back into vogue in our day—the philosophy of Korihor that there are no absolute moral standards, that “every man prosper[s] according to his genius, and that every man conquer[s] according to his strength; and whatsoever a man [does is] no crime” and “that when a man [is] dead, that [is] the end thereof” (Alma 30:17–18). …. In the end, the central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ—faith that They exist; faith in the Father’s plan for our immortality and eternal life; faith in the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which animates this plan of happiness; faith to make the gospel of Jesus Christ our way of life; and faith to come to know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He has] sent” (John 17:3).
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