Freedom Friday...

free⋅dom
  /ˈfridəm/
–noun
1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.
2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. the power to determine action without restraint.
4. political or national independence.
5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
6. exemption from the presence of anything specified
Synonyms:
1. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one's rights, powers, desires, or the like: freedom of speech or conscience... Independence implies not only lack of restrictions but also the ability to stand alone, unsustained by anything else: Independence of thought promotes invention and discovery. Liberty, though most often interchanged with freedom, is also used to imply undue exercise of freedom: He took liberties with the text. 9. openness, ingenuousness. 12. license. 16. run.


Last Sunday I was in Primary (the Sunday meeting for children in our church). The story of Captain Moroni was shared very creatively by my friend Merrily and she involved the children. But what struck my mind was that we need a Captain Moroni.

Captain Moroni was very young but because of his integrity, honor, intelligence and spiritual strength he was put in charge of a large army to fight those who threatened their freedom, their very way of life. Here is a short summary:

He rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. Alma 46:12

Amalickiah was a wicked man who wanted to be king of the Nephites. His promises and flattery persuaded many rich and power-hungry people to support him. Even many Church members were deceived into following Amalickiah. (See Alma 46:17.)

When Moroni, the chief commander of the Nephite armies, heard what Amalickiah was doing, he became angry. He tore his coat to make a flag. On it he wrote: "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (Alma 46:12; see also Alma 46:11). He fastened the flag to a pole and called it the title of liberty. Then, dressed in his battle armor, he prayed to God, asking Him to allow the people to keep the freedom they had. (See Alma 46:12-13.)

When Moroni finished praying, he went among the people, waving the title of liberty in the air. He cried out, "Whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them" (Alma 46:20; see also Alma 46:19).

The people came running, dressed in their armor and tearing their cloaks as a symbol of the covenant they were making to obey the Lord. They gathered around Captain Moroni, ready to defend their freedom. (See Alma 46:21, Alma 46:28.)

So I am NOT Captain Moroni in any form of the imagination nor am I claiming to be BUT I feel we need a Captain Moroni today or maybe we each need to become a person like Captain Moroni. I have felt I need to do more that read and pass on emails and write my representatives. Maybe this is part of the answer of what I should do. And maybe if I share things here each Friday we can work together to keep our freedoms. And find the success Moroni had if we obey the Lord and become worthy of His help in turning things around. We are living in times that have been foretold and although we know it all ends right that does not justify inaction. We will be held accountable for what we didn't do to stop the forces threatening our freedom. Now if you feel overwhelmed, I can relate. But what it means is that other things need to drop out of our lives if we can't AFFORD to take time to save our freedoms because what will it matter in the end what we were doing instead?

My first thought is to share this website: http://asamom.ning.com/ these are busy women who take time to keep us informed.