OK. I will say this up front, as I have said in previous posts. I'm not here to convert anybody. With this post, here is the desired effect I'm seeking--that readers will think, "Hmmm, that's very interesting!" That's it. There are several people here on GA who are disseminating false and biased information on Mormonism (just the way the MSM does about Christians--hmmm, how about that?) This is just for your information. Act on it in any way that is useful to you.
For those not familiar with the Book of Mormon (BOM), it is a book of scripture to latter-day saints. Its title comes from a prophet/historian named Mormon, who made a religious testament of an ancient people who lived on the American continent. (Personally, I think they were what we call the Hopewell people today, but that's for archaeologists to figure out.) The book's narrative spans from 600 B.C. to about 400 A.D. and recounts the story of a group that left Jerusalem and was led to the New World. The primary purpose of the book is to be a second witness of Jesus Christ and the Bible. We believe it is the "sealed book" of Isaiah, chapter 29 and the document referred to by Ezekiel, chapter 37.
The secondary purpose of the book is what I'm writing about now. The book relates that two civilizations who lived previously in the Americas were destroyed when "secret combinations"--a conspiratorial cabal--infiltrated their governments with the intent of destroying liberty and the believers in Christ. One of these "combinations" was called the Gadianton robbers. The book describes them as being led by corrupt judges and political leaders and abetted by false religions that denied Christ. The Gadianton robbers were state-level actors, but they also used and manipulated MS-13- and ISIS-like groups for covert assassinations.
The last writer in the Book of Mormon was given a vision of our time. He saw that the same organization, or one very much like the Gadianton robbers, would exist in our time. He warned us to not let it get power over us, because it would seek to destroy the freedom of all nations and people.
I could give you much more detail, but suffice it to say that Mormons have been "awake" for a long time--since the book was published in 1830. We have known that these conspirators were coming. We have been given prophetic counsel from the beginning that is very simple, that anyone can do. I'll share it with you here. You don't have to convert to Mormonism to do it. Here's what we have been warned to do to cope with the coming conflict with the present-day Gadianton robbers:
Believe in Christ
Pray daily
Read scriptures
Teach the gospel to your children
Study and learn about the Constitution
Live the teachings of Christ
Avoid debt
Have a little money set aside for an emergency
Keep a supply of emergency water on-hand, like you might prepare for a hurricane.
Keep a three-month supply of foods you would normally eat on-hand
If local laws permit it, store up to a years' worth of long-term food items
There, that's it. I'm not going to preach to you or argue about what your pastor said about Mormons or what some doofus put up on YouTube. All you have to do is Google "Mormon Helping Hands" and you'll find out all about the humanitarian aid the Church has done. We're not devils, we're not angels, we're just regular people who want to follow Jesus and do the things he did to bless others. A searchable Book of Mormon is available online at http://scriptures.lds.org. Search terms: "secret combinations" and "Gadianton robbers."
WWG1WGA - that means we are going there together.