Catholic Roots, Mormon Harvest Signed & Personalized by Eric Shuster $15.00 + S&H Please enter your personalized message and name in the field provided below, then click "Add to Cart" to complete your purchase via PayPal.
	Biblical Roots of Mormonism Signed & Personalized by Eric Shuster $15.00 + S&H Please enter your personalized message and name in the field provided below, then click "Add to Cart" to complete your purchase via PayPal.

	American society today is debating the benefits and dangers of racial profiling—the act of suspecting or judging someone solely on race. Although some may argue the accuracy and value of racial profiling among certain communities of people, the unintended consequences as a result of error can be divisive and in some cases catastrophic. The same can be said of Spiritual Profiling—the act of suspecting or judging someone solely on their actions or denomination affiliation. For example, identifying those who attend Church to be Christians, or Mormons not to be Christians or Evangelicals to be strong Christians can often lead to erroneous and contentious conclusions. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote “Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.” An even higher authority told Samuel the prophet “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Although Jesus left open the possibility to judge righteously (John 7:24), the Savior said it was best not to judge at all (Matt 7:1). Spiritual Profiling is typically a hit-and-run form of judgment, a quick assessment based upon a set of pre-acquired biases leading to a conclusion or accusation. The less we spiritually profile one another, those around us, and even strangers, the better off we will be as God’s children as we can then without judgment come together in unity and seek common values and beliefs that can bind us together toward a greater good.

April 7, 2012

It looks as if Mitt Romney is going to secure the GOP nomination. It has been an ugly primary process, thanks in large part to the PAC supporting Romney and their penchant for negative advertising—something I personally disagree with and has apparently added to Romney’s negative image among voters. Although we have not seen GOP candidates bring up issues relating to Mormonism as a means to attack Romney, unfortunately it is already coming from the liberal media. I saw a CNN piece the other day that opened with the commentator explaining Joseph Smith got caught having sex with another woman by his wife and claimed it was God who told him to do so leading to his having 48 wives. I then saw an advertisement for an upcoming special that suggested it would reveal the sacred temple ceremony. I am told (without verification yet) that Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at a singles conference mentioned if Mitt Romney secures the GOP nomination that the Church would receive more persecution than it has ever received in our lifetime. One thing is for sure, the persecution will come and the Saints will be tested. Members of the Church need to prepare themselves to see Mormonism challenged in the public with truths, half-truths, outright lies and a mingling of all three. The Lord is clear, to survive such an onslaught one must strengthening their testimony by standing in holy places (D&C 101:22), searching the scriptures (John 5:29), and prayer (3 Nephi 18:19). While the objective will be to bring down Mitt Romney, Satan’s larger objective is to bring down the Church by weakening its members. If you don’t have extra oil for your lamp, now is a good time to start accumulating that oil in the coming months for yourself and your family.    

March 2, 2012

Nephi in the book of Mormon wrote that Satan leads the susceptible “by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever” (2 Nephi 26:22). Flaxen cord is made of thin light strands and appears weak at first, but when wound together in continuous strands can eventually become strong—even “binding.” The ways of Satan are subtle as he knows it is difficult to bind the aware with one single proposition, therefore the father of lies spoon feeds the unsuspecting a little bit here and then a little bit there until they are full of deception and inclined toward sin. Satan has no power himself, he only has the power that we give him. Heavenly Father gave us mortal agency to choose for ourselves, forgiveness through the atonement of Christ when we choose unwisely, and the Holy Ghost to help guide us when we are conflicted as to what to choose. We have all we need to defeat Satan in our own lives but only if we remain strong in the gospel and that means regular prayer, scripture study, keeping the commandments, attending Church meetings, and serving others for starters. It is not enough to simply not sin, we must fill our lives with healthy spiritual things so that we become stronger disciples in Christ. That is the pathway to happiness.    

January 26, 2012

It’s not that I don’t have weekly, or even biweekly thoughts, but my lack of time constrains me to move towards a monthly thought into the foreseeable future. The book I am currently working on incorporates a brief history of Christianity. To condense 2000 years of history into a handful of pages has been daunting to say the least; however, it has given me a stronger testimony of two important principles. First, the love of the Lord to make sure his presence was still felt among Christians even when the church was being led by unrighteous men. There were decades, even centuries, when the universal Christian Church was full of corruption, yet the disciples of Christ were faithful and desiring to do what was right to build the kingdom of God on earth. Secondly, there was an unequivocal need for the restoration of the gospel, especially the priesthood. From the appointment of teenage popes, to the selling of positions of power, to what was undoubtedly a vast broken line of succession unable to be reformed by willing men who could not overcome their pasts, there was a need for a restoration. At a time of God’s choosing, it was a young and humble boy in the free land of America where the Christian faithful were rewarded for their diligence and where the restoration of the priesthood and gospel came about. It is so clear, so right, and so undeniably true. I cannot wait for this book to be published as many will begin to understand what so many Later-day Saints already know.    

© 2009 Eric Shuster. All Rights Reserved.