Membership

末日聖徒イエス・キリスト教会の信者のただのもう一人で、個人的に意見を風に当てつつです。
I am just another member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints airing my personal opinions.
This "hands-on" is in the form of what we call a personal testimony.
この「ハンズオン」は、個人の証という形に作って行きます。

My personal ideas and interpretations.
個人の発想と解釈です。

I hope it's useful. If not, I hope you'll forgive me for wasting your time.
お役立つ物ならば、うれしく存じます。そうでなければ、あなたの時間を無駄に費やしてもらってしまって、申し訳ございません。

Above all, don't take my word for the things I write. Look the scriptures up yourself. Your opinion of them is far more important to you than mine.
何よりもここに書いているものそのままだと思わないでください。参考の聖句を是非調べて読んでください。私の意見よりはあなたに対して価値があるのはあなたの意見です。

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

I Am a Child of God -- Missing Verse

Song #2 in the English Children's Songbook, where it has four verses.

Hymn # 301 in the English Hymnal, where it has only the first three verses.

 In neither case does it directly mention Jesus Christ.

I suppose I may be demanding too much perfection, but it seems to me that it is therefore missing a verse.

So, I propose an additional verse, to be sung after either verse two or verse three. It should go something like this:
I am a child of God,
And Jesus is my brother.
Because He lived and died for me
I can return to Mother.
But there are some rhythm problems. Worse, there are some  interpretational issues.

First, He lived and died, and He lives again. That He resurrected brings the hope of the resurrection to us, as well.

Children and people with less complete understanding of the news Jesus brings us may not be aware that He lives again, so we should say that, if we talk about His living and dying for us.

Second, while those who are well-versed in the true doctrines will recognize that returning to Heavenly Mother implies returning to Heavenly Father, Children and those new to the principles of the Gospel will not recognize that. Again, we need to be explicit:
I am a child of God,
And Jesus is my brother.
Because He lived and died, and lives again for me,
I can return to Heavenly Father and Mother.
And now the rhythm is completely off.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Know This That Every Soul Is Free, Hymn #240


(I hear there is a new Hymnbook in the works.)
(新しい賛美歌が企画中だそうです。)

It's not in the Japanese Hymnbook, unfortunately. So I'm going to offer a crude translation. (Crude, because my Japanese is not up to a proper translation.)
残念ながら、日本語賛美歌に掲載されていないので、自分なりの無作法な日本語に翻訳してあげる。

The original author of the lyrics is apparently unknown (anonymous).
元の作詞はわかっている限り不明、つまり匿名。

Official cross-references include:
公式の参考聖句は以下を含む:
I can offer several more, the following two for starters:
その他、幾らかを提案できるけど、先ずは以下の二箇所の聖句、それぞれ全書:
2 Nephi 2 (particularly v. 27特に, but read the whole chapter)
Mosiah 29 (particularly v. 34特に, but again, read the whole chapter)

The lyrics:
その歌詞:

Know This, That Every Soul Is Free

悟れ、人は皆自由

Anonymous, ca. 1805, Boston, MASS. 
作詞:匿名(マサチューセッツ州ボストン市1805年頃)
Included in the first hymnbook of the nascent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
末日聖徒イエス・キリスト教会の初賛美歌に掲載される。

Know this, that ev’ry soul is free
悟れ、全ての人は自由である
To choose his life and what he’ll be;
その人生とその行方を選ぶに
For this eternal truth is giv’n:
なぜなら、この永遠の真理が与えられている
That God will force no man to heav’n.
つまり、神は人を天に押し込ませてくださることは、一切に無い。

He’ll call, persuade, direct aright,
正しい道に呼ばれ、説かれ、案内される
And bless with wisdom, love, and light,
また、分別、思いやりや光を以て恵まれる
In nameless ways be good and kind,
言い尽くせない方法にして善良に優しくその摂理を与えられる
But never force the human mind.
然し、人の心を強いられることは、一切に無い。

Freedom and reason make us men;
自由及び理性は人を成す
Take these away, what are we then?
来れらを無くしては人は何であろう?
Mere animals, and just as well
本の動物で、それなりには
The beasts may think of heav’n or hell.
 獣が天国や地獄を考えるであろう。

May we no more our pow’rs abuse,
これ以上は我々の権力の無駄扱いを辞めよう 
But ways of truth and goodness choose;
やめて、事実上の全量と真理ある道を選ぼう
Our God is pleased when we improve
我々の神は喜ばれるは、我々が上達して
His grace and seek his perfect love.
その神の恵みを活かし、その完全な哀れある愛を求めて身につけるとき。

(Link to me singing this in rough form on youtube. 8-* ユーチューブ上掲載して荒れた声で歌って上げている。)

Being Prepared for the "End Times"

(From a post on FB:)

Studying from the Come Follow Me manual for March 2-8 since we don't have church today.

These words hit me a little hard:

The next time you partake of the Sacrament (ergo, of the Lord's Supper) ..."
(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-book-of-mormon-2020/10?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR0lKIdnO7IJrSx1a_keahIa_qXF5j5ly0vzpBtZ5lV9g42M9cK6sRwWe6M)

It will be at least a few weeks yet, before this wave of the overflowing scourge passes. The economic repercussions will be felt for a while.

But the Apocolypse says it gets a lot worse before He comes again.

People talk about end times. They are here. Stored food and taking care of your health may get you some more time to repent in this world. Money, less and less.

Why not repent now and turn your heart towards God, so you can be prepared for what comes after?