Molasses on a Straw, or a Club?

(This is a conversation example, but it is primarily religious in content, so I am putting it here instead of my Random Eikaiwa blog.

Bee: Oh, that Brigham Young. He makes me soooo mad.

Kay: I know! He was such an evil person.

Non-chan: What did he do? I thought he was a prophet.

Kay: He was! And that's the problem with this Church.

Bee: Well, we shouldn't paint the whole church bad just because of him.

Hal: Hi guys, whatcha talking about?

Non-chan: Brigham Young.

Kay: Ssshhh.

Bee: Nothing.

Hal: Oh, Brigham Young. Seems like every ten years or so, somebody digs up something he said, quotes it out of context, and makes a fuss about it. Then somebody with a cooler head explains it, and it wasn't that bad after all.

Kay: See. Hal just doesn't know anything.

Hal: Yeah. I'm out of it. Haven't got a clue. So, what's got your back up?

Non-chan: Backup?

Hal: Sorry. Old expression. What's making, uhm, whom, mad?

Non-chan: Yeah, Bee, what is upsetting you?

Bee: He was such a violent person! He said you should hit people who don't understand over the head with a two-by-four!

Non-chan: No way! Really!

Kay: I've heard of that.

Bee: I have the quote right here:

You may pound one Elder over the head with a two-by-four, and he does not know but what you have handed him a straw dipped in molasses to suck.

Kay: Very violent.

Hal: Oh, boy. And everybody complains when I get dramatic.

Non-chan: Huh?

Hal: (Face-palms.)

Bee: What? I'm not being dumb. It says it right here!

Hal: Quoted out of context.

Non-chan: What's a two-by-four?

Kay: It's a piece of wood that you build a house out of. Four inches wide, two inches thick, however long. That's ten centimeters wide and five centimeters thick.

Bee: Like hitting someone over the head with a baseball bat.

Kay: Or worse.

Hal: Okay, I looked it up on the Internet, and here it is, with a little more context:

You may, figuratively speaking, pound one Elder over the head with a
club, and he does not know but what you have handed him a straw dipped
in molasses to suck. There are others, if you speak a word to them, or take
a straw and chasten them, whose hearts are broken; they are as tender in
their feelings as an infant, and will melt like wax before the flame. You must
not chasten them severely; you must chasten according to the spirit that is
in the person. Some you may talk to all day long, and they do not know
what you are talking about. There is a great variety. Treat people as they are
(Discourses of Brigham Young, Widtsoe, p. 150).

Bee: Quoting more doesn't change what he said! He said we should hit people over the head with a club!

Kay: He at least said we could!

Non-chan: I'm not sure that's what he meant.

Hal: It was a figure of expression, and an example of different ways people take things when you tell them they are wrong. Some people, you can use strong language with. Some you have to be careful. There is a great variety -- many different kinds of people, and we should treat people as they are.

Non-chan: He even said, "figuratively speaking".

Kay: But he said "pound one elder over the head with a club"!

Bee: And he said you can talk all day to some people and they still don't understand. Hmm.

Kay: Hey!

Bee: Okay, maybe he didn't say we should.

Kay: Don't just give up the fight!

Bee: I'm not saying I like him, just that maybe I was misinterpreting this one.

Hal: I think he may have said too much on occasion, but that also was part of the way people discussed things back then. Different times, different ways of talking, even though it looks like the same English. Let me see if I can find something on a similar subject. Ah. This is from the unabridged Journal of Discourses, coincidentally on page 150 of volume nine:

Break not the spirit of any person ....

Kay: I want that in context!

Hal: Okay.

What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually.
Brother Joseph W. Young remarked this morning that he wished the people to receive the word of the Lord through his servants, be dictated by them, and have no will of their own. I would express it in this wise: God has placed within us a will, and we should be satisfied to have it controlled by the will of the Almighty.

Non-chan: Almighty?

Bee: That's God. I'll read for a bit.

Let the human will be indomitable for right. It has been the custom of parents to break the will until it is weakened, and the noble, Godlike powers of the child are reduced to a comparative state of imbecility and cowardice. Let that heaven-born property of human agents be properly tempered and wisely directed, instead of pursuing the opposite course, and it will conquer in the cause of right. Break not the spirit of any person, but guide it to feel that it is its greatest delight and highest ambition to be controlled by the revelations of Jesus Christ; then the will of man becomes Godlike in overcoming the evil that is sown in the flesh, until God shall reign within us to will and do of his good pleasure.

Kay: Whoa, whoa! That's too much!

Bee: He says one thing, then he says another. He worries that members of the Church will trust their leaders too much and lose their willpower, but then he says that we should subject our will perfectly to God.

Non-chan: Is God a man?

Kay: But, ... our leaders are our representatives of God.

Hal: But not God. Can I read a bit more?

Kay: Let me.

Let all persons be fervent in prayer, until they know the things of God for themselves and become certain that they are walking in the path that leads to everlasting life; then will envy, the child of ignorance, vanish, and there will be no disposition in any man to place himself above another; for such a feeling meets no countenance in the order of heaven. (Volume 9, Journal of Discourses, Brigham Young, page 150.)

Kay: But, if we lose our will to God, we still lose our will?

Hal: Who gave us our will?

Kay: The natural man is an enemy to God.

Hal: That's from the third chapter of Mosiah, but read the whole thing:

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 3: 19.)

Non-chan: How do we tell the difference between the Holy Spirit and unholy spirits?

Bee: Isn't that what our leaders teach us?

Hal: Well, let's look at seventh chapter of Moroni:

For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. (Book of Mormon, Moroni 7: 16.)

Non-chan: That sounds like your conscience.

Hal: Precisely.

Kay: But of course, it doesn't mean everything.

Hal: Everything which invites us to do good and believe in that God that helps us do good.

Kay: But thinking for yourself is bad.

Hal: Brigham Young said his son had said something that sounded like that, but he somewhat politely disagreed. Rather strongly disagreed.

Bee: But if we disagree with our leaders, that must be wrong, right?

Non-chan: Maybe it depends on how we go about disagreeing?

Hal: I think so.

Kay: But our leaders can't be wrong, can they?

Non-chan: If they couldn't be wrong, why would Brigham Young worry?

Hal: I've prayed about it, and the answer I get is that helping our leaders get things right is part of that influence for good that Brigham Young talks about, when we know for ourselves.

Bee: Can you back that up in scriptures?

Hal: Sort of. But if I just convince you of it, then you haven't found out for yourself. It's there if you'll look and pray, but I have to warn you about one thing.

Bee: What's that?

Hal: Once you start listening to God, it's better to keep listening. Thinking you know it all is a really bad habit.

Kay: So said from the know it all.

Hal: Mea culpa. My bad. Forgive me of that, huh?

Blessings from the Isolation Order -- 隔離指示から恵み

Today I was blessed by the isolation directives (that are finally being lifted, a bit at a time).
[JMR202006071112 和訳追加 Japanese translation added:{}.]
{今日、やっと少しずつ取り除かれて行く隔離指示に特別に恵まれました。}

Still no general church meetings, still partaking of the tokens of Jesus' sacrifice in isolation.
{まだまだ教会の一般な集会ができず、イエス様の犠牲のしるしをまだまだ隔離のままいただくしかない。}

Started with a hymn, randomly picked Hymn #52 in the Japanese Hymnal, 「取り巻く闇の中を」 ("Torimaku Yami no Naka wo").
{先ずは賛美歌を、ほぼ手当り次第に日本語賛美歌の 52番の「取り巻く闇の中を」 を選んで歌いました。}

Since I could, I sang it again in English: #97, "Lead Kindly Light".
{差し止める理由なく、また英語で歌いました。これは英語賛美歌の 97番の "Lead Kindly Light"です。}

I'm stuck in the middle of verse 3, can't yet sing through the words, "... 'til The night is gone.". (... over moor and fen, over crag and torrent, until the night is gone. And with the morning those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since and lost awhile.!)
{三連の途中に行き詰まり、「夜明けまで」という言葉を歌い通せません。（〜夜が明けるまで山や谷を越えつつ、しばし亡くされてありし天使の笑顔会わん。）}

You really don't have the opportunity to break down like this in public meetings. It's not that you have to put on a front, it's that you have too many things to take care of, too many things to participate in, too many responsibilities. And you assume the quiet moments in between will be enough, so you give an ear to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, but you don't give them your whole heart.
{一般の集会にこういうように気力が打ちのめされることは赦されません。見せかけの表情の要求のためではなく、片付けるものも、参加するものも、責任も多いためです。その落ち着きの隙で間に合うという思い込みで聖なる御霊のささやきに耳は貸しているけど、真心を譲らず、完全に心底までには微かに受け届かせてしまう。}

Well, sometimes you do have the opportunity, but I am now under the full focus, full flow of the Spirit of God, and it overpowers me. It's taking away certain foolish strength, and leaving me more able to do whatever it is I must do tomorrow. And the rest of today.
{まあ、偶々はこういう機会が与えられながら、今は全く、神の御霊の焦点に充てられ、その流れに沈まれており、圧倒されております。あるバカ力を取り除かれ、何になろうとする明日の仕事のための能力を残されるままです。（今日の残りの時間も。）}

Random is not random.
{成り行き任せは無作為ではありません。}

My plans are not the Lords. At best I have bits and pieces of His plans in there. His plans take precedence.
{儂の計画と主の計画には差がある。主の計画の散りや破片が俺の計画にあるぐらいでしょう。主の意図するものを最優先にすべし。}

Complaining is not evil, if I keep my heart open, and listen, while I complain, and when I'm done complaining.
{不平を漏らしておる間、またブツブツ言い終わってから耳を覚まし心開きのままにするなら、不平を言うのは罪悪ではありません。}

And I felt inspired to record this. Not the whole of the revelation I am receiving, but this part.
{これを記録に残すよう、促しを感じておる。その霊感や掲示の全てではなく、この一部だけです。}

One step ahead, Lord, when you will. When you will not let me see, bless me that either the place I put my foot will be solid long enough to move ahead, or that you will catch me before too long as I fall again. If Oliver Granger had a promise about the times he fell, I can trust you as well.
{主よ、み旨のとき、一歩先ぐらい。見させていただけないときは、足を置く処が先に進めるほど堅固に間に合うにでも、また転び落ちる我が救われるにでも、恵んでください。たとえ、オリバー・グレンジャーには転び落ちる度の約束が与えられていたとすれば、我も信用して上げる可。}

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.

Know This That Every Soul Is Free, Hymn #240

Hymn #240 from the current English Hymnbook
現存の英語賛美歌の240番

(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：

• 2 Nephi 10: 23, 24
• and Helaman 14: 30, 31

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?

The Missionary and the Enchanted Princess

[Yeah, I know this is an old bad joke, and I know you're not supposed to take jokes too far. But this is how I'd see this story playing out in this world, in this church:]

[JMR202106071335 I gave this a bit of an edit and started it as a novel in my novels blog: https://joelrees-novels.blogspot.com/2021/06/frog-story-missionary-and-enchanted-princess.html]

Elder Michelson squatted down by the concrete irrigation mizo between the road and the water-covered rice field.

Elder Shirōto stopped beside him. "What ya lookin' at?"

"Just a cute little frog."

"Lots of cute little frogs in this field. Wait. That frog's not all that little." Elder Shirōto reached out to grab the frog, but it sprang out of reach, plopped into the water, then swam back to the edge of the field, to climb back out on to the side of the mizo and sit watching the two missionaries.

"Help me!" it croaked shrilly.

Elder Michelson started.

Elder Shirōto chuckled. "That's a high-pitched croak for a frog that big."

"That was not just a croak!" Elder Michelson glanced back at his companion, then looked back at the frog. "She said, 'Help me!'"

Elder Shirōto stared at his companion, then broke into a loud guffaw. "Right. Now it's going to say, 'I'm a beautiful princess, kiss me.'"

The frog puffed out its pouch. "I am a princess. Maybe I'm not so beautiful, but if you kiss me, you'll free me from this spell."

Elder Michelson's chin dropped to his chest as he stared at the frog.

Elder Shirōto started laughing. "What'd she say now? 'Kiss me and you'll live forever?" He paused for effect. "You'll be a frog, but you'll live forever. You should see your face, Elder Mishi."

"I said nothing of the sort. That's not the kind of spell I'm under," the frog ribbited huffily.

Elder Michelson looked back at his companion with amusement and then turned again to examine the frog. "That's not what she said. She's not under that kind of spell."

"Okay, Elder Mishi. You may be the senior companion and I may be the greenie, but I think we need to call the district leader and ask to be reassigned where there are people to teach. We've hailed at every door in this village three times this week, and getting a couple of doors slid shut in our faces is the best response we've had. You're letting it get to you."

"What a rude little boy he is. Don't listen to him. I need your help," the frog ribbitted plaintively.

"I'll admit, the way it croaks is cute." Elder Shirōto snickered.

"Yeah, cute." Elder Michelson stood up.

"Listen, I'm desperate. I can reward you well if you kiss me." The frog hopped closer.

"Reward? I don't guess either of us needs a reward."

"My father is powerful wizard king."

Elder Michelson squatted back down and reached out and picked up the frog, now quite docile in his hand, and put it in his jacket pocket.

"Hey! Wait." Her cry was muffled by the fabric.

"That frog has prejudices. Jumped away from me but lets you put it in your pocket.

"So? You don't seem to be able to hear her words."

The frog poked its head out of the pocket. "D&C 50. Maybe he's not listening to the same spirit."

"D&C 50? Elder Shiro, this frog also quotes scriptures."

"Well," Elder Shirōto was still snickering. "I guess we can't baptize her if she's already a member. What are you planning to do with her? -- it, I mean."

"We can teach members practice lessons and have gospel discussions and do service projects with them." Elder Michelson stood up, pushing the frog back into his suit pocket, and started walking. "So let's walk around the farms looking for people to help or talk to." He started walking towards the river.

"There's no need to take me any place special. You can break the spell anywhere, and here is just fine. Please?"

"Now she's, uhm," Elder Shirōto corrected himself again, "it's getting excited." He followed his companion.

"Please! I'll give you anything you want! I can do anything you want! -- for a day."

"Okay, so she wants you to kiss her."

"I thought you couldn't hear her."

"Two days!"

"I'm guessing. Hey, if I'm not careful, you're going to have me believing she's really talking. But you can't kiss her because you're a missionary."

"Right."

"Anything you want for a week!"

"She says she'll do anything we want for a week."

"Even if she weren't a member, we couldn't force her to be baptized."

"I'm not a member. I left the Church. But I'll be in the water forever if someone doesn't kiss me!"

"Shouldn't you be keeping this frog at arm's length?"

"Arm's length?" the frog croaked.

"I'm not touching her while she's in my pocket."

"You're rationalizing, Elder."

"Hmm." Elder Michelson stopped.

The frog poked it's head out of his pocket again. "Why won't you kiss me?"

"Why not kiss it and prove you're just imagining things? I mean, you have a naked frog in your pocket. Kissing a frog can't be breaking the rules much worse than carrying it around."

"Naked frog. That's ..."

"Anything you want for a whole month!" she exclaimed.

"A month? You'll do anything we want for a whole month?"

"Not we. Elder Michelson. I really think we should call the district leader."

"A month is long enough to teach someone the discussions again, wouldn't you say, Elder Shirōto?"

"That does it. That frog is possessed, and it's got you under some kind of curse, too, Elder. I'm calling the district leader." Elder Shirōto took out his cell phone and started dialing.

"Discussions? You would force me listen to your religion?"

"Well, since we can't force you to get baptized, I guess we probably shouldn't force you to listen, either."

"Answer your phone, Sister Morinokami, my companion's going crazy!" [Okay, not quite the Church of this present world.]

"Moshi-moshi. Sister Morinokami here." Her face came up on the screen. "I see you are excited, Elder Shirōto. What's the problem that your companion can't handle?"

"My companion thinks he has a talking frog in his pocket!"

"So he's talking to an imaginary frog?"

"No, the frog is real."

"Then the problem is that the frog can't talk?"

"Huh?"

"Let me try talking to the poor thing."

"Here, Elder Michelson, she wants to talk to you."

Elder Michelson took the phone. "Uhm, ..."

"Not you Elder Michelson, the frog!"

Elder Shirōto tilted his head in disbelief as Elder Michelson turned the phone so the frog was within the camera's view field.

"I can talk, and Elder Shirōto or whatever his name is, can't understand me."

"I see. Hello, Miss Frog. I am Sister Morinokami. What is your name?"

"It's not Frog."

"Okay, Miss Not-frog. What can we do for you?"

"She wants someone to kiss her and turn her back into a princess," Elder Michelson explained.

"What's this about a talking frog?" The voice of Sister Morinokami's companion, Sister Severus, came through the phone speakers.

"Let me handle this. Is what he says true, Miss Not-frog?"

"Pretty much. One little kiss and I'll be free of this spell."

"Well, kissing a princess would be breaking the rules, but kissing a frog, I think that would be an act of service."

"But," Elder Michelson pointed out, "a princess would be interesting, but princesses mostly waste their time trying to look beautiful. A talking frog, though, that's really cool."

"Elder Michelson!" Sister Morinokami remonstrated "You're being selfish."

"I think," Sister Severus commented, still off-screen, "we'd better call the mission president.

Doubt Is a Weakness

Doubt is a weakness.
It makes the knees weak
when one must move forward.
It makes the arm hesitate
when the iron is hot
and striking too late will deform the piece.

Doubt is a weakness.
But some ancient Bard,
under the influence of a Spirit we all know,
sometimes, too well, we think,
said

I fear, lest they shall mock at my works.

And that Spirit replied

Fools mock, but they shall mourn.

Doubt is a weakness,
the ancient Bard said,
and I fear then, for their souls.

And that Spirit replied,

My grace is sufficient for the meek
because it is the meek who make room
not just for doubt,
but for new belief --
for more knowledge,
for greater things --
for greater service.

If they who mock learn to doubt
they might learn to believe.
And if they learn to listen to their hearts,
they may learn, if they will,
greater truths than they have known.

But first they must doubt those things that they have believed
which make them mock at another's difference.

Doubt is a weakness, but the Spirit said
Weakness Makes Strength
if we are not too proud to be weak
if we are not too proud to doubt
if we are not too hurt to
listen to the Spirit of Truth
when our hearts are telling us
it's time to set the context of the lesser truths aside
and move forward into the greater light.

But I fear the greater light, I cry to the bard.
It makes them different.
It makes me different.
Difference makes us weak.

And what should I believe --
if the greater light says
what I believed before
was a limit to good
was a limit to truth
was a limit to Love?

Is not truth Truth?

The Bard nods his head in reply.

I have Loved you, says that Spirit.
And I love you still.

You must let them choose what they will,
because that is how you follow me,
because I love them too.

In the greater light, you shall see
how the greater truth encompasses the lesser,
how the differences make the whole stronger,
how the weakness leads the humble child to courage.

So I put the piece back in the fire,
and watch for the time to come,
to pull it from the fire and strike again.