Babylon, oh Babylon,
We Bid Thee Farewell
Zion
D&C 45
66 And it shall be called the
New Jerusalem, a land of
peace, a city of refuge, a place
of safety for the saints of the
Most High God
68 And…every man that will not
take his sword against his
neighbor must needs flee
unto Zion
69 And there shall be gathered
unto it out of every nation
under heaven;
And it shall be the only people
that shall not be at war one
with another
D&C 101
4 Therefore, they must needs be
chastened and tried, even as
Abraham, who was
commanded to offer up his
only son
5 For all those who will not
endure chastening, but deny
me, cannot be sanctified
6 Behold, I say unto you, there
were jarrings, and
contentions, and envyings,
and strifes, and lustful and
covetous desires among
them;
Therefore by these things they
polluted their inheritances
We cannot
see Zion
while we still
search for
Babylon
Which Will We Choose?
Babylon View
• Natural Man
• In search of self seeking
• Emnity
Zion View
Catherine Thomas
Few of us could say that our heart is free of enmity,
even though we may want to hide it from ourselves
and downplay its extent and impact in our lives.
It may surface in us while we’re driving…or at a
sporting event, or when someone disagrees with
us, offends, criticizes, shows lack of respect for, or
is abusive to us.
Under these conditions, we may manifest feelings of
enmity in overt ways or in subtle ways:
Through blaming, accusing, trying to control
another, subtle put-downs disguised as jokes,
trivializing another’s opinions or feelings or being,
Undermining, threatening, name-calling, forgetting
things important to the other, ordering another
around, and abusive anger.
Emnity is contempt, manifested not only in words
but also in subtle facial expressions like eyerolling or narrowing of eyes, cold silences, “don’t
touch me”, giving each other “the look.”
If the words or attitudes disempower, show
disrespect, or devalue the other, then they are
abusive. [and we are being driven by emnity]
(Light in the Wilderness, Chapter 8)
Which Will We Choose?
Babylon View
Zion View
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Natural Man
In search of self seeking
Emnity and competition
Rooted in Fear
Resistance to others
Remembering offenses of
others
• Replaying our own
misdeeds
Divine Self
In search of Joy
Unity (One Heart)
Roots in Love and Gratitude
Responsive to others
Remembering the kindness
of others
• Forgiving our own misdeeds
Terry Warner
We are constantly receiving signals from others that reveal
something of their needs and hopes and fears…
We are called upon by other’s unspoken requests, expressed in
their faces and gestures and voices, to treat them with
consideration and respect.
To be a person in a family [or Zion] is to pick up from others
such gently expressed imperatives as these.
Our humanity consists of our ability to sense and respect and
respond to the humanity of others.
The fundamental ingredient is an awakening of each individual
to others and a willing effort to respond without any
personal agenda in exactly the way that seems more right,
considerate, and helpful.
Bonds That Make Us Free, p. 129
Catherine Thomas
Unloving thoughts about
ourselves and others cannot
endure in eternity because they
do not perceive things as they
really are; they are not true…
But loving, generous, merciful
thoughts do belong to Eternity,
are real, will endure.
Man sins against himself when
he indulges in enmity because
he was not created emotionally
neutral;
rather, he has a deep, divine
need both for inner harmony
as well as connectedness with
other people.
D&C 105