I memorized “The Standard of Truth” when I was 15 years old and it has been something that has stuck with me word for word, many years later. The Standard of Truth was written by the prophet Joseph Smith and it reads:
“The Standard of Truth
has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing;
persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may
defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till
it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country,
and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and
the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church,
4:540).
I feel The Standard of Truth applies to every single one of us in many aspects of our lives
today. Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world
who are living in fear for their lives and experiencing great persecutions due to
their religious beliefs. The words “mobs may combine, armies may assemble”
have a whole new meaning to me when I hear of the countless stories of radical
Islamist groups terrorizing Christians in the Middle East and Northern Africa and the Christians in North Korea who are experiencing crimes against humanity similar to the unthinkable tortures that occurred to the Jews in
Auschwitz.
Hundreds of thousands of Christians have been misplaced and have fled
persecution and it is all happening right before our eyes!
Vatican spokesman Monsieur Silvano Maria Tomassi said while
addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, "Credible research has
reached the shocking conclusion that an estimate of more than 100,000
Christians are violently killed (annually) because of some relation to their
faith every year."
Andrew White, an Anglican priest known as the “Vicar of
Baghdad,” has seen violence and persecution against Christians unprecedented in
recent decades and tells a story of a family in Iraq. This story is not an
isolated event but exemplifies what so many Christians are experiencing daily
in certain regions of the world. White told of a Father who called him crying
wondering if Jesus would still love him after he made the decision to say the
words of converting to Islam. ISIS showed up at this father’s door and told him
to convert to Islam or all his children would be killed. The father said he couldn’t
see his children killed so he said the words the group of radical Islamist men
wanted to hear. A few days later, ISIS showed up and spoke directly to the
children, 4 of them all being under the age of 15. They were told to say the words of
conversion and the children’s responses were, “No, we love Yeshua (Jesus). We
have always loved Jesus. We have always followed Jesus and Jesus has always
been with us.” ISIS then, beheaded all 4 children. These children were truly converted Christians.
I know these things are hard to read but the fact is, these
stories are happening daily. I have so much respect for these Christians who remind
me of the believing men, women and children in the Book of Mormon who were
taught by Alma and Amulek and were cast into a fire and burned for their
beliefs.
We are living in similar times as the scripture stories we have known since our youth. Now is the time to stand and do all we can to
show our faith in our Heavenly Father’s plan. We may not have to worry about ISIS showing up at
our doors to give us an ultimatum of denouncing our Christian beliefs or die
but we will face persecutions of our own. We will be persecuted for our beliefs
in the importance of keeping the word of wisdom and staying true to our moral values. We
will also face great persecution from people on our beliefs in upholding the sanctity
of marriage. The question is, will we be strong enough in our convictions and
firmly planted in our knowledge of the doctrine of the gospel to withstand the
persecutions that surely will come?
I can only hope the next time we feel too
tired or busy to study the scriptures, attend church meetings or serve someone in
need that we
can remember those people who would do anything to have a safe
place to worship and attend religious meetings without facing serious persecutions or death. Many people throughout the world need our prayers and support. It’s time
to show our bravery in defending the leaders of our church and the teachings of the scriptures. Persecutions are raging. Calumny and lies are
attempting to defame. But in the years to come, the truth of God must go “forth boldly, nobly, and
independent.”
