{"id":83490,"date":"2020-03-11T12:45:55","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T18:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=83490"},"modified":"2020-03-11T13:38:34","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T19:38:34","slug":"enemy-occupied-territory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/03\/enemy-occupied-territory.html","title":{"rendered":"“Enemy-Occupied Territory”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Trees<\/a>
In the Sacred Grove, near Palmyra, New York \u00a0 \u00a0(LDS Media Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTeachings and Testimony of the First Vision:\u00a0Joseph Fielding McConkie Discusses the First Vision and Tolerance\u201d:\u00a0Part 14 of a Series Compiled by Dennis B. Horne<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

My wife and I continue to read a passage every night from\u00a0A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works<\/em>. \u00a0Here is a recent reading, from his famous book\u00a0Mere Christianity<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe \u2014 a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin. \u00a0The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. \u00a0Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. \u00a0But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. \u00a0It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enemy-occupied territory \u2014 that is what this world is. \u00a0Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. \u00a0When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. \u00a0He does it by playing on our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery. \u00a0I know someone will ask me, \u2018Do you really mean, at this time of day, to re-introduce our old friend the devil \u2014 hoofs and horns and all?\u2019 \u00a0Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. \u00a0And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. \u00a0But in other respects my answer is \u2018Yes, I do.\u2019 \u00a0I do not claim to know anything about his personal appearance. \u00a0If anybody really wants to know him better, I would say to that person, \u2018Don\u2019t worry. \u00a0If you really want to, you will. \u00a0Whether you\u2019ll like it when you do is another question.\u2019 \u00a0(78)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You may already be aware of this. \u00a0But, just in case:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHow COVID-19 Will Impact the April 2020 General Conference: Sessions will be done virtually; members will not gather at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City or at stake centers or meetinghouses in areas where COVID-19 is active\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cTeachings and Testimony of the First Vision:\u00a0Joseph Fielding McConkie Discusses the First Vision and Tolerance\u201d:\u00a0Part 14 of a Series Compiled by Dennis B. Horne \u00a0 *** \u00a0 My wife and I continue to read a passage every night from\u00a0A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works. \u00a0Here is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9044,9053,1543,9035,8622,9041,9038,9056,9047,9050],"class_list":["post-83490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-adversary","tag-bent-oyarsa","tag-c-s-lewis","tag-devil","tag-evil","tag-lucifer","tag-satan","tag-silent-planet","tag-the-fall","tag-thulcandra"],"yoast_head":"\n"Enemy-Occupied Territory"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    "Teachings and Testimony of the First Vision:\u00a0Joseph Fielding McConkie Discusses the First Vision and Tolerance":\u00a0Part 14 of a Series\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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