November 27, 1991
{still as relevant as then}

Dear Editor,

The Deseret News recently (Nov.26, 1991) ran a front-page article titled, "Doomsday Clock farthest ever from midnight." This propagandist clock obviously only indicates deceived perception, not reality.

The reality is that the United States has never been more vulnerable to a Soviet nuclear strike than it is today. We are in a much more precarious position today than twelve years ago, when Ezra Taft Benson declared in an LDS General Conference, "Never before has the land of Zion appeared so vulnerable to so powerful an enemy as the Americas do at present. There are some things we can and must do at once if we are to stave off a holocaust of destruction." (CR., Oct. 1979, p.27.) While we are disarming, the Soviets are pressing forward in their military build-up at an unprecedented rate. Last year they were spending a larger percentage of their GNP on their military than Hitler did at the rise of WWII. This year, the Soviets doubled their military budget.

While discussing parallels between Hitler and now, we might recall that Time magazine voted Hitler the "Man of the Year," just before he began unleashing his military might on surrounding countries. They really pick 'em don't they!

Yesterday, I read the book, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, in which Corrie describes how the Prime Minister of Holland made a special broadcast one night telling the people that they would not become entangled in the war and that they had nothing to worry about. That same night, Hitler's bombers pounded her city, and five days later, Holland was occupied.

There are many other historical precedents we could cite that point to these sobering realities. An important military doctrine was annunciated long ago by Sun Tzu: "When at your zenith of strength feign weakness." The Soviet Union is at its zenith of strength, militarily; and they definitely appear to be weak in other regards.

Scriptural prophecies also warn us many times about the precise situation we now face. Daniel said, concerning a certain latter-day tyrant, "By peace shall he destroy many." (Dan. 8:25.) Paul cautioned, "When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them." (1 Thes. 5:3.) Amos and Nephi warned, "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion...!" (Amos 6:1; 2 Ne. 24.)

How many times have we been told the importance of learning from history? We have all these facts staring us in the face. How can we be so blind, especially here in Utah where most of us possess-- in addition to what other Christians in our nation possess-- the Book of Mormon and modern prophets who have warned us so clearly concerning these things?

We are like the stubborn Nephites in the book of Helaman, who, when they were given such a warning said, "We know that this is impossible, for behold, we are powerful, and our cities great, therefore our enemies can have no power over us." (Hel. 8:6.) They too were blind to the realities of history, for the Ammonites, less than sixty years before then, were destroyed in a single day. They too had retorted to a prophet, "We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day." (Alma 9:5.)