A Response to a Comment by a Reader (Unknown)

Note: I welcome any comments on this blog and I will try my best to respond accordingly. This comment was recently submitted and my response follows it (below).  I am posting my reply here as a blog post since it exceeds the number of characters allowed in the Reply box.
And by the way, anyone can write and submit a comment. It doesn't matter who and what your name is, whether it's "Unknown" or "Well-known"; "Anonymous" or "Synonymous" - or as Trump would say "Anomynous" 😂😂

Re: this post

Unknown:
Im a memeber [sic] myself.. E manaia feololo lou finagalo pau lona ole Auala oloo e faaaogaina atonu e le talafeagai ona oloo sa'ausi le maimoaga male faafofoaga ale Lalolagi A'o e faasoa i mataupu e fai si maaleale ona o Epikopo o tatou faifeau o ao fo'i latou o faalupega.. Ole upu ua masani ai le Atunuu"A le malu i fale e le malu fo'i i fafo" Aua le faatasinaina Suafa ole Ekalesia i luga ole Upega fesoota'i ale lalolagi.. E le aoa'ia ele matapia le manaia ae ua na o sina tuualalo ma lo'u agaga faaaloalo lava.. Faamanuia and God Bless..

Unknown
_______________________

Tali (Response)

Fa'afetai Unknown e tusa ma se manatu.   E "manaia feololo [fo'i] lou finagalo, pau o lona":

Muamua:
Oute manatu o lo'o talafeagai lava le ‘auala o lo'o o'u fa'aaogaina (pei e fa'aataata a lafoga).  Auā o le folasaga e pei ona tā'ua i le sitenasa (stanza) muamua, a ofi le se'evae, ia se'e pe fa'aaogā le fautuaga.  Ia ulufale gae'e fo'i, pe ia saunia e talia se faitioga.  O lona uiga e le o epikopo uma e a'afia ae tau o i latou - ma e to'atele fo'i i latou ia - ua lavea i le fa'ama'i e pei ona folasia.

Lua:
Oute le o fa'atāsinaina se suafa o le Ekalesia.  O le fa'ama'i ma le fa'afitauli e pei na fa'aalia, e patino i le tagata ae le o le ofisa (it's the "man" but not the office, hence not the Church) ma ua lē na o le Ekalesia a Iesu Keriso e lavea ai, e faapea i isi fo'i ekalesia ma fatafaitaulaga.  O lona uiga la, afai o sa'ausi le maimoaga ma le fa'afofoga'aga a le lalolagi, ia e le o se mata'upu e tau natia pe tau omiomi fa'aniu aleale, ia pe fa'a faiva o Fiti fo'i ia lililo, 'auā ua laugatasia uma ekalesia i lea gasegase/faafitauli.  Ae ui lava i lea uiga lautele ua aofia ai nisi ekalesia ma 'aulotu, ae sa faapito ‘augafa i epikopo lē fa'amaoni la'u matā'upu.  O i latou nei, ua fa'atatau iai le ‘autū o le matou lesona i le A'oga Sā i le Aso Sā na se'i mavae atu nei: "O Leoleo Mamoe o Isara'elu".  Ma o i latou nei na vavalo ma lapata'i mai ai le perofeta o Esekielu:

Le atali'i e, o le tagata, ia e vavalo atu i leoleo mamoe o Isaraelu, inā vavalo atu ia, ma e fai atu ia te i latou lava, o leoleo mamoe lava, ua faapea ona fetalai mai le Alii le Atua, oi talofa i leoleo mamoe o Isaraelu o ē fafaga ia te i latou lava!  E le tatau ea i leoleo mamoe ona fagaina le lafu?
Ua outou a'ai i le ga'o, ma o'ofu i le fulufulu, ua outou fasia e ua pepeti, a ua outou lē fafaga i le lafu.... a'o leoleo mamoe ua fafaga i latou iā te i latou lava. (Esekielu 34:2-3;8 - fa'amamāfaga faaopoopo (emphasis added))

E pei ona ou fai atu, e lē o se mata'upu o toe tau faaufiufia faa-manugase.  Ua silafia uma e le tele o tagata Samoa ma le lalolagi ona o lo'o valo'ia i le Tusi Pa'ia.  Afai fo'i e le o silafia mai i le Tusi Pa'ia, ia e mafai fo'i ona maua mai iā Felise Mikaele 🤣 i lana pese ma lana viteo (video) e uiga i leoleo mamoe faapenei. O le leo la o le lapata'iga e lē tatau ona toe faamatāseleina pe faagutuina (The voice of warning should neither be noosed nor bridled).  Ae maise lava fo'i iā i tatou o tagata o le Ekalesia (like you and I) o lo'o matuā manino mai iai le faatonuga i le Matāupu Faavae ma Feagaiga (MFF) 88:81 e fa'apea:

Faauta, na ‘ou auina atu outou e molimau ma lapata'i atu i tagata, ma ua tatau i tagata ta'ito'atasi o e ua uma ona lapata'ia ona lapata'i atu i lē la te tua'oi.
(Behold I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. (D&C 88:81- emphasis added)

O le tasi la lea ‘autū o la'u solo, o se leo o le lapata'iga, e le o se fa'atāsina.  Afai fo'i o ē mauaina le tele o a'u tusitusiga i'inei poo nusipepa ma isi nofoaga i luga o upega tafa'ilagi atoa ma le Samoa Observer, ona e silafiaina lea, oute lē fa'atāsinaina le Ekalesia, ae oute lagolagoina ma faamāonia (support and validate) matā'upu faavae ma a'oa'oga moni a le Ekalesia.  I'm quite likely the last person to fa'atasina le suafa o le Ekalesia 🤣

Tolu:
"A [lē] malu i fale e [lē] malu fo'i i fafo."
O se alagā'upu masani ma le sa'o. Pau o lona, e sa'o ae lē sa'olele (not absolute).  O lona uiga e fa'atatau le fa'aaogāina ma le sa'o i lona fa'atatāuga (context).  E foliga mai la o le uiga o lau fa'aaogaina o le alagaupu lea ia ‘aua ne'i o tatou fa'ailoa pe fa'alauiloa atu ni sesē ma ni uiga lē talafeagai o faia e nisi o epikopo, ne'i te'i ua ta'uvalea ma lē malu i fafo le tagata lea, ia poo le Ekalesia fo'i, ae ia tatou taumafai pea fa'aufiufi ma nātia.  O lona uiga, ia ufiufi pea le tama'i moa i lalo o le tānoa, tusa lava pe la e ‘io'io mai si mea. O le lapata'iga ma le leaga o le ufiufi o agasala o se fautuaga fo'i o lo'o i totonu o le Mataupu Faavae ma Feagaiga, vaega 121:37. (Faitau iai).

Ae toe fa'aafetai atu ia te ‘oe le uso/tuafafine mo le tu'ualalo - ma lou fa'aaloalo.  Ia e lelei le soālaupule ma le faafaletui o manatu e aogā tatou te a'oa'o uma ai lava.

Ma le fa'aaloalo tele,
LV

Innovation or Inspiration? ...lol

Mea uma a ga ...

In our quorum discussion in church today, our lesson was on life's trials, a very common and familiar subject. I sat and listened and tried to think of something to contribute to the discussion, in a not so trite way.   Raised my hand.  Chance granted then I said:

"I'm at this very moment, even as I speak, in the process of devising my answer in a form of a short poem ... so here let me try ... 

Some trials are self-made

Others are tailor-made

In either case, make lemonade

Do not strain

Or complain 

But take to heart the refrain

No pain, no gain!"

---------------------

Ia ga...

A o'oga kipolo, 

Ia fai le vaikipolo

'Aua le o'ogo pe fa'aseā

Pe a o'o mai kigā ma puapuagā

Ae keu loko le 'upu 

A lē kigā e lē aogā! .... hahaaaa

A Conversation with Mr. 'Ale

Mr. Aumuagaolo Ropeti 'Ale is a Samoa Observer columnist. His views, to me at least, are different, unorthodox and outlandish, especially in matters pertaining to God and conventional Christianity as well as his usual xenophobic attitude towards the palagi ("white man") and other foreigners.  He recently wrote a/an column/article (here) based on the exchange between "LDS" missionaries and a Dr. Kuhlmann (re: my recent "Church of Jesus Christ and Samoa's Customs...." blog post).  Unlike Dr. Kuhlmann, however, Mr. 'Ale did not attack the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints directly, but instead he continued to daringly laud and extol Samoa's primacy and preeminence within a broader context of world cultures and universal human values.  But even within the context of Samoa's own contemporary scholarship, culture and spirituality, Mr. Ale's views are still insanely peculiar and weird.  There's some reassurance and comfort in one of his introductions and qualifiers in which he says  "In my own personal view" in one of the paragraphs, although it is ambiguous within the fuller context of his views.  The fact also that he puts his fanatical personal views out in public can be cause for concern and mistrust as well as fair game for a free thinker (not a freethinker, like Mr. 'Ale 🤣) like me.

Here are a few excerpts from Mr. 'Ale's column/article, followed by my response.


Mr. Ale:

In the context of religion and or universal divine spirituality, the European and or Christian personality is borne out of Ice, the Arabs and or Muslim personality is borne out of Sand and the Samoan and those of black or African descent, theirs is borne out of the Sun. 

Christianity is the invention of the European for the Europeans not for our Samoan ancestors and or ourselves.  God, the God of Israel is a white man.  The Savior, Jesus Christ, is also a white man.

In the totality of the indigenous Samoan being and his cultural and spiritual traditions, one finds the unmitigated presence of the Divine in our sources of meaning and empowerment in our ancestral stories (tala o le vavau ma le faavavau), proverbs (alagaupu), riddles (tupua) and metaphors (tala fa'atusa). Our holistic worldview and cultural traditions of taliga malo, si'i alofa and much of what constitutes faalavelave.

As Thomas Paine eloquently put it in the Age of Reason, "All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to be no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind and monopolize power and profit".

In the literary work of Thomas Paine in the Age of Reason, if I could paraphrase it, the Europeans have adopted the pagans' God of Ra and transformed it into a man named Jesus, call him the Christ and gave him the same indigenous adorations the pagans had given their Sun of God. 

As Samoans our sources of wisdom are our proverbs, allegories and stories or myths.

______________________________

My Response:

Mr. Ale, I am not sure whether to grimace, giggle, guffaw or be profoundly awed by your rhetoric.  Anyhow, in the spirit of sharing and dissemination of knowledge, I write this response.

First of all, I must say that I am somewhat dumbfounded by reading, perusing, analyzing and especially trying to make sense of many of your distorted claims and reasoning.  I understand that your "knowledge" is influenced and forged by certain aspects of your background both culturally and academically.  Such is the norm for most people.  Your seeming depth of "knowledge", however, appears to be quite unique if not unconventional, notably in how you use it to apply and incorporate native aspects of the Samoan culture, tradition and cosmology, into a sort of a mythical (for a lack of a better word) worldview.  Such worldview, in the contemporary context, is ethnocentric at best and racist, xenophobic and/or bigoted at worst.  Your worldview is blatantly flawed and grotesque if not viscerally dangerous. Moreover, it is brazenly ironic (fa'auigalua), contradicting (fete'ena'i) and convoluted (lavelave ma gaogaosa).

Your position and beliefs on the origin of the Samoans, again, are based on myths and legends and therefore openly speculative.  But even if true, as some other people in your clique believe, the intrinsic exclusivity and biases that result from your extreme interpretations and advocacy of those beliefs naturally lead to ethnocentrism and xenophobia.  You keep accusing the palagi (white man) and other foreigners for their perceptions of Samoans as being "bad [and] morally inadequate" and yet you hold the same malice towards them for atrocities and other evils they have brought upon us Samoans.  The faultfinding is non-stop. And then you continue to portray our ancestors as being autonomously wise as "noble" savages.  The irony is that if they were that perfect, you would not have known and commented on their unique approach towards resolving "injustice[s], particularly murder."  Moreover you seem to believe that Samoans have a monopoly on universal values such as alofa (love) and others.  That is absurd to say the least.

Your claim that "as Samoans our sources of wisdom are our proverbs, allegories and stories or myths," is laughable.  I actually gain a lot of insights from such sources too, but to laud them as exclusive and sole sources of wisdom, as you continue to espouse and promote, is cause enough for people to question the veracity and breadth of such wisdom.  I have painfully been trying to see and understand how modern scientific facts, medicines, technologies, theories and other universal truths will have been discovered using our proverbs, allegories and myths.  In other words, such superficial claims negate the role of all the worthy contributions in art, philosophy, science, religion, and literature of the "white man" and others.  Speaking of literature - and to illustrate an irony - I've noticed how you like to quote Thomas Paine, and not Tagaloa or one of your favorite native "philosophers".  Therefore, it's highly unlikely that you have acquired your seeming "fount" of knowledge exclusively from our alaga'upu, tala o le vavau, tala fa'atusa, etc.   I'm also convinced that had you not ventured into the "white man's" world in your pursuit of knowledge, you would not have been able to formulate and articulate your worldview - albeit partisan, subjective and prejudiced.  In other words, you still owe the "white man" some degree of your "personal enlightenment," at the very least the use of English to articulate your views.  So stop biting the hand that feeds/fed you.

Furthermore, you like to base your theories, premises, logic and arguments on things that are fickle, social and, therefore, impermanent.  Cultural things like architecture (maota, poutu, etc.) and legends of the sun.  Your overreach in your interpretations and symbolic associations is carelessly forced, artificial and contrived.  And so the problem with your version of Truth is that it is relative at best.  As a result, you keep dwelling on things that underpin your views on Samoa's primacy, if not supremacy, at the expense of the more intelligible and universal belief in the family and brotherhood of Man.  You espouse the "us vs. them" mentality and keep referring to Samoa and Samoans as if we're still in the BC era.  Based on your underlying and implied definition of being "Samoan", you almost had to go back that far to find what you're after - if at all.

Samoans today, I'm sure, all have intermingled with others of the "family of man" (children of God, not the Sun).  For example, I have some German/European blood in my family although I always like to claim my "Samoanness".  I'm sure your name Ropeti (Robert) also hints on some "white man" connection and so as your avid supporter Roger Brunt.  I therefore hate to burst your bubble (albeit a tiny one) and say that recent studies and advanced research on genetics and DNA have found that race is more a social, as opposed to a biological, construct.  If true, then that supports the notion that all of humankind have a common ancestor.  In other words, your Samoan pillar rises from a common and shared base and root with other peoples of the world. According to a favorite maxim of mine,  "All truth can be circumscribed into one great whole."  In that context, relatively speaking, we - white man, black man, brown man, etc. - are all children of God.  In the words of one of my favorite poets, William Wordsworth:

"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting
And cometh from afar;
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!" 

Knowledge can be empirical or divine.  Hence the difference between being learned or knowledgeable and being truly wise.

"O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not." - (2 Nephi 9:28)

A favorite scripture of mine from the Book of Mormon, in case you're curious.

LV Letalu

I Finally Got Me a PE'A ...Hahaaaaa

...for Halloween 👻👻👻.....................Trick? or Treat?

Pe'a (Bats) are associated with Halloween. Pe'a also is the name given to the "full" body tattoo of the Samoan men. The reason for calling the men's tattoo a pe'a, according to the tufuga (tattooist) who tattooed my dad, is because the image/design of the pe'a (bat) is the central part of the entire tattoo. It is supposed to be located in the lower middle back - a small design. Some tufugas have rendered a modified image of the design as personal imprimatur.

In one of the previous blog posts on Samoan tattoos (pe'a and malu), I mentioned that Dearie thinks that a pe'a  would look really good and nice on me, and so coincidentally, a renowned Samoan tufuga is here in the US (true!!) and right here in our area and neighborhood at the moment performing and demonstrating his unique skills and art.  And so I said, hey, why not?  Let's do it! And so the rest, as they say, is history.  This Halloween I got me a pe'a.

  Soooo, yes, I'm now officially a soga'imiti (tattooed male) and a tulāfale (orator) ......

Triiiicky, aye?  ... but it's also a Treat ..for Dearie at least,.😚😄. 👻👻👻👻👻👻👻 

The Church of Jesus Christ and Samoa's Customs and Traditions - Observer Editorial

For a while now, I have refrained from commenting on issues in the Samoa Observer.  I've literally taken a hiatus especially due to the lack of time for such engagements, and due to my lack of interest in most of the issues. Well that has been the case, until two days ago when I was reading an editorial in which regurgitated perennial attacks on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which I'm a member, were included.
Like most other such attacks, I try to resist the urge of dignifying any of them by responding.  But when the writer (Mr. Kuhlmann) claims to be a Doctor/PhD (of Divinity or something, who knows?), some inner voice and call of duty prompted me to respond.  The editorial now has a Part II (!!!???) in which the "Doctor" continues to do what his type of "doctor" does best, and that is "doctoring" the beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ, and even dared to ask HOW the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does/can fit into the "Christian principles and Samoan Custom and tradition?"  The citation is referring of course to the Preamble of Samoa's Constitution, and especially in a recent revision, in which Christianity has been established as the national and state religion.  The "doctor" claims that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a Christian church (Ahem!!) and therefore, in essence, is "violating" the Constitution by its mere presence in Samoa.  As far as I'm concerned, that's an ill-conceived and stupid logic based on IGNORANCE.  I'll let you figure out the irony!  Mr. Malifa (Editor) editorializes by including a brief excerpt of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ in Samoa in response to the foma'i.

Anyway, here's my response with hopes that you had time to read or do a quick skim of the editorial, Part I (here) for context.

(Note: As of this posting date, my response has not been published yet.)
_______________________________________________

Editor,

First of all, my thanks to the Afioga Gatoaitele Savea for a snippet of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter noted as the "Church of Jesus Christ" or "Church") in his response to Dr. Kuhlmann.

Religion is always a sensitive and ma'ale'ale (delicate/brittle) subject.  The crux of Dr. Kuhlmann's letter is nothing new to me, and others, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ.  The criticism, allegations and accusations are as old as the Church itself.  Other churches and religions encounter and face similar attacks I'm sure.  But for someone like Mr. Kuhlmann with a Doctor's degree (Divinity?), I am a little puzzled and left to question his judgement and religious acumen in passing some acerbic and incendiary comments about another religion.  In my experience with these types of diatribes, I find that one of the main motives is usually linked to a fear and trepidation of certain ministers for their church and/or congregation being threatened by a sudden or gradual exodus of their congregants to the Church of Jesus Christ (or to another church or religion).  As a result, the resort to attacks using misinformation, falsifications and accusations by these ministers becomes inevitable and irresistible.

notice the upward trend of the LDS Church vs. the decline in
others especially the three main sects.

This malicious strategy happens in certain areas across the United States, but can also happen in Samoa especially in light of a 2016 Census Report by the Department of Statistics whose findings reflect surprising decreases in membership numbers for Samoa's three main sects of churchgoers (Congregationalists (CCCS), Catholics and Methodists) while the Church of Jesus Christ ("Latter-day Saints"/"Mormons") is shown to lead the pack of the few churches with noticeable increases (re:"Faaitiitia tagata lotu a le EFKS, Katoliko ma le Metotisi," Samoa Times. Sep 12, 2018).  Such decline in numbers for some churches, but net gains for the Church of Jesus Christ, can trigger feelings of repulsion by the former against the latter.  The result is often a renewed wave of resentment and hostility towards the Church of Jesus Christ and actualized in letters such as the one by Dr. Kuhlmann and whose right, choice and freedom of expression I respect.

Christianity is a word that has been ambiguated and abused.  It has been used by churches and ministers, ironically, to exclude, demean, offend and marginalize others, even those who are different in their convictions and beliefs regarding Jesus Christ. Christianity has also been used as a pseudo-unifier for groups like the World Council of Churches and the like.  They may be unified in whatever concocted purpose and yet divided in doctrine and beliefs.  That said, it's a fact that every adherent of a particular church or religion has some degree of convincement and testimony that his/her church is true, otherwise he/she will not have joined it.  The challenge for all of us is to find the qualified and ultimate Truth.  It's a personal quest hopefully verified, confirmed and sealed by the power of the Spirit/the Holy Ghost.

Dr. Kuhlmann asked: "How then [does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] fit into ‘Christian principles and Samoan Custom and tradition?"

The answer is very simple.  There are actually several "how's" that make the Church of Jesus Christ fit - and dovetail perfectly - into "the Christian principles and Samoan Custom and tradition."  Due to the interest of time and bandwidth, let me present one very important and significant "how".  It has to do with the AIGA (Family).

Traditionally, Samoans, as in most other cultures, are a family-oriented people.  They are unique, however, in their love and devotion to their aiga.  They are stalwart and committed to their ancestors hence their love and emphasis on their gafa (genealogies), albeit transmitted in very rudimentary ways and methods.  In fact, in a very real sense, Samoans consider themselves as one big aiga.  Everyone is a tuagane/tuafafine (brother/sister) and tama/tina (father/mother) - literally.  Accordingly, therefore, the Samoan language does not have native words for familial terms such as cousin, niece, nephew, grandma, grandpa, etc., etc.   Because, again, everyone is a sister and/or brother.  It's the principle of inclusion. Interestingly, in the Church of Jesus Christ, we address our fellow members - and non-members - as brothers or sisters.  All are brothers and sisters in Christ.  But there's more.

In the Church of Jesus Christ, the family is its basic unit.  All its programs and ordinances revolve around the family.  Let me make this claim boldly since I know it to be an absolute truth. No other church comes close to the Church of Jesus Christ in its emphasis and focus on the importance of families, here and the hereafter. None. Zilch. The expression "Families are Forever" is a proprietary maxim and characteristic of the Church.  Latter-day saints believe in the literal sealing of families by the proper priesthood authority and therefore make it possible for them to be reunited in the afterlife as eternal units.  These sealings are performed in the hundreds of temples of the Church.  Moreover, this teaching is taught, supported in, and sanctioned by the Bible.  Where, you ask?

In Malachi 4:5-6:
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great  and dreadful day of the Lord:  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Before I expound, let me assure you that this is an important prophecy which most Christians are unsure and ambivalent about its meaning (Google it and you will find all the different opinions and speculations by Christian ministers and clergy on what it means.)  For the Church of Jesus Christ, the meaning is clear and unambiguous.

The "turning of the heart[s] of the fathers to the children" and vice-versa, are found in the task and process of searching and compiling of one's gafa (genealogies) by us (children) which includes our predecessors and ancestors (fathers).  And then the "fathers" will, in turn, turn their hearts to us the children in accepting our work, which will eventually be used for vicarious saving ordinances (sealings, endowments, baptisms, etc.) in the temples.  Incidentally, Samoans believe that they can still communicate and "in contact" with their departed family members and ancestors who are in spirit form. This unbroken line or link has a divine purpose and plan.

Malachi, being the last book of the Old Testament, contains this prophecy about the coming of Elijah who held the keys of the "sealing power" (1 Kings 17 sealing the heavens).  The Jews are still waiting for his coming, hence the vacant chair during Passover.  Some Christians believe that John the Baptist was Elijah, which is a belief that John himself refuted and said he was not Elias/Elijah (John 1:21).  John the Baptist was not Elijah; he instead had the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).

For the Latter-day Saints, and the world for that matter, Elijah has already come and had appeared in the Kirtland (Ohio) Temple of the Church, on April 3, 1836 and where he quoted the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi.

13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:
14 Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—
15 To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—
16 Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.
(Doctrine and Covenants 110)

Moreover, April 3, 1836 was an Easter Sunday and Passover week.  With the Lord, there is no coincidence.

Now how do we, as Latter-day Saints, further support the above interpretation of the sealing of families and other saving ordinances?  At the end of Malachi 4:6, it says "lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."  Yes, a curse and Elijah was to be sent in the latter-days to restore the sealing power so families can avoid, evade and escape the curse.  Let me take you back to verse 1 of the same chapter of Malachi:

"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither ROOT nor BRANCH." (Emphases mine)

Root and branch are metaphors used in the context of families (re: family tree). Likewise, fathers and children in the literal sense.  And the curse is to be left without root nor branch - or Aiga.

Again when we are involved in tracing our genealogies, which, by the way, has become a booming trend and pastime within the last several years, our hearts, as children, are literally TURNED to our fathers/forebears - and vice-versa.  The Church of Jesus Christ has the most volumes and archives of family and census records from around the world for this purpose. It also sponsors the popular FamilySearch website which is the premiere site for genealogical research on the Internet.  The sudden and overwhelming interest in genealogy even for those who are not members of the Church, is not something that has happened by chance.  It is all part of the so-called spirit and power of Elijah as prophesied.  Are Samoans into genealogies?  Of course.  Though it used to be for purposes of inheritance like lands and titles, now there's a loftier and more noble purpose as they join the Church.

This aiga emphasis of the Church of Jesus Christ, has become one of its most appealing and convincing tenets to people everywhere as in places like Africa (where tremendous growth for the Church is happening) as well as in the islands of the Pacific.  It's exactly the same here in Samoa. Samoans, safe to say, have the spirit of Elijah which inspires them to join the Church and "turn their hearts" to their forebears who had not had the chance to hear and learn of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This marvelous blessing can only be found in the RESTORED Gospel of Jesus Christ through temple ordinances.  It's all part of the plan of mercy of a loving Heavenly Father to extend salvation to all His children here in this life, and beyond the veil.  Paul reminds us that "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (1 Corinthians 15:19)

It is this emphasis, commitment and love of aiga in the eternal plan of a loving God and through the Church of Jesus Christ, that represents one of the "how's" which, based on Kuhlmann's query, fits the Church of Jesus Christ into "Christian principles and Samoan Custom and tradition."

Lastly, Dr. Kuhlmann, and others, I hope you don't pass up the chance to listen and hear the message of those neatly-dressed young men - and women.  If your experience will be anything like mine, you won't be disappointed.  You will be truly happy, and your AIGA will also be truly grateful, and blessed.

Ma le fa'aaloalo tele,
LV Letalu

(Note: All Bible references are from the King James Version)