The Scope of Secret Combinations

In April, 1975 Conference, President Benson spoke on the threat to America from Secret Combinations:
"Our Nation will continue to degenerate unless we read and heed the words of the God of this land, Jesus Christ, and quit building up and upholding the secret combinations which the Book of Mormon tells us proved the downfall of both previous American civilizations."
Ezra Taft Benson, CR, April 5, 1975, also “The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God,” Ensign, May 1975, 63.

Sometime between 1975 and 1988 when the talk was republished in the Ensign as the First Presidency Message (Elder Benson became President Benson in November, 1985) the phrasing was changed from this being a national problem to being a global problem.

"The situation in the world will continue to degenerate unless we read and heed the words of God and quit building up and upholding secret combinations, which the Book of Mormon tells us proved the downfall of ancient civilizations."
"The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God," Ensign, Jan. 1988, p. 5.)

(see comments for rest of article)

Doctrine of the Priesthood

I've taken the last half of D&C 121 and organized in an outline. http://www.fullmerfamily.org/Joe/DoctrineOfPriesthood.doc
There are 4 sections:
1) characteristics of those who excercise unrighteous dominion
2) their rewards
3) characteristics of those who excercise righteous dominion
4) their rewards

God a Cheerful Being?

President Heber C. Kimball said: "I am perfectly satisfied that my Father and my God is a cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured Being. Why? Because I am cheerful, pleasant, lively and good-natured when I have His Spirit. That is one reason why I know; and another is - the Lord said, through Joseph Smith, "I delight in a glad heart and a cheerful countenance" (D&C 59:15). That arises from the perfection of His attributes; He is a jovial, lively person, and a beautiful man.

(Journal of Discourses, 4:222.)

Kinda gives one pause to think of a Cheerful God. I, at least, often think of God in terms of grave seriousness. I mean, this is serious business! (Life, the Plan, etc.).

So, in terms of "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect", I guess that means we should strive to be cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured.

Household of Faith.

http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/121/45#45

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

So, I wonder: if one has charity towards *all* men, wouldn't that by nature include "the household of faith"? Why was this phrase added? Is it redundant? Or is it drawing special attention to this for some specific purpose? Seems to me the answer will lead me to additional understanding, enlightenment, yeah even light and knowledge.