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People can only live on borrowed spiritual light so long. Everyone needs to gain their own witness. It really comes to desire in my opinion. If someone wants a witness they need to really seek it out on their own and put in the needed work to gain one. The LORD has given me many spiritual witnesses and He will give them to anyone who searches with real intent. I hope everyone prays for spiritual witnesses and experiences as they attend the LORD's temple. Some of the most special experiences have happened to me in the temple. If anyone truly wants to know if the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is true they can gain a powerful witness with faith and works.

Before we seek to help others, we need to first ensure that we ourselves have a strong foundation. I say this from personal experience with dealing with enemies of the church. Make sure that you have read the scriptures cover to cover. Make sure that you have studied not just church history but world history for yourself. Make sure that you are actually a participant in the world and not just an observer. Make sure that you're prepared to have your faith, your patience, and your hope for humanity tested.

I go to the political right on forums. In the past I have met some decent people on forums that I go on. (They are not Twitter or Facebook or any of the other popular social media platforms.) One of the people helped me build a decent quality rifle and another helped me make some money on crypto currencies. (I never risked a lot in the crypto currencies as they are very volatile and unpredictable.) The platforms I prefer are not toxic nor have people that tear into you and say nasty things that they would likely never to a person's face if they met you in the real world.

As a Historian the first thing you want to do is to look for Primary sources. A LOT of the sources that the anti-mormons are using these days (and by default, unfortunately, as the Church has gone further down the rabbit hole of the anti-mormon lures, the church has also turned to using some of these) are NOT primary sources. They present them AS IF they are primary sources, but further research shows they are normally unreliable tertiary sources in many cases. One particularly favorable source they love to use is a source from an avowed anti-mormon reporter who wrote an article about a supposed interview they did 30 years prior. We are to believe it's authentic simply because they say so. It uses quotes as if the individuals were saying them as primary sources, but the actual source, the timing, and everything else about it shows unreliability in the source and the evidence doesn't really support it. It's terrible history work. The church has turned to some of this for their "modern" interpretations of history as well these days. It is unfortunate. Church History (the volumes printed) are not the most reliable, and much of their writing is actually more a secondary source (not as preferred as primary sources) in many instances rather than primary in how it is presented. It means it is more reliable than most of the sources that the anti-mormons are using, probably more reliable than the Saints volumes that are coming out as the "new" church history, but less reliable than many of the items that one may find in the Joseph Smith papers or other areas. The biggest difficulty with the Joseph Smith papers is context. This makes understanding some of what is written in them difficult at times and easily placed in a direction which can mislead without a broader context. I am not a Church history expert. I am an amateur Church Historian. I AM a historian in other areas and have a specialty in areas outside of Church history. I understand how historical research should work and am UNIMPRESSED with the anti-mormons way of doing it. They do it more like a political science stunt where the purpose is to persuade in any way they can regardless of the facts or what the facts present. Just like politicians, trying to dissuade them is probably pointless as they are committed to a certain point of view regardless of facts or what the other side perceives. On the otherhand, the way LDS scholarship has gone over the past decade in regards to some of their Church history, or the popular forms in which they are publishing it to the general membership does not really impress me either. It feels too much like they are trying to rewrite their history rather than to respect their history. If you are interested in Church history I would suggest first reading through the Doctrine and Covenants and going through as many original documents as possible (Joseph Smith Papers is a good start). When doing so try to find the authentic broader picture (which can be difficult to do). This is probably going to be easier by studying American History and then overlapping it with a secondary source such as the original volumes of the Church history. This is NOT what I would suggest for testimony though. If you want to build someone's testimony forget using any of the history or historical items. A person's belief is normally not based completely on hard facts. You know the sun will rise tomorrow (or believe it will) from repeatedly having it presented to you personally. You have personally seen it rise and set. You haven't had someone else tell you that it will, but you have seen it personally (or so I would hope). You then base your belief that it will rise tomorrow upon what you have personally experienced. Likewise, the only way to truly get and build a testimony is on personal experiences. One needs to be able to feel and then IDENTIFY (I find this can be the hardest part of the entire thing) the Holy Spirit. If you can factually identify the difference between personal emotion and the Holy Ghost speaking to you, it is the first step in attaining an unshakeable testimony. This feeling is exactly as the Doctrine and Covenants tells us. It is not a ghostly or excited emotion, but a calm peace within our heart. It is different than a normal peace, and hard to explain. The best I could come to is how one feels reading the Book of Mormon or New Testament and what they may feel during a Sacrament meeting in the Church. If you can identify how this is different than other things and then sharpen to be able to actually hear the voice talk to you, your testimony will grow strong. You will KNOW that this is something else beyond you and it is someone speaking to you. It can tell you things that you need to know or do not know. You then have FACTS yourself. These are FACTS that you have experienced PERSONALLY. YOU KNOW that it is a voice that is not YOURSELF and it is NOT some emotion speaking to you. It is a FACT that you can recognize the voice and what it is telling you. From THESE FACTS (just like seeing the sun rise and set) you can find a true testimony. Unfortunately, because this is somethng that you PERSONALLY experience, it is not something that you can relay to another as a FACT. They have to experience and hear the voice themselves. The key then is to help others to feel this spirit. It is not brought about by arguing with them, but by trying to help them to feel this Spirit. Once they can recognize the Spirit and hear it's voice they too will be able to have a testimony. I find that those who have turned against the Church, especially those who used to be members in most instances, are so rabid against these things that they have blocked out any way for the Spirit to talk to them in their lives in this manner or to testify of the truthfulness of the Scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. This is unfortunate, but it is what it is. Instead, bear testimony to those who have not decided or are investigating the gospel. Encourage them to hear someone who is actually PART of the Church and a member rather than those who would destroy it (I would liken it to who would you rather hear what someone thinks, the actual person, or someone else who is trying to tell you what they think). Encourage them to read the Book of Mormon and to try to find truth for themselves. They may not find the truth of the Book of Mormon immediately, or now, but they may come closer to Christ and the Lord. I would encourage them in their own faith if they do not get the answers they seek in regards to ours. Support their beliefs and faith in a Christlike manner regardless of what happens, and encourage their own testimonies to grow in our Savior if possible. Those are my thoughts and my suggestions. I have not been completely successful, even with some of my family members these days (and so I may be wrong about this), but my own opinion is that the Spirit is a greater teacher and witness than anything we can do in trying to present facts or history or any other item that pertains more to worldly knowledge than Spiritual knowledge.

I have been reading different accounts and listening to the experiences of others and I think we would be shocked at how many people regularly dabble with unclean spirits and demons. In my opinion those that dabble in sexual immorality and pornography regularly deal with these spirits. These are not the only sins that bring devils and unclean spirits to you and inside of you, but committing the sin next to murder brings bad consequences. "Flee fornication. Every other sin which a man doeth is outside the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you and which ye have from God, and that ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." -- I Corinthians 6:18 to 20 -- 21st Century King James Version

It can...but it's not key. And, frankly, it runs the risk of the whole meat before milk thing. The milk is testimony. Explanations are useless without that testimony. At the risk of sounding patronizing, I have to refer to the process whereby we have been taught to know of the truth of the gospel. Read the Book of Mormon, ponder it, and get on one's knees, seeking the truth from God with humility and faith. None of the other stuff, ultimately, really matters. I mean it can help for certain people in certain situations. But it will never actually be key to knowing God. There is only one key to knowing God. That is the witness of the Holy Spirit. That is the means we are to find and know God and His truth on this earth. Therefore, the best we can do is what guides others to follow that path.

Regarding others' spiritual experiences, I think we can only do our best and trust that God continues to reach out to them just as He has to us, whatever conclusions and applications they have drawn that differ from ours. God does not leave anyone exclusively to their own devices after one single spiritual experience. The spiritual witness that something is true isn't the same as the spiritual experience of who and what we are becoming. This is why regular/routine self -examination is so vital (as when we partake of the sacrament). Are we blessed, and a blessing to others? What kinds of people oppose us?

Oh, agree. I think it’s wonderful. I love knowing that kids will grow up with all these options. People focus on the negatives of social media and that’s fine, but I can’t get over how cool it is to connect with all sorts of interesting people from all over the world. No matter what your interest is, you can find someone who shares it.

I read an article recently that said that most of those who are preparing for an apocalypse are not prepared enough. A true apocalypse will last more than a year, and most likely longer than 2 or 3 years. Most apocalypse planners only plan for a years worth of supplies. Those supplies will be gone before the apocalyptic event it. Best to prepare for at least 7 years of apocalyptic recovery. I still only have a years supply of food though.

I find Facebook is not as popular among young people as it is among older people these days. They tend to go more to tiktoks, tumblr, instagram, imgur or reddit. We still have facebook for the university, but I find that is more for parents these days than the students. They get confusing though. They have so many different 'apps' that they use to gather together as study groups and some invite me to join as the professor that I have no idea what is good to use or not good to use (so, mainly just don't use any of them, plus, they have TAs and my office hours if they really need anything from me). I personally avoid facebook and many other social media platforms (though obviously I am on these forums occasionally) preferring more to read news or my books. I suppose reading books these days is unusual, but I think I prefer them to the constant barrage of many of the social media platforms constant messaging.

My original comment was not meant to counter what you said. I was just pointing something out.

100% agree. If you turn to the LORD and repent of your sins He will forgive you. One of my favorite scriptures is in the Inspired Version of the Bible. Psalms 30:4 to 5 reads: "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger kindleth against the wicked; they repent, and in a moment it is turned away, and they are in his favor, and he giveth them life; therefore, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Amulek also taught: "Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you." -- Alma 34:31

We need to remember that the Kingmen were using the "distraction" of the war to take over the government. It was a rebellion/revolution. Chief Judge was on the run. And in the end, they CHOSE death. Moroni gave them a chance to swear an oath against rebellion. But they'd rather die. Heavy duty stuff.

We absolutely agree that porn and sexual immorality are sinful. Couldn't agree more. In fact, I go a step further. I think there are good, secular reasons to avoid porn and sexual immorality. Same with gambling. No good can come from any of those activities. See? I’m much more prudish than people think! 😜 Having said that I don’t go as far as to say those who engage in those activities are “demon filled.” People are human and humans can be very weak at times. Also, just because you’ve made mistakes in the past doesn’t mean you are beyond forgiveness, damaged goods or innately evil.

I love people but I hate what many social media connections are doing to our youth. The younger generations spend so much time on social media versus so litlle time in the scriptures so their fragile testimonies of Heavenly Father and Christ are being destroyed. Also, I hate what Facebook does with your personal information as they use it against you or for their own purposes.

That whole war had a bunch of rather unique situations in it. Like near the end, when Moroni and Pahoran went back into Zarahemla and executed everyone who wouldn't join the Nephite army. Life's good until the government changes hands and you get judged "not true to the cause of freedom" and the good guys inflict death on you. Good thing that the People of Ammon lived somewhere else... Anyway, there's a difference between written and actual fighting, but there are at least a dozen chapters of Alma that really remind me of a nasty toxic Facebook thread. So I'm still supportive of @Still_Small_Voice.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng

I became a Christian in 2013 after spending a lot of time researching it by contador de palabras. The Turin Shroud inspired me to seek baptism, and shortly afterward, the church of Jesus Christ started to make sense.

I think that what I posted is also President Nelson's counsel. This can be useful in discerning what constitutes "good information", how to handle and interpret it, and seek, obtain and keep personal revelation. "Come Follow Me" for example schools us in this approach. Typically, it is not the bad information per se, but an undisciplined reaction to it that throws people off. For example, do you want to believe that Joseph Smith lied to Emma, or do you want to believe that thirty-somethings can have complicated pressures and relationships we are not privy to, and that the historical record is not complete enough to prove malfeasance? People have to know their limitations, that they are no more equipped to evaluate private histories than Joseph was in handling new doctrines.

I had the same thought in regards to denying the witness they have already received. One video I watched was of a younger woman, returned missionary who states "I had a testimony of..." but now these questions have totally invalidated every witness she has ever received. If no greater witness can be had than of the Spirit then what any person ever say to convince them? An honest seeker would not throw out evidences for faith just because they have unanswered questions.

I see you reacted to my post, and so I will go out on a limb here and hopefully offer something useful! I see the “rock of revelation” as internal and personal, and the “foundation of apostles and prophets” as external and organizational. Fallibility is a given for each except from the One giving both the personal and organizational revelation. The idea is that God’s work, individually and collectively, progresses from the worst and lowest beginning(s) imaginable to the highest fulfillment. I see it being accomplished as follows: 2 Nephi 9 discusses the atonement of God, mercy (love) and justice (law) at great length. Mercy comes first, in that God’s fondest desire is that we become like Him, and so His atonement was established first, before the foundation of the world. Within that overarching structure, He places progressive laws which we choose to obey or not. This allows Him to be patient with our fallibility while things get better over time and justifies His expectation that we adhere to the two great commandments as He does. I think this helps keep our fallible moral, ethical and semantic expectations and priorities in perspective, secondary to the still, small voice and His patience with our attending to it in keeping the two simple commandments as He does.

Uhh....that is not what LDS believe.

It really depends on what kind of individual we're talking about. Think of the parables of the seeds. This can apply to Saints who wax and wane in their testimonies just as much as it will to proselytes. 1. Very often the decision is made before any arguments are made. For such individuals, no amount of evidence will sway them. Just be polite and pray for them. Not much else we can do. 2. Some have doubts because of ignorance. For such, discussions can be had and education given. This will often help. But sometimes not. At this point, it is about humility. Very often, the most ignorant people are the ones who are most resistant to accepting new information. That's part of what makes them ignorant. Until they humble themselves, there is really nothing we can do but love them. Arguing won't change anything. 3. Some have doubts because of incomprehensible reasons. I've heard some questions in my day where people say that they're having a crisis of faith over issues that have nothing to do with faith. Some logic trains about why X would mean that Y is incorrect doctrine are prevalent. I honestly don't know why some people have problems with various facts. But they do. And we need to be somewhat empathetic while understanding that they may not be thinking clearly. Again, we need to love them and pray for them. 4. Others don't have doubts. They just want an excuse to leave. They know what's right. But they want to appear like they're giving it a chance. In the end, they fit in the first category above. They've already made their decision. But they want to justify themselves. 5. OKAY. But what about the ones we can save? That is the $100k question. How do we know? Maybe we don't. But by knowing people before a crisis even comes up, by really being their friends, etc. we can know them well enough to know what's going on. If we were never their friends, I don't know if they would accept a new "friend of crisis" (think of what a "friend of convenience" is) to help them back. This is why ministering is so important. We always want to be friends with all we meet. And we need to know people when things are good, so we can be there for them when things are bad. And the bad includes when they have a crisis of faith. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. But the most common that come to mind. For all of these, love is the first thing. Then understand that arguing in the traditional sense doesn't work at all with anyone. But can you ask thought provoking questions? Can you bear testimony? Can you share faith-building stories? Can you share when the Spirit spoke to you and gave you knowledge and answers to your prayers?

UPDATE: There is a glimmer of hope. The host family says that the prayers are working. But there are major hurdles. 1. He is eligible for a transplant. But the hospital where he is doesn't have the right equipment to do the transplant. 2. As a foreign student, his insurance was via ACA. And it didn't originally allow for him to be treated outside of his designated state (Idaho). 3. They spoke with the ACA office and tried to explain why he can't go to Idaho. They finally agreed to cover the transplant. But they wouldn't cover the cost of transport to the hospital across town which has the right equipment. The big problem is that he can't be taken in an ambulance. He'd have to be air-lifted. And that is simply not covered under ACA. That's where we are. We can keep praying that the officials at the ACA office will change their minds. Here's to hoping... and praying.

Nope, not a bit. Scripture is filled with examples of weak persons who were beneficiaries of miracles, ministered to by angels, and who even saw the Savior Himself...and later fell away for petty reasons. Too many church members (and Christians in general) only attend church for the social aspect, or because it's a tradition. A firm witness from the Holy Ghost is needed to gain a testimony, and is also needed to further nurture it. There are lots of things I don't understand, and frankly I could care less about them. The Holy Ghost has let me know what is true...so none of the outside noise really matters.

The geographic assignment is made by an apostle. But the formal call letter comes from the prophet’s office.

When I was called as a missionary I was set apart by and apostle. I speculate that as the church grows and fills the earth that more things will be done by those of "lessor" callings. We are told that an Elder holds all the power and authority equal to the apostles (including the prophet). The only difference is in the keys. The Traveler

I am of the notion that every individual comes into this life as a righteous son or daughter of G-d. I speculate that nothing good can be accomplished in this life without the influence of the Holy Ghost and in contrast that nothing evil happens without the influence of Satan. I also speculate that drugs and alcohol inhibit divine spiritual influences and make a person more susceptible to submission and bondage. The Traveler

What I have come to realize is that there is always a rational explanation. The scriptures are true, the Church is true, the Prophets of this dispensation are true. To the extent there is an apparent conflict I always start with the baseline of what the Holy Ghost has strongly witnessed to me and admit there may be some things I will not understand until later, perhaps the next life. But I know enough to keep moving forward in this life with faith the path will continue to light ahead of me.

A little thought (sorry a big long post) - I grew up a very long time ago - in a time somewhat forgotten; that by today's standards would be long long ago in a galaxy far far away. Both my parents were 4th generation Scandinavian immigrants (mostly Danish). I remember my favorite grandma telling me that I need to find a nice Scandinavian (preferable Danish) girl to marry. That I should especially make sure that we were both of the same house of Israel (Ephraim). Her husband (a returned missionary at the end of the 19th century) smoked tobacco and drank coffee for as long as I knew him – yet he still served callings and always held a temple recommend. The word of wisdom was not a commandment when he became addicted. I was also told to never wear anything red because that was symbolic of Satan. My grandparents taught me that one should never remove the temple garment. Back then there were not separate tops and bottoms but a single garment. I was taught that even when bathing one should always have one arm or leg in the garment. My parents counseled me some liberalism is acceptable. Lots has changed during my lifetime concerning our view of sacred things. Weather are not it was true or not I was told that Blacks had the “mark” of Cain and we should not marry or even date blacks. I grew up with the impression that righteous blacks would someday have all the priesthood blessings but until then we should not seek to convert blacks but allow it if it occurred as a sign of an exceptionally good black. I never saw a black close up or talked one on one with a black until I joined the army. My best and closest friend in the army was a black that grew up in Watts California. It would seem that blacks and Mormons were both somewhat rejected – in essence all we had was each other. My unit had no other blacks or Mormons. Though he was never baptized, I converted him to Mormon theology with the exception that blacks shouldn’t hold the priesthood. He converted me that blacks ought to have every opportunity available in both the gospel as well as politics and society. My friend was killed in Vietnam. I prayed often that the blessings (temple and all things) would open up for blacks. I was glad and excited when blacks received the priesthood and all blessings available. I do not know why things change. But I have decided that as all things are restored that there will be many more changes. It would be better if things did not need to change – that when the church was restored it was restored as it would be for eternity. The only reference I have from scripture is the concept that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. That there is an order. That that time has come for blacks and that we are no longer to think that blacks (or whatever) in the Kingdom of G-d are any different than us Scandinavians – vice versa or anything else. Most changes I have had some question but after pondering and prayer – I believe every change that has taken place during my lifetime and been for the better. I could argue that such changes should have happened sooner but without doubt it has been for the better. Some think that the church should have moved with the politics of the civil rights movement. I am seeing pressure from LGBTQ+ society and supporters. I understand we should love and fellowship all coming unto Christ. But I am of the mind that repentance is a change of heart – from personal wants and desires to follow the principles of a gospel of love that is willing to sacrifice all to raise up and prepare our seed (children born under the covenant) for the return of Christ. The Traveler

I often find it amusing to hear people go through mental gymnastics to deny what is right in front of their eyes. The Lord does what the Lord does because it is for the benefit of mankind. But we need to constantly remember that His ways are not our ways. He does things that may seem like it violates man's transient, flawed code of ethics. But He does them in HIS wisdom. We tend to see ANYthing that is race-related as some version of racism that is to be completely shunned and disavowed at every opportunity -- even cancelled. I don't. I see race as a completely different thing that what most people do. Race is simply genetics. Both physical and social characteristics are handed down from parent to child. Physical through genetics, and social through upbringing. Why deny these facts? To recognize that I was never going to be an NBA star (because of genetics) and that most NBA players are black is considered racism in today's world. But it's true. Why deny it? Is it wrong to recognize those simple facts? If everything is racism, nothing is racism. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That is certainly true. Why can't it be true that in the CULTURE that Nephi was in that lighter skin was considered more attractive? In today's world Asian skin is considered more attractive. White people want to get tans. Black people often use skin lighteners. Asians wonder what the fuss is about.

Idiocracy at work. Plus, the woman herself is a lesbian. The woke eat themselves, and can't seem to see that the platform they have wedded themselves to is about the devil's message, not people's "rights" or "protections" or "equality". I would be ashamed to live in a place like that. However, this type of assault is coming in regards to Christianity. We are in the latter days for sure, and folks need to be ready.

Well, I certainly don't believe the church has disavowed part of the Book of Mormon. My take on the essays... Well, they're not canon. That's not to say I believe they're wrong. I just tend to let sleeping dogs lie on a lot of those matters. I certainly think it would be particularly unwise to reject the essays and preach the things they've proclaimed as disavowed as if they're true doctrine. One thing I have presumed is that to "disavow" something is not, necessarily, to declare it wrong. It means to no longer support or to disassociate from. We don't support those old statements as true, or associate them with doctrine. That doesn't mean they were wrong though. I'm not arguing any old teachings were right, mind you. I feel like the take away is "we don't know", and that should be our general attitude on it. We don't know. So, no, I don't think Brigham Young has been blamed for false teachings. The implication seems more that we don't understand it all, and it's not important that we do. So let it go.

I'm not a fan of retconning plain scripture to try and fit modern biases. The Nephites didn't, apparently, find dark skin as appealing. Do we really need to equate that to the American slave trade, Jim Crow, and lynchings?

I have two problems with the "racism" mantra: 1. What does "racism" mean? In almost all cases I can recall, when most Latter-day Saints discussing the black/Cain thing or the 1978 Priesthood revelation use the term "racism", they mean "politically incorrect stuff that used to be commonly taught but that today sounds bad and embarrasses me". You know, things like "African black people are the descendants of Cain who carry his mark in their skin color" or "African blacks are those who were not sufficiently valiant premortally". In other words, it's not racism per se that they object to (because if it were, they would be spending their time talking about violence against Asians, a much more common racially motivated occurrence today than violence against so-called African Americans). Rather, it's the perception of racism they're concerned about--especially the perception of the woke. If this is what they mean by "racism", then I and many like me don't care about such racism. In fact, the howls of the woke are as likely to be a response to something good as to something bad. This same attitude appears to bleed over into discussions on the Book of Mormon. As TFP demonstrated, it's simply not tenable to pretend that the Book of Mormon never equated skin color to a curse. We may suppose that this was just a shorthand, where "curse" and "mark of the curse" were conflated. We may even suppose that poor Mormon was just confused and didn't understand such issues within his own society as well as we do, 2000 years later and with no personal knowledge of that culture. Or we may suppose that, whatever the "mark" and "curse" were anciently, we today understand the "curse" as a self-inflicted turning away from God, and do not view racial characteristics as demonstrations of being cursed. In short, talking about "racism" when dealing with Church doctrine or scriptural accounts is the wrong way to approach the topic. This is not a matter of racism. It's a matter of understanding the scriptures and what they're trying to teach us. All the nonsense about "racism" in this context simply obscures the real and important issues. 2. Truth always trumps "racism" (existent or not). Is God "racist"? I mean, he created people black, white, and lots of other shades. The racist! How DARE he?! I mean, if you really want to argue that God is a racist, that's fine. But what that actually means is that there is nothing wrong with being a racist. Arguably, it's a compliment. Is that really what you want? Racism-based arguments are peculiar to our generation. Such arguments will be viewed with confusion and, probably, distaste by our descendants. Everyone today is so utterly terrified by being called nasty names like "racist" that they instinctively flock to support any condemnation whatsoever of supposedly racist behavior. This is Goodthink, which is to say, Antithink. We should be courageous enough to identify and shun such Goodthink, even at the cost of people's sneers and name-calling. It's part of the calling of a Saint.

I dunno. Seems like you have to contend with Alma 3:6 in this sort of interpretation. "And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men."

I'm still mad at @pam for not setting up the "scream at each other until someone bursts a blood vessel" forum.

Well, when I first saw the title of the thread I thought it was referring to something that happened in Russia. After reading it I realize it is talking about the murders in Idaho. Sad thing. It seems the suspect was a Criminal Justice Graduate student who was studying crime.

I agree and have something to say about this. I used to travel a great deal when I was working. Some years I was traveling as much as I was home. Since there was not much else to do often I would work 12 to 14 hour days to finish so I could go home as soon as possible. Often after a long day I felt the need to unwind so I would turn on the TV at the hotel. Often when the TV came on it was displaying porn. I mentioned this to a friend and he said that it often happened to him as well. He said he was able to end that problem by using the priesthood to pronounce a blessing on his hotel room and cast out unclean spirits. Having learned this – I have never had this problem since. I mentioned this later in life to a close friend and neighbor that was a psychiatrist. I mentioned that it seemed to me that unclean spirits that had influenced previous hotel residents and had infected to hotel room. My friend said that during his practice he discovered that many of his patients started having the same problem as previous patients he was seeing. It was as though they were infected. He decided to perform blessings to clean his office and the problems went away. I speculate that unclean spirits are responsible for a lot more than modern society is willing to give credit. I also speculate that many issues that cause what appears to be mental confusion, depression and especially anger is spread like a pandemic on societies that does nothing tp build up spiritual immunity. The Traveler