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Seriously? So unthinkingly disobeying a prophet's instructions is not really much worse than unthinkingly obeying? People need to think through the implications of what they write before publishing. (And I say this as a fan of Christopher Cunningham.) I think "struggling" is the wrong word, as it implies difficulty in accepting something. I see no reason that this request should be difficult. Quite the opposite, in fact. Maybe not. Both groups lack faith, perhaps the Facebookers no more than the living room couch whiners. But the Facebookers can potentially do a great deal more damage; their faithlessness is more visible, and thus more disturbing. And they are proportionally more accountable -- or to be precise, they will have proportionally more to account for. I actually agree with the thrust of Cunningham's article. I think it's worthwhile. But I find it discouraging to see a body of Saints who carp and complain about such a small, simple thing. What hope have we of gaining the revelations of God when we as a people moan and balk at fulfilling such an easy request? With such an utter lack of even the most basic spiritual strength, how can we hope to withstand the evils of the world?

http://www.ldsperspectives.com/2017/02/15/in-brighams-words/

Pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives Or Canadian bacon and pineapple. I like them equally.

I prefer ‘Latter-Day Saint Fether’

There are many ways truth can be revealed, discovered, interpreted, etc., whether secularly, spiritually and religiously. The unique thing about Joseph Smith is that he was given the priesthood keys including the keys of revelation. There are many ways that the truth we hold to, no matter how we got it, can propel us to come to Jesus. But again, the unique thing about Joseph Smith is that he was given the keys that bring us into the Father's presence through Christ, beginning with the keys that give us the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost after baptism.

You should visit Israel - The Jews cannot build a temple - nor even walk on the temple mount. Jesus (who was a Jew) was only allowed to the outer courts. There is a reason why Jews gather at the western wall and not closer. Before a priest can ascend to the temple mount they must be cleansed but there are no Jews even authorized to cleanse a priest. Outside of the Jews and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and especially in traditional Christianity - there is no clear understanding not just what is necessary for building the temple but certainly what is missing from the heavens before even preparations can be made. The Traveler

One of your quotes from a previous post - One of the great lesions I have learned in life - the less someone knows about something the more they love to speculate about it and hear and join with others in speculation. The Traveler

This part? https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/passing-up-the-heavenly-gift-part-two-of-two/

I have had a near death experience - They are not at all, at least for me, what many make it out to be. But I will say this - if something is of G-d it will not come by a singular experience. I would reference Genesis 41:23 G-d will always provide more than one witness to what he makes known - usually many witnesses including empirical witnesses. The Traveler

Glad to find things you and I can agree on - however I do not see much difference with dreams and visions and NDE. Except that in scripture I do not recall any references to NDE - but I realize that there have been prophets of our time that have shared a NDE or kind of a NDE experience as well as dreams and visions. The Traveler

I don't buy into near death experiences too much. I will believe dreams and visions before NDE.

After reflection, I don't agree -- which I find very interesting. Effectively, the two seem to be the same question, but which one is asked makes a difference. Whence came Joseph Smith's revelations? If from God, then we have no worries. Even if something the Prophet revealed appears to be wrong, we can be sure it is not. Maybe our background understanding is deficient, or maybe our language is too weak, or whatever. We can truly have absolute confidence. By the same token, if Joseph's revelations came from another source, they are not reliable, even if they happen to be true or accurate. If Joseph generated the insights himself, then however brilliant they might have been, they are just the products of human reason. And if the source was nefarious...as Shakespeare taught us, the devil can cite scripture for his purposes.

I am not one to give a lot of credence to near death experiences. I believe there is a very important and critical difference between a near death and actual death experience. I am not saying that revelation cannot or does not come from a near death experience - just that anyone willing to publish personal things openly to the public - especially for money and/or fame is likely either throwing pearls before swine or casting fake pearls before the gullible. Of course there are always exceptions but personal revelation is intended mostly to be personal. I am just suggesting an abundant careful attitude of skepticism coupled with a willingness to the unlikely possibility of discovering some new insight. The Traveler

Speaking of asking the wrong question, to me, the issue ought not be whether the source is the same, but whether the messages are true--i.e. of value in progressing during this life and the next as God desires. And, the answer can be found by applying Moroni 10 and Alma 32. Thanks, -Wade Enlgund-

I listened to this interview and I find it interesting that the interviewer keeps asking the wrong questions. e.g. How can a loving god punish people? etc. I think there is a lot of truth in Howard's responses.

It's not man playing God, it's man LISTENING to God. Criminal? You realize you can walk away at any time, right? We won't lock you up.

Truly good points...... I have to admit that NDE accounts put me into some serious cognitive, philosophical and theological dissonance as well.......... I prefer the confusion that I have in my mind now over the overly simplistic dogmatic teachings of the Worldwide Church of God though! I really did like this explanation though..... for why and how the world would have such a different economic atmosphere by the year 2185.... and..... I should repeat one important verse from post #1...... It sure looks like some passages in Malachi hold the key to the world avoiding being....."smitten with a curse." Mal 4:5 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.

Really? Cool. I trust the church, and since they are only handling the money and managing it for God, who I am to argue?

Strangely enough, I say yes. I never had them until I had some missionaries help me with a move. One of them asked for a pizza with pineapple, a request that was almost enough to make me barf. But, being the adventurous soul that I am, once I got it home, I took a piece and really liked it!

I can only find references to him saying the exact opposite. Mostly this talk: and another reference to groups of conspiring people stirring up the people to wickedness in 2003.

LDS believe that ALL Truth comes from God. Receiving this Truth is not limited to just people in His Church, but ALL men are entitled to receive it-- the Father gives Truth to those that earnestly ask. Storm's account might indeed by revelation for him (I am not in a position to judge that). Now all that being said, different people have different roles/things they do in this life. I believe that Joseph Smith was called to be a Prophet of God, hold that formal office in God's Church, and lead in that role. Storm is not in that role-- which neither am I. Different roles for different people. That all makes your poll hard to answer: because yes this Storm dude could indeed have received revelation, but that doesn't put him in the role of Prophet of God the way Joseph Smith was.

Is it just me, or does it seems like we cycle through this sort of thing over time. It seems like this is not the first time the Church has asked to be called by its official name and to try to distance itself from the "Mormon" moniker. It seems to me that we have tried many times to distance ourselves from the nickname "Mormon", and we never seems to make any real progress in separating ourselves from it.

Not just the state - I'm 100% certain the lawyer intentionally set this guy up - the facts make "coincidence" way too incredible.

Thanks, all! My husband surprised me. When I came home from a class last night, he had his scriptures out along with preach my gospel. He said he has a goal to go to the temple in 2 months time. I said I would support him. We also discussed our poor communication skills, and things we can do to support each other in our marriage. I know it won't all be rainbows and sunshine, but it feels like we're finally on the same gospel page. And I think the best part is that he came to the decision on his own. Yes, I'm sure I influenced it, but I made it clear that I was willing to go along with him at his own pace before he surprised me with this. We're going to read scriptures before bed. And maybe add some things in as we go, but for now, I think this is a good start. We had a wonderful discussion last night about our families, the gospel, and teaching our children. Sometimes it does take something bad to happen to bring people closer together, and I hope that is the case. Thanks for your love, support, and encouragement.

Thank you so much. That was so interesting. There is a company that I do business with frequently that is operated by people of the Jewish faith. They close for all Jewish holidays. They even close when the Jewish Sabbath starts which includes shutting down the option to purchase anything from their website. I have a high respect for people that practice their faith above the bottom dollar. I have noticed that they are closed much more in September.

Welcome, @Tyme! First, you shouldn't worry about files or "they". Worry instead about your faith, your intentions, and your relationship with Christ. If you are willing to humble yourself and do whatever is required to restore that relationship and receive again the blessings of baptism, the priesthood (if male), and temple blessings, then there shouldn't be a problem. It may take time, but people do return to the Church after resigning and after excommunication. Be completely honest in any interviews involved (again, it's not about "files" or whether "they" already know something, it's about honestly working with the Lord's representatives to work your way back into full fellowship, which is a process, not an event). It's often recommended here by folks who have come back from inactivity that you just show up at church one Sunday and see how it goes. Share only as much as you're ready to, do only as much as you're ready to, and work your way back into church attendance. When you're up to it, go talk to your bishop - he'll know what to do.

The desire for money to do good things with it is not a bad thing in my opinion as long as the money is obtained through honest work or means. In Jacob chapter 2 verses 18 to 19 it reads: "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted." I think this Reign of Judges, Title of Liberty movie can be used as a tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray about it and get your own revelation on the subject.

Keep a journal. You can have as many I love you's and I miss you's in this journal as you want. Pour your heart out and everything. You can give it to her when she gets back. Of course, the best advice I can give is for you to also go on a mission if you haven't yet.

Anything you do on top of 'writing her every so often', would be a distraction. Happy waiting and writing!

I'm not sure if this is related, but for some strange reason my oldest daughter just got a "come look at us" letter from the University of Utah.

Self preservation. My now-7-year-old was born with an instinct for groin strikes in her sleep. Even napping with her on the couch these days I wake up at the slightest twitch and make sure I'm not open to a foot, knee or elbow.

Your'e way too kind. I think something much harsher is needed - and deserved. No doubt @zil has a bag of tricks she's been plotting to use for years.

Did someone say ‘Intervention’? Can we tie him up in the basement of the compound? Play sitar music?

Pineapple on pizza should be an arrestable offense.

I think that @MormonGator needs to take a fast from Kiss - maybe a decade or two. No doubt such a fast would do his personal and spiritual development a great deal of much needed good.

I agree, that ‘d’ sounds better on the ears than the ‘D’

OK, but I can't bring myself to capitalize the "d", so you'll have to be "Latter-day Saint Fether".

just saying, I posted a thread on this 4 minutes before this garbage plagiarism was posted... and my thread had a link. EVEVERYONE COME TO MY THREAD!! https://mormonhub.com/forums/topic/65476-new-guidance-on-using-the-name-of-the-church/

You can still call me Saint Mordorbund.

The rest of us are all hangin' out over here:

Ah, well. There's always LDS.net to fall back on.