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How would you reply if a stalwart, straight as an arrow family member of yours who was a former bishop and now resides in the stake presidency texted you this. "We believe that non-members can receive visions too, so, not to scare you but to be better prepared, we as members always knew this was coming but I just didnt know so soon!" https://youtu.be/6TdpMSMP9x4

I was in a dicussion the other day about the concept of "freedom" and what it means to us, why it is important, how we get it, and how we preserve it. As I do in any sort of semantic discussion, I looked up the definition and etymology. Interesting find. The etymology of the word comes from "love" or "beloved". A little research showed me that it was not romantic love or brotherly love. It was familial love. In other words, if you have family, you have freedom. The actual history has a lot of interesting points. But I'd like to focus on this aspect of freedom = family. Gospel points: Liberty and Eternal Life or captivity and death. Eternal Life requires sealing as a family. The gospel is very family focused. "Anti-family" is "Anti-Christ".

An example of someone who personally wants all the benefits of the Church is a Hospital for Sinners model, but then condemns anyone else who is there and also sick. Christ commands us to meet as a Church. He even goes so far as to even put his name on it. One of the many reason is that it is part of the continued test of mortality. If we can't practice Christ-like charity toward people who are trying (no matter how flawed). What hope to we have to lay claim on the blessing of the Celestial Kingdom? If one can not follow the Good Samaritan model toward the flawed faithful, one will not be able to do it to the stranger as the Lord commands.

Not necessarily related to the thread but this verse kind of made me step back and look at things a little bit different. For the righteous, when they die, they enter into paradise. And while they are probably still concerned about us they live without all the chaos and tumult that surrounds us here in this life. It's almost like we exist in this tiny snow globe in space that is constantly getting shaken up whilst peace reigns throughout the rest of the universe. Oh how that must be nice! 🙄 Okay, back to reality.

Alma 40 has some more information about what happens between death and resurrection. 11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. 12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. 13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil. 14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

That’s a very interesting perspective. I’m reminded of books like Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s A Brave New World where there just are no families. In A Brave New World babies are manufactured. Everyone belongs to everyone. Isn’t that a big goal of socialist/communist ideals? The state is your father/mother or your big brother who watches out for you. Or just the idea that’s been floating around for years now that you should “create your own family.” I have a sister who has in many ways rejected the family she grew up in and considers her friends to be more her family than her actual family.

One might hope. Because there is a world of difference between being excited at the new possibilities Technology gives us to Preach and Live the Gospel. And declaring the old ways of doing so as being the cause of all our woes and problems... Because he has being doing the later ever since he joined the site.