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ANY disciple of Christ has the right to ask Him for aide, including driving out negative spirits. For example, Joseph Smith did so during the preamble to the First Vision-- he had no priesthood at all, wasn't baptized, or even taught the fullness of the Gospel.

So my tale begins with a foolish mistake: joining a Facebook group. It was devoted to people helping people and, really, where can one go wrong there? People state what they need, people state what they have to offer, etc. And lately I've been observing the group not in the spirit of charity but with the anticipation of watching a garbage fire. For example: One woman begged for baby stuff, and I'm trying to get rid of baby stuff as my baby departs that stage. She was unable to pick it up, and driving to her city was mostly out of the question for me. But she was staying in a motel temporarily being used for the homeless and said she had just had a baby... I never did get down to her city because not only is it really hard for me but stuff didn't seem right. Her profile showed no baby or pregnancy pictures, which could easily just be a privacy preference. But when others suggested she look into WIC she said she " didn't have children". A few weeks later, she said she needed a whole array of baby stuff because she was now pregnant. Another person came right out and said she was simply gathering baby stuff to sell online. (Which I have no issue with in and of itself, but why would you lie about your motherhood status?) In another example, a woman actually near me needed help with food: demanding all sorts of stuff I deem fancy and unnecessary (no one is "desperate" for ice cream, soda, cookies, etc.) I live in a fairly cook-from-scratch home, so stuff like frozen pizzas and such is foreign to me. Then, another part of me thinks, who I am to judge what people are able to serve the families? And then it gets worse: I see people who need EVERYTHING. Obviously, something happened to them and I can even pat myself on the back for giving some stuff to a guy who was apparently getting housing after being homeless for years. The thing is, instead of thinking "how can I help these people?" I find myself thinking awful thoughts about how they are greedy, liars, or can't get their lives together. I've decided to leave the group, but how can back into a better state of charity?

I try to give to strangers sparingly. I have limited service ability (particularly fiscally) so when I choose to aid someone, I pick people I know or an organization I trust. Making a community based on charity or consecration is a good idea... but it is a bad idea if anyone is allowed in. it is going to make up people who are either givers or takers. There is little reciprocity from the takers . The only time it works is when the community is selective and there is a common understanding and expectation of responsibility.

If you have a homeless shelter or a place that prepares meals for the homeless, perhaps helping out there (within safety of course) could help restore a love of charity. If you have a food bank which offers food, volunteering or helping out there could also help with charity.

The Aaronic priesthood won’t be taken from the earth until rightful heirs to this priesthood, meaning the sons of Levi, or rather his direct descendants, again offer sacrifice to the Lord. At that time this appendage of the Melchizedek priesthood will be absorbed back into its original source.

In other news, I got a shingles shot and flu shot last week. That night, I got the chills. And the next day, I had the sweats. Normal mild reactions to a vaccine. Since I'm part of a phase 3 research program, I have to report all changes in my health periodically. I notified the app last week, and I'll notify the clinic gathering the research in the next week or two when they call me for the routine questions. And since there are tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of us in various studies, reporting data across the country, I'm sure my story is hardly unique. Our data will be entered in various databases, probably into the VAERS database too. Where people who lack some critical understandings of how things work, will be able to look through VAERS and claim "People who get the COVID vaccine, can get spontaneous chills and sweats 6 months after their injection!" (See, I got the COVID shot in August, and now it's Feb, so that's around 6 months.) Because they don't understand how things work. That's why they'll be able to make a claim like that. They will go to VAERS, filter on people who have been vaccinated for COVID, and note the symptoms and timeframe. And because they're ignorant in some basic understanding on how the data works, they'll assume my chills and sweats from the shingles shot, actually came from my COVID shot. They will be wrong, but there you go.

Things take time. For the record, I am still planning on getting the vaccine. Supposedly around 20% of the people my age in the area have already been vaccinated. I think part of the problem people my age are having is everything is supposed to be online for sign ups and it is terribly confusing. That's not why I'm posting in the thread though. There is an update to some of the worries that people have noted here, and there is a risk. It has been shown that there were cases of death when the vaccine was administered and it appears to have caused some of those deaths. This is the link to a copy of the research (I think this is from a site that allows free downloads, I have access via the university system to sites with research that are not open to non-payers so sometimes finding a source which has it for free can be difficult, but I think this is a site at least allows limited free access occasionally). Reports of Anaphylaxis After Receipt of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in the US—December 14, 2020-January 18, 2021 It seems that the vaccine shot can lead to anaphylaxis shock in some individuals, after around 17.5 million shots being administered that there were around 66 cases of this. There also seems to be a trend between those who have had anaphylaxis previously (it looks to be around 16 individuals who previously suffered from it suffered from it again with the shot). Women are slightly more subject to this then men. The numbers seem to pan out that you have a .00005% chance of having this occur from the results thus far, which seems to me to be a safe range which is why I am still planning on taking the vaccine. However, it is noted that prior concerns about the vaccine having some negative affects on people could occur, and I thought I'd post the paper that supports those who feel this way. That said, I still feel the results indicate that my chances are better getting the vaccine than not...but that's my personal stance right now.

You seem to be interpreting “angel” as (for lack of a better word) a “rank” or a “degree” or a “state of being”. That definition doesn’t really work in Mormonism. “Angel”, in our theology, is just a generic term for a being that happens to be engaged in a certain sort of work. I work in a law office. There are attorneys and paralegals and legal secretaries. Every now and then we have to run documents or evidence over to other law offices. Whoever happens to be doing that job is a “messenger”, regardless of our professional certification or pay grade or hierarchal status Similarly, “angel” is just a generic term for a being who is doing an errand on God’s behalf (and especially, in scripture, the sort of errand that entails leaving an unseen realm in order to commune with mortal humans). From scripture and/or uncanonized experiences of Church leaders (notably Joseph Smith) we can infer that sometimes they are resurrected, celestialized beings; and sometimes they are beings who have not yet been resurrected. I’m not aware of any hard-and-fast statement in LDS discourse that says resurrected terrestrial or telestial beings can’t function as “angels”; we simply don’t know of any precedent for their doing so.

Well...those who never accept the Lord's atonement and do not accept him as their Lord probably will not have much, if any, good news. Hopefully there are not many of them. We believe that all men (and women) will eventually have the opportunity to accept the Lord. Those who do not, even after that, that is their choice. In that case, as we choose one or the other master, if they do not choose the good master, most likely they have chosen the other, and in that instance may be even fighting against the Lord and his mercy, even to the bitter end in hopes of doing away with the Lord and his salvation he offers. If they are in that boat, most likely they never repented in this life or the next, and as such, have completely rejected the Lord and his atonement. In that case, they may have heard the good news, but probably, as they will fight against it and the Lord and reject it, may not take it as good news.

Joseph Smith taught that many of the early Relief Society sisters had the gift of healing, that it was a gift of the Spirit, and used Mark 16 to justify the practice among the sisters. Those same verses speak of casting out devils and I think the same applies for that.

It has long been my impression that many of the principles of doctrine given to us in revelation are more vague than precise. Without going into a long drawn out discussion - I believe this is because G-d wants us to learn to rely on spiritual guidance and exercise faith rather than to rely on our logic and understanding. I realize this is somewhat of an oxymoron, especially in a forum like this where we speak mostly in terms of our logic and understanding. With all this said I will respond according to the understanding of The Traveler. First, I would express that I have had extensive experience dealing directly with unclean spirits. These spirits are bad children and will push whatever boundaries they can get away with whenever it is possible for them to do so. As expressed in D&C section 10 - they will lie, deceive and destroy whatever truth they can to make it appear that you are being caught in a lie. There is no way possible to negotiate or compromise with them. Unlike many fables you cannot make a deal. Their very coordinated and well planed objective is to destroy any effort to resist them and subject you to their control. The only way overcome their influence is through the atonement of Christ and thus in his name. In short we cannot cast them out of ourselves. Rather we must through various means petition our redeemer for deliverance. Part of the circumstance of our fallen state requires that we are subject to Satan and his host of unclean spirits. However, we also have a covenant with G-d to be delivered by Christ our redeemer. The greatest gift that has been granted to us for this is the Gift of the Holy Ghost that is given to all those baptized by an authorized servant of Christ. Anyone with the Gift of the Holy Ghost has power available to them to deal with any circumstance that may arise concerning unclean spirits. If I can I will call upon the Melchizedek to stack the deck sort of speak, as much in my favor as possible but realizing that deliverance comes only from Christ. One last warning, unclean spirits will return with increased vengeance if a way is opened for them. It is my understanding that the best way to keep such a way closed to them is a considered resolve to repent and draw closer to Christ. The Traveler

Reading your post, I tend to want to commiserate rather than offer actual solution alternatives. So I'm of no help. I have never seen such an attitude of entitlement as I see today. A year or so ago, my wife fixed a wonderful Indian dinner and, for various reasons, ended up with a lot left over. She advertised on a FB group that this was available for any who wanted it. Someone responded almost immediately, and my wife gave her the address. She told my wife that she didn't have a car, so couldn't pick it up, So my wife worked out a time FOR US TO DRIVE DOWN TO HER HOUSE AND DELIVER HER OUR FOOD WE WERE GIVING AWAY. But wait. It gets better. So at the appointed hour, I (duly authorized by my wife) drive on down to the apartment housing where they live. The instructions on how to get to their apartment are absolutely horrible. I'm walking around this apartment complex, and no one is coming out to meet me or anything. I literally can't find the apartment (because, as it turns out, the instructions were completely wrong, as if given by a lost child), and after ten or fifteen minutes (!!) of looking, I have decided that I've had it, I'm going home. Just then, a car drives up (let me repeat: A CAR DRIVES UP) and parks. Out gets a very young woman and her boyfriend. They see me and ask me if I have the Indian food. They then show me to their apartment (because they can't be bothered to, you know, take the food from me) and instruct me to put it on the table. No thanks, no gratitude, no "tell your wife how much we love it". Nothing. I was a people person until I met some people.