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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/06/21 in all areas

  1. I like how this man talks about solving the world poverty through immigration. It is impossible. Take a listen at what he has to say:
    3 points
  2. I want to add 2 scriptures. JSH 1:17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! I'm pretty sure that the Hear Him movement originates from this scripture. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: Sheep do not understand English, Aramaic, Hebrew, or Greek. But they obviously can pick out their Shepherd's voice and follow him. Thus we don't necessarily have to Hear His voice in our ears or mind and interpret the words in order to follow him. Perhaps we just need to perceive the Holy Ghost promptings and the Light of Christ - AND follow.
    2 points
  3. It has been said that this is the one question that theists cannot answer. I would say that it is one question that atheists will not accept an answer to. There is history to this question that needs to be pointed out. Thousands of years ago, people asked this question of "the gods." But this was not meant as an excuse to disbelieve there were gods or even "God." At the time, such an idea would be like saying that the stars didn't shine at night. It was intended, instead, to be a philosophical question to allow people to ponder and consider the nature and purpose of suffering in the world. While I don't know where, when, or who... the question was eventually turned on its head by atheists as a weapon to bludgeon the theist. "If you can't answer this question, then you are just an ignoramus who believes in the unbelievable." The atheist (who claims both moral and intellectual superiority in this vein) fails to recognize how ignorant this position is. "I refuse to believe in a God that allows good people to suffer." The fact is that the question itself is flawed in many ways. For example: What is considered "bad"? Why is "suffering" an automatic "bad thing"? What exactly makes a "good person"? Is suffering all you see? What have YOU done to alleviate suffering of those you cite? Regardless of the answer, how does that change the reality of God in any way? If you were God, what would you do that is different? How would you handle all the side-effects of going your route? Omnipotent By the very nature of reality, there cannot be a truly, completely, in every conceivable way: "All powerful" Imagine how completely boring that would be. Where would the glory be in that? Where would be the joy? What power can there be when anything can be anything else? Nothing is anything, therefore any power to do anything is meaningless. It is a philosophical paradox that if you were truly all powerful, you actually have no power to do anything meaningful. And if you can't do anything meaningful, you're really a failure. "Omnipotent" in previous centuries didn't really mean what many people think of in the absolute sense. It tended to mean two things: Having so much more power than any other being in consideration that they may as well be completely all powerful. He is the final authority. There is no higher court to take your appeal. He's the last and final word on whether you live or die. With this, we understand that there are certain realities that have to be addressed, if not obeyed -- no matter if you are all powerful or not. A Good Person The Savior said: With this one verse, the Savior pointed out that NO ONE has a claim on the title of "good person." We're all sinners. We're ALL fallen. Yet the atheist would have us believe that there are some among us that don't have need of redemption. How can we answer a quesion that starts out with an incorrect assumption that has already been pointed out? None of us has a credible claim to rewards in heaven earth. The late Milton Friedman said, "First of all, none of us get what we deserve. And thank heaven for that." The reality is that without a Savior, every one of us would be deserving of the pains of hell for all eternity. Think about that. That is how evil every one of us are. That is how terrible the nature of sin is. And if we had all the worst things in life happen to us, that would be justice for our sins. So, when someone asks, "Why me?" I might ask, "Why NOT me?" Yet we sit smug in our comfortable world where we can say "Meh, I'm a good enough person and have a good enough life." False assumption. False conclusion. Bad Things How do we know what is a bad thing? It causes pain or suffering? Sounds reasonable. But is it true? Read the following story: https://www.lollydaskal.com/leadership/good-luck-bad-luck-knows/ I heard a better much longer version that went back and forth to good and bad things to hammer the point home. But the point is illustrated sufficiently here. I know of a lot of things in my life that seemed bad at the time (Seriously. I was in the middle of long term unemployment and was considering suicide, literally) but with hindsight, I now see what good eventually came of it. Most of my life I've had "bad things" happen that were necessary steps to get me to another place where some really good things happened. So, how do we know? I'd submit that we simply don't. I could also tell you of some stories in my family history where an untimely death in the family turned out to be a good thing. An abusive situation turned a life around and many good things eventually turned out good. By saying this, I'm sure some smart aleck will ask, "So, you're saying that abuse is a good thing?" Well, live up to the moniker "Aleck" and you can miss the gold by looking for the sludge. Again, this is the attitude of the atheist who asks the original question. Third Parties Suffering/misfortune is required for there to be the opportunity to serve. This is often discussed as a commentary on "opposition in all things." Yes, it is. But it also says something about the nature of "need." We see people suffering all the time. But when we KNOW those people, then we tend to place them in two camps: Well, that's what they get when ... Oh, wow! That's unfortunate. We need to help them out. Even there we tend to make a partial judgment about "bad things happening to good people". But at no time is it an excuse to disbelieve in God. It is whether we would be helping or harming by offering succor to that person at that time. I'd submit that the vast majority of Christians use it as an excuse to perform some meaningful service. I'd also submit that the vast majority of Atheists use it as an excuse to disbelieve God. Thus we see that the "allowance of suffering" says very little about God. It speaks volumes about the person asking the question. Most of the time when atheist decry God's ambivalence to human suffering, it is just an excuse. How many of them actually try to do something about it themselves? Most don't. That's why the question was never about the suffering itself. It was just an excuse. And as an excuse, no answer to the question is acceptable. Nature of Trials Too often we think of anything unpleasant as "undesireable". Well, then why the heck did I eat all those peas (I hate peas). They're good for me. Well, so is kim chee. But no one was trying to force me to eat that all the time. We do some things we don't really enjoy because we know they're good for us. The successful person is willing to go through that which the unsuccessful person is NOT willing to go through. Let me rephrase. One who inherits the Celestial Kingdom is willing to suffer what the Telestial/Terrestrial person is NOT willing to suffer. We tend to think of "prove" as in a court of law or a matter of debate to determine if something is true or false. It isn't really just that dichotomy alone. Another definition of "prove" is These trials are not only to strengthen us, but to show what our true qualities and characteristics are. Thus, we go back to the nature of "Omnipotent". God is not to be revered because He overcomes simple tasks, but because He can overcome the greatest of challenges. Similarly, we ourselves cannot hope for great reward in heaven without overcoming great trials either. It has nothing to do with "what we deserve." It has everything to do with eventual results. In that way, we see suffering as simply a necessary part of life. And we tend to be able to bear it much more easily. ************************************************ I'm going to use my recent experience during this winter storm as an illustration for all this. During this winter storm, I did what I thought was supposed to be done. But I was rushing through all my preps. Then I prayed to have the Lord bless my efforts that they would be sufficient. But some "bad things" happened. A pipe burst in the well house. And a pipe burst in the wall of my house. These two things alerted me to some dysfunctional items of the plumbing at my house. I needed to fix them. I also learned a great deal from the experience. I learned a lot more about plumbing than I had in the past. I also have some drywall and framing work that I cannot do on my own. So, I can hire a friend who's been looking for work. And he's very good at drywall. I learned other things I need to fix for some future expansion I was planning. I learned about some things to NOT do with the shut offs that I had. We thought we were well prepared for the cold because we had plenty of water and plenty of wood. But one thing we discovered is that you can't stay warm on hardwood (oak) alone. You have to have a balance of hard and softwood (pine). We had plenty of oak. We had very little pine. I spent a bunch of time trying to split oak. Very difficult. My neighbor (bishopric) must have seen me suffering and came over to tell me that he had plenty of pine to share. Later, my ministering brother came and gave me a bunch of more wood. His was oak also. But for some reason, his was easier to split into smaller pieces. They burned hotter than the thick logs we had prepared. More learning. More opportunities for service. This time, I was on the receiving end. A rare thing. The State of Texas experienced blackouts like never before. This was bigger, longer, and more widespread than Harvey. But what we learned was that we had weaknesses in the grid. A large part was our dependence on renewables. Part of it was an outdated system. Part of it was the dependence on warmer weather (this was a storm like we'd never seen). We learned what we need to improve on. So, why is there no answer to the question? There is. In fact, there are many (many more than I've listed here). But none that the atheist cares to listen to.
    1 point
  4. Take your own advice and read it all and then decide for yourself. Also, there is a story in the Bible that might help, it is about Jonah.
    1 point
  5. Going on a slight side-tangent. I cannot speak on everything, but that is something that I can understand to a degree, especially for those from older generations. The Japanese should be treated with the respect we give to any other individual. That was hard for many in the past. During World War 2 the Japanese attacked the United States of America. The War with them brought great suffering. Certain things became more scarce during the war than they were during the Great Depression even. There was rationing. Fortunately, many in the U.S. were united in a common cause and bore these trials. More occurred though. I have an Uncle I never knew as well as a cousin. Both died in the Pacific. That can be a heavy thing. When you have relatives that were killed by another nation, hard feelings arise. To put it into context, there have been about as many who have died from Covid-19 as did in World War 2. Many of us know others who have died from it (I have had several friends and acquaintances die from it thus far, though it may be my age group is more greatly affected by it). Imagine, if one can, that it was not an invisible disease that caused these deaths, but other people from a hostile nation that were killing your friends and relatives. How would that make you feel towards those people. There was great grief and great anger. As I said, this affected me personally to a degree, though ironically I also had relatives who fought on both sides (Axis and Allies), my direct family were in the U.S. and were loyal patriots. I was born after the War and so never got to know that Uncle or cousin that died during the War. I saw the affect it had. Hard feelings arise from those situations. Those hard feelings can also be passed down to children. My uncle suffered a particularly horrible death at the hands of the Japanese in World War 2. It affected my family deeply. The death of my cousin was not something that was easy to accept either, but that was easier to accept how they died than my uncle. There are some I do not think ever got over it. To understand the depths of the pain that the death caused could help explain why some cannot get over such things. In some ways, just talking about those who killed or hurt you is like a curse word. Such pain can be transferred to your children as well. One of the several great balms of the gospel is that of forgiving. Forgiveness can be hard, especially when trying to forgive those who did great harm to friends or relatives. One of my Father's great fears was dealing with my Son-in-Law who is a Japanese-American. He was afraid of how the rest of the family would react to my daughter marrying someone of Japanese descent. I am happy to say that after these many decades, forgiveness truly is a great gift. It is not that my son-in-law is responsible for the actions of the Japanese in any way. He had no part in that war long ago. But, it was a forgiveness of the pain that is seen connected to the Japanese people that gave the balm and enabled my family to be able to interact with those of that descent later. My son-in-law is a wonderful person. He is terrific for my daughter and I am glad he is part of our family. The gospel (even for those who are not members, but read the words of the Lord and follow them) offers a wonderful message in it's message of repentance, forgiveness, and peace. It is not always easy. However, we are better people for it and sometimes it offers a greater gift by following it if we heed it. I know that it has brought this miracle to my family and we have been greatly blessed by our interactions with my son-in-law. But I can also understand those who do not have that message or struggle with it. Bitter feelings can be hard to overcome, especially with things such as occurred during World War 2. That entire generation and their children suffered from it, and many still have a hard time with things that occurred during that war (well, of my generation and for those who are still alive of our parents generation). Some may never overcome that bitterness and anger. I love my son-in-law and my daughter. I love my grandchildren. I have learned a great deal from them and am grateful for them. I cherish that family. I can understand those that may not have been so blessed as I have though.
    1 point
  6. More news about the Reign of Judges movie. They raised about $1,600,000 with the donations from many people for the movie. Then someone came in with a large sum of money to donate recently. News is they will begin filming the movie in 2021. They changed the name of the film also to: Reign of Judges, A New Freedom.
    1 point
  7. I am for trying to help people improve their situation and lives in their own countries. Allowing mass unregulated and unfiltered immigration pouring over the United States border will not make life better for us or the immigrants that come. The United States cannot take in more than we can assimilate into American life. We have our own citizens to also worry about. Mass illegal immigration can also cause many blue collar worker wages to drop in many areas of employment making life harder for our own citizens already here trying to make a living.
    1 point
  8. I am not sure that many understand very much concerning what the depth of the question is. Since I have dealt with a great many atheists I will speak as best I can though I am not all that worthy to speak for atheists. First off -- What is meant by Good People are those that make and strive to keep covenants with G-d. Bad things are the maledictions expected to happen to those that deliberately do not make nor keep sacred covenants with G-d. The classic example is Job as recorded in ancient scripture. Perhaps the most misunderstood principle of the plan of happiness of G-d is that if we define all things between birth and death then the arguments of atheists are well founded and have no reasonable answer. Without belief of a pre-existence and a post death resurrection no religion makes any sense any more than the beliefs of infidels and atheists. Even the Book of Job would be proven to be fantasy with ample historical precedence unless we can project to a post resurrection. Regardless of whatever efforts any individual devotes themselves to in life - death is the inevitable result and only through faith can there be hope of a resurrection. There is no empirical evidence of a resurrection - so without faith in the resurrection there is no possible hope beyond death - death being the ultimate bad thing. The Traveler
    1 point
  9. @carlimac, you ask important and provocative questions. I would just encourage you not to get too hung up on the idea that whatever answers you arrive at need to perfectly align with President Nelson’s talk. The emphasis in his April 2020 address is on “Hear Him”, not on “Hear Him”. Nelson himself acknowledges in that talk that “hear[ing] Him” includes obedience, scripture study, temple worship, recognizing the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, and following the prophets. His point is how we prepare ourselves to receive and act upon revelation. The talk is not intended as a doctrinal exposition about the mechanics of revelation or the ultimate composition or roles of the Godhead.
    1 point
  10. From Brandon Sanderson (via Dalinar Kohlin): A principle is a principle because it is a hard thing to do. It is a principle because it asks us to sacrifice something and even suffer for it. Without that, it isn't a principle.
    1 point
  11. As @bytebear alludes, it was the gold plates (created and initially written by Nephi) that were written in “reformed Egyptian”). The brass plates to which Nephi and Lehi are referring in 1 Nephi 3:19 had been created by someone else and were (presumably) written in Hebrew. The Lehites may have initially brought other Hebrew documents from Jerusalem with them initially; but they were acutely aware that any physical records they possessed/created would, at some point, be lost (Jacob 4:1-4); the brass and gold plates being the only exceptions to this general rule (Alma 37:1-5).
    1 point
  12. The Hambonies and the Shalomies. If you add some cheese in there between some unleavened bread, they were collectively called the Italian Submatzoes.
    0 points