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As I've begun, for the first time, to read the Journal of Discourses, I have come across tidbits that are helping me to erase any assumptions I may have had about eternity and progression. My ultimate answer? I just don't know but God is really, really merciful- I trust Him.

Would you be open to privatizing SS for young people?

My family is the holder of the best known copy of the Rules of the United Order. For your fun and enjoyment I have printed out a copy (on my compurter not a photo copy) of the rules of the United Order. The Traveler

Th I brought it up because when we are in theological discussions we need to be careful about the statement- "I'll believe what the Prophets have said." as a sort of trump card- because the mortal men who have served as prophets and Apostles have said lots of things. I'm glad they don't really speculate or relate the personal musings from the stand anymore.

I'm not so sure I agree with the idea of either you are progressing or regressing. There is a very damaging idea in corporatism today (not to be confused with capitalism, which is the ideal, corporatism and monopolist are probably the counter of capitalism in the opposite direction of socialism if one thinks about it) that you must always be increasing your profits. Each Quarter needs to be better than the last and you must always be expanding. However, sometimes the best course is to simply stay where you are at. An Empire is normally the precursor to a nation's fall. Sometimes that fall is greater than what they would have been had they merely been content with existing. This also goes along with what the Chemist writes above, and IS problematic. As per his own statement, things progress until they reach their zenith (like an Empire) and then regress after that. This would indicate that once we reach the zenith in eternity, we automatically start regressing. That's a TERRIBLE idea and one that is ignored after he talks about it and forgets to apply THAT principal to his ideas in what follows as well. I think there could be eternal progression, there can also be regression, but I also think there are those that can just be existing. They are neither progressing or regressing, but have an end to their progress and regress in the glory that they receive.

Heh - two choices: 1-The government will take care of you and make all the decisions. 2-People take charge of their own futures and some of 'em will screw up and ruin their futures. 401ks have been providing tax-advantaged reliable 4-8% returns since they were invented. If you started investing at age 20, and then there's a massive crash when you reach age 65 and your account suddenly dropped 40% in value, you'd still have more money to pull out of it than you'll see back from social security taxes of the same amount over the same timeframe. Investing in the stock market is no more a gambling scheme, than sticking cash in a coffee can, or buying gold, or investing in real estate. Gambling is gambling. There is no risk until you decide to gamble, then the odds favor the house. Having money and doing something with it is not gambling. The risk exists no matter what you do, you have say in increasing or decreasing your risk, but you can't eliminate the risk.

Greetings @JohnsonJones: Back in the 80’s an international acclaimed economists (Milton Friedman) did an audit of the Social Security for then President Ragan. His audit was somewhat unpopular – especially for the Democrats but it did upset Republicans as well. Two of the biggest problems with the Social Security Department was the expanded use of the funds (for example the funding of Black Military Ops) and the exorbitant overhead costs (10 time the allowable overhead costs – by law – for privately funded retirement funds). According to Friedman, there has never been a shortage of funds, rather poor management (including unfunded changes). As near as I can tell - none of Milton's recomendations have been adopted. The Traveler

The easiest solution is the one they will not choose. The easiest solution is to raise taxes on Social Security, and a simple method is to make it so there is no limit on how much you make that can be taxed. If you make 2 million in a year, it is taxed for Social Security. At the same time, do NOT increase the limits on how much one can withdraw. This action right here would probably extend SS for awhile longer. Secondary would be to simply raise the retirement age. Raise it to 70 or higher. That also would extend it. Now, I note that I am waaay past the SS age already, so many would probably be saying...okay Boomer. You got your cake and now you want to keep everyone else from getting theirs...or something like that. I admit I've been blessed in this regard, but if I live as long as I plan (I plan to go over 100!! no idea if I'll ever make it though), I'll be facing those shortages right along with others who haven't started their SS yet. I think the most likely thing that will happen is that the politicians will continue to kick the can down the road until we are about a week from it going away. Then they will all scramble (like they do with the Budget recently) only to discover this problem isn't as easy to fix...and that will be it. I only hope I have enough money in my retirement accounts that I can get by if that ever happens (though with my luck, all stocks will fail, the banks will go bankrupt, and all the rest of my money will be gone as well, at which point I can only hope the Lord has appeared and we are living in millennial bliss by that point)(.

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. - Matthew 21:14 ...as we come unto Jesus Christ by exercising faith in Him, repenting, and making and keeping covenants, our brokenness—whatever its cause—can be healed. This process, which invites the Savior’s healing power into our lives, does not just restore us to what we were before but makes us better than we ever were. I know that through our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can all be mended, made whole, and fulfill our purpose. - Cristina B. Franco

Just how eternal is Jesus as Father? Gotcha. What is that in aleph notation?

You’ll be asked the following:

One concerning incident I was involved with as a teacher was a family trying to get their kid declared disabled in order to get SSI. No one in the family worked (Mom, Dad, and Grandma) and relied on an assortment of programs to survive. Kid had ADHD, which, if extreme enough, can qualify for a disability, sure. The parents' strategy was to enroll him in online school to manipulate his school work and use that to try for an IEP (which apparently can help with SSI cases). Kid didn't qualify for IEP because our only evidence of any learning issue was the parents not sending him to class and then obviously manipulating his school work. Mom threw a tantrum, then complained in a mutual Facebook group how concerned she now was about finances since they couldn't rely on a 6-year-old's SSI.

Very little is revealed on the 2nd Heaven (Terrestrial Kingdom). We know there are different degrees in the Telestial and Celestial Kingdoms, but nothing is revealed on the Terrestrial. There are likely hundreds of degrees in Telestial Kingdom, but only three in the Celestial. The Telestial Kingdom will also have the most inhabitants according to my understand of Doctrine & Covenants 76 verse 109: "But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore;" I am grateful for all the light and knowledge revealed in Doctrine & Covenants Section 76.

The expression “they are one God” in verse 4 is referring specifically to Christ in his simultaneous roles as the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, the Creator (Father) of all things in heaven and earth when an unembodied Spirit, and the Father of salvation through the atonement to all who believe on his name. Hopefully, the following annotated verses will help make things clear… 3 The Father (Christ is here being referred to as the Father of our of salvation) because he was conceived by the power of God (I.e. Christ was endowed with the divine power needed in order to successfully offer an infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice while in the flesh); and the Son, because of the flesh (the same person whom we call the Father of heaven and earth and the Father of our salvation is also be called the Son of God because he is the literal earthly Son of Elohim); thus becoming the Father and Son (the Father because he is the Father of heaven and earth, as well as the Father of our salvation through the atonement, and he is also the Son because Elohim is the literal Father of his earthly body). 4 And they (i.e. the Father of heaven and earth, the Father of our salvation, and the Son of God in the flesh) are one God (in this particular instance the prophet is speaking of only one personage, namely Jesus Christ), yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. (Mosiah 15) These seemingly inscrutable words of Abinadi become clear when it’s understood that in these verses the prophet is speaking of Christ in his dual fatherly role as the Father of heaven and earth, and even more especially as the atoning Father of salvation.

One who reads through the books of Matthew and John finds in them not only the account of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the story of the establishment of his kingdom on earth, but the evidences that he fulfilled the prophecies concerning the promised Messiah. These two apostles seemed to have been concerned with the fact that the Lord fulfilled the prophecies, as well as doing wonderful and awe-inspiring works before people. ... We can take comfort that the great events of the future have been prophesied in considerable detail, and that when they are fulfilled, the events of that fulfillment will occur as naturally and as surely as have those of the distant past. - S. Dilworth Young But if ye keep the commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth command you, (for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever ye must do with them) behold, no power of earth or hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words. For he will fulfil all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers. - Alma 37:16-17

Yup. It’s guaranteed to fail, just a matter of when.

They successfully launched the Super Heavy vehicle to orbital speeds this morning. This is the largest object ever launched by humanity. History was made on SpaceX's 22 birthday, and it is pie day. Well done Elon. https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-third-test-flight-launch

In my estimate, I have paid around $51,000 into Social Security over my life of working and I will probably never collect it. Give the Federal Government control of part of your retirement funds. What could possibly go wrong? Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme ever created in my opinion.

As far as a parent being proud of something their child did depends on attitude too. Now if that same parent takes it to the point of being boastful and it turns into a "my kid is better than your kid" kind of thing, there is a difference.

For those that are wondering, there is not a penny left in the Social Security trust fund. What is left in that trust fund is an IOU from the federal government. Sadly, that IOU is not referenced nor considered when the national debt is calculated. It is perhaps the happiest place for the federal government to borrow money because there is no interest paid on the money that is borrowed from Social Security. I am sure if you ask anyone in the Social Security Administration – they will tell you that Social Security is as secure as our borders. The Traveler