skalenfehl

Well, there are millions of good Mormons out there. What a better world it might be if each brought one foster child into their home and introduced them into the gospel. It's not at all easy, but it is worth it. :)

I have been and am both a foster and an adoptive parent. There are countless children in dire need of loving, patient, longsuffering parents. Yes, we live in a messed up world but one is either part of the problem or part of the solution.

congrats!

Are you a foster or adoptive parent?

If I ever have doubts (which is never), I simply read the Book of Mormon again. It is the keystone of our religion. It will bring us closer to Christ than any other book on earth. That is the entire point of the book and of our religion. It may not tell you why polygamy was practiced (though Jacob does touch on it) or why so many other things were done. History is plagued with such things such as why did Abraham offer up Isaac as a sacrifice? Why did Solomon have so many wives? Whatever individuals do is between them and God. Ultimately, if you truly lack wisdom, why not connect with the Lord yourself? Ask Him. He will not upbraid. We have been taught how to ask, seek and knock. The Lord does open! :)

Interesting question. I would probably be baptized unto repentance into a community focused on Jesus Christ and administering to the poor and needy.

This is because hymns, especially sacrament hymns, are about our God and King. The very definition of a hymn is a song, which honors God. "Praise To The Man" is a hymn extolling a man even though our Savior is mentioned. The very title makes this obvious.

We all sin. But you have not received a mighty change of heart. A thorough feasting of the scriptures (Book of Mormon) and much prayer and fasting to come unto Christ will help. When the woman taken in sin was brought before Jesus, He did not condemn her. Instead, he told her to "go and sin no more." When we turn from our sins, he invites us to "come and follow me." When we sin, He tells us to "go" When we repent, He invites us to "come" Ask and it shall be given. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened.

Ah, yes. I refer to this site occasionally, too. I think Bryan (webmaster) got the wrong page number, though, and isn't always entirely thorough in his research as he indicates a disclaimer on the home page. I do agree that it was God (Jehovah) who baptized Adam in any case.

Hi Pam, I looked up p. 181. It's not in there. What edition/source are you quoting, please?

You are right, and He made that very clear to the brother of Jared: Jesus Christ received a physical body when He was born. But before then, He was able to organize matter, create worlds without number, touch sixteen stones for the brother of Jared with His finger and yes, even "carry" Adam to the water to be baptized.

Some links to consider: http://mormonprophecy.blogspot.com/2008/10/symbolism-and-creation-part-1.html http://mormonprophecy.blogspot.com/2008/10/saturn-symbolism-in-salt-lake-temple.html http://mormonprophecy.blogspot.com/2008/10/saturn-myths-and-restored-gospel.html Anthony E. Larsen has done extensive research on this amazing subject and has written three books, call the prophecy trilogy and you can find it on amazon.com

I see both sides of the argument. Personally speaking, I am thankful for Joseph Smith, but the hymn, though beautifully written, bothers me, too. I would never want to be praised, extolled, revered, etc. Ever. All of that, in my opinion, should be reserved for none other than our Savior, Jesus Christ. But I will also say this - I don't study any modern president of the church or his revelations more so than I do Joseph Smith.

Nephi also conversed with the "Spirit of the Lord" in 1 Nephi. So did the brother of Jared in the book of Ether when our Savior parted the veil and showed Himself to him. It is none other than our Savior, Jesus Christ, who took Adam down to the water to baptize him with water and then with fire as He promised He would do for all of us who are baptized with water.

I watched Left Behind not knowing what it was about. Ugh...I mean, yeah, I get the message, but it could have been a powerful three minute commercial with a much better effect.

Our Savior was illegally arrested and illegally tried by conspiring forces. While I agree that He gave himself up to His tormentors, it was the Jews (leaders of the church) who pushed for his execution and in their hypocrisy pawned the actual deed off to the Romans. I find it interesting what Christ personally told Pilate:

It is definitely paramount to be temporally prepared, but it is more so imperative to continually prepare ourselves spiritually (filling our lamps with oil). The scriptures have shown us time and time again from the scourge of the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria, the scourge of the southern kingdom of Judah by Babylon, to the scourge and desolation of Zarahemla and the scourging at Kirtland, Nauvoo, etc of the early latter-day saints. Each time the Lord's covenant people were destroyed and/or driven into the wilderness. We read in Isaiah and other books, including the D&C that another scourge is coming. I believe it is fast upon us. But in each case, including Sodom and Gomorrah, the righteous were quietly gathered out. Lot and his family was gathered out by angels. Lehi and Mulek were gathered out from Jerusalem. There is no doubt in my mind that prior to the conquest of Assyria, the righteous were secretly gathered out and driven from the Northern Kingdom into the wilderness and led to their various promised lands. The early saints were finally driven into the wilderness until they came to the Salt Lake Valley. And now the mountains of Ephraim, like all the others in history are ready to be made desolate. And who will be quietly gathered out before destruction is wrought upon us? Will angels (144,000 high priests) be gathering those who have watched for signs and have made themselves ready for the wedding feast of the Bridegroom? If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.

Lectures on Faith (especially the second lecture) gives us a clear understanding of the "tradition" that was passed down from father to son. This tradition was the "knowledge" of the existence of God, which was the "fullness of the gospel," which means receiving the "fullness of the priesthood." To "know" God implies a covenant relationship. This tradition was broken after the flood with Noah, but was reclaimed by Abraham, who was a contemporary of Shem (thought to be renamed Melchizedek by some as Jacob was renamed Israel), who lived long enough after the flood to be a part of Abraham's life. We read in the Book of Mormon of Lehi's theophany and thus the covenant relationship, which he had entered with the Lord, which is clearly indicated by the glimpses that we get into Lehi's life, especially in the first four chapters of Second Nephi, where he truly prophecied concerning things past and future, and also invoked covenant blessings upon his children.

D&C 76: 71 And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of theFirstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of themoon differs from the sun in the firmament. 72 Behold, these are they who died without law; 73 And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; 74 Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. 75 These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men. 76 These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness. 77 These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father. 78 Wherefore, they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun. 79 These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God. 80 And now this is the end of the vision which we saw of the terrestrial, that the Lord commanded us to write while we were yet in the Spirit.

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Thanks! I'll have to look into it. Hebrew scholar, Avraham Gileadi, born in the Netherlands during WWII, who studied in Jerusalem and converted to LDS, has written a small library of books on the book of Isaiah, one of which is "Isaiah Decoded" and I highly recommend it. To date, I have not read a more in-depth analysis of the book of Isaiah. I believe that understanding Isaiah is the key to unlocking the scriptures, all of which regards the House of Israel, from beginning to end.

I believe so, yes. Jesus Christ is both a Father and a Son. Abindi does a very good job explaining this. Anyway, our change in status has to do with our evolving covenant relationship with the Lord. As such, each time we are reborn, we ascend to a new rung on Isaiah's ladder. And like Jacob's ladder, where when we were born into a probationary state, our status changes each time we are justified in the law pertaining to that rung. (Thou shalt not kill is one law on one level, yet Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, demonstrating another law on a higher level). For example, one status is exalted to having our calling and election made sure. Joseph Smith spent a lot of time emphasizing this principle. Our status changes each time we ascend (D&C 76 reveals to us our potential status as Kings and Priests and Queens and Priestesses. I agree with you that when we sin, we descend. This typifies descending in covenant curses. For example, Adam fell and so the Lord cursed the earth for his sake, bringing forth thorns and thistles to torment man. Eve was to bring forth children in sorrow. The further we descend in this manner, the greater the curse. When man descends to despotism and tyranny, we see the curses that accompany these chaotic levels as evidenced in the book of Isaiah. Nebuchadnezzar is a prime example of this. But descending in a covenant relationship with the Lord isn't always sin. Christ was sinless and descended below us all. In the book of Job, the Lord allowed Satan to harm Job. This type of descent typifies ruin/rebirth and humiliation/exaltation. We read about the manner, which the Lord blessed Job for his firmness of faith.

Ascent and descent, though oftentimes involves the physical, is essentially a spiritual journey. Case in point: when we descend in humility and enter a covenant relationship with the Lord and keep our end, we ascend spiritually. We inherit paradise, whereas those who descend spiritually, inherit prison. Coincidentally, this occurs upon a physical change (mortal death). Now consider that before this mortal sphere, Adam and Eve (mankind) ascended and inherited "paradise" when they were "created" or "born" or "reborn" in Eden. Then another descent occurred when Adam fell that men might be. We are continually ascending and descending from one creation to another, continually being reborn and being exalted. The whole universe works this way, even the stars that are formed when they accumulate enough mass to start fusion, at which point they begin to give light. Adam's formation from the "dust" parallels the birth of a star. Just as we must obey laws to ascend to a higher status, so too, do cosmic bodies obey laws. Smaller bodies keep the "law" of the larger bodies (gravity, electrostatics). Moons orbit planets, while planets orbit stars, all of which, orbit a singularity at the center of the galaxy in a giant pattern. "The movement in unison of larger heavenly bodies and the lower nature of 'rogue' entities such as comets, asteroids and dust, parallel the 'oneness' of higher spiritual levels and the chaotic character of lower ones."-Avraham Gileadi

Moroni did lament his weakness in writing, the placement of words and awkwardness of his hands and thought about being the subject of mockery by the Gentiles, to which God informed him that He gives men weaknesses for a reason. He further comforted Moroni by saying, "fools mock, but they shall mourn." It seems to me that Moroni had little education and probably rivaled that of Joseph Smith, who also had little education of his own early on. How interesting the connection between the two and the things they had in common, including one ultimately being a teacher of the other. Incidentally, today (6/27) is the day Joseph Smith and Hyrum were killed 170 years ago.

Moroni 7 sheds important light on the subject. Angels/"true messengers" have unique tasks to perform.