Flyonthewall

The way I see it, if this verse were talking about only idol worship, it would not have included "heaven". Idols are only in earth. But, if there are, as the verse implies, "many gods and lords" in heaven, then it points to more than one G_d. Then in the next verse it clairifies this:6 But to us there is but one aGod, the bFather, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one cLord Jesus Christ, by whom are dall things, and we by him. I believe the Genesis to be correct in that purpose it is for: to teach a concept. Some things is Genesis are symbolic or allegorical in nature. Where as the book of Abraham is more recounting an experience so there is a little more detail involved. We can get insight into the creation from Abraham that is glossed over in Genesis. IMHO. I must confess ignorance on the part of the Catholic version. I have never studied it, nor do I claim any insight on it.

I used the Stake Presidency as an attempt to wrap my head around the Trinity, not to compare it with the LDS outlook on the Godhead. I have heard it said about the Trinity, by those who subscribe to the Trinity, that in order to understand the concept of the Trinity, you must think in the abstract. LDS find it hard to grasp the concept of the Trinity, because of our notion of the Godhead is "concrete", that is, there is no need for abstract thought to understand it. I don't claim an understanding of the Trinity, I am still trying to figure it out...I try to figure it out to better understand others, who have that belief.

1. Yes. I believe the book of Genesis to be correct. 2. I believe the book of Genesis to correct. 3. If I recall correctly, the first 5 books of the Old Testament were compiled by Moses. Genesis would have been based on writings of others, even traditions that had been handed down. The creation story in Genesis, as I see it, was geared more towards teaching a lesson. The book of Abraham was written by Abraham about his own experience. This would naturally be more detailed, because it was about the author's own experience. Thebook of Abraham is geared more towards relating an experience. This is how I see it, others may have other points of view.

As far as I have seen, the church will not give money to individuals. What the church does, is ask for the bill, rent, utilities, phone, medical etc. ect....and then write a check to pay the bill for the individual. If there is a need, then a food order can be issued for the Bishop's Storehouse.

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out my responsibility as a mortal husband and father. I don't really put much thought into the responsibilities of G_d. I guess there would be some sort of orientation or training, if/when that happens.

I thought South Park said the mormons were right...What else did they say?

Wow! Lots of questions. I'll take a stab at it, but keep in mind, some things have not been revealed and the best we can do is speculate. I personally, don't think that the Lord planned for Satan to rebel. He most likely knew that a rebellion would take place.Satan was in the presence of G_d, and rebelled against Him. He had a sure knowledge of G_d, and rejected it. This is the same if not worse than denying the Holy Ghost, which is an unforgivable sin. Satan did not want the same power and glory as G_d, he wanted G_d's power and glory. He wanted to usurp G_d. Um. Okay. This is more like a statement wrapped in a question. To me, to be jealous of G_d, means that you do not worship Him fully. Here, your premise is incorrect. More than one god can exist as stated here:1 Cor. 8: 5 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) No matter what hieghts we attain, G_d will always be G_d to us, and we will always worship Him. Again, your premise is incorrect. If G_d is the "Most High", then there must be others that are not the "most high", perhaps they are just "high" . Anyway you look at it, to us on this earth, there is but one G_d. The way I see it, it is similar to our own families. You have a father, and he will always be your father. When you grow up and become a parent, your father is still your father, and you respect him. Even if you move into your own home, when your father comes to visit, you respect him as your father. He helped make you into the person you are as an adult. That would be like a joint heir with Christ, who is an heir to the Father. I see it as being a partaker in the Glory of G_d. I am not too sure about all this, but when becoming exalted, we would have the opportunity of our own creations. I don't know exactly what that means. Yes. G_d would like us all to be partakers of His Glory. If your child would go to a neighbor's house and give them a hug and thanked them, everytime you did something good for him, would that be okay with you? When your child is grown, there would definately be a difference. Your child would know whom to properly thank. So it is with us, if we are partakers of G_d's glory, then we still give glory to G_d. This is all fine and dandy to speculate on, but keep in mind that we should not be distracted by our possible future reward, and let the things that need to be done now fall by the wayside.

I have not seen it come down to helping one over the other, but I have seen my Bishop help non-members. Obviously, the ones who will receive help more often through the Bishop are members, because they are told about this option. Non-members would not really know unless they are familiar with the LDS church, or have some type of contact.

Right, except the 1st and 2nd counselors of a bishopric aren't also called "Bishop", but they are one "bishopric".

Please tell me if I am close to what the actual Trinity is. I look at it as like a Stake Presidency. There are 3 individuals, and each one is called "president", but there are not 3 Stake Presidents, there is only one. Each has a humble nature, and a willingness to serve, so they are of the same nature. In this way I can understand the 3 individuals being president, but only one Presidency.

My child(ren) is one(some) that get(s) out of control in primary, and because of it, they have come to priesthood with me on many occasions. They don't appreciate the serenity of the HP quorum, so they seem to try harder the next week. This is not a permanent solution, but at least it gives their teacher a break, and me peace of mind knowing they are not goofing off in class. Some day, they will learn. I have been a primary teacher for the 11 year old scouts, and one particular boy was rotten. He came from a home where the father was inactive or not a member so never came to church, and the mother did come to church. Needless to say that the boy preferred to stay home with his dad so tried to be disruptive in class so I would talk to his mom, who would make him stay home the following week, because she didn't want to deal with the issue. Kids are difficult for different reasons. Get the parents in on where they will be helpful, and the Primary presidency and bishopric where the parents aren't so helpful. Good Luck on this.

A Patriarchal Blessing is given to those who seek it and are living at a certain level of worthiness(meaning you have to be approved by your bishop), from a church Patriarch. This is a person who has been specifically called to this position. A Patriarchal Blessing will reveal your lineage of Israel, generally through Ephraim or Manassah, but it could be through any of the 12 tribes of Israel. It also outlines specific blessings that are in store for you depending on your faithfulness and obedience. When received as a youth, it can refer to things in the near future, such as a mission, schooling or spouse, as well as just life in general. They are considered very sacred and personal, and should not be shown to just anyone. Generally it is only immediate family: Parents, siblings, spouse and kids, that are allowed to read them, but it is yours to share with those closest to you, that will not make light of it.

Unfortunately, because of BRM's claim in Mormon Doctrine, there were a lot of members that took it that way, and may not have heard or heard about his retraction. So there still may be a few older members who still have this outlook, but the official stance of the church repudiates that outlook.

I would expect each and every other church to proclaim that they are the true church, and I would not be offended in the least. Of course, we(LDS), have been told we are wrong and heretical from the very start so we are used to others claiming that we are wrong. Other churches, IMO, in general, aren't as accustomed to being lumped in with the "errant believers" that is implied by our claim to the sole source of the complete truth. Now, just because we claim the complete truth, does not mean no one else has any truth. Our prophets and companion scriptures just fill in some gaps that others have. I hope I'm not coming off as arrogant, because as I said at the first, I would expect all other churches claim to be the "one".

There are no set rules as to how often one pays tithing. I think you should do what works best for you. I have been a financial clerk several times for the wards I have been in, and have seen a few people who pay once a year. To do this, you must be disciplined. It can be so easy to see that money just sitting there, and figure you can borrow from it now and pay it back later. It is also kind of a shock to write that large of a check at the end of the year. Some people pay once a month, some pay every week, and some pay when they are paid. There are draw backs to each method, and advantages to each method, so pick one that works for you and your husband, and run with it.

I remember a time when, if we wanted to change the channel, we actually had to get up out of our chair, walk all the way across the room, and actually turn a dial on the TV. Now days, I have seen people actually spend 10 minutes looking for the remote so they can change the channel, rather than getting up and pushing the channel button on the TV. I can also remember a time when, if the picture quality wasn't good, you had to fiddle with the "rabbit-ears", or even climb up on top of the roof and turn the antenna to get better reception.

From the OT Gospel Doctrine manual: 2. Meaning of high places and groves The following definitions will help you explain the false worship instigated by Jeroboam and Rehoboam. High places (1 Kings 12:31): altars that were built on hilltops. When the people fell into idolatry, they desecrated these altars and used them for idol worship. Groves (1 Kings 14:15): places of pagan worship where people sometimes engaged in immoral behavior. Edit: Lesson 27

There is a little quip in Genesis, after Abraham and Abimelech made up that is curious: 33 ¶ And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. If groves were representative of pagan fertility worship, why did Abraham plant a grove? I apologize for sticking my nose in this thread without reading it from start to finnish, and I don't even know how well this will fit in with the discussion, but, forgive me if this has been addressed already.

Does a passage of scripture put on the screen count? That's a visual aid for those who watch conference on TV.

I have seen talks in Sacrament meeting use pictures that were either attached to the front of the pulpit, or held up by children. Not sure if this is exactly what you were referring to.

I had a brother-in-law offer any of his siblings $100 to name one of their kids "Jabba". No takers though.

I don't know about your ward, but in GD, RS, EQ or HP in our ward, there is never a problem filling the time. The great thing about teaching adults is that they can teach the lesson for you, all you have to do is direct traffic.

When my wife was Primary President, she went through the same emotions - everyone was being pulled from primary to fill other positions. It seems that way, but here are some things to consider: There are only so many members in a ward that will fill callings. Primary is the single largest organization in the ward(positions to fill wise). Presidencies will have top priority to be filled. While you must work on keeping the primary filled, the Bishopric must keep callings for the entire ward filled. The Bishopric should not leave the Primary president out of the loop when filling callings for primary, that is bad form, though not out of his stewardship. At the very least, the PP must be informed of decisions coming down the pipe that affect her organization so she can prepare for them. Get the Bishopric counselor over primary on your side, that can be a big help(if you haven't already) Sorry if this wasn't much help, but if nothing else, you are not the only Primary leader that has a tough time with filling positions...kind of the nature of the beast. (some beasts are wilder than others.)

I'll try to answer what I can. We believe that all churches have a measure of truth to them, but not the fullness of the truth. This is because after the Apostles all died, there were no prophets left to maintain the Word of G_d, and, as in the game "telephone", the original message gets altered, just a little at first, but the further away from the source, more alterations are made. I'm not sure, not too familiar with the terms in question. I'm not familiar with the 7 Sacraments of the RCC, so I can't say if they are similar, but we do have a Sacrament that we partake of each Sunday. It is in rememberance of the body and blood of the Savior that was shed for us. The plates were taken back by the angel Moroni. Sorry I couldn't give more complete answers, but it's a start, and I'm sure others will fill in the blanks.

Which class are you teaching? Relief Society? Gospel Doctrine? Young Women? Primary? Teaching once a month sounds like it could be RS or YW. But if you are looking through childrens books, it could be Primary or YW. Whenever I taught classes, I would read through the lesson once, at least a week in advance. That would give me time to ponder what the main point or points were to be taught. I could then think about personal experiences, scriptures that could support the topic, Ensign articles or even GA talks. I would read thru the lesson several times throughout the week to help me get a good feel of the subject. lds.org is a good site to search for material for lessons also.