richlittell

Came across these scriptures from this weeks Sunday School lesson. Alma 43:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges , yea and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to thier desires. and Alma 43:45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but [for] their liberties ... (46) for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that; Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies. (47) .. Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore, for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, and their country, and their rights, and their religion.

I would like to add something that is only slightly off topic but came about because of ceebos interest. I believe many people receive personal revelation without even realizing it. This is more of a personal belief of mine and certainly not a specifically taught doctrine. But I surmise that since the Holy Spirit is the testifier of all truth concerning all things that this would concern secular things as well. For example, I personally believe that Einstein's discoveries were given to him by the Holy Spirit because of his sincerity and effort. This takes nothing away from his own intellect, as he would have had to work through all of his theories himself and most importantly, would have had to have the capacity to comprehend that "aha!" moment when something profound finally hit him. I, for one, do not have such a mental capacity. However, I have often had those kinds of moments myself as a computer programmer, when all my tons of hours of work have reached a long standstill and I suddenly see a clear solution, of which I know was not of my own thinking. Some would say that it is just our brain working subconsciously and cogitating all the things over in our mind and then spitting out it's own solution, and that's fine, I choose to believe otherwise (BELIEVE, not KNOW haha).

agree. I do believe there are things that we have a knowledge of but do not necessarily comprehend in fullness. For example, I know God has used messengers to speak to people when necessary, but I'm sure I can barely comprehend actually having such a visitation myself. And I think someone in church history once said we will be quite surprised to see how familiar Heavenly Father's face is when we see him, though we can imagine it only vaguely now. But none of this detracts from our knowledge "on that thing." ceebo, we believe that the Holy Spirit is the testifier of all truth, concerning all things personal and spiritual, and that each one who seeks it, may have personal revelation on the things in their own personal lives or on spiritual matters of concern to them. We also believe that one may have the Holy Spirit as a constant companion and not just "on occasions," and this we call the "gift" of the Holy Spirit which comes through repentance and baptism and the laying on of hands by those authorized to do so.

What I gather is that he has done all the paper work, and a physical test and is waiting for a slot to open in Oct or Nov. (my son lives with his mother, and they both can be a bit vague sometimes so I don't always have the exact details). He lives in Austin, Texas (Georgetown, actually). I don't know where his basic training will take place.

I agree with MormonMama, that's why I think we should be careful in counselling others as to when they should use know and believe. Some of the other comments here confuse me, though. If I said I know the Book of Mormon is true and it is the word of God, are some of you saying that would be wrong? Maybe I'm misunderstanding. And the same would go for our belief in Jesus Christ, and in the Church, and in the prophet and etc. Is it wrong to say that I know that Jesus is the Christ, or that I know this church is true and that Christ is at the head of it? Or that I know our current President is a prophet appointed by God? Of course we begin in all things with a little faith and hope and belief, but as we mature, ought we not be saying that we "know" these things? And if we can know these things without first hand accounts, can we not know all things that the Spirit is willing to reveal to us? It seems to me that if we say that there are certain aspects of the gospel that we know and others that we can only believe, does this not undermine the power of the Holy Spirit? (of course we can't be omnipotent, I just mean concerning all matters and points of doctrines that have been revealed in these latter days, for example, that God and Christ are beings of Flesh and Bone and etc.. Someone straighten me out if I'm missing the point here.

It is very strange that I just had a similar discussion with a professional peer of mine (who is so erudite that he constantly questions the prophets and apostles position on things, looks beyond the mark, and can't seem to understand the simpleness of the gospel). Semantics will send us to hell in a handbasket. I would never dare stamp on another's personal testimony whether they "know" the Book of Mormon to be true or whether they "believe" the Book of Mormon (or any other aspect of the gospel) to be true. Who are we to judge at what level beyond faith on any particular matter another person stands? So let me just state this for myself. I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true and is the word of God though I have never seen the plates of brass, for the Holy Ghost has bore this out to me. I KNOW that Jesus is the Christ, though I do not have a special witness of him physically and he has never visited me personally, for on this the Holy Spirit has pierced my heart. I KNOW that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, though I certainly have no evidence other than the work he left behind (which is a testimony itself), I KNOW so because the Holy Spirit has impressed it upon my heart and mind. I KNOW, understand, practice and have experienced, that tithing is a true principle of the gospel, first by way of fear in obeying the Lord's commandments, later by practice, and finally, by a firm testimony bore to me by the Spirit. I KNOW many other principles, to be true, for the Holy Spirit is the testifier of all truth, and what is knowledge if it is not truth? And I bear my testimony that I have a right to KNOW the truth of all things and I need not be at the head of this church to do so (though I would never be allowed to know beyond things already revealed). I even have a right to KNOW the truth of historically disputed facts by pure testimony of the Holy Spirit (though, of course, we should research it out in our minds first, on all things considered). If I were a captain in the army and needed to know the position of my enemy, I could do so without reconnaissance if the Holy Spirit saw fit to reveal it to me. I need not have a first hand account of one single thing that the Holy Spirit sees fit to reveal to me, that is the whole essence of the gospel, is it not? If not, then we will go the way of the apostatized church, relying on our own senses and intellect for things that were never meant to be known other than by the Holy Spirit.

My son joined up with the Marines and I was wondering if anyone had some favorite scriptures that might guide and sustain him, I would like to compile some scripture references for him. I was thinking along things lines like scriptures that justify war and the killing of other men (e.g. Alma 43:9), and the stripling warriors (the lesson of being righteous and enjoying God's protection) and captain Moroni (inspiring), and something that explains why righteous men must sometimes die, etc,. Anyone want to contribute? Have different ideas? p.s. this is not a debate about current wars, I myself am not behind everything that politicians get us into, but wars have been the way of human history, and the saints, ancient and old, have often been required to participate, so let's stay on topic :) )

One year from an eternal perspective, and even from the perspective of an older person (which we won't define here lol), is peanuts (forgive the mixed metaphor). Repentance is more difficult than most imagine, it has to be sincere, with the ability to persevere. The church, from my perspective, is extremely lenient.

p.s you can't assume that every LDS woman is an angel and spiritually strong enough to handle something like this, even some who may appear to be spiritual giants might indeed not be truly that strong. Talk to the Bishop, work out a plan.

NO NO NO NO NO! Don't tell your wife. You all may not agree with me, but there are much much bigger issues here than a kiss. There are deeper issues as to why this happened in the first place. Talk to your Bishop, yes, and start working on the issues that will bring you greater spirituality. A woman once wounded will never forget (and some will never forgive). If the problems underlying the thing that led you to the kiss get bigger, you will indeed divorce and that will be horrible for you kids!! I once tried this "honesty in all things" policy with my ex, and it BACKFIRED completely, and now we, both of us, live in regret that our children have suffered both our stupidities. And, let me add this. When I went to my wife, I hadn't even kissed or held hands with another woman. I was beginning to have some feelings emerge for a co-worker, and I got scared and thought the best way to work it out was with my wife.. NO NO NO NO NO.. What should I have done? Gone to my Bishop and worked out some kind of plan, then later, if the both of you are absolutely inspired that your wife should know, then the time will be right.

Go easy on people who say trite things. They're just trying to be nice. Most of us really don't know what to say to someone when they're having trouble. What would you say? "Get over it" or "Welcome to reality"

It's really amazing how much we all get scared to talk to the bishop about terrible things, but I've never met anyone who wasn't happy once they talked to the Bishop. You won't feel so terrible as you do now. The Bishop and the Holy Spirit will help you feel your true worth even though you have made a big mistake. And remember, even some of the greatest prophets of the church have made some terrible mistakes, but did Heavenly Father ever turn away from them? It's hard to imagine for you right now, but you will feel better, much better, after seeing your Bishop. :)