YoungMormonRoyalist

Yes and no. Canada has universal healthcare, but it is administered differently from province to province, as the Canadian government is a federal one, like the United States. The general rule of thum is "Given privately, funded publicly." It depends on what they mean by serious procedure. If it's a blocked artery they'll have you in right away. If it's arthritis then you'll have a doctor right away, and the specialist in a month or so.

Yes and no actually. A widow who has already cannot be sealed to another man in this life, but if she marries another man for this life, she can be sealed to him through proxy work. True story. :) In the Church Handbook.

It's in my stake center too actually. What about it doesn't reflect about the representation of the Church? Eternity is a long time, bring a friend? It's saying, reach out to those around you....durrr....

The difficulty with quoting Paul is that his words change depending on the location, and who he was talking to. In some epistles he says things like "Stablish you in every good word and work" (2 Thessalonians, 2:17) or "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitfal in every good work..." ( Colossians 1:10). Does that discount Ephesians? Absolutely not. One has to take into consideration who Paul was addressing his words to. In Ephesians he was talking to Jews. Who, in Paul's eyes, were doing a lot of the works found in the bible (Reading from the Talmud, Torah, Circumcision, etc etc), but were not backing it up with the faith in Jesus Christ that was needed. Unto a group of Gentiles, Paul is very quick to tell them that their newfound belief in Jesus needs to be backed up by doing Christ's work. I think Protestants and Mormons agree a lot more than they actually know, and get caught up in our different definitions of ''saved,'' ''works,'' and ''faith.'' For the Mormon, true faith, and true works are the same thing (I called it FORKS). If one has faith that Jesus is the Christ, then he will do his works. These works include baptism, for we follow Christ's words : Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. This sign is an outside symbol of what we already believe on the inside. Abraham was circumcised in obedience to God's commands, it was a symbol of his faith in God (Romans 4:11), the same is with baptism. Baptism would have no power, it would merely be a bath, if it wasn't sanctified by Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. Mormons believe that nothing we do in this life will make up for the mistakes that we've made. Christ said "If ye love me, keep my commandments." We show our love for Christ by having faith in his atonement, we have faith in his charity by doing charity unto others in his name, we show faith and belief in his resurrection by being buried and risen in the waters of baptism. All these things are outside symbols of what is happening on the inside. The true believer will do Christ's works. Ultimately, after all this, we still need Christ's sacrifice. We cannot pay our debt ourselves, no matter how many works we do, and that Christ will pay the rest, that his taking upon himself of our sins will save us. This is the Mormon belief, that ultimately, struggle as we will, Christ will come save us.

One should understand two things about the Bible when quoting Revelations 22:18. First, that the New Testament was not organized chronologically in terms of when the separate books were written, but organized in terms of subject, and longest to shortest. First you have the Gospels, the Epistles, and the General Epistles, and the Apocalypse. If you truly understand this and look at when each book was written you'll find that the Gospel of John was written after the Book of Revelations. By almost a twenty year margin. Yet we do not exclude that beautiful Gospel from the scriptures because of John's warning at the end of Revelations. The warning, which is given in Deuteronomy as well, warns against adding anything to John's revelation concerning the second coming of Christ. In fact, in the Book of Mormon, Nephi receives the same vision John had, but admits that he has been told not to write those things in the Book of Mormon, but instead to let John write them. Secondly, if you take the warning in Deuteronomy the same way most take the one in Revelation then you exclude a whole bunch of scripture. The Sadducee's, the Priests of the Temple in Christ's time didn't believe in the resurrection for this very reason. To them, all the books written after the Books of Moses were false, and because the Books of Moses don't mention a resurrection they didn't believe such a thing existed.

We must not be an average ward then...seeing as how there were 20 of us in the last session I went to...

You met my future Mission President?! GAAAAHHHHHH!!!! WHAT'S HE LIKE?!?!?!?! Nice to meet you by the way. :) I'm going to serve as a Spanish speaking Elder in the Phoenix mission.

Having gone through a little over month ago for the first time, I understand now why the leaders of the Church are very careful. It is an amazing, beautiful experience...of which I can only grasp at the basics. I've been back once more now, and it's amazing how much more knowledge comes pouring in the second time. If I understood anything from it...it's that I need to go back often, during the entire span of my life. Btw, if your brother hasn't gone through yet, tell him from me to just go through with an open heart and an open mind. Don't worry too much about remembering everything, or trying to figure anything out the first time, just concentrate on how you feel. :) Also, tell him congratulations. I enter the Missionary Training Center on February the 17th. Arizona Phoenix, Spanish speaking. Maybe I'll see him there!

Not every action, even the important ones, needs to be confirmed before hand by God. Right now, you may be asking God "Should we get married?" Your Father might be looking down, smiling, and saying, "It's up to you." Remember, sometimes it is after the trial of faith that we receive our witness.

Also, the reason they are called Aaronic, and Melchezidek are because they are named after two people, Aaron, the brother of Moses, and Melchezidek. Aaron was asked by Moses and God to set up a priesthood that would officiate in all the rights of the ancient Israelites, and to take after all their people. In the Church today, the Aaronic Priesthood is the priesthood used when doing the main church rites, such as the sacrament, and baptism. Melchezidek was a righteous man, and king during the time of Abraham. He was so righteous that his byname was the "Prince of Peace." The actual name for this Priesthood is "The Order of the Son of God," but to avoid repetition of such a sacred name, we use Melchezidek, as he was a righteous priest after this order. The Melchezidek Priesthood is the higher one, and is available to all active males around 18 or older. It allows for blessings, both for comfort, and for the healing of the sick and the afflicted. It also allows many other blessings. The reason it is only given to active members is not out of spite towards those who are inactive, but because we believe in the old saw "with greater power and authority, comes greater responsibility." For those who aren't prepared for it, to receive it would be a great burden. However, in your home teachers, God has provided two good men with this Priesthood.

Even if we had the original texts we don't know the method where by they were originally recorded. Were John, Paul, Amos, Isaiah, etc dictating to someone? Were their sayings being recorded by second, third, or even fourth person hearsay? It's hard to say. Not only the mode of translation, but the means, the time period and the person writing the originals is something one has to factor in.

Let's delve into this logic with which you justify your disbelief in God. Do you know what a declarative statement is?

You guys make me scared to leave for Arizona...

You're a history person?!?! Me too!!!!

The question that describes the last post by this member on page 10 still stands: By what authority is the Nicene Creed, the definitive statement of Trinitarian's claimed status as a monotheistic religion, given? For all the scriptural support the Nicene Christian's claim to have for the Nicene Creed, it is fully admitted that this creed in and of itself is the result of their interpretation of scripture, and thus holds the fullness of their doctrine of "three essences in one." Scriptures can be tossed back and forth, but until the question in paragraph two is answered everything else is moot.

The reality is that both the Trinitarian and the Latter-day Saint perspective are (from a neutral observer's view) the result of interpretation (Latter-day Saints believe the more correct word to be revelation) of scripture, with said interpretation being given the designation of "doctrine." (The difference between an interpretation and a doctrine is that one "may be true," the other is, from the view of that faith "truth") The result of Trinitarian interpretation of scripture is the Nicene Creed, the result of Latter-day Saint interpretation of scripture is the collected Standard Works. A person may say, "the only reason we have the ________ (insert Creed, or Standard Works here at will) is because it is just a reaffirming of what is already in scripture". However...this is a very vacillating argument. If the Bible said "There is only one God, but three essences of said God," or "There are three separate and distinct personages acting together as one God," then there would be no need for the clarification the Nicene Creed and the Standard Words give, respectively. But because the Bible does not clearly indicate this, but may hint to either view, an interpretation is made. Since this is not the case, both Trinitarian Christians and Latter-day Saints have, collected all the evidence, all the Biblical statements and verses in order to give a definitive statement of belief, or as we call it...a doctrine. So to briefly sum up all the above: The Nicene Creed is a statement of doctrine the Trinitarian churches believe to be supported by Biblical proof. The Standard Works are a collection of statements and sermons that state a doctrine the Latter-day Saints believe to be supported by Biblical proof (As far as it is translated correctly, sorry I couldn't resist). Now, here is the rub. According to scripture one must have authority from God in order to make a definitive statement, and have it recorded as doctrine. Dictionary.com states that authority is: the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine ================================== The difference between the Latter-day Saint claim to have the Truth about the nature of God seems to hold more water than the Trinitarian claim. The first believes that a Prophet and his successors, each called of God, has authoritatively stated a belief in a Godhead that is three separate and distinct personages. The Trinitarian claim was a process where a multitude of bishops from across the Roman Empire came together and tried to clarify what they found the scriptures to be somewhat unclear on. A key problem is that the resulting Nicene Creed was given by the authority of a pagan Roman Emperor who had no authority to actually give the statement (You can see him front row and center, holding the creed, the guy's name was Constantine, a brilliant opportunist), let alone any proper allowance to call the bishops to council in the first place. Had the bishops merely said "this is the way things may be, according to our reading," rather than "this is the way things are," then all may have been forgiven. However, this was not the case. To the Latter-day Saint, the Nicene Creed wasn't given by the grace of God, but by the grace of Constantine I of the Roman Empire, Pontifex Maximus of Pagan Roman religion, a Priest of the cults of Sol Invictus and Apollo, and despite the reverence many Christian religions have for him, never one of them until his deathbed baptism. (On a side note, the Nicene Creed historically arose not to help the true believers, but to combat a heresy started by a Libyan priest named Arius, which threatened to break apart the unity of Christendom, and hence Constantine's dream of using the Christian church to his own ends) ====================== So I think the real question is, can either side claim to have their doctrine supported authoritatively? For Latter-day Saints the answer is yes, they can claim that. They have made it quite clear that they believe that a Prophet is on the earth which can give a proper interpretation (via revelation) of doctrine. For Trinitarian Christians the answer is a little bit harder....

I rarely resort to a Reductio ad Hitlerum, but this calls for it....another recent regime that said Homosexuals as undeserving of basic human rights (Life, liberty, ability to work without fear of being fired for religious/sexual/political preference) also said other groups such as Jews, Roma, and Slavs were undeserving of the same. Do I condone the lifestyle? Far from it. But do I equate those who pursue it with people undeserving of the above mention rights (such as rapists, child molesters etc)? No.

Uhh.....no....your brother does not want thermals!!! Toronto is the hottest place in the world come summer. Congrats mate.

The way I always reconcile doctrines I've struggled with is by coming up with metaphors, I'm huge on those things. So many times in my reading of the New Testament I've come across verses naming the followers of Christ "heirs" "heirs with Christ" "Joint-heirs." And I wonder...what does an heir do? Well...he inherits, he gains all that was willed to him/her. And what did Christ gain from the Father? Perfection. Perfection in authority, love, charity, power, and all godliness. If we are joint-heirs with Christ, then we stand to gain the same. But to do so we become like the Messiah, not boastful or prideful in our strengths, but humble and meek, submitting to the Father's will. Picture it like this: There is a home, with the father at the head of the home. As child we grow and learn from the father, and obey him and his will. However, eventually we become older, and move out. We create homes of our own, and have children, who will love and obey us. But we still regard our paternal parent as our father, and refer to him as such. The same is with the gospel. God has given us a home, this earth, over which he is the head. We learn and grow here, obeying him in all things. We believe however that one day we will go out eventually and creates worlds and homes for our own children. Does this mean we forget the Father and his supremacy over us? One may then ask, can a son or daughter forget a loving parent, and cease to acknowledge their love for us? Heaven forbid! This is a pattern repeated throughout eternity. Whether or not God was once a man like our current selves does not matter, he was still always our God. Likewise, I don't refer to my dad as "Dave" up until 1990, and suddenly start calling him father afterward. I don't see pictures of him from his adolescence or early adulthood and say "Gee...so that was Dave..." I say "That's my dad." God was always our God, and always will be. :)

For sure! I know that with my experience in YSA that a lot of people in my ward knew a general overview of the law of chastity, but sometimes were surprised when activities they thought innocent were against it! I think that sometimes, especially when a couple just starts dating, the Bishope just likes to check and make sure that we know the lines. :)

Dear Elder F-------: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Arizona Phoenix Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months. You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. you will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president. You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel. You will be an official representative of the Church. As such, you will be expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance by keeping the commandments, living mission rules, and following the counsel of your mission president. As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs, the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of the Restoration and of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your purpose will be to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and Hist Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. As you serve with all your heart, might, and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized. The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children. We place in you our confidence and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary. You will be set apart as a missionary by your stake president. Please send your written acceptance promptly, endorsed by your bishop. Sincerely, Thomas S. Monson President ----------------------- HECK YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so thankful for the opportunity to go serve God, Christ, and my fellow man. I've been waiting for this moment for years. Praise be to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for he lives, directs this work, and will be with me as I go forward in his name.

Hmmm....not exactly. I'm majoring in History right now, and the period known as the Dark Ages (sometimes measured from the Fall of Rome to the Renaissance, other times to the Early Medieval Period) was one of the most brutal periods in our history. We had Germanic invasions of England, France, Italy, the Balkans, Spain and Africa. We have examples of Vandalic (we get the word Vandals from this) forces sacking Rome, as well as Atilla the Hun ravaging centra/western Europe. We have the Ostrogoths overthrowing the Western Roman Empire, establishing a Kingdom in Italy, afterwhich the Eastern Empire came in and brutalized Italy for the next five hundred years, give or take a century. In Spain we have the breakdown of social order, with the Visigothic/Vandalic nobility replacing Roman law with their own. As inheritance was not codified in their laws, the death of a warlord ment a new civil war. In Armenia we have the slaughter of Christians by the Sassinid Empire, done partly to snub Constantinople's inability to do anything about it. In the area of what is now France and Modern Germany we have Charlemagne, often considered the epitome of chivalry, slaughter several thousand Saxons in one day because of their refusal to convert to Christianity. I could go on...but... Mmmm.....I would be careful saying that. Alexander Hamilton is the prime example...but there were a few others who weren't against the idea of a standing army. The Founding Fathers were much less unified than people like to imagine.

Ask them if they would make fun of a Jew's Yarmulke. Or a Sikh's garmets (yes, they have them to represent chastity) Or a Muslim's turban, etc. We just wear our special clothing under everything else.

Would you allow your child (future, current, etc) to be baptised by a Catholic bishop? The ordinance has no meaning or truth, so why not?

Don't worry sister, I'm in the same boat. Soon I'll be 19 and be able to recieve God's endowment....but I don't think I'll ever feel worthy or ready. I know that the oft quoted saying is "With great power comes great responsibility." But think of the positive, "With great responsibility comes great power." And the sealing power is the greatest power, save the Atonement, given to man on earth. I cannot fully comprehend it. So yes, there will be the responsibility of being faithful to the commandments, but being sealed is far more worth it.