breecatasnana

It depends on how one interprets President Kimball's statement. He could have meant human error here on earth, or he could have meant an error made in the pre-earth life by those born into the black race. Let's not put words into a prophet's mouth. Only he can tell us what he meant by that statement. Penny

Since dinosaurs are not even mentioned in scripture I tend to go with this theory myself. I know of no scientific evidence that says dinosaurs and people were on the earth at the same time either, so I just don't think they were. Since death was not introduced to the earth until Adam and Eve fell I don't believe the dinosaurs lived and died on earth before the fall. I suppose some how they could have, but evidence as I understand it does not point to that. If they did not live and die on earth then that would mean they were placed here after their deaths as part of the creation process. Scripture does not tell us, so we cannot say. I am just telling you what my educated guess is. Anyone else's guess would be just as valid as mine. Again we just have to wait until the Lord decides to tell us whenever that will be. Penny

First we know the sun, moon, and stars were not even created until the 4th day, so it could not be talking about one rotation of the earth causing days and nights as we know them. I suppose it could be 24 hr. periods, but they would not have been measured by the rising and setting of the sun as we do today, because there was no sun to measure by until the 4th day. We are told in the scriptures that one day is a thousand years to God, so there is the posibility of it being thousand year days. While the Hebrew word for day can be translated as "day" it can also be translated as "a season" as in Genesis 4: 40, or as "in the process of time" as it is in as in Judges 11: 4. Just because those who translated the King James Version of the Bible chose the word "day" does not mean that was necessarily the original meaning. They could have just as easily translated it as "season" as "process of time". I know of no scripture that tells us for sure how long each creation period was, so I guess we just have to wait until the Lord reveals this to us either through a prophet or when He returns. Penny

Actually Genesis chapter two tells us that man was created before the animals were. The earth was totally prepared before life was placed upon it. After it was prepared and ready to sustain life then life was placed on it in this order: Genesis 2: 7 tells us Adam was created "of the dust of the ground" first, then 2: 9 tells us the plants were created "of the dust of the ground" second, then verse 19 tells us the animals were actually created "of the dust of the Ground" last. "Of the dust of the ground" refers to the physical creation; the creation of their physical bodies. Genesis 2: 7 says: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Man did not become "a living soul" until his physical body was created, his spirit placed in it, and he took his first breath. He exhisted as a spirit person before this, but not a physical living soul. A soul is a spirit and body united. The first chapter of Genesis is not refering to the physical creation, and it's order is different from the order of the physical creation given in chapter 2. A reading of this in Abraham will help you understand this better. Penny

Two things 1.) Genesis is just a planing of the creation of the earth, not the actual creation, 2.) If you read this same account in Moses it will be much clearer especially if you read it prayerfully. The details of the creation are not given in scripture, so we cannot say how much it goes along with science and how much it does not. Also Science is always changing as new discoveries are made. If the church agreeded with science today, it would not agree with science a hundred years from now when new things will have been discovered and science changed. The purpose of this earth life is to work out our salvation. The church gives us what we need to know to work out our salvation. It does not give us what we need to know to get a doctrate in science. In the next life we will learn all that God has for us to learn. One step at a time and everything in order. Right now developing faith, which is a real power we need to develop to progress, is far more inportant than knowing exactly when and where and how the dinasours were created. If not knowing about the dinasours is a way of developing the faith we so need to progress to become like God, then God will withhold this knowledge for our progression's sake. After we have developed our faith then we can have all knowledge. Penny

It seems to me that through out history the priesthood has always been very limited among the "true church". Abraham makes mention of it's limitation saying the descendants of Ham could not hold the priesthood. The Old Testament limited it to the descendants of Aaron. It has never been so widely held by the true followers of God as today in the LDS Church. Did God ever give His reason for His limitations in any of those incidents in the past? Penny

This is something I would like to know more about too. My knowledge about the priesthood is limited to when it is talked about in the Book of Abraham. Evidently there weren't many who held the priesthood back then, and it was denied to the descendants of Ham. Next is in the Old Testament only those who descended form Aaron could hold the priesthood. Not to much was mentioned about the priesthood in the New Testament. It seems to me the priesthood has been pretty limited in the past and not until the restoration was it given so freely to everyone. The priesthood seems to have grown more and more from the time of Joseph Smith until today when for the first time in history all male members who are worthy can hold the priesthood. To my knowledge this is something that has never happened before. Until now it has always been limited. Penny

I don't think there are any clear answers to these questions in scripture. I worked for Exxon Oil Company in the exploration department and one of the paleoentologists there was an LDS Bishop. I asked him some questions about how he coincied his work with his religion. He said that Joseph Smith had said that when the Lord returns he will explain all these things about the creation then. Until then we just had to take some things on faith. My personal feelings on some of this is that there was no death on this earth until the fall, and that the earth was completely finished and ready for man when man was placed here. So however it was done it was completed when Adam and Eve were put here. If we read the creation story in the Pearl of Great Price it is clearer than in the Old Testament. If we very prayerfully study it we get some feelings about it that help us understand to some extent, but I don't believe we will get any complete answers until Christ returns. Penny

I suppose there may be more than one answer to some of these questions, but for what it is worth here is my two cents. Our desire was to become more like our Heavenly Parents--to grow up you might say. The plan of salvation was to give mankind (Heavenly Father's children) a chance to leave God's presence, and learn through experiences. It was also to give man a chance to obtain a body, like our Heavenly Parents had, and learn how to use and control it. The goal: to prove ourselves and to come more like our Heavenly Parents if we so choose. Since this was our desire our Father called a family meeting and told us how our wishes could be obtained, but that it would require a Savior, because during our learning and growing process we would mess up and need to be redeemed from justice. Through a Savior justice could be satisfied and mercy extended to us, so we could return to our heavenly home. At this point Satan came up with what he thought was a better plan. If mankind was forced to do good then they would not owe justice any thing and a Savior would not be required, and not one soul would be lost. He was so proud of himself for coming up with a plan he thought was better than Heavenly Father's that he wanted Heavenly Father's glory. At this point Jesus stepped up and said let's go with Heavenly Father's plan, and I will volunteer to be that Savior. He gave all the glory to the Father. Heavenly Father rejected Satan's plan, because it would defeat the whole purpose. We could not grow to become like our Heavenly Parents if we were denied the very learning experiences that would bring this about. So Jesus was chosen to be the Savior. Satan rebelled and 1/3 of the hosts of heaven sided with him. In order for man to have the necessary experiences for his growth he would have to fall. This had to be man's choice, not something God did to man. By giving man the tree of knowledge man was allowed to choose whether to partake of it and become mortal and go through life's learning experiences; or not to partake of it and remain in innocence forever. God warned Adam and Eve what would happen if they partook of the tree, they would become mortal and die, but He allowed man to choose. Now, no one can choose unless there is opposition, a choice between various things, so the tree of life was also placed in the garden presenting a choice for Adam and Eve. They could partake of the tree of life and live forever in innocence, never progressing or growing beyond that point, or they could partake of the tree of knowledge becoming as the Gods knowing good and evil, and become mortal learning how to use that knowledge to choose good. One must also be enticed by various things in order to make a real choice, so Satan was sent here to entice us in one direction while the Holy Ghost entices us in another. Opposition allows us choices in all things. We learn by choosing and going through the consequences of those choices, good or bad. As for Satan I believe he was just continuing what he had done in Heaven. Trying to get us to rebel aganist Heavely Father as he had, so we would be miserable like him. I would think he thought He was getting Adam and Eve to go against God's will. He had to know that he could not win them over if He did not get them to disobey, so even if he knew it was part of God's plan for Adam and Eve to fall he still had to get them to do it if he would have even a chance of winning them over. The fall was a chance for Heavenly Father's children to grow to become like Him, and was also Satan's only chance to win any more of Heavenly Father's children over to his side. It all comes down to giving man choice, and man can use that choice to become like God or like Satan. Satan is playing into God's hands by enticing man, thus giving man a choice, but in turn Satan will get some followers by enticing man to follow him. It is simply a continuation of the war that started in heaven. Penny

I would have to research to find this. I am not an apologist with all this info at my finger tips. However, my point is that a prophet does not teach any doctrine, or refuse to teach any doctrine because of peer preasure. He teaches only what God tells him to teach for doctrine. God will not allow him to teach false doctrine. My second point is if one supports a prophet he does not at the same time say that prophet is teaching false doctrine. Either you support a prophet or you don't. You can't have it both ways. Penny

I don't know how to tell what you are answering if you do not include a quote. If you are answering my question then all I have to say is if you support Joseph Smith as a prophet of God then you know he was telling the truth, and what he taught as doctrine was from God, therefore if you have no opinion to my question then you do not support Joseph Smith as a prophet, but as just a man who taught doctrine as he saw fit, not as revealed by God. Penny

What you say is quite true. I understand this concept completely as I believe that God put the ban on Blacks holding the priesthood through Joseph Smith and then removed it later through a different prophet. But saying God did not tell Joseph Smith to put the ban on blacks holding the priesthood, but rather Joseph did it on his own because of peer preasure, and that he then lied to the church saying God commanded it when He did not, is not the same thing at all. My question to you then is: Did God put the ban on Blacks holding the priesthood or did Joseph Smith do it claiming God did? Penny

When you said Joseph Smith only "claimed" it to be from God when in reality he was just giving into peer preasure you accused him of lying. You also accused him of teaching false doctrine when you said the priesthood ban was not from God, but just Joseph Smith let popular opinion tell him what to teach. God would not let any prophet do that, so it just did not happen. Prophets are only allowed to teach the truth God tells them to teach as doctrine. If they try to teach false doctrine God will remove them out of their place. Saying you have to see the revelation written down before you will believe it is just a cop out. Wheather he wrote it down or not God told Joseph Smith this was the way it was to be, and it was not just something Joseph Smith made up to please people. I believe all revelations given to the prophet wheather it is written down or not. Penny

Why do you believe Abraham when he said those descended from Ham could not hold the priesthood, but when Joseph Smith or Brigham Young said it you claim they are giving in to "external pressures"? It sounds kinda like those Jews Jesus condemned for believing the dead prophets, but condemning the living ones. The gospel and it's precepts were restored line upon line and precept upon precept. It is my understanding that when Joseph Smith ordained Elijah Abel, it had not yet been revealed to him that blacks could not hold the priesthood. Just like the first baptisms for the dead were performed outside a temple. The full use of temples was not restored all at once, but little by little. Even a prophet can only act on what has been revealed, and yes they are imperfect, but they do not go around lying about what is gospel doctrine and what is not. They do not lie about revelations from God. If they did God would remove them out of their place. God will not allow them to lie to us. You claim you sustain all the prophets of this dispensation. Is accusing Joseph Smith of lying about doctrine, giving in to presures of men, and leading us astray sustaining him? Penny

What do you think of Abraham 1: 26-27? Or can we pick and choose which scriptures are inspired as well, since they are written by imperfect prophets?????? This picking and chooseing thing seems to be quite dangerous to me!!!! Penny