Prodigal_Son

Members
  • Posts

    587
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Prodigal_Son

  1. I have a testimony, I promise. I use caffeine to get through the busy season at work, Mountain Dew being my weapon of choice. When the work season ends, I immediately cut it off. I feel guilty for doing so... but have concluded I'd rather potentially break the Word of Wisdom than fail as a breadwinner for my family. The lesser of two evils...
  2. I, too, feel folks are too quick to condemn Emma. None of us living can begin to comprehend her life's trials. Folks claim she left the church; I say she give it everything she had. She and Lucy Mack Smith BOTH stayed in Nauvoo - and were dear friends till Mother Smith's death... This poor woman's legacy gets dragged through the mud by so many of those who ought to revere her.
  3. Hey, just doing some studying and can't quite piece a few things together. I know that there are scholars here who might just have the missing info I'm seeking. So here goes: WJS-- "... Zacharias pleading with the Lord in the temple that he might have seed so that the priesthood might be preserved. (p.67)." Luke 1:15-- "...and [John the Baptist] shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. TPJS-- "An angel of God also appeared unto Zacharias while in the Temple... [John the Baptist] was called of God to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God. The Jews, as a nation, having departed from the law of God and the Gospel of the Lord, prepared the way for transferring it to the Gentiles. (p. 272-273)." D&C 84:28-- "For he was baptized while he was in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power." =========== Okay, I'm just trying to get a handle on what's happening here, so bear with my questions and thoughts... -- When Joseph says Zacharias was praying for the preservation of the Levitical (Aaronic) Priesthood, was he simple referencing his own blood lines, or is it possible that Zacharias and Elisabeth were the last righteous Levites to pass along the Priesthood??? (I draw this notion from the seemingly extraordinary circumstances which John is being born into - and from that third quote I included from TPJS)... -- Am I right to assume that John's gift of the Holy Ghost was abnormal? Why else would Gabriel (Noah) bring it to his attention - save it be that this was NOT the norm? Or is it possible that being a pure-blooded Levite entitled you to that privilege from birth??? -- Now, regarding the D&C Passage: So he literally had an angel of God come down and set him apart as the Predecessor To The Savior? And wouldn't ordination imply that this is a "priesthood advancement"? Thanks, all.
  4. What, like: "Feed us tonight and we'll feed you forever!" ?????????
  5. Fiannan; well, at least you're looking on the bright side. :lol:
  6. Just the concept of taking some snippet (perhaps of out context) and having it circle the globe a couple times in a NY minute...
  7. What I find interesting (and disheartening) is how here in Utah, folks are ashamed of the gospel in LDS arenas. As just one (of many examples): For fear of offending, folks fail to take a stand on obvious doctrinal issues. I can't begin to tell you how many times the small talk or the lessons in Elders Quorum allude to the big game being played that day, and how eager a significant number of the men are to partake in it. Obviously all are free to choose whether or not they're going to adhere to specific commandments, but why is the response to smile in silence??? Never understood that.
  8. It's kinda funny how we consider ourselves so advanced and talented and gifted today... but are just as bad or worse-than those in the past when it comes to governing people...
  9. Hahahaha... The Mormon Rumor Mill is alive and well... Some things never change... :lol:
  10. I don't know too much, but I've lived all over this country and met many different people and types of people. While my sampling may only represent a small portion of the masses, here's what I have learned: 1.) A majority of the population is ignorant of Mormons. They actually do still see us as "a cult", as a bunch of nutters with extreme views ad outlandish ideas. 2.) And as a result of such stigma, folks are very reticent to associate themselves with it. 3.) Those who get past these initial barriers, upon learning the expectations placed on a faithful member, are hesitant to sacrifice their way of life. Again, I repeat that this is just my life's experiences - not necessarily an accurate portrayal overall...
  11. You just have to go to Kansas to get that! :lol:
  12. The travesties in early 3 Nephi were a Type of what will come when Christ makes His return. With that in mind, I don't doubt that we will see myriad tempests and natural disasters of ALL kinds...
  13. As I said, even over there this will be a complete fiasco. I'm just glad there are people still willing to fight losing battles for good causes.
  14. We're to rise above the muck, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing some house cleaning every now and then. Look at the Church's stance in CA right now. Agency is to be respected, no doubt. But there are limits to what society can or should have to tolerate...
  15. While this attempt is going to be a fiasco, I'm impressed that an entire governing body was able to come together to pull something like this off! I mean, can you imagine how fast this'd get kicked to the curb in congress? BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Indonesia passes anti-porn bill
  16. Quite right. The implication was made, however, that we tend to climax towards civil unrest in our vociferous cries of alarm, while expecting no such resistance against our crusades...
  17. Article of Faith: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." Agency is the most fundamental concept of our existence here. It isn't OUR place to inhibit anyone else's agency. Rather, any efforts made should be loving persuasion... (or in my case - supreme indifference)...
  18. I saw crap like this all the time via my friends back in high school in the suburbs of Atlanta. I'd actually have buddies of mine say, "hey, we're learning about you guys next Sunday!"... and my follow-up on what they discussed frequently made me cringe and try to clarify the myriad contortions of our beliefs and doctrine...
  19. Hey, this guy's just fulfilling prophecy! Maybe we should be appreciative - because folks like him bring The Millenium that much closer.
  20. I know where you're coming from... but it DOES still bring me added comfort and faith to think that my own father, whom I love dearly, is standing at my side, reinforcing my efforts. Plus, I WANT those I love to be a part of it. To share that bond with the newest addition to our ever-growing family.
  21. If you're a spiritual giant, perhaps. As for me, I need all the help I can get. God's more likely to respond to the collective prayers of many, as opposed to the singular prayer of one... so why not with blessings, as well?
  22. Not only that, but you are able to harness the collective power of multiple priesthood holders (though, this can be done at home, too). For me, be it right or wrong, I start off directing my words to Heavenly Father. But then, once that portion is complete, I actually turn my focus to my child and present HIM (I've had 4 boys) with a Father's Blessing. Again, collective Priesthood Power. But even moreso, trying to avoid offending kin.
  23. I'm amazed at how many people know things "beyond a shadow of a doubt, wiith every fiber of [their] beings. That's right, even their toenails have supreme confidence in the validity of the gospel. There are so many hackneyed expressions used in church. Another one that drives me bonkers is, "we thank thee for the moisture we've received"... Ugh. The MOISTURE? So does that count the humidity, as well? Why can't people just say RAIN or SNOW? Why does everyone say MOISTURE? My wife knows I hate it and will look over in the prayer to see me rolling my eyes.
  24. Yeah. Our current versions are akin to having a copy-of-a-copy-of-a-copy. Plus, there are actually words in other languages which English has no word for (and vice versa) - so the translators have had to interpret it based on their opinions. Here's an interesting factoid: you know how in the King James Version, there are a LOT of words italicized? Well they are that way because the council that King James convened couldn't decide whether or not those words were an accurate part of the translation - but several of the people on the council FELT that they were the right words to use. Since many wanted those words, but not a confident majority, they were included in italics. When I was in Kirtland?? (I can't remember for sure - I think at the E.B. Grandin Printing Shop) there was an old Bible on display that reflected the types of changes Joseph Smith was making to the Bible... and, ironically enough, the pages that were open for display revealed that Brother Joseph had actually crossed out MOST of those italicized words as being incorrect... I'm sure examples abound. Michael Ballam, a very intelligent man, taught himself Hebrew and Greek, so as to be able to read the older texts in their native language [by the way, the oldest copies of the Bible are still dating 1,000 years AFTER Christ (see Holland's conference talk last Fall)]. Ballam finally got his opportunity - and shares in one of his talks how VASTLY DIFFERENT he translated the first verses of the first book (Gen. 1:1 and on)... He discovered some very simple interpretive changes that dramatically change the wording - and in a way that better parallels our doctrine of the pre-existence and creation...