Prodigal_Son

I teach these lessons, as well. I think they're a walk in the park. Each quorum is different, but for mine, I shoot for some depth. With few exceptions, these are return missionaries who have their foundation already. So I take it beyond the fundamentals. As already posted, discussion is vital. A well taught "lesson" requires minimal input from the teacher. I listen for what they're getting at with their comments and follow what THEY want to explore. And I always, always, always 'liken the scriptures unto us' and make the topic directly and immediately relevant to us in our lives today - so that those uninterested in minutiae/details can still appreciate the significance of reviewing such a simple topic...

That a faithful member would DARE drink diet cola and still pretend to be a faithful, active member is pure and unadulterated heresy.

Uh oh. You're not planning to take the sacrament, are you?

Um... is there a website I can go to, so as to... refresh my memory? I, uh... haven't used those rules in... well, in a while... Well, I AM a crazy, cultish Mormon afterall...

Aw, geez. Look at the way Satan has derailed this thread...

Um, what are the rules of this engagement?

I find this completely offensive and just reported it.

Of course they're not, and nobody's suggesting otherwise. The 'evil environment' is precisely what Traveler was alluding to. On an LDS forum, however, your distinction between an 'evil environment' and the 'supernatural' is going to be a lone opinion. Evil equals Satan. Whether it's because he and his minions are present at the moment, or because they've been winning the war of attrition for years on people is beside the point. Traveler's point, unless I am much mistaken, is that when we let the enemy (Satan, worldly ways and vices) inside the city walls (our home), our fortress is no longer secure - and all those within are imperiled as a result. Exactly. Any parent who would think otherwise is a fool. How can we possibly have The Spirit in our home if we're angry? Or if we revel in and titillate ourselves with sex, murder, hate, lies, etc??? Identifying the source of a problem is one of the crucial steps to remedying it. I can recognize that my car's not working right. And I can blame myself and make do... Or I can work to identify the source of the issue and work to resolve it - and potentialyl avoid replicating the problem later on. NOBODY here is making excuses. Nobody here is claiming they're not to blame for their actions because "Satan made me do it!" They're just acknowledging that we are under a constant barrage from the Adversary and the guard was unwisely dropped for personal amusements or frustration or whatever... Denying the constant threat that Satan is in our lives is playing right into his hands. Identifying his handy work, however, empowers us to make better decisions to thwart him in advance (like with the hotel rooms, or tarnishing the feel of the Spirit in our homes) - so as to better improve our time while in this life. That's easy. Here's a subpar analogy, but I think it gets the point across. Imagine you, me and your mother or wife are standing together. I want to get at you, but I can't. I'm not allowed. Well, I still have several options. I can shove one of them into you without breaking the rule. I could cause harm to one you love - which will cause harm to you. I could bring grief and sorrow to them and still affect you. A kid who is raised by good, faithful LDS parents is not on equal ground as a kid raised by, say, an irresponsible, drug addicted porn star. Environment is HUGE.

Are you sure? What is your response, then, to 3 Nephi 9:20? Perhaps your use of the word "knows" leaves a lot of wiggle room, but I remember being electrified when I had an influential member pause in the middle of what he was doing and declare, "That feeling you feel right now: THAT'S the Holy Ghost." And, though I'd felt that 'sensation' before, I hadn't clearly identified it as being the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. But when that declaration by this beloved brother was made to me, I caught fire as the Spirit affirmed a resounding, "Yes, he's right. This is me you feel."

Rumor has it you can hop on the PCI Express strait to the H.E.L2 Cache and wind up in a situation where you totally overheat...

Actually, it's a Quad Core. You just don't ever want to interface with that last one.

I wasn't willing to risk getting stuck with a dual core.

As I sit here with the laptop, waiting for XP to install, I'll temporarily hijack this thread: I'm hoping to overclock the CPU to around 3.5-3.8 with stock fan and this motherboard.Either way, it'll be a far cry better than my Athlon 64 3800+ ... Okay, sorry all. Back to the topic at hand...

I agree with you completely, and I was hoping to add to it with a little Isaiah and a BofM passage, but UPS just arrived with all my new computer parts, so I need to sign off and begin my rebuild. Woohoo!

Well, that polarization is pretty accurate. If he is of God, he's the best man to come along since Christ, Himself. If he's a scam, however, that makes him about as sinister as it gets. Matthew 7:16 teaches us that we can judge a man by the fruits he produces. And, though much of the world considers us Mormons to be "fruits", I don't think that's what the Savior meant. Measuring Joseph Smith by the lasting fruits of his labors is the test Christ specified. Good luck on your quest. I pray you'll listen to God and not Man as you pursue these truths.

Funny you should mention that. There was a kid, only 14 years old, who had this same issue. He wrote his thoughts down, and here's an excerpt: This VERY issue led to the establishment of the LDS Church. The full story that the excerpt came from can be found HERE, and is an easy read and a very good place to begin research on the Church. For everything hinges on Joseph Smith: If he did, in fact, experience the things he claimed (seeing Heavenly Father and JEsus Christ, receiving an ancient record and translating it, etc) - then all of the doctrine of the LDS Church is true. If he was a charlatan, however, then it all comes tumbling down.

You're correct, of course, PC. I didn't mean to imply that we're alone in taking the bitter diatribes of the disaffected. I think, however Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is a perfect example of what I'm alluding to. There was a Gallup Poll where people were asked if they would ever consider voting for a qualified candidate who happened to be LDS <note: not asking if they'd vote for Romney here> and 28% said NO!!!!! Almost one in three have some grudge against our faith sufficient to prejudice them against our people. I'm pretty sure that you'd be hard pressed to get a flat rejection like that against a Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, etc... Just sayin'

President Boyd K. Packer (one of our General Authorities - The President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles) once wrote: And here's a talk from another G.A. that is a great sermon on the Spirit and following promptings. Well worth the read for EVERYONE.

I have no true answers, but I DO have a couple of observations. First, having grown up in the Bible Belt, I experienced multiple friends from multiple sects "studying" the Mormons in Sunday School. In time I learned that these classes were not established for broadening horizons . Rather, the classes should have been titled, "Why Mormons Are Wrong." I have observed that there are numerous religions, (or, perhaps more accurately, numerous leaders within religions) that feel the way to BE RIGHT is to show how the other choices are WRONG. ... The second thought is one MARTS1 pointed out: Satan. Acknowledging that all who read this thread are not LDS, let's just hypothesize: If there truly is ONE christian sect that has things spot-on, accurate - is TRULY Christ's church... well, isn't THAT the one Satan's going to battle against? Doesn't Satan at least win a PARTIAL victory if he can dissuade you from that one TRUE church - and compel you to dedicate yourself and your potential instead to a church of only partial light? It's easy to be offended with this concept, and I hope that none of those reading this choose to take offense --- but, though all churches have good to them, and SOME faith and belief is better than none . . . still, doesn't Satan walk away with a smirk and fist-pump when he convinces someone to devote themselves to a path OTHER than the ONE path Christ established? Being LDS and, therefore, very biased on the matter - it all makes PERFECT sense that the LDS faith is so relentlessly disparaged.

Pope Joan had something to say about the succession of authority.

Congrats, PC. A commendable effort. One which you WILL be blessed for. The Lord will accept whatever you have to offer, will work with it, and go from there. If you're heart's desire really is truth, it's just a matter of time.

CLARIFICATION: Christ was born in the spring, BUT I've heard this lame argument about the weather too many times. I visit Israel every December. I see shepherds with their flocks grazing IN SHEPHERDS' FIELD of Bethlehem each year when I'm there. The grass is green and growing, the weather is in the 50's-60's most days. Just sayin'.

I, too, am completely secure in my knowledge of The Redeemer. I think, however, that there is a sense of frustration (as alluded to earlier in this thread) that when confronted with such accusations, it's a HUGE barrier to being able to reveal to someone the Truth. This is a bit of a poor analogy, but I perceive this issue as such: compare a child's crayon drawing of Jesus to The Christus. Many out there have a crayon version of the Saviour. Yes, it's Him. And it represents what they perceive and want to believe. We Latter-Day Saints, however, have been blessed with the light and knowledge that enables us to recognize The Christus as our Savior. Same being, right? Only with exquisitely more detail, size, depth, solidarity, accuracy... It would be easy to look at the two side by side and see little comparison. Only with the additional light and knowledge that the Holy Spirit provides (via the Restoration and modern revelation) is one able to comprehend the leap from crayons to sculpture. Blindness, disinterest, and personal comfort, however, serve as frustrating hurdles/barriers for much of the world - to come try greater light and knowledge on for size. I believe that it's not that we're frustrated that we "don't belong". Rather, that we're pained by how many are out there, lulled into a false sense of security by the philosophies of men-mingled-with-scripture; by the unwillingness of so many to recognize the precious pearl that we possess and hope all will come take part in.

You must have two left feet, the way you're stepping on all those toes right now.

Haven't you seen Jurassic Park? Raptors can't work a round knob.