KristofferUmfrey

Now, just so you are aware they don't function like Protestant pastors, they preside over the meeting but don't do all the preaching. Usually a kid will give a short talk, followed by 2 adults. On the first Sunday of the month they have a "Fast & Testimony" meeting where all members of the congregation (called Wards or Branches) are invited to come forward and share their testimony of the church and it's teachings.

or Branch President

But it was indirectly directed at me , because I am one of those people that doesn't believe everything LDS church teaches and has questions concerning certain teachings. But I will let it drop. I just hope you understand my point that not all people with sincerely held disagreements are all out just to find fault.

And I respect your right to believe that. So please respect my right to believe otherwise, without telling me I am trying to find fault or I don't search out truth with respect or reverence. I wouldn't dare tell you such a thing.

That's what I would use in teaching a LDS Missionary Prep class

You are assuming that those who don't agree with the church's positions don't understand the basics and are trying to find fault. That is quite an assumption to make and slightly judgmental in my opinion.

You make it seems that those who have doubts concerning certain topics are not seeking truth with reverence and respect or the aid of the Holy Ghost. I may not agree with everything the LDS church teaches, but believe me my searching has been with reverence and respect and prayer.

Which one? No multiple wives: Joseph Smith Fought Polygamy or DNA: The Wives of Joseph Smith - FAQ's Seems my 5 out of 12 number may be off. Let me look some more. Edit: A more friendly site the mentions the results in the article... MormonTimes - DNA shows Joseph Smith was Irish Edit #2: Let me add just one more... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Joseph_Smith,_Jr.

He used the Urim & Thummim and Seer Stone for translating the Book of Mormon. He relied on inspiration for correcting the Bible and worked on it with a man, Sidney Rigdon, who came from a church that was also involved in a project to correct the Bible. I think the JST was more Sidney's doing. Alot of what you believe doesn't make sense to me either, but I don't go about saying it all the time. Please show me the same respect.

Excuse my ignorance... Having read the Book of Mormon cover to cover close to 10 times I was always under the impression they had the Brass Plates to draw from for stories of faith and inspiration, such and Zenock and Zenos and the words of Isaiah for example. I'm sorry if I have misunderstood all these years. BTW, I am questioning some of the changes in the JST, not the Book of Mormon. I know the Book of Mormon is true.

Who was he talking to?

I don't believe the LDS history of Joseph having many wives. There is a saying, "Time vindicates the Prophets." DNA also seems to vindicate the Prophets... of 12 families claiming lineage from Joseph outside of Emma and her children, the 5 tested so far have shown no relation to him.

All I know is the Book of Mormon and Bible are to grow together to confound false doctrine. I feel safe that if it is not in there I don't need to accept it. I won't get into specifics about your post. I've made a decision to try and not be contentious and just offer my points of view. Sometimes the best way to do that is to let people opinions stand without comment.

My major problem with the JST is the story of Enoch... The Lord tells the BOJ (Brother of Jared) that never before had he shown himself "unto man, whom I have created", while the Enoch account in the JST says that Enoch saw the Lord many years before the BOJ. The Book of Mormon, though having the Brass Plates, says nothing of Enoch or his experience. I've come to believe the story of Enoch was one of the "Mormon Myths" of the Ancient Church. kind of like the story of the 3 Nephites standing behind a set of missionaries who knocked on Jeffery Dahmer's door to keep him from doing them harm.

I have issues with the JST and that is one of them.

"Me thinks thou doth protest too much." Your reaction is too strong. Are you on perpetual MST (Mormon Standard Time)? He wasn't trying to set attendance records he was trying to teach responsibility and he did just that. If you know the weather conditions are bad, you could always leave home earlier (although I'm sure some exceptions were made in such cases).

No rumor or misinterpretation. He told us that himself. And he served as Bishop for many years.

Perhaps you missed the part where people got the hint and started showing up on time and attendance began to climb while he was Bishop? Being on time is about showing respect to the Lord and to the other members.

In one of my areas on my mission the father of a family we ate with was a military man and the former Bishop. He told us while he was Bishop when Sacrament meeting started he would have the deacons close the doors into the chapel area (not the building) and they stayed closed, no one was allowed to come in late, at first there was some complaints, but within a few months church attendance had gone up 40% (if I remember right)

Feelings of unworthiness and remorse for sin is when you should partake. You are humbling yourself to acknowledge that you messed up and want to do better. In reality we are never "worthy" to take the sacrament. It is when when we stubbornly hold onto a sin or feel justified in some Spirit squashing action (huge fight with wife, "Well, she started it. I did nothing wrong" for example) that we should step back and not take it, until we have sufficiently humbled ourselves and are prepared to try and make a change.

Oh, you are just being racist.

Which mission in Argentina?

Not to offend any LDS here, but that skit pales in comparison to what was taught prior to 1990 about paid Christians ministers, but I will leave it at that. Maybe that is what you are talking about? I never saw it I was too young. The TV thing bothers me in many instances, but at the same time they reach people at least with the basic message of Jesus Christ in some very remote regions because satellite TV is everywhere practically.

The Book of Mormon doesn't teach that just being paid for Pastoral work, like some would argue, is priestcraft. Let's take a look: I don't believe, you, for example seek money or vain glory for your work. So I don't believe you are guilty of priestcraft. And I believe there are probably more paid Christian Pastors then not that are not guilty of priestcraft. At the same time I believe there are a number of unpaid clergy that may indeed be guilty of priestcraft because they do seek the praise of the world for their supposed knowledge or feigned humility.

It probably depends on the circumstances of the divorce as to whether the can serve as a Bishop after remarrying.