bytebear

There is nothing in the Bible about a "five fold ministry." That is a made up term by a bunch of men who were not prophets of God. It is the learing and understanding of men, pretending to be the understanding of God. It is false doctrine. As to your "test" of a prophet, that concept would negate the entire New Testiment, because it did away with a large chunk of the doctrine and practices of the Jews. So, who was right? Moses or Paul? You say a new prophet cannot contradict an old one, but there are far to many examples in the Bible of that to believe that is truly the case. As to prophecies not coming true... again, the Bible is filled with contradictory examples. Finally, if Jesus warned of false prophets, woudn't that imply that he meant to seek out the true prophets? Otherwise he would have said "beware all men who claim to be prophets."

I think "correct doctrine" is a byproduct of the gospel, or rather of the living church. Prophets and apostles do deceminate truth, and that is a key role, but it is not the primary role of the Lord's church. The primary role is to grant authority to men so that they can fulfill the will of God on Earth. The primary purpose of that is to administer the ordinances of salvation required to return to God. If I were to start my own church, and teach the exact same things as the LDS Church, follow all the same practices, and even perform the same rituals, my church would still be false, because I have not been given authorty by God to perform these acts. Even if I speculate on the nature of the universe and my answers are more correct or complete than what we currently know, I am still a false prophet. An example is in the baptism of Jesus Christ. He surely knew more about God's will than John the Baptist, and John even balked at the request for baptism, feeling himself unworthy, but Jesus knew that even though he had a more sure knowledge, and even was more holy than John, John still held the correct authorty from God. So, Mormons are the true church, not because they know more, but because they have authority from God. This is His church. It was so when Peter led it. It was so when Moses led it. It was so when Joseph Smith led it. Did they all run their church's the same way? no, but they had authority from God to run it according to His will.

It seems to me you are so afraid Satan is going to deceive you, that you are blind to the idea that maybe he already has.

I think Time Out if enacted correctly is far more effective than a spanking.

We don't? I think many Mormons do, and that Adam was created literally from the dust of the Earth. But, Mormonism also believes in continuing revelation, and Mormons embrace science. But, most Mormons are open to new spiritual revelation as well as new science suplanting the ideas and beliefs of the past. Scientific understanding will expand and spiritual understanding will expand, and eventually, they will converge into a pure knowlege of all things. To understand further the LDS view of Adam and Eve and the creation, I would read the Book of Moses found in the Pearl of Great Price (see scriptures.lds.org)

A good guide is Doctrine and Covenants 20. 37 And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church. So the steps are: 1. Humble yourself before God 2. Have a desire to be baptized 3. Come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits 4. Witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins 5. Be willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ 6. have a determination to serve him to the end 7. Truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins

If only you could eliminate churches based on a single Bible verse(or a few select verses). I could just as easily quote Amos 3:7 and eliminatate all churches not led by prophets. Or I could quote Paul on issues of women's role in the church, or Leviticus on dietary laws. The point is, the Gospel is not a riddle to be solved by reading the Bible. It is a spiritual question that requires the spirit to answer. My personal experience is that the more I understand LDS theology, the more I understand the Bible. Just the concept of Spirit Prison alone tells me the Mormons have it right. There are many other examples. But you are asking the question wrong. You ask, Does Mormonism conform to the Bible, when you should be asking, Does the Bible conform to Mormonism. Turn the question around, and ask it of your own beliefs. But you may not like the implications.

I have a 42" rear projection HD TV. It is probably 7 years old, so think first generation HD. about 3 months ago, the blue started going a little to the left, making the tv look like a 3D movie without the glasses. It was painful. I almost bought a new tv, but for an older tv, this one has a great picture, and is awesome. I paid $350 to have it repaired, and although it was just a chip that needed to be replaced (I checked online and got instructions), it was worth every penny it to have a pro do it. Now my tv is perfect, and still cheaper than buying a new one. So, call the repair guy, and have it fixed.

We are making a special trip from California to Utah mid June to attend the open house. We were blessed to have the Newport Beach Temple dedicated just a few years ago, and I was able to take many non-Member friends to the tour. What an opportunity to share the gospel. It's really the only time a temple is used exclusively in that one third of the three fold mission of the church.

I chose spreading rumors, because it is bearing false witness, and is in the top 10. Necking leads to adultery, but isn't there yet.

I can send you one from Disneyland, if she is a Mickey Mouse fan.

I agree with you. I don't know if I was just unclear, or if I was comparing too much to genetic disorders where people are born with XXY or other variations besides XY. This sounds different, so maybe it's less genetic than hormonal. The point is, I think what you identify as is what you should live your life as, and the challenge becomes trying to get everyone else to do the same. And I don't know that every Bishop is up to such a challenge. And I think some blessings, like a temple sealing, or a priesthood ordination may be denied. Just don't let those hiccups in our flawed world get you down. The resurrection will clear those up, and I believe when we get there, we will look back and realize how trivial our concerns were.

I think in the resurrection all genetic issues will be resolved, but we just don't know enough about the science to determine what that resolution should be. I think our spirits reflect the correct genetic code we are meant to have, but Earthly imperfection means we may have physical genetic differences from that perfection. Bruce R. McConkie believed genetic inheritance was a scientific interpretation of God choosing which spirit goes to which Earthly parents. But I think errors can occur in our imperfect world. I think it can be difficult to rectify gender ambiguity with doctrines like celestial marriage. Say you identify as male, but you are resurrected as a female. What if you were sealed to a female? What then? There are simply no easy answers, and maybe certain blessings simply must occur at the resurrection when the veil is thin and we know the answers. I tend to believe our gender identity is our spirit telling us who we really are, but that is just my opinion. And gender identity is not always the same as gender attraction. Sp that's just another wrinkle to put in the quandry. And I really don't have any concrete answer, and I don't think the church or science does either.

I think the error lies in the understanding of the word "damnation." The LDS Bible Dictionary defines it as such (emphasis mine):

I can imagine in a ward that is in an area that is mostly LDS, and conversions and new members are rare, you get a bit of the "old school" vs. the "new blood." but I never saw it so rampant as when I served my mission in New England. In some wards, the members were so protective of their ward, they didn't want new converts for fear the ward might one day split, and the poor Mormon family that moved there from Utah had a serious eye opener on the culture of the Northeast. Let's just say they were not friendly unless they knew you for more tha 10 years, and even then you were still the "new" family. It wasn't a church culture, just a regional one but it spilled into the wards. And it wasn't every ward, but it was common.

My recommendation is to test the Gospel. Live the Word of Wisdom, and see if you are blessed. Do that with other aspects of the Gospel. Scripture reading, church attendence, even tithing. Test every principle of the Gospel, and see if you are happier, have a better life. Then you will know.

LDS.org - Search Tidying Up Loose Ends?: The November 2000 Excommunication of Margaret Toscano, 2001 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium, Sunstone Magazine. He also received the priesthood before baptism. Sometimes things don't follow the standard pattern, when restoring truth. Considering Celestial Marriage wasn't revealed yet, all bets are off.

Take him on a little road trip around the town. Show him all the things that have changed in the last couple years. Maybe get him a list of movies and tv shows that he missed. Or even music. Maybe get some on DVD or Hulu. Have a movie night with the best movies of the last two years.

I think God put the folks of the Temple Lot in place to secure the land until He has need of it. I believe they are there for His purposes. If it weren't for them that land would probably be a Wal-Mart by now.

I don't know that Utah and California Mormons are excluding. I grew up in Utah, and we always had local non-member youth at all the tangential activities, dances, scouts, etc. We knew who all the kids in the neighborhood and they were always welcome to come, and everyone Mormon or not, loves a good church dance. I think the problem is, there are those who skirt away from the church when they don't want to convert, or they feel pressured to do so, but that's them excluding themselves. I remember one kid my age who didn't even live in our ward boundaries who went to all the youth stuff, and his mom had no intention of joining the church, and we knew it, and we all got along.

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It is interesting that no level of priesthood authority (bishop and up) is given to a man without a wife. I an sure the wives of bishops, stake presidents, seventies, apostles and prophets all know the great sacrifice and work it is to have such a role. I believe the men are formally set apart, but that the calling is definiltely a joint venture, just just for the husband and wife, but for the entire family. They must all be prepared for the sacrifices and challenges of having the father in such an authoritative position. I think the same is true of Heavenly Father. He cannot carry such authority without the influence of a rightious eternal wife. It certainly brings new meaning to 1 Cor. 11.

When you prepare for baptism, you will be interviewed to see if you are ready. You will be asked some general questions like, how do you feel about the gospel as taught church, if you have a testimony of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon and modern prophets, and you will be asked some specific questoins. The specifics are about committments you are expected to live up to after baptism, and that you have shown a willingness to do before hand. They include an agreement to attend church weekly, to be morally chaste (no sex outside marriage), to pay tithing, and to obey the word of wisdom, by obstaining from coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco. There are no questions about soda, r-rated movies, taste in music or facial hair. And you don't need to feel like you have to be an expert in the gospel. You just have to know it is true, and that you are willing to repent of your sins and prepare to live a Christlike life. The missionaries who teach you and other investigators, are there to make sure you have that testimony and are ready for baptism. You will know when it is right.

Does it really matter? Christ is a title, not a name. Eloheim is the plural of El which means God, so Heavenly Father doesn't have a name. We don't know the true pronounciation of Jehovah, or YHWY, or whatever. Even Jesus is pronouced hay-soose in Spanish, and is a very common name. Every language has a different name for God, so take your pick.

She is real, and certainly she has concerns for her children, but beyond that, anything else is speculation. and should not be taught as fact. The intermediator to God the Father is Jesus Christ, and the deliverer of spiritual answers is the Holy Ghost. We simply have no idea what her role is. Even the creation story and the plurality within it is the Godhead. Yes, we can assume that the female image is taken from her, but betond that we know nothing. Toscano was excommunicated not because she believed what she believed, but because she usurped the authority of the church and its leaders. She believed her theories and ideas were fact, and appointed herself an intelectual prophetess. But she was not called of God by prophecy and the laying on of hands (A of F 5). And now she doesn't even have the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide her.