bytebear

I can't say that i have had a direct confirmation of Nelson specifically, but I have had confirmation on the church he leads, and the apostolic process we follow.  Also, of all the Latter Day Saint churches that are out there, only the CoJCoLDS has fulfilled prophecies of the true Latter Day church both ancient and modern.

Depends on how you define "Christian"  If you believe in Christ, you are a Christian.  But, you are not of his fold until you covenant with him through baptism, from those with the proper authority, and that is only found in His restored church.  The Book of Mormon simply helps you find His flock.

Recycled paper.

I came across this article today.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-day-dostoyevsky-discovered-the-meaning-of-life-in-a-dream-762477006
In it, the author describes a short story written by Dostoyevsky about how in contemplating suicide, a man runs into a small child, and that encounter led him to go home, at which time he contemplates the meaning of life.  He talks about how if he were the only one on Earth, and killed himself, he would essentially destroy the world since he was the only thing in it.  And so, his life is an isolated event.
He then contemplates the chance encounter with the little girl, and realized that she changed his fate, and that he wasn't actually alone.
 

And then has a dream that he does kill himself and enters a different realm, and there sees people who are truly joyful, and discovers that life is about others not just himself. 
 
I found the story fascinating and how well it fit into gospel principles on several levels, from the lesson learned about loving one's neighbor, to the use of dreams and visions, to our understanding of the spirit world and the afterlife.

For Latter-day Saints, identification of a person's lineage in latter-day Covenant Israel is made under the hands of inspired Patriarchs through patriarchal blessings that declare lineage. Elder John A. Widtsoe, an Apostle, declared, "In giving a blessing the patriarch may declare our lineage-that is, that we are of Israel, therefore of the family of Abraham, and of a specific tribe of Jacob. In the great majority of cases, Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe to which has been committed the leadership of the Latter-day work. Whether this lineage is of blood or adoption it does not matter" (p. 73; cf. Abr. 2:10).
The patriarchal blessings of most Latter-day Saints indicate that they are literal, blood descendants of Abraham and of Israel. Those who are not literal descendants are adopted into the family of Abraham when they receive baptism and confirmation (see Law of Adoption). They are then entitled to all the rights and privileges of heirs (TPJS, pp. 149-50). This doctrine of adoption was understood by ancient prophets and apostles (e.g., Rom. 11; 1 Ne. 10:14; Jacob 5; cf. D&C 84:33-34).

http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Ephraim

I think SS should be 1) optional and 2) set up like a 401k or a retirement account, maybe something like a Roth IRA.   I don't like the idea of the money being locked down until retirement, or being sucked back into the system if you die early, or don't have a proper heir.  I generally don't like the idea of schemes to redistribute wealth.   You earn it, you keep it.  Just make it worthwhile to invest it, and make it easier for people not financially savvy to invest it decently.  Even if it's just a basic S&P500 account.
As for medicare, send it down to the states and let them figure out their own programs.  We were better off overall before Obamacare, so just reverse it.  Some states will over spend or under cover, but that's too bad.  Not having a limit on funding is a real problem, and states have to learn to live within their tax means, unlike the Federal govt, who can print money, and rack up trillions in debt.
 

My point is this.  We are keeping the peace.  Even when we are bad at it,  the US is a force for peace, and it's working.  And we are doing it with fewer resources every year.  In the meantime, we are spending massive amounts of money into entitlements, that aren't solvent, and that don't actually solve the problems of poverty or health care, and in fact, in my opinion make them worse.  We don't save for retirement like we did, and we assume the government will bail us out.  And we aren't charitable as we should be because we assume government will do the job, making us even resentful for those in need.  I believe it goes against the gospel.  I think that learning compassion and charity are lost when we rely on government.  So, aside from the waste and corruption, we lose out on our own spiritual growth.

I think SS should be 1) optional and 2) set up like a 401k or a retirement account, maybe something like a Roth IRA.   I don't like the idea of the money being locked down until retirement, or being sucked back into the system if you die early, or don't have a proper heir.  I generally don't like the idea of schemes to redistribute wealth.   You earn it, you keep it.  Just make it worthwhile to invest it, and make it easier for people not financially savvy to invest it decently.  Even if it's just a basic S&P500 account.
As for medicare, send it down to the states and let them figure out their own programs.  We were better off overall before Obamacare, so just reverse it.  Some states will over spend or under cover, but that's too bad.  Not having a limit on funding is a real problem, and states have to learn to live within their tax means, unlike the Federal govt, who can print money, and rack up trillions in debt.
 

Would it surprise you to learn that US military spending has continually gone down since WWII (as % of GDP), while entitlement spending has exploded in the same time period.  No, our budget issues are not from having a strong military.
Also, would it surprise you that we are in an era of unprecedented peace globally?  That death from wars is almost non-existent.

I work in fuzzy data every day.  People are constantly wanting exact counts of things.  Things that you think would be easy to count.  It's not.  Ballots are far more complex in terms of counting than what I count.  Just getting a valid list of eligible voters is impossible.

What this world needs are more Milton Friedmans and fewer Paul Krugmans.
Fun fact: Milton Friedman was 5'0" tall.
Bonus fun fact: Technically, Paul Krugman is human.

I would go up to Park City.  The Olympic park and training center is at the turn off from the freeway, and has a lot to see.  A small museum, and you can see the bobsled run, and the jumps.  And then you continue to drive up to the city itself.  Small mountain town ruined by a Hollywood film festival, but still a lot of historic mining things to see.  And they have various activities, but a bit early for skiing.  Still a fun place to check out.
You can also visit Snowbird which is up a different canyon, and they have a tram and various activities as well.
You just missed the leaves changing in the canyons, but the city should be turned nicely now.   I was there a week ago, and it was hit or miss, some trees green, others vibrant red and orange.  Of course, it's nothing compared to New England, so you probably won't be impressed.
I would also consider a tour of the State Capitol.   Pretty cool building.
Drive around the University of Utah campus, and the surrounding neighborhoods (The Avenues)
Most people go to the top of the Joseph Smith building for a view, but do the Church office building.  That's absolutely spectacular.  Tours are free of course.
You can also do a Beehive house tour.  They shortened it, sadly, and it's done by foreign sister missionaries, so not particularly historic and a bit preachy.  But what can you do.  The Lion house next door has a decent cafeteria. 
You might want to consider hiking up Ensign Peak.  It was the place where Brigham Young and others laid out the plans for the valley, and they had some fairly substantial spiritual experiences, including visions of the future of the Salt Lake valley.  Covenants were also made there, so it is holy ground.
"This Is the Place" monument is a good stop for the tourist and history buff.
 
Not sure if this link will work, but here's a map I  made of the various activities we did a few years back.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&mid=1f1jT2vT94DH_nBUvAi9d1dw4fuQ&ll=40.83127478813276%2C-112.52109990000002&z=8

I would go up to Park City.  The Olympic park and training center is at the turn off from the freeway, and has a lot to see.  A small museum, and you can see the bobsled run, and the jumps.  And then you continue to drive up to the city itself.  Small mountain town ruined by a Hollywood film festival, but still a lot of historic mining things to see.  And they have various activities, but a bit early for skiing.  Still a fun place to check out.
You can also visit Snowbird which is up a different canyon, and they have a tram and various activities as well.
You just missed the leaves changing in the canyons, but the city should be turned nicely now.   I was there a week ago, and it was hit or miss, some trees green, others vibrant red and orange.  Of course, it's nothing compared to New England, so you probably won't be impressed.
I would also consider a tour of the State Capitol.   Pretty cool building.
Drive around the University of Utah campus, and the surrounding neighborhoods (The Avenues)
Most people go to the top of the Joseph Smith building for a view, but do the Church office building.  That's absolutely spectacular.  Tours are free of course.
You can also do a Beehive house tour.  They shortened it, sadly, and it's done by foreign sister missionaries, so not particularly historic and a bit preachy.  But what can you do.  The Lion house next door has a decent cafeteria. 
You might want to consider hiking up Ensign Peak.  It was the place where Brigham Young and others laid out the plans for the valley, and they had some fairly substantial spiritual experiences, including visions of the future of the Salt Lake valley.  Covenants were also made there, so it is holy ground.
"This Is the Place" monument is a good stop for the tourist and history buff.
 
Not sure if this link will work, but here's a map I  made of the various activities we did a few years back.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&mid=1f1jT2vT94DH_nBUvAi9d1dw4fuQ&ll=40.83127478813276%2C-112.52109990000002&z=8

What an opportunity.  You get to meet and become a member of a while new ward, and still get to see and associate with your old ward family.  Win-win.

Open up an incognito (private) window in your browser and copy the url.

Open up an incognito (private) window in your browser and copy the url.

But marriages can be performed by proxy for deceased ancestors, so everyone who is worthy will be given the opportunity for a sealed marriage.

When Grunt mentioned "Linger Longers" I was reminded of my mission (same general geographical area) and we had them too.  Members lived somewhat far from the building, so we did a potluck after church.  I never heard of it before that, and we don't have them here.  But even here in California, I have a several chapels within a 15 minute drive. 

What I would like to see change?  An emphasis on fellowshipping neighbors. I feel like we don't emphasize visitors to our services or activities enough.  I would love to see 20% of the congregation be visitors/non-members.  We get so cliquish.  Also, it always bothered me that we have a "visitors Welcome" sign but no sign telling you what time the services are.  How are visitors supposed to know when to come, other than when a bunch of cars are in the parking lot?
 

I don't know that they thought of his name being "Christ" any more than we do.  Jesus is THE Christ.  it's a title, more than a name.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6

I looked up the word "Christ" and the word “Christ” comes from christos, a Greek word meaning “anointed.” 

To be anointed, literally, is to have sacred oil poured on one’s head, because God has chosen the person for a special task. Priests and kings were anointed, and occasionally prophets. Kings were anointed during their coronation rather than receiving a crown.

http://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/what-does-the-word-christ-actually-mean/
So, the translation could have been "word of the anointed one" or the one designated as king.  It also ties into the LORD being used, since that is another designation of a holy ruler.  So, I feel like we are arguing over synonyms. 
Far be it from me because of the  LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’S anointed (mashiach),  to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’S anointed (mashiach). (1 Samuel 24:6)

The Bible has translated Jehovah as LORD all over the OT.  Smith (or God) seems to prefer Christ to LORD.  I have no problem with it

My folks in CA have some pretty fond memories of bringing picnic lunches and basically spending the day together as a ward, since many members lived an hour or more from their church building.

Interesting since the 3 hour block was established in the 70s (I think) because the church grew outside of the Mormon belt and church was two hours on Sunday but separate times (Sunday school in the AM, and Sacrament meeting in the afternoon.  Priesthood/Relief Society/Mutual (YM/YW) and primary were during the week.  So, to stop people from traveling so much, they consolidated all the meetings.   In Utah, it was easy to walk to primary.  Church was closer than school.   And I wonder if they are going to basically revert to the same.  Move the meetings that were during the week back to during the week.  So, the change wouldn't really be that radical.  In fact, it's more like it used to be.

One could argue we already do that, alternating General and Stake conferences.