captmoroniRM

None of us can really say. We cannot judge others or their actions. Luckily we have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior to judge us at the last day; perfectly just and merciful. They know our hearts and our minds and are the best judge possible for such situations.

I definitely think the message of these 14 fundamentals are essential for the times which are to come. Meridian Magazine carried an article where Elder Packer and one other member of the twelve, touched on one message that was something unplanned. They said things are going to get rough for the Saints, that the easy times were over. One of the things that shocked me in 2008 was hearing some members of the church call Pres. Monson a bigot by asking members to support CA Prop 8 or AZ Prop 102. As the world drifts further into iniquity, the wheat will be sifted from the tares, and such incidents will only increase. Following the prophet now-adays is one of the sure-fire ways to ensure that we will be on the Lord's side.

Everybody has to really work at keeping up their testimony, so your not alone on that one. That's part of the reason I love the 4th article of faith. The first principles of the gospel are faith and repentance. They are the two most important, and yet the hardest to "get down." We have to keep at them, constantly evaluating how we are doing. That ties into the other half of the 4th article of faith. The sacrament is a renewal of those baptismal covenants we made. Each week we have the opportunity, during the sacrament to reflect on our week and then rededicate ourselves to the Lord and the covenants we have made. As we truly strive to improve, utilizing the atonement to help us grow, we have his Spirit with us. As for fighting apathy, it's a pretty selfish emotion. It is the attitude of not caring. The best way to fix "not caring" is to do something for someone else. Find opportunities to serve those around you. Volunteer at your bishop's storehouse, if you are old enough. Work on family history. Do something nice for a family member. Serve those around you, and you'll find your apathy will fade away.

For someone to say Satan is more active and interested in us than God is definitely not true. The scriptures are very clear that the Almighty's work and his glory is to bring to pass our eternal life and immortality. He is committed to doing all he can to guide us back to him. He stands at the door and knocks, wanting us to let his help into our lives. I personally think that, in most cases, Heavenly Father's influence is subtle. My dad, spamlds, has told me repeatedly, the still small voice is always a still small voice. Heavenly Father will place us where we can be an influence for good in the lives of those around us. His tender mercies come when needed most, and after faith is tried. Satan throws so much static into our lives, that the simplicity of our Heavenly Father's influence in our day to day lives seems almost lost. It's like the blue man group song, "Your Attention Please." One part of the song is filled with a dozen voices each saying something to the effect of don't listen to my voice, while one is saying "listen to me." You have to listen hard at first to recognize that one voice. Once you do, it is very apparent.

Stick with the advice of the Brethren. Don't play it if it offends the spirit in any way. I know some people treat M rated games like R rated movies, and just don't play them regardless of whatever amazing reviews they get.

like spamlds said, we are literally the offspring of God. We know through the restored Gospel we have the ability to become like him, if we do our part here on earth. As for specific details as to what exaltation will be like, that's one of those things that our mortal minds can't really comprehend.

I'd look for something by B. H. Roberts. his books on the nauvoo period are great.

Pam, would that make you therefor a mindful babbler?

Someone I know wasn't just called a mission president.

To avoid rehashing the same material, I'll just post this from SPAM: Do Mormons Practice Polygamy? - S.P.A.M. - Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism

Taking time, is the first step. It's hard. As busy as our lives are, we can't be in too much of a hurry. Here's a great devotional given by my BYU-I Religion professor on the subject. It was a powerful talk. Don't Be in a Hurry It approaches the topic from these points: First, don’t be in a hurry to forget the first commandment. Second, don’t be in a hurry to do it all yourself. Third, don’t be in a hurry to fill your days with “busyness.” And fourth, don’t be in a hurry to be done.

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands. -- Douglass Adams

I think it would be interesting if a black guy were called as an apostle. That would put an end to all the claims that the LDS church is racist. But anyways I predict inspired talks, great music, and a few good anecdotes from the life of Pres. Monson. Oh, I also predict that a new apostle will be called, and it will be someone that nobody guessed in this thread.

No prob, bob.....er...um...Mikbone

Great post. Maybe this is just me nitpicking, but I believe the scripture is part of Moroni's Abridgement of the plates of Ether so it would have been a translation from the "reformed egyptian" translation of the adamic language. (ie Adamic Language > Nephite translation > Moroni's Abridgement > English). But other than my technicality nitpicking, great post.

All the PM needs to do is download VLC on his PC or Laptop and he can watch them, if he has a dvd-rom installed.

Note....i hate how I think I"m on the last page, I write something, and magically 3 other pages appear. I should pay more attention first.

Here is something I wrote regarding Jeremiah 17. Those who reject the fact that the witness of the Holy Ghost in our hearts use Jer. 17:9 to try and prove us wrong. (From Spamlds.org) ** One scripture that always comes up by the anti-mormon when discussing the topic at hand (praying for wisdom from God) is Jer. 17:9 which reads: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? It sounds reasonable enough. Don't trust the heart, for it is wicked and who can know it? Let's put the verse in context with its counterparts. 5 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9 ¶ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Verse 5 says that any man who trusts in man, and make flesh his arm, and departs the ways of the Lord. It is a warning. Don't trust in the things of man. Simple. Straight forward. He who trusts in the arm of flesh and departs the Lord will be like a heath in the desert. Heath is an open tract of uncultivated land...or a wasteland. They are desolate lands lacking water or vegetation: Yet blessed is he that trusts in the Lord. Note, that it doesn't say the word of the Lord, but the Lord, echoing Solomon's proverb "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thy own understanding." He that trusts in the Lord is like tree planted by a river so it can drink deep, and never stop bearing fruits and will withstand the drought. Sounds to me like he who trust in the Lord will have access to living water, which as we learn in John comes from Christ. He said "the water that I shall give him shall never athirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Note here, the living water comes not from a book, but Christ himself. So one who trusts in God, will receive living water from Him. Still with me? Now we get to verse 9. It says do not trust the heart, for it is deceitful above all things. Who can know it? Sounds reasonable enough. The Heart, in scripture is often used to represet the source of our desires and motivations. Christ said that out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder, adultery, etc. Wow so the heart is a bad thing right? Not neccessarily. We are told by Christ, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 1 Timothy 1:5 says the end of living the commandments is a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. The concept of repentance is turning one's heart to God and doing his living by his word. This requires the casting off of sin and replacing it with a Christ-like life. It depends on where your faith and focus is. Thus, the desires of the heart can be pure and good. But who can know the heart? The Lord declares "I know the heart and I try the reigns, and give according to the fruit of his doings. What is the Lord saying here? The Lord knows the desires of our heart? Of course. And he rewards us by the fruits of our labors! So if we live God's commandments, trusting in Him with our heart, the result is "faith unfeigned." When Christ testified to his apostles on the road to Emmeaus, their hearts burned within them, testifying of the words of the Savior. Paul wrote the fruits of the Spirit were "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith." When hearing the word of God many were "pricked in their hearts." The righteous had the commandments of God "written upon their hearts." Such is the way the Spirit testifies of things. Jeff would convince you that these emotional responses are non-scriptural, but there is abounding evidence that they are. He is locked into the ideals of uninspired men who reject the living God and worship a book. The Promise of Mormonism....and really the Bible as well The sectarian creeds of Christianity have locked the minds of men into a cycle. They say if you pray and ask God for wisdom, you will find wisdom in the Bible. But what if a teaching in the Bible is confusing? Many doctrines are interpreted in so many ways as to destroy any hope of reconciling truth by looking within its pages. Greg has constantly illustrated that Christianity is divided upon the teachings of a book that it holds as inerrant and the supreme authority of all Christian Doctrine. In the 6000 years or so that has passed since Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden to say that all of God's words are confined to a Book that contains the records from aproximately 1100 years BC (the time of Moses to Malachi) and then 100 years or so after is heresy. Secular Christianity has a form of godliness but denies the power therof. Emerson, in his Divinity School address calimed "The stationariness of religion; the assumption that the age of inspiration is past, that the Bible is closed; the fear of degrading the character of Jesus by representing him as a man; indicate with sufficient clearness the falsehood of our theology. It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake. The true Christianity, — a faith like Christ's in the infinitude of man, — is lost. The message of the LDS church is this: Don't take man's word for it. Trust in God and ask him. You don't even have to take my word in it. Just ask of God and he will tell you if what is true. He as answered my prayers, testifying that there are living propehts on the earth, that the Book of Mormon is scripture.

Adendum: One of the reasons Anti-Mormon's attack the idea of praying about it and "feeling" the truth is because they know it is something they can't stop or impede. Some websites teach that you shouldn't pray about it, which arrives at Nephi's words, that the spirit that teaches a man not to pray is not of me. If Satan can keep people from praying, then he can keep them from getting answers. http://api.ning.com/files/9BTy*yVPAWslsHymg0UguSaMiyLCfUtFcixlQcYXyvguWMOeLoIdC34xOPplNVLpZnqzBGOvgLIUNg5uxmm*FPe2qSCIkJCp/honesty.jpg And yes, it is absolute proof for one person. All missionary work telling people that we have proof, and they can find it for themselves if they follow the same steps. If they do, they find proof. If they don't follow those steps, then they can never know. If it were universal proof, then what necessity would there be for faith?

What is interesting is the feelings we get ARE absolute proof. It is reproduceable evidence that anybody can find out for themselves. To determine is something is true, there are usually certain steps\ways to validate it. There are certain tests to prove if what you are seeing is a diamond or diamonique, Gold, or fools-gold. Any other test doesn't work. The way the Lord has set up for us to obtain proof of this latter-day work, is through the whispers of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men. To obtain it, they must ask of God in faith and real intent. Any other means to "prove" it will ultimately fail.

Just don't give your kids cell phones. Problem solved. I didn't have my own cell phone until I was 18, and it didn't have texting. They are convenient, yes, but not necessary. My little sister bought a pre-paid cell phone. It was a waste of money and got her into more trouble than it was worth. She seriously spent like 80 dollars in 2 days to get cell phone minutes. My parents watched in awe as she burnt through the money she earned from her job.

Varies. "Oh Say What is Truth." Just about anything by Eliza R. Snow. Praise to the Man. The Spirit of God. Kolob. It's hard to pick. Depends on my mood.

Polygrip? It says that all will be restored as it was and not a hair should be lost. Does that mean the toothless will get dentures? If so, then yes, I believe there will be polygrip.

That says it all.

Alma 37:11 should sum up this question.