mikbone

I find the whole genealogy thing interesting. I agree the name dropping legitimizes his royal line. But as we all know, his real patriarchal line is very short & way more impressive —> God. I'm not even sure if Mary's genealogy is legitimate. Most assume that Jesus is the zygote from the union of an immortal sperm with a mortal egg. I think that the donor of the egg that produced Jesus is from Heavenly Mother. And that Mary is a surrogate mother - Alma 7:10

I personally studied the Come, Follow Me material for at least 2 hours. on Tuesday we spent an hour during FHE on the first half. Monday is usually a busy day at work... Today I spent another 2 hours teaching the second half, to the younger children. Missbones is out of town setting up RM daughter #1 @ BYU, and I had to perform surgery this AM so we missed church. So total of 5 hours. I hope to make it a habit. I am thrilled with the program. It is inspired. How was 2 hour church????

I love 1 & 2 (omitting the comment about the Atonement). In my opinion 3 falls under 2. And 4, I'm not sure that I would list a preference, perhaps he does have a bit of the OCD... Probably not a great driving factor though. I would add Moses 1:39 God does his work not only because is it glorifying. But because it is fun and entertaining. We went on vacation last summer and packed all the kids in the van. An hour out, I saw the youngest Mikbone (4 year old daughter) lying down in the 2nd row staring angrily at one of the speakers. Then I heard her say, "Alexa, why wont you talk to me?!" I had a good chuckle. When you create an infinite number of children you are bound to have an infinite amount of surprises. Also, based on Joseph Smith's translation of Elohim is probably following the example that his Father set...

I understand where you are coming from. But for crying out loud read 2 Ne 28. If you are not basing your religious ideology on scripture then you are probably basing it upon the precepts of men... And 2 Ne 9:28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. Children are great (I have a quiver full), but a real man (or woman) will read the scriptures to gain knowledge and the spirit to guide and direct their children.

Alma 44:10 And now when Zerahemnah had made an end of speaking these words, Moroni returned the sword and the weapons of war, which he had received, unto Zerahemnah, saying: Behold, we will end the conflict. I love that Captain Moroni was not only prepared, he was comitted. As Mormon edited the golden plates he particularly honored & respected Captain Moroni. Not only did he write Alma 48:17. Mormon named his son after the warrior-prophet.

Thanks for posting this. I hadn’t read the article. It dosent get any better than Holland heavily quoting Joseph Smith’s final General Conference address. April can’t come soon enough.

The scriptures inform us that “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3.) If any man does not know God, and inquires what kind of a being He is—if he will search diligently his own heart—if the declaration of Jesus and the apostles be true, he will realize that he has not eternal life; for there can be eternal life on no other principle. My first object is to find out the character of the only wise and true God, and what kind of a being He is; and if I am so fortunate as to be the man to comprehend God, and explain or convey the principles to your hearts, so that the Spirit seals them upon you, then let every man and woman henceforth sit in silence, put their hands on their mouths, and never lift their hands or voices, or say anything against the man of God or the servants of God again. Joseph Smith Jr., General Conference April 7, 1844 - Reprinted in April 1971 Ensign

This whole chapter is wonderful. Joseph Smith’s translation of John 5:19 is one of my favorite all time scriptures. Anyway Jesus is teaching and chastizing the Jews beacuse they claimed that salvation is in and through the scriptures. When in reality the Jews didn’t even understand the word of God. Because of their corrupt interpretation of the Old Trstament they couldn’t even recognize the son of God. Eternal life does not come from a book. It comes from living according to the correct intrepretation of the word of God. By following Christ’s example, partaking of ordinances, and enduring to the end. Jesus was also cognizant of his expected crucifixation and was effectively developing an antimosity between himself and the political leadership of the Jews.

I missed that movie.

I knew @Traveler would hate this. I on the other hand love Christ figures in Movies. When I saw Braveheart in the theatre I broke down when Robert the Bruce finally came to the conclusion (unfortunately way too late) that his shortcomings to follow honor led to William Wallaces torture and death. It reminded me of my sins and my shortcomings that required Christ’s sacrifice. Anyway, this is the first time that I have seen the vilan portrayed as a Christ figure.

I wouldn’t put it past Joseph Smith to take a fall and the beating just to redeem his brother...

https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/joseph-smith-prophet-man/11-joseph-smiths-athletic-nature http://www.ldsliving.com/Joseph-Smith-s-Fight-with-His-Brother-That-Left-Him-Unable-to-Sit-Down-or-Rise-Up-Without-Help-and-What-It-Teaches-Us-About-Forgiveness/s/85417 https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/164-16-38.pdf

D&C 132:20-25 The use of the terms Lives and Deaths in these verses may have relevance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_figure I just watched Avengers: Infinity Wars for the 3rd or 4th time... Now available on Netflix btw, 😜 Anyway, I noticed that there were at least 3 Christ figure imagery scenes: 1) Star-Lord (Peter Quill) and Gamora - He attempts to sacrifice Gamora in order to prevent Thanos from obtaining the Soul Stone. 2) Vision and Scarlet Witch - She destroys the Mind Stone (and kills Vision) in order to frustrate Thanos. 3) Thanos sacrifices Gamora in order to obtain the Soul Stone. Gamora - “what did it cost?” Hollywood obviously has used the imagery of Christ's Atonement to make money. Likely because when people watch these scenes, they feel the influence of the Holy Ghost testifying of the truth and have a sincere feeling of loss, sadness, honor, or reverence. Alma 30:44 Moses 6:63 How do you feel about the use of this technique in art and media?

I have no phoenetic skills, just read the words. Works swell for me and all the cultures that use logograms instead of alphabets. My wife, J.D. with English undergrad, makes fun of me. I read anatess2’s paragraph without any difficulty. Check out this website. https://www.spritz.com/ It allows you to read REALLY fast by only displaying one word at a time. Hit the play button and mess with the speed. I bet the adamic language is logographic.

Avoid pride and lawyers at all costs. Read the scriptures and pray together. Try hard to be a son or daughter of God, if not then a decent human being at least... Satan and despair are the most destructive forces on Earth. We must recognize that their intention is to destroy all that which is good. White knuckling your way through life ain’t no fun.

Another example of good science. Final paragraph of the original document Michael Guillen Ph.D., former Emmy-winning ABC News Science Editor, taught physics at Harvard and is now president of Spectacular Science Productions. His thriller, "The Null Prophecy," was released in July, 2017. His new book, "The End Of Life As We Know It: Ominous News From The Frontiers Of Science," is available now. And 2 reviews of the mentioned book on Amazon. Which I did not take the time to read...

What about the genetic bottleneck of Noah’s flood? If scientist are going to make an arguement about our genetic forefathers looking for Adam & Eve, they already have a flawed hypothesis. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_bottleneck

Of course they did. But this new (to me at least) interpretation, relates that Jesus was found in the same manger in the which the Passover lambs were kept... This gives the sign some significance.

Non-standard calling - gunslinging bodyguard

“I see no faults in the Church, and therefore let me be resurrected with the Saints, whether I ascend to heaven or descend to hell, or go to any other place. And if we go to hell, we will turn the devils out of doors and make a heaven of it. Where this people are, there is good society.” Joseph Smith

Flake shared the story of the father of presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney, former Michigan governor George Romney, who was asked by a heckler how many wives Brigham Young had. When George Romney said he didn”t know, the heckler wasn”t satisfied. Romney answered he would ask Brigham Young the question upon dying and going to heaven. “But what if Brigham Young didn”t make it to heaven?” the heckler said. “Well, I guess you can ask him then,” Romney said.

Disclaimer: I'm not a facebook fan. But this morning my wife shared with me a Pearl. There is a perspective that the shepherds whom received the revelation of the birth of Jesus were very special shepherds. These shepherds cared for the flocks that produced the unblemished lambs to be used in the Temple ceremonies. And because these lambs were so special and precious - when they were birthed, they would be wrapped in swaddling clothes, and placed in a special manger. The same manger where Jesus was born. Thus after the angelic announcement, they knew where to run... https://www.faithwire.com/2017/12/14/the-incredible-significance-of-baby-jesus-being-wrapped-in-swaddling-clothes-after-his-birth/ Merry Christmas

My recommendations: 1) Review this article: https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-17-no-3-2016/doctrine-models-evaluate-types-and-sources-latter-day-saint-teachings I can't stress the importance of differentiating between Core or Eternal Doctrine, Versus Supportive, Policy, and Esoteric Doctrine. Make sure that you never stray far from Core Doctrine. You can spend time in the interesting side material as long as it always strengthens or supports the core doctrine. Beware of the esoteric material. 2) I believe that this new Come, Follow Me study manual is inspired. It feels different then the prior manuals that we have received. I will not stray far from it for the next year. 3) Just browsing over the first lesson, it stresses some important directives: Invite Sharing, Teach the Doctrine, Learning requires acting in faith, All class members have responsibility to invite the Spirit into the class, We need to know the truth for ourselves, Strengthen testimonies, Encourage learning at home. 4) Under the link to ideas to improve your personal scripture study: Look for truths about Jesus Christ, Look for inspiring words or phrases, Look for Gospel Truths, Listen to the Spirit, Liken the Scriptures to your life, ASK QUESTIONS AS YOU STUDY, Use scripture study helps, record your thought and feelings, Study the Words of Latter-day Prophets and Apostles, Share insights, Live by What You Learn. As long as whomever leads the group has reviewed the material and acts as a shepherd to keep the group focused on the lesson and Core or Eternal Doctrines I think you will be ok. I believe that this new platform can be incredibly powerful, but it will take the initiative of the members to prepare (via personal study) prior to coming together as a group to discuss the material. I have taught Gospel Doctrine classes and the first thing I always ask is whom within the class has reviewed the material. As you can imagine, many times only one or two hands are raised... Individually we will get out of this program as much as we invest into it. It will be easy for me to shepherd my family. You may have a more difficult time. Remember the difference between the shepherd and the sheep herder. The Shepherd leads from the front and gently guides the flock. Sheep herders use dogs and harsh directives to corral the flock. Do you plan on having multiple or rotating shepherds?

“All sin shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost, for Jesus Christ will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He has got to deny the plan of salvation; he has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it with his eyes open; he has got to receive the Holy Ghost, deny Jesus Christ when the heavens are open to him, know God, and then sin against Him. After a man has sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him.” - Joseph Smith, April 7 1844