mrmarklin

Members
  • Posts

    1262
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Vort in No more Priesthood/RS General Session   
    I'm sad that I have lost my chance to take my boys to a General Priesthood Meeting.
  2. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to The Folk Prophet in Faith vs Knowledge   
    I thought I'd weigh in as the study of faith has been a pet pursuit of mine and I have what I like to think of as insight into it.
    First, "faith" is often conflated with "belief". But they're not the same thing. We are commanded to believe. That is its own principle. We are also commanded to have faith. That is a different principle. In point of fact, believing is an act of faith. But so is the following of all council and command. In fact having faith is an act of faith.
    The best word to describe faith that I've come up with is "commitment". So why not just say commitment? Well, because faith contains the idea that it is without a sure knowledge. It is a commitment to despite sure knowledge. I think that's  the best way I've come up with understanding it. We could also use terms like loyalty, belief in*, dedication to, etc., and they are all tied together.
    *"Belief" or "belief in" can be synonymous with faith if one understands that to mean something more than simply "believing they exist" but actually believing in as in trusting in, committed to the idea of, dedicated to the reality of, etc. So despite the fact that I started by saying faith is conflated with belief and they're not the same, I must confess that what I really mean is that I think most people tend to conflate the complexity of faith with the simplicity of "I believe that God exists", which isn't faith at all -- as clearly demonstrated by the fact that Satan himself believes God exists, and yet clearly has no faith in Him. But believing that God has power to save, loves us, has all power, all knowledge, will keep His word, etc., etc... well that's a more complex idea that ties in more directly with the idea of faith...but... one can believe in all those things and still abandon their commitment to God, and thereby show no faith.
    When I was a kid I would often look at Hebrews 11:1 thinking it was a definitional statement of faith. But I think it's pretty clear that it is not. It's simply saying that faith (commitment) is the substance of (reason for) things hoped for. Or in other words, we have hope because of faith. That's not defining faith.
    The same thing with "If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true". Not a definition. Just  a statement of logic and reality.
    Yes. (Depending on what you mean by "greater than"). More important in this life? Yes.
    That probably depends on the receiver and what impacts them more.
    Not if we know something. Why would it be improper to say we know something if we know something, and who are you to claim those saying they know something don't really know it?
    Yes. More so that witnessing something with our own eyes. Much more so.
    I think the third. Faith isn't knowledge or belief. It exists alongside those things. But I think it's a mistake to suggest that saying "I know X..." is inherently flawed. It's not. But the idea that one shouldn't say "I know" if they don't has some validity. If one means "I trust in and am committed to despite not knowing" then that might be the better thing to say. Maybe.
    Yes. Moreso.
    Considering color blindness, the way light works, and examples of "the blue dress or the white dress" etc., I'd say your suggestion that sight is the most reliable is quite flawed.
    Seeing God face to face has nothing to do with faith.
    I would directly you to the examples of Laman and Lemuel who experienced direct interactions with God and angels and still did not have faith.
    I would also direct you to a myriad of examples of people who've had countless spiritual experiences but then fall away and leave the church. Because they lacked faith.
    Testimony is not faith. A witness is the witnessing of. That is all. If one has had an experience, one can testify they've had it. That doesn't mean they trust it, believe it, don't deny it ever, don't turn their backs on it, etc., etc.
    Seeing God face to face doesn't ensure anything but further damnation for the wicked.
    I think "seen" here isn't meaning literally with the eyes. It strikes me it's more generic. When you know, you know. When you have faith your are committed to, despite not knowing fully. When you know fully, you probably (and this is my best reasoning on the matter) don't need "faith" any more because you then have commitment with full understanding, and I think faith (at least per these scriptures) is being defined as commitment without full understanding.
    That being said, as @estradling75 said, it (faith) doesn't seem to be 100% definitionally consistent in usage. And there is certainly an argument to be made that one maintains faith even when having full knowledge and understanding. But not in the way Alma used the term, it seems.
    But as to the question, does perfect knowledge come from sight?" Absolutely not. There is nothing more reliable than the pure light and knowledge from God given to us as spiritual revelation. Nothing more concrete. No communication more perfect. Without it, we are lost.
    This is valuable if it is true. But I'd contend that claiming one knows the color of a car from looking at it but doesn't know if the Book of Mormon is true despite spiritual confirmation that it is is a very flawed premise.
    Once again...who are you to say who "knows" what? Speak for yourself.
    The two are not mutually exclusive in my view. I know certain things because of revelation. I also have faith in things. I don't undermine the one by the other. They are both true. I testify of what I know. That's what testimony means. I experienced. I witnessed. I felt. Etc. I testify of those things. That's what bearing testimony is. Saying I believe something that I haven't experienced IS NOT A TESTIMONY. What kind of witness would that make?
    "Did you see the murder happen?"
    "No. But I believe that John did it."
    That's not a testimony.
    Why is that the biggest aspect?
    I believe, as I've explained, the biggest aspect of faith is commitment. The knowledge relationship to it ties in...but not, I think, what really what makes or breaks faith. Faith is a choice. If it wasn't a choice then it couldn't be a commandment. We would have no agency in the matter. We couldn't be held accountable for not having it.
    Because we're speaking of what we "know".
    (I do understand that there are some who say they know when they don't. But I think you're mistaken to assume that's the typical case.)
    This is an interesting thing worth thinking about. I'll think about it.
  3. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to laronius in The slaying of Laban   
    The Nephite nation which was yet to be. They needed the brass plates he had. This is in contrast to the Mulekites who also came out of Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian captivity except they didn't bring any records with them. As a result when the two groups of people finally met up hundreds of years later the Mulekites had a corrupted language and religion. Fortunately, because the Nephites had the plates they were able to teach them both and they became one nation.
  4. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Backroads in But I don't want to go to the funeral.   
    Well, if anyone cares, we wound up going on vacation instead, after some pondering and discussion. I don't think we were missed, per say, and honestly it wasn't a huge every-random-family-member ordeal. A viewing and a graveside service. Siblings, kids, and friends showed up. It was small, and my mom said it was very nice. 
    As for my own little family, I really do think it was good we took the time away as planned. 
  5. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to scottyg in Benefits of marrying for time only in the temple?   
    Agree 100%. Unfortunately it is the other way around. Government will continue to get more involved, the waters will become even more murky, and the definition of marriage will be soiled further.
    One day, He whose earth this is, will return and govern it properly.
  6. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Suzie in Why did she stay?   
    The likelihood of this woman being stoned was approximately zero.
    Precisely, and this is why you can tell from the start that it was a set up. They weren't planning to stone the woman because they knew they didn't have legal grounds to do so. (Where is the man? Where are the witnesses? Who "found" her?). Jesus was very much aware of it and this is why he "stooped down and wrote on the ground".
    There are variant manuscripts that insert the phrase “the sins of each one of them” at the end of verse 6
    When someone was accused of committing a serious offense/sin, didn't the priest have to write their names and the charges against them? (often times, the temple floor was used for this purpose because it couldn't be permanent) so just maybe Jesus wrote both their sins and their names? In Jeremiah 17:13 (which was read also during the first seven days of the Feast of the Tabernacles) it says: " O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that aforsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters."  It is interesting because just before this story, in John 7 Jesus refers to himself in a similar fashion (verses 14-15 of Jeremiah are also very interesting).
     
     
  7. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Carborendum in US reactions?   
    Simple:
    If the President/Congress are of your political party, they're only doing it to protect the rest of the population. If the President/Congress are of the opposing political party, they're obviously bringing down the yoke of oppression upon us to lead us into a dictatorship.
  8. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Vort in Can you cross the white line?   
    I'm fairly sure that the answer is no, it's not legal. I'm also fairly sure that as long as there is sufficient room and no property damage takes place, most cops won't waste their time ticketing someone for doing so. Maybe @mirkwood can provide insight, or at least give an informed opinion.
  9. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Jamie123 in I just figured out what "stranded" means   
    There's also "The Strand" in London:

    The Thames was much wider in medieval times, so you can see how The Strand would once have been a beach of sorts - before the river was dredged and embankment built. 
  10. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Phineas in The Tolerance of the Church   
    The church doesn’t hate anybody.  But you’ll still find individual church members that are jerks.  That shouldn’t be a surprise.
  11. Like
    mrmarklin got a reaction from Traveler in Is it easy or hard.   
    The people that do not live the gospel are doing it the hard way.  This is true, no matter how it seems. 
  12. Like
    mrmarklin got a reaction from Vort in Is it easy or hard.   
    The people that do not live the gospel are doing it the hard way.  This is true, no matter how it seems. 
  13. Like
    mrmarklin got a reaction from Anddenex in Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?   
    Life happens to everybody. 
    Like a poker hand, it’s what one does with it that counts. 
  14. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to CV75 in Doctrine and Covenants 7: 5 - 6   
    I think it is a greater work than what he, John, has done before in the Lord's service, and not a greater work in the eyes of the Lord regarding His own ministry on both sides of the veil.
  15. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to mirkwood in Mother butting in   
    She needs to be told to butt out.  Nicely if you choose, but do it.
  16. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to NeuroTypical in Hypothetical - mail-order bride   
    Bummer that she's a live girl.

     
    To answer the question honestly though, I'd "react" to it the same way I react to anyone getting married.  Be happy for 'em, and mind my own business.
  17. Like
    mrmarklin got a reaction from Jamie123 in My Jane Austen Simulator   
    It’s Austen, people. Austen. 
  18. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to dahlia in New nana   
    Guess who had her first grand baby 3 weeks ago? Welcome Alexander!
    It's been rough. Mom need a C-section for that 9lb 14oz boy, and had problems. Then she tested positive for COVID in the hospital. They made my son take the baby home because he couldn't go back to the nursery and couldn't stay with mom, who had an infection and was still in the hospital for a few more days. It's been real, folks. But, mom is slowly getting better. Thankfully, she was asymptomatic and the rest of us didn't need to get tested, which was a medical concern. 
    Nana introduced him to Blondie's 'The Tide is High' and is writing a list of future lessons in rock and roll. She also informed him that her name is 'Nana' and not 'grandma.' Shallow, I know, but there it is.

  19. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to laronius in Was Jesus married   
    God is a title. I don't know how I would even define it specifically. But it encompasses the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost notwithstanding their varying roles and missions. And while there is much we do not know about who the Holy Ghost is we do believe that he will have all the blessings, such as eternal marriage, made available to him at some point.
  20. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Traveler in Backdoor Gun Control   
    I am personally convinced that the only reason to limit a lawful citizen's 2nd Amendment rights is a precursor (intent) for the removal of additional rights.   In addition - politicians threatening the 2nd Amendment - I believe is an indication of being controlled by "secret combinations" such as drug cartels - especially if they are also for open borders, abolishing ICE, defunding the Police and so on and so on.  The trend is obvious where their true loyalties lie. 
     
    The Traveler
  21. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to CV75 in Apocryphal Prophecies   
    I think the prophets of the Restoration build upon their predecessors' bona fide instructions from the Lord. Those things that are meant to be perpetuated would be preserved and acted upon (for example, the First Vision, Restoration of the Priesthood, other canonized visions and revelations, etc.).
  22. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to Grunt in Sacrament Talk   
    You should be wishing THEM luck.  They've unleashed the beast.
  23. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to NeedleinA in Getting Out of a Business Partnership   
    If I were in this position, I would consider these recent events to be a blessing. Meaning, now is the time to bail. To have such a fundamental difference of business perspective and a major ownership blindside, he is doing you a favor by dropping these bombs on you now... before you put up 50% of the money. Good person or not, his success or not, helping others or not... your obligation is to you and your family first. If he is willing to drop bombs on you after years of working on this, he will do it again and again.
    Kindly invite him to remove his stuff from your shed by "x" deadline. Leaving his stuff in your shed is bad idea for a variety of reasons.
  24. Like
    mrmarklin got a reaction from scottyg in If you inherited 5 million dollars   
    Other than possibly being more charitable, my lifestyle would not change. I’d have more invested😀
  25. Like
    mrmarklin reacted to pam in Kamala Harris? Really?   
    I love Candace Owens.