spamlds

Having conducted worthiness interviews, I can tell you that the Spirit will guide the interviewer. The bishop or branch president may need to explain what certain questions mean during a worthiness interview. For example, it may be necessary to explain that the law of chastity means not only intercourse, but inappropriate contacts such as necking, heavy petting, oral sex, pornography, etc. Sometimes, teenagers don't use the same terms that adults use. Sometimes we have to speak to them in terms they understand and ask pointed questions. Of course, this should be age-appropriate. I once interviewed a youth who was getting ready to go for a baptismal trip to the temple. He didn't understand the question in the recommend interview about association or affiliation with apostate groups or groups that oppose the Church's teachings. Knowing that he had probably never heard of such a group in his life, I asked him, "You're not a member of al-Qaeda are you?" He laughed and I explained in very general terms what the question meant. After he understood the question properly, he answered well and we moved on to the next question. I have had people withhold information from me and the Spirit prompted me to inquire for specific information. I have also had the Spirit tell me that something was amiss and to just wait and say nothing. In that instance, a person returned to me in a few weeks and confessed more fully because their conscience bothered them. In the process of all this, the interviewer must take great care not to introduce temptations into the hearts of those who have not conceived of those things. President Kimball tells of interviewing a prospective missionary who had committed some serious sins. When asked how those things had ever entered his mind, he said they came from an inappropriately pointed line of questioning during an interview. In my experience, generally people want to confess their sins and clear their conscience. If a member has a concern, they should mention it and not try to hide it. Getting sins resolved does wonders for a person's spiritual progression. It allows the atonement to truly lift their burdens and they feel clean again. It removes the obstacles that keep us from enjoying our faith in Christ.

Focus on the Spirit and what this man is doing to keep it in his life. Is he reading the scriptures? Is he praying regularly? Probably not. Those are the most fundamental individual actions a person needs to do to sustain faith. In almost every case, when you encounter a person who voices these kinds of "concerns," they're not observing these principles. As a home teacher, the man probably won't tell you about any personal worthiness issues, but the bishop may discover that there are other transgressions in the man's life that need to be confessed and resolved. Satan has a way of moving the fault for transgression off the sinner onto some other scapegoat. Christ takes the sinner's sin away and lifts his burden. The gratitude that comes from that experience overwhelms the tendency towards criticism of the Church. If the man is looking for an argument, just let him vent and don't argue back. When he has emptied out all his resentment, look to put in a little bit of love, friendship, and the Spirit of the Lord. You don't have to prove him wrong. Just show him love and acceptance.

If there was not a true religion, everything would be peaceful. Envy, malice, persecution, and violence arise whenever the Lord has established his kingdom on the earth. When the keys of the kingdom of God have ever been conferred, therein is the power to hinder the devil's kingdom. Joseph Smith would have died peacefully in his sleep as an old man if he had never seen God the Father and Jesus Christ. If he had never received the priesthood keys, any religion he established would have been no more or less valid (and therefore no more or less persecuted) than the Campbellites, the Assemblies of God, the Icarians, or any other sect that existed in his time. If the keys of the kingdom had died with Joseph, the saints would have been left alone to enjoy their homes and temple in Nauvoo. Instead, the keys remained in with the twelve apostles and Brigham Young as their leader. If we want peace and understanding from sectarian Christendom, all we have to do is walk away from the First Vision, the Book of Mormon, and the claim that we hold the keys. At that point, we'll be just like them and they'd accept us. However, if we were to do so, we would lose everything that is meaningful about our religion. If you want to get a "target" on your back, just stand up for Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and claim that the Church holds the keys of the kingdom. The "fiery darts" of the Adversary will start flying in your direction.

PrisonChaplain, I mean no disrespect in this statement, but your intial question and subsequent comments are the kinds of nonsense that get tossed around in theological seminaries where people who don't believe in a "speaking God" spend their time parsing plain and simple phrases that simply mean what they mean. Just consider the meandering discussion that has taken place here and then multiply that by a few thousand years and it's easy to see why those religions who deny revelation end up so far afield from one another. Kudos to Rameumptom who brought out the Book of Mormon instead of dealing in philosophical speculations. That's why we have it. We can also go to Alma chapter 12 for a great treatise on the fall, the probationary state of mortals, and the power of the atonement. We can also examine Moroni chapter 8 in which the author discusses infant baptism and the notion that one must be accountable to commit sin. Therein is the distinction between whether Adam and Eve "rebelled" or whether they simply transgressed a law of God in their innocence. Since it was necessary for them to transgress to obtain a knowledge of good an evil, this means they were innocent, like children. Can children sin? No--because they are not accountable. They can transgress the law--a small child might steal a cookie for example--but they are not accountable yet. Likewise, Adam and Eve could not gain a knowledge of good and evil without transgressing first. Otherwise, they would have remained innocent, and therefore, unaccountable. Protestant theology is all confused on this point, with original sin, predestination, and such. The Book of Mormon teaches these things with great clarity. I appeal to all the forum members to search the Book of Mormon for their answers to these questions before sounding off. Let's get it right from the best, most correct source, the very first time.

Here's an interesting thing that relates to the topic of the sealing. "During the Messianic reign Elijah will be one of the eight princes (Micah v. 4), and even on the Last Day he will not give up his activity. He will implore God's mercy for the wicked who are in hell, while their innocent children who died in infancy on account of the sins of their fathers, are in paradise. Thus he will complete his mission, in that God, moved by his prayer, will bring the sinful fathers to their children in paradise. Read more: JewishEncyclopedia.com - ELIJAH I have heard it related from Jewish tradition that, before the judgment, during the Messiah's reign (what we call the Millennium) that the children whose parents abused them or even murdered them will plead to Elijah to rescue their families and bring them together because they don't want to be in heaven alone. They seek forgiveness for those who harmed them in life because it is so important to them to have their family in heaven. Obviously, Jewish traditions don't carry the weight of revelation, but it shows the expectation of the continuation of family relationships and the role of the keys of Elijah in healing and preserving those bonds. Take comfort that the Lord will do everything possible to ensure our happiness in heaven, short of violating our agency or another's.

In Saintmichaeldefendthem1's comment, he seems conciliatory right up unto the moment he mentions his rejection of the "outlandish claims of Joseph Smith." I have to respond to this. All religious claims are outlandish--of every single religion on the earth. I say this because I was the biggest skeptic you can imagine before I came to faith through the revelation of Jesus Christ to me personally. That revelation came to me through the Book of Mormon. All religion deals with the supernatural. Until a person experiences it, it is all outlandish claims. To claim that an Old Testament prophet made an axe float on water or made the sun go back in the sky several degrees is outlandish. To say that a man turned water into wine, walked on water, and healed people with the touch of his hand is outlandish. Most outlandish of all is to say that a man was crucified, died, and rose again three days later! All of those things are outlandish to those who are without faith. Is it not outlandish to believe that a priest can bless a little wafer and it literally becomes the body and blood of Jesus? Yes, that's outlandish. It's every bit as much as outlandish as any claim made by anything ever taught by Joseph Smith. Religion is outlandish to anyone who has not experienced the divine nature. When one has experienced that, then suddenly many things become quite reasonable and sensible. Please don't tell me that Joseph Smith made outlandish claims unless you are prepared to admit that the appearances of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bernadette at Lourdes or Fatima are outlandish. When we are speaking of spiritual things, we need to leave each other some wiggle room because it is completely possible that we have not yet seen but "through a glass darkly" at this point. Religious people who claim that other religions are outlandish are throwing stones in a glass house. God bears witness of truth as fast as we are able to receive it. The "nozzle" that controls the flow of spiritual insight is on our end of the hose. Some people want to drink as it trickles from the hose, others want to receive all that there is available. It's a shame when some people turn off the nozzle and say that the well has run dry.

A little background first-- Being a convert to the Church, I had never even met a Mormon to my knowledge before my introduction to it. I knew about the Mormons from American history and I didn't have any particular biases. It would have never dawned on me that people would spend their lives trying to destroy any religion. When I first met up with the Church, I was amazed at the straightforwardness of its missionary message, which was "read the Book of Mormon and ask God if it's true." I was astounded that the members had enough faith to make the claim. All the other denominations I had ever encountered told me simply to believe because the Bible said to believe. (But of course, all of them said the Bible meant something different, so that approach didn't instill a lot of confidence.) I received a direct answer to my prayer about the Book of Mormon after I had only read it for a couple of days. I was astounded. I figured I would probably spend months reading it, comparing it to proof texts, and researching. The key was, if I determined that it was true, I was committed to following the truth, no matter where it would lead. God has respect to that kind of sincerity and commitment. I don't credit the fact that I got my answer so quick to anything that I did--it was just God's grace. Now, here's where the anti-Mormonism comes in. When I had received an answer about the Book of Mormon, I only knew one LDS person--the co-worker who gave me the book. I didn't know where the Church was. I had never been to a LDS service. I did; however, know completely that the Book of Mormon was from God and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. As a result of accepting those two truths, I had to come to grips that, suddenly, unexpectedly, I was now a Christian. If the Book of Mormon was true, I was now certain that Jesus Christ was the Savior and the only way to salvation. The next time I saw that co-worker, I told him about what had happened to me and that I wanted to join the Church. He was astonished. Seven days later, I was on my way with him and several other young adults, to the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was there that I saw anti-Mormons for the first time. They were carrying signs and they were shouting offensive messages at the passers-by. When I saw them, the Bible verses came to mind that those who would persecute Jesus' followers would think they were doing service to God. Then, in the following weeks, as I finished the missionary lessons, a nice Baptist lady across the street from us, who had never even so much as spoken to me in the months we had lived there, suddenly took interest in the welfare of my soul. Why? Because she had seen the missionaries come to the house. She told my parents, who she hardly knew, that Mormons were a cult and that they would destroy our home and family. She upset my mother greatly and I thought, because of her influence, that my parents were going to expel me from the house and disown me if I joined the Church. Everything settled down in time. After my baptism, that lady never said so much as "boo" to us again. It was like she was one of those "Agent Smiths" in the movie "The Matrix." My sister eventually followed me into the Church, then my parents sometime later. I marveled at the time that, for 19 years, Satan had never once taken note of my existence. When I prepared to leave his kingdom and enter the kingdom of God, suddenly I showed up on the "radar screen" and his fiery darts started flying my way. Since that time, I have seen others come under fire in similar ways. I noticed patterns in how those attacks come. I started to notice who the adversary uses to do his work. The end result of that fascination is the S.P.A.M. web site where we examine anti-Mormon tactics and methods. Anti-Mormonism tends to go in waves. The last big wave was just before 1900. It was related to the political controversy over the election of B.H. Roberts to the Senate and the Senate refused to seat him. That was when the last recorded lynching of a latter-day saint took place in the South. Now, because of Mitt Romney and Proposition 8, we have become prominent in the public consciousness again. That inevitably leads to more conversions, but it also will generate anti-Mormon responses in a big way. The anti-Mormons are leveraging the Internet for their use, but the Church is also doing so very effectively. It's a sign that the Church has come forth out of obscurity and out of darkness. Zion's light is rolling back the adversary's influence, and he doesn't like that. If anything, anti-Mormonism has convinced me that the Church is true even more. In football, everyone wants to tackle the guy with the ball. If we didn't have the keys of the kingdom, nobody would care anything about us.

On the subject of personal apostasy, I have spent a lot of time examining it. I'm not talking here about people who simply drift into inactivity or even those who just become ambivalent about Church, God and all that's associated with it. When I refer to apostasy, I mean those who turn back to fight against the Church. There is a pattern I have come to observe over the past few years from my work with the Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism. I don't hang out at anti-Mormon sites, but the anti-Mormons and exMormons often come looking for me. Here is an article about one of those examples. It is an analysis of a very common pattern by which latter-day saint men fall into apostasy. Ishmael's monologue - The Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism - "Truth is not a tactic"

Don't mistake the sealing ordinance to imply "ownership" or "custody" of a person. Obviously in heaven as on earth, we all have free will and can do and act according to our own volition. The sealing ordinance allows our posterity to lay claim to certain blessings, but it doesn't guarantee their bestowal. Being born in the covenant is a great blessing because it entitles us to secure great blessings if we will become worthy to receive them. It doesn't force blessings upon us if we don't desire them. It doesn't abrogate free will. Souls are sovereign. No one owns them. The blessings of the sealing covenant provide a spiritual advantage to those who are born in the covenant. Needless to say, it is entirely possible for a person to forfeit his blessings through disobedience. In heaven, we will freely associate with those we love. The conflicts of marriage and divorce will be set aside. Family members will enjoy felicity and harmony by forgiving past wounds and hardness with one another.

It seems a little superficial to me. Considering that many members of the Church around the world live in abject poverty, it would seem to me that people who truly live the law of consecration would be more inclined to give of their surplus means to build up Zion around the world instead of building a faux temple in their living room. I appreciate their intentions, but its "symbolism over substance."

This topic reminds me of a funny thing I noticed in Air Force basic training. Before the first Sunday comes in basic training, they march everyone to the base chapel and they give you an orientation about he religious services offered and when they take place. At the beginning, the chaplain starts the meeting off with a prayer. When everybody bowed their head for the prayer, I took a quick look around the crowd and took note of anyone that folded his or her arms to pray. Sure enough, those were the latter-day saints when they divided everyone up with the denominational chaplains.

The Coming of the Lord by Gerald Lund is a really good one. Very thorough and "middle of the road." Some authors like to go off into deep speculations and more spurious sources. Duane S. Crowther wrote Prophecy: Key to the Future, which I think falls into that category. Crowther advocates the "White Horse Prophecy" as reliable, when most LDS scholars don't. Bruce R McConkie's Millennial Messiah is also very good--written by a latter-day apostle. It's part of a much larger doctrinal series, but well worth the read by itself. Hope these recommendations help.

The topic has kind of wandered. Let's focus on what the scriptures say about those who become "sons of perdition" by committing the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. In Luke 12, Jesus speaks of an unpardonable sin: "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven." In Hebrews, Paul speaks of those who received the gospel and "tasted of the Heavenly gift:" "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost..." Since the gift of the Holy Ghost can only come after repentance, receiving a remission of sins by a baptism performed by someone with proper authority, and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, it's safe to say that only a member of the Lord's true Church can commit the unpardonable sin. When one has not undertaken those steps, he is still in his sins, outside the kingdom of God, and is subject to the law of repentance. In Doctrine and Covenants 76, the Lord gave a vision of the kingdoms of glory and a brief glimpse of the fate of the sons of perdition to Joseph Smith. Describing those who fall to this condition, Joseph wrote: "Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—" A person has to have received the Holy Spirit, through the means I described above, suffer themselves to be overcome by the devil, and then deny the truth and the Lord's power. There is a level of testimony that has to be attained before this can happen. Some latter-day saints think this means that a person must have a sure knowledge of the Lord before one can "qualify." I don't think this is necessarily the case. All the scriptures tell us is that a person must have been made a partaker of the heavenly gift, the Holy Ghost, and felt God's power--which comes sometime after a person has made the covenant of baptism and had it administered by proper authority. Then the individual must fall away to such a degree that, he fights against God's work and would--if it were possible--crucify Jesus all over again, so great is the hatred in him. I have encountered some apostate members who manifested that sort of spirit towards the Lord's work. Some people lose faith and drift away into complacency or laziness. Some people rebel for a time and return after life and "kicking against the pricks" softens their hearts and brings maturity. Some of them turn bitter and hateful and they cannot rest unless they are doing something to harm the Church. From what the initial question was, I'd have to say that the author did not commit the unpardonable sin.

I would really appreciate any pictures or video of these anti-Mormon protesters to upload to the Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormon web site. We track anti-Mormon activity, tactics, incidents of vandalism, or violence against latter-day saints. If anti-Mormons are protesting a temple in your area, or are protesting at the Mesa Easter Pageant, the Hill Cumorah Pageant, or temple open houses, etc. please contact us so we can update our stats, photos, and other resources. Greg West Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism (S.P.A.M.)

Most of the comments here have dealt with personal apostasy. I think the original question had more to to with a general apostasy, as occurred in the primitive Church. As was mentioned, we have the promise that this is the last dispensation and that the Church will survive to fulfill its prophetic role. There have been apostasies from the Church. The Reorganized Church (now Community of Christ) was one of them. Essentially the Church fractured into two factions, one that considered themselves believers in the doctrines revealed prior to the Nauvoo period, who called themselves "Josephites" and those that accepted the Nauvoo period doctrines, i.e., temple ceremonies, the endowment, celestial marriage, baptism for the dead, etc. The ironically self-proclaimed "Josephites" actually believed that Joseph Smith began as a prophet, but lost his prophetic mantle. Thirty years or so elapsed before they prevailed upon Joseph Smith, III to take on the job as their spiritual leader. The "Brighamites" (as they were called by the dissenters who claimed Joseph lost his prophetic calling) believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet until his death and accepted all the doctrines he taught. The believed that Joseph transmitted the keys of the kingdom to the Twelve and they went West to the Valley. There were other schisms that occurred along the way. I don't think we're immune from that tendency today. There are patriotic saints who build their lives around the words of Ezra Taft Benson's anti-communist rhetoric who accuse the living prophet and church leaders of leading us astray. There is a growing cadre of members who feel that the Church's teachings about gay marriage are not modern enough and they're leaving. Perhaps there will come other schisms over the law of consecration when it is implemented and a large number of people can't qualify to enter it because they don't pay tithing, they're too deep in debt, and they are enslaved to various behavior that keep them out of the temple. As I have studied the period during the years between Joseph Smith's death and the reorganization of the First Presidency, I am amazed at the sifting that took place among the members of the Church. The only real way to tell who to follow was by the Spirit of God, because the precedents had not been set at the time. There was ambiguity. The ambiguity was a test. The Lord wanted to identify those who had taken the Holy Spirit to be their guide and have them build up his kingdom. Today we are fortunate that we have precedent, along with the same Spirit of the Holy Ghost. Yes, I'd have to say that large-scale apostasy is always a possibility, but so long as we remember three points that the prophets and apostles in our day have taught, we'll be safe. 1. The President of the Church will not be permitted to lead us astray. Follow the Prophet. 2. Follow the majority of the 12 Apostles. 3. Stay where the records of the Church are maintained. The Lord will never permit the records of the Church to fall into the hands of another people.

This same formula shows up different ways. Revelation chapter 12 refers to it as "a time, and times, and half a time" and Revelation chapters 11 and 13 refer to a period of "forty and two months." Daniel chapter 7 calls it "a time and times and the dividing of time."

Maybe this article I wrote will help with this topic: Racism, the scriptures, and the error of imposing modern assumptions on ancient sacred writings - The Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism - "Truth is not a tactic"

The use of the term "Mormon Jesus" was developed by anti-Mormons to try to convince people falsely that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in a Jesus that isn't the same one that's in the Bible. If you want to get under their skin, do what I do and refer to them as "sectarian Christians." That's how Joseph Smith often referred to them. They are not the Church of Jesus Christ--they are breakaway, apostate sects. They often try to portray the religious debate as "Mormon vs. Christian," but that isn't correct. It's "sectarian Christians" against "the Church of Jesus Christ." In your blogging, posting, and other Internet conversations, I encourage everyone to use the term "sectarian Christians" when referring to non-LDS Christians.

Of course, my answer is as speculative as all the rest here, since nothing has been revealed. What if the second degree of celestial glory is an intermediate stage of progression towards becoming an exalted being? Let's say, when a faithful saint dies, spends time in paradise in the spirit world, and passes through the resurrection, he finds himself in the first level of the celestial kingdom with all the rest of the righteous. Even though he has received all the necessary ordinances to enter the highest degree of glory, there is an incredible amount of knowledge, experience, and learning he must undergo before he attains the glory that Christ and the Father have enabled him to receive. I would speculate that the second degree is for people progressing towards the highest, third degree of glory. They are the ones who are still "in school" so to speak. Joseph Smith said these two statements, which can be found in "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith." "When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel--you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave." "Here, then, is eternal life--to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. And I want you to know that God, in the last days, while certain individuals are proclaiming his name, is not trifling with you or me."

The Church has gained these privileges from the Saudi (and China as well) because we always "come in the front door." When we enter a country, we get permission from the government for permission to hold meetings, preach the gospel, etc. When we receive limited permission, we stay within the limits. Sometimes, that takes a long time. In East Germany it was nearly half a century from the end of WWII to the time that the government had sufficient confidence in our members to allow them to serve missions abroad and to allow us to build a temple in that country. There are other churches that engage in smuggling Bibles into various countries contrary to their laws. They end up causing more persecution for believers because of the surreptitious nature of their activities and their defiance of the laws of the land. Our church teaches people to honor their governments, to not engage in sedition or rebellion, and to be good citizens in every way. It takes a long time, but it ultimately bears fruit.

Everything you read from 1 Nephi until you get to Words of Mormon comes from the small plates of Nephi. Everything from Words of Mormon to the Book of Ether is Mormon's abridgment of the Nephite records. Moroni translated abridgment of the Book of Ether and put in in the record and then added his own book. Words of Mormon is an "editorial note" to advise the reader of the transition from the primary document of the small plates, to Mormon's own abridgment.

Is the world succumbing to darkness more today than ever before? President Packer tells us that this is so: Melissa Merrill, “Youth Need ‘Inoculation’ Against the World,” Ensign, Apr. 2004, 74–75 President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed the need for teachers in the Church Educational System to help “inoculate” young people against the world during a CES devotional held on 6 February 2004. “These are days of great spiritual danger for our youth,” President Packer said. He said that he knows of no time when worse things were so widely accepted in the world, not even in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah. While evil was localized then, he pointed out, it has now spread across the world. Although facing evil of “epidemic proportions,” students can be inoculated through a knowledge and testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, President Packer taught. He also said that while teachers play an important role in fortifying youth, they are not the first line of defense against the effects of the world. “The Lord places that responsibility on parents first. All the saving ordinances center on the family. The shield of faith is handmade in the cottage [and] … polished in the classroom.” After relating how he decided on a career in education and sharing some of his experiences as a teacher, President Packer said it may sometimes seem that we are losing the war in maintaining high moral, social, political, and intellectual standards. But, he continued, “Satan cannot win.” President Packer described the town-wide quarantines of former days against physical illness and outlined the immunity-building power of studying the standard works to guard against spiritual illness. After naming some of the principal doctrines taught in each course of study, President Packer explained that we have not been left without knowledge of what to do. He quoted Christ’s “supernal prayer” for the Apostles, in which the Savior asked not for them to be taken out of the world, but for them to be sanctified through the truth (see John 17:15–17). He advised teachers against seeking intellectualism without the gospel core and against focusing merely on activities in their teaching. The task may seem daunting, but teachers should not fear, President Packer said. “For they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kgs. 6:16). A testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ can help protect young people against evil, President Packer told teachers in a CES devotional.

Justice, Thank you for going to the Book of Mormon and finding an answer that directly answers the question. --Greg

The Lord is mercifully delaying judgment until the wheat can be separated from the tares. The Lord's waiting for us to abandon the world and its ways so we can be gathered and protected. Each of us should ask ourself how much of the world's influence do we permit in our lives. Consider: 1. What are my attitudes about modesty and chastity. Do I still watch R-rated movies and read inappropriate books, magazines, web sites, and other forms of entertainment? 2. Does the music I listen to glamorize depression, suicide, illicit sex, drugs, consumption of alcohol, treatment of women as sexual objects, or violence? 3. Do I follow the prophet's counsel? Have I reduced or eliminated debt? Do I have a year's supply of essential foods or am I at least making progress towards that goal? Do I have a small nest-egg for emergencies? 4. Do I pay tithing and fast offerings? Do I serve in the Church? Am I building the kingdom of God or just showing up? Am I in the Church or is the Church in me? 5. Do I have a current temple recommend? If so, do I go to the temple often enough to make it meaningful in my life? 6. Does the way I dress and speak display a desire to be accepted by the world or to conform to a more godly standard? 7. Is devotion a part of my daily life? Do I pray daily, read scriptures, and feel the Spirit every day? Or is my religious life an afterthought, once work, school, and time with friends is over? Do I keep the Sabbath holy or is it just like any other day? 8. Do I stand up for my beliefs and defend them or do I apologize for them? Were you embarrassed to stand with the Prophet over Proposition 8? Do you feel like the church leaders should mind their own business? Do your political views lead you to criticize the general authorities of the Church? 9. If you're a young person, are you preparing yourself to serve a mission? If you're old enough to serve a mission, but have not done so, why not? 10. Are you intentionally delaying marriage because you're afraid of an eternal commitment and the sacrifices that marriage entails? Are you putting off having children because you want to fill a home full of X-Boxes, big screen TVs, iPads, furniture, fancy cars, and other materialistic pleasures? i'm sure these questions will make some people squirm a little. Self-reflection on these things is healthy. Until we--the Church members--can be clearly distinguished from the "tares," every day that the Second Coming doesn't happen is a merciful opportunity to repent and improve ourselves.

Just ask your friend about Acts chapter 21, where Paul and his brethren go to the temple in Jerusalem. 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. Paul underwent the traditional purification ritual and made an offering for his party. A riot erupted because Jews though Paul had brought a Greek into the temple confines. Why would an apostle go to the temple? If your friend can answer that, he'll have his answer to his own question.