spamlds

There's a book I read a long time ago that told the story of clergy and ascetics from other faiths who joined the LDS Church.  it's quite inspiring when you read their personal experiences and the sacrifices they made to become latter-day saints.  The list of stories includes priests, ministers, and even a nun who converted.
 
http://www.amazon.com/From-Clergy-Convert-Stephen-Gibson/dp/0884944921/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412976941&sr=8-1&keywords=from+clergy+to+convert
 
For some of them, it meant loss of significant amounts of income or prestige.  It meant periods of joblessness, because they didn't have a skill set that translated into a secular market at the rate of pay they had been receiving.  Many of them gave up perks like the parsonage, a church-provided car, etc.  It very much reminded me of the passage from Matthew 19:
 
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

I don't mean to suggest that we have soul-mates, or that predestination is involved.  It's just the case that, as the Church grows, many members (particularly females) won't find a suitable mate in this life.  In most cultures, the male courts the female and asks for her hand in marriage.  Age, distance, the pool of available partners can vary depending on where one lives.
 
An example of this would be a wonderful lady in the branch where I used to be branch president.  She was an African-American divorcee in her late 40s, who lived in a really rural area.  There were no single male members in the branch near her age and none were African American (it was her preference to marry a man of the same race).  The nearest stake or church unit was over 2 hours away.  She was fairly poor and had a car that barely ran.  Traveling far and wide wasn't an option for her.  Based on her opportunities to find a mate, it is possible that she might not find one in this life.  In such a case, I'm sure the Lord has a way to help her find a mate because she desires one, even if she never finds one in mortality.  It will be her choice and he will respond with miracles on either side of the veil.

I'll give an opinion on this one and you all can consider it or dismiss it, but it's just some notions I've come to over many years. 
There is a fundamental difference between "fair" and "equal."  Anyone who has kids knows this.  If a parent hands out bowls of ice cream to a large family of children, the "fair" portion for a 2 year-old and a 16 year-old are not "equal."  Likewise, our Heavenly Father judges what is fair, not us.  Thus some apparent inequalities will exist.
 
These inequities take into consideration our premortal faithfulness.  For example, my patriarchal blessing says that, because of my premortal faithfulness (of which I have no recollection, of course) I was blessed to be born in the land of America.  Whatever I did in the premortal life is related to that blessing somehow.  Each of us has different missions to perform.  It may be the case that some of the most righteous, noble spirits were born in countries where they have much fewer opportunities, because the Lord knew they'd hear his voice in the gospel message, convert, and save hundreds of people around them as well as many of their ancestors.    Likewise a person might be born with a disability because she needs the testing and trials to progress.  It may be that it's her family that needs the testing, through compassionately caring for her.  We just can't say.
 
We can't say that God is only fair if he gives "equal" chances to hear the gospel.  An inspired dream that LDS pioneer Mosiah Hancock had mentions that some premortal spirits were more concerned about facing lives of physical hardship and asked the Lord to make them wealthy or in high social positions like politicians, judges, etc. so they would have an easier life.  Meanwhile, he saw that many pioneers were willing to sacrifice all worldly comforts when their premortal missions were given to them, all because their devotion to the truth was worth everything to them.
 
In the spirit world, it is as it is here on earth.  People see what they can see with their spiritual eyes.  People who walk in the light on earth experience life much differently than do the wicked.  When the righteous get to the spirit world, they see the same things they saw here.  They witness miracles.  They are guided by the Holy Ghost.  They resisted evil in life because it was their faith that led them to do so.  The wicked also continue to see the same things when they cross the veil in to the spirit world.  They experience reality based on their perceptions--a world in which there is lack and scarcity, where want and covetousness, lust and envy, and most especially fear dominated their experience.
 
The big difference between the spirit world and this world is having a body.  We are taught that it is harder to repent without a body.  I think that is so because the spirits have incredible freedom to travel and see things.  The Brigham Young Presidents of the Church manual has a great lesson in it about the spirit world.  Brother Brigham said that spirits can move like lightning and see anything they wish to see.  The key in that notion is their desires.  The righteous will desire to see righteousness.  The wicked will use this ability to try to satisfy wicked desires. 
 
Imagine this--a wicked man dies who is addicted to alcohol or drugs. He indulged in fleshly lusts in his life, pornography, etc.  In a spiritual state where he can travel and see almost anything, it is reasonable to assume that he might try to satisfy those lusts somehow.  He might travel to places of illicit adult entertainment or bars, nightclubs, etc.  He might even try to possess the body of another mortal to have just a few more moments of mortal pleasure.  That evil spirit would become further entrenched in his evil desires, without the means to satisfy them.  He becomes increasingly warped and wicked in the process.  Unless he repents, he cannot be rescued.  In that spiritual state, it is actually less likely for him to find deliverance. 
 
The wicked in the spirit world are not yet delivered from Satan's power and his minions.  Similarly, sectarian believers who end up in the spirit world may well think that they are "saved" because they aren't dead.  The doctrines of their religions didn't teach a literal resurrection.  There will be false teacher there, just as there are here, who will say that they should resist the messages brought by those Mormon elders who might lead them to destruction.  Only the righteous, who overcame Satan in mortality through their faith and obedience, will be immune to the Deceiver's power. 
 
In the end, the unbelieving souls who die do not get any unfair advantage in the spirit world over the living.  God has made it every bit as challenging for them there as it is here.  When they believe, repent, and accept baptism, they do exactly what the penitent do in mortality--they gather with the saints and join together to edify and protect one another.  The wicked do exactly what they do here--they gather with like spirits and seek the wickedness that they were attracted to in mortality.
 
This is why baptism for the dead is SO important.  It enables a penitent spirit to enter the Church on the other side of the veil and enjoy the same blessings and protection we receive as members.  They get the gift of the Holy Ghost and enjoy the peace of a remission of sins. 
 
Anyways, those are a few thoughts on the topic at hand.  God is fair, but fair isn't always "equal."  We get the chances we desire.  Our desires are the key factor in what becomes of us in eternity.  That's why agency is always the ultimate factor because our desires connect with agency to determine the outcomes.  We always--always--get what we want because our desires turn into actions and actions into consequences.  It's no different on this side of the veil than on the other in that regard.

The answers to this question are interesting.  I'm a convert to the Church.  I was a dedicated seeker of truth all through my high school years and into early adulthood.  I read everything I could get my hands on about religion--all religion.  I was all about finding what I called "Truth with a capital 'T'" and I wouldn't settle for anything less.
 
I first felt stirrings of faith when I was a young boy, about age 10.  I responded to an altar call after hearing a powerful Baptist preacher warn that, if you didn't believe in Jesus, you'd burn in hell forever.  As a 10-year old, that was too scary to consider.  An altar call is when the penitent who want to be saved go up to the front of the church and the preacher or deacons pray the "Sinner's Prayer" with you.  After a while, I came to understand that my actions were motivated out of fear, not faith in Christ.  Hellfire is an effective way to scare people into being "saved."  Of course, nothing else was to be expected after that and I eventually drifted away.
 
In my high school years, I attended Methodist services with some friends because they had a big, active youth group.  It was there that I had my first experiences with what I now recognize as the Holy Spirit.  On one occasion, I felt that sense of warmth and tenderness while taking the communion (sacrament).  Another time, the minister had us re-enact the washing of feet that Jesus did for his apostles.  Actually, we didn't wash feet, but we washed one another's hands.  It was a very spiritual thing.  I regard those moments today as steps that were guided by the light of Christ to lead me to a greater light.
 
I drifted away from Christianity for a time and explored Hinduism and Buddhism and I found great comfort and truth in those religions as well.  Nevertheless, my desire for truth led me to discontinue those explorations and press onward.  It was not until I encountered the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I found that "Truth with a capital 'T" in my life.  It was the revelation of the Holy Ghost to me and the continuing blessings of personal revelation that has kept me active in the Church for the past 35 years, through good times and hard times. 
 
If there was no true Church on the earth, I would still be a seeker, unaffiliated with any sect or denomination.  I would shudder to think that I would ever settle for the doctrines of men mingled with scripture for any length of time, much less commit myself to them.

I'll give an opinion on this one and you all can consider it or dismiss it, but it's just some notions I've come to over many years. 
There is a fundamental difference between "fair" and "equal."  Anyone who has kids knows this.  If a parent hands out bowls of ice cream to a large family of children, the "fair" portion for a 2 year-old and a 16 year-old are not "equal."  Likewise, our Heavenly Father judges what is fair, not us.  Thus some apparent inequalities will exist.
 
These inequities take into consideration our premortal faithfulness.  For example, my patriarchal blessing says that, because of my premortal faithfulness (of which I have no recollection, of course) I was blessed to be born in the land of America.  Whatever I did in the premortal life is related to that blessing somehow.  Each of us has different missions to perform.  It may be the case that some of the most righteous, noble spirits were born in countries where they have much fewer opportunities, because the Lord knew they'd hear his voice in the gospel message, convert, and save hundreds of people around them as well as many of their ancestors.    Likewise a person might be born with a disability because she needs the testing and trials to progress.  It may be that it's her family that needs the testing, through compassionately caring for her.  We just can't say.
 
We can't say that God is only fair if he gives "equal" chances to hear the gospel.  An inspired dream that LDS pioneer Mosiah Hancock had mentions that some premortal spirits were more concerned about facing lives of physical hardship and asked the Lord to make them wealthy or in high social positions like politicians, judges, etc. so they would have an easier life.  Meanwhile, he saw that many pioneers were willing to sacrifice all worldly comforts when their premortal missions were given to them, all because their devotion to the truth was worth everything to them.
 
In the spirit world, it is as it is here on earth.  People see what they can see with their spiritual eyes.  People who walk in the light on earth experience life much differently than do the wicked.  When the righteous get to the spirit world, they see the same things they saw here.  They witness miracles.  They are guided by the Holy Ghost.  They resisted evil in life because it was their faith that led them to do so.  The wicked also continue to see the same things when they cross the veil in to the spirit world.  They experience reality based on their perceptions--a world in which there is lack and scarcity, where want and covetousness, lust and envy, and most especially fear dominated their experience.
 
The big difference between the spirit world and this world is having a body.  We are taught that it is harder to repent without a body.  I think that is so because the spirits have incredible freedom to travel and see things.  The Brigham Young Presidents of the Church manual has a great lesson in it about the spirit world.  Brother Brigham said that spirits can move like lightning and see anything they wish to see.  The key in that notion is their desires.  The righteous will desire to see righteousness.  The wicked will use this ability to try to satisfy wicked desires. 
 
Imagine this--a wicked man dies who is addicted to alcohol or drugs. He indulged in fleshly lusts in his life, pornography, etc.  In a spiritual state where he can travel and see almost anything, it is reasonable to assume that he might try to satisfy those lusts somehow.  He might travel to places of illicit adult entertainment or bars, nightclubs, etc.  He might even try to possess the body of another mortal to have just a few more moments of mortal pleasure.  That evil spirit would become further entrenched in his evil desires, without the means to satisfy them.  He becomes increasingly warped and wicked in the process.  Unless he repents, he cannot be rescued.  In that spiritual state, it is actually less likely for him to find deliverance. 
 
The wicked in the spirit world are not yet delivered from Satan's power and his minions.  Similarly, sectarian believers who end up in the spirit world may well think that they are "saved" because they aren't dead.  The doctrines of their religions didn't teach a literal resurrection.  There will be false teacher there, just as there are here, who will say that they should resist the messages brought by those Mormon elders who might lead them to destruction.  Only the righteous, who overcame Satan in mortality through their faith and obedience, will be immune to the Deceiver's power. 
 
In the end, the unbelieving souls who die do not get any unfair advantage in the spirit world over the living.  God has made it every bit as challenging for them there as it is here.  When they believe, repent, and accept baptism, they do exactly what the penitent do in mortality--they gather with the saints and join together to edify and protect one another.  The wicked do exactly what they do here--they gather with like spirits and seek the wickedness that they were attracted to in mortality.
 
This is why baptism for the dead is SO important.  It enables a penitent spirit to enter the Church on the other side of the veil and enjoy the same blessings and protection we receive as members.  They get the gift of the Holy Ghost and enjoy the peace of a remission of sins. 
 
Anyways, those are a few thoughts on the topic at hand.  God is fair, but fair isn't always "equal."  We get the chances we desire.  Our desires are the key factor in what becomes of us in eternity.  That's why agency is always the ultimate factor because our desires connect with agency to determine the outcomes.  We always--always--get what we want because our desires turn into actions and actions into consequences.  It's no different on this side of the veil than on the other in that regard.

Anti-Mormons love to harp on this subject.  They try to make the case that we care more about Joseph Smith than Jesus.  Many converts are troubled by this because they come from a religious culture that has purposefully denied revelation and prophecy and rejected prophets and apostles for hundreds of years.  They are uncomfortable with the power and status of prophets.  The ancient Jews were the same way with John the Baptist and the apostles of Jesus.
 
Jesus had to instruct the Jews on the role that a prophet holds, especially one who has been given the keys for a dispensation.  The Jews rightly revered Moses, but they used their reverence for a dead prophet to justify rejection of living oracles.  Jesus told them:
 
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.  But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:45-47)
 
This passage shows that Jesus honors the chain of authority down to those to whom he has committed the keys of the kingdom in various dispensations.  When people who lived in the times when Moses held the keys come to judgment before God, they are accountable for the revelations God gave them through Moses.  Moses testified of Christ. Those who claimed to believe Moses and rejected Christ were condemned by Moses' testimony and authority.
 
Likewise, those who rejected Peter, James, and John will be accountable to them in the day of judgment.  In our day, God committed the keys of the kingdom anew to Joseph Smith.  Every single person who has lived since that moment is accountable to him for salvation.  Those who claim to believe Jesus and reject Joseph Smith will stand accused of him at the Judgment.  No one born in this dispensation will enter the celestial kingdom without having received the covenants, ordinances, and knowledge that God revealed to the world through Joseph Smith.  This is why the Restoration is perhaps the second greatest miracle after the Resurrection.  It is the greatest fulfilled prophecy since biblical times.  
 
God honors his prophets.  He said that, when we receive those whom he has sent, we receive Him.  When we sing "Praise to the Man" in church, we praise the Lord who called and sent him.  Personally, I am indebted to Joseph Smith for my witness of Jesus Christ.  His testimony is the one that kindled that flame in my own heart over 35 years ago.

Here's an article that touches upon the "Smithmas" thing.
 
http://spamldsarchive.blogspot.com/search?q=smithmas
 
In our surveys of anti-Mormon traffic for a number of years, the Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism discovered that there is a seasonal pattern to anti-Mormonism.  Our critics follow the calendar to touch upon various events to try to embarrass members.  From the article:
 
January: Polygamy and exaltation are often topics around this time of year. Martin Luther King Day often begins the "Mormons are racist" mantra that carries into February, which is Black History Month.

February: Black History Month usually brings a cascade of anti-Mormon attacks on the priesthood ban which ended in 1978. Although the Church has disavowed any racism that may have been a part of its past, and with an understanding that the Church is growing faster in Africa than in any predominantly white nations in Europe or elsewhere, it doesn't stop the predominantly white anti-Mormons from making this an issue.

March: Depending on when Easter falls in the year, usually the antis start cranking up rhetoric saying that Mormons don't put much emphasis on Easter and Christ's resurrection. This isn't true, but if going to Church and partaking the sacrament of the Lord's Supper weekly instead of just on Christmas and Easter isn't putting much emphasis on Christ, we'll have to ask you to re-examine your evidence. 

Also, with April general conference just weeks away, there are usually all kinds of negative articles that emerge. Past favorites have included baptism for the dead, These were generated annually by anti-Mormon Helen Radkey. Radkey had a group of covert "spies" inside the Church who used their LDS.org accounts to access temple ordinance information on deceased individuals she knew would create controversy: Hitler, Ghandi, Holocaust victims, etc. After the Church tightened its access policies and placed strict controls on the clearing of names for certain individuals for proxy ordinances, Radkey's work was foiled.

Also, I should mention, depending on the date Easter falls in the calendar, the Phoenix LDS Easter Pageant will draw anti-Mormon protesters every year. Out of one side of their mouths, they say we don't Easter enough emphasis and, out of the other side, they protest in front of our pageant that celebrates it. Go figure!

April: Coverage often depends on what is announced during Conference. For example, if temples are announced, or new missions opened, anti-Mormons will begin to organize opposition through the media to those projects. 

May: This month brings Mother's Day in the United States, so what better month than to attack the doctrine of a heavenly mother?

June: The month in which Joseph Smith was assassinated often brings out the most virulent anti-Mormons in defending his murder. It's as if they feel compelled to justify the murder of an American citizen by a mob of 200 men in Carthage, Illinois in 1844. Throughout the summer, outdoor pageants at Manti, Nauvoo, and the Hill Cumorah attract anti-Mormon protesters by the hundreds. They pass out lying tracts and literature, shout horrible oaths at passers-by, frighten small children, and seek to intimidate anyone who might attend these events.

July: This is the month we celebrate Pioneer Day, when the saints entered the Salt Lake Valley. This is always a time when polygamy surges back for its second round of annual treatment. There are also articles about how Utah is such an oppressive place to live if you want to drink, smoke, gamble, or own a bakery that makes phallus-shaped pastries.

August: The summer doldrums usually kick in here. Even anti-Mormons go on vacation or are out pulling up crabgrass or something. But sometimes, there will be preliminary articles leading up to one of their September favorites:

September: Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, anti-Mormons never fail to bring up their favorite historical event: the Mountain Meadows Massacre. You can count on it from now until Jesus comes back--the antis will capitalize on the terrible losses of September 11 to bring this up.

October: General conference rolls around again. More of the same.

November: Thanksgiving in the USA brings families together. So what better time to bring up polygamy again? Also, it is common to see attacks on Mormon doctrines like eternal familes around this holiday time.

December: The Christmas season brings so many wonderful blessings. As Mormons, along with all of the rest of the Christian world, focuses on Jesus Christ and on kindness, reconciliation, and selfless giving, the anti-Mormons attack us and say we don't give enough emphasis to Christ at Christmas. They attack the fact that we believe that Jesus was actually born in April (when the shepherds abide in the fields, watching over their flocks by night--they don't do that in December in Israel!) Then, because someone might mention in December that Joseph Smith was born two days before Christmas n 1805, they'll go around saying we wished them a "Merry Smithmas" at Church. It's all bogus, but it gives them something to grouse about.

Here's an article that touches upon the "Smithmas" thing.
 
http://spamldsarchive.blogspot.com/search?q=smithmas
 
In our surveys of anti-Mormon traffic for a number of years, the Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism discovered that there is a seasonal pattern to anti-Mormonism.  Our critics follow the calendar to touch upon various events to try to embarrass members.  From the article:
 
January: Polygamy and exaltation are often topics around this time of year. Martin Luther King Day often begins the "Mormons are racist" mantra that carries into February, which is Black History Month.

February: Black History Month usually brings a cascade of anti-Mormon attacks on the priesthood ban which ended in 1978. Although the Church has disavowed any racism that may have been a part of its past, and with an understanding that the Church is growing faster in Africa than in any predominantly white nations in Europe or elsewhere, it doesn't stop the predominantly white anti-Mormons from making this an issue.

March: Depending on when Easter falls in the year, usually the antis start cranking up rhetoric saying that Mormons don't put much emphasis on Easter and Christ's resurrection. This isn't true, but if going to Church and partaking the sacrament of the Lord's Supper weekly instead of just on Christmas and Easter isn't putting much emphasis on Christ, we'll have to ask you to re-examine your evidence. 

Also, with April general conference just weeks away, there are usually all kinds of negative articles that emerge. Past favorites have included baptism for the dead, These were generated annually by anti-Mormon Helen Radkey. Radkey had a group of covert "spies" inside the Church who used their LDS.org accounts to access temple ordinance information on deceased individuals she knew would create controversy: Hitler, Ghandi, Holocaust victims, etc. After the Church tightened its access policies and placed strict controls on the clearing of names for certain individuals for proxy ordinances, Radkey's work was foiled.

Also, I should mention, depending on the date Easter falls in the calendar, the Phoenix LDS Easter Pageant will draw anti-Mormon protesters every year. Out of one side of their mouths, they say we don't Easter enough emphasis and, out of the other side, they protest in front of our pageant that celebrates it. Go figure!

April: Coverage often depends on what is announced during Conference. For example, if temples are announced, or new missions opened, anti-Mormons will begin to organize opposition through the media to those projects. 

May: This month brings Mother's Day in the United States, so what better month than to attack the doctrine of a heavenly mother?

June: The month in which Joseph Smith was assassinated often brings out the most virulent anti-Mormons in defending his murder. It's as if they feel compelled to justify the murder of an American citizen by a mob of 200 men in Carthage, Illinois in 1844. Throughout the summer, outdoor pageants at Manti, Nauvoo, and the Hill Cumorah attract anti-Mormon protesters by the hundreds. They pass out lying tracts and literature, shout horrible oaths at passers-by, frighten small children, and seek to intimidate anyone who might attend these events.

July: This is the month we celebrate Pioneer Day, when the saints entered the Salt Lake Valley. This is always a time when polygamy surges back for its second round of annual treatment. There are also articles about how Utah is such an oppressive place to live if you want to drink, smoke, gamble, or own a bakery that makes phallus-shaped pastries.

August: The summer doldrums usually kick in here. Even anti-Mormons go on vacation or are out pulling up crabgrass or something. But sometimes, there will be preliminary articles leading up to one of their September favorites:

September: Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, anti-Mormons never fail to bring up their favorite historical event: the Mountain Meadows Massacre. You can count on it from now until Jesus comes back--the antis will capitalize on the terrible losses of September 11 to bring this up.

October: General conference rolls around again. More of the same.

November: Thanksgiving in the USA brings families together. So what better time to bring up polygamy again? Also, it is common to see attacks on Mormon doctrines like eternal familes around this holiday time.

December: The Christmas season brings so many wonderful blessings. As Mormons, along with all of the rest of the Christian world, focuses on Jesus Christ and on kindness, reconciliation, and selfless giving, the anti-Mormons attack us and say we don't give enough emphasis to Christ at Christmas. They attack the fact that we believe that Jesus was actually born in April (when the shepherds abide in the fields, watching over their flocks by night--they don't do that in December in Israel!) Then, because someone might mention in December that Joseph Smith was born two days before Christmas n 1805, they'll go around saying we wished them a "Merry Smithmas" at Church. It's all bogus, but it gives them something to grouse about.

I don't mean to suggest that we have soul-mates, or that predestination is involved.  It's just the case that, as the Church grows, many members (particularly females) won't find a suitable mate in this life.  In most cultures, the male courts the female and asks for her hand in marriage.  Age, distance, the pool of available partners can vary depending on where one lives.
 
An example of this would be a wonderful lady in the branch where I used to be branch president.  She was an African-American divorcee in her late 40s, who lived in a really rural area.  There were no single male members in the branch near her age and none were African American (it was her preference to marry a man of the same race).  The nearest stake or church unit was over 2 hours away.  She was fairly poor and had a car that barely ran.  Traveling far and wide wasn't an option for her.  Based on her opportunities to find a mate, it is possible that she might not find one in this life.  In such a case, I'm sure the Lord has a way to help her find a mate because she desires one, even if she never finds one in mortality.  It will be her choice and he will respond with miracles on either side of the veil.

This is one of those that Satan uses to trouble believers and it's used by skeptics.  When I was on my mission in France, atheists would often try to establish a straw-man argument with a scenario like: "What if you get eaten by a shark, and then the shark dies, and its remains get eaten by crabs, and then I eat the shark, then I die."  Their argument was that the literal matter of my body goes through nature and gets re-used, so that nothing can be lost.  So how is it possible for me to get my body back?
 
Those kinds of arguments never troubled me. Unlike any other existing religion, latter-day saints have had experience with resurrected beings.  Joseph Smith saw and interacted with several of them.  Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, (John was translated, so I won't count him), Moses, Elias, Elijah, and others appeared to him to confer keys.  
 
Moroni was a physical being who gave him physical gold plates.  The three witnesses of the BOM saw and angel and he turned the pages on the plates.  Physical hands were laid on the head of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery when the various keys were conferred by heavenly messengers.  The reality of the resurrection has been witnessed by individuals in this dispensation.  We have no doubt of the physical nature of the resurrection.  
 
Of course, there is the testimony of the four gospels and the Book of Mormon, which relate the accounts of those who saw the risen Christ, but that is from an ancient record.  I don't mean to discount that, but our critics would.  It is hard to sweep away the testimony of modern witnesses who left their experiences for us to consider.  
 
I don't worry about the how.  I just know that God has promised that he will resurrect all of us and that Jesus' resurrection is the template for that.  How it will occur, I don't know.  I just know that it has and that real people have witnessed the results.
 
On a more spiritual or "metaphysical" level, I would throw this out for consideration.  All of us pass through a veil into mortality.  To me, the veil is symbolic.  The veil for each of us is a woman.  Motherhood is the "veil" between premortal life and eternity.  When we pass through the veil to get back into eternity, there is another veil through which we must pass.  That veil is the priesthood.  Motherhood and fatherhood are linked in this manner.  The resurrection is a priesthood ordinance that will be taught to us later.  The temple foreshadows this.  How will we be resurrected?  The fathers to whom we are sealed will resurrect us.

I can empathize with the sentiment that having a paid clergy could be a good idea.  I was once a branch president of a small branch of the Church.  Almost all my branch members were elderly and disabled.  It became an almost full-time job--and I already had a regular, secular profession.  Nevertheless, the creation of a professional clergy is prohibited by revelation.  Mormons generally interpret these Bible passages to be a condemnation of having a paid clergy.
 
John 10:13--
 
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
 
 
Titus 1:7
 
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
 
1 Timothy 3:2-3
 
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
 
1 Timothy 3-8 
 
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
 
Nephi calls preaching for money priestcraft and soundly condemns the practice.
 
2 Nephi 26--
 
29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
31 But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.
 
In Alma, we read about Nehor, who set up a church with a professional clergy.  This church persecuted the true Church and eventually gained dominance in the city of Ammonihah.  This city was ultimately destroyed for its sins and persecutions of the saints (in Alma chapter 16).
 
Alma 1:3,16--
 
3 And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.
 
16 Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor.
 
We don't consider that all professional pastors of other faiths are engaging in priestcraft.  Most of them are doing the best they can do with the light they have so far received from God.  Hopefully they will receive the message of the Restoration one day and comply fully with the need to receive authority through the proper channels and preach out of charity, not the need to make a living.
 
Members of the Church who promote having a paid clergy are teaching the doctrine of Nehor.  It's always a good idea to search the scriptures to inform our opinions.

I used to have some guns that I inherited from my father.  I had children in the house and no way to secure them so I felt it best to give them to my father-in-law, who has a big collection of guns.
 
I carried a gun (actually two of them) every day for four years in my first Air Force enlistment.  I had to qualify on them semi-annually for years afterward.  I don't have any moral objection to owning firearms.  However, over the years, a nagging scripture has guided me away from gun ownership.  It's in Revelation chapter 13:
 
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
 
Whenever the scriptures say, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear," it's a way of highlighting something important.  I felt this scripture speaking to me.
 
When I was in the military, the Church used to provide a little booklet with teachings from General Authorities on how we view combat and war.  Essentially, the take-away from it was that, sometimes war is necessary and just.  However, when you take up arms, you forfeit certain guarantees of divine protection.  On the battlefield, things get equalized. When you and your enemy are both calling unto God for victory and protection, there's no guarantee.  You're just as likely to get killed as the other guy.
 
Considering some of the prophecies, like the George Albert Smith prophecy, talk about the government seizing American's personal guns.  If that occurs, it would probably lead to an armed insurrection.  Having seen what our military can do, I imagine that any opposition against it would end up like the Branch Davidians in Waco. 
 
As a practical consideration, pistols are only good for very short range use.  There is what is called the "21-foot rule."  If a perpetrator decides to rush you and you have a pistol in a holster, you don't have time to react, draw the weapon, aim, and fire effectively if he is within a 21-foot radius.  He can cross that distance in just over a second.  Beyond 21 feet, you have a chance.  Inside that range, it's going to go hand-to-hand.
 
That's one of the reasons I practice and teach judo.  It's an incredibly effective form of self-defense that is non-lethal.  You practice it with a fully resisting opponent, so it's very realistic.  If you have to use it, you don't have to make any adjustments. You will be fully accustomed to reacting with sufficient force to throw, choke, or arm-bar an adversary, temporarily disable him, and get away.  It's effective for women as well as men.  
 
If you're not comfortable with having guns in your home, it's a good idea to learn a martial art so you can defend yourself.  If this of interest to you, the web sites of the United States Judo Association, United States Judo Federation, and USA Judo can direct you to a club near you.  Judo is generally affordable for most families and it appeals to all ages. 

When I lived in another state, many years ago, we had some militant pioneer "wanna-bes" who frequently stirred up trouble in Relief Society with such notions, saying that women had to just suck it up and expect that their husbands would be required to have plural wives in the celestial kingdom.
 
This is a falsehood that Satan stirs up to trouble righteous women.  God respects agency.  There will be polygamists in the celestial kingdom.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and many more will be there.  Heck, Jesus even called heaven "Abraham's bosom."  Nevertheless, God honors agency.  If a man and woman keep their covenants made in this life, they will inherit celestial glory.  
 
Perhaps opinions and our desires will change when we gain greater light than we have now, but nothing compels a woman to accept plural marriage in eternity.  Many point to militant statements made by pioneer apostles like Orson Pratt in his writings.  Those statements were made in a time when the Church was under direct assault from the government.  The test for those saints was to stand against such persecution faithfully.  They showed their mettle by defiantly preaching and advocating for plural marriage.  Times have changed.  Conditions are different today.
 
I would encourage anyone troubled by this to consider Jacob chapter 2 in the BOM.
 
29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.
30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.
 
The Lord said through Jacob that chastity and monogamy is the rule.  The Lord permits plural marriage when he needs to "raise up seed unto me."  The period following the great apostasy would be an example of a time when the Lord needed to build up his people rapidly.  "Otherwise," the passage says, the norm is monogamy and chastity.  The Lord goes on to say:
  
 
31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
 
The Lord hears and heeds the cries of the sisters of the Church.  Hears their prayers.  He loves them and he hates to see their hearts broken.  Can you imagine that he would force any of his dear daughters into an intolerable situation for eternity?  It is unthinkable.  Have faith in the Lord Jesus who loves you, sisters.  

The biggest problems with the paid clergy have to do with this scripture in 2 Timothy chapter 4:
 
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
 
I have friends who are pastors and they do not enjoy the freedom to preach according to their knowledge or conscience.  They have a board that they are accountable to that controls their paycheck and their employ.  The pastors get "on the hook" because their congregation provides them with a house (a parsonage), a paycheck, and very often a car.  They get perks like paid vacations and trips that are funded by their congregation's donations. 
 
Then, when the Spirit moves them to call someone to repentance, the next thing they know is that the board is dealing with the complaint from the offended party. It is often the case that a dispute between two parties arises that divides the congregation and he is asked to take sides.  A split can occur and then half the church quits.
 
Then, the group that leaves goes out--having "itching ears"--and they hire a new pastor who won't call them to repentance like the old one.  That lasts until a new dispute occurs.  
 
In the LDS Church, we operate from the position of having delegated keys of authority and men who are called by authority, by prophecy, and the laying on of hands.  No one is hired.  The bishop this week can be the nursery leader next week.  Everyone knows that.  There is no "job security" involved.  Thus, he can preach, counsel, and call to repentance as needed.  Disputes happen from time to time, but the congregation doesn't call the bishop or employ him.  Ward councils run on the principle of unanimity.  If unanimity on any issue can't be achieved, we pretty much can assume that it's not the Lord's will and we look for new solutions to problems.  The system works because nobody depends on an ecclesiastical calling to feed his children or keep a roof over his head.  There's more integrity in the system that way.  Any other system where a preacher can be fired by his congregation inevitably leads to a loss of integrity.

Amen to that!  I've known happy people who have very little, but they are thankful for what they have.  I've also known people who had everything they could ever want and were miserable.  It's being thankful now that makes the difference.

The temples are a "whole 'nother world" compare to our weekly sacrament services.  You've probably noticed that Church policy doesn't even allow a picture of the Savior in the chapel.  In the exterior hallways, foyers, etc., you'll find artwork with him in it, but never in the chapel.  The symbol of Christ there is the sacrament.  Our meetinghouses are pretty plain.
 
Then you go to the temple.  If you haven't been endowed yet, visit a temple that has a visitor's center and take a tour of the grounds.  When I was a new convert, I toured the Washington, D.C. temple grounds with a guide who described the architectural details.  It was amazingly rich in symbolism.  For example, each of the six pointy spires is slighly different in height and they represent the offices of the priesthood.  The doors have bronze seals on them that represent different dispensations.  The temple is oriented based on celestial north, not magnetic north, indicating that our personal orientation is celestial, not earthly.
 
Most temples have a "Moroni" on top, but very few members ever ask why that's the case.  In Jewish tradition, the Feast of Trumpets represents the call to repentance.  It precedes the Day of Atonement (judgment) and the Feast of Tabernacles, when God's presence returns to his people.  The day that Moroni gave Joseph Smith the plates in 1827 to begin the translation was the Feast of Trumpets in that year.  Moroni symbolizes God's call to the world to repent and accept the Restoration.  
 
Obviously we can't discuss the temple ordinances, but they are also symbolic.  The use of repetition in the temple is God's own pedagogy that assists individuals in memorizing over two hours worth of information and instruction.  It's beautiful and fulfilling.
 
Yes, the temple is where the OP needs to go to find the ritual richness he is longing for!

Well said, Urstadt!  My approach may seem simplistic, but before I converted to Mormonism over three decades ago, I was big-time into reading philosophy.  I also delved into Eastern religions after having explored Christian faith.  To me, knowing about God was not as important as knowing God.  Joseph Smith's testimony thrilled me because here was an innocent who had no guile, who approached the throne of grace, and pierced the veil.  He didn't bother with man's mumbo-jumbo.  What is it that President Kimball said?  Something like, "Who wants to drink from the low end of the stream that the cattle have walked in and muddied?  Better to go to the high ground and drink from where the water comes pure out of the source!"
 
I think Paul shared some of my frustration with philosophers.  Paul knew that Christ was to be experienced.  The Holy Ghost makes for an experiential religion.  He wanted to bring the Athenians to that transcendent experience.  Instead, all they liked to "...tell, or to hear some new thing."  Paul's first-hand knowledge of the resurrection was scoffed at because it was "subjective."  
 
Suppose I knew the location of a room in a tall building in New York City that contained a million dollars and I told you that, if you followed the directions I'd provide, you could find it and share it with me.  Some people would be willing to give it a try.  Others would scoff saying that I was a deceiver or deluded.  Others would say it isn't possible that an average person like me could know such a thing.  A debate could erupt between those who would say I might know and others who would try to dissuade them from believing me.
 
Nevertheless, all it would take to find the fortune is to follow my directions and you would know I was in my right mind and correct. My "subjective" knowledge was indeed true.  It could be validated by simply following the correct directions, step-by-step.
 
Our missionaries teach people how to find the Pearl of Great Price--a personal, experiential testimony of Christ through the Holy Spirit.  All anyone has to do is follow their simple instructions to find it.  It's as easy as finding the treasure in my example.  All anyone has to do is have faith in the instructions and act upon them.

Like I said, I wasn't making any comment toward any particular individual in this discussion so far.  My insinuation is that when Plato's name emerges in a discussion of Christian theology, it's a warning flag.  Greek philosophy was a corrupting influence in both Judaism and early Christianity.  Paul warned in Colossians 2:8,
 
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
 
There is a danger that concerned Paul that people would intellectualize the simple gospel truths and engage in philosophical debates "after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."  All the early Christian controversies, like Arianism, had roots in Neoplatonism.  
 
One of the things I admire about the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young is the complete lack of this kind of attempt to intellectualize our religion.  I'm not anti-intellectual, but footnotes don't convert anyone.  We send out uneducated missionaries who are witnesses of direct personal intervention in their lives by the Holy Ghost.  We sent out untrained farmers, laborers, merchants, and others to preach the gospel at the beginning of this dispensation.  I love what it says in D&C Section 1:
 
19 The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh—
20 But that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;
21 That faith also might increase in the earth;
22 That mine everlasting covenant might be established;
23 That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.
 
Like Paul, our lot is to be "fools for Christ's sake" when it comes to the sophistries of the world  (1 Corinthians 4:10).  There are some questions we need to be focused on, especially when we deal with nonmembers.  Does God live?  Is Jesus the Son of God?  Did Jesus establish a Church?  Did the members of the Godhead restore that Church through revelation to Joseph Smith?  Have we received gospel ordinances from a person having authority?  Have we received a remission of our sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost since we believed?  If the answers to those things are all affirmative, the Holy Ghost will do the rest of the teaching as we do our duty. Plato's not going to do us any good if the answers to any of those questions is "No."

I mean no disrespect toward any individual when I say this, but it seems that when our personal preoccupation with religion revolves around resolving these kinds of questions, it has gone off the rails.  Mormonism in particular is a practical religion, not a philosophical one.  If we have time to be ruminating over these kinds of questions, we need to get up and go do some Christian service instead.  There are lost souls who need the gospel preached to them.  There are families in dire need of assistance.  There are real physical needs all around us.  We need to be doers of the word, not just hearers only, like James said.  Whenever I've been involved in service to others, my heart and mind are never troubled by such questions as this.  
 
One of my sons said that Elder Packer came to his mission and one of the elders had a list of such questions to ask him.  According to the missionary, Elder Packer's reply was, "Just love the Lord!"
 
There's nothing wrong with clarifying gospel principles and preaching the message of the Restoration.  Vain philosophical questions like this are a distraction and preoccupation with them is one of the things that set the primitive Church on the path to apostasy.  When someone brings up Plato, I just remember how Neoplatonism was one of the big heresies that corrupted the primitive Church and caused its demise.  Let's just do Plato's baptism for the dead and be done with it!  Then go out an serve God by serving our fellow men and women.

Perhaps I can help with the explanation of our heavenly "cosmology."  All this comes from Doctrine and Covenants 76, but I'm just paraphrasing.  I'm going to reverse the traditional order of explanation for clarity.
 
Sons of Perdition:  This is what the Protestants would consider the eternal hell of the afterlife.  It is a kingdom of no spiritual light.  It is such a bad place to dwell in that the fullness of the suffering of its inhabitants is not completely revealed.  People who go there are those who received the witness of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Savior, yet chose to oppose him, his work, and his Church.  They are the ones who, if it was in their power to do so, would crucify Jesus all over again.  They are "vessels of wrath."  These are the only ones who do not ever enter a kingdom of any glory in eternity.
 
Telestial Kingdom:  These are the "natural man" whose lives are wholly consumed with worldliness.  They are unrepentant sinners who reject the offering of Christ's atonement after it has been presented to them, either in the flesh or in the spirit world prior to the resurrection.  Interestingly, it is also the place of sectarian partisans who claimed to be teachers of truth, but led people astray. This kingdom is composed of a myriad of degrees of varying glory, commensurate to the degree of light these souls chose to receive and obey.  Paul described them as like the light of the stars in heaven, all of which vary in magnitude. 
 
Terrestrial Kingdom: These are the "honorable men (and women) of the earth.  It includes people of all faiths or even those of no faith who lived honest lives of virtue and obedience to God's commandments.  However, their vision was limited by the false doctrines and philosophies of men.  They rejected revealed authority and the gospel ordinances that would have admitted them into the Celestial Kingdom.  This kingdom also is home to Mormons who are not faithful to the covenants they made and were not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.
 
Celestial Kingdom:  This kingdom is the eternal place of rest for anyone in any dispensation who believed and accepted Jesus Christ's atonement, repented of their sins, and kept the gospel covenants that were administered by proper, revealed authority.  Mormons represent only the saints of this last dispensation.  There have been many dispensations headed by other prophets prior to Joseph Smith.  Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and others.  The believers who followed these prophets, accepted their testimony, and received gospel ordinances by those in authority are also in the Celestial Kingdom.  They are not "Mormons" per se, but Mormons are their modern counterparts.  The Celestial Kingdom is also the eternal abode of anyone who dies before reaching the age of accountability.  Thus children who die are heirs of the Celestial Kingdom, having been called home by their merciful Creator before having arrived at the age of understanding, regardless of the religion of their parents.  Those who are mentally disabled or otherwise unaccountable in this life also inherit Celestial glory.  
 
The Celestial Kingdom has, within itself, three degrees of glory.  Entrance into the highest of these requires a man and woman to be sealed in an eternal marriage in the temples.  This ordinance has been in the world throughout history, except for periods of apostasy when there were no legal administrators to perform it.  Sealed couples who obtain exaltation in the highest degree of glory are the "Church of the Firstborn" mentioned in the scriptures.
 
I hope this helps.  As you can see, the Celestial Kingdom is not just for Mormons.  Many Mormons won't make it there because of disobedience and breaking their covenants.  Many who lived in other dispensations will be there as well as anyone who was unaccountable.  Because the gospel is preached to the spirits who die (See John 5:25, 1 Peter 3:18, 4:6) and because baptism for the dead is possible (1 Corinthians 15:29) many who did not hear the gospel in life will accept it and be able to receive the ordinances to enter the Celestial Kingdom.

When I first joined the Church, i read all the standard works in one year. I read the Book of Mormon first, then I followed that with the New Testament.  Then I read the D&C, the PofGP and then the Old Testament.  I think that was a good order to read them in because it helped me understand things more when it got to the Old Testament.  I'd read the New Testament before the D&C because many of those revelations came about from Joseph doing his own translation of the New Testament.  That would give you a better context of the D&C and why those revelations came.  BYU offers a class in the D&C that is very good that you can take through distance learning, too. 

Perhaps I can help with the explanation of our heavenly "cosmology."  All this comes from Doctrine and Covenants 76, but I'm just paraphrasing.  I'm going to reverse the traditional order of explanation for clarity.
 
Sons of Perdition:  This is what the Protestants would consider the eternal hell of the afterlife.  It is a kingdom of no spiritual light.  It is such a bad place to dwell in that the fullness of the suffering of its inhabitants is not completely revealed.  People who go there are those who received the witness of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Savior, yet chose to oppose him, his work, and his Church.  They are the ones who, if it was in their power to do so, would crucify Jesus all over again.  They are "vessels of wrath."  These are the only ones who do not ever enter a kingdom of any glory in eternity.
 
Telestial Kingdom:  These are the "natural man" whose lives are wholly consumed with worldliness.  They are unrepentant sinners who reject the offering of Christ's atonement after it has been presented to them, either in the flesh or in the spirit world prior to the resurrection.  Interestingly, it is also the place of sectarian partisans who claimed to be teachers of truth, but led people astray. This kingdom is composed of a myriad of degrees of varying glory, commensurate to the degree of light these souls chose to receive and obey.  Paul described them as like the light of the stars in heaven, all of which vary in magnitude. 
 
Terrestrial Kingdom: These are the "honorable men (and women) of the earth.  It includes people of all faiths or even those of no faith who lived honest lives of virtue and obedience to God's commandments.  However, their vision was limited by the false doctrines and philosophies of men.  They rejected revealed authority and the gospel ordinances that would have admitted them into the Celestial Kingdom.  This kingdom also is home to Mormons who are not faithful to the covenants they made and were not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.
 
Celestial Kingdom:  This kingdom is the eternal place of rest for anyone in any dispensation who believed and accepted Jesus Christ's atonement, repented of their sins, and kept the gospel covenants that were administered by proper, revealed authority.  Mormons represent only the saints of this last dispensation.  There have been many dispensations headed by other prophets prior to Joseph Smith.  Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and others.  The believers who followed these prophets, accepted their testimony, and received gospel ordinances by those in authority are also in the Celestial Kingdom.  They are not "Mormons" per se, but Mormons are their modern counterparts.  The Celestial Kingdom is also the eternal abode of anyone who dies before reaching the age of accountability.  Thus children who die are heirs of the Celestial Kingdom, having been called home by their merciful Creator before having arrived at the age of understanding, regardless of the religion of their parents.  Those who are mentally disabled or otherwise unaccountable in this life also inherit Celestial glory.  
 
The Celestial Kingdom has, within itself, three degrees of glory.  Entrance into the highest of these requires a man and woman to be sealed in an eternal marriage in the temples.  This ordinance has been in the world throughout history, except for periods of apostasy when there were no legal administrators to perform it.  Sealed couples who obtain exaltation in the highest degree of glory are the "Church of the Firstborn" mentioned in the scriptures.
 
I hope this helps.  As you can see, the Celestial Kingdom is not just for Mormons.  Many Mormons won't make it there because of disobedience and breaking their covenants.  Many who lived in other dispensations will be there as well as anyone who was unaccountable.  Because the gospel is preached to the spirits who die (See John 5:25, 1 Peter 3:18, 4:6) and because baptism for the dead is possible (1 Corinthians 15:29) many who did not hear the gospel in life will accept it and be able to receive the ordinances to enter the Celestial Kingdom.

(Note:  This is an article I wrote several years ago for the Examiner.  I thought you all might enjoy it and that it will lead to interesting discussions.)
 
Latter-day Saints love the Bible and believe it as scripture. Indeed, Joseph Smith went so far as to say that we are the only people who truly believe it as it is written. Modern, sectarian Christians hang Bible verses like ornaments on an artificial tree constructed of man-made creeds, ignoring the passages which conflict with or contradict their doctrines. In the process, they have allowed a number of myths about the Bible to be promulgated because it serves their own ends. The following eight myths are summarized from "Here We Stand" by Joseph Fielding McConkie (1995, Deseret Book) McConkie is a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.
 
1. The Bible is a single book
 
McConkie points out that the Bible is a collection of books which were gathered together by men over thousands of years. The Jewish Bible consists of 24 books that Christians call the Old Testament. The actual books that are agreed upon by Jews came from a council in 90 A.D. in Jamnia (near Joppa, Israel). At his council, it became so contentious that it resulted in bloodshed. (McConkie, 36)
Christians have divided these 24 books into 39 and ordered them differently. Their version of the Old Testament comes from the Greek Septuagint, which was rejected by Jews, because of the influence of Greek thought and the inclusion of the Apocrypha. Catholics accept the Apocrypha as scripture because they sustain otherwise unscriptural doctrines, such as masses for the dead and the existence of Purgatory. (McConkie, 37-38)
 
The origin of the New Testament begins with two second-century heretics. Marcion, a bishop's son and a wealthy ship owner, was the first to create a canonical list of books. His list rejected the Old Testament entirely as scripture and "was closed to all but ten of the epistles of Paul and the Gospel of Luke." Macrion's false teachings caused him to be excommunicated from the ancient Church. Macrion's excommunication was so final that the Church gave him back all the money he had donated.(McConkie, 38)
 
The second "heretic" was Montanus who declared that he was the incarnation of the Holy Ghost promised by the Savior to come. He denounced the absence of revelation in the church and the lack of spiritual gifts. To counteract his claims, the church began to teach that there would be no further disruptive revelations and that the canon of scripture was closed.
 
Over the next two centuries, Origen of Alexandria divided the books in his New Testament into classes of acknowledged books and disputed texts. The list of disputed books included James, 2nd and 3rd John, 2nd Peter, Jude, the Letter of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas. This constituted the oldest Greek manuscript, consisting of 29 books. (McConkie, 39)
 
Eusebius of Caesaria omitted not only the Shepherd and Barnabas from his list, but also the Book of Revelation. Most Greek manuscripts omit it also. Other disputed books which Eusebius rejected were the Acts of Paul, the Revelation of Peter, and the Teachings of the Apostles. (McConkie, 39)
 
In 367 A.D., Athanasius sent an Easter letter to the churches of his diocese, listing the books approved for reading in the church. This list matches the current-day New Testament. Thus it wasn't until the fourth century that there was any consensus on which books comprised the Bible.
 
2. The Bible preceded doctrine
 
Since the Bible didn't exist in its current form in the time of the Bible, how did it then form the basis for the doctrines taught by Jesus, Peter, Paul and the other apostles? "The book was created by the church, not the church by the book." (McConkie, 40) An example of doctrine preceding the Bible would be the Nicene Creed, which was devised by a council in 325 A.D. The doctrine of the Trinity emerged from this council, which took place after the church had declared that revelation had ceased, but before the time that the canon of the Bible was agreed upon. (McConkie, 41)
 
3. True religion is Bible religion
 
Since the Bible didn't exist in the time of Peter and Paul. "No one who lived within the time period of the Bible ever had a Bible." (McConkie, 41) Therefore, their religion was not "Bible religion." The Bible is the testimony that God interacts with man via revelation and spiritual gifts, directly and personally. It was not based solely upon the words of God to ancient prophets, but to living ones. Why should it not be so today?
 
4. Everything in the Bible is the Word of God
 
The Bible is the word of God so far as it is translated correctly, but every word in it was not uttered by God. The Bible contains the words of the devil to Adam and Eve in the Garden and to Jesus Christ during his temptation in the wilderness. It contains the words of Adam, Eve, a serpent, angels, prophets, apostles, and their scribes. It even contains the words spoken by Balaam's mule, who chastened him for his cruel treatment. All these are in addition to the words of God spoken to prophets and the words of Jesus Christ himself. (McConkie, 43)
 
5. The canon is closed
 
Nowhere in the books of the Bible does it say that the canon of scripture is closed. Many will refer to the last lines of Revelation to claim that the book cannot be added to. Since the Bible didn't exist at the time of the writing of the Revelation of John, it couldn't refer to the Bible as a whole. The Revelation remained a disputed book for two centuries after John penned it. Thus the commandment that it should not be added to must refer to that particular scroll which John wrote. We should understand that most scholars believe that John himself "added to" the Bible, because it is commonly believed that he wrote Revelation before the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John came AFTER the book of Revelation in the chronological sequence of Bible texts. The apostle John told us that "...there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one...that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."
 
A similar interdiction against adding to God's word appears in Deuteronomy. Following the logic of those who say the Bible can't be added to because of John's statement, we must consider tossing anything that comes after Moses and Deuteronomy. Man's rejection of further revelation is an attempt to "mute" God and deny that he has power to reveal anything new or essential to mankind. It defends the status quo, having a "form of godliness" but denies the power thereof. Since the Bible itself doesn't claim to contain all God's words, it would require a revelation from God to tell us that the Bible is inerrant, sufficient, persipicacious, and the final authority in all things. Thus, you can see the quandary: it would require a revelation to tell us that there will be no more revelation. The position is logically untenable.
 
6. The Bible can be interpreted independent of a predetermined ideology
 
McConkie poses a hypothetical situation. Suppose an angel took a copy of the Bible to a people who had no knowledge of it whatsoever and had no predetermined views on its contents. Suppose they built up a church using the Bible as their guide. Can we realistically imagine that they would, using the Bible alone, come up with anything remotely resembling the doctrine of the Trinity? Neither can we imagine that they would come up with a doctrine that one is saved solely by God's grace, without the requirement of faith and obedience to the commandments of God and the ordinances. (McConkie, 50)
 
The Bible doesn't clearly explain how to baptize, who can perform the ordinance, and at what age the ordinance the ordinance can take place. It doesn't explain the duties of bishops, deacons, and elders and what are the limits of their ecclesiastical authority.
 
Thus everyone, including Mormons, must interpret the Bible through an ideological lens. The lens the Jew uses is different than the Christian. The historian will use a different lens altogether. The Mormon's view must necessarily differ from that of Jews, the Christians, and the historian. This realization is important, because we must understand that, without modern day revelation to guide us, one Bible interpretation is no more authoritative than another. The restoration of the Gospel, the First Vision, the Book of Mormon, all provide additional light and knowledge that give us the keys to interpret the Bible correctly.
 
Without revelation, it would be impossible to determine whose interpretation is correct, because each interpretation will be influenced by the world view of its proponents. The same scriptures that convince a Jew that it is unlawful to turn on a light switch on the Sabbath day also convince him that Jesus couldn't have been the Messiah. (McConkie, 48) The same Bible that convinces Christians to proclaim an end to revelation and miracles also led a young Joseph Smith to "ask of God" and receive a glorious vision of the Father and the Son.
 
7. To know the Bible is to understand it
 
The Bible is probably the most misquoted book in existence. Paul is probably the most misquoted person ever. The Bible was written by living oracles of God to people who were accustomed to and accepting of the principle of contemporary revelation from God. The counsel and guidance the apostles gave were to people who had a shared understanding. It makes no sense to preach grace to those who haven't repented, been baptized,and had a remission of their sins. It doesn't add up to teach about spiritual gifts and the fruits of the spirit to those who have no right to them. The scriptures don't ask the reader to accept Christ as a personal Savior or to make a committment for Christ, because it is addressed to those who had already accepted Christ by covenant. (McConkie, 53)
 
The cafeteria-style doctrinal approach of contemporary Christian churches is the result of their rejection of modern revelation as a possibility. Without revelation to guide, one must try to cobble together some theology by picking and choosing what fits into one's world view and reject the rest as "metaphors" or "symbolism." (McConkie, 54)
 
8. The Bible is common ground in missionary work
 
This statement applies especially to Latter-day Saints. We often assume that the Bible is the common ground from which we can build understanding. If there was any semblance of agreement in modern Christianity, do you think there would be a thousand quarelling sects and denominations? (McConkie, 54)
 
Joseph Smith went into the grove to pray because he came to the conclusion that it was impossible to find out which Church he should join by studying the Bible alone. This is a true statement.
 
In this "war of words" and "tumult of opinions" that rages in Christendom, the only way to find the truth is to "ask of God." (James 1:5) Thus the Book of Mormon becomes the preeminent tool for conversion. It offers clear and plain gospel teachings free of sectarian interpretations. It clarifies the Bible's teachings and helps identify the interpolations of men. It also identifies to the sincere seeker, where and how to locate the conduit of personal revelation for himself, independent of anyone or anything else.
 
Latter-day Saints will be more effective by teaching the gospel from the Book of Mormon than from any other source. We should encourage all interested parties to seek truth in prayer and from the Book of Mormon. Finding the truth in this manner identifies the means of obtaining personal revelation, the source of restored authority, how to obtain the ordinances of salvation, and how to live in such a manner as to obtain and keep a remission of one's sins.

I've been a branch president and had to do these kinds of interviews before.  I'm also a parent with five children.  I would urge you to talk to your parents privately first.  Then have them go with you to see the bishop.  If you truly have an addiction to pornography, you won't beat it alone.  Parents can help you.  You'll need an "accountability partner" and they'd be your best choice.  Satan tells you that you have to deal with this alone.  The Lord would broaden the circle of care and let you know you have support.  

Good point!  There are actually two battles of the forces of Gog and Magog against God's people.  The first is the Battle of Armageddon.  No specific nations are mentioned, but Gog and Magog are simply all those who combine against Israel at Armageddon before Jesus appears to the whole world at the Second Coming.
 
The second Gog and Magog battle occurs at the end of the millennium.  That's a really interesting topic.  If we consider that 3rd Nephi gives us a "type" or template for things which are to come, we see a pattern.  Here are the steps as an overview.
Prophets proclaim the signs of the first advent (Samuel the Lamanite in particular). The people disregard the warning and the signs appear as prophesied.  Many people believe because of the signs. Thirty-three years goes by and people begin to lose faith and patience.  Wars ensue. A great destruction occurs.  The people who were killed were mostly the wicked ones and the more righteous people (terrestrial kingdom) survive.  This is what occurs at the destruction preceding the Second Coming. The Lord appears and teaches the people.  They embrace his teachings and live in the United Order with all property in common.  (This represents the Millennium.) After a few generations, unbelief starts to grow among the people who did not see the Savior's visit.  The three Nephites don't minister among them any more.  Apostasy grows. Members of the church abandon the United Order and cease to have all things in common. Social classes emerge based on wealth and opportunity for education. Political divisions ensue.  At the end, the Nephite and Lamanites are not "racial" or ethnic groups.  They are political groups.  (Remember the Lamanites and Nephites intermarried during the years of unity and peace--there were no more "-ites" among them!) Finally, war breaks out, society collapses, and utter destruction is visited upon them.  (Final war of Gog and Magog.) We tend to focus on Armageddon because it's the closest to us, but there is a second battle of Gog and Magog.  I suspect that this one will be pointed toward the destruction of Zion, the New Jerusalem and will probably take place in North America.  The Lord's visit to the Americas was a literal event, but it also contains the symbolic outline of the events that will occur after the Second Coming down to the last battle of Gog and Magog at the Millennium's end.