Mahonri

Ken, Like the ancient Church of Christ which was led by One head (Jesus Christ) and Twelve Apostles, so was the Church in 1844. First we must go back to the beginning of the restoration movement. In May of 1829, the resurrected John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey and bestowed upon them the Aaronic Priesthood with it's attendant KEYS. In June of 1829, Peter, James and John, the men who held the KEYS of the Church of Christ after Christ's death and resurrection, appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey and restored the Melchizedek Priesthood including the offices of prophet, apostle, high priest, seventy and elder. In February of 1835, 12 men were called and chosen to serve as Apostles. From 1829 until Oliver Cowdrey left the Church, Both Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey jointly held all of the KEYS of the modern day Church of Christ. With Oliver's exit, Hyrum Smith, Joseph's brother was ordained and given those same keys that had previously been held by Oliver Cowdrey. With both of these men holding the keys, if something happened to one of them, then the other would still hold them to confer upon others when directed by the Lord. These two Prophets, Seers and Revelators jointly held these KEYS until March of 1844 when Joseph Smith called together the Twelve Apostles and in the upper room of his Red Brick store, conferred upon the Twelve Apostles ALL of the keys that both he and his brother held. So, from March of 1844 until June of 1844, 14 men jointly held all of the keys of the kingdom with the Prophet Joseph Smith at the Head. When the Prophet Joseph Smith and his Brother Hyrum were brutally murdered and died as martyrs, shedding their innocent blood as witnesses of the restoration, on June 27, 1844, all of the keys held by Joseph and Hyrum then fell to the Quorum of the Twelve. Each member of that Quorum was called in order and held a place of seniority. Brigham Young as the apostle who had served the longest, was serving at the time as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Almost all of the apostles at that time, then followed Brigham Young who as head of the Quorum, held the keys of the kingdom. While Joseph Smith Jr. is reported to have blessed his son Joseph the III to someday replace him as prophet this might have occurred had his mother gone west with the Saints or if he had chosen to remain with the saints in the west when he made a visit there to talk with the Brethren who followed Brigham Young. Since the call of Brigham Young, over 90 men have been called as Apostles of this last dispensation. 15 men have had all of the keys restored upon him and have served as the Head or Prophet of The Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ. Currently, President Gordon B. Hinckley at 96 years of age hold all of those priesthood keys. And that's the way it is.

So why don't we hear any of this from Apostles and Prophets?

As you can imagine, my wife and I have attended many conference sessions in the conference center. We've watched folks get up and give talks and have a handshake or two on the way back to their seat. After Sister Beck gave her talk, every authority from Boyd K. Packer down the line on the right side of the podium, leaned forward grasped her hand with a smile and mouthed, "Thank you". The Brethren not only loved it, they cheered it. My wife said if it wouldn't have been irreverent, she would have stood and applauded.

Also, as has been mentioned, The scriptures are clear... He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery in his heart. "Thou shalt not commit adultery, NOR ANYTHING LIKE UNTO IT." I'd say that includes pornography, masturbation, kissing someone not his wife, fondling someone not his wife etc...

I would think that if it went down as you say it did, that at the VERY LEAST he should have gone before a bishop's council. He should have his priesthood tried. Perhaps that's why I'm not in a position to do that anymore. But that's my 2 cents worth. If you love him, you'll need to pray to be able to forgive and FORGET, and he'll need to show true repentance, otherwise, you are wasting good time with a looser.

Here you will find different uses and different descriptions. ] Must have been an early 1800's term. D&C 130:22 22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. Joseph Smith History 1:19 19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." Joseph Smith History 1:30 30 While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. Joseph Smith History - Oliver Cowdery Footnote "I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion; but you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with the eloquence of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and sublime a manner as this holy personage. No; nor has this earth power to give the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit! Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind. The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior's goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease."--Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October 1834), pp. 14-16. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Three 1838–39, p.150 Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions—Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.190 The angel that appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos was a translated or resurrected body [i.e., personage]. Jesus Christ went in body after His resurrection, to minister to resurrected bodies. There has been a chain of authority and power from Adam down to the present time. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.214 There have also been ministering angels in the Church which were of Satan appearing as an angel of light. A sister in the state of New York had a vision, who said it was told her that if she would go to a certain place in the woods, and angel would appear to her. She went at the appointed time, and saw a glorious personage descending, arrayed in white, with sandy colored hair; he commenced and told her to fear God, and said that her husband was called to do great things, but that he must not go more than one hundred miles from home, or he would not return; whereas God had called him to go to the ends of the earth, and he has since been more than one thousand miles from home, and is yet alive. Many true things were spoken by this personage, and many things that were false. How, it may be asked, was this known to be a bad angel? By the color of his hair; that is one of the signs that he can be known by, and by his contradicting a former revelation. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Five 1842–43, p.275 Secondly. He was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Whoever had the honor of doing that? Whoever had so great a privilege and glory? Whoever led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration? The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843–44, p.370 I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural; and who can contradict it?

With the market plunge today, I expect you'll all see more folks in Utah out shopping. This could be the thing Pres. Hinckley was talking about back in 98. There will still be those who won't see the signs and won't go out and purchase food. There will be suffering because they didn't follow the prophet.

When Gordon B. Hinckley and the other 14 stand up in conference and talk like you write, I will pay attention.

The Giants just simply outplayed my Packers. The Pat's will beat them again and they will be 19-0. It's been a long time since a NFC wild card has gone to the Superbowl... not since the Bears in the 80's.

Wow, Winnie, no wonder you can't sleep. I home teach a couple who have 5 kids under 6 years of age. But they are faithful in every way to one another and I imagine it will always be that way. I think they have now slowed the machine down. Hang in there. Show your love but don't let it affect your health.

Over the years, I have found that whenever I encounter the word 'mystery' in the scriptures I can almost always replace it by the word 'revelation' and it always makes sense. I'll be back later with a quote from a prophet of God to that effect.

My wife is a "Nauvoo nut"... she loves it. Last summer we did our third trip there and for the three nights we were there, we did the pageant every single night. I wish I could have visited Joseph Smith's birthplace and the site near Harmony, PA where the priesthood was restored. We've been to all of the other sites in the US including the Mormon Batallion site in San Diego. Favorite place: Temple in Palmyra or Temple in Nauvoo.

He is most assuredly a male spirit. His influence is sometimes referred to as "it'. Do you have it? Get it, and keep it!

He is most assuredly a male spirit. His influence is sometimes referred to as "it'. Do you have it? Get it, and keep it!

I know of a couple who don't support Mitt Romney... but they are either weird or liberal. (Not that there is anything wrong with that) BUT... to each his own.

I was simply quoting the Prophet Joseph Smith. Don't you just love his sense of humor?!!

I imagine with the Lord's help, I could do almost anything. I'm really looking forward to serving a mission with my sweetheart in about 15 years. Fear? Scoutmaster. I could do it, but I don't think it would be pretty.

Years ago, after two and a half years of marriage I was called to be the Bishop. Previously I had served as a counselor in the Bishopric, Elders President, Young Men's President (twice), Ward Mission Leader, Elder's secretary and as a member of a Sunday School Presidency. I loved serving as Elder's Quorum President. It was wonderful. I disliked the YM calling a little and it wasn't any better the second time around. I loved serving in the Sunday School and as WML. Since then I've been on the High Council, Stake YM president and as the president of our stake's high priest quorum. Now I teach Gospel Doctrine every other week, Principios del Evangelio every other week and early morning seminary once a week. I also did a short stint teaching priesthood meeting. I must say I loved teaching Priesthood meeting I WOULD LOVE TO BE THE PRIMARY CHORISTER. For now I'll enjoy my busyness and the opportunity to sit with my family (I sat on the stand for 14 of the last 20 years) and just move along with a smile. Besides I'm getting old... I'll soon be 50.

If you are 25 and single, and a singles ward is close by, I would suggest the singles ward. Immerse yourself again. Go to all of the activities and get as involved as you can. Go see your Bishop and tell him you are back. Talk to him about where you have been and where you want to go. God bless you as you continue your journey.

Winnie, I hope you are correct. It does get discouraging at times. ... on to victory.

Great advise. Didn't I see this on an episode of "Still Standing"

Welcome. These are the things you should expect from a LDS boy who is dating your daughter. For the Strenth of Youth Read each of the headings of the contents at the above site. If he is not following these guidelines, then he is not being true to his faith. They are good guidelines for youth no matter what their faith.

Someday, religious hatred will be a thing of the past. Someday soon, Christ will come to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords... But all hell is going to break loose before then. Folks aren't going to begin to choose the right until they are humbled by the sermons that Our God will soon begin to speak. The economy is soon going to tank in a major way. Have you got your wheat stored? It will soon be worth more than gold. Nephi had to pray for a famine to come upon the land before the people would pay attention, pray and repent.

It's only going to get worse Winnie. Nature of God: God once was a mortal who became an eternal being after a great trial. We believe in God the Eternal Father, in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. God the Father and Jesus Christ have glorified perfected bodies. The Holy Ghost is a spirit and thus can dwell in our hearts. _Jesus Christ: Christ was God's first-born spirit child, his only earthly child and the only perfect mortal. Adam was also God's earthly child with a difference, Christ was his Only Begotten in THE FLESH. (Adam was born in a perfect terrestrial state) _No Trinity: Mormons reject the idea of the Christian Trinity — God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as one ethereal being. Instead, they believe the three are separate beings joined in a common purpose. Here the First Article of Faith should be quoted again. I like how Joseph Smith defined the difference between Mormons and other religions, he said, "Mormons believe in the Bible!" _Pre-existence and the afterlife: Before their mortal birth, humans existed in pre-mortality and were born in the spirit world to heavenly parents. Mormons also believe in the resurrection and teach that most people will receive some measure of salvation and have a place in a three-level eternal kingdom. Latter-day Saints believe that we came from a pre-mortal sphere born of Heavenly Parents. We believe that through the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ all mankind will be saved by the saving ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Our Father's House are many mansions and we will receive a degree of glory based upon our FAITH in Jesus Christ demonstrated by our obedience to His commandments and by the further light and knowledge that we receive while in this probation. _One true church: Mormons say their faith is not Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox but holds a unique place as "restored New Testament Christianity." Founder Joseph Smith said God told him none of the existing churches were practicing Christianity as it was intended. Our Father and Jesus Christ told him TWICE that their creeds were and abomination, that they draw near unto him with their lips but that their hearts are far from Him. As Joseph Smith said, unlike other Christian faiths, "We believe the Bible!" _ A living prophet: Mormons believe the head of their church is a living prophet, seer and revelator who can communicate with God. We are led by Prophets, Seers and Revelators. One head holds ALL the keys after a First Presidency is reorganized. _ Book of Mormon: The text on which the church is based is said to have been translated from an ancient language inscribed on gold plates. Mormons believe it is an account of Christ's interaction with inhabitants of the ancient Americas before he ascended to heaven. Once again, here we quote the 8th Article of Faith. ... that and Christ continues to interact with those who come to know Him. _ Second Coming of Christ: Smith believed the Garden of Eden was originally in North America, near today's Independence, Mo. Mormons migrated to Missouri. The argument could be made that He has already returned... In the early spring of 1820, the week after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple etc. etc... And yes, the New Jerusalem will be in Independence, MO. They'll never get it right unless they also come to know.

Are we talking about the common fare at testimony meetings? Many of those are travel logs or "Thank-you-monies". A testimony in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a Fast and Testimony meeting should include: A spiritual witness as to the divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ and His loving, infinite atonement. A spiritual witness as to the validity of the restoration of the gospel in these, the Latter-days, which includes: ... a witness to the truth of The Book of Mormon ... a witness of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith ... a witness of the divine calling of our current prophets, seers and revelators.