Rhoades

The nature of God Others: God has children, but not literally. They can become sort of like him, but not literally. If God had children, that would make God seem lesser. And if God made beings in to something like him, that would diminish from his greatness. LDS: God has children, literally. They can become like him, literally. A being that can create children is more powerful and wonderful than one that can not. God is such a being, and so much more. God having children that can become like him does NOT diminish from his greatness. It's one of the things that makes him great. It adds to his glory. Others: There is one God. Jesus and the Father are God and are different persons. Yet, they are the same substance because they are one. God the Father does not have a body, because that would make him less great and/or because he doesn't need one. Jesus was in the image of God the Father, but not in the literal physical sense. Although the Father doesn't have a body and doesn't need one, Jesus has a body and always will. LDS: To us, there is one God. Jesus and the Father are God and are different persons. God the Father has a body. His son Jesus also has a body. Their bodies are in some ways like ours, but glorious and perfect. Others: God is perfectly just and merciful. But, if there are people in this world that do not accept Jesus as their Savior, even if they never heard about him or because of mental handicaps or age or whatever, they will not be saved. LDS: God is perfectly just and merciful. All have a chance to hear and accept Jesus as their Savior, whether it's in this life or the next. Nature of humanity Others: People were created in God's image, but not literally. God creating man is more like someone making a creation out of legos. Or, since legos aren't alive how about a puppy. Yes, a puppy is neat but not at the same level as its master. Nor could it ever be. Even if that master was perfect and all powerful, a puppy can never become like his master. God and man are totally unrelated types of beings. LDS: We are children of God in both literal and figurative senses. Although we are fallen due to Adam's transgression as well as our own sins and although we are only children now, we can be redeemed and cleansed and exalted by his greatness and grace in to something like him eventually. We marvel that although we are fallen wayward children, he still loves us and wants to redeem and rescue us. We marvel that we are his children. To us, this makes God seem even greater. This also helps increase our capacity to love others as we recognize their divine potential.

Good point that by the same logic in the article, one would have to say God is also not light. And, we reject that. However, something that also needs pointed out is that the article's attempted logic all starts with the assumption that God created matter and energy out of nothing.

This reminded me of when one of my young children was very disturbed by the violence in a Joseph Smith movie in a temple visitor's center. The children had to leave the movie early, and this particular child was traumatized by it for a while. :) Due to their wonderful imaginations, their still-developing sense of discernment between fiction and reality, and their propensity to have nightmares, I think there are movies suitable for older children and adults that are not suitable for some young children.

BTW -- Those who don't add to the list must think you are infallible.

In case you miss some things, would you like some of us who have never met you but have a portion of your writings to help add to the list?

Why would you assume the editors thought apostles were infallible? Perhaps they simply didn't want the faults pointed out. There's a big difference between the two. For example, a school text book editor might not want to include some purported faults of Christopher Columbus. That doesn't necessarily mean he thought Columbus didn't have any faults. Whether or not specific faults should be included is a whole different topic of discussion. You didn't say, but if the setting of the story was while they were in their changed state (as opposed to regular mortal state), that could further influence how they'd want them portrayed.

Do you know anybody that feels like general authorities are infallible?

Some good replies so far. Something to add is that it is common for an investigator or new convert to receive more attention compared to after you have been around for a while. Depending on your ward you may feel like a celebrity at first, but then that tapers off over time. As the attention or excitement surrounding the baptism wears off, you will still have people that genuinely love you and remember you. There are other things that generate similar hype, like getting a mission call or going to the temple to be sealed to a spouse. You'll likely experience similar feelings towards others as you're with them during their monumental steps to follow Jesus Christ. You'll develop lasting friendships and love for your fellow saints through these experiences.

Good point. But, if we think someone's a jerk for saying "Where is this Utah? Why do you Mormons flock there?" (language John Doe responded to from MormonGator), that seems a little harsh.

Are you trying to reinforce the "Utah Mormon" label? :) Hopefully, we won't inwardly think of someone as "jerk" and "clown". Christ taught a higher and better way to live. "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (3 Ne 12:22) "But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you" (3 Ne 12:44) That doesn't come naturally. But, through the atonement of Christ our nature can change. (Mosiah 3:19) The outward/inward thing reminds me of "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness." (Matt 23:27) Interesting to know that the Lord has called out groups of people in a way that they have become negative connotations, such as scribes, pharisees, and also lawyers. To be clear, I'm not saying I should start using "Utah Mormon" to call people to repentance. I don't have authority to do so, nor do I think it would be effective. I'm just pointing out an observation.

We say they "can" because it is possible. "Can" implies contingency. It seems this question boils down to "why have ordinances?" In short, ordinances help us remember who we are and remember our duty to God. They are for our benefit. They are such an effective method of teaching us that God has set them as a requirement to receive certain blessings. The more I study ordinances and their purposes, the more I see the wisdom. I don't see any reason not to be able to visit others. Maybe what you are trying to ask is whether there's a difference in the relationship of a child sealed to parents and other people. I don't know the exact relationship, but I see it as similar to a healthy adult child to parent relationship here. Your relationship is not exclusive. You still have close friendships with other people. "And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy." (D&C 130:2) It's important to add that the blessings of being sealed aren't limited to the afterlife. There are amazing blessings to be received in this life too. The telestial glory is a degree of glory. It "surpasses all understanding" (D&C 76:89) However, the "happily ever after" for a telestial being will pale in comparison to a celestial being. Don't sell yourself short. And again, not all of the blessings of the gospel are reserved for the afterlife.

Over twenty years ago when I first learned the term "Utah Mormon" at BYU I took it to mean what you describe; not necessarily people who are from UT. I quickly decided that since "Utah Mormons" are not exclusive to UT and not everybody from UT is a "Utah Mormon" I needed a better term. I ended up using "Mormon". In my mind the term "Mormon" was derogatory, as opposed to a "Saint" or "Christian" which meant members of the Church trying to live their religion. A short while later I realized I didn't like using "Mormon" as a derogatory term, and none of that was beneficial anyway. I shouldn't try to classify people as either "Mormon" or "Saint". That doesn't help me see the best in people. We all have weaknesses and I need to look for the good. I have since learned this is charity, which "is kind" and "thinketh no evil". I shouldn't think the worst. And it helps me to not classify individuals or even groups in to anything that my mind might perceive as derogatory (e.g. "Utah Mormon", "white trash", etc. ). I do acknowledge that real pain and hurt can come from some people. They can be hard to deal with. And it's OK to recognize bad behavior. But, remember to not let some people's behavior unfairly affect how we feel about others.

On a related note, there are reputable physics theories that say the world can actually be better explained as a 2D holographic than 3D.

I like this post. I think we should "forget" in the sense of not dwelling on it. We need to get over it. However, we don't always lose memory of things. Which is probably good; we couldn't be as wise if we did. The offender doesn't necessarily gain our trust because we've forgiven them. Continued appropriate behavior builds trust, it's not automatically granted. That's true whether I know you once had a shady past or you are a complete stranger. We are commanded to love everyone, but not commanded to trust everyone. In fact, we're taught that man is unreliable and we should put our trust in the Lord. "Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord." (Jer. 17:5) (See also 2 Chr. 32:8, Ps. 20:7, Ps. 146:3, Isa. 2:22, Micah 7:5) I think my explanation of how we should "forget" is similar to how the Lord "remembers" our sins no more (e.g. Isaiah 43:25, Hebrews 8:12, Ps. 79:8). I take that to mean He doesn't hold them against us and it's as if they didn't happen. But, he doesn't lose memory of them. He is all knowing. I think He knows bad things that I did, and I have no problem with that because He loves me and has forgiven me. He knows about the woman taken in adultery (John 8:11), and the woman who anointed His feet (Luke 7:47), etc. If he didn't know those things, we would know something He doesn't. We would even know scriptures that He doesn't. That's my take on it, and I acknowledge I don't have a perfect understanding of this. The important thing is knowing we can be completely forgiven, cleansed, and changed and so can others.

"The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. ... True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. ... Spiritual security will always depend upon how one lives, not where one lives." -- Elder Russell M Nelson The current guidance is a general rule. The Lord can, and does, lead individual families to specific locations for His purposes and for their benefit. I had that in mind when I said "if he led you there, then it's good that you went." He knows what's best for your family. "Dare to stand alone" -- Thomas S. Monson

Two points: It's nice for youth to have some peers that support them in their beliefs. But, I don't think that's a reason to move to UT. You don't necessarily find better peer support in UT than elsewhere. Utah, just like outside of Utah, can vary drastically from place to place. The biggest challenge for many UT youth is the HUGE great and spacious building made up of those that supposedly share their religion. However, where you should live and what's best for your family is a decision for the parents with consultation from the Lord. If He led you there, then it's good that you went. There are many good people there. It's actually a good thing if a child can learn to stand alone. Think about the plan of salvation and the Fall. Experiencing adversity and trials is absolutely necessary for developing spiritual strength. Youth must question their religion instead of just following the crowd in order to discover truth. If you don't seek, you won't find.

I don't think we can conclude that the interests of evil spirits were given priority over the interests of the owners and herders. Perhaps what was done was in the best interest of the owners and herders. The herders were so amazed they "went their ways into the city, and told every thing" (vs 33). With our imperfect understanding we can't fully comprehend all of the benefits and drawbacks at play in this decision. This miracle could have been a very good opportunity for them to learn that Jesus is the Christ. Such knowledge is more valuable than a herd of swine.

They want control. These are the parents whose parenting style inhibits their children from becoming capable and independent.

And then there's verse 54, "Thou shalt not take thy brother’s garment; thou shalt pay for that which thou shalt receive of thy brother." So, if you get your clothing from others, don't steal. Be sure you pay for it. I'm well aware of the 1970s talks about making clothing and food in order to promote thrift, developing skills, and learning to be self-sufficient. But, in this era I don't think the Lord cares whether we make our own clothing. It doesn't even make economic sense. I'm curious whether JojoBag actually thinks we should make "all" of our garments. I do think our clothing should not be a statement of vanity or pride. And, another principle still applicable from verse 40 is that we should see beauty in the industry and work needed to acquire clothing.

If you mean, is it necessary to have a perfect knowledge of this before we die in order to be saved? Then, no. If you mean, is having a perfect knowledge of this a part of our salvation? Then, yes. Celestial beings will eventually learn all of this. It is part of their salvation. "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (D&C 131:6) We just need to be wise enough to know that some questions need placed in the "learn later" pile. The later could be in this life or the next. We need to be content with that. My experience has been that the mysteries of God that we do learn in this life often lead to additional questions we hadn't thought of previously. It seems there's always more to learn, which I love.

In a follow up post, you stated your dilemma was:I am commanded to be perfect.I can't be perfect.But that's okay. All I need to do is my best, and the Atonement will make up for my lack.But in a span of more than a few hours at a time, I don't do my best. Ever. I doubt that I even can do my best on an ongoing basis.Perhaps the problem is you are accepting the statement "all I need to do is my best, and the Atonement will make up for my lack" and interpreting that to mean "only if I do my best will the atonement work and allow me to be saved" . You must recognize that this is false. Some good posts have already been shared about grace. Grace is a topic worth repeatedly studying, including verses in the New Testament. You must accept and rejoice in the fact that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). If we feel humbled for not being perfect (i.e. doing our best), that's good. After all, "none but the truly penitent are saved." (Alma 42:24) I think when people say "just do your best" we should take that as "don't be discouraged because you are not perfect. Hang in there and keep trying." I hesitate to bring it up, but there are also passages of scripture that could compound the confusion. Such as Moroni saying "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ". (Moroni 10:32) At first glance you could interpret the use of "all" and "then" to mean that you need to be perfect as a qualification to receive grace. But that is not true in any way. I think Moroni is encouraging us to try to totally dedicate ourselves to God; to not consciously hold anything back. Our aim is to be a devoted disciple. We need to be willing to give away all of our sins (Alma 22:18). As we become converted to Christ we "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). But, there's a difference between our well-rested and well-fed, no-crisis-is-happening-now disposition and when we are placed in extreme situations. Although we can totally desire to do what's right, when we get placed in a difficult situation it's not as easy to walk the walk. We saw what happened to Peter after proclaiming "I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." (Matt 26:35) Conversion is a process and takes time. First we need to be able to behave ourselves in regular every-day situations. Our hope is that eventually we handle harder situations, like Job. I think what matters is being on the path and faced in the right direction. I'm not the Judge, but I think if Peter had died the moment he uttered that statement he would have been saved and exalted. We know that he lived, he slipped, and then he got back on the path and went on to do great things eventually dying for Christ. When we do fall short, if we love God our sins will really bother us. We can learn from how Nephi felt and how he responded in 2 Nephi 4. Like Nephi, when we slip we must try to see the good that Christ has done for us and rejoice in His goodness and turn from feeling like a "wretched man" to asking for forgiveness and rejoicing in the goodness and mercy of Christ. We don't stay stuck in the "O wretched man" phase, because we rejoice in Christ's goodness and we get His help. One last point -- Satan tries to confuse some people concerning what it means to do your best. He does this to discourage and to distract. As someone else pointed out, being a CEO, a talented musician, or a marathon runner doesn't make you your "best". In fact, if you are doing those things to the detriment of more important things then they would be bad. There are lots of seemingly good things you could be doing, and you have to use "wisdom and order" (Mosiah 4:27) and counsel with the Lord in all your doings (Alma 37:37) as you try to know what's best for you. Choosing some good things will mean not choosing other good things. Also, God recognizes that "it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength" (Mosiah 4:27).

This was an interesting post to come across. Last summer I thought it'd be cool to have an iPhone act as my own little Liahona. There wasn't a Liahona app already available, so I created it: Liahona iPhone App - Home On itunes: iTunes Store I think of the iPhone (and similar devices) when reading about the white stone (Doctrine and Covenants 130 ). And think of passwords when reading about the key word. BTW - my iPhone is black but now I kind of wish I got white. :)