vestig8or

Had a wonderful discussion tonight with the man who teaches Gospel Principles class in my ward and who visits every month or so to check in. I've concluded that it's OK not to fully comprehend all the details and that I have a lot of Scripture to study and reflect upon. That's OK. :)

I sure appreciate this discussion and generous offering of resources. Thanks so very much!

Thanks everyone. I found this and would like to know what you think of it. It's about the evolution of God in Mormon theology. I guess Joseph Smith didn't think that Jesus was Jehovah, but that the doctrine has changed beginning at the turn of the century. Interesting. Is Jehovah Jesus or is he the same as Elohim?

Hi, I'm a new member. I haven't yet read the entire Book of Mormon and am just beginning to read the Bible. I've done a little reading of the Torah. I've just been moved from Gospel Principles to Bible Study class. I was really surprised to hear in Bible study that it wasn't God who gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, but Jesus. This really shook me up because these old scriptures were written in Hebrew, which I understand hasn't changed in thousands of years, unlike the New Testament which has been retranslated and changed numerous times. There are different Hebrew words for God depending on if he's being a merciful God or exacting justice. But I've never heard that the Jews were mistaken and that it was really not God they were talking about. Did I misunderstand? If not, is this just in the LDS church? Or have other Christian religions "rewritten/reinterpretted" the OT to include Jesus? Not trying to get anyone upset with me, I'm really struggling with this. Thanks in advance for being gentle.

Thanks again, everyone. Got him a Cold Stone Creamery gift certificate, and he seemed very happy. I greatly appreciate the suggestions in this forum. New converts like me could sure use a Mormon Book of Etiquette!

Thanks, everyone! I like the idea of a gift card to a local ice cream shop. He mentioned that it's supposed to get really hot where he's going. Wonder what the young adults prefer these days? Cold Stone Creamery or Baskin Robbins...

Baptized May 2. Thanks for the suggestions. Cash: no. Personal, relevant memento: yes. Sounds good.

Hi, Happy 4th of July, everyone. Question: Is it appropriate for members to give gifts/cash to missionaries for specific events, such as baptisms, holidays, or (in this case) when a missionary is leaving the stake to serve in a different area? One elder who was instrumental to preparing me for baptism is stopping by this evening to say goodbye to my husband and me. Feels appropriate to give him a card with a couple bucks inside, but not sure if that's "kosher." Thanks!

Thanks again, everyone! Had a meeting with our Bishop, and he is totally on board with taking care of members with gluten sensitivities. As some of you mentioned, he just needed to be made aware of the problem. I just wrote up a short page with a description of gluten-intolerance, options to handle it, and some suggestions of gluten-free products that would work. Sure appreciate your feedback!

Great suggestions and feedback. Thanks, everyone!

Hi, Although my username is vestig8or, I got baptized last month. :) I am now a visiting teacher, and one of the women to whom I'm assigned has celiac disease. This means that she cannot tolerate anything made of wheat, such as the typical bread used for sacrament. In our visit recently, I found out that she isn't the only member of the ward with gluten intolerance. She's been handling it by bringing her own bread, but feels isolated from the "communion" aspect of all partaking of sacrament together. Other members either just eat the regular bread or skip it altogether. How do other wards handle this? I visited one ward while on vacation, and they had a separate tray with gluten-free bread. If any of your wards do the same, I'd love to understand how you got this implemented and the priesthood holders trained to prepare sacrament without contaminating the gluten-free bread with the regular bread. Thanks in advance for your advice!

We haven't started yet, either, but I found this Web site, and find it helpful and fun: Food Storage Made Easy

Congratulations! Ditto what everyone else says. The leaders know you are new, so don't stress. I'm getting baptized in early May and my first thought was that I'd love a first assignment like this! What a great way to meet people and become a real part of the community. Again, congratulations! Conversion is a process, not an event. :^)

Congratulations!!! Sounds like a truly awesome weekend. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Looks like I'll be getting baptized in early May.

I think the principle is balance of power.

Is this what you mean? D&C 75:29 and D&C 42:42 I don't understand why this idea makes some people so angry and gets labelled as "selfish" or "uncharitable." havejoy isn't talking about letting someone starve. It's the idea of teaching a man to fish rather than simply giving him the fish over and over and over again. Too much "help" takes away a person's free agency and opportunity to grow in this lifetime. I don't call that charitable.

Thanks! I knew I wasn't understanding what point she was making.

Not sure I understand your point. Are you suggesting that all morals are relative and Christ doesn't care what we decide?

Great thread. I get really worried when libertarian/conservative-minded people are dismissed as intolerant or "haters." It's not that I want people to suffer, it's just that when we talk about "rights" I seldom hear about whose obligation it is to pay for those rights. The government? The government does not create wealth; the government source of funding is the taxpayer. Social Security and Medicare are already in big trouble, and now we are adding Health Care? What's next? No one should have to buy their own food? Buy their own house or vehicle? In spite of the liberal source and the way he pokes fun of conservatives at the beginning, this is a great lecture on the difference between liberals and conservatives. Conservatives seem to come out on top. Jonathan Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives

Congratulations! I'm looking at being baptized in May. Could you please share your baptism experience with the forum so I can read about it? I read that wearing flesh-colored underwear is a good idea. If you wear makeup, use waterproof mascara. And don't forget to bring a hairdryer and a change of clothing (including dry underwear!) with you.

I'm with you on that one. Although I don't agree with Acorn, I grow very weary of our politicians who only seem to care about getting re-elected rather than making good decisions for the country in general. Unfortunately, our system of government rewards this behavior. I don't think it's just the rich getting helped; it's whoever can keep them in office. I have absolutely no idea what to do to change things, or even if things can be changed. "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship." Tytler?

I'm new to the church and just learning this stuff. Please correct me if I'm off base here! The real danger I see is that "telestial" laws are disguised as "celestial" laws more and more in this country. One result is that what is "good" is now seen as "bad" and vice versa. One example: People with moral values are labeled as hateful and intolerant. Another example: The opportunity to advance in this life is seen as unattainable to some groups as a result of "victimization" rather than poor decisions, so free agency is replaced by social programs that institutionalize the very behavior that keeps people trapped living telestial lives.

Timely article about Ayn Rand's point of view in the Christian Science Monitor. "Apple acts like a producer. GM acts like a looter. It’s a key distinction that Ayn Rand laid out in ‘Atlas Shrugged.’"

Interesting. I read someplace recently that Saints consider Jews to be religious "cousins." FARMS article, perhaps? In looking for a religion I considered Judaism, but my conservative values fit much better with the majority of the LDS community. I know I'm not the only one who seeks religion and a like-minded community. For example, my BIL became a Quaker years ago, which is a perfect fit for his liberal and anti-authoritarian point of view.

I've observed the same as Mute. After I ordered my BoM on the LDS church Web site, Missionaries made an unannounced visit to deliver it to me on a day we happened to have company. After they left, I mentioned to our guests that I was interested in learning more about the LDS religion, and you wouldn't believe the reaction I received. Warnings about how controlling the church is and that we'd be expected to bring in our tax documentation for review every year and how Big Love is an actual representation of the church. You'd think I was considering joining some Satanic cult. And then I reached out to someone who I'd heard was a Mormon for some information, and it turned out that his parents converted to Mormonism when he was a teen, but he'd opted out. He proceeded to list all the reasons the LDS church is false compared to his evangelical church (DNA, archeological evidence, etc.). I've gotten extremely cautious about who I talk to about investigating the church. I was raised Catholic, and I never remember hearing such negative comments about Catholicism. All I can think of is that the LDS church is still new comparably speaking, and newer religions are always subject to scorn because they threaten the establishment. And also the church is growing and is considered a competitive threat.