Jason_J

I would hope that no Latter-day Saint believes that we have the same beliefs, otherwise there would be no point in what we believe to be the restoration of the fulness of true Christianity. When discussing the Trinity vs Godhead doctrines, it is important to be precise as far as words go. When Trinitarians define their Trinity doctrine, it is important for all to realize that they are using the words "Person" and "Being" (or Essence/Nature/Substance) to mean specific things that are not interchangeable. Trinitarians believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct Persons that are one Being/Essence/Substance. It would be incorrect for this to be defined as Three Beings, because Being is referring to something different from Person. In contrast, Latter-day Saints use "Person" and "Being" interchangeably, as most do in everyday English language. So, it would be fine for a Latter-day Saint to refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as three distinct Persons, or three distinct Beings, because both words are being used in the same way. We don't use it in the way that Trinitarians are using it (and this is where many of the problems come when discussing these beliefs), so it would not be correct to say something like "I believe the three are one Being, you believe they are three Beings, so you're wrong" (not that I'm necessarily saying that you say that). Also, when it comes to the issue of monotheism, I am also intrigued to see how it is explained that having three distinct, divine Persons, who are not each other, is more monotheistic than the Latter-day Saint Godhead doctrine. Meaning, what does it mean to have three distinct divine Persons be "one Being"? What does that mean? I think this is also the hangup that most Jews have when reading about the Trinity doctrine and whether it actually maintains monotheism. If "Being" is referring to "nature", then this doesn't really maintain monotheism, anymore than having three distinct humans with the same nature makes them one human in the way implied by the word "monotheism" as related to the divine Persons. So, what does it mean to have three distinct, divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who are not each other, be "one Being", or "consubstantial"? To further understand the Latter-day Saint perspective on this, I like the article "The Oneness and Unity of God" as a start. You'll see that it isn't merely just that they "happen to agree with each other".

I think that Latter-day Saint apologist Jeff Lindsay's article on this topic answers many of the traditional Christian/Catholic objections to the possibility of an apostasy of Christ's Church. Questions About the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ

Well we had a stake YSA temple baptisms night last night. It was funny because I get there, get my "endowed" sticker (so they know that I can perform the ordinances), and ended up doing confirmations, going immediately to be baptized (one girl had brought family names, so that was pretty cool), confirmed for those family names, and then I was done! I changed back into my regular clothes, asked one of the temple workers if they needed me for anything, he said no, and I just sat down in the baptistry and watched/meditated for another hour or so (since from entering the temple to finishing the baptisms/confirmations only took 15-20 minutes!). But I agree, it's best to have unendowed members be baptized and confirmed, since they cannot participate in the other ordinances yet. I know I enjoyed that before I was endowed.

thanks everyone, but perhaps you can dumb it down for me, "work clothes"/"comfortable clothes", meaning...? T-shirt, jeans? Thanks!

Hey all, so I'm supposed to be working at the bishop's storehouse soon, and I was wondering...what should i wear? I think we'll be doing stocking (after unloading the new shipments), etc. I assume I'm not wearing church clothes for this . Thanks!

congrats!

Enjoy! I didn't really sleep much the night before. Just remember, don't try to memorize everything, you won't need to remember anything at all, there will always be people to guide you. It really is a great experience, and remember that you're in the House of the Lord (I love that concept).

Yes, I was actually at the Manhattan Temple today! Basically the first floor is divided between the temple entrance and the regular entrance. The first floor of the temple also has the baptistry. The second floor has the distribution center and the public affairs office, the third floor has the chapel and cultural hall (and some other rooms), and the 4th, 5th and 6th floors are all the temple. Pretty interesting. On Sundays, Mondays, and other days when the temple is closed, they open up the temple elevator (you can access it from inside the temple or they open up this wall or something when the temple is closed) and it goes up to the public floors.

Ok, so I actually just got back home from the temple. Yes, you can pray privately anywhere in the temple. Most importantly, the Celestial Room is a quite room where no other ordinances are happening, and it symbolizes the presence of God, so it is a great room for prayer and reflection, and that's what people do there. In the other rooms, other things are going on, such as baptisms, the endowment, etc., so yes, you can still privately pray and reflect during those ordinances (and I was doing that today), but the Celestial Room is ideal for this as it is quiet, in comparison to the other rooms.

Snirilla, I think these links will be helpful to you: Mormon Temple Rituals | LDS Temples - What Happens in Temples Inside the Temple The Celestial Room is where the Endowment ordinance/ceremony ends. The Celestial Room symbolizes the Celestial Kingdom, where God dwells. The Celestial Room is for quiet prayer and pondering (and the Celestial Room in the Manhattan New York Temple also has scriptures for reading, not sure if all temples have scriptures, as I read something that said otherwise, but that may be outdated). Loud talking is not permitted, so if you're talking to someone it should be in hushed tones.

Here's a question I have: so there are a lot of places in the hallways of the temple to just sit, and it seemed pretty...open as far as being able to wander around. Is it okay to do that after a session, like just walk around or sit in the hallways or in the chapel? I mentioned checking out the sealing room floor before my endowment, and when I mentioned this to some of the sisters that came with me in the celestial room, they said that they would go to that floor and check it out, as they'd never been. So I guess it's okay? Just making sure!

Awesome! I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences too!

Well folks, it was a longggg day, but I was endowed today in the Manhattan temple! It was such a great experience, with great friends as well as awesome temple workers. The Manhattan temple is really...boring looking from the outside, but the inside is amazing (I've been inside in the baptistry, but seeing the rest of it was awesome. Our guide brought us to the sealing room floor while we were waiting for someone from the Temple Presidency to talk to us, and it was really beautiful, and I got to see a little bit of sealings being done, and he showed us the mirrors, etc), and I could definitely feel the Spirit the entire time, especially in the Celestial Room (the Terrestrial Room was a REALLY cool room too, really beautiful). I really can't wait to go back, and I'm grateful to have a temple so close that I can go back as much as I want.

Oh also, I just received the book "Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon" in the mail today. It looks really good! "Let the Book of Mormon change your life, again, as you investigate Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon. Exhaustively researched, this full-color revised edition of the bestselling book now includes many developments and discoveries of the last twenty years on the subject of Mesoamerica. The correlation of the Stela 31 engraved stone at Tikal as it relates to the decisive battle at Cumorah. A comparison of the Maya name Mormon with the Nahuatl name Tehuatepec. The discovery of the name of the Jaredite King Kish on an ancient stone tablet that also includes his birth date and place of birth. A comparison of written languages and two high civilizations of Mesoamerica with the languages and civilizations of the Nephites and Jaredites. And much, much more. Illustrated with numerous photographs and more than 140 maps that correlate Book of Mormon sites with current Mesoamerican geography, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon uncovers new evidences and thought-provoking hypotheses that contribute to our understanding of the setting in which the Book of Mormon might have taken place."

This should also be helpful: Mormon Truth and Book of Mormon Evidence: Not Proof, But Indications of Plausibility "Book of Mormon Evidences discusses some of the factors that suggest the Book of Mormon may be an ancient document. Contrary to the claims of our critics, there are impressive findings that make it difficult to explain away the Book of Mormon as a nineteenth-century fraud from Joseph Smith. Such evidence is not "proof" but represents indications of plausibility that demand further attention."

Question: do people laminate their recommends? I feel like I might get mine crumpled before 2 years are up!

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely talk to my bishop about this.

also, are there Family and Church History missions outside of the SLC area? Is this the same as serving in a FamilySearch Center?

Hi all. As some of you may know, I'm a convert to the Church, and am 25 years old. I'm set to be endowed next Saturday, the 25th, and am really excited for that! One of my friends recently was called to serve a full-time mission, and she's 24 years old. I mention her age because I've always wished that I could serve a full-time mission, however I've said that I'm just not at a stage in my life for that (I'm busy with school and work, and I guess trying to find my eternal companion ), and I know that my parents, who are not members, would definitely not understand nor support that decision if I went through the process. Yesterday I happened on a few videos from the Church about Church Service Missions, and that got my intrigued. It seems to be the perfect opportunity for me to serve the Church and others as a non-proselytizing missionary, and remain home to take care of the other things that I have going on. Has anyone ever served a CSM, known someone that has, has more info on them, etc? Using the search function on the CSM website, it seems as if the only opportunities available in my area at this time are "work at home" missions, such as Family Search Missionary and Internet Content Contributor-Customer Services Representative. Do you think my bishop would be aware of other local opportunities, or is this site pretty updated as far as that goes? I'm curious about the Addiction Recovery Program, mostly because I studied psychology and am interested in that. Do they take singles or is it only for couples? Also, somewhat random/trivial question, but why would "work at home" missionaries be given missionary name-tags if they...work at home? Thanks!

Latter-day Saints would agree that we come unto Christ for salvation. It isn't an either/or situation.

just an update: spoke with the bishop today, and we're all set for me being endowed on Feb 25th! I'll meet with him for the recommend next Sunday, and with the stake president on the 12th. I spoke with one of the missionaries that I took the discussions with, and they'll be there for the endowment too. Can't wait!

Ha! I was just about to recommend that book

Interesting, we see the same thing from quite a few former Latter-day Saints.

Yes, soon! Temple prep is starting, and the bishop would like to meet with me every other week to go over things. He said I can set a date and prayerfully choose an escort. I was confirmed on Feb 20th, so I'm thinking February 25th! Have you chosen a date for your endowment yet?

This is exciting! What day are you planning on being endowed dahlia?