Jason_J

Also SteveVH, if you are looking for a more active LDS forum as far as apologetics and these sorts of discussions go, you may be interested in Mormon Dialogue and Discussion Board. It has a good mix of LDS and non-LDS posters, including a number of Catholics (I used to be one of those until recently ).

I think you misunderstood what she was saying. She was not saying that she believes Catholic doctrine still as a member of the Lord's restored Church, but was referring to the "once a Catholic, always a Catholic" belief. Of course there are a number of similarities between a number of the Catholic sacraments and the ordinances of the LDS Church besides the name used. The restored Gospel fits quite nicely with the Biblical record, from Genesis to Revelation. Latter-day Saints also believe our Church to be the fulfillment of Judaism, and a restoration of principles that have their beginnings from The Beginning. Also, we must be clear to distinguish between the various types of Judaism throughout history. I for one enjoy the writings of non-LDS Old Testament scholar Margaret Barker. LDS apologist Kevin Christensen has written a series of articles under the title "Paradigms Regained: A Survey of Margaret Barker's Scholarship and its Significance for Mormon Studies". These papers survey Barker's scholarship and show how recent historical research into Israelite religion and Old Testament studies further evidence the Latter-day Saint faith as a genuine restoration. Other articles that are good for beginners in this field include: Mormonism as a Restoration by Daniel Peterson Early Christian and Jewish Rituals Related to Temple Practices by John Tvedtnes Divine Embodiment: The Earliest Christian Understanding of God by David Paulsen Mormonism in the Early Jewish-Christian Milieu by Barry Bickmore Ye Are Gods: Psalm 82 and John 10 as Witnesses to the Divine Nature of Humankind by Daniel Peterson That should be a good start to see that LDS beliefs fit nicely with historical Jewish beliefs, and it is amazing that with developments in research and scholarship, there are so many evidences of things that Joseph Smith and his associates supposedly made up...enjoy!

Well, that's what they told me... I did a Google search, and this came up: "With the bishop’s approval, the elders quorum president or one of his counselors calls and sets apart an elder to serve as elders quorum secretary." Melchizedek PriesthoodÂ

So I received the Aaronic Priesthood this past Sunday. We did the ordination in Elder's Quorum (remember that this is a YSA ward so we only have an Elder's Quorum). One of my new friends was "voice", and the elder's quorum president, second counselor, bishop, second counselor in the bishopric, and of course my missionaries were in the circle. Next week I'll be sustained and set apart as Assistant to the Elder's Quorum Presidency. Since I don't hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, I couldn't be called as the Elder's Quorum Secretary, so the ward created this position that they like to give to some new converts. My home teacher companion (who is also the second counselor in the EQ presidency) is a convert and also had this calling. So in addition to helping out with the Sacrament (I'll be bringing the bread each week and blessing the bread and/or water), I also assist the EQ Presidency by helping with attendance, going to certain meetings, helping with coordination of home teaching, etc. Sounds like fun! Also, the EQ President told me that while it can take up to a year for a convert to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, he sees me receiving it in perhaps 4-6 months (maybe less, maybe more of course) because of all that I know and my testimony of the restored gospel. And speaking of my testimony, the first counselor in the bishopric asked me to give my testimony and perhaps a little of my conversion story at church this coming Sunday. Apparently someone from the stake will be there (can't remember), and he said that many people were moved by my testimony at my baptism, so they would like me to give it.

Yeah, I need to meet again with the bishop since I forgot to ask him about the limited temple recommend and patriarchal blessing. But I think receiving the Priesthood of Aaron and being set apart in my calling will be more than enough for this Sunday . I ended up printing out my blog entry about my baptism and confirmation, with a few more pictures (and a link to my blog that hopefully they will check out when they are released), and gave it to them. They loved it.

In my discussions with LDS in online forums over the years, I've actually found most of them to hold the opposite view. This topic typically would come up when talking about whether LDS believed in a "different Jesus" or if there is such a thing as "the Mormon Jesus". The LDS response would be, we believe in the same Jesus as other Christians do, however we believe some different things about Him. I think the same concept applies here. So, I would tend to the belief that non-LDS Christians are worshipping the same God as we are, except that they believe different things (that we would view as false beliefs) about Him. This of course doesn't mean that saving ordinances are available outside of the Lord's Church, but that non-LDS Christians are worshipping the same God with the knowledge that they have (some of which is false).

Also, why is it said that the fast lasts for 24 hours if you're fasting from two meals?

Which meals do members usually fast for Fast Sunday? I mostly see that it is dinner Saturday evening and breakfast Sunday morning, however I've also seen breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Does it matter?

what are the scriptures relevant to the Aaronic Priesthood?

The closest temple to me is the Manhattan temple.

Well, it's been over a week since I've been baptized and confirmed. Today at church, I met with the bishop (after watching One Good Man a few times in the past, it was fun to see how interacting with the bishop actually works, lol), and we discussed my calling and ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood. I've been called to be the assistant to the Elders Quorum Presidency. Apparently this is a calling they like to extend to new converts (I was talking to the previous one who has been a member for 2 years and is in the EQ Presidency). This is a Young Single Adult (YSA) ward, so there aren't any other priesthood quorums either. I'll be helping out with preparing the Sacrament. So next week I'll be sustained and set apart for that, as well as being ordained a priest, which is exciting. Also, I will start being a home teacher, and my companion is actually the convert that I mentioned, and he's pretty cool. I assume that I have to be set apart for that as well? Fun stuff, and like I told the ward clerk today, becoming LDS really is like a breath of fresh air for me. I've felt that way for years, but it's only been since I was baptized and confirmed that I really felt it. I assume that after ordination I'll be able to get a limited use recommend to go to the temple for baptisms for the dead, right?

What is your favorite hymn? Mine (at the moment) is Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise.

Yes, Catholics believe in the importance of the ministerial priesthood. However, the answer is a little more complicated than that: Catholicism has the concept of "valid" and "illicit" in relation to the sacraments (what LDS call "ordinances"). "Valid" refers to whether or not the sacrament actually did what it claims to do. "Illicit" refers to whether it is lawful to exercise that authority or partake in that sacrament. An example of this is if a bishop ordains another bishop someone without permission from Rome. The person would be ordained, since the bishop has the power to ordain, but it was an illicit ordination, since he didn't have permission. Similarly, let's say there is a validly ordained priest that goes rogue (Catholics would say that the priest is in "schism", or out of communion with the Catholic Church). If that priest celebrates Mass, the Eucharist would be valid (meaning that, according to Catholics, the bread and wine would become the body and blood of Christ), however it was illicit for him to do so, and it would be illicit for a Catholic to knowingly participate in schismatic sacraments, whether they are valid or not. Another issue is that of the "ordinary minister" of a sacrament. In Catholicism, just like in Mormonism, each ordinance has a specific priesthood office that can perform a specific sacrament/ordinance. However in Catholicism, in certain cases, someone else besides the ordinary minister is allowed to validly perform the sacrament. A big example of this is baptism. In Catholicism, deacons, priests and bishops are the ordinary ministers of baptism. However, if someone is dying, and there is no ordinary minister immediately available, anyone, whether Catholic, LDS, Buddhist, or atheist, can validly baptize that person, if they use water, say the right words, and do what the Catholic Church intends to do when it baptizes. The LDS Church does not have this concept, and it is something that I personally think makes more sense in the LDS faith. The Catholic Church also accepts as valid baptisms done in other traditional Trinitarian Christian churches, whether it regards that church as having a valid priesthood or not (The Catholic Church sees the Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, and Assyrian Church of the East, and perhaps a few others, as having valid priesthoods and thus valid sacraments).

Well, my family (mostly my mother) still believes that I should be Catholic, not necessarily because its the "one true church", but because that is what I was raised to be. It's okay though, and I'll go to church with them once in a while.

If I learned anything from my own baptism, it's definitely bring a towel AND dry underwear!!!! lol

Thanks. Yes, I'm excited to make a profile on mormon.org, but I don't have my member number yet. I go to the YSA ward, and since it didn't meet yesterday because of a conference, I was confirmed at the family ward, and I'll be sustained a member of the YSA ward this Sunday.

Think it would be a good idea to print it out and give to the missionaries?

Well everyone, this past weekend, I was baptized, received the Holy Ghost, and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wrote a post on my blog that you may be interested in: The Baptism and Confirmation Eternal Musings

How about a book like this: DeseretBook.com - Standing As Witnesses: Powerful Missionaries Through the Ages

Okay, so I know that the missionaries don't ask for anything in return, but I feel like I should give them something...any ideas/thoughts?

Thanks, I actually already have a copy of that issue. I think I'll be reading it again soon!

Shows I've been watching recently: Fringe, Glee, Nikita, Hawaii Five-O, Rizzoli and Isles, Eureka, Merlin, V, Legend of the Seeker (canceled, but I like it, and you can watch on Hulu), Bones, The Event, and Human Target.

Simple question: Is there a list or website that shows how we refer to church leaders? For example, I know that I can refer to the bishop as simply "bishop", and apostles can be referred to as "elder". What about the counselors in the bishopric? Is it just "brother"? Thanks.

As I mentioned in another thread, I met with the missionaries today, and we briefly discussed the Great Apostasy. We will discuss it more next week as well, but I just wanted to see what you all thought were the best Biblical passages supporting the Great Apostasy of the primitive church. I emphasized "primitive church" because I mentioned to the missionaries that some of the verses that I've seen seem to be referring to individual apostasies, and not a complete apostasy of the primitive church.

So I just got back from the meeting (we met at the chapel). Well, as I expected, the missionaries were pretty surprised at how much I knew (I told them I've read extensively on LDS beliefs, from both pro and anti sources, for many years), and that I was already in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon, as well as that I've watched General Conference, read the Ensign, etc., haha. I told them that many things in the LDS faith just "make sense" to me, especially when we see what the Bible plainly says, such as on baptism for the dead, pre-mortal existence, prophets, church organization, etc. They actually asked me if I would like to be baptized on the 19th! I told them that I would think/pray about it. I'm going to church on Sunday and meeting again next Wednesday and Thursday. We discussed authority and the apostasy (obviously big issues for someone coming from an active Catholic background), the priesthood ban briefly (I brought it up), the importance of baptism, prophets, seventies, the Holy Ghost. I also said the closing prayer. The missionaries are actually pretty new, one has been here for 4 months, the other for 1 month, and they were pretty cool. They gave me another Book of Mormon (because I left mine at home), and the Restoration DVD.