classylady

Meg, my advice is to quit focusing on the "punishment" and on your fear of what might happen. Focus on getting control of your body and soul and on becoming clean before God. The bishop is the common judge in Israel. He will do his job. Let him. You do your job, which is to get on the right path and walk that path.

I don't know how on-point it is, but as I was reading the OP I thought of the following quote from Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 194-195):
 

In sci-fi and comic books, continuing story lines sometimes introduce new material that seems to contradict something established earlier in the series. "Retroactive continuity", or "retcon", is making up creative (or sometimes not creative) explanations to make the "old" story fit reasonably well with the "new" facts.
 
This is a perfectly acceptable pastime with fictional stories -- a rather fun game, in fact. But I see what look to me like similar attempts often made to explain how Elements X and Y of the gospel work together. For example, the many early explanations of why blacks could not be ordained to the Priesthood or participate in temple work (besides baptism for the dead) were, in effect, a retcon attempt to explain how the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the higher law that went with it could fit together with the doctrine prohibiting African blacks (but not those black-skinned people of other origins) from receiving these authorities and blessings. In reality, we don't know what those reasons are; any of the "old" explanations that have been openly disclaimed as LDS doctrine might indeed be true. The same principle applies to the "explanations" offered by many putative Latter-day Saints today to explain away the Priesthood ban as "racism" or some other leadership vice. It's all retconning, and in the end, it's probably all nonsense.
 
I would think it obvious to any believing Saint that such things should be avoided. Sadly, they are not. The previous situation is but one example (going in both "directions", as it were) of exactly this phenomenon taking place among those who should have known better, or at least should have been much wiser. But the same thing happens every Sunday in gospel doctrine classes around the world, where people come up with the most marvelous and inventive explanations for this or that scriptural teaching. I do not exempt myself from being guilty in participating in such nonsense. Along with many of you, I have done this very thing on this very forum. It seems one of our less tractable human weaknesses.
 
But we believe a REVEALED religion! That means that, unlike those early "Christian" philosophers of the first few centuries AD, we have something far more reliable to depend on than reheated Platonic philosophy and inventive but hollow explanations about things we just can't understand so let's make something up.
 
How would it be if, when we had a question or deep concern, we took it humbly to our Lord in fasting and mighty prayer instead of whining about it and making sure everyone else knew all about our oh-so-perceptive concern? How would it be if, instead of finding some way to say what a pervert Joseph Smith was or what a racist Brigham Young was or what hidebound ignoramuses the prophets have all been, we kept our mouths shut and went to God with our questions, assuring him that we could be trusted with important information and certainly wouldn't blab it all over the place if given such revelation?
 
I don't know, but I have a guess. My guess is that we would have a whole lot more personal understanding of the gospel than we actually have. My further speculation is that there are many among us, perhaps not as a percentage but still surprisingly numerous, who already do exactly this, and who as a result have great knowledge given them that is withheld from the rest of us because we don't ask in faith.

New entry:
 
Hunger Wars

Perhaps, the ability to remain faithful, and not doubt, even through certain trials, is a Spiritual Gift.  It could be an innate spiritual quality that a spirit/person was born with.  I look at it as a blessing.

I don't think anyone's making pumpkin pie for our thanksgiving dinners (that's right...I said dinners...plural...my family always celebrates it on Friday...so...yeah...) this year. I told my wife this morning that I'm going to make myself a pumpkin pie for myself to have later in the day. It's the only time I really get my very favorite desert!

I heard Mirkwood was making a Cthuken for Thanksgiving.  
 

 
http://gothamist.com/2013/12/16/cthuken.php

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-send-email-messages-members-worldwide
 
 Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon begin receiving an email message from the First Presidency for the first time. The first email is being sent this week to a small group of about 10,000 members in the United States as the system is tested. Emails will be sent to millions of Church members throughout the world in 10 languages on December 3 and 4, 2014.
 
The newsletter contains a message from the First Presidency and two announcements concerning the Christmas season, including a greeting and information about the upcoming “He Is the Gift” initiative and the First Presidency Christmas devotional.
 

University is a time that is documented for faith being not only shaken, but left.  I heard a statistic recently that nearly 90% of Christians who go to public or secular universities end up leaving their faith.  Those who attend faith-based schools still shed about one third.  Reasons could vary from discovering that there is a lot more knowledge available than my church exposed me to, to giving in to a hostile anti-Christian campus culture, to finally being out from under parents' watch, and just realizing that I never really believed it for myself--not in a thinking way.
 
As for non-university faith shakings--as has been mentioned--healings that did not come, not 'feeling it' when everyone else seems to, prophecies that do not come to pass, or, sometimes, superior sounding teachings.
 
Solution?  Wrestle as Job did, but do not succumb as Judas did.

Blasphemous

We aren't going anywhere, so we'll be home, and I'll be cooking dinner. It won't be a turkey dinner or a ham dinner, so not sure that I can call it a "Thanksgiving dinner", but our little family does have a lot to be thankful for this past year.

For me I'm going to my sister's house...which btw is also john doe's house.  :)   I'm taking his favorite pie.  Pumpkin.
 
No seriously I'm taking apple because he can't stand pumpkin pie.

From Mosiah chapter 16:

1"...The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.

 2 And then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord;…"

 

This is how I envision myself if I should go to the lower kingdoms.  I know the truth.  I know the commandments.  If I don't attain the Celestial Kingdom, I have no one to blame but myself.

Neuro and Classy, I will certainly stick around. I have no intentions of deleting my account. I've mostly just been preoccupied, which is why I haven't been around lately.

From Mosiah chapter 16:

1"...The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.

 2 And then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord;…"

 

This is how I envision myself if I should go to the lower kingdoms.  I know the truth.  I know the commandments.  If I don't attain the Celestial Kingdom, I have no one to blame but myself.

Ditto what NeuroTypical says.
 
Love you Bini.

From Mosiah chapter 16:

1"...The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.

 2 And then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord;…"

 

This is how I envision myself if I should go to the lower kingdoms.  I know the truth.  I know the commandments.  If I don't attain the Celestial Kingdom, I have no one to blame but myself.

I hear this idea voiced fairly often in the Church. I could not possibly disagree more.
 
Satan is not a poor, slightly ignorant, and misunderstood being. His goal in his so-called "plan" was the subjugation of mankind the the usurpation of God's honor. He had no other goal. He had no real idea that he could "save" people with some stupid ersatz replacement "plan of salvation".
 
He lied.
 
Wow. How about that. Satan lied. Who'da thunk?
 
Satan never believe he could save people's souls without their effort. There is no scripture that suggests any such thing. Rather, Satan offered smooth words and lies to incite rebellion against the Father, which is exactly what happened. He sought the Father's honor and glory. There was no speck of good intention in his Satanic "offer". It was unadulterated hubris and selfish disdain of God's plan.
 
It's dirty pool to isolate one small part of a long post in order to pick on it, but...that's what I'm doing. Please forgive me, Seminarysnoozer. :)

Ditto what NeuroTypical says.
 
Love you Bini.

What does that mean for me?  It means I have absolutely no life.  :)

Ok, I went to Church and was sustained and set apart today as the Secretary in the Primary Program. The position entails:
Consulting with the presidency to prepare agendas for presidency meetings. Attending these meetings and taking notes, and keeping track of assignments.
At least quarterly, compiling attendance information and reviews it with the Primary President. Submit the information to the Ward Clerk.
Making sure that the Primary President and Ward Executive Secretary are aware of children who will soon be eligible for baptism and who will soon advance from Primary to the Aaronic Priesthood and Young Women.
Helping the primary presidency prepare an annual budget and account for expenses.
Assisting children, teachers, and parents as requested by the primary presidency. Monitoring classes and maintain reverence during sharing time. Also assigning children to give talks in upcoming sharing times and inform the childrens' parents of the assignments.
Being on standby to take over classes when a teacher is absent.
Arriving at Church early to set up chairs and prepare the Primary room for the kids. Rearrangeing the room between sharing times of the smaller children and the older ones.
Helping maintain reverence during the combined opening excersises.
Lots of work, and I have no computer. Today was my first day in Primary and I've already come home and put three meetings and a baptism on the calendar. All within the next 2 weeks.
It was exciting to be in Primary today, if a bit hectic. The blessing(s) when I was set apart were incredible and reassuring. I can do this, it's just going to take some diligence and effort on my part to learn everything and figure out how to make reports and programs for baptisms and such without a computer.
There was no indication today that these people did not want me there, and I didn't let on that I knew. So.....
Fingers crossed that it'll all work out.

The church is more than just a nice little church that promotes family values.  It is a church that is Christ's church here on the earth.  It is the Lord's church that has been restored here upon the earth in the latter days.  The church's existence is to save souls and allow each of us to return to our Father in Heaven someday.  In order to do that, we must be baptized.  And we need the ordinances that are given us in the temple.  These ordinances have been given to us by Jesus Christ.  They are necessary.  Before being sealed in the temple we need to have our endowments.  The ordinances received in the temple can be very spiritual, if we allow it to be a spiritual experience.  What you did in the temple was not wrong or gross.  It was "right".  But, you may not have been ready to receive the ordinances.
 
The Gospel, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored gospel here upon the earth.  The temple is His.  The ordinances are His.  They are a blessing in the lives of the members that allow us to be families throughout the eternities.  The ordinances in the temple allow ourselves and our ancestors to be 'bound' together forever.  I find this thought very comforting and spiritual.

As a missionary testifying to the truthfulness of Joseph Smith seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ is serious business. I know that when I went out into the mission field, I had to strengthen my testimony. As a missionary, I needed to testify in the name of Jesus Christ on the First Vision, Joseph Smith, the Plan of Salvation, and other gospel principles.  This is serious. One should not be testifying in the name of Jesus Christ to something they do not believe. I'm so grateful I received a witness to the truthfulness of the Gospel. I'm so grateful I was able to share my testimony with others. I'm so grateful for those I served with. I'm so grateful for the Church, and what it means in my every day life. And with the Church, there is the Temple--the House of the Lord. I'm so grateful to know that my family can be eternal. Especially after having a daughter die in a car accident, the knowledge of eternal life is precious. What other church teaches us of eternal families and our divine nature? None, that I'm aware of.

When I think of this circumstance of yours two experiences rest upon my mind.
 
First Experience:
 
A couple moved into the ward.  They desired a certain calling in the ward.  The auxiliary leaders didn't approve of the decision when the decision was made to extend the call.  The bishop's decision created discord among the organization.  Where there was once cohesion/unity, there was frustration and anger.
 
The anger resulted from a couple who did not follow rules and would not listen to the auxiliary leader.  When the auxiliary leaders would make a decision, the couple would reject it, and then bypass the auxiliary leaders going to to the bishop.  The bishop would side with the couple creating more discord and dysfunction within the organization.
 
At this moment, I learned that it is wise for a bishop to sincerely and whole heartedly listen to the concerns and objections of auxiliary leaders; however, the mantle of revelation rests with the bishop.
 
Second Experience
 
The bishopric was deciding to extend a call to another auxiliary position.  The bishop presented a couple of names to extend a call, an opportunity to serve.  All in the bishopric presented their thoughts and concerns regarding the individuals presented.  One of the individuals proposed, received an unanimous "NO" from all the bishopric members except the bishop.  One bishopric member in particular was adamant and emotional that this individual would not be a good fit and it would hurt the organization.
 
The bishop decided to extend the call to the individual that all but the bishop was concerned about.  Concerns again were mentioned.  One person passionately tried to convince the bishop that this was not a good decision, to no avail.  The bishop was firm that this individual was the right person.
 
The auxiliary accepted this individual with open arms.  There have been no problems.  Despite the concerns, all counselors and bishopric members supported the bishop.
 
The Moral
 
The mantle of revelation rests with the bishop, not his counselors, not any auxiliary leaders.  If the bishop received revelation from the Lord that is where you need to serve, then serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength.  Honor the position you have been called and set apart to.  Honor the roles of auxiliary leaders also (I personally believe if the first couple would have accepted the auxiliaries leadership it would have been a great opportunity and would have turned out just as great as the second experience).
 
If they continue to have doubts, as others have shared, "Prove them wrong."  If they are vocal then it will be the bishops responsibility, or counselor over the auxiliary you have been called to to exercise D&C 121: 41-46.  They, then, are stepping out of their scope of stewardship and if gone to far might need a rebuke from the bishop (in light of the previously shared scripture).
 
In the second experience, the passionate counselor ended up asking the bishop for forgiveness and for his out of scope passion.
 
I say it once more, the mantle of revelation rests with the bishop, and the Lord will speak to his heart and mind.  Take comfort that you have been called by God.  Serve with your heart, might, mind, and strength.

You should create a survey about that.