NoGreaterLove

Thanks for addressing my earlier statements. I read your response, but to be honest it was like reading a foreign language to me. It did not make any sense. But I imagine you feel the same way when reading ours. I have to differ with your interpretation of the statement quoted above. If you read the entire context of this statement each time it is mentioned in our scriptures, you will see it is not saying what you espouse. It is speaking about a certain attribute of God, yes, but not the entire eternal nature of God as defined by his physical existence. The statement is being interpreted out of context. Even Pauls statement was interpreted out of context.

sounds like you are writing a psychology paper. You are on you own on that, but you are welcome to copy, paste and reorganize it yourself if you would like.

And what would that be? It seems we have disparaging beliefs (on this forum) on this subject. So what conclusion have you come to by studying what the prophets and apostles have taught?

All references have been provided. You may look them up if you wish.

I have read some on this forum discussing the Black race and holding the priesthood. I am so happy that everyone can hold the priesthood. Below I have posted many quotes on the subject. Draw your own conclusions. All are from prophets or apostles. President Kimball Directs When we were alone by ourselves in that sacred place where we meet weekly to wait upon the Lord, to seek guidance from his Spirit, and to transact the affairs of his earthly kingdom, President Kimball brought up the matter of the possible conferral of the priesthood upon those of all races. This was a subject that the group of us had discussed at length on numerous occasions in the preceding weeks and months. The President restated the problem involved, reminded us of our prior discussions, and said he had spent many days alone in this upper room pleading with the Lord for an answer to our prayers. He said that if the answer was to continue our present course of denying the priesthood to the seed of Cain, as the Lord had theretofore directed, he was prepared to defend that decision to the death. But, he said, if the long-sought day had come in which the curse of the past was to be removed, he thought we might prevail upon the Lord so to indicate. He expressed the hope that we might receive a clear answer one way or the other so the matter might be laid to rest. The Brethren Share Feelings At this point President Kimball asked the Brethren if any of them desired to express their feelings and views as to the matter in hand. We all did so, freely and fluently and at considerable length, each person stating his views and manifesting the feelings of his heart. There was a marvelous outpouring of unity, oneness, and agreement in council. This session continued for somewhat more than two hours. Then President Kimball suggested that we unite in formal prayer and said, modestly, that if it was agreeable with the rest of us he would act as voice. Brethren Unite in Prayer It was during that prayer that the revelation came. The Spirit of the Lord rested mightily upon us all; we felt something akin to what happened on the day of Pentecost and at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. From the midst of eternity, the voice of God, conveyed by the power of the Spirit, spoke to his prophet. The message was that the time had now come to offer the fulness of the everlasting gospel, including celestial marriage, and the priesthood, and the blessings of the temple, to all men, without reference to race or color, solely on the basis of personal worthiness. And we all heard the same voice, received the same message, and became personal witnesses that the word received was the mind and will and voice of the Lord. President Kimball's prayer was answered and our prayers were answered. He heard the voice and we heard the same voice. All doubt and uncertainty fled. He knew the answer and we knew the answer. And we are all living witnesses of the truthfulness of the word so graciously sent from heaven. Ancient Curse Removed The ancient curse is no more. The seed of Cain and Ham and Canaan and Egyptus and Pharaoh (Abr. 1:20-27; Moses 5:16-41; 7:8, 22) —all these now have power to rise up and bless Abraham as their father. All these, Gentile in lineage, may now come and inherit by adoption all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Rom. 8:14-24; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938], pp. 149-50). All these may now be numbered with those in the one fold of the one shepherd who is Lord of all. A Powerful Witness In the days that followed the receipt of the new revelation, President Kimball and President Ezra Taft Benson—the senior and most spiritually experienced ones among us—both said, expressing the feelings of us all, that neither of them had ever experienced anything of such spiritual magnitude and power as was poured out upon the Presidency and the Twelve that day in the upper room in the house of the Lord. And of it I say: I was there; I heard the voice: and the Lord be praised that it has come to pass in our day. "All Are Alike unto God" Not long after this revelation came, I was scheduled to address nearly a thousand seminary and institute teachers on a Book of Mormon subject. After I arrived on the stand, Brother Joe J. Christensen, under whose direction the symposium was going forward, asked me to depart from my prepared talk and give those assembled some guidance relative to the new revelation. He asked if I would take 2 Nephi 26:33 as a text. This I agreed to do, and, accordingly, spoke the following words: I would like to say something about the new revelation relative to our taking the priesthood to those of all nations and races. "He [meaning Christ, who is the Lord God] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Ne. 26:33). These words have now taken on a new meaning. We have caught a new vision of their true significance. This also applies to a great number of other passages in the revelations. Since the Lord gave this revelation on the priesthood, our understanding of many passages has expanded. Many of us never imagined or supposed that they had the extensive and broad meaning that they do have. I shall give you a few impressions relative to what has happened, and then attempt—if properly guided by the Spirit—to indicate to you the great significance that this event has in the Church, in the world, and where the rolling forth of the great gospel is concerned. (Bruce R. McConkie, Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie [salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998], 162.) To impress the grave consequences and the seriousness of intermarriage as between those of different races and particularly with reference to intermarriage with the seed of Cain, President Brigham Young made this remark in an address before the legislature: ". . . that mark shall remain upon the seed of Cain until the seed of Abel shall be redeemed, and Cain shall not receive the priesthood until the time of that redemption. Any man having one drop of the seed of Cain in him cannot receive the priesthood. . . ." (Wilford Woodruff, page 351.) Surely no one of you who is an heir to a body of more favored lineage would knowingly intermarry with a race that would condemn your posterity to penalties that have been placed upon the seed of Cain by the judgments of God. (Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973], 168.) The seed of Cain has been separated from the rest of mankind from the beginning, but they are the children of God. They may become Church members without the priesthood, but a promise of hope has been given by a prophet in our day in these words: "The day will come when all that race will be redeemed and possess all the blessings which we now have." (Quoted from President Brigham Young in Wilford Woodruff, p. 351.) (Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973], 167.) (JST Genesis 7:29.) 29 And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam, and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam, save it were the seed of Cain; for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them. (Moses 7:22.) 22 And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them. (Abraham 1:26-27.) 26 Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood. 27 Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry; THE SEED OF CAIN HAD TO BE PRESERVED Could it not be said of Ham that he was righteous in that he followed his father into the Ark? The seed of Cain had to be preserved, and Cain was chosen for that mission. It is very possible that Ham received his name due to the fact that he married a black woman. We learn that the names of many individuals in those early years were given them—and often changed—due to incidents which occurred in their lives. For example, Esau's name was changed to Edom, and Jacob's name to Israel, and Abraham was at first known as Abram. It is likely that Ham's name was changed because he had a black wife, for ham is an adjective in Egyptian for black. The name Egyptus means forbidden. (Abraham 1:23.) Is it not reasonable to believe that this has reference to the fact that her descendants, as well as her ancestors, were denied some great blessing? And that that great blessing was denial of the priesthood? We are informed that the right to the priesthood was denied Pharaoh, and this is in full accord with the attitude of Enoch and others before the flood. Then is it not reasonable to think that Ham named one of his sons Caanan after Cain? We may not be justified in declaring that the daughters of Ham were fair before the flood. We have no evidence that Ham had either sons or daughters before the flood. We have no evidence that it was the sons and daughters of any of the sons who entered the Ark who received the condemnation of the Lord. It could have been sons and daughters of other sons who refused to hearken to their father, and to the sons who rebelled, there may have been daughters who were fair. In fact, this is the plain implication of the scriptures. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 2: 176.) NEGROES MAY ENJOY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP In the matter of religion they also may choose any faith they please. The Church does not bar them from membership, and we have members of the Negro race in the Church. If a Negro is baptized and remains true and loyal, he will enter the celestial kingdom, but it is not the authorities of the Church who have placed a restriction on him regarding the holding of the priesthood. It was not the Prophet Joseph Smith nor Brigham Young. It was the Lord! If a Negro desires to join the Church, we will give him all the encouragement that we can, but we cannot promise him that he will receive the priesthood. Let us reason together. In the Book of Moses, Chapter 4, and in the Book of Abraham, Chapter 3, we are taught that there was a council held in heaven and our Eternal Father presented a plan by which we could come down on the earth and receive tabernacles (bodies) of flesh and bones for our spirits which are begotten sons and daughters unto God. We learn also that one third of those spirits rebelled against the plan and followed Satan. For this they were denied bodies of flesh and bones and have to remain spirits. Why do not those who complain about the Negro and the priesthood also complain about the punishment which was given to this third of the spirits? They were denied even the blessings of bodies! Was this an injustice on the part of our Eternal Father? Well, there were other spirits there who were not faithful in the keeping of this first estate. (Abraham 3:23-28.) Yet they have not sinned away their right to receive bodies and come to earth and receive the resurrection. They were restricted in the privileges that were given to those who keep their first estate and who were promised to have "glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Ibid., 3:26.) Therefore the Lord prepared a way through the lineage of Cain for these spirits to come to the earth, but under the restriction of priesthood. RESTRICTION OF PRIESTHOOD Let me call your attention to the following passages from the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price: And the Lord said unto me: Prophesy; and I prophesied, saying: Behold the people of Canaan, which are numerous, shall go forth in battle array against the people of Shum, and shall slay them that they shall utterly be destroyed; and the people of Canaan shall divide themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and unfruitful, and none other people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan; For behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people. And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Canaan, to repent; And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it were the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them. (Moses 7:7, 8, 12, 22.) And from the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price: Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden. When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land. Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal. Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the priesthood. Now Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry. (Abraham 1:21-27.) OTHER REASONS WHY NEGRO CANNOT HOLD PRIESTHOOD Kindly see chapters 15 and 16, in The Way to Perfection, for further light in relation to the reason why the Negro cannot receive the priesthood. In brief, it is as follows: Because of transgression in the first estate which deprives him in this second estate. Since Cain slew his brother Abel in order to obtain all the rights of priesthood to descend through his lineage, the Lord decreed that the children of Cain should not have the privilege of bearing the priesthood until Abel had posterity who could have the priesthood and that will have to be in the far distant future. When this is accomplished on some other world, then the restrictions will be removed from the children of Cain who have been true in this "second" estate. We can well imagine that there will be many, after the resurrection, both men and women, who will be assigned to the telestial, and the terrestrial kingdoms, and that there will be many who will complain and accuse our Heavenly Father of injustice because he will deprive so many of his children of the exaltation. We may well believe that the cry will go forth from some that God is unjust because he has restricted so many from receiving the blessings of the priesthood and placed them in these kingdoms notwithstanding they are judged according to their works. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 2: 187.) Now perhaps you will have a partial answer to some of your questions as to why, if God is a just Father, that some of his children are born of an enlightened race and in a time when the Gospel is upon the earth, while others are born of a heathen parentage in a benighted, backward country; and still others are born to parents who have the mark of a black skin with which the seed of Cain were cursed and whose descendants were to be denied the rights of the priesthood of God. (Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973], 164 - 165.) Noah's Curse Upon Canaan.—Part of the curse that fell upon Canaan was "a blackness," which came upon all his posterity, causing them to be "despised among all people" (Moses 7:8)—a blackness similar to that which had been placed upon the "seed of Cain" (Moses 7:22). The curse also deprived the Canaanites of the priesthood.—(Abraham 1:26.) (Orson F. Whitney, Gospel Themes [salt Lake City: n.p., 1914], 107.) Since all righteous or worthy male members not of the blood of Cain may hold the priesthood, this organization is capable of infinite enlargement by helpers as may be needed. (John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith--Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God [salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1951], 126.) The Curse upon Canaan.—Part of the curse upon Canaan was "a blackness," similar to that which had been placed upon "the seed of Cain." fn The curse also deprived the Canaanites of the Priesthood; though they were blessed "with the blessings of the earth and with the blessings of wisdom." fn Ham's sin, which brought the curse upon Canaan—a sin vaguely hinted at in the sacred narrative—may not be fully known; but even if it were, there would still remain the unsolved problem of the punishment of a whole race for an offense committeed by one of its ancestors. It seems reasonable to infer that there was a larger cause, that the sin in question was not the main issue. Tradition has handed down something to that effect, but nothing conclusive of the question is to be found in the standard works of the Church. Of one thing we may rest assured: Canaan was not unjustly cursed, nor were the spirits who came through his lineage wrongly assigned. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Or, putting it inversely: Whatsoever a man reaps, that hath he sown. This rule applies to spirit life, as well as to life in the flesh. (Orson F. Whitney, Saturday Night Thoughts [salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1921], 120.)

Anyone know how to block unwanted posts from folks we just do not want to hear from?

Oh brother! This thread was meant to educate us about Adam coming to AOA and what happens there and someone comes in and hijacks it in order to promote his own doctrine on Adam-God theory. Can be get back to the OP?

Is your grandfather speaking as a patriarch? Is he speaking having authority from God and prophesying what would happen to you? I am not discounting what he said so fast, until I have more understanding of where he is coming from. As far as the Danites, if he is inspired to tell you what he told you, then it might be symbolic of apostasy. My point being, two possibilities exist. One being he is prophesying within his stewardship and the other, he is just messing with you.

some more interesting comments about Adam made Joseph Smith talking about the vision Daniel had when he saw AOA. Commencing with Adam, who was the first man, who is spoken of in Daniel as being the 'Ancient of Days,' or in other words, the first and oldest of all, the great, grand progenitor of whom it is said in another place he is Michael, because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but the first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity unto the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed, and through whom Christ has been revealed from heaven, and will continue to be revealed from henceforth. Adam holds the keys of the dispensation of the fulness of times; i.e. the dispensation of all the times that have been and will be revealed through him from the beginning to Christ, and from Christ to the end of all the dispensations that are to be revealed."—Joseph Smith, the Prophet (History of the Church 4:207-8.)(Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949], 3: 52 - 53.) He is Michael, Adam, Father of all, the prince, the ancient of days. He sits on a throne of fiery flame with wheels like a burning fire. His garment is white as snow. His hair is like pure wool. A fiery stream issues from before him Thousands upon thousands stand before him to be judged as the books are opened. First to hold spiritual blessings Learned the ordinances pertaining to salvation Holds the keys of the dispensation of the fullness of times. He will reveal the dispensations of all times that have existed or will exist.

This scripture helps me to understand what it takes to receive revelation. Helaman 4:24 24 And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—

1. Adam comes as a judge 2. Adam comes in a flaming fire of glory as Daniel testifies 3. He comes from the eternal throne of Jehovah 4. Adam sets in order the Priesthood pertaining to all dispensations 5. The books are opened and a we are judged 6. All these events occur to prepare for Christ’s coming in the clouds 7. The clouds bring Adam before Christ 8. Christ receives the kingdom

Can we look at Hebrew 13:8? 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. This is a description of Christ. Was he not changed from being a God to a man? And then back to a God again? Is this not your belief? Yet Paul describes him as the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. My point is Paul was not talking about the physical state of Christ when he said this, and the prophets and Christ himself was not saying that either in the following BoM references. Mormon 9:9 9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? 1 Nephi 10:18 18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. Moroni 10:19 19 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men. 2 Nephi 27:23 23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith. 2 Nephi 2:4 4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. Alma 31:17 17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. 2 Nephi 29:9 9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

I never said I understood those things either. So I am not claiming to be more advanced than you. I do have a testimony burned hotly in my soul that Jesus is the Christ, this is his church and Thomas S. Monson is the current prophet. So with that testimony, I have to take the rest on faith and sometimes, "turn it off". What if I allowed those items you mention drive me away from the Gospel? I still will have to appear before Christ one day. He will say, did I not cause the Holy Ghost to burn a testimony that my church is true in your bosom? I would have to respond, yes! Then he would say why did you leave it? Then I would go on telling him how I just could not come to terms with certain parts of it. He would then say, Oh, ye of little faith! Sit on my left hand side.

This is not necessary. Please refrain from such comments. I would like to have a respectful conversation about this subject without this type of behavior. However, I will bow out to keep the peace.

DKM88 I understand a lot of your position and concerns. Each one has merit. The problem is the answer to each one would take years of learning and experience for you to come to terms with it. I know there are concepts, statements, doctrine, etc. which our Heavenly Father could place in front of me right now that would try my testimony to the core. I ask Him not to show me these things until I am ready for that reason. If I were to walk up to a kindergarten student who was just learning math and throw an algebra problem at him with the answer right in front of him and asked him to understand it, would he? No. What if I told him he has to come to an understanding of that algebra problem in order to graduate from kindergarten? Well, he might just quit school altogether and never graduate from high school, never go on to college. We are in kindergarten when it comes to God's doctrine. Best if we learn math before progressing on to algebra. Just accept the basics, get a testimony of them. Grasp what is in your reach and, yes, "turn it off"

You failed to see my point. Taking what you just said, you have defined "unchangeable" and placed limitations on it. For instance, you say unchangeable allows him to move, speak and create. So he can change his words, change his location and what he creates. But in the next part of the paragraph you create more parameters in your definition of unchangeable. You say He can not change through some process of exaltation. Those are rules you imposed upon this discussion. You have defined unchangeable. That is what I was pointing out, not putting words in your mouth. Our definition is different. We believe God was speaking about eternal laws. That God lives by those eternal laws which include that an intelligence must progress through stages to become a God. We believe we have always existed in some form, that matter can not be created nor destroyed and that this law governs intelligences also. So God has always existed. So have we. The difference being he is the greatest intelligence of all and we must learn from him. He is our creator in many ways. Our father in many ways. Just like a biological father on earth may not be a true father unless he nourishes his children. Our Father in Heaven fulfills all His roles as Father. So I see two different definitions of unchangeable. That is what we need to come in agreement upon, for that is why we disagree. Something simple, nothing but a definition. I believe it one thing and you another. So which one of us has the authority to define the word? Neither one of us, because the word belong to him who gave it, God. What do you recommend as a solution to defining this word the way God meant it?

Absolutely! You are 100% correct. Do you accept your role as the sex God made you? If you are a man, do you accept the fact that you can not bear children? If your are a woman, do you accept the fact that you are the bearer of children. God himself created male and female to fulfill two different roles. But we as a society just can not accept that so we create he/she's, try to impregnate men, create test tube babies, have sex change operations, etc. It is God's plan to have men and women separate some of their responsibilities in life. A man is nothing without the woman. A women is nothing without the man. God would cease to be God if he was alone and had no wife. What makes them God is the combining of the two roles. This allows creation of man to extend throughout eternity. This glorifies God. If you truly understood how we view the importance of women in our Celestial society, you would not be making such statements. It is your lack of understanding that prompts such statements.

Alma 32 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. 29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge. I am so glad you posted your testimony of Apostle Bednar! You have followed the counsel of Alma. But just like any seed, continued nourishment is needed. Apostasy occurs when someone discontinues to water the garden of seeds. Also, we can throw poison on our garden too, or take away the sun by replacing light and truth (the word of Christ) with darkness (the words of Satan). Without the light of Christ our seeds will die. That requires faith. We nourish our seeds because we have faith in Christ that they will grow. Do not nourish it with poison or anti-literature. Do not look beyond the mark and delve into subjects that are better left alone for now. Line upon line, precept on precept, here a little, there a little until we become perfect in our knowledge of things. If we walk faster than we are able, we will stumble and fall.

You are playing with words here. This statement can be taken in a lot of contexts. You have chosen an all encompassing context which if taken literally would mean that God never even moves, speaks, creates or anything. Why? Well, because he can't under your rules of interpretation of "unchangeable". So your argument lacks merit. We need to define unchangeable first then move on with the discussion.

The Holy Ghost can not dwell in unholy temples. So what does that boil down to? It boils down to this. Christ is quick to forgive and the Holy Ghost is quick to wash you clean so he can dwell within you. Service is the quickest way to receive forgiveness. Reading scriptures also helps in the purification process. So you are always one step away from receiving revelation from God. That step is repentance.

It is called forgiveness and it is one of the hardest lessons in life to learn. Until you and your wife forgive him and stop trying to get him disciplined and just accept you may never get an apology, you will have problems from Satan on this issue. It may cause the death of both of your testimonies. Let it go and work on forgiving him for his mistake. Did not Christ forgive you and your wife for yours?

I have only two questions for you. What is Heavenly Father telling you (not your heart) to do about the girlfriend? Are you willing to do it now?

First of all, no one is perfect. We all have something we are working on. Second of all, do not dwell on your failures, dwell on your accomplishments. The more you think about your failures, the more you concentrate on overcoming them, the more you give Satan a chance to tempt you. The more you concentrate on positive, wholesome activities, the less he can tempt you. As far as the mission. Maybe it needs to be on the back burner for a while. You sound like you are not ready for that right now. Contrary to popular opinion, you can receive exaltation and eternal life even if you do not go on a mission. And just to put it bluntly, some are just not ready for it yet.

Joseph Smith once said, and I am paraphrasing, if Brigham Young knew all that he knew, BY would leave the church. BY said, then do not tell me. The point being. We are just embryos of an eternal Father. We do not have a clue what he is all about. The temple is all about learning who he is and getting closer to Him. So, yes, it is going to be strange, new, different, etc. Our Father is trying to teach us eternally significant facts about him through limited earthly symbols. The strangeness is caused by a wide gap in who we think God is and who he really is. Us mortals are very naive.

Service, Service, Service