Gwen

i've never heard that one. i can see how someone could come to that conclusion. and i like your argument though. for me the protection of the widows and their children makes more since, especially considering the time period. i also beleive there was some spiritual instruction going on like obediance, both to begin and end the command.

that is very interesting i did not know that the RLDS saw it so differently. thanks, i learned something today. :) LDS believe that all will be given a chance to hear and accept the gospel before the judgement, either here or after death. so that would't fit for us. however we do beleive that your destination will be decided based on what you knew and what you did with what you knew. where much is given much is required. so a child born in a country where the gospel is not permitted and raised by drug runners and sees abuse everyday, who does something better (say gets out of the drug world and does not abuse family) will be judged on that. in the end will have equal opportunity as myself who has made covenents in the temple to receive the highest of glory. none will be left out due to uncontrolable circumstance. that is my understanding anyway. :)

well, others may be able to explain it better or have references. my understanding of it is that the higher glories can visit the lower but the lower can not visit up. we will still see eachother but those who obtain a higher glory will have to visit those who do not. the biggest thing for me is that only in the highest will marriage be eternal, all others will be single. i don't claim to know exactly how it all works, but i have family that if they continue on the path they are right now i beleive won't make it to the highest (not that i'm that confident of my own fate yet lol), and i know that with families being so important and the focus of this life i will not be removed eternally form that relationship (except outterdarkness i guess). so anyway, families are an eternal principle and the earthly family we have is of great importance, i have faith that all will be dicided fairly. i have so much to worry about getting myself worthy that i'll have to leave the others in god's wonderful hands. :) just my quick thoughts on it.

very good answer. just a couple of thoughts. if i understand correctly some of the subsequent marriages were for more than time only. but yes many/most were out of necesity. women in those days could not get honest work to support their families and the men were being killed regularly out of persecution. so who was going to care for all the children and widows? also would like to point out that in a day when women were descriminated, from my understanding the subsequent marriages were always discussed with the first wife. the women were included in the process. i'm sure someone will say something if they disagree or i am mistaken. lol :)

I once heard it said that if a man is rightously honoring and using the priesthood he would develop feelings of and love for service, paticence, humility, empathy, compasion, etc. Since women are usually described with those traits as part of their nature I took it to mean that women don't need the priesthood because we are already more perfect. if my husband needed that little extra something to help teach him things that will help him become more like Jesus, then i am more than happy to let him serve me and our children through this gift he holds. lol, before this gets a firestorm of responses, the first part is true, the second part is a joke.

i once heard someone respond to the "clean your plate there are starving children in the world" argument with 'how is it going to help starving children if i get fat' sometimes your just full. :) here are some i've heard here in the southeast last time i saw you.... you were knee high to a grass hopper ..... turn'in flips on a soda cracker

i frequently remember my dreams. most of the time i don't worry about "meaning" unless it is reaccuring. there are a few reacuring ones that i have and have figured out. one is while i was pregnant i would have dreams that whatever i was doing in the dream i would find a dead body, ie. i went to the grocery store and when i put the cart in the parking lot bin there would be a dead body laying there. never gory or anything, didn't frighten me, just there. after this happened several times i began to become concerned and trying to figure out why. i was so concerned that i ask people about it, folks kept telling me it was preg hormones. then in one of the dreams there was this music. later the next night my husband and i were watching tv, which we did regularly before bed and there was that music. it was law and order lol i had been watching it before i went to sleep and in the beginning there is always someone going about their business and they find the body for the show. i stopped watching law and order before bed and the dreams stopped. lol on a more serious note when i'm stressed i have dreams about tornados and trying to keep my family safe from one that is approching. i've never been in a tornado, and they do somewhat frighten me. sometimes i don't even realize that something is stressing me until i have the dream. so i see it as my brain's way of getting my attention and saying hey something is worng figure it out and deal with it. i see it as a good thing to keep me in check. i have also found that i can make very real comparisons between the circumstance of the tornado dream and what is stressing me. they are not vage situations are always different, just always a tornado present. i used to have a recurring dream about all my teeth falling out, still haven't figured that one out. lol i've never had a preminition dream or a visitation. however, i beleive it happens, and my mother says she was visited by my deceased grandfather while she was in the hospital with cancer. i beleive her. as for good or bad, i personaly beleive that things that feel bad are not of God. he may warn or correct us, but he does not scare or want us to feel bad. if it is to bothersome i would ask God to take it away, and if it is from him or there is a purpose in which he will not help me to find the answer so that i may be productive in following his will. that is just my opinion. good luck

well, take a weekend off! lol i agree with others that this has been blown way out of porportion, however, that doesn't mean that there is nothing to be learned from it. it seems that this has brought out a lot of feelings, pos and neg. let me say that i apologize to mrs s or anyone else i offended. it does make me chuckle, i have been told i am nice to a fault and i thought that is how i responded to this. because i can't speak for anyone esle, i'm would like to point out some things that i said that might clear up why i was shocked by the referece to me calling anyone weak. in a post to Des i said, "Yes you are young, and yes you sometimes seem to be confused or not have all the answers. i would caution you to not respond to every post or every person. if you can't resist the urge to respond then it may be best to leave so as not to place yourself into the deceptions of the adversary. but if you choose this choose it for your best good, not because someone who thinks they are better told you to leave (note: the accusation was made before i read the pm and was going off assumptions made by the feelings it left Des with) ponder carefuly, you are a daughter of God and therefore are a princess who diserves all the wonderful things your Heavenly Father has in store for you. Follow him, not the toungs of deception to be found in the world." honestly mrs s i thought those statements were somewhat in agreement with you, that des needed to be careful, she is young, she is impressionable. i just chose to approch it differently, that is all. after reading the pm..... "the road to hell is paved with good intentions. lol be aware of who we are and our strengths and weakness. if this person feels the spirit has left because of feelings and words here, i'm proud of them for having the personal insite to be aware of their weakness and act on that knowledge. if they feel they must tell us first, freedom of speach, go for it. what i think, this may have even been done out of concern for des and it didn't go well. so if it were me i think i would come out here publicly apoligize for the unintentional hurt, say my peice and never return. that simple." the first thing was meant to be a humorous way to say i thought you meant well. sorry it that was not clear. this is a statment i frequently ask myself when saying something that means well, is this what i need to say or is it the road. lol in my opinion anything that removes the spirit from my life is a weakness to be prayed upon by satan. you said the spirit left. i was saying that i was proud of you for knowing yourself. i again accknowledge that it was done out of concern (in case it was missed before) countering my privious post when i didn't have all the facts. i then stated what i would do. i am glad that you are willing to apoligize on your terms, by no means do i set the terms of someone elses choices. i thought i was being nice, so i again apoligize for any inconsiderate comments that put me on that 'road' that i avoid traveling. ALmom

well, it also goes to show us to be careful, what we think may be helpful could very well not be. there is a saying i used to hear growing up that seems appropriate. the road to hell is paved with good intentions. lol seriously though, we are advised by the general authorites to be aware of who we are and our strengths and weakness. we were also told to help those in need without putting ourselves in the way of temptation. one may be able to do something that another can not. i have enjoyed being here, yes sometimes i laugh and ignore certain threads, seems like a waste of time for me, but not for someone else, have fun. if this person feels the spirit has left because of feelings and words here, i'm proud of them for having the personal insite to be aware of their weakness and act on that knowledge. if they feel they must tell us first, freedom of speach, go for it. what i think, this may have even been done out of concern for des and it didn't go well. so if it were me i think i would come out here publicly apoligize for the unintentional hurt, say my peice and never return. that simple. we must all do what is best for us, being on here may be good for you or not, make a decision and do, don't try to convince everyone else to follow, that is their agency. just my two cents. lol ALmom ps by all means share other wonderful sites you have found. personaly i don't think i could keep up with more than one but that's me lol

thank you Marsha i don't pretend to know everything about computers, so i think this is a neat magic trick you do to help us stay aware. first let me say that i meant every word before this. i truely feel the way that i stated before and after Marsha's magic. this experiance has helped me and i have not been conciously deceptive at any point on this subject. that being said there is the old saying, fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me. so Today, i would like to know your answer how if you are on lock down as your blog states how are you getting to the same computer as before? i would venture to say you are not. now i think the life that feels it must sit and make up lies for sympathy or to play this kind of hoax is no life at all. i would ask what the real story is, but i don't know if at this point i would beleive it. crying wolf is a dangerous thing young lady. now having been a little negative (although i know many would say not negative enough lol). i would like to say. Today, you have a great writing talent. you were able to get many to feel for you though apperantly not true. that takes skill. you should consider instead of hoaxing, putting it out there as a fictional story and receiving some credit instead of critisizam for your work. however, i will caution that if you plan on using any part of this or quote any of our words without giving proper credit (and possible financial copensation for creative help) that some may be upset and there could be civil suit on your hands. lol Today, this is a good day i hope :) ALmom

it was the "invisible glasses joseph smith wore to translate the book of mormon" real funny huh? i didn't even notice the name similarity lol

well, thank yall for the extra info. and i agree that the scripture about adding and taking away is often taken out of context and misused. the situation was this, (this was back in high school mind you lol) i had someone use this scripture to try to convince me the book of mormon was 'bad' and against god. i felt obviously something their minister had told them, you'll have to pardon the negativity, in the bible belt part of the yearly study in a lot of churches is why their members shouldn't listen to LDS, i find it laughable at times. anyway, i digress, i think the logic on that whole argument is faulty to say the least, however, to avoid contention i simply said something along the lines of thank you for your concern for me, but the mote and the beam right, i'll decide for myself what is true. this person had no idea what i was talking about. after further explaination on my part they basicly said oh yea i know that scripture, but it's not worded like that in mine. i was going what? it's the bible right (for a min i was questioning if i was quoting BofM lol) that is when i found out they only studied some kind of teen translations bible. imagine my frustration and confusion, here i was getting up at 4am to go to seminary and learn the scriptures (so i could decide for myself, not what others tell me) and to have this kind of unknowledgable attack. lol anyway, that was the context of which i'm refering. fyi Matt. 7: 3-5 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

i have a question about this, and i'm being serious, i want to know others thoughts not debate. so before you read it, take a deep breath in................................ok, let it out slowly. i'm not going to find the reference now, but i think most everyone here knows the old argument to LDS from non LDS against the Book of Mormon. you know the one 'no adding to or taking away from these words'. well, i don't want to start that discussion (like i can now stop it, lol), but where do these "other" Bible versions fit in with that scripture. personally i've talked to people who have only studdied some of these new language Bibles and when i referenced things from the KJV they didn't know what i was talking about. half the conversation focuses on trying to get on the same page so to speak. so for those that beleive the LDS have violated the above referenced scripture, how do you feel about these other Bibles? or to anyone who wants to give me their thoughts. lol ok, before you respond......take another deep breath in...............................ok, let it out slowly........ ok, now let me have it. lol ps i use the LDS quad which has the KJV Bible :)

lol i can't count how many "inactives" i go visit and they say 'i was just there a couple of weeks ago' i'm like 'i've lived here 6yrs and never seen you before' lol seriously though, that is wonderful GB-UK. i find that the missionarys bring a wonderful spirit to my home, even if it's just for dinners. lol i would encourage you to continue your search, and follow your heart and spirit. good luck and God bless

i don't know that i would consider it effective, but definatly a humorous way to job hunt. however, if my husband jobless, he would think he were on a mission again, out by 7am pounding the pavement nocking on business doors, and not allowed back in until 5pm. not sitting at the computer being creative. lol

i must agree compleatly with every word of inthearmsofsleep. i can't help but wonder though if some of these people would put as much energy into living their own religion (what ever it may be has got to be better than what they are doing) as they do mocking others what a wonderful world this would be. :) lol unless bashing other religions is their religion, then i would say what a sad time we live in that one could not find something more valueable to do with their time, energy, and thoughts.

ring ceramonies can be wonderful especialy for nonmember family. within the temple after the ceramony my husband and i were givin opportunity to step away from the alter and exchange rings (no words, just putting the ring on eachother). this brings me to my only caution i would have. i would make sure it is indeed a ring exchang and not a copy of a non-temple wedding. if it were me i wouldn't want anyone to think i were having two ceramonies, as though the temple were somehow incompleate. your own written words of love and affection would be wonderful. i would avoid words that are commonly used in other weddings (for the reason above) like 'with this ring i thee wed' or things of that nature. keep it personal and original to the both of you. something the non members will think is beautiful and romantic (and most importantly you will think it is), memerable as something they have never seen, but enjoy. then they won't be feeling like they missed out on something. :) music is a wonderful idea, always sets a mood. most units have the capability of slide show, you could take baby picts of the two of you and picts of your courtship, that kind of thing and have it on the screen behind you for others to see as you exchange your rings (with or without words). if the parents are non members you might could involve them in some way, have them give you the rings prior to the exchange that way they will be up front and have an upclose and personal view. parents like to be involved, especialy mothers, so anything you can do for a mother who can't attend in the temple to make her feel special is important. another thing to think about is will the non members be waiting in the foyer at the temple while you are inside? if so talk to the temple the one here is always delited to have a member of the temple pres. and his wife come out with something prepared to share with those waiting and answer questions about what you are doing inside. that way they can feel the spirit and aren't just sitting. i hope this was helpeful in some way. lol :) congrats, and good luck in your upcoming marriage

I have a lot of wonderful things and people in my life, but i have been pretty low before. i went through a time of depression, everything in my life was falling apart, the responsibilities put upon me seemed to great, i lost all desire to fulfill my callings, or go to church even, i truely felt forsaken. but i continued doing what i knew i should, and there were talks and articles given at the right time to barely keep me going through the motions. then after a saturday night of sitting on my bed in the wee hours of the morning sobbing and telling the lord how horrible things were and asking why he had forsaken me, i went to my sunday meetings, not wanting to be there, they sang a song. i had to leave so as not to loose it in front of everyone. nothing has ever resonated so solidly in my heart, so now when things are hard i read that same song, especially the last verse. hymn 270 i know it is typicaly sang as a missionary hymn, and pardon the informal typing, but you did say specific lol :) 1. it may not be on the mountain height or over the stormy sea, it may not be at the battle's front my lord will have need of me. but if by a still small voice he calls to paths i do not know i'll answer dear lord with my hand in thine i'll go where you want me to go. 2. perhaps today there are loving words which jesus would have me speak there may be now in the paths of sin some wanderer whom i should seek o savior if thou wilt be my guide tho dark and rugged the way my voice shall echo the message sweet i'll say what you want me to say 3. there's surely somewhere a lowly place in earth's harvest fields so wide where i may labor through life's short day for jesus the crucified so trusting my all to thy tender care and knowing thou lovest me i'll do thy will with a heart sincere I'll be what you want me to be chorus I'll go where you want me to go dear lord over mountain or plain or sea i'll say what you want me to say dear lord i'll be what you want me to be

Desiré, Yes you are young, and yes you sometimes seem to be confused or not have all the answers. but who ever told you that obviously doesn't have all the answers either. the point is that you have a zeal for you testamony, and you have a zeal for learning. that is all that matters in the gospel, we learn, our testamonies grow, and we do the best we can to act on that. i think you should not leave, you bring a wonderful spirit of youth to this board. i would caution you to not respond to every post or every person. in my view there are those here that want to confuse and bait you (personaly). they have more knowledge and enjoy this game, however, to be learned is good only if you harken to the counsel of god. there are some posts here that i know by reading them are not about true learning and desirous to bait and confuse, contention would be the point. do not indulge them. do not take the bait, all it will do is make your quest for truth harder. re read your question and replies about fear of becoming apostate. listening to the deceving tounge of everyone who comes in here will take you down that road, but to think you have nothing to offer is compleatly wrong. choose carefully who and to what you will respond, it is ok to say, i'm not responding to that or igonre all together. if you can't resist the urge to respond then it may be best to leave so as not to place yourself into the deceptions of the adversary. but if you choose this choose it for your best good, not because someone who thinks they are better told you to leave. i personaly enjoy your presence here. there are so many topics to discuss without it being a debate. there is a lot of support to be had, and traveling through this life requires support. If you would like to discuss this without all the eyes feel free to pm me. ponder carefuly, you are a daughter of God and therefore are a princess who diserves all the wonderful things your Heavenly Father has in store for you. Follow him, not the toungs of deception to be found in the world. God Bless ALmom

the bible dictionary (as printed by the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints) says, The word scripture means a writing, and is used to denote a writing recognized by the Chruch as sacred and inspired. It is so applied to the books of the O.T. by the writers of the N.T. (Matt. 22:29; John 5:39; 2 Tim. 3:15). For an account of the process by which the books of the O.T. and N.T. came to be recognized as scripture, see Canon. Latter-day revelation identifies scripture as that which is spoken under the influence of the Holy Ghost (D&C 68:1-4). I personaly beleive that I can receive scripture for me (inspired writtings, as defined in the last part above) but i would never go as far as to call it "scripture". I consider the standard works, the church mag. publications (ensign, friend, new era, etc.) and general conference talks as "scripture". i personaly use the term carefully (focusing on the first part of the defination rather than the second), things that are for me i call personal revelation, not scripture. i wouln't want to be found accountable at the last day for confusing others by my own desire to sound more important by loosly using the word "scripture". to me using the word scripture means it has come from god through his appointed earthly leadership. i'm not the prophet, i don't write scripture, and unless the prophet (or those aproved by him to speak or write) quotes me (in an official manner) affirming the truth of my words to the church as a whole i never will. but that is my personal opinion on what it means to use the word "scripture". :)

There is a Eutaw, Alabama and apparently (i just discovered) a Eutaw, Mississippi; pronounced the same as Utah. lol i just frigure it's the southern spelling of the word. i had never heard of Tooele.

I just wanted to add my two cents here. the fears and doubts about being worthy to come back or worry of being accepted back are satan trying to convince you what you alrady seem to know you should do. that is return to and start keeping the covenants you've made. you are not the first rm to make some foolish mistakes, you will not be the last, but i know many who have come back and repented and you would never know of their past if you met them today. it is not impossible. that is the beauty of the gospel. it's not just rm's that struggle either the young women also go through such struggles. we had a ysa here that made some foolish mistakes in high school, that she new better. she expressed concern that even though she was trying to repent and she wanted to marry a rm, what rm would want her after the things she had done. rm's get put on a pedistal sometimes that hurts when when they fall off, the problem is that pedistal is not real, but the pain of that preceived pedistal is, i think all rm's struggle with getting off of it as some point. i try to get the yw to understand that rm's are not perfect either and we have all repented, and just keep trying. this yw never got that testamony for herself, ended up going inactive and marrying outside of the chruch. i have not seen her in a long time so if she is happy or not i don't know, but i hope she is. you are not alone and your efforts and desires will be accepted by our Heavenly Father, but you must open the door. as far as what disciplinary action, i have no idea what the bishop will tell you. but i do have a testamony that if you follow his councel, no mater how long, hard, or unfair it may seem at the time; all will work out, you will be in the temple again, and your life will be more blessed for it. good luck and God bless you on this difficult journey if you choose to accept it. your fate? if you repent and continue trying your best will be that of the fate of all of us who try our best, to return to our Heavenly Father with a clear concious and promises of eternal life.

i must say thank you Dr. T, i am now more knowledgeable. when speaking to non lds i try not to use lds only ex. i feel it's not evidence to you if you don't beleive in the place in which the info is gathered. i used the example of noah because it is one of the most easily understood principles for me. i teach it to my children regularly. being a story everyone seems to know i didn't think more about it. when you said you didn't know if you considered noah a prophet i thought "what, where have you been?" so i proudly opened my bible to quote it to you. lol i never before realized that gen. does not use the words cried repentance. so here it is from my belief system, no i don't expect you to accept it as truth for you, but truth for me in understanding my point. Moses 8: 13, 15-20, 23, 25-27, 30 13 And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God. • • • 15 And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves; for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice. 16 And it came to pass that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning. 17 And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always astrive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them. 18 And in those days there were giants on the earth, and they sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him. 19 And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch. 20 And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men that they should repent; but they hearkened not unto his words; • • • 23 And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words; • • • 25 And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. 26 And the Lord said: I will adestroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have created them, and that I have made them; and he hath called upon me; for they have sought his blife. 27 And thus Noah found agrace in the eyes of the Lord; for Noah was a just man, and bperfect in his generation; and he cwalked with God, as did also his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. • • • 30 And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth. Gen. 7: 1, 5-7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23 1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. • • • 5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 ¶ And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. • • • 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. • • • 11 ¶ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. • • • 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; • • • 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. • • • 23 And every living substance was adestroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. as for the difference between prophesying and preaching, in my opinion, preaching is teaching something of god, while prophesying is telling the will of God if a then b. anyone can preach only prophets can prophesy. prophets do not need to fortell to qualify as a prophet, but can when inspired to do so. an ex in modern times would be the proclamation on the family given in 1995, in my opinion it is preaching until the very end when it says (bold added by me) “We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets." now that being said. i have a question now realizing not everyone believes noah to have been a prophet (lol), who, if anyone, do you consider to have been a prophet? :)

almost. the president receives personal revelations for self that he takes care of with self, he receives revelations for the world that he shares with the world. because i understand personal i can understand world. his revelations for the world as a prophet of God are always accurate. I then take what he says and get conformation for personal knowledge. fyi i have never gotten an answer that something he has said was wrong, sometimes i have had to wait for confirmation of the truth. imeadiate answers and having to wait are different than right or wrong. God is God weither we beleive he exisits or not, truth comes from God therefore truth is truth reguardless of my thinking. if i beleive the world is flat does that change the shape of the world? if someone says it is night on the other side of the world and i don't beleive, does that make it day? if i tell you the son will not rise tomorrow, will it? personal revelation is based on your inspirations from the Holy Ghost. we are told to pray when we need answers if there was no personal revelation then why would this command exist? a prophet is needed so that when the Lord wants to tell the world a truth it can be done without having to tell every single person, also for when i am not listening the lord can tell me things i need to know. the people in noah's day were not listening to the lord for personal revelation but because the lord loved and wanted to warn them he sent the message through a prophet. he will do the same today. a prophet is one who represents God and speaks as his servent, is called by God, having authority from him to speak in his behalf as prompted or revealed. when there was no world comunication and the continents had no knowledge of eachother there was a need for one to speak to one and one to speak to the other, each having different issues situations. now we have world wide communicatin and that is not necessary, we have one today. that is why we have the book of mormon and the bible. the book of mormon is not a replacement for the bible but another testament of jesus christ. they are supporting not conflicting. to expound on the difference between personal and world revelation i would use this example. there are some things that are thou shalt nots... (like shedding of inocent blood). others are not so cut and dry. our church has said reguarding contraceptives that it is between husdand, wife, and the lord. that is the world revelation on the subject. now i need personal revelation to know if it is ok for me or not. when my husband and i were to get married i prayed about this, my answer was it was for the lord to be in control of. i had no problem with this, the first came quickly. less than a month later i was fertile again. scared me, so i went back to the lord and asked again. got the same answer. 15 months later number two came along. went back again, same answer, 17 months later number 3, went back, same answer, 19 months later number four. yes by this time i was beyond starting to wonder the whys very much. i still don't know all the whys. went back to the lord and was told that it was time to rest and no more would be comming right away. i went back to the lord and asked does that mean it is ok to use something. the answer was i am in contorl but if that is what you think you need yes you may. my personal feeling on this is that the frist times i was told no if i had it would have been a sin for me, but this last time i was told i could, now what would have been a sin before is not. (sin being defined as doing contrary to what we know god would have us do) because of the revelation to the world it will be different for everyone. that is why i need personal and a prophet. i hope this helped and didn't confuse things. lol

sustaining comes in the form of actions. if i sustain my bishop and he asks me to be young womens pres i accept this call, if he asks me to give a talk on sunday i accept this. it is about actions not words. if i refuse to follow his counsel then i do not sustain him reguardless of my words, the same is true for the prophet. if he asks me to do something i do my best to do it. although i must admit i feel i often fall short. it is in the trying that counts for me right now. as for your second. no that is not what i said. we are to seek out truth in all places. the books are good to read and very helpful. what i said is that when distinguishing between someones opinion and the will of god look at where it comes from. i was told that on sunday as a calling and representitive of the gospel to the class members i was not to teach anything that had not been sactioned. the purpose for this is so that members get the lords words the same way i do and then can decide for them selves vs getting my or someone elses interpretation of the lords words. this opens them to personal revelation to confirm. as for personal study one must decide for self which books to include. again i was explaining how to know if it was the prophet speaking in representation of God or perosonal opinion. (please note i very highly respect the prophets personal opinion, but in teaching in a calling it must be from "the church", i do not cofuse these two) for me if there is question on a principle, find a source that clarifies that is from "the church" and that should end all discussion. we are told weither by my mouth or the mouth of my servents it is the same. this person revealing gods will does not change in any form. it is very hard to explain if you have not experianced the process of personal revelation. i have had revelation before that i know came from God, but i did not change into something else to get it, i did not see God. i simply felt his words. again it is hard to describe if you have not felt it. when these experiances happen they are for me or my imeadiate family. i will not get revelation for you. that is your job. however, if God is going to have a house of order there must be someone appointed to speak for him when he wants to talk to the world. that is what a prophet is. because i know how receiving revelation works for me i can attempt to understand how it works for the prophet (everyone receives how they will hear, that is between them and God). so when he stood and gave the proclamation on the family to the world i know there are no mistakes in it, it was through revelation as a prophet. it is truth reguardless of your or my acceptance. third, my beleiving or knowing doesn't make it true. it is true. if it is from God it is true, weither i like it or not. the testamony is for me to have personal knowledge so that i may have the courage to follow when things are hard. i am not important enough for the Lord to make his decisions based on my opinion. the Lord will do and say as he will it is my job to follow or not. think about noah. do you beleive him to have been a prophet? just because no one beleived and accepted that it would flood did it change the truth? did noah transform in some way get this knowledge or to be a prophet? no. truth is truth, and revelation comes in all forms to all. but there is only one prophet speaking for the world. noah for his day, pres. hinckley for ours. that is my beleif and knowledge. you will have to seek your own personal revelation from god to confirm or deny this. all i can speak for is me. and i in no way expect you to take my word for it, you should not follow someone you do not know to be of God. if anyone asks with pure intent and having faith they will get answers for themselves. that is where a change in heart comes from, personal testamony. it is a change within me not a change in the truth of it. it was true before i beleived.