Jane_Doe

1) I would invite her to go since the newer changes. But speaking more broadly: the temple is extremely symbolic, and forward looking. The exalted persons whom will be dancing around with the Father for eternity are NOT like the sinful you and me. I very much have my sinful flaws, and so do you, and every other mortal here. All of those flaws will be completely done away with, and each newly exalted person will be as flawless & perfect a the Son of God Himself --- there will be no difference between all these person is goodness and glory. The "husband" in the temple endowment ceremony is that exalted person, Perfect just like the Son of God Himself--- having that same goodness and glory. And you bear witness to God and everyone to follow God's goodness. The "husband" in the temple endowment ceremony is NOT the sinful natural man whom can be prideful, a bit greedy, petty, or whatever sins he's still struggling with. It is DEFINITELY not that sinful dude when he goes against God's will. No way. Likewise, the "wife" in the endowment ceremony isn't the sinful natural woman whom can be prideful, a bit greedy, petty, or whatever sins she's still struggling with. All those things need to be washed away still. Both sinful woman and the sinful man need each other to move forward in the eternities, closer to Christ until they are indeed Perfected the same as Him.

It's a matter of focus, both in the time spent and the weight. Say you have one of those Jesus-take-the-wheel experiences in your life, and it really builds your testimony. That's a great thing to share in Fast and Testimony meeting! But the emphasis (both in time and weight) should be on the building of your testimony part, versus spending half the time of frivolous story details that just distract from important stuff (Christ-centeric testimony building).

My husband just went through cataract surgery this spring, upgrading him from legally blind to now being able to see perfectly. It has been such a miracle and blessing for our family. For my husband, we did opt for the distance lenses, giving him 20/20 vision at distance-- for the first time in his life, as even before cataracts he wore corrective glasses. "Distance" here is defined as anything further than a foot away. He's fine on the computer. If someone hands him a printed piece of paper with small font, then he had his reader glasses ($5 at the grocery store). Though we did recently switch to bifocals that only have an up-close prescription. During cataracts surgery, they are indeed going to remove the lens you have naturally in your eye (the cataract-ed one), and replace with a clean artificial one. Because an artificial one is not as flexible a natural one, it cannot do vision at the same range you would with a natural lens. You can pay out-of-pocket for fancier ones which have small upgrades, but ultimately man cannot make things as nicely as God can. I would just be upfront with your doctor about your concerns-- they are their to serve you, after all.

Howdy @Jekar! The Father wants all His children to be with Him. As Estradling said, right now you've effectively chosen to self-excommunicate yourself. There is no worse to go. But plenty upward to go, and that's where your Father wants you to be: He wants to embrace His prodigal son.

Well this was a good post to read in the morning Welcome @Kazleighton, to the forum and (more important) to hearing about the Divine Father that loves you beyond how words can describe. No, your story doesn't seem strange to me at all: it is that of a flower blooming, even if you personally were not excepting it at all.

When I was young, I thought the term "restoration" simply meant re-winding to how things were back in Christ's time. Like re-winding a VHS tape: you simply go back and it's all the same. Throughout the years though, my perspective has changed. Because God and the Gospel is not about going back to some previous state, rather it is about building forward to greater Goodness. Ultimately the great apostasy was about loss of Priesthood. The Restoration was/is about the regaining of Priesthood: opening up that channel and letting it change and build us. It didn't/doesn't happen all at once, but in steps. Many steps came in Joseph Smith's time, but still continue today, and many more yet to come. Yep, better take your vitamins.

For that answer, I would recommend an earnest seeker ask the Lord.

Said person would need to talk to their bishop and work towards being re-baptized.

Howdy!

A good therapist is a good thing. They don't have to LDS. You need help to overcome wounds, getting yourself fixed before you can help others.

The Church keeps the number of formal-in-person classes it hosts few in number, preferring to: 1) put out online resources so anyone anywhere at anytime can access them 2) have things be a general part of church (example, a Relief Society lesson which has a discussion on being a better parent). You'll also get some special activities focused directly on that (like one Relief Society mid-week activity we had a Child Development Expert came in for an open Q&A talk time). 3) Offer Ministering, Relief Society, extra to be resources to whomever needs it. For example on my to-do list for tomorrow is ask my Ministering Sister "hey, my kid is about to start school at the school your kids go to. What can you tell me about whatever it is they do for lunch?". 4) Be part of the local community, building with whatever resources/networks are there.

Honestly, if you completely stick your foot in your mouth, folks will just get a laugh at it and move on. England is very friendly towards new people. We have a couple of forum members who are converts in England.

Active wow player here (b-elf ret pali, cas' raider)* I'll probably stick my foot into Classic just to test it, but I'm really not that interested. It's a game about walking a journey with friends, and many of my friends walk a different pace than me--which is totally doable in the modern game, but not Classic. It's just not my thing. *And yes, I'm being a dork and purposely using lots of slang here

I don't remember what i asked Bednar when he gave the same offer.... this has been his basic M.O. for at least 8 years. I really like it.

The first temple building that we have record of. If they're were others, we don't have record of them. Also, the Lord doesn't always work though a temple building made of stone/brick/wood/etc.

No resentment at all-- we love new people and questions, particularly real-from-the-heart ones!

Admittedly, haven't read it. But my take on the subject: God's Truth never change. But our understanding of them does grow over time, as do the various procedures we use to best get things done. Both of those are influenced by culture. Additionally, there is pure church & secular culture that influence behavior. It would be silly for anyone to deny those facts. However, those facts highlight the need for continuing revelation: to have the Lord be heard on what is His Truth and His guidance, less we just be caught up in our own culture.

Howdy! I have several favorite parts of the Gospel. The first is the Plan of Salvation: just knowing the purpose, direction, and value of everything. Plus it's stressing on our own agency and the power of God. Second would be... well, I'm a scientist. I like experiments: testing and hypothesis and seeing the results. Testing scripture, testing prayer, testing fruit, and having those all turn wonderful results, that I good for me. Third: I like the simultaneous stress of having a God whom speaks to the world (Prophets, continuing revelation, etc), while also just as much speaking to each of us individually (answering prayer, personal revelation, etc). As to my advice on the next step: you're on the right track keep going. Don't let people rush you, but also if you feel the Savior saying "come, follow me" don't dawdle.

Hi @Amberlee, welcome to the forum, and (more importantly) welcome to learning about Christ's Gospel. Any steps you and your boyfriend can take along the path of discipleship would be a great thing for both you, him, and your relationship. You're welcome at church on Sunday and any other activities as well. Of course, scripture reading and prayer are powerful foundations. If you'd like, you can also request a Ministering Sister/Brother. And yes, meeting with the missionaries and learning more of the Gospel is of course wonderful.

Speaking personally, I think it's VERY important to be upfront in explaining what "the fullness of the Gospel" means. Because it's not what folks assume by default (that "the fullness of the Gospel" = every detail about God's Truth is in there) cause it's not. We are a faith that very much believes that we STILL don't know everything about God's Truths (see Article of Faith 9). Rather "the fullness of the Gospel" is talking about the centerpiece with IS the Gospel: that Christ, the Son of God, was born, lived, died, and rose again as our Savior. That's the huge centerpiece and foundation. Ordinances, while important, aren't the counterpoint of the Gospel. Rather, they are branches springing from the trunk which is Christ's life.

Honestly, it's just something I would take to the Lord.

Which ward meets at the most convenient time? Ok, that was only half of joke. Honestly, I don't think it remotely matters. You're moving for a few weeks, so just go with whatever. The big picture is to just go.

One of the many things I appreciate about the Catholic faith & traditions are the spring time celebrations, especially Palm Sunday. That is quite a beautiful way to celebrate.

I'm sorry your heart is hurting so much right now, and your sister as well. I wish & pray of the best for her.

Local leadership asked Mikbone's stake not to come. Hence his disgruntled thread.