HiJolly

I wasn't limiting the comment to you and I, Vort. Try to be reasonable.

Why ever not?

I think it would be a good thing for us to give our prophets the same option.

Welcome!

The truth is important, but is swallowed up in love, ultimately. So where the truth is not helpful, it must be let alone. President Packer said "There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful" Boyd K. Packer, "The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect," Address to the Fifth Annual CES Religious Educators' Symposium, 1981; see also Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991), 101-122; see also Boyd K. Packer, "'The Mantle is Far, Far Greater than the Intellect.'," Brigham Young University Studies 21 no. 3 (Summer 1981), 259–278 This is a specific application of a greater principle of truth, taught by I. Kant: "Many things can be true and yet harmful to man. Not all truth is useful." (p.43 Lectures on Logic, (translated by J. Michael Young)) So don't get too caught up into truth, to where it side-rails the Gospel. HJ

Having been around the block, it is my opinion that if you really work hard to understand Satan and his powers, you WILL REGRET IT. If instead you study the priesthood of the Son of God, you will benefit, the people around you will benefit, and at some point if you still want to, you will understand Satan's 'power'. Yes he can influence, even engender, thoughts. Yes he can make physical things happen. His oppositional powers are considerable but not equal to Christ's powers. HJ

Welcome, Matt! HJ

Ask God, and don't give up until He answers. HJ

I served in the Florida Ft. Lauderdale Mission, from 1979 to 1981. They had just split off most of the Caribbean into another mission at that time, but we still had Jamaica, Bahamas and Haiti as a part of the mission. Ah, those were exciting times. HJ

I'm in my 50's and am serving a musical service mission - it's part time except for a couple of weeks every other year, when it's full time. I know a lot of people doing the same or similar missionary service. I've been set apart as a missionary, yet I'm still working at my job and raising my kids. HJ

ftw = flips the wig? = for the win?

Sounds like a good start! Remember, "whom God calls, God qualifies". He has qualified *you* for the work. You'll be great, you'll have perspectives that may be unique and WELCOME. But then I'm an unrepentant optimist, you know... :-) HJ

A year or two ago I posted here on this website an account of one who received their calling and election. I am 100% convinced that the experience was real, in no small part because, having had marvelous experiences of my own, the details of the telling matched perfectly not the exact events necessarily, but moreso the personal viewpoint and qualities of the sharing. FWIW.

Sounds like a pretty good introduction, and I think you're right, some of the gloss will eventually tone down a bit. But I like to hear that the members were open and welcoming for you. Hang in there. HiJolly

Very good points. I'm probably not talking to anyone currently in this thread, but I'd like to point out something regarding spiritual knowledge, as given in the excellent scriptures above. This is not secular knowledge. It is not scientific nor philosophical nor logical nor theological nor objectively verifiable. It cannot be measured or quantified by use of instruments or lab equipment. It is spiritual knowledge, it is gnosis. It is characterized by an absolute, undiluted CERTAINTY that a thing is so, and not a certainty born of mental imbalance, but of spiritual light. This is the knowledge that the Holy Ghost gives us. And it may not be rational in a worldly way, but there is nothing more beautiful and uplifting than this. When I am filled with such a beautiful sense of certainty, it is a gift indeed. And I know. HiJolly

I'm south of SLC (and a wee bit west) in West Jordan - we got about 5 inches of snow last night, mostly before 8:00 pm.

He was kind and had a great sense of humor, but was also driven and incredibly demanding on occasion. What I have heard related to the building of the Palmyra temple and the Conference center. Very demanding. But what a good heart. I get the impression that he was a bit like President Kimball, in that it was very difficult for everyone (including himself) to keep up with his vision of what could be done, what must be done. And so funny. I remember a comment he made at a dinner I attended with him. It was after the 2002 Olympics, we had a dinner where before we ate, a Korean group of dancers performed. Their performance took nearly an hour, at the end of which Pres. Hinckley was in a fairly foul mood. His comment to us before we ate: "Next time we'll have them perform *after* dinner!"

I stayed at a hotel in Quincy. I would get a rental car, because visiting Quincy, Nauvoo and Carthage is something I believe is well worth it. Walking around Nauvoo is essential. I went in the summer, and I think that's the time to go. The first time I went, I visited Carthage at the very day and time of the martyrdom. It was amazing. HJ

I recommend that none of us make assumptions about all this. There is the temple ordinance which in Joseph Smith's day was called the Second Anointing. He taught those that received it much, some of which can be read about in their journals, if you look up the journals of the members of the Quorum of the Anointed. Today this ordinance does not exist exactly as it did back then, and the Church has changed the name of the ordinance to "Special Temple Blessings" -- which could potentially refer to various things, not just the traditional Second Anointing. And I do hear that it is rare to receive it, but more likely than back in the mid 1900's. And I agree that it is not essential to our exaltation to receive it in this life. Then there's the whole physical ordinance vs. the spiritual fulfillment. And you never know whether the first may follow the second rather than the other way around. Can you imagine the Comfort to know that God has claimed you as His own? This is the work of the Second Comforter. :)

estradling is right, IMO. I just completed a 3-year stint as a Stake Auditor. It was an education, esp. since I used to live (1990's) in a Stake where the bishop was defrauding the Church (and the RS Pres. had a mental breakdown, just one of hundreds of negative things that came out of that situation). It was very short-lived, no doubt because of the audit practices of the Church. Roytucker and Vort, it seems you are both looking at the situation of the OP from differing yet complimentary viewpoints. Well, sort of complimentary. Vort is approaching this from a 'High Church' POV, while Roytucker is seeing it from a 'Low Church' perspective. This website explains what these mean, though it does get pretty long-winded: The Difference Between Low Church and High Church In a nutshell, 'High church' means the institution saves you (via priesthood and ordinances) and 'Low church' means we are saved by personal development and Gospel living. Both are true, as is emphasized in the Church's teachings.

I love this manual!! It not only mentions that he had multiple wives, but that he was sealed to them before his endowment. That's good history! (and a change from the policy in producing other lesson manuals, such as Brigham Young's or Joseph Smith's) Also lesson #3 is awesome and I am a witness that these ourpourings of the spirit still occur today. Amen! HiJolly

Trying listening to this: OCD, Scrupulosity and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy | Mormon Stories Podcast

LDS Church policy changed a few years ago, and now I believe that joining another church is restricted, and one can be disciplined for it. This from a Chaos magick paradigm pirate acquaintance of mine. HiJolly

Oh my, that sounds awful! ...Well, the first part anyway. The rest sounds great!