HiJolly

I was blessed with many new insights and understood the endowment better after going through the Salt Lake temple for the first time. Though I had been endowed for over 15 years, the live presentation of the endowment session was amazing. HiJolly

I think JetBlue does this. HiJolly

Welcome! I hope you like it here. HiJolly

"Why did I do it? Because I could."

Being asked to not take the sacrament does *not* necessarily mean you cannot feel or be directed by the holy spirit. It may mean that, but it's more up to you and your personal circumstances than anything else. My guess is that if your need is real and you humbly ask for guidance, you're likely to get it. HiJolly

The statement refers back to the person declaring what beauty is. I think the point is that if we cannot be honest enough to see the flaws in the things we love most, then we are not thinking or judging rationally or clearly enough, and are doing ourselves a disservice. "Love is blind", right? "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" "Beauty is the stark truth seen through the eyes of love" I think it's a contrast between rationality and emotion. HiJolly

This was a ward in Sacramento (or nearby), CA. HJ

I love this thread. Brings back such poignant memories of my time 20 years ago as counselor in a bishopric. My experience was not normal. I served in a severely dysfunctional ward where the Bishop had bleeding ulcers, the RS pres had a mental breakdown, the wife of a Quorum Pres/Group Leader was convinced (incorrectly) that her temple-worker parents had ritually, satanically, sexually abused her as a child, *parents* didn't care if their children followed the Strength of Youth or not, and much more. The ward ended up being disbanded and members split between 3 neighboring wards. The previous bishop had been defrauding the Church of bishop's storehouse goods for his employees. And it gets worse. It was awful, but at the same time when it was all over I had a peak revelatory experience from God that made it all worthwhile, while sitting on the stand of our last Sacrament meeting. So in the end I was happy.

I think it is better for us & the people around us if we think we have free will. HiJolly

Because we choose to. (obviously you're looking for something here - better spell it out for me) HiJolly

It's almost a subjective question. So many variable, you know. We did curriculum based. But we did such a bad job of it that it might was well have been 'free range'. lol. We started when our oldest was 5. We had wanted to put him in Kindergarten but the local school district didn't allow non-vaccinated kids. No waivers or anything. So we home schooled. BTW, if you homeschool and try to socialize your kids (or team teach) with other homeschoolers, you'll run into this a lot. They're there because they don't fit the mainstream ANYWAY. Loved it. In our experience, practically everything is incorporated into homeschool, if you make it so. In our case, our fourth child had a fairly profound learning disability - and we needed help. So we sent him to public school, along with his younger siblings, because once we engaged with the public schools, we stayed engaged. My wife then joined the PTA and eventually became a member of the State board. She's done now, but no one can say she didn't give it all she had. Do the playdate/studytiime groups anyway. Your child needs to interact with varying types of personalities. Have an idea where they should be. The schools have curriculum you can review, by grade level. So do homeschooling groups. Ask your child's Primary teacher if your child seems less prepared than the other kids. There are lots of ways to this, but isolation doesn't seem like it would help much if at all. Just my opinions, of course. HiJolly

Why is no one quoting the Old Testament? I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7, KJV) Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6, KJV)Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? (Lamentations 3:38)...that said, I agree that evil is a choice, which God insists giving to us. Satan is the poster child for bad choices, IMO.

Because you still had to choose, ignorance notwithstanding. HiJolly

Yes, very funny! My two kids in High School just watched it and really enjoyed it. HJ

That's a very good point -- I agree. Everything is built on the foundation of the first four principles. In addition, I'd say that if we do not have "clean hands" and a "pure heart"(psalms 24:4), the mysteries will only work to our damnation. Or perhaps condemnation would be a better word. HiJolly

Odd that President Packer would set himself against the scriptures. I'm sorry, but as a mystic myself, this kind of quote just makes me wonder! 1st Nephi, Chapter 1, Verse 1: "I, NEPHI, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days." 1 Nephi Chapter 10:17 "And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men. 18 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, 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. 19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round." Note here that Nephi is not just happy to have received the mysteries, but actually speaks of "diligently seek"ing the mysteries. D&C 39:6 And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom. This is my understanding: A mystery is something that we can only understand when it is taught to us by the power of the Holy Ghost, or in many cases, by the Holy Ghost personally. HiJolly

Welcome, and best wishes on you finding the Gospel of Jesus Christ! HiJolly

At first blacks were given the priesthood, sent on missions, and so forth. I think that was right and good. Then as the saints continued to grow and become a overwhelming political body, their non-lds neighbors began to fear them and their abolitionist views. Not only that, but a particular black guy began to take liberties such as John C. Bennett did in Nauvoo, and this added to the racists bias that Brigham Young already had. Between these factors and others a bit more difficult to pin down (like Joseph Smith's changing viewpoint), I believe that a few years after Joseph's death, BY shut down priesthood for the blacks within the institution of the Church. And there it stayed until Prophet David O. McKay began to make waves concerning it. I love that guy. The only prophet whose hand I have had the pleasure of shaking. Nothing, especially if they are sexually pure. Well there you go. HiJolly

There is absolutely nothing "wonderful" about false recovered memories. Period. You should be ashamed for saying such a horrible thing. HiJolly

We ran into this in California in the early 90's. The Relief Society president was having some emotional issues, so she went to the bishop. He referred her to a brother in the ward who was out of work but had a divinity degree, with a counseling certificate in CA. So through therapy she 'remembered' her parents doing horrible Satanic things to her sexually and all. But none of it happened. "The panic was influenced to a large extent by testimony of children and adults that was obtained using therapeutic and interrogation techniques now considered discredited." from Satanic ritual abuse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It was a mess, but we were very relieved to find it was due to the kind of counseling she had been through, and not her 'real' past. HiJolly

What you get from it shows that you are one who tends to let the world and/or personal experience defeat you and this mindset does not hold 'hope' and 'faith' as internal values, effectually speaking. Sorry, I can see that's too blunt but I can't think of how else to put it. For me, it describes the mental 'spin' that there is ALWAYS a pony to be found in that pile of manure, there is always a silver lining in that black cloud, there is always a way to gain value from lived experience, no matter how bad it is. HiJolly

I find this to be very interesting. As a student of world religions, I am familiar with a disagreement among Buddhists. Some say they believe in a God, and others do not. Those who *do*, believe in a God much like Mormons do, that he is a perfected man. :-) I love how Freemasons allow for the Buddhists that believe in God. As you state above, there are only 3 degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, Master) in the Blue lodge. So it was a different yet related organization that conferred the 32° - I would guess the Scottish Rite. I was once a member of the SRRS(Scottish Rite Research Society), FWIW. Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., U.S.A.: Frequently Asked Questions Another very common ancillary organization is the York Rite. This group had a huge impact on Joseph Smith Jr. and his work of restoring the Church. It is here that we find reference to the Melchizedek priesthood and the roles of "Prophet, Priest and King". Today's Freemasonic organizations are dwindling and may even disappear, which would be a great tragedy. Freemasonry has long been a steadying and beneficial group for society. And like the church, it has always been straddling a line between spirituality and earthly concerns. When one of these has needed strengthening in our society, the Masons have stepped forward to provide what was needed. The founding of our nation. The settling of the Wild West. After WWII, many, many men joined the lodges of Freemasonry, but it was for brotherhood alone for the most part. Many of these men didn't particularly have any spiritual depth in their lives. I have friends who have joined their local lodges fairly recently and have been saddened to see that there is (and has been since the 50's) very little interest in learning spiritual truths that are to be found abundantly within Freemasonry. Masonic symbolism doesn't resonate with their spirits. Some seek and find "Esoteric" lodges, but in many areas these don't exist. Many LDS similarly struggle with our own temple symbolism, not understanding that method of instruction and teaching.

ROFL. Good one. HiJolly

Ram, I don't think stories of drinking wine are baloney at all. B.H. Roberts was an alcoholic, and was not removed from his calling, but was even sent to California for a little convalescing. Not only that, but the WoW hasn't been on the temple recommend question list for more than 70 or 80 or so years. AND it's answered today on the 'honor' system as well. Who really knows but the person themselves? So I don't see the bologna. HiJolly

The King James Version bible translators did a great job. But we should not take the text literally to the extent that we ignore what Hebrew words were being used. To the best of our capability. HiJolly