HiJolly

I think it is due to the Saint's own lack of faith, or at least the kind of faith that makes this possible. This was fairly common in the 1800's and only died out in the last 100 years. Brigham Young was the first I know of to speak in tongues in Church history. HiJolly

I just got called to be a ward missionary. HiJolly

Well, there is this site. It doesn't seem to be working quite right, but it has links to Martin Tanner's religion radio show. Other than that, I don't know. HiJolly

I don't recall hearing a General Authority address this, so here's my gut-response. We are unavoidably products of our culture. The Restoration changed those things in the religious culture of the day (circa 1830) that were interfering with the Body of Christ, personal revelation and salvation. All else *might* get changed, but didn't have to. I doubt it would have served the Church or its members well to alienate society still further than what had already occured. My opinion, of course. HiJolly

Um, nice post, but... even at Church, not everything you hear is true. I think it is better than it used to be, but still you can get some bad info occasionally. People don't mean to be wrong, but sometimes it happens. HiJolly

Here is an interesting article about apostacy that I just ran across. FYI. HiJolly

As an active Mormon, I drink zero alcohol. Same for tea and coffee. I can partake of all these things as an LDS member, if I don't care to attend the temple. Other members might look down on me for it, though, since it is against the WoW as presently taught. If I am not a member, I can't expect to join the Church if I partake of these things. I guess I don't understand what all the quibbling is about. HiJolly

I missed all the excitement, but I notice that the mods left the link in the OP. I watched it, and it seems to me that Rob has either experienced the Gnosis, or has done a bunch of studying about it. Or both. It also seems to me that the content is permiated with LDS phrasology and terminology. And the gentleman in the video seems to mess with his hair too much. As to the doctrines or concepts presented, I think it is worthwhile to consider that Mormonism is chiefly concerned with the practical aspects of life, ie. with life on this earth, and the living of it. Or it could be said, with life in manifestation. Anything beyond the realm of manifestation is often referred to as 'ineffable', or unspeakable. These things are good to understand, but not really useful to discuss, IMO. 3 Ne. 26:16 Behold, it came to pass on the morrow that the multitude gathered themselves together, and they both saw and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them. 3 Ne. 28:14 And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard; As we are taught in the temple, some things need to come to us direct from God (and/or His messengers). HiJolly

I love how the Church has really good ideas about the purpose of life, and how to engage ourselves in life. And that we can embrace all truth, wherever we find it! HiJolly

Iggy & QP, I know how it is with all the faith promoting rumors -- but I'll share this one since I saw it myself. My stepdad was a welder at a ranch. One day he was cutting the tops off of old 55 gallon drums, and one of them had some gasoline still in it -- it exploded out the cut, which set his upper torso and head on fire. He had heavy worker's clothing on as a matter of course (being a welder, his shirt was very thick). When I went to the hospital, and later as he was recovering, it was easy to see where the burn was-- and where it wasn't. About 3/4 of his face, all of his neck, and a nice "smile" on his upper chest - no burn where the garments were. His farmer's tan on the upper arms was the same way. It was the garment line, not the shirt line, where his flesh had not burned. For what it's worth. HiJolly

My opinion is that during times of personal duress, we are susceptible to ANY influence. For good or ill. I think Jesus' words in the NT are helpful here: John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. HiJolly

Beautiful! Thanks for your thoughts. HiJolly

I disagree with your first sentence. Can you demonstrate evidence from the Bible for your claim? What exactly do you mean when you say "kingdom of God"? Are you here to argue? HiJolly

You do no one any favors by persisting in ignorance. The Holy Ghost can lead you to ALL TRUTH -- unless you don't allow yourself to be taught... HiJolly

That's a tough question. In science, there is NO "final" word -- only the latest word. I don't remember who said that. But here's one where I do have the credit--- Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority. -- Thomas Henry Huxley I think Mr. Huxley has a good point here, and it's interesting to me how contrary it is to the way we obtain spiritual knowledge. OTOH, there are similarities there as well. As in, the Buddhist "Kill the Buddha" saying. Anyhow, in my view it's easier to correct erroneous views in the realm of science, since it is in essence focused on impirical or quantifiable evidences -- aside from theoretical physics like string theory and so forth. Interesting!! HiJolly

We all learn by stages, or degrees. Are you grateful to the Anglican members, the Anglican Church, or to God? ...all three, I'm guessing. And that's a very good place to be. Gratitude is an essential feeling for the seeker. I am convinced that no one can see God without gratitude and faith in their hearts. In my view, you should not leave your current faith unless you find the teachings of the LDS (Mormon) Church compelling and 'TRUE'. If you find truths that you believe in the Mormon Church that are not found in the Anglican, then you must pray and search your heart, seeking guidance from God as to the proper choice for you in your spiritual path. Trust in God, seek for His guidance, follow His promptings. And good luck. HiJolly

Welcome! HiJolly

Yes, because good Christian people are deceived at times. Since I know Joseph's history, warts and all, I can see how a sincere person could be mislead into thinking that Joseph Smith was not a good man. But that would be a deception, a severe departure from the real Joseph. All too often, people are told bad things about good people. For hundreds of people's first hand accounts of Joseph, in a positive light, try reading Remembering Joseph. I read it last year and it was a joy. HiJolly

Hey, welcome!! have fun looking through old threads (that an online discussion topic). HiJolly

I believe that if a person is sincerely seeking for God, then the spirit assists in the process. What the missionaries were speaking of is not the spirit, but rather is the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or, the privilege of having that member of the God head with you 24/7, to comfort, lead and guide you. While ANYONE can receive the Holy Ghost when He comes to them, only those who have been 'confirmed' have the continual presence of the Holy Ghost with them. So in a nutshell, you can be guided at all times, by the spirit. You can be guided on occasion by the Holy Ghost. So, I agree with you, as a believer, you were being led and guided by the spirit (and hopefully still are!). HiJolly

I would say that most LDS would agree with the first statement. I also think that a fair portion of the LDS would agree with the second statement, but those of us that really, really like the King Follet sermon and D&C section 93 would quibble about God creating EVERY part of us. So you're bound to find some inconsistency amongst the LDS on this specific topic. I don't think our salvation is dependent on these things, though, but rather on the atoning blood of Christ Jesus and His resurrection. So it doesn't bother me at all. HiJolly

As you can tell, I didn't bother to read that text... I'm not sure how many people will... Thanks for your comments. HiJolly

Um, how appropriate that this thread is called "...misconceptions..." I just looked at the map of the new world on that website, and I must say, it looks intriguing, especially since the layout there is NOT a for-sure thing. We don't have any physical corroboration of the actual locations of ANYTHING, really. So, like many other things (like, the shape of the Sword of Laban on the home page), much of this is speculative. Take all but the BoM text with a grain of salt... HiJolly

Glad to have you! Enjoy your time here. I do love how we avoid contention here. HiJolly

Here's a very nice (but unofficial) web site: http://bookofmormononline.net/ HiJolly