askandanswer

On the other hand, said He who is the perfect example in all things Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken and again, when giving a parable (not talking about a real person, but ascribing the use of the word fool to His Father) (New Testament | Luke 12:13 - 20) 3 ¶ And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/24?lang=eng

Here is the doctrine for almost everything, including Visiting Teaching (Book of Mormon | Alma 37:34) 34 Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls. (New Testament | Galatians 5:13) 3 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (New Testament | Galatians 5:13) 3 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (New Testament | John 15:12) 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (New Testament | John 15:17) 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. (New Testament | 1 Peter 1:22) 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (New Testament | 1 John 3:11) 11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (New Testament | 1 John 3:23) 3 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. (New Testament | 1 John 4:7 - 12) 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

If you are anxious about missing out on the Celestial Kingdom, then I suggest that you let this anxiety work upon you in such a way that it motivates you to do those things that will better prepare you for eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom. Can you let your anxiety become your fuel for improvement? This would seem to be consisted with the counsel contained in Doctrine and Covenants 58:27 (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 58:27) 27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 58:28) 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

The atonement was an unusual day, and the normal rules that normally apply, did not seem to all apply for all of that day. (New Testament | Matthew 27:46) 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? See also Psalms, 22:1, and Mark, 15:34 There is abundant commentary on these verses, the bulk of it strongly suggesting that for some of the time, while on the cross, which was also where He was when He asked that the soldiers be forgiven, the Spirit was not with Him. From Elder Hollands April 2009 Conference address. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 46:30) 30 He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh. My understanding of this first verse is that it is telling us that when we ask something of God, if we are “in the Spirit” when we ask, then what we are asking will be in accordance with the will of God, and whatever we are asking will be done. (New Testament | Luke 23:34) 4 ¶ Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. My understanding of this second scripture is that Christ asked something of His Father – that those who were involved in His execution be forgiven. When these two scriptures are looked at together, three possibilities emerge: 1 Jesus was not “in the Spirit” when He asked that those involved in His death be forgiven and they were not forgiven as a result of this request. 2. Jesus was “in the Spirit” when He asked that those involved in His death be forgiven, and that these people, who were participating in the killing of the Son of God, who did not even know that what they were doing was wrong, and who had done nothing on their own behalf to repent or seek forgiveness, were in fact forgiven, as requested by Jesus. (Ironically, it was only the person they were helping to kill, and the death of that person that made their forgiveness possible). 3. One of these verses is not true. I’m not sure which of these possibilities is the most likely and they each seem to be mutually exclusive. Either Christ was not in the Spirit when He asked that they be forgiven, in which case they would not be forgiven as a result of His request, or He was in the Spirit when He asked, in which case His request would be granted, or that on at least one occasion, one of these verses was not true. Any thoughts?

Elder Hollands talk from April 2016 General Conference is also helpful. Here is some of it but you should look at all of it. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/tomorrow-the-lord-will-do-wonders-among-you?lang=eng First of all, if in the days ahead you not only see limitations in those around you but also find elements in your own life that don’t yet measure up to the messages you have heard this weekend, please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. The gospel, the Church, and these wonderful semiannual gatherings are intended to give hope and inspiration. They are not intended to discourage you. Only the adversary, the enemy of us all, would try to convince us that the ideals outlined in general conference are depressing and unrealistic, that people don’t really improve, that no one really progresses. And why does Lucifer give that speech? Because he knows hecan’t improve, he can’t progress, that worlds without end he will never have a bright tomorrow. He is a miserable man bound by eternal limitations, and he wants you to be miserable too. Well, don’t fall for that. With the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength of heaven to help us, we canimprove, and the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying,even if we don’t always succeed. When there was a controversy in the early Church regarding who was entitled to heaven’s blessings and who wasn’t, the Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Verily I say unto you, [the gifts of God] are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep … my commandments, and [for them] that seeketh so to do.”6 Boy, aren’t we all thankful for that added provision “and … seeketh so to do”! That has been a lifesaver because sometimes that is all we can offer! We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn’t have much of a distribution list. Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, “O Jesus, … have mercy on me.”7 He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek. “As you desire of me so it shall be done unto you,” the Lord has declared. “… Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously. … “… [Then] whatsoever you desire of me [in] righteousness, … you shall receive.”8 I love that doctrine! It says again and again that we are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so.

Knowing where you served Vort, I'm guessing that the reason is because you needed to somehow distinguish yourself from the local "competition"

a tv that is a long way away, as in a remote place

More like great-grandmother, except not so great at all

From what I know, the Masons is basically a service organisation, something like Rotary or the Lions Club (do you have the Lions in the US?). I believe that one of their main activities is doing project that are good and that benefit the community. If that is the case, then Mormon 7:17 makes it highly unlikely that they are in any way satanic. (Book of Mormon | Moroni 7:17) 7 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. This idea is reinforced by Mosiah 2:17 which makes it clear that when we are serving our fellow men, as I believe the Masons do through their community service, then we are also serving God. Serving God is not something that Satan would ever be involved in in any way.. (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 2:17) 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. In light of of these two scriptures, I think its quite plain that Satan is unlikely to have or to have had, any connection with Freemasonry and I don't believe any additional supporting evidence is required,

For someone like myself, who leaves the doing of logic puzzles to those more suited to that kind of task, this sort of behaviour sounds very puzzle ing

Vort’s question, raised in his post entitled “Fighting on enemy ground” in the General Discussion forum, leads to me think of the “why” reasons that might lie behind the laws and commandments that God has given us. To me, there seems to be four sets of possible reasons, which I think, taken either individually or together, might cover all possible reasons why God has given us the laws He has. These reasons are: 1 Because the laws He has given us must be consistent with some sort of higher, eternal law, which even God is subject to. For example, there must be opposition in all things and we grow by making righteous choices in the face of that opposition, and eternal justice demands that sins be paid for. 2. Because He loves us and knows what is best for us, and wants us to be happy, and He knows from His own experience that obedience to the set of laws He has given us provides a greater likelihood of more people experiencing greater happiness than any other set of laws He could have given us. For example, (Old Testament | Genesis 2:24) 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.'' 3. Because the laws He has given us reflect His personal preference, eg, Adam-ondi-Ahman will be the place where Adam comes to visit his people for the last days, rather than my back yard 4. Because God is trying to mold our eternal character to fit an outcome He would like to achieve eg, (Book of Mormon | Alma 7:9) 9 But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. and (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:9) 9 And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. Of course, in some situations, or for some laws, there is likely to be some overlap between these four possible reasons, in that one law could be explainable by more than one reason. On the other hand, it may well be that there are some laws, or some situations, that can only be explained by one of these reasons. What do you think? Do these four possible reasons for God’s many laws adequately cover all of the reasons for all of God’s laws? Are more reasons needed? Are fewer? If so, what more reasons are needed, or which of these four are not needed? ps After thinking about it during church today, it seems that I need to add another reason that can help to explain why God does what he does. 5. To accommodate the weaknesses of man. For example, Matthew 19: 7 - 8 (New Testament | Matthew 19:7 - 8) 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

I think the best, and maybe the only answer, when trying to explain certain actions or decisions of the church is to simply say something like “Because God said so.” Unsatisfying as this may be to some, particularly to those who have no testimony, or whose testimony is weak, I think that in all cases, it is likely to be the most accurate and safest answer. I think that certain carnal or temporal answers can give insights into the benefits of a certain action or decision, but this is a long way from saying that such benefits are the reason for an action or decision. As Vort said, to try to explain things in temporal terms, in the language of the opposition, is to build our arguments “on the short-sighted, constantly shifting sand of current public viewpoints,” Depending on how public viewpoints change, that can easily lead to the construction of arguments next week to support a position that last week we were using the opposite arguments to deny. Of course,the answer “because God said so” immediately raises the question of “Why did God say so.” This is a question I have raised in another thread entitled "4 possible reasons that might explain all of God's actions" in the LDS Gospel Discussion forum. .

Thanks Carb, its great to have some new goals in life, new quests to pursue. As to how best to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter cup, well, I sustain the wisdom and counsel taught here

It has sometimes been suggested by prophets and apostles that in order to be saved we need to repent. To repent, we need to have sinned. So I guess that means in order to be saved I need to sin. So if I have to sin in order to be saved, I think I’ll choose gluttony and over-eating as the sins that I’ll commit. I wonder how many M&Ms I can get for $200 and how many minutes it will take to eat them all?

I read this late last night shortly before going to bed. And now its early Saturday morning and its still here. So I guess its not just a bad dream.

On my first night in the MTC, the MTC President gave us a real thunder and lightning sermon on the need for missionaries to be morally clean and pure, and the need to repent of anything that was preventing us from being morally pure. You could almost feel the ground shake, he held nothing back in his remarks and it was a very powerful talk. There were 15 elders in my MTC batch. After that talk, there were only a few who were not in the line outside his office to confess whatever needed confessing. From what I recall, most of it seemed to revolve around heavy petting with girlfriends a night or two before we came to MTC. I think there was one who confessed about masturbation and there were rumours that one elder had confessed about some sort of homosexual activity. One elder had a scary moment when the MTC President called the elder's Stake President back home, and then the Stake President spoke to the Elder, but that all seemed to be resolved as well. Of course, it would have been much better if this had all been resolved before we arrived at the MTC.

But lets remember how political the Book of Mormon is. It begins with a prophet decrying the behaviour of the political leaders of his time and country. Then there is a story of the beheading of someone who probably had a fair bit of political influence, followed by an account of a small group of religious refugees fleeing the city because they offended the religious and political elite. All this within the first ten chapters. Later on, in the Isaiah chapters of 2nd Nephi, we get a lot of material from a man who is believed to have been closely connected to several Israelite (or Judean?) kings. We get the final farewell speech from a beloved king in Mosiah, and a rationale for the transformation from a monarchy to a sort of judicial led democracy where the rule of law prevails. We get a good discussion of the connection between politics and religion when Ammon and his companions convert two Lamanite kings and much of their kingdoms. And there's much more, which I'm too lazy to write right now. If we read the Book of Mormon and ignore the politics, we are missing out on a learning opportunity.

I'm sure you would rue it if you had. That would completely rune my ability to solve this problem

May I suggest that those who solve it let the forum know that they have solved it, but that they don't post their answers until, say, early next week some time, or maybe just send their answers to Zil through private message?

It sort of sounds a little like the difference between houses and the people in them. Of course, the house, or the earth, is worth infinitely less than the people, or souls, who occupy it.

It looks like Elder Cook prefers that term as well. From his Sunday afternoon session conference talk last October https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/serve?lang=eng I remember the rush of adrenaline when we got bogged down in the mud or tried to climb a steep hill: Uncle Lyman would yell, “Put ’er in (the) compound, Dorothy Zil!”

Crocodile tears from the gator?

Perhaps that explains why he doesn't want any more educated women in his harem.