askandanswer

Is it requisite with the justice of God that a very small group of people have had access to what Brigham Young and others described as the blessings that are said to come from plural marriage, while the rest of us do not? All those who died without the gospel will eventually have access to all the blessings that come with the gospel, but it seems that of all of those with the gospel, no matter if they receive it in this life or the next, only a very few will have access to the blessings that are said to have come with plural marriage. And we can argue back and forth whether or not plural marriage did entail any blessings for those who entered into it, but its highly probable that many of the early church proponents of plural marriage spoke of the blessings that come from it. So unless all eventually have access to plural marriage, it would seem that, all other things being equal, some will have access to the blessings of plural marriage and some will not.

And those heart surgeons are making pretty big in-roads as well.

Carborendum, none escape our clutches for long. We knew you would eventually show up on this forum and now we know where you are. We've got you now. It's only a matter of time before we pick you up and bring you back and stretch you out on the altar next to Elvis, where you will then be significantly altered in a lasting way. And you better hope that that flying saucer is still in a usable condition!

Hey, I need to know this stuff so I can figure out what kind of lawyer I will need when the time comes :)

And could this be the forum's senior moderator?

Pam's car - for some reason they left off the P

This conclusion, and the related idea that we don't really know how it will turn out, raises the possibility that we don't really know the principles and procedures and "criteria" by which we will be judged. That is such a contrast to the way temporal courts and judgements operate, where all the rules and procedures are set out in great detail. Now I'm starting to wonder a little bit about the justice of being judged by a system that is not transparent and only partly understood.

There should have been a small note that appeared in the bottom right corner of Vort's post saying that you liked it.

From my perspective, this has been a very thought-provoking and instructive discussion and I thank you both for your well considered input. I understand the issues and the scriptures involved much more than I did when I first asked the question. It seems, as Bec has suggested, that the safest answer is to leave it in the hands of God, although that still leaves open the question of how to interpret those scriptures that seem to suggest other options. And probably the answer to that question is to let the Spirit supplement our logic and reasoning.

From my perspective, this has been a very thought-provoking and instructive discussion and I thank you both for your well considered input. I understand the issues and the scriptures involved much more than I did when I first asked the question. It seems, as Bec has suggested, that the safest answer is to leave it in the hands of God, although that still leaves open the question of how to interpret those scriptures that seem to suggest other options. And probably the answer to that question is to let the Spirit supplement our logic and reasoning.

And maybe you will be the change that brings the number of active members to 51 :)

When it comes to the Apostles, we have a former Swede at the top, and a former Swede at the bottom. Grumble, grumble, whinge, whinge, these Swedes are taking over the church! We need more Utahns. :)

Best wishes for the new projects. I've enjoyed your posting and have often found them to be thought provoking.

Well of course! :)

Thank you TFP

I note you I note you've omitted German from the list. I recall several posts from several months ago in which you expressed your enjoyment in learning German.

This forum seemed to be attracting a steady stream of new members during June and July but I notice that the last new member came on board in late July and there has been no one since then. Does anyone have any ideas why this might be?

aAe you referring to the Lamanites of ancient times, or the modern day Lamanites?If you are interested in the modern day Lamanites, I've always found the Church Almanac to be a good but very brief source of information about the history of the church in every country where the church is recognised, including countries populated predominantly by descendants of the Lamanites.

Thank you Becca, this is helpful.

Certainly it is the case that those who did not have the opportunity to hear the gospel in this life will have the opportunity to hear and accept it in the next life. But I'm having a bit of trouble remembering those scriptures which support the idea that those who accepted the gospel in this life can still repent of their sins in the next life.

I won't be watching the Conference broadcasts until next Sunday, but the descriptions of President Monson that I've read here remind me of what Joseph Smith said about Sydney Rigdon when they were receiving what is now section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants. “Joseph sat firmly and calmly all the time in the midst of a magnificent glory, but Sidney sat limp and pale, apparently as limber as a rag, observing which, Joseph remarked, smilingly, ‘Sidney is not used to it as I am.’” (Juvenile Instructor, May 1892, pp. 303–4.) https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-69-80/section-76-the-vision-of-the-degrees-of-glory?lang=eng

Thank you for sharing this cdowis, I enjoyed reading it and found it to be uplifting.

I'm sorry Parakeet, I didn't mean to be bothersome. What I think rarely matters because what I think often changes and my viewpoint is just one amongst millions. If I'm trying to argue in favour of a particular view then I will often give an indication of what I think. If I'm seeking additional understanding, I'm more likely to ask questions rather than state positions. I also like Becca's response but I was also initially concerned about Alma 34: 31 - 33. 31 Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. 32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. 33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. This seems to suggest that there might be some difficulties with the idea of post-life repentance as Becca suggested, and that here and now seem to be the time when repentance needs to be done. However, I read a little further and found verse 34: 34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. This verse seems to suggest that it is the spirit which possesses our bodies at the time of death which will make the difference in the next life, rather than individual acts which may or may not be sinful, depending on the context. The man in my scenario seems to have been possessed of a goodly spirit throughout his life, and that is the spirit that, according to Alma, will make the difference in the next life. So now I have an understanding that I think I can at least partially rely on in answer to the question of what will happen to the man in the scenario. However, I'm still sort of stuck on the question of how we should understand the various scriptures that I have referred to. For example, it seems plain that in this case, the anger and violence shown by this man after the car accident are indeed contrary to Christ's teachings, but he still gets to heaven because of the goodly nature of the spirit that possessed his body at the time of his death, and his chances of exhaltation are not ruled out because of a few small unrepented acts. So in what circumstances do these various teachings apply, and what are the exceptions? And how do we know, when reading the scriptures on a particular teaching, when that teaching will apply, and when it will not?

ummm, where else do you keep your tongue? :)

Well I'd certainly pay a lot more attention to their answers than I do to some of the answers I see here.