askandanswer

just wondering if your watch/clock has stopped? :)

ground breaking. hmmm the term reminds me of bread breaking.

Thank you TFP

I can't help but reflect on the moral similarities between lion hunting and fish hunting. Both activities seem to have some similarities.

As spirits in the pre-existence, there was an unmade decision - who shall I send - and this led to some politicking, the ultimate outcome of which was war and banishment. It would seem a little odd if, as glorified beings, we did not have the opportunity or ability to participate in a process that we were able to participate in as mere spirits

This clearly suggests that God is more interested in outcomes than processes. He seems to be more interested in what we become rather than how we become. This conclusion points the way to possibilities that could be both helpful and harmful.

I'm starting to get curious about the comments attributed to Elder Packer, although I'm a little wary of another long discussion about homosexuality. What are people's thoughts? Are homosexual tendencies inborn? Are they pre-set? Can they be overcome? If they are inborn and preset does God have any responsibility for that? And if so, why would He do that? Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so. Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, he is our Father."

I've thought about this a little more. The only reason why I can think there would be politicking in the next life is if there are some decisions that still need to be made. I'm not sure if this is the case. To suggest that there are some decisions that still need to be made might imply that the Plan of Salvation is incomplete and still has some gaps. This seems to be unlikely, unless, of course, God has deliberately left some gaps so that we might grow by having the opportunity to make those decisions. But if there are no further decisions to be made, I'm not sure how much scope there would be for political activities.

I think that as long as there is agency there will be variety and once you get variety you get supporters and opponents. Its purely speculative, as far as I know, but I believe that when the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency meet, even though they might be perfectly united on what they are seeking to accomplish, there might not always be perfect unity on every issue while it is still in the discussion phase and there would be some variety of opinion on how to accomplish a given outcome. In such circumstances, it seems fair to assume that those for and against a particular position will try to influence the thinking of others. And just as today, once the Prophet makes a decision and speaks, what the Prophet says goes, so it might be in the Celestial Kingdom - what Christ says will go. But in the processes leading up to the saying, or the decision, there may well be a lot of room for robust discussion and politicking.

There seems to be a misperception that my post was motivated by a desire to work out how to maximise the amount of blessings I can receive by changing the way I could pay my fast offering. This is not the case. As I noted above, whether I receive fewer or more blessings, and whether I receive them now or in the next life is not a significant factor in asking this question. Nor is it fair to impune any motive, good or otherwise, based on how frequently a person makes a fast offering. Part of my interest in asking the question is to develop some understanding of whether God is more interested in process - how frequently an offering is made - or in outcomes - the total amount of the offering.Whether one pays monthly, or annually, the amount will be the same. I think the question of how fast offering is paid is a useful vehicle to explore this question because it is one of the areas I can think of, although there are probably others, where we can follow different processes, but still achieve the same outcome.

There probably is something like a formula, or at least something like a set of guidelines. As the scriptures say, 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. God is a God of order and there is almost certainly some sort of system as to how blessings are dispensed because they are not dispensed on a random basis. I've had two stake presidents who were fond of saying that "If you almost keep the commandments, you almost get the blessings, although personally, I think that's false, or at least excessively simplified doctrine. My question isn't about calculating how many blessings I can earn for myself. Its aimed at getting a better understanding of how God works. Whether I get more blessings, or fewer, and whether I get them in this life or the next isn't really important. Your reminder that fast offerings are collected monthly and used to help ward members in need gives support to the idea that a person who gives once a year, in advance, may be more deserving of blessings than a person who gives month by month.

Will there be political activity in the next life, just as there was in this and the previous lifes, ie, organised groups of people trying to persuade other souls to support or oppose a particular agenda or plan of action?

We are blessed for paying our fast offering. So if a person pays their fast offering once a month, twelve times a year, are they blessed the same, or more, than a person who pays an annualised amount once a year? Whichever way it is done, the outcome is the same, but the process is different so is, or should, the nature and number of the blessings be the same or different?

I believe He did it as a form of punishment to frustrate, confound and humble those who believe that they can calculate and manipulate their way to increasing their worldly wealth at the expense of others. Economists probably serve a similar role today as did the false prophets in the time of the Old Testament. :) Jeremiah 14:14 14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesylies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Isaiah 36:66 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt economists; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt are economists to all that trust in him. Jeremiah 6:13 13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet economist even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

No doubt Cecil's heart is also quite cold by now.

There was a lion who was feeling fion then someone shot him and now he's rotting. The guy who did it Wished he didn't Cause the social media Blew up with hysteria

Perhaps this is why - Jesus had no living room wall Matthew 8:2020 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

I'm pretty sure that he still is, although with some small differences. Perhaps not as lively as previously.

So Capitalist Oinker, Literate Parakeet and Str8tshooter all have children in the MTC together? An interesting coincidence if they are all in the same MTC.

I don't know much about computer games, but can you play them together, either with or against each other? Even if you don't really want to? Lots of solo time in front of a screen, a lack of interest in human interaction, and a lack of interest in intimacy could be symptoms of depression. Just my own opinion, as long as no one is being physically hurt and he continues to fulfill the role of provider, even if he is not fulfilling other roles, 9 months seems to be a little short for a temple marriage. I think the temple deserves longer than that. I understand that your tired. What are your sources of strength? Whatever and whoever they are, it sounds like you need to be drawing more from them than you are at present. Perhaps it might be useful for you to temporarily be a little selfish for a while and spend more time than you have been on things, and with people, that make you feel good. Hopefully doing that will give you more strength to continue with an uncomfortable situation. I would suggest that you do what you can to continue with an uncomfortable situation for the time being, and when it becomes too uncomfortable, withdraw a little to those things and people that enable you to renew your strength, and once it is renewed, then back to the marriage. I'm not talking about moving out and then back in and then out and then back and so on, I'm talking about where and how you spend your time and where you focus your efforts, attention and emotions - sometimes on him, sometimes on your marriage, and sometimes, when needed, on yourself. This is not a solution, it is a survival strategy that will hopefully allow you to buy some time while you work out a longer term answer.

My RM daughter left last Saturday for a job in Japan. It could go anywhere from 1 - 5 years. Dropping her off at the airport was a completely different feeling from when she went to MTC. Going to MTC we knew that she'd be doing the Lord's work for the next 18 months, she was in the capable hands of a Mission President, and she'd be coming home at the end of it. Now it feels like shes' left the nest, and is all on her own in Japan. The upside is that we can skype with her whenever its convenient, and we are tremendously proud that she's earned this opportunity for herself but there is a still a lot of sadness that she's gone.

I recall in various Conference talks, although none of them recent, apostles telling anecdotes of receiving home teachers, but I have never heard them talking about being home teachers. However, there are also a great many stories of them doing other kinds of visits, particularly to those in hospital. As to the idea of serving in Primary when you don't have kids of your own, I once heard it said that it gives you an opportunity to make mistakes on other peoples' kids so that you don't make them with your own. :)

I haven't seen or heard much of this in my ward in Australia. Both major political parties in Australia have been debating within their parties and with each other on the question of same sex marriage but so far both parties seem to be reluctant to come out in support of same sex marriage, although several senior officials from both parties have made very public statements in support. What has been quite noticeable, and of some concern, is the three divorces and one separation in the last 18 months in the one ward when there had been none in the previous ten years.

In Western Australia mining engineers who have no faith in God spend their whole working lives working on the moving of mountains, and to a large extent, succeeding. These mountains are moved, bit by bit, at a rate of more than 100,000 tonnes per day through the use of enormous trains that transport iron ore from Australia to China. I suspect that works is playing a much greater role than faith in this process, but I'm confident that if those engineers did not at least start with the faith that those mountains could be removed, then they would not have started out on the process. I'm not sure if the Lord's will that something be done is one of the main things that enables faith to bring about a result. Sometimes, it might be sufficient, not so much that the Lord is agreeable to something being done, but simply that He is not opposed to the doing of that thing.

There are lots of possibilities here. Perhaps you were being protected from too much misfortune until the time that you joined the church, and now that you have greater faith than what you had before, you are less in need of that protection. Or perhaps because Satan was unsuccessful in preventing you from joining the church he is now focussing his efforts on getting you to leave by placing misfortunes in your path. Or perhaps now that you have joined the church you have fulfilled your main purpose in life and now have more important things to do elsewhere. Or perhaps it is entirely coincidental and random. If I was a new member of the church, and the only member in my family, I would put all my efforts into a) preparing to go to the temple; b) preparing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood; and c) doing as much family history as possible. As the only member in your family, you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders and there are generations of people who have died who are waiting for you to release them from bondage. I would like to hope that you will be preserved long enough to accomplish at least the first and second goals, and to have made a substantial start on the third. I'm sorry to hear about your medical issues. I pray that you will be accurately diagnosed and correctly treated, and be given strength to accomplish that which you most need to do. Best wishes and I look forward to continuing to read your posts.