askandanswer

TFP, all you have to do is unite your heart with mine and then the two of us will be united. Then we just need to "get" Literate parakeet and that will make three of us and the three of us together will probably be able to get the traveller. It's just a matter of time and numbers. As for JAG, well, I'm not sure if I'd ever want to be united with him.

I only read pages 1 - 3 of this discussion and then skimmed through the remaining pages. Going back to the OP, the following quote from the most recent General Conference might shed some light on the idea of how to "contend" without being contentions. (By Elder Ulisses Soares Of the Presidency of the Seventy https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/yes-we-can-and-will-win?lang=eng ) I learned this principle when I served as a young missionary. My companion and I were serving in a very small and faraway branch of the Church. We tried to speak with every person in the city. They received us very well, but they liked to debate the scriptures and asked us for concrete evidence regarding the truthfulness of what we were teaching. I recall that each time my companion and I set out to try to prove something to people, the Spirit of God left us and we felt totally lost and confused. We felt that we should more strongly align our testimonies with the truths of the gospel we were teaching. From that time on, I remember that when we bore a testimony with all our hearts, a silent confirming power coming from the Holy Ghost filled the room, and there was no space for confusion or discussion. I learned that no evil forces exist that are capable of confusing, deceiving, or subverting the power of a sincere testimony of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

On the face of it, if we accept the idea that being cleansed of all sin is a necessary but not sufficient condition, it seems to be an odd situation whereby a person without sin might be denied entry to the celestial kingdom.

The other week after Sacrament, I saw our bishop standing in his office with the door open doing nothing. A few minutes later I walked past again and he was still standing their doing nothing. I called out to him that the ward must be running extremely well if he had nothing to do. He explained that there was nothing he could do because his counsellors, clerk and exec sec were all away.

I think that the atonement of Christ is sufficient to cover all the demands of justice and to pay for every sin committed by anyone, anywhere, ever, as long as the sinner chooses to pay the necessary price to make the atonement effective in their life. Whether or not a person who has committed murder or denied the Holy Ghost, or done any other sinful act can then enter the celestial kingdom is a completely different question. I don't believe that simply satisfying the demands of justice is enough to get you into the celestial kingdom. I can imagine a situation where a murderer, drawing on the atonement of Christ, sincerely repents, and meets all the requirements to be forgiven. However, if they, or anyone else, has not been sufficiently changed by the experience of repentance, such that they become more like the kind of person that God is willing to allow into His kingdom, then they will not be in that kingdom.

Is being fully cleansed of one's sins both a necessary and a sufficient condition for returning to live with our Father in Heaven for eternity?

In Genesis 49: 22, Jacob, son of Isaac, speaks of his son Joseph as a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall while in Alma 46:24 Moroni quotes Jacob as saying that the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment. Does anybody have any idea who, or which group of people, Jacob and Moroni might have been referring to when they spoke of the rest of the seed of Joseph as perishing, and which group they were referring to when they spoke of a remnant being preserved? It seems ironic that the remnant of the descendants of Joseph who Moroni was speaking to, and who he was seeking to motivate and inspire through the use of Jacob’s prophesy may have been that portion which perished 450 years later.

Your situation reminded me of a poem I studied as part of my English Literature classes way back in my high school days. It tells of what can happen when we fail to forgive and hold on to our hurt. The poem is by Edward Blake and was published in 1794. A POISON TREE. [by William Blake, as in The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake, David Erdman, ed.] I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I waterd it in fears, Night & morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night. Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine. And into my garden stole, When the night had veild the pole; In the morning glad I see; My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.

In the various passages of scripture that list the various spiritual gifts, (eg Moroni 10: 8-19 and Doctrine and Covenants 46: 13-26) none of them make mention of a gift of communicating with spirits. I'm not sure if anyone has the ability to communicate with spirits in the way you have described, and I think Average Joe has it right.I would be more inclined to believe that your girlfriend has the ability to communicate with spirits if that's what she was told in a Patriarchal blessing. If it comes from any other source, I'd tend to be sceptical.

The OP was about people who seem to have more than one identity. PC replied that he would try to avoid the problems associated with people having more than one identity by keeping his eyes on Christ. I raised the idea that this approach might not be a complete resolution to the problem because Christ is seen by some people in many different ways and could be seen as having multiple identities, so keeping ones eyes on Christ might as a way of resolving these problems still raises questions that need to be considered. Not intended as a serious comment, but now that I think about it a little further, as a personage with a mortal mother and an immortal Father, and as a god who walked the earth as a man, its not hard to see how some might see Christ as having more than one identity. Its not true of course, but in some ways, He does seem to fit the description.

I like to think that if a really thorough empirical study was done of all the times God has intervened, and all the times He hasn't then we could come up with a reasonably rely guide that could be used to fairly accurately predict not only the likelihood of an intervention in any future situation, but also the type of intervention. It would take a lot of work and time, probably by many people, but I think it could be done. We understand God's motivates and end objective, we understand what powers He has at His command, we know that He is an unchangeable God who often follows the same patterns and we have 6,000 years of case history to draw on and many inspired teachings and counsels from prophets and apostles. Once you know the methods, the tools, the parameters and rules that govern the situation, and the objectives, working out the how - the interventions - is really just a question of working out the details.

Surely everybody always likes chocolates on any and every occasion? And an occasion like Father's Day or Mother's Day requires a higher order of chocolates than ordinary everyday chocolates.

Ahhh yes, keeping our eyes on Jesus sounds like a good idea, but which Jesus? Jesus of Bethlehem? Jesus of Egypt? Jesus of Nazareth? Jesus of Galilee? Jesus son of Mary and Joseph or Jesus, Son of God? Christ, king of the Jews, or Jesus, our Eternal King? Jesus, cousin of John, and perhaps brother of James, or Jesus, Elder Brother of us all? Soo many identities here

I kind of like the idea that just as it is a religious requirement for Muslims to attend Mecca at least once in their lives, every Mormon should have a desire to attend a General Conference at least once.

In the first five years of this century, there were a lot of talks by General Authorities about the need to get out of debt and to live within our means. Then came the global financial crisis. Now there are a lot of talks from General Authorities about freedom of religion and the need for peoples and governments to show tolerance, respect and acceptance. It makes me wonder what is going to happen next and how best to prepare for it.

Discourse by Elder George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Volume 20 Gratifying Political and General Material Condition of the Saints—Employment for the Poor—Enemies Foiled—Plural Marriage. Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July 7, 1878. "I believe the Lord is watching over this people, and that he is controlling and shaping events and circumstances, and managing everything connected with the affairs of this nation, and our affairs as part of the nation, with a view to accomplish his great designs and purposes. And whenever it shall be wisdom in his sight that we should have our political condition changed and our Territory become a State, it will be effected. And it will come, too, as easily as other changes that have been wrought out and that at one time seemed exceedingly improbable. So that it is not necessary that we should become excited or impatient or indulge in too much anxiety concerning such things, but leave them in the hands of Him who has up to the present time controlled all things for the good of his people and for the bringing to pass of his own purposes." This quote suggests that God intervenes not only in the life of individuals, but also of whole societies and nations. The bolded part of the last sentence provides us with an understanding as to why he intervenes – for the good of his people and for the bringing to pass of his own purposes. If an action or event that looks like it might be an intervention from God fails to meet either of these criteria, then it is probably not an intervention from God.

Jeremiah 5:19 19 ¶And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours. ................One of many possible reasons

Hello Sumiko When trying to get a better understanding of what a particular passage of scripture means, I often find it helpful to look at how that passage has been used or referred to in talks by church authorities. The best way to do this is to look at http://scriptures.byu.edu and just click on the + boxes on the extreme left side of the site until you come to the verse you are looking for. Unfortunately, in the case of 2 Nephi 5:23 there is almost nothing, but there is a quote from a former President of the church, Spence W Kimball in which case he refers to 2 Nephi 5:21 - 24. If you look this quote up and read it, bear in mind that it was made more than 70 years ago at a time when President Kimball was the newest apostle.

Its the fairly frequent opportunities to participate in discussions of this nature that make the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class the favourite part of my Sunday church meetings. In my experience, the only difficulty in having good doctrinal discussions amongst church members during Sunday meetings is not a lack of willingness or any discomfort, but a regrettable lack of well informed viewpoints and a sometimes disappointingly shallow understanding of doctrine. Fortunately, in my ward, we also have many members with a great depth of gospel knowledge from whom I often learn.

I believe there may be some participants in this forum who have had to seriously contemplate choosing between their spouse and their church membership. I hope some of you might be inclined to share any helpful experiences and insights you may have had with Sumiko, perhaps via direct personal message. Sumiko, you will know if someone from this site has sent you a direct personal message by checking the icon of an envelope near the top right corner of the screen, just under where it says lds.net, and slightly to the right of where it says View New Content. I think if there is a message waiting for you there the envelope will have a red flag which you just need to click on to view. You say that at present, you cannot imagine leaving your spouse and breaking their heart after a total of six years. You say this from the perspective of someone who has not participated in church services for nine years. Perspectives can change. If you gather up the faith, courage and strength to again begin participating in church services, it may well be that what you cannot now imagine may well become imaginable from the perspective of someone who has begun the return journey to full church activity. One of the most marvellous things about the gospel of Jesus Christ is its capacity to bring about change in people. I really hope that someone you can find an active LDS friend who can assist you with your decisions and your journey, things are much easier when done with a supportive friend. Contacting the missionaries and beginning to meet with them in your home would be a great place to start..

LDS doctrine could change virtually tomorrow if the President Monson received a new revelation today overturning current doctrine. Its not very likely, but it has, and can happen. As for the difference between commandments and doctrine, I like to think that commandments are instructions from God telling us what to do and what not to do whereas I see doctrine as knowledge/information/teachings. The fact that God has a body of flesh and bone, as tangible as man is doctrine and not a commandment. Thou shalt not kill is a commandment, and in the strict sense, not doctrine. However, many might see things differently and say that the commandments are part of our doctrine.

When it comes to the routine cleaning of the chapel by members, its sometimes the case here that the chapel will be opened and/or closed by the wife/mother as the husband/father may be busy with something else at the time they have agreed to clean.

Congratulations on making the best decision of your life so far hopefully it is a decision that you and your posterity for generations will all benefit from and be thankful for. Just a suggestion for you: don't get too attached to the idea of "settling in." Instead, keep your focus on more learning, growth, movement and progression.

So I guess the idea that the LDS church has living prophets is interesting to me. Would the LDS church ever recognized someone like Baha'u'llah as a prophet? This question sounds a little like the question to which Doctrine and Covenants 49 is the answer. Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, and Leman Copley, at Kirtland, Ohio, May 7, 1831. Leman Copley had embraced the gospel but still held to some of the teachings of the Shakers (United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing), to which he had formerly belonged. Some of the beliefs of the Shakers were that Christ’s Second Coming had already occurred and that He had appeared in the form of a woman, Ann Lee. They did not consider baptism by water essential. They rejected marriage and believed in a life of total celibacy. Some Shakers also forbade the eating of meat. In prefacing this revelation, Joseph Smith’s history states, “In order to have [a] more perfect understanding on the subject, I inquired of the Lord, and received the following.” The revelation refutes some of the basic concepts of the Shaker group. The aforementioned brethren took a copy of the revelation to the Shaker community (near Cleveland, Ohio) and read it to them in its entirety, but it was rejected. See also Section 43: 1 - 5 1 O hearken, ye elders of my church, and give ear to the words which I shall speak unto you. 2 For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my church, through him whom I have appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations from my hand. 3 And this ye shall know assuredly—that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me. 4 But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead. 5 And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments; On the other hand, Doctrine and Covenants 28, which deals with alternative and false sources of "revelation" seems to limit the Prophet's exclusive right to receive revelation only for the church, which perhaps opens the door to the possibility of others receiving revelation not for the church. Section 28Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, at Fayette, New York, September 1830. Hiram Page, a member of the Church, had a certain stone and professed to be receiving revelations by its aid concerning the upbuilding of Zion and the order of the Church. Several members had been deceived by these claims, and even Oliver Cowdery was wrongly influenced thereby. Just prior to an appointed conference, the Prophet inquired earnestly of the Lord concerning the matter, and this revelation followed.1–7, Joseph Smith holds the keys of the mysteries, and only he receives revelations for the Church; 8–10, Oliver Cowdery is to preach to the Lamanites; 11–16, Satan deceived Hiram Page and gave him false revelations. 1 Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be givenunto thee that thou shalt be heard by the church in allthings whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter,concerning the revelations and commandments which Ihave given. 2 But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shallbe appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.

It certainly sounds as if your prayers are being answered. It can take humility, faith and courage to set aside our old beliefs and open ourselves up to new ideas and understanding that may be contrary to our previous understandings. I pray that you will have the faith, humility and courage that is needed. I also hope that this will become a faith building experience for you as you look back on this experience and remember it as a time when you prayed to God and He answered.