askandanswer

For information only, just in case you missed this one. I'm doing my scripture reading at the moment and came across this verse a moment ago. Perhaps this might add to your understanding of how the word strait is used. Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a aPharisee.

Elder Christofferson will be attending our Branch next month. I have been asked to provide the music. I anticipate that the hymns for the meeting will be selected by someone else but I expect that it will be up to me to choose the prelude and postlude music. Does anyone know if Elder Christofferson has expressed any musical preferences or favourite hymns, or does anyone recall ever hearing which hymns are played more frequently in the Thursday meetings of the apostles and First Presidency?

The best way to make sure you are making the right decision is to read the scriptures, be open and engaged with the missionaries and what they are telling you, and the feelings of the Holy Ghost, and then to pray, with humility, faith and sincerity, and ask God if you have made the right decision, and if what you are hearing and learning is true. Try it out and see how you feel. Welcome to the forum.

I'm delighted to hear that your meeting with a General Authority was such a spiritual experience. For me, such experiences help a lot t grow and strengthen my faith. I was wondering how you felt about the Doctrine and Covenants and whether you discussed temple ordinances during the visit?

Do something worth doing - come, follow me

Has Christ’s promise in Matthew 7: 7-8 worked for you? Or Christ’s promise in Luke 11:2? Or the same promise, from the same Person, in Matthew 21:22, John 16: 23-24, John 15:7, John 14:13-14? Or the promise of James in James 1:5? Is your faith in the Bible strong enough to apply these tests in relation to the Book of Mormon? Have you tested your capacity to receive personal revelation by asking for and receiving knowledge and truth and guidance? Do you have clear and definite memories of praying for and receiving a confirmation of any spiritual truth? If you have tested your capacity to receive personal revelation, and in so doing, have received knowledge, light, truth and confirmation, do you know how/why it happened and how such experiences are similar to and different from your experiences with Moroni’s promise? What are your thoughts/ideas/beliefs/speculations about why your hopes/expectations/desires about Christ's promise, recorded by Moroni, have not come to pass in a manner and at a time that you recognise/accept? Have you grown and progressed by continuing to be active in the church despite not having had a spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon? In other words, have you experienced any spiritual benefits by dealing with, or overcoming this apparent obstacle? You well know that having a problem and learning to work with it and carry it is one of the more frequent methods of personal and spiritual growth. What benefits/growth have you received by not receiving or recognising or having a spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon? Are you confident that James 4:3 does not apply? Given the amount of evidence in support of the Book of Mormon, could you come to an intellectual acceptance that, on the balance of probabilities, it is more likely than not that the Book of Mormon is true? If so, would that intellectual acceptance meet some of those needs and desires that, generally speaking, are more fully met by a spiritual confirmation? Would an intellectual acceptance help to sustain your faith and help you to maintain your activity until you receive a spiritual acceptance? How well have you investigated your thoughts that the Book of Mormon is contrived? I am unfamiliar with the arguments and data used by those who fight against the Book of Mormon and try to prove that it is untrue, and I will not look at any such data or arguments. But I have read, with only mild interest and curiosity, a few of the so-called “proofs” of the Book of Mormon, and some of them seem to be persuasive enough to at least give reason to consider that the Book of Mormon might be true. How would your life be different if you had, and acted according to, a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, compared to how your life would be if you simply had a hope and desire to know that the Book of Mormon is true, or simply acted with the faith that one day you would know? I’ll share with you a few sentences from a letter my older brother wrote to me more than 35 years ago, that I only found a few days ago. He wrote it as a former ward Young Single Adult representative, when I was newly called as a ward YSA representative, and as a returned missionary at the time I was preparing for my mission. Not all of the scan is easy to read so I’ll re-write the main sentences at the last 5 lines of the letter: “One of the (stake) reps said I should pray for a desire. I said I had. They then said I should pray for a desire for a desire. This was a new concept for me. They emphasised the point by that sometimes its necessary to pray for a desire for a desire for a desire! This is not nonsense. Sometimes I’ve had to do just that. It works. “ While working and waiting for a spiritual confirmation, perhaps you might also like to consider Psalms 37: 1-11 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/ps/37?lang=eng Isaiah 8:17 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/isa/8?lang=eng All of Psalms 27, but especially verse 4 Isaiah 40: 1, 5, 11, 21, 31 Doc2.docx

This is how @mikbonemight do it

I suspect that everything that God made has a degree, or a type, of agency, but I'm not sure if that is enough to also give them a degree, or type, of personhood.

Hmm, could you elaborate a little more on this please? My initial thought was to protest your answer by saying that the Earth did nothing wrong, as far as we know, so it did nothing to deserve a fall.

I would have read this verse at least once a year for the last few decades, but it's only a few minutes ago that I have come to understand it in a new light. 25 And behold, their aprayers were also in behalf of him that the Lord should suffer to bring these things forth My understanding of this verse is that those same prophets who prayed for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon also prayed for the person who would bring it forth - past prophets praying for a future prophet who is now a past prophet, in mortal terms. I wasn't previously aware of this.

I was thinking more about how the list was created and what it was written with, rather than its contents.

Some might think this is a zlightly zilly lizst

I've heard that the father does terribly violent things to people while they sleep - like removing their limbs and stuff! I wouldn't worry too much about this family - they'll probably move out of the ward at the same time that you will.

The Book of Mormon seems to contain several examples of where contention has been used in the pursuit of good and righteous purposes, eg, the scriptures I referred to - Alma 11, Mosiah 13 - 17 and Helaman, and possibly many others that I haven't referred to. If good and righteous contention is a correct way to characterise those events, this could lead to the conclusion that there are occasions and purposes when it is right and good to contend, ie, a green light to engage in contention. However, a more recent, and I suggest, more relevant source, has now counselled against contention. So if a person is weighing up if or how to contend, they could consult all relevant sources and perhaps place greater weight on the most recent and relevant sources.

I know the Book of Mormon is, and will continue to be, relevant for today, but I think there is room to question whether it is as relevant as our Prophet today.

Lol, yes, but apparently dirt that feels and talks 48 And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the aearth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am bpained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I crest, and be dcleansed from the efilthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?

I'm worried about the justice of God. If the Earth was innocent of any wrong doing it seems, from what we know, that it might be unfair for it to have to endure a cursing from God.

After Adam ate the fruit, was the ground cursed for something it had no responsibility for?

See also Alma 11, Mosiah 13 – 17 and Helaman 13 for accounts of events that might be interpreted as righteous contention. However, these events all involved prophets long since dead, and may therefore not be as relevant as the words of the prophet today.

Rocks on top and rocks underneath? Your posts are really rocking these days @zil

You have 2 feet of snow in your front yard yet you still go to Alta ski resort? (Asked from a non-skier's perspective )

Verse 2 of O Thou Rock of Our Salvation We a war ’gainst sin are waging; We’re contending for the right. Ev’ry day the battle’s raging; Help us, Lord, to win the fight. 4th verse When for all that we’ve contended, When the fight of faith we’ve won, When the strife and battle’s ended, And our labor here is done,

As @JustAGuyand @LDSGator recently reminded us, the First Counsellor in the First Presidency spent an important part of his working life presiding over contentions, both as judge and as BYU President.

It was less than a month ago that @pamposted this under status of the forums: 2-3 years ago there was word that eventually the forums would be shut down as funding had been withdrawn. Well good news. We are here to stay!! So if you know anyone that might be interested in joining us or perhaps a member that hasn't been with us for awhile, let them know to come back and join us.

My time on this forum would be less well utilized if your contributions were not here.