askandanswer

I'm not sure what you mean by saying God is light, pure energy. I tend to think of Him as having a body of flesh and bones, as tangible as man's.

I suspect that an atonement was not necessary to unlock the doors of hell. God coud have far more easily simply decreed that those doors be unlocked, while of course leaving it up to us to choose whether or not to leave.

I wrote these notes a few minutes ago while reading Alma 39. Any thoughts and responses are welcome. Christ's atonement is retroactive in that it provides a way to pay for the sins of all those who sinned prior to the atonement being undertaken. My question is whether or not there was a debt owed to justice for all those sins that had been committed prior to the atonement. By who or what or how was the weight of these sins being carried prior to the atonement? If a person before the atonement truly repented of their sins, did the penalty or the weight of those sins go unpaid until the atonement was performed, because it was only the atonement that produced the currency required to pay for those sins? Sin has a price which must be paid, hence the need for the atonement, but what happened to that payment which justice demands before the atonement took place? Did the demands of justice go unmet for thousands of years? Is there some acceptable method of delayed payment? Was justice content to wait for thousands of years until the atonement happened?

THis is pretty much the solution that Douglas Adams suggested in his 6 book "trilogy" Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

No need to wait until then, we can start the discussions and lessons right here and now on thirdhour.

@Vort for President!!

Mind/spirit interaction. The following question occurred to me a short time ago while reading Alma 37:32 and reflecting on how useful it was to conceal the information about the operation of secret combinations. Both the Holy Ghost and Satan are beings of spirit and both have the capacity to influence thoughts, feelings and ideas. Bearing in mind the fact that all spirit is matter, could these three facts provide support for any conclusions about how spirit beings interact with the physical, neurological operation of our minds? Obviously these three facts on their own are far from being sufficient to generate any reliable understandings about the nature of spirit/mind interaction, but could they form part of the foundation on which an understanding could be built, once more information comes to light, or are they sufficient to point the way to some possible conclusions, while pointing away from other conclusions?

No, I'm talking about the insecurity that I believe many people experience as a result of too many guns being used in inappropriate ways and for inappropriate purposes. Without having done any study on the matter, I believe that such insecurity would be widespread. I also suspect that any sense of security that might result from a more widespread use and distribution of guns may in some respects be a false sense of security because there's always going to be a better, more accurate, more determined gun-user on the other side of the fence more ready and capable to shoot you than you are him. When its widely known or believed that many people do or might carry guns, then a logical response of those who would do harm with guns is not to go looking for those without guns, but to simply use more and better guns, more skillfully. And so the situation escalates, with a corresponding increase in insecurity.

DId you mean to say security or insecurity?

The answer might be closely related to how much mortality that spirit needed. Perhaps the brevity of some people's mortal duration raises questions as to if or how well the purposes of mortality can continue to be pursued in a post-mortal setting.

I think its fairly likely that you could plot a close relationship between the well-being, stability and prosperity of a society and the extent to which the actions and way of living of the members of that society is consistent with divine law. To the extent that civil law can influence the actions and way of life of the people who are governed by that law, I think it is close to imperitave that the civil law aligns as closely as possible with divinely revealed truth. Such an alignment would almost certainly exist in socities where the people were good and righteous. I suspect that every other basis for building an enduring, happy society, other than divine truth, is more prone to failure than a society whose laws are built on, or related to, divine truth.

I would be surprised if a sentient spirit that needed an experince in mortality missed out on that experience because of a decision to abort the body intended to house that spirit. I think its far more likely either that the spirits of those who are aborted did not need much in the way of a mortal experience, or that an alternative body is found. The works of God cannot be thwarted and His purposes will roll forth without significant impediment by the actions of His children.

I'm talking about the kind of insecurity that leads to schools feeling that its a good idea to have special external doors as a form of protection. That is a response to and result of, certain beliefs about what's on the other side of those doors. I'm talking about the kind of insecurity that many mothers feel in certain parts of certain cities where, when they send their children off to school, they wander if they will come home again. I'm talking about the kind of insecurity that leads some organisations to have active shooter training drills. I'm talking about the kind of insecurity where people feel they need to carry a gun in order to protect and defend themselves. For many, that is a response driven by fear and insecurity.These kind of events and activities are far less likely to happen in societies where people feel secure.

As we develop a better understanding of why things are the way that they are, and why things have been set up to happen in the way that they do, we are more likely to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of He who sets things up. We can admire the power of a locomotive as it pulls a huge line of freight cars. When we understand the intricacies and mechanics that make up the operation of that loccomotive , we are likely to admire it even more.

I would prefer to place greater reliance on the words of living prophets in our culture today rather than the words of dead prophets who died hundreds or even thousands of years ago and who spoke in a time and culture far removed from our own. I see no reason why we should place Isaiah or Jeremiah or Alma or Nephi or Paul or Peter et. al above President Nelson, President Monson, President Eyring, etc.

I think the people that are most at risk of experiencing problems as a result of overthinking the gospel are those who place a higher value on knowledge gained by logic and reasoning rather than through spiritual confirmation of truth.

An alternative viewpoint REFERENCE A Texas House committee's report on the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde. (9.9 MB) DOWNLOAD

I think that all the works and doings of God are worth inquiring into.

The right of people to bear arms might or might not aid in maintaining the security of a free state. However, it seems that that right does seem to be adding to the insecurity of many of the citizens of that state. Is the increased security of the freedom of the state being achieved at the cost of increased insecurity of its citizens?

behold, the bvoice of the Lord came unto him, saying: 13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the asign be given, and on the bmorrow come I into the world, Does 3rd Nephi 1: 12 – 13 provide support for any conclusions about when the spirit enters the body? In these two verses, we have the voice of the Lord speaking to Nephi on the day before He was born. Obviously this is not enough to establish any firm or reliable conclusions, but does it at least suggest that some possible conclusions are more likely than others? I suggest that speaking to Nephi was not the kind of thing the Lord would be doing if His spirit was already in His body and if He had already passed through the veil of forgetfulness. I understand that various church leaders have said we don't know enough to be able to say when the spirit enters the body, but these two verses might have a role in reducing our level of ignorance on this question.

Covid has been on the increase for the last few months but there is no political appetite to reintroduce lockdowns, the population are thoroughly fed up with them. Most covid bans have been reduced except for the requirement to isolate for 7 days if you test positive and the requirement to wear masks in high risk settings, eg, hospitals and aged care facilities. Its possible to own and use firearms in Australia, but you have to go through a lot of regulatory procedures before you can own and use a gun. Here is a good discussion from the US Library of Congress about the state of gun bans in Australia. https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2016-11-28/australia-import-ban-on-lever-action-shotguns-with-magazine-capacity-over-five-rounds-to-continue/ . The last controversy about gun laws, about 6 years ago, was the import ban on the Adler shot-gun. Current regulations allow for the use and possession of a pump-action shotgun with a 5 cartridge capacity but the Adler has an 8 shot capacity, so after some debate in Parliament, it was banned. Last time I checked, the borders of the evil telestial world seemed to be pretty closely aligned with the borders of Australia. I'm not sure if that's by coincidence or design. We have a big sign at most of our international airports saying "Please return home if you are from the evil telestial world."

Australia, of course, stands ready to provide a new home for any breakaway States who wish to attach themselves to a newer, more united federation

Yes, you are correct. These were green O-rings. Thanks to the quick work of the O-ring Loss Response Team, we were able to limit the resulting destruction to just 1 shuttle while keeping the rest of the universe intact.

I'm just glad it wasn't the green O=Rings that you lost. Otherwise, the foundations of the universe would be trembling, round about now.

Oral sex is clearly something that needs to be repented of. Once that fact is accepted, then it simply becomes a question of working out when is the best time to repent. I really can't see how the advantages of repenting after a mission could in any way outweigh the advantages of repenting before a mission. No matter how many times you draw up the list of advantages of pre-mission repentance and compare it with the list of advantages of post-mission repentance, it will always come out in favour of pre-mission repentance. And the advantages of repenting, either before or after a mission, greatly outweigh the totally non-existent "advantages" of not repenting at all. So since repentance is necessary, it makes sense to do it at the most advatageous time possible, which is before a mission. I am confident that your friend will have a far more saving, life-changing, fulfilling mission if he fully repents before going. I think that a full, honest, sincere confession and repentance to the proper authorities in the proper way may lead to a delay in going on a mission, because repentance takes time, but I don't believe the action on its own, once repented of, will actually prevent your friend from serving. Going back several decades, during my mission I knew a missionary in my District who concluded/remembered/realised that his pre-mission repentance had been inadequate. It troubled him for some time until he finally went to the Mission President and confessed. I heard later that the Mission President called the missionary's Stake President back home and they discussed if the missionary should be sent home. He came back to our District much happier than when he had left although I don't recall if his effectiveness as a missionary increased. I presume it would have now that he no longer had that extra baggage of unrepented sin to carry around. 5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to aforgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Psalms 86:5