askandanswer

Hi PC, it may be helpful to look at what the Encyclopaedia of Mormonism says about the Melchizedek Priesthood. The encyclopaedia is not a definitive statement of LDS doctrine but it can often be a helpful source: https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Melchizedek_Priesthood

Could you elaborate on this please Carb, I'm not sure what you're getting at? I'm thinking that to not abide by a law would mean the same, and have the same result as, not obeying the law? I looked again at D&C 132:17 and there is no footnote next to abide.

So it seems from your response that you are more in favour of the Doctrine and Covenants teaching than the Nephi 3:7 teaching - that sometimes God gives us commandments but does not always provide a way whereby we can accomplish them, and that He might then relieve us of the need to comply with that commandment?

Why?

In our Priesthood and Sunday School zoom classes there is some variation in the use of the mute function. Some people never use the mute function and are permanently unmuted while others only unmute themselves when they have something to say. For me, I stay unmuted for the whole of the lesson because I never know when I'll have something I want to say. In the lessons I've seen and taught - and we've been doing Zoom lessons almost every week since last April - I've rarely seen the chat function used, and when it is used, the comments made in chat are almost never referred to. I think everyone just makes their own decision as to whether or not to read them. If people want to make a contribution to the lesson that will be referred to and discussed, they will almost always say it rather than type it.

49 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 124:49) And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7) In light of the teaching contained in Doctrine and Covenants 124: 49 how confident can we be in the teaching contained in 1 Nephi 3:7? An additional question about the teaching in 1 Nephi 3:7 is suggested by the difficulty that Adam and Eve would have faced in keeping both the commandment to not partake of the fruit and the commandment to go forth and multiply.

16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. 17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 132:16 - 17) Do the following conclusions flow from the above verses, and how firm or tenuous is the support for these conclusions? 1. You can be disobedient to God’s law and still be an angel living in heaven in a saved, but not exalted condition. 2. If the type of angels referred to in these verses did live with God, that would be inconsistent with the two well supported ideas that to disobey God’s law results in a form of uncleanness, and that no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God. If those two ideas are both true, then we can conclude that this particular type of angel does not live with God. 3. There is a place referred to as heaven, where these angels are said to be appointed to, but God does not dwell there.

Hold fast, as in 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (New Testament | Hebrews 10:23) See also 6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. (Old Testament | Job 27:6) and 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (New Testament | 2 Thessalonians 2:15) 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (New Testament | 2 Timothy 1:13)

Strangely, I can’t remember either, even though I may have been present at the meeting or participated in the discussion. Perhaps the non-acceptance of the suggestion you refer to was more to do with poor salesmanship of the suggestion or a disagreement over who should get the credit rather than a result of any inherent deficiency with the suggestion itself. 😊 Being saved is the most important thing, and should therefor take priority over all else, even growth. It makes sense that everything should be subservient to the highest priority and directed towards the achievement of that priority. Once you are saved, everything is possible, if you are not saved, everything is no longer possible. Once you are saved, you will have eternity to do whatever growth is needed or desirable or to pursue any other priorities that may be of interest. If necessary, we could retain some sort of connection between trials and temptations and growth. But perhaps we could also rewrite the equation that determines how much trial and temptation results in how much growth. At the moment, I’m not sure what determines the relationship between these variables. When I do know, in my plan, I might seek to redo that relationship.

I suspect that this is an unnecessarily expensive way of producing great sailors because from every great storm there may well be some sailors who never return home or other sailors who, after a great storm, are no longer willing to venture forth into the waters. I think there might also be some scope to adjust the balance between trials and growth. In preparing for my own plan it may be necessary at some point to redefine the ratio that determines how much growth results from how much hardship. For me, I'd like to achieve a greater amount of growth with less suffering. It also might be desirable to make the ratio more consistent, because under the current version of the plan we are living with, some people only achieve growth after decades of hardship and suffering while for others, growth seems to come much more quickly. Or perhaps do away altogether with the idea that links growth to suffering and hardship. Surely there are better ways to learn.

I'm also thinking of having just one universal language. I can think of few ways more likely to cause misunderstanding, suspicion, fear, division and disunity among people than making large groups of people mutually incomprehensible to each other. It's not easy for me to see from my current limited perspective how the benefits of a multiplicity of languages, in either preventing something bad from happening, or helping something good to happen, outweigh the disadvantages of fear, distrust, disunity, and fragementation that seem to be the inevitable consequences of having so many langauges.

I'm opposed to the idea of money reigning, I think we've all seen the problems that arise when that happens. I need to give further thought to how trade and exchange can be facilitated without all the problems that money brings. I'm looking for a way to exclude from my plan of salvation something which causes so much grief and trouble As to the idea of lightsabers, I'm thinking of having them emerge from the ground at the tops of the highest mountains as a reward for those who have made the effort to seek them.

I’m in the early stages of doing some advance planning for how my own plan of salvation might work. I know its still a fair way off yet, and a few things need to be done before I actually reach that point, but I see no harm in giving it a bit of thought now. Does anybody have any thoughts/ideas/suggestions/recommendations about how my plan of salvation might work? Personally, I’m giving some thought to the idea of either not having any periods of apostasy, or making them much shorter. I suspect that the duration of a period of apostasy is a circumstance that at the least can be influenced, and possibly even controlled, by the author of the plan without imposing too much on the agency of the people. I’m also thinking about making gravity a bit weaker so that clumsy people, like I sometimes am, won’t be causing things to fall so frequently, and so that they will have more time to react when something does fall. So what are your thoughts/ideas/suggestions/recommendations. Should I start from scratch, with a completely clean slate on which to build, or should I modify what we are already familiar with, or should it all just stay the same on an endless repeat? What say you?

Cosmologists estimate that about it took about 377,000 years after the big bang before things had cooled down enough for electrons to begin forming stable combinations with nuclie, hence marking the beginning of the existence of matter. There's a lot of youtube clips that explain how this conclusion is reached. The one I watched most recently is this one. The part about electrons combining with nuclei starts at about 13:14. I'm not sure if its relevant, but I find it interesting that it was this process of electrons combining with nuclei that produced the first photons, ie, light, so according to this theory, it was the coming into existence of matter that led to the coming into existence of light.

There is a widespread body of thought amongst astronomers and physicists, accepted by many of them, that matter only came into existence when particles and anti particles ceased annihilating each other, following the period of rapid inflation, which was sparked off by the big bang. Prior to that, it is believed that matter did not exist.

Have you checked the Bethlehem and/or Jersusalem birth, deaths and marriage records for circa AD 10 - AD33? I'm not sure if they would be in Latin or Aramaic.

I've never heard it sung in the congregations I've attended. My mum used to sometimes play it as part of the prelude music when I was a kid and now I sometimes play it as part of the prelude music at funerals, it seems to fit in quite well with the mood of a funeral. I also occasionally as prelude music before Sacrament meeting as well. This is the favourite hymn of an elderly sister in our ward and she thanks me every time I play it. 2001-01-0370-the-wintry-day-descending-to-its-close-vocal-and-instrumental-192k-eng.mp3

I think there's a fair bit of truth in the first dot point.

While knowing nothing about the details of how General Conference talks and Handbooks are put together, my suspicion is that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve collectively are far more involved in the preparation of the Handbook than the average General Conference talk. I suspect that preparing the various versions of the handbook involves much more preparation, drafting, review, revision, redrafting and double and triple checking than almost any conference talk.

15 And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. 16 Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh. (Book of Mormon | Ether 3:15 - 16)

Keith Rupert Murdoch AC KCSG (/ˈmɜːrdɒk/ MUR-dok; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American media mogul.[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch

I still haven't worked out the difference between making a judgement and forming an opinion. I believe that making judgements is a daily necessity that we all need to do a great many times every day. I don't understand those who condemn the making of judgements.

i think we're about a week away from your 3rd anniversarry?

Its a question for any who think the Supreme Court may have neutered itself and made its rulings irrelevant. I think if the Court and its rulings become irrelevant and unenforceable, that will be because of a decision by the people and their political rulers rather than as a result of any actions by the Court itself. Any thought or intention of making the court and its rulings irrelevant and unenforcable seems to be about the same thing as a thought or intention not to be ruled by law and reason.

Since fathers are being encouraged to help mothers out more with their divinenly given roles of caring for the family at home, it doesnt seem unreasonable to expects mothers to help out fathers more with their divinely given role of providing for their families