askandanswer

I hate to break it to you, Doc, but people expect their lawyers to be criminals and hope desperately that their doctors aren't.

Jeffery R. Holland reviewed this question in significant detail in his book "Christ and the New Covenant". Here is some of what he said:  
The entire first four chapters of Either can be seen as a guide to gaining faith a rending the veil. First the brother of Jared hears the Lord, he then sees him in a cloud, he finally sees his finger and then his entire body. Because of his faith and the promises the Lord has made to him he cannot be kept within the veil. We are invited to do the same. Moroni quoting the Lord says, "Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel." (Ether 4:15). 

Yes, excellent point. The difference I see is that Adam is bringing himself and others into the Lord's presence while the Lord brought Himself into the brother of Jared's presence: He showed Himself to the brother of Jared, and that only after the veil was taken off the brother of Jared's eyes, so great was his faith. A subtle difference in protocol perhaps, but quite a significant difference in the faith expressed and involved. This may be due, in part, because the brother of Jared did not have seven generations of living covenant community nor the personal association with father of the human race to bolster his faith, as Adam's posterity did in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Edit: another difference is that the events in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman were planned and very intentional; the brother of Jared's experience was quite spontaneous, and an unexpected fruit of his faith.

>,< You and @skippy740 called it. He had intended to call me as an FHE something or nother but with my schedule, it kind of makes things difficult. So, he called me as the ward indexer instead. I am relieved and a bit excited to get started.
@Grunt The anxiety has very little to do with the bishop, so, please don't take my reactions as being indicative of members reactions as a whole towards their bishops. I fact, it is because I have been so close with my branch presidents/bishops in the past that I am feeling so anxious right now. I've had a conversation with this bishop once before and then I stopped coming to church frequently. The last time I stopped attending church, it was by choice and I went inactive for 8 years. He probably has no idea about my history but I was anxious about everybody thinking this was "Falling Away II" or something. Because it makes me sad to have to work on Sundays at all, and missing church on top of it? I didn't want this man whom doesn't know me very well to assume that I didn't care or wasn't trying. And it was my own stress and expectations that led me to be so anxious about this "vague meeting" with the Bishop. Not him nor his station. The topic of the thread too was indicative of my stress about "I'm not doing what I am supposed to be doing right now and everybody will assume it's because I'm being deliberately bad!!! Oh no!!!" insecurities.
My bishop is such a loving and kind man and I could see it in his face as he deliberated right in front of me what he could give me to do. Because he loves me and cares about me and doesn't want to lose me. He wants me to feel included and connected and I just truly appreciate him being a man worthy of inspiration from the Spirit like that. Thak you all for the encouragement and being patient with me, lol.

Now Let us rejoice in the day of caffeination.
No longer as zombies on earth need we roam. 
Buzzed tidings are sounding to us in Y nation,
And shortly the hour of caffeination will come,
When all that was promised the Saints will be given,
And none will caffeine free them from morn until ev’n,
And the Y will be woke as the Garden of Eden,
And Dr. Pepper, Coke, Dew and Pepsi will finally, “Come home.”

I understand why you feel that way @Fether. That's why I think it's best left to individuals, as we can do what seems good to us on the matter. And @JohnsonJones I'm sorry but I completely reject the idea that caffeine isn't spoken against because some GA's like caffeine. If it was wrong in God's eyes, he would tell them no matter what their weaknesses. And comparing caffeine to marijuana is ridiculous. Saying we are just doing it to maintain appearances is as silly as the Pharisees erecting a hedge about the law. That way you make the law more difficult for no reason. I still trust that God guides the Prophet and 12 Apostles. If he tells them to add caffeine to the list, I will never drink any again. But unless and until he does I will continue to use my own judgement on the matter, and be guided by the Holy Ghost.

In Section 89, called the "Word of Wisdom", certain things are encouraged (e.g. grain consumption) and certain things are discouraged (e.g. alcohol and tobacco). One thing discouraged is "hot drinks". This phrase was interpreted fairly early on as meaning coffee and tea, not just any old drink that is served hot. For example, hot chocolate is not considered a "hot drink" in the sense the Word of Wisdom uses the term.
Now, people are wont to ask pesky questions like, "Why?" "Why does God not want us to use these things?" In the case of tobacco and alcohol, the answer is self-evident. In the case of coffee and tea ("hot drinks"), the answer is less obvious. Through the years, many LDS physicians and other well-meaning Saints have proposed various reasons why coffee and/or tea is bad for you: Tea has tannin, and tannin is nasty. Tea and coffee contain caffeine, which can be harmful in large doses. And so forth.
This idea of coffee and tea being bad because they contain caffeine is now quite old and has been accepted by many Saints, though the Church has been careful never to name caffeine as "the reason" for the Word of Wisdom's ban on "hot drinks". However, if one starts with the premise that caffeine is the reason that the Word of Wisdom prohibits coffee and tea ("hot drinks"), then it follows that caffeine in any form is a violation of the Word of Wisdom, at least in spirit.
This might sound preposterous, or at least far-fetched. But as recently as 1970, a letter from the First Presidency under Joseph Fielding Smith suggested that "Sanka [decaffeinated] coffee has not been included in beverages containing harmful ingredients."

This would not fly today; Sanka is coffee, and drinking coffee is a violation of the Word of Wisdom -- ergo, no Sanka. But this illustrates the sometimes-convoluted process whereby we come to understand, or at least to define, how things work. My grandparents drank Sanka until the day they died, and they were temple workers the whole time.
So it is not surprising that some would say that caffeine is evil and Coke should be avoided at all times, while others would say that neither soda pop nor caffeine is on the "Don't" list, so it's all good.
Bottom line: Drinking Coke and other caffeinated soda pops is not now and never has been a reason that the Church would deny someone a temple recommend (speaking for the Church as a whole and not necessarily for some individual bishop here or there). BYU has long avoided selling caffeinated drinks on campus, presumably under the idea that "discretion is the better part of valor." At times, BYU has clarified that its policy was not doctrinally related -- which was true, strictly speaking. But clearly, explicit doctrine or not, there has long been a prejudice against caffeine-containing drinks at BYU. Looks like the present BYU administration has decided to render the discussion moot. Which I think is too bad, but maybe it's for the best.

The concert's aim is explicitly to prevent youth suicide.  That is 100% in line with church teaching.  

The Lord spoke with Adam face to face even after the Fall. The reference below is one experience. I personally believe this wasn't the first time after the Fall that the Lord appeared to Adam. Adam had absolute knowledge, not faith, that God and Jesus Christ were real. How would he be kept behind a veil the whole time after the garden of Eden? He knew. The veil would not keep him as he continued in the path of righteousness.
"Three years prior to his death, Adam gathered his righteous posterity together in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman (the place where he and Eve had settled after their expulsion from Eden15 ). Seven generations of faithful patriarchs and their families met to receive prophetic counsel. There Adam bestowed upon them his last blessing. In describing a vision he had of this sacred occasion, the Prophet Joseph said: “I saw Adam in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. He called together his children and blessed them with a patriarchal blessing. The Lord appeared in their midst, and he (Adam) blessed them all, and foretold what should befall them to the latest generation. This is why Adam blessed his posterity; he wanted to bring them into the presence of God.” (Source) (emphasis added)
Also note, all seven generations of patriarchs were in attendance at this meeting by which the Lord appeared in their midst.

I think the key is found in verse 9:
9 And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger.
He apparently saw more than the Lord's spirit body. Somehow he saw evidence of his physical body as well. Then consider verses 16 and 17:
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.
17 And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites.
Not completely sure what this all means but Moroni seems to be pretty adamant in letting us know that what the brother of Jared saw was not simply the Lord's spirit body.

In the verse in Ether, is "man" being used as terminology for the word "mankind?" 
 
ie. The Lord has not revealed himself to mankind in general. 
 
He doesn't say "any man" or even "a man," but rather uses the term "man." 

"We could go camping this summer," was Tom's tentative suggestion.
"We haven't nearly enough slates to cover the roof," said Tom, realising the project was futile.

There's a problem - the system allowed Pam to log in

When the wife of Boaz died, he became Ruth-less

And I charge $50 an hour for anyone who needs deprogramming after having belonged to gator's cool kids club

Not for much longer - there's a secret group of us working on changing that. This upgrade has helped to advance our plans.

There's a problem - the system allowed Pam to log in

There's a problem - the system allowed Pam to log in

Frightening.

You know I've been too many temples in my short time on this Earth, and I can honestly say I've never been offended in one. They are so peaceful, and full of the Holy Ghost I honestly did not think it was possible to be upset there. This is such a minor issue, I don't understand how you go from being offended by a sacred picture to calling the Bretheren to repentance. Don't try to steady the Ark @jewels8 it will only lead to unhappiness.

There's no harm in waiting, and there's a risk of harm in moving to early, so I recommend avoid the risk, wait a little longer, and continue to prayerfully read the Book of Mormon.

I hope they still eventually publish a Thomas S. Monson book to match the others on my shelf.

I had a friend who attended a big deal university and managed to work it into every conversation. She had two daughters both of whom she felt were real intellectuals, age 10 and 7. The 7 year old started to make airplanes in every color of the rainbow and mount these planes on bookcases and tables. The mother got excited and stated to discuss the mechanics of flight with the 7 year old. The little girl shut mom down immediately, 'No Mom. It's all about the colours'. The mom told me shamefaced that the girl wanted to into fashion design.