priesthoodpower

If judging you and calling you to repentance is going to turn you away from the church, distancing you even further from your eternal goals, then i will not do that. Im sure a close LDS friend or family member can give you that talk. I will say that maybe you should get married? People change all the time, mormons turn into atheists and atheists turn into mormons. If you both really love each other then start your life together and work toward those eternal goals, the Lord works in mysterious ways and the spirit can do miracles. My female cousin has been married for 19 years to a great guy. He has been the bishop of their ward for the past 4 years. In the past few weeks I have learned that they both committed adultery (not sure who did it first) but they are going through a divorce. People change and things happen. What may appear to be good turns out to be bad and what appears to be bad turns out good. We never know so just trust your heart and follow the promptings of the spirit.

MG, I agree about smoking, but Porn can lead to adultery/fornication which may also lead to pregnancy. I know many people who are the result of adultery and they are wonderful people. One of them, my nephew, was a huge blessing to our family back in the 90's. just saying. but yes I agree that sin is never good.

Its not her burden to bare, she needs to hand it over to Jesus, her husbands sins can be paid for by our Savior, and our Savior does not give us only one chance at repentence he offers it to us every day and every sunday through the sacrament. She should be rejoicing knowing that fact. I wouldnt tell her she has a problem rather I would say she has a new project. It might be years that her husband suffers from this addiction, it may never go away (hopefully it does and it can) but life is no fun if you are going to look at the glass half full. If she can learn to walk with him through this issue they can learn to get through it together, Our savior made it possible for this young couple to inherit the celestial kingdom even if it takes her husband 50 years to overcome his addictions. Christmas was last week so dont forget the whole reason we celebrate it, The birth of our Savior! On the LDS.org website they are running a campaign "The Savior was born so I can...." ..have hope ..have joy ..forgive others ..repent of my sins etc.. here is the video - Its a daily struggle and the Savior knew this, that is why we go to church weekly because we constantly need to repent and work toward our goals. Everyone is at different levels of spirituality so dont condemn her for habits that you dont have. Lets give this young mother hope and encourage her to look at her husband and even her marriage relationship through the eyes of our Savior. For the record I have been in her husbands shoes and continually battle with that same issue, it can be years that im clean and somehow someway I relapse. Pornography for me is a physical stimulant similar to why a pot user or drug addict takes that one hit, for a temporary high. It has nothing to do with my wifes looks or behavior. When she understood this she had more compassion and love for me in trying to understand my problem. Satan wants me to feel bad and give up on my eternal goals but it is because of the Savior that I can have hope through all the adversity. This is the message of hope that we need to be sharing with our brothers and sisters, yet for some reason in our LDS culture we focus more on the "doom-n-gloom", or, "you are not good enough."

For a 2hr movie it seemed to go by quick so I guess you could say I didn't fall asleep or was bored. Eight of my 14 yr old sunday school youth class members saw it and absolutely loved it.

my best of wishes for you zero, I am surprised no one said anything about the Lawyers making out the best on this divorce. They will force you guys to keep dragging this thing on while their pockets are getting fatter.

I was taught by my mission president that preparing your mind body and spirit a few days before attending a temple session was preferred. I kind of fail at that part but at the very least I feel good about being a proxy and completing the session physically for someone deceased who couldnt do it for themselves. As a matter of fact I always say a prayer in the waiting room just before we get ushered into the session, asking the Lord to bless the deceased to accept the ordinance. I find great comfort in knowing that whomever the deceased person is that I am performing the work for would be very grateful for my efforts - whether they accept it or not I imagine making a new eternal friend and possibly a new guardian angel to watch over me while I live on this earth. As far as the session goes, I fall asleep for about 50% of the presentation. The times that I attended temples in Utah no one really falls asleep but the Further you get outside of Utah (more specifically outside of the continental US) I notice more people with their heads down and eyes closed. I remember in Japan the temple workers facilitating the session sleeping. :) ...different places. different cultures. One true church. :)

MLM companys are ideal in Mormon communities because of the potential to sell to many "friend" members in the ward, its a simple numbers game. Definitely works for the people on the top because of the pyramid system. My older cousin graduated from college and was the first person in our region to join a phone card MLM (back in 1999). One day while I was driving with him to the gym he made a stop at the bank to deposit a check written for $12,600, he leaned over to show it to me and said..."you see all this money im making off all those suckers!!!!"

Becca you are wasting your time arguing with him, I been there done that. Any perspective other then his is wrong and he is not shy about trying to find fault in others opinions.

We always tend to hurt the ones closest to us. This is a common behavior within any group of people not just Mormons. For example domestic violence - Husbands/Fathers will beat their own wives and children but they wouldn't dare offend their neighbors or friends.

Lily I know what you are going through, in most wards it seems that our leaders are generational in that they serve in their callings for an X amount of years then the younger generation take over those calllings and so on and so forth. The old timers will sometimes feel like..."oh, I done my time to serve now its your turn MR. NEWEST COUNSELOR", and so Im wondering if your husband is feeling that pressure from the other leaders that are trying to delegate too much to him? maybe? In either case I honestly do not feel there is any loss of blessings should your husband ask to be released. It might be better since he probably doesnt want to be serving half-heartedly and under stress. I notice in some wards that there are adults that have learned the system and ways around it. For example the most common one is "oh, I work on Sundays", thats always the easiest way to avoid callings with out having to flat out deny a calling and get on the Bishops bad side. I do have to say though, the most admirable and respected members I know are the ones that are doing what your husband is doing, and doing it out of pure love and faith for the Church and its members. Right now there are several in our ward council (namely the RS president, Primary President, 2nd counselor bishopric) who are being pulled left and right in their callings but seem to enjoy the challenge. BUT, these 3 individuals are over the ages of 50 and their youngest kids no longer live at home. ...so, you can pray all you want but sometimes the Lord gives you answers right in front of your face and if the quality of your life is deteriorating then that might be your answer. I would see nothing wrong with your husbands decision to ask to be released.

It says that the "Mormons", which Im assuming the church leaders, "..chose Oaks to deliver the message." So it sounds like it was a collaborated message between peers which would be the quorum of the 12. Now there is no excuse for ALL members not to inherit these same sentiments of equality and respectfulness on this subject. Because a few years ago when all these samesex bills were up for vote, some of my local LDS leaders had that "us against them" stance.

Im with Beefche, be your authentic self forget what others think and play what your inner DJ tells you. It will bomb and they wont ask you again. :) or you can just do open requests the whole night and tell the kids to bring their phones, plug it in and play their playlists.

When I was a kid there was an older gentleman in my ward that had a speech impediment and spoke with a slur, years later he became the patriarch for our stake. When I turned 15 I went to get my patriarchal blessing. I did not go to this brother because my grandfather was also a patriarch, but in a different stake, so I got my blessing from my grandfather. A friend of mine in my stake got her patriarchal blessing from our stake patriarch (the one with a slur). My friend said that as the patriarch started the blessing his slur went away and he spoke clearly, after the blessing his slur came back. Speaking with tongue? LOL ps - its interesting though how this same friend told me that she knew the priesthood was true because of this experience. Yet 20 years later after serving a mission and marrying in the temple and raising a family of 3 kids she is now anti-mormon. Yes, she is my wife. Laman, Lemuel?

You could start your own small business which then becomes its own entity collecting all the revenue and then put yourself on payroll for $1 a year. There are many CEO's whose companys are worth billions but at the end of the year they only pay themselves $1 http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/032315/why-did-larry-page-pay-himself-salary-only-1-year-google.asp I guess if these CEO's were mormon they would only have to pay 10 cents tithing. Every thing else they own is liquid.

I admire your two cousins and they sound like very good people. Christianity is under attack big time and its funny how we as LDS are slowly becoming more accepted by our peers. Other churchs that mocked us as a cult are slowly viewing us as Christians as their congregations slowly give way to the world. We are already known worldwide as a church with strong Family values. I think it just a matter of time for the LDS church to be an umbrella for all christian churchs and all the good people like your cousins will find it easier to bring their goodness and merge it with ours. my two cents.

D&C 46 - 13 To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. 14 To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful. ...I fit into verse 13, I know that Jesus is our Savior and he lives. It has never been an option for me to have doubts when I have such a firm testimony. However without such a firm knowledge I can see how others have doubts and end up leaving organized religions in general.

Welcome, its a great community.

I find many learning points and perspectives in this thread also. Gotta love these forums!

curious, is this the churchs stance or your own opinion? I understand that the Lord does nothing except through his prophets. I also understand that a non-apostle revealing new doctrine publicly could make that person look like a wacko. but wouldnt the fruits of that new doctrine still add to the greater good of the church? and not oppose or go against it, so there is no harm.

You contradict yourself by saying that "we" as a church by revelation "dont know", yet you go on to say that Joseph Smith who by revelation may have known, and the possibility that individual members like myself whom by personal revelation may also know. So let me fix your original post for you... Ask me if God exists and I wont logically be able to convince someone that there is a God. Yet I know he exists. The original question "why do I have to be sealed?" simple: because it binds us as family in heaven the same way we are blood bound to our familys here on earth (D&C 128:8). imho On earth, if a married couple were to die in a car accident, a written will would determine which child or relative would inherent the family assets. No will? the assets go to the state. On earth, when little jimmy gets out of school he is comforted in knowing that he has a home, a bedroom, a bicycle, a loving mother and father that he can return to. In Heaven I would imagine the same, we will continue to gain in knowledge and gain kingdoms upon kingdoms that will allow sealed familys to share and pass on to each other and not simply exist just to talk to each other. My dream of my grand father proved to me, and me only, that the sealing that connects me to him allowed a sort of special treatment (if you will) of my grand father visiting me and giving me crucial advice about my eternal salvation. What a blessing it is to me that a relative love and care for me so much that he want to guide me. All possible because of the "required" sealing power of the priesthood that has loosened the bands of heaven to allow me that vision.

Vort, why is personal revelation not to be shared? There are heavenly truths in every country, in every religion and in every person. Just because our church does not make an official statement does not mean a truth does not exist nor does nobody have information on it. Information, and technology used to spread that information is key to the speedy advancement and growth of Gods one and only true church. It is also changing the way we communicate, learn and interact. Transparency is becoming more normal. As much as the critics can come on the internet and spread massive mis-information about our church, Im sure we can counter act and spread the true gospel and our own personal truths as we have experienced it. In fact didnt Elder Uchtdorf proclaim the following... “With the blessings of modern technology, we can express gratitude and joy about God’s great plan for His children in a way that can be heard . . . around the world. Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone’s life for eternity.” — President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Ensign, May 2011) I have certainly grown my testimony 2 fold in just one year by reading here in these forums, not because of an on-slaught of mormons saying "I KNOW IT IS TRUE!" ...followed by silence because the official stance is "we dont know" - but because of yalls personal experiences and opinions.

FP, please dont put us all in the same basket by saying "we dont know", you can say "you dont know" and leave it at that. I have never shared my experience with any of my family members as it is a personal experience to me, for me and only me. The reason I share anonymously on a forum is because you guys dont know me and cant judge/ridicule me face to face and I hope that by sharing my experiences can help others, no one has to believe me, but atleast know that there are believers like me out here in this world. Like I shared in my vision, my grandfather said "you know what to do", and what he was inferring (based on the look on his face and how I grew up living right next door to him) was that by me being born and raised in the LDS church where the fullness of the gospel exists, the blueprint is layed out right in front of me. I may not know all the details of Gods Mysteries but I do know what I must do while I am here on earth. So going back to the OP's question...why do I have to be sealed? ..I do know!

My own personal thoughts and revelation on this subject is similar to what others have already said. I believe that when we pass on and go to the other side our loved ones will be waiting with open arms to receive, mentor, watch over, guide, comfort and protect us. The true gospel ordinances we receive here on earth as well as our personal righteousness all play a part in the freedom and/or flexibilty to do things on the other side. For example it is understood by the LDS church that persons in the celestial kingdom can visit the lower kingdoms but persons in the lower kingdoms cant visit the higher kingdoms. Even within the same kingdoms there are limitations as to what someone can and cant do (IMHO). About 9 years ago I had a dream a week after my grandfather passed away. I was sitting in a big stadium like room along with hundreds of other people whom I got the impression were all related to my grandfather. My grandfather was the only one walking from table to table visiting with the people. I was anxious and waiting for him to come to my table, when he came to me I saw his face and heard his voice as he gave me this advice..."you know what to do!" I have no doupt that my grandfather left this earth as celestial kingdom material and through the power of the priesthood has the ability to do what he was doing in my dream...reaching out to guide his posterity. It was obvious in my dream that the people sitting at the tables were limited. I believe that this vision would not have happened had it not been induced by the power of the priesthood that my grandfather is able to use. ...and its funny how my perspective fits perfectly with the "ask gramps" article posted vy just-a-guy, here is an exerpt from that article . . . parents who honor temple covenants are in a position to exert great spiritual influence over time on their children. Faithful members of the Church can find comfort in knowing that they can lay claim to the promises of divine guidance and power, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and the privileges of the priesthood, in their efforts to help family members receive the blessings of salvation and exaltation.

So you are that guy huh! lol jk As me and my wife meet new friend couples my wife and the other male would greet with a kiss on the cheek. I hate doing that so I just shake the females hand or just wave a hi sign. every other time we run into those same couples sure enough the male would come and kiss my wife and I continue to just wave hi to his female companion, I always wondered if the male felt awkward that he was kissing my wife but I wasnt kissing his. hint hint!! lol disclaimer: The friendly peck on the cheek seems harmless but I have heard from various women including my wife that every once in a while as the male would come in for the kiss that he would come too close and rub his chest on the womans chest or his crotch on her leg type of a thing. Usually when that happens its not by accident. So that is why I try my best to avoid kissing other women and get irritated when a male does it to my wife. Relatives and elderly women are the exception for me and I always greet and depart them with a kiss, making sure my body parts stay far from them and only my cheek making contact.

Our organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder day Saints is a way of life. Its not a once a week feel good gathering. We address and support each other in all aspects of human growth and development from a spiritual perspective as it relates to the gospel taught by Jesus Christ and as it continues to be revealed by our modern day prophets As humans were are left here on earth to figure out and solve societal/religious issues by ourselves, all the answers are not written out in the Bible taught by Christ. That Stake conference meeting was an opportunity for the SP to address problems in the stake as it concerns the members and leaders of that stake. I also believe that we are responsible for our own gospel learning, are you reading the scriptures every day? You dont need a stake conference meeting to remind you about Jesus christ teachings. To be quite honest, I am a terrible reader, I often find myself youtubing random pastors and listening to their sermons as my way of learning the bible teachings.