priesthoodpower

This gives me a greater perspective. Thanks for sharing.

Exactly, considering the current state of our nation it should be of no surprise what can happen in the months and years ahead. People that find urgency in this pastors vision are people that go through life with blinders on.

November is the end of the world folks! LOL!

How would you reply if a stalwart, straight as an arrow family member of yours who was a former bishop and now resides in the stake presidency texted you this. "We believe that non-members can receive visions too, so, not to scare you but to be better prepared, we as members always knew this was coming but I just didnt know so soon!" https://youtu.be/6TdpMSMP9x4

The older I get the more frustrated I become that life is not as simple or as perfect as I thought it would be. Im talking about the many ex-members that leave with out voicing their reasons causing us as a church to not have real solutions to address those problems which in most cases are preventable/fixable. It really hit close to home when 4yrs ago my ex-wife left the church and convinced the kids that they should leave too. I saw it all play out and can say that barriers were put up and all three parties are to blame (my ex, the church and church members). All three are suffering right now. The answer is forgiveness and repentance but how do we bring down those barriers? I believe it will take a shift in LDS culture. I actually agree with everything gospel related that LDS members (including you Carb) post in here. In debating Im learning. Im not going to apologize for sounding frustrated because I am but please understand that im not directing anything toward you individually, im usually always thinking about the three parties when Im typing (ex-members, the church and church members).

I don't quote one person, although the one person likes to quote me a lot. My apologies for occupying space in his mind. Dude must not sleep well at night.

My reading comprehension is low. I can read something but I cant tell you what I read just minutes after reading it. Im in the book of Alma right now and that's about all I can tell you about Alma. One chapter a day since Jan 2020. Whether you are good at reading or not, the blessings of opening the book daily has been a comfort and guidance in my life.

If I was a deceased spirit in paradise and waited centuries for my work on earth to be done, I would not be picky about who did the work for me, it would matter not one bit if the person dosed off in the session, if the person was overweight, happy, sad, single, an ex-convict, a politician etc....All that matters was that the work was done by an imperfect yet worthy human being. Unless you are the one issuing out the blessings I think you shouldn't say who gets the "true" blessings. This suggests that some people are better then others when everyone is at different levels and trying their best. My guess is that Gods ways are not our ways. Have you heard of LDS members who said they prayed hard and fasted hard for years with out ever receiving answers or even feeling the spirit? What should we say to these people? "you are not worshipping good enough!" I am a lucky one that received a miraculous blessing after only my 3rd temple visit before going on my mission at 19yrs old. I was hardly a focused kid at the time and would be described as someone that was just "going through a session". From a personal development and spiritual stand point. I agree, someone that is more engaged and eagerly seeking guidance will benefit more.

Here is the one sentence from his talk that may suggest what you might have interpreted as Next level temple worshipping... There is a difference between church-attending, tithe-paying members who occasionally rush into the temple to go through a session and those members who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple.” That statement is fine in and of itself and we can agree that not only in religion but life in general, the more we take things serious the more growth happens, but this is hardly next level, if anything it is standard level. He also only says that there is a difference in the people and not that one type is more worthy of blessings then the other. That is not true and Elder Bednar never said anything like it. He said there is a difference in the people but you are saying there is a difference in worship, as if you either do it or not. This is very important to point out because I do not know one person that has gone to the temple to "not" worship. Let me suggest that I do not know of 1, not 1 person in my lifetime that said "lets go to the temple to swim in the font and practice our backstroke", "its my daughters prom night, lets go to the temple to dress because they have big mirrors". You are making a false assumption that by being tired (going in and out of conscious) while going through a session, is not "actual" worship. By being overly consumed with work/family problems that occasionally distract from the session movie is not "actual" worship. Both of these examples are the result of someone that decided that he needed to go to the temple to worship and it just so happened on that day that he was feeling that way. Maybe next month his state of mind is different, we should not discourage anyone from attending the temple by making them feel that they aint worshipping properly and they aint going to receive true blessings. Elder Bednar said there is a difference in the people with those different habits but never anything about one being better then the other. In fact later he says ...our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and the blessing of protection promised to those who honorably hold a name and standing in the holy temple. Significantly, these covenant blessings are to all generations and for all eternity. I would believe that 100% of temple goers are "willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ" and "honorably hold a name and standing in the holy temple". Why do you think we attend multiple times for the rest of our lives doing the same exact ordinance and procedure? Maybe it takes a lifetime to grow into and understand those covenants? but I am absolutely 100% sure that everyone who has done their endowment regardless of being half attentive or partly unaware of what happened did enter into the covenant and what was sealed on earth was sealed in heaven. Once again you assume that one goes to the temple to "not" make covenants and to "not" worship. Someone that does not want to do those things does not go to the temple. Everyone that does attend the temple, it is their intention to covenant and worship, regardless how their session ends up going. Sleeping does happen. Occasionally I hear someone lightly snoring. If the covenants were void upon sleeping the temple workers would have been instructed to wake people up, and that would require some of the temple workers to wake up themselves.

Keep in mind that the simple act of starting and completing a temple session has enabled one soul on the other side eternal blessings and opportunities, regardless if you were half conscious or thinking about your work schedule the next day. Its amazing to think that we have unlocked the powers of heaven to bless others as well as ourselves. Being a worthy proxy is all that it require....oh, yeah, and a temple in operation.

Well if Queolby is a troll posting under a fake identity (his avatar picture) then shame on him/her and may the negative energy that is circulating in his/her brain not cause further mental illness and stress. My theory. First of all let me state that I have never ever in my life EVER lost sleep at night thinking about this issue (I am a mixed race, lifelong Mormon). Its a non issue to me because its pretty simple to understand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ require a person to act a certain way and not look a certain way. If I were to guess though, I would say that Lehi and his family were light skinned followers of Christ. When they arrived in the Americas there were already civilizations of people living here who were dark skinned. The dark skinned natives did not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ and worshipped idols and had traditions that were in alignment with influences from satan. To not be in alignment with Gods ways is to be cursed, or cut off from God. These dark skinned natives were "cursed" or cut off from God. For God to curse Laman and Lemuals posterity with dark skin could have simply meant that Laman and lemual, through their disobedience, left the group and righteous beliefs of their light skinned brothers (the Nephites) and started to mix with the dark skinned natives, this would explain the literal changing of skin color from light to dark. Why would dark skin be a curse? Because mixing with the dark skinned natives also meant that Laman and Lemual adopted the natives unrighteous beliefs and therefore became cursed. This mixing of civilizations also explains why populations in the BkofM grew so rapidly.

I have a co-worker that is a few years younger then me (late 30's). I walked by his office one day and saw he was on the local newspaper website. I asked him "oh, I didn't know you have a paid subscription to the newspaper!", he replied "I don't, I just glance at all the article headings!" This generation even more so is dealing with information overload and the way we teach our youth needs to adapt. Don't bash me for saying this but I get all my church history information from the Saints Unscripted you tube channel. Its short sweet and entertaining.

I agree that rap, hiphop and popular music is filled with evil lyrics but its not trash. The young church leaders, bishops/Stake presidents of today grew up in the 80's and 90's with this music so its not that they are avoiding slamming it because it would be racists, they avoid slamming it because its harmless and didn't turn them into evil people. I was a Disc Jockey in high school in the 90s when gangster rap became famous, we played all the "clean" (bleeped out) versions at our school and church dances. Its the catchy beats, hooks and melodies that are attractive. The words are "mature" but as an innocent youth the words had no affect on my mindset or lifestyle. When I returned from my mission I grew out of that music, in fact now that im in my 40's and when I hear a song from the 90's come on the radio and pay attention to the words, I laugh to myself and say "Damn! I didn't know those lyrics were so offensive!" My teenage kids are into all sorts of music genres, all of which are 10 times more offensive then my 90s music and I have no problem with it because their true values and identity are created and nurtured in my home and not on youtube. "Evils of the day" can be a relative and even cultural term. In fact, I would say right now that soda pop is an evil of the day, why? because so many people I know have health problems due to a bad diet and soda pop is a major part of it...yet soda pop is sold on BYU campus.

Parents should teach their kids self-discipline and respect for others property.

I suppose by "properly" you mean teaching them ALL the truth? and not just half truths or just the "good stuff"? Im talking American history and church history. As far as church history we were only taught what was in the manuals, which was only the good stuff. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were practically Gods next to Jesus. Its no wonder that many are outraged when they find out the "other" stuff written in the many journals. Me personally, I have no problem in separating a mans achievements from their personal life. Ones achievements are the talents that God has blessed them with to do the great thing that they did. Not many individuals could have led a group of people across the country to settle in a foreign land as B.Y. did. My ex wife on the other hand left the church and hates J.S. and B.Y. with a passion. I don't know, is it mostly men that are more understanding and tolerable of the faults of other men?

admin please delete. Lost my entire post somehow.

The downsides are inevitable but also neccesary. Also, if it werent for people that are obsessed with their craft then we wouldnt have their discoveries and advancement. A man that isolates and lives alone in the wilderness for 50yrs would seem to be a sinner in our gospel, but what if science studies him and finds that he developed some miracle physical or mental attribute that cures a modern disease. I get what ur saying though.

The downsides are inevitable but also neccesary. Also, if it werent for people that are obsessed with their craft then we wouldnt have their discoveries and advancement. A man that isolates and lives alone in the wilderness for 50yrs would seem to be a sinner in our gospel, but what if science studies him and finds that he developed some miracle physical or mental attribute that cures a modern disease. I get what ur saying though.

God is God because he is the crrator of science. Jesus did not walk on water because he is a magician, he did it because he can control the elements. How are we supposed to get to that level without the progress of science and technology? The social aspects of our modern day advancement seem to be suffering....or is it just different?

Taking a stab in the dark... Was there no mental illness/depression back in bkofmormon days and Jesus days? if not then I feel its the modern food diet that causes it. Sugar, carbs and all this unhealthy chemicals that our bodys were not meant to have.

Is this a good comparison? I feel there is no moderation or fine line in Fornication, you either do it or not and it is breaking a commandment. What is gambling? We all have countless stories of people that "take a chance" or "gamble" when starting a business or buying a home etc.. We can call it investment opportunities but for the most part its a gamble. "Get rich quick" Multi-level marketing companies have swept through Mormon communities hard in the 80s and 90s and still to this day doing more harm then good. If we determine that gambling in moderation is when you gain/lose money slowly over time (starting a business) and gambling in excess is when you gain/lose money fast (bingo game) then everyone gambles in moderation.

You seem to be a mirror of myself and Im in my mid 40s too, except I don't have anxiety or depression. Many struggle in the social culture of religions and its not just LDS, its all religions. From the stories I hear about other religions I think LDS culture problems are mild. You are the captain of your ship, not the bishop, not your dad or sons. I think you have heard the phrase "Many paths to the top of the mountain". Usually we hear it as a reference to the many religions and how they all lead to God. I like to take that same phrase and apply it to the gospel as we know of it in the LDS church. We are all on the same journey but some will go the scenic route, others the steepest straightest route and some take the slow curvy route. Apply this to my life and It means that my route to the top included many of the same things you experienced, like a mission and temple marriage, I had a divorce 3 yrs ago and all the struggles that that brings. I Also struggle with church attendance due to work and social anxiety. However, I still have my eyes on the top of the mountain and that's all that matters. I have learned to not care about where others are in their journey because its none of my business. Others may be higher up on the mountain than you but don't think that they are better or more fit then you, just think of them as great examples of what is possible. My own teenage kids have their own path and I think it involves a lot of stops and an eventual helicopter lift at the end from our savior, lol. Just work on your own personal relationship with Jesus and God, everything else will fall into place.

Read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover, one chapter a day, nothing more, nothing less. I promise you, you will be a different person by the time you get to the end. Better yet, read it aloud with your wife since she is blind. The last time I read it from cover to cover was...well, never, and Im a lifelong 44yr old member. I started this past January, missed a few days here and there. I have the worst reading comprehension and ADHD so half the time my eyes are reading the words but my mind is somewhere else, I cant even recall what I read the next day other then the lamanites and nephites and zoramites and whoever else-amites….Just have faith that you are holding a special book in your hands, open the book and the spirit will work with you, even if somedays (or most days in my case) you feel like you are just going through the motions, that's okay God sees you putting forth effort and he will eventually let you know that you are not just holding a special book but you are holding the actual words of Gods people who existed 2,000+ yrs ago. I am in the middle of the book and have had 3 spiritual answers come to me that I wasn't expecting because God saw me trying so he blessed me. For example. When I first started reading the book my mind kept thinking..."man, Joseph Smith has a crazy imagination to be writing these storys....man, Jospesh Smith repeats a lot of the same words in each verse...man, science today cannot prove nor disprove this book so Joseph must have done something right". It wasn't till this week as I got into the book of Alma that Joseph Smith has taken a back seat, God opened my mind and has given me the perspective of Mormon, the Prophet who transcribed the actual plates 1,800 ish yrs ago?. I feel as if Mormon is talking to me directly through the spirit. So if this is Gods way of telling me that Mormon compiled these storys from ancient plates, well then, Joseph must have really had the plates, and Joseph must have really restored the true church and the LDS church is true. I wasn't even seeking for that answer but it came and its probably what I really need to know at this point in time of my life. You are already blessed Gomezaddams51, by coming to this forum and seeking advice, God sees you putting forth effort and will reward you.

The homeless are. No address, credit, income or assets? courts cant fine you and jails don't want you so the police tend to ignore minor infractions.

If you want to and your intent is to remain worthy then yes, you can live on a boat traveling the world and be in good standing. The Lord understands and any bishop would agree. In the pre existence we were not all called upon to come to this earth and be robots. The world, and yes even Gods plan of salvation advances off the backs of individuals who are trailblazers in all the fields of science, medicine, exploration, religion etc... That is what the whole Joseph Smith story is about, seeking what is within you, following the impressions of God that is within you. Whos to say that after 10yrs on a boat medical science learns something about these peoples bodys because of their diet and lifestyle that becomes a cure for some disease? that might be a bad example but you get the point. Some peoples mission in this life is greater than what might be a typical and somewhat restricting religious lifestyle.