laronius

You make a really good point. Far too many, including myself at times, are content to just ignore the evil that surrounds us so long as it doesn't directly impact us "too much." The problem though is that is simply the calm before the storm of persecution.

Okay, I'll bite: An inexperienced 16 year old accidentally drives through a red light and kills someone and gets charged with manslaughter. Though I imagine you probably had purposeful crimes in mind.

I think these words from Paul bring some insight. 1 Cor. 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. I could be wrong but I don't think actually attaching a structure to a foundation was common back then. Rather, a building meant to last was usually constructed of stone, the weight of which would keep it in place assuming the foundation could bear it. So if we are starting with a sure foundation it's the quality of the structure itself that will determine whether it stays put. And because we are talking of spiritual things, it's not so much the building itself that matters but what takes place inside. Temples are built to create holy space and what takes place in that space endures. Likewise, whatever structure we build, it's what happens inside that will endure into the eternities.

I think there is interest among members of our church in seeing how our beliefs are viewed by other Christians. I think we often view ourselves as being misunderstood and if only people could see what we really believe they will think differently about us and see we really are Christian. And when these individuals say complementary things about our church that's just proof that our feelings are justified. And everyone likes to be complimented, right? But as to why it's showing up in your feed is entirely algorithm based. I've watched a few of these types of videos and now they keep showing up.

Mosiah 29:26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people. 27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. Do you think this means a simple majority choosing iniquity is the deciding factor for God's judgement to be poured out? And what qualifies as "choosing iniquity"? In the political arena it can be difficult to differentiate between what is evil vs just bad policy. Some of the moral issues I think are more clear but I wouldn't necessarily label someone as evil just on those. Many supporters of these policies are otherwise decent people who do care about others. In the Book of Mormon destruction usually follows internal disruption, often when a threat against personal liberties is carried out. When evil people get power that almost always happens eventually. So maybe that's the tipping point?

I actually agree with your first point. Though I admit that this is mainly because Pres Nelson said the development of these vaccines was an answer to prayer. So yes, vaccines are good. I don't agree with all of your second point. I do agree that we as Americans do have a superiority complex. Some of it I think is actually true because of the origins of our nation but we are definitely in decline. But concerning this specific issue I don't think it's fair to blame conservatives. It was liberal politicians that pushed stricter measures. The general public, both liberal and conservative, were glad to move with life. Otherwise half the population would still be wearing masks. For your third point keeping companies honest is ALWAYS a good thing. We cannot be free if we don't have truth. Many good things, like vaccines, have potential negative side effects. That's just life. But people must be able to make informed decisions. Concerning your fourth point, the LDS Church does not lean left or right, it is politically neutral. But it's very clear that it's values are far closer to conservative principles and values than liberalism. If it's members feel otherwise that's their problem not the Church's.

Joseph Smith: "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves..." I think the problem started with the Nicene Creed which attempted to make God incomprehensible. It has only gotten worse over time.

I still can't understand how Lucifer and all of his followers thought they actually had a chance at winning the war in heaven. So clearly there are things about the state of our premortal existence we just don't know. But I do think the law of opposition, in order to foster agency, was alive and well over there all throughout our journey from intelligences to spirit beings. So I guess it's possible that there were others who had previously rebelled. But that goes back to my first point. Satan mentor: "Hey Lucifer, if you rebel against God there is great honor within your grasp. I can show you how" Lucifer: "But you failed in your rebellion and so did ever other Satan in eternity." Satan mentor: "Urrr, ummm, nevermind that. I'm sure you'll be different." Lucifer: "Okay, sounds good."

While there is much riding on this mortal existence we did not come into this world with a blank slate. Blank from sin, yes, but not blank in who we are. Who we are has been molded over the course of, perhaps, eons before we came here. Our Heavenly Father, who is omniscient, knows us better than we know ourselves and he already knew, before we were born, what we needed to experience in order to maximize our individual willingness to change and progress. Whether long or short this life is sufficient to bring about the Lord's purposes in our eternal advancement. You keep referring to the principle of fairness and seem to define it as an equal amount of time in mortality. But conditions vary so much on earth in time period, location and family circumstances that I don't know how we could use length of life as a measure of fairness. For example, which is more fair, living to be 15 in an LDS family in modern Utah or to be 100 in ancient Sodom? I have had thoughts that are similar to yours, such as how can the guy I know get killed by an IED in Afghanistan one month after his first child is born? How is it possible that his time on earth was considered sufficient while others live to an old age? Yes, he had accepted the gospel but there is so much to learn still. But at the end of the day God does not fill us in on those details. Rather, he says "I love my children and based on my omniscience and the great mercy made available through the atonement of my Son I will do all within my power to save them to the fullest extent possible" and that's just something we have to exercise our faith in. I think we all will feel that the final outcome for each of us will be far more than fair.

I have thought about this very thing so I offer a couple thoughts I've had. First of all, it may very well be tied to the principle of faith. In the next life that veil we currently have over our eyes is removed and as a result much of the faith we must act under here is removed. I think that may be a factor. But I think a bigger factor simply comes down to the amount of law we want to submit to. It's not just about where we want to end up but also which laws we want to obey. Most everyone would say they'd like to be rich. But how many are actually willing to do what it usually takes to become so? It's the same here. I don't think anyone will be barred from the celestial kingdom that is willing to live a celestial law. And as a rule how a person lives in this life, with whatever amount of truth they possess, will be a pretty good indicator of what people really want. But I also think that there are those who take a little longer to figure things out, like Alma the younger and the Lord makes sure that all such individuals will have that opportunity. God WANTS to save everyone to the fullest extent they are willing to receive and will provide sufficient opportunity to each individual according to His perfect knowledge of us. That is something we can have complete faith in.

2020 was just a crazy year because of COVID. Nothing was normal so it's hard to know what really happened. I think in a normal year Biden would not have been elected. But with people largely stuck in their homes for 6 months leading up to the election and many watching the mainstream media around the clock it's hard to know what exactly people were thinking. On the one hand I would not be surprised if election fraud changed the outcome. But on the other my opinion of the general public is such nowadays that it wouldn't surprise me if anyone got elected in a fair election. Though I will say that while prophecy does not specifically address the presidential election I think it's obvious where things are headed and so I try to not get too aggravated by it all.

I think there are some definite similarities between the Americas as a promised land and the lands of Israel but there are differences too. Namely, the Americas as a land of promise seems to be transferable to whomever the Lord wants where as the lands of Israel have never been given to anyone but them though they may not have always retained possession of it.

I think you make a good point. Apostasy has led the Jews to be stripped of their inheritance on multiple occasions. Abraham 6:6 But I, Abraham, and Lot, my brother’s son, prayed unto the Lord, and the Lord appeared unto me, and said unto me: Arise, and take Lot with thee; for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice. I think the current conflict is in fact a result of their disobedience long, long ago which allowed other people to take possession of the land. But it is still the land of their inheritance and the place they are prophetically expected to gather to. So we can label that situation however we want to but there are definite promises made to the House of Israel concerning that land that have not been made to other peoples.

I have absolutely no problem with the existence of a species that falls somewhere between man and primate. Considering the differing levels of "intelligence" found all along the spectrum it would even make sense. Though the when and circumstances of their existence is a little more fuzzy. But if they were not sons and daughters of God I'm not sure they could mate with man. That would pose a problem with their premortal identity I would think.

Well the wife of your youth hit the nail on it's head. If I were honest I might feel some unfairness if in her shoes. Like, Really??? I've also been known to use humor to cover up said situations. But this isn't the first time she has expressed an entitlement mentality and a rather high view of herself.

The problem is not the last 5% but the first 1%. The moment you no longer feel you have a choice you are being acted upon. 2 Nephi 2 states that opposition (competing choices) are not only necessary for God's plan but necessary for existence, period. Without choice we are not. I guess you just have to choose between God's wisdom and man's wisdom.

Whenever we speak of scientific facts we are really just speaking about observations that SO FAR appear consistent. This doesn't mean science is just guess work. Scientists probably get a great many things right. If that were not so God would not have told us to gain a knowledge of these things. But what it does mean is that every scientific fact, unless revealed by God, is restricted to man's experience and comprehension. Jesus did not seem to be bound by certain scientific laws during his mortal ministry. So whenever you encounter science that seems convincing, respect the science but leave room for God. Having said that, concerning the argument that is being made concerning determinism, the author points out that our prefrontal cortex is shaped, while we are young, by an environment that we generally don't have much control over and as such our decision making is controlled by factors outside of our own choosing. While it's true that our physical bodies and our upbringing can have great influence upon us, the fact remains that we are surrounded by evidence/people who turn out completely different from what their environment would seem to dictate. People with good backgrounds going bad and vice versa. Siblings growing up in the same environment but turning out totally different from one another. The author's argument, while sounding logical, does not in any way reflect reality. That's why it is so hard to believe because everything in life, whether we can explain it or not, says it simply is not true.

I think the doctrine is pretty clear in this matter: if we are worthy of a blessing and willing to receive it, but for some reason denied it, then we will receive it in the next life. This includes blessings we have lost somewhere along the way but now want to recover. Remain worthy and willing and trust in God's love for you.

If they didn't make a Twilight Zone episode about this they missed a great opportunity.

I don't think he has to be subtle about it. Our doctrine is very clear that those lands were given to Israel by God. It doesn't matter who else may have resided there in the past, that's Israel's land. God says so. Though I guess it might not be taken right if he were to express support for any type of conflict, even if it is justified. But it is interesting to see him focusing on these scriptures. Makes you wonder what his prophetic eye sees in these events as it pertains to the future.

I think you are misunderstanding what I was saying. I wasn't contrasting moral vs immoral. I was contrasting strictly moral vs those rights which are generally also moral but additionally are secured in the US Constitution. The difference being that those secured by the US Constitution are supposed to be set in stone whereas those that aren't will change with time based on society. Also, I wasn't saying that an unborn child is not a person. I generally believe them to be so. Likewise I also have a testimony of the Church so if the Church says abortion is not murder then that's what I believe. My point was that those two beliefs seem kind of contradictory in nature: saying it's a person (from a Constitutional rights perspective) and yet killing this person is not murder (from an LDS doctrine perspective). This doesn't stop me from believing both, it just makes me wonder how we would explain it to someone.

One thing I've thought about recently concerning this subject has to do with the argument we make as members of the Church vs citizens of the US. In the Church we say that abortion is a serious moral transgression/sin but not on the same level as murder. On a civil level we generally make 2 cases for being against abortion. The first is that it is morally wrong but that argument doesn't carry much weight in debates because we shouldn't "push our morality" on to others and moral does not necessarily translate to legal. So the other argument that we usually make is that an unborn child is a person and therefore has rights. But as members of the Church can we justly on one hand say an unborn child is a person with rights and on the other hand say it's not murder? That seems a bit disingenuous to me, at least in my current way of viewing it. The moral/sanctity of life argument is enough for me to be anti-abortion, but like I said you don't get very far in a debate with that as your leading argument.

On the Church's website this is what it says: "In the Church, an ordinance is a sacred, formal act or ceremony performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation. They include baptism, confirmation, ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men), the temple endowment, and the marriage sealing. With each of these ordinances, we enter into solemn covenants with the Lord. Other ordinances, such as naming and blessing children, consecrating oil, and administering to the sick and afflicted, are also performed by priesthood authority. While they are not essential to our salvation, they are important for our comfort, guidance, and encouragement." The definition of ordinance as "a sacred, formal act or ceremony performed by the authority of the priesthood" is general enough to take in a lot of stuff (for lack of a better word). If the Lord were to appear to someone and pronounce their calling and election is made sure I could see how that could be termed an ordinance, in and of itself. But I think it falls under the not-exaltation-essential category, at least in this life. And if it's not an essential ordinance in this life it must be, in my opinion, separate from the fulfillment of the sealing ordinance which is an essential ordinance. Either way I agree with the OP's main point, as I read it, that it's not something a person needs to fret over.

I am reminded of the book Heaven is For Real that was really popular some years back and later made into a movie. The ending of that literally made me laugh out loud. This boy has a near death experience that "proved" the existence of heaven. The problem was that what we purportedly saw completely clashed with his family's religious beliefs of what heaven is like. So they had to come of with a reason for that, it was something like a childlike interpretation of heaven or something. But really what they were saying was that what he saw was not real but it proved that heaven is for real. That gave me a good laugh. Concerning your other point, I think there are some published accounts of so-called near-death experiences that are legitimate. Now whether God approved of the publication of these events I can't say but in general I would agree that at least in most cases they were given for personal benefit. And I do not accept as doctrine anything they reveal that has not already been revealed through official channels.

You need to focus on strengthening your testimony. I think a part of you either wants to serve a mission or at least feels like you know you should but your heart isn't in it like it is with working out. The key is not to somehow suppress your desire to work out but rather strengthen your desire for things of a spiritual nature. Make strengthening your spirit part of your daily routine along with gym time. I envy your passion with working out. I'd say I'm the opposite, getting myself to the gym feels like a chore. But I know I need that physical/spiritual balance in my life so I go. I have found though that if I go to the gym consistently my desire to go increases, especially when I see progress in myself. It's the same with things of the Spirit. At first it feels like a chore but with some consistency it soon becomes an important part of our day. Strive to find that balance in your life. There is a strength and power there that gym time alone can never produce. Then you can become like those paintings of the Nephites that are totally shredded, spiritually and physically. 😃