laronius

A good communications director knows how to keep personal opinion out of how they represent their employer. Time will tell if he is good at his job. It sounds like he works pretty close to the brethren. If there were multiple levels of separation, personnel speaking, between he and them I would be more concerned. But regardless I doubt this was an uninspired decision so I'm not worried.

A thought I had while reading your post is how, from the beginning, the Lord has involved in His kingdom those who would ultimately fall away if not completely turn against His Church. Whether it's Lucifer, Judas or many of the early brethren who disaffected the Lord does not seem to fear disloyalty. And I think this aspect of building the kingdom is only going to get magnified with time. He will strengthen and use their talents until they decide on whose side they are really on. And I think we may be surprised by which side some choose both bad and good. But what we do know is that all things will be made to work to accomplish the Lord's purposes. That may make it a bit uncomfortable for us but there is purpose to that too.

A thought I had while reading your post is how, from the beginning, the Lord has involved in His kingdom those who would ultimately fall away if not completely turn against His Church. Whether it's Lucifer, Judas or many of the early brethren who disaffected the Lord does not seem to fear disloyalty. And I think this aspect of building the kingdom is only going to get magnified with time. He will strengthen and use their talents until they decide on whose side they are really on. And I think we may be surprised by which side some choose both bad and good. But what we do know is that all things will be made to work to accomplish the Lord's purposes. That may make it a bit uncomfortable for us but there is purpose to that too.

Having been alive for possibly eons of time before coming to earth I don't think people just suddenly change when coming to earth. So if a person is perdition here those seeds were likely planted long before now. When God presented his plan to His children it was for all of them, not just those who met some righteousness threshold. Even Lucifer was invited to be born into mortality but he and others rejected it. I have no problem believing that there were others who were just as bad but decided it was better to be born than not.

A good communications director knows how to keep personal opinion out of how they represent their employer. Time will tell if he is good at his job. It sounds like he works pretty close to the brethren. If there were multiple levels of separation, personnel speaking, between he and them I would be more concerned. But regardless I doubt this was an uninspired decision so I'm not worried.

A good communications director knows how to keep personal opinion out of how they represent their employer. Time will tell if he is good at his job. It sounds like he works pretty close to the brethren. If there were multiple levels of separation, personnel speaking, between he and them I would be more concerned. But regardless I doubt this was an uninspired decision so I'm not worried.

A good communications director knows how to keep personal opinion out of how they represent their employer. Time will tell if he is good at his job. It sounds like he works pretty close to the brethren. If there were multiple levels of separation, personnel speaking, between he and them I would be more concerned. But regardless I doubt this was an uninspired decision so I'm not worried.

Having been alive for possibly eons of time before coming to earth I don't think people just suddenly change when coming to earth. So if a person is perdition here those seeds were likely planted long before now. When God presented his plan to His children it was for all of them, not just those who met some righteousness threshold. Even Lucifer was invited to be born into mortality but he and others rejected it. I have no problem believing that there were others who were just as bad but decided it was better to be born than not.

I really like the scripture verse you quoted from regarding "sphere" of truth. I think that is the best way to describe truth.
First, I find it humorous when anti-_____ try to use statements from previous leaders in order to prove contradictions within the Church and a specific principle. Second, we also know that every apostle and prophet were men and were given the intelligence (just like us) to think upon and try to discover truth. I personally love how open they were able to speak. How open they were able to share their ideas that they felt were true. This is unlike today, where our apostles and prophets are very conscientious of what they say due to anti-____. We have so many people now who are looking for anything and everything to make an attack -- to make an offender for a word/phrase.
The whole concept of "eternity" (neither created nor made) and eternal progression (the capabilities of our next life) are as you have shared at the end, "All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it."
There are three concepts that appear to contradict in these quotes (at least in the context provided):
1. We are all going to continue learning
2. The Gods had all knowledge and would not need to continue to learn and progress.
3. The sons of perdition will dissolve back and lose their identity
The teachings from #1 and #2 seem to contradict at face value; however, we already know that when we die we will continue to progress and learn into the eternities. This though does not mean those who are already Gods (i.e. God the Father and Jesus Christ). I doubt when I die that I will have come to the same knowledge God the Father already has. I think I will be learning well into the eternities. This seems to give evidence for #1.
God the Father gives evidence for #2, and Joseph Smith quoted by Joseph Fielding Smith would be evidence to how God progresses (and potentially how we will progress also at some point). Or we will progress both ways at the same time.
Number 3, is the only one that is new to me. I have never read this before regarding the sons of perdition. Always some new principle in the Journal of Discourses that makes you go "Hmmmmm". LOL
What I wish I could do is have a good one-on-one with these previous leaders and asking them more in depth questions so they could expound on these teachings. I would love to pick their brains further, because I know I have thoughts as to how and what I currently perceive to be true or potentially true. I just wish I could hear more of these type of thoughts from our current apostles and prophets, but unfortunately, we live in another day and time where anti-____ are looking for anything they can -- even when they say its their opinion -- the monkeys come out on that "shista" real quick and start flinging.
As you, I don't see any contradictions. I would love more context to the quotes as stated in the previous paragraph.

I don't know how to respond to Brigham Young's assertion that immortal beings continue to learn.  in Lectures on Faith, it is well argued that if we didn't have assurance of God's omniscience and omnipotence, we couldn't have faith it God's ability to save or exalt us - after all, if He doesn't know all and have all power, how does He know that he can exalt us - for all He knows, there is something that will stop him, or someone more powerful that will interfere.
Of course, one can argue that God's omniscience and omnipotence are both within his sphere, and that he may well be increasing in knowledge and power by advancing to higher spheres:
Revelation 2:17
D&C 130:10-11
This white stone (the phrasing may make it seem like there are two, but I think the combination of both references clarifies that it's one) will reveal to those in the celestial kingdom "things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms" - What!?  Yep, that's saying there are kingdoms higher than the celestial - at least, I don't know what else it could be saying.  Now, I think it's worth noting that only those in the celestial kingdom receive this.  Therefore, I don't believe it can be argued that those in the terrestrial or telestial may also advance.  Indeed, every indication is that they cannot.  What's more, there's every indication that only those in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom have any chance at advancing, if anyone does.
So then we go back to the quote from the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith - about the Savior working out his kingdom and giving it to the Father.  Perhaps this constitutes the Father moving into a higher order of kingdom.  That would correspond to only those in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom advancing - since only they have increase / continuation of the seeds.  Eventually, the "round" will repeat, and the exalted will present their kingdoms to the Savior, etc. etc.
This leaves the lower levels of the celestial kingdom, and the terrestrial and telestial kingdoms stagnant while one of your quotes has those in outer darkness devolving back into raw material and loss of identity (difficult to reconcile with the teaching that resurrection is a permanent, unchangeable state; also something that I think would be dangerous to preach in our day and age when depression and despair are prevalent enough that those in such states might find a sort of hope in the idea of an eternal cessation of consciousness and therefore act to "obtain" said cessation).

Perhaps a piece on where have all the Easter dresses gone. Society has become very casual and even sloppy in it's attire. 

I agree with Vort’s understanding. Most scriptural references of angelic visitations are to the prophets or leaders, which in my mind would be a Priesthood assignment.
 
However, when I read many of my family history events, or have talked to those who have had angelic visitors, many of the angelic visitors are female—usually a deceased family member.

Update
He was baptised about an hour ago. I assisted with his confirmation. A new journey begins.

One of the guys on YouTube that posts about the last days hypothesized that he will be one of the two prophets to be killed in Jerusalem after holding back the armies in Armageddon. That would seem to meet the criteria. He thought maybe Elijah was the other but was less convincing on that one.

One of the guys on YouTube that posts about the last days hypothesized that he will be one of the two prophets to be killed in Jerusalem after holding back the armies in Armageddon. That would seem to meet the criteria. He thought maybe Elijah was the other but was less convincing on that one.

That's one of the biggest lessons serving a mission teaches. I don't think I ever actually enjoyed knocking on stranger's door but I sure did a lot of it. 
At some point you have to develop a mindset of willing to do things simply because it's right. 

Tripped over a video of Hartman Rector, Jr.'s October 1985 GC talk while scrolling Instagram today (yes, it's possible to see mostly good stuff on Instagram).  Here's the portion he was saying (you can watch it here, starting at 2:45) :
(Bolding is mine.)  I laughed because it was so familiar.  My parents used to say similar things, especially my dad.  I think it's sad that so many out there seem never to have learned that the universe really doesn't care whether they want to.  Learning to do things you don't want to is an extremely valuable lesson, one every child should learn when they're little - as little as possible and as often as it takes.
(For the record, I never had to milk cows, and I'm glad. )

My daughters have really been on a roll with metaphors during this final stretch of our Come Follow Me studies. As we have talked about light about bringing light to the world my middle daughter is set on ensuring she turns on ever light switch in the house and wants a flashlight so she can bring light to others. When talking about Christ at the door, my daughters could not get past wanting to know when he was going to get to our door, and which one of them would get to answer it. 
We have been praying to have successful days at school and to be kind to our friends and helpful for our teachers because one of my daughters is struggling with that. After having a good day she proudly informed me that we are now all good and don't need to pray anymore. 
It has been a fun end of the New Testament full of lots of opportunities to learn and expand on things together.

All who are called to the holy apostleship were foreordained in the premortal world to be such. So while there may be many worthy and able that alone doesn't qualify them. We might wonder about why and where those individuals were sent to earth but obviously only God knows that.

I think this kind of thing is fun to consider but you are making way too many assumptions to come to a definitive answer. A lot of it is based on interpretation that may or may not be correct. For example, the earth has a temporal existence of 6000 years. I interpret that as not including the Garden of Eden period. So if Adam lived 130 years before Seth does that include the time in the garden? That alone could greatly alter your timeline.
Strictly from my opinion, while I recognize some things could happen pretty quickly and I'd love for the Second Coming to be 6 years out, I just don't see it all happening by then. But of course that is just my opinion.

I don't mind his overall message. It's good for people, no matter what they struggle with, to know they are loved. So to that extent it addresses a very real issue.
But as a missionary whatever he decides to share should always come back to Jesus Christ, his restored gospel, and the truthfulness of this Church and I don't think this does. 
As a side note (and this is based on limited experience so maybe I'm off) but it seems like those with same-sex attraction who intend to live a chaste life for the rest of their life don't make a big deal about having same-sex attraction and don't see it as part of their identity. Where as the bigger the deal they make of it and define themselves by it the more likely they are to eventually start to live a gay lifestyle.

I don't mind his overall message. It's good for people, no matter what they struggle with, to know they are loved. So to that extent it addresses a very real issue.
But as a missionary whatever he decides to share should always come back to Jesus Christ, his restored gospel, and the truthfulness of this Church and I don't think this does. 
As a side note (and this is based on limited experience so maybe I'm off) but it seems like those with same-sex attraction who intend to live a chaste life for the rest of their life don't make a big deal about having same-sex attraction and don't see it as part of their identity. Where as the bigger the deal they make of it and define themselves by it the more likely they are to eventually start to live a gay lifestyle.

Here are the relevant facts as I see it:
1. God, who is omniscient, loves his children and does those things He knows will best further His work in saving them.
The end.

I don't mind his overall message. It's good for people, no matter what they struggle with, to know they are loved. So to that extent it addresses a very real issue.
But as a missionary whatever he decides to share should always come back to Jesus Christ, his restored gospel, and the truthfulness of this Church and I don't think this does. 
As a side note (and this is based on limited experience so maybe I'm off) but it seems like those with same-sex attraction who intend to live a chaste life for the rest of their life don't make a big deal about having same-sex attraction and don't see it as part of their identity. Where as the bigger the deal they make of it and define themselves by it the more likely they are to eventually start to live a gay lifestyle.

I don't mind his overall message. It's good for people, no matter what they struggle with, to know they are loved. So to that extent it addresses a very real issue.
But as a missionary whatever he decides to share should always come back to Jesus Christ, his restored gospel, and the truthfulness of this Church and I don't think this does. 
As a side note (and this is based on limited experience so maybe I'm off) but it seems like those with same-sex attraction who intend to live a chaste life for the rest of their life don't make a big deal about having same-sex attraction and don't see it as part of their identity. Where as the bigger the deal they make of it and define themselves by it the more likely they are to eventually start to live a gay lifestyle.