chasingthewind
-
Posts
66 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by chasingthewind
-
-
Quote
This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.
11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.
What an incredible description of God's omnipresence! Some comments,
1. This scripture explains how God (the Godhead) can be present in every part of creation ('omnipresent') despite being embodied. God is omnipresent - not because His perfected physical body is everywhere - but in virtue of his creative powers ('the power thereof by which all things are made').
2. I also like to think of verses 7-13 as a "crescendo" of God's presence since it starts off by describing God's presence in distant phenomena and then gets closer and closer with each passing verse by describing God's presence in the most personally intimate phenomena. So it first begins by describing God's presence in the sun, moon, and stars (distant phenomena) and then goes on to say God is also present in the earth upon which you stand, the light entering your eyes that enables you to see, and, finally, your own intellect ("he is the the light that quickeneth your understandings").
I also love the parable in verses 51-61.
Quote51 Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field.
52 And he said unto the first: Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance.
53 And he said unto the second: Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance.
54 And also unto the third, saying: I will visit you;
55 And unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
56 And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord.
57 And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
58 And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season—
59 Beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last;
60 Every man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all might be glorified.
61 Therefore, unto this parable I will liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof—every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season, even according to the decree which God hath made.
This parable assures us that God will reveal Himself to everyone as long as we continue to labor in His field! It's also worth noting this parable doesn't appear in the Bible. It's a brand new parable - which is evidence that Christ is the true author of the D&C, in my opinion.
Ok that's enough comments from me for now lol. Post whatever your thoughts you have about this awesome revelation....
-
1 hour ago, clbent04 said:
What if the Lord revealed the practice of Polyandry to Joseph Smith rather than Polygamy?
I just thought I'd point out polyandry is a form of polygamy...
Also, it is my understanding that God commanded the practice of plural marriage primarily to 'raise up seed'. This explains why He commanded the practice of polygyny instead of polyandry since you can't have more children with a plurality of husbands. So polyandry just seems like a non-issue. That being said, I would still do it if God commanded it.
-
On 8/18/2017 at 1:36 PM, prisonchaplain said:
@Traveler Whether God created us out of pre-existing matter, or out of nothing, would not seem to impact the belief we have that he created us with free will.
If I am truly free, then my choices must originate with me; not God. There must be some part of my being that God did not create (which is precisely what Mormonism teaches in D&C 93 where it says God didn't create the intelligences of men). Thus, free will requires a pre-mortal existence and a rejection of creation ex nihilo.
-
27 minutes ago, Carborendum said:
Look at the first line of the verse:
This is not addressed to non-members. It is addressed to the Church.
Good catch!
-
I recently came across the following verse in my scripture studies,
Quote18 And now, behold, I speak unto the church. Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.
- D&C 42:18
Is it really not possible for a murderer to repent? Does this mean we shouldn't bother sharing the gospel with murderers since there's no chance they'll receive forgiveness?
-
At first I thought it was blasphemous to think Heavenly Father had a past history as a mortal man. But once I learned man is an uncreated being in D&C 93 then it didn't seem like a big deal anymore. Pretty good example of 'milk before meat', don't you think?
-
-
On 7/21/2017 at 8:31 AM, Suzie said:
Well, in my view doesn't sound then that you are madly in love with her as stated in your OP. Just my opinion.
Are you suggesting I pass up all opportunities to date locally until the girl in Utah becomes available for a long-distance relationship? That's just not a good idea.
Are you suggesting I continue to date locally and not tell the girl in Utah I'm dating anyone? That doesn't seem honest.
-
On 7/24/2017 at 3:02 PM, mdfxdb said:
really????
Dude, really?
time to lay it out and see what happens.
I am not going to lay it out right now since she will be busy preparing for and taking finals for the next few weeks and I don't want to distract her from her schoolwork. But I will definitely lay it out shortly after she finishes with school. And I won't feel guilty about doing so considering how much she has been flirting with me.
-
-
2 hours ago, Suzie said:
Okay..this is my serious take (thinking what I would do if I was in that situation, using some logic here and natural human reaction)
If I like Mike but I'm dating Jason (unless Mike specifically asks me if I am dating someone) there is no way on earth that I will tell him that I'm dating someone, let alone talk with him about the possibility of me getting married to this guy, etc. I wouldn't want Mike to look elsewhere.
But I've done the same thing to her. I've talked to her before about dating another girl. I dated a girl in NY for a few months and told the girl in Utah about it.. sooo, yeah.
In general it doesn't seem like a good sign - I agree. I think it's more of a problem of distance than anything else, though. If we lived closer to each other and she was still dating other people and telling me about it, then it would be concerning. But since she's farther away, I don't find it all that troubling. She probably doesn't feel like I'm a live option right now. But if our visit goes well and we figure out ways to spend more time with each other, then maybe that will change...
-
3 hours ago, Carborendum said:
This sounds really bad.
Chase,
I've read all the posts. And I was on the fence. But once you added this additional information... This is not good. It's a variant of the Florence Nightingale syndrome.
It doesn't matter how you feel. My advice is to look elsewhere. You're in Arizona now (or will be soon -- I couldn't quite tell). There are a LOT more LDS girls in AZ. Start anew. You'll feel much more fulfilled if you do it.
Why does it sound "really bad"? Please explain.
-
1 hour ago, BeccaKirstyn said:
Dude, I know it's hard to come on a forum and put a question out there that you don't want to hear the "wrong" answer to but if you're wanting our advice you at least have to take the "wrong" answers with a humble heart. No need to be defensive, people are just stating their opinions on the topic. At the end of the day it is YOUR decision and YOUR life. Do what you want to do (to me I think you already know, you just want validation which is a normal human desire, hence why you're defensive with people who don't agree with the decision you've already decided).
I apologize for being overly-defensive in my responses. It's definitely a weakness of mine that I need to work on.
- my two cents, eddified, Sunday21 and 1 other
-
4
-
52 minutes ago, Vort said:
Yes.
My first impulse was to tell you to man up and go for it. No risk, no reward. But the more I think about this, the less it sounds like an adult relationship and the more it sounds like childish infatuation. Is that the case? And if this woman is dating another man seriously enough to consider marrying him, why is she so openly and aggressively flirting with you?
Sounds suspicious to me. Maybe that's why I'm not Dear Abby. (Well, that and the fact that I possess both brains and a moral backing.)
It’s not a childish infatuation. We’ve had (and continue to have) very personal conversations about our greatest weaknesses. Part of why I like her so much is that I feel like I can be totally honest with her and I’m pretty sure she feels the same way about me, otherwise she wouldn’t share so much personal information with me.
-
1 hour ago, my two cents said:
I'm going to suggest that you don't do this in person so she's not put on the spot. The situation may be such that she'll need time to think about how best to respond.
Good point... I haven't really thought it through whether I want to tell her during or after she visits.
-
1 hour ago, Godless said:
My wife dated two guys (and got engaged to one of them) between the time that I first fell in love with her and our first date. Distance was also an obstacle for us for a while. The "friend zone" can be broken, but it's difficult and I'm sure stories like mine are generally the exception to the rule. With that in mind, I say spill the beans, but do it tactfully and with an open mind. Sell it as a "clearing the air" statement, not a "you should dump your man and get with me" statement. You should be sharing your feelings, not trying to make a move. The former, if done right, is acceptable while she still has a boyfriend. The latter is not. The latter makes you Ted. Don't be Ted.
@NeuroTypical is right, someone is ultimately going to get hurt in this situation, and you need to be prepared for it to be you. It's impossible to predict how she'll react to your confession. It could end well for you, bad for you, or leave you about where you are now. If you really care for her that much, though, I see no harm in putting your feelings out there. If she doesn't share your feelings, it'll hurt, but I think it will hurt more (and longer) if you stay silent. The pain of knowing she doesn't romantically love you won't be as bad as the pain of not knowing how she feels. And hey, maybe the feeling is mutual. Either way, I don't blame you for wanting to take the chance. I took a chance once, and we'll be celebrating 5 years of marriage next month. That may or may not end up being your story, but don't subject yourself to the agony of never knowing.
You’re right. It will be so much more painful if I never tell her how I feel than if I tell her and she turns me down.
I fully plan on sharing my feelings with her in a tactful manner. I’ll just tell her how much she means to me and then leave the ball in her court. That’s it. I have no business telling her what she should do with her current boyfriend.
Also, I have a few questions for you if you don’t mind.
How did you treat your wife while she was still dating other guys? How did you walk the tightrope of trying to break out of the friend zone while not trying to interfere with her current relationships?
When/how did you go about spilling the beans to your wife? Did you spill the beans to her while she was still dating or did you wait until she was single to spill them?
Why weren’t you able to go out with your wife after she stopped dating the first guy? Did it have to do with distance? Also, may I ask how exactly you overcame the “distance”-problem?
-
Did I say it was "conclusive evidence of romantic interest"? No, I said it is conclusive evidence that she is not visiting me merely to make sure I stay in the church.
-
8 minutes ago, my two cents said:
How long ago was this?
I met with her from August to December and we've been calling/texting each other since then.
7 minutes ago, zil said:Everything was looking good until you said that. Seriously, dude, this could be nothing more than her wanting to make sure you remain in the church, and expressing joy at the strength of your conversion because she helped you to find the gospel.
On the other hand, I think @NeuroTypical nailed your current state, so what's gonna happen is what's gonna happen. I think @Just_A_Guy has given the best advice herein.
.... huh? She knows I am going to remain in the church. She has told me repeatedly that my testimony blows her away by quoting Alma 26:16- "Behold I cannot say unto you the smallest part which I feel." She has said my desire to serve God motivates her to keep learning and doing better. She has said she is eternally grateful for meeting me and my conversion is 'so richly rewarding to her'. I have even done temple work for her. I did about 30 proxy baptisms for her male family members. We talk to each other for hours reading scriptures together and I teach her about different things. She most certainly is not coming down to visit me just to make sure I stay in the church.
-
2 minutes ago, zil said:
I concur. Sounds like husband shopping - but depending on whether they've met in person, it could just be her determining whether he's someone to consider thinking that way about, as opposed to already thinking that way.
However, one should keep in mind that women are fully capable of viewing even attractive men as "just friends" (whereas, based on comments from a seeming majority of men herein, (most) men aren't capable of this, thus leading to men misinterpreting a woman's intent more frequently than women misinterpret a man's intent). Nothing, absolutely nothing the OP has related thus far, other than this trip, indicates anything more than friendship (from a woman's perspective - since the OP doesn't know, I'll mention here that I'm a woman).
The question is, is this woman explicitly going to AZ only "to drive down to [OP's] apartment", or is she going for other reasons and meeting up with OP is a nice addition to the trip? Further, only an insane female goes to the apartment of a male she doesn't already know well (in person). (But the OP doesn't tell us whether they've met in person before.)
Meanwhile, I felt inspired by @NeuroTypical's second post to draw a picture (of our OP, falling, and singing) (all in good fun @chasingthewind)...
Yes, we've met many times in person at church in NY where she served her mission. She was a missionary in the YSA where I was baptized. I was her "golden investigator".
-
21 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:
*I personally have a hard time believing a female would travel out of state to visit a male if she weren't at least *a little* interested in him. But, hey, I'm the king of misreading signals from women
I was waiting to move from NY to AZ for the past few months to start a new job and she was badgering me the entire time telling me how she "can't wait" to visit me once I get there. She also said she wants me to visit her in October so we can go to General Conference together. Not sure what to make of all this.
-
18 minutes ago, my two cents said:
Another thing, if you were the other guy, would you think it's appropriate??
I'm on the fence about this. I think it all depends how serious the relationship is. If I was on the verge of getting married to someone, then I'd say its inappropriate but if I was only casually dating then I personally wouldn't care.
I don't know how serious their relationship is at the moment. I know she stopped seeing another guy a few months ago so they couldn't have been dating for too long.
-
4 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:
I say, have her come down. Have a great time--as friends. Get to know each other--as friends. Don't do anything that will weird out the relationship.
At some point, shortly after she's home, during a conversation on some other topic, casually drop in something like:
"Hey, I really enjoyed our visit. I know you're seeing someone; but if it doesn't work out I'd be interested in spending a lot more time with you and seeing where things go. Either way, your friendship means a lot to me too."
Then, just see what happens.
Thanks!!!!!! I like this a lot.
-
11 minutes ago, MormonGator said:
That she sees a future with her boyfriend (and she does, that's why she brought up the law school thing) isn't a good sign for you.
Dude, we're not trying to insult you or shoot you down here. We try and give advice based on what you tell us. If you ask a question we will do our best to give a compassionate and correct answer based on what you tell us. If you ask a question but don't give us all the information in a proper context-we can't help you. If you already made up your mind and aren't interested in listening to us-we can't help you.
Who *doesn't* consider future options with the person their currently dating? She is just considering options. That's it. It's not a good sign or a bad sign. She's just doing what anyone would do.
I didn't think your first response was very compassionate. You immediately jumped to the conclusion that I have been permanently "friend-zoned" based off one comment without even trying to understand the surrounding context. I'm sorry if I overreacted though.
-
22 minutes ago, NeedleinA said:
Any thoughts as to why she would specifically bring this point up to you during your prior conversation?
"I'm dating someone, therefore..."
"I'm dating someone, so I probably should/shouldn't..."We talk about the Gospel a lot and we were talking about eternal families. She was telling me she doesn't want to pursue a demanding medical career because she believes God wants her to settle down and have children. Then she brought up the fact that the person she's currently dating will be attending law school in a few years which means if they were to marry then she can stay home and take care of the kids while he finishes school. She said all of this in a very 'matter of fact' sort of way. It's not like she was telling me about her boyfriend in order to deflect me from pursuing her.
Would You Accept Polyandry?
in LDS Gospel Discussion
Posted · Edited by chasingthewind
I never claimed the probability of having children gets higher in a polygamous family. What I am saying is polygamy allows you to create just as many children but more efficiently.
Look at the numbers a little more closely.
10 monogamous couples who each have 6 kids -- > 60 kids from 20 total people
A polygamous family of one man and 10 wives -- > 60 kids from 11 total people
11 people instead of 20 is far more efficient.
Polygamy allows you to create just as many children with far less resources. So it is clearly preferrable to practice plural marriage if you want to rapidly grow a population.