brotherofJared

A important thing here: we humans default to "parent" = "somebody whom gave literal birth to our physical body".   That's obviously not the case for spiritual parents.  We don't know how the mechanics involved with eternal intelligences / spirits, etc, but it's not the bodily mechanics we think of with bodily parents.  

Elder Oaks making it clear where the church stands, and it's members should stand, on laws and lawbreaking, protesting and resistance and violence.

Oops.  That's all I talked about in my interview.

[psst] He didn't. It was a joke. Berle said:
I'd rather be a 'could-be' if I cannot be an 'are'
Because a 'could-be' is a 'maybe' who is reaching for a star.
I'd rather be a 'has-been' than a 'might-have-been' by far;
For a 'might-have-been' has never been, but a 'has' was once an 'are'.

The song is only about the prophet at the beginning. It is about the lord.
 
1. We thank thee, O God, for a prophet
To guide us in these latter days.
We thank thee (God) for sending the gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays.
We thank thee (God) for every blessing
Bestowed by thy (Gods) bounteous hand.
We feel it a pleasure to serve thee (God)
And love to obey thy (God’s) command.
2. When dark clouds of trouble hang o’er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us, (God)
And we know that deliv’rance is nigh.
We doubt not the Lord nor his (God’s) goodness.
We’ve proved him (God) in days that are past.
The wicked who fight against Zion
Will surely be smitten at last.
3. We’ll sing of his (God’s) goodness and mercy.
We’ll praise him (God) by day and by night,
Rejoice in his (God’s) glorious gospel,
And bask in its life-giving light.
Thus on to eternal perfection
The honest and faithful will go,
While they who reject this glad message
Shall never such happiness know.
i am amazed how many members think this about the prophet and not god.

I'm not sure what this story is supposed represent. There is no creation or fall that affects all mankind in it. Some woman u claim represents Eve has a child and that child is the point of the story. So, in relation to anything we're discussing, it is nonsense. Can u help me see the point of the story in relation the trinity? Or how Eve relates to that family, the trinity? Or how any of this makes what Adam did, bad.

That is a very interesting answer. It would mean that we are not now fully and completely cut off. But because this is the only existence we can remember, it is easy to not understand what it would mean to be fully and completely cut off. IOW, we take for granted what we have now, even though it's not much. Couple that with knowing what we had as we remember our previous existence, even if only for a moment. I imagine it to be a place that is literally void of any light whatsoever with people who went out of their way to reject what they once had and fight against it. I think it would be a horrible experience to be deprived of all sensory perception.

You see everyone, it really is straightforward. We can leave this matter up to the chastity lawyers and they can assure us that there really is nothing wrong with holding hands or kissing as part of a homosexual relationship. The legal experts have informed us It's all perfectly corban.

That being said, we still need assignments to avoid chaos. There is a reporting structure with assignments.

I agree. Authorized to administer the sacrament must be done in the Lord's way or it is just bread and water. But ministering to anyone in need is a no brainer.

No. Joseph had no problem with it. His reluctance had nothing to do with him not being ready. His reluctance was in his uncertainly of how others would receive it, the most significant of these was Emma who I am certain knew it was coming and made life a living hell for Joseph when he first employed it with Fanny Alger.

That theory was launched with the syfi series "Expanse" and a Nauvoo temple - but it did not get out of our solar system let alone to heaven.  And of course - the whole thing ended up canceled.  Also the Higgs boson has been discovered that unlocks the force of gravity making booster rockets obsolete and a quantum well drive much more feasible for interstellar travel. 
 
The Traveler

Nothing is stopping u from ministering to anyone u want to. The reason for assignments is to reach those who have no friends in the church. Assignments work.

That being said, we still need assignments to avoid chaos. There is a reporting structure with assignments.

I think that any increase in understanding of any aspect of the Plan of Salvation contains the potential for increasing our understanding of the Author of that plan. So yes, understanding whether or not Christ's atonement is or is not effectual for other worlds is unlikely to have any direct bearing on my actions or prospects for salvation, but the increased knowledge could well have indirect bearings. I don't think that the pursuit of knowledge and understanding should be discouraged simply because it does not lead directly to the solution of a problem or a change in the way we live.

It does. Anyone who was born before Adam and anyone born after the earth blows up is consigned you a state of eternal burning

Are any of you familiar with this new movement of "deconstructing" a testimony or belief? My brother is starting to use this phrase, and before my brother a friend of mine has been posting about his testimony deconstruction. This friend likes to post other people's deconstruct of their testimony. Here are some items that appear to be common among this new phrase and movement (rather than just simply saying I don't believe anymore):
1) I believe in history and facts > you believe in emotion and faith.
> Not entirely accurate. Faith is based in some form of evidence which the scriptures call "substance." Quick look at the dictionary explains what substance is, and it is something I don't need to blindly accept. It is something tangible (substance) that moves me further into the unknown for the unknown to be known.
2) When you open your eyes and want to have an honest engagement facts, you will in time see more clearly.
> They often give "pat on the back" statements like these. The sentiment follows, "If you knew what I knew and studied like I studied you would come to the same rational conclusion. Anything but my conclusion is intellectual dishonesty."
> This movement wants you to trust in the arm of flesh, rather than trusting in the arm of glory/intelligence.
3) They have to discover a way to logically and rationally explain away what God has already witnessed to them.
> I have had answers to my prayers but so have Muslims, Christians, and many other religions. Thus negating God actually answered their prayer. It is now a "perceived" witness from the Holy Ghost, which every other religion has. Further negating a source of truth which God would use.
> If something is replicated, it makes the original false (that is the logical and rational source of this deconstruct). If God commands a person to build a temple, and then someone replicates that who is not a member of God's kingdom, this then negates the original and both are equally true or both are equally false.
> Revelation is "perceived" truth rather than accurate truth. If more than one person can receive revelation (of different faiths), it negates the actual source. Lehi receiving revelation that Jerusalem was wicked, while Laman and Lemuel believed them to be righteous. They both "felt" strongly. Lehi just got lucky this time.
4) Their interpretation of history is the only correct and accurate interpretation of history. #2 confirmation bias.
> One thing I have found interesting lately is the alternate interpretations of history and accuracy.  Facts aren't always interpreted correctly. In the Book of Mormon, in Alma, we know of a Nephite who wanted power. So much so he caused a civil war, and because he lost that war he stirred up the Lamanites. After he met his maker, his brother is met with these words (paraphrased), "Stop this war. Your brother was wrong and a murderer. He engaged this war for power. Please end this war. Go home." The brother's response intrigues me now more than ever (paraphrased), "No! My brother was righteous. You have wronged my brother. You have murdered my brother! I will avenge him." And the war continues (literally then, and figuratively now).
> They don't recognize their logic and rationale is based in faith. Faith in the interpretation of others interpretation of history and facts. They present their logic and rationale from websites we know aren't there to help people with their faith. Like a website that tells member to "think" but really they only want you to "think" the way they do. They are there (like Nehor, like Sherem, like Korihor) to destroy a faith so they can feel content with their decision.
Conclusion, I think this is why we have the story of Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah. These were sons who thought they were doing good. These were sons who would have said in the same breath, but a different way, we have deconstructed our testimonies and no longer believe the false traditions of our fathers. Sadly, if not in this life (although I hope in this life, the time of probation), that they will come to see what they will loose if they continue this path, and what they will gain if they repent. I find it hard to hear the words of Alma who said something to this nature, "murdering the souls of the children of men." And this is where my friend finds himself now. This is what these garbage sites are doing.

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post! 
 
 
First, from the scriptures: 
D&C 45:24 And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;

25 But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

26 And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth.

27 And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.

28 And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;

29 But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.

30 And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
 
=======================
 
Second from the Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual: 
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-45-looking-forth-for-the-great-day-of-the-lord?lang=eng
 
“In the Olivet Discourse, the Savior gave four signs to indicate when the times of the Gentiles were over. Three are given in section 45, and one is given in Luke’s account of the great discourse.
1. The Jews will be gathered back to the land of Jerusalem (see D&C 45:25). In the April 1960 general conference, Elder George Q. Morris of the Quorum of the Twelve discussed this sign:
“I think perhaps we may well now not continue saying the Jews are going to gather in Jerusalem. I think now we may well say they have gathered.The ultimate returns will come later as they develop this land and are joined by others. …
“This statement by a writer is very interesting:
“‘Strangely enough when the State of Israel was reborn in 1948, it was a nation of 600,000, the same number which the Bible reports that Mosesled out of bondage in Egypt. It now numbers some two million, the same number which it is said populated the ancient Kingdom of Solomon, when Israel was in all its glory.’
“That is why we may now say that the Jews have returned to Palestine.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1960, pp. 100–101.)
2. It will be in a time of great social turmoil (see D&C 45:26–27). One need only follow current events as reported in the news media for a day or two to see turmoil like the Savior described.
3. The Gentiles will for the most part reject the gospel (see D&C 45:28–30). President Joseph Fielding Smith, writing about these verses, said: “‘And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my Gospel,’ the Lord said in this revelation [D&C 45:28]. The meaning is that when the time had come for the restoration of the Gospel—in the times of the Gentiles—that it would not be perceived because the hearts of the people are turned away by the precepts of men. However, in that generation this should happen, the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:196.)
4. Jerusalem will no longer be “trodden down of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). Again President Smith explained: “When we consider the words of the Savior to his disciples, that the Jews should be scattered and ‘Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,’ we have a fair understanding of the meaning of this … verse [D&C 45:30] in this revelation. Jerusalem was trodden down of the Gentiles from the day of its destruction until the close of the year 1917, when it was freed from Turkish rule by General Edmund H. Allenby of the British forces. After the war Palestine became a British mandate, and Great Britain by proclamation declared that country to be a refuge for the Jews, who were invited to return. … It is very significant, however, that Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by the Gentiles and the Jews are again gathering there. This is the sign given by our Lord, for the end of the times of the Gentiles. We are now in the transition period and shortly the day of the Jew will dawn and the Gospel will be taken to them and to the remnants on this land.” (Church History and Modern Revelation,1:196–97.)
When Joseph Fielding Smith wrote those words in 1947, Israel had not yet been made a state; they were still under the British mandate. But on 15 May 1948, Israel became an independent nation and declared Jerusalem to be her capital. In the war that followed this declaration, the Jews could maintain control of western Jerusalem only. East Jerusalem became part of the state of Jordan. In general conference in 1966, Elder Smith, now President of the Quorum of the Twelve, said: “Jesus said the Jews would be scattered among all nations and Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled. (Luke 21:24.) The prophecy in Section 45, verses 24–29, of the Doctrine and Covenantsregarding the Jews was literally fulfilled. Jerusalem, which was trodden down by the Gentiles, is no longer trodden down but is made the home for the Jews. They are returning to Palestine, and by this we may know that the times of the Gentiles are near their close.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1966, p. 13.)
During the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and for the first time since the city fell to the legions of Titus in A.D. 70, Jerusalem came completely under the control of a Jewish government.” 

In my experience, bishops don't tend to be in a real big dang hurry to excommunicate anyone for anything.   The priorities are spelled out pretty clear - protect the flock, help the person come closer to God, protect the integrity of the church.  You don't go around breaking the first or third of those things, and a bishop doesn't think excommunicating you will help you, then I doubt he'd be in any hurry to do so.
Many years ago, we had an inactive female member who had actually become an ordained pastor of a congregation.  Our bishop was in no hurry to get in touch with her and ask about her desire to stay on the rolls of this church.  But I'm relatively sure if she started trying to draw folks away from our church to hers, he would have quickly gained some motivation.

I think it’s simplistic and I don’t go for it. 

Honesty given the standard Christian understanding of the Garden and the Fall... I am surprised that more do not have that attitude.  I mean think about it.  The ALL KNOWING, ALL POWERFUL God sets up a plan.  In spite of God being all Knowing and all Powerful, Satan  scores a major victory and disrupts God's plan.  God either can not or will not fix it and put it back on track the way he originally intended.. and so we all suffer because of what Satan convinced Adam and Eve to do.. until God can be bothered to finally fix things again.
Just talking for myself but I would have a hard time having faith and worshiping such a God as described.
Which is I think why modern revelation has pushed back so hard on the Adam and Eve story.  It make much more sense that the All Knowing, All Powerful God had a plan.  A plan totally capable of handling Satan's plots and any choice Adam and Eve made.  Satan failed to stop it, Adam and Eve made a choice and God revealed the next step showing how it was going to dealt with.  We are exactly where God in his wisdom and foresight planned for us to be... and his plan for us is perfectly capable of handling any choice we might make as well.  So the question isn't 'Is God going to handle it?' Or 'How is God going to handle it'  or even 'When is God going to handle it?' but rather 'What choices are we going to make?'

But people and snakes cannot reproduce!

The name "Third Hour"?
It's kind of an inside joke.  Church every Sunday for LDS Christians was three hours long for decades.  They recently shortened it to two hours, so we named the forum "Third Hour" for our extra social / study time.  

I would agree that NDE's cannot reveal much, if anything, about heaven. We can learn one thing that I believe is certain. The death of the body is not death or sleep of the person. There are other things such as the spirit world is all around us. Otherwise, it seems that many of the reports from people who have an NDE are not much different than things experienced while on an acid trip.

We don't. It's more of a mild curiosity.