NateHowe

If you buy at Deseret, they have to buy it from Herald House, the RLDS publisher. You can get it cheaper through them: Joseph Smith's "new Translation" Of The Bible, Peace and News

Perhaps your insistence on current scientific thought is detrimental to your understanding of truths which science cannot measure.

What people acknowledge has very little to do with what is true. Entire civilizations have refused to acknowledge God, but it has not made God any less real or powerful.

Snow, We could go back and forth on the finer points of this topic for a very long time. However, since we obviously have very little civil ground on which to hold the discussion, I would rather bow out. Yesterday's science is today's trite mythology, and today's science is incomplete at best in its explanation of how our Earth and its inhabitants came to be. Time will tell which of us is correct, but for now I have very little desire to discuss the matter further, as we will obviously not move each other.

Perhaps you, like others, take me far more seriously than I take myself.

"Free agency." According to President Packer, the phrase does not appear in scripture.

Quite agreed. Perfection is not the standard here. However, a mission is a distinct advantage if the missionary comes home and keeps the commandments. Although we all know some notable exceptions, they are exactly that: exceptions. Most RMs have benefited from the experience in ways that translate well to married life. Be the best you can be now. The right person will see that. There is no substitute for living the commandments NOW if you want to attract the type of person you want to have with you eternally. You will not come across as "damaged goods" if you are actively pursuing righteous things.

These are great points - don't allow this girl to become an impediment to your missionary service. The scriptures say that a gift given grudgingly profits us not at all. You need to be able to stop thinking about her and go to work, or else you will likely feel anger that missionary service takes you away from her. Get to know each other better in the time you have, but do not allow this relationship to consume your thoughts. A lot can happen in 2 years, and if she's the right one, she'll be there when you come back. Don't obsess.

In speaking of oaths, for example, he says that the prophets of old encouraged swearing in a certain way. Christ plainly goes on to say that swearing is wrong.

Requiems generally are excellent music with a heavier feel. Try the requiems of Brahms, Durufle, and Verdi. I don't recommend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir recording of the Brahms Requiem - it's in English, which ruins it for me. Some might like Orff's Carmina Burana, although the lyrics are somewhat bawdy, but in Latin. I personally find it overly repetitive. Try Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem. That's a beautiful one. If you're going for really dark, try Pederecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. His Credo is also very good. For dark and spooky, you can't beat the serial composers - Schoenberg is the best known. However, Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck (sp?) makes for one of the most frightening listening experiences ever. If you like these, PM me for more suggestions. I just graduated in music ed, and I've had to listen to a lot.

Name me another literary allegory that's also a true story. Moby Dick? Didn't I acknowledge the existence of some symbolism in the way the story is told? That does not make the entire account allegorical. It does not fit the allegorical form. That type of snarky comment is not helpful, and those details are not equivalent in their respective stories. How about Jesus feeding the 5000? I believe that it actually happened. Will you tell me that the miracles of Christ were simply allegorical as well? I appreciate science, and true religion and true science bear the same witness. Evolution has happened within species, including humanity. This is a true principle - we are taller than our grandparents, on average. However, there is no evidence that one species has become another. Cats do not evolve into dogs. Cows do not evolve into people. That is not the mode of creation, and that idea is not supported by good science, either. Again, I gladly admit that evolution, as in change in genotypes and phenotypes over time, exists within species. However, if we believe the Scriptures, death did not enter the world until after the fall. Since the earth already contained all classes of plants and animals at that time, they could not have come there by a process which required generations of animals reproducing and dying over astronomical periods of time. The Lord has a way that we do not understand. Honestly, it makes sense to me that the Lord could have transplanted these creations on this earth from another, similar place. That theory is no more disprovable by science than evolutionary creation.

To call these things allegorical is an error. An allegory is a fictional story, like a parable, presented without the expectation that it should be believed as an actual historical account. I agree that the various accounts of the Creation contain symbols and metaphors which may be interpreted in various ways, but the idea that Christ created the Earth is not fiction. It is no more allegorical than the accounts of Jesus' suffering on the cross. Now, did Christ create the world from nothing? No. He organized extant matter into a world. It is a process we cannot remember witnessing, and a process man has yet to duplicate or comprehend. Thus, we cannot rationally disprove it. How did the creation occur? We are not sure. Theologically, it matters little. We may just as well ask, "How can a man suffering in a garden nearly two millennia ago take away my sins today?" Mechanically and technically, we cannot answer. We cannot comprehend it. We have faith that it is real. So it is with the creation of the world. We know that Jesus Christ created the earth under the direction of His Father. We know very few specifics. But we have faith that it is a real event, and that Darwinian evolution is an incomplete explanation at best.

Stay in places where you won't be tempted. That means don't ever be alone in a house together. Don't stay in a parked car alone. I would recommend (and it was a good policy for us during engagement) that you set a curfew of midnight. When she visits, she should not stay in your house, even in a different room with your family there. Arrange for her to stay with a friend or a member of the ward. Above all, discuss your ground rules beforehand. Once again, let me stress that you should not be alone in a private place together where something tragic may happen. Go to the grocery. Go to a restaurant. Go someplace in town where you can sit on a bench and have a private conversation in a public place. Have dinner together with your family. Plan for success, and it won't be hard to achieve.

Essentially, since a change cannot be guaranteed, by marrying a person who is not willing to make eternal covenants, there is a significant risk. At some future time (if not at present), the most difficult questions may require an answer: Do I love this person more than the Lord? Will I choose God's will or my spouse's affection? All I know is that because my wife and I started out on the same spiritual page, anything I do to grow closer to God also brings me closer to her. I desire that joy for every couple.

I am not saying that change is impossible, but I am saying that if eternal marriage is a priority, it is unwise to marry someone with whom you cannot make that covenant.

He understands your reasons and loves you. That does not mean that you are doing what He would want you to do. Ask Him for help to go in the direction He wants - not the direction you want. As far as Mormon girls wanting to date RMs, can you blame them? A successful mission at least means that he has the necessary skills to live with another person for two years without major incident. Add the potential spiritual preparation, and it's a good deal if you can find it. Does that mean you are ineligible for marriage without a mission? No. But it means you have work to do to catch up on some things.

Congratulations! Welcome. Now be vigilant - baptism is such an exciting experience, and some people become complacent afterward and stop reading the scriptures and praying. Keep your faith strong by continuing to keep the commitments the missionaries asked you to fulfill. All the best!

The short answer is nothing. You are free to do it. However, the promise of an eternal family does not apply to such a marriage, so you are effectually punishing yourself.

Have you read Matthew, Chapter 5? This is the crux of the chapter: Moses (and the other prophets of old) said one thing, but it's wrong, incomplete, or obsolete, so here's the truth. Take these excerpts for example:

They are united in purpose, but scriptural accounts of their physical nature show that they are separate in person. That does not invalidate your feeling that they comprise the one true God we worship. However, they do have distinct roles: The Father made the plan and gave the law, the Son is the intercessor between us and the Father, and the Holy Ghost testifies of them and directs man to truth. If the Father and the Son were the same person, there would be no logical place for a mediator (Christ).

There is no official stance on marrying someone who cannot have children. There is a stance on marrying outside the covenant, because marriage anywhere but the Temple is not eternal.

The bishop is a judge in Israel. His role is to initiate Church discipline and help those who need to overcome serious transgressions. We are told in the scriptures that he who taketh the sacrament unworthily drinketh damnation to his soul. By advising against taking the sacrament for a period of time during a repentance process, the bishop is helping in the process - not punishing unfairly.

How is it inconceivable for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to each be "God," and yet separate individuals? "God" is a title, not a name.

I agree that everybody should be given a chance. However, part of the chance-giving process must include seeking help. Psychological conditions are not always curable, but are usually treatable. If he is not seeking or accepting help, he needs to start now. He owes that much to his wife.

A request, Pammy - Please do not judge the religion by the state of Utah. There are some excellent members of the Church there, and some not so excellent, but Utah is not the Church and the Church is not Utah.