charity

For any new to the Church, or asking questions, one of the first lessons I learned about geography and the Book of Mormon, even after many years in the Church, is that different cultures look at things differently, and we have to try to get past the culturally imbedded ideas we have and to see things from their point of view. The best example is the direction thing. We think that everyone should think north should be as it appears on a map, north is at the top, south is at the bottom and east and west to the sides. Larry showed me that hasn't even always been so in our American culture. I grew up on a farm, and we had a "south forty." I knew it had to do with the fact that the farm was one of the land claim farms, 160 acres, and 40 acres was on quarter of it. But it didn't really even sink in until Larry asked me how you decided which of the two quarters below the midline was the "south" one? You can't, if you have taken a square and divided it into fourths in the standard manner. But if you take the center point, and make a line to each corner, then you have 4 equal sections, with one clearly north, one south, one east and one west. It was an eye opener.

I have used twinkled for 40 years. I always thought I would. Then I got old and sick. So I am not so sure. About menopause. That is part of aging, and we will be back to our perfect selves. After we are resurrected and exalted, we get to have spirit babies. But will that be during or after the Millenium?

I have a chanter. Does that count? When is the bun in the oven due?

Welcome. How about a little of your background so we can get to know you?

As you approach the Gospel and the Church, you need to have correct information. The websites you were given above are solid sources. Not all websites are equal. You can find many sites which will give inaccurate and biased information. If you want to know about the Church, the best way to get good information is to stay with the official sources. Welcome. I joined the Church over 40 years ago. And I have never regretted it one day.

Hi, cj/. Welcome aboard. Ain't life grand. Do you and your wife do any indexing on family search? That is another nice way to do something productive.

I know we should study for ourselves. But can't we learn from someone who has spent many years of study on the subject. As long as we realize that this learned person may get something wrong now and again?

When I joined the Church, at age 19, one of my dorm mates practicallly begged me to tell her what was in the "little box called the Tabernacle." I had been to the Tabernacle previous to my baptism and I told her there was an enormous pipe organ and seating for several thousand people. She was sure I was lying to her because she KNEW there was some super secret super scary "thing" that I wouldn't tell her about.

What does your screen name stand for? I got the LDS part.

Nice to see you here.

The Gospel is the same for everyone. The culture is what trips us up. We all have to make adjustments to different circumstances we are in. You might not use the same langauge around your mother as you do around your buddies, for instance. You certainly wouldn't go to the office dressed like a day at the beach. Church is the same. We adjust a little for the circumstance. And you can certianly learn new tricks.

Doc, for years my spiritual gift was to believe on the testimony of others. That is not a gift to be taken lightly. And eventually, I stopped bobbing and weaving long enough for the Holy Ghost to get a couple of really good whacks in. Hang in there.

Hi, pa pa. Is that what your grandkids call you?

Hi, TJane. I didn't know what the T stood for. But I might have known, from your avatar on the other board.

There's a lot about mortality and this telestial earth we live on that stinks. I am looking forward to something better.

Hi, selek. This is getting to be a good bunch. Like a school reunion.

It is my opinion that evil is an eternal factor, entity, whatever. "There must needs be opposition in all things." There isn't any good without evil. But that doesn't give Satan a pass. There had to be a "satan," but Lucifer (or whatever his name was in the pre-mortal existence) didn't have to be it. Just like there had to be a "judas," but Iscariot chose to do what he did.

There are two reasons for something not to be in the Bible we have today. 1. It was something God knew we didn't need. 2. It was there, but conspiring men removed it.

Those who have not grown up with the idea of a prophet in their midst have different ideas about what a prophet is or should be. Those who would criticize the prophets of modern times for being fallible would have rejected the prophets in ancient times. They just don't realize that about themselves. Sometimes I scare myself thinking about what I would have done in Jesus' time. Would I have been able to see Him for who He really was, or would I have just seen a carpenter with strange ideas?

To be technical, which doesn't really answer the question, eating a peach doesn't kill the tree.