SeattleTruthSeeker

As Bert10 pointed out - Genesis 6:1-4 is a smaller scripture that may have been part of a larger passage. This passage is contained in the Coptic version of the Book of Enoch - an Apocryphal work that the Epistle of Jude quotes from, and at one time was considered scripture.

The best way to answer these questions is to ask some good solid biblical questions back. For instance, ask the person this question: According to Romans 8:17, the Apostle Paul states that ... "if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together." What was it that Christ inherited? And, why would Christ ask the Father for those who follow, preach, and teach would be glorified just as Christ is glorified, and because Christ Glorified the Father in this world? (See John 17). The whole idea of deification rests upon the person and nature of Christ. Ask them if they believe that God himself came down to be a man? If they said God could not, then ask them why did Christ come down? Is he not God? If Christ took upon himself mortal flesh and bone, was obedient and subordinate to the will and commandment of the Father (which the numerous New Testament passages definitely attest too), how much more are we to follow the same pattern that Christ himself shown us to follow?

What was Christ's word? Let us look at the context of John 14. Christ establishes that he is the Only way to the Father. He also states that he goes and prepares a place, and that there are many mansions in His Father's house. It is when we come to verse 12 that we find what Christ is beginning to say: 12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (emphasis mine). Notice that Christ says that those who believe on Jesus Christ, will be able to do the same works that Christ had done. What works had Christ done? Heal the sick, preached the gospel, raised the dead, called people unto repentance, walked in obedience to the will and commandments of the Father. Not only that, but he stated that those who believe on Him would do greater works than he had done in his mortal life. We continue reading and we come to verse 15 where Christ says that if we truly do love him, we will keep his commandments. What are Christ's commandments? 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, might, mind and strength; and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. When we look at this contextually and come to the verses you stated, we understand that Christ's words are based on the fact that we are to abide in keeping His commandments, Not only that, but when we abide in his words, we will perform the very works he performed, and even perform greater works that Christ had performed. Again, whenever we read where Christ says "If ye continue in my word" we understand it to mean that if we truly believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, that he did in fact come and die for our sins, that he was buried, rose the third day and ascended into heaven with a Glorified body of flesh and bone, then we shall continually put off the natural man, align our will to the very will of God and walk in obedience. Christ is very clear and distinct that when he says we are to continue in his word, we are to continue in his teachings by following his very own example. In this passage, he relates that he does nothing of himself but that which he was taught by the Father. Again, another passage of scripture that distinctively identifies that Christ and the Father are separate from one another and not ONE ESSENCE OF A BEING. What Christ did, he did because he was continually taught of the Father. What does Christ teach us that we are to continue in his word? Again, it goes back to doing the works of Christ - being Christ-like ourselves. Christ's intercessory prayer for the disciples (Son of Perdition being referred to as Judas of Iscariot who fulfilled the prophecy of betraying Christ). What is interesting to note here is that while Christ distinguishes himself from the Father, he also exemplifies that he and the father are united just as we are united together as one in Christ. We are separate distinct individuals that make up one body. Again, what does Christ say in these passages? 1) that we are to build our faith on the very foundation of Jesus Christ. Why is Christ the foundation? Because it is through him that we have eternal life - salvation from both sin and death. 2) The contrast between the good and evil tree. A good tree can't bring forth evil fruit, nor could an evil tree bring forth good fruit. If we are grafted into Christ, we are therefore prudent to bring forth good fruit (Faith + Works, the latter being evidence of our faith). 3) Verses 26-27 is Christ's concluding remarks on the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew is the final teaching on the sermon on the mount. So, verses 26-27 where Christ says that every man who builds his house on the rock is symbolic of everyone who builds their testimony and life on Jesus Christ. He is the foundation, the chief cornerstone and therefore we ought to follow his example in both word and deed. Inaccurate. The Book of Mormon actually does testify that we are to continue in Christ's word, fashion our lives after Christ, and submit our will over to the Father. We are to walk in humility and obedience. This is throughout the course of the Book of Mormon.

Here is my article on Galatians 1: 6-9. Here is an abstract from that lengthy article for you to consider: This is the true interpretation of the Galatian passage that critic's like to use as a proof text against Mormonism, Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon.

The Millennial Reign will be where all those who had not had an opportunity to be baptized by immersion (whether in this mortal life, or in the Spirit World), will have the opportunity then. This is from the Gospel Principles Manual:

My apologies for answering this too late. My condolences to your wife and you, as well as your family. Busy with moving, organizing and all that. I did find this in the manual regarding the Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood manual B: Dedication of Graves Graves should be dedicated by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, as authorized by the priesthood officer who conducts the service. To dedicate a grave, he: 1. Addresses Heavenly Father. 2. States that he is acting by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. 3. Dedicates and consecrates the burial plot as the resting place for the body of the deceased. 4. (Where appropriate) prays that the place may be hallowed and protected until the Resurrection. 5. Asks the Lord to comfort the family and expresses thoughts as the Spirit directs. 6. Closes in the name of Jesus Christ. Hope this helps those with a future question on Dedicatory prayer at the Grave - maybe the mods can make this a sticky??? Not sure.

I would suggest Psalms 1 and Romans 12:1-2. Here is another one - Nehemiah 1

Oh that is a good one. I love going to John 17, have a critic read it, then ask: "Does God speak out of both sides of his mouth??"

King 5 News has just released that this is the work of an arsonist.

At 3 am this morning, a two-alarm fire broke out and destroyed the Harbour Pointe Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This housed two wards, the Harbour Pointe Ward and the Beverly Park ward. A video of the news report can be seen at King5 News and Komo News 4 has an article on it. This was the place where my daughter was blessed, my wife and I were married (in the Relief Society Room). Very sad news. We are going to head on over, get some pictures, and I will post a blog news commentary on this later today as time will allow.

Actually, I believe this to be true. We can't help what other people perceive us. Granted, on the one hand, if we behave in a certain way that causes someone to see us as we are, or even perceive and interpret as we are, then we are the one's giving them that false impression. For instance, if we are ungrateful through our actions, people are going to perceive us as being ungrateful, and thereby judge us accordingly. Are they wrong? Not at all. The reason being is that this is consistent behavior. Remember, the scriptures say that by their fruits you shall know them. No one can read our minds, no one can understand the depths of our feelings. Yet, what fruits we produce tells our story to others. However, despite our behavior (whether good or bad) people will already have preconceive notions. This could be based upon what other's may say. While we are not perfect, we should not rely upon other people's perceptions. For instance, in order to get good grades, do we rely upon other people's efforts? We will never learn anything. However, if we rely upon our own intellectual understanding and perform the necessary work, then we gain knowledge, understanding, experience, and learn from our own mistakes. By allowing ourselves to dictate our lives around what others think of us, then we are giving them authority and control in our lives. We will be ineffective as innovators, limit our ability to think critically, and place ourselves under mental enslavement to their expectations. We begin to have a miserable existence because we are too busy participating in the dog and pony show for other's pure pleasure and entertainment.

I have a ten month old. She is very precious and a wonderful blessing in our lives. A daddy's little girl, and I have started noticing that she is getting her independence under a good start. She does things on her own, very curious about new things, and even makes an attempt to challenge herself to learn new things. Already walking with confidence, I am starting to notice that the more her personality develops, the more she is developing a Diva Princess. Granted, every little girl is the jewel of her father's eyes, and a little princess. However, I would like some advice on those father's who have raised daughters. 1) What mannerisms would one notice in an up and coming diva princess? 2) How do you tame the diva princess without destroying self=esteem and confidence? Right now, those are the only questions I could think of. I want my daughter to develop an appreciation for life, to have compassion, but also have an attitude that is within reason, and confidence that is not offstandish or arrogant.

Hello and welcome to the forum.

When you examine the statements Brigham Young made regarding Blood Atonement, and then look to the Judeo Christian Faith and the Biblical Text, you will find that "Blood Atonement" has been taught by God, practiced by Ancient Israelites, and even practiced by Protestant Christians who were before BY and were contemporaries of BY. Some Critics ridicule and chastise BY's strong language where he spoke of piercing a wife who commits adultery by killing her and her lover. Yet, Virginia Law of the late 1600's held Adultery as being punishable by Death. Levitical Law held Adultery as a Capital offense and punishable by Death. So, while the Critics like to chastise BY for his teaching on this, they refuse to ridicule and chastise early Christian Preachers and the Bible itself for teaching the very same practice that is self-evident as being approved and commanded by God himself, then changed in the New Testament when those who went to stone the Adulteress that was brought before Christ.

I just found this from a website called Ex-Mormon's for Jesus. Here is the mentality of those within the Evangelical Community, and those who had once embraced the Restored Gospel: I emphasize two sentences that present the Evangelical mindset when it comes to Mormonism and how and why they are militant in their approach. This viewpoint is where the heart of Anti-Mormonism sentiment rests. The Modern Evangelical (and the LDS Apostate) are led to believe that it is Mormonism that presents an attack on Christianity, and Orthodox Christian teaching. Those who once believed in the Mormon Faith now claim to have been "deceived" and even embrace the idea that they were "brainwashed" by the so-called Mopologist Corporation of Mormonism. As sad as it is, many Evangelicals are aggressive toward Mormonism because of the viewpoint they are buying into. Let us take a typical everyday scenario and discuss the implications thereof. You are eating lunch and are reading the latest edition of the Ensign on your lunch break. A new co-worker that you have come to know comes in to have lunch with you. Curious as to what you are reading, the two of you engage in conversation about the article - a First Presidency Message. The new co-worker informs you that they have just started studying about the Mormon Faith at Church, this is because there is a class his/her church just started up. They then say they have some questions and shares with you what was discussed. How does one respond to this? Scenario 2; Your son/daughter goes to a mutual activity that they were invited to. Their friend said that it is a something their Church is putting on, and your son/daughter wanted to go. As a parent, you give your permission and know that you trust your son/daughter. Later that night, your child comes home in a very different mood. Sensing something wrong, you go in and talk with them and they share with you that this "church activity" was about the Mormon Faith and it was based upon a person who claimed to have been a long time member of the Church and how he found that Mormonism is wrong, sharing about his experiences in the Temple, even showing pictures on a Powerpoint slide of the Garments and some of the rituals within the Temple. How do you respond to this? Scenario 3: You happened to see the missionaries out and about. Inviting them to sit with you as you are having lunch, the conversation is about how they are doing, what they are doing when a person comes to the table with a bible and begins to ask the missionary questions, opening pages, flipping pages, pointing, and firing questions off about how Mormonism could possibly be compatible with Christianity? How do you respond to this? There are a myriad of scenarios that could be posted here. The fact remains, how do we as members of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ respond? How do we answer the critics questions? Even more so, you are a teacher in a Gospel Doctrine Class, or a Doctrine Essentials class. A visitor raises their hand and begins to share Anti-Mormon Rhetoric and misinformation, how do you as a teacher respond? How do you as a participant respond? Even those in leadership, how do they respond? Anti-Mormon sentiment is a very aggressive and real problem. As I have stated before, modern Evangelicals hold classes, have seminars, even special preaching events where someone comes in and "indoctrinates" the audience as to the "dangers" of Mormonism. This can be done in a private setting - being invited over to dinner and having to sit through someone who says they "know Mormonism" because they were once a member of the Faith and that they discovered the real Jesus. Or, it can be done in a very public setting. While I agree, sometimes the best way to respond is by simply stating your testimony and walking away, other times, one has to answer these questions.

Here is a very interesting thought. Not sure where I heard it, but it was on a special (I think the History Channel) where they talked about what could possibly pass as the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There is compelling evidence that the fruit was not actually an apple, but fig's. This is due to the fact that when Adam and Eve realized that they were naked, and that this fruit had opened their eyes to their own nakedness - they were ashamed and made clothing out of fig leaves. Why would they use Fig Leaves for their choice of clothing? Probably because they were at the tree, partook of the tree, and their eyes were open at the tree. Hence, the Fig Leaf aprons symbolizes the natural man, the fall, and the covering up of their sin. This would make sense as why God would then remove the fig aprons from Adam and Eve and put upon them skins from an animal. We cover up our sins by attempting to hide them from God, and God covers our sins by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The problem is, and what no one has mentioned yet, many members of the Church are unaware of the tactics the modern Evangelicals are employing. This is not saying that ALL Evangelicals are doing this, however, the facts are the facts. 1) More and more Christian Denomination Churches have specific classes designed to teach their congregates Mormonism and how to respond to Mormonism. This is usually done by someone who claims to have "authority" on the subject of Mormonism, or a person who had left the LDS Faith and embraced modern Evangelicalism and is asked to give a "class". 2) Pastors and Preachers also present sermons about Mormonism. Teaching their congregates that Mormonism if false, sharing statements made by past leaders of the Church, and discussing deeper Mormon doctrines. 3) There are some modern Evangelicals that actually may gather their information about Mormonism from such ministries as Utah Lighthouse Ministry by Gerald and Sandra Tanner, Mormon Research Ministry, Christian Apologetic Research Ministry, and Christian Research Institute (CRI). 4) There are pamphlets and booklets available online from various Christian bookstores, and even in brick and mortar Christian Bookstores that attempt to "reason away" Mormon teaching and doctrine. Given all this information available, and the Evangelical Christian who attends church, they are provided misleading, false, misrepresented statements about what Mormon's believe. They then go out into the market place and when they come across someone who is LDS, they engage the LDS Believer in conversation. From my own personal experience, I never really came across any "Anti-Mormon" literature or Christians who were against Mormon's per say when I was in my early twenties. That was until I had met my, now, ex-wife. She wanted to take the Missionary discussions and when her mother found out (she being an evangelical) kept trying to convince her daughter that Mormon's were wrong. Family friends were doing the same thing. I chalked it up to these people not knowing anything. It was not until my mother-in-law had asked us over for dinner and we walked in. A guy and his wife were there and introductions were made. We had a good dinner. After dinner, my wife and I sat and the topic came up about Mormonism and how wrong my wife was for joining a Cult. The guy went on and on about how she traded her salvation for a gospel of darkness. That she had to either leave or die in her offense against God. I was stunned. Did not know what to say, nor how to respond. This was a whole new ball game and I had no clue what to do. That was when I began to investigate and read books that responded to the Critics. I bought books upon books - The Truth about the God Makers, The Gainsayers, They Lie in Wait to Deceive. This also was the time when the internet started becoming popular and I began to read information as it was available online. The point in bringing this up, most members of the Church really have no clue as to what is being said about the LDS Faith, about Joseph Smith, about Brigham Young. Many of them experience something similar to what I experience and are unable to understand how to properly respond to such criticisms. Now, this does not give the right to say "well maybe we should have a class about how to respond to the critic's criticism", or to say that most members of the faith are sorely ignorant. People are intelligent, they are aware of what people are saying, just not aware of the content of what it is people are saying about the LDS Faith. With all this inoculation, a member of the LDS Faith goes to work as if it is just another day at the office, and one of their co-workers see them reading the Ensign, or the latest book they had purchased at the LDS Bookstore, or, even the Book of Mormon. Their co-worker is an Evangelical Christian who strikes up the conversation. Friendly at first, but then turns to subtle attacks with seeds of doubt being planted. Here is an example: "I did not know you were Mormon? How long have you been a member?" "All my life," comes the response. "So, you must know alot about what your church teaches?" "Why do you ask?" "I have some questions that I have been wondering about," "Like?" "Well, I heard that Joseph Smith claimed to have seen God and Christ right?" "Yes," "Well, the Bible says that no man can see God at any time so how could Joseph Smith, being a Man, claim to have seen God?" It may not be so obvious, or even be down right invasive and aggressive. Some will even come right out and say "Mormonism is a cult, and Joseph Smith is a false Prophet because it is not Biblical" and then cite numerous scripture passages. Sometimes, some Evangelicals will do what is called the shotgun approach where they fire off a whole bunch of questions and not allow you enough time to even respond to one of them - if you know how to answer the questions to begin with. Even still, many will not even be obvious in their approach, befriend you, and invite you out to Church, or have you come along. Before you know it, they have a friend who had left the LDS Faith to come and talk with you. This is a sad reality and those members who leave the LDS Faith, leave because they have not taken the time to research out some of the things. They have not taken the time to ask the right kinds of questions. They do not engage in discussing their concerns with those close to them. Once they leave, their information is based on what they have learned from the Anti's that they then turn and attack their religion that they once claimed to have had a testimony of. Michael Ash, in fact, wrote a book called Shaken Faith Syndrome where he discusses how this affects those who have not been well versed in the operus morandi of the Critic's play book. In some ways, it is a wake up call and we can't stand by and let the critics define what we believe in. We have to know what they are saying about us, understand and have a strong testimony of the gospel, and be able to withstand their fiery darts.

Some of the Anti-Mormon propaganda is very convincingly. What comes to my mind here is the experience of Eve and the Tempter in the Garden of Eden. While we understand the importance of the fall, and the necessity of the fall, the lie is twisted with enough truth to sound as if it is really true. This is why it is good to know what is and what is not LDS Doctrine. The other interesting aspect of this is that majority of the Anti-Mormon propaganda focuses on statements made by Brigham Young, or the character of Joseph Smith. While much of the arguments have already been answered, many critics and apostates tend to cling to them as if they have truth and refuse to accept the explanations, the academic, scholarly, and historical analysis provided - simply because they are not from Non-Mormon Sources.

Very well said. I also would like to add that it is a progressive state of existence where, in all things, we make mistakes, we falter and fail, and we move forward learning from the experience of the past.

Unlike other Churches, we do not have a "new member's" study guide. If you have not had a chance, get a copy of the Gospel Principles Manual. You can request one from your ward (or the Missionaries). This lays out the foundational principles of the Gospel. Also, continue to attend the Gospel Doctrine class where they go through the Gospel Principles manual. If you have not already done so, purchase a copy of the standard works - Either as a Quad, or The Bible and what we call the Triple Combination (Book of Mormon, D&C, PoGP). There are also many other manuals that you can find and study from as you progress in your understanding. My other suggestion is to continue to read the scriptures. Each year, we read through one set of the standard works (this year is the Old Testament, next year will be the new testament). Subscribe to the Ensign is also a good resource. There, it has the First Presidency Message, and other good articles. If you have not, also check out deseret books online (or find where there is a distribution center close to you - usually next to a temple, as well as a deseret book store). There is a pamphlet that my wife had gotten (I can't locate it now) where it lists all the books that should be in one's gospel library (these can be acquired over time). Some of the books I suggest are the following: Jesus the Christ by James Talmage The Great Apostasy by James Talmage The Articles of Faith by James Talmage The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball Here is a link to 84 books that are included in the "Essential Gospel Library" that you can search through and order online. Some of them include this - Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vols. 1-4. I hope this information answers your questions and puts you in the right direction. Again, start out small, build up a good library, get a subscription to the Ensign, and watch General Conference that is coming up next weekend.

Here are my thoughts on this, they are my observations and opinions. The Book of Mormon is, in one sense, Anti-War. Not in the context and understanding of the article and the author of that article. The Book of Mormon is Anti-War because it teaches that we are to be in harmony with one another. However, because we are human, and we have our moral agency, we have to be ready to defend our family, our faith, our homes, our lands, our rights, and our freedoms. In this sense, while the Book of Mormon is Anti-war, it is not Passive in regards to War because one will read that when war came to those who obeyed, worship, and believe in God, they stood and defended themselves against the attacks. This is both literal and symbolic. Take for instance the following passage. It is Mosiah 9 where we read the account of Zeniff, and how civil war first broke out. How, then, the Lamanites under the rulership of King Laman desired to bring another people under bondage and slavery, contention arose, and how the people with Zeniff did remember the Lord, and they were strengthen to defend themselves, their lands, and their lively hoods. While we do not have the right to go in and invade another country and bring them under our government jurisdiction, we do have the right to declare war in defense if another country came to us to enslave us, bring us under bondage. It is much like someone coming in and robbing a house, the father contends against the criminal and defends his home, family, and property.

Tis better to walk away and have your chastity and values intact than fall into the trap of sexual transgression. Trust me, it is not worth it. If he is not able to respect that, then he is not worthy to have as a husband. This is a test for you and your boyfriend.

Today, I had to take a black truck over to my father-in-law's place. On the way back from his apartment, I happened to have the radio on AM 820, KGNW where Michael Fields was talking about Spiritual Growth. He said something that caught my attention and got me to thinking about this. He asked something like this: How do you define spiritual growth? He gave some examples of how some people define what spiritual growth is. One example is that a person may memorize various scripture passages, others determine spiritual growth by the evidence of spiritual gifts. As he continued, he stated that spiritual growth ought to be defined by how one understands (not have the ability to recite) the sacrifice Christ gave to save mankind. What are your thoughts on this? How do you define spiritual growth? How are we able to understand spiritual growth from the Restored Gospel's perspective? How similar is this to modern Christian thinking? How different is it from modern Christian thinking?

Sorry, but if someone came pounding on my door at midnight, I would be answering the door with something in my hand - baseball bat, knife, what ever can do damage. We are in a very volitile society today. Heck, we had a family here in the Pacific Northwest killed over a Craigslist Ad. What the OP describes is not normative behavior for someone, especially knocking at the door and almost (from what is being described) demanding to have the roommate go wake up the love interest at 0-dark-thirty. So yea, your comment is not you sounding like a jerk, but honestly is someone who really did not take the time to read the original post and is answering with total disregard to how uncomfortable this person feels around this guy.

There are times when we need to stand and defend our faith and belief system And then, there are times when we need to just smile, pat them on the back, and not give an answer either yea or nah and just walk away. The trick is to determine when it is appropriate to stand, and when it is appropriate to walk away.