SeattleTruthSeeker

I have thought about this for the past several days. I have never heard of the council of fifty, nor a separate political group that was attempting to establish a "kingdom of God". However, I have studied the Old and New Testament. I have studied First Century Christianity and Judaism. I have studied history. And, the one thing I have kept coming back to is the question - What is the Kingdom of God? From what I have read on the website you have up, the Kingdom of God is a governing body of citizens of various religious affiliations and beliefs. A political kingdom to offer refuge from other failed governments. It is from this basis that, from your claims and statements, the kingdom of God is of a political nature that men ought to implement at some point. I disagree with this. Simply because Scripture has already defined what the Kingdom of God is. And that definition is not a governing body of fifty men in a council. It is not a political form of government. To understand this, we go to the preaching of John the Baptist. In those days, came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. {Matthew 3:1-2, KJV LDS Edition} Jesus Christ himself began his ministry - according to Matthew 4:17 - with the same statement John the Baptist made: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. In the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:10, Christ says this: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. {see also Luke 11:2} What is even more interesting is what Christ is recorded to have said the following: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added tunto you. (Matthew 6:33, KJV LDS Edition} When we read in the New Testament, Christ refers to the Kingdom of Heaven and/or Kingdom of God as being imminent. Now, if we step back a little bit. The First Century Jews believed that the promised messiah would be a deliverer like that of Moses who came in and delivered the children of Israel from an oppressive nation. Their understanding of redemption would be a man who would come in and throw off the chains of the Roman Empire and bring Israel back into their land and restore the Davidic Kingdom their forefathers had once enjoyed. They were seeking after a political kingdom of God. Yet, Christ was not their messiah because he did not come to overthrow the chains of the Roman Empire, but he came to overthrow the chains of sin and death that hold people in bondage. Thus, the Kingdom of God, according to Scripture and history, is not a political form of government but the Gospel itself. Those who are citizens are those who have a testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel. The Kingdom of God is already here on earth, just as much as it is in Heaven. Thus, why I disagree with this, why I find this all so troubling. The Kingdom of God is not political but it is His Gospel truths, His gospel Principles, it is the Plan of Salvation for mankind and those who hold to the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are already citizens of this great kingdom.

Because, not only did he preach unto us to live according to the Will of God, but he lived his life as an example of what we ought to do and how to live. He put actions behind his words, even when he may have felt human at times and did not want to. He taught us to live the principles and commandments of God, and to seek out God's will. That is why we depend on him. To strengthen us when we feel weak. And it is not Christ we rely upon, it is Heavenly Father whom we, his beloved children, rely on.

Here is a simple thing to answer this question it is from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. It is not the act itself that is considered sin, but the entertainment of the thought. 1) It was said of old time (Mosaic Law) - Thou shalt not commit adultry 2) Christ states: if a man looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultry in his heart. The very thought of the act, or the entertainment of the act creates an atmosphere of allowing the temptations to come in. Yes, some view things like this as a game, others become so enthralled that they can't distinquish fantasy from reality. To better explain this, I belong to an online writing community where there is an elderly lady who volunteers her time and talents to help beginning writers with their prose. Her only request is that the writing not contain any violence, criminal activities or any such behavoir. Her reasoning, because our society today has glorified violence and crime as an attractive way of life that has proven to be dangerous to ourselves, our families and our communities. She is not even a member of the LDS Faith. So, in my own personal opinion, I think the interaction of violent video games open the door for temptation, glorifying the criminal activites as being fun and enticing. Personally, I have never been a gamer. I prefer board games like monopoly, scrabble, trivial pursuit, yhatzee, sorry and other games that are family oriented.

I have to admit, in previous times when I have read the Book of Mormon and never felt so impressed by its words. The only other time I have felt it's powerful message was actually being convicted and called to repent and return. I failed to do that after a most profound experience. Now, there is no profound experience, but mere reflection and simple rethinking and plain reading.

This is from my most recent blog post 1 Nephi 3&4 Are God's commandments hard to follow. The main reason I am posting it here is to generate discussion here, as well as on my blog here where I posted it as well, and on this forum. So, there are three places where the discussion can take place (preferably over on my blog). Thus, these are my thoughts and interpretations. Enjoy and hopefully this generates some good wholesome thoughts and discussions Yes, this is going to be a slow process and definitely something to enjoy. I have decided to break up these posts with reading only a couple chapters at a time and providing my own reflections and insights regarding these passages that I read. And, while it has been only a couple days since my last posts, my thoughts are flooded with a variety of interesting and a variety of scenes, dialogues and mental noise. Nevertheless, I am getting back into my passions and that is writing, cooking and enjoying life as much as I possibly can. Thus, here are my thoughts on 1 Nephi 3 and 4. Are God’s Commandments a hard thing to follow? Okay, so when I started reading 1 Nephi 3, an unlikely passage jumped out at me for a couple reasons. This passage is 1 Nephi 3:5 - And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord. The main reason this caught my attention was because of the Apologetic disposition I have come to understand and develop over the years. Meaning, this single passage reflects an answer to the most common criticism that Latter-day Saint Christian believers receive from those of varying Christian Faiths. This criticism centers around the nature of Sola Gratia (Salvation by Grace alone) and the LDS Doctrines on Sotierology (the study of salvation of mankind). One of the most common arguments that the Critics present is that concerning how Mormons are oppressed with a legalistic religion. How, in their interpretation and presentation, majority of those of the LDS Faith are unhappy, depressed and ever seeking fulfillment in their feeble attempts to follow strict commandments that have come down from the General Authorities. Upon further reflection of this, I to once was a supporter of Grace only salvation and that because of man’s own depravity, he could in no way save himself from his sins. It is not until recently that I have devoted some time to studying the reality and truth of such doctrines that I have discovered that, yes, because we possess a carnal nature that is driven by passions and lusts, we also have the ability to bring such passions and lusts under complete subjugation. There is evidence outside of Christianity and religion in general where there are devout and strong opinionated atheists who have a disposition of good will, charity, chastity and understand the dangers of destructive behaivors. While their disbelief in God is a prominent belief, some of them live respectable lives. This is not saying that Evangelical Christians and Latter-day Saint Christians do not live examplar lives. They do. The point here is how the misconception of the LDS Doctrines are and how the commandments of God are not that hard to follow. In fact, both Evangelical and Latter-day Saint Christians accept the very fact that being obedient and living honorable lives is the fruit of one’s faith “by their fruits ye shall know them“. The issue is not about fruits but about obedience to the commandments of God. Here, I have discovered that those who attack the LDS Faith, do so because they find that being obedient to God’s commandments is something that one can in no way accomplish. The question I ask is this: If God command’s something of His beloved children and it is something that they can in no way keep, would this then make God an unjust and unfair God? Making it more simple, would you as a parent make rules for your children that you know very well that is very hard and difficult for them to keep? Furthermore, depending on the maturity level and age of your children, would you implement rules for a 3 year old that are more for a 15 year old? This would be completely unfair, and the consequences of disobeying said rules would be completely unjust. Why is that? How is that? The fact is, those commandments of our Loving Heavenly Father are for our benefit. In making this statement, there are two prominent stories I remember from my youth. One is about walking along a beach. The sun is beating down and it is a hot summer day. Upon finding a quiet place, a young couple ignores the No Swimming sign posted. Instead, they use their agency to swim in dangerous waters. The other is a young man who has to follow the tradition of maturity in his tribe. He had to spend three days on the mountain top and after the third day, make his way back down to the tribe. Upon his descent, he came across a poisonuous snake who convinces him to carry him down. At first, the young man objects for obvious reasons. Yet, the more the snake and young man exchange words, the more the Young man decides to carry the serpent down to where it is warmer. It is not until the snake is placed on the ground that he bites the young man. “Why did you bite me when you promised you wouldn’t” cries the young man. The snakes response being: You knew I was poisonuous before you picked me up. The fact is, God’s commandments are the No Swimming signs posted. They are the protection from poison that threatens to destory our souls, integrities, families and our life. The choices we make, not only affect us, but those around us in our circle of Influence. We choose to commit crimes against the laws of the land, we must face the consequences of those actions. It is then, that when we return to 1 Nephi 3:5 that we find those who disagree with following the Commandments of God as part of the true gospel of Christ, they are saying “it is too difficult, why do it?” The answer is not because it is a hard thing to do, but because it is a commandment we must follow. And this brings us to the very next passage that reflects the inherint blessings and how a Loving Heavenly Father has promised those of us who choose to follow after the commandments of God: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. {1 Nephi, 3:7} Do we honestly believe that? For me, and for those of us who are struggling to make a return back to the LDS Faith find it very difficult. Some of us (like myself) tend to fall in the trap of murmuring. Why should I go back there, it is hard, the things that are required are difficult. It is when we think upon these things that we begin to stir up doubt. Doubt stirs up fear, and fear stirs up anxiety and worrysome. What I need to do, what we all need to do is to realize that when we are called to do something, God is not just going to leave us to our own devices (tell a 10 year old that he is in charge of dinner and then leave for an hour and see what happens), but that he will guide us, direct us and give us strength in accomplishing that which he has commanded us to do.What this means is this: we are truly saved after all that we have and are able to do. Meaning, when we acknowledge Heavenly Father and his will in and for our lives, we give him the controls and we sit in the passenger seat and he will have the road already mapped out for us to follow. This brings strength and hope to those who doubt, are discourged and bewildered at the commandments of a Loving Heavenly Father. It is simple words to those of us who are struggling to return from our own apostasy and find restoration in Truth and light. It is for those of us who have tried on our own merits to accomplish things and felt the sting of failure and find ourselves at our wits end. It is for those Christian Critics who like to murmur and claim that the commandments of God are too difficult to follow because we simply can’t follow them and therefore the only way we can be assured of our salvation is merely trusting in Jesus. It is one thing to trust in someone, it is a whole different idea to not only trust, but walk in that trust and building a deeper trust one with another. And, just as Nephi says, “Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord” (1 Nephi 3:16). This brings me to one of my most cherished passages of Scripture. That is Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. {Romans 12:1-2, KJV - LDS Edition} Another version of the above text is from the New American Standard Bible version - Thompson Chain Reference study bible: I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. What is very simplistic of this thought, this idea and interpretation (from my own perspective) is that when we are obedient to the commandments of God, we are actually worshipping Heavenly Father by our actions. Thus, it is not enough (and the very reason we read in scripture) that men honor God with their mouths, but their heart is so far removed from him. In other words, the statement actions speak louder than words is very scripturally inspired. Now, I am not saying that Heavenly Father declared “Listen people, your actions speak louder than words. Don’t tell me you love me, show me you love me.”However, the reality of this is very true in practicality. When a husband says to his wife, I love you, is verbal expressions. Yet, if that said husband said to his wife, I love you, but then does nothing to show how much he loves, adores and appreciates her, then his words are mute and without effect. It is only when he shows by his very actions that he is devoted to her, respects her and loves her. Thus, going back to the heart of this discussion, any person who says that the LDS Christian believer is wrong in believing that it is, not only, our duty to be obedient to the commandments of God, but that we must live according to those commandments and abide by the principles of the Gospel. Not because we are trying to earn our salvation and prove that we are worthy of God’s praise, but that because it is our spiritual devotion to show our Heavenly Father that we love and respect him through our obedience. In doing so, he has promised to prepare a way for us to accomplish that which he has commanded us. What does this all mean then? Essentially, this all means that any thing we are doing in our lives that are not appropriate (and yes, I am strongly speaking to myself here as well) or in compliance with the commandments of God, we must forsake them, seek forgiveness, make restitution where possible and needed and turn our lives back to Heavenly Father and follow after his will and divine counsel. Personally, whether I disagree with it or not, for me this is to comply with the Word of Wisdom. Yes, I still smoke. Not as much as I used to. In fact, two years ago, I was so dependent upon cigarettes that I would smoke approximately 2.5 packs a day. When out of cigarettes, I would wander around town until I could bum a few cigarettes. I would even go so far as to do what the homeless call “snipe” for cigarettes. Basically, I would pull out cigarettes from outside ashtrays, take them home, remove the tobacco and role them up to smoke them. Drinking Coffee was one of my biggest vices (up there with smoking cigarettes). It is not until these past couple years that I have decreased my coffee intake. I went from drinking Coffee almost all day every day and nothing else, to drinking maybe 1 to 2 cups a day. Not only has my intake of coffee lessened, I am actually not as anxious as I used to be, staying up at all odd hours of the night, sometimes not even sleeping for days on end. Healthy eating and weight loss. One of the things I have begun over the last couple years is develop a more healthy appetite. While I am cooking, there are alot of things that I am not cooking, or eating as I used to. Integrating more fruits and vegetables in my diet. Eating less portioned meals than large meals. Challenging myself to quit eating alot of food in one setting or over time. The other thing, and my fiance is asking me to do, is to decrease my intake of Soda. Why do all these things? Because I am in my late thirties, there is diabetes in my family and I am overweight as it is. The more I focus on changing my unhealthy habits to more healthy habits will help my later on in life. Also, because it is commanded of us to take care of our bodies, physically, mentally and spiritually. All in all, the reflection of 1 Nephi 3, for me anyway, is realizing that the counsel and commandments of a Loving Heavenly father are not that hard to follow. And, when we come to him and willing to humble ourselves in obedience, the promise is that Heavenly Father will make a way for us to accomplish that which he has commanded us to do. This is for any area of our lives where we find the challenge of. Any area of our lives where we may have slacked in our callings and duties. This is definitely one passage I am marking to contemplate more fully on. Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are definitely welcomed here.

In my honest opinion, the temptation of power and glory was what he sought after. He wanted to not become like our Heavenly Father, but wanted to be Our Heavenly Father and the rejection he received at the premortal council was what drove him. The temptation of power and prestige. Vanity.

I will definitely take a look at that myself, thank you for posting it.... always good to read other's perspectives on the same passages.

I definitely will keep that in mind. And, as you have stated, it is true. When we come to the same passage of scripture, the application, the meaning and the understanding has a different and real personal revelation to it. There were times when I would find myself so frustrated and open up and there is a scripture I have read many times standing out and the very words coming alive and speaking to my heart and soul. Truly, finding solace in the scriptures is something I miss.

Thank you very much... definitely caught me off guard as I was reading through. And, as I stated in my blog post, the point is to share what I am coming away with in my readings of the Book of Mormon and the impressions I am seeing. Definitely different and refreshing.

This is the most recent blog article I have written. Your thoughts, questions and comments are definitely welcomed. Here is an excerpt of that blog article - which can be found here A Latter-day Saint Christian Perspective

1) Anti-Mormon websites and message forums like to decry how Mormonism and the LDS Believers diminish the essence and spirit of the Bible. This is not so. The LDS Believers stand by the 8th article of Faith - We believe the bible to be the word of God inso far as it is translated correctly. Modern Christian critics take issue with this statement without recognition of the nature of the Bible itself. The inerrantists presume the assumption that the Bible (as we have it today) is inerrant and without any errors from translation. It is only when one steps out of this modern Christian thinking and studies out the nature of the Translation that they discover the Bible having various translations before the Modern English Translation. Hebrew, Aramaic, Chaldiac and Greek. It was not until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the understanding of the Greek Old Testament that there were issues with the Masoretic Text that our current bible - specifically the old testament - is translated from. LDS believers are not inerrantists. One can believe the Bible, as we have it today, to be lacking due to several factors, mistranslations, misquotations, misinterpretations of passages and doctrines. No matter how meticulous the process was, there is evidence that certain beliefs and prevelant thinking have made its way into the Biblical transcription process. The New Testament is also much the same. While there is substantial evidence to support the authenticity of the Epistles, there are things that are missing, books that are missing or have been removed because of the prevailing thought of Christianity after the first century. Hence, the reason that there are "plain and precious" parts of the bible are said to have been removed.

Here are my thoughts on this topic: 1) When Christ told the Theif on the Cross, "today, you shall be in paradise" Christ was not telling the Thief that he was saved, nor was he going to be in Heaven as Christians understood, but that because the Thief recognized who Christ was and asked, "Lord, remember me," the response was "you will be in paradise." 2) The Christian concept of Heaven and Hell is in reality the LDS Doctrine of the Spirit world. It is the residing place where those who have passed on, await the resurrection and the coming forth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is until the resurrection of all souls that we stand before the Lord of Hosts and are judged according to our mortal life. We all will have to give an account of our mortal life. It is here that we will receive our rewards. Interesting how the Christian doctrines do not expound on the rewards that will be given, but it is clear that they are not spiritual gifts, talents and such, but how and where all will continue after the final judgment. From the most precious rewards given to the elect to the casting out of those who are sons of perdition. These are my thoughts.

I just took the poll. Yep, reclaiming the LDS Faith as my religion and Choice. Coming back, well I am still in the process lol.

Thank you for everyone who has responded. The children have adapted quite well. Some issues we are having is that my fiance has a ten year old boy who does not mind when asked to do something so it is setting a bad example for the kids and they are already picking up on this behavioral problem. I am on days (just got a three day suspension for a Lock out tag out violation at work). My fiance has taken time off work and I know she is adjusting a bit. Mom comes over and visits (she has supervised visits) the children on the weekends. She also has had her visiting teachers over and they brought over food for us and our hometeacher came over to see how things are going. Bishop and the relief society president also gave us a food order to help out. Right now, it is a temporary placement but the alternative may be adoption. We found out much more information (at which I can't divulge due to confidentiality reasons by court). Through all this, my fiance and I have talked about this being an opportunity for me to be a parent when I could not be a parent to my children so this is my first time going through all this that I never had a chance to have experience. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. Mom is having a hard time because while she is a member of the church (much more inactive than I or my fiance are) she doesn't like the fact that we are mentoring her on proper discipline techniques. Upset when the children are in time out (Corner and bedroom). The other issue that we are experiencing is that these two children do not even know their basic letter recognitions so I went to the library and got some books and what I want to try and do is instead of reading to them, have them start learning how to read. We have letters they can play with in the bath and they are having a hard time trying to identify what letters are what. So, there are some growing pains here and some issues. Manner wise, we have them saying May I please be excused when finished eating and putting away their dishes. They are starting to dress on their own and putting their clothes away when asked. It is trying here but we are making the necessary adjustments - no matter how frustrating it is at times.

My attempt was to support the LDS Doctrines on who Jehovah and Elohim are. I am well aware of the Documentary Hypothesis, the problematic Masoretic Text that majority of Old Testament English versions are derived from. The fact that you out right stated that I am full of it is more of an ad hominem attack and I do not welcome it. Regardless of what you posted later on. I am sorry, but I found that offensive.

Actually, I started a similar thread here Israel's God - An Old Testament Doctrine it is similar to this one here that everyone is discussing.

How do you define respect? I am actually curious to know. What I believe you are meaning to say is that it does not merit supporting what they believe. I respect someone's opinion. In your understanding, does that mean that I am supporting their opinion, or acknowldeging their opinion as being their opinion? Are we to respect what other people believe? Isn't that what one of the articles of faith are about is respecting one anothers viewpoint? I am not going to beat this into the ground, because there is no need to. The question you brought up is valid, but is in error on the premise of the thought that when you respect someone you support what they believe. I have never heard that. My fiance's son is in Taekwondo and the children are from a variety of cultures, walks of faiths (and yes there is one gentleman who is a member of the LDS Faith there that is an instructor). They teach children Respect and what it means to respect. The Master is Korean, they are taught to respect other people of different ethnics, cultures and backgrounds. Does that mean that these children are taught - again by your own definition - that respect equals supporting? Again, respect is acknowledging and understand the person for who they are, beliefs and all. That does not mean you support their lifestyle, their political views, their religious views. For instance, I respect John McArthur, Charles Stanlely, RC Sproul. I respect them because they are an exemplary men of integrity. I respect my father but can't stand him at times. I respect my ex wife parents but disagree with them. I respect people that I know, but disagree with them on certain things. If you can show me how respect is equated to supporting and accepting their beliefs, then I will change my view. Until then, why make an issue out of respecting someone who they are? That is my question. No, I do not support the anti mormons. I don't support what they do, what they represent, what they teach and what they write. However, I respect people who are willing to discuss and see where they may error in their arguments and willing to sit down and have a decent conversation without name calling.

Respecting does not equal agreeing and supporting them. Respecting means that you respect them as a human being, a person whom God loves and an individual that lives their life. Parents respect their children, even when those children disappoint them. So in a sense, yes I respect the person for who they are. So, why would you ask if I respect someone who rejects the Lord's teaching? I respect them for who they are, not what they believe in. How would you arrive to the conclusion that respect equates to agreeing with what someone believes that is in opposition to what you believe in?

From someone who has been there... majority of the Anti Mormon tactics, antics and articles are misconstrued strawman arguments put together to hopefully deceive people. I have read Bill Mckeevers Mormonism 101. Alot of fallacious arguments in that work. I have read and seen the God Makers, Ed Decker is a joke. I have read alot of works by these so called Christian Ministers who seemed to think they know more about the LDS Religion. When I was on the other side of the fence and an anti mormon (my fiance still says I am an anti mormon and we don't talk religion in the house, but we are getting more and more comfortable on the subject - we have home teachers that come see us and we go to church infrequently. She says we are going, I say okay and then she cops out and I ask why are we not going?). Anyway. My thought is that majority of the anti mormon literature are based upon their misconstrued interpretations and rehashments of old arguments dressed up in new presupposed logical reasonings. Majority of these people can't even back up the originality of their statements. Most of them don't even understand the Bible, Christian History and Religious ideals and how religious doctrines have evolved over time. To them, it is one or the other. The fact remains, Christians can't even agree on one single point of doctrine from a biblical standpoint. And, finally, what authority and right do these people have to bash someone elses religion? They don't. People will believe what they want to believe. We must understand and share what we know is to be true and let God do the convicting and the drawing forth.

Me, a foster parent? My fiance called me at work and shared with me that her younger sister's three children were being taken away and the state of washington had called her to see if she would be willing to take the children in. She asked me what I thought and if she wanted to, would I support her in this decision. Unfortunately, had to make a quick decision and did not have enough time to talk it thoroughly over. I agreed. After we passed the background check, my fiance and I now have her sisters two youngest children living with us.This all happened last week. These two children have been in an abusive home (not clear on who the abuser is) and both my fiance and I have noticed some behavioral problems. They are very active children and have adapted quite well. In fact, they have taken a liking to me. My fiance has taken time off from work - paid leave and I am jealous about that - and I work swing monday - friday. My question is two-fold. First, I am feeling a bit awkward because even though I have three of my own, I still have not been a parent (except for the past almost two years to her ten year old boy, and even then I am more of a friend to him than a parential figure) and the adjustment is mixed on my part. I grew up old school style. While I was not abused, I was spanked when out of line. Nowadays we can't do that. The frustrating part is trying to help these two youngin's that what they were used to at home, they have to change. I know this is not going to happen overnight, but it is got me worried that they are going to have a harder time developing good manners when it comes to listening when being asked. These two young children are 3 and 2 years old. We are in the process of potty training them and they are actually being quite cooperative. I understand kids will be kids, however they think that it is a game when they get a bit out of line and run off laughing when we are trying to get them to come back into the apartment or to settle down. Essentially, this is all new to me and both my fiance and I are trying to get some boundaries set. What are positive motivating factors that her and I can implement to help these two young children adapt and adjust and develop better manner's and behaviors. The potty training is going quite well, and we praise them for it. Plus, her son is an only child so he is not used to sharing his room and now has to share his room and his mothers attention (which was hard when his mom and I started dating). Some of the things we are trying to teach them are: 1) eat at the table during meal times 2) pick up clothes and stuff 3) no biting, hitting or kicking 4) no saying "no" to us when we ask them to do things. Any advice or comments are more than welcomed here.

Honestly, I prefer the KJV and the New American Standard Bible. I have the Quad at home, along with the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible NASB which is very good (in my opinion).

I agree with the Flat Tax. Imagine if the Government implimented the Flat Tax and required 10 percent of everyone's income. If you think about it, a person who makes 15K a year would only be taxed on 10 percent of that = 1,500.00 would be the tax that this person would have to pay. As opposed to this, a person whose per annum income is 5.5 mil a year would pay a flat ten percent tax of 550,000 dollars. No tax breaks, no tax shelters. A simple flat tax that would go to the government for Education, Transportation and Charitable organizations.

Actually, Matthew 27:50-53 talks about this. Most Denominational churches don't really teach on this subject. I have not heard this talked about much among many Evangelical Christians either. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. What is also interesting is that at first reading this passage, there seems to be some bit of confusion. Yet, there is dual meaning in this passage. The graves were opened at Christ's death, but the resurrection of the saints did not occur until after Christ rose - thus being the First Fruits of the Resurrection. The reason why they did not rise after his (Christ) giving up the ghost is because Christ had to claim victory over death. It is here where the passage in 1 Peter (I think) where Christ went into hades to declare his victory over death and resurrection occurred. That he released those who were in prison and were bound by death. This also was two fold as well. Yet, this is only pertaining to the nature of the resurrection of Christ and the saints. Thus, the first resurrection has already occured. The second resurrection is awaiting to occur after Christ returns again. The second resurrection is going to be of both the Just and the Unjust. Why? Because unless there are a total of three resurrections, then we must conclude that there is only two until there is substantial scripture support for three. Which might be the case. Hope this answers your question. Essentially - yes, scripture teaches that the saints were risen after Christ's resurrection because he was and is the first fruits of the Resurrection. What Evangelical Christians have a hard time to answer is the question of where are these saints with their physical bodies of flesh and bones? Once they were resurrected in the manner that Christ was resurrected, then they must possess a physical and glorified resurrected body, much like Christ possesses a physical resurrected glorified body. Another support for LDS Theology and Doctrine biblically.

Not only do we have the dead sea scrolls, but the Rosetta Stone, the Ugaritic Text, the Dead sea Scrolls, the Apycropha and other such ancient documents. I am aware that there is still 1/3 of the book of Mormon that Joseph Smith had not, nor was allowed to translate. And the reason for this was to provide the saints what God wanted to reveal at that time and that until the Saints live faithful lives and adhere to the teachings of the Book of Mormon, once this happens then we would have 1/3 of the book of mormon translated.

SQL ERROR [ mysql4 ] Unknown MySQL server host 'ldsnow.startlogicmysql.com' (1) [2005] An sql error occurred while fetching this page. Please contact an administrator if this problem persists. That is the error message I get using Firefox lol. I finally was able to load it up on IE but it took almost 15 minutes and I have a fast computer and cable internet...