cdowis

I have a very nice white shirt, but it got a small stain does not come out.
Simple, use liquid White Out  and brush on the stain, and it covers the stain.   The White Out does not show if you rub it a little after it is dry, and is virtually invisible after washing the shirt.

I have a very nice white shirt, but it got a small stain does not come out.
Simple, use liquid White Out  and brush on the stain, and it covers the stain.   The White Out does not show if you rub it a little after it is dry, and is virtually invisible after washing the shirt.

CRITIC
Mormons have secrets
RESPONSE
In Acts 1:3 we read that, after the resurrection, Christ taught the disciples for forty days, teaching them the things “pertaining to the kingdom of God”. But we do not have a record of what He said. Forty days! Did He repeat the Sermon on the Mount 10,000 times?
Earlier, He told the disciples not to cast their pearls before swine (the unbelievers).
Certain doctrines are very briefly mentioned in the Bible — baptism for the dead (Paul), three kingdoms of glory (Paul), preaching the gospel to the dead (Peter), etc.
There are those who call these “secrets”, but Christ said, “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” They are indeed sacred, and Christ has commanded us to keep them from the world.

Updated version of previous post
CRITIC
Why can you believe in Mormonism when there no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon, etc
RESPONSE
The answer is found in the Bible.
Christ said to Peter
Matt 16 [15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? [16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  [17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Christ did NOT say, “Blessed art thou because you have studied archaeology, you have debated with the scribes and Pharasees about the scriptures, and have come to the logical conclusion that I am the Christ.”
Like Peter, God has promised to give us a personal witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. What greater witness can there be?
Blessed are those who have sought the Lord in prayerful study and meditation.

CRITIC
Why do you claim to be Christians
RESPONSE
Christ has restored the gospel and His church here on the earth, and is the head of the church. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw a vision of Christ and testified
22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! 23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— 24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

I am a girl, was LDS and unmarried at the time I was eligible to go on a mission.  I always wanted to growing up: the Gospel was so much joy and glue in my life.  But when it came time... the Lord unmistakably said "no".  I loved the Gospel, but I... it was not for me.  I was at a very fragile stage in my life, in deep clinical depression, and I needed to focus on getting myself back in order.  So, I went and did as the Lord told me to: which was to stay exactly where I was-- much to family and friends' surprise.  10 years later,  I have a rock solid testimony that that was the exact right thing for me to do, and have reaped many blessings from it.

Oh, that's the Millennial Artist.
 
 

Something that helps me.
I have AdBlocker, and it has a cool feature.  You right click on the image and you can permanently block that image from showing on your computer, so you can go back to that page and it isn't there anymore.  Amazing, but I found that somehow it also erases it from my memory -- as if it never existed.  I go to that page and it is just a blank space.
It's a psychological thing.

So, kind of like this?

CRITIC
Book of Abraham (revised)
RESPONSE
Kerry Muhlestein,. PhD in Egyptology at UCLA talks about recent research on the Book of Abraham.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRzU6C5Wb8U
https://youtu.be/gCH529IgDrY
https://youtu.be/6EHKY1NUmcg?t=1m10s
He has a playlist of 15 videos on this subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRzU6C5Wb8U
Dr. Muhlestein's credentials ==
PhD in Egyptology at UCLA
Chairman of a national committee for the American Research Center in Egypt and serves on their Research Supporting Member Council.
He has also served on a committee for the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, and currently serves on their Board of Trustees and as a Vice President of the organization.
Senior Fellow of the William F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research.
Participating with the International Association of Egyptologists, and has worked with Educational Testing Services on their AP World History test. He gave a presentation at the international Egyptological conference in Moscow held in the fall of 2009.
Published articles in professional journals including the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology.
A sampling of Dr. Muhlestein’s other Egyptological work includes: “Binding with Heraldic Plants,” in Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Egyptologists, 2 vols., ed. Jean-Claude Goyon and Christine Cardin (Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Department Oosterse Studies, 2007), 1335–41; “Empty Threats? How Egyptians’ Self-Ontology Affect the Way We Read Many Texts,” JSSEA 34 (2007): 115–30; “Execration Ritual,” in UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, ed. Jacco Dieleman and Willeke Wendrich (Los Angeles, Cali.: UCLA, 2008), online athttp://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz000s3mqr (Accessed February 27, 2013); “Royal Executions: Evidence Bearing on the Subject of Sanctioned Killing in the Middle Kingdom,” in The Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 51/2 (2008): 181–208; “Teaching Egyptian History: Some Discipline-Specific Pedagogical Notes,” in The Journal of Egyptian History, 2/1–2 (2009): 173–231.
 

REVISED
CRITIC
The Bible teaches blah blah blah
RESPONSE
Let's assume that the Bible is inerrant. But that still leaves a problem.
Where do you find an inerrant INTERPRETATION of the Bible? Scholars disagree among themselves even on basic salvation doctrines -- e.g. is baptism a requirement for salvation, works vs faith, "once saved always saved", free will, etc They all have studied the Bible intensively, got their PhD from the universities and cannot agree among themselves on what the Bible teaches.
I do not say that the scriptures are false, but you cannot give me the inerrant interpretation of those scriptures.
The historic Christian church replaced the apostles and prophets with theologians and philosophers.
But the Lord called a prophet in these last days day to restore the Gospel and the church lead by apostles and prophets (see Eph 4:11-14).
I invite you to visit the local church and see for yourself.

REVISED
CRITIC
The Bible teaches blah blah blah
RESPONSE
Let's assume that the Bible is inerrant. But that still leaves a problem.
Where do you find an inerrant INTERPRETATION of the Bible? Scholars disagree among themselves even on basic salvation doctrines -- e.g. is baptism a requirement for salvation, works vs faith, "once saved always saved", free will, etc They all have studied the Bible intensively, got their PhD from the universities and cannot agree among themselves on what the Bible teaches.
I do not say that the scriptures are false, but you cannot give me the inerrant interpretation of those scriptures.
The historic Christian church replaced the apostles and prophets with theologians and philosophers.
But the Lord called a prophet in these last days day to restore the Gospel and the church lead by apostles and prophets (see Eph 4:11-14).
I invite you to visit the local church and see for yourself.

For one semester I was a music major, and learned the basics of playing the piano.
Now that I am retired I have a self study program in learning the piano.  I have been amazed at the many resources for self-teaching and hope very soon to be able to play my first hymn.  I discovered there are several "flavors" of learning the piano -- there is, of course, the classics, but I find it interesting to learn how to play popular and jazz.
I found an electronic keyboard which has 88 keys, weighted keys, and the sound sampled from a grand piano.   The Yamaha P-115 was around $500.  Amazing!
It is portable so I will be able to take it to nursing homes to play in public ==>> low stress place to play, since they won't notice the mistakes.  Also on a family get- together.  Perhaps in time to be able to play at church in priesthood meetings.
I have been amazed at the resources available to those who are self-taught -- various tutorial, music courses (udemy.com), youtube.  You can even take lessons on skype.

CRITIC
"When the brethren have spoken, the thinking has been done"
RESPONSE
Brigham Young taught us

What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually.  JD IX:150.
Some may say, "Brethren, you who lead the Church, we have all confidence in you, we are not in the least afraid but what everything will go right under your superintendence; all the business matters will be transacted right; and if brother Brigham is satisfied with it, I am." I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied.  JD III:45.
Joseph Smith, I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.

CRITIC
"When the brethren have spoken, the thinking has been done"
RESPONSE
Brigham Young taught us

What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually.  JD IX:150.
Some may say, "Brethren, you who lead the Church, we have all confidence in you, we are not in the least afraid but what everything will go right under your superintendence; all the business matters will be transacted right; and if brother Brigham is satisfied with it, I am." I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied.  JD III:45.
Joseph Smith, I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.

@cdowis
They were Death Wish and The Thaw.  They were good episodes, and you're right that the way they explored these ideas do have relevance from a spiritual perspective, although that probably wasn't their intent.  Death Wish was about the ethical dilemma over suicide and one's right to end their life, and The Thaw was about defeating Fear itself.
 

There were two episodes which were very memorable for me.
One episode showed the aliens who were immortal.  One of them was talking about how terrible their life was.  Basically they just sat around and did not communicate with each other.  "Everything has already been said and done.  There is nothing to talk about, nothing really to do."
Bored to death had a special meaning to them.  It made me appreciate the Celestial Kingdom.
The other episode had a group of people whose conscious mind was trapped in a fantasy world  controlled by a clown.  It showed how terrible life was because this clown (who was not funny) had total control over them, and it was a living hell for them.  It made me understand how it is to be eternally in the presence Satan.
It's hard to describe without actually experiencing the episodes,but they profoundly influenced my life. (don't remember the names)

The idea (doctrine?) that there was no death before the Fall of Adam has caused a real issue on reconciling science with religion, when we look at the fossil record.
 
Several years ago, I suggested the idea that death was operative during the five days of creation on another LDS forum, and was renounced as a heretic, an apostate.
 
Few have noticed a recent comment by Elder Holland in the last General Conference.  He was speaking of the Creation and Adam and Eve.  He said something very interesting
 
This is the first time in my memory that the door was opened to the idea that there was death prior Adam, and that the Fall only affected HUMAN death.

A medical doctor considers prescribing a medication to treat a condition, but also looks at the potential side effects.  If the side effects are worse than the disease, he doesn't prescribe it.
Bottom line -- coffee, wine, etc may have positive effects, but the Lord warns us that the side effects are worse, including serious damage to our spirituality.

CRITIC
" If the Nephites lived here for generations, how would steel be such a common item..."
RESPONSE

FACT CHECK:
This is an antiMormon myth.
1. Mosiah 11:8... of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass
Iron was considered as precious as gold and silver (160BCE)
2. Steel was mentioned only in the early days of the Nephites.  The last reference was in about 420BCE.

It is likely that the Nephites discovered meteoric iron when they first landed around 550BCE, and eventually became scarce a few centuries later.  Scarce enough to be worth its weight in gold.

CRITIC
Independent evidence for the Book of Mormon
 
RESPONSE
Here is a letter from W.F. Albright in response to a letter from a critic of the church
 
Dear Mr. Howard:Thanks for sending me a copy of the publication of Joseph Smith's Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar. There does appear to be evidence that Joseph Smith had studied some Egyptian. For one thing, he undoubtedly spent a great deal of money and effort in trying to master Egyptian, but, as you know, when the Book of Mormon was written, Egyptian had just begun to be deciphered and *it is all the more surprising that there are two Egyptian names, Paanch and Pahor(an) which appear together in the Book of Mormon in close connection with a reference to the original language as being "Reformed Egyptian." *
 
I read an extremely interesting account by Fawn Brodie, No Man Knows My History, in chapter 12, in which she deals with Joseph Smith's tremendous efforts to learn languages. *There were, however, as yet no Egyptian grammars or dictionaries in existence,* so the best he could do was to follow books from the seventeenth and eighteenth centures (including some from the nineteenth) which treated the hieroglyphs very much as Horapollo did about the sixth century A.D.--as pure ideographs. Joseph Smith's translation does not, however, follow the pseudo-Neo-Platonism of Athanasius Kircher in the seventeenth century, but is a kind of quasi-biblical composition. In any case it has nothing whatever to do with the original Egyptian manuscript of a copy of the Book of the Dead.The supposed digits have nothing whatever to do with the figures. You must remember that our digits go back to India through the Arabs and were not brought to Europe until less than a thousand years ago.I do not for a moment believe that Joseph Smith was trying to mislead anyone; I accept the point of view of a Jewish friend of mine at the University of Utah, that he was a religious genius and that he was quite honest in believing that he really could decipher these ancient texts. But to insist that he did is really doing a disservice to the cause of a great church and its gifted founder.Cordially,(signature)W. F. Albright
 
Here is his biography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Albright
NOTE  I hope to get an image of the original letter.  I have seen it but misplaced the link.

John 14:12 Verily, 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. Lehi

Baptist Minister talks about the Book of Mormon
 
over 10,000 views now.
 
25,000

This is a hit!!  I have over 500 views on this video so far.  
 
A Baptist Minister Talks about the Bible and the Book of Mormon
https://youtu.be/p8X8a7DtwUI
 
I have posted this on several popular youtube videos which are critical of the church.  It has eight likes and one dislike.

1 Third term
http://newsexaminer.net/politics/obama-announces-plans-for-a-third-term-presidential-run/
 
2. His actions in importing millions of compliant voters and enabling them to vote even before getting citizenship (the motor voter law)  bespeaks his intention for a thousand year reign  for the Dems.
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2015/10/12/gov-jerry-brown-signs-bill-allowing-illegal-aliens-vote/
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=illegal+voting+by+illegal+immigrants&oq=illegal+voting+illegal+imm&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0.17782j1j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8