Traveler

I am of a different understanding. It is my understanding that presiding is very different than authority. It is my understanding that the father does preside in a family but has no more authority than his wife. I believe that to execute any authority in a family, the husband and wife must both agree. For either a father or mother to assume authority without the other would be no different than an individual apostle to assume authority over the others. It is not allowed and out of order. The Traveler

Greetings @Ann. I will make an attempt to respond. I am an old guy that is at least a generation ahead of you. I am a super nerd that is retired in the field of automation and robotics. Rather than say I disagree with some of your thoughts – may I add to them some of my own thoughts. I am concerned with this generation concerning marriage. I strongly believe that there is much more to marriage than a covenant between a man and a woman. At a minimum we need to remember that a Celestial marriage of necessity needs to also include G-d in the covenant. I am also of the mind that a marriage includes a covenant of children and generations. It is also my understanding (according to the Prophet Malachi) that the marriage sealing connects generations and includes all of G-d’s convent Celestial children. I am unable to comprehend how any Celestial covenant includes any act or intent of the LGBTQ+ community. I agree that we are commanded to love all of G-d’s children and to honor them as His children. But I do no know how it is possible to include such in any Celestial covenant. As for polygamy, I have to little understanding to be of much help – except that if G-d commands us so, that we ought to comply. My great grandfather was a polygamist. But when he first commanded, he and his wife refused. Only after meeting personally with the prophet did my great grandfather and his wife include a second wife in their covenant. Both recorded that they did not understand polygamy and its importance. Unfortunately, neither he or his wife ever explained what was important about polygamy. My one wife has been enough of a challenge for me. I do not feel I have sufficient understanding to make any recommendations to anyone beyond having faith in G-d and his commands. Concerning the roles of men and women concerning the priesthood. I take my understanding from what is taught in the scriptures and the temple. Mainly that in scripture a man is not without a woman nor is a woman without a man before G-d. In the temple we are taught about G-ds and G-ddesses, priests and priestesses. Anciently that title of g-d and priest could be given to the same individual. I assume that plays out as well for g-ddesses and priestesses. I conclude that there is no G-d without a G-ddess and no priest without a priestess; and vise versa. I do not believe it possible to pray to our Father in heaven without including our Mother in heaven. Since Jesus commanded that we address only our Father in heaven, I do not believe we should not specifically address our Mother in heaven. That is unless or until we are commanded otherwise. I am open to discuss any point or possibility. The Traveler

For a very long time I have been conflicted with President Trump. Though I think his agenda is needed and overdue, there are a lot of people that do not like anything about Trump. They think he is destroying America and creating international turmoil. I had a resent conversation with someone that thinks Trump is the anti-Christ spoken of in scripture. Of course this is a democrat. I do not intend to rehash this discussion – with the one exception that homicidal violence seems to be considered a viable option to stop Trump and his inner circle. This post is not intended to reflect what I think the world needs in this moment. Rather, I would point out that I believe there is enough animosity brewing that the Trump presidency could end with his assignation. This could cause the fulfilment Biblical prophesy concerning the end of times. I had hoped and thought that our recent annual Church conference would shed some light on this possibility. Having listened and pondered the prophetic guidance from the conference – I have come to two conclusions. The first is that the 2nd coming is coming soon and that there will be a lot of turmoil regardless of how soon, soon is. Regardless of what happens on a world scale, I am not going to be able to affect much of anything. In addition thing could unfold that would negate all my efforts to avoid what problem that could arise. The second conclusion is that Zion, and the saints of Zion will persevere. I was reading in the Book of Mormon 3Nephi 22 that gave me comfort. Those that may want to read – verse 11 summed up the thought that my job is not to worry about Trump, the nation or the world but to worry about myself to remail loyal to covenants (stand in holy places). The Traveler

It is my impression that the virgins slept is symbolic that they were not engaged in or doing anything else. It think that this is significant because all of the virgins were invited and came with the intent to welcome the bridegroom. They all thought things would turn out well for them. Generally, it seems to me that Christians (believers) think they are okay with nothing to worry about – it is the other Christians (just not them) that have problems and need to be concerned. I think this is similar but opposite to Jesus at the last supper telling his Apostles that one would betray him. I marvel that James did not whisper to John that it must be Judas because he has sure been acting strange lately?” Rather the Apostles were more concerned about themselves than to criticize, correct or think it is someone else. I am not sure but that I am among the unwise virgins that has not sufficiently prepared for the L-rd’s coming. The Traveler

I find it off that those that criticize Trump’s tariffs, especially claiming that Trump’s tariffs are a detriment to both the world and US economy – do not seem to care (or concerned) about the tariffs that are utilized by other countries. Especially those tariffs on US goods and services. I disagree with Trump that in all cases, tariffs should be reciprocal. I am more of the mind, especially in politics, that as good and fair as anything can be, there will always be some exceptions. In my youth I read a book titled, “The Ugly American”. I do not remember all the details, but I recall that it was very critical of Americans thinking that the rest of the world thinks as we do. In essence that anyone that has a different view of politics, economy and trade from us – does not understand that our thinking is vastly superior. And that everyone appreciates our gifts, despite our arrogance in our manor of giving. The Traveler

There was a time that the UK was where the greatest growth was taking place. And at the same time there was much apostasy in the Church. If not for the converts from the British Isles – the Church many have dwindled away. I believe the British Isles Saints were one of the largest groups among the pioneers that settled in the west (Utah). The Traveler

I see no reason for concern. All is unfolding good things and moving forward as theyshould. The Traveler

There is a prophesy given in the Book of Mormon by Jesus himself in 3 Nephi 16:10 The Traveler

It is interesting to me that in this world the most ardent objections to the USA tariffs come from the countries that tariff the most goods coming to them from the USA. I personally am opposed to tariffs because they unlevel the playing field. But tariffs are not the only means through which the trade playing field is unleveled. It is my opinion that Trump is going too far in requiring that foreign countries must manufacture in the USA to avoid tariffs. This is an insane notion that will cause more problems than solutions. Every place and people of earth should be able to contribute to and receive from a world economy. Industry should be the core principle of economy, and no one should profit from the labor of others more than those laboring. Our worldwide economics should encourage industry. Those without natural resources should be encouraged and allowed to add value through their own industry. The Traveler

This is my personal opinion and experience. The temple is a most sacred place of learning from G-d. Take as much advantage as possible to learn while in the temple. I find the Celestial room to be a profound place to meditate on sacred and important things. I have concluded for myself that rather than pray in the Celestial room, I listen and wait upon the L-rd. Some of my most sacred and profound revelations have come to me while meditating and pondering in the Celestial room of the temple. I believe we should always seek to learn and draw close to Christ at any place and time we have opportunity. I also believe that we should take every opportunity possible to draw near to G-d at his holy temple. One last point. There should be nothing in our lives that is not in harmony with the spirit that attends us while at the temple. The Traveler

I am not a total adrenaline junky, but I have always been attracted to things with some element of risk. And as I have explained to my kids – I would rather die, out somewhere pushing some limit, than slowly rotting away in a care facility bed. The Traveler

I am not sure why you would say this. There have been experiments where a person has been declared brain dead and yet many organs and various parts of the human body are able to continue to function under life support functions. And this is without the discussions concerning organ transplants or cancerous cells that carry our DNA. On another note – following a serious bicycling accident, cadaver bone was used to reconstruct my jaw so I could have a tooth implant. The more I learn and experience, the fewer answers I am sure of. The Traveler

I wanted to ponder a bit before responding. In this thread there is a discussion about inanimate objects having a spirit. Electrons are interesting objects that are thought to be inanimate. I am convinced that individual electrons have individual spirits and intelligence. In the quantum world we define electrons with probabilities. The reason is that not all electrons will act the same under the same conditions. As we increase the number of electrons we are “observing” the more it becomes evident that some electrons are defying the physics that seems to govern them. No one has ever come up with a good explanation for quantum entanglement. I chose electrons for this discussion because our physical human bodies will not function without the operations of electrons. We would not even be able to think, see, talk, move – is short even exist as humans without the separate intelligence of electrons. Scripture tells us that physically we come from “dust” and to “dust” we shall return. You quoted from the D&C 93 and I do not disagree at all – except that the physical part of us does indeed have influence as to how we behave and act. We measure much of our human intelligence by how well our individual brains operate. And there is more. The scriptures talk about the “natural man” in terms of that physical influence over us. The scriptures also talk about repentance and how we become a “different” creature. For myself, I am still pondering what I am and if I truly can become a different person. I tend towards (with faith and hope) the possibility that it is likely that we are all on a path that will change what and who we are. The Traveler

I have pondered how to join the conversation. We can get different views and understanding of things, like intelligence, by considering from a standpoint of macro or micro thinking. We get a similar result in physics from Newtonian or quantum physics. Even if we are just considering who and what we are we think of our body and what is encompassed within it as that which defines us. But as we look at our physical entity at the micro level, we find parts of us constantly being reborn at a cellular level. Over a 7-year period there is a complete turnover of our living cells. And all these living cells evolve as they are being turned over. So, after 7 years are we really the same being? We also learn that here are living cells within us are of different DNA. It could be said that they are different creatures with whom we have formed a symbiotic relationship, and as it turns out there are more of those cells than there are of the cells that carry our unique DNA. Now there is another question, are we really a unique singular individual entity? I believe we have the same macro micro problem with our intelligence. Our immune system is both a strange and a wonderful intelligence that seems to operate completely without our awareness. We, as unique individuals, have intelligence beyond our cognizance and awareness. Perhaps the best definition of intelligence we are given through science. There are two parts. First the ability to learn and second is the power to change the outcome. One way to characterize learning and changing the outcome is in the scientific notion of evolution, especially the evolution of life and intelligent life. Having worked with artificial intelligence during my lifetime contributions – it appears to me that distributed intelligence working as one is the most powerful. We see this in what we call ecosystems of many complex parts working together creating a common good for all. Finally, is the concept of freewill or agency. My main concern is that agency is not simply a choice. It hast to be much more than that. We have to choose the outcome and not what is at the moment – else it is not a choice but rather a guess. In this life, what we know and experience between birth and death is too uncertain for any choice to be stable and reliable. We are primarily guessing the outcome. The only possibility for consistency is that the exercise of agency can only be actual if there is a pre-existence and a post death exercise of will completing the process. I find this concept to only exist in part in reincarnation but only realistic in LDS theology. But I believe there are still logical holes that are unexplained or understood. We believe that all things were known by G-d as to what would take place in our lives, but only if we were allowed to choose through our agency what takes place can there be the exercise of freewill and agency. The Traveler

Perhaps my post was misunderstood. Just as G-d is the means of light, of course Satan is the means of darkness. There is a third part in all this – it is fallen mankind. If mankind cannot tell the difference between light and darkness at the level that is being experienced there is no way humanity will succeed – be able to follow the light or even know what the light is. Let me put this another way with two examples. One is balancing a check book the other is navigating a cruse missile. The common thought is that it is okay to be off a little or have little mistakes. The truth is – if we are off a little with what we are keeping track of – then there is no way to know how far we have wandered off course because of our slight deviation. The scriptures say it this way – to him that knows to do good and does not do it – to them it is sin. The reason I say Satan is more of an excuse is because if we cannot identify the exact point where the correct course has been deviated from then our means of navigating light and truth has failed. The only possible result is to remain lost or at the mercy of our financial ignorance. The problem is not Satan but rather with us in finding his temptations more exciting than following the light. All this is like when I was helping my children with learning math. They would say that math is hard or complicated. I would say to them that such thinking is wrong. Math is simple, easy and in no way complicated. It only becomes complicated and difficult when we apply the principles incorrectly or settle for mistakes that we know and have been taught are wrong. You can do it your way if you like but if your way is not the math way – you will always be wrong. It does not matter what is getting better or worse in this world – The question is all about us as individuals. Are we getting better or worse. At my age, just about everything is getting worse for me. I am not as good at anything as I used to be. Just for fun, I took a jump skiing – I used to do such things a lot. I will never even try it again. I figure I have about 10 more years of production and being able to contribute anything of value to this mortal existence. The Traveler

Pardon my response – but I do not believe Satan is the answer to why people are being mentally and spiritually depressed. Satan, in my mind, is an excuse. My scientific background is concerned with what has changed. I like to quote Alma with a little addition of my own with the following: “Wickedness never was happiness, but it was sure fun while it lasted.” I know why I am a happy person. It is simply worth the effort. I have discovered that the first step towards being happy is discipline. With discipline comes accomplishment. With accomplishment comes joy and happiness. Without discipline everything eventually becomes a disappointment. One of the most difficult situations of my life my time in the military – and yet I would not trade my experiences. One of my best commanders passed on a critical thing he had learned. If the unit is experiencing failures and the moral is falling – increase the regiment and discipline. I applied this principle when I was a scout master (the most difficult calling of my life). We spent a lot of time practicing making fire without matches and doing orienteering. When we went camping our tents were in a row and we spent most of our time accomplishing objectives. (I will not go into detail of the problems I had with parents that felt I was too hard on their children). The kids that achieved and were able to go on a special activity once a year – like snowmobiling through Yellowstone in winter. All this was over 40 years ago. A couple of Christmases ago a group of my scouts came to visit me and remarked that our camping trips were the happiest time of their lives. What surprised me the most was that they looked back at the punishment discipline, that often got me into trouble, as some of their most memorable fun??? The Traveler

I have experienced that being close to speakers at a concert (Kurt Bestor, Piano Guys) is not good and will contribute to hearing loss. I felt somewhat the same seeing “Wicked” in a theater. Having spent a great deal of time in industrial settings – I am aware of laws that require hearing protection for sound volumes. Sounds below 70 dB are considered safe; 85 dB and above are considered unsafe (usually with extended periods). I am not an expert at dB levels but it seems to me that many enjoy entertainment with dB levels over 100 dB. I realize this is a free country and I do not like government incursions into private lives – but I also realize that children (under the age of 25) lack the cognitive executive brain functions to respond properly to adults pushing limits. I am open to suggestions but there ought to be consequences. The Traveler

I have heard that Elder Nelson, Elder Eyring and Elder Holland are all in bad health and are struggling. This may be their last conference. In my youth it was considered a great honor to attend a conference session at the Tabernacle. I have only attended twice at the new Conference Center. I used to think the greatest personal revelations for me came from the Saturday Evening Priesthood session. I sometimes think that things are currently toned down a bit for worldwide broadcasting. I think I have to listen more carefully now to get what I seemed to get out of conference in the past. I believe there will be some changes. I used to take notes – not on talks by my personal impressions (something a Stake President taught me on my mission). I think this will be a good time to renew that practice. I had an epiphany recently about changes during my lifetime – When I was born, it was into a time period and society that was as close to the era of the Civil War in our history as to what we have today. Many of the life skills I thought to be important are now mostly lost in time. I do not understand where the depressions (spiritual and mental) of today have come from and have become so profound in the rising generations. Sometimes I think that the Saints of my youth were better prepared to the second coming than where we are today – but back then, there were hardly a million Saints, and we were quite isolated. Now days, it seems I can travel the world and attend a Sabbath service with the Saints wherever we are. I think that this time, it may be about time. The Traveler

There is a good possibility you are correct. I am quite old, but I still believe that I hear the difference between recordings and live performances. Even from our old grand piano or my martin concert classic guitar. Last year my audiologist said I have about a 5% hearing loss but have developed a great deal of wax buildup – that requires biweekly cleaning. The Traveler

Family is the most expensive hobby I have encountered. The Traveler

There was a time when I desired a decent sound system in my home. Because I am an engineer – I did my research. There are two general types of speakers, acoustic suspension (sealed) speakers and ported (open or reflex) speakers. Generally speaking, ported speakers are better at making noise and acoustic speakers are best at reproducing specific sounds. I designed my home stereo sound system with an array of various acoustic speakers at the front for sound stability and accuracy with two matching ported rear speakers and a 16-inch subwoofer for maximum depth. I had to have a custom amplifier to distribute the proper frequencies to the proper speakers. I really loved my system. I could listen to a full choir and orchestra, close my eyes and pick out individual instruments and voices and where they were located. The good old days of accurate sound systems are long gone and shattered by digital sound systems that chop off a great deal of the overtones kept and maintained by analog systems. There is something else everyone should know about the music (sounds) they listen to, especially those that are digital. Very low sounds (around the 10 hertz) cannot be heard by humans but can cause significant damage to the human ear. This can cause many to increase the bass volume for their own enjoyment that is painful to others that maintain accurate hearing abilities. One may think that listening to their music their way is their right. This is hardly the case. Noise pollution has a way of reaching beyond the creator of it into the space of those not impressed by the waisted energy – to the point of even causing injury. I believe scripture says it best that the miserable like to pass their misery on to others – and I would add – weather the others desire it or not. The Traveler

I believe we are looking at the equivalent of modern era Gadianton Robbers. Here is an AI overview: In the Book of Mormon, the Gadianton robbers were a secret, criminal organization founded by a Nephite named Gadianton, known for their use of murder, plunder, and secret oaths to destabilize society and overthrow governments. The Traveler

Sanders is a glowing example of how a lifetime politician can become a multi-millionaire far beyond their salaries. I think he knows a great deal about how the “real” world works – which has more to do with corruption than public service. The Traveler

As I have posted previously, I am not a fan of either the republican or democratic party. I am concerned that there are elements of deep corruption and secret combinations eating away like termites at our foundations of freedom and liberty. There was hope that an outsider, like Ragan and now Trump could right the ship. For example, Ragan discovered 3 primary reasons the Social Security was going broke – but it never got fixed. I realize that it is early in the second term of Trump, but I am seeing what I believe to be a beginning of an end. There is so much corruption and waste. In addition, there is the military industrial complex. Perhaps the Achilles heel of fixing everything is the insistence that Trump is the only one that can do (and here you can fill in the blank). Perhaps the chink in the armer is twofold, Hamas in Gaza and the Russia Ukraine war. It will take some time – but that time is starting to run out. The Traveler

Actually, I think it is the other way around. Many religionists want to strictly define G-d with philosophical terms (that are not in scripture) like omnipotence and then claim that it is not just (or correct) to blame G-d for many of the things that happen. It is such nonsense from religionists that drives a lot of deep thinkers to become atheists and agnostics. I am so delighted with LDS theology that understand G-d is aware of all possibilities and is wise or smart enough to take advantage of it for the good of all regardless of their agency or free will. The Traveler