Traveler

Does the electronic fuel injection on a $30,000 car really cost $3000? Seems unlikely.

I use to work for the defense department on a number of weapon systems.  We already have robotics built into weapon systems for 40 years or more.  Without going into too much detail - many such systems have what is called a consent switch or trigger that once activated automated (robotic) systems take over and fire weapon systems with surgical precision. 
 
The Traveler

Everyone that is blessed of G-d is rich.
The Traveler

I will begin by saying that the entire book of the Gospel of John is my "favorite, and perhaps mind blowing multi-layered meaning and symbol-steeped passages of scripture" - not just because of the rich symbolism but the most profound prophecies rich in symbolism of particularly concerning the "Restoration".  It would seem that the most prominent criticism of the restored Gospel (in particular doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) by those of religious nature are modeled through the opposition of the prominent Jews (Pharisees) towards the teaching of Jesus as witnessed by John.
Take for example; John 10:30-34 where the Jews intend to stone Jesus - not for his deeds but because he taught through doctrine deep in symbolism that a man can become a G-d - which is the most criticized and most misused and misunderstood doctrine of Christ and the restored church of Jesus Christ.
 
The Traveler

If you really want your mind blown - befriend a devout Muslim raised in Arabia (from geographically where that chapter was given) and let them explain what symbolism they understand from that particular chapter.
 
The Traveler

I would preface my remarks about language and repentance by making a vague reference to a recent discussion.  The person I was speaking to is bilingual in German and English.  He was born here in the US but was called to a mission in Germany and Austria.  Since his mission he has fulfilled many callings and worked extensively in Germany and eastern Europe.  I will share some of what I learned from him.
In the German language there are two words that we translate into English as “Repentance”.  I can speak some German but I am not fluent so I do not remember either of the two words – just how I understand them when translated into English. 
Both words have tradition in Germany.  The first comes from the Catholic tradition.  In essence it means to suffer or pay a price.  This word is much like our English word of “Repentance” that has root in penance or being inflicted with punishment as restitution for evil deeds.   This idea of penance or punishment is deeply rooted into our justice and penal system of inflicting punishment.  Indeed many see the consequence of sin as a consequence of inflicted punishment – some self-inflicted and some as forced infliction from some superior or universal karma (including G-d). 
The second word comes from the tradition of Martin Luther in Germany.  This word means to “Turn Around”.  This is indeed a different way to look at repentance and as I think about it there are elements of this concept in our Latter-day revelations and doctrines.  It is the idea of a change of heart and mind.
What is interesting, according to my friend and expert in German and English, that within the society of Latter-day Saints in Germany there seem to be division based mainly in the previous religious traditions someone came from to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.    Both words are used in the Book of Mormon but it seem the word used has more to do with the tradition of the person influencing the German translation than any other factor.
And so my friend tells me that the tradition or background (Catholic or Lutheran) heavily influences how German Saints interpret the doctrine of repentance.  As I discussed this I can see the benefits and limitations of both concepts.  I have thought this and have concluded that there is still something missing in these two concepts of repentance.   The third concept is the idea of becoming better.
In the idea of repentance – I believe we must turn away from our sins – and in many cases suffer and make effort at restitution for the damage or loss we have caused ourselves and others.   But I am of the mind that we have not repented and made covenant for remission, payment or whatever to overcome sin – until we become (by covenant) a better, committed and disciplined person.
 
The Traveler

There is vastly more that we don't know regarding Satan and his fall than what we do know. The true depth of Satan's motivation is hidden from us, perhaps (probably) because we are mostly incapable of understanding the depth of hunger for glory and power. Satan is vastly powerful; I have little doubt that none of us is capable of withstanding his attacks on our own. Joseph Smith, even as a very young man, was one of the spiritually mighty of the Father's children, yet testified that Satan's power almost entirely overcame him, and that he would have been destroyed if not for God's direct intervention.
I grew up believing and being taught that Satan was powerless over us unless we gave him power. Perhaps that is true. But I think there is a belief that goes along hand-in-hand with that, to the effect that Satan is a weak and pathetic being. The "pathetic" part is true, perhaps; but the "weak" is true only in comparison with the Father and the Son. Satan is powerful, and he will overcome and destroy us, each of us, if we do not guard against him.
Not to be a scare-monger. I spend little time thinking about Satan. I recommend that course of action to all.

One of my "jobs" as an engineer is to test my designs to make sure the products are ready for customer use.  I set up trials and test to be as difficult and impossible to succeed as possible within the design parameters - not to grade but to determine what adjustments still need to take place before my designs are complete and ready.  I am of the mind that through trials our weaknesses can be made strengths - not instruments or excuses for our damnation.  Failure is not succumbing to temptations but rather not learning, repenting and moving on to completing our intended conclusion.
So I am of the mind that many very smart spirits of our Father in heaven planned to push the envelope in mortality to insure their weaknesses are overcome and made strengths at the final judgment. 
 
The Traveler

I don't recall ever starting priesthood class with prayer.
Granted, a prayer used to be offered during priesthood opening exercises,. However, we no longer have opening exercises. So, in terms of priesthood meetings, the only change is the elimination of opening exercises.
I suspect that opening exercises over the last half century or so is a hold-over from the time prior to the consolidated schedule, when morning meetings (priesthood/Relief Society and Sunday School) were separate from the afternoon meeting (Sacrament meeting), and because they were separate, it made sense to open the morning meetings with an opening exercise and prayer as well as the  afternoon. 
Even with the consolidated schedule, it was not uncommon for Wards to begin with priesthood, which likewise made opening exercises reasonable.
Now that Sunday meetings have been cut to two hours and standardized with Sacrament Meeting first, opening exercises no longer make sense--with the exception of primary, for its own reasons.
So, I don't see the problem. I hope this helps.
Thanks, -Wade Englund-

I thank you for your honest responses.  Perhaps someday we can explore such things in greater detail when tender feelings to not seem to be at risk.  You are a lady that I respect and feel I can be open.  Though our cultures are greatly different I am not offended (though confused sometimes).  I am also a very typical engineer that have a most difficult time with how emotions play with logic.  I mean you no offense.
 
The Traveler

I thank you for your honest responses.  Perhaps someday we can explore such things in greater detail when tender feelings to not seem to be at risk.  You are a lady that I respect and feel I can be open.  Though our cultures are greatly different I am not offended (though confused sometimes).  I am also a very typical engineer that have a most difficult time with how emotions play with logic.  I mean you no offense.
 
The Traveler

I completely agree.
 
you are spot on. It’s all about progression. It’s about becoming, not proving. Who I am now is vastly better than who I was 10 years ago, and presumably, better than who I was in the spirit world.

I believe you are confusing principles.  Forgiveness is what you do to validate your righteousness intentions towards others.  Being Trustworthy is what you become though mastering the ability to forgive ourselves and others.   I believe it was Shakespeare that said - "To thine ownself be true and it shall follow as the night the day - you cannot be false to any man."
 
The Traveler

Going even deeper, the purpose of the test isn't just to determine if we will choose good or evil, but it is also a means for increasing in faith and experience so that, ultimately, we may be able to better see /comprehend the Father in ways far advanced than during the pre-existence, where we had the Father always before our eyes. 
In other words, to fully know God necessitated that, for a time, He be hidden from us. Not knowing God or knowing of Him, is the beginning of the process of knowing Him better.
It requires, as symbolized by Abraham, that we leave our home and parents and journey to a strange land.
Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Excellent question.  I am not sure there is a complete answer in scripture or anywhere else in mortality - which I believe is part of the experience.  As near as I have been able to determine we have two critical aspects of our mortal probation - that I believe begins with the fall and ends with the resurrection.  The first is to receive and experience a mortal physical body (which includes physical death).  The second is quite subtle.  It has to do with what we are told about the fall - that we learn from experience the good from the evil.  The evil is both the spiritual and physical pain and suffering that brings both spiritual and physical death.  To understand evil one must suffer spiritual and physical death - and all that are born experience both.  To learn of good - we must experience the forgiveness of sin that comes through the Atonement of Christ.  Then at the final judgement we can account before G-d our desire and obligations towards good and evil.
 
The Traveler

I mean messed up as in... messed up.

We are told that gender is eternal and that one gender is male and one gender is female - that there are no other genders.  However, there are children born with the sex organs of both male and female - likewise there are children born without sex.  In all cases this does not mean that they did not have a gender in the pre-existence.  We do not know why there are children where their genetics is not complete.  But I do not believe that someone of one gender can be stuck in a flawless body of a different sex.
 
The Traveler

Should I discover some day that Judas is in the Celestial Kingdom (heaven) -- My plan is to forgive, forget and move on as though nothing ever happened. Should anyone deny heaven over this or any other resident of heaven - I still plan to stay. No protest from me. In fact I plan to be friends with everybody in the CK that will consider it.
The Traveler

Certainly, I'd say those fit together.  I just don't think that "success" (depending, I suppose, on what exactly you mean by success) necessarily is a reward from God, nor that failure (again, depending) is necessarily a punishment from God.  And I think failure can be a gift / reward from God.
Meanwhile, I have long thought that these verses in Alma:
...teach us that the act itself is the reward:
if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward see that you are merciful unto your brethren ye shall have mercy restored unto you deal justly ye shall have justice restored unto you judge righteously ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you do good continually ye shall have good rewarded unto you again

@zil  Perhaps if I connected (coupled) rewards and blessings with "liberty" and "freedom" and coupled punishments and damnation (maledictions) with "bondage" and "slavery".
 
The Traveler

One thing I have learned during my life time is that anything I own that I do not take constant care of - will eventually deteriorate and become useless.   The natural state of all things is chaos.  If G-d was to cease to intervene in the natural course of all things - all life would distinguish in an instant.
From a strict religious context there will be a division come or as stated in scripture a separation between light and darkness.  So I believe you observation that the light is becoming brighter is accurate but so also is the darkness becoming darker.
 
The Traveler

What do we know about gender?  One thing we know is that the female gender requires male gender to reproduce.  Likewise the male gender requires the female gender to maintain and propagate its species. 
Something we should know is that in the human species - regardless of whatever physical changes someone born as a male or female can accomplish concerning gender by whatever means possible to appear to alter their gender or act like the other gender - it will not increase their probability of propagating more of the human species - rather it will likely result in no reproduction what-so-ever.
 
The Traveler

You didn't, but at least one of your friends did.
So here's a little insight into Facebook's ad algorithm I learned in class when I was working at Johns Hopkins.  (One of the perks of working at the University was that you could sit in on classes in the lecture hall in the building where I worked, if the subject was in any way related to our work.)
Facebook's first choice in targeting its ads is to look at your own posts, likes, cookies, browser history, etc.  Now, because of some of the privacy settings it might not be able to access all of it.  Thus, it has to come up with other ways of trying to determine how to target ads that would be relevant to you.
One of the ways it does this is by looking, not at your posts and likes, but your friends' posts, cookies, browser history and likes.  Typically, people in a circle of friends tend to share interests, so if you're friends with a bunch of people who all like NFL football, then there's a good chance you do too and you'll get ads for NFL stuff.  So while you may never have done any searches for ED meds online, if one or more of your friends did, then it will sometimes target you, and their other friends, for such ads.
This is how we know Facebook doesn't care a whit about your privacy. It could be NFL merch... but it could also be diabetes supplies, ED meds, sleep apnea supplies, etc.  Medical privacy is a joke on Facebook.  It wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce who's online looking at any particular type of stuff by seeing what groups of friends get what ads.

And all this time - I thought I was odd.  Side note - I love reading your posts.  You have this way of coming up with things I never see or notice - except for the unwashed underwear thing - I could have completed my entire mortal probation without knowing that - would not have missed it.
 
The Traveler

And all this time - I thought I was odd.  Side note - I love reading your posts.  You have this way of coming up with things I never see or notice - except for the unwashed underwear thing - I could have completed my entire mortal probation without knowing that - would not have missed it.
 
The Traveler