Traveler

The conflict of war and violence is an impossible labyrinth to navigate and not become spiritually wounded – let alone physically affected.  The worst part of being involved in such things is dealing with the problems conflict imposes on individuals affected.  The worst of these problems come from how we support those on the front lines of the conflict.   This applies not just to war but also to those that protect us as what we refer to as our first responders.
Perhaps one of the worst problems is not trusting those we send to or expect to defend the “front lines”.   If we make what is often called a red line (especially a red line that is known to our enemies) we will lose the battles being fought at the front lines.  If it was me – I would like to have the virtue of Candace, but I also realize that in Vietnam (while I was in the military) some of our soldiers were killed by children as young as 5 and women carrying babies.
I believe it inevitable in war or dealing with drug cartels and human traffickers (or any unscrupulous criminals) that any publicly known red line will result in the sacrifice of our best, most honorable and most obedient front-line defenders eventually leaving us to defend ourselves against those with no red line.  We know how things ended in the Book of Mormon.  Our defense is our faith in G-d but if we are losing – what does that mean about our faith?  If we are divided and our faith in G-d cannot unite us - we have already lost.  The one thing that will most likely divide anyone – is to not understand or believe the tactics of our enemy.  Those unwilling to engage the enemy and stop them have already lost.
 
The Traveler

First, the tech support people's job is to help you do your job.  It doesn't matter how difficult or tedious their job is, it's their job.  (There's a reason they call it "work" and there's a reason they pay you to do it.)  So don't worry about calling tech support - they're getting paid.
Next, if the tech support person doesn't know how to reset a password without those security questions, something's wrong.  Does this tech support person work for the software manufacturer or your employer (assuming they are different entities)?  If for your employer, they should have some other way of verifying your identity and userID and should be able to then do a password change on the account (and either trigger the software to email you the new password or just tell you what it is and wait on the phone while you log in and then change it yourself).  If for the software manufacturer, the hoops for verifying your identity may be more difficult, but there has to be a way.  I guarantee you're not the first person to forget the answers to those idiotic "security questions".
(Of course, finding the person who knows the above can be a challenge - some tech support people can't do more than read the flip cards, others actually know the software.  And it may take a system admin rather than tech support to resolve the problem.  Finally, some people design really, really lousy software.)
Sorry I can't tell you more.  If you want to PM me to discuss specifics, I'll see if I can help any further - seems unlikely, but I'm willing to read whatever free / public info is available on the software and that might let me give you more pointers.

D&C 76 says if we reject the gospel in this life, and accept it in the spirit world, we do not obtain the celestial, but the terrestrial kingdom.   I would be warn of using the term 2nd chance in this case because, although we may have a 2nd chance to accept the gospel in the next life, the reward may not be the same.  Also another warning is that we cannot be the judge of when, or if someone has received fully, or rejected fully the gospel.  We have to leave that kind of judgement to the lord as far as determining final judgement.

I think that you may soon be approached by a member of your bishopric to give a sacrament meeting talk.  
I’d title it, life is like a river.

I saw about a 10 minute clip of Candace being interviewed by Tucker Carlson, and the issue came up.  I thought she came across as being very measured and gracious.  I think they’re both right, to a certain extent—there *should* be ongoing dialogue (especially with regard to just how deeply the US should get involved), as Candace says: and a call for permanent ceasefire at this point in time is essentially a call for unfettered Jew-killing, as Ben says.  
 

Most likely, until now, she was thinking that she was G-d.
 
The Traveler

Correction the 12 among the Nephites were called 12 diciples and were not (according to my understanding) a quorum of 12 apostles but 12 diciples. 
 
The Traveler

While serving a mission it was my intent to work with bishops and stake presidents in my area.  I learned a great deal from them.  On one occasion I was talking with a stake president about miracles and how great miracles are linked to the priesthood.  The spirit was strong, and the stake president decided to share with me an experience he had when he was somewhat inactive (an experience he had only shared once before).  He was in the company of an average person that was not known for great spiritual things.  In a moment lives were placed in great danger – the person he was with was the only priesthood holder there.  This person rose to his feet and by the power of the priesthood commanded a mountain to move.  In an instant and without a sound the mountain moved, and several lives were saved – including that of the stake president speaking to me.  I have left out much of what was told me because of the sacredness of it.
Because of the miracle this stake president repented and became active – not wavering since.  He told me that the fellow in his company was as astonished as was he and likewise repented and became more stalwart.  That his actions in the moment were not his own.  The spirit bore witness to me that indeed a mountain was moved – that some that witnessed the event had no idea what happened.
We do live in a time of miracles – and perhaps one reason that we do not hear more is because, as Isaiah said to King Ahaz, (in essence) “You do not see and cannot believe because you are not loyal to your covenants with G-d).  Perhaps more now than in the days of Isaiah are our covenants more challenged.
 
The Traveler

I thought to add some thoughts.  Because of COVID many wards throughout the church started streaming Sunday services on Zoom.  During COVID I taught the 12-14 year old youth Sunday School Class on Zoom.  My personal assessment was that this Zoom effort was a dismal failure for the youth.   Those that I know that dealt with youth via Zoom agreed.   Now that the worst of COVID has passed many wards still broadcast just the adult Sunday services – or at least that is what my current ward does.
The most sacred part of our worship services (the sacrament covenant) is not streamed.  To have this most sacred of our covenant worship in our home requires special permission through the keys of the priesthood.  Without the sacrament covenant there is little of spiritual value to the streaming.
For fun, I watched the Sunday service.  For those that are not LDS (we have some that post on this forum) – this peek into LDS Sabbath culture is nothing short of amazing.   I thought it most interesting that the topic was tithes and offerings.  There was some reference on this forum about mega churches and there emphasis on offering that make the ministers exceptionally wealthy.   I thought the video was most interesting because of the discussions on this forum.  Not one person in the video would be recipient of any tithes or offerings from that Sabbath worship.  The talks were amazing – yet none would receive any monetary reward because of their talk.
Our current Prophet leader of our church is Pres. Nelsen.  His profession was cardiac surgeon – he was exceptional in his craft and was recognized worldwide for his contributions to cardiac surgery.   Successful cardiac surgeons make a much above average income.  As head of a multibillion-dollar organization – his current is basically intended to cover incurred expenses.  Likely his home is above average or upper middle class.  When President Monson was the head of the same multibillion-dollar organization his home was lower middle class.  Both had paid off their home before being called to full time church leadership positions.  Their net worth was not increased because of their church calling.
The concept of wealth, surplus and offerings from the “Law of Consecration” are in stark contrast to what I have seen in other church and especially governments and government public relief programs.  The concept of consecration is a means of making money (as well as goods and services) sacred and holy – which is the ancient meaning of making or offering sacrifice.  Not the giving up of something but rather making such sacred.  In other words, only by sacrifice by the giver are offerings made sacred rather than by the offering or the making of the offering (a point made by the final speaker in the video).  Thaks for the video @askandanswer
 
The Traveler

Read Lectures on Faith - these make it clear that God does indeed work by faith, but as described in said lectures, it is a different level of faith than how we often talk of faith (often we use faith, belief, and religion interchangeably and even when faith is treated differently, it's not always the principle of power described in Lectures on Faith.)
From the first lecture:

Only mankind are in need of covenant (solemnized in morality) for their eternal salvation.
 
The Traveler

Greetings @JohnsonJones:
I have come to many of your same conclusions through different processes of thinking.  I will not pretend that I am more right but here are some of my thoughts.  All life as we know it – including both the plant and animal kingdoms operate upon the same principles of DNA and replicate themselves in the same manner beginning at the cellar level.  I have apotheosized the possibility that in the creation of life, G-d used his own DNA and genetically engineered all living things.  I am not going into much detail but by genetically engineering various life forms from a common type, it would seem that evolution of life to be quite feasible.
Scripture tells us that Adam was the first man.  We see this as a singular possible interpretation.  However, anciently the first or first born did not mean the oldest but rather the best or most noble.   This can correlate with two concepts.  The first is in line with your hypothesis that modern man could have been created through a process of genetically engineering and evolution and once a species in the image and likeness of G-d had been established a spirit that was a spirit son or daughter of G-d would be given to an existing species.   This would also fulfill the definition that Adam being the first man was indeed the first or most noble modern man to obtain the spirit offspring of G-d.  This would also explain how modern man today has the genetic links (DNA) of previous species.
The term “Sons of G-d” designates a specific covenant with G-d – we see this in D&C 84 in the explanation of the priesthood covenant.  The term “daughters of men” likewise could designate a covenant made of a more worldly type.  So, the scripture reference could designate a wavering of covenant or as you have suggested – a mingling with another species of humans or mingling with less devoted.
Your concepts concerning the Nephites – I believe has application.  However, I speculate that the intermingling with others may have occurred before the Lehites arrived in the Americas.  Anciently the Arabians were seaworthy and capable of ship building.  The legend of Sinbad does have application.  A study of ancient Aribia correlates with Nephi building a ship in the land of Bountiful where there was fruit and wild honey harvested.  Locals could have been utilized and brought along as servants.  We know that Lehi was wealthy so it is quite likely that they were use to servants.  Also such servants were not considered important enough (among the Egyptians) to make note of them in official records.  Also note that Jacob was quite upset with concubines.  Anciently a concubine was a wife (including plural wives) that did not come into marriage with a dowery.   As a side not here – I do not recommend that this information be given to one’s spouse with the question of – if they are your wife or concubine.
There is a lot of fuss that the Lamanites (native Americans as identified by Joseph Smith or other native Americans) do not have Jewish DNA markers.  But the primary markers used are mitochondria which follows the female line.
 
The Traveler

Most likely, until now, she was thinking that she was G-d.
 
The Traveler

This part of the link to Orson Hyde's Dedicatory Prayer is very interesting to me:
“…restore the kingdom unto Israel -- raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government, with David Thy servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David to be their king.”
Such a nation would serve the Lord. The divine impetus for the Jews to gather to the land of their inheritance, which Orson mentioned in his notes, like the Spirit of Elijah, can also be imitated and twisted into many false versions to suit the ambitions of evil and conspiring parties. Or, as with the settling of Missouri, become polluted due to “contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires” (D&C 101) among factions within Judaism. I avoid describing his impression of the “great wheel… unquestionable in motion” as “Zionism” as we see it today, for this reason. The nation-building and its declaration as such a kingdom would require prophetic oversight.

Greetings @prisonchaplain:
In response to your questions about the Jews and the 144,000 I have sought how to answer.  I will begin with providing you a link to the journal of the LDS apostle and prophet, Elder Orson Hyde who was commanded by G-d to travel to the Holy Land and dedicate that land for the gathering of the Jews in the Last-days.  His record is dated Nov 22, 1841.  His journal entry gives some indication of the troubles in the area.  His dedicatory prayer is prophetic and most has obviously been fulfilled as a testament to its truthfulness and that these are the last-days.   The Link:
http://www.vibrationdata.com/Orson_Hyde.htm#:~:text=%22Do%20Thou%20arise%20in%20the,clothe%20her%20Priests%20with%20salvation.
I believe that this dedication is prophetic scripture but currently is not included in our standard works – perhaps at a later time.  It is my understanding that during this time of the last-days that the world (including the Jews) will experience troubles as prophesied concerning the last-days.  However, the Jews and the covenant Saints are under blessing afforded for the last-days – but this does not mean they will not experience hardships or threats (like unto Daniel and his brethren) just that they will be comforted by the spirit.
As things progress – it is my understanding that a coalition of evil will be established among the nations to destroy Israel (the Jews in Jerusalem) that have gathered as a nation according to the prophesy of Orson Hyde.   This coalition will be centered in the ancient kingdom of Gog and Magog which I believe to be either between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea or close by.  I cannot say I know but it appears that the “Axis of Evil” currently of Iran, Russia and China that initially was focused on Ukraine could be the beginning of such a coalition.
This coalition will bring violence throughout the world – I believe we are currently seeing a beginning of this.  An army will invade Israel.  I speculate that nuclear weapons will be involved, so that land will burn for 7 years.  A final battle will commence upon the Jews gathered in Jerusalem.  Two prophet witnesses (which is our LDS definition of apostle) will protect the Jews with divine power until they (the two witnesses) are killed in the streets of Jerusalem.  This event I believe will be celebrated worldwide.   As the army enters Jerusalem to destroy the Jews an earthquake will take place stopping the army and the mount of olives will split open.   The Jews will seek refuge there and Jesus will appear unto them and show his wounds in his hands, feet and side – this will mark the prophesy of the Jews converting unto Jesus as the Christ.  Following this Jesus will come and appear to the world in power and glory and ending all governments of men.
 
Concerning the 144,000.  I understand that this is a prophesy concerning a solemn assembly that will be held at Adam-ondi-Ahman.  We (LDS) believe this is the place where Adam and Eve, after being removed from the Garden of Eden, built an alter unto G-d and offered sacrifices.  After many days an angel of G-d appeared to Adam and Eve and asked why they offered sacrifices.  Adam responded that he did not know why only that G-d commanded him.  He was then told that such sacrifices were symbolic of the sacrifice that Jesus the Christ would make to atone for the fall of man and all the sins of the world.  Adam-ondi-Ahman is believed to be a sacred place like unto the place where Moses encountered the burning bush.
The 144,000 will be high priest of the order of Melchizedek.  There will be 12,000 high priest that have been given “Keys” to the priesthood of each of the houses (tribes) of Israel.  I believe your idea that some will be of ancient time is quite possible.  In addition to these high priests there will also be Moses, Noah, Melchizedek, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Adam (and others that preceded the house of Israel).  All the keys of all dispensations will be gathered by Adam that will present these keys to Jesus Christ in preparation of his coming and reign on earth.  How much this solemn assembly will be known unto the world – I cannot say.  Even though I am a high priest of the order of Melchizedek – I cannot say with assuredly that I will even know when this solemn assembly takes place.
 
The Traveler

Actually, based upon the teachings of both of our churches, this is proof that God is. 😉

Im not a word guy.  It drives my wife nuts as she has a degree in English.  I’m a concept / visual thinker.
Yes they were called disciples.  They were also special witnesses of Christ and were ordained, no doubt given keys etc.
1 Ne 12:7-10

This is interesting in that Church members are Gentiles by virtue of the nation that is central to the restoration of the Gospel, and inasmuch as we live in a Gentile nation. We are also of the House of Israel, sometimes by lineage, sometimes by birth in the restored covenant, and sometimes by adoption as with coverts that are not by birth of the lineage of the chosen people. Overarching both of these is that we are beneficiaries of the Abrahamic Covenant, which preceded Israel and was eventually lost, but introduced again through Moses, recognized by Jesus Christ during His earthy ministry, extended to the Gentiles after His ascension, was again lost, and then restored yet again through Joseph Smith subsequent to that Great Apostasy.

I do believe that they will be apostles.  And latter-day saints.  As opposed to the ancient saints.
But I don’t think they will come from Salt Lake City.

There were 12 apostles with the Nephites while there were 12 apostles in Jerusalem…

Having worked in QA that is a representation of life I should have made sooner. Testing is just for working out what bugs need to be addressed. You know going in that you’ll have some. 
 
I have to say that is a profound comparison. And a much more reasonable understanding of pre existence, this life, and eternity. It paints the entire thing differently. 
The more I think the more I realize, answering this question is one that you have to do if you want to believe in God. In the sense that if you are ever actually concerned. If this is all there is then this is all there is. We are just lumps of firing neurons.  If there is more, then there is more.  To believe you have choice at all, to believe you exist, you have to believe that something beyond material exists.  We can HAVE agency, and agency demands there be something more to have it in the first place. We have to be more than our bodies alone. And that puts you smack in the middle of embodied spirits and intelligences. Interesting how all roads lead to the Gospel it seems. 

Greetings @CommanderSouth:
I would present something quite different in the discussion of freewill or determinism.   Before I get into the rudiments of thought I would present my background.  I am a retired scientist and engineer that worked in the field of industrial automation, robotics and artificial intelligence.  Prior to retirement I worked as a consultant.  When a complex automated system is to be put into place there are several stages in the process.  We begin with a requirement phase, followed by a design phase, then a development phase, then a testing phase and finely the implementation phase.  There are also two things to keep in mind.  First: that each phase has several sub level phases and second that there is not a fine line between phases but rather a gradual shift.  It is not unlikely that newly discovered requirements, of necessity, are added after the initial requirement phase – sometimes additional requirements are added during the implementation phase.  Most likely the entire process will be repeated, and versions of development be added (released) over time.  In short, seldom is there a definite beginning or end.
I have often wondered about freewill verses determinism.   I have concluded that in order for freewill to exist there must be more than just a choice.  For example, a blind choice of what is behind doors A, B and C – is not, in my opinion, an exercise in freewill (or Agency).  There must be knowledge – not just a knowledge of choice (or choices) but a knowledge of outcome of choice.  Otherwise, the choice is blind and in essence an ignorant choice of what is behind a door.  I have also concluded that if we are to look at any subset of development – what is taking place will not appear to be freewill but rather an acting out of determination.
At this point I would present the concept that we are complex beings in a process of becoming a completed divinely intelligent being.  That the initial course of the process began in a pre-existence.  That our mortal experience is just a phase of our becoming and that there will be another phase after we die.  If one only measures what occurs between birth and death – the only ration conclusion is that freewill and agency does not exist and that our individual fate is well determined.   If there is to be any possibility of freewill (agency) then there must, of necessity, be something of significance before birth as well as after death.
We are told in scripture that our mortal probation is in essence a testing phase.  In my work, testing was not intended to pass or fail – determine heaven or hell.  But rather an experiment under extreme conditions to determine capabilities and also to determine what changes are needed to be made to meet the requirements.  I want to stress the idea that testing is not to determine failure but rather what improvements are needed or required.
I would submit that our mortal life is specifically designed to test our individual capabilities, especially under certain extreme circumstances.  I would also submit that the extent of our testing was well thought out and designed to our particular freewill and agency in cooperation between ourselves and our Father in Heaven.  Thus comparing ourselves to others in this life is a fruitless exercise.  Our purpose is to complete our testing scripts – not anyone else’s.  In so doing we fulfill our freewill and agency – even though in this life only, it all looks like determinism.  According to the Gospel of Christ, our only concern is to get through our testing phase loving G-d and our fellow men.  That is all that we need to achieve during this life in order to be ready for our next phase of development.
 
The Traveler

Looking at verse 2 it says that the Sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all they chose.
Here we see the verse that the natural man is an enemy to God. 
This is more of a thought exercise than anything else on my part.  I've been thinking about the Nephites when they came to this continent.  We know that at various times there have been MULTIPLE civilizations living on the continent at the same time without knowledge of the other one.  A prime example is that the Jaredites were probably around for much of the first few hundred years of the Nephites (either that or Coriantumr lived several hundred years or more).  In addition, at some point, the people of Zarahemla were a separate society living at the same time as the Nephites, together on the same continent but separate from each other.
Now eventually they all find each other, but for a while there were three separate societies living on the same continent, seemingly unknown from each other.  AT least one would be a VAST society that would eliminate itself.
Is it possible that there were even more civilizations living on this continent when the Lehi and Nephi first came?  That there was a intermixing of them eventually to create the Native Americans we have today?
Perhaps one of the things that caused the changes to the descendants of Laman and Lemuel were not just their actions, but perhaps they discovered a tribe of people that were darker skinned and mixed with them.  This could also explain the idea of wars with the Nephites early on (though I suppose you could call the battle of 7-9 families a war...if there were an even greater number of Lamanites that were from a mixed family and extended civilization trying to exterminate the Nephites, that would make even more sense.  That also explains why it APPEARS there were always more Lamanites than Nephites despite them having one less family on their side).
I'm just hypothesizing that perhaps Lehi's family had far more on this continent to contend with, but this isn't something we are told about in the Book of Mormon?
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In that same light, as I ponder the ideas of modern history and archaeology as well as biological science we have the conundrum of Men having been on this earth for thousands of years beyond what it appears the Bible makes room for. 
Is it possible that there really WAS an creature called man, but it is an animal (much like other animals like wolves, elephants, sheep, cattle, etc) that existed on this earth?  That the difference is that Adam, though man, was a Son of God vs. the animal that was man that was already on the earth.
Animals do not act on the higher commands of a deity, but normally act upon baser needs, instincts, and emotions.  Acting this way as a man is normally contrary to the commandments that we have been given.
This is why I list the scriptures above. 
Genesis 6 is understood by many other Christian religions to refer to fallen angels or things to that matter.  That somehow, fallen angels had physical bodies and were able to interact with man and create offspring that were called Nephilim. 
We do not believe that (as far as I know, the fallen angels never received physical bodies for starters).  IN the scriptures it refers to this being a difference of marriage within the faith (and thus eternal marriage) vs. marriage outside of the faith (temporal marriage).
What if it is far more literal than that?  What if, there were actual animals which were able to interbreed with the Man that the Lord created and were the Sons of God.  That the Sons of God did not just marry their sisters, but actually married the daughters of these animals of the species man?
It would mean that all our ideas of evolution, or of the existence of the creature man, could be correct, but that there is a higher order of man who is NOT subject to the animal instincts that is created by a Deity and has a higher and more noble design than the base animals of this world.
This also would be a massive distinction between the two different types of creatures.  The Sons of God were the race of man created by God and who were physically his children.  The Daughters of men would be those who were the actual daughters of the creatures that evolved on this planet before Adam and Eve came and were placed here. 
As I said, this is just me playing games of thought in regards to the secular world and our understanding of it and trying to make sense of it in regards to what our scriptures say. 
The idea is that perhaps there were others in the places where we see singular individuals appear and that explains what seem to be population booms where, in theory, such populations should not be possible with the small number of families or individuals that we see placed in those areas.  It also can explain how science can be correct, and at the same time, our scriptures are also highly accurate. 

Most likely, until now, she was thinking that she was G-d.
 
The Traveler

Most likely, until now, she was thinking that she was G-d.
 
The Traveler

I thought this would already be posted but sinse it is not - just letting the forum know.  I am sadden.
 
The Traveler