rameumptom

Mucho gusto en conocerle! Ojala que puede hallar muchos amigos aqui.

As spirits, we had individuality. As Intelligences, we may not have had a sense of our individual self (I view all organized matter as intelligence: atoms, molecules, elements, etc). Our Christian friends may not believe in a premortal existence, and so probably would not consider us as having individuality.

Lesson 9, the Only True and Living Church D&C 20, 21, 27 The concept that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the "only true and living Church" on earth with which God is "well pleased" (D&C 1:30)) was discussed in Lesson 1. D&C 20:1 Since Elder B.H. Roberts gave his opinion on this verse about a century ago, many members have understood it to mean that Jesus was born on April 6, AD 1. However, early Church members, including Joseph Smith and Brigham Young never seemed to read this revelation in this manner. A problem arises when one considers archaeology and history. According to the Bible, King Herod the Great sought to kill the infant Jesus, and slaughtered all children from 2 years and under in Bethlehem. Archaeology shows that Herod died in 4 BC, so either the Bible is wrong on this story of Herod, or Jesus was likely born around 6 BC. With the new Joseph Smith Papers Project, we now see that D&C 20: was not intended to be part of the revelation initially, but was an introduction to the section provided by John Whitmer, the scribe. Somewhere along the line of publishing, it was included as part of the revelation. The question then becomes, does an introduction approved by the LDS membership as doctrine equate to a revelation establishing the date of Jesus' birth? Thanks to the JSPP and the Church's new 2013 online scripture updates, we will be able to understand the revelations we have even better, and perhaps reduce the amount of speculation on just what the scriptures say. So, when was Jesus born? Around 6 BC, and we do not know exactly which day, although April 6 may be as good a day as any. Church Organization The focus is on the basic organization of the Church. The new heading for D&C 20 notes that portions of the revelation were received as early as 1829. It establishes a foundation for the Church's organization, describing key ordinances, such as baptism, the laws/rules of obedience for the Church, and important concepts for the functioning and organization of the priesthood. We should not be surprised that many of the revelations in D&C were gathered over a period of time, occasionally changed, etc. The concept is that the Church is "living". It is ever growing, changing and adapting, as new revelation are given. For example, at the Church's beginning, Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were established as the First and Second Elders of the Church and as apostles (D&C 20:2-3). The concepts of "a seer, translator and a prophet" (D&C 21:1), or the current "prophet, seer and revelator" or even the title "apostle" (D&C 20:38, D&C 21:1) had not been fully formalized as it would be in just a few years. However, by 1835, the LDS Church had grown sufficiently to require major changes in priesthood structure. The First Presidency, and Quorums of 12 and 70 were officially organized, although their final functions were still in the future. In 1835, the Quorum of Twelve was initially a traveling council, equal to the stake high councils. Only later in Nauvoo would the Twelve become the predominant council it is today. D&C 27 The Sacrament Here, Joseph went to find wine for a Sacrament service. Along the way, he was stopped and told that wine was not necessary, but water could be used instead. Here we see that the Lord is a pragmatic God. If something isn't available, the Lord will often make allowances. In the early days of Nauvoo, the saints were allowed to do baptisms for the dead in the Mississippi River. The Word of Wisdom was initially given as guidance, and not a commandment. When Joseph lost the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon, the Lord had him translate Nephi's record instead. What we find in all of these instances is that God will work with us, according to our need and diligence. Can't use the wine? Then use water. No temple baptismal font? Use the river until you can finish the temple. Elder Ezra Taft Benson was sent by the Church to oversee the relief effort in Europe after World War II. He noted later: "The Saints in Europe taught me a new appreciation for the priesthood of God. I heard them bear testimony of their gratitude for the priesthood in their homes. Many families who had been isolated from other representatives of the priesthood during the bombing and during sickness told of their gratitude that they had in their homes the authority and the power to lay their hands upon members of their families, and under the inspiration of heaven invoke God's healing power upon them. My brethren and sisters, this is a priceless blessing. I heard them speak of their gratitude that in their homes while isolated from the rest of the members of the mission, they were able to administer the sacred emblems. Yes even at times when they did not have bread, they used potatoes or potato peelings as the emblem but had the sacrament administered to members of their own household." (Ezra Taft Benson, "The Aftermath of War") The Lord is pragmatic, and will work with his children. If they can't use wine, there is water. If bread is not available, potato peelings are acceptable as an alternative in time of need.

I would look into the possible causes for her not handling her duties. Perhaps depression? When one hits a depressive state, the chores only creates a greater depressive state and paralysis of action. Maybe time to see the doctor....

In the philosophy realm (in which I am still a novice, but hang out online with some really smart people), there are levels of omniscience/agency that are discussed, some of which allow some agency. There are some LDS that believe that God knows all there is to know, up to this moment, but does not definitely know the future. Instead, he uses what he knows to his advantage as the ultimate chess player in life. Just as mortal parents can often figure out what their kids will do in certain circumstances, God can know what we will do, as well. A good discussion of this concept is found in Blake Ostler's first volume on Exploring Mormon Thought Blake Ostler's Mormon Publications Site has some of his articles that may discuss these further. Others, like Clark Goble, believe in a semi-compatibilism form of God's omniscience that also allows agency. Search Results foreknowledge : Mormon Metaphysics I see pros and cons to the various theories out there, and so keep an open mind. All I know is that God knows a heck of a lot more than me, and I feel like I have agency to choose, so that is good enough for me.

This is what I wrote regarding this chapter for my 2012 Sunstone Kirtland presentation, on Ascension Rites in the Book of Mormon: Joel's Monastery: My presentation at Kirtland Sunstone - BoM as Ascension TextAnd here is what I wrote for the BoM Gospel Doctrine class on it: Joel's Monastery: Book of Mormon Lesson 22 “Have Ye Received His Image in Your Countenances" Alma 5–7

Alma 29:8 tells us that the Lord reveals himself and his gospel to every people, to the extent they are ready to receive it. What these people experience could be from the Lord, as it is the experience they seek from Him. However, it is not the form in which they can gain truth and revelation via the Holy Ghost. It sustains the level of faith they have, but no more. For this reason, they do not receive more. They are happy with the level of light and truth they receive. Comparing the experience they have with the Spirit with the LDS experience is like comparing a breakfast of donuts to a full and healthy meal. They are filling their bellies with things that are sweet to them, but it does not compare to the nourishment found in a real and complete meal. (Do you think Michelle Obama would applaud me for using this metaphor?).

Lesson 8: Restoration of the Priesthood The Aaronic Priesthood was restored to the earth by John the Baptist on May 15, 1829. Between then and May 1830, the Melchizedek Priesthood was also restored by the ancient apostles Peter, James and John. The priesthood provides two things: power and authority. Authority to govern the Church, perform ordinances, and organize is very important. As important as authority is, however, it is impotent without the power of the priesthood. President Packer recently stated that we do well on distributing the authority, but need to improve on distributing the true powers of heaven. He also notes in his discussion on priesthood, "I include the sisters because it is crucial for everyone to understand what is expected of the brethren. Unless we enlist the attention of the mothers and daughters and sisters—who have influence on their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers—we cannot progress. The priesthood will lose great power if the sisters are neglected." (Ensign, April 2010, The Power of the Priesthood) This power is not only for the men, but also for the women of the Church. Why? Because of the ordinances and covenants attached to the priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood provides the outward ordinances, holding the keys of repentance, baptism and the ministering of angels (D&C 13). The greater Priesthood of Melchizedek holds even greater power and promise: "And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory. (D&C 84:19-24) While the Aaronic Priesthood gives the power to have angels minister to a person and to have a remission of sins, the Melchizedek Priesthood holds the power to bring people into the presence of God, to have His mystery revealed to them, and to become not only cleansed of sin, but purified to a divine state! Moses' goal at Sinai was to take Israel to the top of the mountain, where each one of them would see God personally. They refused to go, fearing God's wrath and reluctant to give up their sinful ways. God gave them the lesser priesthood as a preparatory power, to prepare them for the greater opportunities. If mankind was not ready to converse with God, perhaps they could be prepared to converse with angels. The Melchizedek Priesthood, however, contains the power, primarily through the ordinances, of being in the presence of the members of the Godhead. First, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is confirmed upon a person, giving that person access to the third member of the Godhead. In the temple ordinances, which set us apart from the world both figuratively and literally, we learn to walk through the Cosmos and all of Creation, in a journey to return back into the full presence and glory of God. This is not a journey that is accomplished alone. It is a journey for both Adam and Eve, husband and wife, who share the power, authority and blessings of the Melchizedek Priesthood within the temple. In the marriage sealing, husband and wife both receive together the Patriarchal Priesthood, the greatest role in the Melchizedek Priesthood. Husband and wife are promised that as they are faithful to God, they will receive blessings in time and eternity, to stand in God's presence and be like Him. This is the purpose of the priesthood in our day: to prepare a people to stand in the presence of God and be holy. Through the ordinances the priesthood provides, men and women can enjoy the greatest blessings and opportunities of God in heaven. These promises begin with baptism and find the climax as the believers enter into the Celestial Room of the temple, symbolic of the day when they literally will walk into the Celestial Kingdom and into the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ.

It all depends on the definition of "intelligence." If intelligence is a part of the universe that fills it, and it does not come directly from the Creator (but only is influenced by him: intelligence cannot be created, but can be organized by God D&C 93:29-30). We have two issues to consider then: First, did God create the universe, or is he part of this universe (as its components are co-eternal with him)? Second, if we believe in an "endless" chain of Gods (whatever that means), then did one originally evolve without the help of a Creator? Of course, we could also ask: what came first, the co-eternal universe or God? I have my thoughts on this, but will just leave the questions out there.

I work in a state prison system. I personally do not have a problem with legalizing marijuana (in the same way alcohol is). That said, I recognize that neither alcohol nor marijuana is as "safe" as some claim. I can't tell you the numbers of people I see come in for issues of: DUI, assault, theft, burglary, rape, child molestation, and murder, simply because they were stoned on marijuana. Working with our Substance Abuse counselors, I've learned that marijuana affects short term memory, cognitive abilities, and in a few cases can cause paranoia or mental disorder. It is about as carcinogenic as tobacco, and as addictive as alcohol. So, while I see it as useful as a prescription medicine for pain, I also see it as being misused by many people who use the excuse of self-medication for pain, instead of learning to deal with pain in other ways. It is no better than being addicted to Vicodin or Oxycontin. As for the Word of Wisdom, it is up to the Prophet to determine what falls under the WoW, not Bigernflo. The prophets have mentioned illegal drugs as part of the WoW ban, and have warned us about misusing prescription medications, as well. Coffee and Tea are less harmful than marijuana, yet we have a strict ban on those substances. His claims do not make logical sense, outside of using MJ under the guidance of a doctor.

Biegernflo, I work for a state prison system. I see exactly what people are arrested and imprisoned for. The number of people incarcerated for theft, robbery, assaults, batteries, rape, child molesting, etc., are very high among those who use marijuana and alcohol. While I do not think we should arrest people solely for smoking marijuana, I do see that it is as dangerous to society as alcohol can be. I've seen people destroy their brains using marijuana, reducing them to short term memory loss and having them become impulsive (which is why so many are arrested for other crimes they normally would not commit). That the Church has said no to all illegal drugs (and even legal ones like tobacco and alcohol), is all about a person learning to be in control of him/herself. Yes, marijuana is a good pain medicine. However, too many people self-medicate to the point that it or any other drug (including prescription medicines) becomes a hazard to health and society. Is marijuana safer than alcohol? Probably. But that is like saying being shot by a 38 caliber revolver is better than being shot by a 357 magnum. It is true, but damage is still there.

I think if my child was being bossy and selfish, I would find a way to help her to be selfless. Perhaps help her take turns with her friends. Make a game out of it with her. If that doesn't work, then go the nuclear route: whenever she's selfish with her friends, she loses a toy until she does something nice for that friend.

Also, Jenn. Perhaps thinking long term might help. Could some retraining help your husband get a better paying job? If he were to go back to school for 1-2 years, would that help him in the long term to make more, which would help ease the need for you to work outside the home? Or would it just mean he would be paying more child support?

Jenn, work on finding a job you can do from home: either via the Internet, or in the home (daycare, etc). It may be that you can be at home for your kids, and still have a job that pays sufficient for what you need. Given you are probably paying for daycare for some of your kids, a job at home that pays a little less may still allow you to have about the same overall income.

I stay away on Sundays, even though it's meant missing James Taylor, Neal Diamond and a few others over the years. I expect a major concert in heaven after this is all over to make up for what I've missed. Some artists/groups are awesome live. Lionel Ritchie, Huey Lewis are very good in concert. The best I've seen? Probably Earth, Wind and Fire. What group should only perform on Memorex? Robert Cray band. After 45 minutes, the crowd was booing them to get off the stage. All of the music was the same sound, kind of like a very long dirge.... Had it lasted any longer, I probably would have put a plastic fork in my eyes to stop the pain.

What proof could someone have that God does not exist? All anyone could do is believe there is no God. Now then, what spiritual experiences have you had that show you that Heavenly Father is there and loves you? That's all there is to it.

I have no problem with my kindle touch. I adjust the size setting according to how my eyes are working for the day. My wife loves having her kindle read out loud to her as she follows along, which helps her focus.

We have external ordinances that do the same thing for us. Baptism does not really wash away our sins, but it does work as an external ordinance to prepare our minds and hearts to have our sins remitted. The other external ordinances help us to prepare and absorb the inner workings of the ordinance involved. So, I'm sure that having external things decluttered and cleansed can help us prepare internally.

Perhaps your Patriarch was having a rough day when he gave you a blessing. Don't doubt the love God has for you. It is real, and it is there, even if a piece of paper doesn't mention it.

You are looking at the gift horse in the mouth. It is one day in an entire year. How does your husband show love and support the rest of the year? That is the important issue here, not whether he wrote something that you approve of. The spirit of contention seeks to fester and destroy families. I suggest you move on, and appreciate the fact that he did take a minute to write you something.

Many LDS scholars believe the MP was restored sometime in June, probably near the middle of the month. The church wasn't organized until almost a year later, when Joseph and Oliver were set apart as First and Second Elders, and were noted to be apostles (as in those "sent" and as witnesses, not as in today's Quorum of 12). Laying on of hands for the gift of the HG did not become fully apparent until D&C 20, which was given at the time of the Church's organizaiton. There were some who were baptized previous to April 6, 1830, but I have not seen any evidence that most of them (if any besides Joseph and Oliver) had yet received the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

TG This was true when I lived in Montgomery (just as deep South as where you are, if not deeper), and it is true in Indianapolis IN. All we can do is teach correct principles, and hope they govern themselves....

There are two parts to salvation. Faith and repentance are required to be saved or rescued from death and hell. The rest of it is on Christ. However, our level of salvation is partially determined by our righteousness, or what we become. Faith is an operative action verb in this, because we become righteous, not to save ourselves, but because we have faith Christ can make us holy beings worthy and able to be in God's presence.

Tell your friend that she is taking one scripture out of the whole Bible, and then taking it out of context. The Israelites just left Egypt, where they worshiped many different gods. They dwelt in a basically lawless world, and the 10 commandments gave them structure to live and survive as a nation. But when you take it as a terrestrial law, something better than a telestial savagery, then you can understand it in better terms. Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses, and replace it with something better. He taught us to love God and our fellow being with all our heart. John 3:18 teaches that God so loved the world, he sent his Son to save the world. Help her understand the context, and not to take one verse out of context from the whole of scripture. Also encourage her to read what the Book of Mormon states about Christ's atonement, how he loves little children, and how we are encouraged to believe and repent to be saved. I think she'll find God to be much more loving than she thinks.

Why ask us? Ask your bishop.