rameumptom

There are many non-Catholic writings from the 1st-2nd century. Origen, a major defender of Christianity, was later condemned as a heretic because of his teachings on the Trinity being separate beings. Gnostic writings/teachings came about as early as Simon Magus in the book of Acts.

The problem is, you are seeing things in black and white, and the Lord doesn't. God has provided several levels/layers of heaven, just because he sees the shades of gray. Secondly, you are trying to save yourself. This is why you are not feeling the Spirit. You cannot save yourself, no matter how good you try to be. Only Christ can save you. When you refuse to forgive yourself (or others), you are not allowing Christ to perform his miracle of atonement in your life. You have made yourself judge, rather than turning the case over to Christ to decide. The things necessary to be saved are: 1. faith in Christ. 2. repent. That is it. For developing ourselves or becoming Christ-like and preparing for higher levels of glory, we do need to receive ordinances and covenants, and keep them. But even here, Christ knows we are not perfect and bridges the gap where we strive to do what is right. Unless you are doing serious sins, you need to allow Christ to forgive you. Then believe. Believe that he has removed your sins in his grace. Let him show you how to advance and be sealed to your wife and fill your life with hope of eternal joys and lives. Finally, ask your bishop if he feels you are worthy. He is the judge in Israel, and is guided by the Spirit on whether Christ has forgiven you or not. I believe he already feels you are ready. He is just waiting for you to also believe it.

Even loosely speaking I'm correct. The ancient writers were not historians. They did not use or view history as we view it today. For them, there was nothing wrong with viewing traditional stories that mixed symbolism with actual event. They were more interested in man's relation with God through a historical/symbolic device, rather than telling a history.

The scriptures are not history books, but religious books. Do not confuse the two. Religious books may contain symbolism, things that may have occurred or not, or may have occurred but are now explained in a symbolic way. Believe all the stories in the scriptures, even when they are different. Why? Because then you can get past the differences, and seek the things you need to learn from them.

Sometimes we misread out PBs. Very few go through life without some injuries or disease. It may well be that there is a fulfillment in the PB during the resurrection, when you will be complete from head to toe. My PB states I will be protected on the highways. And generally, I have been. But there have been a few accidents along the way that left me bruised and banged up. We have to be careful not to read any prophecy in the wrong way: and we all do it.

Follow the Spirit. Even as you study the Bible, you can take 5 minutes to read a passage or two out of the BoM, receiving a benefit from both.

The D&C is organized differently than the other years: by themes, which take a variety of scriptures throughout the D&C. I think it does a decent job in doing this, and would take a lot of extra time and effort for me to follow on such a theme just using the DC. I will probably write on some of the sections themselves, discussing parts that we tend to read in one way, but may be understood in other ways.

Sounds like you are the one who has the problem now. Go to your husband, ask his forgiveness, and repent of the sin of judging unrighteous judgment.

WoW first was given as counsel from the Lord. It wasn't made a commandment until Brigham Young did so in the 1850s. That Joseph received many of his revelations with others as witnesses, should strengthen the witness that he was a prophet. That he was also a man, lets us know that not all things are perfect. Now, the important thing is: if Christ were to ask you to give up coffee, would you do it? If so, then why don't you pray about it, and see what God tells you to do in conjunction with this. You have enough opinions from Mormons and anti-Mormons, now get your own answer from God.

I suggest you study the videos on the new Youth program. Learn to ask questions of your audience and let them answer and teach the class for you. You don't have to know, understand, or speak well, as long as you can facilitate the class. This is especially true if you have a lot of educated people in there. Ask them ahead of time to prepare some thoughts on an issue in the lesson plan, etc.

Sounds like you are going to Church for all the wrong reasons, and then blaming those who attend for not only being happy, but for intentionally mocking you. You need to quit acting the victim here. You are not a victim. Nor are the ward members intentionally trying to make you miserable. Go visit a therapist for the depression you obviously have. Then take charge of your life, accept your current situation, and focus on the things you CAN change right now: such as developing talents, getting involved in some classes or activities unrelated to the church, where you can meet people your own age and have fun, etc.

Lesson 48: “Come unto Christ” Moroni 7–8; Moroni 10 With this final lesson on the Book of Mormon, we read the final thoughts of Moroni. This is his final farewell to us. Perhaps in these final chapters of the Book of Mormon, we read the key concepts to lead us to Christ and exaltation in God’s kingdom. Real Intent, Faith, Hope and Charity Ch 7 What we get first are more of the words of Mormon, who sent letters, teaching and advice to his son in the last few years before the final destruction. Moroni is quoting his father decades after the final destruction. Perhaps these are Mormon’s final words to his son, and Moroni wishes to share them with us. At some point in Mormon’s life, there were synagogues and true believers in Christ for him to address. It may be that these few believers were among the few true believers that would later be hunted down by the Lamanites for not denying the Christ. “…by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing” (vv 5-6)). There are two key points to being a good person. First, being involved in good works or behavior. Second, that there is real intent, or pure intentions behind the works. When watching bad or evil behavior, it is easy to determine a person is bad. We see someone kill or steal, and we think it is a bad person, because the works are evil. But real intent is also important, and Moroni will note this again in what is perhaps the most well known LDS missionary scripture in the Book of Mormon: Moroni 10:3-5. Without real intent, we are giving lip service at best, and are hypocrites at worst. How often do we praise a famous wealthy person for doing what appears on the outside as a great act, such as donate money or time to a worthy cause, only to find they have done it for their own benefit to pursue their own wealth and fame. To only be doing good on the outside for one’s own glory, and not for the glory of God, means our hearts are not in the right place. We must, therefore be careful in how we consider others. Just doing or saying something that seems good, does not mean the person is seeking God’s path. “But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God” (v 13). Fortunately, Mormon tells us there is a way to see what is good and what is evil. The things which are truly good, do not just seem good on the outside. They will also encourage and invite us to “do good continually” and to “love God.” So, if a person does something that seems good, but they do it to receive glory and praise from the world, then it is not of God. It is an act of man that may do good things on the surface, such as feed little children or provide a benefit to the poor, but it does not touch the soul of man. And that is the problem with much of the effort in the world today: they focus on the flesh, but not on the eternal welfare of others. They feed the body, but the spirit dies of starvation. So it is with some of the government programs we have. We feel we benefit people by giving them food stamps and welfare assistance, and in some sense we do. But do we satisfy their bodies, while allowing the spirit of man to wither and die? The prophets have encouraged us to be self reliant, and that work is good for man, for instance. Do we help or hurt people by giving a partial solution that looks great on the outside, but still leaves them starving for God on the inside? Is the solution that Babylon, or the world, offers one that feeds the natural man, but not the eternal nature of man? Perhaps a study in the differences between the welfare programs of the Church and that of the world’s governments may be insightful on how we are doing true good that leads people to love God, and an evil that leads people to worship the governments and celebrities of Babylon. “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ” (vv 16-19) What encourages us to believe in Christ and do good works is of God. All else is not celestial. “And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing? And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing” (vv 20-21). There is no way to lay hold upon good things or to do good things without faith, hope and charity. What kind of faith? Only that faith which leads us to believe in Christ. Again, there is one way to do truly good works, and that is with real intent. Real intent comes from the person or persons who seek Christ and to live a Christ-like life. Feeding hungry people is not in and of itself a good or eternal work. Feeding both their bodies and spirits is a good work. Leading them to Christ is a good work, which all Christians may do. And as others do good works and seek to lead people to God, they also may perform good works to the level of understanding of God they have. As we develop faith, hope becomes the anchor to our faith (Ether 12:4), which helps carry us through trying times. As we grow in faith and hope, we desire to be more Christ-like, and so learn to develop the love of Christ, which is charity. One thing we sometimes do not understand is that faith, hope and charity are gifts. We cannot develop them on our own, no matter what works we do. Instead, they are given to us, as we grow closer to God. Mormon encourages us to pray with all the energy of heart to have charity (Moroni 7:48) and God will pour out the gift of love upon us. If we knock, if we ask, if we seek it, God will give it to us as a free gift. But we must have real intent. We must truly desire it, and not just give lip service. To the level we are ready to receive it, God will bestow it upon us, as he will provide all other gifts we seek. Little children are saved in Christ Chapter 8 Moroni provides to us a letter from his father, which Mormon sent him soon after he was ordained an elder, possibly over his own synagogue, and regarding baptism of children. It may seem an anachronistic 19th century attack aimed on some Christian faiths, but there are elements that go beyond the modern Protestant view. Mormon and Moroni’s world is falling into an apostate state, and Moroni has asked his father about the practice of some to baptize their little children. It is not a modern problem, but a sign of apostasy that occurs when people do not understand the atonement of Christ. “Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me” (v 8). Note that there IS a curse of Adam. There is a falling of man from God’s presence. Mankind cannot return back to God because of his fallen nature. All are dead physically and spiritually. They need a physician to heal them. They need to follow the prescription given by the physician: faith, repentance, covenants, ordinances, and receiving the Holy Ghost. However, through Christ, little children are automatically saved in Christ. There is no need for circumcision or baptism for little children, because Christ’s gift resurrects all of them. Because of Christ’s gift, temporal and spiritual death have no power over little children, as they are incapable of sinning. Only when they reach the age to understand right from wrong, and are able to sin, will they also need to repent and receive the covenants and ordinances of God. Only then will they need the physician to heal them, so they can live forever with their little children. So, what does this have to do with Moroni’s emphasis on faith, hope and charity in these last chapters? We must learn to have the faith, hope and charity of a little child, in order to be saved with them through Christ. Gifts of the Spirit Chapter 10 In verses 3-5, we learn that faith in Christ and his gospel begins with real intent. We cannot discover God and his eternal truths without real intent and desire not only to know, but to do whatever it is that God reveals to us. Again, Moroni speaks on faith, hope and charity. As we seek with real intent, we receive these and other gifts of God through the Holy Spirit. “And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things” (v 5). We learn these things through the gifts we are given. If we are not receiving some of the gifts of the Spirit in our lives, we should ask ourselves: why not? Are we not spiritually preparing ourselves? Are we not seeking the gifts of the Spirit? President George Q. Cannon noted: Come unto Christ Finally, Moroni encourages and invites us to “come unto Christ and be perfected in him” (v 32). Of all the gifts of God, the gift of Christ’s atonement is the greatest. As we have studied the Book of Mormon over the past year, we have found the Nephite prophets bringing us back to this concept time and again. From Lehi first seeing the Messiah descend from God’s throne to bring him his prophetic calling in 1 Nephi 1, to the resurrected Jesus inviting the Nephites to come to him and touch the wounds in his hands and feet and be healed by him in 3 Nephi, to Moroni’s final words to us in this last chapter, we are invited to believe in Christ and his atonement. It is a free gift to any who will humbly ask for it, repent, and allow the Lord to give them a mighty change of heart: from a heart of stone to a heart of pure gold. Christ can heal us, if we will let him. He has suffered through all the pains and infirmities in the world, so he can succor us (Alma 7). He is the only path back to the presence of the Father and eternal life. He is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the Way. He is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father. He is the center of our faith and hope. The message of the Book of Mormon is this: We invite all to come to Christ and be perfected in Him. We invite all to come to Christ and be healed by him. We invite all to Christ, and let him bring you back into the presence of our Heavenly Father. Come unto Christ.

I suggest studying it with some outside guidance. A few helps are available at feastupontheword.org , where they have the Sunday School lessons covered and articles on almost every verse or chapter of the Book of Mormon. You can also read my Sunday School lessons on 2 Nephi that are at my blog joelsmonastery.blogspot.com or also found in the scriptures forum here.

I think the Lord allowed you to choose, opening the way for you to gain experience. You now know the importance of work, and the greater importance of family.

PC, Always glad to hear from you. And if you need a shank to get back at Traveler, I can send one your way....

I would suggest a space heater for the room she stays in most of the time. Today's heaters are very safe, especially if you choose the oil-heated/fully enclosed models.

I recommend my Book of Mormon Sunday School lessons at joelsmonastery.blogspot.com (also available here at lds.net on the scripture forum).

I also highly doubt this story of the temple stable. First off, if there were temple stables, they would have been in Jerusalem, and not in Bethlehem. Second, as Volgadon noted, Mary's giving birth would have made the area unclean. The reality is, the reading of the New Testament that there was "no place in the inn", may be wrong, and should state that Bethlehem had no inn for travelers. Instead, there were caves where travelers stayed for such events. Also, John Gee notes that Joseph may have owned property in Bethlehem (requiring him to appear to pay land taxes), and so was staying with family, or perhaps had rented his own home there, and so stayed in the stable behind his own house on his property. No Room for an Inn | Interpreter

Lesson 47: “To Keep Them in the Right Way” Moroni 1–6 Moroni now comes to his third and final farewell. In his first farewell, he shared the writings of his father, Mormon. In the second, he shared his abridgement of the Book of Ether. Now, he really has come to the end of his writings, and provides teachings in two major sections, with the first being dealt with in this lesson. In this lesson, Moroni deals with important teachings regarding ordinances of the gospel. He notes in chapter one that the Lamanites are killing those Nephites, who will not deny the Christ. This is 40 years after the destruction of the Nephites as a people. Obviously, Moroni is not exactly alone among the survivors. However, they are a continually dwindling group, and it seems that at this point, they are being actively searched for and destroyed. Moroni must now be constantly on the move to preserve his life. Most LDS scholars believe the Nephites’ final battle was in Central America, and that the original hill Cumorah (where the final battle occurred) is there. Moroni would then have wandered off and on for decades, eventually arriving in what is now New York State, and burying his few plates on the modern hill Cumorah. These writings are for the future Lamanite descendants. They need to know how to recognize the proper forms and ordinances. The Holy Ghost So, what is the first and most important ordinance Moroni shares? It is receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those with Christ’s authority. Without the Holy Ghost, the other ordinances are meaningless, as they cannot sanctify us or make us holy. Yes, we can repent and become guiltless through Christ’s atonement. However, with the power of the Holy Ghost, no one can become holy enough to be exalted. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that angels speak, and without the Holy Ghost, we cannot speak with the tongue of angels. Ordination In chapter three, we see how ordination of priests and teachers occurred. These were not priests and teachers as we know them now: young men in the Aaronic priesthood. Rather these were positions in the Melchizedek Priesthood among the Nephites. Note that the 12 disciples were known as the “elders of the Church”, much as Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were known as the first and second elders of the Church, when it was first organized. We do not read specifically how other elders were chosen and ordained, but can imagine it was similar. The key here is the importance of authority. There is a hierarchy to God’s work upon the earth. The Sacrament In the Lord’s visit to the Americas, he and his disciples provided the Sacrament on more than one occasion. We were taught the importance of partaking it worthily, as a covenant between us and Christ. Now, in chapters 4 and 5, Moroni will teach the future Lamanites the sacramental prayers. These are very important for us, otherwise Moroni would not have included them in his final words. The sacrament is a renewal of our covenants. All of our covenants. We do renew our baptismal covenant, but it goes beyond to reflect our receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the priesthood, and the temple ordinances. While baptism by water tends to be viewed as an individual’s ordinance and covenant with Christ, the Sacrament is a communal experience. It is here that we recognize not just our own covenant as an individual, but as a people. It strengthens Nephi’s teachings regarding the baptismal covenant as becoming one as a people in Christ. It is here that we become a holy people together, as we join to renew the covenants of baptism, priesthood and temple. While the prayers on the bread and water are similar, there are some significant differences. Why is it that the prayer on the bread includes, “keep his commandments which he hath given them”, while the prayer on the water/wine does not? One reason may be that the bread represents and focuses on the body or flesh. We are symbolically made of two parts: flesh and water. The body is bound to the temptations of the flesh, and as with the law of Moses, requires law to control it. The water or wine would possibly represent the blood that gives life to the body. There is no law required with the blood, especially regarding the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ cleanses our blood, or us, of all sin through repentance. Of course, flesh and blood do not live alone, except they are revivified by the Spirit, which is promised to all who willingly subject their flesh to the commandments, and their life blood to the cleansing blood of Christ. Baptism In chapter 6, Moroni speaks of baptism. This is a very important discourse, as short as it is, because it speaks of what is required of a person prior to baptism. “Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins. “And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end” (Moroni 6:2-3). Then, we become numbered among the saints, once baptized and received the Holy Ghost. Baptism is a covenant of the people, not just of the individual. Moroni then explains what they, as a covenant people do to strengthen each other and become a Zion people. The Holy Ghost was the key to them becoming one people, whether praying, preaching, or singing. So it is with the Church today.

There is a lot of people always on the edge, often due to their own choices. Many have children out of wedlock, single mothers often end up in poverty. Divorce leads to poverty. Of course, for a couple decades, people believed they could use the credit card as a source of buying anything they wanted, including expensive cars and houses - only to risk losing them if they lose their good paying jobs. Many (not all) live paycheck to paycheck, because they do not budget nor plan their lives.

When a stake president sends his recommendation for bishop to the Church, one of the things they do is a background check. So, the practice is already in place for bishop.

In 1844, Joseph Smith was about to flee Nauvoo to the West. His wife, Emma, approached him (in Iowa) and told him he was being selfish and not thinking about her feelings, nor those of the members. He and his brother Hyrum returned. Within a week, the two of them were killed. Sometimes doing what is right is more important than a wife's feelings.

My question on any apostles praising socialism still stands. Your statement avoids my questions completely. BTW, Elder Benson did attack socialism. So did Reuben Clark from the General Conference pulpit. President David O. McKay also was rather anti-socialist. If your statements are correct, then why do we not have others praising socialism, if it is so very wonderful? Yes, in our global religion today, our prophets and apostles are careful not to speak out regarding political institutions, because preaching the gospel is more important. But it has not always been that way. And in the past when several were speaking out against socialism, none that I know of spoke out in favor of it. As it is, while those statements are not binding upon the membership, I'd say they hold much more weight than your statements - which have no apostolic weight of any sort behind them that I'm aware of. So, where are statements by apostles praising socialism?

Eowyn provided apostolic quotes against socialism. Can anyone provide apostolic quotes encouraging or praising socialism? I can't seem to find any that would support Annwandering's knowledge of being right.

Actually, ALL of the prophets and apostles are sustained as "prophets, seers, and revelators", so technically you are wrong on both. That their words are not binding upon is may be true, but we are encouraged to prayerfully consider their words, not just reject them because they do not fit our social view.