Search the Community

If a member chooses to become inactive and does not want to recieve the endowments, is that the same as denying the Holy Ghost? If it is not denying the Holy Ghost, can the member still obtain the Telestial kingdom of glory?

Yesterday was the Day of Pentecost, and I was invited as the virtual preacher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTM2X-JJO6o

Several Sundays ago, we were asked to review the Conference talks from last April to help us prepare for the upcoming Conference. I was in the middle of reading a talk from President Nelson when this jumped out and bit me...... President Nelson said "We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation." I know I have heard these things over and over before, but these words just seemed to jump off the page......"increasingly contentious", "bombard us with relentless messages", "philosophies of men that attack truth," it just hits home a big more this time. And to jump into another paragraph...... "But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." We have been told for years that things are going to become worse and worse before the Second Coming, and we need to build and sustain our faith.... and here is our prophet giving us a dire warning that it will not be possible to survive spiritually unless we are really tight with the Holy Ghost and learn to listen and obey. With all the lies, contention, discontent, and venomous hatred we are subject to in our nation alone...... those words from our Prophet Nelson" we must learn to receive revelation." Are there more important words to prepare us?

Today in Seminary, my teacher mentioned something about how he had a friend that didn't believe there was more than one God (it was more specific than that, but that's the gist) and he concluded the story with the statement that there IS more than one God. This confused me. I have been Mormon my entire life and I've grown up on the belief that there was ONE true God, our Father in Heaven. My teacher said that we consider the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ALL as Gods. A girl in my Seminary class was also confused, so she raised her hand asking for clarification, pointing out that one of our staple beliefs in the church is that we believe in one God. Another girl attempted to answer, suggesting that maybe it's because we believe that we can become Gods of our own in the afterlife, meaning that there must be other Gods with worlds of their own. My Seminary teacher didn't give a clear answer, so I assume that he is also in a grey area about this topic. So, which is it? Are we lying? Do we really believe that the Holy Ghost and Jesus are Gods? If so, why do we consider our religion a form of monotheism?

Was the third member of the Godhead present at Joseph Smiths first vision ?

Hello! Today I have been thinking about intuition. Is this just another word for the influence of the Holy Ghost? Or possibly the light of Christ within each of us? Would you consider intuition as part of the spirit of revelation and prophecy? Lastly, how does the "gift" of the Holy Ghost tie into this?

Ok, so the title says it all. I am working on getting closer to Jesus Christ and feeling His presence through the Holy Ghost. I do have faith, I am a believer and I read and study the scriptures daily, sometimes multiple times a day. Where I am lacking, is with prayer. I do pray, but not as often as I should. I do have short conversations with God sometimes throughout the day, but not too often meaningful or deep. I know for sure I need to work on praying more often and with deeper, more meaningful discussions. So, I am working on that. However, how do you guy's work on your relationship with Jesus and feeling the Spirit? It is a daily thing we must work at or we begin to feel some separation. I know it's a lot of effort on our part and its something very important we must do. And as I read the Scriptures and other church related books, I dont feel the Spirit like I wish. I will feel the presence of God and some scriptures begin to ignite my love and feelings toward Jesus, however, they seem to die quickly and I am back feeling like I am working to hard at this. Basically, most of all, I just want to feel the love of Jesus Christ and feel how important the Atonement was and understand how much He love's me. I want to feel that relationship grow and not die down. I want to feel this love. I want a strong relationship with Jesus Christ and learn to be more appreative of His Sacrifices for me. Does anyone have any advice on how I can work on this? Are there any special tools or ways you use to develop and keep this relationship/love? What is it you do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I found myself telling my ex-Mormon friend that I feel that I can finally tell the difference between the witness of the Spirit and the warm feeling from watching a touching movie. Really? So what's it like? ... You just have to experience it. So it's possible I've never felt the Spirit? ... Could be. Have you never felt the Spirit before? Or why didn't you know before? ... I think it is a bit like my taste buds. You can taste the Spirit? (joking). What does it taste like? IN UNISON: Like Chicken... ... No. It's that when I was a kid bread was bread. It all tasted the same. I could have had really good bread or cardboard bread @ $0.25/loaf. I never really appreciated the good stuff. Now that I'm more mature, my taste buds have changed, I've tasted more things, and I've become more picky about what I decide to place on my tongue, I can certainly tell the difference between a cardboard loaf, Wonder, and the fresh baked French bread loaves at the checkout isle at the supermarket. Oh, yeah, baby! You know what I'm talking about. The taste, the texture, the smell that just makes you want to dive into a swimming pool full of bread... ok maybe that was taking it too far. No, actually. I don't know what you're talking about. What does it taste and smell like? (joking) ... You just have to experience it. (joking back).

I've been working on an article generally intended for non-LDS but subtly intended for LDS. The title is currently, How God Speaks to Mormons. I would like your take on experiences, stories and the like that describe the revelatory experience. Please let me know. If you would like to see a draft copy of what I have so far, I will post it.

(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 31:8) 8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove. Can we conclude from this scripture, and from the teachings and practices of the church today, that prior to His baptism at the age of 30, Jesus did not have the gift of the Holy Ghost?

An interesting Brigham Young quote for discussion. "If the Latter-day Saints will walk up to their privileges, and exercise faith in the name of Jesus Christ, and live in the enjoyment of the fulness of the Holy Ghost constantly day by day, there is nothing on the face of the earth that they could ask for, that would not be given to them. The Lord is waiting to be very gracious unto this people, and to pour out upon them riches, honor, glory and power, even that they may possess all things according to the promises he has made through his Apostles and Prophets" Thoughts?

It’s well documented that the “Mormon glow,” or the Light of Christ, shines in the eyes of members striving to live the gospel. We often talk about the Mormon glow in the context of missionary work. However, have you ever considered how the “Mormon glow” also helps us attract people who can add value to our lives? D&C 88:40 says, “Light cleaveth unto light.” Through my personal experiences, I believe that radiating the Light of Christ can help us stand out to other single adults and help us someday attract a future spouse. Have you had any personal experiences with the “Mormon glow” before? How do you recognize the Mormon glow in others and how have you developed the glow yourself? I wrote an article on my blog about the Mormon glow and I’d love to get your feedback. (My sister, who graciously agreed to model for me and let me use her picture for my blog article!)

I am studying D&C 84 and presently find myself associated with verse 46. "And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit." "[T]he Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world," is in reference to the Light of Christ (according to every General Authority quotation and reference I can find). The second half of the verse refers to the idea of following the quiet promptings of the Light of Christ - as an individual does so, that individual is given a greater portion of the Spirit. This is evident in several quotations but, for example: “The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to ‘hearkeneth to the voice’ to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost.” (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2003 General Conference) or “Not only does this verse [verse 46] provide a further witness that we all have access to this source of divine direction, it also emphasizes the need for us to hearken, or listen and respond, to the promptings we receive….These intimations, sometimes referred to as conscience but more accurately defined as the Light of Christ, not only help us in deciding what is right and what is wrong, they will, if followed, lead us to the source of that light which emanates from the presence of the Father and the Son.” (Elder Kenneth Johnson, October 2002 General Conference) Thus the meaning of this verse becomes clear. So, here is my question: What does it mean, when we read in verse 46, that "the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth"? That phrase "through the world" doesn't seem to fit and I can't determine a meaning for it in context of the rest of the verse. What are your thoughts?

For the last month I haven't been able to take the sacrament. I've done some confessing to the Bishop and have to wait to be able to take it again. Does this mean that I am unable to have the Spirit of the Lord with me until I can righteously partake of the sacrament again? Does the Holy Ghost leave and completely forsake someone while they can't take the sacrament? Am I unable to hear it's prompting's until I can take the sacrament again?

If you a person goes inactive, engages in unclean behavior (i.e. drinking, engaging in premarital sex, questioning God) but decided to come back to the Church and repent, would they be able to get the Gift of the Holy Ghost Back? That is, if they were already baptized and received the Gift once before, but the Spirit left them because of their decisions, could the Spirit come back and remain with them once more? Just curious because I was inactive for about a year and am now just going back to Church. I felt the Spirit when I was studying and it struck me to think about if I could ever have it stay with me always. That is of course as long as I keep the Lord's Commandments.

There has been an unfortunate trend among sectarian Christians to disparage Mormonism's belief in the manifestation of the Spirit we call the "burning in the bosom." This phrase is taken from Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 where the Lord taught Oliver Cowdery how to recognize this manifestation of a spiritual witness. "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." I have encountered anti-Mormon web sites where evangelical Christians have ridiculed this particular manifestation, encouraging those who investigate the Church to place no confidence in this sensation. When sharing your understanding of it with other Christians, it might be useful to have knowledge of a couple of passages from Jonathan Edwards' "Personal Narrative." Edwards, who lived before the Restoration occurred (1703-1758) was one of the most important American Protestant theologians. His sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is credited with starting the first Great Awakening. Edwards theology is staunchly Calvinist in nature. Yet his doctrine still resonates with evangelicals today. That's why I think it is important to know and use these passages from his narrative. Here they are: "The sense I had of divine things, would often of a sudden kindle up, as it were a sweet burning in my heart; an ardor of soul, that I know not how to express.... "...[T]here came into my mind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, that I know not how to express. I seemed to see them both in a sweet conjunction; majesty and meekness joined together; it was a gentle and holy majesty; and also a majestic meekness; a high, great, and holy gentleness (Edwards). "...[E}very word seemed to touch my heart. I felt a harmony between something in my heart and those sweet and powerful words...." "Somtimes, only mentioning a single word caused my heart to burn within me; or only seeing the name of Christ, or the name of some attribute of God" (Edwards)." Conversion happens when an investigator recognizes the testimony of the Holy Ghost. The great Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards knew and recognized this special feeling and he described it as good as any person ever has. When other Christians realize that this same holy feeling that many of them have experienced can testify of the Restoration, they may be more willing to rely upon it and accept the glorious principles that have been revealed in the latter-days. I think Jonathan Edwards would have recognized the movements of the Spirit and embraced the Restoration, had he lived long enough to see it.

I've been studying Preach my Gospel and i came to the Recognizing the spirit section and that has been extremely good for me because thats what im trying to learn. anyway then i came to relying on the spirit, and i realized how hard that is or can be even without realizing it or thinking that you are. i think in the world today we hold ourselves back so much with so many people and put up a wall or sheild so to speak against things that we sometimes ourselves dont even see it. and i've come to realize i've even had that in my relationship with Our Savior, i looked up the word Rely in the Dictionary and i came up with: Depend on with full trust of confidence, to be Dependent on. i realized that i haven't been doing that and at the times the spirit tries to talk to me I'm the one blocking that communication, the Lord isn't its not a punishment or anything, its just me putting up an invisible barrier that i didn't know i was building. so i've came up with a goal, i realize i rely on my friends, on my family, as i should the spirit, when a member of my family says they will pick me up at a certain time. i depend on that i rely on that. an example as simple as that. we know that person is coming to pick us up, we have confidence they're coming. it should be that real, that easy and simple relying on the spirt. : ) i dunno i just kind of realized this for myself and it is a tough goal to work on for me, but i'll accomplish it through prayer and opening my heart and trust a little wider than i knew i could :) what are your thoughts of Relying on the Spirit?

Hey all, Just thought I'd share my good news with everyone. I got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday during Sacrament. It was very cool. I got some amazing photos.. even if I do look 12 on most of them due to the dress being too big, wearing frech plaits, no makeup etc. Here are some of the photos: The first one is me and my soon to be father in law who baptised me and the second one is me with my fiance!

Faith and Historicity of the Bible and Book of Mormon Grace for Grace

(Emphasis added) Holy Ghost - LDS.org - Topic Definition - Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit, without a body of flesh and bones. He is often referred to as the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, or the Comforter. Roles of the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously and receive the blessings of the gospel. He "witnesses of the Father and the Son" (2 Nephi 31:18) and reveals and teaches "the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). We can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to our spirit carries far more certainty than any communication we can receive through our natural senses. As we strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost can guide us in our decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger. Through Him, we can receive gifts of the Spirit for our benefit and for the benefit of those we love and serve (see D&C 46:9–11). He is the Comforter (John 14:26). As the soothing voice of a loving parent can quiet a crying child, the whisperings of the Spirit can calm our fears, hush the nagging worries of our life, and comfort us when we grieve. The Holy Ghost can fill us "with hope and perfect love" and "teach [us] the peaceable things of the kingdom" (Moroni 8:26; D&C 36:2). Through His power, we are sanctified as we repent, receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, and remain true to our covenants (see Mosiah 5:1–6; 3 Nephi 27:20; Moses 6:64–68). He is the Holy Spirit of Promise (see Ephesians 1:13; D&C 132:7, 18–19, 26). In this capacity, He confirms that the priesthood ordinances we have received and the covenants we have made are acceptable to God. This approval depends on our continued faithfulness. The Gift of the Holy Ghost All honest seekers of the truth can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, leading them to Jesus Christ and His gospel. However, the fulness of the blessings given through the Holy Ghost are available only to those who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and remain worthy. After a person is baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one or more Melchizedek Priesthood holders lay their hands on the person's head and, in a sacred priesthood ordinance, confirm him or her a member of the Church. As part of this ordinance, called confirmation, the person is given the gift of the Holy Ghost. The gift of the Holy Ghost is different from the influence of the Holy Ghost. Before baptism, a person can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost from time to time and through that influence can receive a testimony of the truth. After receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, a person has the right to the constant companionship of that member of the Godhead if he or she keeps the commandments. See also Baptism; Godhead; Laying On of Hands; Revelation; Spiritual Gifts —See True to the Faith (2004), 81–84 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew 3:11; John 15:26; 16:13; Acts 2:38; 8:12–17; 19:1–6; 1 Corinthians 2:9–14; 12:3; Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Nephi 10:17–19; 2 Nephi 31:17; D&C 8:2–3; 39:20–24; 68:25–28; 121:46; Articles of Faith 1:4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We . . . must be careful not to hinder, disregard, or quench the Spirit in our lives. "The beckoning invitations of the world attempt to divert our attention from the strait and narrow path. The adversary labors to dull our sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit, whether we are teenagers, young adults, or mature men and women. The role of the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is essential in every season of our mortal lives." (Keith K. Hilbig, "Quench Not the Spirit Which Quickens the Inner Man," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 37) The Holy Ghost testifies of truths, warns us of dangers (Subtle or not), prompts us to do or stop something, etc. We can recognize its promptings through our feelings. In Galations, Paul taught us: Gal. 5: 22 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, I feel that the ability to discern the voice of the Lord, through the Holy Ghost one of the most important things we need to learn if we are to be guided by truth and lead through the right path to choose the right. Learning to discern if something is good/right or not, and if it's from God, we must learn to discern the feelings it induces, and it takes practice; if the fruits are good (As mentioned above), we can know it is of God. I had the opportunity of asking Elder R.G. Scott, and he told me the above. I just wanted to share it!