Could Someone Give Me An Actual Ref?

[pushka]

Thank you for your comments Ray...sometimes I find it difficult to express myself on here, and can perhaps sound a little 'off'...I don't believe that you or anyone else on here will be 'falling out with me' or anything like that because we disagree on certain issues...I've been enjoying the debates as much as anyone else...

I understand what you mean about seeking the One True Church, and praying for guidance so that you KNOW when you have found it, however, as I said before, I just wish to take the good things from all kinds of religions that I read about or encounter, and believe that I will be judged on how I act and treat others if I am to be judged at all.

Yes, maybe one day I will change my attitude again, but in the meantime I am quite happy with my search for knowledge and my attempts at doing the best I can...:)

[Ray]

Based on what you say and the little I know about you, pushka, I believe you may very well be on the right path in your quest for knowledge, but I would like to say just one more thing that may help you realize how important it is to find and know the truth.

Have you ever heard the saying that “ignorance is bliss” ? Some people have the idea that if they don’t know what they are doing is wrong, they can get away with it until they find out for sure it is wrong. And while that may be true to a certain extent, the act of doing something wrong does not help someone do what is right, because if someone doesn’t know what is wrong they are quite possibly ignorant about what is right, and thus they are not able to do it.

As I said, I don’t know very much about you right now, but suppose you don’t know it is wrong to tell yourself you don’t need to be Repent concerning something you are doing wrong, or in other words, suppose you don’t know that you need to pay attention to certain thoughts and feelings you have which tell you it is wrong to do a certain something. Believe it or not, some people honestly believe they can get away with that kind of thing, thinking they can go on doing something they think might be wrong as long as they don’t really know it is wrong, even when they sorta think and feel it is wrong when they do it. Or in other words, they think they can go on doing something wrong even when they feel it is wrong, because they haven’t had some super strong or super natural event in which they suppose God would tell them point blank in audible words that it is wrong.

Strange, isn’t it. Anyway, I think you should know that our Lord will only forgive us for doing something wrong if we sincerely Repent, and Repentance means to stop and turn away from doing that wrong ever again. Some of my favorite words come from a puppet named Yoda, who said: “There is no try, only do, or do not do,” and I testify that those words are true.

Anyway, I’ve now given you my testimony concerning what I consider to be the most important principles of the gospel, namely Faith and Repentance. I hope you will consider my testimony and realize how important it is to seek God and do His will, realizing that anything short of that will get you nothing of lasting value.

[Randy Johnson]

Originally posted by Ray+Feb 14 2005, 06:31 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Ray @ Feb 14 2005, 06:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--pushka@ Feb 14 2005, 04:04 PM

Okay...so I suppose it doesn't matter really, which religion you belong to...as long as you believe your prophets are the right ones (if your religion believes there are Modern Day Prophets), then you're okay, because nobody will really know till they reach those pearly gates :)

I think it matters a great deal which religion you “belong to”, or what your religion is, because to involve yourself in a false religion would be a big waste of your time, not to mention that it wouldn’t help to teach you the truth. Simply believing that your prophets are the “right ones” won’t do you any good if they truly aren’t the right ones.

And FYI, there are many people who know the truth right now, without having to wait until they reach those pearly gates to find out. To believe that you wouldn’t be able to find out until then would be to believe that you remain in confusion until then, and that belief is sad and not at all inspirational. Do you honestly believe that God wants you to believe that?

I testify that I know the truth, whether you know it or not and whether you believe me or not. It is possible to know the truth, and I say that only because I have found it and I know it.

Jesus said “Ask and ye shall receive”, “Seek and ye shall find”, and He wasn’t just uttering some words that have no power. I testify that I know Jesus was telling the truth, not because I read those words in a book and simply believe those words were uttered by Jesus, but because I have received and I have found, just as the person who uttered those words said I would.

If you do not know these things to be true, it is best for you to simply say you do not know them to be true until you do know them to be true. And for your own sake, beware of giving a false witness for which you will be judged just as much as I will be judged for saying that I do know these things to be true.

It is possible to know the truth of things that you cannot “see” with your physical senses, because the Holy Ghost can reveal the truth of these things to you. I am a living witness, and just one of many who knows these things to be true.

And btw, to be more specific about what I claim to know, I know that:

Jesus is the Christ and only begotten son of God,

Joseph Smith Jr. was one of His many prophets, just as Isaiah and Nephi and Brigham Young were His prophets, and as President Hinkley is a prophet today.

The Bible and Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants contain many of our Lord's inspired words, as revealed to His prophets through the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church of Christ on the face of the Earth today, speaking of the church as a whole and not of individual persons.

I know many other things too, speaking of things which I can only know through the power of the Holy Ghost, but the statements above are the keys by which I know and can know all other things.

Ray!

Amen good man, Amen!!

rj

[pushka]

Originally posted by Ray@Feb 15 2005, 04:21 PM

Based on what you say and the little I know about you, pushka, I believe you may very well be on the right path in your quest for knowledge, but I would like to say just one more thing that may help you realize how important it is to find and know the truth.

Have you ever heard the saying that “ignorance is bliss” ? Some people have the idea that if they don’t know what they are doing is wrong, they can get away with it until they find out for sure it is wrong. And while that may be true to a certain extent, the act of doing something wrong does not help someone do what is right, because if someone doesn’t know what is wrong they are quite possibly ignorant about what is right, and thus they are not able to do it.

As I said, I don’t know very much about you right now, but suppose you don’t know it is wrong to tell yourself you don’t need to be Repent concerning something you are doing wrong, or in other words, suppose you don’t know that you need to pay attention to certain thoughts and feelings you have which tell you it is wrong to do a certain something. Believe it or not, some people honestly believe they can get away with that kind of thing, thinking they can go on doing something they think might be wrong as long as they don’t really know it is wrong, even when they sorta think and feel it is wrong when they do it. Or in other words, they think they can go on doing something wrong even when they feel it is wrong, because they haven’t had some super strong or super natural event in which they suppose God would tell them point blank in audible words that it is wrong.

Strange, isn’t it. Anyway, I think you should know that our Lord will only forgive us for doing something wrong if we sincerely Repent, and Repentance means to stop and turn away from doing that wrong ever again. Some of my favorite words come from a puppet named Yoda, who said: “There is no try, only do, or do not do,” and I testify that those words are true.

Anyway, I’ve now given you my testimony concerning what I consider to be the most important principles of the gospel, namely Faith and Repentance. I hope you will consider my testimony and realize how important it is to seek God and do His will, realizing that anything short of that will get you nothing of lasting value.

Hi again Ray...It looks as if I overlooked replying to this post...maybe I was very tired when I read it and meant to reply later, then forgot!!

Anyway, as I said in a post on another thread, I do believe in repenting as well as saying sorry for something that you do wrong, once you know that it is wrong, and that you must try never to do it again. However, I would like to add that I do tend to go on 'gut' feelings, so if something feels as if it might be wrong then I would tend to not do it...