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2 hours ago, UtahTexan said:

Here is what I think: ok.  Next?

Yup, me too. I mean NO offense to the original poster at all (whom I've grown to like just judging by his posts). I think @Larry Cotrell is a great guy and I'm glad he posts here for sure. 

That said, and I do not mean him in particular with this but most people use this as a smear to bash the prophet. Again, no offense to Larry. 

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11 hours ago, MormonGator said:

Yup, me too. I mean NO offense to the original poster at all (whom I've grown to like just judging by his posts). I think @Larry Cotrell is a great guy and I'm glad he posts here for sure. 

That said, and I do not mean him in particular with this but most people use this as a smear to bash the prophet. Again, no offense to Larry. 

No offense taken

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  • 1 month later...
On 9/9/2016 at 11:29 AM, Carborendum said:

Yes, I believe I'm related to Joseph Smith as a 32th cousin 28 times removed through my adopted family.  And I'm his 61st cousin 57 times removed biologically.

@pam & @Amym73 -- I will one-up you all ( :conscience:

I am related to Joseph Smith through Adam and Eve! Drum roll please. 

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What I find intriguing is that if you look up "Glass Looking" or "Glass Looker" the information that renders is all about Joseph Smith. How a person views "Glass Looking" will be colored by their current beliefs and prejudices. Christians currently color this practice within the "occult" sphere, and this bolsters their prejudice toward Joseph Smith. My question will be prejudiced toward this question, "What does God think"? In this case, I will trust personal prayer, past, and modern scripture as given by the Lord's servants, his prophets, today.

Modern revelation informs the sons and daughters of God that the earth will receive a celestial state. This celestial state has been thus described by Brigham Young, "At another time he said: “This earth, when it becomes purified and sanctified, or celestialized, will become like a sea of glass; and a person, by looking into it, can know things past, present, and to come; though none but celestialized beings can enjoy this privilege. They will look into the earth, and the things they desire to know will be exhibited to them, the same as the face is seen by looking into a mirror.” (In Journal of Discourses, 9:87.)" (emphasis added)

Past revelation, Revelation 4:6, "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne," we see another witness that before God's throne there is a "sea of glass" similar to a crystal. The earth in its celestial state will be similar to a sea of glass. 

Was this practice related to the "occult" or merely a personal prejudice by modern Christianity? The concept of "casting lots" was not only used by the Children of Israel. This concept was used also by "Occult" leaders and religions. Personal prejudice could even say, "If you have problems with glass looking (as you say "occult" practice), but do not have problems with "casting lots" (also used by the occult), are we then hypocritical, or biased to our own prejudice?" The practice being performed in the Bible is irrelevant if the concern is that the practice is used by the "occult." Here is a truthful statement, "God initiates. Satan Imitates." The concept of glass looking was before us while we lived with God in our pre-mortal lives. This was never first initiated by the Occult. 

One thing my mission taught me, is that God answers the sincere, real intent prayers of all his children. A child who grows up within a religion that a Christian will find offensive to some of their practices; God will still answer the child's prayer of that religion, and innocent youth who are growing up with different beliefs. If they convert, they often (as most people do) will lean toward what they know, until corrected. This doesn't demean or make this convert any less than the strongest member, as they are learning.

My personal feeling, I have no objection to Joseph Smith being a "glass looker." I have no objection either to Lehi and his family being "brass lookers" as the Liahona was made out of fine brass, and at times Lehi's family would "Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written." 

 

Edited by Anddenex
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On 9/10/2016 at 3:29 AM, Carborendum said:

Yes, I believe I'm related to Joseph Smith as a 32th cousin 28 times removed through my adopted family.  And I'm his 61st cousin 57 times removed biologically.

 

On 9/12/2016 at 4:02 AM, NeuroTypical said:

:CousinsRemovedchart.jpg

 

Carb, I'm having difficulty visualising the relationship you have described. Could you please explain it diagrammatically in the same way as Neuro has so kindly done?

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On 9/9/2016 at 6:24 AM, Larry Cotrell said:

I have heard that Joseph Smith was arrested in 1826 for glass-looking, an occult practice.  I was wondering what LDS people thought

As I type this, I'm looking at my computer screen, which I think might be made of some sort of glass, and just over to the right is my bedroom window, which I often look through. My thoughts are that I'm so glad that the law has been updated, and that glass looking is no longer an offence. This law must have caused a great deal of difficulty for the glaziers of the time. Perhaps they all worked wearing blindfolds?

Edited by askandanswer
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59 minutes ago, askandanswer said:

Carb, I'm having difficulty visualising the relationship you have described. Could you please explain it diagrammatically in the same way as Neuro has so kindly done?

Sure thing.  My diagram had to be shrunk down quite a bit to make it all fit.  So, look closely.

.

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3 hours ago, Anddenex said:

@pam & @Amym73 -- I will one-up you all ( :conscience:

I am related to Joseph Smith through Adam and Eve! Drum roll please. 

Wow! I think I'm related to that Adam guy too. I wonder if you and I are related. Are you by any chance related to a guy named Noah? I hear he was pretty good at building boats.

Edited by Larry Cotrell
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47 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Sure thing.  My diagram had to be shrunk down quite a bit to make it all fit.  So, look closely.

.

I appreciate the effort you have put into this but sorry Carb, I should have specified - I meant the diagram for your adopted family, not your biological family.

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14 minutes ago, Larry Cotrell said:

Wow! I think I'm related to that Adam guy too. I wonder if you and I are related. Are you by any chance related to a guy named Noah? I hear he was pretty good at building boats.

Wow! No - ah way! That just floats my boat :) I suspect his boat building skills were better than his navigation skills given that he seems to have crashed it into a mountain. 

Edited by askandanswer
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19 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

I could point out that as a kid, I used ouiga boards, held seances, and did some spiritual lifting (meant to be spiritual but just distribution of weight, we lifted someone up from the ground using our finger tips, seemed pretty cool to 12 year olds). Now I work in the temple. We grow up. Joseph Smith also grew up.

We used to do the whole lifting up from the ground with just finger tips too. :)

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3 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

I could point out that as a kid, I used ouiga boards, held seances, and did some spiritual lifting (meant to be spiritual but just distribution of weight, we lifted someone up from the ground using our finger tips, seemed pretty cool to 12 year olds). Now I work in the temple. We grow up. Joseph Smith also grew up.

 

3 hours ago, pam said:

We used to do the whole lifting up from the ground with just finger tips too. :)

??? Perhaps I had a naive and simple childhood, but how does one do this and how many people and fingers does it take and how high can you lift?

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39 minutes ago, askandanswer said:

 

??? Perhaps I had a naive and simple childhood, but how does one do this and how many people and fingers does it take and how high can you lift?

I was kind of wondering this too. @Sunday21 and @pam, are you saying you actually caused people to levitate when you were kids?

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You get people in a circle and someone lays down.  Those in the circle put two fingers from each hand underneath the person.  You say these words (which I can't remember it was so long ago) and then you lift the person.  It's like the person has no weight at all.

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