Jane_Doe Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 27 minutes ago, Zarahemla said: Can you stop thinking about Jesus and God for as small as a week? There's a HUGE difference between thinking about Jesus/God for a week, versus thinking about "am I going to being in the top tier of the CK". An Investigator 1 Quote
zil Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 5 minutes ago, Zarahemla said: Can you stop thinking about Jesus and God for as small as a week? Zarahemla, I think what Jane is trying to say (and I suspect the majority of the saints would agree) is that it's not common to wonder whether we can really be a god, or whether one would be content to be a ministering angel, or what the differences are in the three degrees of the celestial glory, or what the war in heaven was like, or whether other religions have some truth to them, or whether Mormons are too stressed, or whether the OT is literal, or whether belief in Santa impacts a child's belief in God - all within the course of a single week! It is normal, indeed we covenant, to think about our Savior always. We must do that in order to progress. But those other topics are distractions, curiosities, and the like. For a person to wonder about some of them over the course of a lifetime is one thing, but to cram them all into one week is abnormal. I can truthfully say there are multiple topics in there that I have never even wondered about in passing, and don't particularly want to. IMO, a person who is concerned about their eternal salvation (rather than just intellectually curious about people's thoughts on the same), would initiate topics like "how do I better keep my baptismal covenant" or "what can I do to be a better home teacher" - things which have practical application now and which will, in the course of time, help you to know and follow our Savior until such time as you become like him and sit down with him in heaven. Instead, you're initiating thought experiments which have no practical application now and will not lead you on any path, but which may waste a whole lot of precious time in the meanwhile. Please don't think I'm suggesting you stop being curious, nor that I'm suggesting you stop initiating topics of conversation. But I am suggesting that you examine your focus, consider the source of your curiosity and how to direct it to something productive, consider whether there's any redeeming value in the potential discussion, or whether Satan will be perfectly happy to have a bunch of Mormons wasting time on thought experiments. I suspect these are the kinds of things a therapist could help you accomplish (e.g. turning curiosity into productivity). I suspect I should go take my own advice now, and be productive. An Investigator, Jane_Doe and Anddenex 3 Quote
Guest Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 1 hour ago, zil said: Zarahemla, I think what Jane is trying to say (and I suspect the majority of the saints would agree) is that it's not common to wonder whether we can really be a god, or whether one would be content to be a ministering angel, or what the differences are in the three degrees of the celestial glory, or what the war in heaven was like, or whether other religions have some truth to them, or whether Mormons are too stressed, or whether the OT is literal, or whether belief in Santa impacts a child's belief in God - all within the course of a single week! It is normal, indeed we covenant, to think about our Savior always. We must do that in order to progress. But those other topics are distractions, curiosities, and the like. For a person to wonder about some of them over the course of a lifetime is one thing, but to cram them all into one week is abnormal. I can truthfully say there are multiple topics in there that I have never even wondered about in passing, and don't particularly want to. IMO, a person who is concerned about their eternal salvation (rather than just intellectually curious about people's thoughts on the same), would initiate topics like "how do I better keep my baptismal covenant" or "what can I do to be a better home teacher" - things which have practical application now and which will, in the course of time, help you to know and follow our Savior until such time as you become like him and sit down with him in heaven. Instead, you're initiating thought experiments which have no practical application now and will not lead you on any path, but which may waste a whole lot of precious time in the meanwhile. Please don't think I'm suggesting you stop being curious, nor that I'm suggesting you stop initiating topics of conversation. But I am suggesting that you examine your focus, consider the source of your curiosity and how to direct it to something productive, consider whether there's any redeeming value in the potential discussion, or whether Satan will be perfectly happy to have a bunch of Mormons wasting time on thought experiments. I suspect these are the kinds of things a therapist could help you accomplish (e.g. turning curiosity into productivity). I suspect I should go take my own advice now, and be productive. Don't blame me for paying attention and care about the Plan of Salvation. Shouldn't it be a focus? Quote
Jane_Doe Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 2 minutes ago, Zarahemla said: Don't blame me for paying attention and care about the Plan of Salvation. Shouldn't it be a focus? The proper focus is on being a disciple of Christ and serving Him today. Your focus on these threads has been "where do I end up in the future". Quote
Guest Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 A person who compulsively washes their hands could say that they're just focusing on personal hygiene. Quote
Jane_Doe Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Eowyn said: A person who compulsively washes their hands could say that they're just focusing on personal hygiene. That's exactly what my friend said... even as his hands were bleeding so severely he had to be repeatedly hospitalized. Edited January 3, 2017 by Jane_Doe Quote
Guest MormonGator Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 6 minutes ago, Eowyn said: A person who compulsively washes their hands could say that they're just focusing on personal hygiene. 2 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said: That's exactly what my friend said... even as his hands were bleeding so severely he had to be repeatedly hospitalized. Denial is such a powerful and awful thing. I've known of drug addicts who spend hundreds of dollars a day on drugs and make excuses for it. I've known of morbidly obese people who eat themselves to diabetes and can't admit they have a problem. It's awful because all you can do is throw your hands up and say "good luck". Self improvement requires a level of introspection that many people just aren't capable of. That becomes more evident the older I get. Quote
Guest Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 Right, you can fix a problem that you won't look at. Quote
Guest MormonGator Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 2 minutes ago, Eowyn said: Right, you can fix a problem that you won't look at. Exactly. Eventually you need to say "Good luck ,I wish you the best but you aren't my problem." Blunt? You bet. But it's also the best thing to do. Quote
Guest Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 Some people don't like their mental health being brought up after every post. I'm one of those. It makes me repel advice even more. Quote
Guest Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 50 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said: The proper focus is on being a disciple of Christ and serving Him today. Your focus on these threads has been "where do I end up in the future". You're obsessed with Christ then. Quote
NightSG Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 7 minutes ago, MormonGator said: Denial is such a powerful and awful thing. I've known of drug addicts who spend hundreds of dollars a day on drugs and make excuses for it. I've known of morbidly obese people who eat themselves to diabetes and can't admit they have a problem. It's awful because all you can do is throw your hands up and say "good luck". Yes, but if you call the boss to start turning their spouses into pillars of salt, plaguing them with locusts and such, they might find it harder to keep denying the issue. Quote
Guest MormonGator Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 4 minutes ago, Zarahemla said: Some people don't like their mental health being brought up after every post. I'm one of those. It makes me repel advice even more. Part of being in a forum is accepting that people will say things that you may not like or agree with. If I act in a certain way that makes people question my mental health, then I have no right say "Hey, don't go there." Especially if I bring up my own encounters with a therapist. You know I like you @Zarahemla. We've all said many times that we're more concerned about you than anything else. @Jane_Doe has said that. I've said that. I'm sure several others have. Quote
NeuroTypical Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 Hi Zarahemla - Here's a simple answer for your thread - yes. I mean, I'm shooting for exhaltation, but from everything I've been taught about the kingdoms of heaven, yes, I would "be okay" with being a ministering angel for eternity. Quote
Guest Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 11 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said: Hi Zarahemla - Here's a simple answer for your thread - yes. I mean, I'm shooting for exhaltation, but from everything I've been taught about the kingdoms of heaven, yes, I would "be okay" with being a ministering angel for eternity. Finally an answer I was looking for and not a reason to attack my mental health. Quote
Jane_Doe Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 30 minutes ago, Zarahemla said: Some people don't like their mental health being brought up after every post. I'm one of those. It makes me repel advice even more. Would you prefer us to ignore what we're seeing? To ignore you? How is that loving? Quote
pam Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 In defense of Zarahemla, he asked a question. This whole thread turned into questioning his mental health. Could we not just answer his questions? Vort, classylady, mordorbund and 1 other 4 Quote
SilentOne Posted January 4, 2017 Report Posted January 4, 2017 Given what we have been told about the final judgment, I have to assume that if I were to be a ministering angel for all eternity, I would be okay with it because that is what would make me happiest. But I hope to be the kind of person who would be happier progressing further. An Investigator 1 Quote
mordorbund Posted January 4, 2017 Report Posted January 4, 2017 19 hours ago, MormonGator said: I've known of morbidly obese people who eat themselves to diabetes and can't admit they have a problem. It's awful because all you can do is throw your hands up and say "good luck". If you've been eating your hands, you may have a problem. zil 1 Quote
zil Posted January 4, 2017 Report Posted January 4, 2017 5 minutes ago, mordorbund said: If you've been eating your hands, you may have a problem. It was a new idea for how to use acid to remove your finger prints, but it didn't go down well... Quote
mordorbund Posted January 4, 2017 Report Posted January 4, 2017 52 minutes ago, zil said: It was a new idea for how to use acid to remove your finger prints, but it didn't go down well... Now you tell me! <throws up hands in disgust> zil 1 Quote
Anddenex Posted January 4, 2017 Report Posted January 4, 2017 20 hours ago, Zarahemla said: Finally an answer I was looking for and not a reason to attack my mental health. My initial answer was a simple "No" to your question, and I didn't attack any mental health. Quote
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