How many Gods DO we believe in?

[anatess2]

Just now, Grunt said:

I did.  It’s gone.  

Waaaa!

Confession:  My kid lost my AL-Star.  But no, I doubt it's lost.  It's in his mountain of junk in his room.  I just need to get him to CLEAN then it will be found.  I refuse to do it.

[Grunt]

Just now, anatess2 said:

Waaaa!

Confession:  My kid lost my AL-Star.  But no, I doubt it's lost.  It's in his mountain of junk in his room.  I just need to get him to CLEAN then it will be found.  I refuse to do it.

Mine must have fallen out of my bag.  MAYBE it fell out at home, but I doubt it.  

[zil]

8 minutes ago, Grunt said:

I Lost it on this trip!

Definitely, go back to the temple.  Maybe they found it.

(Alternately, at least it wasn't an $800 Visconti limited edition...)

[zil]

Just now, Grunt said:

Mine must have fallen out of my bag.  MAYBE it fell out at home, but I doubt it.  

[anatess2]

Just now, zil said:

Definitely, go back to the temple.  Maybe they found it.

(Alternately, at least it wasn't an $800 Visconti limited edition...)

So. I am buying my kids their own AL-star.  But now that mine is still MIA, I don't know if I should get it.  And I don't want to tell them I'm getting them for Christmas because I want it to be a surprise, so I can't tell my kid, you better find it otherwise you won't get the color you want for Christmas... so dilemma, dilemma.

[zil]

1 minute ago, anatess2 said:

So. I am buying my kids their own AL-star.  But now that mine is still MIA, I don't know if I should get it.  And I don't want to tell them I'm getting them for Christmas because I want it to be a surprise, so I can't tell my kid, you better find it otherwise you won't get the color you want for Christmas... so dilemma, dilemma.

Well, you can wait until Christmas morning and give it to yourself and tell him if he returns yours, you'll let him have the new one - he'll probably find it in under 30 seconds.

[anatess2]

P.S.

I had to write an excuse letter to the other kid's teacher so I just grabbed the ballpoint next to me and dashed a quick note.  My kid gave it back to me and asked if I can pretty-please write it in the Crane & Co stationary using the fountain pen with the blue-black ink.  Something about it having a better chance of getting considered.  What are you doing to my kids @zil?

[anatess2]

3 minutes ago, zil said:

Well, you can wait until Christmas morning and give it to yourself and tell him if he returns yours, you'll let him have the new one - he'll probably find it in under 30 seconds.

Whoa!  Brilliant!

[NeedleinA]

1 hour ago, gracie238 said:

Haha what?

@gracie238 members are 6 pages into contributing to your question. Any thoughts, feedback, follow up questions so far?

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, NeedleinA said:

@gracie238 members are 6 pages into contributing to your question. Any thoughts, feedback, follow up questions so far?

Yeah, but the last page is on the much more fascinating topic of Fountain Pens.  The Korean Kryptonite.  See how that alliterates?  

[wenglund]

On 11/29/2017 at 1:42 PM, prisonchaplain said:

Fair enough. I'll give you my very brief understanding of the major different ideas here:

1. Trinity:  The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The three persons are distinct, yet are of one divine nature. They are the one God.

2. LDS Godhead: The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The three are completely distinct, but share a divine unity of purpose. The Father receives primary worship, and prayers go mainly to Him. Nevertheless, the three are the one Godhead. (Correct any nuance errors please, friends)

Very close. However, we LDS also believe that the three personages of the Godhead share a divine nature--i.e. spirit, which is light and truth. We children of God also share, to varying degrees in that same divine nature, whereas the Godhead possess its fullness. I think of it as analogous to God  the Son as kiened unto the Sun, with  a body, and yet His essence shines forth to fill the universe, and all who open themselves to His rays share in his nature to the extent of their openness.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[bytebear]

Interestingly, Mormon scripture is much more direct that the Bible on the Godhead being One God.  (sorry for the poor cut-and-paste formatting)

LDS scripture emphatically defines the Father, Son, Holy Ghost as One God.

2 Nephi 31:21

21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the ^away; and there is ^bnone other way nor ^cname given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the ^ddoctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the ^eFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is ^fone God, without end. Amen.

 

Mormon 7:7

7 And he hath brought to pass the ^aredemption of the ^bworld, whereby he that is found ^cguiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to ^ddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the ^echoirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are ^fone God, in a state of ^ghappiness which hath no end.

Doctrine and Covenants

Section 20

28 Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen.

Book of Mormon Testimony of Three Witnesses

... And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
 

 

 

TI Holy Ghost

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, 2 Ne. 31:21 (Mosiah 15:2–5; Alma 11:44; 3 Ne. 11:27, 36; Morm. 7:7).

TI Jesus Christ—Son of God

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one God, 2 Ne. 31:21 (Mosiah 15:4–5; Alma 11:44; 3 Ne. 11:27, 36; 28:10; Morm. 7:7).

TI One

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one God, 2 Ne. 31:21 (Mosiah 15:2–5; Alma 11:44; 3 Ne. 11:27, 36; Morm. 7:7).

[Rob Osborn]

2 hours ago, Carborendum said:

I just found out that they changed the chapters in Gospel Principles.  It's apparently CH 7 now.  I have a REALLY old edition.

And apparently I misquoted the word "presence."  It was "influence."  Sorry.

So then, why does the Holy Ghost need to be in spirit form and not in body form if its just his "influence" thats within us?

[Jane_Doe]

1 hour ago, NeedleinA said:

@gracie238 members are 6 pages into contributing to your question. Any thoughts, feedback, follow up questions so far?

I would very much like to hear @gracie238's thoughts.

[bytebear]

2 hours ago, Grunt said:

I don’t view my relationship with God the same as my parents.  It’s not the same to me.  

I know in most religions, God is this distant omnipowerful being beyond approach.  And although, a relationship with Christ is emphasized, God the Father, or "God" is really seen as unapproachable.  Mormonism sees that very differently.  We are taught that Heavenly Father is literally our father, and we can have a relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ.  We, of course emphasize Christ in our lives, but we pray to our Father in the name of Christ.  Jesus is the conduit, but our Father is the destination.  Our goal in life is to live it in such a way as to return to the Father.
 

John 14:6

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the ^away, the ^btruth, and the life: no man ^ccometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

John 17:3-4,7-8,23-26

3 And this is ^alife ^beternal, that they might ^cknow thee the only true ^dGod, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast ^esent.

Edited November 30, 2017 by bytebear

[Grunt]

8 minutes ago, bytebear said:

I know in most religions, God is this distant omnipowerful being beyond approach.  And although, a relationship with Christ is emphasized, God the Father, or "God" is really seen as unapproachable.  Mormonism sees that very differently.  We are taught that Heavenly Father is literally our father, and we can have a relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ.  We, of course emphasize Christ in our lives, but we pray to our Father in the name of Christ.  Jesus is the conduit, but our Father is the destination.  Our goal in life is to live it in such a way as to return to the Father.
 

John 14:6

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the ^away, the ^btruth, and the life: no man ^ccometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

John 17:3-4,7-8,23-26

3 And this is ^alife ^beternal, that they might ^cknow thee the only true ^dGod, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast ^esent.

I agree with all that.  I must have been unclear.  I apologize.  

[zil]

1 hour ago, Rob Osborn said:

So then, why does the Holy Ghost need to be in spirit form and not in body form if its just his "influence" thats within us?

This hasn't been revealed.  But the idea of the Holy Ghost literally inside the body of every human worthy of that gift, all at the same time, is inconsistent with at least what's implied by what little we know of spirits.  Thus, I'm content to say that we don't understand the mechanics of how the HG does what he does.

Also, please note that from what's been revealed, spirit form is body form (as far as shape, size, dimensions, roughly), just made of a finer matter than a mortal body.

[NeedleinA]

1 hour ago, Rob Osborn said:

So then, why does the Holy Ghost need to be in spirit form and not in body form if its just his "influence" thats within us?

D&C 130:22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

"Dwell" see @zil's comments above.

[bytebear]

Well, I believe (and this is just me) that our earthly relationships are very much like God's relationship with his children.  That our family structure is part of the preparation for becoming like Him.  That our role in procreation and child rearing gives a glimpse into his creative powers.  I think, maybe the biggest difference in traditional views of God and the Mormon view is that we believe we are literally the spirit offspring of God.  We are of the same species, not distinct.  I have heard some religions use a pseudo pantheon of hierarchy, where you have God, then angels, then man, which are all distinct and separate types of beings.  Mormonism teaches that they are all the same type of beings, just in different states of being.  Angels are known to be former prophets.  Moroni being the most obvious, but others as well.  They are not aliens of a different spiritual species, but humans on a different plane of existence.

[Jane_Doe]

1 minute ago, bytebear said:

Well, I believe (and this is just me) that our earthly relationships are very much like God's relationship with his children.  

I agree with this, pending we stress that the Father is the perfect father.  All earthly fathers fall short of Him.  Some are good fathers that try to be righteous, just, and merciful, like our Father.  Some earthly fathers though are... frankly they shame the title and turn their back of God's ways.    For example, my husband's dad was horribly abusive and extremely unlike the Father.  

[zil]

8 minutes ago, NeedleinA said:

D&C 130:22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

"Dwell" see @zil's comments above.

Thank you for this emphasis.  It's very interesting, especially when I go use the dictionary to avoid assuming the meaning of "dwell".  We might be tempted to assume a default of "live at/in", but, #2 is:

Quote

think, speak, or write at length about (a particular subject, especially one that is a source of unhappiness, anxiety, or dissatisfaction).

(of one's eyes or attention) linger on (a particular object or place)

And the technical definition:

Quote

a slight regular pause in the motion of a machine

And finally, the etymology:

Quote

Old English dwellan ‘lead astray, hinder, delay’ (in Middle English ‘tarry, remain in a place’), of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch dwellen ‘stun, perplex’ and Old Norse dvelja ‘delay, tarry, stay.’

And then there's the 1828 dictionary entry: http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/dwell

That seems like plenty to ponder on.   Thank you.

[bytebear]

3 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said:

I agree with this, pending we stress that the Father is the perfect father.  All earthly fathers fall short of Him.  Some are good fathers that try to be righteous, just, and merciful, like our Father.  Some earthly fathers though are... frankly they shame the title and turn their back of God's ways.    For example, my husband's dad was horribly abusive and extremely unlike the Father.  

Exactly.  God is perfect.  Men are not, but we should strive to be.

[Alex]

Hmm, those scriptures in the BOM regarding praise for the spirit have me wondering now.

I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL for the Holy Ghost, but have I praised him or even been shown how to praise him?

 

yeah, scratching my head a bit there for I am blind on knowing how to praise him as is instructed there.

[Rob Osborn]

1 hour ago, zil said:

This hasn't been revealed.  But the idea of the Holy Ghost literally inside the body of every human worthy of that gift, all at the same time, is inconsistent with at least what's implied by what little we know of spirits.  Thus, I'm content to say that we don't understand the mechanics of how the HG does what he does.

Also, please note that from what's been revealed, spirit form is body form (as far as shape, size, dimensions, roughly), just made of a finer matter than a mortal body.

Which is exactly why our belief in themechanics of the Holy Ghost is as much a mystery as is the trininty to mainstream Christianity. They both make no sense.

[zil]

Just now, Rob Osborn said:

They both make no sense.

Just because we don't (yet) know or understand something does not mean it doesn't make sense.  The two are not synonymous.  In the case of the Holy Ghost, we are simply lacking in sufficient knowledge to understand.  I'm certain that how he does what he does makes perfect sense.