Nonbeliever's questions about your faith

[Vort]

1 hour ago, Madam_Mim said:

Just a quick last comment for today:

I apologize if I stated nonsense about Prop. 8. and I have no problem with you correcting me or disagreeing with my view but I found it inappropriate to get personal. You may find my comments about the church offensive but I never attacked or insulted anyone on here personally, so I don't know why you think your attitude was justified.

Having reread my contributions to this thread, I tend to agree with you, Madam_Mim. I don't think I wrote anything false, but I do think I could have expressed myself more kindly and less bluntly. I apologize. I'll try to do better going forward.

[unixknight]

1 hour ago, Madam_Mim said:

You may find my comments about the church offensive but I never attacked or insulted anyone on here personally, so I don't know why you think your attitude was justified.

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.  I think you'll find this to be a touchy subject because we hear this kind of criticism from all fronts.  We hear it from friends and family, we hear it form the media, we hear it even in entertainment.  Yes, world.  We get it.  You think we're backward and bigoted and whatever. 

Am I the only one who's old enough to remember when Barack Obama ran on a traditional marriage platform his first time?  Until like, 5 minutes ago  historically speaking, the idea of same sex marriage was pretty far from being a foregone conclusion.  Now anybody who hasn't fallen in line is bigoted and evil and yadda yadda yadda.

Am I the only one who saw the angry mob gathering around the grounds of the  Los Angeles Temple right after Prop 8 passed, shouting the vilest, most disgusting things at the people inside?  Threats of violence so severe that the LAPD had to ask to move their vehicles into the gated Temple grounds to protect them from the mob?  You know, the mob that claimed to be on the side of "love wins," "tolerance," and whatever?

So @Madam_Mim, I realize you feel like @Vort's response was a bit overly blunt, but please understand that this subject is one that's well worn and exhausting for us, at this point.  We're a little tired of being told how mean and nasty and rotten we are just because we refuse to follow popular culture and celebrate what other people do in their bedrooms.... Especially in a world where, in certain other countries, homosexuality will get you thrown bodily off a rooftop.

Edited March 24, 2019 by unixknight

[Madam_Mim]

I'm sure it's annoying to be confronted with this topic agan and again, especially when you are so convinced that you are on the "right side" of the argument. I feel the same way haha. I guess that's why I really went too far with my criticism. When I started this thread, I used to make sure to only mention things that can also be found on the lds-website and not only on some "anti-mormon"-pages. This time I just repeated things I heard from those sources - which was a mistake. 

So, since I don't want to annoy you any longer with this topic and get even more unpopular, I'll just get back to asking questions.
I'll repeat the one I already asked yesterday: 

 

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

4 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

#1 --  It's been a process over time, but it started when I was 10 years old.  I became curious about religion because a friend was diagnosed with Leukemia.  Because I lived in Texas, I went to Baptist churches, as I recall.  My mom said I went to several, but I only remember a couple.  The main thing that stood out to me was the descriptions of heaven and hell.  I wondered where I would end up.  I didn't think I was "bad" enough to go to hell, but I was equally uncertain that I was "good" enough to go to heaven.  Where is the line? I wondered.  And what if you are so close, but not close enough?  Then we moved to Arizona, and I was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...and the idea about three degrees of glory.  That made so much more sense to me than the heaven/hell idea.  It still does.  Later when I was older I came to have a testimony of other aspects of the gospel, in particular The Book of Mormon, modern day prophets from Joseph Smith to Pres. Nelson, tithing, etc.

#2 -- Many, many answered prayers...things that could not have been simply my imagination or wanting.  

 

[Midwest LDS]

4 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

1. I took the missionary lessons with my mom. She had originally agreed to meet with them so she could prove to my stepdad, who was inactive at the time, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was false. Instead, we both felt the power of the Holy Ghost testifying of the truthfulness of what the missionaries were teaching us. That feeling has only grown stronger for both of us as we got older.

2. Many direct and personal experiences that have made it imposssible to believe he is not there.

[Guest Mores]

6 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

I've been involved in miracles that defy logic and science as we know it.  I'm well aware of observation bias, hypnosis, cognitive dissonance, psychosis, and any other of the dozens of accusations I've had leveled at me for sharing my experiences.  That's why I'm not going to share the specifics here.  You'd probably make the same accusations privately.  However, I admit that you've been exceptionally polite even when discussing things that may be considered "annoying"  .

I'm well aware of all these other explanations that people offer.  I know how they work.  And I've considered each one of them.  But eventually I had to conclude that none of them really explained the experiences.

I'm a logical, rational, intelligent, and well-educated person without any mental problems or criminal history.  And most people who know me well will consider me an honest person.  I have been involved in things that simply cannot be explained by mortal means.  But none of that would have meant anything if I hadn't at least been willing to admit that "man is nothing."

Edited March 25, 2019 by Mores

[estradling75]

6 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

And how did you become convinced that there's a god?

Science tells us we are biological machines.  Nothing more then animals defined by Darwinian evolution of survival of the fitness.  That is a far as science and scientific based reasoning and logic can get us.

Most people find that to be an insufficient explanation.  They want to believe in things like LOVE. FRIENDSHIP, FAIRNESS, JUSTICE, ETC. None of which can be proven scientifically.  Thus at some point we all have to make the choice to believe in things that we can not prove... Or life is bleak indeed.

So I made a choice to believe in something I could not prove.  And it worked (and yes I am aware of all the things that @Mores mentioned as the "rational and scientific answers")  And as it worked I continued to believe and have more faith  (my faith Grew) and it has continued to work and my faith has continued to grow.      

[unixknight]

6 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

It was a gradual process for me.

I was raised Catholic, and was pretty comfortable with that for about the first 20 years of my life.  Gradually, though, as I thought about things, I discovered that more and more I accepted what I had been told without really picking it apart to see if it made sense.  I don't mean to disparage Catholicism when I say this, I just mean that there are certain things that felt like inconsistencies that I just couldn't reconcile in my mind.  So, as a result, I started to explore other belief systems and other worldviews, 
even going so far as to spend time hanging out with the Wiccans at the university I was attending.

Not that it made more sense to me than Catholicism did, but the more I learned about other systems the more I started finding little bits and pieces here and there that felt right and made sense.  The problem was that I hadn't been able to find one single belief system that contained all of them at once...

..Until I started learning about this Church.  I had been aware of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a long time, of course, but all I knew was that it was the denomination that had twice as much reading material and used to have multiple wives.  I had no feelings toward the Church, either warm or hostile.  It just was.  One day though, I had a very deep discussion with a member who revealed to me a lot of things that make the Church not only unique, but these were things that fit the missing puzzle pieces of the picture I'd managed to cobble together in my spiritual wanderings.

She offered to have a pair of missionaries come over to answer questions that she didn't have the knowledge to answer.  I spoke to one set of missionaries at first, but they just didn't seem to know the answers to my questions, so we tried another set... and these were the ones who not only answered my questions, but told me things that made perfect sense, and cause my heart to leap.  I was, at last, hearing the truth.

The rest of my story rather strays from the point but suffice it to say that in time I was baptized and have been a member, happily, ever since.

6 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

This was also gradual.  

I really believe that you can't be truly convinced of something until you've honestly and sincerely opened  your mind to the possibility that it isn't true.  So, over several years,  I have pondered what the universe would be like in two scenarios:  1) There is a Divine Being who created us.  2) There is no Divine Being and we came from simple, random chance.

Mind you, I spent years on this question, because I find the idea of self deception to be pointless and destructive.  I'd rather be aware of an unpleasant truth so that I can deal with it than to splash about in the warm waters of a comfortable lie.

To avoid a 100' wall of text, I'll just say here that in the end, I understood that the Universe and life as we know it cannot have come from random processes, and that a Universe without a Divine Being is not logically consistent with itself.  To me, the phrase "God does not exist" is equally rational with the phrase "My rutabaga is faster than yours."  It's a series of words that have no logical meaning in reality when formed in to a sentence.

[Jane_Doe]

8 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

In short: by asking Him.  

[anatess2]

12 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

So, since I don't want to annoy you any longer with this topic and get even more unpopular, I'll just get back to asking questions.
I'll repeat the one I already asked yesterday: 

I admit I haven't read all of the responses.  But, having been on this forum a long time, I'm fairly certain we're not "annoyed" by your questions nor think you're unpopular.  If we sound like we're annoyed, it's simply because these questions come up a lot around here so sometimes we feel like... "here we go again"... so it is not about you or your questions but more about us.

Of course, if you were annoying in the posts I didn't read, then that's why we're annoyed.  Hah hah.  You can PM me with your questions.  I don't get annoyed.  But fair warning - English is not my  native language and a lot of times people read "she's annoyed" or "she's got her undies in a twist" when I felt no such emotion because of the way I structure my sentences or something.

 

12 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

 

When or how did you become convinced that your religion is the right one? 

I was born Roman Catholic.  So, I was taught from my earliest consciousness that there's a God and Jesus is His Divine Son.  I lived my life according to Roman Catholic faith.  I attended Catholic Schools from Kindergarten through graduating from Engineering School and I gave my Religious Ed teachers and the nuns and priests grief over my critical questions about my faith.  But I had no reason to believe I put my faith on barren soil, even as I studied other faiths and even went through a short period of punk rock rebellion in my teen years and counted myself atheist.

Anyway, I met my husband who was an inactive LDS who went to Catholic Church with me.  I thought he'd become Catholic but instead, his quiet faith made me start asking questions.  What I found in 4 years of learning about the Restored Gospel is that those critical questions I asked the nuns and priests were answered by my husband's faith.  So, it wasn't that the LDS teachings made the truth I discovered as a Catholic false... rather, it filled up holes for questions that the Catholic Church had no answers to.

But, Catholic or LDS, the question that got me stuck is - "Who has the Authority?".  I already know Apostolic Authority is necessary.  That's why I couldn't deposit faith in any of the Protestant teachings contrary to Catholic teaching.  So, if the early church bishops received Apostolic Authority from Saint Peter, then the Catholic Church is where the Authority of the Gospel reside.  But if the LDS claim that the bishops did not receive Apostolic Authority then the Bishop of Rome after Peter did not have authority and none of the Catholic churches have authority either.  There is no way, no how, not logically, not scientifically - NO WAY - I can answer that question.  The only way that question can be answered is through a humble and honest appeal for truth from the Holy Spirit.  But, the question of the Catholic Church's authority is a completely different question to, Does the LDS Church have authority?  And that, again, is another question that cannot be answered logically, scientifically, or any other way except for an appeal to the Holy Spirit.

Needless to say, I received an answer to those 2 questions which made me ask to be baptized under the Priesthood authority of the LDS Church.

 

12 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

And how did you become convinced that there's a god? 

That's easy.  It goes with the age-old question of... What's my Purpose?  The more I studied science, the more it becomes clear that none of this came about through chance.

[Jane_Doe]

1 minute ago, anatess2 said:

I admit I haven't read all of the responses.  But, having been on this forum a long time, I'm fairly certain we're not "annoyed" by your questions nor think you're unpopular.  If we sound like we're annoyed, it's simply because these questions come up a lot around here so sometimes we feel like... "here we go again"... so it is not about you or your questions but more about us.

Of course, if you were annoying in the posts I didn't read, then that's why we're annoyed.  Hah hah.  You can PM me with your questions.  I don't get annoyed.  But fair warning - English is not my  native language and a lot of times people read "she's annoyed" or "she's got her undies in a twist" when I felt no such emotion because of the way I structure my sentences or something.

Totally seconding this.  I'm pretty impossible to get upset about questions a person wants to hear the honest answers to.  Feel free to PM with *any* questions.  

[unixknight]

28 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

But I had no reason to believe I put my faith on barren soil, even as I studied other faiths and even went through a short period of punk rock rebellion in my teen years and counted myself atheist.

I'd give my left arm to have been able to see that. 

[anatess2]

1 hour ago, unixknight said:

I'd give my left arm to have been able to see that. 

Hah hah... not my proudest moments.

[unixknight]

26 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Hah hah... not my proudest moments.

Now I'm picturing Anatess with the hair on the left side of her head shorn, the rest dyed white and black stripes, spiky leather wrist bracelets, Almost goth makeup, baggy black jeans with various skulls, pentacles, and middle finger charms dangling form a steel chain belt, a baggy midriff shirt with some punk band logo on it, and combat boots.   All while screaming "F... the man!" and stomping on her homework papers.

Yes, this is the image I shall use.

[anatess2]

25 minutes ago, unixknight said:

Now I'm picturing Anatess with the hair on the left side of her head shorn, the rest dyed white and black stripes, spiky leather wrist bracelets, Almost goth makeup, baggy black jeans with various skulls, pentacles, and middle finger charms dangling form a steel chain belt, a baggy midriff shirt with some punk band logo on it, and combat boots.   All while screaming "F... the man!" and stomping on her homework papers.

Yes, this is the image I shall use.

I'm in the Philippines first of all, and I wanted to eat 3x a day more than anything, so I could only go so far as to not get kicked out of the house.  I cropped my hair in defiance to my father who looked at me and shook his head and said absolutely nothing... that was my first signal that my Dad can yank my chain without even trying.  Hah hah.  No goth make-up because, well, Filipinos didn't wear them but I did have my cross earrings and black nail polish and bangles running up my elbows, baggy midriff with Bad Religion on it and another with "Virginity is a bubble - one prick and it's gone" (yeah, cringe now that I think about it)... over black mini skirt and fishnet tights.  Spiked my short hair with Aquanet hairspray with neon hair chalk.  No combat boots because... only communists and islamic terrorists wear those... the punk rock thing of choice was a neon on black high-top converse.  And.. what homework papers???  Hah hah!

You're too young for that British Invasion... I'm wondering what amounted to punk rock for millenials?  I'm tolerating my Gen Z kids' penchant for Powerwolf as their teen-age rebellion phase.  I'm kinda secretly enjoying Raise Your Fist, Evangelist.  Don't tell them!  Hah hah!

Edited March 25, 2019 by anatess2

[Madam_Mim]

Thank you all for sharing your stories! They were fascinating to read. 

 

A question about living prophets: Lately there have been quite a few changes in the church. Were those decisions made by the prophets - or whoever gets to decide those things - or did they happen because of revelations?
And are revelations always about things concerning the church or could they also be about things that concern everyone? 
 

[Guest Mores]

33 minutes ago, Madam_Mim said:

Thank you all for sharing your stories! They were fascinating to read. 

Glad you enjoyed it.

33 minutes ago, Madam_Mim said:

A question about living prophets: Lately there have been quite a few changes in the church. Were those decisions made by the prophets - or whoever gets to decide those things - or did they happen because of revelations?
And are revelations always about things concerning the church or could they also be about things that concern everyone? 

Everyone can receive personal revelation.  And each of us is held responsible for our interpretation and application of said revelation (or lack thereof).  The prophet, as an individual can receive revelation for himself.  But as a Prophet, he has the mantle to receive revelation that is binding on the entire membership of the Church.

In practice, this means that the more general and universal the topic, the more likely it can come from the Prophet.  But the more specific and circumstantial is often given to individuals.  It has been known to happen, but it is exceptionally rare that a Prophet will say he has received revelation for a specific individual to do something that really only effects that individual (and others through ripple effects).

As far as "the Church" vs. "the World".  He can receive revelation that talks about everyone.  But as far as applicability of "commandment" and "policies", the Church doesn't have governmental authority over non-members.  We can yell and scream that people should and shouldn't be doing XYZ.  But it certainly isn't binding on anyone.

If you read Section 134 of the D&C, it specifically outlines our doctrine on the separation of church and state.  It is more tolerant than other faiths (IMO) or those of no faith.  But it does declare a bit more rights than the ACLU or FFRF allows of religious entities and people of faith.

[estradling75]

54 minutes ago, Madam_Mim said:

A question about living prophets: Lately there have been quite a few changes in the church. Were those decisions made by the prophets - or whoever gets to decide those things - or did they happen because of revelations?

This question is a not as clear cut as you might think.  Because it gets right to the heart of "What is a Revelation? And how are they received "  God's house is a house of Order.  God calls people to positions of authority (Say like our Prophet) and then with them and through them works to bring to pass his will.    

So if the prophet were to say "I have received a Revelation and Thus Saith the Lord..."  Well that is unmistakable...  But is is really any less revelatory to get direction from the person that the Lord has personally chosen and is working through?  God put him there for precisely that reason.

And if that didn't make it murky enough, the prophet is still human.  They are not God's sock puppet so they still have there own personality and opinions (Tempered by years of faithfulness but still there)

Thus the answer to your question is simply:  YES  which does not really give you the discrimination between the two that I think you were going for.

 

[Jane_Doe]

2 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

Thank you all for sharing your stories! They were fascinating to read. 

*Thumbs up*

2 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

A question about living prophets: Lately there have been quite a few changes in the church. Were those decisions made by the prophets - or whoever gets to decide those things - or did they happen because of revelations?

On the rare occasions were something is officially proclaimed "Thus saith the Lord" or "I received a revelation from the Lord", that's a pretty clear indicator there.  Speaking for all the other times next--

You specifically referenced the recent policy changes, which have all been that just that: policy changes, not doctrine.  The Apostles and Prophets are men of God, whom are guided by revelation, but they are still men and not 100% perfect.  So yes, there is guidance here, but it is not "thus saith the Lord".  

Anticipating your next question of "how do you know for sure if a certain policy decision is of God or not?"  And the answer is: if you want the upmost purest Truth about that question, go to the fount of all Truth, whom is God, and ask there.  Listen to His words.

2 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

And are revelations always about things concerning the church or could they also be about things that concern everyone? 

Truth is Truth.  God's guidance is God's guidance.  It would be great if rest of the world listened and benefited from His Goodness.  However, the choice to listen or not is up to them.  We are not a theocracy to impose governmental rule over everyone regardless of their faith.    D&C and the Book of Mormon specifically stress the separation of church & state, and respecting another's right to practice their faith is so important it's literally one of the Articles of Faith.  

[Madam_Mim]

1 hour ago, estradling75 said:

So if the prophet were to say "I have received a Revelation and Thus Saith the Lord..."  Well that is unmistakable...  But is is really any less revelatory to get direction from the person that the Lord has personally chosen and is working through?  God put him there for precisely that reason.

I see! That makes sense.

 

@Mores and @Jane_Doe Now I noticed that I should have worded my question more clearly: I only meant advice or teachings that god wants everyone to follow - no matter if a member of the church or not. But at least this way I also learned something new. I didn't know about Section 134 before.

As an non-member, when you hear that god "speaks" to prophets for the first time, you somehow expect momentous, life-changing messages for the whole world to know and not things that only affect a certain group of people. But now that I've learned that according to your belief everyone can receive revelation I guess you would say that god does give everyone of us (or is trying to give us) messages/advice etc. but it's up to us to accept it?

 

[Jane_Doe]

1 minute ago, Madam_Mim said:

 

@Mores and @Jane_Doe Now I noticed that I should have worded my question more clearly: I only meant advice or teachings that god wants everyone to follow - no matter if a member of the church or not. But at least this way I also learned something new. I didn't know about Section 134 before.

God is Goodness.  Follow Him and His words would be good for everyone, and He does urge that.  Now, obviously person who hasn't made covenants won't be breaking any convents.  And obviously a person only knows what truth they have received thus far.

1 minute ago, Madam_Mim said:

As an non-member, when you hear that god "speaks" to prophets for the first time, you somehow expect momentous, life-changing messages for the whole world to know and not things that only affect a certain group of people. But now that I've learned that according to your belief everyone can receive revelation I guess you would say that god does give everyone of us (or is trying to give us) messages/advice etc. but it's up to us to accept it?

A person is convicted of Truth through revelation & the Holy Spirit.  This can come in a huge number of venues, but certainly hearing/reading a prophets words (whether current speeches or written scripture) certainly ranks high on the list.

But yeah, it is up to you whether or not to accept that revelation/witness.   You choose whether your ears are for listening or just decoration.  

[JohnsonJones]

3 hours ago, Madam_Mim said:

Thank you all for sharing your stories! They were fascinating to read. 

 

A question about living prophets: Lately there have been quite a few changes in the church. Were those decisions made by the prophets - or whoever gets to decide those things - or did they happen because of revelations?
And are revelations always about things concerning the church or could they also be about things that concern everyone? 
 

This is difficult to state because most of the changes have not had anything stating they are occurring due to direct revelation or not.

As per Joseph Fielding Smith's answers to Gospel Questions (among other prophets who have stated similar things) direct revelation to the Prophet that applies to the whole church is SUPPOSED to occur ONLY at the Temple or in distinctly HOLY places such as a mountain top when available.  This is the reason WHY Joseph had to build a temple in the first place, even if it was not quite the same in structure as later temples.  He had received revelation previously as such was not available, but for some revelations, they could not be received UNTIL such a place was availed.  This was so that he could receive certain revelations in accordance with the restoration of the ordinances and keys of the gospel (as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints understands it).

From various statements, Russell M. Nelson is receiving a lot of personal revelation in his bedroom.  This is NOT how it has been stated revelation occurs for the church, at least up until Russell M. Nelson (and he hasn't exactly stated it either, which makes it unclear what his wife is saying when she discusses such a matter).  Prophets when a temple or holy site was available always had to go to such a spot.  This is why Moses went on top of a Mountain to receive the commandments and other revelatory items which dictated how the Jewish religion would be organized and set forth.  This is one important reason why the temple is important to Saints in the modern days in regards to WHY the Prophet and the Twelve are supposed to meet there in prayer.  It allows for this type of revelation.

After Joseph Smith, for a revelation to be authentic, it then has to be UNANIMOUS in agreement among the Twelve apostles. This means they must ALL agree that it is a revelation and that it is now in accordance exactly with how each views it.  They all vote and agree upon it.

Most of the changes that have occurred are unclear as whether they are revelation from the Prophet and agreed upon by the twelve in such a manner, or whether it is merely policy changes that are occurring.  Hence, it is hard to say in many of these changes.  I think that Russell M. Nelson stated that some of the changes were not directly from him, but were actually changes enacted by the necessities of the growing church membership across a large geographical area, which implies that at least some of the changes are more of policy items done by bureaucracy rather than a revelation of doctrine.

So...in a nutshell...it's murky. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by JohnsonJones

[JohnsonJones]

36 minutes ago, Madam_Mim said:

But now that I've learned that according to your belief everyone can receive revelation I guess you would say that god does give everyone of us (or is trying to give us) messages/advice etc. but it's up to us to accept it?

 

My understanding is that yes, each individual can receive their own personal revelations, but it IS up to each of us to accept it.

In fact, one of the cornerstones of conversion for those who are Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to receive such a revelation of the truth for themselves.  This is commonly explained to investigators of the church via this scripture.

Quote

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how ^amerciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ^bponder it in your ^chearts.

  4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

  5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.

Moroni 10:3-5

[Guest Mores]

45 minutes ago, Madam_Mim said:

As an non-member, when you hear that god "speaks" to prophets for the first time, you somehow expect momentous, life-changing messages for the whole world to know and not things that only affect a certain group of people. But now that I've learned that according to your belief everyone can receive revelation I guess you would say that god does give everyone of us (or is trying to give us) messages/advice etc. but it's up to us to accept it?

Ok.  If I understand correctly, you seem to be asking,"What does a prophet actually do, exactly?" (in our faith).

INTERPRETATION: From time to time, a new development happens (e.g. new technology) and questions arise about how to apply a commandment in the face of something new.  If it is a big enough question with big enough ramifications, then the Prophet will weigh in on it.  So, his function here is the interpretation of an old principle and its applicability today.

ADMINISTRATION: He also is the head of a rather large earthly organization. Someone needs to be at the head, handing out orders, making final decisions on things that need to be decided upon.  Some of this may be divinely inspired.  Other times, it is based on his experience as a manager.  Many of the top leaders of the Church have experience leading people and organizing things.

REVELATION: We have no idea how frequently the Prophet actually receives revelation or to what degree.  It simply isn't spoken of much.  How much of his interpretation is based on his own experience vs. revelation? How much of his administrative decisions are based on religion vs his own experience? How much of public relations and meeting with others as a representative of Jesus Christ and as the earthly head of the Church is revelation/inspired vs. his own leadership and communication abilities?  We really have no way of knowing.

Over the course of almost 200 years, there has not been much that has dramatically changed since the days of Joseph Smith.  We have the final section of the D&C (which was a very public revelation by another prophet) and we have the two official declarations.  So, three major things have changed in 200 years.  That's pretty stable.

Yes, all truth that he declares is truth for all.  And we announce it, sometimes through news outlets, sometimes through missionary efforts, or whatever means is appropriate at the time.  And we certainly hope all will listen.  They usually don't.

But I got the impression that you were worried about any effort on our part to enforce our will on others like some form of sharia law.  No, we don't do that.  We believe the Constitution is Divinely Inspired.  We believe in the rule of law.  And we believe in the separation of Church and State.  If that was not what you were getting at, then, nevermind.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Mores

[estradling75]

21 minutes ago, Mores said:

But I got the impression that you were worried about any effort on our part to enforce our will on others like some form of sharia law.  No, we don't do that.  We believe the Constitution is Divinely Inspired.  We believe in the rule of law.  And we believe in the separation of Church and State.  If that was not what you were getting at, then, nevermind.

To expand on this idea...  We are commanded "to be a Light", "to preach", "to share", etc...  But sharing and talking about our beliefs is not the same as 'forcing them' on someone. No matter what some people might think talking is not forcing.

We do however exercise our legal right to vote and otherwise try to get our "Morality" into law... Just as any other citizen or group of citizens are legally granted the right to do so.  (aka the Rule of Law) And the church is not silent in this regard... Even though many people would like it to be