Comments by "" (@gwengold8154) on "Invited to Mormon Dinner 🇺🇸" video.

  1. Thank you for your kind words. We are the only faith group that I am aware of who are actively seeking to bring about the re-gathering of the 12 tribes of Israel. We absolutely love our Jewish brothers and sisters as part of our Israelite family ❤️
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  2.  @sharaharper2253  maybe wacky to one isn't wacky to all. :-) Also, people aren't converted by what they think sounds good. The Holy Spirit speaks truth to the heart. It is the most beautiful thing in this world. 😍
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  3. @snowdroog1  Our current president was a world-renowned heart surgeon. Absolute top of his field. His counselor was a Utah Supreme Court Judge and extremely successful in his career. Others have been president s of universities and other stellar careers. They made good money in their careers and have nice things as a result of hard work. Their work as apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ requires them to travel all over the world preaching the gospel. They get a small stipend for this. It does not come from tithing. They literally work until the grave claims them in the cause of Christ! The president is in his 100th year of life and still serving. To try to muddy their contributions to the world, the church, and the work of Jesus Christ is reprehensible!
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  4.  @euphoria2339  I absolutely love the Amish, but I'd much, much rather be a latter-day saint ❤️
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  5. @jamesricks  to declare that people live "in fabulous luxury on member tithing" is not an opinion. It's a slander. If he said that he doesn't like the leaders, that's an opinion.
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  6.  @DesertPrimrose  same here. 😀 some of my favorite videos are the ones Peter did with the Amish/Mennonites.
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  7. It is so fun that you are in the same ward as these people in the video 😀 That's so cool 😎 You should watch Peter's video series on the Amish and his series on the orthodox Jewish community and his series on the people of Iran. They are my favorites 😍
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  8. msbkay, our greatest desire is to return to the presence of God the Eternal Father. Everyone needs baptism for this to happen. Hence, the need for proxy baptism for the dead. But, you definitely don't go to hell if you are unbaptized. It is telling that you've kept that little blue book all these years. You have a good heart. God loves you so much. ❤️
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  9. @marcusthegreat2944  In our culture, it is not considered flirting to hug someone or to admire their work. That is all I saw the lady doing. Maybe in some cultures it would be. It seems to me that you just have disdain for the latter-day saints and seek to find fault everywhere. We are called to a higher place. We are called to love one another as Jesus Christ loved us. It doesn't mean that we have to agree on everything or even anything. But we are supposed to cease from gossip and contention and the spirit of fault finding and wear ourselves out in service and love one towards another.
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  10. @marcusthegreat2944  I don't know what you are talking about. Men and women hug each other in my culture. Married or single. If anyone is not a "hugger" they just politely say so, and no one hugs them.
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  11. The bonnets part made me think of trek! :-) we should get Peter to go on trek sometime 😀
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  12. @kristofp2488  me too! I didn't know anything about Iran except that they hated America. Then I watched Peter's video series, and I was blown away! The country is breathtakingly beautiful, and the people are warm and friendly. It opened my eyes. I have always loved the Amish and their values and their way of life, but it was fun to see them and hear their thoughts. ❤️
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  13. Thank you for your kind words ❤️. God bless you 🙏
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  14. It's the latter. Your family is in the wrong to alienate you. It isn't the gospel. I am so sad that you are experiencing that. 😢 Did you know that Elder Christofferson of the quorum of 12 apostles has a brother who is gay? The brother left the church and lived with his male partner. The family still treated him well. He and his boyfriend apparently went to family functions and things. When his brother decided he wanted to come back to the church, it was Elder Christofferson who baptized him, I believe. I think that Elder Gong has an inactive son whom he still loves as much as ever. (Elder Gong is a member of the 12 apostles if you don't know.) The leaders are modeling the love that we should have for everyone. <3
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  15. @Sarah-rp1kt  Amen! I'm a latter-day saint and I love the Shema prayer. I have a copy of it in Hebrew on my wall.
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  16. She didn't call the people trash. She said that they could come, no problem, but leave the trash behind. She meant drug use, prostitution, violence, etc. If you want to establish zion, you have to get people to leave behind things of a telestial world and create things of a celestial world. If a smoker or a fornicator wants to join the church, they must first leave those things behind. It's the same idea. We welcome the individual. We don't welcome the telestial elements.
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  17. Adam, you have to understand that many of us have literally had sticks or stones or swear words hurled at us. Some tell of actually being hit. I heard of one girl who was smacked in the head by the Book of Mormon! Basically, we expect to be attacked in some way by outsiders. It breeds a certain cautiousness. But if you are a friend to a latter-day saint then you will find a true friend. We have genuine love for others in our hearts.
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  18. @jedbradshaw4192  Okay, say you have a large, passionate family. A stranger comes over to dinner. You have a lovely dinner, and you truly open your heart about your life and your experiences and your beliefs. Does that person leave and call you a fake and a liar because you didn't divulge every single thing that has ever been said or done in your family at this 1st social dinner? Would YOU seriously do that? Love thinks the best about people. Hate is automatically thinking the worst. My point is, think the best about these people and their sincere intentions. Everything is not a conspiracy and/or cover-up.
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  19. I'm LDS, and I'm not sure exactly what she meant. She was referencing the apostasy that we believe happened. We say that the church the Lord Jesus Christ founded was lost from the earth for a time. She referenced the dark ages, and she seems to have lumped Martin Luther in there. I think that the reformation needed to happen to produce fertile soil for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
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  20.  @margynelson7945  it's quite interesting. They have this special 2 handled cup that they use. They hold it in the right hand and pour water over the left hand and then vice versa. Sarah (the lady on frum it up) said that some people keep it right by the bed. So they remember God first thing in the morning.
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  21. It means that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only way to heaven. In that sense, He is the gate and the door and the way. He saves us from physical death and from spiritual death. He saves us from our sins and makes it possible to return to our Father in heaven. He is my best friend and a help in trouble. I love Him with all my heart.
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  22. What a beautiful comment ❤️ thank you
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  23.  @John3.36  A wonderful, true life pro-latterday saints documentary is "Amish latter-day saints." It is how 3 Amish families became latter-day saints and still stayed in their Amish community and love the Amish. It took me about 5 views before I could watch it dry eyed. It is beautiful 😍
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  24. Or just live the word of wisdom 😊
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  25.  @eternalbeing3339  Thank you ❤️ You seem very kind too.
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  26. @margynelson7945  she said that she has online Jewish friends. They are the ones that wash their hands 3 times, etc. She wasn't talking about latter-day saints :-) I watch a channel called frum it up. It is an orthodox Jewish lady and her daily life. She does the ritual washing of her hands 3 times and separation of meat and milk, etc. It is a really interesting and beautiful channel. 😍
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  27. Do you mean the Book of Mormon? We regard it as a second witness of the ministry and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  28. We teach the youth to fold their arms and bow their heads during a prayer to show reverence to God. It is the same reason we use thee, thou, thine, etc., in speaking to God. Morning and evening prayers are usually said on our knees. For the same reason. To kneel before the King and thus express reverence. Even very elderly people will do their best to kneel before the Lord.
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  29. You might be interested in Peter's series about the Amish and his series on the hasidic Jewish community. They are some of my favorites 😍
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  30.  @mommazed1  Thank you for letting me share my testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a joy to do so. And thanks so much for adding your own testimony of Him. ❤️
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  31. 😆 great comment. We try, but as you have probably noticed , we often fall prey to the lack of moderation temptation! I myself need to implement more moderation in my own eating and drop some excess poundage. 😆
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  32. @yeahbee8237  Oh, okay 👍 yeah, to be fair, by Tongan standards, that man is pretty average, lol
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  33. And what you don't get is that the Lord Jesus Christ went willingly to the cross. No man could have ever killed him if it wasn't the Father's will to sacrifice his only begotten son. Jesus Christ, in perfect obedience, said, "Not my will, but thine be done." Jesus Christ told Peter in the garden of Gethsemane that he could call down legions of angels from heaven to defend him if he needed them. But he didn't because he was born to die. He understood the plan of salvation. Read the account of the time Jesus Christ was taken to the temple as an infant. Even Simon knew that this little child had been born to die to save many.
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  34. If you want to rob the Lord, Kenny, that is your prerogative. 17 million of us choose to be wise and not rob Him. (See Malachi if you need clarification)
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  35. This is just my opinion, but I think it boils down to an obedience thing. Take bacon, for instance. The odd strip of bacon isn't going to harm you and may actually help you in times of winter or famine. Yet, orthodox Jewish communities are strictly prohibited from eating pork. I think it's a similar thing. The Lord wants a "peculiar " people who obey Him in all things. A people set apart from the world.
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  36.  @BR-ex9xp  we don't believe in the trinity. We believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are 3 separate persons. One in purpose and love, etc., but not literally one. This renders us as non-Christian in the eyes of many.
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  37. At church owned schools, men can't have beards. In the church, you will see many men with beards or other facial hair.
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  38. @iindiar I don't know of a single latter-day saint who is a freemason.
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  39. I love it 😀! A few comments back, we got called out by an Anabaptist for being too worldly. Maybe there's something to that.
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  40. Thank you for your kind comments. ❤️ We are taught as young children to fold our arms and bow our heads when we pray out of respect for God. We also use the phrases: thee, thou, thy, etc. For the same reason. To show respect. Our morning and evening prayers are almost always prayed on our knees. We kneel before the Lord to show respect, befitting Him. Even quite elderly people will do their best to get on their knees.
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  41. @sbeasley7585 I'm not sure that is exactly correct. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Jesus Christ is definitely divine, but we only worship God the Father.
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  42. @John3.36  I forgot to mention the documentary "New York dolls" about a member of the band, Arthur (killer) Kane. He joined the latter-day saints. It is such a moving documentary. Absolutely loved it! And, bonus, you get Buster Poindexter singing "Come, come ye saints." How fantastic is that 😍 😀 👏
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  43. Yes. The protestant view of heaven is exactly like our view of the terrestrial kingdom. So I would say yes.
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  44.  @Valcey777  Thank you so much ❤️ and may the Lord bless you always 🙏
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  45. @RyanSlater15  I'm not saying that you are lying. It's just that you can't serve two masters. Like Joshua told the Israelites, "Choose you this day..." Every person has to choose if they are a servant of God or not. To me, a person actively involved in gang life has not chosen God. I guess that they could go through the motions of being active in the church, but they deceive themselves.
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  46. @RyanSlater15  I believe you. It's just hard to believe, if you know what I mean. It reminds me of this conversation that I had with a non-Lds co-worker. He was wondering why I couldn't drink alcohol when he said that he had drunk alcohol with the missionaries. At first, I thought that he must be mistaken. No way it was actual missionaries that he drank with! But he was really sincere, and I think some missionaries were drinking with him. What I hope that I was able to explain to him, however, was that you can't truly be an emissary of God and behave that way! He may have had the suit and the name tag and everything, but he was not truly a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  47. Good thing that we don't worship angels! :-)
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  48. If judging is wrong, then why are you judging the lady in the video? If you listen to what she said, she isn't against the people of California. She wants them to leave behind the bad things that they might be involved in. Gangs, drugs, prostitution, etc. No people in any city want those problems. To be baptized into the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints a person has to abandon smoking if they smoke and drugs if they do drugs and prostitution if they are involved in that and if they are cohabitating without being married, they have to break up or marry. How is this any different than what she is saying? We want the person, just a better version of that person.
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  49. Men of any color can hold the priesthood and become bishop.
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  50. Thanks so much for your lovely comments ❤️
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  51. @jjoflower6811  I totally understand your befuddlement. I think that the lady on the video didn't understand the reformation well, or maybe she was just trying to express her thoughts too rapidly. Yes, most modern religions sprung from the reformation period. Not the Catholics or Orthodox, of course, but many others. As a church, we largely admire Martin Luther for his contributions. We think infant baptism is an abomination, for instance. We also believe that the Protestants who sprang up were much more tolerant and allowed people freedom of religious expression. We think that type of environment was absolutely necessary for the restoration of the gospel to occur. We believe that God absolutely played a part in influencing Martin Luther and others to bring religious freedom to this land.
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  52. @jjoflower6811  We don't believe in a priesthood of all believers. We believe in an actual priesthood. I think that is where some of the confusion comes in. Like the lady said, we believe that every single person born is born with the light of Christ in them. During all ages, there were good people, doing good things. Or trying their best to live a godly life. We simply believe that the authority to hold the authorized priesthood of God was missing. It had been lost to the earth. We say that John the Baptist came to Joseph Smith and ordained him to the priesthood of Aaron, or the Aaronic priesthood. Later, we believe that Peter, James, and John ordained Joseph Smith to the Melchezedek priesthood. Thus, every male in our church who holds the priesthood authority can trace his authority back to Peter, James, and John and then the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
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  53.  @jjoflower6811  I hope this helps a little. ❤️
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  54. @jjoflower6811  Sorry to bombard you. I just wanted to add that if she doesn't think much of Martin Luther (and I don't know, I'm not her) is may be because of her love for the Jewish people. She mentioned in the program that she had watched Peter's videos with the hasidic Jewish families and that she was sort of star stuck by them. Lol. Martin Luther is reported to have had some strong anti-Jewish rhetoric published. We consider ourselves to be of the house of Israel. Literally. We consider the Jewish people to be our brothers and sisters. Quite literally. We actively seek to gather the 12 tribes of Israel again as the Lord gave His word that He would do. Having said all that, we do esteem Martin Luther for what he gave to the world in terms of the reformation. We love the Lutherans and other protestant denominations. We hear quite frequently about pastors preaching awful messages against us in their congregations, but I can assure you that nothing similar has ever happened in all my years in this church. Never. We love our protestant brothers and sisters.
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  55.  @jjoflower6811  Thank you so much for your kind words. It almost made me cry to read your comment. I agree with you. We know that not everyone will agree with our beliefs, but we honestly love our brothers and sisters of other faiths and seek to live in peace and harmony with all. It is so uplifting and heartening to hear that you feel the same. ❤️
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  56.  @jjoflower6811  You are so welcome. 😊 I am glad that I could help a little.
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  57. @psalmreader We know that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were Masons. It does not affect our testimonies of the gospel at all. We are doubly blessed. We receive revelation from the Holy Spirit ourselves, and we have a prophet of God who receives revelation from God for the church as in days of old. I am happy that you have found a church that you love. We also have found a church that we love with all of our hearts.
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  58. I see how this could be very confusing to people. Do you recall the scripture in the Bible where Jesus Christ says that He has other sheep? We believe that the sheep He was referring to were then living on the American continent and that after His crucifixion, He went and ministered to them also. We believe that every people of God in every age and every nation have been commanded to keep a record of their interactions with God. The Book of Mormon is one such record. The Bible is one such record. We believe that when the knowledge of the Lord covers the whole earth like a flood, more records will be revealed. We look forward to that day. 😀
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  59.  @StephanieBennion  I was just going to say the same thing! This lady is making stuff up.
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  60. Yes, we do. :-)
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  61. There is no other name by which salvation comes other than the Lord Jesus Christ. You can call us names all day long if you want. But the truth is that we know that we are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Full stop. ❤
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  62. ​@xb00sted isn't the sinners prayer itself a "work"? We are required to keep the commandments. That's a "work." Check out David Alexander. He has a fantastic discussion about the many, many times that the Bible says works are required. Having said that, we completely agree that it is by grace that we are saved. And that every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
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  63. We are both Abrahamic religions. So, it is natural to have similarities. :-) Greetings to western Europe 🇪🇺 😀
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  64. Isn't that what Exodus in the Bible is all about? Moses led the Israelites out of bondage and persecution to a promised land where they could be free to worship God as they chose. Moses never got to enter the promised land. Aaron did. Similarly, Joseph Smith never got to enter the promised land. Brigham Young did. We are the only faith that I know of who think of ourselves in terms of the 12 tribes of Israel and who are actively seeking to gather the scattered 12 tribes of Israel. So it's not a surprise similarities exist.
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  65. I think that Judaism is such a beautiful way of living. I love the channel frum it up about orthodox Jewish living. ❤
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  66.  @hulligans2866  awesome
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  67. I totally agree. I thought that one lady was wearing her garments quite visibly under that tan sweater. I was perplexed when they said that they couldn't show the garments. I was thinking, "Well, haven't we been looking at them the whole time?!" Maybe that was just a white blouse. But I thought that they could've shown them. I think you see pictures of them in videos about the temple.
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  68. @DannyAGray  I think so too. I've seen the temple ceremonial clothing in a temple prep video on YouTube. I don't think that it's an issue of showing them. It's just an issue of remembering that they are sacred.
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  69. It probably is strange to others. We do it to show respect to God. We also kneel.
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  70. Have you heard of David Alexander? He says that we should wear the hatred the world has for us as a badge of honor! 😀
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  71. Thank you for your kind words. The world would be so beautiful if we could all just accept each other.
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  72. I'm not sure Peter even knows about the Community of Christ church. He might go interview them if someone lets him know.
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  73.  @sharaharper2253  You are mistaken. Polygamy is not a requirement for the celestial kingdom.
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  74. That would be awesome 😊
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  75.  @Joshe2067  👏
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  76. I wonder what you would make of David Alexander and his discussion of good fruit?
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  77.  @Joshe2067  👊 beautifully said
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  78. Christ did indeed give the keys of His church to Peter. When Peter died, who inherited the keys? We believe that John the revelator never died and is still alive. Wouldn't he therefore be the natural successor of Peter? In Acts, one can clearly see that the church was already heading into apostacy. Paul says that Timothy is the ONLY one who is standing by him and hasn't fallen away. We declare that there was an apostasy. That the keys of the kingdom were lost to the world until Peter, James, and John conferred them upon the person of Joseph Smith in the dispensation of the fulness of times.
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  79.  @kennypascoe4752  Tithing is not GREED.
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  80. @kennypascoe4752  If you want to change the tax laws, run for office. I sure wouldn't want to be the guy who taxes the Lord, though!
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  81.  @kennypascoe4752  Thanks for your comments. It sounded like you were against tithes completely, but I see that you just don't like a set amount.
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  82.  @kennypascoe4752  It's interesting to me that you want God to pay his or her fair share. Doesn't God give us absolutely everything already?
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  83. @kennypascoe4752  Thanks for your kind comments about the LDS faith. ❤️ I know a lot of people have an issue with how much money the church has. But remember Joseph, who was sold into Egypt? He spent 7 years stockpiling grain and goods. Tons and tons. People might have mocked him too. But he had prophetic vision to know that 7 years of famine were coming and they had to be ready! If something catastrophic happened, our church leaders have 17 million people to provide for. Maybe they have prophetic vision of what will happen in days ahead.
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  84. @kennypascoe4752  You bring up a good point. We have what are called "articles of faith. " One states this: we believe that all men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression. We see the Adam and Eve story VERY differently than any other people. I am glad that you have found a spirituality that works for you. :-)
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  85. That's the most outrageous thing you've ever seen in your life?
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  86. We ARE all God's children. How about we ask Him when we see Him?
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  87.  @snowdroog1  That is a scandalous untruth! If the leaders of the church were litigious, they could have you for slander.
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  88.  @marcusthegreat2944  Jennifer's husband didn't hug the women in the video. That's his choice. But plenty of married and single latter-day saint men have hugged married and single women.
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  89.  @marcusthegreat2944  I agree with mrKap7471. You sound like you need a hug. I'll give you one if you want.
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  90.  @marcusthegreat2944  I feel dreadfully sorry for Gen X men if what you say is right. They shouldn't ever put up with cheating. They should strive to become men of God and seek out women who are truly women of God. It would save them so much heartache and despair.
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  91. We don't "gotta" wear the garments of the holy priesthood. We choose to wear them. It is the greatest honor and privilege to do so.
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  92. Merry Christmas!! ❤️
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  93. It sounds like whomever told you things didn't know what they were talking about. You aren't less than because you got a divorce.
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  94. Have you ever heard of a guy named Joshua? Does "choose you this day" ring a bell?
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  95. I'm not sure that you have a clear understanding of the religion. How can everyone be gentiles if they are of the 12 tribes of Israel? Our purpose is to gather the 12 tribes of Israel from their long disbursement. If someone is kind and friendly simply to try to convert another person, then they don't understand the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ at all. Full stop.
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  96.  @intoalivinghope  I looked up the definition of gentile in the dictionary. It is interesting 🤔. I am aware that Jewish people consider latter-day saints (and everyone else) to be gentiles. Latter-day saints, on the other hand, do not see things the same way. We have patriarchal blessings largely for this specific purpose. To tell us directly from God which tribe of Israel we descend from. I don't know if you are familiar with David Alexander. He has a channel. He used to be a Catholic and then an evangelical Christian. He recently joined the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. He is of the house of Israel. He was when he was evangelical and Catholic also. Do you see what I mean? He really wasn't a gentile even though he hadn't joined the church yet. In the world, there are people who descend from all twelve tribes of Israel. We are desiring to find them and bring them all to the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ.
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  97. No. It's definitely not the norm for home meals. If you go to a picnic or a social function, there might be plastic plates, glasses, and cutlery. My guess is that they used them in this instance so that the hostess wouldn't have oodles of dishes to clean afterward.
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  98. Good questions. We don't believe that prophets are infallible. They are human beings, and humans are fallible. However, the Lord will never allow a prophet to lead the church astray. The Book of Mormon says that marriage should only be between one man and one woman unless the Lord commands otherwise. In the Book of Mormon, men were taking multiple wives just because they wanted to, and the Lord strongly condemned this. At times, the Lord commands polygamy for a specific reason. But the standard is always one man, one woman.
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  99. Joseph Smith said that he was commanded by God to practice polygamy, and he dragged his heels on the issue until an angel with a drawn sword appeared to him and essentially said, " Obey God or else!"
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  100. If the fruit is good, the tree is good.
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  101. Hello Martine. LDS stands for latter-day saints. It is a part of the official name of the church. The official name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are commonly called "Mormons" in the world, but we don't care for this nickname. Since the official name of the church is quite long, people generally start to refer to it as the LDS church and the members of the church as LDS or latter-day saints. The latter-day saints part simply differentiates us from the former-day saints who existed in Jesus's time. We believe that there was an apostasy from The Church of Jesus Christ of Former-day saints. And that, the church was restored in these latter days. The time leading up to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  102.  @martinepeters9891  You are so welcome, Martine. I'm glad that I could help a little. It does get really confusing with all the churches out there! God bless you 🙏 ❤️
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  103.  @WranglermanLevi  Very true 👍 praying in your heart and mind are also important.
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  104.  @WranglermanLevi  I just wanted to add that prayer on one's knees is not required, but it's a little bit like putting your hand over your heart or removing your hat when the American national anthem plays. If you are physically able, you just can't imagine NOT doing these respectful things.
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  105. I guess that you have to experience the Holy Spirit to understand it. Having experienced the whispering of the Holy Spirit, you would never forget it. God bless Holland 🇳🇱 ❤
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  106. @VoxClamantisinDeserto-zw2mt  I know of a certainty that I have not been deceived. One day, when we stand before the Lord, you will know that, too.
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  107. @adamr149  okay, fair enough. I've experienced both sides in my life. Some wards make you feel welcome, and some don't at all. And I am LDS, so I don't know how it is to be a non-member. In fairness, though, wouldn't it be similar in any community? For example, if I moved to a very predominantly Catholic area or a predominantly protestant area. I wouldn't have that sort of "in" with the community even though they might be superficially friendly.
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  108. @adamr149  Oh, thanks for sharing that. I thought that certain areas of the country would be comparable. Like the Bible belt, perhaps? Maybe not, though.
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  109. They probably don't want to get caught on camera shoveling pizza in. Lol. That would make me nervous.
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  110. @samsmom400 blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Peter is a peacemaker at heart. Maybe you can comprehend the statement now.
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  111. The evangelical talking point is that we can't be Christian because we worship a "different God" and a "different Jesus." It's nonsense, of course. There is no such thing as a "different Jesus" but they don't know that yet. 😊 They feel that to say Jesus Christ was an offspring of God the Father means that he was "created" and they balk at that. They feel that he always existed and there never was a time when he was born. They have huge issues with the idea of Satan being a son of God and thus the brother of Jesus Christ. This is such heresy to them that they can't wrap their heads around it. They also embrace the trinity, which we do not. All these reasons are why they keep insisting that we are not Christian and the Jesus Christ whom we believe in is not the "real" Jesus.
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  112.  @denningfamily2145  True thing. The majority of my ancestors come from England and Wales. They came to America to be with the majority body of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints.
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  113. I think he meant the same thing that Joshua told the Israelites. "Choose you this day...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." You can't serve two masters. A house divided against itself will fall. It is that kind of side picking. I totally agree with you that in politics and other areas, there are shades of gray and things you may like or dislike about both sides. The talk he referenced was one where our prophet was encouraging everyone to gain their own testimony. Sometimes people are in a religion because their parents believe, or someone they admire subscribes to those beliefs or that it is a nice social environment. The prophet said that that might have worked in the past, but in these last days, everyone needs to know what they themselves believe or they can not stand.
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  114. " Upon this rock," we believe that the rock is the rock of revelation. Not Peter. Prevail means ultimate victory. This is true. It may look like Satan is winning at times, but he will never ultimately prevail against the Lord's church and kingdom. We believe that the beloved apostle John. Aka John, the revelator, is still living. Therefore, wouldn't HE be the natural heir of the apostolic keys that Peter held upon Peter's death? In Acts, it is quite clear that the apostacy had already begun. Paul said that he had only Timothy left who stood by him and hadn't defected.
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  115. I wondered that also. It's not usual. I think that maybe the lady of the house just didn't want to do all those dishes later!
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  116. Your comment made me chuckle 😃 as a people, I think we do eat waaaay too much pizza! 😆 We have a health code to live by, and we are meant to treat our bodies like a temple, but a lot of us struggle with this. Myself included 😌. I'm going to take your comment as impetus to do better and try harder! ❤️
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  117. Are you from Cymru? I love your name ❤️
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  118. Thank you for your kind words. Ich liebe Deutschland 🇩🇪 ❤️
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  119. People who have passed on most certainly do know about what is happening in this world.
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  120. @Valcey777  what about the thief on the cross? Jesus Christ says that he will see him in paradise. Clearly, he was going to be alive still after death.
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  121. @Valcey777  We just have to agree to disagree on this one. I know you have your opinion, and I respect it. But I've had personal experiences that let me know that people who have passed are not asleep in their graves.
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  122.  @Valcey777  I just totally disagree with you.
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  123. @Valcey777  Because we interpret the word of God differently, it doesn't mean that my beliefs are outside of His word. 😀
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  124.  @Valcey777  I can explain that one. Jesus Christ had gone to visit the spirits in the spirit world.
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  125. @Valcey777  His Father isn't in the world of spirits. It's a different place from the celestial kingdom.
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  126.  @Valcey777  It's fine. I don't mean to argue. We feel blessed to have additional scripture to help bring more clarity to the Bible. We feel blessed to have continuing revelation as well.
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  127. I am so grateful that we are able to do baptisms on behalf of our dead. What a glorious blessing ❤
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  128. It's not weird, but it's not always true. My mom got called to accept 2 big responsibilities. At the same time. She told the bishop that she could do one, but not both, so choose. He did, and she served in that one calling.
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  129. We do the same thing with other denominations.
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  130. I doubt they are "very active" Mormons.
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  131. @RyanSlater15  Wow, that's awful! I know that some kids feel pressured to go on missions, and their hearts really aren't into it. Maybe those are the ones acting so dreadfully. But it would be better if they just didn't go on a mission then to go and behave like that.
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  132. When polygamy was being practiced, many men were arrested and jailed. Many additional wives had to flee with little children to other nations and hide out. It was harder and harder on the people asked to practice it. (The entire church never practiced polygamy) Our own statement of faith (the 12 articles of faith--written by the prophet Joseph Smith) proclaimed that we believe in following the laws of the land and in honoring legal and civic authority. Yet, here we were, caught between the laws of the land and the laws of the Lord. With this backdrop, the prophet of God at the time begged God for direction. He received an answer from the Lord to stop polygamy and to adhere to the laws of the land. The prophet informed the people what the Lord had said, and that ended polygamy as a practice of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints.
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  133. @johnlott518  Thanks 😊. I'm no expert on polygamy. I have read the desperate reports of some of the wives and men who were being hunted for practicing it. It was a mess. Even when the church officially abandoned it, it was a mess. Some members tried to still secretly practice it. Some left for other countries or started other churches. But eventually, it calmed down. I do think that the Lord's purposes for it had been accomplished. Also, taking the gospel to all the world would have been virtually impossible had polygamy continued. The great commission is a high priority for the Lord.
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  134. Any person who is not married is expected to be celibate. No matter your sexuality. If a gay person remains celibate, they can participate fully in the church.
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  135. @sharaharper2253  We believe that it is God who is the law giver. And God has given the law of man being married to woman.
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  136. You can buy that picture of Jesus if you want. I'm pretty sure that deseret book sells it.
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  137. ​@trishahunter3346, you are awesome, Trisha 😊❤
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  138. It can be difficult for nonmembers to understand our church. For instance, we believe that immortality and eternal life are not synonymous. Furthermore, salvation and exaltation are not synonymous. If your desire is to attain to the terrestrial kingdom of glory and there have communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, then you do not need to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints for that to happen.
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  139. The Book of Mormon answers this question. In case you don't care to read the book....spoiler alert, God told the native Americans that they would prosper if they kept the commandments of God. They didn't. As with all of us, if you choose not to keep the commandments of God, He has no choice but to turn you loose to the buffetings of the adversary.
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  140. Also, in the Book of Mormon, the early inhabitants of the American continent are promised that no nation will find them or disturb them if they seek the Lord always. Sadly, they didn't. One whole people were wiped out, and then another whole people were nearly wiped out and persecuted. We are told that the Lord gave us the Book of Mormon, in part, to serve as a warning for our day.
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  141. Why?
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  142. The great commission. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded his followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to them and baptize them. Latter-day saints take the great commission very seriously. If you aren't interested, just politely refuse the message, and the missionaries will move along. There is no need to be hostile. These are very young adults who are tired and often homesick. Please let your heart feel kindness and compassion.
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  143. I loved your comments. ❤️
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  144. @jjoflower6811  Joan, please don't apologize for your long response. I absolutely loved hearing a bit about your life! I am a wee bit jealous that you get to spend time in Nauvoo and see the pageant and all. 😉 It is on my bucket list to make it there for a visit. I'm so happy that you got to experience it, though. Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a synod Lutheran church? I've heard of Lutherans, of course, but I don't know what the synod part means. It must be SO confusing for a non-member to understand all our beliefs and even our vocabulary! I think that you have such a beautiful heart to even want to learn. You have such a kind heart to have sympathy for our troubles in Missouri. I can tell that you are a true Christian by your love for your fellow humans ❤️. The Lord must be truly pleased with you. Don't worry about learning everything. What I mean is that it is a lifelong learning process for all of us. Every time I read the scriptures, I am truly humbled because I see how little I actually know and how much I have to learn! It can feel overwhelming. But line upon line and precept upon precept. That's a helpful mantra. 😀 My father got dragged around to numerous churches as a child. His mother was apparently on a quest to find a church she liked. When he was 12 years old, he was sent to a Sunday school class. There, he heard the story of the first vision, and he believed it immediately and asked to be baptized. He still had a lifetime of learning ahead of him, though. He got many, many religious books by LDS authors whom he admired and read constantly. I asked him one day how he got to be so smart. I wasn't being flippant. My dad was the smartest person I ever knew! He was so intelligent about everything. He thought for a minute and replied, "Well, I got old!" It made me chuckle. 😆 I guess I better end before I write a literal book! Lol. Thanks so much for your kind spirit. 😊 May God bless you forever and ever. xx
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  145.  @andrewmohlman7857  That was so beautifully said. 😍 Thank you for your wonderful contribution to the conversation.
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  146. @andrewmohlman7857  When I listen to someone like David Alexander, I see why he eventually found the Lord's church and was not ultimately deceived. Because he understood the Bible so well and was truly looking for that apostolic structure that is in the Bible.
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  147. Hi Lauber! Guten Tag! ( sorry, I don't know any Swiss)
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  148. We aren't saving money and food, etc. FOR the second coming of Jesus Christ, but rather for the hard times leading up to the second coming. The scriptures prophesied about wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and many tumultuous things happening as we get closer and closer to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are wise to try and prepare as best we can for those hard times. You are correct about what most Christians call "the rapture." The earth will burn at His coming. Either literally, or from the brightness of His full glory. The wicked will not be able to abide it and many will die. This earth will be transformed to its terrestrial glory, and the 1000-year millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ will commence. So, there will be people on the earth, but only those who can abide at least a terrestrial glory. I hope that this helps you understand. 😊
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  149. I'm not sure that I answered your "what is he coming to do" question. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming to reign on the earth. Satan and his angels will be bound, and there will be 1000 years of peace and joy. No one will hurt anyone. We teach that it won't just be latter-day saints alive during this magnificent reign. It will be good and just people of many religions. No one will die and be put in the ground. They will pass from life to death in seconds and be resurrected. It will be an amazing time.
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  150.  @AngelGarcia-mr4pl  You are so welcome. 😊 I'm happy that I could help.
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  151. ​@VoxClamantisinDeserto-zw2mt Latter-day saints are definitely not atheists. We do, however, respect all people. Including atheists.
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  152. The Jehovah's witnesses don't vote or get involved in any politics.
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  153. Your mom sounds like a wonderful person. ❤️ I don't know if you believe in the Bible or read the Bible, but the last thing Jesus Christ said before he accended to heaven was to instruct His followers to go into ALL the world, preaching the gospel of salvation to every person and baptizing every person. It's called the Great Commission. That is why religious people are always wanting to share their religion with you. They are commanded to do so and they will be in trouble with God if they don't! Please try not to think poorly of them for it. It comes from a place of duty to God and genuine love for you. If you aren't interested, just tell people.
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  154.  @Roggen45  Oh yeah, I totally understand. No means no. I get it. Religious people can be quite pushy at times. Thanks for treating everyone well like your mom taught you. <3
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  155.  @awatchman-um7vy  Jesus Christ said blessed are ye if men revile you and say all manner of evil against you. For they hated and killed the prophets that went before you.
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  156. You ask some very good questions. It's hard to give a full answer in a format like this, but I'll say a little. We have a person called a patriarch. One for each stake usually. Patriarch is an office in the priesthood. You go to him specifically to get your patriarchal blessing. During the blessing, he has it revealed to him by God which tribe you are from. No DNA testing is involved. :-) The point to all of this is that we believe that the Lord is setting His hand to the gathering of the 12 tribes of Israel from their long disbursement as He has promised to do repeatedly in scripture. We are actively gathering all 12 tribes. I guess we are all different. You seem to have found the Joseph Smith story very hard to swallow, yet my own father heard it as a 12 year old boy and knew it was true immediately and asked to be baptized. :-)
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  157. I had a roommate in college who served a mission in Finland 🇫🇮! Much love to the Finnish people ❤️
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  158. That's wonderful 😊 Your English seems to be impeccable. Greetings to Moldova 🇲🇩
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