#Sealing ordinances in the temple

[mindfulldsliving]

CFM | Understanding the Spirit of Elijah: Doctrine and Covenants 2 and Joseph Smith's History 1:27-65

This week’s Come Follow study of the Doctrine and Covenants highlights the eternal connection “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to their Fathers.” Understanding these scriptures help us understand the fulfillment of Elijah’s return, restoration of priesthood keys, and the sealing power of in temples uniting families beyond mortality. Through the Angel Moroni, Joseph Smith received divine…

[cobragardens]

The Golden Lion

For all that Aziraphale is the more frightened of the two of them, Crowley is the snake: he camouflages himself carefully, and his first instinct is always to flee.

Aziraphale's is to stay. He insists on facing the Apocalypse. He insists on facing the Second Coming. He insists on trying to make a difference. He doesn't want to go up to Heaven, but he does it anyway, alone, because he wants to stop the destruction of Earth (again) and keep Crowley safe.

He's very difficult to shame, too. He never gives up his innocent pleasure in eating, even though Heaven, Hell, and probably people on Earth all mock him for it. He's soft and he remains soft, even after Gabriel shames him for both his physical and metaphorical softness. That takes a lot of strength and an unshakeable character.

You know the gold ring Aziraphale wears as a badge of office, that functions as the counterpart to Crowley's snake tattoo? The charge on that ring is a lion.

The heraldic attitude of the lion is rampant (i.e., reared up): it stands on its hind legs with its forelegs raised, as though attacking, and its head is forward-facing: it looks forward, toward the future.

Obviously in popular symbolism, lions represent bravery, and that definitely fits Aziraphale. He's literally leaving the only person who has ever loved him to go make the universe a better place for that person and for everyone, and he's going alone amongst the people who have despised and shamed him his whole existence and tried to kill him at least once; those people are mfing Heaven and have been entrenched in their power for thousands or millions of years. It doesn't get a whole lot braver than that.

In Christian symbolism specifically, the lion represents Christ. (He's referred to in the book of Revelation as the "lion of Judah" because the heraldic symbol for the tribe of Judah was a lion and Jesus was said to be from the tribe of Judah because his [step]father Joseph was from Judah.)

Normally when a story draws a parallel between a character and Christ, the parallel is one of self-sacrifice. That's not what's happening here. When symbolism for Christ represents his self-sacrifice, Jesus is invariably associated with a lamb--the sacrificial lamb--not a lion. When that symbolism represents Christ's mercy or holiness or divine nature/ordination, the dove of the Holy Spirit is used.

But the lion is a symbol inherited from the Old Testament. It represents royalty, power, threat, and seizure from others by force. Jesus is symbolically depicted as the lion upon his return to Earth during the book of Revelation. The lamb is Jesus' self-sacrifice and death for the sins of humanity, but the lion is Jesus' return, powerful, royal, and triumphant.

Does Aziraphale's ring foreshadow his involvement in the Second Coming of Christ? Probably! Is it a symbol that Heaven is the proverbial (and biblical) "lions' den" where they should be doves and lambs? Maybe.

I think it more likely that Aziraphale himself will be the lion, on a righteous rampage like Jesus chasing the moneylenders from the steps of the temple, telling them "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Because the ring is a signet ring, meant to impress a seal that legally represented the wearer as an individual. So the lion is linked to Aziraphale himself.

Aziraphale is soft. It is one of his very best qualities. And soft and weak are not the same thing: because he is soft, he tried to kill the Antichrist, a child. Because he is soft, he stood alone before a demon in defiance of the will of Heaven and demanded with no power whatsoever to back him up that the demon spare children whose murder God had authorized. He, an angel of God, worked with a demon to deceive the Heavenly Host and, as he points out himself, thwart the will of God. Even before that, because he was soft, Aziraphale gave humans the gift of fire and self-protection and then lied to God Herself about it. I mean it literally does not get any more courageous than that.

And I can't stop thinking about what that lion, and that softness, and the link between the two is going to mean for S3.

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Sunday Afternoon Session

Conducting: Quentin L Cook

Come Rejoice

D Todd Christofferson

A limiting trait is not being valiant in your testimony

Wholehearted devotion is what we should strive for

To make it to and stay in the Celestial Kingdom we must have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and act on that testimony

Being Valiant in your testimony of Christ

Includes nurturing and strengthening that testimony

Heading His messengers

Encouraging others by word and example

We will not let anything keep us from being together forever

Do the things Jesus shall teach and command you

Taylor G Godoy

God hears our prayers and answers them in a personalized way

Mosiah 5:12

This life by its nature brings about experiences

Call Him, don’t fall

Just because you aren’t answered immediately doesn’t mean your call wasn’t answered at all

Confidence in the Lord’s answers requires accepting that they are not always what would expect in our minds for them to be.

The Lord is the first option for help

Call Don’t Fall (pray)

After prayer do all you can to obtain the answers you pray for

Humbly accept His answers

Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling

Gary E Stevenson

Where is the foundation of your bridge?

The two towers are love the Lord thy God and love your neighbor as thyself – these are the towers that the bridge of the gospel is supported by

Loving the Lord leads to eternal Happiness

Bridges our heavenly upward gaze to our heavenly outward gaze

Love of the Lord is not complete if we do not love our neighbors

Loving your neighbors includes Christlike deeps of love and service

How are you building your tower of love?

“did God call on you specifically, or were you simply the one who listened?”

These towers need to function together in balance, equal devotion, and harmony

God loves everyone and so should we; we seek out those in need and serve them regardless of race, wealth, gender identity, sexual orientation, or anything else

God commanded us to love one another. Leave judgement up to Him

How do we build our own bridge of faith and devotion?

Early drafts become polished blueprints

Mathias Held

Consequences are a part of agency

Repentance is where growth happens

Seek to learn and accept support from the Lord

In the darkness of night we can turn on our lights

We can still choose how to respond to things out of our control

We are agents not objects.

Opposites don’t exist apart from each other, they can complement each other.

Where there is sunshine, shadows must be there too. Floods brings destruction but they bring life as well

Our difficulties do not define us – it is our attitudes and choices that define us much better than our situations

How Firm a Foundation

Niel L Anderson

It is breathtaking to see the works of God

Discipline your faith, what does that mean to you?

Eleazer Cearcy – sealing story – this is why listen to promptings

Angels have charge over us

Through the power of the Holy Ghost we are filled with strength and peace and joy and unspeakable hope.

Many different ways to see the face of Christ and no better place than in His holy house

Mark L Pace

Transform our homes into sanctuaries of faith

The scriptures are here to help us draw closer to Him

How can you avoid personal apostasy?

We are responsible for our own personal spiritual growth

The most important copy of the book of Mormon is the one you read

Heavenly Father wants you to know yourself – but you must put in the effort

Russell M Nelson

Called to apostles 40 years ago!

Six temples when he was born

Ponder what the Lord’s promise means for you personally

The priesthood was restored prior to the church – to ensure that the church could be organized with the correct authority

The priesthood keys are the only way we get the essential ordinances and covenants, the only way we can have blessings the way we do – we can extend all the blessings promised to/by Abraham to all God’s children

D&C 110

The gathering of Israel is evidence God loves all of His children everywhere

The gospel of Abraham is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere

The sealing power is supreme evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere and wants them to return to Him

Study Kirtland temple dedicatory prayer in D&C 109

Regular temple worship will enhance how you see yourself

The temple empowers us to take on the challenges of life

You do not have to face life alone

What courage does it give you to know that angels really will help you?

No combination of wickedness will prevail over those who worship in the house of the Lord

Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than attending the temple as regularly as you can, nothing will protect you more, nothing will bolster your testimony of Christ and His atonement, or recognize the significance of His plan, nothing will soothe your spirit more, nothing will open the blessings of Heavens more

15 temples:

Uturoa, French Polynesia

Chihuahua, Mexico

Florianopolis, Brazil

Rosario, Argentina

Edinburgh, Scotland

Brisbane, Australia South Area

Victoria, British Colombia

Yuma, Arizona

Houston, Texas South Area

Des Moines, Iowa

Cincinnati, Ohio

Honolulu Hawaii

West Jordan Utah

Lehi Utah

Maracaibo, Venezuela

Now Let Us Rejoice

[hope-ur-ok]

at the risk of coming off as nosy and you don't have to answer if you don't want to but I'm just really curious. what exactly does it mean to have your name removed from the records and why would it cause family drama??

You're not nosy, the Mormon church is fucking weird and unless you were in it a lot of stuff makes no sense.

So basically the church puts your name and personal information into a big database, adds you to the ward directory, and assigns you a church ID number. You use this number for your temple recommend, to create a family search 1* account, and to get free access to ancestry.com (and other stuff but those are the main ones I can think of off the top of my head). When you get put in the records depends on how you joined the church, I was put in when they gave me my blessing as a baby and converts are put in when they're baptized. Removing your name and file from the records removes you from the church database so they delete all your personal information and gets them to stop contacting you. This in turn removes you from things like family search which if you have family that is really big into family history and that use family search a lot (aka me) they can see as soon as you are removed. To believing mormons that is basically throwing away your only chance at eternal happiness and forcefully breaking the sealing you had to stay with your family forever in the afterlife, so when you have very mormon family members they don't take it well and the back lash my sister got for even considering it makes me really not want to deal with all the guilt tripping and passive aggressive comments till those family members die.

1* family search is a ancestry.com like data base exclusively for church members that lets you track what temple ordinances have been done for any person in the database living or dead (baptism & confirmation, endowments, and sealings - all of these ordineces can be done by proxy for the dead)

[nerdygaymormon]

Isn't it strange that a male can be given the priesthood but then when they come out as trans and start transitioning, they are told they don't have the priesthood anymore. And a female who transitions to male also doesn't get the priesthood.

It is nonsensical, isn't it? As long as he's a man, he has the priesthood, but when she says that actually she's not a man, suddenly *poof* the priesthood is gone. But it doesn't work in reverse, someone afab who says they're male doesn't get to have the priesthood.

This could all be resolved if we were to stop limiting the priesthood based on gender. It would also stop a lot of inequities in church, or at least provide possibilities for them to be undone.

I'm not sure of any reason why in the LDS Church we limit the priesthood only to men other than it's tradition. In the Bible we do have examples of women as prophetess and in the role of apostle.

I believe we have the groundwork on which we could repeal the gender inequity we have in regards to priesthood in the LDS Church.

One way to think of the priesthood is that everyone who makes & keeps covenants has the priesthood. This includes baptism and the temple endowment. In the temple, endowed women exercise priesthood authority to pronounce blessings on other women (during the initiatory ceremony). I think this concept could be used to be more expansive in how we think about priesthood.

Beginning at age 11 , men are ordained to the priesthood and assigned to offices such as priest or elder, without needing to first go to the temple. Women do not have a parallel experience. Many positions at church are restricted according to priesthood office, which means they exclude all women from holding those roles.

We also assign certain duties to people in priesthood roles. There's no reason young women couldn't pass the sacrament trays to the congregation other than we assigned that duty to young men who've been ordained to the Aaronic priesthood and the office of Deacon. We could unassign that duty to a particular priesthood office. We used to only let men with the priesthood serve as a witness at a baptism or a temple sealing, now anyone who is baptized can be an official witness to a baptism and anyone who is endowed can be a witness at a temple sealing. Is this them using the priesthood they received when they made covenants?

LDS women serve in ways that would require ordination in many other religious traditions, such as when they lead Relief Society, Young Women and Primary organizations; preach and pray in congregations; participate in leadership councils; and serve as missionaries. We teach they are operating with priesthood authority, but we also say this authority was granted to them by a man, that a man with priesthood keys has delegated some authority to them to operate in these positions.

I think we should expand our concept of who hold the priesthood and who gets to use that priesthood in church. I don't know that there's a widespread movement inside the LDS Church for women to be ordained, but there is more talk about it than there used to be, but mostly among younger women.

What I fear is that if there becomes a push for women to be formally ordained, like we do with men, that the top leaders will warn that to allow this would mean to allow trans members to have priesthood and serve, that this fear of legitimizing queer people and our experiences will be used to justify denying full inclusion for anyone other than cis men. I think that is contrary to the concept that all people are alike to God, that all are loved & valued by God

[wellthebardsdead]

Fools Prayer pt4

Part 3 here

———

“My heart… I tried… he took it… my heart.”

Nerevar: Voryn?… *blinks open his eyes to find himself in the ever familiar heat of the heart chamber beneath red mountain where his destiny was made, the air hot and searing, steaming the very moisture from his eyes and skin as he finds his foothold in what he knows is a dream* Voryn is that you?… *looks around with a tired gaze, having relived this so many times before in his endless, restless nights, before finally resting his eyes upon the horror before him*

Mephala: *strung up by her own thread, her body split open and her heart now replaced with that of the heart of creation, just as Boethia and Azura had forewarned* I’m too late- *staggers back as steam bellows from the pipes connected to the heart as it pulses weakly from her exposed rib cage, making her scream and writhe in agony*

Mephala: *speaking with a voice not her own, one deep and familiar in the crevices of Nerevars mind, voryns voice* my heart… he took my heart… I tried to stop him. I tried to- *freezes in place, her gaze snapping to nerevar as her face twists and contorts to that of a handsome dunmer man, with three, red eyes* Nerevar…

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Nerevar: *jolts awake, shooting upright in his bed as sweat glistens across his golden skin* VORYN!! *gasps for breath as he clutches the sheets, grounding himself as he realises he’s safe in his bed* I don’t… I don’t understand- *jumps as the doors swing open and a guard staggers in dropping to their knees as they beg for forgiveness for disturbing his rest*

Guard: Forgive me for waking you your highness. I tried to stop the temple councillors. We tried to recite your orders but they said that justice for the good daedra and their people must be brought.

Nerevar: I- justice?

Guard: they’re preparing the execution of Vivec. Your men are approaching the city as we speak.

Nerevar: … *fumbles out of his sheets and swiftly grabs his armour* ancestors no we have to stop them!!

*meanwhile*

Vivec: *bound and kneeling amongst his captors as the silt strider bringing him to his fate sways slowly with each step, his body stripped bare and only covered with a rough sheet and the magic suppressing irons around his wrists and ankles, and his eyes heavy and fluttering closed with exhaustion, forbidden to rest, forbidden to be comfortable, and forbidden to hold a shred of dignity* …

Temple guard: *suddenly shoves him hard knocking him forward onto the hollowed ‘floor’ of the striders carapace* Oi, N’wah! I warned you about closing your eyes.

Ordinator: … *gently sits vivec upright once more, fixing the sheet over his exposed body* Back off from him. We were told to avoid excessive force until nerevar himself declared otherwise.

Vivec: nerevars word will not reach you in time to decide… my fate is sealed beyond those gates.

Ordinator: what-

Temple Guard: *raises their hand to strike the bound god* What did I tell you about tal-

Ordinator: *grabs their hand* shut up… *turns his gaze over the edge of the striders carapace as the noise of a crowd finally reaches his ears* what the?… *steps to the head of the hollow to see the entire city gathering at the gates with torches and weapons drawn as the stable hands hurry to push the raised platforms to the beasts side*

Vivec: *glances up at the ordinator* I’m ready to greet my end… *slowly rises to his feet with an exhausted, pained grunt, and a slight wobble to his step. Looking like he’s ready to pass out at any moment. His candles wick burned out at both ends, and the end of his rope unravelling in his grasp*

Ordinator: I- no wait!! Sit back down what’s happening?! Nerevar never mentioned this.

Ordinator 2: he said to retrieve him for interrogation not execution!

Ordinator 3: can you even kill a god- Hey wait unhand him!! *draws his weapon as temple guards suddenly ascend the steps to the striders platform and apprehend the living god with ease*

Vivec: *glances back at them for a moment, his pace halting like an immovable force, the shackles in truth doing nothing to halt him of his abilities* my words will not reach nerevars ears in time before it’s too late… please… tell him… I’m sorry.

Ordinator 3: *eyes locking with the gold and red of the dunmeri peoples embodiment of the present. And feeling his heart ache and hang heavy in his chest as Vivec’s words ring of truth in his mind. Bringing tears to his eyes from the tongue of the warrior poet, unable to speak or barely hold his weapon aloft as the temple guards lead him away* I- I will.

Vivec: *allows the guards to pull him away and down the steps once more, their hands rough and their grip tight, leaving visible bruising on his skin that once would have never of shown at the height of his power, now laying bare for the world to see as they finally set foot on the ashen soil before Mournhold and its people, and the sheet removed, leaving him exposed and helpless before their judgment* … *slowly raises his head, his gaze landing on several figures approaching him and the guards holding him as the crowd falls silent with hushed whispers overshadowed by the breeze, the high councillors of House Dres, House Redoran, and house Sadras* … *effortlessly pulls his arms free from the guards grip and kneels down into a graceful bow amongst the ash. A submissive gesture of respect made somehow insulting as he shows a poise befitting a god before them* if my death has been ordered, I go to it willingly. I will not delay the inevita- *coughs as a boot suddenly greets his face with a swift kick, knocking him onto his side and earning a mix of shocked gasps and cheers for violence from the crowd*

Sen Dres: *the new head of house Dres and holder of their seat within the temple of Mournhold, a young, and arrogant councillor with more vitriol and spite than reason and thought* You dare prostate yourself at our feet and pretend still to be more than a whore who stole power from your betters?!

Archmagister Vilinu Sadras: g-grandmaster dres please we should wait for the hortators decision on this mat-

Archmaster Redoran: Silence! Nerevars kindness allowed him to live once before, and look at where it lead him. Lead our people! And now he wishes to afford it again! He kneels before us a traitor to the temple and all of morrowind. He must die.

Vivec: *winces as the guards pull him up from the dirt by his shackles, his blood turning the ash to ebony where it fell from his nose and lip* I, *raises his head, his very gaze though tired and gentle, freezing them in place out of fear for what he may still be capable of* Am ready. To receive my judgement.

Sen Dres: *steps forward, drawing his dagger from his belt and grabbing Vivec by his long braid* and your judgement you shall receive. *steps behind him and yanks his head back hard as he cuts through the gods thick hair, hacking it off with glee believing himself to be humiliating him, completely unaware Vehk grew it out in his own act of penance for his betrayal to nerevar and his people* now then. *raises the braid up for the crowd to see and delighting in their cheers and boos, not at all noticing the tension leave the gold and blue skinned elves shoulders as he does so, like a weight both physical and emotional had finally been lifted* Walk before ‘your’ people. False god.

[demoisverysexy]

I like this idea of how we sometimes miss the grandeur of things we are accustomed to. The principles of baptism by proxy for the dead and the sealing ordinance ARE incredible doctrines that could bring harmony and peace to the world. If only we saw them as such.

(Also, finally a good temple talk)

[montreal-derogatory]

A collection of Mormon lore that sounds insane when I try to explain it: (warning: Long)

The Plan of Salvation (aka, the mormon life cycle): Mormons believe that our existence comes in phases.

The Premortal Existence: basically our souls have been alive since the creation of the universe, since before the creation of the earth, and every soul that has yet to be born is still there, chilling with God. The War in Heaven when Satan rebelled and took a 3rd of the souls with him to hell* happened in the premortal existence. Many Mormons also believe that we choose the trials and tribulations we will go through in life for ourselves in the premortal existence (i.e. any grief, disabilities, violence you experience is something you chose for yourself.

The Veil of Forgetfulness: Every mortal soul passes through the Veil either when they are conceived or when they are born and forget the premortal existence and my details about god. (this led me to believe at one point that my cervix was a portal to the premortal existence, and consequently, God).

Earth Life: The hell hole we’re in now. Now is the chance to get baptized, confirmed as a member and receive the holy ghost (basically your own spirit of god that hangs out with you), endowed (where you learn the secret handshakes to get into heaven**), sealed for time and all eternity to your spouse so you don’t lose them in eternity (women can only ever be sealed to one man, but men can be sealed to multiple women. in recent years it has also developed that these seals can in rare cases be broken, usually in situations of divorce stemming from domestic abuse but this needs to be directly approved by one of the highest up officials of the church and requests are often denied).

Death: Your mortal body dies, and depending on how mormon you were in life, on a scale of active apostate to true believing and worthy mormon you get sorted into…

Spirit Paradise or Spirit Prison: This is basically limbo but with a twist. Faithful and worthy mormons go immediately to Spirit Paradise upon death. This is basically pre-heaven, but you also get the bonus opportunity to be a missionary for those souls trapped in Spirit Prison. Spirit Prison is where literally everyone else goes, from your devout catholic grandmother to Stalin. Everyone gets an opportunity here to hear the mormon gospel and choose to join the church, but all the ordinances that you missed on earth (baptism, confirmation, endowment, and sealing) have to be done by a living mormon in a temple by proxy***. If you accept the gospel and your ordinances you can move up to Spirit Paradise to wait for…

The Second Coming of Jesus: What American 2nd Great Awakening church would be complete without a Last Days through line. This is when the earth will effectively be destroyed, and all the mormons remaining on earth will first collect where the garden of eden will be restored, also known as Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and Jesus will come down to earth after the calamity that destroys the unholy. Where is Adam-Ondi-Ahman? Jackson County, Missouri of course!!! Since it’s founding, pretty much everyone in every generation has believed that either they or their children will live to see the second coming, but the date is never set in stone, even by people in the church who claim to be able to see the past, present, and future****

The Millenium: This is a subsection of the Second Coming, this is 1000 years where Only Mormons will be on the earth, chilling with Jesus in their new Resurrected and Perfected bodies. Basically you will be as you were in your prime, except any ailments or physical imperfections will be erased. Historically this has been used to justify racism. Currently it is used to justify ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and (among some) racism! Once the Millennium is over it’s time for.

The Final Judgement: Your last chance to convert to mormonism is over. This is where your life is looked over in its entirety and you are sorted into 1 of 4 eternal kingdoms depending on how sinful you were, how much you repented, which mormon temple rituals you had done (either on earth or by proxy), and your faith journey.

The 4 Eternal Kingdoms (Except one of the kingdoms is divided into 3 tiers): The kingdoms are as follows from lowest to highest: Outer Darkness: The lowest you can go. This is where Satan, the Sons of Perdition*, Cain, and any apostates go. Exactly what level of apostasy qualifies you for Outer Darkness is debated heavily among mormons. Some believe that you have to literally see God in the flesh, deny him, and actively try to steer people away from God after seeing him in order to qualify. Others believe that all it takes is leaving the church after you are baptized. The Telestial Kingdom: The kingdom with the glory of the stars. This is for your urepentant sinners, your murderers, tyrants, abusers, rapists, genocide starters and facilitators, minor apostates (according to some). This is technically a kingdom of heaven, like you still get an immortal body here, you just don’t get a glorified body, and you can’t hang out with God. People from higher up kingdoms can come and hang out with you though. The Terrestrial Kingdom: Glory of the Moon. This is for your standard christians, well meaning athiests, other non-mormons who are generally good people. Also get an immortal body, but not glorified, and also can’t hang out with God. Unclear if things like homosexuality are allowed into the Terrestrial kingdom or if the gays need to hang out with the Nazis and serial killers in the Telestial. Based on recent speeches by higher ups I’m guessing no, but I imagine there are plenty of mormons who have one (1) gay friend and cannot imagine that friend getting sent lower than the Terrestrial kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom: The glory of the sun and the home of God himself. This is where the good mormons go, and there are 3 levels you can get sorted into based on how many rituals you got done. The lowest you can get is if you were only baptized and confirmed. If you were born mormon and sealed to your parents by birth, i believe you can still see them, but i’m not sure. The middle tier is for those who got their endowments done and learned most of the handshakes**. The highest tier is for those who got married and sealed to their spouse(s) in the temple and learned the final secret handshake. This is where god spends most of his time*****. If you are in the celestial kingdom, you can visit the lower kingdoms, you get an immortal and eternally glorified body, and up until recently, we’re able to become a god in your own right and create your own universe. Publicly the church no longer supports this doctrine, but many members still believe it (including my whole family pretty much). With eternal glory you can basically restart the cycle but with you at the helm. Also murky as to whether this is a perk only men can have.

The Book Of Mormon. The basics are that 600 years before Christ, a family of Jews including a minor prophet fled Jerusalem before the Babylonians conquered, stole back the golden plates that contained the record of their genealogy from some rich dude, survived in the desert for a bit before building a boat that sailed to the Americas. Most importantly, there are two main sons who were at odds here. Laman- The oldest who was also wicked and cruel, and Nephi- The youngest who was kind, righteous, and blessed by god to the point of becoming a prophet himself. He took charge leading the family through the wilderness. Nephi’s descendants would go on to become the holy Nephites, who had light skin and believed in the eventual coming of Jesus. Laman’s descendants would go on to become the wicked Lamanites, who had dark skin and which the church still claims today are among the ancestors of modern Native Americans despite definitive proof of the contrary. The roles they play as wicked and righteous switch up from time to time, but those walking in line with Jesus usually have light skin, and the wicked usually have dark. Eventually these civilizations go through numerous wars and rebirths and returns to faith, living all the way through the birth and resurrection of Jesus. These are the “other sheep which are not of this fold” that jesus refers to in the Gospels of the KJV of the bible. These two tribes eventually war so hard that the Nephites are wiped out, but all this time the descendants of Nephi have been keeping record of this history on golden plates, which the last Nephite named Moroni buries in a hill in what is now Palmyra, New York. Included with the golden plates there is also a briefer history of a much older civilization that came to the americas around the time of the Tower of Babel. Eventually found and translated by Joseph Smith over much of the 1820’s

The Book of Abraham and the Book of Moses: These are basically additions to the first 5 books of the Bible which are the foundation of most abrahamic religions. It includes more detail from the Burning Bush story, a story of a city that went from the most wicked to so holy that it was lifted up from the earth and sent directly to heaven called the City of Enoch, and The War in Heaven*. The source? 2 papyri that Joseph Smith bought off an antiquities dealer at the beginning of the Egypt craze. Joseph Smith claimed that the book of mormon which he translated was written in Reformed Egyptian, which meant that he could also translate these bad boys. The papyri were eventually found to be common funeral rites, not lost books of the bible. Joseph smith also slightly altered them to make them look more like the abraham story.

*The War in Heaven: So God has all his children, but the two most important ones are Lucifer, the eldest, and Jesus, the chosen. They both propose plans for how mortal life should go. Jesus is pro-choice, Lucifer is anti-choice. Basically Jesus thinks humans should get the chance to mess up, repent, and be forgiven, and he says that someone (him) should go down to earth conscious, never sin, but die for the sins of humanity so they have a chance to return to God. Lucifer proposes that humans should have no choice but to do right. God chooses Jesus’s plan, Lucifer throws a hissy fit, and a war breaks out. Lucifer convinces a 3rd of all souls to join his side, and eventually they are called The Sons of Perdition all banished to outer darkness. Apostates are people who chose Jesus’s side in the premortal life, but throughout their lives abandon the cause and side with Satan instead.

** The Temple Rituals and Handshakes: All the things you need to do to live with God.

Baptism and Confirmation: If you are born in the church, or if your parents join the church before you turn 8, you can get baptized when you turn 8. This is known as the Age of Accountability (basically up until now you were fully covered by grace.) After you turn 8 you are deemed mature enough to be accountable for your actions and anything you do that is sinful you need to go through a repentance process. All 8 year olds and other people hoping to join the church need to go through a Worthiness Interview with their bishop. 8 year olds almost never fail this interview, but they like you to think that you could. Once you get the go ahead, you set a date, and get full dunked in an all white outfit by a male who is at least 16 and properly ordained****** who is also dressed in all white. Everyone who gets baptized must also get confirmed by a man who is at least 18 and properly ordained to give you the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which will guide you through your life choices, and who can come and go depending on how wicked you are being. This is official membership in the church. This ritual can be done in a standard church house or really any body of water. It can also be done in the temple, but only for baptisms for the dead (we’ll get to that in a second)

Initiatory and Endowment: This is a ritual that must take place in the temple, whether for a living or dead person. This is where you learn all the secret mormon stuff, like what really happened in the garden of eden, and all but one of the sacred handshakes you need to learn to get into the celestial kingdom. This is where the weird clothes and the death pacts come in. Only 18 year olds and above can be endowed after going through 2 worthiness interviews, one with your bishop, the other with your stake president (a higher authority than bishop who you still see on occasion). You must do this endowment before serving a mission, and before you can get married. The things you learn in the endowment are considered so sacred that they should not be discussed outside of the temple. You get a new name assigned to you which will be the name you go by in heaven. Many only share this name with their spouses. You also make oaths that if you reveal what happens in the temple that you consent to be killed or kill yourself in a number of ways. In recent years this has become slightly less violent but the spirit of the gestures that were previously used to indicate this violence is very much there, just much more mild now. Finally you are ready to learn the handshakes (which are directly derived from Masonic handshakes and other physical symbology) to pass through the veil to the celestial kingdom.

Sealing: Part of the marriage ceremony, this is where husband and wife are sealed together for time and all eternity. You also learn the final handshake to get into super ultra mega heaven in the sealing ceremony. Couples who have been sealed in the temple will also have any subsequent children also automatically sealed to them. If the couple joined the church after having children, they must have their kids also join in the sealing ceremony, same with any kids the couple adopts. This is the only time children below the age of 18 can enter the holiest part of an active temple.

***Ordinances for the Dead: Starting at the age of 12 you can get a temple recommend (preceded by a yearly worthiness interview) to perform any ordinances you have had for yourself for the dead. These dead can be either: Family members who have been dead for at least a year and that you have written consent from the closest living relative to perform, family members who have been dead for more than 100 years (no consent required), or people you don’t know who also have been dead for 100 years (no consent required). These time policies are fairly new, following several baptism controversies including people getting baptized for victims of the Holocaust (for which they were issued a formal reprimand by the Jewish community and I believe several Holocaust Remembrance groups), Adolph Hitler (3 times), George Washington, and other historical figures. The ordinances must be performed in the order in which living people receive them, so often baptisms and confirmations are performed by minors, and then the names are passed on to a different area of the temple or back to the kid so they can pass them on to be performed by adults who have had all of their ordinances done. I used to perform proxy baptisms at least once a week for several years as a teenager. I woke up before the crack of dawn to go and do them before school.

**** Prophets, ***** The Priesthood, and ******Ordination: Male mormons are bestowed special spiritual gifts called keys beginning at age 12. There are 2 main types of priesthood gifts. Aaronic Priesthood gifts which are given starting at age 12, and Melchizedek priesthood gifts which are given starting at age 18. These are basically level ups to the power you were given at your baptism that allow you to commune with god at a deeper level and perform more rituals, such as blessing the sacrament (communion bread and wine (except mormons do water)), perform baptisms, give blessings for healing and good fortune, etc. There are some higher up things that you need a special calling to obtain within the melchizedek priesthood, the most common being patriarchal keys, which only one person in a given area can wield at one time. these are basically low level fortune telling abilities that you use to give special blessings to people called Patriarchal Blessings. Waaay higher up you start getting the keys of Prophecy, Seership, and Revelation. These are only accessible to the top 15 most holy men in mormonism. They basically allow you to see into the past and the future and directly commune with god. they also give you the authority to speak for the church and for god himself. Unlocking these levels is done through a ritual called ordination, and you can only unlock keys for people in levels below you. Mormons have an extreme hierarchy.

Anyway I’m done typing now. Feel free to add your deep cuts. I probably will later.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Signatories to the Pact

1 In view of all this, we are entering into a firm pact, which we are putting into writing. On the sealed document appear the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

2 On the sealed document: the governor Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah.

3 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 4 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 5 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 6 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 7 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 8 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 9 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these are the priests.

10 The Levites: Jeshua, son of Azaniah; Binnui, of the descendants of Henadad; Kadmiel; 11 and their kinsmen Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 12 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 13 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 14 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.

15 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 16 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 17 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 18 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 19 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 20 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 21 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 22 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 23 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 24 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 25 Hallhohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 26 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 27 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 28 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

Provisions of the Pact

29 The rest of the people, priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all others who have separated themselves from the local inhabitants in favor of the law of God, with their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who are of the age of discretion, 30 join their influential kindred, and with the sanction of a curse take this oath to follow the law of God given through Moses, the servant of God, and to observe carefully all the commandments of the Lord, our Lord, his ordinances and his statutes.

31 We will not marry our daughters to the local inhabitants, and we will not accept their daughters for our sons.

32 When the local inhabitants bring in merchandise or any kind of grain for sale on the sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or on any other holy day. In the seventh year we will forgo the produce, and forgive every kind of debt.

33 We impose these commandments on ourselves: to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God, 34 for the showbread, the daily grain offering, the daily burnt offering, for the sabbaths, new moons, and festivals, for the holy offerings and sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, for every service of the house of our God. 35 We, priests, Levites, and people, have determined by lot concerning the procurement of wood: it is to be brought to the house of our God by each of our ancestral houses at stated times each year, to be burnt on the altar of the Lord, our God, as the law prescribes. 36 We have agreed to bring each year to the house of the Lord the first fruits of our fields and of our fruit trees, of every kind; 37 also, as is prescribed in the law, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God, the firstborn of our children and our animals, including the firstborn of our flocks and herds. 38 The first batch of our dough, and our offerings of the fruit of every tree, of wine and oil, we will bring to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God. The tithe of our fields we will bring to the Levites; they, the Levites, shall take the tithe in all the cities of our service. 39 An Aaronite priest shall be with the Levites when they take the tithe, and the Levites shall bring the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the treasury. 40 For to these chambers the Israelites and Levites bring the offerings of grain, wine, and oil; there also are housed the vessels of the sanctuary, and the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God. — Nehemiah 10 | New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cross References: Exodus 13:2; Exodus 23:10-11; Exodus 23:19; Exodus 34:16; Numbers 5:21; Numbrs 18:26; 1 Samuel 14:3; 2 Samuel 9:12; 1 Chronicles 4:19; 1 Chronicles 6:40; Ezra 2:6; Ezra 2:36; Ezra 6:1; Ezra 8:6; Nehemiah 1:1; Nehemiah 3:4; Nehemiah 7:2; Nehemiah 9:2; Nehemiah 13:3; Nehemiah 13:10-11; Matthew 17:24; Acts 1:26; Romans 11:16; Colossians 2:16

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

October 29, 2024

BRONZE TURD MONUMENT NEW LIBERTY BELL — NOT EXACTLY

We'd say you wouldn't believe this Wilson, but these days almost anything goes. A giant pile of bronze poop graced the nation's capital this past week, an ode to the Jan. 6 rioters, er uh, patriots. The mysterious monument parked Oct. 24 between the Capitol Building and the National Mall recognizes the day that will live in infamy. The inscription upon its base reads: “This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election.” The big bronze monument exists in our two worlds: the one where Jan. 6 was an insurrection aimed at nullifying the election of Joe Biden; and the one where thousands of patriots gathered for a day of fun and love and patriotism. More than 1,200 of them have been charged with felonies in connection with the events of that day — 460 are serving prison sentences. It's as though we've collided with a parallel universe or maybe it's the Twilight Zone. Here at Smart Bomb the staff calls it Trump World. The big bronze pile of poop sits on a desk with the nameplate of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in remembrance of those who claimed to have defecated on it — a true American statement, if ever there was one. This, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that since Ronald Reagan the GOP has stoked fear and loathing of the government of the United States. Call it coincidence.

OPEN WIDE SLC — HERE COMES NEXT BIG SPORTS DISTRICT

If you liked Ryan Smith's pie-in-the sky sports district real estate development plans for downtown, you're just gonna love the fast-tracked Major League Baseball stadium plans for 93 acres on the Westside. Salt Lake City has developed zoning ordinances and planning procedures over decades with an eye toward well-planned communities, but those things are no longer necessary with big projects like these because... well just because. This is the new laissez-faire planning paradigm where money talks and everyone else can shut the hell up. The Larry H. Miller Co. has a grand plan to lure a Major League Baseball team to the City of Salt that includes big developments on either side of North Temple at 1500 West — a Big League stadium as well as commercial and residential developments and maybe some entertainment venues, too. But like Smith's Jazz/Hockey entertainment district surrounding the Delta Center, Miller's MLB thing is shrouded in vagueness and big promises not to worry. Assisting tremendously in both cases is the Utah Legislature that likes to help Salt Lake City do what lawmakers and their big-money pals want. In this case that's a sealed deal between the city and Miller Co. by Dec. 31 — of this year. After all, when have state lawmakers screwed things up. The last time they helped like this was when they put a deadline on Salt Lake City for three new homeless centers. That worked out just fine — well, not exactly.

AS McDONALD'S GOES, SO GOES THE NATION... E COLI?

Like it or not, McDonald's is a symbol of America, here and across the globe. Now the Golden Arches have been dragged into the presidential election. Kamala Harris put up her working-class bonafides by recalling working there as a teen. Donald Trump called her a stinkin' liar (imagine fibbing about working at a burger joint.) and then shoveled french fries last week for a photo-op at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania. Take that Kamala! Ironically, the vast burger chain has been struck by an outbreak of E-coli, which might not have anything to do with Trump, but who knows. Russians love McDonald's, so do the French. The Golden Arches are big in Buenos Aires, too. What can you say? Here at Smart Bomb our anthropologists can't figure it. Wilson and the guys in the band won't go near the place unless they've got the stoned-out munchies and there's no Burger King in sight. Still, Americans from coast-to-coast line up all day long for Egg McMuffins, McNuggets, Big Macs and french fries. But hold on to your ketchup packet, french fry sales are sharply down at McDonald's and its main supplier has shuttered one of its frozen spud plants. What's up? Nationally, fast food sales are down 3 percent. From April to June McDonald's global sales were off 1 percent. But take heart, McDonald's brass says its french fries have a bright future. Whether that's true for politics in the United States of America is a different question altogether.

Post script — That's a wrap for another historic week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of McDonald's so you don't have to. On a more serious note, a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows Donald Trump ahead of Kamala Harris in Utah by 30 points. Trump voters in the Beehive State apparently don't care their guy was found guilty of 34 felonies in a New York hush money case involving a porn star. They apparently don't care that he's still facing felony charges in Washington, D.C. for his attempted coup after losing the 2020 election. They don't care that he has been indicted for conspiring to change the election outcome in Georgia through a criminal enterprise. They don't care that he illegally removed troves of classified documents to his Florida resort where guests and employees had access to them. They don't care that a jury found that he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room. They don't care that Trump has promised to use the National Guard and U.S. military to retaliate against political foes. They don't care that Trump has threatened to strip broadcast licenses of networks who criticize him. They don't care that he has threatened on Truth Social to prosecute and imprison “lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters, and corrupt election officials” who he deems to be unfair to him. But what choice do good Utah voters have, really, because they just can't vote for a Democrat — that's a bridge too far.

Things are getting crazy Wilson. Folks don't know if they're coming or going. And you thought the Tet Offensive was bad. Is the Good Ship United States about to sail off the edge of the world or does the election just feel that way. As you know Wilson, some people have had bad acid trips better than this — and they were shorter, too. Anyway, maybe you and the guys in the band can take us out with something apropos:

I woke up this mornin' with the sundown shinin' in I found my mind in a brown paper bag within I tripped on a cloud and fell-a eight miles high I tore my mind on a jagged sky I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in I pushed my soul in a deep dark hole and then I followed it in I watched myself crawlin' out as I was a-crawlin' in I got up so tight I couldn't unwind I saw so much I broke my mind I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in Someone painted "April Fool" in big black letters on a "Dead End" sign I had my foot on the gas as I left the road and blew out my mind Eight miles outta Memphis and I got no spare Eight miles straight up downtown somewhere I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

(Just Dropped In — Kenny Rogers)

[dfroza]

A poetic look:

For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 2nd chapter of the letter of Ephesians:

As for you, don’t you remember how you used to just exist? Corpses, dead in life, buried by transgressions, wandering the course of this perverse world. You were the offspring of the prince of the power of air—oh, how he owned you, just as he still controls those living in disobedience. I’m not talking about the outsiders alone; we were all guilty of falling headlong for the persuasive passions of this world; we all have had our fill of indulging the flesh and mind, obeying impulses to follow perverse thoughts motivated by dark powers. As a result, our natural inclinations led us to be children of wrath, just like the rest of humankind.

But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, united us with the Anointed One and infused our lifeless souls with life—even though we were buried under mountains of sin—and saved us by His grace. He raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly realms with our beloved Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King. He did this for a reason: so that for all eternity we will stand as a living testimony to the incredible riches of His grace and kindness that He freely gives to us by uniting us with Jesus the Anointed. For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.

So never forget how you used to be. Those of you born as outsiders to Israel were outcasts, branded “the uncircumcised” by those who bore the sign of the covenant in their flesh, a sign made with human hands. You had absolutely no connection to the Anointed; you were strangers, separated from God’s people. You were aliens to the covenant they had with God; you were hopelessly stranded without God in a fractured world. But now, because of Jesus the Anointed and His sacrifice, all of that has changed. God gathered you who were so far away and brought you near to Him by the royal blood of the Anointed, our Liberating King.

He is the embodiment of our peace, sent once and for all to take down the great barrier of hatred and hostility that has divided us so that we can be one. He offered His body on the sacrificial altar to bring an end to the law’s ordinances and dictations that separated Jews from the outside nations. His desire was to create in His body one new humanity from the two opposing groups, thus creating peace. Effectively the cross becomes God’s means to kill off the hostility once and for all so that He is able to reconcile them both to God in this one new body.

The Great Preacher of peace and love came for you, and His voice found those of you who were near and those who were far away. By Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit. And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household. You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone. The building is joined together stone by stone—all of us chosen and sealed in Him, rising up to become a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit.

The Letter of Ephesians, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice Translation:

The relationship between faith and works is often misunderstood. Some think that salvation is God’s reward for good deeds. If that’s true, then it can’t possibly be a gift. If it were a reward, then heaven would be a place where people might compare notes on what they did to make it through the gates. But Paul is confident in the truth of the gospel. The truth is that salvation is God’s gift through Jesus. Grace and faith make salvation real in us. When we are transformed by grace, then we become His new creation and begin to live out the good works He has planned for us. Works, then, aren’t the cause of salvation; they are its result. To put it another way, works aren’t the means of salvation; they are its presence.

Today’s paired reading from the First Testament is the 24th chapter of the book of Leviticus:

The Eternal One spoke to Moses.

Eternal One: Direct the Israelites to bring you clear oil from pressed olives in order to keep the lamps in the sanctuary outside the veil covering the covenant chest continually burning. Aaron is to make sure the lamps continue to burn in My presence from dusk till dawn. This directive stands for all time throughout your generations. On a regular basis, Aaron and the priests are to tend to the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before Me.

I want you to take the finest flour and bake 12 loaves of bread. Each loaf is to be made of four quarts of flour. Then arrange the 12 loaves into two rows on the pure gold table in My presence. Put six loaves in each row. Place pure frankincense along each row to serve as a memorial portion for the bread, as a fire-offering to Me. Every Sabbath Aaron is to make sure these rows of bread are in order before Me. These loaves, baked and presented by the people of Israel, symbolize the perpetual covenant. They are reserved for Aaron and his sons, but they must be eaten only in a sacred space. These loaves are most holy gifts to Aaron out of all the fire-offerings presented to Me; they are his due for all time.

One day there was a man who had an Israelite mother and Egyptian father who got into a fight with an Israelite inside the camp. The first man uttered a curse and disparaged the name of the Eternal One. The people brought him to Moses to decide what must be done. (His mother was Shelomith, Dibri’s daughter. Dibri was from the Dan tribe.) They kept him in custody until the Eternal One’s decision became clear to them.

The Eternal One told Moses what to do.

Eternal One: Take the man who cursed and disparaged Me outside the camp and have everyone who was a witness to what he said place their hands on his head. Then have the entire community stone him. Tell the Israelites, “Anyone who curses His God or disparages His name must bear his sin and suffer the punishment. Any person who blasphemes My name must be put to death. Then you must have the entire community join in stoning him. Any person—whether native-born or an outsider—who disparages My name must be put to death.”

Anyone who kills another person must be put to death. Anyone who kills an animal is to compensate his owner for it, life for life. Anyone who injures his neighbor must have done to him what he did to the other. If he breaks a man’s bone, his own bone must be broken. If he puts out a man’s eye, his own eye must be put out. If he knocks out a man’s tooth, his own tooth must be knocked out. Whatever a person does to harm another must be done to him in return. Any person who takes the life of an animal is to compensate his owner for it, but any person who takes the life of another human being must be put to death. This law applies to everyone equally, both native-born Israelites and outsiders. I am the Eternal One, your God.

Moses told the Israelites what God had decided, so they took the man who had uttered the curse outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did exactly as the Eternal One had instructed Moses.

The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 24 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice Translation:

The “law of retaliation,” as it is called, is designed to curb cruelty. It limits the kind and extent of retaliation a person can suffer when he deliberately injures another.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, june 24 of 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New Covenant) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons:

“And now abide faith, hope, love: these three” (1 Cor. 13:13). The opposite of faith is fear; of hope, despair; and of love, indifference. Fear is the “default mode” of the soul that dwells in darkness. This is because the “fallen” soul regards the empirical world and its flux as ultimately real -- and therefore “sees in order to believe.” The life of faith, on the other hand, looks beyond the realm of transient appearance to behold an abiding glory -- and therefore “believes in order to see.” How we choose to see is ultimately a spiritual decision for which we are each responsible....

In the geo-political world there are more seemingly good reasons to be afraid today than in any time since the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Every day the media indoctrinates people about the threats of various plagues (e.g., H5N1, H1N1, SARS, Covid), of economic disasters, of terrorist plots, and so on. In short, living within a “culture of fear” (with its ongoing propaganda campaigns from both the right and left wing perspectives) is to traffic in images and sound bites, inducing a sense of dread and anxiety (as someone once said, “FEAR” is "False Education Appearing Real"). Just as a lie-detector can physiologically sense when people are telling lies, so our souls can sense when we are believing them... There is no neutral ground here, no “transcendent” place of the soul where we can rise above the realm of truth claims: We will either be set free by the truth or else we will live in fear. As Yeshua said, the “Truth shall set you free” (האמת תשחרר אותך).

Of course it isn’t easy to be courageous, and the temptation to yield to fear often seems compelling. The test of our faith is of more value to the LORD than our material or emotional comfort, however, and therefore we will all experience tribulation of various kinds. This is the way we obtain heart (i.e., courage). Awhile ago I wrote a Hebrew meditation (“Fear Thou Not”) that reminded us that the most frequently occurring commandment in Scripture is simply al tirah (אַל־תִּירָא), “don’t be afraid.” If living without fear were easy, it would be of little spiritual worth, but since it requires all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, it is therefore considered precious. It requires, in short, an infinite (and divinely given) passion. And it is part of God’s plan for us to be “in but not of” the world system, to be alienated, to be misunderstood, to be persecuted... We are called to “take up the cross” and to die daily. Following Yeshua means denying ourselves along the way.

Ultimately fear distills down to the fear of death, or rather, of “the one who has the power of death, namely the devil” (Heb. 2:14-15). If we come to peace with our own finitude, our own mortality, and our eventual blessed estate in the Messiah, death has no more power over us. Perhaps this is part of the reason why Christian faith is so hated in communist countries or in other places of absolutist secular ideologies (including “deconstructed” America). If you are free from the greatest threat that man can menace over you, if you are free of the fear of man, then you are free to be a voice crying in the wilderness, a bold witness of the of truth....

Fear is the antithesis of faith, though living without fear is certainly not easy. After all, how do we naturally choose to be unafraid of what we in fact fear? Is this power within our conscious control? Only by a miracle are we set free from fear... Indeed, true faith working within the heart is one of the greatest miracles of God. May it please God to impart to each us real courage that comes from Heaven itself. Amen.

Shabbat shalom and thank you for remembering me in your prayers... I really need them! - John

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

1 John 4:18 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/1john4-18a-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/1john4-18a-lesson.pdf

6.22.24 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

[weedhorse69]

Initiatory

Washing and anointing (also called the initiatory) is a ritual purification ordinance, similar to chrismation, that is part of the temple endowment ceremony practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Mormon fundamentalists.

In the deeply sacred ritual, a person, generally over the age of 18, is sprinkled with water, then anointed with perfume or oil as a cleansing before God.[1][2] Once washed and anointed, the participant is dressed in the temple garment, a symbolic white undergarment.[3] The ordinance performed by the authority of the Melchizedek priesthood, and by an officiator of the same sex as the participant,[4] is "mostly symbolic in nature, but promis[es] definite, immediate blessings as well as future blessings," contingent upon continued righteous living.[3] These ordinances of washing and anointing are referred to often in the temple as "initiatory ordinances" since they precede the endowment and sealing ordinances.[5]

Like other temple ordinances, washings and anointings are also conducted on behalf of deceased individuals as a type of "vicarious ordinance".[6]

The LDS Church states the origins of these rituals can be traced back to the biblical period, where anointings were used to sanctify individuals and objects, while washings were used for ritual purification.[2][5] The LDS Church introduced washings and anointings in the Kirtland Temple in 1836, before revising the rituals in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1842.[1] The modern LDS Church only performs these rites in temples set apart and dedicated for sacred purposes according to a January 19, 1841 revelation that Joseph Smith stated was from Jesus Christ.[7]

[bills-bible-basics]

RECONCILIATION, REDEMPTION AND RESTITUTION -- KJV (King James Version) Bible Verse List KJV Bible verse list compiled by #BillKochman for #BillsBibleBasics. Topic: "Reconciliation, Redemption and Restitution". Visit https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/ to see all my lists. In the Scriptures, the word "reconciliation" -- from the Hebrew word "kaphar" and the Greek words "hilaskomai" and "katallage" -- refers to the exchange of things -- such as coins -- of equal value. It also refers to covering over something, and pacifying, or bringing two parties back into favor with each other, who were formerly at variance with each other. It means to placate, appease, propitiate or expiate. Derived from the Hebrew word "g@ullah", and the Greek word "apolutrosis", the word "redemption" refers to being released, delivered or liberated from something through the payment of a ransom. The word "restitution" is derived from the Hebrew word "shalam" and the Greek word "apokatastasis". It refers to the restoration of a peaceful relationship between two parties through the payment of a debt. This is what Jesus did for us. He made an exchange of equal value with the Father; that is, His life on the Cross for our lives. By offering up His life as a ransom for our sins, we can be restored to favor with the Father, we can re-enter a peaceful relationship with Him, and we can be liberated and delivered from the penalty of sin, which is death. Jesus paid the full purchase price for us. In the Old Testament, reconciliation, redemption and restitution were foreshadowed by animal blood sacrifices: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." Daniel 9:24, KJV "And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering. And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it." Leviticus 8:14, 15, KJV "And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel." 2 Chronicles 29:23-24, KJV "Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer: And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord GOD. All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel. And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel." Ezekiel 45:14-17, KJV In the New Testament, reconciliation, redemption and restitution were made possible by the final Blood Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that

instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Luke 2:36-38, KJV "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Acts 3:19-21, KJV "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, KJV "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, KJV "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Romans 3:21-26, KJV "Therefore being justified by faith, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST . . . For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Romans 5:1, 10, KJV "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:22-23, KJV "For if the casting away of them [the unbelieving Jews] be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" Romans 11:15, KJV "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in THE DISPENSATION OF THE FULNESS OF TIMES he might GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:3-14, KJV

"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30, KJV "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins . . . For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, HAVING MADE PEACE THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" Colossians 1:14, 19-22, KJV "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:14-17, KJV "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Hebrews 9:11-15, KJV If you would like more info regarding the origin of these KJV Bible verse lists, go to https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/. Thank-you! https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/reconciliation-redemption-and-restitution-kjv-king-james-version-bible-verse-list/?feed_id=107530&_unique_id=65699c91795c5&RECONCILIATION%2C%20REDEMPTION%20AND%20RESTITUTION%20--%20KJV%20%28King%20James%20Version%29%20Bible%20Verse%20List

[73ironath]

THE WORK OF SALVATION AND EXALTATION PART 4

Uniting Families For Eternities

As the saints were persecuted.. was instructed to move west, one thing that was desperate in their spirits to accomplish was to seal themselves to their spouses, parents and children in the temple before they leave.

With these most important ordinances to them, late president Brigham Young and others did a lot of overtime to accomplish their desires until they left for the place of rest.

They understood the gospel plans. This is the reason they cared less of what happens to their bodies as their families members died on their and were buried in shallow graves.. eternity was their goals.

In our time, why is it that some of us have not been endowed; those endowed are mindless of sealing to their parents, children to themselves and performing ordinances to their dead ones to fulfill the "uniting Families For Eternities?

When we are truly focus, our eyes will be searching the nooks and crannies of the principles, doctrines and ordinances we have not accomplish and see that we accomplish them.

PRESSURES of life are getting TOUGHER. Be that as it may, these priorities we must set in our budget and inviting FATHER to create roads to fulfill them and other necessities of life.

At this point in time, I shall turn to all those who wish to be united with their families again to prayerfully visit with The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints to receive more details.

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A post shared by Dennis Umukoro (@dennis.dsaint)

[mormonmonastery]

I’m gonna be real with you President Eyring...the temple is absolutely tangential to my experience with the gospel, my heavenly parents, and the savior. It’s too busy for me and I feel too hurried along to stop and really feel the spirit in there. None of my most profound spiritual experiences have happened in a temple. I love the concept of them and of intentionally setting aside sacred space much more than the reality of what it’s actually like to attend one. and I especially don’t like how temples have been used to let a particular idea of works-based worthiness become as important as it is within our church, which opens the door to judging others and judging ourselves in a way that I’ve never found to be spiritually enlightening. I wish the temple was something that could be important to me, but I don’t see that happening for a lot of different reasons.

[dfroza]

what do you feel like when you walk through fresh Winter snow?

how about when you see mountains and Trees?

we can sense peace in nature even though nature itself is currently fraught with natural danger.

And we are the seekers of peace, and the preservers of truth in a world gone mad.

but also see that by standing such ground there will be those who disagree, who don’t see eye-to-eye.

someday, the whole world will know truth as the waters cover the sea

when the rule of man reaches its end and our heavenly King returns

and we’ll be working then as peacekeepers during A Sabbath day’s “rest” of a thousand years, making communities of people that honor and respect each other

“Finally, brothers and sisters, keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace; and God, the Author of love and peace, will remain with you.”

The Letter of 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 13:11 (The Voice)

“He is the embodiment of our peace, sent once and for all to take down the great barrier of hatred and hostility that has divided us so that we can be one. He offered His body on the sacrificial altar to bring an end to the law’s ordinances and dictations that separated Jews from the outside nations. His desire was to create in His body one new humanity from the two opposing groups, thus creating peace. Effectively the cross becomes God’s means to kill off the hostility once and for all so that He is able to reconcile them both to God in this one new body.

The Great Preacher of peace and love came for you, and His voice found those of you who were near and those who were far away. By Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit. And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household. You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone. The building is joined together stone by stone—all of us chosen and sealed in Him, rising up to become a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit.”

The Letter of Ephesians, Chapter 2:14-22 (The Voice)

“And remind them of this: respect the rulers and the courts. Obey them. Be ready to do what is good and honorable. Don’t tear down another person with your words. Instead, keep the peace, and be considerate. Be truly humble toward everyone…”

The Letter of Titus, Chapter 3:1-2 (The Voice)

we are to respect and obey, in so much as the rulers and courts are honorable. we aren’t meant to disobey God and His truth by following man-made laws that oppose God. we have to do what is right, what is good. standing against the evil of the world. facing it with Love.

“The seed that flowers into righteousness will always be planted in peace by those who embrace peace.”

The Letter of James, Chapter 3:18 (The Voice)

“Walk away from the evil things in the world—just leave them behind, and do what is right, and always seek peace and pursue it.”

The Letter of 1st Peter, Chapter 3:11 (The Voice)

“Kindness, peace, love—may they never stop blooming in you and from you.”

The Letter of Jude, Verse 2 (The Voice)