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Who was valiant?


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4 minutes ago, Meerkat said:

Who will be judged valiant, the prodigal son or the brother who stayed behind?

Neither. They are both old enough to have aged out of primary and are no longer valiant anything; they're the EQ's problem now. ;) 

 

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Both. Why not. 

The righteous brother will pay for his attitude unless he repented.   It’s a sign of emotional maturity to celebrate others’ success. 

Assuming the prodigal already repented, he already paid.  Of course, the story doesn’t reference his repentance process in modern terms. 

 

Edited by MustardSeed
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1 hour ago, Calm said:

Define what you mean by valiant please. 

Webster defines Valiant as “possessing or acting with bravery or boldness: COURAGEOUS.”  I am thinking along the lines of Noble effort, or heroic quest. Best effort, etc.  Any of those definitions gets close enough to the question.

Edited by Meerkat
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So not spirituality valiant in terms of "valiant in their testimony"?  (Which is often interpreted as enduring to the end)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1982/04/valiant-in-the-testimony-of-jesus?lang=eng

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“Those who are just and true”! What an apt expression for one valiant in the testimony of Jesus. They are courageous in defending truth and righteousness. These are members of the Church who magnify their callings in the Church (see D&C 84:33), pay their tithes and offerings, live morally clean lives, sustain their Church leaders by word and action, keep the Sabbath as a holy day, and obey all the commandments of God.

To these the Lord has promised that “all thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (D&C 121:29; italics added.)

Concerning those who will receive the terrestrial, or lesser, kingdom, the Lord said, “These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.” (D&C 76:79; italics added.) Not to be valiant in one’s testimony is a tragedy of eternal consequence. These are members who know this latter-day work is true, but who fail to endure to the end. Some may even hold temple recommends, but do not magnify their callings in the Church. Without valor, they do not take an affirmative stand for the kingdom of God. Some seek the praise, adulation, and honors of men; others attempt to conceal their sins; and a few criticize those who preside over them.

 

Edited by Calm
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37 minutes ago, Calm said:

So not spirituality valiant in terms of "valiant in their testimony"?  (Which is often interpreted as enduring to the end)

Is it possible for a person to impelled to a certain course of action as part of the process gaining or strengthening a valiant testimony, by the definition you gave?  For example Eve saying in Moses 5:11 “And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.”  Or is obedience, such as the prodigal’s brother, more valiant?

Edited by Meerkat
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1 hour ago, Amulek said:

Neither. They are both old enough to have aged out of primary and are no longer valiant anything; they're the EQ's problem now. ;) 

 

Good point! 😳

 

Edited by Meerkat
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1 hour ago, Meerkat said:

Who will be judged valiant, the prodigal son or the brother who stayed behind? 

Valiance does not necessarily require constant devotion.  Post-repentance valiance is a wonderful and beautiful thing to so.  

I have a good friend who strayed for many years.  He returned, though, and did so with much zeal and gusto.  He is now one of the most valiant and devoted members of the Church with whom I am acquainted.

We are all "prodigal" to some extent.  And we are each judged individually, not comparatively.  Yes, we should not stray, but we do.  And when we do, we should repent and keep moving forward.  

I am reminded of this poignant quote from one of my all-time favorite TV shows, M*A*S*H.  The episode involves Father Mulcahy writing a letter to his sister in which he describes not feeling like he is useful, that he is not doing enough.  By the end of the episode, he comes to realize that his efforts to serve and help others have borne fruit.  He concludes his letter, and the episode, with this:

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You know, Sis, it doesn’t matter whether you feel useful or not when you’re moving from one disaster to another. The trick, I guess, is to just keep moving.

Yep.

Thanks,

-Smac

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No idea. The story does not show any great valiance on the part of either. If you are asking if they are exalted as in valiant in their testimony the story ends before they die. The elder son bore the “heat of the day” in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard but that parable is clear that both can still get the full “wages”. As it should be. One of the spiritual giants in my life once taught that to bear that heat is one of life’s great pleasures.

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