bluebell

Yes. I get a government that can't help in that kind of situation (or has chosen to not to by putting it's resources in other places) but I just can't imagine how no other person tried to help.

What happened to the man? Did he make it to a hospital?

I think that all we really know is that we probably can't guess what they would think. They were a combination of their personal experiences, opinions, beliefs, and the impact of the Spirit. Having hundreds of years of more experience and working more closely with the Spirit would of course have an effect on their thinking. But what that effect would be, I don't think we could accurately say either way.

I meant funny as in interesting.

It's funny how both sides think it's the other side doing this.

It's too PR for me as well.

1 Ne. 3:7- And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. This one is the verse of scripture that got me to serve a mission, one of the best and most impactful experiences of my life. I was at a crossroads trying to decide what to do and, being 21, one of the obvious options was to serve. I didn't think it was something I was really capable of though. I was extremely close to my family and was a person who was easily homesick. I had never wanted to serve a mission as it seemed way to hard and way to far out of my comfort zone. As I was contemplating the whole idea of whether or not I was supposed to serve, I said to myself "I can't do it" and immediately the words to this scripture came into my head. I was out on a mission 6 months later. Isaiah 61:3- To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Life is so hard, and there are so many moments of mourning, so many times when life is in ashes. I love the hope of this verse. It has gotten me through more than one dark night. I especially love the redemptive promise in the verse. Even if we ourselves are the ones that have burnt our life down, beauty is still possible. Because of Christ. Ether 12:27- And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. I have so many weaknesses that I hate. That I wish so much would just cease to exist, but they seem ingrained into me, as much a part of me as my liver or my arm. It can be a hopeless feeling, to try to change them. Like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill each day, only to have to do again the following day. This verse brings me comfort. It reminds me that weaknesses are not all bad--they serve a purpose--and that with Christ nothing is impossible. Helaman 5:12- And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Again, hope. And a reminder of where to seek refuge in the storm and what foundations must be built on if they are to survive.

Got it. No need to say anything else. I hope you understand that it takes energy (both actual energy and emotional energy) and time to engage with you in these discussions. If you have no respect or appreciation for that, and are just interested in venting your personal feelings about the church, then just say that from the start.

I agree that the FAQ does not explain the teaching in depth at all and I personally think they should go further than they have. I don't believe what they have put up is deceptive though. We do believe that we are children of God, which is the same thing as saying gods in embryo. But I would prefer that, rather than only quote the bible passage we use to support our beliefs, that they also made a point of explaining how our interpretation of that is different than other Christian religions. Though there were other Christians throughout history who have used these same verses to teach the concept of theosis. One of the famous Catholic Christians to teach such was Athanasius of Alexandria who said "To make human beings gods, he was made man, who was God".

How so?

No it isn't. Our doctrine is supported by the bible verses that have been shared. We interpret those verses differently, but the passage you quoted doesn't dispute that. It doesn't even address it. Other Christian churches don't own the bible. A teaching can still be biblical even if it doesn't agree with protestantism or evangelicalism, for example.

So pretty.

The great salt lake, out by the Spiral Jetty. Last September.

This hurts my heart (and makes me angry). These are people who have jobs, pay taxes, and most of them have no memories of their "home" countries and don't even know anyone there. What does it serve to deport them? Who does it help? I just realized that adoption doesn't guarantee US citizenship. That means that a child who was legally adopted by U.S. citizens as an infant from China, for example, could be deported by ICE if they decided to. It's happened to adult adoptees already. Again, what the crap?! The whole system is broken and instead of trying to fix it, the politicians are too busy arguing and grandstanding to do anything useful or fair. And too many citizens are too busy worrying about which political ideology is winning or losing to do anything but rah-rah or despair for their hometeam. These are the kinds of things that bring upon us the judgments of God.

I agree. And if JS was correct in his teaching, then it is correct of us to use it as an out too. Otherwise, fallible people would hardly ever be fit to speak in the name of the Lord. I also think that sometimes we have a tendency to misinterpret prophecies (or just misunderstand them), and then judge the prophet based on our ideas of the prophecy and not the prophecy itself.