Misinterpreting A Spiritual Confirmation

[robuchan]

Have any of you had a spiritual experience, prompting, confirmation, whatever you want to call it, that has led you to believe something that you later came to believe was not true? This can occur for apostates with a testimony of the church, but I believe it happens regularly for most of us.

Have you had a prompting you would be called to a position at church that never came to pass? Have you ever given a blessing and made promises and felt spiritual confirmation of those promises, but which never came to fruition? Have you ever sought after something through prayer, begging and pleading with God, and received a spiritual witness that you would receive that gift or that what you were asking for would occur? Have you ever felt spiritually guided to do something or take a path which ended up not working out? Have you ever felt the Holy Ghost tell you that for sure something would happen that didn't?

I have. Several times.

The people close to me that I've talked this subject with have. My opinion is that these sorts of things happen regularly to spiritually minded human beings.

This is the way I make sense of it. That time I prayed and asked for a job and had an overwhelming spiritual experience that I interpreted as a promise that God would help me get that job, only I didn't get that job? Looking back at it, I recontextualized that spiritual experience with a different meaning. Maybe the message was "I love you, keep working hard, and I'll make sure everything works out for you in the end, even if you don't get that job." I don't deny the spiritual experience, but I do have to recontextualize. Because it's obvious my initial interpretation was false.

Likewise, it's easy for me to reinterpret a spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith. I don't call it confirmation bias. I don't deny that it ever happened. I don't think spiritual things are silly. But I do think maybe the real interpretation was more along the lines of "I love you, keep seeking me, I'm pleased with your spiritual journey."

Edited August 22, 2012 by robuchan

[KevinG]

This very issue is why it is so important to be in continual communication with God. I have been guilty of taking a single prompting and running with it without checking in along my way to see if I were still on the path I should be.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is about nurturing a continual relationship with God, not receiving isolated promptings or ideas then depending on the arm of the flesh to complete the calling.

Regarding your illustration. It would be foolish to receive a prompting that the Book of Mormon was scripture then fail to read it, study it and pray for insights.

[robuchan]

Regarding your illustration. It would be foolish to receive a prompting that the Book of Mormon was scripture then fail to read it, study it and pray for insights.

Of course it would. But doing so wouldn't preclude the possibility of later understanding that original spiritual confirmation in a new and more correct light.

[Thunderfire]

One thing I have learned over the years is that whenever I am seeking confirmation for something I asked of God, I ask for an "outside" confirmation and more than one witness.

What this means is that while I already received the "burning in the bosom" as witness, a waking vision as witness, or a spiritual dream as witness, I still ask for an "outside" witness. The reasoning is that the witness "inside" me can still be dictated on what I wanted in the first place. Let me give an example:

For years I had been praying a specific request of God for ministry. In June while in prayer I literally had a "waking vision" where the Lord said it was time for me to begin this work. This waking vision was so real it could not be mistaken. Yet I still asked for an "outside" witness so as to take my self will and desires completely out. The NEXT day I got a email from someone I had never met in person, only knowing them from internet discussions. She told me how she heard the audible voice of the Lord speak to her, giving her a scripture to share with me. She also said that the "message" made no sense to her whatsoever and hoped it made sense to me.

Of course it did! She had no clue as to what I had been praying, yet the message spoke directly to what I had asked God to confirm. Armed with this "outside" confirmation (two or more witnesses) I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that the waking vision was true and that I was to proceed. So I have learned not to seek only ONE confirmation (especially if just a burning in the bosom), when I believe the scriptures speak of more than one witness being available to us. Hope this helps!

[Garden Girl]

Have you ever given a blessing and made promises and felt spiritual confirmation of those promises, but which never came to fruition? Have you ever sought after something through prayer, begging and pleading with God, and received a spiritual witness that you would receive that gift or that what you were asking for would occur? Have you ever felt spiritually guided to do something or take a path which ended up not working out? Have you ever felt the Holy Ghost tell you that for sure something would happen that didn't?

Hello robuchan...

I've told this experience previously here on the board, so I ask for patience from those who have heard it... Many years ago, I had a dear family member that was going through a very difficult time emotionally and mentally because of circumstances in their life. Although I was inactive at the time, I still prayed regularly... and so I prayed deeply and often for this individual. Finally the situation became such that out of desperation I went into my room and fell on my knees and pleaded with the Lord to help this good person... as I prayed, suddenly a feeling of incredible peace flowed through my body and I heard the still, small voice... "All will be well." That was it... All will be well. But the peace I felt and the following sense of joy that filled my heart was unmistakeable...

In the ensuing months I'd ask... How long Father, How long?? But I could not deny the withness I had received and the feeling of peace and assuredness... so I did not lose faith... but I did ask, How long Father... Finally, about two years later, when this person was finally stronger and standing tall, things started happening. He finally was able to move ahead with some confidence... and he received a call that would change his life and career completely. The result was that he was successful and embarked on a wonderful phase of his life and career that was exciting and satisfying. Indeed, all was well.

I think back on that day when I prayed so fervently for the Lord's help, and then through the following months... I realize now that each month he grew stronger and stronger... and I know now that the Lord was healing him and preparing him for the blessings that would come... if my prayer had been answered right away, there would have been failure because the person wasn't strong enough for what the Lord had in store... in the Lord's good time all worked out well.

So... I'd not be too quick to say that something never came to pass... it may still be on the horizon for some reason... or even in the next life. One the Spirit witnesses something will be, if we live for the blessing, it will come to pass... but it will come in the Lord's good time, and when we are ready for the blessing...

GG

[CASteinman]

Have any of you had a spiritual experience, prompting, confirmation, whatever you want to call it, that has led you to believe something that you later came to believe was not true?

This has never happened.

But something else has happened. I have been instructed by personal revelation to do certain things and I have not done them. This has always led to various forms of suffering in my life.

[robuchan]

This has never happened.

But something else has happened. I have been instructed by personal revelation to do certain things and I have not done them. This has always led to various forms of suffering in my life.

I meant to say everyone but CAStein, because I knew you would say no to that question.

[CV75]

Have any of you had a spiritual experience, prompting, confirmation, whatever you want to call it, that has led you to believe something that you later came to believe was not true?

Perhaps the odds of this happening increase with the number of spiritual experiences, promptings, and confirmations someone seeks after and / or obtains. There has to be opposition in all things, and to whom much is given much is required. Perhaps the odds of spiritual-like but not “authentic” experiences, promptings, and confirmations also increase with the number someone seeks after, and the number someone seeks after may be a function of his understanding and appreciation of what they really are and what their value really is.

I have very few spiritual experiences, limited to the basic points of testimony (The Church, the Book or Mormon, the Christ), so I can’t think of any where I have changed my mind about what the intent of the message was. The only way I would do so would be a need to rationalize a stronger decision to set aside my dealings with the Church, the Book of Mormon, or the Christ.

I also have only a very few instances where I prayed over a decision and received a stupor of thought. But they are memorable.

I’ve had many promptings, but they are by far more for others’ benefit than my own, and situational, so once the job is done I move on. I try to write them in my journal as I am likely to forget about them.

I’ve also had many spiritual experiences that contribute to my sanctification, and these occur “here a little, there a little.” In fact, this is quite a continuous and ongoing process and by far the most common.

[pmccombs1]

Have any of you had a spiritual experience, prompting, confirmation, whatever you want to call it, that has led you to believe something that you later came to believe was not true? This can occur for apostates with a testimony of the church, but I believe it happens regularly for most of us.

Hi, robucahn. As I continue my research of religious experiences (I got the idea from William James), I find that nearly all devout people have them, and some skeptical people besides.

Because of my exposure to various religious experiences, and those who experience them (including myself), I have come to interpret these experiences differently than what I have been taught by my own LDS faith. It is clear to me that these experiences can be very diverse and yet very powerful. People can have spiritual witnesses about quite opposite things and come to feel strongly about them. My most recent explorations were among the Catholics, many of whom had apostatized from Mormonism, typically by virtue of the more powerful and satisfying spiritual experiences they claimed to have found in their new faith.

I find that the language of the faithful is very similar, regardless of the content of belief. I accept that the quality of belief and the experiences of the believers are largely equivalent across diverse faiths. All successful religion is very good at producing a coherent worldview that can be entered into and defended in every particular, with adherents often looking for the unique aspects of their own spiritually and intellectually confirmed faith that can be touted as evidence for the one true and universal faith. Alas, there is no single truth common to spiritual witness, unless it is the truth that perhaps there is something mystical about the universe or about reality.

In the end, I believe these subjective experiences can only attest to subjective and not universal truths. Only we can know what we have felt and what it must mean; about the feelings of others, the best we can come up with are stories that label these as either compatible with our own, or somehow counterfeit.

I am most inclined to think, though, that spirituality is entirely attributable to human psychology, with my doubts about this centered on some anecdotes that simply can't be explained by mere psychology. But I feel the factual evidence is clearly stacked in the favor of psychological phenomena as the most likely hypothesis (even for those who see visions and so forth). I'm not a doubter of the sincerity or honesty of spiritual people. I doubt only of the objectivity of their experiences.

The faithful are, of course, free to discard this analysis which is understandably incompatible with most religious teaching. You know what you have felt and experienced, and what it means to you. Feeling and interpreting the spirit is a way of seeing; why should the seeing accept correction from the blind? I hope, though, that we make allowance for those who see differently.

[CASteinman]

I meant to say everyone but CAStein, because I knew you would say no to that question.

Well.. really, it has never happened. And I know of at least one instance where I wish it did.

[Duncan]

I got married and divorced and I don't know what to make of it all, if I was supposed to get married or if I was supposed to get divorced. It is amazing how other people make decisions that affect you life so I don't know what to make of other promises and blessings having gone through a divorce.

[KevinG]

I got married and divorced and I don't know what to make of it all, if I was supposed to get married or if I was supposed to get divorced. It is amazing how other people make decisions that affect you life so I don't know what to make of other promises and blessings having gone through a divorce.

Obeying promptings is not a guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen. It should give us confidence that we have done our best and can stand blameless before God at the judgement day.

[Duncan]

Obeying promptings is not a guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen. It should give us confidence that we have done our best and can stand blameless before God at the judgement day.

what about other people like, Bishops, Stake and Mission Presidents telling you that they received revelation that this needs to happen now in your life, because that happened to me and so I don't know what to believe now about leaders and revelation for you-actually I do, I hear what they say and get my own confirmation but I don't know what to believe about my own circumstances if this is what was supposed to happen or God can't do what he promised me via blessings, Patriarchal and otherwise and so I dunno!

[Glenn101]

I have never received a "false" spiritual experience. The few that I have had were as real to me as the rising sun. They are why I am a "TBM".

All too often I have made up my mind before I pray what the answer should be. When I do so, I never get that unmistakeable feeling that I know the answer to be true. Never.

When I give blessings, I have found that those I was really prepared for, where I was spiritually in tune, I feel a tingling sensation run up and down my spine. When that happens, the substance of that blessing has invariably come to pass. Nothing earth shaking, yet, but nerver-the-less real.

Glenn

[KevinG]

what about other people like, Bishops, Stake and Mission Presidents telling you that they received revelation that this needs to happen now in your life, because that happened to me and so I don't know what to believe now about leaders and revelation for you-actually I do, I hear what they say and get my own confirmation but I don't know what to believe about my own circumstances if this is what was supposed to happen or God can't do what he promised me via blessings, Patriarchal and otherwise and so I dunno!

Despite the advice and counsel of well meaning and human leaders you always have the responsibility to confirm their counsel with the Holy Spirit.

[CASteinman]

I got married and divorced and I don't know what to make of it all, if I was supposed to get married or if I was supposed to get divorced. It is amazing how other people make decisions that affect you life so I don't know what to make of other promises and blessings having gone through a divorce.

Don't let the false beliefs of Calvinism and predestination sweep in out of that despair. This is not that sort of thing. We have all kinds of reasons that bad things happen that are not our fault ... or not mostly.

You are right that in that pit it looks awful how other people can do things to really mess up the promises and blessings. I absolutely understand that feeling.

But be of good cheer! Jesus overcame it all. All things work together for the Good of Them that Believe. In the darkness this is hard to see sometimes but it is true.

[Duncan]

Despite the advice and counsel of well meaning and human leaders you always have the responsibility to confirm their counsel with the Holy Spirit.

now I know that! but when you're 22 and your bishop says "you want to get married right?, you can't be happy unless you're married" among other wonderful pieces of what I say is what God wants for you! ( I am not being argumentative just saying how it was for me back when)!

[CASteinman]

now I know that! but when you're 22 and your bishop says "you want to get married right?, you can't be happy unless you're married" among other wonderful pieces of what I say is what God wants for you! ( I am not being argumentative just saying how it was for me back when)!

You are right. I am sorry this happened to you.

[KevinG]

now I know that! but when you're 22 and your bishop says "you want to get married right?, you can't be happy unless you're married" among other wonderful pieces of what I say is what God wants for you! ( I am not being argumentative just saying how it was for me back when)!

I see what you mean- I think it is up to leaders and parents to be very careful about separating their opinions from their counsel. I am struggling to draw the right lines with my young adult children. I guess we can file that under be careful what you say when you are in the Bishop's chair.

Nevertheless you will be blessed for your willingness to do the right thing even if others made mistakes in counseling you. The blessings aren't always immediate.

[CASteinman]

Nevertheless you will be blessed for your willingness to do the right thing even if others made mistakes in counseling you. The blessings aren't always immediate.

This.

[TAO]

Have any of you had a spiritual experience, prompting, confirmation, whatever you want to call it, that has led you to believe something that you later came to believe was not true? This can occur for apostates with a testimony of the church, but I believe it happens regularly for most of us.

Sure, but not in the way most would think, I would guess. It actually occurred because I assumed something... and it taught me a lesson at the end. It taught me not to assume extra upon what the Lord conveys through his spiritual impressions; not to assume extra things he does not say; not to jump to conclusions. The Lord gives spiritual impressions in very unique ways, but sometimes it doesn't come out quite like we expect.

Have you had a prompting you would be called to a position at church that never came to pass? Have you ever given a blessing and made promises and felt spiritual confirmation of those promises, but which never came to fruition? Have you ever sought after something through prayer, begging and pleading with God, and received a spiritual witness that you would receive that gift or that what you were asking for would occur? Have you ever felt spiritually guided to do something or take a path which ended up not working out? Have you ever felt the Holy Ghost tell you that for sure something would happen that didn't?

Nah, I don't think I have. Usually, I will receive a prompting that things will be okay, or that certain things will come to pass, but that I'm not seeing the full picture, or that I don't have to worry about it. Occasionally, I'll receive a prompting with a specific promise, and those have come to pass. But a lot of the times, my promptings are more to help me with my inside attitude; they tell me things I need to do, and ways I need to act.

This is the way I make sense of it. That time I prayed and asked for a job and had an overwhelming spiritual experience that I interpreted as a promise that God would help me get that job, only I didn't get that job? Looking back at it, I recontextualized that spiritual experience with a different meaning. Maybe the message was "I love you, keep working hard, and I'll make sure everything works out for you in the end, even if you don't get that job." I don't deny the spiritual experience, but I do have to recontextualize. Because it's obvious my initial interpretation was false.

That's a similar thing to what I would do I think. Perhaps you can ask God, and receive further revelation on why it didn't come to pass. While he may not answer, I am sure he will give you comfort of some sort, which, is in a sense nice. But that is all between you and him; you should talk to him to figure out how things happened =).

Likewise, it's easy for me to reinterpret a spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith. I don't call it confirmation bias. I don't deny that it ever happened. I don't think spiritual things are silly. But I do think maybe the real interpretation was more along the lines of "I love you, keep seeking me, I'm pleased with your spiritual journey."

That is completely up to you, that it is =).

[mfbukowski]

I am most inclined to think, though, that spirituality is entirely attributable to human psychology, with my doubts about this centered on some anecdotes that simply can't be explained by mere psychology. But I feel the factual evidence is clearly stacked in the favor of psychological phenomena as the most likely hypothesis (even for those who see visions and so forth). I'm not a doubter of the sincerity or honesty of spiritual people. I doubt only of the objectivity of their experiences.

I don't doubt that it is "attributable to human psychology" or that it happens in a human brain.

That is besides the point.

Can you know anything that doesn't happen "psychologically"?

And of course their experiences are not "objective" any more than your thoughts to write this post were.

So what?

[Storm Rider]

When God speaks should I listen or should I hear and then seek for another to confirm? Where would we be if Paul chose to hear, but then waited for someone to confirm for him the truthfulness of God?

Is truth relative? If so, then there is no such thing as truth. I believe that all truth comes from God. I believe that there are eternal truths that are true for everyone. For example, Jesus is the Christ; this is true whether one admits it or not. It does not diminish the fact that he is the Son of God.

We often learn these eternal truths in very powerful, spiritual experiences. Like Paul, I don't think we should deny them or begin to think it was just indigestion or because I was emotionally fragile at the time. Essentially, each of us needs to learn to recognize the workings of the Holy Spirit from the deceit of our own passions and of all things evil.

God has blessed me with several strong spiritual experiences that I cannot deny. Earlier in my life I also came to recognize that if I was not paying attention I could be deceived by my own desires and I could certainly be tempted. Answers to prayers about employment, moving, finding a parking space, go or not to go; these are areas where I often think that the Lord is just looking for us to talk to him, reflect with him, and it really does not matter what we do.

We all want to walk beside still waters, but before we get to that place where the waters are deep enough to be deep and still we have to pass by a lot of rapids that present some extremely difficult challenges. I believe that one of our most vital lessons to learn in this life is to recognize and listen to the voice of God when he speaks. This has been a constant topic of my prayers for many years. I am still learning to quickly hear that still, small voice.

[pmccombs1]

I don't doubt that it is "attributable to human psychology" or that it happens in a human brain.

That is besides the point.

Let me be clear. By "attributable to human psychology" I mean, of course, that the origins of all such experiences are internal rather than external. That is to say, the promptings of the Holy Ghost most likely originate within the human mind rather than in some real, external entity called the Holy Ghost.

If two individuals can have similar spiritual testimonies of conflicting truths, (e.g. the Catholic who has received a witness by the Holy Spirit that the Catholic Church is the one true Church, and the Mormon who has received a witness by the Holy Spirit that the Mormon Church is the one true Church), this represents an obstacle for an epsitemology based on spiritual feelings. Without being able to observe an external cause, or to measure the subjective feelings of those involved to know if they are quantitatively or qualitatively similar, then it is impossible to know objectively if one's own spiritual experiences are interpreted correctly or are even legitimate.

The point about misinterpreting spiritual experiences can be reasonably viewed as evidence for a psychological origin rather than an external origin of these feelings. Why did I have this feeling of assurance that I would get the job when in fact I did not get it? We can do some mental gymnastics to reclassify and reinterpret the experience, or we could admit that perhaps it is more likely that the feeling was imaginary.

Can you know anything that doesn't happen "psychologically"?

Yes, apparently. "Psychologically" is a term frequently used to mean "having no real or objective basis; arising in the mind." You are perhaps late to this philosophical discussion which hundreds of years ago swung away from the rationalists, who might have agreed with your statement, in favor of the materialists who demand epistemic reliability based on measurable phenomena.

While it is possible for a person to feel an electrical jolt (or even a spiritual one) while in an altered mental state, the person who feels the jolt from an actual live wire can be assured that his jolt was the real one, for it can be independently verified by concrete objects that detect and measure electricity in a predictable and reproducible way. On the other hand, it is impossible to distinguish between true and false "spirits" without resorting to the entirely subjective means of: tradition (it's always been that way), authority (someone else said so), or persuasion (it seems reasonable to me). Therefore spiritual experiences cannot be relied upon to establish any universal "fact."

So what?

Indeed, what?

1) Misinterpreted spiritual experiences as evidence for the subjective origin of such experiences

2) The impossibility of objectively classifying these spiritual experiences as legitimate vs. counterfeit. The Catholic who knows her Church is true by the Holy Ghost has just as much basis as the Mormon who knows his Church is true by the Holy Ghost. Who is misinterpreting and who is not? Who has the true spirit, and who has the false? In other words, "knowing" something does not make it so. Knowing by the spirit is flawed epistemology unless there is some objective way to verify what is "the Spirit."

And perhaps this:

3) The insistence of the spiritually inclined that their spiritually obtained knowledge represents universal truth applicable to all, marching about and reshaping the world in their own image. If it is possible to misinterpret spiritual confirmations, what are the implications for any actions these confirmations influence, especially where outsiders are concerned? What is our responsibility for the interpretation of spiritual experiences, and are we justified in certain actions that may affect others when we walk by faith and not by sight?

[mfbukowski]

Let me be clear. By "attributable to human psychology" I mean, of course, that the origins of all such experiences are internal rather than external. That is to say, the promptings of the Holy Ghost most likely originate within the human mind rather than in some real, external entity called the Holy Ghost.

If two individuals can have similar spiritual testimonies of conflicting truths, (e.g. the Catholic who has received a witness by the Holy Spirit that the Catholic Church is the one true Church, and the Mormon who has received a witness by the Holy Spirit that the Mormon Church is the one true Church), this represents an obstacle for an epsitemology based on spiritual feelings. Without being able to observe an external cause, or to measure the subjective feelings of those involved to know if they are quantitatively or qualitatively similar, then it is impossible to know objectively if one's own spiritual experiences are interpreted correctly or are even legitimate.

The point about misinterpreting spiritual experiences can be reasonably viewed as evidence for a psychological origin rather than an external origin of these feelings. Why did I have this feeling of assurance that I would get the job when in fact I did not get it? We can do some mental gymnastics to reclassify and reinterpret the experience, or we could admit that perhaps it is more likely that the feeling was imaginary.

Yes, apparently. "Psychologically" is a term frequently used to mean "having no real or objective basis; arising in the mind." You are perhaps late to this philosophical discussion which hundreds of years ago swung away from the rationalists, who might have agreed with your statement, in favor of the materialists who demand epistemic reliability based on measurable phenomena.

While it is possible for a person to feel an electrical jolt (or even a spiritual one) while in an altered mental state, the person who feels the jolt from an actual live wire can be assured that his jolt was the real one, for it can be independently verified by concrete objects that detect and measure electricity in a predictable and reproducible way. On the other hand, it is impossible to distinguish between true and false "spirits" without resorting to the entirely subjective means of: tradition (it's always been that way), authority (someone else said so), or persuasion (it seems reasonable to me). Therefore spiritual experiences cannot be relied upon to establish any universal "fact."

Indeed, what?

1) Misinterpreted spiritual experiences as evidence for the subjective origin of such experiences

2) The impossibility of objectively classifying these spiritual experiences as legitimate vs. counterfeit. The Catholic who knows her Church is true by the Holy Ghost has just as much basis as the Mormon who knows his Church is true by the Holy Ghost. Who is misinterpreting and who is not? Who has the true spirit, and who has the false? In other words, "knowing" something does not make it so. Knowing by the spirit is flawed epistemology unless there is some objective way to verify what is "the Spirit."

And perhaps this:

3) The insistence of the spiritually inclined that their spiritually obtained knowledge represents universal truth applicable to all, marching about and reshaping the world in their own image. If it is possible to misinterpret spiritual confirmations, what are the implications for any actions these confirmations influence, especially where outsiders are concerned? What is our responsibility for the interpretation of spiritual experiences, and are we justified in certain actions that may affect others when we walk by faith and not by sight?

No time to talk now but looking forward to it.

No I am not new to this subject- I suggest you read Thomas Nagel's essay if you are not already familiar with it, "What is it like to be a bat?" and then we can discuss it- I am pretty familiar with the philosophy of the mind, but I am always willing to learn if you can teach me

I think that every observation we personally make starts out as "subjective" and as it is verified as being "real" by others, it becomes "objective"- ie we have verification to some degree that what we are seeing is a communal experience. That's it in the 25 words or less category.

I think you are getting quite metaphysical when you start discussing some unknowable type of "origins" of experience- how are we to experience the origins? How can we get outside our experiences to look at them and say "Aha!- there's the origin!"

The problem is like wearing permanent rose-colored glasses- trying to get "outside" them to something that is not rose colored- you can't do it. We can never get outside our experience to discuss the origins of experience- all there is is subjective experience and that which is mutually verifiable- which we call "objective"

I also do not accept the correspondence theory of truth for the same reasons- are you familiar with Rorty?

If you are suggesting that physicalism works, I am going to disagree with you- but honestly, I only read about half your post quickly so I am not sure yet where you are going with this. You might want to click the below link to my website also?

http://organizations...5/nagel_bat.pdf

And if you think the subjective is not "real"- then stop thinking right now. Don't discuss this post- because what you are thinking right now is totally subjective. Are you really thinking it?

Are the sources of your thoughts right now internal or external? How many of each? Are your reactions real? Are they subjective or objective?

If you are misinterpreting my words - is that the same as "misinterpreting" the Holy Ghost?

Is the Holy Ghost supposed to give you objective information about the state of the world, or should it give you a sense of meaning in your life- in other words, is it more about your attitude about the world or is it about the world?

Not so easy, is it?

Edited August 23, 2012 by mfbukowski