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Acquainted With Him In Our Extremities-What?


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Posted

In Oct. 1991 conference Pres. Hinckley related the experience of Francis Webster who came over during the Willie and Martin Handcart company.Bro. Webster go upset at how that trip over was being treated in a class one time and he stood up and rebuked them and said the following which puzzles me "Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.’”

 

In my mind the word acquaint means you have a nominal knowledge of something, i.e you met someone and know who they are but don't know really anything about them. Why would Bro. Webster say that they had an absolute knowledge that God lives in their extremities and it sounds like they had more that an acquaintance with God and really came to know him through that experience- but that doesn't sound like what the word acquaint means. What do you think?

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/10/our-mission-of-saving?lang=eng

Posted

In Oct. 1991 conference Pres. Hinckley related the experience of Francis Webster who came over during the Willie and Martin Handcart company.Bro. Webster go upset at how that trip over was being treated in a class one time and he stood up and rebuked them and said the following which puzzles me "Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.’”

 

In my mind the word acquaint means you have a nominal knowledge of something, i.e you met someone and know who they are but don't know really anything about them. Why would Bro. Webster say that they had an absolute knowledge that God lives in their extremities and it sounds like they had more that an acquaintance with God and really came to know him through that experience- but that doesn't sound like what the word acquaint means. What do you think?

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/10/our-mission-of-saving?lang=eng

1913 Webster's

Ac*quaint"ed, a. Personally known; familiar. See To be acquainted with, under Acquaint, v. t.

1828 Webster's

ACQUA''INTED, pp. Known; familiarly known; informed; having personal knowledge.

Posted

1913 Webster's

Ac*quaint"ed, a. Personally known; familiar. See To be acquainted with, under Acquaint, v. t.

1828 Webster's

ACQUA''INTED, pp. Known; familiarly known; informed; having personal knowledge.

 

so like intimately acquainted with type of situation?

Posted

Yeah probably not the best word choice but I think I know what he meant.

For some reason, the word choice has never bothered me. Maybe it's because I can grasp so well from context what he is saying.

 

I seem to have an innate ability, when reading or hearing something from an earlier time period, to know intuitively when to interpret a word or phrase in its historical context as opposed to imposing on it a modern, literal meaning.

 

For example, in Joseph Smith's day, the word only is sometimes used as a synonym for except, as in Doctrine and Covenants 89:13 and Doctrine and Covenants 121:45.

 

Unless one grasps this intuitively, one might have trouble making proper sense out of those passages.

Posted

so like intimately acquainted with type of situation?

I think they became familiar with the Lord's attributes through the power of the Holy Ghost as they gained a personal witness of them, and also through the sanctification process by the Gift of the Holy Ghost as they remained true and faithful.

Posted (edited)

so like intimately acquainted with type of situation?

Not acquainted with the situation, acquainted with God. With acquainted meaning to know intimately.

 

Here are a couple of online definitions that might help:

 

 
1
:  to cause to know personally <was acquainted with the mayor>
2
:  to make familiar :  cause to know firsthand

 

Here is another:

 

 
 
acquainted
ac·quaint·ed [uh-kweyn-tid] Show IPA
adjective
1.
having personal knowledge as a result of study, experience, etc.; informed (usually followed by with  ): to be acquainted with law.

 

Edited to add:

 

Consider this Wikipedia entry, which distinguishes between "knowledge by acquaintance" and "knowledge by description."

 

I think this is applicable here. One can know about God through being taught doctrines, precepts, scriptures, theology, etc. That is distinguishable, it seems to me, from coming to know Him through personal experience.

 

I think that may be what Francis Webster was meaning.

Edited by Scott Lloyd
Posted

Not acquainted with the situation, acquainted with God. With acquainted meaning to know intimately.

 

Here are a couple of online definitions that might help:

 

 

Here are another couple:

 

 

 

it seems that the word today doesn't mean what it used to mean and is in fact the opposite of those times! hahaha!

Posted

it seems that the word today doesn't mean what it used to mean and is in fact the opposite of those times! hahaha!

No, I think the word today can be used in the same way it was used back then.

 

Like many words, acquaint can have varying senses of meaning depending on the context.

Posted

" we became acquainted with him in our extremities."

 

IE - We came to know God (acquainted with him) in our times of greatest need/sorrow and greatest joy (our extremities).

Posted

"Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.’

 

Well there is also the possibility that this is a bit of an exaggeration. I say this because the first part of the statement is not true. Some of the people from both the Martin and Willy Companies left the church. 

Posted (edited)

"Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.’

 

Well there is also the possibility that this is a bit of an exaggeration. I say this because the first part of the statement is not true. Some of the people from both the Martin and Willy Companies left the church. 

Consider the setting and circumstances in which that statement was reportedly uttered. The man was trying to retain his composure and express himself on a matter of deep importance to him in the midst of a lot of ignorant and prideful finger-pointing and faultfinding. I don't blame him for not taking time to fact check under the circumstances. And I believe he was speaking sincerely.

 

Besides, it may have been that, to the best of his knowledge, and among those with whom he was acquainted (there's that word again), none had apostatized up to that time.

 

Finally, this was a reconstructed quote not from the speaker but from an observer who was there on that occasion.

Edited by Scott Lloyd
Posted

For a rephrase I'd replace the "for we became acquainted with him in our extremities" part with "because we met him and got to know him while we went through all of that".

Still not a perfect way to express the idea but I think it still conveys the idea that he had and was talking about.

Posted

In Oct. 1991 conference Pres. Hinckley related the experience of Francis Webster who came over during the Willie and Martin Handcart company.Bro. Webster go upset at how that trip over was being treated in a class one time and he stood up and rebuked them and said the following which puzzles me "Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.’”

 

In my mind the word acquaint means you have a nominal knowledge of something, i.e you met someone and know who they are but don't know really anything about them. Why would Bro. Webster say that they had an absolute knowledge that God lives in their extremities and it sounds like they had more that an acquaintance with God and really came to know him through that experience- but that doesn't sound like what the word acquaint means. What do you think?

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/10/our-mission-of-saving?lang=eng

 

Acquainted means:  make someone aware of or familiar with.  If you are acquainted in your extremities you would be completely and totally aware.

Posted

it seems that the word today doesn't mean what it used to mean and is in fact the opposite of those times! hahaha!

That's a wicked thought , Duncan, if you get my drift.

Posted

Read your quote, then read my statement. Repeat.

 

 

i still don't get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hee hee!

Posted

In Oct. 1991 conference Pres. Hinckley related the experience of Francis Webster who came over during the Willie and Martin Handcart company.Bro. Webster go upset at how that trip over was being treated in a class one time and he stood up and rebuked them and said the following which puzzles me "Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.’”

 

In my mind the word acquaint means you have a nominal knowledge of something, i.e you met someone and know who they are but don't know really anything about them. Why would Bro. Webster say that they had an absolute knowledge that God lives in their extremities and it sounds like they had more that an acquaintance with God and really came to know him through that experience- but that doesn't sound like what the word acquaint means. What do you think?

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/10/our-mission-of-saving?lang=eng

I know that in my greatest suffering, is when I feel God the most...not right away, but only after I get over myself and go to him in prayer.
Posted

it seems that the word today doesn't mean what it used to mean and is in fact the opposite of those times! hahaha!

" A wicked thought " does not always mean today what it meant 100 years ago. Most youth would think it means a " cool " thought. Just the opposite of what it has meant.

Posted

" A wicked thought " does not always mean today what it meant 100 years ago. Most youth would think it means a " cool " thought. Just the opposite of what it has meant.

 

 

OH!!!!! Now I get it!!! hahahahahahahahaha! Just had two Brits over for supper!!! our resident Geordie and Scouser!!!

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