Robert F. Smith Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Last Friday, Bill Reel (DBMormon) presented on this board a laundry list of questions he would like to put to the Brethren, and a raucous discussion ensued (which has since been closed). Meantime, based on actual April 2016 LDS Conference addresses, the Church's lds.org website has presented a series of personal questions with helpful answers. This includes replies and comments. See this at https://www.lds.org/general-conference/answers-to-personal-questions?lang=eng&cid=email-IM_April_04062016_N-E_CTA2 , Quote What did the prophet say? How can I prevent trials from overcoming my faith? Is there any hope left for me? How can I make my prayers more meaningful? Why is there so much persecution today? How can I protect my family from excessive use of technology? How can I stay motivated to live the gospel when I keep falling short? How can I always retain a remission of my sins? What can I do to better fulfill my role as a father? What can I do to help refugees? If I forgive someone, won’t that mean that justice isn’t served? What is the greatest challenge our youth face today? How can we better remember the Savior? The website also invited readers to submit their own questions and answers on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LDS/posts/10153944516751550?lang=eng . Perhaps Bill could try submitting his questions there.. 3
CV75 Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 3 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said: Last Friday, Bill Reel (DBMormon) presented on this board a laundry list of questions he would like to put to the Brethren, and a raucous discussion ensued (which has since been closed). Meantime, based on actual April 2016 LDS Conference addresses, the Church's lds.org website has presented a series of personal questions with helpful answers. This includes replies and comments. See this at https://www.lds.org/general-conference/answers-to-personal-questions?lang=eng&cid=email-IM_April_04062016_N-E_CTA2 , The website also invited readers to submit their own questions and answers on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LDS/posts/10153944516751550?lang=eng . Perhaps Bill could try submitting his questions there.. I noticed this is the third semi-annual installment of such questions, timed with General Conference. I think these are examples of good questions, and the answers have obviously been vetted and approved by General Authorities through a council process. The questions are answered because they are asked in a certain way. I think the kinds of questions asked in the closed thread could be good ones too, if asked in the same way. Joseph Smith set a wonderful example, by asking basically, “What shall I do?” and similarly in other instances, “How / when / where shall I do it?” The best of the good questions seem to have to do learning the Lord’s will for us and how we can draw near to him and serve others. It is not unreasonable to seek answers from our Church leaders about policy, history, sociology, other “news room” items of public interest, and any other secular areas of study that the Church is equipped to handle by virtue of their being congruent with her mission to save souls. But from what I’ve seen, when these types of questions become confused or enmeshed with what one needs to know of the Lord’s will for him, they become tangential to the mission, the answers and solutions the leaders are able to answer, and to what the Spirit is able to confirm. At that point, even an “I don’t know” doesn’t suffice, because they do know the Lord’s half of the equation, and that is the part they share. 1
CV75 Posted April 12, 2016 Posted April 12, 2016 I like to read ahead and found this in Chapter 21 of the President Hunter manual: “As children we accepted as fact the things which were told to us by our parents or our teachers because of the confidence that we had in them. A little boy will jump from a high place without fear if his father tells him that he will catch him. The little fellow has faith that his father will not let him fall. As children grow older, they commence to think for themselves, to question and have doubts about those things which are not subject to tangible proof. I have sympathy for young men and young women when honest doubts enter their minds and they engage in the great conflict of resolving doubts. These doubts can be resolved, if they have an honest desire to know the truth, by exercising moral, spiritual, and mental effort. They will emerge from the conflict into a firmer, stronger, larger faith because of the struggle. They have gone from a simple, trusting faith, through doubt and conflict, into a solid substantial faith which ripens into testimony.” https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-howard-w-hunter/chapter-21-faith-and-testimony?lang=eng 1
Tacenda Posted April 12, 2016 Posted April 12, 2016 Who answers all these questions? I saw a FB friend post a question, and wondered what the answer was because I've had the same question.
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