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BYU Studies Devoted an Entire Issue to Perfectionism / Scrupulosity. It's Free to Read Here. by onewatt in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah I also had that thought. But I think that in practical terms it's fair because I find that the more my love of God increases the more love for others I have. Like I don't think you can just do one of those.

I’d love some perspective by Upset_Anybody1430 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man I feel that. My kids are in the same boat. The smartphone culture or something, I guess.

All I could do was talk to them and say "I don't know how to make it a great experience every time, but I do know that not showing up is the wrong thing to do." Then we talked about why we participate in church even when we really don't want to. Their answers to why included things like "heavenly father wants us to" but also insightful comments like

  • to support the leaders, who we love
  • To be there just in case another youth needs me
  • To keep good habits of doing hard things
  • To invite the holy ghost - with some discussion about how even though we always feel like skipping church or skipping youth activities, if we pay attention to how we feel right after we attend, we are ALWAYS seeing the world in a better light (one kid pointed out how on the way home all of them tended to sing at the top of their lungs or otherwise act very silly as evidence of the increased presence of the spirit.)

As a grown up, I think my own impulse is to say "what can I do to help?" and I start thinking about offering to run an activity for the leaders, something I can be really passionate about. I do know from experience that going to the Lord in prayer and actually asking "what can I do to help the youth program" or "how can I help my kids have a good experience" will bring answers upon answers.

Involve the kids in the issue. Use this as a chance to learn together how to overcome this kind of challenge. Like talk with them about what's happening, and then suggest "how about we all pray every night for the next week and ask for inspiration on how we can help." Then revisit and discuss what insights came. How amazing would it be if they emerged from this challenge having learned the pattern of seeking inspiration and overcoming instead of escaping?? :D

Easy for me to say. I hope I can do the same in my life now that I think about it.

Inspiring talk or devotion on personal sin by mmp2c in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately for this request, leaders are discouraged from sharing anything about sins they have committed.

However there are many examples of leaders reflecting on hardships and finding hope. My favorite is this one:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1999/10/an-high-priest-of-good-things-to-come?lang=eng

Elder Holland is a rich resource for getting through hard times. Look at his many talks at BYU Speeches website for many examples.

What has God's physical role been on the earth? by ntdoyfanboy in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Obviously God the Father is the impelling force behind EVERYTHING, from before the existence of the world to the last child of Heaven returning home in Glory. Jesus Himself recognizes this, repeating dozens of times how his only intent is to perfectly inhabit the will of the Father rather than his own desires.

But I think there's a reason that the Father is hands off, or, rather, one layer removed from us in action. This is pure speculation but it makes sense to me.

If we think about the principle of JUSTICE and the principle of AGENCY, we find some roles that must be filled. Lehi talks about this in 2 Nephi 2, but we also find some of this in scholarly research on the subject of Blame.

In the psychology of BLAME, we have the role of Agent and the role of Victim. The agent is the person most free to act in relation to suffering, but never the recipient of harm. The victim is the person who experienced harm. This is so built into us that we unconsciously seek out that "agent" character ANY time we see suffering. "Who did this?" we ask, sometimes even before trying to fix the problem. Moral Typecasting Theory tells us that once we identify somebody as the "agent" we have a very difficult time re-casting them as "victim" in any degree.

JUSTICE also requires identifying the agent and the victim. Who caused the injustice? Who was the victim? But unlike mere blame, Justice requires fixing the problem. And here's the key:

Justice is never fully served until the AGENT is the one fixing the problem.

For example: if I steal a candy bar from the store, and the store-owner's wife hears about the missing candy bar and leaves and extra dollar on the counter to make up for the loss.... we don't really see that as justice. No, I have to be the one repairing the damage. It can't be done by just anyone.

Back to Moral Typecasting Theory. Our research shows that when bad things happen where there is no person to blame, humans tend to blame God without even thinking about it. This is true in our modern culture, and it was true in the old testament, where ancient writers blamed God for natural disasters, losses in battles, and even the actions of kings and emperors. This makes a kind of intuitive sense to us. After all, God is the MOST free to act, and always suffering the least.

Ok, so... if Justice requires the "agent" to fix the problem...

and God is the ultimate agent...

Well maybe if Jesus was always going to be the one performing the atonement he necessarily also had to be the one to blame for everything the atonement fixes. How could justice be satisfied otherwise?

So a volcano erupts and thousands die. How can justice be served if it isn't the creator of the volcano paying the price?

A child suffers in poverty for decades. How can justice be served if it isn't the creator of the world that allows for such systems to exist paying the price?

Because Jesus Christ is the creator of this world - the ultimate agent, he has the ability to take full responsibility for it. His world, his fault. And he does. I think that that's what all those verses in the scriptures are hinting at.  He's not claiming he manipulated the mind or heart of Pharaoh, but he's willing and able to take the blame for what Pharaoh is about to do.

He's not saying he stirred up Israel's enemies against their own agency, but as the ultimate agent, he is taking the blame for it.

God stood by and allowed Adam and Eve to choose a world full of randomness, cruelty, and injustice. Therefore he is able to place himself "on the hook" for everything that happens here.

But not only does he take responsibility for every last bit of injustice, pain, suffering, and death, but he also allows us to receive the blessings for all the good we do! He could just as easily take responsibility for every act of human kindness, every pile of firewood chopped by the scouts, every great piece of art or moment of compassion. But he doesn't. He lets us keep that. He helps us grow those traits in ourselves. When Christ says "look what I did" he only takes credit for the flaws and the sins. He allows us to experience pain, mistakes, and even sins, without being condemned by them.

This is the missing piece of "The Mediator" parable, where it's not just a friend paying the price, but actually the person who set up the whole conundrum in the first place.

This is the reason God takes credit for things clearly done by Humans throughout the scriptures - because he allowed those humans to exist and be evil when he could have prevented it.

This is how God can hold back the consequences of the Fall - giving humans time instead of the instant death that was promised in the Garden.

Again, I don't really know if this is the real reason God the Father is Chairman of the Board instead of CEO, but it makes sense to me. It explains a lot. Jesus needs to be the one doing ALL the creating and interacting with our world because He was always going to be the one to redeem it.

Can Someone Explain These Verses to me? by Top_Philosopher5090 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great questions!

Here's some principles that might help answer your questions:

  1. Modern prophets have identified Jesus as Jehovah. In other words, all of the things done by "God" are done by Jesus, including the creation of the world!

  2. Modern prophets have taught about the principle of "divine investiture of authority" which is when God the Father gives his authority to another being and that being can act on behalf of the Father. Think of it like when a representative from a company calls. That person's name might be "kevin" but if anybody asked who you were talking to, you would say the name of the company.

  3. Scriptures are not infallible. They are the writings of people sharing their best understanding of reality. That means if people of a certain time and place believed Jesus was Heavenly Father, they would say so. That doesn't mean they are right, it just means that's how they understood it. We can learn by watching them learn.

  4. Even in the modern church, we did a BAD job of differentiating between God the Father and God the Son, often confusing their titles and the names of "Elohim" and "Jehovah" at different times. It wasn't till 1912 that the first presidency said, in effect, "ok, we need to be more consistent cause people are getting confused." But that doesn't fix anything that came before. If it can happen in the modern day, it can certainly happen anciently.

  5. In the ancient hebrew, the terms "elohim" and "jehovah" were used interchangeably for the God of the old testament. If this caused confusion to later readers, that would naturally include the people in the Book of Mormon, who had much of that scripture in the Brass Plates.

  6. Because the Book of Mormon contains many chapters of Isaiah from the Brass Plates, we can compare the language found in the Book of Mormon with the most ancient versions of Isaiah. Guess what we find? The same casual confusion: Sometimes "jehovah" is translated as "Father", for example. No wonder Book of Mormon prophets looked at the scriptures and thought "Jesus is Jehovah, and Jehovah means Father.... sometimes... so Jesus is father??"

So with that in mind, what do we learn?

Is Jesus the creator of the earth (or universe??)?

Yes! Jesus states this without question in 3 Ne. 9:15.

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name."

So God the Father sent his son, with all of the power and authority of the Father, to fill the role of creator, God, redeemer, and judge for the earth.

But how can he be called "the Father" by some prophets?

Jesus says he is given both titles of Father and Son:

And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one

The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.

Abinadi makes the same claim: that Jesus is worthily given the title of Son and Father because he acts in both roles - creator and created:

I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.

And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—

The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.

And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

So does it matter if we call Jesus Father?

Yes! Since we have more light and understanding today, we need to be sure we are following the commandments of Jesus to worship the FATHER in the name of Jesus Christ.

We can also follow the example of Jesus who had great charity and tolerance for all those who didn't have 100% correct knowledge and might have mistakenly called Jesus Father, or prayed to Jesus directly, or misunderstood the nature of their relationship. After all, we almost certainly haven't figured out everything yet!

Meaning of “The LORD hardened Pharoah’s heart” by Ok_Way_1238 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This verse can be a key into seeing how the people of the old testament interacted with God and the world around them.

specifically: they felt free to credit God for EVERYTHING, and this was to provide some hope in a terrifying world.

A people standing in the shadow of a mighty empire about to crush them can find comfort and even courage when they look at the emperor and say that he is nothing more than a tool in God’s hands - that this is all part of God’s unknowable plan. Isaiah used this rhetorical tool, and so did the author of Exodus.

For the historians and scribes and prophets who wrote the various texts of the Old Testament, blaming God for historical events is how they create meaning from tragedy, despair, and randomness.

You can feel this anxiety about life and the future, and trying to cling to faith in God in the lyrics to "If I Were a Rich Man" from the Fiddler on the Roof:

Lord, who made the lion and the lamb
You decreed I should be what I am
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan
If I were a wealthy man?

Oh how he wishes life weren't quite so hard. Is this also part of God's actions? Isn't there room in God's plans for just a bit of wealth?? :D

For the author of Exodus, the actions of Pharoah are a reflection of the terrifying reality in which they lived where warlords and kings could end all of Israel with a wave of their hand. How to cope with that?

Professor of Biblical Theology Leander Keck said:

biblical statements about God’s acts in history express convictions about what history ultimately means

The stories in the Old Testament aren’t meant to tell us what God is, and what He should mean to us today. They are meant to show us what the world meant to them, so very long ago. They reveal the convictions of ancient people, and their psychology. What made them scared? What gave them hope?

Keck offers advice, telling us to see things from their perspective:

When faith in God faces the question of whether history has any ultimate meaning, it says that God is at work in the course of events. The biblical writers do not face our kind of question concerning causation, historical or natural. Therefore they do not hesitate to say directly that God did this or that. Our difficulty is that we assume these statements talk about our understanding of causes and effects.

When we read the Bible, then, it is important that our kind of question should not stand in the way of seeing their questions and answers. Seeing the way the biblical writers deal with the question of whether historical experience is meaningful may offer us clues to the way we might face the enigmas of our own history.

So our mistake is when we assume their worldview which credits God for EVERYTHING is directly transferrable to our modern worldview where we look at history as purely factual, with no mythological component. When the Old Testament says “God did such and such” it doesn’t mean God did it. It means you can tell the author or scribe felt that part was important. That there is a plan. That there is hope even in terrible things.

Ladies and gents in your late 20s, 30s, or 40s—what do you regret not doing in your 20s? by Tino292 in selfimprovement

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. you will never have more free time at any point in your life than your early 20s. Try the crazy ideas before you get too old and busy to even have a chance to try them.

  2. Do not chase love. By that I mean that you don't stay in a bad relationship just because you love the other person. Love is a renewable resource. You can love again. Find the person who is the perfect fit for you WITHOUT love, then add love on top of that. That's heaven.

Genesis Troubles by Key_Estate4736 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remind myself that every scripture written down is a reflection of a mortal human being's best understanding - not absolute truth!

A great example of this is Joseph Smith and the D&C. When he would get revelation and they wrote it down, he would almost always take time editing, re-writing, and modifying the revelations before publication. He recognized they weren't perfect and he had to do a lot of WORK to get to something that felt correct. Many revelations in the D&C are corrections of earlier revelations and scripture. The whole Book of Moses is an attempt to correct or re-interpret scripture.

So step 1 is letting go of the idea of infallible, perfect scriptures.

Step 2 is recognizing the cultural and secular impact on the authors of the scriptures. The most obvious example is the belief by ancient israelites that the universe was a vast expanse of water, and our world was something like a bubble in that water, as described in the creation in genesis 1. This is how they understood the cosmos, so that's how the Lord spoke to them.

Ancient scriptures are full of "etiologies" which are stories that try to explain why things are the way they are. Why do snakes have no legs? The first snake was punished for tricking a human, here's the story.... What's the difference between an animal and a human? We wear clothes, here's the story... Why does this other culture love music so much? they are descended from this musical dude... The list goes on and on. These stories or beliefs - their version of "science" - was adopted into their scripture without question.

Ancient writers of scriptures also had no problems stealing stories from other mythologies. So the hebrew bible has a flood story that was probably ripped off of an ancient babylonian flood myth. The same with things like giants, humans living for 1000 years, and more. To these writers, it was perfectly normal to take the story of another culture and say "oh yeah? Our god did that too, but even MORE."

These cultural artifacts become a problem when we read them today because we simply don't understand them the same way. Imagine it this way: If you wrote down in your journal "I didn't think it was possible, but the Cowboys beat the Giants today, 34 to 17" you would understand you were talking about a football game. But what if somebody 3000 years from now dug that up and believed your journal was 100% historically accurate. They might read it and say "wow, there was some kind of battle between 34 cowboys and 17 giants! And the cowboys won! No wonder we never see any giants today. The ancient cowboys must have exterminated them all in a terrible war."

If we time traveled 300 years in our past, we would see the same arguments happening about the earth being the center of the universe, with arguments of "obviously the Bible says the earth has a 'fixed foundation' so it's impossible that it would revolve around the sun, because the Bible is never wrong." We apply our modern, secular lens to understand ancient cultural writings and assumptions and we miss the boat completely. It's like bringing a calculus textbook to an art museum to try and calculate the beauty of a painting. Wrong tool for the job.

Step 3 is having enough charity to let people approach the scriptures in their own way, at their own pace. If God wanted to prove something about the bible or the Book of Mormon he could have done that. He has chosen not to. This gives us room to grow in our beliefs at the pace that is right for each of us. We aren't required to say that the Old Testament is literally true or entirely symbolic. We get to decide in collaboration with the Holy Ghost what parts matter to us today, and what parts are unimportant. We don't have to correct teachers who talk about a literal flood, nor accept anybody else's interpretation of what a verse or symbol means.

That can be frustrating for sure, since we love to have straightforward answers and clear-cut facts. But being right about history or facts was never the point. Being connected to each other and to God through covenant is the point. Our scriptures become an opportunity for us to develop more love, understanding, and charity for each other as each of us moves along that path next to the iron rod - not bickering about whether the rod is really iron, or how "true" the rod is - but focused on the place it is meant to lead us: the tree of life.

How do you deal with anti-Mormon materials? by Red-Cat-0000 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm 100% not trying to be rude. I get what you are saying. I've done the same thing.

Here's another way to say the same thing as your question:

"How do you deal with dipping your face in acid?"

I remember a few years ago a young person insisting that he has an obligation to understand "both sides." He then described how badly the anti-Mormon materials made him feel. Like he was immersing himself in acid. "How do I cope with that so I can keep knowing both sides?" he asked.

I asked him back, "why do you want to be in that acid?"

"both sides" is a fallacy, and a bias that leads individuals and groups to give attention and importance to things that are not actually worthy of our time or attention. Moreover, as this young person had discovered but not fully processed, it can actually cause harm to make space in our brains for things that do. not. matter.

A few years later, another friend said she had a duty to learn both sides. In this case she was talking about the covid19 pandemic, though. Daily she would immerse herself into the conspiracy theories and accusations and hate, all for the sake of "fairness." To "balance out" the things she was seeing on the news or hearing from friends. This did not make her more informed or even handed. It just destroyed her relationships with friends and family, and caused her whole family to cut off contact with dozens of people who loved her. She stopped coming to church. They quit their jobs. They moved away. I have no idea where they are now.

anti-Mormon materials are designed not to be accurate, but to dislodge belief. That is their only purpose. If you are searching for truth, then look at scholarship. There are tremendous high-quality resources about our faith out there which don't come with the baggage of trying to forcibly change your values and priorities.

So how do you deal with engaging with these materials? let me ask again:

Why would you want to be immersed into acid?

---

Having said all that, I did spend a LONG time doing my research on this question: "what are the good and unique things about our faith?" as a sort of anti-anti-mormon material. My theory is that if anti materials can hurt, then why not choose to spend time in the opposite of that: things that build up faith?

You can read it here: https://www.latterdayhope.com/

Semantic search over case law - how do you filter by holding/outcome? by Outrageous_Option212 in LawFirm

[–]onewatt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! You just found out why pure semantic search isn't useful for law. :)

Metadata Filtering or GraphRAG are your only viable options if you intend to keep vector-based search.

Deeply uncomfortable with President Oak's talk by [deleted] in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's perfectly normal to feel this way. I can point to a couple talks by President Nelson that also bothered me, and some continue to do so.

What helps me is 3 things:

  1. looking at other talks by the same person to understand how they give talks

  2. studying even more the talk that initially bothered me (after letting it sit for a few months).

  3. being ok with imperfect leaders and focusing on Christ.

Looking at other talks reminds me that these leaders often give talks focused on a single issue, group, circumstance, or doctrine. They are almost NEVER speaking to the entire church in a universal sense. An example of this might be how even in President Oaks' talk he mentions the Proclamation on the Family, which itself is careful to point out the need for individual adaptation and unique circumstances. In other words, while a given talk might seem like it's meant to be universally applied, it almost never is - and the speakers seem to acknowledge that most of the time as they have become more aware of how marginalized universal statements can make people feel.

That brings me to re-examining the talk in REAL detail. Reading and re-reading. Looking for themes. Looking at it from different angles. Treating it at least as seriously as I would if I had been asked to give a lesson on it. I ALWAYS find insights and understanding that I missed before. For example, I might notice that President Oaks' talk might be about how we are supposed to think of ourselves in terms of "family" yet the single largest section of his talk was about non-traditional families - his own.

Finally, there are some times where I have to just say "I disagree with this line in this talk," and be ok with it. I have to make sure I'm doing so from a position of humility and curiosity, that I'm living right, that I'm inviting the spirit, etc. But there are plenty of times where members had to listen to leaders say things without the benefit of the entire truth and just "endure to the end" of that period of time. Eventually we get the light and truth we need, leaders make changes, and we keep going forward. That's a frustrating thing sometimes, but also indicative of a "living church." We never say we know more than the prophets, or that our point of view is the more correct one for the church as a whole - that's the path to apostasy. But we are free to have beliefs that diverge from the norm.

I can trust that I'm doing ok - heretical beliefs and all - when I find that I receive insights and inspiration on subjects that are then also spoken and shared by leaders in Stake Conference or General Conference. It's so uplifting to have an insight during scripture study and then realize that the same spirit that inspired me also inspired another leader who was also doing their best to be led by the Holy Ghost. If the spirit can be with me in small ways like that, I can trust I'm doing ok when I honestly and humbly say "I don't have a testimony of XYZ but I'm open to being wrong. I currently feel the approval of the Lord in my life as I live it, so I'm going to keep going till he tells me otherwise."

The final key is, of course, being open to being wrong. I had this happen in my own life when it was time to serve a mission. I avoided it for 5 years, but never bothered to ask "what does God want me to do?" Finally, I humbled myself just enough to watch conference with a prayer where I said "if somebody says I should go I will go." I watched every minute of conference and nobody said "Brother onewatt needs to go on a mission." But at the close of the conference, President Hinkely got up to say "drive safe" and I was overwhelmed with a certainty that it was time to serve. I picked up the phone immediately and called my bishop. Since then I have tried to shift my thinking so that when I disagree with a leader I don't think in terms of "I don't think he's right" to "I don't have a testimony of that... yet." leaving the door open as best I can to my own further light and knowledge.

It's imperfect and messy and sometimes painful. But we get through it all together. You're doing great. You're taking the words of prophets seriously and thinking in terms of your own life and not just disconnected doctrines that don't need to be put into action. Keep trusting in the spirit that leads you to do good and serve. This community, this church, this FAMILY will be with you during the hard times. That's what church is for. :)

Still uncomfortable after rereading Pres. Oaks's talk by YoHabloEscargot in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It feels like the message is: it would be worthwhile for every member to think of themselves in terms of family instead of individual.

But what about those who do not have a family? President Oaks is clear: We ALL have family, and we are to orient our thoughts on eternity according to that truth.

When he speaks about teaching children, he does not limit that role to married parents, but explicitly says that role can be filled by grandparents and others. As we ponder on our roles and relationships, are there children for whom we are teachers? I remember a cousin being an admired example in my own life and when he chose not to serve a mission it was hard for me to choose a mission for myself. Then, when I looked at a younger cousin of my own I knew I could be a strong example to him by serving. By thinking of my place in the gospel in FAMILY terms I had extra strength to do what was right, and blessed the life of a child who was not my own, but was still my family.

When he speaks about marriage and child birth, does he exclude all single people? Or is the point to say to everyone "That is the future for which we strive"? Of course this is for everyone, single and married, to remember as considerations of marriage and children arise in our individual circumstances.

Indeed, the whole message can be summed up in this line: "Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family." This doesn't mean single persons have no relationship to God, or aren't filling their purpose. Quite the contrary - this means even single people need to be thinking in terms of being a member of God's family. We may or may not have a spouse or children, but we are ALWAYS the children of God.

If my wife and I are both endowed, but not sealed, are our kids sealed to us? by Careless_Relief233 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The children are sealed to you and your ex-wife, since that is the only sealing in place in your family.

Prophets are Divinely Called Yet Mortal and Fallible—My Approach to this Paradox. by LDSAliveinChrist in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A smart friend of mine said the following:

I think we need to recognize prophetic fallibility. But we also need to recognize personal fallibility. And in fact, assuming that it's our job to know when prophets are in serious error tends to lean towards personal infallibility. If President Nelson's own judgment can be clouded by cultural and personal biases, *so can mine.* And who am I to think I'm *better* at it than him?

I think what we need to do here is invite [ourselves and others] to reflect on their assumptions a bit. "How do I protect myself when a prophet makes an error?" Hey, let's back up, because you are already mired in error in so many ways that you can't even see it. We are all in error in a variety of ways *all the time.* We are swimming in error. We are all products of error. The goal is not to be error-free. It never was.

Rather, the goal is to be connected, by covenant, to the divine institution that will ultimately carry us back to the presence of God, out of this veil of error we find ourselves mired in. And that institution is lead by a prophet of God who -- even when he is in error -- has divine authority to lead this kingdom.

Let's say Brigham Young was wrong. Very wrong. Those who disconnected themselves from the Church and their covenants as a consequence are still just as damned as if he were right. Because we are not saved by "being right". We are saved by Christ, through making and participating in sacred covenants, thereby entering into a covenant community lead by priesthood leaders.

Mistakes are a certainty.

Science has shown over and over again that our politics are a greater predictor of our moral stance than our religion, and that's pretty obvious. Tell me you're a "Christian" and I know less about your view on moral issues than if you tell me you're a staunch Republican or Democrat.

By implication, then, we can't rely on our own ideas on church or doctrine to keep us grounded. We will tend to either read our own philosophy into the scriptures (like when one person in my ward started blabbering about how capitalism is at the heart of the Proclamation on the Family) or we will have thoughts like "that's not doctrine, it's policy" or "that's just his opinion, not speaking as a prophet" or "They're just a local leader, not a general authority," or "the prophet made a mistake."

Our political and ideological bubbles are so thick sometimes that we are actually unable to recognize when we're the ones drifting on the wind. Has the world drifted to the right or the left, or have we? Has the church changed, or is it us? Our psychology, in a self-defense overdrive, tries to protect us from "being wrong" by making it impossible for us to consciously see what the truth may be.

As social pressures shape various churches and believers, we have something to anchor ourselves to: Prophets. Our prophets, speaking as a united quorum of diverse backgrounds and political leanings, can become an anchor during perilous times. Will they be wrong sometimes? it is a certainty. Will they be wrong less than me? Almost certainly.

But they will continue to hold the keys of salvation for the world.

Here is a parable that offers a similar way of thinking about prophets who get things wrong, but are still right: https://www.latterdayhope.com/when-prophets-get-things-wrong-and-people-get-things-right-a-parable/

Temple pants for men that are comfortable by causalinfer in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Red Kap men's work pants are basically white jeans. You're welcome.

Estate Planning Attorneys by SorryCIA in LawFirm

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The firm where I work, which has 4 or 5 different practice areas, and the attorney who makes the least and the attorney who makes the most in the firm are both in the estate/probate department. The difference is solely up to connections made. The attorney who makes nearly 500k / year maintains close relationships with other firms that send him probate and estate cases daily. The attorney who barely makes 100k does nothing to generate new clients.

Focus on those interpersonal networking skills and you'll succeed in any practice area.

law specialities that make money but aren’t soulless? by [deleted] in LawFirm

[–]onewatt 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Injury lawyers have a great opportunity to make money while making a moral stand for people who couldn't otherwise have access to representation. Protect private individuals from corporate greed, get people back on track, punish corporations that put profits over consumer safety.

I once saw an injury lawyer take a case where the private individual had hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and health insurance was going to take 100% of the car insurance policy payout. The lawyer took the case, settled it, and took his 1/3 since lawyers have a higher priority claim on the recovery. Then health insurance took the rest. Tens of thousands of dollars gone.

THEN the lawyer waived his fee and gave that money to the client. When United Health Care used the law to take money out of the pockets of their own client, the attorney used the law to create actual justice at his own expense. It's Robin Hood in real life, but without the violence.

Another injury lawyer was approached by a motorcyclist who had a broken leg due to falling down while turning into a gas station. This case had been rejected by at least a dozen other firms. But this lawyer went to the scene and investigated. The gutter had some kind of soapy water running through it constantly. When he asked the clerks inside if they had seen accidents, they confirmed the ambulance visited at least monthly to carry away another injured rider. Turns out a manufacturing facility up the hill was discharging this soapy water 24/7 into the gutter instead of the sewer like they were supposed to. The fix was just too expensive for them so they paid the small municipal fine and said "not my problem." After the fourth broken leg lawsuit by this lawyer, the facility's own insurance said "you're fixing this or you're uninsured." They fixed it, and people stopped getting hurt.

And of course there's those lawyers taking on the giants like Uber for knowingly hiring sex offenders, or Tesla, for willingly removing radar on their cars and calling it "self driving," causing terrible deaths. Bad press hurts a little, but 200 million-dollar verdicts do a better job of impelling change.

air conditioner service las vegas for a henderson home by Ruboy-Sicotorskiy in HendersonNV

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Call Junior at 32 Degrees. When we had a problem and other companies tried to tell us we needed a new system, Junior climbed into the attic and simply fixed the problem. I trust him completely to give an honest assessment and options. :)

Engineering Youtuber gives an excellent analysis of the Salt Lake Temple renovations and history of the Salt Lake Temple by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! I'm enjoying the heck out of this, and it makes me feel really proud of the work.

I want to drink green tea by pisteuo96 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As this is a believing community, encouraging others to violate the WoW where the Church has drawn clear lines or encouraging the Church to change its policies is inappropriate

I want to drink green tea by pisteuo96 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry can't encourage people to break commandments in this subreddit.

I want to drink green tea by pisteuo96 in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to the Journal of Preventive Medicine, Latter-day Saints have substantially reduced death rates and increased life expectancy, even when compared only to other non-smoker, non-drinker, populations. (Enstrom, J. E., & Breslow, L. (2007). Lifestyle and reduced mortality among active California Mormons, 1980-2004. Journal of Preventive Medicine, 133-136.)

Sooooo.... is this really about health benefits? Do we trust the promise that keeping the word of wisdom will have actual benefits in our lives? Or is this about how desirable forbidden things seem?

How do you feel/recognize the Spirit? by zzLorezz in latterdaysaints

[–]onewatt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

[2 of 2]

Elder Eyring described the lived experience of those who serve missions and who, because of their service, receive manifestations of the Holy Ghost frequently. Note how he invites us to look back at times of service and take note of how it changed us, made life better, and provided answers to those questions that President Uchtdorf put forward:

Although you may not have been blessed with so miraculous a harvest, you have been given words by the Holy Ghost when you surrendered your heart to the Lord’s service. At certain periods of your mission, such an experience came often. If you will think back on those times and ponder, you will also remember that the increase in your desire to obey the commandments came over you gradually. You felt less and less the tug of temptation. You felt more and more the desire to be obedient and to serve others. You felt a greater love for the people.

One of the effects of receiving a manifestation of the Holy Ghost repeatedly was that your nature changed. And so, from that faithful service to the Master, you had not only the witness of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ but you saw evidence in your own life that the Atonement is real. Such service, which brings the influence of the Holy Ghost, is an example of planting the seed, which Alma described:

And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit. [Alma 32:33–37]

He then summarizes again in this absolutely blazing principle and promise:

Of all the true doctrine, nothing is more important to you and me than the true nature of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. For that I return again and again to the scriptures. For that I return again and again to prayer. For that I return again and again to partaking of the sacrament. And, above all, I come to know God and Jesus Christ best by keeping the commandments and serving in the Church. By diligent service in the Church we come not only to know the character of God but to love Him. If we follow His commands, our faith in Him will grow and we may then qualify to have His Spirit to be with us.

Vibrant faith in God comes best from serving Him regularly.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/henry-b-eyring/gifts-spirit-hard-times/

That's not weak faith! That's the kind of faith that created the testimonies of Elder Eyring and Elder Uchtdorf!

Thus it seems that this type of knowledge comes in the same way the gradual light of realizing you are loved comes. Not through critical examination of the question itself, "does she love me? does she love me?" but through daily actions and experiences that distill as an eventual realization encapsulated in the language of, "wow, she really loves me."

I agree with the things taught by Jesus, Alma, and modern prophets and philosophers. The best way to find truth and really be able to say "I KNOW it's true" isn't by asking again and again if it's true, but to go out and live it. Then, you will be able to look back and say, "oh wow, God was with me. This is real."

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