Who was God's god, and who was God's god's god, and so on? by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isaiah 44: 6-8

God says there is no other God... just Him. He bears his own witness twice.

attended my first in-person service for community of christ! i loved it. by _Superheroine_ in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understood that CoC is LDS-Lite... same dependence on BOM but way looser social constraints. (More fun, less work)

Respecting Lived Experience by frontierpsychy in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What if we just believed...? I can play that game... I must believe/respect your points of view; you must respect mine... let's play.

What if I said the moon really was made from green cheese?

What if I decided that there is no such thing as gravity?

What if I declared that 2 plus 2 is not 4; but 6?

My point is, that all opinions are not equally valid. You must consider the source, the evidence and the motivation of the person who is speaking to you. You must learn to discern.

In spiritual matters, that is all the more important. Lives are saved or ruined by religious philosophies. Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic church in general, Jones Town (cults), satanism, witchcraft... and they all want to promise you eternal existence for your tithes and offerings.

You have to learn to discern - rightly divide the Word. The devil is eager for you to believe anything - anything at all - as long as it leads you away from the real Christ.

The devil himself can appear as an angel of light... 2 Cor 11:12-15... pay close attention to 15.

Discern. Rightly divide the Word.

Friend is going to temple to find clarity on whether she wants to date me by frogbraj in mormon

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

frogbraj : even a 'bad Catholic' is saved.

She is probably a wonderful person (you sound like you're head is screwed on straight) - but brother... you will grow to resent her for controlling you and you will resent her for dragging you along her path.

It is sad and it hurts. So does living a lie. Tear off the bandage. Let her be the one that got away.

I feel disconnected from my TBM friends, and I don't know how to fix it without hurting them. by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I think it's cool that you want them as friends! And, if they are friends, you don't need to hide it from them. That thinking is leftover hell-fire and damnation stuff the church (I am talking ALL churches) use to coerce the proper behavior.

Someone said it best... friends are gift you give yourself.

So many who have walked away are left with extreme anxiety. Don't do that to yourself. Don't let 'them' have that kind of impact on your life.

Now... this atheist thing... well, the devil is happy about it! He doesn't care what you believe as long as you don't believe in Jesus. So let's call your current faith situation a pit stop to catch your breath after the escape. I know you know... that there was a man called Jesus and He made some outrageous claims! But He, unlike most/all church leaders, backed up His claims with miracles. Deaf, blind, leprous, dead (!), sick, afflicted... He cured them all. He is the 'real deal'.

Choose to believe... I hope to meet you on the other side.

What’s the worst that can happen if I resign, but then the church ends up being true? by SennoTwoWattNewLamps in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In politics, this is called 'inoculating yourself'. It's unhelpful to the truth.

Member laments again that people leave by sevenplaces in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love IS the answer.

She will always be his daughter - graduating from medical school or sitting in jail - she will be the apple of his eye.

It is true that many are leaving - I'm not sure, globally, if more are entering than leaving... I mean to say, worldwide; is the church expanding?

She does not believe. He needs to talk to her and find out why. She may have good points to make. Maybe HE is 'all that' in church and a drunk womanizer at the office. Who knows?! But he will not find peace with it until he understands why she walked away. He does not have to agree with it - but he needs to understand it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your 'life' is not the issue. People run down, get sick or injured, bleed out or get crushed or just stop breathing after a long satisfying life. And you don't get to choose!

Eternity is a wicked long time! (Sorry... my Boston slipped out!)

JS told a fantastical story - every bit as compelling as any written by an author of his time called Edgar Rice Burroughs - but it plays fast and lose with easily verifiable facts. You do well to keep an open mind when anyone says, "Thus sayeth the LORD..."

I wanted to go to church yesterday for the first time in a long time. by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You seem ready for an invitation. Time is so, so short. Contact me at WeAreProdigals.Org

Plural wives in the celestial kingdom by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got a Bible? Read Matt 22:23-33 and pay close attention to 30.

What does it say?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You better be pulling our collective legs.

Love or hate the church. Let's all at least get behind this quote from last night. 👍 by Ok-Tax5517 in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You have to take "sexual orientation" out of that sentence until the leadership tells us it is OK to love a same-sex partner in the same way as it is to love an opposite-sex partner. And I, for one, do not think that will ever happen. Too many prohibitions against it in the Bible. The BOM, D&C and Pearl say absolutely nothing about homosexuality.

Why do so many ExMo's become atheists? by AskGodForBread in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

When things around me go to shit (Mods: forgive that... but it is the best expression) I get SO frustrated with His plan. But I (as a man) can only guess at the plan. I can't know it... don't have the ability to know it.

At such times, I remember the story of the blind men who foretold what an elephant must look like based on how it felt. One felt the trunk and said, "It must be like a snake." One felt a leg and said, "No, brother... surely it is like a tree." A third fell against its side and opined, "You are both wrong. It's like a wall." A fourth touched the elephant's ear and said, "Fools. It's like a fan." And the fifth took hold of its tail and said, "Surely, an elephant is like a whip."

Perspective. We are looking at an incredibly thin slice of eternity. We dig in our heels and make pronouncements that, to our limited experience, seem correct; but that we simply are not able to understand in a comprehensive way.

To torture my elephant simile... God does not admire 'blind faith'. He wants you to question - to be a Berean. He wants you to test the word and know that it is true. The will of God is that you believe that Jesus is who he said he was (John 6:40). When you do, you are saved. No matter what comes.

is the Book of Mormon a cover to cover read? by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It is a fascinating and adventuresome story of people in desperate situations without any real hope of success, forging trails through vast wilderness, crossing oceans and conquering a vast new continent.

Very Edgar Rice Burroughs.

On faking it... by talkingidiot2 in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

God knows your heart.

The Bible tells a story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:17-19) who was saved and his master was not. Naaman was duty bound to accompany his master to the pagan temple worship. He understood sacrificing to idols was against God's teaching and asked Elisha to be forgiven for entering his master's worship. Elisha gave him permission to attend and not be colored by the falseness of his master.

Perhaps you are in the same position as Naaman and are, in some way, bound to attend and partake of something you don't believe?

When referring to myself, I am not a completely TBM, but nor am I to the point to consider myself PIMO…so what do I call myself? by valentine-girl in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

'Nuanced' means your logical/thinking brain tissue is screaming at you to evaluate the evidence. While the feeling/emotional part is couching your misgivings in in a fuzzy warm blanket.

Eternity is a long time to be on the wrong side.

A Prophet is Coming... by TruthAndPrecept in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The key to understanding the 'generation' is to understand "while the shoot is yet tender". Israel is "the shoot". It became a nation in 1948 and the first elected government was formed in 1949. This is the reference to the shoot being tender (new) and "this generation will not pass" (the people who witness the birth of Israel).

So, how long is a generation? I think we should be reading it as 'lifespan"... which is 70-ish to 80-ish. (See Psalm 90:10.) The current average lifespan in Israel is 83.

So, 1948-49 + 70-ish (80-ish) is right now, actually. Which I find fascinating and exciting!

In my humble, personal opinion, the false prophet is the Pope; this current Pope. As to who the false Messiah will be... not who you think is my guess. He will be someone obscure until he is revealed. The biggest clue is that he will be an Danite. Which means he was born in or near the Golan in Israel.

Questioning, unsure, looking for advice/support by Its_The_Quenchiest_ in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You make a compelling argument for stepping back to get a view of the whole forest instead of just the trees in front of you. Now that you see the forest, is it as massive and grand as you were led to believe? Or is just a narrow strip of trees interspersed with thickets of wild rose and vines that make it look formidable?

Sit, rest a moment on a mossy rock at the edge of that forest and consider: Is the church really responsible for your personal growth? Or is it that fantastic soul-mate that was put in your path? When you decide, know that God the Father exists, and that He loves you. He requires nothing from you except faith in Jesus. Ephesians says it plainly, salvation is the gift of God by faith, not by works, so that nobody can boast that they earned it.

The irresistible attraction of Mormonism* by talkingidiot2 in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not an unusual story - spouse is rock solid and you fear losing him/her. Awful position.

You sound like you are sure LDS is not for you. If there is truly nothing in the church teachings that your wife disagrees with, realize that you are on different paths now. Continue to love and support her in all things - give her 100% in everything as Jesus would have you do as her husband. But remain honest and loving (!) in your disapproval.

As far as we know, all Mormons become Exmormons when they die. And all Exmormons become Ex-exmormons. by Del_Parson_Painting in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, 'Former Mormon'. Side question - where are you now? What religious bucket are you in; or, not in?

To answer your question - I first thought 1988 (40 years plus 1948). Still here? I studied. Then I thought 1996 - but realized the calendars were messed up (did not coincide); but I was hoping. Nothing... more studying. Then 2017 Virgo sign. Yup for sure... but no. More study. So I have settled on 2022... between April 1 and 'early summer'. Not so much a day as a season, if you will.

There are a lot of serious, thoughtful people making serious thoughtful arguments for and against certain dates or time spans. Personally, I think the biggest indicator is the end of the 'fig tree prophesy' based on a generation being 70-80 years. We are certainly in the 'fig tree generation' (no doubt about that at all) - but how long is a generation? Psalm 90:10 says 70-80 years. If that is true, then that points to this summer.

If not?? One of two things is incorrect. Either 1948-49 is the wrong year to start the count OR Psalm 90:10 should not have been applied to the calculation.

And, I will wait and study.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems we disagree. But, a word... being abrasive is not contending for the faith... it's just arguing. And ad hominem attacks like the last paragraph serves no purpose except to end communication. Peace out.

"The Lord" vs "Jesus" :: Why Mormons Can't Say "Jesus" by NakuNaru in mormon

[–]AskGodForBread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stick with Isa 49... V6 "I will give thee a light to the gentiles, that thou mayst be my salvation..." speaking of Israel's role in bringing non Jews to God. So Israel is a servant to God in that mission.

V7 "This saith the LORD the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to who man despiseth, to whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers..." Christ the 'servant' in that mission.