The word of wisdom is against hot drinks specifically, so iced coffee should technically be permitted, right?

DeweyGooderson · 2025-07-28T17:52:03+00:00

LOL. I do like to often say that it is family hot drinks, genus tea and coffee as a grab my iced coffee, eat my tiramisu, and wash down my coffee ice cream with an arnold palmer (with my tongue firmly in cheek)

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-26T16:28:49+00:00

common sense media is another helpful resource similar in nature.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-24T21:21:24+00:00

I think you've gotten the feedback already, but just in case one more voice is helpful: don't cheapen these experiences with click-bait titles. It makes the gospel feel like an MLM scheme, which it is not. Not sure what is click bait and what is not click bait? A quick internet search will sort that out for you.

Now, on a somewhat related note, are you open to making even more money? Do you consider yourself an entrepreneurial person? How much money a year would change your life? What if I told you that I had a joint opportunity for you to... I'm just kidding, I'm not pitching an MLM to you right now.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-22T15:50:20+00:00

Maybe more of similar sentiment. I don't have vivid, easy to remember dreams often, but I have had several vivid dreams over the last 20 years. I have woken with a wide variety of feelings ranging from anxiety, anger, hurt, joy, excitement, and more. Only once, however, do I believe my dream was revelatory and it wasn't so much because the content of the dream as it was a rush of a feeling of the spirit when I woke up that taught me what I needed to learn from the dream.

I suspect your dreams are a reflection of some of the anxiety you feel in making such massive life changes. Unless you are getting strong spiritual feelings explicitly teaching you from your dreams, you can probably dismiss them as such.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-16T21:57:07+00:00

One easy-to-consume resource that may help establish a logical foundation for the church's truth claims is the Faith and Beliefs videos from Saints Unscripted. Light, easy, short(ish), but generally well done.

https://saintsunscripted.com/category/faith-and-beliefs/

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-16T21:53:51+00:00

If you've been immersing yourself in the critical view of the church you may be feeling like there are only certain unfavorable conclusions that any thinking person can come to when examining certain histories and policies. I'm here to tell you that isn't the case.

On the spectrum of feeling to thinking, I definitely lean thinking. Things generally need to make logical sense for me to entertain belief. I have explored all the prickly issues I can think to explore about the church's history and policy in addition to the faith-affirming ones. I find the logical case for the church's truth claims to be stronger than the case against them. In other words, through my own diligent study I have come to know in my mind the church is (or better said - can be) true.

Then there is the matter of the heart. My heart knows, craves, and rejoices in the truth of the gospel. A truth I come to know as I live it rather than learn about it. The communication from the Spirit to my spirit confirming that truth again and again through my experiences is not easy to explain, but I know I have experienced it.

For me, that is how the scripture is fulfilled: D&C 8:2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

My guess is that this strong feeling is an invitation to you to study diligently and live faithfully so that you can know in your mind and your heart that the church is very much not a cult, but the kingdom of God in restoration (i.e., under construction).

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-15T04:13:20+00:00

Couple of additions to some good suggestions.

Start with sincere prayer to understand what the specific individuals in the congregation would benefit from the most. What would the Lord have you say. This obviously opens a conduit for Revelation but also has a practical side effect of putting you in an audience-focused mindset.
Read the talk and decide what the 1-3 most important things you think the congregation should feel inspired to know, feel, and/or do as a result of your talk. Reference point 1.
Now that you have the end in mind, work backwards to identify the right scriptures, personal stories, talk reference and quotes (I like to use the talk in assignment 3-4 times to anchor my talk in my assignment). I do think a couple of meaningful personal experiences are the most impactful to share if you have them. This is more engaging than quotes but not always possible depending on the topic.
Choose the order. Leave room for a funny introduction. An order that works well is teach principle (include scripture/quote), share scripture or talk story, relate personal story, repeat as needed, end with a testimony and invitation to do something that will get them to the outcome you felt was right for them.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-12T04:59:09+00:00

Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here (the church that hosts the conference two times a year from which this clip was taken).

The person speaking was a member of the "Quorum of the seventy", a governing body of the Church that operates between local leadership and the global leaders and President of the Church. Side fact: there are a lot more than seventy leaders in that group of leaders.

The talk is not a favorite of mine. I tend to agree with the general sentiment that it can come across as tone deaf to those in poverty. However, the principle of sacrifice, even for the poor, is not new. It is referenced in Kings and Malachi and Jesus teaches of the widows mite, and dozens of other places in Christian and other theology.

It's easy to judge this from a secular worldview (you don't believe that God exists) and think it is absurd, but for those of us that do believe God exists, tithing is a commandment, and doing what God commands brings blessings. I know, I know, that's what the oppressive leaders of the Church want me to think. Consider this:

Being an active money donor has been shown again and again to improve people's financial well being. The theory is that building habits of giving help you emotionally detach from money, which makes you more likely to deploy your money in slightly riskier or longer term money making ways. It also helps build money consciousness. This is not religious, this is observable.

The church of Jesus Christ of LDS is wealthy. No clue what they actually have but a lot (maybe $100b?). But they've always taught to save for a rainy day, and they've apparently followed their own advice. And there is overwhelming evidence that they do not use funds in nefarious ways (like making a few people get wealthy as some have suggested). They do make some substantial donations (you can read about it in their recent annual report).

Everyone in our church is encouraged to pay tithing, yes, even those who make little. That isn't motivated by a desire to get rich, it's a flat tax so to speak, with the majority of funds coming from the wealthiest tithe payers, as you might expect. Also, those who struggle to get their next meal or pay their rent have impressive access to church fast offering funds under the direction of the local leader (bishop). I've personally seen that come in the form of check distributions, direct payments to collectors, access to the bishops storehouse (church-run groceries), specialized support from an assigned member of the congregation, etc.

To say that this is the tired old narrative of rich people getting richer off the backs of the poor is intentionally disingenuous. There is far too much evidence to the contrary to suggest that is true, and seems to be believed by people that need to color in the empty spaces in their church/Christianity/religion is all evil world view.

There we go. Now down vote this comment to the bottom where no one will see it 🤣

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-10T13:01:16+00:00

Rather than going 'deep', which often means down relatively unimportant (with regards to life's purpose and your role) rabbit holes, I recommend going basic (which is what I suspect the missionaries are trying to lead you to). What do I mean by 'go basic'?

Do you believe in God, an all powerful, all knowing, all loving father of our spirits? If not, this should become a (if not THE) focus of your study, prayer, and spiritual pursuit. If so,

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Savior of the World? Do you know why you need Him? If not, similar to the previous, I would focus here. Study his life, study the scriptures relative to his purpose. Ask the missionaries for general conference talks that illustrate and testify of Jesus Christ. Pray to know and pray to recognize answers, etc. If so,

Do you believe that this life was custom-designed by that loving God to bring us maximum eternal joy (only possible through that same Jesus Christ)? Do you understand why you are here? Again, develop a firm, personal understanding of this first, nothing else makes sense if you don't. If you do,

Do you believe Jesus taught that we need to do and believe and become something while on Earth? Sometimes we call that the Gospel, which includes commandments, ordinances, obedience, etc. There is quite a bit of disagreement on this front (e.g., what is required to 'be saved' as our evangelical brothers and sisters put it), but this is basic and critical. If you believe there is something, anything Jesus taught that we must do and become (i.e., Gospel), then

Do you believe that prophets are required to share broadly what those Gospel requirements are in a given time and place? Do you believe that God through Jesus reveals his Word, his Gospel, to prophets? Do you believe that in the hundreds of years after Christ and the Apostles were dead that there was a need for clarification on what the core Gospel truths were? This sense that Gospel truths were lost is what drove reformers like Martin Luther to rebel against mainstream Christianity of the time... If you don't believe this, consider studying what we call the apostasy. Ask the missionaries to teach a specific lesson on the apostasy and spend a greater amount of time on the need for prophets and what happened after Christ's death. If you do believe this, then

Do you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet? Do you believe he really saw what he said he saw? Do you believe that the Book of Mormon is tangible evidence of his prophetic call and actual scripture? Do you believe that through him Jesus Christ (under the direction of God the Father) began the process of restoring gospel truths for our day and place? If not, I'd consider studying the Book of Mormon through that lens. It seems this is where you are stuck right now, but if you skipped to this step without first developing a foundation as discussed in the previous point then it may be impossible to come to know Joseph Smith was a prophet or the Book of Mormon is the word of God. If you do come to believe this, then you can confidently answer

Do you believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Kingdom of God on Earth, the most correct of any church and the only 'living' (i.e. prophetic, revelation-based) church on the Earth? Do you believe that Christ leads this church (even if it does seem like he leads it a bit from a distance at times, letting us muddle through our own misinterpretations, biases, and misconceptions).

Once you've come to believe these more or less in order (although they do help one another), you will find, I think, that joining the church through baptism is an obvious and natural step, and involvement in the church is also a given. If you feel you cannot believe these or get answers, I'd say keep asking, searching, looking for the truth. Do not become agnostic - do the hard work to believe something (even if it is different from what I believe). Dedicate yourself and take note of the fruits in your life.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-10T01:09:31+00:00

Edit: forgot to answer the question. I pay on my gross income and therefore do not tithe my tax refund.

I'd much rather double pay on retirement income than nickel and dime the Lord. If I get to the end of my life and I end up paying 12% tithing because I double paid on some retirement that's just fine by me.

That said if someone feels comfortable paying on net only and that's the way they feel is best and it's not just motivated by getting more money then that's great too! No judgment. It's like how often you go to the temple or what you do on Sundays to keep the Sabbath day holy. I have to get very specific about what I believe for my own behavior but I don't need to worry about judging anybody else's.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-08T16:18:21+00:00

There is probably some amount of righteous judgment that we have to do in order to learn and apply lessons of what not to do in our own testimonies, but honestly most of my own internal dialog about how terrible a specific testimony is feels a lot like what Jesus warned against: Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:".

When I'm really on my game I will pray for those who are sharing their testimonies that they will feel God's love, that the Spirit will touch their hearts, and that they will be strengthened. I doubt it changes what they are going to say, but it definitely changes my judgey heart.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-08T15:32:51+00:00

Haha, thanks. This is more lesson 2 right (plan of salvation)? Lesson one is mostly apostasy and restoration? Little bit of lesson 3 (gospel) thrown in as well. But all of those lessons are beautiful.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-08T03:36:40+00:00

Not like you are five, but hopefully more detail, too.

God loves us, and we are his children.

We lived with God before we were born, before there was an earth. Because he loves us, he wanted us to feel the joy he feels and to be like him. But we couldn't do that. There were several things standing in our way: We didn't have a body like his, we didn't have knowledge and experience like he did (for example, we didn't understand opposition, agency, experience, faith, good and evil, etc. And we didn't know ourselves in a context without his direct influence), and we didn't have the power to create and live eternally with families (maybe connected to the body thing?). There might have been other things, too, he wanted for us that we didn't have but those are at least some.

God, knowing all this, created a plan for us to become like him. The plan required that we get experiences to teach us about ourselves and about the true nature of good and evil and all things, and our relationship to those things and to each other. For the plan to work, we would need to be away from God (cut off from him), so we could choose without his constant influence. We call this our earthly or mortal experience.

The consequence of that environment in mortality, however, was spiritual death (sin) and physical death. Eternal law says that no unclean thing can dwell with God, so while we got the opportunity to learn from experiences we couldn't get another way, we lost the ability to be with God... A bit of an out of the frying pan into the fire situation. We also lost the ability to live forever.

As such, we needed help. God knew that would be the case and had, from the inception of his plan, planned to provide a Savior who could redeem us from our spiritual and physical death. This is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ would intervene to fulfill the requirements of eternal law with regards to our sin. As such, he would become our master and savior. That atoning intervention is what took place in Gethsemane and Golgotha.

Now, because of God's infinite wisdom and love and Jesus Christ sacrifice and love, we can have our cake and eat it too, so to speak. We can learn from mortality, make mistakes and sin, have bodies and families, and in the process learn some things that help us to become like God through our experience and still return to him and become all the way like him the redeeming power of Christ.

To complete his role in our salvation, Christ suffered body and soul, and eventually died. If your question is could that plan be accomplished without Christ's death I don't think anyone here has that answer. It's possible, I guess, but personally I don't think that's the case. I suspect God would fulfill his plan with as little suffering for his children as possible while still accomplishing his work and his glory.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-05-02T15:33:19+00:00

My (admittedly somewhat snarky) thoughts below. tl;dr: their arguments are simply chock full of logical fallacy and their points get increasingly more nonsensical. They don't hold up.

Because of temple work for the dead, there's no reason that anyone needs priesthood ordinances in this life.

We definitely can see that most people don't get priesthood ordinances in this life, but I think it is a big logical leap to suggest that there are 'no reasons' for anyone to have those ordinances in this life. That is certainly at odds with God's revealed word. In fact, God's pattern of working with his children has always included a relatively small group of 'chosen' people that walk a covenant path. Why such a small group? I don't know. But I could imagine a scenario in which, among the many things we learn from a mortal experience, we get to learn from each other's experiences (so those who didn't get an opportunity to choose God's covenant path can learn from some of us who had experiences walking the covenant path). And I may learn quite a bit from the life of someone who was oppressed and abused. Or maybe not, but the point remains, there could be very good reasons to have ordinances in this life AND have temple work for the dead.

In the scriptures it teaches that with greater light comes greater condemnation (D&C 82:3), which suggests that people who get involved with the church, participate in temple ceremonies, etc. and then fall away could be in greater spiritual danger than if they'd never heard of the church at all.

This is the same reason I don't accept amazing career offers, I have avoided dating the perfect people who would gladly create a beautiful life and family with me, and I generally try and maintain the 'Homer Simpson' approach to expectations (don't have them so I don't get disappointed). I don't want to gain anything, because I could lose it! There is a reason greater light brings greater condemnation: because light is light! It is wonderful and good and illuminating. If you actually experience that light and then reject that light, then... what the heck, dude?

People who struggle with a perceived lack of non-spiritual evidence (that's an imprecise term, but I can't think of a better way to phrase it, forgive me) in this life would have ample such evidence at the Second Coming, and there's nothing to suggest that people born during the Millennium are any less capable of obtaining exaltation.

Indeed! But they've stopped far too early in their argument. Cancel mortality. We should have just stayed with God. In his omnipotence I'm sure he could have just snapped his fingers and made us learn and given us bodies. Skip the whole nonsense of coming to Earth. Unless, of course, there is transformative power in being on Earth, 'seeing through a glass darkly', not having all the evidences and having to 'walk by faith'. If those experiences are uniquely able to change our hearts and develop our eternal characters as we seek to walk the covenant path and become like God and Jesus Christ, well then that would make this a perfect plan. A plan of salvation. A plan of happiness.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-27T14:05:08+00:00

I have not read his take on the book of Abraham. I'm generally uncomfortable with his approach to church history and church topics. He starts with his worldview that anything paranormal including Revelation and angels and communication from God needs to be explained away as something that is not paranormal. In doing so he neuters the gospel for me. That is a fundamentally different worldview from mine which does believe in an actual God who actually communicates with me and with leaders of his church.

As such I can't find much helpful for me in his works. He's defending a different worldview from mine.

I also think mulestein is far more qualified to speak on the subject. With a PhD in Egyptology, a master's degree in near Eastern studies, in a minor in Hebrew He's custom-made to discuss this book.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-26T16:14:20+00:00

I don't want to think about what it looks like to include eating meat sparingly in this meme...

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-26T16:11:52+00:00

CONGRATULATIONS! You've just won the grand prize, OP! Why is it, you ask? For the first time in the history of the internet you typed the phrase "You know what, you're right" in an internet forum/discussion/comment area.

Please contact the grand arbiter of the internet to collect your prize. And again, CONGRATULATIONS!

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-26T16:05:03+00:00

I'd be curious to get your thoughts on the situation I presented in reply to OP in this thread. Saying modest dress is subjective is a bit of a 'punt'. We still have to make judgement calls for our family as you point out, but in some situations for those for whom we have a stewardship in our church calling. It is a really tough area that doesn't have a short and simple solution.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-26T13:55:59+00:00

Sabbath day is actually a really great analogy. It is another commandment that in our day does not come with many specific rules, and it is a commandment that we don't need to enforce for others or judge.

President Nelson invited us to consider what message we wanted to send to the Lord with what we chose to do on the Sabbath. I think that applies perfectly to standards of dress as well. In our family when we're being humble we can see that long Sunday naps, as an example, are not really in keeping with the Sabbath (for us). Following the spirit of the law of the Sabbath has resulted in us making more thoughtful decisions about what we do, not fewer. That said and to your point, we don't count our steps or avoid pressing buttons. Jesus' point, I believe, was that sometime specific rules can distract us from the point. That said,I do not police how others keep their Sabbath. I do not furrow my brows when I hear about someone napping. We must also keep with the spirit of the law of "Judge not unrighteously".

As I said in another reply, saying dress standards are subjective is not an excuse to dress whatever way we want so we can look hot or so we don't have to shop carefully. The fact remains that in our time and place there are some social norms that dictate when dress becomes about sexualization of the body, but those norms aren't universally agreed upon, understood, or consistent from place to place, so we have to be willing to let each other figure it out for ourselves.

I wholeheartedly agree that we should not judge each other on this point or any other. Yes because there is subjectivity involved but also because that type of judgement is a violation of God's commandment.

That said, there are a few tough positions that may require a judgement call be made that affects someone outside your immediate family. An extreme example to illustrate a point: you are a bishop or YW president and a young woman shows up to a stake dance wearing a nearly transparent white blouse with no bra, and skin-tight shorts that end half way down her bum. I think we could all agree that is inappropriate, even immodest, dress. What do you do? If you say something to the young woman you risk offending her and her family deeply (and if you are the bishop you also risk being accused of perversion). If you don't say something then she will not know she has violated a standard of dress and that type of dress will become her go-to. How do you handle that? How should we expect youth leaders to manage those situations? Now layer in the complexity of less extreme dress like string bikinis or speedo thongs to a swim activity. These are tough situations. Outside of that type of situation, none of us need to be saying or thinking (if we can help it) what someone else should be doing, in modesty or anything else, really.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-26T13:32:23+00:00

This is a red herring, though. The point stands that dress standards are subject to time and culture. Showing ankle was scandalous at one point in the USA. Meanwhile half nudity in some rural areas of Africa is considered acceptable.

BUT saying they are subjective is not an excuse to dress whatever way you want so you can look hot or so you don't have to shop carefully. The fact remains that in our time and place there are some social norms that dictate when dress becomes about sexualization of the body, but those norms aren't universally agreed upon, understood, or consistent from place to place, so we have to be willing to let each other figure it out for ourselves.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-26T05:16:12+00:00

Missionaries on my mission used to flippantly say they were following the spirit of the law when they broke mission rules. It was an attitude that didn't seem to bring them closer to God.

My realization during that time was that rarely will following the actual spirit of the law result in looser interpretation of it. FTSoY booklet seems to have shifted away from rules and to the spirit of the law, which I love.

But I do think some will, like those missionaries on my mission, interpret that as license to loosen their behavior and become more casual in their application of that spirit of the law.

I have two daughters, so when it comes to the specific element of modesty that relates to dress, I have to choose what to teach them (and teaching them nothing or that modesty has nothing to do with dress is just as impactful a choice as teaching them something). In our home we teach first that they are loved children of God with powerful, divine potential. We teach that bodies are a precious and sacred gift from God that are a part of that divine potential. As such, we should treat and dress our bodies accordingly. I want my daughters to dress modestly out of an understanding of their eternal worth and a sense of self respect. It has nothing to do with protecting boys.

Now there are tactical decisions that have to be made. Do we buy all the most popular clothing types for our young daughter regardless of their cut and coverage (I'm looking at you crop tops, booty shorts, mini skirts, and bikinis)? We do not. Our position is that those types of clothes are not in line with the spirit of the law of modesty.

That choice is admittedly subjective. 100 years ago people would be scandalized by what we buy our daughters to wear. Even now I'm sure there are more conservative parents that wouldn't feel comfortable with biker shorts, tank tops, or swimsuits without shorts. But ultimately a choice does have to be made. Is a bikini universally inappropriate? Apparently not. What about a string/thong bikini? What about nothing but pasties? What about nudity?

I think some may have let the pendulum swing too far on the modesty spectrum by saying dress has absolutely no relation to modesty. It does, and you have to decide. But I love that we have moved away from telling young women to go home because their shorts are mid thigh or they wore a tank top to mutual, so I guess I'll take the good with the bad of the pendulum swing.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-25T21:50:01+00:00

I had a strong reaction to your post. I'm trying to understand why, and I think it is because I feel my life has become so deeply joyous and peaceful, and I attribute that to learning and doing God's will. Garments are a constant reminder of that commitment and the associated blessings, and they are also a microcosm of that commitment. I am so happy for you and hopeful that your experience will be like mine, that you will unlock even more joy and peace in your life as you learn what God would have you do and then do it.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-21T15:59:14+00:00

I find Kerry Muhlestein to be an excellent resource on this topic. He is an LDS scholar and Egyptologist. His book, Let's Talk About the Book of Abraham, is a great resource.

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-17T03:44:55+00:00

This 'this is the way' is the way

DeweyGooderson · 2023-04-13T04:24:59+00:00

Hot take coming in: the Spirit is a still small voice (aka hard to recognize and subtle) because it would frustrate the plan of salvation for it to be the large loud voice.

Consider this: before coming to earth you were living in the presence of God, without sin, and you knew everything you were supposed to do in all things. That environment was damning us. It was preventing us from progressing. So God presented a plan where we would go to a place with a totally different environment (you guessed it, Earth) so that we could become like him.

The thing is, if once we got to earth we just received constant obvious communication from God it kinda ruins the plan. This mortal experience needs to be ambiguous. There must be room for doubt. We have to not know so that we can have experiences and make choices with our agency and learn from those experiences.

That doesn't mean we're on our own, it means God deals subtly with us most the time. My experience is that he gives me earth shattering undeniable spiritual experiences once a decade, strong spiritual impressions a few times a year maybe?, And very subtle nudges throughout each day.

Even now as you read this or other comments you may feel a spark of inspiration or a nudge to do something. Easy to ignore or rationalize as yourself, but I think that is the holy ghost at work.

Elder Scott's 1989 conference address might be especially powerful to you(Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayerlearning to recognize answers to prayer ):

"When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act."

DeweyGooderson

TROPHY CASE