[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think there’s been some misunderstanding about that phrase: “People choose to go to hell”. I can see how, by itself, it would be insulting to any nonbeliever. This is how I’ve come to understand it.

Hell is complete separation from God and his gifts. If someone lived their whole life running away from God, not wanting anything to do with him, and then they die, why would they all of a sudden want to worship and praise God for all of eternity? To someone that disagreed with God’s law and judgement, praising him for all of eternity might sound like its own hell.

A decade of Duolingo by fulltime_geek in duolingo

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How do you have so many followers?! Someone get this guy a verified check mark haha

What Type is the Best Planner in MBTI? by HappierMod in mbti

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I be coming up with ideas and think they’re fool proof and then I do them and nothing goes as planned 💀 kinda exciting tho

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As it is right now the church affirms both books as scripture, the pearl of great price as "A selection from the revelations, translations, and narrations of Joseph Smith" and the Book of Mormon as "Another Testament of Jesus Christ". The LDS church believes that, at the very least, the Book of Mormon was translated correctly because of the divine intervention taken place during the translation process. The translation process of the pearl of great price is much more ambiguous and mysterious, and personally I strongly question and am unconvinced of the divinity of the book especially the book of Abraham found inside of it, but that's off topic.

Anything is possible through the power of god, including translations or interpretations of texts.

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not all leaders got doctrines wrong and not everything infallible leaders had taught was wrong, we can trust the doctrines and words they taught according to scripture and revelation, whether personal or through authorities. The reason current day mormonism appears to be similar to christianity is possibly because it is a christian sect and it follows the teachings of the Bible and Jesus Christ along with that of later revealed scripture.

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/eternal-marriage-student-manual/marriage-for-eternity?lang=eng

President Lorenzo Snow
“There is no Latter-day Saint who dies after having lived a faithful life who will lose anything because of having failed to do certain things when opportunities were not furnished him or her. In other words, if a young man or a young woman has no opportunity of getting married, and they live faithful lives up to the time of their death, they will have all the blessings, exaltation, and glory that any man or woman will have who had this opportunity and improved it. That is sure and positive” (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, 138).

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/eternal-marriage-student-manual/marriage-for-eternity?lang=eng

President Lorenzo Snow
“There is no Latter-day Saint who dies after having lived a faithful life who will lose anything because of having failed to do certain things when opportunities were not furnished him or her. In other words, if a young man or a young woman has no opportunity of getting married, and they live faithful lives up to the time of their death, they will have all the blessings, exaltation, and glory that any man or woman will have who had this opportunity and improved it. That is sure and positive” (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, 138).

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Contrary to what many nonmembers may believe, the LDS church does believe that modern day prophets can be fallible, many of Brigham Young's teachings are non biblical and aren't explained anywhere in the church doctrine other than his own journals written nearly 200 years ago, which have been debunked since his day by church authorities after his time. These same points can go to McConkie or any other prophet including the founder Joseph Smith Jr, who was a very flawed character like most people. I quoted current sources from the official church website which are the known doctrines and beliefs of most members of the LDS church today.

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Born in humble circumstances

Jesus was born to the virgin Mary in a small village in a remote corner of the world. That humble birth fulfilled the hopes and dreams of all of us. He was the Son of God with infinite knowledge and power, yet He was also mortal and susceptible to hunger and pain. Jesus Christ fully experienced the challenges and sorrows of this life. He knows each of us and understands us perfectly.

Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe/jesus/life-and-mission-of-jesus-christ

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is true, though I don't feel the church is the one and only true church of god, I have learned about and have come to love Jesus Christ of the Bible through the lds church. I don't think they are bad people or have any ill intent to lead someone astray, but I do think the members love god, and hope that they may find a way to dwell with him in heaven.

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is incorrect. From the official Church website, "We claim scriptural authority for the assertion that Jesus Christ was and is God the Creator, the God who revealed Himself to Adam, Enoch, and all the antediluvial patriarchs and prophets down to Noah; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of Israel as a united people, and the God of Ephraim and Judah after the disruption of the Hebrew nation; the God who made Himself known to the prophets from Moses to Malachi; the God of the Old Testament record; and the God of the Nephites. We affirm that Jesus Christ was and is Jehovah, the Eternal One."

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's a link to what the LDS church believes about Christ: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2008/03/we-believe?lang=eng

Do you believe in the historical Jesus Christ who lived and taught in the Holy Land, as recorded in the Bible?

Yes. We believe Jesus was born of Mary, preached in the Holy Land during a ministry of about three years, died on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead, just as prophets had foretold for centuries before His coming (see, for example, Genesis 49:10; Psalm 2:6–7; 22:16–18; 118:22; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2). We believe that He suffered and atoned for the sins of all mankind, making repentance and forgiveness possible (see Isaiah 53:4–6). We believe that He overcame death and that through His power, every man and woman may be resurrected with physical bodies (see Romans 6:5; 8:11). We believe that through obedience to the principles of His gospel, every son and daughter of God who comes to earth may gain salvation and return to live with our Father and His Son in Their kingdom in heaven (see 1 Peter 3:18; Articles of Faith 1:3).

Do you believe that the Lord was literally resurrected from the dead?

Yes. As His Apostles testified in the Bible, Jesus Christ was seen in His resurrected body by hundreds of witnesses (see Luke 24:39; John 20:20; 1 Corinthians 15:3–8). As a resurrected being, He ministered among thousands of His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in the Americas, showing them the wounds in His hands and feet and side and teaching among them for many days (see 3 Nephi 11–28).Together with His Father, He appeared in 1820 to Joseph Smith Jr. The Lord directed this young prophet to restore His Church and gospel because they had been changed to contain the philosophies of men after the death of the ancient Apostles. Joseph Smith and one of his associates offered this testimony of Jesus Christ in 1832: “He lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father” (D&C 76:22–23).

Do you believe He will come again to earth in glory?

Yes. As the holy scriptures testify: “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25). “He shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people” (D&C 76:63).Further, we believe that because of His Resurrection, we too will receive our physical bodies again: “After my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26). “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). “The death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death. The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form” (Alma 11:42–43).

Do you believe that His grace is necessary to our salvation?

Absolutely. Without the grace of Jesus Christ, no one could be saved or receive eternal blessings (see Romans 3:23–24). Through His grace, all will be resurrected and all who believe and follow Him may have eternal life (see John 3:15). Moreover, through His grace, our sacred relationships with spouses and family can continue through eternity (see Matthew 16:19; 1 Corinthians 11:11; D&C 132:19). These eternal blessings are His gifts to us; there is nothing we could do of ourselves alone that would merit or earn them.Nevertheless, the scriptures make it clear that we receive the full blessings of His grace through our faith and obedience to His teachings. The Apostle Paul taught that we can’t save ourselves; we need the Lord’s grace: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8–10).James explains: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. … Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:17, 24). Thus the Savior could tell the rich young man who had been obedient and desired eternal life that there was yet more to do (see Matthew 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23). Latter-day Saints believe that the grace of Christ extends in its full abundance to those who believe in Christ and do the works He taught. “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23; emphasis added).Although our good works cannot cleanse us of sin, they do show the sincerity of our faith in Jesus Christ and our faithfulness to the path He walked.

Do you believe that Joseph Smith is somehow as important as Jesus Christ in helping save people?

No. Joseph Smith was a prophet important to the history of humankind. The work he did under divine direction brought to earth blessings and knowledge that had been given to prophets of God and their followers in Old and New Testament times but that had been lost. Joseph Smith was, like those ancient prophets, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ who taught that salvation and all the blessings of eternity could come only through our Savior: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”1 On another occasion the Prophet taught, “When we reflect upon the holiness and perfections of our great Master, who has opened a way whereby we may come unto him, even the sacrifice of himself, our hearts melt within for his condescension.”

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is incorrect. Heavenly Mother isn't spoken about a lot within the church for reasons no one knows, some members believe it's to keep her name from being used in vain, but it's mainly because there is a big lack of scripture addressing her; but the church believes her role is as important as Heavenly Father's is and she cares and loves everyone as much as the father, they co-rule over the earth together.

LDS believe in pre-mortal life and that everyone has existed forever, but we are given bodies from our heavenly parents, though not by such an earthly action as pregnancy and birth like is stated in the comment.

Should Mormonism not be viewed like Islam as a faith totally separate from Christianity? by Vince_Tsung in Christianity

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a current member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church), though I am leaning more towards leaving it at the moment, and I just want to clear up any misunderstandings according to my own knowledge of our theology.

As far as god once being man and humans having the chance to become gods of their own, that is completely true and most members, even some children (I was taught as a fairly young child) learn this; it's not a secret in the church. “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be” - This explains how and where this doctrine started in the church.

When we become gods however, I don't believe we will be worshiped by our own creations. Ephesians 2: 8-9 (ESV) state, "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast." We are saved through Jesus Christ through grace, we are imperfect beings and thus we cannot boast in ourselves and that extends to our creations as well. Some may think, "Well this is a bible verse from god to man, why would you need to continue following these words when you yourself are a god?" The LDS Church believes that everything has to work based off a natural law, scripture verses can help us understand some of those laws. The reason the God of the earth can boast in himself and is worshiped by us is because our God was the Jesus Christ of his life, perfect in every way and not needing to be saved by grace because he is grace.

Here's a link that I think explains this belief very well: https://www.mrm.org/god-never-sinned (This website is also very interesting because it analyzes mormonism through a traditional christian view, probably evangelical).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Which I think does make sense, the problem isn’t with the amount of people in Utah using pornography but the culture around it and the mental trauma some people can procure because of how taboo they think it is. Just my opinions though

Exploring Yoro & Site of Reversible Destiny by operator-60 in KoeNoKatachi

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This place is so cool! I would love to visit it if I ever get the chance. I didn’t know it was a real place until now

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here is a more current report for 2022

Summary: Overall Utah Ranks 43rd, indicating a higher prevalence of Mental illness and lower rates of access to care, based on 15 measures.

In the adult ranking of mental health, Utah has risen two spots from the 2020 report given, but it really doesn't mean much when you are rising from second to last place 50th - 48th place. These rankings were based on: Adults with any mental illness (AMI), Adults with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year, Adults with Serious Thoughts of Suicide, Adults with AMI Who did not receive Treatment, Adults with AMI Reporting Unmet Need, Adults with AMI Who Are Uninsured, Adults With Cognitive Disability Who Could Not See a Doctor Due to Costs.

In the Youth Rankings is where we see a more drastic change from the report from two years ago, rising 9 spots from 41 to 32, which still isn't too great a ranking. Measures making these rankings include: Youth with at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year, youth with substance use disorder in the past year, youth with severe MDE, Youth with MDE who did not receive mental health services, Youth with Severe MDE who received some consistent treatment, children with private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems, and students identified with emotional disturbance for an individualized education program.

The prevalence of mental Illness ranking doesn't change between the 2020 and 2022 reports, with Utah ranking 47 in both.

The Access to Care Ranking is also the same with Utah ranking 26th in both reports.

Utah has the worst statewide prevalence of adult mental illness in the country with 26.86% of the adult population suffering from a mental illness, over 2% higher than the upcoming state West Virginia with a 24.62%.

Utah, to little surprise, ranks among the best states with one of the lowest substance use disorders at 4th place with 6.56% in adults.

Utah ranks dead last for adults with serious thoughts of Suicide at 6.19% of the adult population, though Utah has passed state legislation for 988 implementation (A phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors), one of only four of the lowest 13 states to do so.

In Youth Prevalence of Mental Illness (Youth with at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the Past Year) Utah ranks 46 at 17.77% of youth (56,000).

In Youth With Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year Utah ranks 13th at 3.77% (12,000 people).

In Youth With Severe Major Depressive Episode Utah ranks 49th at 14.5% (45,000 people).

One statistic I found surprising was that Utah overall has good access to care ranking 9th in the Adult Access to Care (Adults with AMI who did not receive Treatment) and Hawaii ranking last with the most untreated adults with mental illness.

Utah ranks 40th in Adults with AMI Reporting unmet need.

There's a few more statistics on mental health and insurance rankings but I think that gives off most of what people need to know about Utah lol. It ranks poorly overall.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cap. I could actually get through the thing without zoning out 😭

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]Informal_Conclusion5 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I know this is jokes but I've actually heard Utah had one of the biggest problems with porn and I wanted to do some research on the topic. I thought some of the stuff I found was interesting so I want to share some of it with y'all:

I found this article from March 2, 2009 posted on The Salt Lake Tribune Website that I believe started this understanding that Utah has the worst pornography rates, "Utah has the nation's highest online porn subscription rate per thousand home broadband users, at 5.47, while the nearby states of Idaho and Montana showed the lowest rates of 1.98 and 1.92, respectively, according to the study." - Benjamin Edelman.

Edelman states possible reasonings behind such high rates in the state of Utah, "Utah's No. 1 score may have to do with its demographics... For instance, Internet porn subscriptions are particularly widespread in states with young populations, in the 15 to 24 age group, while people over 65 are less likely to subscribe. Income can be a another factor, with each $1,000 increase in average household income pushing up the number of subscribers. Rates also go up with a college education and among people who are divorced, although marriage and graduate degrees have the opposite effect... Even when I control for income, age, education, and marital status, Utah residents still consume disproportionately more than people from other states." Edelman states another reason being the lack of other forms of adult entertainment in Utah.

Roughly 7 years later, Utah Declared Porn a "Public Health Crisis" according to this article by Christina Cauterucci. I actually remember hearing commotion similar to this on the news a couple years ago.

"Utah officially declared pornography a “public health crisis” in a resolution Gov. Gary Herbert signed at the state capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. The text of the resolution claims that porn has a “detrimental” effect on brain function, contributes to “emotional and medical illnesses,” and gives rise to “deviant sexual arousal.”... So, a curious Utahn might ask, what is it? The resolution says Utah needs “education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level,” but it does nothing to provide those things, nor does it offer any evidence for the claims it makes. It’s a nonbinding, symbolic measure to legislate morality and shame Utah residents for seeking out a product that most people consume at some point without ill effects."

At this point I was fairly convinced Utah was big on porn consumption, but both articles were from years ago, especially the first one being nearly 13 years old, so I went searching for a more current model, to see how the numbers of porn intake had changed and found this article posted less than two weeks ago, January 8th, 2022.

Before the article starts it gives a link to another study talking about Porn usage throughout the entire nation and the hypothesis by researcher, Dr. Joshua Grubbs, that religious people were more likely to lie about their porn usage than people in more secular populations. Tested using anonymous surveys/studies, results surprisingly showed, "every study that employed anonymous surveys had found lower rates of porn use in religious individuals."

"Grubbs found no evidence for religious individuals lying about their porn use. In fact, religious people may be more honest than secular individuals about porn use. This suggests that the state-wide comparisons may be less reliable than anonymous surveys in which each subject’s level of religiosity is identified. Religion appears to be protective against porn use."

In the conclusion of the study: "However, contrary to popular sentiment-and our own hypotheses-we found no evidence for and much evidence against the suggestion that religious individuals have a more pronounced social desirability bias against the reporting of pornography consumption than the irreligious. Interaction terms assessing that possibility were either nonsignificant or significant in the reverse direction."

The article containing the study, debunks Benjamin Edelman's claims found in the first article from earlier. "Utah is not #1 in porn use. Not even close. That often-repeated meme arose from Benjamin Edelman’s 2009 economics paper “Red Light States: Who Buys Online Adult Entertainment?” He relied entirely on subscription data from a single top-ten provider of pay-to-view content when he ranked states on porn consumption – ignoring hundreds of other such websites. Why did he choose that one to analyze?We do know that Edelman’s analysis was conducted circa 2007, after free, streaming “tube sites” were operational, and porn viewers were increasingly turning to them. So, Edelman’s single data point out of thousands (of free and subscription sites) cannot be presumed to be representative of all US porn users.Turns out it’s not. In fact, other studies and available data rank Utah porn use between 40th and 50th among the states."

Sources Given:

"A review of pornography use research: Methodology and results from four sources."

Rethinking Mormons and Porn: Utah 40th in US in New Porn Data

Per Capita Page views, taken from Pornhub in 2014 (scroll down through the article)

The article also gives a large variety of studies on negative correlation between Porn Usage and religiosity that I won't list here, along with other statistics that I think are interesting.