On Blogging

Restored Post

Sunday, July 31, 2011

So I look at other people's blogs and most of them follow a single theme: LDS raw food, Freedom, Being a Natural mother (like natural foods, babywearing - a term I despise - etc.). Me? I flitter around. One day, I may talk about religion. Another day, it's all about venting about something because I'm a parent. Another time, I may discuss my views on healing. Or I may take a break altogether.

At one time, I used to be considered good at writing. I was afraid of rejection, however, so I didn't pedal my writings/push my writings on anyone. Now, with blogs so easily available, I can write and feel relatively anonymous. I mean, few people are interested in this blog. I am most definitely an unknown factor.

Having read so many LDS blogs, I think I will just see if I can do this on a more regular basis, just a bit at least. I agree with some parts of some blogs. I am turned off by the arguments, and by the degeneration into polygamy discussions. Polygamy is just a tiny part of the gospel, and it is possible that it was never intended to be part of it; simply a test for Joseph Smith Jr and a few others. History is so convoluted, and we do not view things in at all the same way as people did 150 years ago. We have no real frame of reference in our souls on which to hang the words and opinions of those days.

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints (no TM)

Restored post

Sunday, July 31, 2011

I've spent a lot of time reading a lot of people's blogs. I have even added my own two cents' worth. Sometimes I couldn't, because their comments were closed. (At the time, I didn't think about bringing my comments over here, where I could chat to my heart's content.)

I have learned a lot from these blogs, which are LDS-based. Personally, I hate the word, "bloggernacle" and that is the only time I intend to use it. Mormon blogs is what they are. They range from slavishly defending to mocking (yet they all claim to be LDS blogs). I had no idea so many people were dissatisfied with the church.

Enter Denver Snuffer. Okay, I only said that to be dramatic. I was looking at his blog along with many others. At first, I dismissed him. He was boring. Then I finally decided to read what he had to say. I read nearly everything in his blog, eventually - then I bought some of his books. His is the voice of reason among so many other voices, centered in worshiping Jesus Christ instead of the leaders, but urging to stay with the church and let Jesus do his own housecleaning if housecleaning there must be.

I have to say that I am a different person for having been exposed to all of these blogs. I'm beginning to tire of them, now. I have no interest, for example, in banding together to remove the church handbook "no one" is allowed to read. I have no interest in polygamy, nor "line marriages". I have no interest in starting my own church, nor in attending churches that are more "fun" or that pay more attention to me.

The fact is, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints IS the Church of Jesus Christ. It belongs to Him. Even if it has become a corporation whose only legal member is the president of the church. Why would we want to be a member of a legal corporation anyway? I want to be a member of the church of the Firstborn. The only way to that is through the ordinances of the Church of JC of LDS.

No matter how imperfect the people, no matter how imperfect the organization, this is Jesus' church. He will do His own housecleaning, and I assure you that He will do it, if He isn't already doing it. We are not to steady the ark. But, as Denver Snuffer points out, God does things in ways we don't anticipate. He raises up people from places we don't expect. He fulfills His prophecies in ways we would not have guessed, no matter how learned we may think we are. We can't second-guess God.

Things are scary today. Maybe we aren't as prepared as we should be. Myself, I am as prepared as I am able to be - which seems woefully inadequate at the moment. Even if we think we are prepared, even . . . you know this reminds me of my preparedness friends, who have much storage (or hope to have it) and intend to protect that storage with guns, should someone come along who wants to steal it. They expect marauding gangs, etc. to come along. They have reason to believe that.

But what if what happens is something that never occurred to them? What if no one comes to steal or to kill? What if something totally unexpected happens?

So much of the time, so many people seem to think they know so much. (I'm returning to my other topic now.) We don't know the hearts of the leaders of the church. We don't know anything, even about ourselves and why we do and say things; we are certainly in no position to judge others. Yes, things have changed. Yes, some of those changes seem to be steering the church away from the intended course of a gloriously happy rendezvous with Jesus. But those changes are prophesied all over the Book of Mormon. We can see it if we read "LDS members aka ME!" in every place the book says "gentile(s)". Nearly all of those (if not all) apply to present day LDS people, me included.

There was a reason Pres. Benson urged us to read the Book of Mormon. There was a reason he said we were still under condemnation. If you're unsure of how to read the book and apply it to us (you and me), read some of Denver Snuffer's posts on the books of first, second, and third Nephi.

1 Nephi

2 Nephi

3 Nephi

Gentiles in general

Righteousness

Restored post

Sunday, July 31, 2011

I had a friend ask me today whether I thought priesthood is always attached to an institution, and what I thought the definition of righteousness was. I decided to share my answer here.

I don't know that the priesthood is always attached to an institution. I think it often becomes an institution, though. The gospel requires a few things:

*authority to perform ordinances (i.e. priesthood authority)

*actually performing the ordinances

*places to perform the ordinances

*people meeting together often to

*partake of the Lord's supper (to renew covenants)

*uplift each other

*worship God

*places for the people to meet

The people are to have a specific lifestyle, such as

*sharing one another's burdens

*helping the poor

*not reviling against revilers

*praying for those who harm or try to harm them and/or their loved ones

*being honest and kind

*it would appear that eating mostly plants is part of it

*praying often to God

*humility, meekness, charity, et al

I would think that righteousness is a frame of mind, or perhaps I should say a state of being that is framed (as a picture is framed) by humility, faith, and love/charity.

We cannot be righteous (or at least it is very difficult to be so) if we think we know more than God, if we are deriding our fellowmen, if we think we are better than others, if we are not open to the fact that we don't know everything, etc. I would classify that under humility.

Could we really be righteous without believing/having faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, not only for ourselves but for others? This reminds me of an experience I had a few days ago.

As I was praying, I began praying about all of those who had hurt me in my life - from perverts to peers to siblings. As I prayed, my mind and heart opened up and I wanted with all of my heart and mind for them to be forgiven. As that happened, I saw very clearly that if I refused to condemn them, the Atonement cleared them, and it was as if they had never done anything to hurt me. The up side of that was, not only their salvation, but that it had never been done to me. The whole thing, the whole experience was (or could be) wiped clean - as if I had never been wounded and as if they had never hurt anyone. It was an awesome thing to witness, to see. A complete wiping away of the whole experience. And I saw that, in this way, each person is pulled away from Satan, who thinks he owns us.

I think what I saw was the full effects of humility, faith, and love as one person forgives. Multiply that by a billion, and you've got Satan losing, wholesale. Even a million people with that experience, ongoing, would put a serious dent into his plan to capture and enslave all of us. I rather like the idea of erasing other people's sins. Of course, being healed from the wounds is pretty enticing, as well.