Ask A Mormon (LDS)

[Flip Jackson]

LetThereBe,

I don't have a good answer for your first question. Prometheus answered it pretty well, I think, when he said that by not allowing wine, no one can abuse the drinking of it. As far as being a sin, it would probably qualify. Depends what you mean by a sin. Sin is a very broad term.

Question two. We believe that the truly righteous and obedient people will become as God. That means they will eventually have His understanding and power. They will be able to create worlds and people's spirits and bodies.

I suppose saying God has a wife is an accuarte statement. We feel that He is God. He used to be a man. He and his human wife became exalted and became gods, I guess, because they were obedient in their lives.

Here is how I personally (not church doctrine) see it. God is like a title we receive. Right now we are the children of a God, making us potential gods. If we follow the guidelines and rules we are given we can mature to the status of God. Both the man and women must be together and bound for eternity. It isn't that our God was made a god by a higher God. I see it like we are all infant gods, and we have to fulfill certain requirements to "grow up."

I think there is a possibility of being married after this life, but I know little about the idea. I know everyone will be given a chance to attain eternal life because God loves us and is fair.

[Flip Jackson]

Soccer, you cannot claim as a fact that everyone who claims that God has told them something is lying. You do not possess that kind of knowledge. You may choose not to belive them or think they are delusional, but you cannot say that they are wrong and that is that.

Delusion is possible of course, but you can't say that every case if a delusion, illusion, or a lie. There have been many people that have talked to God, there have been many who didn't, but claimed they did.

[Flip Jackson]

Soccer, honestly, I don't know every reason why we can't drink caffeine. One reason is the addictive nature. We are taught that we should have control over our bodies. If you have an addiction of any kind, your body is in control.

We do not smoke, drink alcohol, coffee, tea, or any drugs outside of medical use. Chocolate has very little caffeine to my undrestanding. Perhaps it has too little caffein to be realy addictive. Maybe we will be given a comandment later that it is time to give up chocolate. Most addictive substances we avoid.

[Flip Jackson]

I think that is everyone. If I missed you, you have another question, or need something clarified, let me know. I will answer to the best of my ability.

[Mia]

Quote by: Prometheus The gospel is an ideology. The church is a construct to teach that ideology. The ideology is perfect, but the church is a flawed expediant construct. COntinuing polygamy would habe kept the church from spreading and teaching it's doctorines. The church is a construct of man, and is expediant. It is not always totally ideological.

But you dodged my point - there was a 'divine revelation' to stop polygamy after the pressure here on earth started heating up.

God doesn't work that way. Therefore, the current 'Prophet' is bunk, IMO.

[Mia]

Quote by: Flip Jackson Milton, your post confused me more than anything. How are Mormons and Jehova's Witnesses alike at all? I guess they both proselyte, but beyond that I didn't think we were very similar, and I bet our origins are very different. What do you mean about the path we have chosen? You mean the way we take care of the poor and less fortunate? Or maybe the way we are almost always the first people to show up at disater sites to offer aid, such as this hurricane Katrina thing. You will have to be more specific, I have no idea what you are talking about.

I don't see the similarity. But then, I know next to nothing about Jehova's Witnesses.

I did see a group of them one, at a school for a conference. They seemed like normal people, until some type of sound indicated it was time to go inside.

Then, they all turned, almost as one, with glazed-over eyes (I mean they were vacant!) and filed in.

Creepy.
:eek:

[Flip Jackson]

I need to look into their beliefs, just so I can give an educated answer when Mormons are compared to them. It can be tough to learn about all the other religions though.

[Lilith]

Quote by: Flip Jackson How many wives have I had? At one time? Probably fifty. That was a couple years ago though. No such luck right now. Currently I am down to about 45. One left me because I couldn't spend enough time with her. One died in a car accident. Two died in childbirth. The last one kind of disappeared. I think she will be coming around again pretty soon.

You got 45 wives? OMG. 45 wives, for real? I've got to wrap my head around that one.

And did ya'll say that God married a human woman? Who did he marry? Good grief. I learn something new everyday.

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Flip Jackson Soccer, honestly, I don't know every reason why we can't drink caffeine. One reason is the addictive nature. We are taught that we should have control over our bodies. If you have an addiction of any kind, your body is in control. We do not smoke, drink alcohol, coffee, tea, or any drugs outside of medical use. Chocolate has very little caffeine to my undrestanding. Perhaps it has too little caffein to be realy addictive. Maybe we will be given a comandment later that it is time to give up chocolate. Most addictive substances we avoid.

Shouldn't it be your choice whether or not you want to use those things? Don't you want that freedom instead of always being told what to do?

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Flip Jackson Soccer, you cannot claim as a fact that everyone who claims that God has told them something is lying. You do not possess that kind of knowledge. You may choose not to belive them or think they are delusional, but you cannot say that they are wrong and that is that. Delusion is possible of course, but you can't say that every case if a delusion, illusion, or a lie. There have been many people that have talked to God, there have been many who didn't, but claimed they did.

No one has talked to God. That is that. I know because anyone can say they talked to God. Under those circumstances, it must be believed that no one has talked to God. Otherwise, why the hell would you think one person talked to God over another? Was is the good deed he did or something? Cmon.

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Flip Jackson iHaQ, How many wives have I had? At one time? Probably fifty. That was a couple years ago though. No such luck right now. Currently I am down to about 45. One left me because I couldn't spend enough time with her. One died in a car accident. Two died in childbirth. The last one kind of disappeared. I think she will be coming around again pretty soon.

HAHA, for someone who is obsessed with the power that marraige and sex hold, that it is a powerful bond between two people, you seem not to care when it comes to your amount of wives. Please tell me you aren't against homosexual marraige. Well, you are 100% biased, so you probably aren't. But you should, considering those who are against it think that marraige is between a man and a woman, not a man and a woman and a woman and a woman and a woman, etc. times 10.

[Flip Jackson]

I should point out that that was a joke. I am not married at all. I porposely gave a ridiculously large number. No man in his right mind would marry 50 times. I was kidding completely. It was sarcasm. I already talked about how polygamy isn't authorized right now, which is why I thought sarcasm was approriate.

[Flip Jackson]

Lilith, sorry if you took the wives thing seriously. I was kidding majorly. I haven't even had a girlfriend. No time for such things at the moment.

But as for God marrying a human, He was human at the time, so it isn't an outrageous concept. Nor does our doctrine say He was married to a human woman, but I think it is implied.

[Flip Jackson]

Just because many people claimed to have talked to God doesn't mean that no one has. That is flawed logic. All that means is that it would be hard to find out who is telling the truth.


I don't mind not smoking and drinking. And I don't feel like the church restricts me too much. By asking me to stay away from addicting things, I allot more time to myself to do what I want to do.

I have never had a desire to smoke or drink. My grandpa died before I was born due to health problems from smoking and drinking. I don't think I would want to smoke or drink anyway because of the damage it can do. Is that really worth experimenting will all that? Dying in your forties? Coughing up a lung every few minutes due to effects from smoking. Not worth it. I have better things to do. Besides, I know for a fact there are health adavantages to not smoking. I can do any athletic thing I want without losing breath. My friend who smoked couldn't run for a mile. Who lost the freedom?


I follow the church's regulations because I recognize that the rules are in place for my benefit, not restriction. And I am asked to do something, I make sure I know why I am doing it. I hardly ever do something just because I am told to do so.

[jose]

Quote by: Prometheus We are certainly not cheating the taxpayers as you seem to impune.

Meaning of IMPUNE
Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Definition: \Im*pune"\, a. [L. impunis.]
Unpunished. [R.]

[Prometheus]

Quote by: Lilith You got 45 wives? OMG. 45 wives, for real? I've got to wrap my head around that one. And did ya'll say that God married a human woman? Who did he marry? Good grief. I learn something new everyday.

Not a human from this earth. God was once tested on an earth much like ours. While on that earth, he married. He was righteous and became a god with his wife. It is implssible to become a god without being married.

[Lilith]

Lilith, sorry if you took the wives thing seriously. I was kidding majorly. I haven't even had a girlfriend. No time for such things at the moment.

Thank god for that! I must have missed your talk earlier in the thread about polgamy being illegal. I almost fainted last night when I read that!

Not a human from this earth. God was once tested on an earth much like ours. While on that earth, he married. He was righteous and became a god with his wife. It is implssible to become a god without being married.

Not a human from this earth , but from another one, he got tested and married there and then landed over here? Keep going, this is getting better and better. I've been too endulated with *traditional* Christian stories...this I want to hear. So I'm assuming, that thier child was Jesus, correct? He was part God, part human? I still want to know what the mother of Jesus name was, according to you guys. She did have a name?

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: Flip Jackson Just because many people claimed to have talked to God doesn't mean that no one has. That is flawed logic. All that means is that it would be hard to find out who is telling the truth. I don't mind not smoking and drinking. And I don't feel like the church restricts me too much. By asking me to stay away from addicting things, I allot more time to myself to do what I want to do. I have never had a desire to smoke or drink. My grandpa died before I was born due to health problems from smoking and drinking. I don't think I would want to smoke or drink anyway because of the damage it can do. Is that really worth experimenting will all that? Dying in your forties? Coughing up a lung every few minutes due to effects from smoking. Not worth it. I have better things to do. Besides, I know for a fact there are health adavantages to not smoking. I can do any athletic thing I want without losing breath. My friend who smoked couldn't run for a mile. Who lost the freedom?

It is impossible to determine who is telling the truth, so theoretically it is impossible to find anyone who has really spoken to God.

I smoked weed for 4 years and can still run a 5:15 mile. Smoking has hardly an impact if you stay athletic. It's just if you let all that crap sit therre for a while.

[YourTokah]

so are there no fat mormons? If the body is a temple, then do you guys have a regimented fitness program? Like mandatory P.T.? Or does someone get kicked out when they become obese?

I am split 50/50 on your answer about the worthiness of women, Flip. While I do like it on the surface, as you predicted, I am always wary of anything or anyone that subjugates women in practice and action while explaining with rhetoric why they are actually revering women. Men use this method to remain godheads and patriarchs while women must be content in the knowledge that they don't "need" to be able to do the things the men do because everyone knows they're "better". In reality, they aren't treated as if they were "better", they are prohibited from participating on the same levels as men. And if a man needs the priesthood to get closer to god, then isn't there a problem with the priesthood? I mean, do we really want to install into the respected position of emissary of god an individual who is lacking majorly in one or several areas and thus NEEDS god's assistance? Isn't the priest supposed t ofacilitate the communication betwen god's spirit and the indiidual's spirt? And how can he do that if he is so lacking?
Like I said, on the surface, I like your church's reasoning - but in reality, I think it's rhetoric designed to subjugate women. Further evidence is the fact that when polygamy was authorized it was allowed for one man to have several wives, not one woman to have several husbands.

[Prometheus]

Quote by: jose Meaning of IMPUNE Webster's 1913 Dictionary Definition: \Im*pune"\, a. [L. impunis.] Unpunished. [R.]

Bite me. Typo. Imply.