Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Orson wrote:
As Hawk said I also see earth life as a time to mostly make our own way and learn to deal with things as they come. I don’t see prayer and spiritual strength as a way to prevent or shorten trials, but I do see spirituality as a help to strengthen us so we can get through the hard times.
Bds4206 wrote:I know people that pay tithing, go to church every week, keep the commandments and do everything they are supposed to do, and do happily and just can’t seem to catch a break. I’ve known many many non religious people that are the exact opposite and they do great. How does that make any sense ?
Yes, I know those people as well. I have grown into the idea that (book of Orson here) spiritual blessings are the result of spiritual efforts, and physical fruits can be the result of physical efforts. Spiritual blessings lie along the lines of peace, faith, emotional strength, etc. They don’t circumvent trials, they help us get through them.
On the other hand physical fruits can be obvious, but personally I think in our culture the signals have gotten crossed and people have attributed physical fruits to spiritual efforts in error. I believe D&C 30:20-21, that blessings are tied to laws; but in my opinion economic fruits are tied to economic laws, spiritual benefits are tied to spiritual practices, etc. That is why even an “unbeliever” that obeys the economic laws are rewarded in kind.
I like this Book of Orson and would like to receive a copy in the mail
anyway, I appreciate your take, but to me the idea that good things happen for bad people, and vice / versa blows the thought of praying for physical things out of the water, or the thought that paying tithing will help you access blessings of prosperity. To me those ideas completely contradict each other.
I just want to express a view on the mission pressure issue. As a convert to the church that was raised by an atheist and never even knew what a mission was until a few years ago, I have to say that while I have a ton of respect for the young men and women that devote this portion of their lives to spreading the gospel I am appalled on a regular basis by parents and church members putting so much pressure on kids to do this. It’s mandatory for these kids really, and is the biggest example of having very little free will or “agency” while being a member of the church. Are missions good for some of these kids? I firmly believe that they can be very,very strong tools for personal development. Forcing you out the door at 18/19 and sending you to a foreign place and throwing you out of your comfort zone has some benefits that can’t even be measured…but these kids should really have a choice, and the way I’ve witnessed it first hand, they have no choice at all really unless they are willing to give up their friends and ward family, and in some instances their real family. Now when a young man or woman gets a mission call, all I can think about is, I wonder if they really want to go or is this forced on them?….Especially if they are questioning their faith in any way and feel that they can’t talk to anyone about their doubts, kind of like everyone else that doubts.
Quote:I have learned that it is far easier to deny deity than to deny desire.
Yeah, I’d say that’s probably fairly accurate.
Since joining the church I’ve kept it to herbal tea, water, and soda…mostly like coke zero, etc. …I also try to keep the calories down. Since I drank a lot of alcohol before converting I avoid anything like that even in n/a form. I was told that was frowned upon anyway by the church. I guess I could see why depending on your point of view. Is there a lot of Saints that drink n/a beer, and – or virgin daiquiris, margarita’s etc? Just curious. The Rooibis Red tea is very good. I really enjoy that with a little fresh ginger in it. Very nice. Alcohol was the only real WOW concession I needed to make when joining the church. No tobacco or drugs for me anyway at that point, so what I’ve heard is one of the biggest obstacles for converts was actually a welcomed change for me I’d like to thank everyone for their replies!! It has helped tremendously already. I appreciate all the points expressed and agree with almost everything posted here. It’s good to know there are others out there that are looking for answers to the same questions. I’m looking forward to catching up on what’s being discussed here!! Thanks.
