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I have been completely befuddled by the thought of the Holy Ghost since I first read about it on this board... I read it on MAD, too, yet didn't quite grasp what they were referring to.

This is such a foreign concept to me, so beyond what I can understand from the outside looking in. I assume there must be a way to get it to work for believers or there wouldn't be so many of them. Yet, how? How does this work for them? How did it work for you?

I'm outlining what I've gathered, and please correct me if I have faulty intuitions on the matter. I assume there are some of the big decisions that rely on the HG-- from marriage, jobs, trips. Are there mundane decisions that rely on the HG, too? Decisions regarding the directives of the Prophets?

Now, when you make a decision do you ask the HG? In prayer? What precisely do you do? How is this different from asking God in prayer? As a matter of fact, if you felt/feel you communicate with God how do you discern that from your HG communications? Are they different in some respect?

What if your spouses gets a HG tap on the shoulder that disagrees with your HG tap? What happens if your HG is different from the Prophets? What happens when it is different from ANYONES? For ex-LDS did you ever pause and wonder why in the hell the Holy Ghost would be telling people contradictory things?

So, this HG -- how does it feel? It feels like something, right? Or did you fake it? So, you'd get this happy feeling (I suppose) and that would confirm whatever question you had posed?

How did you pose your questions? For instance, were they rather simple yes no sort of deals? Would you phrase it in such a way to get your desired outcome? I know for some of you these questions led you away from the Church when the HG didn't confirm what you were asking.

For those who believe; what if you pose a question one day to the HG and get one answer and something different another day? Does that happen? I mean, I would imagine a lot of this would depend upon emotional state and could fluctuate.

If replies could refrain from quoting scripture to explain it that would be helpful, to me.

Nehor replied to a question of mine about the HG with this:

It has to be earned, not given. Sorry, the Spirit has not given me his robe size. If he does, you'll be the first to know.

Being a smart ass or is there really a thought that the HG must be earned? How does one earn the HG?

~edited 'cause I typed "on the outside looking out" -- no wonder I don't understand what's going on!~

This site may help. The author is a disgruntled individual, but the quotes and highlighted sections do justice to the the purpose/mission of the HG and how one may obtain this gift.

go to: http://www.i4m.com/think/leaders/holy_ghost.htm

Regards,
MG

I discussed the Holy Ghost at length in a thread with Tal a while back. This might help:

http://mormondiscussions.com/discuss/vi ... 1706#51706

About earning the Spirit:

Nehor answered in a funny tone, but he was right. Often times when I feel the spirit, I reflect back on the time I got my "big answer". Every time I have felt the Holy Ghost since then. its been like a small tatse of a big meal I once had. But you can definately tell when hes around, and you definately know when youve done somethign to cause him to leave.

You really develop a relationship with him, and you get promptings, and as you purge yourself of ungodliness, it gets clearer and more refined.

I also noticed Moniker that you ask if praying to the Holy Ghost is different than praying to God. The answer is that you don't ever pray to the Holy Ghost, you only ever pray to the Father, and he answers you by way of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost ® is the name that Mormons have given to the self initiated and group induced emotional epiphany that they use to confirm their faith.

Boaz & Lidia wrote:The Holy Ghost ® is the name that Mormons have given to the self initiated and group induced emotional epiphany that they use to confirm their faith.

a.k.a. "heartsell"

mentalgymnast wrote:
This site may help. The author is a disgruntled individual, but the quotes and highlighted sections do justice to the the purpose/mission of the HG and how one may obtain this gift.

go to: http://www.i4m.com/think/leaders/holy_ghost.htm

Regards,
MG

Thank you for that link, MG. I'm not certain it brings me closer to understanding, though. Yet, thanks. :)

Gazelam wrote:About earning the Spirit:

Nehor answered in a funny tone, but he was right. Often times when I feel the spirit, I reflect back on the time I got my "big answer". Every time I have felt the Holy Ghost since then. its been like a small tatse of a big meal I once had. But you can definitely tell when he's around, and you definitely know when you've done somethign to cause him to leave.

You really develop a relationship with him, and you get promptings, and as you purge yourself of ungodliness, it gets clearer and more refined.

I also noticed Moniker that you ask if praying to the Holy Ghost is different than praying to God. The answer is that you don't ever pray to the Holy Ghost, you only ever pray to the Father, and he answers you by way of the Holy Ghost.

What was the "big answer" you received, Gaz? What did that feel like, what were you asking?

I didn't realize you didn't pray to the HG. So, you pray to God and then your answer comes to you in the form of the HG? How do you know it's the HG? So, the HG present even when you don't have questions, or decisions? What does that feel like?

Blixa wrote:

Boaz & Lidia wrote:The Holy Ghost ® is the name that Mormons have given to the self initiated and group induced emotional epiphany that they use to confirm their faith.

a.k.a. "heartsell"

To Blixa or B&L,
I've heard of the Holy Ghost from mainstream Christians, yet, I don't think I've ever heard it used in the same way the LDS use it. Are there constant emotional epiphanies? Is this just a very emotionally charged religion? I always thought of the LDS as very straight laced, by the book, almost uptight sort of religion -- learning about the emotional aspect of it was odd, to me.

That seems so strange, to me... I think of emotions as a way of bringing people together, commonalities -- empathy, essentially. I KNOW I have a flawed view of the Church by the boards - yet, it appears, to me, that when people have sincere emotions (struggles, stumbles, etc...) that others essentially tell them to suck it up. The Holy Ghost (emotional companion) juxtaposed against a culture where people are pressed to be perfect and not have emotional trials seems odd to me. I must be missing something... or perhaps not.

Ill work on this tomorrow for you moniker. Did my link above to the post I made to Tal offer you any insights?