New Letter from the First Presidency

Post by **_Mahonri** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 3:49 am

They issued the letter because too many in meetings were getting sore elbows from having to reach for the scriptures with the hand covering the three extra sets of earrings.

Post by **_Mahonri** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 3:58 am

If we had real faith then Priesthood power could wipe out cancer or God could inspire someone with a means to cure it.

The Book of Mormon makes it clear that if foreign enemies trouble you turning to the Gospel will make them stop. Sometimes you go take the Gospel to them too. It makes it clear that the wrong approach is to go on the offensive.

Teach them the Gospel.

Or, become a stripling warrior and kill them all.

Post by **_Pa Pa** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:51 pm

bcspace wrote:I don't see it as an injunction to not open your scriptures. It simply stated that when giving a talk, don't ask everyone to open them. Why, the very week after the letter was read, I opened my scriptures in sacrament meeting and guess what? No lightning. No thunder. No angry glances. Imagine that!

You Too?

Post by **_The Nehor** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:59 pm

Mahonri wrote:If we had real faith then Priesthood power could wipe out cancer or God could inspire someone with a means to cure it.

The Book of Mormon makes it clear that if foreign enemies trouble you turning to the Gospel will make them stop. Sometimes you go take the Gospel to them too. It makes it clear that the wrong approach is to go on the offensive.

Teach them the Gospel.

Or, become a stripling warrior and kill them all.

You're only supposed to do that when you're part of a corrupt society filled with dissension and twisted by wickedness to the point that God allows an invading army to attack your nation. I'm guessing 5 to 10 years from now.

Post by **_beastie** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:04 am

You're only supposed to do that when you're part of a corrupt society filled with dissension and twisted by wickedness to the point that God allows an invading army to attack your nation. I'm guessing 5 to 10 years from now.

You're joking, but the misfortune is that we already live in a world where many people believe that God has commanded them to kill in his name.

Post by **_The Nehor** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:03 am

beastie wrote:
You're only supposed to do that when you're part of a corrupt society filled with dissension and twisted by wickedness to the point that God allows an invading army to attack your nation. I'm guessing 5 to 10 years from now.

You're joking, but the misfortune is that we already live in a world where many people believe that God has commanded them to kill in his name.

That wasn't a joke, I was giving the scenario in the Book of Mormon where the stripling warriors went to war. In the story the Nephites weren't really the good guys. Also, I don't think suggesting that the stripling warriors were murderers is fair. They were fighting a defensive war for their lives and to protect their families. Jumping from that to 'killing in God's name' is a little bit of a stretch.

Post by **_beastie** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:31 pm

That wasn't a joke, I was giving the scenario in the Book of Mormon where the stripling warriors went to war. In the story the Nephites weren't really the good guys. Also, I don't think suggesting that the stripling warriors were murderers is fair. They were fighting a defensive war for their lives and to protect their families. Jumping from that to 'killing in God's name' is a little bit of a stretch.

I wasn't calling the stripling warriors murderers. I was referring to this statement of yours:

You're only supposed to do that when you're part of a corrupt society filled with dissension and twisted by wickedness to the point that God allows an invading army to attack your nation. I'm guessing 5 to 10 years from now.

The idea of God "allowing an invading army to attack your nation" is just another variation of the idea that God uses people to kill other people. Sometimes, as the Old Testament reliably demonstrates, he outright "commands" people to kill others. But other times he uses people as unwitting pawns in his larger plan to get human beings to kill other human beings.

Post by **_The Nehor** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:23 pm

beastie wrote:The idea of God "allowing an invading army to attack your nation" is just another variation of the idea that God uses people to kill other people. Sometimes, as the Old Testament reliably demonstrates, he outright "commands" people to kill others. But other times he uses people as unwitting pawns in his larger plan to get human beings to kill other human beings.

I think he withdraws his protection and just lets things happen but I guess the difference when you're God is almost non-existent.