I feel "the spirit" now more than I have for a long time

[_moksha]

Buffalo, it may have more to do with your attitude than a preset belief system which you take into the meetings. Look toward those things you do believe in which may engender this feeling within you.

[_Buffalo]

Buffalo, it may have more to do with your attitude than a preset belief system which you take into the meetings. Look toward those things you do believe in which may engender this feeling within you.

I don't believe in anything supernatural or spiritual in the least degree. I do believe in friendship and fellowship.

[_Buffalo]

/puts on Nehor hat

You never had the “real” spirit. You were a s****y member.

Quick correction:

It's 'crappy member'. Carry on.

Was I a crappy member, Nehor?

[_Tchild]

The "spirit" is not an external entity, but an internal process that cannot be controlled, owned, patented, copyrighted or trademarked by LDS, Inc.

Thus, humans have identical feelings inside and outside of the LDS paradigm.

Mormonism taught us a specific way to interpret those internal feelings (the church is true!!!). Now, you get to interpret them in the context of your own inner awakening.

[_Nightlion]

Nightlion:

What does the "authentic spirit" feel like?

The world is immature and impatient and presumptuous taking for granted that they have the Spirit of God just because..... THEY accept Jesus as their personal Savior, THEY join the only true church, or THEY trust in the faith that God just is already and to doubt it is to deny God.

To the unwashed the Spirit will be more like a ricochet tangentially witnessing of some truth and not an indwelling. Human emotions are much stronger than the Spirit to those who have not been wrought upon and cleansed. Churches are built upon human emotions. Zion is built by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. Human pride leads human emotions.

A meek and contrite posture is requisite to be led by the Father to come unto
Christ and make a REAL covenant which allows thereafter the Spirit and power of the Holy Ghost to raise you up to a life within the sphere of the light and truth and power that the Kingdom of God consists of. You walk in that newness of life moment to moment upon the uncommon ground of a world apart and become a stranger in a strange land while in this world.

And this world picks up on it and somehow knows that you are no longer one of them. This is odd, like you suddenly speak a different sort of language and think apart from their reality. And it is really sad when, like me, you have no fellowship of a single other saint to encourage and strengthen you against the immediate put off handed to you by all your old familiars.

It is as if the world wants to sterilize you from among them and put out your light from their eyes. Then your emotions can mar the perfect charity of the love of Christ that was put within you by the accomplished act of coming to KNOW THE LORD.

The spigot is piped in and turned on and you receive knowledge daily that leads you, teaches you, inspires you and keeps you alive in the Kingdom of God. This event token of connectivity with God, that he is always with you, fortifies you against all that assails you. And all the world combines to assail against you.

So my point to you is that the kindergarten warm fuzzy, fluffy, silly, substance of LDS, "We thank thee that thy Spirit has been with us" is ridiculous. Not discerning of the truth of of the Kingdom of God in the least. Human pride leading all human emotions. That is all.