Which LDS distortions have you noticed?

[Guest]

D&C 28:2 wrote:
But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee [Oliver Cowdery], no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.

I forgot to mention something else about this. "for he receiveth them even as Moses" points to why ONLY True Messengers have access to KNOWING the mysteries of "God". As a result, they no longer function inside of mortality based upon faith. Unless someone has had their veil pierced (which is an actual, physical, event which takes place because someone from outside of mortality enters this realm and touches them), then they are NOT a True Messenger. If someone thinks that they are a prophet who has not had their brain adjusted, then they are merely deceiving them self...and they are making it all up inside of their own minds. At the instant a True Messenger's brain gets adjusted (the programing inside of their brain which previously prevented them from being aware of the connection between their mortal self and their second estate self gets turned off), they KNOW the Real Truth about who they are, who we are, and what is really going on here.

Christ did not need to have His brain adjusted. He was born into mortality fully aware of His connection to His second estate self. He KNEW exactly who He was and what His role was, who we are, and the real truth about what is going on here during His entire journey inside of mortality. I can't even begin to comprehend what it must have been like to have this knowledge your entire life while not being able to speak or do anything that would interfere with the free will desires of others to believe and/or do whatever they wanted to believe and/or do.

[_spotlight]

Brain adjusted? Do I go to a neuro-chiropractor for that?

[_jo1952]

Brain adjusted? Do I go to a neuro-chiropractor for that?

LOL!! I realize you are just having fun with what I now believe. However, I will also share that all True Messengers have volunteered to be True Messengers before they ever enter mortality. This, of course, is also in accordance with free will. Inasmuch as we are eternal beings, without beginning and without end, we each have more than likely desired to experience an eternity as a True Messenger...and even as a Christ.

No, you don't go to a neuro-chiropractor. Someone who is serving as a Creator inside of an eternal round will enter mortality to make the adjustment.

People who have had brain injuries, or who have been born with some abnormality of the brain, sometimes exhibit what we think are special powers. We may call them savant or prodigy or the like. What has happened is that the damaged brain (the damaged hard drive) is allowing part of the connection between our advanced self and our third estate self to bubble to the surface (so to speak). They don't really have more power or intelligence or talent than the rest of us. They are just accessing more of what they already know and were already able to do.

[_Amore]

Interesting and sad.
I think it shows as Lincoln said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
I believe that Joseph Smith did have some kind of spiritual experience (s) but I don't think they were as purely good as history writers would have us believe. And I know from experience, that feeling the spirit is not necessarily a handbook of instructions, but rather a general intuitive signpost saying, this feeling is good. How we interpret the rest, is often subjectively and colored by our own strengths and weaknesses.

Moses was right about "thou shalt not have any other gods before" God.
In giving that commandment, he was basically saying as Jesus did - to NOT worship them, but to look to God only.
That commandment is so significant!
It's basically saying, don't get stuck on anything or anyone - but always look for what is GOoD in each evolving moment. It's the ultimate human challenge, don't you think?

I would like to offer my take on this...if I may?

As a True Messenger, Joseph Smith's veil had been pierced. No other man at that time had had this adjustment made. He was the only one who knew the Real Truth about what is really going on here inside of mortality. Oliver Cowdery had not had his veil pierced; no one else had during that time period. When Oliver Cowdery chose to start receiving revelation and teach them, he wasn't basing them on anything which resulted in having his veil pierced. They were made up inside of his own mind. Even if he based them upon things Joseph had told him, he didn't KNOW them like Joseph did (he could only believe them). Once Joseph's veil had been pierced, he KNEW Real Truth---he didn't need to guess or surmise or even exercise faith anymore.

When Joseph taught that each of us can receive revelation, he was telling the truth. He used the word "revelation"...a religious word....in order to attempt to teach something real. That reality is that we are each connected to our own advanced self---and we are always connected; though not in-tuned. This connection is accomplished through our mortal brain---which is really a very, very advanced type of "computer" (if you will). While we are in mortality, we are existing in three different estates simultaneously. Joseph tried to teach about the second and third estates through the Endowment when he portrayed a sleeping Michael as also being Adam and Eve. At the end of the original Endowment, Michael wakes up (that was removed by Brigham Young who had no idea what it meant because he was NOT a True Messenger---his veil had never been pierced), indicating that Michael had still been existing as Michael, even while he participated inside of mortality as Adam and as Eve (which is yet another great mystery revealed!!!). We are able to become in-tuned with our second estate if we pay attention to the "still small voice"---which represents our connection. For the most part, however, our advanced self loses complete control over the third estate self because inside of mortality we can't remember anything that has taken place before we got here (which is the purpose for the veil).

Thanks, Jo. :)
I like that you mentioned about our first estate - and the difference between believing something and knowing from experience.

I believe that Joseph Smith did get a glimpse of a more universal reality, but I think that many others have had that too. And I think that Joseph Smith, as well as others who had revelations, were not perfect, and allowed their subjective ideas to influence their interpretations and teachings.

IE: Joseph Smith went along with the idea of Jesus as human sacrifice scapegoat (a lie that the "universal" church had placed in canon). He based much of his ideas on this lie, yet some of his ideas were inspired - and good and helped many see and do better. Still, he played along with the Satanic lie that Jesus must have the glory - that we should worship Jesus over God, that God is mean and requires Jesus to be killed for the mistakes God created us to make.

Ultimately, it reminds me to not trust in the flesh - not even prophets who wrote (& others who warped & edited) scriptures.

[_spotlight]

People who have had brain injuries,...they don't really have more power or intelligence or talent than the rest of us. They are just accessing more of what they already know and were already able to do.

So brain injury...good, but fire...bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nApazedQ7-E

My older brother, a non-member, picked me up from the airport when I came home from my mission to Argentina. He observed that I knew enough about religion now to make a lot of money off of it. I should have listened to him and gotten something back for those two years of my life.

[_grindael]

Brain adjusted? Do I go to a neuro-chiropractor for that?

No, Monty Python...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRJlo2WRDbw

Oh... BRAIN... not BRIAN...

[_Chap]

I would like to offer my take on this...if I may?

As a True Messenger, Joseph Smith's veil had been pierced. No other man at that time had had this adjustment made. He was the only one who knew the Real Truth about what is really going on here inside of mortality. Oliver Cowdery had not had his veil pierced; no one else had during that time period. When Oliver Cowdery chose to start receiving revelation and teach them, he wasn't basing them on anything which resulted in having his veil pierced. They were made up inside of his own mind. Even if he based them upon things Joseph had told him, he didn't KNOW them like Joseph did (he could only believe them). Once Joseph's veil had been pierced, he KNEW Real Truth---he didn't need to guess or surmise or even exercise faith anymore.

I am sure that Joseph Smith would have been delighted to hear you talk in this way. It's more or less the view of himself that he wanted people to believe.

But ... how do we know it is true? Why are you so sure that Smith as well as Cowdery was not simply telling people things that "were made up inside of his own mind"? Do you have some kind of inside information?

OK, there won't be an answer ...

I really ought to stop asking people like jo1952 or Franktalk why they think the opinions they so generously share about LIfe, the Universe and Everything are correct.

Every time I do that, a fairy dies.

[_jo1952]

Thanks, Jo. :)
I like that you mentioned about our first estate - and the difference between believing something and knowing from experience.

I believe that Joseph Smith did get a glimpse of a more universal reality, but I think that many others have had that too. And I think that Joseph Smith, as well as others who had revelations, were not perfect, and allowed their subjective ideas to influence their interpretations and teachings.

IE: Joseph Smith went along with the idea of Jesus as human sacrifice scapegoat (a lie that the "universal" church had placed in canon). He based much of his ideas on this lie, yet some of his ideas were inspired - and good and helped many see and do better. Still, he played along with the Satanic lie that Jesus must have the glory - that we should worship Jesus over God, that God is mean and requires Jesus to be killed for the mistakes God created us to make.

Ultimately, it reminds me to not trust in the flesh - not even prophets who wrote (& others who warped & edited) scriptures.

Thank you, Amore!

This is where I now am when considering scripture and religion in general. It is a part of my own personal journey. No one needs to agree with me....and no one needs to believe it.

Christ didn't want us to trust in the flesh either....though He also did not interfere with their free will desire to cling to religion. He taught from the perspective of their already-established beliefs...trying to get them to live it more kindly. This, even though their beliefs couldn't possibly cause them to treat each other with equality.

It is religion which even teaches that there IS a "God"---and that by entreating "God", that "God" will then treat people unequally by giving those who entreat Him more abundantly. However, "God" is not a respecter of persons...all are alike unto "God". The sun shines on everyone....the rain falls on everyone. In the Book of Mormon we can see how Christ did the same thing as Moses (Moses gave the people religion after they refused to meet with the Lord on their own). After Christ taught the people the same things He had taught the Jews (the same words taught in the Sermon on the Mount), He asked the Nephites to go home and ponder the things He had taught. But the people didn't want to go home and ponder them. They hung around looking for more than His simple message. That is when He groaned within....their "wickedness" was to get more from Him. In order to follow the universal code of free will, Christ went ahead and gave them religion. The religious will always "see" and "hear" this as a confirmation that "God" loves them more, thinks that they are special, are chosen, etc., above others. Also, in accordance with free will, Christ and other TM's simply will not come right out and say that religion is "wrong"---they will, however, warn about what their religious beliefs are doing to their ability to figure out what is going on here. Ultimately, the religious concept that some are better than others (which is also a basic tenet of other belief systems as well....not just religion) is causing most of the world's suffering (which goes way beyond the suffering of natural events and circumstances). John's Revelation tries to teach what this looks like.

Joseph also gave the people religion. Even though he now KNEW the real truth, he gave the people the religion they desired. They had already rejected the simple gospel message. Because they read the Book of Mormon through the eyes and ears of religion (they already believed in the "God" of religion...so that is all they were able to see and hear), they missed this second chance to "see" and "hear" and come unto the "Lord" (to finally give up religion and just do the simple message of doing unto others what they would have others do unto them).

While we are all capable of receiving "revelation" (i.e., tap into the connection between our higher self and our mortal self), the TYPE of "revelation" received by Joseph on behalf of the people was ALL in accordance with their free will desires. We can even see that Joseph "receives" revelation AFTER the people ask him questions. He wasn't giving the people revelations from "God"! He was making up revelation according to what they wanted. This is very different from being connected to any higher self. His revelations weren't "inspired"...they were made up (though there are some hints and clues he tried to mix in---that is where we will get the idea that they were inspired---because of the truth he included). There is a major irony inside of D&C 84 (Remember, as a revelation being received on behalf of the Church, this also was made up by Joseph...he didn't need to go to the Lord about this matter. Joseph already KNEW the real truth. Giving the people the desires of their hearts was something he was mandated to do.) ....after the "Lord" tells the people that they are under condemnation for being in a state of unbelief (In other words, rejecting---not believing---once again the simple gospel message and DOING what He taught), Joseph IMMEDIATELY gives the people religion. This was exactly what Christ had done with the Nephites. Just like with the Nephites, the people grabbed onto the religion aspect of that D&C section....believing that this was proof that "God" favored them above others. There was zero real power and authority being given to the people on the earth...not EVER. If "God" WERE to give to some and not to others, this would cause "God" to change...He would no longer be a non-respecter of persons. All would no longer be alike unto "God". He would cease to be "God".

[_Chap]

OK, there won't be an answer ...

I really ought to stop asking people like jo1952 or Franktalk why they think the opinions they so generously share about LIfe, the Universe and Everything are correct.

Every time I do that, a fairy dies.

No one needs to agree with me....and no one needs to believe it.

But why do YOU think this stuff is true?

Presumably you do, or you wouldn't take the trouble to post all this material. Or do you just write whatever makes you feel warm inside?

[_spotlight]

Brain adjusted? Do I go to a neuro-chiropractor for that?

No, Monty Python...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRJlo2WRDbw

Oh... BRAIN... not BRIAN...

Frank and Jo deny the existence of interchanged "letters" in the DNA code that is part of evolution so the two spellings must be the same to them anyhow.