Posted on 04/23/2015 9:33:59 AM PDT by Colofornian
As Mormonism enters its third century, it faces a Goldilocks dilemma: Too much tension with the surrounding culture invites scorn; too little threatens its uniqueness.
But finding just the right balance to ensure a thriving — and distinctive — faith won't be easy.
{SNIP}
So, what are the Baby Bear options in Mormonism's future?
Too much conflict with the wider society, say on gay rights or women's roles, premier Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss argues, would bring "not only popular disdain but even repression and persecution."
{SNIP}
Female elders? • Third, the LDS Church runs into much debate and even clashes over the "role and status of women," Mauss says. "Ordination for women [to the all-male priesthood] is not the only issue, of course, but it is clearly the most contentious inside and outside the church."
Pressure from within and without for gender equality, he says, "will eventually require considerably more adjustments in the tension level faced by the church over gender roles as the century progresses."
Ordaining women may happen "before the century has ended," Mauss says, " ... since there is no explicit doctrinal barrier."
{SNIP}
No matter how welcoming top Mormon authorities seem in their remarks, Mauss says, "it is not clear just how far church leaders, and other guardians of orthodoxy, might be willing to go in reaching out to those saints with serious doubts."
The Internet generation is awash in information, some of which is hostile to LDS claims, Mauss notes. "How much room will there be in third-century Mormonism for varied interpretations and understandings of fundamental doctrines and their traditional meanings? Will responsible scholarship and complete transparency in teaching its doctrines and history continue to be valued and implemented in the church during the coming century?"
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
You mean like...
Millions of the Jaredites are slain in battle—Shiz and Coriantumr assemble all the people to mortal combat—The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with them—The Jaredite nation is utterly destroyed—Only Coriantumr remains.
1 And it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the awords which Ether had spoken unto him.
2 He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly atwo millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.
3 He began to repent of the evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul amourned and refused to be bcomforted.
4 And it came to pass that he wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people.
5 And it came to pass that when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he would spare the lives of the people.
6 And it came to pass that the people repented not of their iniquity; and the people of Coriantumr were stirred up to anger against the people of Shiz; and the people of Shiz were stirred up to anger against the people of Coriantumr; wherefore, the people of Shiz did give battle unto the people of Coriantumr.
7 And when Coriantumr saw that he was about to fall he fled again before the people of Shiz.
8 And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.
9 And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood.
10 And it came to pass that the armies of Coriantumr did press upon the armies of Shiz that they beat them, that they caused them to flee before them; and they did flee southward, and did pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath.
11 And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did ahide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.
12 And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether.
13 And it came to pass that Ether did abehold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz.
14 Wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive.
15 And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men, women and children being armed with aweapons of war, having shields, and bbreastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.
16 And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a alamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly.
17 And it came to pass that on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people.
18 And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people.
19 But behold, the aSpirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and bSatan had full power over the chearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.
20 And it came to pass that they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.
21 And on the morrow they fought even until the night came.
22 And when the night came they were adrunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords.
23 And on the morrow they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz.
24 And it came to pass that they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they fought again, and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all that day.
25 And when the night came there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the people of Coriantumr.
26 And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men as to the strength of men.
27 And it came to pass that they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood.
28 And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword.
29 Wherefore, he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the sword. And it came to pass that when they had aall fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood.
30 And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.
31 And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised up on his hands and afell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.
32 And it came to pass that aCoriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.
33 And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he afinished his brecord; (and the chundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them.
34 Now the last words which are written by aEther are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am bsaved in the kingdom of God. Amen.
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/15
And yet the BOOK says...
Ether 14:22
And so swift and speedy was the war that there was none left to bury the dead, but they did march forth from the shedding of blood to the shedding of blood, leaving the bodies of both men, women, and children strewed upon the face of the land, to become a prey to the worms of the flesh.
After eating very spicey food; probably...
Most of my postings come from Mormon archives; except for the scathing mockery I aim their direction at times; but who gives a Shiz?
So?
There are still plenty of OTHER reasons!!
| The Official Scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Rights and use information. Privacy policy. |
Mormons are the original preppers, are they not?
(Here it comes, again. Sorry, can’t help it.)
Oh, SHIZZZ!!!!!!!!!
You: What you're saying is false. Do you care?
My comment here didn't originate with me...I simply am taking a "cue" from two Lds past "prophets":
(1) Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Smith's nephew
(2) and Joseph Fielding Smith, Joseph Smith's great nephew
Here's what they had to say 'bout the import of marriage from a Mormon perspective:
...this doctrine of the eternal union of the husband and wife and of plural marriage, is one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man in any age of the world. Without it man would come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become gods neither could we attain to the power of eternal increase... (Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21, pp. 9-10)
"So if you want to enter into exaltation and become as God, that is a son of God or a daughter of God, and receive a fulness of the kingdom, then you have got to abide in his law-not merely the law of marriage but all that pertains to the new and everlasting covenant... (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. II, p. 63)
The latter citation comes from a book published by the Mormon Church itself:
Deseret Book.com: Doctrines of Salvation
So are you telling us, SP, that these "prophets'" teachings are "false?"
******************
Here's some related material:
In the Mormon view of heaven, ONLY those entering into Mormon "covenants" and obeying fully Mormon laws get to live forever in God's presence:
* Eternal life is living with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the celestial kingdom. This blessing--which is also called exaltation--comes only to those who keep the commandments and make the necessary covenants (Source: Preparing for Exaltation Teacher's Manual, p. 4, 1998)
Obviously one of the "covenants" Mormons are expected to enter into is marriage...and not only "marriage," but marriage "for eternity" in the Mormon temple...so says the Mormon Encylopedia: “’Eternal life’ is a higher state than immortality alone and means to live forever in a resurrected condition in the presence of God, and to become like God…Eternal life is exaltation into the type and quality of life that God lives. Receiving eternal life is conditional, predicated upon obedience to the fullness of gospel law and ordinances (D&C 29:43-44; 130:20-21). It REQUIRES voluntary obedience to all of the ordinances and principles of the gospel…continuing through…the covenants of the Endowment and MARRIAGE IN THE TEMPLE…” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 2:677-678)
(One can find the Encyclopedia of Mormonism online, administered by the Mormon Church owned & run BYU operations)
Yeah, they had to be! Just look @ how fast Joseph Smith & his followers had to leave Kirtland, Ohio in the 1830s after Smith's bank failure & need to avoid arrest there for his fraud & other shenanigans!
* History.com: 1838: Joseph Smith abandons Ohio: 'After his Mormon bank fails in the Panic of 1837, Joseph Smith flees Kirtland, Ohio, to avoid arrest and heads for Missouri to rebuild his religious community.'
* Pictures Of Bills From The Failed Kirtland Anti-Banking Society + Joseph Smith's Kirtland Bank Failure + Joseph's Vain Ambitions - The Failed Kirtland Bank + It's Not Just What Ol' Joe Was Convicted For - What Else Was He Never Convicted For?
* Joseph Smith's Kirtland Bank Failure
* Per BYU: From Kirtland, Ohio, to Far West, Missouri: Following the Trail of the Mormon Mummies: 'This hurried departure necessitated leaving the mummies and papyri secretly hidden at William Huntington’s home in New Portage, Ohio, which was about twenty miles south of Kirkland.'
Well...when I said Mormons are preppers I kinda meant their religious requirement that Mormon households maintain a year’s supply of food, preferably purchased through Deseret Enterprises Inc.
BTW, the prepper/survival food industry is booming, with a guaranteed 25 year shelf life for its products. Prominently featured on the Glenn Beck program.
And how many wised up and LEFT your wonderous Religious Organization?
Then; if a TRUE Mormon cared; they'd post the TRUTH.
Going to?
You left out...
...not THIS stuff again!
Ooooh!
You grow BOLDER in your accusations!
Perhaps YOU need to post the facts; if a hateful anti-MORMON bigot isn't going to do it.
Don't you care if lurkers only see one side of the story?
Yup. Ready for whenever the Shiz hits the fan...or however you might lose your head in a fictional situation.
Never said what you are claiming I said (the "married...in the temple" part as being an ABSOLUTE for living with Heavenly Father)...so please stop putting words in my mouth.
May I suggest you pay a wee more attention to the specific words keyboarded before you start going on personal accusation rampages?
I will cite to you the specific phrases I uttered in posts six and thirty...(& will even then add the context citation parenthetically):
Post #six: Even if single women get the temple rec, no hubby, no living with Heavenly Father eternally
In post #six, mentioned "temple rec" but did NOT mention being married IN the temple. Post #six was actually about single women...NOT married women (or where they get married).
Context of citation: Per Mormon theology, that trend (along with the trend away from Mormon temple recommends) means the overwhelming bulk of Mormons wont qualify to live with Heavenly Father forever. Simply because of those 2 missing elements: An eternal marriage & no temple rec. Even if single women get the temple rec, no hubby, no living with Heavenly Father eternally (Post #six)
Let's now jump to post #30 for a continuation of your proper interpretive tutorial, shall we?
Here was my one line pertaining to the "married...in the temple" question at hand:
"Obviously one of the 'covenants' Mormons are EXPECTED to enter into is marriage...and not only 'marriage,' but marriage 'for eternity' in the Mormon temple...so says the Mormon Encylopedia:
There. I used the word "expected."
An "expectation" is not necessarily defined as an absolute prerequisite. For example: All Mormon young adults are, in effect, "expected" by Mormon culture & Mormon leaders to serve as Lds missionaries; but by no means are all required. Hence, an "expectation" is exactly that!
Now, yes, that word "required" DID come up within my post...but if you want to call it an "error," by all means, label the BYU leaders who put together the Encyclopedia of Mormonism as "errorists"...for that is where the "requirement" claim that you have such issues with originated!!!
In fact, I will even go the next step and "high five" you & join with you in labeling them as errorists. Here is what THEY said that seemed to send you into a Mormon tizzy...note especially the last line:
“’Eternal life’ is a higher state than immortality alone and means to live forever in a resurrected condition in the presence of God, and to become like God…Eternal life is exaltation into the type and quality of life that God lives. Receiving eternal life is conditional, predicated upon obedience to the fullness of gospel law and ordinances (D&C 29:43-44; 130:20-21). It REQUIRES voluntary obedience to all of the ordinances and principles of the gospel…continuing through…the covenants of the Endowment and MARRIAGE IN THE TEMPLE…” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 2:677-678)
So it's these BYUites who claim:
"...exaltation...Receiving eternal life is conditional, predicated upon obedience to the fullness of gospel law and ordinances. It REQUIRES voluntary obedience to all of the ordinances and principles of the gospel...continuing through...the covenants of the Endowment"
Kind of interesting that in your haste to attempt to pin "error" upon my statements that you wind up lambasting the powers that be within BYU Mormonist theology!!!
So, tell you what...instead of attempting to manufacture false conflict 'tween the two of us, let's just pair up here! We actually seem to be ... at least upon THIS finetuned subject ... a match!
Of course, it's an error for the Encyclopedia of Mormonism to claim that you HAVE to be married (a "requirement") in the Mormon temple to receive exaltation/eternal life (what Lds theology defines as eternal life with heavenly father)!
We agree!!!!
In fact, let's just get it off of our chests with a nice all encompassing statement: Lds theology is just ONE HUGE ERROR!
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