How to testify

Lds Church News ^ | Sept. 19, 2009

[Colofornian]

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Sharing testimonies is an important part of the Latter-day Saint experience. We bear testimonies in many settings — in the home with family and among friends and associates or in missionary experiences. In Church, one Sunday is set aside every month for the bearing of testimonies during sacrament meetings.

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In his address at the October 2004 general conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve...said that his experience throughout the Church leads him to worry that too many members' testimonies linger on "I am thankful," and "I love," and too few are able to say with humble but sincere clarity, "I know." As a result, he noted, meetings sometimes lack the testimony-rich, spiritual underpinnings that stir the soul and have meaningful, positive impact on the lives of all those who hear them.

He...counseled, "We need to replace stories, travelogues and lectures with pure testimonies. Those who are entrusted to speak and teach in our meetings need to do so with doctrinal power that will be both heard and felt, lifting the spirits and edifying our people."

SNIP

As we listen to general conference this October, we will hear many bear pure testimony. Numerous times over the years, we have heard President Thomas S. Monson, first as an apostle and now as president of the Church, bear such testimony. May we, as Primary children sing, be inclined to "follow the prophet" in our endeavor to nurture, strengthen and share our testimonies that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, that Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was the prophet who was raised up to restore the fullness of the everlasting gospel...

[DelphiUser]

As someone with an incomplete mind (as you put it), please explain why knowing Chinese has anything to do with lds.

It was a reference to the practice of saying the first line of something to invoke the whole passage, the Chinese do that too. The reference is not doctrinally significant, just interesting, to me at least.

[DelphiUser]

Now ladies and gentlelurkers that is classic irony, indeed it is a masterpiece, the very definitive version of the art form.

Why thank you, I try but all to often people just don't get my sense of humor. (If life's not fun, you're doing it wrong)

DU, you awe me.

Blushes...

(BTW whether we say potato, potatoe or tater we non LDS are referring to the tuberous root served as a side to many dishes, whilst you maybe referring to that, or a rutabaga or a Toyota depending on need...)

Nah Idaho has a lot of Mormons in it didn't you know, we kind of like the potato, and I have never had a baked rutabaga in my life... The Toyota can come in handy hauling taters though.

[svcw]

You know it has been posted many times on FR, I do not need to post it again.

[DelphiUser]

Sounds like a declaration of war to me, from mormon Prophet Ezra Taft Benson.

Does it? So when was the last time Mormons came onto a thread about oh, say Catholicism and started preaching Hellfire and Damnation on people for not reading the Book of Mormon? IMHO, that would be a declaration of war as it were.

Let us know when the 60,000 missionaries who are out their performing the tasks of "calling them sinners and damning them to hell." are recalled from the "battlefield".

As soon as the catholics close all their missions and the protestants stop doing missionary work as well.

If you can't see the difference between missionary work and the specific targeting of a religion to hound, then I can't make you see it either.

Mormons are convinced that the only souls, living or dead, who will reach the throne of God MUST be "worthy" in the mormon manner. If THAT isn't damning to hell, I don't know what is.

I don't think so, but lets say it is, then you add the massive missionary work you just complained about, and the genealogy and temple work to see to it that every man woman and child (not just that live now, but that ever lived) get the opportunity to accept or reject the ordinances needed to save them...

Hey ya gotta admit we aren't just saying "everyone else can go to Hell", we are doing something about it, and trying to save as many as will let us.

BTW before someone gets all hung up on e proxy work done in the temple, every Christan accepts the principle of proxy work for the atonement was a proxy work by Jesus, and what better way to come closer to him than by joining him in the saving work... I guess that's why he commanded us to do so.

[greyfoxx39]

You gotta see this one, Inmans!

BTW before someone gets all hung up on e proxy work done in the temple, every Christan accepts the principle of proxy work for the atonement was a proxy work by Jesus, and what better way to come closer to him than by joining him in the saving work... I guess that's why he commanded us to do so.

This thread is turning out to be....

[DelphiUser]

DU: Please show where Joseph Smith was in either of my definitions as equal to Jesus Christ...

svcw: You know it has been posted many times on FR, I do not need to post it again.

I added some bolding to my former statement, since I posted the official "canonized" doctrine of the church, if it's not in there... and it's not, then it's not our doctrine.

There are statements that have been taken out of context, one of which involves Joesph Smith's stamp on people getting into the celestial kingdom has been interpreted that way by people who don't understand the meaning of our words.

Joseph smith was the first prophet in this the dispensation of the last days. His responsibility was to restore the Gospel and reinstate the earthly offices of Christ's church. He did that. he will be testifying that the gospel was available to those who did not keep it's laws.

[DelphiUser]

Thanks! now even more people will see my testimony!

I appreciate it.

[colorcountry]

I suppose you see nothing at all wrong with comparing your proxy work to that of the Savior? ALLLrighty then!

[ejonesie22]

Most excellent.

[svcw]

interpreted that way by people who don't understand the meaning of our words.

I think I heard that before, hummmm Alice and Wonderland, was it the caterpillar that said something very similar?

[ejonesie22]

So do we!

[svcw]

As soon as the catholics close all their missions and the protestants stop doing missionary work as well.

I find that a really interesting statement. The Catholics and Protestants I know build schools, hospitals, orphanages, farm fields, build hospitals and clinics.......the lds I know just tell me I am a whore of Babylon and if I am not lds I'll not get my own kingdom and world.

[svcw]

Now you must remember to us big words, complex (and convoluted) thoughts or you can’t be taken seriously.

[ejonesie22]

Never ending supply of Jello....

[DelphiUser]

I suppose you see nothing at all wrong with comparing your proxy work to that of the Savior? ALLLrighty then!

When I was a kid and my dad was mowing with a lawn mower he would give me these grass shears to work on the grass with him. I didn't make much of a dent, but I learned more about what he was dong by trying.

This is kind of like that. (Really bad analogy alert!)

[aMorePerfectUnion]

mormon placemarker

[DelphiUser]

I find that a really interesting statement. The Catholics and Protestants I know build schools, hospitals, orphanages, farm fields, build hospitals and clinics.......the lds I know just tell me I am a whore of Babylon and if I am not lds I'll not get my own kingdom and world.

Really, so when exactly was the last time an LDS person you know called you a whore? (My BS meter is now broken after reading your post, pardon me while I go get my spare.)

[Graybeard58]

Alice:

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

Get it now?

[svcw]

Let’s see......started with joe smith and continues by some on FR.

[svcw]

Makes perfect sense now. (If that is what I really meant.) ‘->