Originally Posted By fkurucz <<at our house, we call them "killer potatoes.">> I can't wait for the movie!
Originally Posted By utahjosh <"Well, I'd say that the first key truth restored was that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate beings. One in purpose, love, and many many things, but not one in body." Indeed, that is one not shared. And why is it so important to know that? > To me, it is important to understand the nature of God and of Jesus Christ. (Jesus taught that Life Eternal is to know God and Jesus Christ.) Also, I believe that as a children of God, mankind's potential is to become like He is. Knowing more about Him is a priority to be able to become like Him.
Originally Posted By Mr X That is something I noticed and thought was interesting. Doesn't it seem like sort of arrogant to you for people to think they can become god-like? That's something I think is quite different from other religions where you can go and LIVE with god (or get punished and live with satan), but never measure up. I can see why people consider that sort of thing akin to a cult...mainstream religions never espouse that sort of power-grab mentality (not that there's anything wrong with it imo...I wouldn' t mind being a god one bit!)
Originally Posted By utahjosh Eternal Truth #4: Funeral Potatoes are good. (see, i can have fun, too INGREDIENTS: * 6-8 medium pre-cooked potatoes (or a 2-lb pkg of frozen hash browns) * 1/4 cup diced onion * 1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup (or cream of celery) * 1/2 soup can milk * 1 cup sour cream (I prefer less sour cream) * 3/4 cup crumbs* * 3** tablespoons butter, melted * 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I prefer more cheese!) PREPARATION: # Heat oven to 350 deg. # Thaw frozen potatoes or cook fresh potatoes and cut into cubes (skin on or peeled to taste). # Place potatoes in a greased 2-3 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 cake pan. # Saute onion in 1T of the butter and spread over potatoes. # Combine soup, milk, sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. For a creamier dish, add 2-3 tablespoons additional milk. Mix well. Spread sauce over potato/onion mixture. # Melt butter and combine with crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over mixture. # Sprinkle cheese over mixture. # Bake uncovered at 325 deg F for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf "Also, I believe that as a children of God, mankind's potential is to become like He is. Knowing more about Him is a priority to be able to become like Him." That's what I thought you were going to say. It's interesting that the first unique truth that you bring up is the possibility of becoming a god. Doesn't this truth come from the account of Joseph Smith's "First Vision" in the sacred grove? Where he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ standing above him in a pillar of light? You might want to do a little research on the evolution of this viewpoint within the Mormon Church. The First Vision account changed a lot from when it was first written and the version you have today. Hint: they weren't separate beings in the first account.
Originally Posted By utahjosh <Doesn't it seem like sort of arrogant to you for people to think they can become god-like?> I don't feel it is arrogant. If God is our father, it would make sense that we can grow up to be like Him. I think that's what He wants for us. We believe that Jesus Christ has a body. A perfect, glorious, eternal body of God. He was resurrected, and he still has that body of flesh. We believe that His death and resurrection will provide each of our bodies with that glorification. It also makes sense in this way: If you live for eternity with someone who is all-knowing, wouldn't you eventually learn everything, too? If you were surrounded by people who love you, If you live with Jesus Christ, free from sin and temptation, wouldn't you eventually become like Him?
Originally Posted By jonvn That recipe sounds like it would make you weigh 500 pounds if you ate enough of it.
Originally Posted By Mr X **It also makes sense in this way: If you live for eternity with someone who is all-knowing, wouldn't you eventually learn everything, too?** Sure...it makes as much sense as any other religious stuff (meaning none, but that's just my take). Here's an interesting theory... What if living forever was actually hell? I don't mean fire and brimstone hell, I mean horrible, horrible boredom to the point that you WISHED you didn't have to exist anymore. Think about it. You study music for a few million years, become better than Beethoven. Great. So now that lost it's special edge. Okay, take up sports. After a few billion years, you could shoot a 21-0 game against Michael Jordan. Wheee! Bored with that? Okay, become a rocket scientist. Well, after several TRILLION years that starts to bore ya too (plus you're the smartest thing that ever lived and you've learned ALL about the effects of boredom by then). And so on. And so on. FOREVER. Kinda sounds like hell, don't it? I guess if they have internet up there it would be okay.
Originally Posted By Mr X **free from sin and temptation** MAN, I think that would make it even worse!
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf From the original First Vision account "a pillar of {fire} lightabove the brightness of the Sun at noon day come down fromabove and rested upon me and I was filld with the Spirit of God and the [Lord] opened the heavens upon me and I Saw the Lord and he Spake unto me Saying Joseph [my son] thy Sins are forgiven thee. go thy [way] walk in my Statutes and keep my commandments behold I am the Lord of glory I was crucifyed for the world that all those who believe on my name may have Eternal life" (written in 1833) Here's the link <a href="http://www.lds-mormon.com/fv.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.lds-mormon.com/fv.s html</a>
Originally Posted By sherrytodd <<<What if living forever was actually hell?>>> In this existence. But what if what we know is a speck of the infiniate knowledge that is out there. Possibly to the point that time as we know it would not even exist any more.
Originally Posted By Mr X **But what if what we know is a speck of the infiniate knowledge that is out there.** Well, with quadrillions of millennia to kill, I'd guess we could cover most of the ground. Think about that. Quadrillions of Millennia. Even the CONCEPT sounds boring! **Possibly to the point that time as we know it would not even exist any more.** That sounds even MORE boring, not to mention downright scary! Some sort of endless LSD trip or something...TIME HAS NO MEANING AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGG!
Originally Posted By jonvn "What if living forever was actually hell?" People just don't really grasp the concept of forever well. It's not billions of years, trillions, or quadrillions. It is forever. Video games are only going to last so long. Even as a god, you can only create so many planets and then I think that would get old, too. Nothing wouldn't. In the song Amazing Grace, there is the line "When we've been gone ten thousand years." Well, when you have forever, ten thousand years might as well be an instant. So would 100 quintillian years. There is a mathematical construct that you learn in calculus. It is called a limit. It is a mathematical explanation and formula that describes what happens when certain values in the formula approach a certain number. In the case of living forever, if you can use a limit to show that any amount of time you do live is basically zero amount of time. It is expressed like this: Lim (a/x) = 0 x->I Where a is any constant and I is infinity. So, as x approaches infinity, any amount of time that you actually do spend there no matter how huge, no matter how many zeroes, the value of the amount of time you have spent proportionate to the amount of time you have is ZERO. That means that any time you spend in a period where there is no end to the amount of time you have is non-existant. You can't exist in a time frame such as this. It is not mathematically possible.
Originally Posted By Mr X Put it this way Sherry, if it were somehow TRUE and yet didn't bother me (or anyone for that matter), then it stands to reason that I would be so completely altered so as to not even be myself anymore. And that, to me, is the same as death.
Originally Posted By utahjosh Eighth, you have to take into account who he was speaking to, how authentic the report is, why it was being shared, and many many things - often we do not have all of those answers to go with every time he shared that experience. I don't see anything in the one you posted that contradicts what I believe today. Joseph never gave a full transcript of everything that he heard the Lord and His Father say to him that day.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd That's where the concept of heaven has left me lacking. It seems that our desire and purpose is to learn and for what? To be denied heaven and then to die and just have it all revealed in the end?
Originally Posted By sherrytodd <<<then it stands to reason that I would be so completely altered so as to not even be myself anymore.>>> But we are ever evolving. You are not the same as the baby that was born. Yet that is not a bad thing.
Originally Posted By utahjosh jon, I like your post #94. I don't think our mortal minds can fully grasp the concept of eternal life. It's bothered me several times. In fact, one time as a child I started thinking about that. It scared me! I couldn't comprehend living forever, and I figured it would be better to just not exist. I went and told my mom what I was feeling, and she told me just what I needed to hear, being a child. She said, "Josh, I am going to live forever, and I just won't be happy if you aren't there, too." She calmed my fears, and I felt at peace. Years later, grown up, I've even struggled with the concept. One time I spent too much time thinking about it, and I was discontent, and feeling very uneasy about it. I knelt down and began to pray for understanding and peace. I didn't really get the understanding part as much as I'd have like, but I got the peace. My mind was calmed and I was able to sleep.
Originally Posted By jonvn Don't spend too much time thinking about eternal life. You should think about this one.
