Heber Farnsworth

@ATrueMillennial The KJV language in prayer is only strange to English speakers. Most other languages have formal (respectful) and informal pronouns.

The Church is gradually letting go of some of its more "formal" practices in favor of a more accessible, simple, contemporary culture. For example: * Dropping off-putting terms like laurel, beehive, Mia Maid, Mutual, Church discipline, etc * Ditching home teaching in favor of ministering * 2 hour meetings * Approving guitars in sacrament meeting * New contemporary hymns in the hymn book * Approved non-KJV translations of the Bible * Shorter, more basic conference talks and curriculum written for a lower reading level * Modified FSY pamphlet without many rules * Single handbook with many rules cut out * Allowing the continued broadcast of meetings for anyone who wishes to watch online instead of attending in person * Relaxed dress code for missionaries and priests blessing the Sacrament * etc But through all the other revisions, prophets and apostles still feel there is value in speaking to God differently than you speak to your buddy. So the official guidance on the handbook is still to use the traditional language of prayer, including the archaic pronouns for Deity. I know you might think it feels overly formal or stodgy-- especially if you are a recent convert. This is not a core doctrine. And if I were a betting man, I'd wager that the line in the handbook is not going to be there much longer. But getting ahead of the Brethren introduces discord, disunity, and confusion. So please, while that is the current prophetic guidance, I encourage everyone who disagrees with it to please be humble and follow it. We are never spiritually missing out when we follow prophetic counsel.

@Jerrywi93563046 @ldsconf To be fair, the alternatives were not great. We don’t so much live in a land of dumb voters as in a land of bad politicians.

@ldsconf Ironic considering close to 70% of LDSers voted for a convicted rapist to destroy this wonder country.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites all to participate in a unified fast of gratitude as the United States celebrates 250th anniversary. thechurchnews.com/leaders/2026/0…

@GartoonilyMe @iamjml Nonsense. We come from every race, culture, and nation on earth, and our interests, professions, and manner of life are as varied as those backgrounds would suggest. But we do all strive to be faithful to our spouses, not abuse substances, and help the poor.

@iamjml Ya'll are CLONES. You all look the same. Your lives are pretty regiment, all doing pretty much the exact same thing. Whatever your leader says, you all do in lock-step. No individuality. You are sheep. Everyone knows it.

Some outside our faith, and even those once part of it, think it an insult to call us "sheeple". They say we are blinded, even trapped; unable to enjoy what life offers. What they don't see is what President Boyd K. Packer made beautifully clear: “Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to Him the one thing, the one gift, that He would never take. Think of giving Him that one thing that He would never wrest from you.” (Boyd K. Packer, That All May Be Edified, p. 256) I am not shackled by the church. I choose to be here, under the protective wing of the Good Shepherd.

@d_stevensonBYU It’s sort of like life insurance. I paid for 20 years on a term policy that has now expired. A waste? I had 20 years of knowing my family would be provided for if I died.

The Church advises us to prepare for the worst. I faithfully invested. What do I do with the 2,100 lbs of 25-year shelf-life emergency food I purchased 26 years ago? 🤷🏼

@Sir_Dingulborn @Ch_JesusChrist We believe that Christ is fully divine; that it was He who created the world and He who spoke to Moses and to all the other prophets throughout the ages.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the location of the Norfolk Virginia Temple. An exterior rendering has also been provided. “Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,” President Russell M. Nelson said following the Norfolk Virginia Temple announcement in April 2025. Visit the link below to learn more: newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/locati…

@RigdonNancy3 @the_churchnews Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were confused about the purpose of the meeting.

@HeberFarnsworth @the_churchnews x.com/rigdonnancy3/s…

The General Handbook explains that wards should hold a baptism and confirmation preparation meeting near the beginning of the year for the Valiant 7 class, parents and leaders. thechurchnews.com/members/2026/0…

@RigdonNancy3 @the_churchnews The meeting is to help children understand baptism prior to being baptized themselves. It’s not unlike how the missionaries explain baptism to a potential convert before their interview.

@the_churchnews Are wrongs not washed away at baptism anymore?

@melissa53759624 @ProdigalSonMatt Not 100% wrong. It may have never happened in your church, but every LDS person has been approached by a friend who said “our Pastor gave a sermon about Mormons”.

@ProdigalSonMatt Sorry, but in all due respect this is 100% wrong. I have been a confessional lutheran, my entire life, and I have never heard somebody bash Mormons. have however, heard Mormons talking about how much better they are than others.

Missionary knocks on door. Resident: “oh, the Mormons! I learned about you in church today.” Missionary: “That’s great! We learned about Jesus today.” #LDSx

@surskitmaxxing @hvworlton The trouble with the “ugly parts” is that the standards people have for data on the negative side is so low. The stuff that is sourced well and based on eye witness testimony is overwhelmingly positive. To find the bad stuff you have to accept very suspect sources.

@hvworlton He respected women so much he married like 50 of them He was a true feminist Unironically, though, if you're going to teach these kids about him, it might behoove you to include the ugly parts. They'll learn eventually. No reason to white wash things. Teach with nuance.

I'mma 'bout to teach Seminary kids what kind of man THIS guy was. Hint: he was a prophet of God, staunch in his loyalty to God, and a good husband. Also, he respected women, and advocated for them in many ways. I said what I said. 🤷

@BradEBonham Don’t know about substance abuse but the divorce thing is true in very many cases. It’s also true that hating the church becomes an identity. It’s really sad to see people who were happy descend in to loneliness and hatred.

Re: leaving the LDS Church. Here’s my experience: five families have left the church in my ward. I served with all of them at some point in the 16 years I’ve been in this ward. These were wonderful people that contributed a lot to our neighborhood. Upon leaving, all of them immediately started drinking and in some cases, started doing drugs. For a time, each one became obsessed with tearing down the LDS church. I listened patiently because it’s pointless to argue. But their hate became their identity. Four of the five couples were divorced within 2 years of leaving. Families broken. Lives shattered. Kids struggling. I realize it’s a small sample size, but even if I had questions/doubts about our church or its history, ex-members haven’t shown me that life is better, in any way, outside of our church. If you’re looking for a logical reason to stay in, take my experience into account.

@BotanicalGalaxy If the goal is to stick with it and get through the Book of Mormon then you want to avoid getting discouraged by the difficult chapters, so I’d say yes. Don’t worry too much because you’ll read those chapters many times during your life and you’ll learn to love them like I do.

@HeberFarnsworth Skip it altogether?! Should I?

How long did it take you to read the Book of Mormon? first book of nephi took me a month. (as a fresh convert)

@GobblingMode @madd_the_sane @sierradivinely In general I think it’s a bad idea to attribute bad to people who are doing good. It may be that some do good for the wrong reasons, but let’s try not to assume that. When you see someone feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or visiting the sick, then they are doing good.

@madd_the_sane @HeberFarnsworth @sierradivinely Scientology’s slaves are volunteers too. Volunteering under false pretenses.

@ThisMomSaid You belong IN the church. We’d love to have you come and be our sister!

I’m sick to my stomach. I haven’t been able to eat today. I literally cannot comprehend how I was so misunderstood. I wrote a post after gaining a moment of beautiful insight. “I belong IN the Church…” not just “I belong TO the Church”. My thought was that I was so much more a part of it than I realized before. I then wrote “As-is” meaning where I am now. Knowing I’m flawed and coming back to activity. Then I posted a picture of myself, didn’t think about the picture, just posted a picture. And apparently offended the lot of you. OVER MY NOSE RING I DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE WAS GOING GO BE A THING. The amount of hate, judgement, criticism and flat out cruelty has been nothing less or shocking to me. I’m new on this app too, so I guess I didn’t expect this from fellow members. I thought my skin was thicker. I guess wrong. I’m not going to allow this to be my takeaway though. Because I also saw an outpouring of love from people that have only known me for a couple of weeks (or less), defend me. Thank you. 🙏🏻 I don’t know how to show you my appreciation enough. You saved a sinking woman today from drowning. Thank you. I’m blocking anyone that feels that feels they need to be judgmental towards me. I literally don’t need my peace taken away.

@dlawbailey @sierradivinely Once you understand that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, it changes how you view others. You see all mankind as your brothers and sisters and you want to treat them as such.

@HeberFarnsworth @sierradivinely What are the texts that inspire the Mormon commitment to charity?

@ProdigalSonMatt What a great prodigal son story! Thanks for sharing your testimony. Being sealed in the temple is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

This time next week, my wife and I will be endowed and sealed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I want to bear my testimony of Jesus Christ and repentance. I converted to the church in 2014 but went inactive after a bit and removed my name completely in 2020. I was my own boss, I didn’t need a God or a church to tell me how to live or what I could or could not do. I thought I didn’t need my family and I’d be more happy dating and partying. I thought that I could do whatever I want on Sunday and save some money by not tithing. I thought temporary pleasures were happiness and contentment. But then real life happens. Death happens. You realize that life is rough and there is more to life than just having fun. You realize that there has to be more than just living and dying. Everything indicates that there’s an afterlife. I had to slowly regain my testimony. It started by realizing that western civilization had been shaped by Christian values. We wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms we have without those ideas. I became a cultural Christian. I didn’t necessarily believe the truth claims of the resurrection but recognized the benefits of Christianity on society. Slowly, I began to believe in God and began having a relationship with him again. I began praying again and reading the Bible. I began to value my wife and Children again and realize that they are the bedrock of my joy. So, if there’s a God and he sent his son to be a savior… I needed to go to church to worship him… but where should I go? Should I go back to my Baptist roots? Should I go back to where we converted to or should I go non-denominational? God answered by telling me to read the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts convinced me to return to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its belief of the godhead was consistent with Stephen’s vision. The early disciples went to the temple in Acts. They were led by a prophet named Agabus. They believed in continuing revelation. There was only one church that fit that description. Also, it’s the only church that offers sealing to your family for eternity and has the authority to do so. I was rebaptized in April of last year. I lost friends in the ex LDS community but it was worth it with what I gained. We aren’t the richest people, I didn’t have a suit or tie and my kids didn’t have dress clothes… but we were accepted like we never left. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we will be endowed and sealed. It’s been an amazing year and I want to invite everyone to come back or experience for the first time The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to be the best dressed or richest, you just have to try. You just have to lean on Christ and atonement to be a little better each day. It’s true joy. It’s lasting peace. It’s happiness that isn’t predicated on whether temporary things of the world. I believe in Christ. He lives! He restored his church and it’s an open invitation for everyone to have your lives changed and begin on the covenant path. This is the path of happiness and I can personally testify to that through lived experiences. Thanks to everyone on X for continuing to encourage me and my family and for seeing us through to our endowment and sealing. I love each of you and encourage you all to bear your testimony and share the gospel because everyone can experience this! #LDSx

@Faustzme @JS_StrngstSldr I’m not sure which is more appalling, your ignorance of Islam or your ignorance of LDS theology. Dig into one or both of these before embarrassing yourself like this online.

@JS_StrngstSldr I couldn’t agree more that Joseph Smith is best compared to Muhammad. Mormonism is closer to Islam while Islam is closer to Christianity than Mormonism.

From a Non-LDS scholar: “By any measurement, Joseph Smith was a remarkable person. His combination of organizational acumen with spiritual originality and personal decorum and modesty is rare in the history of religion. He was so steadfast in his ability to inspire men and women through times of great hardship that none of those who knew him could claim to fully understand him. He knew more about theology and philosophy than it was reasonable for anyone in his position to know, as if he were dipping into the deep, collective unconsciousness of Christianity with a very long pen. He read the Bible in ways so novel that he can be considered a theological innocent—he expanded and revised the biblical narrative without questioning its authority—yet he brusquely overturned ancient and impregnable metaphysical assumptions with the aplomb of an assistant professor. For someone so charismatic, he was exceptionally humble, even ordinary, and he delegated authority with the wisdom of a man looking far into the future for the well-being of his followers. It would be tempting to compare him to Mohammed—who also combined pragmatic political skill and a genius for religious innovation—if he were not so deeply Christian.” Stephen H. Webb, "Jesus Christ, Eternal God: Heavenly Flesh and the Metaphysics of Matter” (Oxford University Press, 2012)

@KintsugiJin When I was a bishop I always used to pray at the beginning of those interviews. I think it’s a good thing. But every bishop has his own approach.

As a fairly new member, and having just gone through my second round of temple recommend interviews, I do find it odd that prayer is not done before or in the interview. Just me? I feel like it should be part of the meeting even though it isn't expressly stated in the handbook. Maybe I just like prayer too much I guess!

@kateiswell Good point. I should probably revise my comment to clarify that the celestial room is not an ordinance room. The veil room is more analogous to the chapel. Symbols exist in both, not pictures.

@HeberFarnsworth You’re mistaken. Even more people have commented since I posted that the celestial rooms of their local temples have paintings of Jesus.

What would it take to get paintings of Jesus in our chapels like they are in our temples?