Travis

Why is faith in Jesus Christ so important? Why does God not simply reveal all things to everyone, making faith unnecessary? Does God intentionally obscure information to pressure a choice between faith and unbelief? If so, why? Let's start with Alma 41 for answers to these questions. At the last day we will all be raised, or resurrected, to a state consistent with the desires of our heart while in this life. If "the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good...and if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil...The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil" (v. 3-5) God already knows our hearts. He knows our inmost desires. We, however, do not know our own hearts. But because of our experiences in mortality, the true desires of our hearts will be revealed by the choices we make and we will come to know who we truly are at the core of our beings. Abinadi speaks to this in Mosiah 16:1 "The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just." So what does this have to do with faith? Lehi speaks directly to this question in 2 Nephi 2:16, 27 "Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other...wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil." By not revealing all things to us fully, which would eliminate the need for faith, God provides a context for us to be "enticed by the one or the other" so we can, in truth, choose for ourselves. So we can answer the questions above clearly: Yes, God does withhold knowledge, pressuring us to make a choice between choosing righteousness or wickedness based on desire. Because we must make that choice, over and over again throughout life, without all the knowledge of God, our choices become a reflection of our true desires for good or evil, rather than a selfish race for the prize or fear of punishment. Those who genuinely "hunger and thirst after righteousness" will be led by the promptings of the Holy Ghost, which requires faith, to follow Christ. The good news is, we get to choose! We are not coerced by God. We have every reason for optimism and hope! If we examine our hearts and consistently push ourselves to choose good and seek God, He will send the Holy Ghost to enlighten our minds, direct our path, and help us grow into truly Christlike beings! Without the need for faith, this simple and beautiful process would not be able to play out. As I reflect, I feel to exclaim with Lehi "behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." (2 Ne 2:24)

I agree with Manhattva. You are entirely missing the point. And you are doubling down even after multiple people have explained this is the printer’s manuscript, not intended as original document like the Declaration of Independence. It’s bad faith and undermines your credibility in a big way.

@JohnnyTani3 @dds_dave @prockwellbg @Bar_tolmi Your entire soliloquy has nothing to do with the names listed in the printer’s manuscript not being signatures.

Hasn't been digitized? You don't say...

Narrator: It turns out Sharon’s ‘humble opinion’ was actually not very humble

@Sharon_Educator @ThisMomSaid @sltrib I am a contradiction of your statement: 1. Fully homeschooled—never set foot in a public school as a student 2. Graduated from college Cum Laude 3. CPA 4. 20+ year career so far, the past 8 years in executive level roles 5. Currently college professor

@ThisMomSaid @sltrib I am not surprised you homeschool. Sadly, the kids that are homeschooled are so far behind their peers when they return to neighborhood public schools. Most of them do return.

Religion News Service columnist Jana Riess argues that the LDS Church is quietly but steadily distancing itself from the Trump administration. sltrib.com/religion/2026/…

Maddy nails it again!

@bi02247255 @Lovemyproxy Great advice!

Offering some hopefully kind words to anyone who might be the parent of a full-time young LDS missionary - or will be in the future... Along with my wife, I recently served an 18-month mission as an Area Medical Advisor. We covered 13 missions in the North America Central Area, dealing with the physical, mental, and emotional health of hundreds of missionaries. I'd estimate that probably 94-95 percent of missionaries are enthusiastic, faithful, hard-working young men and women and get along great with their companions. But somewhere around 5-6 percent of young missionaries struggle. And some struggle mightily! Some struggle with depression, anxiety, autism, and/or ADHD. Others just don't really want to be out in the field serving a mission and drag their feet daily. Mission Leaders - the Mission President and his wife - leave their lives, their families, their work, and their careers for three years to truly live the Law of Consecration presiding over missions. It's a 24/7/365 calling. My wife and I grew to admire and respect these couples greatly! It just might be the hardest calling in the entire church! In many cases, their greatest challenge wasn't dealing with the missionaries, it was dealing with the parents of the missionaries! If you're the parent of a missionary, and you start getting calls from a concerned Mission President, please don't make his life and his job harder. Please accept that he is doing his level best to help your child. He and his wife are inspired, and they're right there "in the arena" with your child. Also remember this: If your child is a virtually non-functioning missionary, that also destroys the mission experience of his or her companion! And that's not fair to the companion. Also remember that the Mission President is typically responsible for around 150 or more missionaries. He simply cannot devote all of his time to your child. So, if you receive concerning calls from your child's Mission President, it's perfectly fine to offer your thoughts or suggestions to him. It's also perfectly fine to urge and encourage your child to work hard and follow the counsel of his/her Mission President. But please don't dig in your heels and oppose the Mission President. Yes, you know your child. But you don't know your child living far from home under the stress and demands of a full-time mission. We honestly experienced parents who would state, "President, you can send my son home. But we're not going to pick him up at the airport. If he comes home from his mission, he's on his own!" Don't be that parent. Also - to all LDS parents: Teach your children to do hard things as they're growing up. A mission is a hard thing. Very rewarding, but hard. It was pretty clear to us which missionaries had never done hard things. And one last thought: Service Missions are real missions! Service Missions are NOT "less than." There are many ways to faithfully serve the Lord. Service Missions are one of those very valid ways. We came to love Service Missions and Service Missionaries!

@stackerco It’s not an unfair critique, but when you ignore other perfectly reasonable explanations in favor of your preferred interpretation, it betrays your own confirmation bias.

This is one of those details that most will have no idea about. Outside of this being Kevin’s complete own in the debate, it shows Joseph confused the names of Mosiah and Benjamin. It’s a typical thing that could happen of anyone dictating a story from memory or on the fly and not actually translating the specific word.

@m3lonh3ad @KimballCall I’m not interested in debating the point further. Feel free to discuss with @grok if you want. Grok was my response above which @m3lonh3ad is taking issue with an ad hominem attack or engagement on the substance?

@ferrell_travis @KimballCall You're ascribing an attitude to a single person, versus what he did, which was "engagement of the attitude implicit in the arguments" he received. Only you pointed it at an individual, he did NOT. LOL

Yesterday, I made the case that having high expectations for our youth in the Church is very good for them when its done with high love. The kids aren't fragile. The adults on X, however ... well, that's another story.

@KimballCall Sorry but that doesn’t change the pattern I’m pointing out. You don’t get a free pass just because in your view some of your critics were unhinged in their response.

@ferrell_travis Many people disagreed with me without losing their minds. I’m not talking about them.

@m3lonh3ad @KimballCall I named the rhetorical move “fragile adults” an ad hominem, which it is. Logical critique of the argument. Noting it also betrays a lack of humility names the attitude the post itself displays. That’s not ad hominem; it’s engagement of the attitude implicit in the argument.

@ferrell_travis @KimballCall yeah, and you saying he lacks humility isn't ad hominem, at all, either.

@Jacked_Mormon @KimballCall This summarizes guidance to local leaders on the topic. The video from Elder Holland at the bottom of the article is particularly on point. churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/c…

@ferrell_travis @KimballCall How so?

@Jacked_Mormon @KimballCall You are setting yourself at odds with the leadership of the church with this position.

@KimballCall You are 100% correct. I’ll go a step further. We shouldn’t celebrate missionaries who come home early. The expectation is 2 years. If you serve less than that for reasons other than medical, you didn’t serve a full time mission. This usually really gets people upset.

I really do not think this is a productive or helpful discourse. You don’t like how she lives her life. So you do you and let her do her. Maybe she is wrong. But maybe you are misjudging her. She definitely won’t change because you are posting criticisms of her online, presumably without her knowledge. Even if she is wrong, you are not the person and this is not the forum to address it.

Okay. Honestly. Am I missing something? When did the holy garment become just an undershirt? This is wrong.

@Exmo2EO @Primary_Pianist Not a compelling argument

To be clear, your argument for the spirit being present when NOT mentioned is a set of examples where the spirit IS mentioned? That’s supports my argument, not your counter. Protestants and Sola Scriptura are wrong. Agreed. The word “Trinity” doesn’t need to be in the Bible. I’m not Sola Scriptura and the Bible’s a Litugucal document, not an encyclopedia of doctrines. You’re layering. You’re 100% adding context from exclusively LDS sources. It’s not there and you’re saying it is. Explain how you get from no mention of the Holy Spirit to it being the Holy Spirit without using LDS sources.

It’s wild how often LDS will claim something is biblical when they’re really just overlaying an LDS claim over it. Then they think it’s a clear interpretation that non-LDS should accept. They have a term for this that is rarely, if ever, applied to themselves: “Lazy Learner”. Attributing this passage, and the other typically cited by LDS (1 Kings 19:11-12 for the “still small voice” and Luke 24:32 for “burning in the bosom”), to the Holy Ghost is not biblical as they’ll claim. It’s lazy learning. In both instances it is Christ Himself, first speaking with Elijah and then walking/talking with the two disciples. The still small voice and burning in the bosom of these two instances is directly connected with an experience with Christ. The Bible does not mention the Holy Ghost anywhere in connection to these passages. LDS get the Holy Ghost connection exclusively from LDS sources. Then in the direct opposition to the evidence, boldly claim “it’s in the Bible”. It’s easy for Lazy Learners to keep the LDS vs actual facts straight. The Holy Ghost is mentioned in the second story, but chronologically later when Christ breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit. LDS members, you’re not being taught what is in the Bible. You are being taught the LDS scripture layered onto the Bible. Please learn the differences. Please don’t be Lazy Learners.

@Dred_DelGath I agree

@ferrell_travis I believe in truth. Truth matters over everything. I believe Jesus really existed. (proven with sources outside the Bible). And he really died because he said he was God (proven). Then now it is up to me to believe if he was a lunatic, liar, or Lord.

Why did God give so much archaeological evidence for the Bible? With people and things being proven all the time? Why does God love giving proof that the Bible is true and not proof that the BoM is true? Sure seems like God likes one, not the other.

I’m glad you have come closer to Christ. That is always a good thing. But as I said, archaeology can’t prove anything about theology. Commandments, revelations, and covenants do not leave behind archaeological evidence. I actually think there is plenty of evidence to support the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, but that is not what converts. The Spirit does.

@ferrell_travis Archaeology was an important part of my coming to Christ. I think its important. And I think if there was any archaological evicence of all for the Book or Mormon, you guys would be all about it. The proof is how much you make out of a little bit of "chiasmus"

@KimballCall @TheGermanicist Now you are attacking a straw man

@ferrell_travis @TheGermanicist When I see the Brethren stop wearing suits and ties to Church, I'll follow suit.

“We shouldn’t encourage deacons to wear suits, belts, or black socks when they pass the sacrament. What if we scare them away from wanting to pass?” This line of thought has one crucial flaw: it assumes children are fragile and can’t respond positively to high standards. It’s the same line of thought that is crushing my generation; the soft bigotry of low expectations. We can welcome any deacon regardless of what he wears to church, while at the same time trying to create a culture where they feel empowered to rise to higher expectations of dress and appearance, thus honoring themselves, their families, and the ordinance they are performing. Coddled Deacons become coddled Elders become coddled men.

@TheGermanicist @KimballCall That’s not what he was wearing when Joseph Smith saw him. The point is, we can get far too easily hung up on a topic that I don’t think will even matter at some future point.

@ferrell_travis @KimballCall That’s because He wears red

@TheGermanicist @KimballCall I don’t expect to ever see Jesus wearing a white shirt and tie

@KimballCall @ferrell_travis I don’t think it should be a cultural thing since we require a white shirt and tie in the temple to perform priesthood ordinances there. It should be a churchwide requirement.