DiscussMormonism.com

Styleguy,
Would you please create a post for us, of roughly three paragraphs, on who the Holy Ghost is and what his role, or purpose, is in regards to us.

thanks

Gaz

I can help.

“The gift of the Holy Ghost..

..Quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases,
enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural
passions and affections; and adapts them, by the
gift of wisdom, to their lawful use.

It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the
fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings,
and affections of our nature.

It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness,
gentleness, and charity.

It develops beauty of person, form and features. It
tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling.

It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and
intellectual man.

It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves.

In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to
the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life
to the whole being”

- Parley P. Pratt (murdered by a jealous husband)

(Key to the Science of Theology, 9th ed. [1965], 101.)


Beautiful and perhaps even inspiring. Maybe a truth.

yet his primary purpose is...not directly referred to.

Thoughts?

While that is good, I couldn't help but think it needs more explanation or else the same description could be applied to coffee.

moksha wrote:While that is good, I couldn't help but think it needs more explanation or else the same description could be applied to coffee.

Heh. You're right as usual, Moksha. This sounds like some kind of 19thC tonic---and maybe that's what the HG is...

moksha wrote:While that is good, I couldn't help but think it needs more explanation or else the same description could be applied to coffee.

Wow, I must really have a smutty mind. With talk of invigoration, affections, tone to the nerves, and purification of natural passions I was thinking of the sin of fornication.

Yet, as I see Pratt was murdered by a jealous husband, I assume I wasn't the only one that finds such quickening and 'health, vigor, animation, and social feeling' in that way. :)

ludwigm wrote:Anywhere (I will search it!) I have read the result of an interesting comparison.
During renaissance, Europe's population was about 10-12 million, the same as the CoJCoLdS today.
Where are the artists, thinkers, philosophers of this church? They should be the same volume as in Europe then.
The members are similar people. Now, the education, the resources of the society are superior over middle ages.
The members HAVE the gift of the Holy Ghost, as an additional resource.
They should be more, they should be better.
Why they aren't?

Because its one thing to have a tool, its another thing entirely to use it in a constructive manner.

Some people spend their lives just existing.

As I see it, the Holy Spirit is an aspect of God (the Father), not a separate person. Also, God is incorporeal.

Psalm 51:11

Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

John 4:24

24‘...God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’


Luke 24:39

39 “...Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

Calculus Crusader wrote:... Also, God is incorporeal. ...

Not in Mormonism.

ludwigm wrote:

Calculus Crusader wrote:... Also, God is incorporeal. ...

Not in Mormonism.

I am well aware of that; they're wrong.

Well this is an aspect of exlusivity in the church that I have never fully understood. Church doctrine, as I understand it, would say that before baptism for instance, a person would have the light of Christ which is given to all mankind, and after baptism the gift of the holy ghost in given to the person, which is something entirely different.

Having been out of the church for as long as I was in it, almost, and having conversed and spent time with many members and non-members, I can't see any difference??

Yes, an active Mormon will be endeavouring to live a good life, hopefully, but there are plenty of non members living good lives.

It seems to me that the Holy Ghost, within the context of the church, is like the doctrine of calling and election being made sure, it gives members a reason to think they are different, special, closer to the 'real' God, closer to their 'real' purpose, more protected.. Basically, it is used as a psychological tool to set members apart from non members.

In reality I don't see any difference between the light of Christ that the church teaches and the holy ghost, except in terms of exclusivity.
You cannot have the gift of the holy ghost from a Mormon perspective unless you are baptised and confirmed.

I now find that exlusivity against everything I believe that Jesus of Nazareth taught. His was a message of non-exclusivity, simple good living and hope. Accessible to all...

What the church has made it into is something entirely different and elitist in my opinion...

Mary