Question from Gaz: So despite all the words of the Prophets both modern and ancient, God is not physical? With this in mind, how do you view the doctrine of the resurrection? (Luke 24:36-53)
Please answer this question.
In what way is this "conference" "physical"? What is your evidence? Pres. Taylor's talk points out that this is a "heavenly treasure," which to my mind means that it is an abstraction. It is thus not "real" in the human sense. We may want it to be, for our own very corporeal and petty reasons, but that's what faith is for.
"The Holy Ghost . . . is different from the common Spirit of God, which we are told lighteth every man that cometh into the world. The Holy Ghost is only given to men through their obedience to the gospel of Christ; and every man who receives that Spirit has a comforter withen - a leader to dictate and guide him. This Spirit reveals, day by day, to every man who has faith, those things which are for his benefit. As Job said, "there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth it understanding." it is this inspiration of God to His children in every age of the world that is one of the necessary gifts to sustain man and enable him to walk by faith and to go forth and obey all the dictations and commandments and revelations which God gives to His children to guide and direct them in life." -
Wilford Woodruff, JD 13:157, Dec. 12, 1869
That being said regarding the
Gift of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost himself is an independent being.
"The Holy Ghost, who is a member of the Trinity in the Godhead, has not a body of flesh and bones, like the Father and the Son, but is a personage of Spirit. . . .
The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent in person than can the Father or the Son, but by his intelligence, his knowledge, his power and influence, over and through the laws of nature, he is and can be omnipresent throughout all the works of God. . . .
The Holy Ghost in person may visit men and will visit those who are worthy and bearwitness to their spirit of God and Christ but may not tarry with them. -
Joseph F. Smith, IE 12:389-390, March, 1909
The Holy Ghost is God, and his presence withen a person has a sanctifying effect on a person and prepares both their spirit and their body for the ressurection. (D&C 88:11-41)
Lol.... I don't think that Christ was continually involved in board meetings, or in overseeing the operations of what is, in essence, a multinational corporation. Let's face it: virtually all of the Brethren are either MBAs, or have some sort of experience with upper management. Christ's ministry did not resemble what the contemporary Brethren are doing at all, in my opinion. Further, until we are given an open and honest account of how much financial compensation the Brethren receive, I don't feel comfortable labeling what they do as "service."
Try Acts Chp. 5 for an example of the Apostles collecting titheing, or any number of other passages from the epistles for a sign of how the apostles met and instructed the various branchs of the church. And if they were spending all of their time in the service of the church, how do you think they sustained themselves? Tithes and offerings?
No, I mean real, genuine revelation. Not their run-of-the-mill board meetings or prayer circles. When was the last time one of the Brethren actually proclaimed that he had seen Christ, or had a vision, like the Brethren during Joseph Smith's time used to do?
The last time I am aware of as to when Christ himself was seen is from the diary of Lorenzo Snows grandaughter Alice:
THE SAVIOR APPEARED TO HIM IN THE SALT LAKE TEMPLE
“For some time President Woodruff ’s health had been failing. Nearly every evening President Lorenzo Snow visited him at his home. This particular evening the doctors said that President Woodruff could not live much longer, that he was becoming weaker every day. President Snow was greatly worried. We cannot realize today what a terrible financial condition the Church was in at that time—owing millions of dollars and not being able to pay even the interest on its indebtedness.
“My father went to his room in the Salt Lake Temple, dressed in his robes of the Priesthood, knelt at the sacred altar in the Holy of Holies in the House of the Lord and there plead to the Lord to spare President Woodruff ’s life, that President Woodruff might outlive him and that the
great responsibility of Church leadership would not fall upon his shoulders. Yet he promised the Lord that he would devotedly perform any duty required at his hands. . . .
“. . . [On 2 September 1898, after receiving word of the death of Wilford Woodruff, President Snow] went to his private room in the Salt Lake Temple.
“President Snow put on his holy temple robes, repaired again to the same sacred altar, offered up the signs of the Priesthood and poured out his heart to the Lord. He reminded the Lord how he plead for President Woodruff ’s life to be spared, that President Woodruff ’s days would be lengthened beyond his own; that he might never be called upon to bear the heavy burdens and responsibilities of the Church. ‘Nevertheless,’ he said, ‘Thy will be done. I have not sought this responsibility but if it be Thy will, I now present myself before Thee for Thy guidance and instruction. I ask that Thou show me what Thou wouldst have me do.’
“After finishing his prayer he expected a reply, some special manifestation from the Lord. So he waited,—and waited—and waited. There was no reply, no voice, no visitation, no manifestation. He left the altar and the room in great disappointment. Passing through the Celestial room and out into the large corridor a glorious manifestation was given President Snow which I relate in the words of his grand-daughter, Allie Young Pond. . . .
“‘One evening while I was visiting grandpa Snow in his room in the Salt Lake Temple, I remained until the door keepers had gone and the night-watchmen had not yet come in, so grand-pa said he would take me to the main front entrance and let me out that way. He got his bunch of keys from his dresser. After we left his room and while we were still in the large corridor leading into the celestial room, I was walking several steps ahead of grand-pa when he stopped me and said: “Wait a moment, Allie, I want to tell you something. It was right here that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me at the time of the death of President Woodruff. He instructed me to go right ahead and reorganize the First Presidency of the Church at once and not wait as had been done after the death of the previous presidents, and that I was to succeed President Woodruff.”
“‘Then grand-pa came a step nearer and held out his left hand and said: “He stood right here, about three feet above the floor. It looked as though He stood on a plate of solid gold.”
“‘Grand-pa told me what a glorious personage the Savior is and described His hands, feet, countenance and beautiful white robes, all of which were of such a glory of whiteness and brightness that he could hardly gaze upon Him.
“‘Then he came another step nearer and put his right hand on my head and said: “Now, grand-daughter, I want you to remember that this is the testimony of your grand-father, that he told you with his own lips that he actually saw the Savior, here in the Temple, and talked with Him face to face”’” (LeRoi C. Snow, “An Experience of My Father’s,” Improvement Era, Sept. 1933, 677).
Now this account comes to us not through his testimony to a congregation, but through his grandaughter. Why is this? Many of our modern prophets allude to having seen the Savior, but do not directly testify of it. I do not know why other than to say that there were occasions when Christ instructed his Apostles of his day not to bear record of certain things.
Mark 9: 9
9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
Every day, though I would imagine that my "prayers" are rather different than yours.
I would encourage you to kneel in your room, not leaning on anything, and offer up a vocal prayer to the Father in the name of Christ and ask him if Gordon B. Hinkley is his prophet, asking in a yes or no fashion. The Holy GHost will bear testimony to you.
Gaz
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. - Plato