Themis wrote: Which would mean the priesthood power to heal does not exist since God will heal other groups the same who don't have the priesthood.
I don't see the corollary that you do. What I do believe, is that God loves all His children and desires to bless them all...priesthood or not.
Your expectation that God ought to 'up His game' and save everyone that finds themselves in an epidemic or experiencing a natural disaster is not something I expect God to do. Or those few missionaries, relatively speaking, spread throughout the world.
Themis wrote: Which would mean the priesthood power to heal does not exist since God will heal other groups the same who don't have the priesthood.
I don't see the corollary that you do. What I do believe, is that God loves all His children and desires to bless them all...priesthood or not.
Your expectation that God ought to 'up His game' and save everyone that finds themselves in an epidemic or experiencing a natural disaster is not something I expect God to do. Or those few missionaries, relatively speaking, spread throughout the world.
Regards, MG
You are not really addressing the part you quoted. If God is healing other groups who pray with faith at the same rate he heals groups with priesthood because he loves everyone equally, then priesthood power doesn't matter. It would mean LDS will have the same rate of healing even if they didn't use priesthood blessings and just did prayers of faith. You have the added problem in that certain groups don't pray to God for healing's. They should have a lower rate of healing by your argument.
Themis wrote:If God is healing other groups who pray with faith at the same rate he heals groups with priesthood because he loves everyone equally, then priesthood power doesn't matter.
It does to those who are blessed/healed.
Themis wrote:It would mean LDS will have the same rate of healing even if they didn't use priesthood blessings and just did prayers of faith.
I think that the priesthood is a 'member' of the household of faith. As is the 'prayer of faith' exercised by all believers. I don't see God as preferring one of His children over the other when it comes to that child exercising faith and requesting His blessing. Why would God fault one child over another for something that is beyond their control?
Themis wrote:You have the added problem in that certain groups don't pray to God for healing's. They should have a lower rate of healing by your argument.
I suppose that's where a statistical analysis would be interesting. Good luck with managing that.
mentalgymnast wrote:Why would God fault one child over another for something that is beyond their control?
Ummm, gay parents maybe? Actually, I agree. That isn't God* doing the faulting there with that.
That said, isn't having the restored priesthood the only thing that justifies the LDS faith claiming to be the one true church given how false doctrine directly from the prophet's mouth calls the idea of restoration of truth into serious question? There has to be something special going on there for the concept of Mormonism to justify itself in the market place of Christian ideologies.
* Term used abstractly and open to individual interpretation.
The world is always full of the sound of waves..but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows it's depth? ~ Eiji Yoshikawa
mentalgymnast wrote:Why would God fault one child over another for something that is beyond their control?
Ummm, gay parents maybe? Actually, I agree. That isn't God* doing the faulting there with that.
That said, isn't having the restored priesthood the only thing that justifies the LDS faith claiming to be the one true church given how false doctrine directly from the prophet's mouth calls the idea of restoration of truth into serious question? There has to be something special going on there for the concept of Mormonism to justify itself in the market place of Christian ideologies.
* Term used abstractly and open to individual interpretation.
I see the Priesthood being the mechanism/power by which the Kingdom of God moves along its onward course. It is an administrative/service oriented fraternity of men ordained by God to be a light unto the world and an ensample of good works, faith, and obedience to God's commandments. Keys are exercised by Priesthood to administer ordinances of salvation/exaltation. Priesthood blessings are the way in which God blesses His children that are members of the church. But as I've mentioned, I don't see God being exclusive in providing blessings to any of His children when they are approaching Him in faith.
*Term, "God" used without any abstract meaning intended. That is, a creator/God in who's image we are created. Not open to individual interpretation.
mentalgymnast wrote:I see the Priesthood being the mechanism/power by which the Kingdom of God moves along its onward course. It is an administrative/service oriented fraternity of men ordained by God to be a light unto the world and an ensample of good works, faith, and obedience to God's commandments. Keys are exercised by Priesthood to administer ordinances of salvation/exaltation. Priesthood blessings are the way in which God blesses His children that are members of the church. But as I've mentioned, I don't see God being exclusive in providing blessings to any of His children when they are approaching Him in faith.
*Term, "God" used without any abstract meaning intended. That is, a creator/God in who's image we are created. Not open to individual interpretation.
Regards, MG
Interesting. So how does the great apostasy work in your model?
* There are no other ways to inform oneself of what the term "god" means than through one's own interpretation of the concept behind the term. Whether different by minor degrees or major opinion, what the word "God" evokes in your mind is purely your own. That's not controversial. That includes your belief there is some objectively existent and self-aware entity that the term refers to.
The world is always full of the sound of waves..but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows it's depth? ~ Eiji Yoshikawa
Themis wrote:If God is healing other groups who pray with faith at the same rate he heals groups with priesthood because he loves everyone equally, then priesthood power doesn't matter.
It does to those who are blessed/healed.
You are the one making the argument it doesn't matter. I am just the one pointing it out to you.
I think that the priesthood is a 'member' of the household of faith. As is the 'prayer of faith' exercised by all believers. I don't see God as preferring one of His children over the other when it comes to that child exercising faith and requesting His blessing. Why would God fault one child over another for something that is beyond their control?
Again, you are the one making the argument that God heals at the same rate regardless of the priesthood. How do you not get that you are the one implying the priesthood therefore doesn't make a difference?
