You guys are still at it! (why am I not surprised?)

[bill4long]

Hello to the same old players. It's been a few months since I've checked to see what is happening around here...

[blah blah blah]

I'm late to the party, because I just was released from prison [not really], but what do you hope to gain from this thread?

[Shulem]

You and the other critics, as I said, are empty vessels at the end of the day.

I AM not an empty vessel, I AM intelligence. My soul feels full of many wonderful things.

You have nothing to offer beyond eat, drink, and be merry. Or in other words, simply taking advantage of all life has to offer without thinking of accountability for actions after we die, or what we might do to act and provide service in helping others to obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God as families. I could go on.

I believe that I am fully accountable for my actions and believe in the rule of law as established by governments. I believe in life before this life and a life that follows, including reincarnation as many times as I desire and plan for myself.

I do believe in a higher power, a God, and I believe that I AM part of that God (infinite realm of all that ever was, is, and will be) as you are too and we are eternal no matter what.

I do not believe in a heavenly kingdom. I do not worship any God or any king or any man. I do not prescribe to worldly religions or their narrow minded dogma -- more especially that of Mormonism.

[Shulem]

I'm late to the party, because I just was released from prison [not really], but what do you hope to gain from this thread?

Keep reading and you'll find out...

[Shulem]

The Book of Abraham offers a number of those "priceless truths" that God has disseminated into the world. Joseph didn't operate/live in a vacuum. Some of these truths were already self evident to seekers/philosophers of his day.

The Book of Abraham carries the torch for the curse of Cain (a priceless truth for Brigham Young) which banned people from the priesthood solely on the basis of race. Early Mormon doctrine bears this out and was upheld as such until 1978 and shortly thereafter when the Church began to disavow past teachings and doctrines.

Mormonism is in a state of flux and transition.

[Shulem]

As it is, and as I've mentioned, the critics...such as yourself...have absolutely NOTHING to offer in the way of a presentation/narrative as to the purpose of our existence while we live on breathe on planet earth.

You are mistaken, I've pitched my own beliefs to the board. I do missionary work too!

See here:

Or, another way to look at it is, rather than returning to religion, we move on into spirituality, whatever that means. Religion is so man, and that is the turn off once one realizes our fellow "religion/religious" man simply uses us for their own gratification and improvement. Spirituality, if you will, much more points to the Divine rather than man. Just throwin ideas out to mull over.......

I agree.

For anyone who is interested in the awakening that is happening now as the world learns the wonderful quest of mankind (thanks to the Internet) on this planet, then I recommend these sites that offer hundreds of YouTube mini videos about spiritual awakening and understanding our purpose in life by using all the principles provided by inspired sources, worldwide. I've personally digested every single video (over 1,000!) and am a much better person because I've applied these things in my life. I AM awake!

• Spiritual Dive
• Solace Owl
• Knowledge Words

[I Have Questions]

You have nothing to offer beyond eat, drink, and be merry. Or in other words, simply taking advantage of all life has to offer without thinking of accountability for actions after we die, or what we might do to act and provide service in helping others to obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God as families. I could go on.

You seem to be confused about the purpose of the board. It’s to discuss Mormonism. It’s not a source of alternatives to Mormonism. If you are seeking an alternative to Mormonism there’s plenty of them. The most recognised ones seem to be Christianity (other than Mormonism), Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Then you’ve got Paganism, Spiritualism outside of organised religions, Naturalism, Humanism…and on and on and on. Humanism is a particularly noble one. A non-theistic humanist worldview asserts that religion is not a precondition of morality, and objects to excessive religious entanglement with education and the state.”

I think it would appeal to you and free you from the insecurity you currently feel within Mormonism.

Can you point to a poster who has said (and I’m going to have to insist on evidence rather than your usual hand waving) that we should take advantage of all life offers (which we should) without any accountability to any other party (which we shouldn’t)? The fact that you suggest the accountability comes after your dead suggests you don’t feel accountable to others whilst you’re alive. There are lots of alternative views on eternal life, and whether there is or isn’t one, what it’s like etc. Just because you believe in a certain version doesn’t mean not obligate anyone else to offer something different - even though there are lots of alternative beliefs about it. Open your eyes, open your mind. Or put your money where your mouth is and go serve a senior mission. You’re currently living by convenience and a failure to sustain your leaders and serve one is going to land you in hot water in your version of the afterlife.

I mean, you do believe that you’re accountable in the next life for not serving a senior mission in this one, don’t you?

[Shulem]

MG posed the following questions of a personal nature to I Have Questions, and bumped them twice which means he was asked three times to hand over personal information that is none of MG's business!

Projection? Absent the church callings of course. What do you call it when you come to this board to put the church down? Is that healthy?

We know very little about you, IHAQ. What kind of person are you? Are you a loner? What do you do with your time when you're not on the computer? What do you do to serve others? Are you happily married? Do your children love and respect you? Do you have grandchildren that you spend time with often? Are you involved in community service? Do you take care of yourself physically and exercise regularly? Can you be trusted around children? If yes, how do we know that to be true? What is your belief system? How does it work for you? Would you recommend it to others? Why?

Who are you? What makes YOU tick?

Regards,
MG

I asked MG one time if he's bisexual and he neglected to answer.

Needless to say, I won't ask MG again if he's bisexual. That's his business and best to leave it at that. You'd think he'd grant IHAQ the same consideration without bumping the post trying to dig for personal information that most rational people are not going to disclose in a hostile environment.

MG wants that personal information so he can use it to attack his foe.

[Shulem]

The snake oil salesman (MG) alleges the Book of Abraham contains:

• "priceless truths"
• "essential truths"

These so-called truths are embraced on the principle of faith and cannot be proven true because they pertain to religious theology that is outside the realm of science. Therefore, we are obligated to discount them as theories consisting of faith promoting tenets. Now, let's be clear that these morsels of faith promoting principles are contained within the same book that falsely describes *when* and *how* ancient Egypt was founded and established.

In this case, it's safe to throw the baby out with the bath water because the Book of Abraham is a fraudulent story regardless of what truths are therein. It's fakery on the part of Joseph Smith who had no idea when and how ancient Egypt TRULY came to be. It's garbage!

There is nothing MG can say to defend the lies propagated by Smith's quackery. The apologists sink while walking in sand but science is based on solid ground and stands firm. Stand on truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

[MG 2.0]

...science is based on solid ground and stands firm. Stand on truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

It's important to recognize that science has limitations:

Science is provisional: Scientific theories are always subject to revision or replacement if new evidence contradicts them. While some theories are so well-established that they're unlikely to be overturned (like heliocentrism or cell theory), science remains open to new discoveries.

Science deals with probabilities: In scientific research, we often deal with probabilities rather than absolute proof. This means that scientific conclusions are typically expressed with varying degrees of certainty.

Science has boundaries: There are questions that science cannot answer, such as moral or aesthetic judgments. Science describes how the world is, not how it should be.

Science relies on assumptions: The scientific method is based on certain philosophical assumptions, such as the existence of an objective reality and the uniformity of natural laws. While these assumptions have proven highly useful, they are not themselves scientifically provable.

Perplexity A.I.

Science has become a religion, of sorts. But it takes a certain kind of faith to believe and accept everything we learn in the scientific arena.

If this is a world in which we learn to live by faith I would not expect God to be found inside the test tube of experimentation based on purely objective reality as we know it through observation using our natural senses.

Regards,
MG

[MG 2.0]

... As it is, and as I've mentioned, the critics...such as yourself...have absolutely NOTHING to offer in the way of a presentation/narrative as to the purpose of our existence while we live on breathe on planet earth. Except to make of it what we will. The CofJCofLDS offers a narrative of eternal purpose and progression. My gosh! It doesn't get any BIGGER than that.

You and the other critics, as I said, are empty vessels at the end of the day. You have nothing to offer beyond eat, drink, and be merry. Or in other words, simply taking advantage of all life has to offer without thinking of accountability for actions after we die, or what we might do to act and provide service in helping others to obtain eternal life in the kingdom of God as families. I could go on.

Simply put, without the truths taught in the Book of Abraham and elsewhere...life is basically a crapshoot. Make of it what you will.

Essentially, you could be a bum...and that's OK.

Granted, the world is full of people that make awesome choices and do great things without religion or Mormonism in particular. I know and have known these people. I call/called them my friends. But that doesn't discount that truth is truth and that there are benefits in knowing and practicing and living by that truth and holding on to the iron rod and heading in the direction of the Tree of Life.

The Book of Abraham offers a number of those "priceless truths" that God has disseminated into the world. Joseph didn't operate/live in a vacuum. Some of these truths were already self evident to seekers/philosophers of his day.

Anyway, I think you're making too much of where information comes from rather than focusing on whether or not that information/knowledge is true. You seem to be one of those that are ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the Truth. I could have been one of those if I hadn't held on to the Iron Rod and stayed on the path...even when it would have been easy to leave the path and go towards the Great and Spacious Building...

Wow. You are one sick puppy.

...I'll leave it to others as to whether or not they find your 'natural man' posts appropriate or not...

Good. "Others" have determined your posts are wildly inappropriate. Good grief. At the very least, you should be grateful that people are aware that your sickness is yours alone and doesn't reflect what the average person in your religion thinks. Or maybe it does, who knows. Bottom line, you are a very sick individual. May you find some peace because clearly, you are a tortured soul. The hatred you express for people here unbelievable. What happened to you to create such hate? Dear god, your path must be horrendous. May you find peace.

We view the world differently. That doesn't make one of us "sick" and the other one "well". It makes us different.

I have found peace, thank you.

Regards,
MG