Questions About Mormon Religion - Page 9

mnn727 · #81 (**permalink**) 12-29-2007, 01:48 PM

All male missionaries are Priesthood holders, not all Priesthood holders are/were missionaries.

HoosierGuy · #82 (**permalink**) 12-29-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

All male missionaries are Priesthood holders, not all Priesthood holders are/were missionaries.[/b]

What does it take to be a Priesthood holder? Isn’t that a lot of responsibility? When a man joins the church, is it expected that he become a Priesthood holder?

HiJolly · #83 (**permalink**) 12-29-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

What does it take to be a Priesthood holder? Isn’t that a lot of responsibility?[/b]

You need to be a male, over the age of 12 years, and be living a reasonably moral life (no lying, no stealing, no sexual sins, that sort of thing). It is a lot of responsibility, and we feel that accepting it is necessary if we are to progress spiritually in life. It is all about serving others. That's what Priesthood is for.

Quote:

When a man joins the church, is it expected that he become a Priesthood holder?[/b]

Pretty much, yes.

HiJolly

HoosierGuy · #84 (**permalink**) 12-29-2007, 10:31 PM

Quote:

You need to be a male, over the age of 12 years, and be living a reasonably moral life (no lying, no stealing, no sexual sins, that sort of thing). It is a lot of responsibility, and we feel that accepting it is necessary if we are to progress spiritually in life. It is all about serving others. That's what Priesthood is for.
Pretty much, yes.
HiJolly[/b]

Wow. So if I join the LDS church, Sunday school would be about me learning to become
a Priesthood holder, among other things? Could I become a Priesthood holder?

As every day goes by I have become more and more certain that I want to talk with
missionaries in January. I've pretty much accepted it - this is something I have to do. This is something I also want to do, for a number of reasons.

Garden Girl · #85 (**permalink**) 12-29-2007, 11:42 PM

Hello HoosierGuy...
I've really enjoyed reading your posts here... I send all good wishes to you...

To learn more about the Priesthood, turn to pages 81- 93 in the Gospel Principles manual... there's all sorts of information clearly layed out about it starting on Page 81... tells all about it.

I don't think I've seen anyone in a long time that has been so hard on themselves as you seem to be... so, relax... take each day and be aware of people around you... I know you're shy, but next time you see someone like the mother, or an old woman trying to open a heavy door, just step up and say, "Here, let me get that for you" and open the door for them... start with these little acts of kindness. If you're standing in the grocery line with a basket full of groceries and someone walks up with a quart of ice cream, smile and simply say, "Here, you can go in front of me" and let them go ahead of you. Little acts of kindness, one at a time. You'll be surprised how good you will feel inside.

I was touched as you told about wanting to share with your family what you've been going through with your studying the Book of Mormon and Gospel Principles... but holding back... I can understand... it's all new to you. I do want you to be prepared that you may get some negative comments from your family about the Church... some people have heard "rumors" or "stories" about the "Mormons" that are simply that... and not really true, or are misrepresentations or misunderstandings. I hope this won't happen, but just be prepared, and welcome them to look at anything you're reading, etc. And invite them to check out the websites for the Church... make sure you give them the correct site names because there are a lot of anti-Mormon sites out there and you don't want them to get on the wrong site.

I'm sending you all good wishes, my spiritual brother...

The Garden Girl

HoosierGuy · #86 (**permalink**) 12-30-2007, 01:42 PM

Are we all Nephites? Are we in the tribe? Am I? I thought I read in 1st Nephi
that all of Nephi's tribe gets wiped out. I don't know if this is correct or not, but I
got a strong feeling in my heart that I'm part of the Nephi tribe.

Garden Girl · #87 (**permalink**) 12-30-2007, 10:20 PM

After we have joined the Church, we are eligible to receive a "Patriarchal Blessing" from the designated Stake Patriarch (a formal priesthood calling similar to a bishop or stake president, except that the person is called and set apart by the general authorities of the Church to receive inspiration from the Lord as he blesses us) Usually the blessing will tell us what "tribe" we are from... most of us are from the tribe of Ephriam... some are from the tribe of Manasseh... (Ephriam and Manasseh were brothers, the sons of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. You can read about them in Genesis 41:52; 46:20; and 48:19-20 where it tells of them being blessed by Jacob (Israel), their grandfather... Lehi was from the tribe of Manasseh... I don't think the BoM states what tribe Nephi was from, but since his father was from Manasseh, I'm assuming Nephi was too.

Although the Nephite "nation" was destroyed, many of the Nephites had intermarried with other tribes and peoples so the lineage continued through the ages, albeit mixed with others, including at times the Lamanites. You'll see this as you read further in the BoM.

Garden Girl

HoosierGuy · #88 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Are we all Nephites? Are we in the tribe? Am I? I thought I read in 1st Nephi
that all of Nephi's tribe gets wiped out. I don't know if this is correct or not, but I
got a strong feeling in my heart that I'm part of the Nephi tribe.[/b]

I guess the Nephites get wiped out and went to H*ll by the fourth generation.

I think when I said "I got a strong feeling in my heart that I'm part of the Nephi tribe."
I was really showing my affection toward Nephi. It's almost like he's talking directly
to me straight out of the pages, from him to me, telling me to accept Jesus.

Garden Girl · #89 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 12:59 AM

I have great affection for Nephi too... his example of faith and willingness to obey the Lord...

Garden Girl

rppldstlk · #90 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 02:12 PM

Hoosier guy,
I wanted to tell you that anyone who has lost both parents (or experienced any other tragedy) is really likely to struggle with the meaning of life, and who is God, and the like. And experts will tell you that anger is what we call feelings of pain, and fear and frustration. I wouldn't be surprised if the anger and hate that you talk about is related to your pain of lose, and fear that you somehow deserved the bad things that have come to you.

When you learn about the Plan of Salvation or Plan of Happiness as it is sometimes called, and receive spiritual witness confirming it is true, you will likely think differently about a lot of things. A good book that will help you understand it is "When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" by Michael Wilcox. You can buy it at Amazon.com, I think. Or deseretbook.com.

I also urge you to look for the good in all situations. There will always be women who think that they should not have to wear a skirt when men don't have to wear a skirt (and the LDS church takes no position on this except to encourage all to be modest, and to encourage though not require sunday best be worn to church, which is usually interpreted to include dresses for women). That is just a difference in opinion, and maybe a difference in expectations about social norms. It helps to remember that whomever we observe and whatever they are doing, they are our sister or brother eternally and deserve to have us think about them with respect and helpfulness, and we can ignore any bad things they might be doing, instead focusing on the best of them or the situation.

The missionaries will be glad to help you learn everything you want to know.