03/19/2008 11:29:15

There is always more to learn, more to see and do than anyone will ever accomplish fully in life.  The best answer is to keep looking, searching and praying.  I do remember hearing something about the cremation of the body as well, but cannot remember the source on that.  I am sure there is something about that on the lds.org website though.  It is hard being a mother and worrying about doing the right things for your kids.  I know I have done my best as well with what I have had to do too. As you can see here, many are ready and willing to help with whatever they can as well.  Listen and do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it.  Hang in there and do not give up hope too.  Your heavenly father loves you and will help to answer your heartfelt prayers and questions or doubts.  One little step, following the light can lead to whole new places and things.  Do not be afraid to go and seek when you need the help too.  When times are the darkest or struggling the most that is when you need to look the most for the light in your life, for the answers to what it is that is truly bothering you.   If there is something bothering you, then seek it out, find the answers for yourself, or ask for help as to where to look.  You will find the answers you want if you do this.  Hang in there and best of blessings,
Maraleh

03/19/2008 11:09:47

cgrantreed, I understand the parts concerning God and the plan, but it is the CHURCH that I questions about.  Most churches basic beliefs are the same, it is the inside stuff you learn down the road that I am asking about.  A true Catholic for instance, would never even think of having an abortion.  (Not that I would)  A Catholic you meet that says they are Catholic does not know or understand this.  Some may have even had one or say they are pro choice.  This is the kinda of thing I do not want to happen to me.  If a question of my faith is raised  I want  to answer it with a clear mind.  I know the Holy Spirit will guide me in answering these question or I can help them set an appointment with the missionaries, but my soul has had a hunger for this info for quite some time.  I am at witts end.  I have yet to be able to read past the book after 2Nephi.  I start and stop so much and forget where I left off.  I never had problems with reading the bible,  but the BOM is a challenge for me.  It does start off like the Bible and all, but I just find it more difficult to get through. 

My faith in God and Jesus Chirst has never moved below the heavens.  That is a rock solid!  It is like you know you are going to wear a t-shirt, but the question is what color?  Will it have a picture?  My husband knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the true church, but I want to accept it and love the feel of the spirit in it.  I just seem to question the church when I have a child coming of baptism age.  Mom's worry kicking in.

03/19/2008 10:38:22

I have an idea for you.  There is a book called Mormon Doctrine, written by one of the Twelve Apostles named Bruce R. McConkie.  You can buy it from any LDS book store.  He has since passed away, but I have found that he explained what we believe really well.  The subjects in his book are arranged alphabetically by topic.  Under the heading "Cremation", it says, "Cremation of the dead is no part of the gospel; it is a practice which has been avoided by the saints in all ages.  The Church today counsels its members not to cremate their dead.  Such a procedure would find gospel acceptance only under the most extraordinary and unusual circumstances.  Wherever possible the dead should be consigned to the earth, and nothing should be done that is destructive of the body; that should be left to nature, 'for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.' (Genesis 3:19."  I assume you have questions about this because someone you love was cremated?  Is that so?  I hope nothing here offends you.  My grandmother, who is not a member of the LDS church and who I love dearly, was also cremated recently, but her ashes were buried in a box in the earth.
   I think one day we will understand the resurrection process and why it was necessary to be buried in the earth.  That hasn't been clearly revealed, but I trust that we will understand one day.  There is a poet who says,

"I know as much of God and the world
as a creature with two eyes must;
and what I do understand, I love,
and what I don't understand, I trust."

Some things we will be required to accept on faith alone.  It is part of our test, to see if we will be obedient out of trust for our Heavenly Father, even if we don't fully understand the reasons.  I trust Him.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, which means He has all power, knows everything, and experiences past, present, and future all at once.  Who better to trust?  He knows what is best for us.

The missionaries are instructed to "give milk before meat."  They are required to teach the basics of the gospel, which should be learned first.  That is their calling.  But others can help you answer specific questions you might have, and you can always study good books on your own to find answers.  I mentioned Gospel Doctrine specifically because it was designed to be an answer book.

The Seventy have a unique position in the Church.  Gospel Doctrine says, "One of the ordained offices in the Melchizedek
priesthood is that of a seventy.  Seventies are elders with all the power of elders, plus a special call and ordination 'to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world.'  Speaking of the First Quorum of the Seventy (General Authorities), the Lord says, "The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve in building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations."  We also have the Second Quorum of the Seventy, the Third, Fourth, and Fifth, and others as the need will arise.  The Church has grown so large that other administrators needed to be called; the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency and the First Quorum of the Seventy literally couldn't do all that was required to serve the millions of people all over the world.  I take comfort in it.  The Lord's church is a church of order.  The leadership grows as the membership grows.  More sheperds for more sheep.

Did that answer your questions?  They were good questions.

03/19/2008 10:25:50

You are right litsassy... there is so much more to learn. The missionaries did not give you any more than the "surface" of the book because they can not interpret its meaning for you. That may sound a little weird but its true. They can "book learn" you to death but the church is more than the box(the building itself) or the book (the scriptures) or the works (service projects and socials). The church is IS GODS PLAN and not just some doctrine and a Sunday attendance.

it sounds like you are in a place in your life where you need a nudge from Heavenly Father to kick start that testimony that you had. Like all things in life, if you don't use it, you lose it. I was there too a number of years ago. Faith is the key to your quest for knowledge in this part of your life...well in any part of life really. You have to want to KNOW the truths in all things. This takes some effort and with that effort, HEavenly Father will bless you with your righteous desires. It has been said, and I agree wholly, that to gain the strongest testimony you need to humble yourself like a child, asking from the depths of your heart for answers and confirmation to your deepest questions in your belief. This means humble prayer, reading from the scriptures (as this is where almost all Gods answers are written and if you don't read from them, you can't receive many of the answers He is trying to give) and a desire to KNOW what is true. Church attendance is not enough.

Build a Personal Testimony

Building personal testimony is a matter of desire and of making
choices that increase our faith and hope. As we desire to “lay hold
upon every good thing,” we of necessity choose actions that increase
our faith:

• We set aside meaningful time for prayer.

• We remember and renew our covenants regularly through partaking of the sacrament and visiting the temple.

• We use the scriptures as a personal road map to guide us in our actions.

• We cultivate friendships with people who help us build our testimonies.

• We make service part of our daily routine.

Building a testimony is not always easy. In the process, we may have
moments of discouragement. But as we seek to develop faith and hope and
learn to appreciate the challenges of mortality, we build our
testimonies.

I ask of you this one thing sassy... Ponder in your mind for awhile what you REALLY want in life. Do you want peace, comfort, knowledge? Then find a quiet time when you are alone and kneel in private and say a prayer asking basically the following in YOUR own words. This is just a guide really... :Heavenly Father, I come to you this time upon my knees in search of humility and guidance from thee. Father I am seeking the light that you offer in all things and I don't know where to start. I ask for your guidance in this thing and also ask that you might help me to open my mind to the promptings of the Spirit. i wish to be like a little child and to have knowledge be opened up unto me."... pause for a moment and focus on how you feel. Try and focus on listening for the promptings of the Spirit. Continue with your prayer and thank Him for whatever you are thankful for in your life. He knows your heart and mind. Then ask him for any blessings, comforts, etc. that come to mind. Close your rpayer in the name of Jesus Christ and then just kneel there for a few more minutes and listen for councel. Prayer is more than a one way conversation. Focus on the silence and the peace. Let it sweep through your body and try to limit your thoughts to what you prayed about. you may not get answers at that time but sometimes you will. Just let Him do his works as you have asked.

Pray like this twice a day at least. Your testimony will come slowly but over a short time you will notice that its been strengthened. He will bless you for your obedience and you true righteous dsire to know the truth. I testify of this to you. I KNOW that this is what He wants for you. he wants you to have peace in His gospel.

Grant 

 

03/19/2008 10:25:28

Have you had a chance to read the Book of Mormon?  That is always the place to start.  If you have, then listen to the upcoming General Conference this April, or read the Ensign or Liahona or online at www.lds.org for the test of Conference later.  Also, if you haven't had a chance to look around on www.mormon.org, I encourage you, I love it!  It's a fun place and I get knowledge and spirit.  Don't give up!  Let us know how it goes!  With affection, X

03/19/2008 09:56:47

I loved reading what you said.  Know what I think?  I think you are a person of great faith in some difficult circumstances.  Your spirit shines through.  I think you came to the earth to do much good.  Satan knows that, as well as our Heavenly Father, so certainly he would do his best to oppose you and stop you in your tracks.  Perhaps you are the catalyst your husband needs to become active in the Church again; maybe you came to help him back into the church.  What a wonderful thing, that you've had experience with other churches and a basis from which to compare!  That is a plus. 

I wish you could be called to be a teacher in the Primary.  The gospel is explained simply and beautifully there, as you noticed, and as you teach it to others, you learn it yourself.  You could let the Primary president know you are available to teach; most Primary presidents would be so glad to hear that!  But as you pray, be sure to tell Heavenly Father that you will follow what ever He feels is best for you, even if it isn't what you hoped for.  He always knows better than we do, and if we just submit to His will, He will prove that to us--over and over again.  How thrilled He must be with you and your interest in the Church!  Don't let Satan discourage you or stop you.  Just righteously outlast him.  Be determined to go to Church, and if you have questions, just say, "There are still things I don't understand about this, and I would like to learn.  Can you help me understand?"  There will be so many who would love to respond to your sincere interest.

A flame can be rekindled.  Don't give up on your testimony.  Feed it with daily scripture study and prayer.  It is a living thing, and any living thing will weaken and die if it isn't fed appropriately.  If reading scriptures is hard for you, put a Book of Mormon in the bathroom and read a verse or two each day while you are in there.  It's a simple plan, and it sounds silly, but it works!  It's how I got started studying scriptures.  When you pray, tell Heavenly Father exactly how you feel, even if the feelings are negative.  He knows anyway, and you can say ANYTHING to Him.  You can ask Him to help you change your heart, and if you ask Him, give Him your permission, He will change it.  I also know that from experience.
He is just waiting for you to jump in, waiting to bless you, and so thrilled that you are contemplating these things.  I think you are being led by the Spirit to take action.  I have such hope for you!  And I would gladly talk with you about any questions you have.  Questions are good.  Carry on, dear friend.

03/19/2008 09:40:43

I don't know if it is answers I am seeking or if it is just not knowing about the true beliefs of the church.  Someone told me that we don't believe in creamation, but I can not find anything to support that. I want to learn about the beliefs of the church and kinda dos and do nots.  The missionaries and the investigators only tell you the surface of the book and not what is inside.  I know all the stuff about Jesus and most about Joseph, but I learned several things while in the hospital giving birth to my second child.  The missionaries did not mention about the 70.  I have a feeling that there is more to learn.

03/19/2008 09:09:27

I would go back and ask the missionaries to help you with the parts you are struggling with.  If you have questions they are the best ones to help you answer them.  There is also a very helpful missionary guide book that you can get with some pretty clear answers in it for most of the questions that are usually asked by people trying to understand the basics of the gospel. Do not give up hope on understanding.  There is a lot of help out there including on the internet at LDS.org, which is another good resource for articles and topics for answers.  If you truly wish to know, and truly mean to know the truth in what you see there, go and pray about it, and look at the keys that are there through the available sources.  If you keep trying too on the meetings you will still learn some things that may open doors to your understanding of what they are talking about.  There are lots of people on here too, self included that will help if you need help finding answers,  so ask on here too.  Best of blessings and keep trying,
Maraleh