NOM

An idea that's sometimes thrown around is that Lucifer rebelled not out of pride but because he sincerely believed that Heavenly Father's plan was flawed. That the types and degree of suffering baked in just weren't worth it and there must be a better way. This also makes me think of the part in Bru...

I was a little surprised to hear Nelson state that baptism will get you into the Celestial Kingdom but only temple covenants and marriage would get you "Exaltation" within the Celestial Kingdom. I've never read that baptism alone, would get you into the CK. I think this is the standard teaching. Ba...

I'd also add 3) Community. and maybe 2b) The idea that wrongs will eventually be made right somehow, there's a reason for suffering, and there will ultimately be the justice that's missing in life. 2c) The idea that there's a powerful being who knows and cares for you. You're not just a random colle...

Would I have hesitated to be baptized as an eight year old if someone explained to me some of the problems of theism, Christianity and Mormonism? I'm not sure. At that point it would probably have depended on who was doing the explaining. But starting life over knowing what I know now would be a lot...

A new revelation that clarifies and expands upon the descriptions of the afterlife found in scripture.

But there will likely be nothing new other than mundane policy changes until the end of time.

Maybe it's because I've gone through a faith crisis, but I've become a lot more conscious of how much unwarranted certainty people express in general. Something comes up in the news and instantly everyone knows enough to make a moral judgment and toss opinions around. (Not everyone and not always in...

I probably need to follow your lead at some point and actually say I won't be taking any callings. I've had several meet with a leader for no stated reason messages (that I just ignored) in recent years, plus a few cases in which someone I knew from the ward pushed hard to try to get me to take a ca...

I sometimes feel lucky to have grown up in the era I did. Aside from the obvious (not living in a war zone or subject to starvation, etc.), it seems like kids had a lot more unsupervised play in the recent past than they do now. And how would my life have been different had I carried a mobile phone ...

I don't think my ingrained Mormon aversion to most vulgar language and humor is ever going to dissipate. Funny how that can outlive fundamental elements of my faith. This thread reminds me of the times when I was younger and would hear a joke that was totally inappropriate but also very clever. One ...

Looks like you can find the recording here:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheDivineAssembly

We might start with a simple belief as a child, but at some point that childlike faith faces questions and concerns. While our untested faith may have served well as a spiritual foundation, we must now move from simple faith through complexity to mature faith that is able to withstand future challe...

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Funny to think about how normal things like this once...

A TBM might say, "The Spirit told me it's all true. That's as good as remembering being with God." Interesting how this can be a way to give added weight to a spiritual witness. For example, saying that a spiritual witness is better than a vision because it can't be explained away, or that seeing G...

I'm personally in favor of keeping popular political controversies somewhat quarantined at NOM. While it's true that they are important and can't always be separated from other topics, it's always been kind of nice to have at least one place to go where the discussion isn't dominated by such things....

I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming; and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, "In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come ; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year; ...

When the time comes, it might be a challenge to stop all children everywhere from running through the sprinkler for a year.

Years ago, I used to strongly resist (in my mind) the oft-voiced idea that the "middle way" was inevitably temporary and that no one would continue to try to make it work in the long term. I guess I didn't want my future to be that easily predictable. I still identify more with the NOM label than an...

I also went to one-hour church today for the first time in ages, for family reasons. It was interesting to note how much more I feel like an outsider these days, even though I know a lot of the ward members (though I've technically never been active in this ward following a pandemic reshuffling). Th...

Adam and Eve are claimed as the first Mormons. Not sure how they got to be Mormons. I think I know that one. Adam (and presumably Eve) got baptized by flying through the air. Though I guess you could interpret that in a more boring way, that they were possessed by the Spirit and shambled down into ...

According to the Tribune article, and other things I've read, the Lester Bush article made a deep impression on Spencer Kimball. It's possible that it influenced a few other Church leaders, but as we know it's what "the prophet" thinks that makes the difference. Yes, that second biography by Edward...