As long as there is a primary program, the Church will not fall.
humans like AI hallucinate all the time, but have (sometimes rapid) iterative correxion by contact with reality
-an LDS friend
Once upon a time, a youth fell in with an older companion. Soon they came to a fork.
Where are you bound? The older man said. To heaven, the youth replied cheerfully. The Road to Heaven lies on your left said the old man. It is where I am going myself.
Surely not, the youth replied. I don’t believe you because the road to the right looks more pleasant and I will go there because I will go there and nothing you say can stop me. But the youth would not meet his companion’s eye.
So they parted ways. The roads ran parallel, and soon a crack between them became a crevice became a deep canyon. Although the two travelers could still see each other and even, if they shouted, converse.
After a time, the road that the youth was on turned away and bent down towards swamp and obscurity. I was a fool, the youth said. I knew. I knew better. I deliberately chose bad, the youth said, and he wept.
The older man across the way yelled. It will be difficult, he shouted, but I see a way down. Cross, then climb up this side! I will help you! I will shout out advice about handholds. And when you come up, I will reach down and pull you up.
The youth sat down in the road and, lamenting, poured dust over his head.
What are you doing? The older man said. Sorrowing for my sins and chastising myself, said the youth.
And yet, said the man on the other side , you are no closer to getting on the road to heaven.
Thoughts: What is repentance? I literally believe it to be desire. Repentance is deliberate change in the desired better direction. Everything else one can say about repentance is window dressing. That is why Elder Bednar says repentance is not a fix for the plan, repentance is the plan. Sorrow is godly sorrow if you change. Sorrow, no matter how genuine, is not repentance if you do not change. Godly sorrow is desiring something better and working toward it.
A young person of my acquaintance, who may or may not be headed in the marriage direction, asked me what things I wish I’d known before marriage. Interesting question. Tough question. Here is what I came up with.
My wife adds
6. Your spouse is crazy insecure. Everyone is. Much reassurance needed.
I don’t think this advice is for everyone. For some people, maybe the opposite of what I’m saying may be what they need. But this is what I wish *I* had known before marriage.
What about you?
A fourteen-year old boy is speaking church. He shows his broken wrist. “I broke it diving back to first base,” he said. “I was safe,” he adds.
“Now I can’t play baseball. Or my cello. Or”–he hangs his head–“play video games.”
“I was bored so I’ve just been sleeping a lot.” Pause. “I didn’t know seminary was so spiritual!”
JG Friend Bobdaduck had something wise to say about virtues.
there’s a virtue we have a sense of in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because we reference it often, but we don’t have a concise word for it, so I’m not sure we realize we reference it so often, but I think its fair to say Latter-Day Saints have a more attuned conscience about this, which is the virtue of stewardship, or lineage, or of “magnifying your calling”, or of “multiplying your talents”
Brother Giraud-Carrier quoted C.S. Lewis in the Weight of Glory.
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.
The shallow understanding of this is that therefore those things–nations, cultures, arts, civilization–don’t matter. The true understanding is that they do matter, because they matter to you.
There will always be an America because there will always be Americans.
What a wonderful truth. If you hold on to your divine family, in turn everything you hold on to will last forever. The formal sealing power is ultimately just a recognition of who and what you love.
I have a beautiful vision of our nations and their peculiarities being the way they are, be it America or some shantytown in the third world, because the incomparable bright angel who guides that nation remembers far off his childhood when he was a mortal with fast cars on the open road, or happy kids playing at football between the shacks.
Its funny that we have a Valerí Cordón and a Bonnie Cordon. Bless ’em both.
This General Conference Elder Cordón went into territory that I think a lot of members haven’t caught up to in their minds yet.
(He also mentioned that there is a gospel culture, which I appreciate. A useful corrective.) (more…)
We do not live in fear of the Lamanites.
We have not suffered from vicious Lamanite depravity.
The worst we, personally, have suffered from the Lamanites is some wicked good Indian Fry Bread.
The Nephites in the Book of Mormon had ‘good’ reasons to be angry with the Lamanites. Of course, I deliberately use quote marks around good in this instance. But my point is, we see things differently from the perspective of being 2 millennia later. All they knew was that their friends and family members were taken for human sacrifices.
But we also know the Lamanites, when converted, were FAR, FAR more faithful than the Nephites. The only reason the faithful survived at all, was because of the converted Lamanites. There is a good argument to be made that the Lamanites are the heroes of the Book of Mormon.
Now, let’s discuss current events. I will do this will all the grace I am capable of… so imagine rabid bulls in a china shop.
During Sister Wright and Brother Daines’ talk I wrote “these are very ‘feminine’ themes.” Comfort, relief, acceptance, etc.
At one time I believed that churches including occasionally ours were too feminine in their approach and focus, driving men away. So ‘feminine’ themes gave me allergies. Now, whatever the truth of that particular sociological observation, I have realized that femininity is one of the foundational truths of the world. There should be a complete and moving ‘feminine’ version of the gospel that will appeal to women but also to men, because it is tapping something deep and godly. There should likewise be a complete and moving ‘masculine’ version of the gospel about duty and honor and glory and triumph that will appeal to men, but also to women. And approaches that are both, and approaches that cut orthogonally. The eternities cannot be fully contained in one mortal package.
The problem, if there is a problem, is not too much feminized gospel. It is too little masculinized gospel.
(“To serve in this Church is to stand in the river of God’s love for his children” – wow)
What a great time. As President Monson might have said, hearts were touched, inspirations were jotted down, apples were canned.
Having General Conference every 3 months might take away the specialness, but I’m willing to try the experiment.
who presided? If they announced who was presiding, I missed it.
I consider a great many (not all, but many) AI concerns to be in the same vein as Caveman Science Fiction. It is a psyop to keep us from challenging existing power structures. But if we are cavemen (and women), and we have been handed fire, then we ought to learn how to use fire. So… just what do you do with fire, anyway?
We are going to search out the deepest Mysteries of the Book of Abraham.
Saul goes to the witch of Endor to call up the ghost of Samuel the Prophet. Which she does.
Wicked Saul.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/1-sam/28?lang=eng
A real incident, with changes names. Reminiscent of the Amarillo ice cream incident.
It is 5 AM. Brown is in bed and awake. He would normally be going to the gym right now. But he lies in bed awake because he does not want to disturb his wife’s sister and her family who just go in last night from a long drive and who are now sleeping on various of his couches and floors. He can lay there till 6:00 and still be fine for work. No, 6:30. He feels peaceful.
Here lies Cyan. She is awake on a bedroll on her sister’s living room floor. She doesn’t want to disturb her sister’s family, who are no doubt not used to early risers clumping around at 5 AM.
Here lies Ruby. She is awake in bed. But her sister’s family needs their sleep and besides, her husband Brown is breathing so peacefully beside her. She will wait.
Here lies Green. It is 5 AM and he can’t sleep. Next to him on the floor his wife Cyan seems to be moving in her sleep somewhat restlessly. Best be quiet lest he wake her.
Here lies Shale. Her cousins and Aunt and Uncle are sleeping so she can’t get up. Frustrating ….
