LDS Freedom Forum

Did anybody else pick up on the recurring theme that the living Prophet holds ALL the keys of the Priesthood, including the Sealing ordinances? I heard it at least 3 times on Saturday.

Apparently that must have been 'an issue' since last General Conference.

136 Temples in operation! Go, Temple Teams!

BTW, like LIKE, I appreciate the background info and summaries. Go LDS Freedom Forum Team!

pritchet1 wrote:Did anybody else pick up on the recurring theme that the living Prophet holds ALL the keys of the Priesthood, including the Sealing ordinances? I heard it at least 3 times on Saturday.

Apparently that must have been 'an issue' since last General Conference.

I didn't catch that.

pritchet1 wrote:136 Temples in operation! Go, Temple Teams!

BTW, like LIKE, I appreciate the background info and summaries. Go LDS Freedom Forum Team!

I tried jotting down all the numbers but managed only these: 2,941 stakes, 14,441,346 members

coachmarc wrote:I tried jotting down all the numbers but managed only these: 2,941 stakes, 14,441,346 members

Here are a few more interesting numbers from the statistical report :

There were 119,917 children of record born into the church during 2011.

There were 55,410 full-time missionaries, resulting in 281,312 convert baptisms.

There were also 22,299 church-service missionaries.

pritchet1 wrote:Did anybody else pick up on the recurring theme that the living Prophet holds ALL the keys of the Priesthood, including the Sealing ordinances? I heard it at least 3 times on Saturday.

Apparently that must have been 'an issue' since last General Conference.

136 Temples in operation! Go, Temple Teams!

BTW, like LIKE, I appreciate the background info and summaries. Go LDS Freedom Forum Team!

Indeed Pritchet. There are more and more Denver Snuffers and Sterling Allens and on and on ad naseum out among the membership of the church who are trying any way they can to paint doubts and fears into fellow saints that maybe the prophet doesn't really hold all those keys today and things are not as they should be. Nothing has changed since Josephs time on earth. The wolves will continue to try and devour the flock any way they can. Issues change but the goal is always the same..

Quick reference. Our General Authorities:

http://www.lds.org/church/leaders?lang=eng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dieter F. (Friedrich) Uchtdorf

Born 1940 Ostrova, Czechoslovakia
Baptized as a child; Aaronic Priesthood as a youth; Melchizedek Priesthood as a young man
Married Harriet Reich 1962 in Swiss Temple; two children
High Councilor, Stake Mission President, Stake President (twice),
Second Quorum of the Seventy 1994-1996
First Quorum of the Seventy 1996-2004
Presidency of the Seventy 2002-2004
Ordained Apostle and called to The Twelve 2004-2008
Second Counselor to President Thomas S. Monson 2008-present

coachmarc wrote:Quick reference. Our General Authorities:

http://www.lds.org/church/leaders?lang=eng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.gapages.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is good too

Like wrote:Dieter F. (Friedrich) Uchtdorf

Born 1940 Ostrova, Czechoslovakia
Baptized as a child; Aaronic Priesthood as a youth; Melchizedek Priesthood as a young man
Married Harriet Reich 1962 in Swiss Temple; two children
High Councilor, Stake Mission President, Stake President (twice),
Second Quorum of the Seventy 1994-1996
First Quorum of the Seventy 1996-2004
Presidency of the Seventy 2002-2004
Ordained Apostle and called to The Twelve 2004-2008
Second Counselor to President Thomas S. Monson 2008-present

with more world decisions coming out of the EU, i see him next in line to the presidency.

I love Dieter Uchtdorf. His message was strong.

Strained and broken relationships are as old as the world itself.
We all depend on the Savior. None of us can be saved without Him.
Forgiveness of our sins comes with conditions. We must repent and must be willing to forgive others.
We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel we have all the information to hold others in contempt.
Those who pass judgment on others are inexcusable. The moment we do, we condemn ourselves.
When wanting to judge others apply the following:
STOP IT!
We are Heavenly Father’s children. We are all brothers and sisters.
We are all imperfect. We are all beggars before God.
Should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven?
When our hearts are filled with the love of God, something good happens to us.
Let us put down our stones, let us be kind.
It is the merciful who obtain mercy.
Let us be known as people who have love for one another.

Church News coverage, summaries of each talk available like 10 to 20 minutes right after the talk. That is what I was posting during priesthood last night. Links to articles and reports on each speaker from the 182nd Annual General Conference here:
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/6 ... erage.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1975: Do it

2012: Stop it

Continuing revelation indeed.

Like wrote:Church News coverage, summaries of each talk available like 10 to 20 minutes right after the talk. That is what I was posting during priesthood last night. Links to articles and reports on each speaker from the 182nd Annual General Conference here:
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/6 ... erage.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ah, good to know!! Thank you.

Women of virtue. Nuff said.

Elder Uchtdorf: “The Merciful Obtain Mercy.” To use an analogy that Germans would understand, DFU prepares to bend a curler around the wall and into the top left hand corner of the net. The goalie watches in amazement, his feet rooted to the spot.

“I imagine that every person on earth has been affected in some way by the destructive spirit of contention, resentment, and revenge.”

“Forgiveness for our own sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others.”

“We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous, and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt.”

“Sometimes, of all the people in the world the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror.”

Bumper sticker: “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.”

Ask yourself these questions:

“Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?

Do you gossip—even when what you say may be true?

Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done?

Do you secretly envy another?

Do you wish to cause harm to someone?

If you answered yes—Stop it!”

“Brothers and sisters, let us put down our stones. Let us be kind. Let us forgive. et us talk peacefully with each other. Let the love of God fill our hearts. Let us do good to all men.”

Elder Nelson: “Thanks be to God”

“I thought of some people I know who are just as oblivious to their Creator and their true ‘bread of life’ [as the fish are unaware of where there food comes from]. They live from day to day without an awareness of God and His goodness unto them.”

“A perfect body is not required to achieve one’s divine destiny. In fact, some of the sweetest spirits are housed in frail or imperfect bodies.”

“Important as is the body, it serves as a tabernacle for one’s eternal spirit. Our spirit’s existed in the premortal realm and will continue to live after the body dies. Spirit and body, when joined together, become a living soul of supernal worth.”

“God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but we are not. Each day, ours is the challenge to access the power of the Atonement, so that we can truly change, become more Christlike, and qualify for the gift of exaltation and live eternally with God, Jesus Christ, and our families.

For these powers, privileges, and gospel gifts, thanks be to God!”

Like wrote:1975: Do it

2012: Stop it

Continuing revelation indeed.

)

Elder Rasband: Special Lessons

“To all of you who have challenges, concerns, disappointments, and heartaches with a dear one, know this: with infinite love and everlasting compassion, God our Heavenly Father loves your afflicted one and He loves you!”

Quoting James Faust: “I have great appreciation for those loving parents who stoically bear and overcome their anguish and heartbreak for a chlld who was born with or who has developed a serious mental or physical infirmity. This anguish often continues eery day, without relief, during the lifetime of the parent or the child. Not infrequently, parents are required to give superhuman nurturing care that never ceases, day or night. Many a mother’s arms and heart have ached years on end, giving comfort and relieving the suffering of her special child.”

“[Contemplating the monetary cost of caring for fragile newborns in the NICU], I wept as pondered the limitless love our Heavenly Father and HIs Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, have for each one of us, while learning in a powerful way, what the worth of a soul is both physically and spiritually to God.”

“‘Let me know if I can help,’ is really no help at all.”

Elder Ronald A. Rasband was called as the Senior President of the Presidency of the Seventy on April 4, 2009. He has been serving as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy since 2005. Elder Rasband was named a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 2000. He has served as a counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency, president of the Utah Salt Lake City Area, and Executive Director of the Temple Department. He has also supervised the North America West, Northwest, and three Utah Areas as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

Elder Rasband attended the University of Utah. In 1995, Utah Valley State College awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Business and Commerce. In 1976 he joined Huntsman Container Company as a sales representative, and in 1987, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation.

When he left Huntsman Chemical Corporation in 1996 to serve as a mission president in New York, he was also serving as a member of the Board of Directors.

Elder Rasband has held numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission (1970-1972), Temple Square missionary guide, bishop, and member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee. He presided over the New York New York North Mission from 1996 to 1999.

Elder Rasband was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1951. He married Melanie Twitchell in 1973. They are the parents of five children and have twenty one grandchildren

http://www.lds.org/church/leader/ronald ... d?lang=eng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Julie B. Beck:

Just as the Lord’s prophets have continually taught elders and high priests their purposes and duties, they have shared their vision for the sisters of Relief Society.

Faith, family, and relief–these three simple words have come to express the vision of prophets for sisters in the Church.

Understanding about how we can increase faith, strengthen families and homes, and provide relief comes as we seek, receive and act on revelation.

Since the days of Joseph Smith, who the Lord used to restore His Church, prophets have spoken of the essential need for sisters to be full participants in the Lord’s work. They have shared their vision of strong, faithful, purposeful women who understand their eternal value and purpose.

Joseph F. Smith: The Relief Society is “divinely made, divinely authorized, divinely instituted, divinely ordained of God, and has “been given power and authority to do a great many things.”

Relief Society is not a program. It is an official part of the Lord’s Church that is “divinely ordained of God” to teach, strengthen, and inspire sisters in their purpose regarding faith, family, and relief.

The influence of Relief Society has always extended far beyond a Sunday class or social gathering. Relief Society is meant to be a way of life for Latter-day Sain women, following the pattern of female disciples who served with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles in His ancient Church.

When Joseph Smith told sisters that the organization of Relief Society would prepare them for the “privileges, blessings and gifts of the priesthood,” the Lord’s work of salvation was opened to them.”

Quoting John A. Widtsoe: “Relief of poverty, relief of illness, relief of doubt, relief of doubt, relief of ignorance–relief of all that hinders the joy and progress of woman. What a magnificent commission!”

Spencer W. Kimball: “There are many sisters who are living in rags–spiritual rags. They are entitled to gorgeus robes, spiritual robes. It is your privilege to go into homes and exchange robes for rags.”

President Joseph F. Smith expected the sisters “to lead the world and especially the women of the world in everything that is praiseworthy, everything that is God-like everything that is uplifting, and that is purifying to the children of men.”

The sociality, friendship, and unity we desire are not the purposes of our association; rather, they are the sweet results of serving together with the Lord in his work.

President Kimball: There is power in this organization that has not yet been fully exercised to strengthen the homes of Zion and build the Kingdom of God–nor will it until both the sisters and the priesthood catch the vision of Relief Society

Julie B. Beck

Born in Granger, Utah to William Grant Bangerter and Geraldine Hamblin, Beck grew up in Utah and in São Paulo, Brazil, where her father served as a mission president for the LDS Church for five years. Beck attended Dixie College and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in family science. On 28 December 1973, she married Ramon P. Beck in the Salt Lake Temple.

In October 2002, Beck was called to be the First Counselor to Susan W. Tanner in the Young Women general presidency of the LDS Church. Beck served in this capacity until her call in 2007 as the general president of the Relief Society, succeeding Bonnie D. Parkin. Beck was the fifteenth general president of the Relief Society since it was organized in 1842. As the Relief Society General President, Beck was an ex officio member of the Boards of Trustees/Education of the Church Educational System and was also a member of the executive committee of the Boards of Trustees/Education. Beck's two counselors were Silvia Henriquez Allred and Barbara Thompson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_B._Beck" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

David Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority of the church since 1993. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the ranks of the Church

Christofferson was born in American Fork, Utah and raised in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, Utah. As a young man, he served as a LDS Church missionary in Argentina. His mission president during his period of service was Richard G. Scott, who would already be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve when Christofferson was called to the same quorum. After his mission, he earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

Christofferson began his law career as a law clerk to Judge John J. Sirica during the Watergate hearings.

Career and familyAs a lawyer, Christofferson worked in Washington, D.C.; Nashville, Tennessee; Herndon, Virginia; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Christofferson was the associate general counsel for NationsBank in Charlotte and was the volunteer chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.

Christofferson married Katherine Jacob in the Salt Lake Temple in 1968.

The Christoffersons have five children: Todd, Brynn, Peter, Ryan, and Michael. They also have ten grandchildren.

LDS Church serviceChristofferson served as a bishop, stake president, and a regional representative of the Twelve prior to becoming a general authority of the LDS Church. At the April 1993 general conference of the church, Christofferson was accepted by the membership as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In August 1998, Christofferson became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

For a time, Christofferson served as the executive director of the Family and Church History Department of the LDS Church. While he was in this position he was involved with negotiations with Jewish leaders on policies on temple work for Holocaust victims, which emphasized that church members should only do such temple work for family members. He also was in charge of the department when the church completed the Freedman's Savings Bank Records project.

From August 2007 to April 2008, Christofferson’s primary responsibility was presiding over the North America Northwest and North America West Areas of the church and the supervision of the area seventies in these areas.

Christofferson was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a solemn assembly of general conference on April 5, 2008. As a member of this body, Christofferson is regarded by the church membership as a prophet, seer, and revelator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Todd_Christofferson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

“The question is, how shall we know when the things they have spoken were said as they were “moved upon by the Holy Ghost”? I have given some thought to this question, and the answer thereto, so far as I can determine, is: We can tell when the speakers are “moved upon by the Holy Ghost” only when we, ourselves, are “moved upon by the Holy Ghost.” In a way, this completely shifts the responsibility from them to us to determine when they so speak.” http://emp.byui.edu/marrottr/ClarkWhenAreWritings.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Elder Christofferson: The Doctrine of Christ

“These same patterns are followed today in the restored Church of Jesus Christ. The president of the Church may announce or interpret doctrines based on revelation to him. Doctrinal exposition may also come through the combined council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Council deliberations will often include a weighing of canonized scriptures, the teachings of Church leaders, and past practice. But in the end, just as in the New Testament church, the objective is not simply consensus among council members, but revelation from God. It is a process involving both reason and faith for obtaining the mind and will of the Lord.

It should be remembered that not every statement made by a church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. The prophet Joseph Smith taught that “a prophet [is] a prophet only when is [is] acting as such.”

Quoting President Clark: “The Church will know by the testimony of the Holy Ghost in the body of the members whether the Brethren in voicing their views are moved upon by the holy Ghost, and in due time that knowledge will be made manifest.”

I appeal to all who hear or read this message to seek through prayer and study of the scriptures that same witness of the diving character, the Atonement, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Accept His doctrine by repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then throughout your life following the laws and covenants of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Russell M. Nelson:

'There are many who claim that our existence and the universe came about from a giant explosion eons ago often referred to as the big bang - can an explosion in a printing press shop produce a dictionary'?

Love it! )

In his Sunday morning conference address, President Thomas S. Monson spoke of eternal truths, "those truths which will enrich our lives and see us safely home."

Noting that everywhere people are in a hurry, rushing about the business of the day, he asked, "In this fast-paced life do we ever pause for moments of meditation — even thoughts of timeless truths?"

He said when compared to eternal verities, most of the questions and concerns of daily living are really rather trivial. Questions about what's for dinner, or how to decorate the home or in which activities to enroll children "lose their significance when times of crisis arise, when loved ones are hurt or injured, when sickness enters the house of good health, when life's candle dims and darkness threatens. Our thoughts become focused, and we are easily able to determine what is really important and what is merely trivial."

He spoke of visiting a woman fighting a life-threatening disease. Prior to her illness, her days were filled with activities such as cleaning her house and filling it with beautiful furnishings, visiting her hairdresser and spending money on clothes. Concerned that her grandchildren might break or ruin her precious possessions, she invited them to visit infrequently. Then, at the moment her doctor gave a diagnosis of a potentially fatal medical condition, she knew immediately that she would spend whatever time she had remaining with her family and friends and with the gospel at the center of her life, for these represented what was most precious to her.

"Such moments of clarity come to all of us at one time or another, although not always through so dramatic a circumstance," President Monson said. "We see clearly what it is that really matters in our lives and how we should be living."

Further, he said, "In our times of deepest reflection or greatest need, the soul of man reaches heavenward, seeking a divine response to life's greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after we leave this life?

"Answers to these questions are not discovered within the covers of academia's textbooks or by checking the Internet. These questions transcend mortality. They embrace eternity."

Where did we come from?

"This query is inevitably thought, if not spoken, by every human being," President Monson said.

"The Lord has declared that 'the spirit and the body are the soul of man' (Doctrine and Covenants 88:15). Thus it is the spirit which is the offspring of God. The writer of Hebrews refers to Him as 'the Father of spirits' (Hebrews 12:9). The spirits of all men are literally His 'begotten sons and daughters"' (See Doctrine and Covenants 76:24).

Why are we here?

"Clearly, one primary purpose of our existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bones," President Monson said. "We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience. We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions."

President Monson said, "The Apostle Paul likened life to a race. To the Hebrews he urged: Let us lay aside. . . the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us' (Hebrews 12:1).

"In our zeal, let us not overlook the sage counsel from Ecclesiastes: 'The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.' (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Actually, the prize belongs to him who endures to the end."

President Monson, speaking of an experience from his youth, said he and his friends made toy boats that they raced on the river. One boat, caught in a whirlpool, capsized. "The toy boats of childhood had no keel for stability, no rudder to provide direction, and no source of power. Inevitably their destination was downstream — the path of least resistance.

"Unlike toy boats, we have been provided divine attributes to guide our journey. We enter mortality not to float with the moving currents of life, but with the power to think, to reason and to achieve.

"Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak, too, of the whisperings from that still, small voice; and I do not overlook the holy scriptures, which contain the word of the Lord and the words of the prophets — provided to us to help us successfully cross the finish line."

Where do we go after we leave this life?

President Monson said that Latter-day Saints know that death is not the end, as taught by prophets through the ages. He quoted from Alma 40:11-12, which explains that the "spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body … whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life," and that the "spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow."

Further, President Monson declared, "The answer to Job's question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?' came when Mary and others approached the tomb and saw two men in shining garments who spoke to them: 'Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.'

"As the result of Christ's victory over the grave, we shall all be resurrected. This is the redemption of the soul. Paul wrote: 'There are . . . celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another' (1 Corinthians 15:40).

"It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings are earned through a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting and finally succeeding.

"Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after this life? No longer need these universal questions remain unanswered. From the depths of my soul, and in all humility, I testify that those things of which I have spoken are true."

President Monson said Heavenly Father rejoices for those who keep His commandments. "He is concerned also for the lost child, the tardy teenager, the wayward youth, the delinquent parent. Tenderly the Master speaks to these, and indeed to all: 'Come back. Come up. Come in. Come home. Come unto me.'

"In one week we will celebrate Easter. Our thoughts will turn to the Savior's life, His death and His resurrection. As His special witness, I testify to you that He lives and that He awaits our triumphant return."