Thank you, I like you too.
And I can relate with your sadness. I remember feeling sad for inactive family who couldn't join us for a temple wedding. Then, recently, I didn't attend a temple wedding because I can't honestly answer the "right" answers for a recommend. Unlike my inactive brother and sister, I am active - even have callings. We do FHE every Monday, have family prayer every night, pay generous tithes to those in need, only listen to or watch uplifting media (and limited). We have high standards and try to keep the spirit in our home and I think it's often felt by everyone that lives here or visits.
So, don't feel sorry for me. I'm fine. I've moved on, as spiritually guided to. I love the church and still attend but my beliefs have progressed and I'm seeing clearer every day. I have felt spiritual confirmation that I'm doing God's will - and that is my priority though I'm not perfect.
Sadly, I think you're right in a way. But there's hope. Each of us are learning line upon line. People are getting smarter - partly due to the flynn effect but also the world is getting increasingly connected and becoming more informed (too much information agejwharton wrote:And, sadly, when the gain and praise of the world becomes more important than those the church is to serve, the church looses its most spiritually attuned and all that winds up being left are the minions who want it to be a cult and are doing their darnedest to turn it into one.Thinker wrote:Thanks for your comments, Jwharton.jwharton wrote:I think what is really trying to be discerned here is what priest craft is.
The question could be asked, What does priestcraft look like?
The Book of Mormon says, "Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the Welfare of Zion…"
Ie: Hiding and disobeying the commandment of leaders to share TITHES with the poor (Deut. 14:28-29) and instead building up a corporate empire including shopping malls, to get financial gain in the name of Jesus Christ.
What an awful feeling it was when I began to realize I was indeed in a cult. I had been taught as most cults teach, that any objection to the cult was "the adversary" ... but really, what I experienced was a terrible feeling of betrayal. I know that the church does not hold a monopoly on the spirit because since turning away from harmful teachings and toward God, I've felt the spirit stronger and more than ever!
This is why in the thread about the pollution being in the holy church of God I say that if we as a church humbled ourselves we would start getting a much higher quality of spiritual beings gathered into the fold.
What was the difference between Abel's offering and Cain's?
Abel brought in much higher order "creatures" than Cain did.
Cain only gathers in the cultish minions, not true spiritual giants.
).I hope my kids are spiritual giants - I know they have gifts already and awesome potential. I want them to think for themselves and act in accordance with spiritual guidance so they follow ONLY GOD.
How do I teach them to have only God (who is pure Love that will never fail) as their leader?
