I've mentioned this before and I don't say this to mock or to ridicule but out of a desire to help you, you don't sound like in your posts as though you are acting, thinking, and reacting from a healthy mental state. I believe you should focus on getting help from a professional or some other expert on mental health before you continue to pursue getting answers or dealing with choices about baptism, religion, etc.inquirringmind wrote: ↑August 9th, 2017, 7:29 am I haven't been baptized LDS.
The last time I was seriously thinking about it my friend (the one who has the blog supporting Denver Snuffer) told me that I shouldn't be until after I received a remission of my sins.
He quoted a passage from D&C to prove this, and he said the token that I'd received a remission of my sins would be a noticeable sensation of warmth.
Now he tells me you all lost the priesthood when you sustained those who wrongfully excommunicated Mr. Snuffer at General Conference, but he was wrong about having to receive that visitation with fire before you're baptized, and if I want to receive any personal revelation I should take a leap of faith and get baptized by someone with the authority to baptize.
He also tells me that if I don't believe he's a messenger of God, its because I don't love him, and I don't have Charity or eternal life abiding in my heart.
And right now he's washed his hands of me, and won't answer any questions.
He says if I don't understand anything he's said, and I want to know what he meant, to "ask of God," and that's all he'll say.
He's done this before, and I've always found it frustrating, but there does seem to be a basis for it in your scriptures.
And to be fair to him, I have said and done things I shouldn't have done when I've been confused and frustrated.
Once when he cut me off like this, when my father dying in a skilled nursing facility (and he left me wondering if I should leave him there to die alone, while I just went out in the woods to pray until I received an answer, like Enos) I called his bishop's office and left a message that he wanted to talk to him.
That was before he came out of the closet with his beliefs, when he said that he valued his privacy, and I only did it because of where he left our conversation, and because he wouldn't talk to me or return my calls.
And I immediately had second thoughts, and left him a voice mail apologizing for what I had done, alerting him to the fact that he might receive a call from his bishop, and urging him not to overreact (because I hadn't revealed anything about his online persona, or what he was teaching.)
I don't know if he ever listened to that voicemail, or how he reacted when and if he received a call from his bishop, because he never returned my call (and I don't think he spoke to me again until long after my father died), but I have asked him to forgive me (and I forgive him, if I have anything to forgiven)
At other times, when he's threatened to cut me off and refused to answer my questions, I've said I could perhaps answer them myself by doing some investigative reporting.
Jesus did have something to say about those who put heavy burdens on people without raising a finger to lift them themselves, and my friend has written a lot against private property.
He's told his readers to sell their houses and any new cars they might be driving, and to liquidate their savings accounts and retirement funds, and give the proceeds directly to the poor.
And he's often quoted a passage in Moroni about not trusting any man to be your teacher unless he's keeping the commandments of God, and pointed to things like the business investments of the church, and the financial success of those chosen to be general authorities as evidence that the leaders of the church aren't keeping the commandments of God.
So in moments of confusion and frustration, when he's refused to talk to me, I've sometimes suggested that I could find out what I need to know by playing investigative reporter, and seeing how well he measures up to the standard he sets for others.
But I've never followed through on that thought, but I've never followed through on that thought, and I apologize.
I'm still very confused, but I thank all of you for your comments.
-Finrock