#and it lead me to 2nd Nephi 2

[vendimeyers]

2nd Nephi Chapter 2 really went off huh?

[thoughtfloodway]

Insights on Parenting from Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-46

I was inspired to do this from a school assignment, where I am majoring in Marriage and Family Studies. Although I tried to make sure it was in line with what the Spirit approves, it is likely not all right. Use the gift of the Holy Ghost to decide if any of this is applicable with you or others.

The first insight I got was from footnote 43b, on the word “sharpness.” It referenced Doctrine and Covenants 15:2, which used the word “sharpness” along with the phrase, “with power.” So part of “reproving with sharpness” is reproving “with power.” Before trying to write an example of what this would look like, my ideas varied and were not what I define it as now. Previously, I thought it to be like Super Nanny telling a girl very sternly to get ready for bed. But after looking up another example that came to my mind, from the Book of Mormon, I realized it is much, much different. The example I looked up was of Nephi telling to his brothers Laman and Lemuel to “touch [him] not.” When I actually saw it, I saw the attitude in it. Here is the exact quote: “In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even to the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed” (1 Nephi 17:48). I realized that Nephi was not just telling someone in a stern way that they needed to do something, or that they were wicked, or that bad things would happen if they disobeyed; he was speaking with the power of God, from spiritual anger, the kind which inspired Jesus to whip the sellers in the temple. This is the kind of teaching that is only for times when a person is being grossly disobedient to God. If reproving with sharpness is the most severe of correction that God wants us to give, then correcting our children in all other circumstances must be very peaceful.

One of the next insights I got was on the footnote on the word “reproving.” It referenced the Topical Guide for chastening. I went to the Topical Guide and read some of it. One of the scriptures was Deuteronomy 8:5, which said, “As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord God chasteneth thee.” Perhaps this verse is comparing Heavenly Father to our earthly father and how he teaches us, but it also got me to think that we shouldn’t chasten our kids in ways we wouldn’t want God to chasten us. This especially makes sense because Jesus told us that we should love others as much as we love ourselves and that as we forgive others (or do not forgive others), we will be forgiven by our Father in Heaven. So it makes sense that how we chasten our children could also be how Heavenly Father will chasten us.

The next insight I got was also from the Topical Guide for Chastening. I went to a reference there for Leviticus 26:28, but what really caught my eye was verses 29-31, where God told all the ways He’d punish His people if they did not repent. I went back to earlier in the chapter and looked for principles of his parenting. Though what I came up with may not be perfect, the principles I saw were in these steps: (1) a kid sins. (2) God teaches them and uses positive reinforcement. (3) He gives them time to change and actively helps them change if they want Him to help. (4) If they don’t change, then He punishes them, and he increases the punishment until they do change. Every blessing is predicated on keeping a commandment (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21). So, He basically just takes away the blessings that they no longer qualify for. Every blessing is a privilege. Therefore, you can discipline your children by taking away privileges they no longer qualify for.

I know this is already long, but there are two additional insights I would like to share. The first is on a footnote in verse 42, on the word “Soul.” It leads to the Topical Guide for understanding. If you replace the word “soul” with “understanding,” then you get that “maintaining [influence]” by “kindness and pure knowledge […] shall greatly enlarge the understanding.” And that, it seems to me, is a promise! Since understanding will lead to obedience (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/todd-b-parker/true-doctrine-understood-changes-attitudes-behavior/), kindness and knowledge will increase obedience! What a wonderful, useful promise to parents!

The 2nd is from the same verse, but from a footnote before it. It is from the footnote on the word “kindness.” It references the Topical Guide for courtesy, which describes being polite. Applying this to parenting, this tells me that we should give kids the same politeness our culture requires for adults. This also reminds me of something I learned while reading a blog post about parenting and other cultures. (Unfortunately, I could not find the blog to reference it here.) In either China or Japan, parents usually revere their kids as “adults in training.” This perspective definitely would cause you to be equally polite to children, as with adults.

Therefore, we know from these verses and insights from their footnotes that we must be sensitive to the Spirit, correct our children as God guides us to, treat our children how we want to be treated by God our Father, use positive enforcement, teaching, patience, and then punishment, and “maintain” authority by” kindness and pure knowledge,” which will be the most likely to increase obedience. There is more, but this does not have to be an end-all-be-all.

[heatherdvdprincess]

Insights on Parenting from Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-46

The first insight I got was from footnote 43b, on the word "sharpness." It referenced Doctrine and Covenants 15:2, which used the word "sharpness" along with the phrase, "with power." So part of "reproving with sharpness" is reproving "with power." Before trying to write an example of what this would look like, my ideas varied and were not what I define it as now. Previously, I thought it to be like Super Nanny telling a girl very sternly to get ready for bed. But after looking up another example that came to my mind, from the Book of Mormon, I realized it is much, much different. The example I looked up was of Nephi telling to his brothers Laman and Lemuel to “touch [him] not.” When I actually saw it, I saw the attitude in it. Here is the exact quote: “In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even to the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed” (1 Nephi 17:48). I realized that Nephi was not just telling someone in a stern way that they needed to do something, or that they were wicked, or that bad things would happen if they disobeyed; he was speaking with the power of God, from spiritual anger, the kind which inspired Jesus to whip the sellers in the temple. This is the kind of teaching that is only for times when a person is being grossly disobedient to God. If reproving with sharpness is the most severe of correction that God wants us to give, then correcting our children in all other circumstances must be very peaceful.

One of the next insights I got was on the footnote on the word "reproving." It referenced the Topical Guide for chastening. I went to the Topical Guide and read some of it. One of the scriptures was Deuteronomy 8:5, which said, "As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord God chasteneth thee." Perhaps this verse is comparing Heavenly Father to our earthly father and how he teaches us, but it also got me to think that we shouldn't chasten our kids in ways we wouldn't want God to chasten us. This especially makes sense because Jesus told us that we should love others as much as we love ourselves and that as we forgive others (or do not forgive others), we will be forgiven by our Father in Heaven. So it makes sense that how we chasten our children could also be how Heavenly Father will chasten us.

The next insight I got was also from the Topical Guide for Chastening. I went to a reference there for Leviticus 26:28, but what really caught my eye was verses 29-31, where God told all the ways He'd punish His people if they did not repent. I went back to earlier in the chapter and looked for principles of his parenting. Though what I came up with may not be perfect, the principles I saw were in these steps: (1) a kid sins. (2) God teaches them and uses positive reinforcement. (3) He gives them time to change and actively helps them change if they want Him to help. (4) If they don't change, then He punishes them, and he increases the punishment until they do change. Every blessing is predicated on keeping a commandment (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21). So, He basically just takes away the blessings that they no longer qualify for. Every blessing is a privilege. Therefore, you can discipline your children by taking away privileges they no longer qualify for.

I know this is already long, but there are two additional insights I would like to share. The first is on a footnote in verse 42, on the word "Soul." It leads to the Topical Guide for understanding. If you replace the word "soul" with "understanding," then you get that "maintaining [influence]" by "kindness and pure knowledge [...] shall greatly enlarge the understanding." And that, it seems to me, is a promise! Since understanding will lead to obedience (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/todd-b-parker/true-doctrine-understood-changes-attitudes-behavior/), kindness and knowledge will increase obedience! What a wonderful, useful promise to parents!

 The 2nd is from the same verse, but from a footnote before it. It is from the footnote on the word "kindness." It references the Topical Guide for courtesy, which describes being polite. Applying this to parenting, this tells me that we should give kids the same politeness our culture requires for adults. This also reminds me of something I learned while reading a blog post about parenting and other cultures. (Unfortunately, I could not find the blog to reference it here.) In either China or Japan, parents usually revere their kids as "adults in training." This perspective definitely would cause you to be equally polite to children, as with adults.

Therefore, we know from these verses and insights from their footnotes that we must be sensitive to the Spirit, correct our children as God guides us to, treat our children how we want to be treated by God our Father, use positive enforcement, teaching, patience, and then punishment, and “maintain” authority by” kindness and pure knowledge,” which will be the most likely to increase obedience. There is more, but this does not have to be an end-all-be-all.

[bedisciple-blog]

Mormonism

New Post has been published on https://bedisciple.com/begospel-clear/false-gospels/mormonism/

Mormonism

Overview

The Biblical Gospel

The Teaching of Mormonism on Salvation

Reasons Mormonism’s Teachings on Salvation are Incorrect

Other False Teachings of Mormonism

Verses to Use to Share the Gospel with Mormons

Fun Facts About the Founder: Joseph Smith

The Biblical Gospel

Understanding the true Gospel makes identifying false gospels easy. Therefore, we’ll start with the true Gospel according to God’s Word. Romans 1-4 is where there Gospel is clearly articulated in the Bible. We’ve covered this in detail in BeGospel Clear, so we’ll be brief here. The Gospel according to God’s Word in Romans 1-4 is this:

God is Holy – He cannot allow any sin in His presence and must judge all sin.

We Are Sinners – We deserve the punishment of eternal death for our sin.

Jesus Died for Our Sin – He paid for all of our sins in full.

Our Part is Faith Alone – When we trust that Jesus paid for our sin in full, His payment is applied to our lives. We are forgiven. We are also given the righteousness of Christ as a free gift. This righteousness is credited or imputed to our account. We did not earn this righteousness, nor do we deserve it. It is a free gift given by “grace.” Grace simply means “undeserved and unmerited favor.”

The Teaching of Mormonism on Salvation

In order to accurately understand the teachings of Mormonism, we need to consult their sources of doctrine.These are the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Here are a few quotes from their sources about how someone can be saved:

“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,” (The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23)

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God” (The Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:32).

The 13th President of the Mormon Church, Ezra Taft Benson, said, “What is meant by ‘after all we can do’? ‘After all we can do’ includes extending our best effort. ‘After all we can do’ includes living His commandments. ‘After all we can do’ includes loving our fellowmen and praying for those who regard us as their adversary. ‘After all we can do’ means clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and giving ‘succor [to] those who stand in need of [our] succor’ (Mosiah 4:15)-remembering that what we do unto one of the least of God’s children, we do unto Him (see Matthew 25:34-40; D&C 42:38). ‘After all we can do’ means leading chaste, clean, pure lives, being scrupulously honest in all our dealings and treating others the way we would want to be treated” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.354. Brackets in original).

Reasons Mormonism’s Teachings on Salvation are Incorrect

Works Gospel

It is clear from their teachings that they teach that salvation is by faith and works. This is in direct conflict with God’s Word, which teaches salvation by faith apart from works:

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Romans 3:28

“Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” Romans 4:4-5

“Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.” Galatians 3:21

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

False God

God used to be a man on another planet, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).

“The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s . . . ” (D&C 130:22).

God is in the form of a man, (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 3).

“God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see,” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345).

God the Father had a Father, (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 476; Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 19; Milton Hunter, First Council of the Seventy, Gospel through the Ages, p. 104-105).

God resides near a star called Kolob, (Pearl of Great Price, p. 34-35; Mormon Doctrine, p. 428).

God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus, (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, 1857, p. 218; vol. 8, p. 115). This one is disputed among many Mormons and not always ‘officially’ taught and believed. Nevertheless, Young, the 2nd prophet of the Mormon church taught it.

This contradicts God’s word, which teaches that there is one God who is everlasting, a spirit, and never had relations with Mary:

“‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.” Isaiah 43:10

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

 “Now the birth of Jesus [r]Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18

False Jesus

Some of Mormonism’s false teachings about Jesus include:

The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).

Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163; Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15).

Jesus’ sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).

God’s Word teaches us that Jesus is God in the flesh, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Since Mormonism teaches a false god and a false Jesus, as well as, a false means of salvation (by works) it is therefore…(you guessed it) false!

Other False Teachings of Mormonism

False Teachings

After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354.)

There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).

God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).

There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 348).

A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus’ plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to “deny men their agency and to dethrone god,” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).

There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188).

Baptism for the dead, (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. II, p. 141). This is a practice of baptizing each other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. Their belief is that in the afterlife, the “newly baptized” person will be able to enter into a higher level of Mormon heaven.

False Prophecies

“and I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left…” (History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 394, May 1843) – Joseph Smith

Verses to Use to Share the Gospel with Mormons

Here is a link for verses to use to share the true Gospel with Mormons: https://carm.org/verses-witnessing-to-mormons

Fun Facts About the Founder: Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, some of which were only 14 years old. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/us/its-official-mormon-founder-had-up-to-40-wives.html?_r=1

The Book of Mormon is full of historical and archeological errors: https://carm.org/problems-with-the-book-mormon

He translated the Bible inaccurately: https://carm.org/the-joseph-smith-translation-and-his-prophethood

He boasted about being better than Jesus: “I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet . . . ” (History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 408-409)

*For an Overview of Mormonism and other helpful info visit: https://carm.org/mormonism