tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post112987212739955027..comments2023-11-05T03:52:09.095-07:00Comments on The Fobcave: Young Men in LibrariesB.G. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604354633985676126noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1130024880964988622005-10-22T17:48:00.000-06:002005-10-22T17:48:00.000-06:00I do hope I'm not irritating by getting in on your...I do hope I'm not irritating by getting in on your conversations, but I really enjoy the thinking that's going on here! <BR/><BR/>"... how can I trust him to know when he's communicating ... and when he's not?"<BR/><BR/>I don't think you have to. If you question something, ask for yourself. Isn't that what you deduced from 2 Timothy - that God expects us to think for ourselves? You already brought out the fact that 1- all of God's prophets are human (i.e.: imperfect) and 2- they're there to LEAD us to God. They give us basic principles and guidelines, but we still have to do the work of thinking and praying to confirm what is truth - or, if we question something - what might be a result of human frailty, or even individual taste or opinion. <BR/><BR/>You may have prayed about certain things and not gotten an answer. There could be many explanations for that, one of which could be: If you had, a. prayed, b. received a clear answer, c. end of discussion, then perhaps a lot of people here would not be doing the thinking that's represented by these questions and comments. And who knows how many other people may have read the post and the comments, and learned something they needed to know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1130001085601796952005-10-22T11:11:00.000-06:002005-10-22T11:11:00.000-06:00Mom, I'd forgotten about that frame but now that y...Mom, I'd forgotten about that frame but now that you mention it I remember it. I'll respond to your question about Paul when I have more time. Until then you're welcome to take it as the unfounded claim of a madman.B.G. Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604354633985676126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1130000905682003272005-10-22T11:08:00.000-06:002005-10-22T11:08:00.000-06:00Unfortunately, Th. is right--I'm not communicating...Unfortunately, Th. is right--I'm not communicating with God 100% of the time. Probably not even 100% of the time I think I am. Here's the thing, though: President Hinckley doesn't claim to go about the process of receiving revelation any differently than I do. He said in response to Larry King's question about how he receives revelation, "It isn't necessarily a voice heard. Impressions come." Believe me, I'm sure he's doing his best just like anyone else (and probably better than most), but, to put it in your words, TH., how can I trust him to know when he's communicating with God and when he's not? <BR/><BR/>While I would never push for governmental anarchy, religious anarchy--the lack of religious government--is what the U.S. was founded on and it works very well. The fact that large groups of people choose to believe what individual men tell them to does nothing to affect that "anarchy." If you believe that God communicates to individuals, democracy--each individual voting to make laws based on what he or she feels God wants--seems to be the most logical way for God to create order.<BR/><BR/>I suppose a better way to put my question is: Once I have been taught to fish, why do I need people fishing for me? Which is not to say, as many of you have suggested, that we can't use constant reminders of how to fish effectively. Whether it's Gordon B. Hinckley, Pope Benedict XVI, Mahatma Ghandi, or Ralph Waldo Emerson doing that reminding, it serves its purpose.B.G. Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604354633985676126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1129997942653216312005-10-22T10:19:00.000-06:002005-10-22T10:19:00.000-06:00I must, as you know, agree with th. (does that nee...I must, as you know, agree with th. (does that need an additional period?). The whole point of God is to order our existence somewhat...if he cannot do that, what is he doing?<BR/><BR/>They are good thoughts, though, thoughts I myself am having right now as well.Tolkien Boyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03816447362432499481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1129973634362990442005-10-22T03:33:00.000-06:002005-10-22T03:33:00.000-06:00You bring up several excellent thoughts and questi...You bring up several excellent thoughts and questions! The comments also offered some excellent answers! Thank you everyone, for sharing.<BR/><BR/>I guess my question would be, how could there ever NOT be a prophet, unless everyone was on the same page as you? And that's assuming that "once a prophet [had] successfully turned [your] attention to God", you never regressed or diverted, a situation which seems contrary to human nature.<BR/><BR/>My other question: I'm curious - which verses indicate that Paul was a homophobe or sexist? <BR/><BR/>FYI: Do you recall that 2 Timothy 1:7 was framed and hanging over the counter in our Aipo St. house. It was actually a greeting card that Jenny had made and I framed it, because I, too, particularly like that scripture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1129917936922767542005-10-21T12:05:00.000-06:002005-10-21T12:05:00.000-06:00I like what you've said here. In reading the scrip...I like what you've said here. In reading the scriptures, we're supposed to listen to the spirit, so that we can understand what *God* wants us to get out of the scriptures instead of getting bogged down in the writers' flaws or the flaws introduced by scribes or translators. <BR/><BR/>I think the purpose of the prophet is not only to turn our attention to God, but also to keep us in some sort of stability, to keep us more or consistent. It's really easy for us to get hung up on small doctrines or obsessed about tangents. I think the prophets are there to help us focus and remind us of the general direction we're supposed to be heading. And, of course, to testify of Christ.ambrosia ananashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05771116150816566154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1129910781356717402005-10-21T10:06:00.000-06:002005-10-21T10:06:00.000-06:00I agree with you about the purpose of the Bible. I...I agree with you about the purpose of the Bible. I look at it as a history book. But it's a special history book about people trying to understand and draw closer to God, and that's where it gets its greatest value. The same can be said for the prophets; they remind us that we need to draw closer to God and, in trying to do this, say things to put us on the path.Christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02954160939175918093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14843205.post-1129906568242641322005-10-21T08:56:00.000-06:002005-10-21T08:56:00.000-06:00.I guess the question is, how much time do we real....<BR/><BR/>I guess the question is, how much time do we really communicate with God, percentagewise? And what about everyone else? And can we trust everyone to know when they're communicating with God and when they're not?<BR/><BR/>Chaos and anarchy are lovely thoughts, but there is a reason they have the pejorative connotations that they do.Th.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16460795570237872290noreply@blogger.com