apostles

The Doctrine of Continual Revelation

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President Thomas S. Monson

President Thomas S. Monson

The emails I receive these days give me ample opportunity to teach the gospel. Below is my response to a fundamentalist.

I will explain why you do not understand the doctrine of continual revelation, and why it is leading you away from the truth.

First, a scripture:

And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. (2 Ne. 29:9-10)

Revelation can be a nebulous thing.  It is not always so clear cut that it builds on top of prior revelations and is in harmony with them.  Every prophet that has ever lived on the earth was rejected by his own generation because they thought he did not conform to the “old revelations,” that they changed them, and gave them something new.  Joseph gave us the script.  And I repeat.  [Read more…]

#ldsconf LiveTweeting LDS General Conference at TempleStudy.com

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General Conference live Twitter feed

General Conference live Twitter feed

In April I liveblogged LDS General Conference.  This time around I’m just going to include the streaming video feed and the Twitter stream.  Twitter is a bigger conversation of what is going on at Conference anyways.  Members around the world will be tweeting about Conference using the hashtag #ldsconf.  Feel free to join in the conversation.  (Note: If many anti-Mormons begin jeering the hashtag too much, I will filter it.)

As I did last time, I’m changing the look of the site somewhat for Conference.  The homepage, TempleStudy.com, will become the Conference page.  I’m “dimming the lights” so that the streaming video is easier to watch.  Below the video you’ll find the same auto-updating Twitter feed following comments about Conference using the #ldsconf hashtag.

I’m looking forward to hearing the Lord’s prophet and apostles speak this weekend.  Let me know if this mashup is helpful to you, or if there’s anything you’d suggest.

10 Reasons to Remove your Watch When You Enter the Temple

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rolex-submariner

Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord. -Elder Richard G. Scott

This last weekend in General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott gave an incredibly good talk about the temple and the importance of temple attendance.  I will break down more of this talk in a future post to glean more from the great insight he gave us.

One of his “interesting suggestions” for gaining more benefit from temple attendance was this — “Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord.”  I immediately took notice of this counsel, as you might have also.  I have not heard the General Authorities recommend this before.  I did find it “interesting” because it is something that I have already practiced since the first time I went to the temple.  It didn’t feel right for me to wear that piece of apparel into the sacred space.

But how could something as trivial as wearing a watch affect what we gain from the temple?  While it is unlikely we can easily know why Elder Scott counseled us so, let me offer some personal reasons why I don’t wear my watch when I enter the temple, and why it might be a good idea for you too. [Read more…]

ABC News Reports on Mormons & Temples

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A few days ago ABC News did about a 9 minute TV report on Mormons, interviewing Elders M. Russell Ballard and Quentin L. Cook, and discussing issues such as polygamy, Prop 8, and also paying particular interest in the temple.  See the video below.  With the Draper Temple open house running from January 15 through March 14, ABC News reporter Dan Harris and other reporters were invited to tour the new temple with the apostles and ask questions.

How do you think ABC did in accurately portraying the Church and our beliefs?  In explaining the temple?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Click here to watch the ABC News report