mrmarklin

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mrmarklin last won the day on August 8 2020

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    California, USA
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    Photograpy, motorcycles, hunting, shooting, fishing, European model trains, travel

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  1. Think of this in context. Jehovah was the God of the Old Testament, and I'm sure the average member of the Church didn't think much past that. Most people even now, aren't that technical. In modern times, even among us Church members we refer to God all the time. But most people don't really think through which member of the Godhead they are referring to.
  2. I've heard of Angels........................Visitations from Angles, not so much.
  3. Here near Silicon Valley, the only people wearing white shirts and ties are members of our Church.................. Not even Lawyers (except in Court) or Bankers.....................
  4. Change is constant. Here in the Bay Area region of Northern California we went from four Wards in my city to one in less than 40 years. A lot of Stake and Ward boundaries were changed, and the biggest chapel in my city is for sale. A couple of cities south of me a mega chapel was completed in the late 80s. It was designed to have 4 wards and also be a major Stake HQ. Only one ward there now. All you rich Utah Valley and Silicon Slope Mormons should migrate here. Much better weather. We need your talent.
  5. Of course the Church has problems. Who doesn't? The Church has millions of members, and its doctrines try to help solve their problems. In many senses Life is about problem solving on a daily basis. How am I going to afford to repair my car that left me stranded on a busy freeway? How am I going to deal with the teacher that treats my child unfairly? I could go on and on, but you get the point. Don't worry, the Lord has called on people to solve these "problems" whatever they are.
  6. The only real way to know about the things of God are spiritually, by prayer. Only the faith of the 1847 Pioneers got them across the Plains to Utah. That faith was hard earned through Prayer. The invitation of Moroni: 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not btrue; and if ye shall ask with a csincere heart, with dreal intent, having efaith in Christ, he will fmanifest the gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may aknow the btruth of all things.
  7. Traveler, While not in the original group, two Witnesses came back: Namely, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris.
  8. I haven't seen contrary evidence......
  9. Mr Jones, the education system segregates people in Germany and is difficult to overcome. But it's more than that. I belong to an international oriented organization here in the US. We welcome all comers. But a German born member remarked to me that our club would be impossible in Germany. There would be two clubs--one for people of a certain social status and another for a lesser social status. And BTW, if you come from a high social status, you WILL pass the test that can allow a university education.😉
  10. Everyone knows that US Asians are "white adjacent". For all practical purposes Gong is a White Guy.😎
  11. Have you ever spent any significant amount of time in Utah Valley? The LDS based culture is strong-for good and bad. I never suggested better options. I merely asked if any other people were ready.
  12. We will have to disagree on this. I know many Germans. I have been in their homes and interacted on many social occasions. These (my friends) are not LDS people. German society is stratified. I don't have time to examine the examples you posit above, but you can trust me in this. It's not obvious to an outsider. And wasn't to me for many years.
  13. As someone who has traveled to Germany extensively, I can say that for sure Elder Uchtdorf did not come from some underprivileged background. Granted his family may have experienced some problems following WW2. But Germany is a very stratified society, and he could not have flown as an officer in the German military or held his job at Lufthansa, without some level of status in society. What we here may call privilege.
  14. As an upper middle class White guy myself, I'm very gratified in the discussion my comment has generated. It caused some people to think. I'm a slight Horatio Alger story myself, as I paid my own way through college and came from a monetarily very humble background. But the US is still the greatest land of opportunity ever, and I took advantage. But I think my point still stands. A son of mine recently moved with his family, to Utah Valley from California, and the cultural contrasts are subtle but distinct. And this culture is very noticeable in Church leadership (who, BTW I support unreservedly). An old example, but I remember a program called Block Teaching. It was renamed Ward Teaching or Home Teaching sometime in the 1950s. Why the rename? The Church was so Utah centric that Home teaching was assigned in literal neighborhood Blocks so the teacher could walk to his assignment. It took a while, but someone at HQ realized that this terminology didn't translate well in the hinterlands where it was impossible to walk to do the monthly teaching. Totally unconscious by leadership, they were just naming the program due to their experiences. Similar things happen today. At some level, we are all products of our cultural experiences and upbringing.
  15. Elder Uchtdorf was an airline pilot, Gong grew up on the SF Peninsula, a bastion of white upper middle class values, and its obvious that Kearon grew up upper middle class from a first world country. All these people never really lived or even saw a third world lifestyle. I'm not advocating for affirmative action at all. If people are not ready for the responsibility of the Apostleship so be it. But if we want to be truly a World Wide Church, maybe a training program would be in order to get people ready.