Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

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Roy
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Re: Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

Post by Roy »

Gomezaddams51 wrote: 07 Dec 2021, 17:00 That is how I view life. I feel like I am #4 or 5 most of my life.
I feel that our church 's theology works best for people that have come from fairly stable homes with good childhoods. Our emphasis on individual choice and blessings/rewards for good behavior fit in well with such formative experiences.

I believe that our theology appeals less well to those that have experienced a life of hardship that they did not choose and that they seem to be powerless to escape from.
"It is not so much the pain and suffering of life which crushes the individual as it is its meaninglessness and hopelessness." C. A. Elwood

“It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status.” TPC: Harold B. Lee 223

"I struggle now with establishing my faith that God may always be there, but may not always need to intervene" Heber13
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DarkJedi
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Re: Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

Post by DarkJedi »

Roy wrote: 08 Dec 2021, 15:14 I feel that our church 's theology works best for people that have come from fairly stable homes with good childhoods. Our emphasis on individual choice and blessings/rewards for good behavior fit in well with such formative experiences.

I believe that our theology appeals less well to those that have experienced a life of hardship that they did not choose and that they seem to be powerless to escape from.
I don't totally disagree, but I am somewhat of an enigma then. But I also recognize I'm not the norm. And that's the interesting thing about your post and thoughts - I think Jesus himself in His day appealed most to those who experienced those kinds of hardships and were hopeless - those who couldn't live up to the demands the church (especially the Pharisees) of the time placed on them. Yet here we are pretty much as you observe, generally having lost sight of this:
The Church is not an automobile showroom - a place to put ourselves on display so that others can admire our spirituality, capacity, or prosperity. It is more like a service center, where vehicles in need of repair come for maintenance and rehabilitation.
(Dieter Uchtdorf)
The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.
(Joseph Wirthlin)
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

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Gomezaddams51
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Joined: 04 May 2020, 11:19

Re: Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

Post by Gomezaddams51 »

If everything that I have been taught is true I feel like I was screwed in this life and will probably be screwed in the next. There are so many things I missed out on and wish I could have done but circumstances and my mental and physical health has caused so many problems that I have no idea what is going to happen to me other than it will probably be bad. LOL I know I sound like I am whining but circumstances have made a a major pessimist and in fact I tend to depress pessimists and make them look very optimistic. I am a human Eeyore LOL. I have tried to fit in but I am Alexithymia and I tend to not feel things or understand what I am supposed to be feeling. There are a few things that I do feel and I tend to hold onto them. One is sex and the other is anger. I also tend to have Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) in which I can go from 0 to 100 anger wise and not realize it is happening, it causes me to black out so I try to avoid any and all confrontations. Getting back to the feeling thing, I have no idea if the church is true or if there is a god because I don't get that infamous "warm feeling" that the HG is supposed to tell you things are true. I go by logic only and logic makes it hard to believe that there is some benevolent god out there who wants the best for me. I might go with there being some "Force" of some sort but it could give a rats butt about us or our lives. I kind of believe in some sort of afterlife since I have watched to many ghost shows that kind of give the impression that something continues to live on. As for religion I am an agnostic, kind of hoping that there is a god who won't screw me over but I would not bet my life on it. LOL The church teaches that you have to believe in god and Jesus to be saved but I find it difficult to believe or feel anything along that line.

I was so busy trying to get this posted I forgot to add some things. I have Spinal Stenosis on my lower spinal column which means I am numb from my waist down and have to use a walker. Basically I am about one step away from being in a wheel chair. This causes ED and other problems so I cannot enjoy sex anymore. I talked to a Chiropractor and was told that I was so bad that nothing is going to help me. The VA Docs want to try surgery but I am nervous because the way my luck goes I WILL end up paralyzed. I also have been diagnosed with Major Depression. There are probably some other things that I have forgotten wrong with me. If god exists he owes me big time... LOL
Roy
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Joined: 07 Oct 2010, 14:16
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

Post by Roy »

DarkJedi wrote: 09 Dec 2021, 16:01 I think Jesus himself in His day appealed most to those who experienced those kinds of hardships and were hopeless - those who couldn't live up to the demands the church (especially the Pharisees) of the time placed on them.
I agree that the story of Jesus offers some amazing theology that is a radical departure from what the majority of religions were serving up (follow the rules/rituals to appease/please the gods and gain their favor).

Gomez, I am sorry for the hand that you have been dealt in life. As DJ and I are discussing, sometimes religion can offer some hope when otherwise their would be none. For whatever it is worth, you have my permission to imagine whatever sort of God and heaven and eternal family relationships that you might need in order to gain some of that hope.
"It is not so much the pain and suffering of life which crushes the individual as it is its meaninglessness and hopelessness." C. A. Elwood

“It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status.” TPC: Harold B. Lee 223

"I struggle now with establishing my faith that God may always be there, but may not always need to intervene" Heber13
Gomezaddams51
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Joined: 04 May 2020, 11:19

Re: Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

Post by Gomezaddams51 »

Thanks. I read a post somewhere, I forget which forum, but the poster said we would get whatever our idea of heaven would be, only better. I would be happy if I could just live the life I should have had here on earth without all the problems and health issues. I guess no one knows exactly what is going to happen when we die. Being the eternal Pessimist, with my luck it will be bad but if not I will be pleasantly surprised.
Old-Timer
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Re: Question on Marriage in the Plan of Salvation

Post by Old-Timer »

Have you found a good therapist? Is that an option for you?

All agencies are a coin toss when it comes to good matches, including LDS Family Services, but finding a good match can help.
I see through my glass, darkly - as I play my saxophone in harmony with the other instruments in God's orchestra. (h/t Elder Joseph Wirthlin)

Even if people view many things differently, the core Gospel principles (LOVE; belief in the unseen but hoped; self-reflective change; symbolic cleansing; striving to recognize the will of the divine; never giving up) are universal.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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