AboutHannah Expertise I can answer questions concerning standard doctrines, scriptures, curiousities, Mormon culture and society. I will not respond to debates. I'm sorry, but there are some things that I simply will not answer, not because I don't want to, but there are some things that the LDS people do not discuss casually--it's only talked about within the temple. Though I am a member, I do not believe that anyone could convert anyone to a religion over something as impersonal as the internet. So I won't even try to.
Experience I have been a member of the LDS church for 8 years. Though I'm still a young person, I can answer most things about the church.
Question Hannah, you said that you can understand numbers, what if God was like a number in his existence yet was not bound to this earth by any physical means...if he were the actual beginning "1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." to get a better understanding of what i mean, and to better understand what I am talking about, read the book of Genesis in a modern text that does not seem so mysterious http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201;&version=49;
one of my favorites is the nasb but a more common one is the niv
but in any event, I have to come to the same conclusion, not because I have no other explanation but because it is what the word of God has revealed to me through his word, He said I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. there are so many passages that clearly say...He is the only one, why would he say it so many times if it were not important... I would very much like to keep this conversation going, so I hope that I have not offended you or discouraged you in any way. I truly value your opinion and look forward to reading your next response.
charlie
Answer No. I'm not offended.
I feel that the "In the beginning..." doesn't keep me from believe in exaltation. I feel that it has been revealed to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, in which case I feel that I don't know everything about God. But I know that it will be okay, and I know that God is still God, regardless of where he came from. He is the only one. I'm not trying to say that we are polytheists. Far from. God is the only One-- for this Earth and all others under his dominion.
I did read the other Genesis passage...it seemed to have the same meaning to me. But I'm afraid that I don't share your enthusiasm for the nasb or the NIV. I feel that in order to receive the truest version possible, one should try for the earliest, usable translation possible. In which case, I use the KJV, supplemented by what of the JST (Joseph Smith Translation) we have. By the way, the Joseph Smith Translation is some verses where the meaning has been made really strange and almost flip-flopped, the Lord inspired Joseph Smith to change it. And these are the kind of verses that you read the King James and you just think, "What?! That can't be the right translation" because it goes against some plain, simple thing concerning God, or Christ or the Gospel. For example, would God harden Pharoah's heart? I think Pharoah would do the hardening. That kind of stuff.
To sum it up: I feel that the Holy Ghost has taught me the truth.
