Comments on: Breaking Promises

By: annegb

annegb — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 06:49:30 +0000

Myself, I’m with Tracy on FMH. I think we’re all good to go sooner or later.

By: Mark Butler

Mark Butler — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 16:42:34 +0000

No problem, Buckeye. I was just making the point that our doctrine entails that the Church here on earth is the only properly organized and authorized extension and representative of the Church in heaven, i.e. they are the same Church. So if “Mormon” properly describes the Church here on earth, it also properly describes the Church in heaven.

By: Kaimi Wenger

Kaimi Wenger — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 15:07:15 +0000

Danithew,

“Donâ€™t starve to death inside a chalk circle, just because you promised not to leave that circle.”

Great way to put it.

By: Buckeye the Elder

Buckeye the Elder — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 13:33:30 +0000

Mark – sorry I misunderstood the point you made. Please accept my sincere apologies.

By: rachel p

rachel p — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 12:47:28 +0000

Danithew, Wilfried & All,

Re: #21 I converted a few years back. I definitely feel I am Catholic although I attend an LDS church regularly, which I guess makes me Mormon. But I try to forget the labels, especially since culturally I will never make the cut. Which has its advantages and disadvantages. During my conversion process I have come to have a more holistic perspective of my faith (appreciating other religions, not just LDS or Catholic as very valuable)…

Also, Re: #25. I have just experienced the making of covenants the week before I was married. I really did not know the covenants till they were already said and done. Now I feel like I am in a jam. Break covenants or go though the motions falsely miserable. Right now, and I am open to a mind change whenever I am ready, I feel it is better to be honest, and break the covenants I did not fully understand and appreciate, than to be a fake.

hope I made sense

By: Mark Butler

Mark Butler — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 22:50:58 +0000

Buckeye,

That is me. And you misinterpret my position. I did not say that Mother Teresa will not inherit the kingdom of God because she was not a member of the Church, I said that she would not inherit it until she joins the Church of Jesus Christ, making a formal covenant with the Lord to take upon herself his name, and keep his commandments.

There is no coercion involved. God doesn’t force people to go to heaven. He just requires people to abide by the laws that make heaven possible. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Sam 15:23).

There is plenty of liberty in heaven, but it is a system of liberty under law, not some sort of moral free for all.

By: danithew

danithew — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 21:14:23 +0000

If a person makes a promise based on bad information and then learns new information that demonstrates the foolishness of that promise, then the person has the right (perhaps even the moral obligation) to break that promise. That’s my approach to the questions above.

Don’t starve to death inside a chalk circle, just because you promised not to leave that circle.

By: Buckeye the Elder

Buckeye the Elder — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:35:53 +0000

I find it amazing that someone would say that Mother Teresa would perhaps not make it to, or inherit the Kingdom of God, becasue she wasnt a Mormon with a Temple recommend!!! ( see comment # 6).
BTW, I find that a few of the questions asked during a temple recommend intervierw, and other stands in the mormon sub-culture to be coercive in nature, so, does making a covenant under such “coercion” be considered a “true” covenant made?

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:51:23 +0000

I am a convert to the Church. I was a very active member of my last church prior to converting. I actually started taking the discussions a few years prior to my conversion, but refused to pray on them. That sounds harsh, but I was under a commitment with my former church to serve as an Elder for three years. I didn’t want to break this promise as when I made it, I wasn’t just making the promise to the members of my former church, but also was making the promise to God that I would fulfill my commitment.

A few months after my commitment ended I did pray and received my answer and was baptized. I think for myself I made the right choice. I didn’t slack at my commitment to my former church and actually by taking the discussions at the same time I feel it helped me to do better at my service.

I think promises are a very important thing, but at the same time should not be light hearted. I took the discussions for four years (8 months on and off prior to my commitment with my former church and 4 months after) before I felt I could pray on them. I probably knew the truth prior to praying on them, but I knew I had to be willing to follow the answer. That I had to have God’s will be done rather than my own and that I could handle what was thrown at me first. I didn’t want to make a commitment to God and then not follow thru.

By: Proud Daughter of Eve

Proud Daughter of Eve — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:19:15 +0000

My response: No promise trumps the testimony of the Holy Ghost. In the case of the grandmother I’m sorry for the pain it might cause her but his relationship with God is his concern; he can’t allow anything to get in the way. In the case of the promise to God if his sister would get better, God does not make deals like that. Promise to obey His commandements and yes He will bless you but He does not make bargains like the one you mentioned.