- Stephen Fleming on [Mental Illness] The Weight of Happiness: “Thanks for this, Mary. I’ve struggled with depression since a teen, and though I know there are things I can do to exacerbate or somewhat alleviate it, I really like what you say about putting off the burden of happiness. At the same time, I know my gloom can effect my loved ones, and that’s hard too. I remember years ago, hearing a presenter listed out research on reason why people said they left the church and among them was “I’m not happy.” The presenter made a look like that was a ridiculous reason, but I’ve thought ever since about how much and how persistently we promise happiness in the church. I can’t help thinking we ought to tone that down a bit or perhaps use other language.” Jul 11, 17:18
- on Are Latter-day Saints Happier? The Pew Religious Landscape Survey, Relationship with the Church, and Flourishing: “Anna pops up about the survey being subjective then spends the rest of her post giving her subjective musings. This is one data point that you use in reaching an overall assessment there are obvious limitations with the approach. Generally religiosity is a predictor for better life outcomes, study after study confirms this and the research in this area is focussed on the why as jks and dsc have wondered on. The statistis you cite can twist the same way, you could attribute the divorce and suicidal rates being higher to ex Mormons or non members, you could say anti depressants are linked to access to better health services as opposed to inherently higher depression rates. But that would be me talking out of my arse and I don’t need to because my self worth isn’t so fragile as to care what a survey says about my life.” Jul 11, 17:07
- on From the Archive: Seventies Blessings: “I see it as similar to how I see the process of revelation more broadly – the Spirit influences thoughts and transmits ideas to the person giving the blessing, but there is plenty of room for the person giving the blessing to express those thoughts in their own words and opportunities for them to express their own thoughts and hopes as part of the process of doing so (thanks in part to the imperfection of communication between the mortal human mind and the divine).” Jul 10, 15:54
- on From the Archive: Seventies Blessings: “I think the principle applies for all blessings — healing the sick, naming of children, blessing of homes, father’s blessing, blessing accompanying priesthood ordinations and setting apart for callings, and the rest. Giving a blessing is an act of faith and obedience, and need not be seen as divining or channeling the word of God from the heavens above. The speaker speaks his own voice but with solemnity in the name of the Lord on behalf of the gathered saints.” Jul 10, 15:49
- on From the Archive: Seventies Blessings: “@ji I’m reminded of Elder Oaks’ talk “Healing the Sick” from the April 2010 General Conference where he says, “Another part of a priesthood blessing is the words of blessing spoken by the elder after he seals the anointing. These words can be very important, but their content is not essential and they are not recorded on the records of the Church. In some priesthood blessings—like a patriarchal blessing—the words spoken are the essence of the blessing. But in a healing blessing it is the other parts of the blessing—the anointing, the sealing, faith, and the will of the Lord—that are the essential elements. Ideally, the elder who officiates will be so in tune with the Spirit of the Lord that he will know and declare the will of the Lord in the words of the blessing. Brigham Young taught priesthood holders, “It is your privilege and duty to live so that you know when the word of the Lord is spoken to you and when the mind of the Lord is revealed to you.” When that happens, the spoken blessing is fulfilled literally and miraculously. On some choice occasions I have experienced that certainty of inspiration in a healing blessing and have known that what I was saying was the will of the Lord. However, like most who officiate in healing blessings, I have often struggled with uncertainty on the words I should say. For a variety of causes, every elder experiences increases and decreases in his level of sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit. Every elder who gives a blessing is subject to influence by what he desires for the person afflicted. Each of these and other mortal imperfections can influence the words we speak. Fortunately, the words spoken in a healing blessing are not essential to its healing effect. If faith is sufficient and if the Lord wills it, the afflicted person will be healed or blessed whether the officiator speaks those words or not. Conversely, if the officiator yields to personal desire or inexperience and gives commands or words of blessing in excess of what the Lord chooses to bestow according to the faith of the individual, those words will not be fulfilled. Consequently, brethren, no elder should ever hesitate to participate in a healing blessing because of fear that he will not know what to say. The words spoken in a healing blessing can edify and energize the faith of those who hear them, but the effect of the blessing is dependent upon faith and the Lord’s will, not upon the words spoken by the elder who officiated.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/04/healing-the-sick?lang=eng” Jul 10, 15:01
- on From the Archive: Seventies Blessings: “This posting raises a question which I answered for myself many years ago; viz., is a priesthood blessing (a) a channeling of the word of God direct from the courts of heaven, or (b) an aspirational prayer of the hopes of the people? Generally, I tend towards (b) — but this doesn’t mean I discount blessings. I see them as important strengtheners of faith. I appreciate D&C 42:43-44.” Jul 10, 10:09
- on How Do We Know? Let’s Talk about Spiritual Experiences: “Tom, yes, but in confusing times, people may feel like they have a hard time of discerning between what’s real and what’s deception (more about that in future posts). I actually interpret that girlfriend experience AS being “real.” A little funny I know (requires a bit of an explanation) but I’ve also come to a few rules of thumb for myself in terms of my own experiences. I’m the one who experiences them, so I don’t allow others to interpret them for me. I’m happy to get others’ insights, but I don’t grant others ultimate authority over those experiences. Others are completely free not to believe them, just as I’m free not to accept others’ interpretations of them. I don’t care if my spiritual experiences don’t mesh with other people’s theology. I don’t feel the obligation that they should do so. More topics to post about!” Jul 10, 09:52
- on How Do We Know? Let’s Talk about Spiritual Experiences: “Yes, we make mistakes about spiritual experiences/revelation: we think things are revelation that are not, misunderstand the meaning, etc. Such mistakes are rare enough that we can generally trust and act on promptings we receive, but common enough that over the course of a lifetime we’ll probably experience a few. (Yes, there’s some Bayesian thinking lurking behind those statements.) We should be humble enough to follow Cromwell’s advice: “I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.” It seems to me that one of the primary purposes of the Church as an institution is to allow us to learn to receive revelation while minimizing the impact of the mistakes we’ll inevitably make. A lot could be said about the variety of ways it does that, despite the fact that Church leaders aren’t immune to mistakes and Church structures don’t always succeed in filtering them out. Someone doesn’t have to be always right to be worth following, they just have to be more likely to be right than you.” Jul 9, 21:28
- on How Do We Know? Let’s Talk about Spiritual Experiences: ““The things of God are of deep import, and time and experience and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out.” ~ Joseph Smith “My personal belief and philosophy is that no mortal being, regardless of how virtuous or spiritual they might be, is above being deceived sometimes. The blessing that we have from God is that we can learn from experience, and if we are humble and open to recognizing that we are subject to error and are willing to sincerely acknowledge our mistakes as soon as we realize them, through God’s gift of repentance we can correct our course of action and get back on the path of truth as much as possible and as quickly as possible. God’s gift of Mercy and Grace will do the rest for us.” ~ Tom McKnight” Jul 9, 13:17
