Into the Future

Oh please, all God's prophets are old rich white men? C'mon... By the way, radical Islam learned the term "Holy War" from the Christians. I'm not defending radical Islamists, but the first people to make war a "holy" cause were the Christians.

I had the opportunity to shake the hand of President Gordon Hinkley in 1990 while I was a missionary in Portugal. In a meeting to missionaries, he said something that has stayed with me to this day: "We build the kingdom of God by building individual lives." His influence in establishing the the Perpetual Education Fund is one example of how he helped thousands build their lives, giving them the opportunity to gain college educations that would otherwise have been out of reach financially. Dogma aside, President Hinkley was a tremendous living example of someone who sought to serve his fellowmen throughout his life.

I agree with folks who celebrate the life and contribution of Gordon Hinckley. I know who he was...I know what he stood for. Folks who really knew him will stand and vouch for his character and his goodness. This is true of those who believe in the Mormon church and those who do not. I will truly miss him.

thanks for the article. It was right on target.

I thought I would post a quote from President Hinckley himself on what we believe about the Bible:

???We are sometimes told that we are not a biblical church. We are a biblical church. This wonderful testament of the Old World, this great and good Holy Bible is one of our standard works. We teach from it. We bear testimony of it. We read from it. It strengthens our testimony. And we add to that this great second witness, the Book of Mormon, the testament of the New World, for as the Bible says, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall [all things] be established" (2 Cor. 13:1).???
(???Selections from Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,??? Ensign, Mar. 2001, 64.)

And this is one of my favorite quotes from him, that I will always cherish:

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time journey...delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

I can tell that there is a little dislike or perhaps misunderstanding about why women are not allowed to hold the priesthood.as eluded to in this article The answer in my opinion is this. They don't need it. The reason men have the priesthood in addition to allow them to act in the name of Christ, is to teach them qualities that women already possess. Kindness, unconditional love, patience, how to care selflessly day after day for those under their charge. Myself, and as a part of the doctrine of the church, we hold women in the highest regard and honor. This is something that is not commonly found in most societies today, but rather it has become acceptable for us to look at women as objects, and something to be used. It is very sad to think about how much our values have dropped over the years and the way that men treat their wives and families, and I can testify that through the study of the meaning and the uses of the priesthood, that men can learn how to become worthy of their precious families and wives.

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
2 Timothy 4:7
President Hinckley will long be remembered as a strong leader and a man who had absolutely unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, His Savior, and in the outstanding potential for good that he saw in everyone. I will never forget his undying optimism, and will always cherish his teachings. As always, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Wow, for a nation that professes faith in Christ, there are a lot of harsh comments on a man, religious beliefs aside, that did a lot for humanity. And if other Christian churches did as much for humanity and service around the world as the Mormon church we would all be better off. By there works ye shall know them and for those of us that have been fortunate enough to have Mormon friends and really come to know what they stand for and believe I can say that they love Christ. The same Jesus that I have come to know and love. It is people that try to drive wedges between Christian faiths that hurt this nation. Christian faiths slandering each other have more of a negative impact on this nation than radical Islam. If Jews, Christians, Mormons, Muslims, and any other religion that has good values would work together and support each other we would be a lot better off. Jesus preached love and most of these comments are filled with hate. Too bad.

Thank you Elise Soukup for acurately describing the process about how a new prophet and president of the LDS Church is set apart. We believe it is a divine process. We believe God prepares the man who will one day be prophet so he will do only God's will once he is placed in that position.

Prove it with more than a book

As an athiest I could care less about the distinction between Christianity and Mormonism. To me, I see these petty divisions as further proof that all religion is a conjecture of lies propagated by those in power who have always wished to keep people hopeful of another life, a better life, some kind of reward for all the work they put in on Earth. I'm from Wyoming and we have a lot of Mormons out there. A couple of missionaries came to my door one day. I invited them in for a conversation and was astounded to find that I had a lot more information about the faith than they did. When I told them that Joseph Smith died in jail (among other things) they didn't believe me. Not even after I showed them the source of the information: an official LDS booklet given to me by another missionary.
Ignorance and intolerance is not what we should base our lives on. I hope Gordon Hinkley lived a fulfilled life and died peacefully. To me, it doesn't matter what he believed. If he was right and I'm wrong, then I hope that the heavenly father he believed in is as merciful and forgiving as they say he is. Until one of these so-called prophets can actually prove to me that god exists, however, I will continue to hope that all of us can put aside these meaningless diviosns and focus on the life and world we live in now. I think that's what is truly important.

As an athiest I could care less about the distinction between Christianity and Mormonism. To me, I see these petty divisions as further proof that all religion is a conjecture of lies propagated by those in power who have always wished to keep people hopeful of another life, a better life, some kind of reward for all the work they put in on Earth. I'm from Wyoming and we have a lot of Mormons out there. A couple of missionaries came to my door one day. I invited them in for a conversation and was astounded to find that I had a lot more information about the faith than they did. When I told them that Joseph Smith died in jail (among other things) they didn't believe me. Not even after I showed them the source of the information: an official LDS booklet given to me by another missionary.
Ignorance and intolerance is not what we should base our lives on. I hope Gordon Hinkley lived a fulfilled life and died peacefully. To me, it doesn't matter what he believed. If he was right and I'm wrong, then I hope that the heavenly father he believed in is as merciful and forgiving as they say he is. Until one of these so-called prophets can actually prove to me that god exists, however, I will continue to hope that all of us can put aside these meaningless diviosns and focus on the life and world we live in now. I think that's what is truly important.

I am greatly saddened by the passing of President Hinkley. He will be greatly missed. This is the first passing of the guard, so to speak, that I have seen. (I've only been a member 8 years) Funny though in all that time, I have never heard or been taught what holy roller said below! I must be attending the wrong LDS church!

with common sense all can realize that Jesus is The Christ the Saviour of all mankind and he would say to all, if ye are my diciples then love ye one to another as "I", have loved you, by this shall men know ye are my diciples...The Jesus I know is the same that was born of Mary, the Jahovah of the Old testament, the same that arose from the grave and appeared to the apostles and said to them come feel the prints on my hands, feel my side where he was piereced, or cut by the soldiers spear...This is that same Jesus that the world knows that restored his Gospel in its fulness, and brought for the Book of Mormon that there should be no more disputes to all nations that HE LIVE, THAT HE IS THE SON OF GOD AND WHAT BETTER TO HAVE TWO TESTAMENTS THAT PRONOUNCES TO THE WHOLE WORLD I AM HE THAT THE PROPHETS TESTIFIED OF I AM HE THAT CAME UNTO HIS OWN AND THEY ACCEPTED ME NOT...THERE IS NO MORE REASON TO TRY TO DISPEL THAT I AM A CHRISTIAN BY OTHERS FOR I AM MORMON. THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAYS SAINTS IS HERE FOR YOU THAT YOU MAY HAVE HIS REDEEMING LOVE IN YOUR LIFE

President Hinkley was a great example of goodness to the world. He will be greatly missed.

AMEN TO Coupe0024 and gvedraft!!! GOOD JOB FIXING THOSE WITH HARDENED HEARTS!! ALSO, DID NOT MEAN TO GET ANGRY, JUST HURTS ME WHEN THE PROPHET OF GOD DIES AND EVERYONE WANTS TO LIE ABOUT THE MORMONS!! LIKE I SAID, THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH IS TO JOIN THE MORMON CHURCH!! DO YOU THINK MUSLIMS KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT CATHOLICS?

President Hinkley was a great example of goodness to the world. He will be greatly missed.