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Post by glrogers67 on Sept 20, 2016 4:57:54 GMT
Welcome!! You have entered a space where all people are invited to gather to discuss matters of Spirituality, in mutual respect and friendliness: "Considering...Spirituality." Here, the focus is on personal spirituality and not dogma. We welcome with open arms people from any, all, and no religious/faith backgrounds, and those who practice spirituality on their own, to join us for a discussion centered on a higher consciousness. Each day there will be a quote, question, or discussion prompt presented for all to ponder and respond to.
**In maintaining an atmosphere of comfort and trust, we do not allow proselytizing (the effort of trying to convert others) or the denigrating of the religions and viewpoints of others. We also avoid bringing up topics such as politics, hot button social issues, or anything that can be considered divisive**
As this is a WW board, we also discuss our personal wellness, including our weight management program. We share our struggles and our triumphs regarding such as well as discuss things like family, friends, jobs, hobbies, outside interests, etc... We strive to build each other up with loving support in a positive manner. Let us not ever tear one another down in any way, shape or form.
Regular thread starters for the time being are:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday: Gary
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Holly
Yet if anyone is so inclined, please feel free to start a new thread by beginning with the title: "Considering....(topic -q/q)", post this introduction (by way of copy & paste) then follow that with a post putting forth a question and/or quote (with or without some explanation) for us to ponder today. The topic can be inspired by your personal faith, but please do remember that anyone from other spiritual paths should be able to answer it.
Shalom, Love & Light, Blessed Be, Namaste...
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Post by glrogers67 on Sept 20, 2016 5:08:27 GMT
Sunday's priesthood lesson was on the topic of honesty from the manual based upon the life of one of our prophets, Howard W. Hunter. The opening is a story from his life:
He bought and paid for 10 pieces of penny candy on a vacation. As the group drove down the road and passed around the candy, he discovered that he had accidentally miscounted and had taken 11 pieces of candy, not 10. Even with the possibility that they would miss the tour they were headed for, he turned the car around and drove back to the store and paid for that extra piece of penny candy he had taken.
Many of us would not have worried about it. It was, after all, only a penny. But it was a matter of principle to President Hunter. He would have known that he had been dishonest if he had kept that piece of candy and not returned it or paid for it. His personal integrity would not allow even the smallest breach in his honesty and reputation, even if he was the only one who knew about it.
Today's q/qs: (taken from the article)
This brings up the degree of honesty expected of us by the Lord. How honest do we have to be to be truly honest? How many lies do we have to tell before we are a liar? How often do we have to deceive someone before we are deceitful?
Can the Lord lie to one of us, but tell the truth to another one of us and be called trustworthy? Can He purposely misguide us, even a tiny bit, but still be called truthful? Can the Lord make a promise today and not honor it at any point in the future and still deserve our trust? Is it possible for us to exercise the faith necessary to become exalted if the person in whom we are placing our trust is ever fickle and changes his mind midstream?
Some would consider picking and choosing between the rules of the road to be a small matter—something of little consequence. The Lord has told us to obey the laws of the land. Did he say we got to choose which laws of the land we were to obey? Did he say that we have the right to live some and not others?
Can I say I am obeying the laws of the land if I choose to ignore the double yellow line or the solid white line on the road? What about those of us who have decided to set our own personal speed limits instead of adhering to those set by the government? If we feel we should be able to pick and choose which laws of the land we obey, does that mean we can be justified in choosing which parts of the laws of God we obey?
Can I be considered temple worthy if I obey the Word of Wisdom, but don’t obey the law of tithing? What if I am obeying all the commandments, but I am criticizing the prophet or the Brethren?
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Post by hollygail on Sept 20, 2016 13:36:18 GMT
As a child, I might have turned around to pay one penny for the extra penny candy I had received, but today? No. A penny is practically worthless. However, I count my change at a cash register and if there's an error, I correct it right then and there. I don't cross a double solid yellow line while driving. There have been times when I've exceeded the speed limit, but I've become way more cautious about that in recent years. In general, I can say I obey traffic laws.
There have been times in my life when there were laws on the books that were unfair, and I had no compunction about committing an act of civil disobedience, willing to be arrested to make a point. And I am glad to say that those laws are no longer on the books.
As for religious laws, in Judaism, there is nothing that says you absolutely positively HAVE TO do X or abstain from Y or Z. Granted, they are not called the Ten Suggestions for a reason, and I have never committed murder, for example, nor would I. However, killing in self-defense is not considered murder in Judaism, and saving one's life is of a much, much higher priority than taking someone else's if that someone else is out to kill me (or my family, etc.). Keeping the spirit of a law is just as important as keeping the letter of the law in most other cases. One example: there is a Jewish dietary law not to mix dairy products with meat products. I don't eat the meat of four-legged animals anyway, so for me this law means not to mix dairy with poultry (the category "fish" is not considered "meat"). I don't eat chicken stroganoff, for instance, or baste chicken with butter (and as a result, I rarely order poultry in a restaurant because there's no way I can know whether it was prepared with butter).
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Post by glrogers67 on Sept 20, 2016 16:02:50 GMT
I can't say I have been 100% honest; in fact at times I have been quite deceitful with my gf stretching the truth about such things as how much house cleaning I really get done and the like. Again, it is something I am working on improving, and I am a work in progress. Yesterday was a case in point. I just didn't feel up to much housecleaning because of my cold which has been hanging on for over 3 weeks now. I think I need to call the doctor and see if I have strep or something.
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Post by hollygail on Sept 20, 2016 17:08:11 GMT
Gary, CALL THE DOCTOR!
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Post by glrogers67 on Sept 20, 2016 18:20:23 GMT
All right, I have a doctor appt. tomorrow morning.
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Post by glrogers67 on Sept 20, 2016 18:54:49 GMT
Also found a place that can clip my toenails since my podiatrist closed his local office. It is mainly a place for women called Gentle Nails but they take men too and my sister says they did a better job on her ingrown toenails than the podiatrist anyway. Also, I got a letter that my Allstate agent in Phoenix is retiring, so now is a good a time as any to transfer my account to the local office. Progress!
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Post by hollygail on Sept 20, 2016 19:33:02 GMT
Good for you! On several fronts!
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