Anything goes LDS thread...almost. (Jesus Christ, beliefs, hell, doctrine)

[Sola'lor]

Well tere's some pretty interesting, or boring(depending on what is being discussed), threads about the LDS. But the conditions of those therads don't allow us to explain our beliefs using our other books of scripture besides the Bible. So here is a place of discussions to happen about the beliefs. It's an anything goes with one exception. NO POLYGAMY! The polygamy topic has been dicussed to death in those other threads. If you want to debate against polygamy go to those other threads.

Let the conversations begin!

[Kungfuzed]

Do the LDS only drink consecrated orange juice or can they have freshly squeesed as well?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

Do the LDS only drink consecrated orange juice or can they have freshly squeesed as well?

Anything but fermented.

[Sola'lor]

That post is kind of funny because a few weeks ago we had a sunday school lesson. It was about fasting and how we seem to be more hungry on fast sunday than on other sundays. Our teacher then went on to talk about how our body rebels when it is tol dnot to do somethg. And he used the example that if suddenly we were forbidden to drink orange juice people would get urges to drink it. Even people who hate oranges juice would have the desire to tast of the "beautiful orange liquid." It was pretty funny the way he used orange juice to illustrate an idea.

[SoyLeche]

Originally Posted by Sola'lor

That post is kind of funny because a few weeks ago we had a sunday school lesson. It was about fasting and how we seem to be more hungry on fast sunday than on other sundays. Our teacher then went on to talk about how our body rebels when it is tol dnot to do somethg. And he used the example that if suddenly we were forbidden to drink orange juice people would get urges to drink it. Even people who hate oranges juice would have the desire to tast of the "beautiful orange liquid." It was pretty funny the way he used orange juice to illustrate an idea.

You see that effect on BYU campus during long enough breaks. Suddenly, all of the guys have goatees (sp?). I'll admit - I even tried it out once, and I have no desire at all to have facial hair

[Scarlett Wampus]

Where has Christianity fallen into apostasy in LDS view?

Is there any basis other than religious belief to suggest LDS Christians are better off than other Christians?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Scarlett Wampus

Where has Christianity fallen into apostasy in LDS view?

We believe that the Church Jesus Christ established fell into apostasy shortly after the deaths of the Apostles and that many of the doctrines believed by first century Christians were distorted, misunderstood or lost entirely during the first few centuries after Christ. One example would be the doctrine of the Trinity.

Is there any basis other than religious belief to suggest LDS Christians are better off than other Christians?

What do you mean by better off? According to LDS doctrine, almost everyone who has ever lived will end up going to Heaven. According to many, many non-LDS Christians, the vast majority of humankind will spend eternity in Hell. Who is better off in your opinion? An LDS Christian or a non-LDS Christian?

[Scarlett Wampus]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

What do you mean by better off? According to LDS doctrine, almost everyone who has ever lived will end up going to Heaven. According to many, many non-LDS Christians, the vast majority of humankind will spend eternity in Hell. Who is better off in your opinion? An LDS Christian or a non-LDS Christian?

It was an open question so what I meant was only vaguely defined. Are they happier? live longer? more creative? etc. Something about life here and now in this world that can be seen without reference to religious beliefs.

but

Regarding what you said about the afterlife just about everyone going to Heaven certainly sounds better. If that's the case, why should and would an LDS Christian need to follow the religion? How does the way we live make a difference?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Scarlett Wampus

It was an open question so what I meant was only vaguely defined. Are they happier? live longer? more creative? etc. Something about life here and now in this world that can be seen without reference to religious beliefs.

I'm not convinced that creativity can be objectively measured, and I'm pretty sure happiness can't be. But, here are a few stats on some of the more quantifiable issues (from World Religions Religion Statistics Geography Church Statistics). (As you read these, keep in mind that roughly 70% of Utahns are LDS.)

The high degree to which Latter-day Saints follow the moral and dietary laws of their church (including sexual abstinence outside of marriage, emphasis on education, prohibition of abortion, proscriptions against violence, and total avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea and illegal narcotics) cause their population and/or Utah to stand out in interesting ways in a variety of national demographic and sociological studies. Adherents.com presents some interesting statistical data relating to other religious groups, but in the U.S. no other group yields such a broad array of statistically significant sociological data using geographically-based sources. Below are a few examples:

Data from the U.S. Govt. Census Bureau lists Utah as the state with the lowest teen pregnancy rate and the lowest abortion rate in the United States.

According to the 2002 Kids Count data book released by the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, Utah ranked 3rd nationwide as the best place for children: It gave Utah high marks for low levels of infant mortality, a low percentage of single-parent families and low numbers of children living in low-income families. The report compares states with one another and with the nation as a whole in 10 categories including death rates, poverty and education. Minnesota and New Hampshire finished first and second, respectively... The number of single-parent families in Utah increased by 6 percent during the 1990s, less than half of the national increase of 13 percent. Despite the drop, Utah remained No. 1 in the nation for fewest one-parent families.

The latest federal health figures (1997) rank Utah as having the fewest births to unwed mothers. 16% of all births in Utah were to unmarried mothers. The national average was over 30%.

In Utah, the low rate of births to unwed mothers may be due to the fact that nearly 70 percent of the state's population belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Bruce Chadwick, also a sociology professor at BYU. The LDS Church considers premarital sex and cohabiting a sin.

LDS women are more likely to graduate from college than Catholic or Protestant women, but less likely than Jewish or nonaffiliated women. For graduate education the pattern was similar--a higher percentage of LDS than Catholic or Protestant women have received graduate education. LDS women are more likely to be employed in professional occupations than Catholic or Protestant women. Twenty-three percent of LDS women are employed in professional occupations, which is similar to Jewish women and women with no religious affiliation.

According to U.S. Bureau of Census data released April 2000, Utah "spends a larger percentage of state dollars on education" than any other state. Also, because of the high proportion of Latter-day Saints and the Church's own comprehensive welfare system, Utah spends much less of its budget on public welfare than the other states. "On average, other states spend 22.4 percent of their budgets on public welfare; Utah spends 14 percent." Utah also has the lowest Utah has the lowest child poverty rate in the county.

"A recent national Advanced Placement study found Utah ranked first in the nation in both [AP] exams taken and exams passed on a per capita basis. In 1997, more than one-fourth of Utah's high school graduates earned twelve or more hours of college credits while still in high school through the Advanced Placement Program." Utah has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the nation (ranked third in 1990-92, with 93.9%, behind North Dakota and Iowa. Tennesee was ranked last.) Utah is ranked 2nd in proportion of the population who are high school graduates. 85.1% of Utah's adult population are high school graduates. (Alaska is ranked 1st, with 86.6. Nationally the figure is 75.2%.)

Regarding what you said about the afterlife, just about everyone going to Heaven certainly sounds better. If that's the case, why should and would an LDS Christian need to follow the religion? How does the way we live make a difference?

Well, even though we believe that most people will end up going to Heaven, we don't see Heaven as a one-size-fits-all kind of place. Jesus Christ said that He would "reward every man according to his works." Greater blessings are contingent upon greater obedience. <