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User:GregSmith: Difference between revisions

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Seriously Greg...you are amazing!  Do you eat or sleep?
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== Links to check ==
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|I believe that if the Lord were speaking to you directly tonight, the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity. My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God. ...


"Somebody could walk into this room<br>
Labels ''can'' be fun and indicate your support for any number of positive things. Many labels will change for you with the passage of time. And not all labels are of equal value. But if any label replaces your most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually suffocating. ...
And say your life is on fire.<br>
It's all over the evening news,<br>
All about the fire in your life on the evening news."<br>
:- Paul Simon, "Crazy Love, Vol. II," ''Graceland'' album (1986).
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My e-mail is glsmith7 (at) telus.net
''Who are you?'' First and foremost, you are a child of God.
{{FI|19|9|5}}
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Reference links:


*[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/ParserFunctions ParserFunctions]: #if et al.
Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
*[[Template:BackupGLS:InsightsGLS]] - Backup of Insights code
*[[InsightsList:Summary]] - Backup of nav tool and list
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{{draft}}
Tonight, I plead with you not to ''replace'' these three paramount and unchanging identifiers with any others, because doing so could stymie your progress or pigeonhole you in a stereotype that could potentially thwart your eternal progression.


The purpose of this page is two-fold:
For example, if you are identified mainly as an American, those who are not Americans may think, “I know everything there is to know about you” and attribute erroneous beliefs to you.


# to provide factual information about the restoration sects (Sects resulting from Joseph Smith) including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons, the LDS Church);
If you identify yourself by your political affiliation, you will instantly be categorized as having certain beliefs—though I don’t know anyone who believes everything that their preferred political party presently embraces.
# to provide reporters and other authors with advice on the consistent use of words, names, places and other elements in writing about the Church and related restorationist groups.  


It is hoped that the information given will be helpful to journalists and others who write about restorationist faiths and their members, doctrines, practices, or beliefs.
We could go on and on, rehearsing the constraints of various labels that we put on ourselves or that other people place upon us. ...


# Who are the Mormons? ''See'':[[MormonFAQ:Who are they|Who are they?]]
How tragic it is when someone believes the label another person has given them. ...
# Are there other groups related to Mormons? ''See'':[[MormonFAQ:Other groups|Other groups from Joseph Smith?]]
# What are basic beliefs of the Church?  ''See'':[[MormonFAQ:Basic beliefs|Basic beliefs]]
# Common myths, misunderstandings, and mischaracterizations? ''See'': [[MormonFAQ:Myths and Questions|Myths and questions]]
# Need a term or vocabulary word explained?  ''See:'' [[MormonFAQ:Terms|Terms]]


Have a question you don't see answered?  You can:
[Satan] rejoices in labels because they divide us and restrict the way we think about ourselves and each other. How sad it is when we honor labels more than we honor each other.
* check out the table of contents for our [[FAIRwiki:Table_of_contents|FAIR-Wiki]].
* write an [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php e-mail]. One of our volunteers will get back to you within 24 hours; most replies arrive within an hour or two.


If you're a journalist looking for information or a quote, FAIR can help you. Our members have also appeared on radio call-in shows, and other venues in which a faithful LDS perspective is useful. Please feel free to contact us.
Labels can lead to judging and animosity. Any ''abuse'' or ''prejudice'' toward another because of nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, educational degrees, culture, or other significant identifiers is offensive to our Maker! Such mistreatment causes us to live beneath our stature as His covenant sons and daughters!
 
There are various labels that may be very important to you, of course. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that other designations and identifiers are not significant. I am simply saying that no identifier should ''displace'', ''replace'', or ''take priority over'' these three enduring designations: “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ.”
 
Any identifier that is not compatible with these three basic designations will ultimately let you down. Other labels will disappoint you in time because they do not have the power to lead you toward eternal life in the celestial kingdom of God.
 
Worldly identifiers will never give you a vision of who you can ultimately become. They will never affirm your divine DNA or your unlimited, divine potential.<ref>Russell M. Nelson, "Choices for Eternity," Worldwide Devotional for Young Single Adults, 15 May 2022 {[link|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults/2022/05/12nelson?lang=eng}}</ref>}}

Latest revision as of 06:18, 5 June 2024

Links to check

File:Russell nelson official portrait 2018.jpeg
I believe that if the Lord were speaking to you directly tonight, the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity. My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God. ...

Labels can be fun and indicate your support for any number of positive things. Many labels will change for you with the passage of time. And not all labels are of equal value. But if any label replaces your most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually suffocating. ...

Who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God.

Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Tonight, I plead with you not to replace these three paramount and unchanging identifiers with any others, because doing so could stymie your progress or pigeonhole you in a stereotype that could potentially thwart your eternal progression.

For example, if you are identified mainly as an American, those who are not Americans may think, “I know everything there is to know about you” and attribute erroneous beliefs to you.

If you identify yourself by your political affiliation, you will instantly be categorized as having certain beliefs—though I don’t know anyone who believes everything that their preferred political party presently embraces.

We could go on and on, rehearsing the constraints of various labels that we put on ourselves or that other people place upon us. ...

How tragic it is when someone believes the label another person has given them. ...

[Satan] rejoices in labels because they divide us and restrict the way we think about ourselves and each other. How sad it is when we honor labels more than we honor each other.

Labels can lead to judging and animosity. Any abuse or prejudice toward another because of nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, educational degrees, culture, or other significant identifiers is offensive to our Maker! Such mistreatment causes us to live beneath our stature as His covenant sons and daughters!

There are various labels that may be very important to you, of course. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that other designations and identifiers are not significant. I am simply saying that no identifier should displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations: “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Any identifier that is not compatible with these three basic designations will ultimately let you down. Other labels will disappoint you in time because they do not have the power to lead you toward eternal life in the celestial kingdom of God.

Worldly identifiers will never give you a vision of who you can ultimately become. They will never affirm your divine DNA or your unlimited, divine potential.[1]
  1. Russell M. Nelson, "Choices for Eternity," Worldwide Devotional for Young Single Adults, 15 May 2022 {[link|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults/2022/05/12nelson?lang=eng}}