Holy Ghost

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The Holy Ghost

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• The "burning in the bosom" in Mormonism as a method of determining truth
• The Holy Ghost is divine but does not possess a physical body
• Moroni's promise
• Latter-day Saint Epistemology

The "burning in the bosom" in Mormonism as a method of determining truth

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• Question: Is a "burning in the bosom" simply a subjective, emotion-based, unreliable way to practice self-deception?
• Dallin H. Oaks (1997): "Surely, the word “burning” in this scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity. That is the witness many receive. That is the way revelation works."
• Question: Why do critics of Mormonism who belong to other religions discount spiritual experiences?
• Question: Can a person "feel the spirit" while watching movies?
• Dr. Wendy Ulrich (2005): "How do the goosebumps and tearfulness I experience when someone speaks in a testimony meeting differ from the goosebumps and tearfulness I experience when the 4:00 parade begins at Disneyland?"
• Question: Can someone feel the spirit when listening to stories of apostasy?
• "Recognizing the Voice of the Spirit" (Podcast): "How can I come to know that spiritual experience is not just a product of chemical processes in the brain?"
• Question: Will our manifestation of truth from the Holy Ghost be a "spectacular" witness?
• Question: How can you know if an answer to prayer, a personal revelation, is true?
• Question: Why might someone not be able to see their spiritual impressions come to successful, obvious, and/or beautiful fruition?
• Question: Can spiritual experiences be simply willed to reality?
• Question: Can one simply decide when one feels and doesn't feel the Spirit?

The Holy Ghost is divine but does not possess a physical body

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• Question: Can the Holy Ghost not be fully God, because he does not have a physical body?
• Question: Will the Holy Ghost ever receive a physical body?
• Question: Did certain Church leaders claim that Joseph Smith "held the office of Holy Ghost"?

Holy Ghost

Latter-day Saint Epistemology

Summary: This series of articles defines epistemology broadly and how to approach and define Latter-day Saint Epistemology

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• Question: What is epistemology?
• Question: What is the best way to define Latter-day Saint epistemology?
• Question: How do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view the concepts of spiritual experience and the obtainment of testimony?
• Question: Is Latter-day Saint epistemology a valid form of epistemology?
• Question: How do Latter-day Saints respond to arguments from diversity against the use of spiritual experiences in their epistemology?
• Question: Is the Latter-day Saint conception of testimony from the Holy Ghost threatened by neuroscience or psychology?
• Question: How can one address arguments from reliability against the use of spiritual experiences in Latter-day Saint epistemology?
• Question: Is the Latter-day Saint way of understanding spiritual experience guilty of circular reasoning?
• Source: K. Codell Carter: "Epistemology" in Encyclopedia of Mormonism
• Encyclopedia of Mormonism (Ralph C. Hancock): "Reason and Revelation"