Messenger Magazine
Now, little boys and girls, when you are confronted by infidels in the world who know nothing of how Christ was begotten, you can say he was born just as the infidel was begotten and born, so was Christ begotten by his Father, who is also our Father - the Father of our spirits - and he was born of his mother Mary.
There are presently a great many Church people who have to be taught the most simple Gospel principles over and over again, and even then they have difficulty in understanding.
Prior to 1993, I was an active duty Army Chaplain. During that season in my life, I taught leadership skills to officers and non-commissioned officers in leadership retreats as a part of my ministry. I often used management games to teach these leaders about leadership. In one management game called “Powerplay”, a scenario is created where these leaders were arbitrarily divided into groups by virtue of winning in a trading scenario. The winning group is then given authority over the other groups. The winning group is given the right to make the rules for future trading and to dictate these rules to the other groups. Without exception, the group that has the authority always begins to make rules to keep its authority and to benefit it as a group in trading. Given enough time the winning group will begin to clearly abuse the other groups. This group will justify its behaviour on the basis of winning the earlier portion of the game and by virtue of having the authority.
It requires striving - intellectual and spiritual - to comprehend the things of God - even the revealed things of God. In no department of human endeavour is the aphorism "no excellence without labour" - more in force than in acquiring knowledge of the things of God. The Lord has placed no premium upon idleness […]
As far as the millions of orthodox Jews in the world are concerned their Messiah has not yet come, and the popular Christian portrayal of Jesus seems very different to them from their expectations of what their Christ should be like. One glaring omission in what they would otherwise consider a perfect and exemplary life […]
Lady, whence comest thou? Thine origin? What art thou doing here? Whither art thou going, and what is thy destiny? Declare unto me if thou hast understanding. Knowest thou not that thou art a spark of Deity, struck from the fire of His eternal blaze, and brought forth in the midst of eternal burning?
Joseph Smith and the Devil engage in conversation.