By Alan on Apr 25 in Blog tagged Aaronic, author, baptism, celestial, confusion, coovenants, day, dead, destiny, eternal families, eternal marriage, eternal plan, faith, Family, God, great and dreadful, heavenly parents, Holy Ghost, hope, if only knew, Jesus, marriage, Melchizedek, missing, origin, peace, power, premortal existence, priesthood, prophet, Redeemer, religions, resurrection, struggle, suffer, terresterial telestial, The World, to choose, truth, truths, Where Am I Going, Who Am I, Why am I here, word | 1 Comment

If The World Only Knew What They Were Missing

Here we are living in ‘a great and dreadful day’ with higher learning and so many comforts of life.  We have access to so much information and can advance so fast in society.  Yet, there are still so many who struggle and suffer, especially for knowledge and truth about their origin and destiny.  One of the most important needs we have is the knowledge of  who we are, why we are here and where we came from; religion.

If people would just stop and think about life and see those that are truly happy, they will find it is because they have searched their hearts with prayer and in their minds with studying and reading good books, have found peace within knowing that God is there; realizing He has provided the way to return as His children with with an eternal plan where marriages and families can be together forever!  May I share?

Over the history of this world, there have been many religious leaders who felt inspired and caused many people to follow.  Each of us has the right to learn with the freedom and power to choose ’The Way’ we wish to live our lives and believe.  That’s why we came here.  They also become set and immoveable and will not hear or listen to many truths that have come forth.  If the world only knew what they were missing!

Here are 10 facts about 12 major religions.

These pages summarise the main features of the 12 largest world religions, which together are followed by almost 80% of the world’s population. These beliefs are described without passing any judgment on their truth or otherwise. Not included here are so-called “tribal” and African religions (6%), spiritism, the Eastern religions Cao Dai and Juche (less than 1% in total) and non religious (16%). Source for numbers is www.adherents.com.

Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism and Islam

Jainism, Judaism, Parsees/Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Sikhism & Taoism

For more information on the terms “monotheistic”, “darmic” and “taoic”, see the different types of religions.

With all of this confusion in the world and deciding what to believe, is there any wonder why there are so many religions today?  It is not God’s fault but man’s.

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”  
1 Corinthians 14:33

At some point in each of our lives we will each ask these questions:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?

Many ‘Plain and precious truths and  doctrines’ of the gospel have been restored:

The Physical nature of the Godhead

Our creation is in God’s image

Apostles and Prophets

Melchizedek Priesthood

Aaronic Priesthood

Mode of baptism

The gift of the Holy Ghost

Premortal existence

Baptism for the dead

Resurrection

The three Kingdoms of Heaven
(Celestial, Telestial, Terresterial)

Eternal marriage and families

Our potential to become like our Heavenly Parents 

By Alan on May 26 in Blog tagged America, Apostles and Prophets, baptized, blind to see, brightness of the sun, chief cornerstone, Christ, creator of the earth, despised, doing good, eternity, fulness of times, goodwill, Gordon B. Hinckley, He is the Messiah, He lives, he who was slain, His Church, His example, His priesthood, immortal, James E. Faust, Jesus Declares, Joseph Smith, LDS, message of peace, messiah, of God, only begotten, other sheep, premortal existence, purpose of life, raising the dead, Redeemer of the World, Risen, sinless, son of God, sons and daughters, taught truths, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the first, the First Presidency, the Great Jehovah, the last, the life, the light, the living Christ, The Son, the testimony of the Apostles, Thomas S. Monson | Comments Off

Jesus Declares He Is The Messiah

Watch

The Living Christ: The Testimony Of The Apostles

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).

Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

 Gordon B. Hinkley

Thomas S. Monson  -  James E Faust

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

By Alan on Apr 06 in Daily Inspiration tagged coming to this earth, death, died at Calvary, difficult, I know that my Redeemer lives, immortality, painful, premortal existence, Wadsworth | Comments Off

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Because our Savior died at Calvary, death has no hold upon any one of us.

Though difficult and painful, death is an essential part of our mortal experience. We began our sojourn here by leaving our premortal existence and coming to this earth. The poet Wordsworth captured that journey in his inspired ode to immortality. He wrote:

By Alan on Mar 25 in Daily Inspiration tagged burdensome, commandments, following HIm, for you, great Council, in heaven, it's your road, limit freedom, make you free, no one can walk it, others may walk it, Plan of Salvation, premortal existence, testing on the earth, the truth, true freedom, with you, yours alone | Comments Off

It’s Your Road And Yours Alone

Many people feel that the commandments are burdensome and that they limit freedom and personal growth. But the Savior taught that true freedom comes only from following Him: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32).

God gives commandments for our benefit. They are loving instructions for our happiness and for our physical and spiritual well-being.

In the premortal existence, (before we came to this world) Heavenly Father presided over a great Council in Heaven. There we learned of His plan for our salvation, which included a time of testing on the earth: “We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:24-25).

One reason we are here on the earth is to show our willingness to obey Heavenly Father’s commandments.  (Contained in the Holy Scriptures)

Daily Inspiration
For The Family

By Alan on Dec 06 in Blog tagged atoned for our sins, baptized, Birth, Christmas, creator, eternity, families, goodwill, Jehovah, meaning of Christmas, messiah, miracles, premortal existence, purpose of life, resurrected, special time, taught truths, video | 3 Comments

Christmas is a special time for families with children.  Here is a video that asks children what Christmas means to them.

Download with Vixy | Convert YouTube to MP3

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On Christmas Day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

W offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

Jesus was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made’ (John 1: 3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He ‘went about doing good’ (Acts 10: 38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

“He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice.

He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross.
He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift

in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.  We anxiously await His return to earth once again.

Before you open the gifts under the Christmas tree this year, may we all pause as families and give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who not only makes Christmas possible, but gives eternal life for all.

Merry CHRISTmas!
From The Family

By Alan on Apr 29 in Blog tagged George and Olive Osmond, George Virl Osmond Jr., Obey the commandments, Olive Osmond, physically, plan of happiness, premortal existence, Satan, spiritually, The Family, The Purpose and Destiny of the Earth, theFamily | Comments Off

George and Olive Osmond
The Purpose and Destiny of the Earth

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By George Virl Osmond Jr.   (a continuation from the article written concerning Earth Day – The Creation)

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.The Lord created all things spiritually before He created them physically: “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. … And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them” (Moses 3:5).

My Parents, George and Olive Osmond taught us children, as we were growing up that… “Before this world was organized, we had spirit bodies and lived in a premortal world with Heavenly Father, the father of our spirits. We knew Him personally just as He knows us. He desired that we become as He is—having eternal life and exaltation. He presented His plan to us in a great council during our premortal existence. As He taught us the great plan of happiness, we learned that, as spirits, our progress was limited. We needed to obtain a physical body. God’s plan would demand much of us; some would be lost if they did not have faith or keep the commandments.”

We learn that Satan, our brother, opposed this plan, and disregarded our agency when he promised that if we followed him no one would be lost (see Moses 4:1).  We also learn that, A  third of the spirits chose to follow Satan, rejecting the Father’s plan (see D&C 29:36).

My Mother, Olive Osmond explained to me that …”We, who accepted the plan of the Father, were born into this earthly existence.  We agreed to do the best we could. We knew that we would make some mistakes, and because of our mistakes, we would not be worthy to return to the presence of the Father. But as a central portion of the plan, a Savior—who would make it possible for us to repent and be forgiven—was presented to us. We rejoiced when the great plan of happiness and our Savior and Redeemer were presented to us.”   (see Job 38:7).

I can honestly remember at an early age when my Father, George Osmond spoke to his children around the dinner table during our Friday night – Family Home Evening about our mortal experience here upon this Earth.   He went on to explain that we … “Temporarily leaving our Father’s presence, we were sent to this earth. Through mortal fathers and mothers, our spirits were placed in mortal bodies. A main purpose of our mortal life is to test our willingness to do all our Heavenly Father asks of us. Obedience is essential for us to obtain exaltation and eternal life and thus become like our Father—beings of flesh and bone, immortal, exalted, and glorified. Only then will we be heirs of all He possesses.”

I also remember as a young man being disciplined for something I did wrong by my Mother Olive.  She brought to my attention to the words of Amulek found in the book of Mormon.   Amulek taught that “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). With our conscience, which comes from the Light of Christ, every one of us can discern between good and evil, between truth and error (see Moro. 7:16–19). With our agency, the right to choose and act for ourselves, we can choose to do what is right or what is not. We can choose to follow the plan of happiness and obey the commandments of God, or reject the commandments of God and not be happy, for “behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10). The progress we make and the happiness we attain depend upon our choices (see 2 Ne. 2:27).

My Brothers and Sister Marie have often commented on how blessed we have been to “be born of goodly parents” … that George and Olive Osmond took quality time out to teach their Family the mysteries of Godliness and to strengthen our testimonies concerning – The Purpose and Destiny of the Earth.

References – Russell M. Nelson

George Virl Osmond Jr.
For The Family

Photo composed by G.Virl Osmond …pondering the creation and purpose of the Earth.