I have read your response, but want to focus on this, which is where I derived the idea of the "list" being a burden in the first place. I hope you will be able to see that from your own words I derive that idea, and it is no underhanded attempt to distort your words, as you continue to put forward. Your statement:
Constant effort, under fear of being counted unworthy by those who rule my life—that is a burden. And it is not my life in the LDS faith. This is where I get and originally got the idea. It is no distortion of your words; it is the very thing they imply. This is what you said earlier:[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The reason this concerns me is that (a) once again, you totally misconstrued what I had said, and (b) in the LDS church, although – just to take the example you mentioned – you wouldn't harp on your son all day, every day about preparing himself to receive the priesthood, you certainly would encourage him and make certain that when the day came, he would be ready. Then you would encourage him to fulfill his priesthood duties regularly and faithfully, and eventually be ready to receive the Melchizedek priesthood and then serve a mission, and then be married in the temple and then serve in the church for the rest of his life, etc., etc., etc. - just like dear old Dad. All of the above, whether you want to admit it out loud or not, requires constant effort, on your part and his. If you are not feeling that obligation, then yes, I worry about you, because the church makes it abundantly clear that it is in fact your obligation and that there is no wiggle-room if you are going to be considered worthy. And WORTHY is the word that literally rules in the LDS church; it is the word with which they rule your life. Please tell me you'll think about that, long and hard.[/FONT]
Simple is easy. Complicated is burdensome. Are you not saying that Mormonism's "layer upon complicated layer of commandments" is a burden to bear? Are you not saying that in the LDS church it is a royal pain in the neck to get to heaven? Is that not what you're saying? If it is not, then I truly have misunderstood. And it is, as I have stated, a sincere misunderstanding, not some calculated attempt to twist your words.What we do have a problem with is for Joseph Smith - or any other would-be prophet - to come along and change the plain and precious scriptures and change the very rules and requirements for eternal life, adding layer upon complicated layer of commandments, laws and ordinances along the way, and then tell us that oh-by-the-way, if we don't keep ALL these extraneous requirements, we are banned forever from our Father's kingdom. Um...I don't think so.
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