I am a member, and I have many family and yes neighbors that all left the church because of the way the members treated them. I was mistreated prior to my joining and after. I don't attend church for the members but because it is a commandment by our father in Heaven. This perspective helps me to deal with those who feel the need to be better than others or just to be number 1. I love this church. I didn't join because i was told to, but because I know that the gospel it teaches is true. I love my ward now that my perspective has changed. I hope many others will be able to find that peace only the Church of Jesus Christ can offer.
I sometimes wonder what percent of the membership are actually active? I was raised in the church and have 3 siblings. I'm not very close with my family and don't keep in touch but I know 2 of them have completely left the church. Many extended family I know were raised in the church but are inactive.
I remember in my mid-late 20's when I came to that point where I had to decide whether my belief in the gospel and/or church would be completely separated from how other members treated me or thought of me. Once you give it some thought, sort out what is what, and what has nothing to do with what, it becomes clear that people and the church are 2 different things, and if the church's authenticity depends on how it's members behave, you may as well leave now, because you really have nothing in a church or a belief system that depends on how other's treat you. They are entirely different issues, and those who can't separate them have joined what I call "The Church of Nice People" and it's foundation is on sand and mud. When they come upon misunderstanding or offense of the right kind, they will take it to mean the church is flawed, and no longer worth being part of. You must be able to go to church without a friend, handshake, smile, or any feeling of friendliness at all if you plan on being a member for life. You must even detach yourself from the leaders, the Bishop, Stake president, etc. Otherwise you're in a small lifeboat, with a hole in it, that is constantly rocking with the waves, and needs the water bailed out often to keep it afloat. Your feet will of course get wet & cold after awhile, and you may find yourself looking for an excuse to leave, just to get your feet warm and dry. Then someone smirks at you, and that's the straw that breaks the camels back, and the end of your "testimony". I always felt dubious about the mandate to "friendship" neighbors etc. as an effort to do missionary work, because it directly encourages people to join "The Church of Nice People" - I mean what else is it going to do? You're nice to them now, but what happens when you're having a bad day, and accidentally give them a dirty look? Besides, anyone identifying your behavior with your religious beliefs is already destined for a shallow conversion with a sandy foundation. Only those searching for the truth - not a church of good/nice people - will be able to stand when the winds of social pressure and tempers unleashed begin to blow, and become a tornado.
@jameseverett4976 I kind of agree and also disagree. What you say is better described as where you place the foundation of your faith and testimony, which should be in christ his church that he established his covenants through his church and his teachings. Our relationship with others is also important because we are all learning and all imperfect. Through our interactions with others, we can learn and grow and just as importantly help others learn and grow. Christ doesn't want us to be alone, just as he lifts us up through his atoning sacrifice we are supposed to be our brothers keepers and follow Christ's example and lift each other up. The two great commandments are to love the lord thy God with all thy heart mind and strength. The second is like unto it to love thy neighbor as thyself. Rather than detach yourself, place the foundation of your faith in the right place.
I love your closing comments. People are all at different levels of understanding and experiences in life either challenges us to make changes to align with God or we internalise them differently and become something different and pull away from God. I love the gospel plan and it's principles... I love God... His gospel has all the answers... even if we cannot know all at this time... it's principles teach us how to seek God and feel His love and guidance and the comforter teaches us the truth... The H/G is such an important member of the God Head. I am a convert... joined when I was 16yrs old.. whilst at times I felt blind I have never regretted being a member of the church even though relationships with those at church have at times been fractious. I've had prickly times with some people but nothing alarming.... I do understand some do have some very challenging experiences. But as you said I had come to terms that going to church and learning to live and follow Christs ways is a choice I'd rather make than let a situation chase me away from it. The only way to come to know this truth... that this Church is the true church is working to live the gospel and trusting God and Christ His son and the Holy Ghost and follow the Prophet and not lean to my own and the worlds understanding of things. Keep trying and praying.
@@artesslior1806 The term "my brother's keeper" is a strawman invented by Cain, and shows up nowhere else [that I know of] in scripture. Unfortunately, stupid people have assumed that Cain's strawman argument is a reference to, or acknowledgement of some commandment. It's not, and loving others is not being anyone's "keeper". Otherwise we can assume that Jesus failed in "keeping" Judas on the straight and narrow. A "keeper" is someone who takes care of an animal, and takes responsibility for feeding it, and also making sure it does not bother or hurt other people. The duties of a keeper are somewhat similar to being a parent, but are nothing like the proper relationship of members of the church. The wicked always use strawmen and caricature to argue, because denying the truth requires exaggeration & distortion. You will see it used routinely in atheist arguments, because they have to play everything up as something they can righteously resist and mock, otherwise they may feel some pressure to consider it seriously. You also see it in apostate arguments: they will caricaturize the teachings of the church now that they have left them behind, in a way they did not see them before, to make them look silly. That is what Cain is doing when using the term "keeper" to unfairly assert that God expected him to know where his brother was every minute of the day, as if Abel was some straying farm animal that must have wandered off into the forest.
Whether we live in a time of apostasy or in a time of righteousness, our purpose remains the same which is to return to our lord Heavenly Father by trusting in the lord with all thine heart for he is the source of all truth.
Our purpose is not to selfishly seek the kingdom of God but to be a light unto the world. It is the parable of the sower and it is the great commission. It is not to horde this gift and not share what was freely given to us.
The pressure to not follow Christ is very real and to leave the church is very real. I have been down this path myself to follow myself or to fit in the world but i went nowhere's in my life because of that thinking. However, I have been marking harder efforts to follow Christ more then my own understanding and i do come up short many times but remembering my past daily helps me to focus more on Christ and not repeat my past life ever again.
I feel I’ve experienced the same, and I was atheist for almost a year. Now I know more than ever before that God lives, and by His help I will never leave His side again.
I have a similar experience. I was raised in an inactive family. I had no real testimony until I was 16. But even though I had a testimony. Very small but it was there. I was still inactive for many years later and did things that I am not proud of. With that being said, I had to move back home and became a more active member became some great friends refused to give up on me. I have renewed my covenants, received my endowments and continued to go to the temple. I have seen what the world has to offer and have turned my back on it. It hasn't been easy but I know that in the end it will be worth it. ❤
I just spent an entire week about 18 hours a day to research many topics and I'm burned out. It's true ever learning but there is so much hypocrisy. I'm tired. I finally stuck up for my religion. I'm getting my patriarchal blessing.
Very good! Keep your scriptures open. Listen often. Every challenge and adversity has models in there that will be opened up to help you as you explore the scriptures in faith. And you are walking forward a step at a time. The waves of adversity can be felt but won't pull you under because you can be anchored.
Regarding the hypocrisy when you read the scriptures people 'individually' fell away. But the organization of the church and Christ's teachings weren't the parts that fell away. It was individuals. You can find verses that talk about this. But you want to have care to not blame the church or the leaders, for individuals not doing what they should. Hang in there!
@@noahriding5780 The CES letter is a letter from a member to their CES director. It includes a bunch of factual inconsitancies in church history. The CES director never wrote back and the author of the letter left the church. The letter is now online as sort of a research paper, and it's led to a lot of people losing their faith. If you truly believe that your gospel will stand up to scrutiny, then you should read the CES letter and pray about it.
I really enjoyed this video. It’s been a topic on my mind for the past several years, where I see my children, who were earnestly taught gospel principles in their youth, becoming distracted by the world and less interested in attending church, reading scriptures, going to the temple, etc.
The thing about prophecy is that it can be fulfilled multiple times. Jesus openly questioned whether he would find faith on Earth when He returns. That should give us an idea of how bad it’s going to get.
I’m 33 trying to get married again haha. Still in the gospel and love the lord my god and savior. So grateful for these videos and for the restored gospel to be on the earth. Most importantly I’m thankful for prayer. Love those sweet moments I have every night and day to commune with our father in heaven.
I know you might not see this comment but I hope you know you are helping Latter Day Saints like me. I’ve been away from the church and I am struggling to get back in. It’s a lonely feeling. I don’t know how to go about it. But your videos have been helping me learn and truly enjoy learning. Anyways thank you 🙏🏻
I saw your comment…I too came back, just started coming to church, received more strength and then cleared things up with the bishop. Best thing I ever did! This was years ago and I have deep gratitude for the mercy my Savior gave me. Prayers, reading my scriptures have helped me feel the Spirit…and build my testimony. You will never regret the effort you take to return. Sending aloha to you.
Thank you for posting this video. This is the video that woke me up to the reality of apostasy around me back in 2021, and ever since then I have climbed a steady path back into discipleship. Currently working hard on getting the rest of my family to do the same, keep up the great work!
You are absolutely correct. Truth is a characteristic of God, like love and light. We are incapable of knowing truth because we cannot know all details on any topic (we don't know what we don't). The wise lean only on the arm of God, and lean not on the arm of man. Divinely inspired scripture is the only way back to Heavenly Father.
Correct, many people are making the mistake of diving their noses all into the depths of church history to look around for any dirty laundry, instead of keeping their eye single to the glory of God.
I have NEVER, in my 41 years as a member of the Church, seen the divisiveness the Presidential election caused within the Church. It has been frightening to watch.
Biden is outright evil and the front puppet for Babylon (Big Tech, Great Reset, Deep State). And the election *Was* stolen, with near certainty and the same mechanisms we use to detect fraud in other countries. People recognize that and rightly bet incited in opposition to it. Problem is we know how this story ends. There are three groups. Evil, the Wicked, and the Righteous that must flee to Zion if they don't want to take arms against their neighbor during the tribulations. Evil, is the Biden Administration and associated groups. The Wicked, are unfortunately the Patriots that turn to anger and hatred against that evil in the times of conflict ahead. That leaves only the Saints who are able to stay safe and distant from conflict.
@Open Minded You're ABSOLUTELY right. Many of the bretheren spoke about that very concept quite often years ago, yet we still were/are encouraged to pray and vote using our OWN conscience. It's part of why we need to be non judgemental and more forgiving. The end times are SO FULL of information overload, and are VERY confusing to most EVERYONE in one way or the other. I pray God's sweet blessings of unity, clarity, and strength to be upon us all as we maneuver this journey together👫💂🏽♀️👨🏻✈️👩🏾🍳👨🌾👩🏿🦳👵👨🏼🦰👱🏽♂️👩🏾🦰
When it comes to COVID19, the so-called "right-wing" has a virtual monopoly on the stupidity around it. This virus has completely exposed the false tenets of conservatism and other "philosophies mixed with scripture" that make many LDS hearts go pitter-patter.
I think the gospel of Jesus Christ is the Plan of happiness. I tested the scriptures and prayed the Heavenly Father about what I was learning. That was before I was baptized. I know it's true The only way to find out the truth is to read & prayer, ponder, ask questions of God our spirit father in the of Jesus Christ if the holy ghost will testify of their truth.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to be trifled with. It can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand by which ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures And that he was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Salvation is as simple as the ABCs. Admit you are a sinner. Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day. Call upon the name of the Lord.
Sadly, all my children have fallen for the world's lies to one degree or another. Even among the older members I find many who embrace those lies and employ mental gymnastics to force the gospel to fit with them. There will need to be a purification of the church before it will be ready to receive the Savior.
The church is getting better and more exciting every day as we prepare for the Savior's second coming. The promises and blessings we are given are so wonderful. I'm elderly and never has there been such encouraging words and calls for us to do the work to receive personal revelation. There are times the other side feels so near. Study from the Book of Mormon daily and prayer really helps me.
All four of my kids left the church because their mother has mental illness. She used the church as a tool to control them with threats of hell and bad things will happen to them.
Every time I read the Book of Mormon, I think how is it that such an enlightened people can turn from God so quickly, I now see it almost daily. My children tell me of many of their friends who are leaving the church, mostly because they do not believe any longer. I hope that these lost sheep will see the errors of their ways and come home to their loving Father in Heaven. Thank you again for your videos and the topics you have chosen to cover.
Thank u so much for these words. These times of covid seem to be ushering in all types of apostasy within the church. I myself have felt it getting firmer and firmer. It is easy to forget these scriptures mentioned. I hope and pray that myself and others may be strong in these last days. I feel this video u put up may help a lot of people. Thank u
I’ve had many questions I didn’t find the answers to in the gospel. The truth is that the answers are out there. You can find them. It seems to me that many people don’t want to find the truth. They shy away from it bc they want to live a different lifestyle. Always be patient before you go off thinking it’s all wrong bc you can’t find an answer right away. President Nelson asked us to study the Abrahamic covenant. When you do, it answers a lot more! I love this gospel! You couldn’t tear me from it!
Z it might be hard but it is totally worth the struggle. I am so thankful I came back to activity. So much more peace and joy. Pray often for help from Jesus Christ. He will comfort and strengthen you. I have been through it and know what you are going through. Much love and hope for your success.
This is a wonderful and meaningful video that hits at the heart of the problems in our younger generations now days. The loss of faith and the misunderstanding of "Truth" is becoming more and more prevalent in the world and even in the church. Our Faith is certainly being tested, but I am so happy and feel blessed that God has increased my faith in the Church of Jesus Christ and in the Gospel of Christ and has given me a sure knowledge that the Church and the Gospel principles and the Book of Mormon are true. God lives and loves his children immensely and wants us to return back to our home in the heavens, where he and Jesus Christ dwell, through obedience to the ordinances and principles of the true gospel of Christ.
Thanks for the excellent lesson. The scriptural references are worth pondering. The bottom line is this: everyone capable of choosing how they want to live has that right. Among numerous alternatives, most will choose an answer that may not be the best one. Every gets to choose within the limits of their capability, and everyone who chooses gets to experience the consequences of their choices. That’s the way live works. Unfortunately for some, not all consequences may be immediately apparent, so it pays to be both informed and wise.
Anyone who wishes to challenge my religion, I give a simple answer. As a young missionary in his first assignment in Fredrickstad, Norway, after fasting and after reading the Book of Mormon, I did ask Heavenly Father if it is true and if Joseph Smith restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ, I did receive an overwhelming witness of the Holy Ghost. This, I will never deny. It is true.
I had a similar experience. Nor will I EVER DENY. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored church Jesus Christ established when he became mortal.
I have often found it fascinating that the Angel Moroni on the Salt Lake Temple dropped its trumpet during that earthquake a couple years ago. It had survived countless earthquakes, storms and even a tornado previously, but one minor quake caused the trumpet to fall onto the roof of the temple. It made me think of the rending of the temple veil in Jerusalem following the crucifixion and it made me wonder if it was some sort of sign, perhaps declaring the end of some kind of era or the beginning of a new one. Is there anything the scriptures might say about this?
Did not hear about this but it makes sense. I recently thought about becoming a Mormon and stopped attending because I got creeped on by a gay man at church. The bishop did not take away his temple recommend. Later found out the cute redhead sister missionary already had at least 3 piercings. So as I see it, the church is basically calling on supernatural powers in those temple rituals using participants who are actively sexually immoral. Look at church materials - they actively promote harmful feminist ideologies and interracial relations with the seed of Cain. I still read the Bible, Book of Mormon, and D&C, but there is no way I could go back there after that.
Acts 2:19: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath... Signs in the earth, this one could certainly potentially qualify. What might it mean? A trumpet is used to communicate and announce. Perhaps the church will lose its voice for a period in the years to come.
We are Warned "Not to be seekers of signs." We need Only to Cling to the Iron rod and stay on the Covenant Path following the Prophet and rely on the Arm of Jehovah.
@@alexadam353 There is a difference between the sort of "seekers" that are referenced in that verse, who are insincere and insecure, and those who watch for the signs of God, honestly seeking for knowledge and enlightenment. We should not predicate our faith on the presence or absence of a sign, that is true, but if we have faith then to witness a sign and know that things must surely come to pass, is a blessing to those who watch and are steadfast.
This really compliments President Nelson's talk in the October 22 Conference where he spoke of a friend of his that lay on his bed asking ""what is true?" I love having your Gospel Doctrine lessons. They are available 24/7 and I can use them as a springboard for my own scripture study.
This is a very timely video. I received a personal revelation that there will be a big commotion in the church within the next three years and it will be a very hard time for the church. I was warned by the Spirit to stick to what I already know and not to follow those who will apostate. I feel prompted to share this warning here.
Me too we lost some of the best people during lockdown one sister in particular I never believed in a million years she’d ever leave the church and there was also a divorce during lockdown between a couple that had previously been very happy seems like the devil has been taking advantage of the difficult time caused by covid.
Being an apologist of something doesn't mean you "apologize" for it. It means you DEFEND it. Being an apologist of your faith is a GOOD thing. Look up apologetics.
There is one part of the Vision of the Tree of Life that I have not heard anyone in church talk about, and I believe it holds the key to why so many are leaving the church at this time. I taught a lesson on the Tree of Life, and had a drawing on the whiteboard, and when I asked what was missing, no one knew, probably because we don't have an interpretation of it. I then had them read 1 Nephi 8: 5-8 about the man in the white robe that spoke to Lehi and then said to follow him (Korihor had the devil appear to him in the form of an angel in Alma 30:53). After several hours he was in a dark and dreary waste. This caused Lehi to exercise "teshuva" (repentance in Hebrew, and it literally mean "return" or "turn back") to plead for the Lord's mercy to return to Him. It didn't happen right away, because "it came to pass" that he then found himself in a large and spacious field. He couldn't see the tree at that time, but "it came to pass" after walking for a time that he came to the tree. Lehi "heeded them not," the people in the building who were pointing their fingers of scorn and trying to shame those at the Tree, but he did heed the man in the white robe, who he was deceived into following. I mentioned to the class, the statistics you shared in this video, that 1/3 of all LDS youth are leaving the church during or shortly after high school (KUTV New). Many of the youth are influenced by social pressure and the scorn they might receive if they don't comply with social norms. The church statistics of 50% of 18-31year olds who are leaving also have a lot to do with social pressure, but probably more are deceived by heeding the false secular and non-secular leaders teaching false doctrine or the philosophies of men that are "pleasing to the carnal mind." (Alma 30:53) This is only going to get worse as the end times drawn near. We can keep from being deceived by holding fast to the Word of God. Nephi tells us that if we do this we will "NEVER perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower [us] unto blindness, to lead [us] away to destruction". (1 Nephi 15:23-24)
The scriptures don’t say 1/3. They say a third part, meaning, it could be more or less than 33.3 percent. Just a thought. (If you tear a paper into three unequal pieces, you get three parts)
This is very informative and needed. There are those who point at those leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a sign that it's not true, but this video points out that this was foretold and therefore not unexpected.
@@carolswarbrick1722 I don't know, but I judge truth by whether it accords with the scriptures, the facts, and the Spirit. This seems to accord with them. This does not mean that it is all absolutely true, but I'll accept it as tentatively so and adjust my understanding as I continue to learn.
The foolish virgins did separate themselves from the wise and wanted nothing to do with the wise who rose up when the call to go out to meet the bridegroom was given and the wise were all busy preparing and taking extra oil also along with them and so the foolish separated themselves from the wise and went their own way and on by one their lamps all went out because there was no oil left in their lamps and they fell into a deep sleep. I think its quite obvious that the apostasy in the church was foretold over 2000 years ago by Christ himself.
Thank you dear brother for this amazing video. We as Latter Day Saints must study diligently all the scriptures and not only the BOM. There are hidden treasures in the Bible that if we don't study with the guidance of the Holy Ghost we won't be able to accept the higher laws given to us today.. I love the scriptures from the bible you mentioned in this lesson today. Yes the dear Prophets and other servants of the Lord like you help us understand the scriptures,but we must have our own way through the Holy Ghost a solid testimony of these truths.And then go to work diligently starting in our own home in bringing souls unto Christ.This is our calling and the reason why we came to this earth.No other purpose. I found these truths through pouring out my heart to God like Enoch. And then as soon as we learn a principle we must practice it. Otherwise we are showing our love to. God only with our lips.
Read the Screwtape Letters By C.S Lewis. It was eye opening to me about how temptation and deception work in our lives. In the last year I have had two siblings jump ship and are actively working on others in the family. They can’t have their opinions and go quietly.
Any more than mormons can have their opinions and be quiet. It is human nature to want to share knowledge you gain or enlighten loved ones to what you perceive as bad for them. You should thank them for caring enough just as they should thank you.
@@nostoppingit7827 Both may be true: The distinction is the motivation. While there are subtle clues about someone's motivation, discerning their true motivation is a gift of the Spirit.
Ya know its a funny thing. I followed the promise given in the Book of Mormon about study prayer and how the Lord promises to answer when asked sincerely. I don't know much about all the non evidence that proves the book false. But here is what I do know. The Lord through His own way answered my prayer about its truthfulness. I have faith that one day things that cannot be proven or shown will be explained. But what I am not willing to do is trust in the arm of flesh, men on earth who tell me oh this is all false because we didn't find this or that or the way Joseph Smith translated the book doesn't make sense, against what I know the Lords answer was.
@@adamholloway7963 Yes well the Spirit does testify of all truth. ALLLLL truth. The Church has never claimed to have the Only truth. Just the whole truth. So whenever truth is taught...even in other churches you will feel the Spirit. Also watching a rated R movie...which I have seen plenty...you can feel the Spirit during times of truth being taught or even inspirational moments. Watching those movies isn't a lie. It's counsel from the Brethren that we don't watch them because of their content. But anyways you are proving my point. You're asking me to go to all these web sights, written by men, to prove something false. That's trusting in the arm of flesh. I've already received my answer. I know where it came from. And I am not willing to stand before the Lord and say YEAH I felt the Holy Ghost witness to me the truth but ya know this scientist said such n such or this archeologist couldn't find this or that or this other religious person said XYZ. There will be no excuse. It won't fly. There is an expectation of having faith in the Lord. There are men today who will say...the bible is false because men can't walk on water. Or live in the belly of a whale for 3 days. Or any number of things that took place that we cant explain...yet they happened just the same. One day all that is lost, unexplainable or confusing to men will be expounded upon to us by the Lord. That is where and I have my faith and trust in. Good luck in your journey in this wonderful adventure called life...DanC
Thanks you...it has worked out for me VERY well thus far. I served a mission in South Carolina. The deep bible belt south where anti Mormon propaganda and people abound. I talked with hundreds of people about praying about the gospel of Christ on the LDS church. Do u know how many ever said to me I prayed and asked God and asked if your church is true and He said ...no its not.....not one. Ever not a single person. But I did have a preacher tell me He used to teach his congregation to say that to missionaries. Until he was converted. God doesn't have to appear to me for me to know truth as confirmed by the Holy Ghost anymore than someone has too jump off a 1000 ft bridge to prove he can't fly. I do trust in the Prophet because I believe this is Christs church on the earth and leads it through him. I guess if u wanna say I trust in the arm flesh because of that so be it. It isn't any different than those who followed Moses..or Abraham or Peter...
One day whether you want to except it...or believe it you and I will stand before the Lord. I believe that he has answered my prayer concerning truth. You are asking me to read some article about some guys in lab coats doing studies on feelings....disregard what I believe is the Holy Ghost and trust in the arm of flesh. Since you were at one time a temple worthy member of the church you stood before God and men and proclaimed the truth you new. And now you believe its all just physiological science stuff. Fine that's your right. You and you alone are going to have to answer for trusting in mens truths and ideas that are forever changing and unreliable...for instance there was a time when we were told smoking was good for us...than what you believed at one time God had answered you. I for one am not willing to do that. If I am wrong guess what happens to me....nothing. But if you wrong guess what happens to you. There are many things I cannot explain or answer. But I believe the Lord,through the Holy Ghost has answered my prayers. And again, I will never be willing to stand before Him and say I know I proclaimed that I felt the Holy Ghost but I read a study done by some scientists who told me everything I was feeling was just human physiology and chose to believe them instead. If you want to do that...fine...
If you want to say I trust in the arm of flesh because I believe in a prophet of God then I understand. I take it from your response that you do not believe in God. That He doesn't answer us but that we have these feelings as just a part of being human nothing more and that Heart sell is the way the church gets money from its members. That's what I gather from what I've read. Listen. I believe the Holy Ghost and the feelings it derives have been around longer than Heart sell. I believe these men called we call prophets and apostles are and were called by God to testify of His Son and truth. Because of special and sacred events I have had in my life I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know the BoM and the bible are the word of God. You can justify your life and leaving the church through believing in only rational and seeing is believing thought all day long if it makes you feel better and that is your right. I don't understand it but I don't judge you. That is for the Lord to decide. The "arm of flesh" you say I trust in by following the prophet teach me to be more like Savior. To serve. To love. To seek good moral activities. To treat others as I would want to be treated. All things I believe the Lord would have me do. So I follow the Savior..through prophts s He calls. You follow men...that got a degree and change their minds constantly... Teach to do whatever you want with no concern of consequence after this life. That those feelings aren't from God but just a physiological response so you can lead a guilt free life and that's exactly what the scriptures...long b4 heart sell was around...teach thats what Satan would have us believe and follow. I appreciate your links to all that tripe but you will never convince me that what I know to be of God isn't. Because I have something you seem to have long age let go of. Faith. Hope. Courage. You need none of those things to believe in science or men in lab coats telling you what you are REALLY feeling. But you do need all of those things to believe in what God is telling you to believe. Believe in Him. In His Son. In His wisdom. In His ways. It is my opinion what you did by walking away is th easy route. The cowardly route. The I am too smart for all this religious stuff and I just don't want to do it anymore route. I fear at judgement day I may have many things to answer for. But one thing I promise I won't have to answer for is losing my faith and trust and hope in My God...My Savior...and my testimony....but you will. Good luck in your life. I wish you the best in life and hope one day you find true peace again.
Nick Nolte?!? I always thought that was Kenny Rogers! 😂 Thanks for another great video. I appreciate the way you cover these sometimes difficult to understand topics.
If you think being married to the Church is avoiding apostasy, you might be guilty of it yourself. Nephi clearly states what we in the Church are missing in 2 Nephi 28:26-27. Many outside of the Church are of the church of the Lamb, and many withing the church are of the church of the devil. The sifting of the wheat and the tares begins in the Lord's house, and goes out to the world once the saints are taken care of and there is no more pollution in the land of inheritance. We are now neck deep in apostasy as many of the prophets of old have foretold.
Ephesians 4; 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; This would of been a good scripture to add as well, great video!
The Holy Ghost will never give you a concrete answer, otherwise you would no longer require faith. Faith requires that the gospel be illogical, and it requires that the gospel can never become logical, or else faith would be impossible.
@@chaotickreg7024 The Holy Ghost is pure intelligence. It is defined as the mind of God according to Joseph in Lecture 5. You most certainly will get truth from the Holy Ghost.
Years ago, while atending college, a classmate said something that stayed with me for a long time. He said that, when the time comes that LDS church members are required to live the higher law of consecration, many would leave the church.
That has yet to be seen some people may be better off living the law of consecration because everybody will get what they need, especially in the case of big low income families that have been struggling!
Ok I stumbled on your Apostasy videos as I was preparing to teach the 17 year olds in Sunday School. These kids look at things so differently than my generation so I am forever searching for how to understand their mindset. I love your teaching style, the time of each video, and the fact that your references are thorough. Thank you for your hard work! I am a fan.
Exactly. It’s a whole branch of study. “Apologetics is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse.” Ironically, this channel actually does a lot of apologetics -just without realizing the name for it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with apologizing for your faith. Comes from the Greek “apologia”, which means defense -as in a legal defense.
I love watching the anti-mormon videos, they always make me laugh and always strengthen my testimony. Two things come to mind when I watch them - 1. You can leave the church but you can't leave the church alone and 2. If the Gospel wasn't true why would Satan put so much effort into corrupting the hearts of those who have experienced it and felt it's truthfulness?
Enjoyed this very much, but at 10:45 you misinterpreted with word "apologist". Ironically, it does not mean "to apologize". It actually means quite the opposite: it's a person who makes a defense in speech or writing of a belief, idea, etc.
(from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called Christian apologists. In 21st-century usage, is often identified with debates over religion and theology.
This was going to be my response as well. Great video but ‘apologist’ means defense of the faith. Look up FairMormon, their mission is to respond to anti-Mormon arguments.
Na... meanings change. And you are not intelligent enough to know its origin and argue from midfield. Your need to be right makes you one of those condemned in the verses discussed. How sad for you.
I've been thinking about this a lot in the past year. I guess I've noticed but not acknowledged it for longer than that, but it hit square in the chest last year when I found out a friend I grew up with decided to abandon faith in Jesus Christ for logic alone. That helped me click into place that more people than I was admitting have done the same. I'm still coming to grips with it all since, as indicated by conversations then and since then, I can't talk about certain religious topics without knowing I sound like a fool in their eyes, or that I'm just being tolerated until I'm gone again. It's just weird to me as well because we had the same Sunday school teachers and leaders, served missions (most of us anyways), and weren't all that different as far as living conditions go. What happened that I'm here and they're not? Rhetorical question, since I know they made their own choices, but it has me feeling alone at times. I am grateful for the promise that God has sent the Comforter to be with us always.
Minor point: The word "apologist", while related to "apology", isn't about apologizing in the modern sense. It comes from the Greek word apologizesthai: "to give an account". The definition given by Miriam Webster is "one who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something". So it's a minor difference, but apologists aren't saying sorry about things-they're defending things.
I also think people leave the church is because of rude and mean people of the church. It is sad but true, we have a friend that was newly baptized and she went to her ward, and she said someone hurt her feelings, so she left the church. :(
Thanks for sharing the insights in this video! I really like the connections you draw from scripture to examples you notice in the world. Review the way you reference “apologists” toward the end. Apologists don’t really “apologize.” Apologists make arguments for. A little update to how you tackle the argument there might bring some clarity and strengthen your argument. Thanks for posting!
The Kirtland Temple was finished in 1836. It was dedicated on March 27, 1836 and on April 3 the Savior, Moses, Elias,and Elijah came to confer Priesthood keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
I hear you,... yet now i will raise the anti on ya. If you cannot also teach and expound upon WHAT those keys are or what they do or why they matter,... then there is yet work to do for you dear Sister. Light begets more light, until the perfect day. An anointed servant of the Lord has just challenged you to act. It is now unlocked to you to know and comprehend this answer on deeper levels,... if ye can believe and hope and then act. HE will keep nothing from you if you ask correctly, and HE will upbraideth not,... so ask in faith and receive. There are gross misunderstandings within Our Fathers House in the final hour, all things shall be in commotion. This vessel will be steadied. And i could sure use your help! Let us assume that HE knew you would be reading my words now, and that HE sent us at THIS TIME, knowing of Our Love for HIM. ;)
@@ben5259 I have studied these revelations and ALL that they mean and what the specific keys are for over 30 years. I do not follow blindly nor without knowledge. I know that you are sincere in your beliefs as am I. I will not argue over this. All i will say is i KNOW Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and RESTORED THE TRUTH TO THE EARTH. I know Christ lives and that we have an Ordained and Anointed Prophet today who speaks with the Lord. God Bless and have a nice day.
@@kimberlyolsen9416 ... i just invited you to ACT. Had you been humble and seen the gift offered, and acted on the invitation, you would have received. However the devil tempted you and you deflected. And so you just brushed off a man who is called and chosen thru revelation and the laying on of hands. I am sorry that you are guilty of the very judgments you tried so passively to apply to me. The fact remains... i acted because the Spirit of God told me to. Now i see that i was giving you curriculum which you will stand judged before Our Father for. I can see i cast pearls before swine this day. I rebuke you in your pride according to the teachings in Mathew 18 and D&C 42 and i task you to wake up and stop esteeming yourself as you do. You dont know half of what you esteem yourself that you do. HE knows you can do better. And HE asked me to extend an "invitation". Only a knuckled would look a gift horse in the teeth. I am grateful to God that HE taught me the fact that when life affords me the challenge to learn and grow i can either choose to offer excuses and remain stuck or i can see HIS tender mercies and ACT in faith. I know the laws which determine the flow of light and knowledge to us. I know that i have the ability to extend invitations to act, as an authorized servant, and that if those who are extended the invite choose to act in faith believing they shall receive they shall. Yet if they fail to act, then they simply have that variable as judgment upon them when the see me and HIM at that judgment bar in the end. In closing... i will say this. I learned that Mercy is when i forgive someone even if they might not deserve it. It is my forgiving others simply because i am also forgiven by HIM. And yet Grace... grace goes one further than that. Grace is when we not only forgive them, but we chose to bless them as well. Chrsit taught me grace. Yet i hope to get better at it as time carries on. I am sorry that i as a man am not yet perfect, and that i do not speak without offense yet. Please forgive me in my weaknesses as i also forgive you in yours. And in the event you decide to rethink your initial judgment,... i suspect Our Father WANTS you to understand KEYS better than you presently do. I didnt ask why... but you can if ya wanted to. ;)
@@ben5259 don't quote LDS scripture to me and tell me you're ordained to tell me anything! I look to the Prophet and Apostles for that. I have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost by authorized authority and also rely on that! You can spew all types of anti-LDS rhetoric but my faith is firmly on the Rock of our Salvation. You believe whatever you wish, that is your right but you have no right to condemn me for mine! Stop being a TROLL on a site set up for sincere people to study the word of God!
I feel sad for those intellectuals. My one question to any atheist is what is the purpose of living then? Would it not be better to eliminate all life on earth than to continue with this pain, suffering and selfishness? Even the most hardened hedonist must answer the question regarding the greatest peace which would be to not feel anything. No pain, not agony, no stress, no anger, no hatred...etc... Christ teaches us it is to become better and more like him and the father. Their logic and reason has failed them and it will continue to do so. Without Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation there is no purpose in life. It has no lasting baring and a video game would have as much bearing in the grand scheme of things as actually living in this world does.
@Virginia Phillips - He must be a ventrilaquist then. He spoke to himself from heaven, while the people heard it. Then prayed to himself many times. And then cried to himself on the cross not to abandon himself. Then asked himself why he abandoned himself. Kind of strange, don't you think? And then he commanded us to pray to the Father [himself] in His own name, but using the 2 different versions of himself - one to pray to, and the other's name to use. And John said he was with himself as the word. But why all the complicated "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" nonsense? Why not just be 1 entity, 1 God, 1 person, instead of a double entity who talks to, and even pleads with himself, to let the misery of the atonement pass from him?
As for some of the most important parts, Verses 10 -12, which are missing from your 3 Timothy quote, are as follows: "But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
My wife left the Church recently. She does not want to know anything from the bible. Bible scripture means nothing to her because she says she has her own relationship with God and he understands her. We are now getting a Divorce because of this, she fell too far away wants nothing to do with God in our household and does not even want to talk about it. It's sad to see. I have also seen family who were into God and the bible fall away and have justified thier sinful lives as "he would understand" or there is more time. Sad to see.
My husband left the church 5 weeks after we were baptised but I didn’t divorce him he never did come back but he died in 2006 I’ve seen him in dreams he’s accepted the gospel on the other side and I’ve done work for him in the temple so he’s received the priesthood please don’t give up on your wife hang in there.
I am a member of the church.I join the church 1997 at age of 15 yrs and I am a first generation in my familyto join the church and I serve my mission 2006-2008 and I don't regret it.Right now I am sealed in the "Johannesburg temple".The Lord has bless us with 2 children. My problem is that I search the doctrine given by Brigham Young and some of successors.What he said about us Africans really broke my testimony. I haven't left the church yet but I'm constantly asking our Father in Heaven to answer me if the church is true.Deep inside I still have a spark of faith but I'm seriously wounded by the words of Brigham Young and Bruce. I love my saviour,I love the church but I'm hurt serious spiritually. ..Am I an apostasy... From:South Africa 🇿🇦
Please watch the 2nd part of this video that I just published tonight. I think you will find some answers to the questions you have there. Have faith brother.
One of my kids has a friend who married in the Temple right after high school. After about 5 years, the couple divorced. The friend's husband wanted an open marriage and was committing adultery during the marriage. The friend quit church, is in a homosexual relationship, and has tattoos and body piercings all over her body. Unfortunately she has children in that environment and no longer going to church. A coworker of another child quit church because after marrying in the Temple she found out her new husband, a returned missionary, had a mistresswho was pregnantwith his child. The coworker quit the church and blames the church. I know of many more who have succumbed to the world, including my own children. It is heartbreaking.
People are leaving the church because of deceitful "elders" or "prophets". (EDIT)- People are leaving the church for reasons, one of them might be deceitful leadership, faulty interpretations of scripture, defiled scripture or scripture that is meant to test or build our faith in overarching principles taught in other scriptures---. I think I am not a part of the church yet, mainly because of false teachings, yet I believe the church is true. One of the main points I think we have misinterpreted is gay marriage. I think marriage is ok between two consenting adults. Everyone has male and female qualities and it is a heavenly privilege to balance the two within ourselves. I consider we were once genderless beings and we descended and split into a duality. Sex became necessary for procreation. I consider this is why intercourse can be reserved for marriage and or procreation, in order to make steps toward returning to a godly form.
Deception is terrifying because you can't know when its happening to one's self, which is why being close to God is essential. Also, its not only a principle of ignorance and weakness on one's part but of Satan's power, and his power in deception will increase as the end times come to a close, which means power in Christ needs to be increasing as well.
We do not need to think of this as a “coming apostasy“, but rather an ongoing apostasy. These are the people who were given the seed but it was tossed on the wayside or in the stony places or among thorns.
You are prideful and stupid to say this. Your need to reshape what Our Father sees and says it is, is more of the same sins which the man taught about. YOU are running the risk of being part of that 1/2 who falls away in disbelief to The Word. I bet you dont even follow D&C 42 or Mathew 18, you people pleasing wayward hypocrite. Go ahead... bro, Trespass again me and see if do not rebuke you. I actually LEARNED the duties of the preparatory priesthood. I did not create God in my own mormon image as you have done. Many talk a big game in their need to esteem themselves, but the truth comes hard to the wicked. You will be tempted to cast my words off in your need to be right and to defend ego. Pride goes before your fall.
@@ben5259 you need to calm down and get help, calling people stupid because they don’t see things the way you do is not Christ like behavior. You might need to take the mote out of your eye.
I love your series! Just wanted to make one small correction for the sake of clarity. An “apologist” is not someone who apologizes for his beliefs. It is, rather, someone who speaks in defense of his beliefs. So a “Mormon apologist” would be one who defends the LDS faith, not apologizes for it. Yeah - the word “apology” can be confusing with its varied applications.
This video references Alma 12:11 to explain why people leave the church but neglects to address the fact that we as members in the boat/church know very little of his mysteries. We are taught not to seek after the mysteries. I stay in the church but I seek Christ personally. None of the leadership has borne witness of seeing Christ personally as ALL prophets in the BoM have done. They insist it is all too sacred and they enter not into the holy of Holies and to those that would enter in they cause to stumble.
Unfortunately, we read about this apostasy repeated over and over in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. I always marveled how the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon could fall away. Oliver Cowdrey hand wrote most of the Book of Mormon as Joseph Smith dictated. Apparently these miracles seeing an angel, handling the Gold Plates and witnesses a person with a 3rd grade education dictate a complex narrative of a civilization over thousands of years is not enough to cement a testimony.
fortunately , Oliver and Martin both returned to the church before their deaths, strongly defending their testimonies. Also, David never came back but never denied his testimony.
I LOVE how people are so prideful when they say that they are logical, like being logical is above everything else and if you aren't logical you are "just so stupid, bless your heart." It don't get any more logical than me. I am comparing and contrasting, removing emotion from arguments, trying to view things from all sides, and constantly questioning every point of view, even my own. Additionally, as a librarian, I look at these "kids" in their 20's as the biggest Freaking morons. I just spent a little over a decade in education and I only met one or 2 kids out of thousands that could critically think and NONE of them, NOT ONE could research to find the answer unless it was something clearly defined and simple like, "What is the current time in Paris" and they would google it. And yet THEY believe they are sooooooo smart. These two girls look to me like such unbelievable fools. I'm actually embarrassed for them.
They aren't really logical at all. They just think that because they are told that something is logical by someone with a degree, then there must be logic behind it, and thus they are being "logical" by accepting someone else's vouched for "logic". None of them ever went all the way through the logic of whatever it was they claimed was "logical". It boils down to "I read........... such & such, and the author is famous and has 2 degrees, therefore it's all logic." "Science" is now just the new substitute word for "God said...." There is really no difference between the person who believes everything his pastor says, and the person who believes everything his college professor, or some famous author says. In both cases, the person is trying to take a shortcut to certainty by borrowing it from someone else, someone they feel is certain of what they claim to know.
I really don't know of our Heavenly Father lied to me when I asked Him about Jesus Christ Church. So, if I heard that soft voice, who answerd me? Next... My life change for the good! I am very sure why many left the church? Very simple, they are poor and week spirits, that a simple doubt put them down! When you make a decition to follow Christ, is when Satan put his darts right to the mind and heart of those poor spirits.
Will commenters quit saying “a third”; it is “a third PART” meaning, ‘one of three groups. One group could be a small number compared to the other two groups.
Now,.. to awaken you. YOU are made of three parts. ONE of the three is called an enemy to God. The story line is not what many think it to be. And we are not WHERE we think we are. However, the truth sets us free. And Jesus is The Chrsit. And HIS atonement WAS infinite. And time shall prove the truth of all things. I am sorry you are so easily disrupted by what you perceive the be the ignorance in others. I also once suffered like you still do. In fact, you are someone who i could easily give into the judgments of again. I am easily tempted with offense by hypocrites who suffer in judgment. That is my weakness and how the devil likes to pull my strings. And by what so ever you judge, so also shall you be judged. Yet look how the devil makes you his play thing in your need to be right, when in reality you are far more wrong than your ego and need to be right could currently bare.
Moral Relativism, I know a lot of people who left the church because they couldn't bare the thought of their child, trans, gay, bi, lesbian, lgbt pro or whatever, was in sin, and I hate using this so I apologise, would be damned if they didn't repent. But don't realize that it's their challenge to overcome. Their families can be together forever ideal shattered. It hurts. Mines been shattered, but by abuse, slowly but surely being repaired. It takes time. I left a relationship, I was hoping to become eternal almost a decade ago. The most painful thing I ever did. The prayers, answers, not what I wanted to hear at all. I feel like I've buried someone. When he is no longer a he, and takes on the identity of a she, and your goals no longer align, the potential for infidelity in the future, etc... You can't stay, but the world, views those of us who depart for our own happiness, as evil, as an abuser, aggressor, wrongdoer, or a betrayer, because they weren't willing to stay and support the decision. Little do they realize it is a selfish demand to the partner such a steep lifestyle sacrifice everything even their happiness, potential children, etc.. for a choice to redefine them selves. Redefining the self is considered good and praiseworthy; ego, pride, etc they do not see it as.
I am a member, and I have many family and yes neighbors that all left the church because of the way the members treated them. I was mistreated prior to my joining and after. I don't attend church for the members but because it is a commandment by our father in Heaven. This perspective helps me to deal with those who feel the need to be better than others or just to be number 1. I love this church. I didn't join because i was told to, but because I know that the gospel it teaches is true. I love my ward now that my perspective has changed. I hope many others will be able to find that peace only the Church of Jesus Christ can offer.
I sometimes wonder what percent of the membership are actually active? I was raised in the church and have 3 siblings. I'm not very close with my family and don't keep in touch but I know 2 of them have completely left the church. Many extended family I know were raised in the church but are inactive.
I remember in my mid-late 20's when I came to that point where I had to decide whether my belief in the gospel and/or church would be completely separated from how other members treated me or thought of me. Once you give it some thought, sort out what is what, and what has nothing to do with what, it becomes clear that people and the church are 2 different things, and if the church's authenticity depends on how it's members behave, you may as well leave now, because you really have nothing in a church or a belief system that depends on how other's treat you. They are entirely different issues, and those who can't separate them have joined what I call "The Church of Nice People" and it's foundation is on sand and mud. When they come upon misunderstanding or offense of the right kind, they will take it to mean the church is flawed, and no longer worth being part of.
You must be able to go to church without a friend, handshake, smile, or any feeling of friendliness at all if you plan on being a member for life. You must even detach yourself from the leaders, the Bishop, Stake president, etc. Otherwise you're in a small lifeboat, with a hole in it, that is constantly rocking with the waves, and needs the water bailed out often to keep it afloat. Your feet will of course get wet & cold after awhile, and you may find yourself looking for an excuse to leave, just to get your feet warm and dry. Then someone smirks at you, and that's the straw that breaks the camels back, and the end of your "testimony".
I always felt dubious about the mandate to "friendship" neighbors etc. as an effort to do missionary work, because it directly encourages people to join "The Church of Nice People" - I mean what else is it going to do? You're nice to them now, but what happens when you're having a bad day, and accidentally give them a dirty look? Besides, anyone identifying your behavior with your religious beliefs is already destined for a shallow conversion with a sandy foundation. Only those searching for the truth - not a church of good/nice people - will be able to stand when the winds of social pressure and tempers unleashed begin to blow, and become a tornado.
@jameseverett4976 I kind of agree and also disagree. What you say is better described as where you place the foundation of your faith and testimony, which should be in christ his church that he established his covenants through his church and his teachings.
Our relationship with others is also important because we are all learning and all imperfect. Through our interactions with others, we can learn and grow and just as importantly help others learn and grow. Christ doesn't want us to be alone, just as he lifts us up through his atoning sacrifice we are supposed to be our brothers keepers and follow Christ's example and lift each other up.
The two great commandments are to love the lord thy God with all thy heart mind and strength. The second is like unto it to love thy neighbor as thyself.
Rather than detach yourself, place the foundation of your faith in the right place.
I love your closing comments. People are all at different levels of understanding and experiences in life either challenges us to make changes to align with God or we internalise them differently and become something different and pull away from God. I love the gospel plan and it's principles... I love God... His gospel has all the answers... even if we cannot know all at this time... it's principles teach us how to seek God and feel His love and guidance and the comforter teaches us the truth... The H/G is such an important member of the God Head. I am a convert... joined when I was 16yrs old.. whilst at times I felt blind I have never regretted being a member of the church even though relationships with those at church have at times been fractious. I've had prickly times with some people but nothing alarming.... I do understand some do have some very challenging experiences. But as you said I had come to terms that going to church and learning to live and follow Christs ways is a choice I'd rather make than let a situation chase me away from it. The only way to come to know this truth... that this Church is the true church is working to live the gospel and trusting God and Christ His son and the Holy Ghost and follow the Prophet and not lean to my own and the worlds understanding of things. Keep trying and praying.
@@artesslior1806 The term "my brother's keeper" is a strawman invented by Cain, and shows up nowhere else [that I know of] in scripture. Unfortunately, stupid people have assumed that Cain's strawman argument is a reference to, or acknowledgement of some commandment. It's not, and loving others is not being anyone's "keeper". Otherwise we can assume that Jesus failed in "keeping" Judas on the straight and narrow.
A "keeper" is someone who takes care of an animal, and takes responsibility for feeding it, and also making sure it does not bother or hurt other people. The duties of a keeper are somewhat similar to being a parent, but are nothing like the proper relationship of members of the church.
The wicked always use strawmen and caricature to argue, because denying the truth requires exaggeration & distortion. You will see it used routinely in atheist arguments, because they have to play everything up as something they can righteously resist and mock, otherwise they may feel some pressure to consider it seriously. You also see it in apostate arguments: they will caricaturize the teachings of the church now that they have left them behind, in a way they did not see them before, to make them look silly. That is what Cain is doing when using the term "keeper" to unfairly assert that God expected him to know where his brother was every minute of the day, as if Abel was some straying farm animal that must have wandered off into the forest.
Whether we live in a time of apostasy or in a time of righteousness, our purpose remains the same which is to return to our lord Heavenly Father by trusting in the lord with all thine heart for he is the source of all truth.
AMEN 💞
The last days is truly the scariest of it all, christian revealing themselves their true colors.
Our purpose is not to selfishly seek the kingdom of God but to be a light unto the world. It is the parable of the sower and it is the great commission. It is not to horde this gift and not share what was freely given to us.
The pressure to not follow Christ is very real and to leave the church is very real. I have been down this path myself to follow myself or to fit in the world but i went nowhere's in my life because of that thinking. However, I have been marking harder efforts to follow Christ more then my own understanding and i do come up short many times but remembering my past daily helps me to focus more on Christ and not repeat my past life ever again.
Same!! Totally agree!
Great example Robert
Yess... well said
I feel I’ve experienced the same, and I was atheist for almost a year. Now I know more than ever before that God lives, and by His help I will never leave His side again.
I have a similar experience. I was raised in an inactive family. I had no real testimony until I was 16. But even though I had a testimony. Very small but it was there. I was still inactive for many years later and did things that I am not proud of. With that being said, I had to move back home and became a more active member became some great friends refused to give up on me. I have renewed my covenants, received my endowments and continued to go to the temple. I have seen what the world has to offer and have turned my back on it. It hasn't been easy but I know that in the end it will be worth it. ❤
I was *SURPRISED* at how inspired and solid your lesson is. You shot to the top of my list of faves.
I just spent an entire week about 18 hours a day to research many topics and I'm burned out. It's true ever learning but there is so much hypocrisy. I'm tired. I finally stuck up for my religion. I'm getting my patriarchal blessing.
Very good!
Keep your scriptures open. Listen often. Every challenge and adversity has models in there that will be opened up to help you as you explore the scriptures in faith. And you are walking forward a step at a time. The waves of adversity can be felt but won't pull you under because you can be anchored.
What CES letter are you referring to?
I’m praying that you will keep your eyes on the Savior. He lived among a people full of hypocrisy too! He understands! It’s all that matters!
Regarding the hypocrisy when you read the scriptures people 'individually' fell away. But the organization of the church and Christ's teachings weren't the parts that fell away. It was individuals. You can find verses that talk about this. But you want to have care to not blame the church or the leaders, for individuals not doing what they should.
Hang in there!
@@noahriding5780 The CES letter is a letter from a member to their CES director. It includes a bunch of factual inconsitancies in church history. The CES director never wrote back and the author of the letter left the church. The letter is now online as sort of a research paper, and it's led to a lot of people losing their faith. If you truly believe that your gospel will stand up to scrutiny, then you should read the CES letter and pray about it.
I really enjoyed this video. It’s been a topic on my mind for the past several years, where I see my children, who were earnestly taught gospel principles in their youth, becoming distracted by the world and less interested in attending church, reading scriptures, going to the temple, etc.
I agree. so many distractions😔
The thing about prophecy is that it can be fulfilled multiple times. Jesus openly questioned whether he would find faith on Earth when He returns. That should give us an idea of how bad it’s going to get.
I’m 33 trying to get married again haha. Still in the gospel and love the lord my god and savior. So grateful for these videos and for the restored gospel to be on the earth. Most importantly I’m thankful for prayer. Love those sweet moments I have every night and day to commune with our father in heaven.
I know you might not see this comment but I hope you know you are helping Latter Day Saints like me. I’ve been away from the church and I am struggling to get back in. It’s a lonely feeling. I don’t know how to go about it. But your videos have been helping me learn and truly enjoy learning. Anyways thank you 🙏🏻
I saw it. Thank you for sharing. You are not alone.
You can do it!! You're not alone😘 There are many of us struggling daily. I'm praying you'll feel a hug of love. 💞
Stay close to god daily and you will strengthened
I saw your comment…I too came back, just started coming to church, received more strength and then cleared things up with the bishop. Best thing I ever did! This was years ago and I have deep gratitude for the mercy my Savior gave me. Prayers, reading my scriptures have helped me feel the Spirit…and build my testimony. You will never regret the effort you take to return. Sending aloha to you.
Jump in head first 😉
Thank you for posting this video. This is the video that woke me up to the reality of apostasy around me back in 2021, and ever since then I have climbed a steady path back into discipleship. Currently working hard on getting the rest of my family to do the same, keep up the great work!
You are absolutely correct. Truth is a characteristic of God, like love and light. We are incapable of knowing truth because we cannot know all details on any topic (we don't know what we don't). The wise lean only on the arm of God, and lean not on the arm of man. Divinely inspired scripture is the only way back to Heavenly Father.
Correct, many people are making the mistake of diving their noses all into the depths of church history to look around for any dirty laundry, instead of keeping their eye single to the glory of God.
Thank you so much for these videos, I know how much time it takes to make them. We really appreciate each one.
I have NEVER, in my 41 years as a member of the Church, seen the divisiveness the Presidential election caused within the Church. It has been frightening to watch.
Actually you are spot on! And it IS very scary and disturbing!
Biden is outright evil and the front puppet for Babylon (Big Tech, Great Reset, Deep State). And the election *Was* stolen, with near certainty and the same mechanisms we use to detect fraud in other countries. People recognize that and rightly bet incited in opposition to it. Problem is we know how this story ends. There are three groups. Evil, the Wicked, and the Righteous that must flee to Zion if they don't want to take arms against their neighbor during the tribulations. Evil, is the Biden Administration and associated groups. The Wicked, are unfortunately the Patriots that turn to anger and hatred against that evil in the times of conflict ahead. That leaves only the Saints who are able to stay safe and distant from conflict.
@Open Minded You're ABSOLUTELY right. Many of the bretheren spoke about that very concept quite often years ago, yet we still were/are encouraged to pray and vote using our OWN conscience. It's part of why we need to be non judgemental and more forgiving. The end times are SO FULL of information overload, and are VERY confusing to most EVERYONE in one way or the other. I pray God's sweet blessings of unity, clarity, and strength to be upon us all as we maneuver this journey together👫💂🏽♀️👨🏻✈️👩🏾🍳👨🌾👩🏿🦳👵👨🏼🦰👱🏽♂️👩🏾🦰
@Candice Baker That's why I say we need to forgive and pray, and be God's unified people like He asks us to.
When it comes to COVID19, the so-called "right-wing" has a virtual monopoly on the stupidity around it. This virus has completely exposed the false tenets of conservatism and other "philosophies mixed with scripture" that make many LDS hearts go pitter-patter.
I think the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the Plan of happiness. I tested the scriptures and prayed the Heavenly Father about what I was learning. That was before I was baptized. I know it's true The only way to find out the truth is to read & prayer, ponder, ask questions of God our spirit father in the of Jesus Christ if the holy ghost will testify of their truth.
Oddly, this is exactly how a hoax works
@@CrustyRusty366 Oddly, this is not at all how a hoax works.
@@nkshx1 👍🏻💞
Very good answer Evelyn. Its by simple and small ways like this that great futures will come to be, for you personally.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to be trifled with. It can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand by which ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures And that he was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Salvation is as simple as the ABCs. Admit you are a sinner. Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day. Call upon the name of the Lord.
So far, this is the best video you have ever published! You should consider having it translated and published in other languages.
No joke. People salvation depends on this.
Agree! This video is so spot on!
Sadly, all my children have fallen for the world's lies to one degree or another. Even among the older members I find many who embrace those lies and employ mental gymnastics to force the gospel to fit with them. There will need to be a purification of the church before it will be ready to receive the Savior.
The church is getting better and more exciting every day as we prepare for the Savior's second coming. The promises and blessings we are given are so wonderful. I'm elderly and never has there been such encouraging words and calls for us to do the work to receive personal revelation. There are times the other side feels so near. Study from the Book of Mormon daily and prayer really helps me.
3 of my children have left the church because they have mental illness. I keep praying for them and love them with all my heart! ❤
Your children will prosper. God will provide. God bless you.
All four of my kids left the church because their mother has mental illness. She used the church as a tool to control them with threats of hell and bad things will happen to them.
@@stephencoleman3578 my prayers go out to you and your family
Prayers and unconditional love is so important. Always let your children know, no matter what, they will be loved.
That's not why they left the church.
Every time I read the Book of Mormon, I think how is it that such an enlightened people can turn from God so quickly, I now see it almost daily. My children tell me of many of their friends who are leaving the church, mostly because they do not believe any longer. I hope that these lost sheep will see the errors of their ways and come home to their loving Father in Heaven.
Thank you again for your videos and the topics you have chosen to cover.
Thank u so much for these words. These times of covid seem to be ushering in all types of apostasy within the church. I myself have felt it getting firmer and firmer. It is easy to forget these scriptures mentioned. I hope and pray that myself and others may be strong in these last days. I feel this video u put up may help a lot of people. Thank u
It’s not covid, it’s lack of faith hope and charity.
I’ve had many questions I didn’t find the answers to in the gospel. The truth is that the answers are out there. You can find them. It seems to me that many people don’t want to find the truth. They shy away from it bc they want to live a different lifestyle. Always be patient before you go off thinking it’s all wrong bc you can’t find an answer right away. President Nelson asked us to study the Abrahamic covenant. When you do, it answers a lot more! I love this gospel! You couldn’t tear me from it!
Prayers for you on your journey
Many of us feel very lonely !
Z it might be hard but it is totally worth the struggle. I am so thankful I came back to activity. So much more peace and joy. Pray often for help from Jesus Christ. He will comfort and strengthen you. I have been through it and know what you are going through. Much love and hope for your success.
This video , for me , was perhaps the best and most informative one I have listened to . Thank you for your time and effort .
These lessons are excellent. Anyone can spare 15-20 minutes and well worth the investment of a little time. Keep up this good work.
This is a wonderful and meaningful video that hits at the heart of the problems in our younger generations now days. The loss of faith and the misunderstanding of "Truth" is becoming more and more prevalent in the world and even in the church. Our Faith is certainly being tested, but I am so happy and feel blessed that God has increased my faith in the Church of Jesus Christ and in the Gospel of Christ and has given me a sure knowledge that the Church and the Gospel principles and the Book of Mormon are true. God lives and loves his children immensely and wants us to return back to our home in the heavens, where he and Jesus Christ dwell, through obedience to the ordinances and principles of the true gospel of Christ.
Thanks for the excellent lesson. The scriptural references are worth pondering. The bottom line is this: everyone capable of choosing how they want to live has that right. Among numerous alternatives, most will choose an answer that may not be the best one. Every gets to choose within the limits of their capability, and everyone who chooses gets to experience the consequences of their choices. That’s the way live works. Unfortunately for some, not all consequences may be immediately apparent, so it pays to be both informed and wise.
Anyone who wishes to challenge my religion, I give a simple answer. As a young missionary in his first assignment in Fredrickstad, Norway, after fasting and after reading the Book of Mormon, I did ask Heavenly Father if it is true and if Joseph Smith restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ, I did receive an overwhelming witness of the Holy Ghost. This, I will never deny. It is true.
I had a similar experience. Nor will I EVER DENY. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored church Jesus Christ established when he became mortal.
I have often found it fascinating that the Angel Moroni on the Salt Lake Temple dropped its trumpet during that earthquake a couple years ago. It had survived countless earthquakes, storms and even a tornado previously, but one minor quake caused the trumpet to fall onto the roof of the temple. It made me think of the rending of the temple veil in Jerusalem following the crucifixion and it made me wonder if it was some sort of sign, perhaps declaring the end of some kind of era or the beginning of a new one. Is there anything the scriptures might say about this?
Did not hear about this but it makes sense. I recently thought about becoming a Mormon and stopped attending because I got creeped on by a gay man at church. The bishop did not take away his temple recommend. Later found out the cute redhead sister missionary already had at least 3 piercings. So as I see it, the church is basically calling on supernatural powers in those temple rituals using participants who are actively sexually immoral. Look at church materials - they actively promote harmful feminist ideologies and interracial relations with the seed of Cain. I still read the Bible, Book of Mormon, and D&C, but there is no way I could go back there after that.
Acts 2:19: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath... Signs in the earth, this one could certainly potentially qualify. What might it mean? A trumpet is used to communicate and announce. Perhaps the church will lose its voice for a period in the years to come.
We are Warned "Not to be seekers of signs." We need Only to Cling to the Iron rod and stay on the Covenant Path following the Prophet and rely on the Arm of Jehovah.
Morgan philpot talks of last days
He discusses it in his podcasts
@@alexadam353 There is a difference between the sort of "seekers" that are referenced in that verse, who are insincere and insecure, and those who watch for the signs of God, honestly seeking for knowledge and enlightenment. We should not predicate our faith on the presence or absence of a sign, that is true, but if we have faith then to witness a sign and know that things must surely come to pass, is a blessing to those who watch and are steadfast.
Wow, this is an *excellent* compilation of doctrine; I love your rigorous standard of Truth!
This really compliments President Nelson's talk in the October 22 Conference where he spoke of a friend of his that lay on his bed asking ""what is true?" I love having your Gospel Doctrine lessons. They are available 24/7 and I can use them as a springboard for my own scripture study.
How can I find your gospel doctrine lessons?
9:58 That must have been REALLY old days or something because I've never heard those responses to questions. I usually just get clear answers.
Just an FYI, apologetics is not about apologizing, but by definition, defending one’s beliefs.
AWESOME. Thanks so much for fighting the good fight! Keep it up brother!
You provided the reason why I like this channel so much
Thanks Kevin...keep em coming!
This is a very timely video. I received a personal revelation that there will be a big commotion in the church within the next three years and it will be a very hard time for the church. I was warned by the Spirit to stick to what I already know and not to follow those who will apostate. I feel prompted to share this warning here.
Thank you for that reminder. I really needed it. My heart breaks for those who leave, especially those I dearly love.
Me too we lost some of the best people during lockdown one sister in particular I never believed in a million years she’d ever leave the church and there was also a divorce during lockdown between a couple that had previously been very happy seems like the devil has been taking advantage of the difficult time caused by covid.
No, not caused by covid. Revealed because of this scam.
All of us have our own path to tread. I find it helpful to be compassionate when speaking about others faith journey, rather than naming and shaming.
Being an apologist of something doesn't mean you "apologize" for it. It means you DEFEND it. Being an apologist of your faith is a GOOD thing. Look up apologetics.
Excellent video.😊 A couple of the comments are a good example of exactly what your video was warning about. Neither truth nor morality are ‘relative.’
There is one part of the Vision of the Tree of Life that I have not heard anyone in church talk about, and I believe it holds the key to why so many are leaving the church at this time. I taught a lesson on the Tree of Life, and had a drawing on the whiteboard, and when I asked what was missing, no one knew, probably because we don't have an interpretation of it. I then had them read 1 Nephi 8: 5-8 about the man in the white robe that spoke to Lehi and then said to follow him (Korihor had the devil appear to him in the form of an angel in Alma 30:53). After several hours he was in a dark and dreary waste. This caused Lehi to exercise "teshuva" (repentance in Hebrew, and it literally mean "return" or "turn back") to plead for the Lord's mercy to return to Him. It didn't happen right away, because "it came to pass" that he then found himself in a large and spacious field. He couldn't see the tree at that time, but "it came to pass" after walking for a time that he came to the tree.
Lehi "heeded them not," the people in the building who were pointing their fingers of scorn and trying to shame those at the Tree, but he did heed the man in the white robe, who he was deceived into following. I mentioned to the class, the statistics you shared in this video, that 1/3 of all LDS youth are leaving the church during or shortly after high school (KUTV New). Many of the youth are influenced by social pressure and the scorn they might receive if they don't comply with social norms. The church statistics of 50% of 18-31year olds who are leaving also have a lot to do with social pressure, but probably more are deceived by heeding the false secular and non-secular leaders teaching false doctrine or the philosophies of men that are "pleasing to the carnal mind." (Alma 30:53) This is only going to get worse as the end times drawn near.
We can keep from being deceived by holding fast to the Word of God. Nephi tells us that if we do this we will "NEVER perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower [us] unto blindness, to lead [us] away to destruction". (1 Nephi 15:23-24)
The scriptures don’t say 1/3. They say a third part, meaning, it could be more or less than 33.3 percent. Just a thought. (If you tear a paper into three unequal pieces, you get three parts)
Great lesson. Thank you for taking the time to research it and present it so well
Great video! Makes me so sad! God is real!
We absolutely love this helpful, incisive channel. 🙏🏼💛
This video appears to have been made two years ago and things were sort of falling apart then but have gotten seriously worse since.
Thank you for this and I feel it was very useful in describing some of the youth in our ward including 2 of my own children
The stats at 5:30 are probably even higher today, but I wonder what the trend has been in the past.
This is very informative and needed. There are those who point at those leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a sign that it's not true, but this video points out that this was foretold and therefore not unexpected.
Who is giving this presentation, please
@@carolswarbrick1722 I don't know, but I judge truth by whether it accords with the scriptures, the facts, and the Spirit. This seems to accord with them. This does not mean that it is all absolutely true, but I'll accept it as tentatively so and adjust my understanding as I continue to learn.
The foolish virgins did separate themselves from the wise and wanted nothing to do with the wise who rose up when the call to go out to meet the bridegroom was given and the wise were all busy preparing and taking extra oil also along with them and so the foolish separated themselves from the wise and went their own way and on by one their lamps all went out because there was no oil left in their lamps and they fell into a deep sleep. I think its quite obvious that the apostasy in the church was foretold over 2000 years ago by Christ himself.
Thank you dear brother for this amazing video. We as Latter Day Saints must study diligently all the scriptures and not only the BOM. There are hidden treasures in the Bible that if we don't study with the guidance of the Holy Ghost we won't be able to accept the higher laws given to us today.. I love the scriptures from the bible you mentioned in this lesson today.
Yes the dear Prophets and other servants of the Lord like you help us understand the scriptures,but we must have our own way through the Holy Ghost a solid testimony of these truths.And then go to work diligently starting in our own home in bringing souls unto Christ.This is our calling and the reason why we came to this earth.No other purpose. I found these truths through pouring out my heart to God like Enoch.
And then as soon as we learn a principle we must practice it. Otherwise we are showing our love to. God only with our lips.
A BIG AMEN😘💞
Read the Screwtape Letters By C.S Lewis. It was eye opening to me about how temptation and deception work in our lives. In the last year I have had two siblings jump ship and are actively working on others in the family. They can’t have their opinions and go quietly.
Yes I also found the screwtape letters to be an eye opener
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@Judy Morrill
Well spoken and true.
Any more than mormons can have their opinions and be quiet. It is human nature to want to share knowledge you gain or enlighten loved ones to what you perceive as bad for them. You should thank them for caring enough just as they should thank you.
@@nostoppingit7827 Both may be true: The distinction is the motivation. While there are subtle clues about someone's motivation, discerning their true motivation is a gift of the Spirit.
I loved this video. My favorite quote is "The philosophy of moral relativism which holds that each person..."
FYI, an apologist is not someone who apologizes. CS Lewis was a great apologist--someone who argues in favor of something.
It has been my experience that most people become inactive because it becomes inconvenient to be active in the church.
Ya know its a funny thing. I followed the promise given in the Book of Mormon about study prayer and how the Lord promises to answer when asked sincerely. I don't know much about all the non evidence that proves the book false. But here is what I do know. The Lord through His own way answered my prayer about its truthfulness. I have faith that one day things that cannot be proven or shown will be explained. But what I am not willing to do is trust in the arm of flesh, men on earth who tell me oh this is all false because we didn't find this or that or the way Joseph Smith translated the book doesn't make sense, against what I know the Lords answer was.
@@adamholloway7963 Yes well the Spirit does testify of all truth. ALLLLL truth. The Church has never claimed to have the Only truth. Just the whole truth. So whenever truth is taught...even in other churches you will feel the Spirit. Also watching a rated R movie...which I have seen plenty...you can feel the Spirit during times of truth being taught or even inspirational moments. Watching those movies isn't a lie. It's counsel from the Brethren that we don't watch them because of their content. But anyways you are proving my point. You're asking me to go to all these web sights, written by men, to prove something false. That's trusting in the arm of flesh. I've already received my answer. I know where it came from. And I am not willing to stand before the Lord and say YEAH I felt the Holy Ghost witness to me the truth but ya know this scientist said such n such or this archeologist couldn't find this or that or this other religious person said XYZ. There will be no excuse. It won't fly. There is an expectation of having faith in the Lord. There are men today who will say...the bible is false because men can't walk on water. Or live in the belly of a whale for 3 days. Or any number of things that took place that we cant explain...yet they happened just the same. One day all that is lost, unexplainable or confusing to men will be expounded upon to us by the Lord. That is where and I have my faith and trust in. Good luck in your journey in this wonderful adventure called life...DanC
Thanks you...it has worked out for me VERY well thus far. I served a mission in South Carolina. The deep bible belt south where anti Mormon propaganda and people abound. I talked with hundreds of people about praying about the gospel of Christ on the LDS church. Do u know how many ever said to me I prayed and asked God and asked if your church is true and He said ...no its not.....not one. Ever not a single person. But I did have a preacher tell me He used to teach his congregation to say that to missionaries. Until he was converted. God doesn't have to appear to me for me to know truth as confirmed by the Holy Ghost anymore than someone has too jump off a 1000 ft bridge to prove he can't fly. I do trust in the Prophet because I believe this is Christs church on the earth and leads it through him. I guess if u wanna say I trust in the arm flesh because of that so be it. It isn't any different than those who followed Moses..or Abraham or Peter...
One day whether you want to except it...or believe it you and I will stand before the Lord. I believe that he has answered my prayer concerning truth. You are asking me to read some article about some guys in lab coats doing studies on feelings....disregard what I believe is the Holy Ghost and trust in the arm of flesh. Since you were at one time a temple worthy member of the church you stood before God and men and proclaimed the truth you new. And now you believe its all just physiological science stuff. Fine that's your right. You and you alone are going to have to answer for trusting in mens truths and ideas that are forever changing and unreliable...for instance there was a time when we were told smoking was good for us...than what you believed at one time God had answered you. I for one am not willing to do that. If I am wrong guess what happens to me....nothing. But if you wrong guess what happens to you. There are many things I cannot explain or answer. But I believe the Lord,through the Holy Ghost has answered my prayers. And again, I will never be willing to stand before Him and say I know I proclaimed that I felt the Holy Ghost but I read a study done by some scientists who told me everything I was feeling was just human physiology and chose to believe them instead. If you want to do that...fine...
If you want to say I trust in the arm of flesh because I believe in a prophet of God then I understand. I take it from your response that you do not believe in God. That He doesn't answer us but that we have these feelings as just a part of being human nothing more and that Heart sell is the way the church gets money from its members. That's what I gather from what I've read. Listen. I believe the Holy Ghost and the feelings it derives have been around longer than Heart sell. I believe these men called we call prophets and apostles are and were called by God to testify of His Son and truth. Because of special and sacred events I have had in my life I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know the BoM and the bible are the word of God. You can justify your life and leaving the church through believing in only rational and seeing is believing thought all day long if it makes you feel better and that is your right. I don't understand it but I don't judge you. That is for the Lord to decide. The "arm of flesh" you say I trust in by following the prophet teach me to be more like Savior. To serve. To love. To seek good moral activities. To treat others as I would want to be treated. All things I believe the Lord would have me do. So I follow the Savior..through prophts s He calls. You follow men...that got a degree and change their minds constantly... Teach to do whatever you want with no concern of consequence after this life. That those feelings aren't from God but just a physiological response so you can lead a guilt free life and that's exactly what the scriptures...long b4 heart sell was around...teach thats what Satan would have us believe and follow. I appreciate your links to all that tripe but you will never convince me that what I know to be of God isn't. Because I have something you seem to have long age let go of. Faith. Hope. Courage. You need none of those things to believe in science or men in lab coats telling you what you are REALLY feeling. But you do need all of those things to believe in what God is telling you to believe. Believe in Him. In His Son. In His wisdom. In His ways. It is my opinion what you did by walking away is th easy route. The cowardly route. The I am too smart for all this religious stuff and I just don't want to do it anymore route. I fear at judgement day I may have many things to answer for. But one thing I promise I won't have to answer for is losing my faith and trust and hope in My God...My Savior...and my testimony....but you will. Good luck in your life. I wish you the best in life and hope one day you find true peace again.
Thank you brother I needed this soo bad 🙏🏽🥺God Bless you brother
Nick Nolte?!? I always thought that was Kenny Rogers! 😂 Thanks for another great video. I appreciate the way you cover these sometimes difficult to understand topics.
If you think being married to the Church is avoiding apostasy, you might be guilty of it yourself. Nephi clearly states what we in the Church are missing in 2 Nephi 28:26-27. Many outside of the Church are of the church of the Lamb, and many withing the church are of the church of the devil. The sifting of the wheat and the tares begins in the Lord's house, and goes out to the world once the saints are taken care of and there is no more pollution in the land of inheritance. We are now neck deep in apostasy as many of the prophets of old have foretold.
Recently stumbled upon your vids man, really love what your doing keep it up!
Glad you like them!
Ephesians 4; 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
This would of been a good scripture to add as well, great video!
You need to be a deep thinker and reasoner and rely on the Holy Ghost in all your questions with faith.
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The Holy Ghost will never give you a concrete answer, otherwise you would no longer require faith. Faith requires that the gospel be illogical, and it requires that the gospel can never become logical, or else faith would be impossible.
@@chaotickreg7024 The Holy Ghost is pure intelligence. It is defined as the mind of God according to Joseph in Lecture 5. You most certainly will get truth from the Holy Ghost.
@@Telavian But if the Holy Ghost provides truth, why is it required that we have faith?
Years ago, while atending college, a classmate said something that stayed with me for a long time. He said that, when the time comes that LDS church members are required to live the higher law of consecration, many would leave the church.
That has yet to be seen some people may be better off living the law of consecration because everybody will get what they need, especially in the case of big low income families that have been struggling!
Ok I stumbled on your Apostasy videos as I was preparing to teach the 17 year olds in Sunday School. These kids look at things so differently than my generation so I am forever searching for how to understand their mindset. I love your teaching style, the time of each video, and the fact that your references are thorough. Thank you for your hard work! I am a fan.
10:45 - Apologist means something else. Look up the definition. Has nothing to do with apologizing.
Exactly. It’s a whole branch of study. “Apologetics is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse.” Ironically, this channel actually does a lot of apologetics -just without realizing the name for it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with apologizing for your faith. Comes from the Greek “apologia”, which means defense -as in a legal defense.
I love this ensight! So revealing in regards of my family situation 💞 thank you!
I love watching the anti-mormon videos, they always make me laugh and always strengthen my testimony. Two things come to mind when I watch them - 1. You can leave the church but you can't leave the church alone and 2. If the Gospel wasn't true why would Satan put so much effort into corrupting the hearts of those who have experienced it and felt it's truthfulness?
I hope you are not saying this is an auntie video. It's not. But I get what you mean.
We need to stay strong and keep looking upward.
Enjoyed this very much, but at 10:45 you misinterpreted with word "apologist". Ironically, it does not mean "to apologize". It actually means quite the opposite: it's a person who makes a defense in speech or writing of a belief, idea, etc.
(from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120-220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called Christian apologists. In 21st-century usage, is often identified with debates over religion and theology.
This was going to be my response as well. Great video but ‘apologist’ means defense of the faith. Look up FairMormon, their mission is to respond to anti-Mormon arguments.
Na... meanings change. And you are not intelligent enough to know its origin and argue from midfield. Your need to be right makes you one of those condemned in the verses discussed. How sad for you.
Apologetics is not the apologizing for something but it literally means to teach the basics of something.
Apologetics are a defense for a claim. Actual truth doesn’t need apologetics.
I've been thinking about this a lot in the past year. I guess I've noticed but not acknowledged it for longer than that, but it hit square in the chest last year when I found out a friend I grew up with decided to abandon faith in Jesus Christ for logic alone. That helped me click into place that more people than I was admitting have done the same. I'm still coming to grips with it all since, as indicated by conversations then and since then, I can't talk about certain religious topics without knowing I sound like a fool in their eyes, or that I'm just being tolerated until I'm gone again. It's just weird to me as well because we had the same Sunday school teachers and leaders, served missions (most of us anyways), and weren't all that different as far as living conditions go. What happened that I'm here and they're not? Rhetorical question, since I know they made their own choices, but it has me feeling alone at times. I am grateful for the promise that God has sent the Comforter to be with us always.
I've run into that for YEARS....
You hang IN there because secrectly, at LEAST one of your friends is counting on you 👍🏻💞
Have faith! We're so close!
It’s not just you. I’ve lost MANY friends this way in recent years. It’s very lonely
Same brother. My heart sometimes hurts.
Excellent summary of our youth today!!
These are special videos. I hope you continue to make these and
feed people truth. May Heavenly Father continue to bless you brother
Minor point: The word "apologist", while related to "apology", isn't about apologizing in the modern sense. It comes from the Greek word apologizesthai: "to give an account". The definition given by Miriam Webster is "one who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something". So it's a minor difference, but apologists aren't saying sorry about things-they're defending things.
Very interesting. I'm very thankful for the scriptures and the restored gospel
I also think people leave the church is because of rude and mean people of the church. It is sad but true, we have a friend that was newly baptized and she went to her ward, and she said someone hurt her feelings, so she left the church. :(
Also single people don’t feel like they fit in.
2 Timothy isn't just about religious things, it's about things that built societies and civilization, and we can see today how far reaching it is.
Sharing this is awesome I have a testimony that this church is the Lord’s church and it is true
Thanks for sharing the insights in this video! I really like the connections you draw from scripture to examples you notice in the world.
Review the way you reference “apologists” toward the end. Apologists don’t really “apologize.” Apologists make arguments for. A little update to how you tackle the argument there might bring some clarity and strengthen your argument. Thanks for posting!
A very logical and doctrine-based presentation. Thank you!
The Kirtland Temple was finished in 1836. It was dedicated on March 27, 1836 and on April 3 the Savior, Moses, Elias,and Elijah came to confer Priesthood keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
I hear you,... yet now i will raise the anti on ya. If you cannot also teach and expound upon WHAT those keys are or what they do or why they matter,... then there is yet work to do for you dear Sister. Light begets more light, until the perfect day. An anointed servant of the Lord has just challenged you to act. It is now unlocked to you to know and comprehend this answer on deeper levels,... if ye can believe and hope and then act. HE will keep nothing from you if you ask correctly, and HE will upbraideth not,... so ask in faith and receive. There are gross misunderstandings within Our Fathers House in the final hour, all things shall be in commotion. This vessel will be steadied. And i could sure use your help! Let us assume that HE knew you would be reading my words now, and that HE sent us at THIS TIME, knowing of Our Love for HIM. ;)
@@ben5259 I have studied these revelations and ALL that they mean and what the specific keys are for over 30 years. I do not follow blindly nor without knowledge. I know that you are sincere in your beliefs as am I. I will not argue over this. All i will say is i KNOW Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and RESTORED THE TRUTH TO THE EARTH. I know Christ lives and that we have an Ordained and Anointed Prophet today who speaks with the Lord. God Bless and have a nice day.
@@kimberlyolsen9416 ... i just invited you to ACT. Had you been humble and seen the gift offered, and acted on the invitation, you would have received. However the devil tempted you and you deflected. And so you just brushed off a man who is called and chosen thru revelation and the laying on of hands. I am sorry that you are guilty of the very judgments you tried so passively to apply to me. The fact remains... i acted because the Spirit of God told me to. Now i see that i was giving you curriculum which you will stand judged before Our Father for. I can see i cast pearls before swine this day. I rebuke you in your pride according to the teachings in Mathew 18 and D&C 42 and i task you to wake up and stop esteeming yourself as you do. You dont know half of what you esteem yourself that you do. HE knows you can do better. And HE asked me to extend an "invitation". Only a knuckled would look a gift horse in the teeth. I am grateful to God that HE taught me the fact that when life affords me the challenge to learn and grow i can either choose to offer excuses and remain stuck or i can see HIS tender mercies and ACT in faith. I know the laws which determine the flow of light and knowledge to us. I know that i have the ability to extend invitations to act, as an authorized servant, and that if those who are extended the invite choose to act in faith believing they shall receive they shall. Yet if they fail to act, then they simply have that variable as judgment upon them when the see me and HIM at that judgment bar in the end. In closing... i will say this. I learned that Mercy is when i forgive someone even if they might not deserve it. It is my forgiving others simply because i am also forgiven by HIM. And yet Grace... grace goes one further than that. Grace is when we not only forgive them, but we chose to bless them as well. Chrsit taught me grace. Yet i hope to get better at it as time carries on. I am sorry that i as a man am not yet perfect, and that i do not speak without offense yet. Please forgive me in my weaknesses as i also forgive you in yours. And in the event you decide to rethink your initial judgment,... i suspect Our Father WANTS you to understand KEYS better than you presently do. I didnt ask why... but you can if ya wanted to. ;)
@@ben5259 don't quote LDS scripture to me and tell me you're ordained to tell me anything! I look to the Prophet and Apostles for that. I have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost by authorized authority and also rely on that! You can spew all types of anti-LDS rhetoric but my faith is firmly on the Rock of our Salvation. You believe whatever you wish, that is your right but you have no right to condemn me for mine! Stop being a TROLL on a site set up for sincere people to study the word of God!
@@ben5259 you’re ill and need help.
I feel sad for those intellectuals. My one question to any atheist is what is the purpose of living then? Would it not be better to eliminate all life on earth than to continue with this pain, suffering and selfishness? Even the most hardened hedonist must answer the question regarding the greatest peace which would be to not feel anything. No pain, not agony, no stress, no anger, no hatred...etc...
Christ teaches us it is to become better and more like him and the father. Their logic and reason has failed them and it will continue to do so. Without Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation there is no purpose in life. It has no lasting baring and a video game would have as much bearing in the grand scheme of things as actually living in this world does.
@Virginia Phillips - He must be a ventrilaquist then. He spoke to himself from heaven, while the people heard it. Then prayed to himself many times. And then cried to himself on the cross not to abandon himself. Then asked himself why he abandoned himself. Kind of strange, don't you think? And then he commanded us to pray to the Father [himself] in His own name, but using the 2 different versions of himself - one to pray to, and the other's name to use. And John said he was with himself as the word. But why all the complicated "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" nonsense? Why not just be 1 entity, 1 God, 1 person, instead of a double entity who talks to, and even pleads with himself, to let the misery of the atonement pass from him?
@Virginia Phillips - you're too kind.
@@jameseverett4976 Mormons don't believe that, they believe God and Christ are two separate beings.
@@nostoppingit7827 - right. I was trying to show how silly and unBliblical the idea of Christ and His Father being the same Entity is.
@Virginia Phillips James is a sneaky little fool....
Came here to see what you were saying about me. 😂 Happy to report my heart is sufficiently hardened against lies.
As for some of the most important parts, Verses 10 -12, which are missing from your 3 Timothy quote, are as follows: "But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
My wife left the Church recently. She does not want to know anything from the bible. Bible scripture means nothing to her because she says she has her own relationship with God and he understands her. We are now getting a Divorce because of this, she fell too far away wants nothing to do with God in our household and does not even want to talk about it. It's sad to see. I have also seen family who were into God and the bible fall away and have justified thier sinful lives as "he would understand" or there is more time. Sad to see.
My husband left the church 5 weeks after we were baptised but I didn’t divorce him he never did come back but he died in 2006 I’ve seen him in dreams he’s accepted the gospel on the other side and I’ve done work for him in the temple so he’s received the priesthood please don’t give up on your wife hang in there.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing
I am a member of the church.I join the church 1997 at age of 15 yrs and I am a first generation in my familyto join the church and I serve my mission 2006-2008 and I don't regret it.Right now I am sealed in the "Johannesburg temple".The Lord has bless us with 2 children.
My problem is that I search the doctrine given by Brigham Young and some of successors.What he said about us Africans really broke my testimony. I haven't left the church yet but I'm constantly asking our Father in Heaven to answer me if the church is true.Deep inside I still have a spark of faith but I'm seriously wounded by the words of Brigham Young and Bruce.
I love my saviour,I love the church but I'm hurt serious spiritually.
..Am I an apostasy...
From:South Africa 🇿🇦
Please watch the 2nd part of this video that I just published tonight. I think you will find some answers to the questions you have there. Have faith brother.
One of my kids has a friend who married in the Temple right after high school. After about 5 years, the couple divorced. The friend's husband wanted an open marriage and was committing adultery during the marriage. The friend quit church, is in a homosexual relationship, and has tattoos and body piercings all over her body. Unfortunately she has children in that environment and no longer going to church.
A coworker of another child quit church because after marrying in the Temple she found out her new husband, a returned missionary, had a mistresswho was pregnantwith his child. The coworker quit the church and blames the church.
I know of many more who have succumbed to the world, including my own children. It is heartbreaking.
People are leaving the church because of deceitful "elders" or "prophets". (EDIT)- People are leaving the church for reasons, one of them might be deceitful leadership, faulty interpretations of scripture, defiled scripture or scripture that is meant to test or build our faith in overarching principles taught in other scriptures---. I think I am not a part of the church yet, mainly because of false teachings, yet I believe the church is true. One of the main points I think we have misinterpreted is gay marriage. I think marriage is ok between two consenting adults. Everyone has male and female qualities and it is a heavenly privilege to balance the two within ourselves. I consider we were once genderless beings and we descended and split into a duality. Sex became necessary for procreation. I consider this is why intercourse can be reserved for marriage and or procreation, in order to make steps toward returning to a godly form.
Deception is terrifying because you can't know when its happening to one's self, which is why being close to God is essential. Also, its not only a principle of ignorance and weakness on one's part but of Satan's power, and his power in deception will increase as the end times come to a close, which means power in Christ needs to be increasing as well.
We do not need to think of this as a “coming apostasy“, but rather an ongoing apostasy. These are the people who were given the seed but it was tossed on the wayside or in the stony places or among thorns.
You are prideful and stupid to say this. Your need to reshape what Our Father sees and says it is, is more of the same sins which the man taught about. YOU are running the risk of being part of that 1/2 who falls away in disbelief to The Word. I bet you dont even follow D&C 42 or Mathew 18, you people pleasing wayward hypocrite. Go ahead... bro, Trespass again me and see if do not rebuke you. I actually LEARNED the duties of the preparatory priesthood. I did not create God in my own mormon image as you have done. Many talk a big game in their need to esteem themselves, but the truth comes hard to the wicked. You will be tempted to cast my words off in your need to be right and to defend ego. Pride goes before your fall.
@@ben5259 you need to calm down and get help, calling people stupid because they don’t see things the way you do is not Christ like behavior. You might need to take the mote out of your eye.
Amazing video thank you much.
I love your series! Just wanted to make one small correction for the sake of clarity. An “apologist” is not someone who apologizes for his beliefs. It is, rather, someone who speaks in defense of his beliefs. So a “Mormon apologist” would be one who defends the LDS faith, not apologizes for it. Yeah - the word “apology” can be confusing with its varied applications.
This video references Alma 12:11 to explain why people leave the church but neglects to address the fact that we as members in the boat/church know very little of his mysteries. We are taught not to seek after the mysteries. I stay in the church but I seek Christ personally. None of the leadership has borne witness of seeing Christ personally as ALL prophets in the BoM have done. They insist it is all too sacred and they enter not into the holy of Holies and to those that would enter in they cause to stumble.
Unfortunately, we read about this apostasy repeated over and over in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants.
I always marveled how the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon could fall away.
Oliver Cowdrey hand wrote most of the Book of Mormon as Joseph Smith dictated. Apparently these miracles seeing an angel, handling the Gold Plates and witnesses a person with a 3rd grade education dictate a complex narrative of a civilization over thousands of years is not enough to cement a testimony.
fortunately , Oliver and Martin both returned to the church before their deaths, strongly defending their testimonies. Also, David never came back but never denied his testimony.
I LOVE how people are so prideful when they say that they are logical, like being logical is above everything else and if you aren't logical you are "just so stupid, bless your heart." It don't get any more logical than me. I am comparing and contrasting, removing emotion from arguments, trying to view things from all sides, and constantly questioning every point of view, even my own. Additionally, as a librarian, I look at these "kids" in their 20's as the biggest Freaking morons. I just spent a little over a decade in education and I only met one or 2 kids out of thousands that could critically think and NONE of them, NOT ONE could research to find the answer unless it was something clearly defined and simple like, "What is the current time in Paris" and they would google it. And yet THEY believe they are sooooooo smart. These two girls look to me like such unbelievable fools. I'm actually embarrassed for them.
They aren't really logical at all. They just think that because they are told that something is logical by someone with a degree, then there must be logic behind it, and thus they are being "logical" by accepting someone else's vouched for "logic". None of them ever went all the way through the logic of whatever it was they claimed was "logical". It boils down to "I read........... such & such, and the author is famous and has 2 degrees, therefore it's all logic."
"Science" is now just the new substitute word for "God said...." There is really no difference between the person who believes everything his pastor says, and the person who believes everything his college professor, or some famous author says. In both cases, the person is trying to take a shortcut to certainty by borrowing it from someone else, someone they feel is certain of what they claim to know.
@@adamholloway7963 I'm afraid that's probably the case for many a member. Even if they have a 'testimony', they tend to go on autopilot after awhile
I really don't know of our Heavenly Father lied to me when I asked Him about Jesus Christ Church. So, if I heard that soft voice, who answerd me?
Next... My life change for the good!
I am very sure why many left the church? Very simple, they are poor and week spirits, that a simple doubt put them down! When you make a decition to follow Christ, is when Satan put his darts right to the mind and heart of those poor spirits.
Really interesting. Thank you.
To be fair, an apologist isn't the same thing as apologizing. May want to look that definition up, too.
Will commenters quit saying “a third”; it is “a third PART” meaning, ‘one of three groups. One group could be a small number compared to the other two groups.
Exactly my interpretation of “third part”.
Now,.. to awaken you. YOU are made of three parts. ONE of the three is called an enemy to God. The story line is not what many think it to be. And we are not WHERE we think we are. However, the truth sets us free. And Jesus is The Chrsit. And HIS atonement WAS infinite. And time shall prove the truth of all things. I am sorry you are so easily disrupted by what you perceive the be the ignorance in others. I also once suffered like you still do. In fact, you are someone who i could easily give into the judgments of again. I am easily tempted with offense by hypocrites who suffer in judgment. That is my weakness and how the devil likes to pull my strings. And by what so ever you judge, so also shall you be judged. Yet look how the devil makes you his play thing in your need to be right, when in reality you are far more wrong than your ego and need to be right could currently bare.
@@ben5259 You're getting a prayer right NOW brother. You sound SO upset and angry, yet you're STILL HERE being negative..........
Moral Relativism, I know a lot of people who left the church because they couldn't bare the thought of their child, trans, gay, bi, lesbian, lgbt pro or whatever, was in sin, and I hate using this so I apologise, would be damned if they didn't repent. But don't realize that it's their challenge to overcome. Their families can be together forever ideal shattered. It hurts. Mines been shattered, but by abuse, slowly but surely being repaired. It takes time.
I left a relationship, I was hoping to become eternal almost a decade ago. The most painful thing I ever did. The prayers, answers, not what I wanted to hear at all. I feel like I've buried someone. When he is no longer a he, and takes on the identity of a she, and your goals no longer align, the potential for infidelity in the future, etc... You can't stay, but the world, views those of us who depart for our own happiness, as evil, as an abuser, aggressor, wrongdoer, or a betrayer, because they weren't willing to stay and support the decision. Little do they realize it is a selfish demand to the partner such a steep lifestyle sacrifice everything even their happiness, potential children, etc.. for a choice to redefine them selves. Redefining the self is considered good and praiseworthy; ego, pride, etc they do not see it as.
Thank-you
Can you do a video on the Great and Abominable church?
That would be a fun banter..... 😉