tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post1994328046845534690..comments2023-10-26T05:12:19.629-07:00Comments on PonderIt: Mysteriously Important BodiesBradley Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030210881782328907noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-37287475990477358542008-08-23T17:04:00.000-07:002008-08-23T17:04:00.000-07:00Also, I think if we truly understood how essential...Also, I think if we truly understood how essential these links are, we would be more diligent in working to free our ancestors from the sins they are bound by as they no longer have those physical bodies to excercise the changing power of the atonement with.ShelleyGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03005986667848266048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-8688597508213382122008-08-23T17:01:00.000-07:002008-08-23T17:01:00.000-07:00I think baptism is the switch that activates the a...I think baptism is the switch that activates the atonement in one's life. There is a quote in a YW lesson that talks about our physical bodies. It says that as we become more perfect, so do our physical bodies ( I am paraphrasing). Baptism makes us children of Christ (born again), not what welds the generations together.<BR/><BR/> I believe it is the sealing ordinances that bind us together, or links the generations. I also believe that if we repent in this life through the atonement, that repentance can be retro active though past generations of ancestors with the same sin that has been passed from generation to generation. We hear how some sins have a 'genetic' component and I agree-it is the physical manifestation of a spiritual weakness that runs through generations and can be worked out only while in the flesh (thrusting off the natural man)-hence the idea that our ancestors would be lost without us being sealed together.ShelleyGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03005986667848266048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-60097834412041476452008-08-21T07:57:00.000-07:002008-08-21T07:57:00.000-07:00I'd add 2 Nephi 9:8 to the list of sources that de...I'd add 2 Nephi 9:8 to the list of sources that demonstrate the importance of having a physical body. It says that "if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God." Personally, I don't fully understand the cause-effect relationship between no resurrection and becoming subject to Satan (why is it necessarily the case that our spirits can't live under God's influence unless they have bodies?), but apparently there is a connection, which reinforces the importance of having a physical body.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-80988898199878583402008-08-21T07:56:00.000-07:002008-08-21T07:56:00.000-07:00Thanks for that post, Brad. I especially like the...Thanks for that post, Brad. I especially like the Joseph Smith quote. Howard makes some good points about welding links. It's often true that when we put effort into something, we appreciate it more, and I would agree that that is the case with temple work.<BR/><BR/>As a related example, I've often been intrigued by the idea that many people are willing to say they accept Christ and follow Him, but when it comes to baptism--where the rubber hits the road--they are hesitant to do it. Or similarly, there are many couples who say they are committed to each other, but they are hesitant to get married. We mortals seem to be "wired" to acknowledge some inherent significance in physical actions. Physical actions seem more "real" to us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-84519231178611072392008-08-19T18:51:00.000-07:002008-08-19T18:51:00.000-07:00The time and labor intensity of doing work for the...The time and labor intensity of doing work for the dead empowers the welding link. <BR/><BR/>We can see the welding link in action from the side of the living. As we begin our genealogy the dead begin to come alive in our minds and we begin to see them as people. We visit the grave yards, read the epitaphs, listen to the family folklore and we imagine their lives. The more engaged we become, the greater our connection.<BR/><BR/>Sure, many of them don’t care; some may even want us to stop. But, I often think about the grateful few who want us to complete their work. They can see the people next door watching TV or surfing the net as we drive to the Family History Center, log onto FamilySearch.org or drive to the Temple. They are dependant; they cannot do it for themselves. Our selfless effort must be obvious to them. Is it any wonder that their presence is often felt during these ordinances?<BR/><BR/>What would quick and easy ordinances do to the participation of the dead?<BR/><BR/>My guess is that having the same ordinance done for them offers meaningful closure and it says; they are us and we are them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-73519714778755245442008-08-19T14:33:00.000-07:002008-08-19T14:33:00.000-07:00So, Howard, you think baptism for the dead has les...So, Howard, you think baptism for the dead has less to do with physical bodies and more to do with needing a welding link. Interesting thought. <BR/><BR/>It may only push the question further down the line on baptism for the dead. If we only need to bind the generations, isn't water baptism a labor intensive way to accomplish that? Couldn't we find a shorter ordinance that would accomplish the same thing?Bradley Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06030210881782328907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-13836135456880611302008-08-19T11:34:00.000-07:002008-08-19T11:34:00.000-07:00D&C 138:50 tells us that the dead looked upon ...D&C 138:50 tells us that the dead looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. So, yes, I guess resurrection will be a time of joy. <BR/><BR/>For those who didn't have an opportunity to be baptized in mortality the physical-body part of the ordinance is necessary to force the living and the dead to work together; to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and visa versa.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6613185.post-35355427425357784242008-08-19T09:16:00.000-07:002008-08-19T09:16:00.000-07:00Good questions all around. I wish I had good answ...Good questions all around. I wish I had good answers.Geoff Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01266385637915121433noreply@blogger.com