The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the following. See if you agree with the Lord:

D&C 8:2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

D&C 9:8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

So we see that the Lord intends that we are to use our minds! We must study things out, come to certain conclusions as much as we possibly can, and then we ask Him if we are right. If so, we get a burning in our bosom. What a simple plan and process. It takes work, and effort, and then the blessings of a testimony come.

As to negative testimonies, I have never heard of such a thing. The Lord's business of the Holy Ghost is to witness to what is true, not to all the things that are false. The absence of the Lord's Spirit in evil things is a testimony to us already that He is not in it. We don't need to pray to know if we should join the mafia or a gang, or if we should frequent places where lewd behavior is the norm, etc... The presence of the devil is strong in these circumstances, and we should know by the way we feel to get out of those circumstances. Thank goodness for our feelings and a conscience, which steer us clear of those kind of things.

Now a most important scripture from the Book of Mormon on how we may know truth:

Moroni 7:16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.

19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

The Constitution of the United States does not say that there is to be a separation of Church and State, but rather outlaws the government to make an official religion.

Constitution Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ...

This moral issue, not a political issue, the homosexual movements attempt to redefine what marriage is, directly affects the establishment of religion. It undermines the Constitution in a very direct way! We only seek to protect what marriage already IS. A simple definition: Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. 30 other states have already passed this same law. See www.protectmarriage.net

If the definition of marriage is changed on the laws of the land, religions will be forced to comply with the new definition. Don't you see, it is a plan of the adversary to destroy religion? God is against it, and He has spoken to His leaders to act against this immoral movement which seeks to redefine marriage to accommodate and legalize gross immorality...and while so doing change the way the vast majority of us live our lives. Many people are deceived on this one, and don't realize how serious this issue is to their personal freedoms.

One quick example: if marriage is eventually legally redefined to include gays, etc., then religions would eventually be forced to recognize this as well, or suffer the consequences. One need only go back to the late 1800's to see how many leaders of the Church were put into prison over the definition of marriage issue then. Recall Polygamy which was perfectly legal then? When the government made it illegal with the Edmunds Tucker Act in 1887, families were split apart, and husbands went to prison for many years.

The source is D&C 89, and that's it. It spells things out rather clearly, and hot drinks have been defined as Coffee and Black Tea. Brigham Young said:
"I have heard it argued that tea and coffee are not mentioned in the Word of Wisdom; that is very true; but what were the people in the habit of taking as hot drinks when that revelation was given? Tea and coffee. We were not in the habit of drinking water very hot, but tea and coffee--the beverages in common use." (source:Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 283.)

Caffeine really is a bad substance that has been clinically shown to be harmful to us. Caffeine . . . is a drug, an alkaloid, related to some of the most violent of poisons. When it enters the human body, it produces at first a feeling of stimulation, followed in due course by a period of depressions, relief from which is sought by the use of more caffeine. It is, therefore, habit- forming, so that the power of the will is weakened. Even though chocolate tastes real good, but is not that good for us, and yes it does contain some small amount of caffeine. But we are not commanded by the Lord in all things. People are making these kind of decisions for themselves, without waiting for a commandment. If people teach that this (caffeine) is the reason for the commandment, they speculate. There are several logical reasons to abstain from wine, liquor, tobacco, and hot drinks. The Lord has given us a "starter" advice in the Word of Wisdom. There are plenty of other harmful substances, which if eaten could prove harmful or fatal. For instance, He did not mention addictive drugs, poison, or filthy water. Think how long the Word of Wisdom would be if the Lord mentioned everything that applies. Caffeine was not mentioned...but does that make it OK? Of course not. We should be careful.

D&C 58:26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. If some people are choosing to abstain from Caffeine completely, that is their good choice, they are being agents unto themselves, and are not waiting for a commandment from the Lord to do good. The Latter-day Saints of all people, should be making independent good choices for themselves in this life, for the Lord has commanded it:

D&C 58:27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

But since you came here, I will tell you that since you got married, you keep your vows and covenants. Make a go of it. Don't consider getting out of it because it is hard, life is supposed to be hard! We grow from it.

Don't be lonely or ashamed of what has happened, just be humble and thankful that the Lord is mindful of you, that He seeks you with His Spirit. He calls to you. These Book of Mormon scriptures speak of the two folds, just like there are only two churches, the Church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil, there are only two folds: Jesus Christ's fold, and the devil's fold. If we are not following Jesus Christ, then we are following the devil. That's a scary thought.

1 Nephi 22:25 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.

Alma 5:37 O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!

38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.

39 And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a liar and a child of the devil.

3 Nephi 27:20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

Ether 4:7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.

Moroni 10:32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

We take the sacrament each week, and there is language in the prayer regarding sanctification, or beomcing spiritually clean:

Moroni 4:3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it;

This blessing is related to our very souls, being sanctified in Christ. One more thing, love and service to God can sanctify the soul:

Very interesting, but our English word, God, has produced a paradigm of how many people view God. They are looking for and trying to understand a single being, when that is not what is there. They are many, but that is kind of irrelevant... Elohim is God to us.

When Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, it is important to note that Moses wasn't alive when those events of creation, etc. happened. He did this writing by the spirit of revelation which was in him. Joseph Smith had the gift as well, and the Book of Mormon is not so much a literal scholarly "translation" as it was a revelation combined with what he had learned about the reformed egyptian characters, and through the Urim and Thummim miracle. What a neat process Joseph Smith was called to use, with the Urim and Thummim, where the Lord assisted Joseph in putting the Book of Mormon into the English language. There is room for inspiration in a process like this, and I am sure that Joseph Smith was subject to the spirit of revelation and interpretation. Consider the following scripture which indicates that Joseph Smith used his own mind to translate. Oliver Cowdery wanted to "try" to translate, and he found out that it was not as simple as the processes most translators go through today, which is merely to look up words and correlate with the proper translation. Apparently, the translation of the Book of Mormon was different:

D&C 9:7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

10 Now, if you had known this you could have translated; nevertheless, it is not expedient that you should translate now.

So we see that the process Joseph Smith used to translate included the Holy Ghost, burning in the bosom for confirmation, and feelings to know that the translation was most correct.

Most correct. I like that term. It implies that a correct translation was possible, but that there could also be a _more_ correct translation. Even to be the most correct book.

There is a place where you can go and read several lessons and things about our faith, our beliefs. It can be found on the official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website lds.org at
BASIC BELIEFS

You can get a JST at any LDS bookstore. It differs from the KJV in places because of wicked men, probably in the early Catholic Church, who changed and omitted certain writings to suit the changing doctrines. Joseph Smith, a prophet of God, was instructed to fix some of these changes and omissions. You can see just what some of those were by reading the JST.

Murder is murder only if we do it of our own free will, but not if God commands us to kill. He has. Indeed he flooded the earth, and this was not murder, but the will of God. Be careful when you say that God has never before commanded this. Remember Saul and the prophet Samuel, the one who was called to be a prophet at age 10? Well Samuel was grown up now, and he told Saul, the King leader of the Israelite army, the following commandment of the Lord:

1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

8 And [Saul] took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

Now this disobedience displeased the Lord. Saul was supposed to kill everything. The prophet Samuel said:

1 Samuel 15:19 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

21 ...the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Saul feared the voice of the people. He did that which was popular. What if Nephi had feared the reaction of others to carrying out the commandment of the Lord, to slay Laban? Can not the Lord decide when a man is to die? He did, Nephi was obedient. Before we condemn what Nephi did, and say it is not biblical, we need to read the bible and see the pattern of the Lord in dealing with wicked people. Remember, that even babies died in that Old Testament account, and Laban was no baby. Many people stumble on this account in the Book of Mormon, compare it to modern day thinking and philosophy, and do not realize that the Bible is full of accounts where the wicked were destroyed by the hand of the Lord, whether it be through weather, brimstone, floods, or fire. It is done, and it has been done many, many times.

In October 1841, Joseph Smith placed the Original Manuscript in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House. Over forty years later, Lewis Bidamon, Emma Smith's second husband, opened the cornerstone and found that water seepage had destroyed most of it. The surviving pages were handed out to various individuals during the 1880s.Today approximately 25 percent of the text of the manuscript survives: 1 Nephi 2 through 2 Nephi 1, with gaps; Alma 22 through Helaman 3, with gaps; and a few other fragments. All but one of the authentic pages and fragments of it are housed in the archives of the LDS Historical Department; one-half of a sheet (from 1 Nephi 14) is owned by the University of Utah.
(source: EOM, BOM manuscripts)

Brigham Young shared a very special account that answers your other questions:

Income Taxes. Church members in any nation are to obey applicable tax laws. "If a member disapproves of tax laws, he may attempt to have them changed by legislation or constitutional amendment, or, if he has a well-founded legal objection, he may attempt to challenge them in the courts. A member who refuses to file a tax return, to pay required income taxes, or to comply with a final judgment in a tax case is in direct conflict with the law and with the teachings of the Church" (11-2; see Civic Duties; Civic Rights; Constitutional Law; Law).
(Source:EOM, Vol.3, POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND PROCEDURES)

Members of the Church have always been instructed and encouraged to obey the laws of the land, even when it was very difficult to do, such as when the United States government compelled 500 Latter- day Saint men to fight in the Mexican War in 1846. Heber J. Grant said:

When the Latter-day Saints were being driven to these Rocky Mountains from their homes, when they were coming to these Rocky Mountains in fulfillment of the prediction of Joseph Smith--they were being expatriated. They were driven from the confines of the United States and were coming to Mexican soil. Our country was then in trouble with Mexico, and the government called on Brigham Young for five hundred men to help fight Mexico. To this call President Young replied: "You shall have your men, and if we have not enough men we will furnish you women." And within three days the men were ready.... Show to me, if you can, in all the history of the world another case of a people being expatriated, being driven from their own country, from their own lands which they had purchased; being driven out from a beautiful city, the last remnant of them crossing the Mississippi River in the dead of winter on the ice; nine babies being born during the night of that terrible expulsion, with no shelter but their mother's breasts; going forth on their journey of a thousand miles in the wilderness after having appealed to the president of their republic who could only say: "Your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you"--show me another people, I say, who under like circumstances would have furnished five hundred men to fight their country's battles! Show me greater patriotism and loyalty to country than this! It can't be done.

Moroni 8:12 But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!

13 Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell.

14 Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.

15 For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.

16 Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.

17 And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation.

18 For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.

19 Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.

20 And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption.

21 Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and an endless torment. I speak it boldly; God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the judgment-seat of Christ.

This truth should be taught! The Catholic Church and other churches who baptize their young should think about what that act says about Jesus Christ. It denies the mercies of Jesus Christ upon the child.

Your children are free from sin, but if the parents teach not the children then sins will be upon the heads of the parents:

1 Nephi 16:2 And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.

3 And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us.

Also, the Lord has spoken about how He feels about these other churches that lead His sheep away from the true fold:

Joseph Smith History 1:19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."

Should we hide this passage? Not teach it? I remember teaching it all the time when I was on a mission. How about what Nephi said in the vision he received of the Lord:

1 Nephi 13:4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a great church.

5 And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.

6 And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it.

7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.

8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church.

9 And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.

Bruce R. McConkie said of this scripture:

From this vision we learn two of the saddest truths of all history:
(1) prophets are persecuted by religiously inclined people, and
(2) the fact that there are false churches is itself the very reason why the Lord's saints suffer at the hands of evil and ungodly men.

From these many things, I learn that we should not fear the truth, and we should never not speak of the truth for fear of offending people. Tact is important. But saying nothing is wrong. I am not the one who has said negative things about the men who changed the Bible writings. It was the Lord:

1 Nephi 13:26 And after [the Bible writings] go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.

28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest--because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God--because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

The Lord could not have made it more clear how He feels about this gross sin. It was punishable by death under the Law of Moses. It is punishable by spiritual death today, if not repented for.

Moroni 8:6 And now, my son, I desire that ye should labor diligently, that this gross error should be removed from among you; for, for this intent I have written this epistle.

7 For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying:

8 Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.

9 And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.

14 Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.

15 For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.

16 Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.

17 And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation.

18 For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.

19 Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.

20 And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption.

2 Nephi 29:11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

None of the Book of Mormon prophets who were led by the Lord to the Promised Land are mentioned in the Bible, such as Jared and his brother, Lehi, or his son Nephi, etc. The Book of Mormon is a record of the dealings of the Lord with those people, and the record is not had in the Bible.

There are, however, many names in the Book of Mormon which are also in the Bible.

There are not different levels of the Spirit World any more than there are different levels here on the earth right now. We have wickedness and righteousness, yet it is as one place. The righteous mingle with those who are in darkness in the Spirit World, because there is missionary work going on there!! Here is the scripture that teaches this. Jesus Christ after He died, His spirit went to the Spirit World and He organized His missionary forces there (see also 1 Peter 3 and 4)

D&C 138:30 But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.

31 And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.

32 Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.

33 These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,

34 And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

35 And so it was made known among the dead, both small and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been wrought through the sacrifice of the Son of God upon the cross.

36 Thus was it made known that our Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh;

37 That they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words.

38 Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled in this vast congregation of the righteous were Father Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all,

39 And our glorious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and living God.

59 And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.

The Book of Mormon also teaches of the Spirit World:

Alma 40:11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil--for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house--and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

Amos 3:7

Also, if an angel can do anything he wants, consider the actions of the the greatest of all, even Jesus Christ. What did He do? Hebrews 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

If Jesus, the greatest and leader of the angels, even greater than the one spoken of in Revelation there, if He didn't trump the gospel from the skies as you would have us believe this one in Revelation will, why should we think that the one in Revelation will?

Jesus wanted people to take the word to the world. He said:

Mark 16:15 And [Jesus] said unto [the Apostles], Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Can you come up with anything to de-bunk this? :)

I would say, that until a "rumor" can be proven a fact, we should ignore it or privately try to prove it...but not speculate about it and open it up for discussion. Innocent until proven guilty. This kind of approach, to discuss our opinions about guilt is just what ABC news and others are doing with the Ramseys, for example. not trial yet, but they want to get everyones opinion about their guilt or innocence. As if we have any or enough facts to base a conclusion.

This occurred when he was returning from his mission to the Sandwich Islands, in the fall of 1857. He came home by way of Los Angeles, by what was called the Southern Route. In that year Johnston's Army was on the move for Utah, and naturally enough there was much excitement and bitterness of feeling concerning the "Mormons." In southern California, just after the little train of wagons had traveled only a short distance and made their camp, several anti-"Mormon" toughs rode into the camp on horseback, cursing and swearing and threatening what they would do to the "Mormons." Joseph F. was a little distance from the camp gathering wood for the fire, but he saw that the few members of his own party had cautiously gone into the brush down the creek, out of sight. When he saw that, he told me, the thought came into his mind, "Shall I run from these fellows? Why should I fear them?" With that he marched up with his arm full of wood to the campfire where one of the ruffians, still with his pistol in his hand, shouting and cursing about the "Mormons," in a loud voice said to Joseph F.:

"Are you a 'Mormon'?"

And the answer came straight, "Yes, siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through."

At that the ruffian grasped him by the hand and said:

Jacob 2:27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;

Jacob 2:30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.

This last verse indicates that the Lord may command polygamy. It is not ruled out altogether.

Sometimes we are commanded to do things that seem wrong, but it is a test of our obedience. Polygamy might come under this category. Certainly when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac on the alter, this seemed very different and contrary to the norm! Also, when the children of Israel were commanded by the Lord through the prophet Samuel to slay all of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15) it may have seemed wrong to also kill the infants as commanded. Recall also that Nephi slew Laban at the command of the Lord.

Jesus' resurrection was on the First Day of the Week:

John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.

And afterwards, Jesus' chosen Apostles decided to break bread and have the Sabbath also on the First Day of the Week:

Acts 20:7 And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

"Breaking bread" is the sacrament, a sabbath day ordinance. This is how we can see from the biblical record that the Sabbath was on a Sunday then.

More importantly, it has been specifically revealed by Jesus Christ for our day, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that Sunday is the day for worship services, etc.:

D&C 59:9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

12 But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

When Joseph Smith was engaged in translating the Old Testament (see Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible [JST]), he came to the Apocrypha and sought divine counsel on what to do with it. The revelation given in response to his prayer informed him that the Apocrypha contains both truth and error, but was "mostly translated correctly" (D&C 91:1). Although he was counseled not to translate the Apocrypha, the revelation states that any who read those writings with the Holy Spirit as a guide "shall obtain benefit therefrom"; without the Holy Ghost, a man "cannot be benefited" spiritually by reading the Apocrypha (D&C 91:5-6).

Neal Maxwell, an Apostle, wrote:

Now, in a time when scrolls have been found in Qumran, writings at Nag Hammadi, and tablets at Ebla, we must at least consider the probability that other ancient but lost documents and lost scriptures may contain further striking and Christ-centered things. Among those writings lost are the writings of Samuel, the seer; Nathan; the Acts of Solomon; Shemaiah; Ahijah; Iddo; Jehu; and Enoch. Joshua mentions the book of Jasher (Joshua 10:13). To these must be added whatever else was "kept back"from ever reaching the dedicated translators of the Bible (see 1 Nephi 13:32, 34, 40).

Sometimes it takes years to be "vindicated" for the decisions we make, it takes faith, but there are so many hundreds of thousands of examples where a mission has caused great growth and maturing influences upon a young man or woman. It teaches discipline and dedication which can only help an education. It helps in people skills. It creates better more mature young potential parents. It greatly enhances social skills and confidence as well. Many learn a foreign language. Best of all, it brings them close to the Lord and strengthens testimony of truth.

James E. Faust recently said in general Conference:

John C. Whitmer, a grandson of Peter Whitmer testified that his grandmother, Mary Whitmer saw the plates:

"I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi. (She undoubtedly refers to Moroni, the angel who had the plates in charge.) It was at the time, she said, when the translation was going on at the house of the elder Peter Whitmer, her husband.

Joseph Smith with his wife and Oliver Cowdery, whom David Whitmer a short time previous had brought up from Harmony, Pennsylvania, were all boarding with the Whitmers, and my grandmother in having so many extra persons to care for, besides her own large household, was often overloaded with work to such an extent that she felt it to be quite a burden. One evening, when (after having done her usual day's work in the house) she went to the barn to milk the cows, she met a stranger carrying something on his back that looked like a knapsack. At first she was a little afraid of him, but when he spoke to her in a kind, friendly tone and began to explain to her the nature of the work which was going on in her house, she was filled with inexpressible joy and satisfaction. He then untied his knapsack and showed her a bundle of plates, which in size and appearance corresponded with the description subsequently given by the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. This strange person turned the leaves of the book of plates over, leaf after leaf, and also showed her the engravings upon them; after which he told her to be patient and faithful in bearing her burden a little longer, promising that if she would do so, she should be blessed; and her reward would be sure, if she proved faithful to the end. The personage then suddenly vanished with the plates, and where he went, she could not tell.

The Jaredites (or people of Jared) came over by barges by the power of the Lord from the time of the Tower of Babel (~2500 BC). They were led by the Lord to the Promised Land, even America, and they inhabited the land for over 2,000 years (before the Nephites and Lamanites).

It was because of the wickedness of these two nations that they were swept off the face of the land through wars and bloodshed. The Jaredites record (which was found by the Nephite people of Limhi) was on 24 gold plates, and contained a brief record, but a most important record! It tells of how Jesus Christ showed Himself to the Brother of Jared, when He was yet in spirit form. Listen to these sacred words of Jesus Christ Himself, to one of His prophets:

Ether 3:9 And the Lord said unto [the Brother of Jared]: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?

10 And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.

11 And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?

12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.

13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.

15 And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.

16 Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.

What an IMPORTANT record!! The Bible is missing such specific knowledge about how Christ dealt personally with prophets, such as this man, the Brother of Jared. Why is the Bible different in this way? I don't know, except that it is only a small portion of the Lord's total records. The Book of Mormon abridgement is only a small portion too. There is a LOT.

And so we have records that extend back nearly 5000 years, to the time of the Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon (Compare Genesis 11).

When you consider that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, as most scholars agree, and Moses lived long after the Brother of Jared, we can see that the prophetical writings of the Book of Mormon record pre-date those of the Bible, FWIW.

I don't remember reading anywhere that Jesus said to "read the bible." In fact, in his day, was there a bible? Scrolls in the hands of a "few," yes, but a bible?

The bible is more or less a "modern" invention that took form with the advent of printing presses, and the Word eventually got into the hands of many. We should be so grateful for having the Holy Scriptures in our lives, in our homes.

When Jesus visited the Nephite people on the American continent shortly after His resurrection, He had them add some more scriptures to their scriptural records (see 3 Nephi 23 & 24). But these were on plates.

Doesn't it make sense that we would read these things in the Old Testament? They are of value! There are many wonderful stories and examples of faith. What would we do without the wonderful stories about Joseph who was sold into Egypt, and learning of his diligent faith and obedience. The story of Abraham and his strict obedience to the Lord when he was commanded to sacrifice his son... Or how about the faith of Noah, Elijah, Daniel, and Samuel, etc., etc.

Our spiritual lives would not be complete without these great accounts. To read the Old Testament was not explicitly stated by the Savior, but He did say to search the scriptures. And He did say to search the words of Isaiah.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

3 Nephi 20:11 Ye remember that I spake unto you, and said that when the words of Isaiah should be fulfilled--behold they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them--

3 Nephi 23:1 AND now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.

3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.

3 Nephi 23:5 ...Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things.

Alma 30:40 And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.

Alma 30:44 ...ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets. The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

These questions were being asked thousands of years ago as well. There is an abundance of evidence that there IS a God, and absolutely zero evidence that there is not. The only way to get a personal witness or testimony is through personal prayer, and waiting on the Lord for Him to speak with you. He will if you are humble enough.

Ether 3:4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.

5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.

6 And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.

7 And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen?

8 And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.

9 And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?

10 And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.

11 And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?

12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.

13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.

15 And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.

16 Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.

(source: http://scriptures.lds. org/ether/3/6#6

As to the air, I don't have the detailed plans of those barges, but we can get some idea of how this is possible in submarines, where access to the ocean below is possible without all the water coming in. It merely takes pressurization, which could have been possible with a pump. When the vessel surfaced, it was possible to keep the top "hatch" open, if the bottom hatch was closed. If the waters flooded ink the Lord told them to stop the hole, which would be referring to the top or the bottom hole. The Lord showed the Brother of Jared HOW to make these barges. It was probably a pretty sophisticated design.

If the Lord can light stones, that they glow indefinitely for use in the barge, would it be hard to tell the Brother of Jared about glass, if indeed that is what the windows were to be made of? The Lord showed this prophet the vision of the world from beginning to the very end. He saw everything, including most likely, glass. We just need to keep in mind that the Lord invented glass, not man. The Lord can talk about what He already knows about...

Here's one thing that does not take any speculation: It is against the law for the Church to move foward in Jerusalem. There will be no LDS temple there unless the law changes. And I might be so bold as to say, there will be no temple of the Lord there, unless it is an LDS temple with all of the proper priesthood authority, which does not exist among the Jews today. They do not have the priesthood, and until they do, there can be no temple of the Lord in that place.