What is the middle way?

[Anonymous]

wayfarer wrote:

By participating in the mass, according to their rules, and detached from the validity of their rules, I found benefit.

I find this very profound, very respectful, and very spiritual. If the spirit is speaking peace to your soul during a catholic mass, there must be goodness and truth there to be found, and I think also because you are preparing your heart in those circumstances to benefit from it.

I agree we can do the same in our church. We may not believe all the things taught or that others believe, but if we are respectful, and prepare our hearts, we can also benefit from our LDS Sabbath Worship services. I personally believe even more so, because I’m connected through a life-time of membership to it.

Its a good message, wayfarer. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Quote:

Brian, you bring tears to my eyes.

It’s the onions.

I’ve talked with him about that, but there’s this thing called agency . . .

[Anonymous]

I’ve been finding my own way the past few years.

That way is a very nice way —->

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It’s pleasant down that way too.

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Of course people do go both ways

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Wizard of OZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yejtZgzB5Ik” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yejtZgzB5Ik

I think it’s important to remember that the emerald city is a kingdom of deception. In the movie the “wizard” hides behind the curtain.

In the book he is even more deceptive. He tells all the people entering into the Emerald City to wear special protective goggles. The Emeralds are so bright that it would cause anyone to go blind without the special green goggles. :ugeek: :geek:

In reality the emeralds are glass. The glass only appears to look like green emeralds because of the green goggles. :sick: :shh:

Once Dorothy realizes the wizard was just a man who got lost in a balloon she loses faith. The kind old idiot offers to take her home in his balloon but he of course floats away before Dorothy could get in. It was probably for the best anyway that sad old fool probably didn’t know where he was going anyway.

In the book the magic slippers were Silver. (Ruby in the movie) Glenda the good witch of the north reveals to Dorothy that the slippers have the powers to transport Dorothy anywhere. In the book she is told to click her heals together thrice and command the slippers to take her wherever she wants.

SO… congratulations you have had magical slippers on your feet all along. You can take your adventure anywhere.

Just remember there is no such thing as a cookie cutter faith.

Even a TBM will have a different personal belief than the next.

You will have a different belief of how to run things in your life.

I choose to stay in OZ.

I think the wizard is a fun guy who tells some great stories.

Some of the members seem brainless, others not at all understanding and heartless and some don’t have the courage to listen to a thing you have to say. “NO NO NO I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THAT!”

That’s just life though.

If I feel that the fake Emeralds are no longer pretty

If I get tired of hanging out with brainless, heartless, cowards.

If the current wizard dies and I don’t like the new one

I can always tell my magic slippers go take me some place else.

I might just hang out at the creepy old witch Castle and dance with the wing monkeys. (if you have the magic wing monkey helmet you can command them to do anything you want withing the borders of OZ)

Do what you like and good luck :wave:

[Anonymous]

Wow Greenapples. That was a great post.

Way…where is that post where you describe what to do during mass if you are not a member. Or just tell me again the protocol.

[Anonymous]

cwald wrote:

Wow Greenapples. That was a great post.

Way…where is that post where you describe what to do during mass if you are not a member. Or just tell me again the protocol.

You can do everything everybody else does. When they walk up to take communion, go up with them, when the priest comes to you, you cross your arms making an X with hands near opposite shoulder and the priest will bless you.

I found it pretty neat–no sense of shunning.

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I’ll just say, I think there is a difference between a deceptive emerald city with a wizard purposefully deceiving the masses, and the LDS Church which tries to teach truth from their point of view. I dont like to think of the middle way as accepting dishonesty and making the most of it. I like the apex of the triangle which is on another level then the two extremes which represent the bottom corners of the triangle.

I believe the middle way is finding the honest truth that exists, and not being bogged down with the misunderstandings that others may have about it, on either end of the spectrum.

[Anonymous]

Heber13 wrote:

I’ll just say, I think there is a difference between a deceptive emerald city with a wizard purposefully deceiving the masses, and the LDS Church which tries to teach truth from their point of view. I dont like to think of the middle way as accepting dishonesty and making the most of it. I like the apex of the triangle which is on another level then the two extremes which represent the bottom corners of the triangle.

I believe the middle way is finding the honest truth that exists, and not being bogged down with the misunderstandings that others may have about it, on either end of the spectrum.

+1000. This is what we must make it be. I just ran afoul of LDS.net after 3 posts — unbelievable.

And I really buy into your comment about finding the honest truth. If something is true, let’s embrace it. if it’s false, $4it-can it. If no-one knows, then let’s admit what we don’t know, and recognize that arguing about what we don’t know is a total waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Heber13 wrote:

I’ll just say, I think there is a difference between a deceptive emerald city with a wizard purposefully deceiving the masses, and the LDS Church which tries to teach truth from their point of view. I dont like to think of the middle way as accepting dishonesty and making the most of it. I like the apex of the triangle which is on another level then the two extremes which represent the bottom corners of the triangle.

I believe the middle way is finding the honest truth that exists, and not being bogged down with the misunderstandings that others may have about it, on either end of the spectrum.

Sure I suppose there are some truths in the teachings. However there were many purposeful deception from the beginning of the church.

For the record as of right now I enjoy Thomas S. Monson as being the current prophet. I enjoyed his talks before he was the prophet. Since he has been prophet I don’t feel that he has said anything that is a commandment other than upholding the standards. Perhaps right now he is not purposefully trying to deceive everyone. However he is the 16th prophet. I feel that the first few prophets did purposefully deceive. TSM has to pretend like there was no deception.

Maybe the deceptions were just “certain points of view.” for the sake of allowing the LDS church to live. Had they been open and honest the church wouldn’t be as strong as it is today. The LDS church might have fizzled out or struggled to survive like so many of the other Mormon groups that split off after Joseph Smith was shot.

I have my own middle way. You all have your own middle way.

My middle way is to no longer have literal belief in the scriptures. I read the scriptures and find the good morals and teachings that are in them.

Finding your own middle way is the best way to go.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely greenapple. Amen.

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