Peaceful confirmations of the spirit

[_Meadowchik]

Last night I had a super-weird dream, the likes of which I've never had, the blending of completely irrational and groundbreaking. In part of it, someone looks at my hair and says, "There's an olive crawling in your hair." I respond, "Oh yes, it must be from lunch." The other weird part is that I peed in the dream while NOT peeing in my sleep. When I was a kid and wet the bed, it typically occurred with a concurrent dream-pee. But in this dream, I found a toilet (a really strange toilet,) peed in it, felt the relief, but was dry in real life. As an adult if I ever needed to go, dreams like this would wake me up before it was too late. But this one didn't wake me up and it still wasn't too late.

So, I'm left to wonder: are these transcendentally-changed dreamscapes representing good changes in mt psyche or a descent into madness?

We shall see...

[_Stem]

Wow, that is a really cool dream!

I thought it was too. I don't know if it was something that became more clear to him as he reflected on it over the years because it seemed to carry a few levels of application. There was depth there. or was it just me?

At this moment we were commenting on God the whole idea of him. His girlfriend feels very confident there's a God, but my son does not. He'd probably label himself an atheist at this point, but this was a story he remembered that made him wonder if God is there, listening and helping.

[_Stem]

The church is so wrong on many things. The leaders really need to stop pretending they have inspiration or that they somehow speak for god.

Agreed. Bill Reel did a recent podcast on that Bishop guy who molested a sister missionary and many others, apparently. He basically said, as I recall, "I don't need a true church. I just want one that's good, or trying to do good." He went on to say the Church as it currently is is not that anymore to him--not one trying to do good, necessarily. I'd agree with him. Even in my most in it years I wasn't as concerned about it being true as I was about it being good. I think the teaching the Church holds onto that it is lead by revelation as opposed to all other churches and orgs is wrong, and they know it. I don't think that's healthy.

[_Stem]

Gays have a long history of being persecuted by pretty much every religion and social class of world history. Only in modern times does it seem that things are getting a little better as far as Christians although Christians are divided about gay love. Many Christians have tolerance and acceptance (such as Jersey Girl, bless her heart) but other Christians feel that being gay warrants the death penalty.

Gay love is a beautiful expression between two persons or three if you prefer threesomes!

LOL!!!

lol. threesomes.

Thanks for this. I'd agree, it certainly seems like the world has a history of hating on those that are gay.

[_Stem]

I have never had any cool dreams, but I did feel the spirit really strong once. It happened when I was sixteen, and I will never forget it. It was a Sunday in October. I had just got home from church and had gone upstairs to watch the Raiders play the Chiefs. I'm from NoCal, so no surprise that I really hated the Chiefs. So did my Bishop, so I figured it was a righteous hatred. The Raiders were behind, but scored 14 points in the forth quarter to win the game by two. I felt really happy about this and had warm feeling of peace come over me. I knew right then that this was the spirit confirming to me that Jesus loved the Raiders too, and that it is god's one true team. I say.this.in.the.name.of.the.AFC.west.amen.

Super Bowl in 1989, I was 12. I was about to lose it because the 9ers were down in the fourth. I ran into my room, with tears in my eyes thinking that the Bengals had won. Then I prayed. With great vigor I prayed. I cried and screamed in my pillow, and felt peace come to me. I went back out to see the game, and the 9ers came back and won it. Jesus shed his grace upon me that day.

[_Stem]

I want to copy your whole post so I can see the whole of what I'm replying to here. Yes, I want to comment.

I love the powerful imagery of your son's dream.

The older teens were of course very vulnerable to the church's indoctrination over time and no doubt their goal (and perhaps that if their parents) was to conform.

You have to ask yourself if you value conformity over critical thinking, and what explanation makes most sense to you. What explanation can you live with in relation to your fellow human being, ask yourself if it's possible that it's possible that human-led teachings of a church can be fallible, and decide how you will approach others who experience the world differently than you do.

Stem I know what people thought of you prior to your return here. I came to know you elsewhere and I could have probably predicted how you would respond to your son's inquiry.

You think and evaluate for yourself and you're not reluctant to share a view that differs from the church. In your response to your son, you modeled that for him and showed him that independent thought holds worth.

The problem I see with the LDS Church's position on homosexuality (and other churches as well) is that in terms of gay youth and children of gay parents, it is damaging to their very core, their sense of self worth, their self image and their self confidence. I don't believe that our churches should be in the businsess of polarizing or marginalizing other human beings.

It should be in the business of embracing them and lifting them up.

What you see as peaceful confirmations of the spirit, I also see as clarity. I think they are one and the same.

Excellent thoughts, thanks Jersey Girl. I particularly find this agreeable:

"It should be in the business of embracing them and lifting them up."


I felt a great deal of comfort in the story he shared with me. I felt good he could come to me and that I offered what to him at the time was confirmation for the clarity he had just received.

[_Stem]

I wish my dreams were as clarifying as that one by Stem's son.

If the Church were to ask itself the question, "Does this display God's love?" for each of its policy decisions, then some of those decisions would be vastly different.

For sure on both counts. I can barely ever remember my dreams. I'm glad he had such a vivid recollection of this one.

[_candygal]

The dream speaks to me on so many levels..the world is not all just black and white..it is a rainbow so that all of us are not singled out. For all my support and love for the gay community..I don't know how it would feel to walk in the gray as they have done..nor understand their pain and exclusion. The rainbow shines now as finally changes have brought out the color of right to love..their friendships discovered ..the cloud is gone.

Loved your son's dream.