Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  Don't we learn the most from the adversity we go through?  It seems so after!  There are those who are suffering all over the world right now!  Let's pray for them.  Especially Afghanistan!  Could a Loving God Allow Such Suffering? By  Daniel C. Peterson  · August 19, 2021 A reader of my blog “ Sic et Non ” has raised the venerable problem of evil.    Philosophers term it the question of “theodicy,” which focuses on whether and (if so) how, given the existence of evil, a belief in God’s goodness and in divine providence can be justified.  For the faithful, this is often one of the thorniest and most difficult of challenges.  And it seems, at least temporarily, to have cost my reader his faith in a benevolent God. In a recent blog entry titled “ On a Disagreeable God ”, I had written that “the God who revealed himself through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration” is a kind and benevolent Father who wants to give us eve...

This article has a lot of wisdom in it!  I hope we can stop judging each other! Hit Me With My Best Shot                                                  by  Brad McBride   |  Posted on  Jun 28, 2020 What’s the absolute worst thing you’ve ever done in your life? It is possible that it was really, really bad. It is also possible that it wasn’t very bad at all. It is also possible that you haven’t actually done the worst thing you will ever do…yet. Now that you have that unpleasant thought in your head, have you ever considered putting it on your business card, or posting it on your social media.  “Hi, I’m Amy: I lied on my taxes!”  Or,  “I’m Ron: I beat up a kid in college ,” or “ I’m John, and I cheated on my wife .” Most of us would never do that for obvious reasons. We don’t want to be defined by the...

This is extremely interesting, and so true.  It is easy to understand, and agrees with both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Hitting the Bullseye: What the Restored Gospel has that Others Don’t By Wallace Goddard  · November 12, 2018 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE There are some theological issues that matter more than others. For example, theologians have hotly debated God’s passibility (ability or willingness to feel our pain), the workings of grace, and the nature of the virgin birth. Untold gallons of ink and the blood of saints have been spilled trying to settle such issues (Jenkins, 2010). Yet clear and final answers on marginal issues are not necessary to a life of faith. The same principle can apply to us. There are many issues related to the restored gospel that we may not fully understand. We can become quite unsettled by them. Or we can keep our focus on the principles that matter most. In my...

This is a comforting article, for those of you who are having very sad events and feelings in your lives, especially at this Christmas Holiday and New Year's time!  One Crucial Thing We Miss When Trying to Understand Why God Allows Us to Suffer so Deeply by Danielle B. Wagner  | Dec. 28, 2017 Makes You Think Mormon Life It's an age-old question every religion has attempted to answer for centuries: Why do bad things happen to good people? If God blesses and loves those who follow Him, why does He still allow immense suffering to enter their lives? Most the time when I've heard answers to this question given in church, teachers or speakers rely on a few standbys: 1) God will not inhibit the agency of ourselves or others, 2) living in mortal bodies brings pain and decay, 3) living in a fallen world brings unexpected suffering and disasters. Yes, our sins and the poor choices of others can impact us, bringing misery, stress—even genocide a...