Comments on: Parents of Wayward Children: It’s Going to Be Alright http://www.larrybarkdull.com/530/parents-of-wayward-children-it%e2%80%99s-going-to-be-alright Professional Writer Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:35:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: gospelidea http://www.larrybarkdull.com/530/parents-of-wayward-children-it%e2%80%99s-going-to-be-alright/comment-page-1#comment-590 gospelidea Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:40:07 +0000 http://www.larrybarkdull.com/?p=530#comment-590 I would not want to put words in Elder McConkie's mouth, but I doubt that he was declaring an absolute. Otherwise, how would we judge Paul, Alma, the sons of Mosiah, and countless other people who sinned badly and afterwards made their way home? It seems to me that the way a person comes home and what he does with his new lease on life would determine eternal status. In the parable, the Prodigal was compelled to go home. We are glad he returned, but we would have preferred that true repentance rather than starvation ushered him home. We don't know the rest of the story. What did he do with his father's generosity and mercy? If he responded as did Paul, Alma and the sons of Mosiah, we have every reason to expect that he would have received a prophet's reward. Otherwise, if he slipped back or became indifferent, we would expect that would have become a servant to the more valiant ones. I would not want to put words in Elder McConkie’s mouth, but I doubt that he was declaring an absolute. Otherwise, how would we judge Paul, Alma, the sons of Mosiah, and countless other people who sinned badly and afterwards made their way home? It seems to me that the way a person comes home and what he does with his new lease on life would determine eternal status. In the parable, the Prodigal was compelled to go home. We are glad he returned, but we would have preferred that true repentance rather than starvation ushered him home. We don’t know the rest of the story. What did he do with his father’s generosity and mercy? If he responded as did Paul, Alma and the sons of Mosiah, we have every reason to expect that he would have received a prophet’s reward. Otherwise, if he slipped back or became indifferent, we would expect that would have become a servant to the more valiant ones.

]]> By: Charmaine Anderson http://www.larrybarkdull.com/530/parents-of-wayward-children-it%e2%80%99s-going-to-be-alright/comment-page-1#comment-589 Charmaine Anderson Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:44:19 +0000 http://www.larrybarkdull.com/?p=530#comment-589 Your words always give me hope and peace but something I read in the Doctrinal NT Commentary always gives me pain and sometimes when I read your words I think of it. I can't understand how it can be true because it flies in the face of everything I have ever been taught about the atonement. McConkie: "But we need not suppose that the two sons were thereafter equal in power, honor, or dominion. The inheritance of one was already wasted. As President Joseph Fielding Smith has written, 'There is rejoicing in heaven over every sinner who repents; but those who are faithful and transgress not any of the commandments, shall inherit 'all that the father hath,' while those who might be sons, but through their 'riotous living' waste their inheritance, may come back through repentance to salvation to be servants, not to inherit exhaultation as sons." The Way to Perfection pp. 21-22 The sinner will always be a "servant" he will never be a "son?" Could a prophet really say this? Are not we all sinners? Is not that what the prodigal son is all about? What about the sins that are scarlet being white as snow? This comment is very faith destroying for me. It makes me very discouraged. Your words always give me hope and peace but something I read in the Doctrinal NT Commentary always gives me pain and sometimes when I read your words I think of it. I can’t understand how it can be true because it flies in the face of everything I have ever been taught about the atonement. McConkie: “But we need not suppose that the two sons were thereafter equal in power, honor, or dominion. The inheritance of one was already wasted. As President Joseph Fielding Smith has written, ‘There is rejoicing in heaven over every sinner who repents; but those who are faithful and transgress not any of the commandments, shall inherit ‘all that the father hath,’ while those who might be sons, but through their ‘riotous living’ waste their inheritance, may come back through repentance to salvation to be servants, not to inherit exhaultation as sons.” The Way to Perfection pp. 21-22

The sinner will always be a “servant” he will never be a “son?” Could a prophet really say this? Are not we all sinners? Is not that what the prodigal son is all about? What about the sins that are scarlet being white as snow? This comment is very faith destroying for me. It makes me very discouraged.

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