See previous installments here.

Let’s dive right in to some questions!

“Dear EOR,

My bishop tells us we were generals in the war in heaven in the preexistence. Does that mean I outrank him? What can I order him to do for me?
-Anonymous”

Dear Anonymous,

I have some bad news and some good news. It’s a common theme for folks to be told they were generals in the preexistence. This is done to make them feel like special snowflakes. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you still outrank your Bishop because he is supposed to be of service to the Ward members. I would recommend having him give you his raiment in addition to various other merchandise items and monies. After all, you can always remind him that God loves a cheerful giver.

“Dear EOR,

Which Mormon Facebook group is the one true and living group?
-Anonymous”

Dear Anonymous,

You should join none of the Mormon Facebook groups in existence because they are teaching incorrect awesomeness. That, or join all of them, it doesn’t really matter.

“Dear EOR,

“How can I make peace with Church history and still maintain my testimony?
-Anonymous”

Dear Anonymous,

This is a subject you are definitely not alone in. Many struggle to find a balance between loyalty to The Gospel and loyalty to The Institutional Church. It is important to remember that the two are not one and the same. A testimony is a personal thing that can only be known by the bearer thereof. You know what your life experiences have been. You know whether you have a true witness of Christ or not. If you do, no amount of Church history can really take that away from you. If you don’t then maybe you will need to seek your enlightenment elsewhere. No one knows this but you. All I could tell you is my own personal beliefs on the issue but again that would merely be relying on another for something you can only get from yourself.

I realize it is frustrating to ask a question and essentially be told to go do the work yourself, but I think that in your heart of hearts you know that is the only real answer. For what it’s worth, Church history has zero impact on my testimony. I reject any notion that says it must. If you’re different and feel that it does have an impact then my only advice would be to tackle it head on. The only way out is through.

You may send your questions for “Ask EOR” to askeor.rf@gmail.com

EOR is a convert and a divorcee. She is the 2013 Wheaties award winning author in the category: "Funniest Thread", and has a B.S. in Business Management and Economics. In addition to being a permablogger at Rational Faiths, she also is a permablogger at Expert Textperts. She lives in NY, has 2 cats, and enjoys brevity, deli sandwiches, and laughing.

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