Comments on: What Dreams May Come

By: Clark

Clark — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:42:07 +0000

@10 Women can’t practice priestcraft because they have no priesthood, so it’s not an issue… j/k.

To get back to the original post, I believe there is a major dichotomy within Mormonism on the weight we should give spiritual impressions. On one hand, we’re told that impressions from the Spirit are the highest, surest, most reliable guide we have in life, and the only real teacher to understanding the temple. On the other, all our views on other subjects are required to be “proof-texted” from the scriptures or recent General Conference addresses from the prophets to be taught.

We believe in the gift of prophecy, revelation, visions, etc., but only on the personal or family level. Ever since the Hiram Page incident, the Church has been very specific about who is entitled to guide it.

My opinion is that if we humbly seek, we will receive visions and insights, BUT they’re intended for our personal use and not for sharing. Even if the dreams aren’t “visions,” they can still provide meaningful insights to the world around us. Most bookstores will carry a “dream dictionary” explaining the meaning of common dream symbols.

By: bheppy

bheppy — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:49:02 +0000

There is a sister in our ward that does some dream interpreting as a part of her “braingym” counseling services she does from her home. I was wondering if anyone knows of this type of thing in there ward. I get concerned wit the fact that if this is a talent then the fact that she charges is different than if this is a gift of the spirit, shouldn’t it be used to simply strengthen members.

By: AndrewJDavis

AndrewJDavis — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:18:28 +0000

Thomas @8:
And sometimes its dinner!

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:13:34 +0000

MH — Sometimes a cow is just a cow.

By: Mormon Heretic

Mormon Heretic — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:53:23 +0000

Thomas, I agree with what you’re saying. On the one hand, there are some amazing similarities between Eastern Orthodoxy’s idea of Theosis/Deification and Mormon Exaltation. What I was referring to was more of the idea that Mormon’s use logic and reason is more similar to Catholic/Protestant use of logic and reason. Eastern Orthodoxy doesn’t really use reason and logic as an attempt to explain God. They’re much more into mystery and symbolism to explain God.

Even as I have attempted to understand Deification, it seems to me that I explain it from a logical basis, and my Orthodox friend kept saying, “No you don’t understand, it’s like this symbol….” Use of symbols to explain things seems to be exactly what Joseph was doing as he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. I mean if I had a dream about skinny cows eating fat cows, or skinny ears of corn eating fat ears, I’d just think it was a really strange dream and wouldn’t attach any meaning to it. Or, I’d probably go to Freud, and think it had something to do with my mother….

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:28:54 +0000

“but since Mormons are closer to Western Christianity than Eastern Christianity”

Interesting. I’ve found the opposite to be true in many respects. Our Trinitarianism is closer to that of the (Greek) Nicene Fathers, and the Orthodox probably have the closest soteriological cousin to our doctrine of exaltation.

We do have an odd mix, though, in our theological framework, of mysticism and (generally poor) religious rationalism.

By: Mormon Heretic

Mormon Heretic — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:19:55 +0000

I think one of the interesting things about Christianity was the division into Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. While the split was official around 1000 AD, there were big differences in the centuries prior to the actual split. The Western places a large emphasis on logic, reason, rationality, while the Eastern church promotes more symbolic, mysterious and mystical aspects of the gospel.

It seems to me that Western thought just can’t handle the largely symbolic, interpretive dreams. Joseph and the Eastern Church would seem to do better, but since Mormons are closer to Western Christianity than Eastern Christianity, I think we too struggle with symbolism.

By: R.M.

R.M. — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:56:54 +0000

Twenty years ago when I was a bishop I asked specifically in prayer sunday night for the Lord to tell me if there was anyone in need in my ward that I needed to help. That night I dreamed I was at someone’s house sitting at a table when I heard a women’s voice say, “Bishop look at my husband’s feet.” I looked down and her husband’s bare feet were black/blue/discolored and scaly. That next day when I was driving home from work my wife called when I was only a minute from the store next to our house and asked me to get milk. I turned in got the milk and when wait leaving I spotted a sister from the ward just ahead of me. I called out to her and she stopped and we spoke. She told me that the bills for her husband’s treatments were getting worse and worse. I asked if I could come to her home–right then. I went to their home and sat at the table with thousands of outstanding bills owing–her husband had had a bone marrow transplant and was trying to recover. At one point this sister said, “Bishop look at my husband’s feet.” I looked down and it was the very feet I saw in the dream the night before. I told this sister that the Lord wanted me at their house at this time and I was going to see that every single one of these bills are paid right now.
I have wondered about that experience for years. My wife calling just at the right time. That sister being there. All this coming together. This was not just wonderful working out or insights–it was real and concrete and specific and in real time. I wish that had happened more often in my life. Today I am a skeptic about a lot of things related to my “faith” in church, history, etc. but I have never been skeptical about the love of God and my faith in Christ and that somehow, someway he gets through for the sake of others despite mine and our issues.
Dreams are most often nonsense, but sometimes they provide a path to communicate that my conscious mind will not allow…

By: hawkgrrrl

hawkgrrrl — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:40:21 +0000

I am a big believer in the power of dreams. Our minds are active and working on problems as we sleep, and dreams can reveal a lot of information to us about our inner states. I think the problem with dreams is that people don’t know how to understand them or don’t “get” the metaphorical language of dreams. Our subconscious minds have a real sense of humor sometimes! Unfortunately, some people think they should take them literally instead of metaphorically or symbolically. Hmmm, kind of like scriptures.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:44:41 +0000

I once dreamed that the Savior had returned — specifically, to my elementary school auditorium during a book fair. He seemed less impressive than I expected. I told him, repentantly, “I’ll do better next time.” He looked at me sternly and said “The important thing is to do it right the first time.” And walked away.

I am so doomed.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:41:57 +0000

Great movie. Oh, wait . . .

We certainly live in a time when dreams are not valued and perceived as they used to be – and I think that is both positive and negative. I also have no idea how to understand dreams better, especially when I do believe there are some (rare) dreams that are more than just “dreams” – that actually would be better described as sleep-time visions.

Great questions; not very good answers from me.