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Written on stone... by the finger of God. I'll just ban myself for the rest of the week.

I think there are two kinds of doubt. 1. When we run across something that does not conform with our proven paradigm of reality. 2. When we run across something that does not conform to what we want to be reality. Obviously one kind of doubt leads to better understanding of reality and the other leads to deliberate misunderstandings of reality.

Comments about someone who commits suicide being "free" are in the same vein as comments about cancer victims no longer being in pain, or accident victims being in a better place. They're comments from survivors meant to ease the tragedy by giving it a silver lining. In my limited experience you see such comments from those further removed from the situation, family members and best friends are usually in too much pain to either be seeking a silver lining or to feel such comments constitute them. When we're talking about someone like a celebrity most people who 'knew' them fall outside of that immediate circle and thus you get a plethora of of such comments, so seeing it in the case of Robin Williams doesn't surprise me.

It is absolutely not appropriate and clearly against church policy (handbook 2, 21.1.15). I would kindly reply to the email saying that they should not circumvent their bishop for welfare needs.

I haven't cracked open my bound scriptures in I don't know how long. I love the Gospel app. It's how I read my scriptures and do lots of other various study things. And I was the one fighting ebooks.

Interesting. History is about collecting facts. Then we interpret those facts to tell what we think is the likely story. Suzie has presented facts and an interpretation. But it seems that the facts might support an alternative interpretation. It seems pretty clear that the Nazi's could have carried out the threat "Mormons are next" So why didn't they after finding out about Helmuth? Its seen and noble and idealistic to die for what you believe. It is considerably less so to get others killed for what you believe, and that is the knife edge Helmuth danced on with his actions. As distasteful as we find the actions of the Branch President (including his excommunication of Helmuth) its very possible that it was what deflected the Nazi's. If this is true then the Branch President saved the lives that got put in danger because of Helmuth's actions. As for standing up for what it right, it is a good generalized principle. But the Book of Mormon shows that there can be exceptions. God commanded Mormon (a good and righteous man) to keep his mouth shut and just witness the horrors going on around him for most of his adult life. Mormon did. Did God such a command to the German Saints? Well that depends on if your think the Leaders of the Church were inspired with what they told them to do or not. I think the facts (as presented) can support either way. In fact history is usably quite muddy with multiple possible explanations. The one we choose is probably more a reflection on us then on the historical figures involved.

Why?

Mat Walsh's screed there, while having some technical correctness, was quite possibly the most moronic thing I've ever read. It boils down to a "just be happy" kind of crap that just makes the suicidal drive stronger in depressed people. I've been where Robin Williams was. I spend more time there than not. I think about suicide more than I don't. The whole "just tell someone" is idiotic advice. It just upsets other people and you just get people saying stupid unhelpful things, a little like Mr Walsh did, that just make the depression worse. Talking about it to friends and family almost never helps. It's better to suffer in silence than to endure the stupid statements from ignorant people.

It's sort of a sticky wicket of a situation isn't it? On the one hand, you don't want to destroy a child's faith and/or learning about revelation and going to the Lord. However, on the other hand, perhaps an even more important lesson to learn is that A. Not every feeling we get is revelation and. B. You don't get revelation for things that are not your stewardship. Where a child goes to school is not the child's place to say. It is the parents. It is their right to receive revelation for their children on this, and regardless of the child's impressions, it is the parent's decisions and place. As also pointed out, there are legal issues sometimes in play, and regardless of feelings, sometimes we have to do what we have to do legally. So one could try, as an example -- What if I prayed and felt very strongly that I was going to be the next bishop? Would it be my place to go to the Stake President and tell him that I was? What if then I wasn't called to that position? Would that mean the church was false, of that the Stake President was wrong? Can our feelings get in the way of God communicating with us? Etc... In the end, the parent needs to go to the Lord and do as they feel the Spirit directs them. If the answer there is contradictory to the child's "revelation" then it is time to teach that child about stewardship and obedience. If it the answer is the same as the child's then emphasize the revelation and use that as the focus of teaching. Either way, care is required, and the parent should very carefully follow the Spirit's guidance.

I grew up in the church and never doubted the teachings. When I was in the MTC I decided to ask God (in the temple) if it was true. Oh how naïve I was, already on a mission and finding myself asking. The thing was, I wasn't asking to really know. I just wanted something cool to tell people. There were missionaries at every turn in the MTC with such great conversion stories and how they ended up serving. What was mine? Simply that I had always wanted to go. Lame. So I am prayed in the temple to know. And I didn't get through the first sentence when I just stopped. Thoughts formed in my head saying with a clarity I hadn't experienced before "What are you doing? You know! You have always known!". It was like someone clubbed me on the side of the head. I wanted something amazing and what do I get? A bereavement from Heavenly Father? I felt terrible. But it was true. God answered my prayer. In the end my testimony was made up of how I lived my life and trusting in the Lord. Fulfilling my priesthood duties and liking the way I felt. I simply like the way I feel by living the way I do. I like the way I feel at church and living the Gospel. That feeling is the Holy Ghost. It just took a hit in the head in the Temple for me to recognize it. I say don't JUST go for you. But go for those that you can help. Share what testimony you do have. Serve with intent to do your best, to be your best. Let the Lord do the rest.

Why would it stop them? Basic rule of investigation is that you question everyone. Helmuth gets caught. They think he is not working alone, so logically they would pull in his family, friends and groups that he surrounds himself with, which would include the church. If stereotypes are to be believed the Gestapo is not exactly a friendly or trusting group. So the Lord in his wisdom and foreknowledge puts people in place that even the Gestapo will believe. The Gestapo pull them in and try to break them, prove their story false. The Gestapo fails (because their story is not false) to break them. They can't show that the church was involved so they are let go. Chances are that they were closely watched even after that just in case. They get nothing.

PC was talking about an Open House. M.

Ahh yes I can see how what I wrote be be confusing about conveying my intent now. I was speculating how the Lord might have been protecting his Saints and in so doing called that Branch President as a 'necessary' part of the plan the he was using.

Yes, he was drafted the same year Helmuth was killed and yes, it's the same guy. As a matter of fact, a couple of Helmuth's friends moved to Utah after the war and one of them died just four years ago. No, he wasn't and as a matter of fact when he moved to Utah he worked for the Church for almost two decades.

Excellent point in your first paragraph. I had never thought of it from that perspective. Can you imagine soliciting for missions this way? I really like the response you came up with. Both in the idea of an exchange of work for the donation and how you worded everything.

Given that I am basing what I am going off of from the data you are giving me... Where I am misunderstanding you? That the Branch President appeared to be a Nazi loyalist? Or that Branch President's are called of God? (Which implies that God picked him for a reason. Which reason admittedly, I did assume given the aftermath of the Nazi's not following through) If the failure to act is because of Fear then of course. If however the failure to act was because God told you to not do anything that is an entirely different matter. Helmuth is a considered a hero because of how things turned out. However the case can be made that the District President and Branch President are heroes because they listened to the councils and were able to undo the damage that Helmuth's disobedience did. If Helmuth's actions had instead also gotten the LDS members sent to the camps with the Jews I don't think anyone would consider him a hero.

I would tell them. It takes some cash and time to get a new employee going. Although not obligated to tell them, it does seem unfair to start the job if they think you are going to be around a while then jump ship a few months later. If the position usually only lasts a few months anyway sure go for it. Otherwise I don't think it is very considerate. I would place yourself in their situation. You hire someone thinking that the position is filled and you can start meeting your goals. Then they knowingly up and leave. Have you thought of looking for temp work?

I only have the data you have given me on the subject, but I am not trying to imply that the Branch President tried to trick the Nazi's with a false front. I simply can not know that (and I am leaning toward the idea that he was not being false). I am more toward the idea that the Lord knew what was necessary to preserve the LDS Saints in a situation that they simply could not prevail otherwise, no matter how much they might want to. That the calling of what appears to be a Nazi Loyalist as leader is part of what was necessary. If this is true then Helmuth is less a hero then he is a kid who thought he knew better then the church leaders who put them at risk.

I would like to think that if I were ready to stand up for something as noble as this, the last thing in my mind would be the "law of the land". Rather I would be thinking only about what was right in the eyes of God. The laws of the land are ultimately laws of men, which do not supersede God. Thanks for sharing this. It was great to learn a little about these Saints in Germany.

try this: there's a button for subtitles on the bottom right Enjoy!

My mother wrote more than one suicide note blaming me and my father. To a young teen, on the verge of internalizing the content of those notes, hearing the notion that mom was being unspeakably cruel to level such blame on her son, probably saved me a lot of issues over these last 3 decades. When she finally managed to end her life when I was in my 20's, that knowledge was a strength to me. When someone is pushed past their limits and no longer in control of their actions, there's no sin in suicide. But when someone has agency in the matter - well - is there any more fitting word than 'cowardice' to describe getting out of your pain by ending your life, thus increasing the pain of your loved ones tenfold? For that matter, if that isn't what cowardice looks like, can someone tell me what it does look like? We're fallen sinners. Sometimes we do cowardly things. It's hardly outside of the realm of possibility. And having a good understanding of such possibilities can be of inestimable value to those left behind. It's sure a heck of a lot better than carrying misplaced guilt through your life because you think it was your fault your loved one ended themselves.

Was there emotion before the fall? Yes. But when society reaches a certain state of progression they do not deal with the sorrow and pain they once did. In such a state further growth is slow. They are effectively impeded in their progression. Thus a new and more difficult challenge must be offered. With this new challenge comes deeper pain but also a greater joy. The garden is the zenith of progression for a society in its current state. In such a state a new challenge must be offered, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This new challenge and opportunity represents a step up in progression. When an individual partakes of this new more difficult challenge he inevitably falls. His work is then to overcome his current fallen condition. In so doing he is lifted up to a new state with deeper joys, greater love, and a more complete happiness. Christ is the great prototype. Having descended below all is now the greatest of all. Having suffered greater contradictions than man can suffer he is filled with deeper joy and love.

Write down the priorities in your life in order of importance, then make your decision. I promise you that if you put God first in your life and in every decision that you make, everything will work out like it's supposed to. That is a 100% guarantee. Be confident. Have courage. You may really want this job but if you don't get it because of the timing of your mission, God will take care of you. You will get something that is way better. Sacrifice brings fourth the blessings of heaven. It really does. :-)

I tend towards a "law and order", "don't rock the boat" mentality. I'm ashamed to say that if I were living in 1776 . . . I'm not sure I wouldn't have sided with the Loyalists. I did think about going down to Nevada to support Cliven Bundy a couple of months ago, though . . . (I kid, I kid! ) I haven't read the books that came about about Hubener; but I'm intrigued by the branch president. Did he survive the war? Did he explain his actions later? Had he acted out of blind loyalty to the Nazis, or did he feel he needed to throw Hubener under the bus to protect the rest of his branch from retribution? Was he himself later subjected to Church discipline, or otherwise shunned for what he did? Edit: Did some Googling. Hubener's branch president, Arthur Zander, was drafted into the German army in late 1942. An Arthur Zander from Hamburg immigrated to Utah in the early 1950s and became known as the father of soccer in Utah and died in 1989; his obituary in the Deseret News is online. I wonder whether it's the same guy?

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. AND “I established the Constitution of this land,” said the Lord, “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80). While we do believe in sustaining the law, there comes a time when the laws of the land are onerous, and need to be thrown down. Those wise men raised up by the lord to establish the constitution of this land, also wrote: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." Those wise men raised up by The Lord, were overthrew the government to which they were subject. They are not condemned for doing so, on the contrary they are held as just men. No government who does any of these things deserves to continue. Those who support with violence deserve violence in return.

While not stated very sympathetically, I think Walsh makes some good points. It disturbs me to see comments that Robin Williams is "free" now. What impact does that make on people who are on the verge of suicide? I have some severely depressed relatives who have come close, but they don't choose suicide when they think about what it would do to their family. I think some people are not in their right mind and are not accountable. I knew a woman who had a drastic personality change after an aneurysm and jumped in a river in the middle of winter. She is one of the kindest people I have ever known and I just felt sadness. When my friend's dad shot himself in the head, I felt furious. He had been a selfish, controlling man and this was just one more thing that hurt his family. Life insurance didn't cover it, so his wife who had stayed home to raise 4 children suddenly had to go back to school close to her 50's and their son still lives with her to help pay the bills. My mom and I were there shortly after he was airlifted and it was like a horror scene. My mom helped clean up the mess, but not even professional carpet cleaning worked. They had to replace the carpet, which was not an expense she could afford. My friend was in the middle of her senior year. Even worse, her brother was initially questioned because the police thought maybe he shot him. One minute they were watching a movie together. He was laughing and acted like everything was fine. Immediately afterwards, he went upstairs and shot himself. No note. No explanation of any kind. His wife's reaction was anger. "He's always doing such stupid things!!!" she said. What I learned later was that it was kind of common in the culture he grew up in for a middle aged man to kill himself when he felt like the best of his life was behind him. I don't know if that was the issue with him, but I felt angry for a long time because of what his family went through. He had made comments over the years that if he were ever to kill himself, he would shoot himself in the head - stated it in a very matter-of-fact manner.

Either way it should never be used for anything other than ward business.

Leah, have you brought this to your Bishop's attention? Did he give his permission?? TheFolkProphet- it states on the online Stake/Ward directory that the names are NOT to be used for commercial, business or political use.

I was thinking this same thing...except doing it in the other order. I would send her to school now until December and if things work out okay...continue on with school. If they are not okay, pull her out and home school. The reason I would do the public school first is starting a new year in school, children tend to start picking their friends and get bonded to them. If she does home schooling first, then she will come into school months after all the other children have bonded and she will have to try to fit in... almost like going to a new school and trying to fit in mid term. If she already has anxiety... it would be hard for her to go in as a newbie 3 months into the school year. I think if you are going to send her to public school at all, she has a better chance going in fresh with all the other children at the beginning of the new year. Keep it all in prayer.

I like what you say. There is value in the child's impressions, don't dismiss them as not. Just a few points i'd like to mention: * We are all given agency * We each have stewardship over ourselves, otherwise personal revelation wouldn't exist and we would be reliant solely on our leaders. * Others have stewardship over us [to lead and guide us] *Jesus was 12 when he taught in the temple (Luke 2:39-52) *Joseph Smith was about 14 when he saw the first vision. *The first chapter of Jeremiah talks about "But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." *There are more examples in both the bible and book of Mormon.

At that age (10) children are very impressionable. I believe that receiving the card from her teacher made her feel special and wanted and she changed her mind about homeschooling, it is normal.

I've been a branch president and had to do these kinds of interviews before. I'm also a parent with five children. I would urge you to talk to your parents privately first. Then have them go with you to see the bishop. If you truly have an addiction to pornography, you won't beat it alone. Parents can help you. You'll need an "accountability partner" and they'd be your best choice. Satan tells you that you have to deal with this alone. The Lord would broaden the circle of care and let you know you have support.

If the op has a TRUSTED YW advisor, I don't think it's a bad idea to let her know the situation--but understanding that such a conversation is preparatory to, not a substitute for, talking to a bishop. Let's face it--a teenaged girl talking to an adult male about her porn addiction is, while not inappropriate, undeniably awkward. IMHO every effort should be made to make her feel comfortable and prepared for such a conversation.

You say, "Bishop I have a problem I need to talk to you about." Then bring up your problem. Your Bishop isn't there to judge you. But he is there to help you.

Your music is based in simple harmonic progressions that were mathematically solved over 4,000 years ago. I am an engineer and scientist currently working in the field of automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. In my youth I learned the guitar and played with a group – a couple of individuals in the group went on to make a living and profession in music – I chose a different root – in part because I served a mission. Though I found scientific theory and music theory to be extremely similar I chose science over music because I like the hours and schedule in the scientific field over what is necessary in the music industry. Harmony is a critical element of music as well as in science and life. I learned that to be in harmony with more than myself to be much more rewarding to myself as well as others. Thus performing with others adds to the magic of music and harmony. Learning to play and be in harmony with G-d and the good things of the universe is the most rewarding and fulfilling music to play and that is what I discovered on my mission. Some would say that you should only go on a mission for yourself – do not server a mission for your father or parents or anyone else. I disagree. Jesus served his mission and died serving his mission for his father and those he was called to serve.

I also had trouble believing when I was younger. I was told to pray about the Book Of Mormon and Joseph Smith to know if the church was true and I remember doing so as a young lad in primary and not getting any answers. This made it harder for me as a teenager while I had friends and family around who had strong testimonies and I just didn't. I was still a good kid, I just couldn't say that I knew the church was true, I wasn't even sure if I could say I believed it was true. For me the life changer was hungering and thirsting after a knowledge of the truth. My dad bore testimony to me telling me he knew that the church was true. My dad never lied about anything, and I really wanted to know how he knew... after all I'd tried asking before and didn't get an answer. So I set out to give one final push to determine if the church was true and if God was even there listening and watching over me. This time I made it a point to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover and I waited until I had finished Moroni 10 to take up the challenge to pray about it. Interestingly I was given special feeling through-out the process of reading and studying the BOM to help me learn to recognize the spirit and how answers are given. When I knelt in my bedroom at 17 years of age after finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time I asked my Father in Heaven if he was listening and if the Book of Mormon was true. I further promised to do His will if he would let me know, and I think this was key for me. I felt a great peace come over me and light fill my body, I knew it was all true. The biggest difference for me in this attempt before all others was that I put in a lot more effort and I was prepared to act on my answer. That isn't to say that as a six year old I wasn't planning to keep the commandments or anything like that if I wasn't given an answer, but the commitment level and desire to know were not the same. I wish you well, and hope you find the answers you are seeking. I will promise you that God is there. He loves you. He is listening, and the answers will come. We had an awesome lesson on conversion in priesthood this last Sunday and one interesting piece of information that came up was that sometimes people can be converted without knowing it. I found this intriguing to say the least, but there it was in the true to the faith booklet one of our quorum members had as a resource on the topic. Perhaps you already have your answer and just haven't recognized it. It may be useful when praying to know the truthfulness of the restored gospel to ask for a clear understanding of answers given. All the best.

This may justify a field trip on my part--for the open house. I'll have to mentally/psychologically prepare myself for the matching of large choclate chip cookies with lime water at the visitor's reception area, though.