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I just watched the video associated with this article on lds.org. What stood out to me most is that President Russel M. Nelson identified himself as a prophet of God. In all of the talks from General Conference, and in all other Church resources I have personally read, I am not aware of a situation where a modern prophet that has lived during my lifetime has testified of himself. The apostles frequently testify of the prophet, and occasionally of each other, but I believe it is rare indeed to hear one testify of them self. I am grateful for this witness. Here is the snippet:

This is a long thread and I can’t comment on everything but I’d like to make a few observations. I was in Brazil on my mission in the mid 80’s. We were expected to do more then 70 hours of proselyting per week. You couldn't do that if you obeyed the rules. We were expected to not eat dinner until we returned home at 9:30. Therefore the mission president required us to break the rule of dinner from 5:00 to 6:00. I basically obeyed the rules but didn’t freak out over getting home a few minutes early or late I remember doing splits with an AP who insisted that we stay on the street until 9:30 and insisted that you could not get blessings if you went home early. He wasn’t concerned about getting home a few minutes late though. I thought, who would want you knocking at their door at 9:25pm? There was a nickname for APs which which was assistente GH which stood for glória dos homens, or glory of men. On my mission we always had tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of non members in our area. The stake where I now live is in a high LDS population area. There are only something like fifteen hundred non members in our stake yet we have three sets of missionaries in our stake and very few baptisms. If the members were doing their duty there would be little need for missionaries in areas where there is a large LDS population. My brother lives in Rexburg, Idaho he told me ther are only two households in his ward that are non member. I haven’t kept in contact with most of the people I baptized but I have kept on contact with one family. We baptized the mother and two young sons. The father was not ready. Another son was born to the family later. This third son went on a mission to a the state of Washington. He returned to Brazil and was married in the temple. One of the older brothers went inactive and was killed in a motorcycle accident. This incident was a wake up call to the father who was then baptized by his youngest son and the family was sealed in the Temple. The son of the oldest brother has also been on a mission and is married in the temple. I can’t take credit for all of this, I just happened to be the missionary who was there when they were ready to hear the gospel, but I feel that even if this family is the only family I baptized which is still active in the church then my mission was a success.

Ok, I'll just share my thoughts on these subjects, knowing of course everyone is different. When it comes to archeology-- or rather studies of human archeologist doing their best with their current paradigms... Honestly, I don't find it to be a very useful subject for proving faith. After all, the first biggest points would be to prove the existence of God and He doesn't fit in a test tube repeatable experiment very well. And then that this God has emotions, and then what the emotions are,,,,, and somewhere down the chain that this historic person Jesus was actually a divine Son of God... it's just a long chain of stuff and I don't find it all that useful-- I'd rather use other tools in the tool box. One of the things I actually love about the LDS faith is our acknowledgment that there IS light and goodness in all people and faiths. Obviously not priesthood authority and all truths, but still much good. The LDS faith certainly can be a vechiale certainly can be that, as can many other faiths. Obviously I don't think all cars were created equal. The first step to learning is to examine things! I'd consider your examination to be a good thing. Oh, I could on a whole tangent on both of these. Men of God are still men. Thats something made abundantly clear in scripture and study of LDS actual LDS doctrine. I'm not denying the tendency for LDS culture to forget that, or the opposite extreme either. I find that 2 Nephi 25:23 is one of the misinterpreted verses of scripture. "What you can do" = believe. Hence the preaching and rejoicing in Christ described earlier. You're in no ways going to work your way to heaven- that's laughable. "What you can do" = believe. Not just with your mind, but with all of you. Rest of everything (like taking on His name at baptism) follows naturally with this all encompassing belief. Not sure what you're getting at here. I'm a professional scientist who builds instruments to measure things (amoung other duties). When you're building an instrument, you test it by: 1) Having a known positive and making sure the instrument rings positive. Then the reverse: a known negative and making sure the instrument rings negative. Rinse and repeat several times, refining instrument as needed. 2) Have a unknown test and listen to what the instrument tells you: did the instrument get it right? Rinse and repeat several times, refining instrument as needed. 3) At this point you have decent confidence your instrument works well. Of course, later calibration check-ups and refinement are always good things. Learning to listen to the Spirit is just like every other instrument and follows the same protocol.

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/approaching-mormon-doctrine Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted

Caffeine is a great example of cultural Mormonism.

I believe that separating "culture" from "the gospel" has about as much value as separating "doctrine" from "policy" or separating "counsel" from "commandment". That is to say: none. Intellectually I agree there are differences. I do not believe there is any value to differentiating between the these things beyond common sense. No one believes basketball is doctrine. Not even the Stake President who may or may not have had good reasons for almost making it mandatory believed it was "doctrine" to do so --- not unless he was a total moron.

Welcome! I read your post but I'm not sure what you are trying to say.

https://www.10news.com/news/national/starbucks-will-close-all-stores-on-may-29-to-conduct-racial-bias-training-in-wake-of-arrest-video In the wake of the arrests of 2 men at a Starbucks store, they will close 8K stores on May 29th for several hours to conduct racial-bias training. Personally I never blame an entire business for something that one employee in one store did. But in many ways I applaud Starbucks for not looking at bottom line and losing business for several hours to train their employees. This was an incident that never should have happened. Just my opinion.

In another thread a question came up regarding what was Doctrine and what was NOT doctrine. I think it was actually somewhat off topic (as the topic was about Mormon Culture and the aspect of whether the Counsel we receive was cultural or doctrinal came up, but that specific item is about impactful on the overall Mormon Culture as it is a single sand in an hourglass overall...and the more important item of what composes doctrine I think can be clarified.. Given in the Past 5 years... How is Doctrine Established From Todd Christopherson (and yes, he is an apostle, not the prophet, but his words are good at defining what it is and how doctrine comes to be The Doctrine of Christ Now the following is NOT an LDS site per se, but it is FairMormon...this is more of opinion on doctrine rather than what IS doctrine. What is mormon Doctrine PDF Prophets and Infallibility on FairMormon

I think the "men on the moon" story was a joke that was take seriously only by anti-Mormons.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flyer-beware-60-minutes-allegiant-air-investigation/ I had heard of horror stories in the past from friends that have flown this airlines but this 60 Minutes investigation confirms that I will never use this airlines.

Then you have this verse of scripture that puts some statements here in a pickle: So, yes, if a prophet is speaking in is position and his words are influenced by the Holy Ghost it is scripture, which is the "mind," "will," "word," and "voice" of the Lord. Then you have this doctrine: I guess we can say, no wonder why Laman and Lemuel never listened to Nephi and Lehi. None of what they said was "scripture" -- they were probably arguing all day -- "Show me where what you said is in scripture!" The concept of "canon" I would think is new to our generation, a list of given books that we call "doctrinal." Nothing in the Book of Mormon lends to an organized book of scripture where people would accept or reject what was doctrinal. The Book of Mormon itself comes from a collection of writings from prophets that Mormon sought to give the best parts. This is good for our day though, but I can't find any reference before our day where we have a collection of Books we call cannon, while ignoring other Books that are given by the Spirit, which scripture has specified to be scripture. Often, in our day though, we tend to hear this as a battering ram against prophets. It isn't "canon" and their own will, until one day it becomes "canon" and I hope the leather sole tastes better this time around. Much like the Proclamation of the Family. There are people/members who specify it is wrong -- it isn't canon. So they disregard aspects that they disagree with. I would be curious how Adam handled this argument, "Dad your words aren't in 'scripture'. Sorry, your're wrong." I wonder how Enoch handled this argument, which brings us back to the sentiment, "Be careful not to call good evil and evil good," which brings everything back to us. Becareful not to call something of the spirit not of the spirit, or to say something is from the spirit and it is not from the spirit.

The people could have been black or white for all I care. The fact that they were black does become suspect to me. And the fact that there were white witnesses asking what these two men had done to warrant this. So yes. I believe that race played a part in this. There is racism all over. Just because it's Philly doesn't mean that it can't happen there.

Whatever their reason for doing it I'm glad. Starbucks isn't the only business that has been hurt by an employee with racial-bias. More companies need to hold regular training not only on this but other things as well.

I guess I need to quit going to my favorite steak place. They have a bar there. And you can see it.

I've gone into establishments and sat at one their tables while waiting for friends to join me several times. I don't feel it was any different for these two gentlemen who were waiting for another person before they ordered. It was all in the perspective of that one Starbucks employee who I feel made a wrong decision.

Oh please. Starbucks is more than just coffee. I go there for the Strawberries N' Cream.

Jewels8 - I think most folks gave up on that line of thinking a while ago. For example, do you fill your car with gas? You are propping up brutal dictatorships who deny basic human rights. Unless you ditch your car, or go to unfeasible extremes to confirm you are using American only gas and oil, you're part of the problem. Do you shop anywhere that is open on Sunday? We want to eliminate those kinds of things, not support them. Do you shop at grocery stores? Do they have a beer aisle? Does shopping at places that sell beer, bring you closer to the Spirit? Nah. You support the coffee industry by buying coffee. Starbucks make excellent muffins that are yummy.

Sorry. Failed joke.

I really don't think you should read very much into this. Bishopric have a tendency to be busy putting out fires, and it is very hard for them to always be ahead of the game. This doesn't make it right, but the limits of human cognition just make it challenging to look beyond the immediate issue. Here is what I suggest. 1. Don't talk to the bishopric. Talk to the Relief Society, Sunday School, Young Women, and Primary Presidencies. Let them know you are available and want to serve. Also, let them know what kinds of callings you enjoy doing. They will very often pass ideas to the bishopric in Ward Council meetings not just that you want a calling, but they will also pass along ideas of what role you might fill in their organizations. 2. Don't wait to receive a calling to do something. The people that are the most valuable to the Ward are those who will reach out to the members around them, build friendships, and minister (yes, I used that word deliberately) without being asked. Offer yourself as a primary substitute/teacher. Volunteer to coordinate the effort to provide meals for a family going through a hospitalization. The people who just periodically take one task off the Ward council's to-do list are life savers. I am in a ward with only 120 members, and we struggle to get everyone a meaningful calling. We have no trouble giving everyone meaningful work. If you're not asked to do something specific, take it as liberty to do something you love.

I have seen quite a few bright, and not so bright people on either side. For those without an organized religion or structured belief system , It seems to me that often their political party becomes their dogma.

Vort, watch 60 minutes rather than read about it. https://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/

I don't think I could agree more.

Those of us who live here are beyond unsurprised . . . especially, @Vort!

Fun facts to explore in the debate: Human cloning is banned in some 70+ countries. That will not keep those with the interest and means from developing it. Cloning occurs in nature (twins, asexual reproduction, etc.). Clones are mostly, but not thoroughly genetically identical. There are many genetically-related and sub-genetic processes that prevent clone organisms from being thoroughly identical and even alter the expression of identical genes (the same gene can show up in different manifestations). The cloning of our organs is a form of owning a human clone, and is on a par with banking our own blood for a future operation, transfusion, medical emergency, or performance doping. Fun opinion: the spirit and the body are so thoroughly integrated that even “identical” bodies are two distinct souls, and a soulless body can show signs of life.

Are you positive about this? The Traveler

I have known young children and perhaps the occasional teen to say something like, "The Church says that we shouldn't drink Pepsi." But I don't believe I have ever known an adult Latter-day Saint who doesn't realize that drinking caffeinated soda pop is not prohibited behavior. [And Vort wins the Triple-Negative Award of the Day!] You two clearly need to learn how to be more positive.

I have known young children and perhaps the occasional teen to say something like, "The Church says that we shouldn't drink Pepsi." But I don't believe I have ever known an adult Latter-day Saint who doesn't realize that drinking caffeinated soda pop is not prohibited behavior. [And Vort wins the Triple-Negative Award of the Day!]

An identical twin is a clone - and yes twins (clones) have their own souls. It was once thought (by traditional Christians) that illegitimate children did not have souls as noble as legitimate children. In general, I think that those that believe in G-d should be on the cutting edge of science. Not forever trying to catch up on “empirical things” they refuse to understand. The Traveler

@Carborendum and @zil win the best exchange on any forum ever award.

So again, just to make sure we all understand what the church is doing... Church Statement About Alleged Sexual Assault by Former Mission President - Newsroom - March 2018 And this: How the Church Approaches Abuse - Newsroom - Take a look at what the church says about these headings: And President Hinckley's General Conference talk from 2002, where he talks about spousal, elderly, and child abuse: And occasional news stories like this one from 2016: Church Marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Thanks. Very interesting. Aren't almost all cities liberal - or at least more liberal than the areas surrounding them? My dad said once (with no small amount of disgust) that almost every county in Washington State was red, except the one that covers most of the Seattle Metro (King) i guess i'd consider myself a conservative in theory - and middle of the road with liberal leanings in practice. i think the government does a pretty awful and inefficient job at most social things - but i don't know - seems like someone has to step in when a lot of people play life like my brother used to play a game of Monopoly (hint: he cheated - and was pretty good at it too). i wonder what it is about cities that make people more liberal. i tend to think a person's political leanings are mostly a function of the experiences of their parents, followed by their own experiences - which are often not that different.

That article makes me sad. We just got done celebrating my uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary where they got married again - it's a ceremony called reaffirmation of vows - done just like a wedding complete with bridesmaids and flowergirls and beautiful wedding dresses and the celebratory Catholic mass in the festively decorated Catholic Church with the grand reception following complete with a ball, a giant wedding cake, a toast from the best man and maid of honor and the mountains of presents... I'm sad that instead of celebrating wedding anniversaries as the marker for marriage success, they make the marriage itself as the marker. I sometimes wonder how kids can grow up sure about who they are and who they belong to when everything can fall into pieces at any moment's notice shattering all sense of history and tradition behind you. But, that's just me.

A (gay married) friend of mine recently posted this article on his Facebook page: http://theatln.tc/2FRjpB6 I would venture to suggest that it’s not even about sex being for “fun” anymore. I think the plurality, if not majority position in the world today is that an active sex life is essential to one’s mental, if not physical, health.

You fly Alliance Air, I take it?

One might label this collection of folks as a “basket of deplorables”, to coin a phrase.

@pam shouldn't even be allowed out of her room. She should be kept locked up. Now that's something that would really contribute to the achievement of Starbucks goal of having a positive impact on the world.

There was a lot of friendly fire there...

Coffee's not too bad either...oh wait, wrong site...never mind!

"Dear" @zil Let this be a lesson to you in how to properly take care of your gloves. You should have known that Carb, as Deputy Munitions officer of the Glove Preservation Society, and with his well known propensity to shoot off missiles at the slightest provocation, was not going to react well to this: slaps carb with glove:: Please look after your gloves more carefully in future.

You guys are mean! 😪

-Abraham Lincoln?

Doesn't you body already mass-produce body hair? Degas used the real thing for his art. I say go natural for your au naturel.

Said a friend of NightSG's one night, "Run away from this terrible fright -- 'Cause I just saw a Yeti!" Don't lose your spaghetti. SG's body hair's finally gone white.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4431649-Denson-v-Bishop-LDS-Church.html

Just use steel wool spraypainted grey. Then feel free to post both. Here - have some free vectors: