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So, with some of the topics I have felt a bit of negativity recently (probably on my own part perhaps) and so I thought I'd create a positive thread. In this thread we compliment those we know of in the forum. I'm going to try to give everyone compliments (and if Somehow I miss you, PLEASE, tell me in the thread. It is not due to maliciousness on my part, but I'm a older and sometimes my mind is not as sharp as many others around her. Forgive me for my bad memory and jog it with a post so I can include you). So, I'll start... @JaneDoe I appreciate your thoughtful replies @NeuroTypical I enjoy your snark at times, and though I may not understand it, your little Pony enthusiasm @CV75 I enjoy your willingness to discuss things with people who have questions and your recent posts in the Resurrection thread. @zil I appreciate that you are active on the forums and, though I do not understand it fully, that you are so enthusiastic about fountain pens @BJ64 I think it is great that you pick up on small details and want to help those that are striving to do better @Traveler I appreciate you injecting a more scientific approach at times and explaining things from a more technical mindset @MormonGator I like that someone from a rival team is here (LoL), but I also enjoy that you can relax the forum and spring in some humor when we all get too serious @FetherI think that you do wonderfully at striving to do good, and this is an extremely commendable thing @Iggy I think your staunch support of standards and your desire to help others up is something that is wonderful @MrShorty You seem to be able to navigate the middle ground at times and try to create peace. The Lord said, blessed is the peacemakers. @Grunt I appreciate how you bring up the gospel so plainly and point out how these we should know. It brings us back to how we should be, rather than trying to dodge around commandments. @Just_A_Guy I think you look great in a suit ( hah). @Just_A_Guy I do think it was good you wore a suit, but there is more to compliment you on, just making a joke because I know you can take it. That's what I like about you, you can take all the abuse and still be nice. @Carborendum I think you and I are more alike than we may think at times, and I like how you stick to your guns and your morals. @Anddenex You bring in thoughtful injections into conversations that note that you really think about the subject and consider what is said or not said @Scott I appreciate how you like to go back to sources. You like to check to see where something is sourced and give a source for your comments @Blackmarch You are blunt at times, but we all need the blunt truth to bring us back to reality. @Laniston You have a smaller post history so it is harder to define what I enjoy, but from what I've seen, I think I appreciate your willingness to share personal experiences with the rest of us. @unixknightI enjoy how frank you are in admitting your own difficulties which helps us to understand our own and help prop others up in there striving to be good. @estradling75 I not sure I understand the carebear, but I do appreciate your willingness to share your opinion, even when others may be hostile to it. It takes courage to do so at times. @SilentOne You are exceptional and you speak through listening and only say something when it is important. We all could learn more from your approach. @Vort I love that you stand for something (the gospel). Gordon B. Hinckley instructed us so and it is good to see someone doing that. @Emmanuel Goldstein Not a ton of posts to know you well yet, but you seem to convey a lot with very little. @mrmarklin I like that you are able to converse with those who need advice and share with them in order to help them @pwrfrk I think it is good that you bring us to recognize how blessed we are and strive to help others with your advice and words of peace @theplains Not a long time member, but it seems that you enjoy talking about the gospel with others and I think that is a good thing to do. @wenglund I appreciate how you are normally trying to discuss hard subjects without condemnation or judgement, but rather understanding and hope. @Jersey Boy I think that you are willing to share your feelings in the open which is a hard thing some of us have doing. @Rob Osborn You point out the plain and precious things of the gospel at times. Even if we don't agree with all your opinions, I think it is terrific that you point these things out @NeedleinA You are a wonder to read in your posts. You try to help others on the forums and have some interesting perspectives @Crypto I see you post infrequently but people genuinely like you and your posts here @warnerfranklin I haven't seen you around much recently on the forums, but I appreciate how you share your views and opinions and how thoughtful you can be @Lost Boy I like how you express sympathy for those in need and empathy for others. I appreciate how you can make us think about how others are and how we should be. @Midwest LDS Thank you for how you interact with others and taking the time to listen @Backroads I also enjoy how you show empathy for others and how you, despite your troubles, try to listen. I hope that you continue to enjoy your new job also @askandanswer I find your answers refreshing at times and your injections in conversations interesting @mordorbund Tis an interesting name you have. LotR connection? I think you express your humility at times and I appreciate that willingness @mirkwood Another reference that seems it could be a Lord of the Rings thing? Anyways, I think you try to make things lighter on the forums and make others laugh. @anatess2 I like how you tell it how it is. You come right out and tell us what you think and I feel that is a good thing. @person0 You have things to share with us that enlightens our minds, though you also tend to joke around as well at times @classylady Your name bespeaks for itself. We would all do better if we had as much class as you @Maureen You help us to recognize that we are mistaken in many of our assumptions and point out the good in others @bytebear I find your comments fun to read and at time enlightening @seashmore I look forward to reading your posts and enjoy what you have to say. I enjoy how you share your experiences and your thoughts on things @DennisTate You are another that I cannot say I have read a ton of your comments, but from what I see you are thoughtful and reflect on what you write. @LiterateParakeet Your posts are refreshing on these forums as they try to see the best in people and view the best possible things about others @MaryJehanne Your willingness to share about the Catholic Church is appreciated @Lindy sharing experiences from your life is good in showing us examples and ways to be. @Sunday21 Your enthusiasm is a beacon for us all. Your love for the temple is also something I admire greatly @SpiritDragon You are a wonderful person that seems to be Canadian. @Jeremy A I'm not sure how many have participated in your trivia but you keep on trying and going. You are like the energizer bunny. Perserverance is a positive quality. I'm certain I've missed many, I've tried to include as many as possible and yet I've probably still failed. If so, be aware it is NOT because I don't think you are wonderful, but simply because there are so many names and so many people and remembering them all is sometimes very difficult. I probably forgot some of the closest and dearest ones that are on these forums. I apologize, but if I did miss you, just tell me in the next day or two and I'll hopefully have that to jog my memory. Don't let me be the only one, if you have people you want to compliment on something they did on the forum, go ahead and post it! We should recognize people for doing good!

@JohnsonJones - this is a wonderful idea for a post. And i will say that one thing i appreciate about you is that your posts combine flexibility, pragmatism, personal experience, humility, and wisdom. Finding those all in one place is a rare thing indeed. You remind me a lot of my Dad, TBH. @MormonGator - i know your degree was in English - but i think you might have inadvertently minored in conflict resolution. i don't know if forums/threads can explode with tension - but without your presence, we'd surely find out. @Vort - i think you dislike me a little less than when i first started here . It was hard work, and definitely worth it. i've come to appreciate your no-nonsense approach more than i did initially @pam - providing the space, and creating a culture that accepts alternative views @wenglund - you've been willing to engage in a meaningful way. i have seen an element of pragmatism hiding underneath your orthodoxy - and that's been very enlightening. @zil - you wit is as sharp as your fountain pens (they're really sharp, right?). You blend wisdom and a pleasantly sarcastic humor in all your posts that i appreciate. And you go out of your way to welcome everyone new into the forums. @LiterateParakeet - you're one smart bird! Cheerful, sensitive, and pure nice. Your gentle presence of the forums is much valued. @Grunt - our viewpoints don't align - but i tend to think much of what i say comes from a perspective that trivializes and then criticizes the things that brought me to where i'm at. And you remind me that's not fair - which i appreciate. @anatess2 - you're the person every kid wished they had as a parent. i love listening to your stories of raising your kids. Your perspectives from a foreign country and Catholic church are ones i really appreciate. @Traveler - you're viewpoints are very well thought through - and you've got the logic to back it up. @askandanswer - i love your humor. A person who jokes with you is a reminder that people can still be amicable while disagreeing. @Sunday21 - You're genuinely excited about TCOJCOLDS. You are a reminder to me that it is largely good simply because people like you participate in it. @Just_A_Guy and @NeuroTypical- i have to watch my posts around you two . i have to think through what i am saying - and that's a good thing. @Anddenex - you forgave my spouting off when i should have kept my mouth shut - even when there was no reason why you should have. @Rob Osborn - i don't think faith is an abstract and malleable concept to you. It's something you back up and defend. And as someone who is conflict averse to a fault, it's something i really respect. @Jane_Doe - You share helpful resources - and many of ones you've shared have been excellent - and ones i've never read. And you live in Wyoming - which is like an automatic level of awesomeness. And everyone else here - i appreciate your putting up with me and my snowflakely wishy-washy-ness.

@JohnsonJones It was terribly kind of you to remember me in your post. I'm often left out of such things, no doubt because I don't post nearly as prolifically as others... or don't merit accolades of any kind. @mordorbund You seem to truly weigh the human factor into posts and don't merely spout off counterpoints. I admire that you seem to want to make the community a better place and actually seem to care about people here as opposed to arguing talking points. @Vort There is something about you that makes a person want your approval. You are obviously an intelligent person and seasoned in the doctrines of the gospel of the restored church. @NightSG I admire your passion for cycling and martial arts. I sense from the tone of your posts at times that you haven't had the easiest go in life and are somewhat jaded, but that also helps you to share some different view points that can be interesting to consider. @Anddenex You've always been one of my favourite forum members. You seem to radiate a love of the gospel and a solid foundation in true principles and church administration. Your posts tend to be very even-handed and resonate well with me. @Just_A_Guy Thank you for the work ethic you put into finding sources for all kinds of interesting topics. You really are a wealth of knowledge and resources and treat everyone with the utmost respect. @MormonGator I appreciate your comic relief and accepting attitude. Perhaps one day I will develop sufficient skills to earn a place at that compound of yours. I lack the penmanship skills of @zil and don't have the survival skills or musical taste of @mirkwood, but I may be able to carry more water than @LadyGator up from the well. @Maureen & @prisonchaplain I admire the way you put up with the lot of us coming from a different faith entirely and keep coming back to enrich our community with your unique perspectives. @Traveler I enjoy your thought processes as they unfold and may even have a little nostalgia for the long back and forths you used to have with @Seminarysnoozer @jerome1232 I haven't seen you in quite some time, but I've always found your profile picture to be happy and have enjoyed many of your posts. @Midwest LDS You come across as a genuine person making posts with the sincere intent to help others. I find that noble. @Sunday21 You're a sweetheart. You have a great sense of humor and seem to be a very interesting person... I mean that in a good way, you have a lot going on that is fascinating. @Backroads I feel that you are willing to share very personal experiences, not afraid of being vulnerable, which helps you to come across as a very real person with very real triumphs and struggles. That's brave. @skalenfehl I don't encounter you very often, but I have felt that when i do come across your posts they are well thought out and balanced. I admire your knowledge of fitness matters and sense that you take good care of yourself in that regard and I respect that. @classylady I've always found you live up to this moniker. You seem to me to be a real class act. @Overwatch I like your fire for the gospel and zeal for sharing interesting snippets such as you advice for husbands. I sense a strong testimony from you, and yet somehow picked up the idea that you're not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (are you?) As strong as the fire of the gospel burns within you and fuels your desire to share it with others, I sense a dignity and humility from you that is comforting.

Virtue signaling is for a moment; hatred is forever. Five years from now, an SJW who wants new shoes may buy from Nike . . . or from some other brand that makes items of comparable quality. But five years from now, @mirkwood will still remember that Nike gives money to a guy who gives money to cop killers.

PC, I still remember the first time (in my time here) a Latter-day Saint came asking for counsel, and you were the first to reply, and your answer was consistent with the teachings of the Church (and not consistent with teachings of many other Christian churches). "Impressed" is insufficient a word. That you know enough of our doctrine to do that is impressive. That you have the tolerance, humility, and generosity to do that (and keep doing that) is inspiring. I hope you stick around for a long time to come.

Special appreciation goes to the MoreGoodFoundation for keeping this site going in such quality fashion. Kudos to mormonhub aka LDS.net aka LDStalk for providing one of the richest and most open venues for interfaith conversations, despite being oriented towards a specific faith tradition. I could thank dozens here, but I'll give a shout-out to four: @pam and @anatess2 reached out in personal ways to show kindness to me, despite my not being a member. @Traveler has taken several occasions to probe me with deep, thoughtful questions that broaden my understanding of my own faith and his. @Vort is just always right--which is pretty cool.

I happen to live several miles from the American Fork/Alpine Tabernacle. So, I drive past it on a regular basis. We have attended quite a few Stake Conferences in that building. I don’t happen to love the exterior architecture, but the interior has stunning wood work. In my younger years I lived in St. George and often attended Stake Conference and other functions in the St. George Tabernacle. Beautiful building! I loved going inside and feeling the Spirit that was there. I have also loved visiting the Salt Lake Tsbernacle. Again, I’ve attended many conferences, Christmas Devotionals, and Choir functions there. i happened to be wondering why the church no longer builds Tabernacles and found this article about LDS Tabernacles. I didn’t realize how many had actually been built. Do you have a favorite Tabernacle? https://www.deseretnews.com/top/3435/0/A-look-at-60-historic-Mormon-tabernacles.html

@SpiritDragon Life *has* gotten busy for me, and the threads I have interest in more sparse it seems. I do still lurk around a bit, but I barely have time to even lurk the forums lately. All sorts of warm fuzzy's that you noticed I've been gone! I guess I should throw a few more compliments if I'm going to post. @Vort I typically enjoy your straight forward, no beating about the bushes style of posting. I can recall reading your posts several times thinking "I was thinking that, only vort put it much more succinctly and accurately than I ever could have." @prisonchaplain You have to be the coolest guy here. I respect how well you communicate with those not of your faith and how respectful of others beliefs you are. I can remember in one thread in particular you cleared up some misunderstandings I had of trinitarian beliefs and I understand it much better now thanks to you. @unixknight You are a linux guy, so by default I like you. I'm actually working on a raspberry pi project right now. It's a little pi car that will be controlled in a first person view. I Intend, when it's done, for the pi to server as a wifi access point, so that a phone can connect to it via wifi and control it via a webapp that's hosted on the car. It's a fun project, I've learned a lot about php and a little about javascript so far. I've got the nuts and bolts working but not much polish yet. @mirkwood Maybe it's because I have not been around much, but I'm shocked and disappointed by the lack of zombie threads I see, October is right around the corner. I'm pretty sure this is somehow a compliment, I'm not sure how yet.

You made my day JohnsonJones! Thank you! I will add prison chaplain to the list of those who have been kind and helpful to me many, many, many years ago. (from a non LDS view) I called him PC for years. :-) And Heather! She has put up with so much drama and trouble makers over the years! She's a gem!

Sometimes you just have to take a stand. I still don't shop at Target. I will not be buying any Nike products. I just moved my business to Under Armour who supports law enforcement and the military.

I woke up at 0500 today. I put on one of my black non-endorsement t-shirts I wear every day to work. Over that shirt I strapped on my body armor. No endorsements on it either, or anywhere on my uniform. Just your basic dark blue shirt and pants. Oh I do wear things on my shirt, a badge, some ribbons because someone said I did a good job on a call. I wear my name on my shirt too, but no endorsements. I work a primarily white community, but we do have a heavy Hispanic population and some African refugees. I will talk to many of them today. Some of them will call me names. Some will hate me because I wear a uniform. Because I stand for something. Twenty one years ago I took an oath and signed a blank check to the citizens of Salt Lake County. I made that blank check payable up to and including my life. I hope I don’t have to sacrifice everything today, but I will if asked, because I actually stand for something. ~mirk

Thanks @SpiritDragon you're awesome!

My personal opinion. The puzzling thing about MUCH of this and which I do not understand WHY many of the Leaders are doing this is as follows. Most of the stuff that people are using to "blow up" the church is NOT new. It has been around, literally, for centuries, at this point...and over a century, even for the new stuff. The problem is that it was NEVER considered reliable in the past. Legally, most of it was not even acceptable. The reason they were not successful was NOT because it was not there (it was) but because it was not recognized to be reliable. It could be that so much time has passed that people cannot tell the charlatan's from those who were not charlatans, or those who were working with outside motivations that were actually against the church at the time (Whitmer is a prime example of that later on in his life) and USING their narratives to try to influence people NOT via being truthful, but to do whatever they had to convince them. This is one reason why, for many years, the narrative of the church differed from that of many of those who were actively trying to destroy the church. We had prophets (Brigham Young through at least Joseph F. Smith) who actually beheld the events. The people they talked to beheld the events and if they were saying things that the rest of the Saints didn't experience, they would have been called on it (partly WHY most followed Brigham Young, because his words were the most accurate to what they felt and KNEW). However, for some reason many in the LDS church have given a monumental weight to those which had no weight before and given credences to those who were discredited previously. I'm not sure why this trend has started or why it is continuing.

@jerome1232 You know much about these phones, electronics and operating systems. I wish I knew half as much as you about them. Also, I think it's great you have a beard. @prisonchaplain I knew I was forgetting someone!!! I appreciate that you can share the gospel and our common beliefs in a Savior with those on the forums and those in life. It is the most important thing and to do as the Savior tells us takes someone special. @NightSG You are a funny guy (which I think is on purpose). You always try to make a joke and lighten the situation up @Overwatch You've been here for a little bit and posted quite a bit but I don't know a ton about you (probably because I'm off and about the world during the Summer), but I do like the way you talk. It reminds me a friend I had in California who had a similar way of talking. @LadyGator I would imagine you are related to@MormonGator ? It sounds like you fed the missionaries and that's always a good thing. Also, as you live with a vegetarian but love meat, you must be a Saint to be able to endure that! @skalenfehl it is good to know someone writes almost as much as I do in a post (though yours is off forum with a blog). Good to have someone from Down South near the border to represent the great State of Texas (at least I think that's where you are). I remember being down there a few years back and all the signs that said...Don't Mess with Texas (it was a campaign to stop littering I think). I like how you talk a lot about the Book of Mormon in your blog and crosspost the links here.

Perhaps it is not a sin for some to say/do this Doctrine and Covenants 20 53 The teacher's duty is to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them; 54 And see that there is no iniquity in the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evil speaking; 55 And see that the church meet together often, and also see that all the members do their duty. And if we interpret the above revelation literally, then perhaps it might be a sin for Teachers not to say anything about the coffee.

At the risk of spoiling the joke, I don't recall ever having disliked you. On the contrary, I have always appreciated honesty, candor, and lack of pretense, all of which qualities I recognize in your posts. I realize we diverge on many matters of perspective, opinion, and belief, but that has never mattered nearly as much to me as some seem to think.

Here is a thought you might not have considered - pending on where the Garden of Eden was actually located and if Adam was mortal and could not exceed the speed of light - he would not notice but seconds whereas the earth could pass through billions of years. It is interesting that when Adam and Eve left the garden to arrive in the world that they would spend the mortal days that the entire world seem to be up and fully running as a fallen world and all the creatures were genetically, mentally and spiritually in survival mode. The Traveler

@SpiritDragon, you're an Albertan. The land of awesomeness. Everything else is secondary. 😊 M.

Widen the forum doors....we're going to need it.

They have always been one of my favorite bands. Saw them in concert twice as well, fantastic performances! Thank you for sharing this!🤩

Widen the forum doors....we're going to need it.

Indeed. This is why I would figure that either the bones were part of the unorganized matter that became part of this creation, which could also account for dinosaurs and the like, or that we aren't understanding something about the timeline accurately. Are we dating bones as much older than they truly are? Did the Fall happen much farther in the past than we suspect. One problem with the idea that the fall took place farther back though is that we believe we are in the last days and that the saviour came in the meridian of time only 2000 years ago. So unless we believe the last days will be prolonged for thousands of years this particular point doesn't work for me.

@Just_A_Guy Thanks for your thoughtful posts. @Anddenex I like your profile pic. Such an awesome idea. @mirkwood your responses are solid and to me show a steadfast Saint who is realistic

Just an observation here - Saying something is good, and saying something is bad are both judgements, but few seem to be as concerned about the first sort of judgement.

@JohnsonJones, you are always very thoughtful. I will admit that sometimes I do not read your posts to the end. Sometimes they are just too long. 😊 I love how you talk about your grandchildren, I'm a brand new grandmother, I can relate to your perspective. I love how you can admit that not everything is rosy. Life and even religions have their problems, but even with problems there is also good. You are a benefit to this forum. M.

I'm impressed with your remarkable writing and excellent editing skills that you were able to use less than a thousand words to compliment me. Most people find that to be very difficult.

When my brother liked Barenaked Ladies as a teen, I was concerned because of their name. But it turns out they have songs I really enjoy.

My understanding is that the mainline LDS position is that the LDS Church will be the ones spearheading the reconstruction of the temple foreseen by Ezekiel. But seeing as how the Church appears to have no immediate plans to bring that to pass, I say the Jews are welcome to try it if they can. If it brings about political instability leading to the end times — so much the better, as far as I’m concerned (I’m feeling a bit misanthropic at the moment, so apologies if I sound a bit flippant).

DennisTate Much appreciated....... I am kind of in a state of near awe these past few days...... because I was praying as to whether or not I should be baptized as an L.D.S. and..... I got clear guidance in the form of............. I now know that if I were baptized as L.D.S. I would decrease my ability to reach out to ex-L.D.S..... and assist them to come to the place of Shalom / peace of mind toward their first love church....... as I personally have came to a place of Shalom regarding the Worldwide Church of God that I am an ex-member of. I suspect that I would decrease my ability to reach ex-L.D.S. by seventy to ninety five percent....... because if I got baptized as L.D.S....... almost none of them would listen to me....... but as an ex-WWCG and Messianic Gentile.... i still have an open door to them..... and ex - Pentecostals... .and ex- Roman Catholics.... and ex- Jehovah's Witnesses.... and many others whose philosophy at this time is largely directed as a revolt.... against the church that they once were so involved in! I so thank all of you for not only your thoughtful prayers... but obviously you pray for the other members here...... I joined an ex-Mormon group on Facebook and Wow.... but the atmosphere was tense...... even when I quoted NDE accounts?! Many ex-L.D.S. are in a state....... that is not good at all..... and I know that I easily could have went there myself..... but for the grace of G-d?! I have a ministry in mind that could over the coming decade or two result in surely dozens.... if not hundreds of ex-LDS returning to being able to attend L.D.S. services...... (at least on occasion). The method of my doing this will be to inform them that near death experiencers.... .who are LDS.... often return to their bodies..... of course to assist their children and grandchildren...... but also.... significantly to get move involved in baptisms for the deceased and for research into geneologies........... in order to get baptized for more of the previously deceased. In my opinion.... this is the outside of the Book of Mormon verification that many ex-L.D.S. have been wanting....... to come to a place of Shalom/ peace..... toward their first love L.D.S. church?!

You, JJ, are a really good sport when teased about the length of some of your posts. (And about being called JJ.)

Let's see, 1965 BC would be Abraham, right? So what did he have to say about this music? @MormonGator is gonna want to know. I see this band has been mentioned several times in the bible, but not really favorably.... (That second one seems awfully applicable...) What's the phrase? Zil exits stage left.

Okay what do you want? Seriously thank you for the compliment.

What a thoughtful thing to do -- back-atcha! And I echo (echo. echo, echo) all you've mentioned about all the good folk who populate these pages!

@lostinwater I like how you present things that we should think about and how you think about others @The Folk Prophet Haven't seen you around recently, but I think it is great that you defend the gospel and what you feel is right.

clwnuke I just signed up for the forum, because I've been interested in this case since early this year. I smelled BS from the beginning, and did much digging to find the other side of the story. Like the azcentral link you posted. And noting her story changed between her "interview" and her lawsuit. First he didn't rape her because . . . [gory detail omitted by mods. —JAG]. And supposedly ripping her clothes and then running from the basement - must be many witnesses, since crawling with people. I've been fascinated by our supposedly unbiased media omitting politically incorrect information. Feminism now rules our country, so all reporting must comply with that narrative. Stories sell best that paint men as rapists. Even if evidence shows otherwise, men can now be convicted in the media and public opinion, and their lives ruined. Essentially modern day lynch mobs, as we learned with Duke Lacrosse case, and the Rolling Stone published lies about U. of Virginia and countless others. I have been trying to post the other side of Denson/Hughes story on various forums. Just became aware of your experience. What am I missing here? Why hesitate to share all the stories you have on her? Aren't we supposedly all about the Truth? Or do we now have to consult our lawyer and PR department on everything we say? Denson doesn't seem to care, and somehow she gets away with saying whatever she wants - why can't you?

Personally, I don't care if the company succeeds or fails. However, I'm a big fan of spending my money in line with my views as much as possible. There are numerous companies I won't do business with. Some I haven't shopped at in years. My memory is long with some things and I stand by my principles.

I liked this perspective. https://defensemaven.io/bluelivesmatter/news/american-sniper-widow-taya-kyle-responds-to-nike-s-sacrifice-everything-EJ-oG_0Q7UaBMn0QGiAMfw/

Italy. Also France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Bolivia (you know, where Mike Tyson went), and quite a few other countries. Latin is a thriving language in all its dialects, perhaps the most widespread language in the world today.

I think it'll be a spy story. There's supposed to be a dead drop under the Kraft Singles - but there are no Kraft Singles! You frantically, but furtively examine the cheese case. Nothing. People will die if you don't get the message that's supposed to be there! In a fit if irrationality, you start pulling cheese out of the case in hopes the message was put under the "Great Values" slices, or maybe behind these Sargento cheddar slices. Cream cheese, shredded cheese, Cache Valley cheese, blocks of cheese! Soon the floor is littered with cheese. You're almost at the end. Babybels go flying. And then you see it: You scream at the realization all is lost, and that commie cow is laughing at you! In the next instant, a police taser has you writhing on the floor, kicking cheese around. Then @mirkwood hauls you off on charges of disturbing the cheese. Or.... Your child has refused to eat anything until you make pigs in a blanket. He hasn't eaten a thing in three days. You're starting to believe his will is stronger than yours. You go to the store, pick up a can of Pillsbury crescent rolls, make your way to the cheese area, and oh the horror! The only cheese your child will eat is Kraft Singles (aka "fish food") ... and ... they're out!!! The nearest other grocery store is an hour away. You reach up to pull your hair out, and pause. Hmm, you think. Maybe it would be easier to just let him starve.

This is never the point. The point is, when you cause such a stir that impacts your stock price - even for just one quarter - somebody is getting fired. And that firing is gonna cause the next guy to get a clue on who their customers are so hopefully they won't do another stupid thing anytime soon. Target went on a "We love Vets" campaign to patch up the bad juju they pocked on their bullseye. Red Hen and the town of Lexington is currently dipping into emergency funds to restore their tourism industry. Of course Lexington is eventually going to come back on the map... but, I'm fairly certain no Lexington business will do something stupid again anytime soon. We'll see if Star Wars is going to persist on their stupidity after a $200B loss on Solo. So far, there's no indication they're muzzling their village idiots.

I have not. Good idea. Thank you. I think part of me doesn't want to reach out to leaders in my life because they will try and convince me to stay in the calling, and I so badly want to be free of it. I know she will probably have good advice though, so I need to get over myself.

These people, on both sides, already know what they are going to do. And in case you were wondering what that is, they intend to do as much politikin' as they can while the cameras are rolling. (Yawn.) I want my my tax dollars refunded that were spent on this circus. Kavanaugh is going to be the next Supreme Court justice and there is pretty much nothing the democrats can do about it.

At least the money you make while working during chrch is legal, thus moral. There are times I don't go to church because of the physical pain I endure. Sometimes the pain meds don't do their job. Or I may be ill. Should I come to Sacrament if I have pnuemonia? The flu? Absolutely not. If I have family in from out of state, would God be offended that I spent the day with them, instead of church? I don't think so. But...how does my scheduling affect others?

Precisely. To help Carborendum and others, it's not a matter of "I had to skip out on paying tithing because of...(insert reason)" or "I didn't go to church because of...(insert reason)". While those could be ethics issues, in the extreme, they affect no one, thus in my opinion, that's something between you and Heavenly Father. Let me give an old, old example. Many years ago, and we're talking back in the 80's & 90's, I was young and in good shape, and having been raised on a small "hobby" farm in a farming community, I knew how to pick, drive tractor, lots of stuff (really don't want to go into all the details IOW). But once I turned 18, the farmers preferred hiring illegal aliens. And we went to the same ward. I asked the Bishop about it and he said "they have to do what they do because it's hard work and they have to make a living." Ok, so we're talking about putting aside the morals and ethics of being Mormon, so one can make a buck or two. The work performed isn't the issue. Whether or not I could get a job is not the issue. What is the issue is, in that case, hiring illegal aliens so one (the farmer) would have more money coming in, but excusing it saying it's so he can make a living. Okay. Now let us turn this around. Now you have a disabled vet fresh from the sandbox. He needs money. So he robs a bank. It's now ok, because the farmer hired illegal aliens so he could make a living. But wait! Now we have this young coule, in their late teens, dropped out of high school because of drugs. Can't find work, so...they start dealing drugs to their friends. But that's ok, because the farmer and the vet had to break the law as well so they could make a living. In all three cases they ignored gospel. They put the church aside for their own immoral and unethical reasons. Is that acceptable, since it's to make a living? Would it be more acceptable if they paid not on taxes on their income, but tithing and fast offerings? I say that in all three cases it's not acceptable or excusable. Both immoral (against the unwritten standards) and unethical (against the written standards and laws). Am I the only one? Strangely, it's starting to feel that way.

God didn't choose a person who dated a porn star. Rather, He chose somebody who persecuted Christians. It is always wise not to assume who God will and will not call to His service unless the call is made through Priesthood Authority. Especially when we are talking about the President of the USA who has the power to raze the Philippines at whim.

My only arguement is that great ideas and a moral compass does not qualify someone for leadership

I will certainly try to adopt these standards in my own discourse. But . . . The Church expects journalists to use the phrase “the restored gospel of Jesus Christ” in lieu of “Mormonism”? [Biting tongue . . . ] [Biting tongue . . . ] We’ll see where this leads, I guess. One interesting thing about this request is that amingst faithful Church members who try to observe these guidelines, it may well serve to blur the distinction between LDS doctrine/history/culture/practice by lumping it all in under the umbrella of “the restored gospel”. I suspect that’s by design.

Indeed... There is a LARGE difference between "Control" and "Influence" Testosterone can have a huge and potent "Influence" however it does not "Control" us. We can surrender control to our baseline urges (which is what testosterone is) but that is it Influence persuading us to do so. The control remains with us, no matter how much we might want to convince ourselves we are not responsible for it.

Ivan Pavlov is sitting in a bar enjoying his beer when the phone rings. "Oh no!" he cries. "I forgot to feed the dogs."