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The general answer to all "should someone talk to their bishop if" questions, is pretty much always yes. If it's a question in someone's mind, they should go talk to their bishop.

So the problem with Twitter and FB is that they're legally having their cake and eat it too. The phone company isn't liable for the content of anything said between people e using their service. Ever. At the same time, they cannot censor the content of those conversations. Ever. You and I could talk on the phone and plot to commit the most horrific crimes, even using the call itself in the commission of a crime, and the telephone company is completely free and clear. On the other hand, a magazine publisher can potentially be held responsible for their content... but they also have the right to decide what to print and what not to. These social media platforms are having it both ways. They're free from legal responsibility AND they choose to censor content. This allows them to become as big, powerful and influential as they want with no restrictions of any kind on content (except for content that is illegal). If you defend Facebook and Twitter's right to censor content, then would you also defend AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile if they suddenly set up an algorithm to automatically disconnect phone calls that contained phrases like "I'm voting for Trump?" What if the power company could cut power to your house because you had a campaign sign on your lawn supporting a Republican candidate? FB and Twitter are big enough and control enough information that I think it's time for them to see some regulation.

@Iggy, first,, thank you for the kind feedback. I take it as a compliment when people here call me a 'dry Mormon.' The compliment is especially well-taken, given that the Calvary Chapel example of loud, demonstrative behavior being treated as ideal worship is something I understand. So, what is worship? Is it loud and demonstrative, or quiet and reverent? YES. In that service you described, the congregation is invited to "enter in." God is present, let's open ourselves to the Spirit's moving. Sometimes it is somber, and there is even weeping. Sins may be repented of, and the awesomeness of God's forgiveness is overwhelming. Other times, it's joyful, with clapping and celebration--yes, including shouts. The lifting of hand, the shouting, the weeping--these are all found in the Bible--many in the Old Testament. On the other hand, I recall one of the holiest moments I ever experienced. We had a small group Bible study in our dorm room, at Evangel University. A holy silence came over the dozen or so of us. It lasted nearly 20 minutes. Later, we amused ourselves by pointing out that we all knew this was a God thing, given that it was so quiet in a Pentecostal Bible service! Having said all that, listening calmly to a scripture teaching is worship. Doing a day's work for a day's wages is worship. Tithing is worship. Abstaining from that which we've covenanted not to partake of is worshiping. Believing that God is real and near after the doctor says it's cancer is worship. Expecting a 3-5 year sentence, getting 12, and responding with, "I don't know how I'll get through this, but it can only be with God's help," is worship. Cliches are corny, but sometimes they last because there is truth in them. So, here's one: worship is really worth-ship--anything we do that declares the worthiness of the LORD.

How heavy My heart is Missing you These long, cold Lonesome days Sunsets flow Endlessly Into one Bittersweet Elegy Cursed with love Lingering, Patiently Suffering Memories My lamp primed The wick dressed Hope reflects Eyes of light In darkness Aeglyn Mar’2019

I've been looking around my living room and have determined that 1) the pictures need to be straightened and 2) there is no way to put those seven phrases up in vinyl and have them look good.

I personally really appreciate your comments on the forum and think that you come across effectively and with compassion. I also think its great that you feel that you can contribute on an LDS forum with your different perspective. In answer to your original question: Because they are not even looking!

Congratulations! I love your story. Hearing from you guys strangely fits in my current journey, if that makes any sense. Especially about baby steps he. thanks for the advice. I'm glad i joined this forum.😁

You will love it, I’m 80% certain. It’s perfect for Date Night.

@Sunday21 Sending love, you'll be in my prayers.

@Sunday21, sometimes for health (mental and/or physical) we need to take a break from people and/or put up healthy boundaries. I myself had to stop attending Church for a while due to mental health issues. There's nothing wrong with this, and we can still keep nursing our love testimony and love of God.

I am not sure about my status. Here is my story. For a decade, I was a super dedicated member. Ask the sisters that I ministered to. They are still my friends. I started getting sicker and sicker. I have a genetic autoimmune disorder. For the whole 10 years, I have had false promptings. I made a lot of very bad decisions based on these promptings. So now I have a serious illness and I can’t believe anything that God says to me. My chapel has had a lot of flooding. I and a number of others can’t enter the building. The next nearest church building is too far to drive given my disability. i think that I am done. I have nothing against church people. Yes some people have behaved badly but in any organization this is to be expected. My stake president is a habitual liar (but hard working and dedicated. He targets converts with no family in the church. He needs counselling.) I was sexuality assaulted at church twice. Same person. Two months apart. Reported it. Nothing done. Other sisters not warned. My friends in the church are wonderful people. They are still my friends. i find it hard to believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. I think Jesus would have put in a reporting system. My stake Pres did some bad stuff but I cannot report him. It became clear to me that Nephi’s promise of there always being a way to live the commandments was not true for me. I tried though. I am very conscientious and I really did my best.

Agreed

Sunday21, everyone here has given you great advise. All I would like to say is that I am here if you ever need to talk to anyone. 🤗

Interesting - I find that with both Eve and "the woman" that their faith was the driving force that made them whole. I disagree with the particular reading in Mark. I believe that Jesus felt virtue, not so much leaving him but rather touching him. I believe that the faith (in Christ and the eternal plan of salvation) is what brings anyone to wholeness. With Eve I believe many focus too much on the fall and not on her virtue and faith. The Traveler

Good questions. The biblical record available to the Jews at the time of Christ's mortal ministry (i.e the Old Testament) only mentioned Eve twice. In neither case was any indication given of redemption. And, while the Book of Moses does mention the redemption of Adam and Eve (Moses 5:10-11), it is hardly the focus of the Eve narrative.; whereas redemption was the focus in healing the woman with an issue. In a way, then, the healing of the woman with an issue may be considered a redemptive history in that it was a metaphoric representation of the redemption of Eve, particularly to those observing the miracle in that day. According to :Leviticus 15:19-30, during the time that women are menstruating, they are considered unclean, and aren't to be touched (and by implication they aren't to touch others), else-wise others would likewise be made unclean. This is, in part, why the woman who was healed by Jesus "trembled with fear" (see Mk 5:32) when Jesus inquired who had touched him. As for Jonah/Jonas as a type for Christ, this is only in the very limited sense , particularly in the sense that both would be "entombed" for three day before being raised therefrom. Jesus doesn't refer to Jonas as a type, but rather as a "sign" (Lk 11:29-30). And, in verse 32, Jesus indicates that "a greater than Jonas is here." referring of course to himself. For a nice list of where Jonah/Jonas and Jesus compare and contrast, see HERE. Of relevant note is where both were asleep during a raging storm on the waters, and were confronted by others in the respective boats, who viewed them as the means for calming the raging storm. In this regard, given the divergent methods employed to calm things, and the differing results thereof, the story of Jesus and his power over the elements, may rightly be viewed as a redemption of Jonah who was sacrificed into, but impotent in calming the storm. Said another way, the pertinent events in the Old Testament used individuals like Eve and Jonah to symbolize the descending of mankind/Israel, whereas the events in the New Testament focused on Christ, and symbolized the ascension of mankind/Israel. In a sense, the New Testament is a "redemptive reading" of the Old Testament. I hope this helps. Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Read Section 132. I realize you're joking, but to respond seriously: This is a limited, mortal view of things. God does not view things in this way, nor will those who receive all that the Father has. Read Section 132. (For an outdated, irrelevant section of the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132 sure does come in useful...)

I support a platform's right to support or block whatever content it wants on its platform.. That is a right of ownership. I also support the right of anyone who get blocked or otherwise restricted to find/create another platform... Let the ideas flow and be heard based on value the market assigns them. Valuable ideas will be heard... nonsense will diminish and no one group will have a strangle hold on the platform that information flows through

This is a peeve of mine. I grew up with a godmother who refused to get her many ailments treated by a doctor because she said it is her penance for MY SINS. I love my godmother and I believe she's being faithful to what she knows but I refuse to believe her spiritual garbage.

Not all the consequences of sin harm exclusively only the sinner. That others may be physically harmed more than the one that commits the sin does not mean that there was no sin. Perhaps the greater part of the atonement of Christ is to free us from the blood and sins of our generation - it is possible that this part of the atonement is a blessing that may not be realized until the resurrection. I am inclined to believe that pain and suffering will always have some connection to sin - this includes the pain and suffering of Christ that was without sin. The Traveler

Sin carries many consequences, some of which is physical ailments. But not all physical ailments are a consequence of sin. My father, for instance died of lung cancer. Non-smoker, non-drinker, lived a healthy lifestyle, devout to his Catholic faith, spent his life in service to others, loved by many. I just have to shake my head everytime I hear somebody say, "Oh, I didn't know he smoked.".

Welcome @Alemmedial! I suggest you find out who your Ward Missionaries are! They're not the full-time missionaries, they're people who are in your ward who are given the calling to reach out to those inactive families. The easiest way to find out who your ward missionaries are is to call the full-time missionaries. My husband was inactive for a while (I was Catholic then) and to get back to Church he basically just showed up at Sacrament Meeting and found out what day they have basketball. And that's all he did - went to Sacrament Meeting and played basketball every week while him and the bishop worked on his repentance process. Took a while, by the time I got baptized 4 years later, he was not ready to baptize me. But a year later, we both qualified to enter the temple and get sealed, 3 weeks before I delivered our first child. So yeah. Baby steps. One step forward at a time. Take your time. Christ will guide you.

Not sure AOC is diseased, just a normal representative of the clueless, uneducated beyond liberal indoctrination, unschooled in history, privileged upper-middle-class left-of-center folk. But other than that, yes, what Vort said. Everything Vort said, in fact.

And, this doesn't even touch on possible mental illnesses that may be sin related, if not caused.  That's a very bold statement to make. Psychological conditions of any kind are largely multi-factorial. In some cases, there are genetic and biological causes (predisposition) and in other cases there are social-environmental causes. Millions of people (including young children) around the world suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and we are seeing many people (due to severe abuse) with dissociative identity disorder (DID). None of these conditions are caused by sin and even though I understand that psychological pathology can be complex, we also need to be aware that those who suffer from mental disorders oftentimes blame themselves for their condition. I think statements like the one above can be damaging (even though I'm sure you didn't mean it in a bad way).

I would add to my testimony some thought on the Book of Abraham. I majored in Math and Physics in college and find the Book of Abraham to be one of the profound and stunning witnesses of the prophetic calling of young Joseph Smith perhaps only preceded by the Book of Mormon. The Book of Abraham is codified in ancient symbolism of Egypt that appeared at the time of Abraham in Egyptian culture shrouded in the mystic science and theology of the Pathagoreans - a ancient Egyptian cult from which a Greek slave arose to fame and from which he changed his name (Pythagoras). As an amature student of history (including math and physics). I understand the science of ancient Egypt that believed G-d's understanding of mathematical ratios gave G-d the creative power to order and establish the order of all things in the universe ). Ratios that give rise in our modern mathematics to pi, natural logs, the golden mean and general relativity. As an exercise of study - I would recommend one compare the Book of Abraham (especially chapter 3) to Doctrine and Covenants section 88. That the two are talking about the same thing but one through the ancient philosophy of Egypt based in ratios and the other in Newtonian physics which was the basis of modern philosophy of the era of Joseph Smith. The restoration of the Book of Abraham would not and could not have been possible without a divine investiture of a prophet of things unknown among men when Joseph Smith translated and provided both the Book of Abraham and section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants. But there is another witness surfacing concerning the Book of Abraham. That there are forces of pure evil (in opposition of pure good) operating in the affairs of men to cloud truth and create doubt of critical notions necessary for understanding divine things. The Traveler

I understand and sympathize ith what you are suggesting (speaking as one who is old and hasn't married and has faced the likely prospect of never marrying). However, part of what complicates things unnecessarily is confusing love with the sexual expression thereof. We all have hope of attaining a Christlike love even between members of the same sex, though I don't know how important or right it is to have hope for sodomy. And, it isn't just homosexuals who may feel the "pain" of not being able to express their love in sexual ways contrary to God's will and design for His children. Given the 7th Commandment, I dare say that a significantly greater number of heterosexuals have no rightful hope of sexually expressing their love for someone else's spouse. Thanks, -Wade Englund-

I dunno...I've met some pretty small minded Midwestern members in my life.

I don't think it has anything to do with being "worthy". I am an Elder, and currently hold all of the necessary Priesthood I need. Perhaps those men you referenced were given leadership positions not for the benefit of others, or because of good things they had done, but rather, to help them along the path of life and hopefully prevent future tragedies that have since befallen them. I'm not a fan of getting rid of entire office in the priesthood. If we do that, let's just make all Aaronic priesthood holders Priests right off the bat as well.My 11 year old is worthy, so shouldn't he get to bless the Sacrament? The Priesthood is not about holding titles or positions, it is about service. I see no reason for me to become a High Priest, or any other man for that matter, unless a certain calling requires the ordination to preside. If one never comes, that is just fine with me. If one does, that is just fine with me as well. I actually wouldn't want the ordination to just take place if a calling didn't come with it...to me it seemed unnecessary when that happened in the past.

president Nelson standing at the conference with a mighty moustache "Brethren.... the time has finally come! 😁

And yet in many wards here in the UK we have many members with multiple callings. My current ward we have have had to amalgamate primary classes due to lack of teachers and needing two to a class. The size of the ward makes SO much difference, if we have 80 adults on a Sunday we are having a good week.

Personally, I think you come across as open-minded and loving. Not open-minded in that you're willing to consider that your views on doctrine are wrong, but in the sense that while you disagree with someone that doesn't mean you condemn that person. You're perfectly willing to co-exist with someone who believes differently than you. I feel that way, but I'm absolutely horrible at presenting it. I come across as very judgmental and condemning. You don't. Because you don't, I believe your message is received much better, even if not accepted. It's appreciated.

Or another example would be that if someone were to teach in Sunday School that it would be personal opinion, speculation, or false doctrine since the scripture attest to no such thing.

That makes sense in a legal code, where we want defendants to have clear “safe harbor” against a potentially overzealous/unjust prosecutor and be able to convince a non-omniscient third party that there was no reasonable way the defendant could have known that what he was doing was wrong. It seems to me to be of lesser moment when we are judged by a loving, merciful, omniscient God who has our best interests at heart but simultaneously gave us conscience and the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide our actions—and who knows full well when we have been deliberately ignoring those gifts and feigning ignorance in order to continue indulging our baser desires.

@Junior, here is the truth. You can change wherever you want. You don’t need this church to change and become a better person. But to become the best person and to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father, you absolutely need the church and to listen to its leaders. I had a bad pornograohy addiction growing up. Amidst this addiction I had 3 different bishops that I confessed to. The first bishop was very soft, told me that this was normal and that I should continue trying to overcome this. Nothing changed. The second bishop was absolutely appalled (and discovered later that he didn’t believe in sexual addiction or any kind). He paid for me to see a counselor and that was it. Nothing changed. The third bishop I had revoked my temple recommend, barred me from the sacrament, and met with me every week. Here is where the biggest change came from. You have that third bishop I wish I had when I had the first and second. This church isn’t meant to just make you a “good” or “better” person, but to make you like Christ in every way. In order to do that, you need to follow the leaders that are over you. The things you are arguing for are not backed up by ANY of the general authorities in the church. Your views to not match the views of the church you are trying to argue your way into. Doesn’t this bother you??? It should either 1) convince you tht you are wrong and should follow the direction of the bishop, or 2) realize you don’t REALLY believe in the church as being Christ’s true church

Agreed. Contact you embassy about help to escape this abusive husband. If you were in the USA, I could point to resources in the USA, but I do not know Tunisia. The embassy will.

@Whiterabbit89: You need to get out. Now. Your baby must not be born in Tunisia. I suggest you contact the nearest US embassy or consulate. https://tn.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

From what I understand, Saturday is the original Sabbath. After all, if you look at your calendar, Saturday is the 7th day while Sunday is the 1st day of the week. Christians began to celebrate the Sabbath and worship on Sundays b/c that was the day of Jesus' resurrection.

Depends on where you get the news...

I brought the mental health unit detectives with me.

Did you really need one? I mean, that level of KISS devotion strikes me as a good example of probable cause...

Ha Ha jokes on you I live in the subtropics 😋