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Didn't we go over this one before? Eve's fall caused Eve to fall. It wasn't until Adam chose to fall that mortal mankind became a possibility, and, of course, they would come into a fallen state. Had Adam chosen to stay in his initial state, there would have been no "mankind". Or, the snarky version: By Eve came the fall of woman and by Adam came the fall of man.

My daughters have really been on a roll with metaphors during this final stretch of our Come Follow Me studies. As we have talked about light about bringing light to the world my middle daughter is set on ensuring she turns on ever light switch in the house and wants a flashlight so she can bring light to others. When talking about Christ at the door, my daughters could not get past wanting to know when he was going to get to our door, and which one of them would get to answer it. We have been praying to have successful days at school and to be kind to our friends and helpful for our teachers because one of my daughters is struggling with that. After having a good day she proudly informed me that we are now all good and don't need to pray anymore. It has been a fun end of the New Testament full of lots of opportunities to learn and expand on things together.

Yes. But the people you speak of who think he's stupid are, I'm supposing, not stutterers.

The Nephite journey doesn't seem to have taken as long as the Jaredite journey: Nibley speculated that the route Lehi and his family traveled would have been dangerous (for outsiders) and fire would have given away the fact that there were people there. No fire in the barges seems obvious.

Doesn't everyone do that? I'll quote Mark Twain

That's because he stutters. Any fellow stutterer immediately recognizes the coping mechanisms.

His way of speaking doesn't help. Slow and with lots of "um...."s thrown in, etc.

So, I got to thinking about the Wheel of Time. "Saving magic" was exactly what the wizarding guild wanted to happen. But the imposter was evil and gave a procedure to the heroes that would "taint" magic. It could be used by evil people to do evil things. But when it is used for good, something evil always comes with it (Monkey's Paw).

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. - Galatians 4:4-5 Brothers and sisters, join with me and behold your God! Behold your God, born as a little child in Bethlehem and wrapped in swaddling clothes. Behold your God, born in poverty and simplicity that He might walk among common people as a common man. Behold your God, even the infinite and eternal Redeemer, the Messiah, veiled in flesh and come to live upon the very earth that He created. - Bruce D. Porter, A Child is Born

It’s not a matter of intelligence, it’s cognitive dissonance or plain old disagreement. They view Friedman the same way I view Krugman.

I wonder why smart (?) people in our government do not listen to a real economist. In either party. The Traveler

I could listen to him for hours.

This may not be directly what you were talking about specifically, but... I have an opportunity to take a position in a company that designs nuclear power plants. It would be a huge feather in my cap. I've never been in that space before. I found out why. For many decades, those in that field became nuclear engineers because they were already in the field. As you can guess, that meant that no one was coming into the field and the attrition rate was as rapid as the aging population. Now, they're looking at the entire field who is ready to retire. So, they are willing to take outsiders who look promising. I'm one of them. While discussing options with my wife an interesting point came up. Many people are growing up learning that 2+2 does not necessarily = 4. Can we really trust the rising generation of engineering students? If not them, whom? Even if the other job would be a better idea for me personally, I am considering this position for the future of the nuclear industry because I believe it will always be a necessary part of our power grid. I haven't worked with a newbie in many years. I really don't know if any of the new kids actually understand engineering.

This is a graph from Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage. Please note the black dot. The Y-axis is self-reported happiness levels as analyzed in interviews. The X-axis is the criterion for happiness based on the common things that people tend to believe bring them happiness. Mr. Achor recognized that it is obvious that the common wisdom seems to be fairly predictive of the state of being happy. Those common things do indeed bring some level of happiness. But what he was curious about was that black dot instead of the gray dots. What's up with that guy? Most of the time statisticians would simply ignore the black dot as an outlier. It obviously is an outlier based on statistical analysis techniques. It could simply be that this person has a naturally high level of endorphins in his body. Could be anything. But instead of simply dismissing the outlier, Achor wanted to know WHY? Why is that guy so much happier when others are fairly miserable with the same criteria that the world tends to value and seems to be fairly predictive? He looked into it and found many criteria that we all kinda know is linked to happiness, but we tend to ignore. Often, it is "just too much work." This got me to thinking about: The peace the Lord gives us is more enduring. It is beyond the ups and downs of the human experience. It is constant. It is eternal. I'm fairly comfortable as far as the worldly things. But I know that it isn't a long fall from my height of 5'-7" to being homeless and sleeping on the sidewalk. Job was the perfect example of how we can still have some "happiness" when we really should be miserable. It is easy to be "happy" when you're on the far right of the graph. It is another thing to be happy when you're near the left end of the graph.

And to be a light unto all who sit in darkness, unto the uttermost parts of the earth; to bring to pass the resurrection from the dead, and to ascend up on high, to dwell on the right hand of the Father - Luke 3:7 JST We can all find ourselves in places of darkness from time to time. We may wander into dark, spiritual caverns when we make foolish choices, admit harmful influences into our lives, or turn away from the light of the gospel to embrace the world just a little longer. It may seem harmless at first—just a little exploring, that’s all. Before we know it, we become separated from the light and left in darkness alone. Why do we remain in darkness when such rescuing light awaits us? Let us bask in the warm and illuminating light provided by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let the Savior’s kindly light lead us one step at a time. Let covenants and commandments keep us safe as we follow the gospel pathway to our heavenly home. - Virginia U. Jensen, Lead, Kindly Light

Mormon 4 v4: Maybe events in modern-day America move slower, maybe we aren't guilty of this, but I really wonder if we aren't and if such instances haven't laid us open to the problems we now experience. v5: Keep in mind that when the wicked battle the wicked, you're better off staying out of it, if you can. Don't think just because two sides are at war, one of them must be right. v23: I have to wonder how many llamas or wagons or whatevers it took for him to move all these records. Mormon 5 v5: (interesting that it's v5) Apparently, when things get bad enough, the only way to stay out of it is to die or to be the first to flee and never stop fleeing. v8-9: Poor Mormon. v22: Repent! v23: Make being in the hands of God a good thing. v24: Get adopted into the house of Israel.

For behold, and lo, he shall come, as it is written in the book of the prophets, to take away the sins of the world, and to bring salvation unto the heathen nations, to gather together those who are lost, who are of the sheepfold of Israel; Yea, even the dispersed and afflicted; and also to prepare the way, and make possible the preaching of the gospel unto the Gentiles; - Luke 3:5-6 JST The Pearl of Great Price teaches that Moses was shown all the inhabitants of the earth, which were “numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.” If Moses beheld every soul, then it seems reasonable that the Creator of the universe has the power to become intimately acquainted with each of us. He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understands the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses. But more than that, more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith. - Merrill J. Bateman, A Pattern for All

It must be difficult to fight for a cause when you have no hope of winning. It is, also suggested by other scriptures that to be without hope is not too different from being without faith. Mormon 5:2 But behold, I was without hope, Maybe there was a resurgence in the popularity of Jewish place names after Christ. In chapter 1 we saw David, Joshua and Aaron all being used as place names. Mormon 5:3 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come against us as we had fled to the city of Jordan; This reminds me of 2nd Samuel 11:2 when that which should have been hidden was revealed from the house top. Mormon 5:8 knowing that these things must surely be made known, and that all things which are hid must be revealed upon the house-tops— So far the Book of Mormon does not have a strong track record in convincing unbelieving Jews that Jesus is the Christ, unless we count the original inhabitants of central and south America as Jews because they descended from Lehi who was a Jew. But that seems silly, because if we apply that logic we could count the Jews as Egyptians, or of whatsoever land Jacob was in when his 12 sons were born. Mormon 5:14 And behold, they shall go unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance. This is where the Book of Mormon has been spectacularly successful. Mormon 5:15 And also that the seed of this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles; I have a vague memory of Brigham Young or Joseph Smith commenting on/describing the native peoples of the Americas and I don't think that description is consistent with this prophecy here. Mormon 5:15 for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, This is an interesting, and I believe somewhat controversial among some people, idea, that there is a connection between physical appearance and levels of belief/wickedness. I suspect there is not a lot of evidence for it because some of the most wicked and war-mongering people have been white. Mormon 5:15 and this because of their unbelief and idolatry. The people who were being led about by Satan were engaged as hard as they could in mutual destruction. Satan could have his way with these people without restraint and his way was to lead them to death as fast as possible. Both Satan, in these chapters, and Christ, in 3rd Nephi 8, engaged in wholesale destruction of the wicked. Mormon 5:18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, This is another example of how gifts of land and promised blessings from God are conditional and can easily be passed to another group of people. Mormon 5:19 And behold, the Lord hath reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the Gentiles who shall possess the land. The Nephites of his time are not listening to his preaching, so Mormon starts preaching to a people more than a thousand years into the future. I guess that like Alma, he could not be restrained. Mormon 5:22 And then, O ye Gentiles, how can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?

Tuesdays are busy days for me, so I'm going to read Mormon 3 today and 4-5 tomorrow: Mormon 3 v1: When you learn something from scripture, put it into action in your life! v2: The Lord wants you to come back, no matter how far you may have gone from him. v9-10: Just don't do these things! Be humble and grateful. v15: You only get so many chances. Don't waste them!

And today, we start the book of Mormon in the Book of Mormon... Mormon 1 Mormon is 11 through 15 through most of this chapter! I suppose the lesson here for all of us is that it's possible to be righteous despite living in the middle of a very wicked society - so wicked that the Lord has basically given up trying to turn the people from their wickedness (v13-14, v16-17, 2:19). @old - perhaps there might be some comfort and guidance here for you? (If nothing else, if you are not studying from the Book of Mormon every day, I encourage you to try it and see if the Lord doesn't bless your family for it.) v19: I don't know why the footnotes don't link it, but I think the prophecy of Abinadi would have to be from Mosiah 11:20-25, and Samuel the Lamanite prophesied in Helaman 13-15 - similar "repent or be destroyed" language, but also cursed their riches to become "slippery" (in chapter 13). Mormon's mention of these here should teach us that prophecies can be fulfilled multiple times, and can apply many generations after they're given. Mormon 2 Even with a righteous leader, the Lord will not support a wicked people. v8: Don't wait until you're surrounded by blood and carnage (literal, spiritual, or figurative) before you repent! But if you have waited that long, repent! v1:4, 2:17 - it would appear that neither Ammaron nor Mormon knew, initially, that the Lord would have Mormon abridge the plates. Ammaron's instructions and Mormon's initial action were both simply to add to the record what Mormon had experienced. v18: "these plates" are plates Mormon made (see footnote). I suspect he made them after making his initial historical entry. v23: The things for which one can justly fight have not changed. I can imagine Mormon, when he went to this hill, intensely studying the plates of Nephi, and being so impressed by Captain Moroni that he decided to name his (Mormon's) son after him (Captain Moroni). v26: Don't be left to yourself. Stay true to the Lord, so that you can have his strength and support. v27: (And earlier verses) Note that Mormon sorrows for the wickedness of his people. We don't see him getting angry or indignant or similar self-focused reactions. (Not saying Mormon was perfect, heaven knows; but the important lesson here is that we should try to curb our own selfish reactions to the wickedness of others and focus on selfless reactions - mourning, and if possible, encouraging repentance and righteous choices.) (See 3:12)

Does not in any way take precedence over the Book of Mormon verses that I quoted - quite the opposite.

I am opposed to suggesting that those who struggle with anything in the Church go away - that is not Christ's way: We all struggle with different things. We should pray for and minister (teach the gospel) to those who struggle.

Hello Liz I guess I haven't been paying close enough attention to the posts! From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIL-41047 The Zil has seven seats including the driver. When loaded it weighs 3,550 kg (7,826 lb). The top speed with two persons is listed as "not less than 190 km/h (118 mph)". It is powered by a 7.7 L (469 cubic inch) carbureted V8 giving 232 kW (315 hp SAE Gross) at 4,400 revs per minute. I see some similarities in terms of power and speed. I'm not going to say anything about weight.

Fixed it This doesn't look anything like @Vort at all - far too thin short Before I moved to the Northern Territory about 2 years ago, my body weight and shape was pretty much the same as when I got married. However, since moving here all of my pants have shrunk, my stomach has changed shape, and I've had to buy more new clothes in the past 2 years than I did in the previous 15. It's probably caused by a combination of age, the much hotter climate here in the NT, and my much more sedentary lifestyle.

I'll have you know that when I graduated from high school at 18, I was a bit over 6'4" (193 cm) and weighed just under 165 pounds (75 kg). Zil's sketch may not have been flattering, but it's not a bad representation of what I looked like. Except for the wing. And my horns are not that prominent.

This doesn't look anything like @Vort at all - far too thin

The only other Zil I know is the Russian luxury car. Given your experiences in Russia last century, I'm wondering if there is a connection?

A right-wing devil:

Pick a plot Any plot They would all make a fine, final resting place for your story https://assets.ctfassets.net/ud83ml8x57b0/3dkCO43AMmTo6NM6kTxQZ1/7ad58ea580412012160eda5b9a5a8354/Healesville_Cemetery_Price_List_2020-21.pdf

So you did. When I said I don't care apparently I really meant it. I hadn't, clearly, read your post. Ah well. The embarrassments never end.

Here's the watch I need to gift you this Christmas:

Oh how can you miss it? It's a "Walkie Talkie"!

Too much work. Too little glory. 😀