ruthiechan

I am on vacation, at my Mom's. But I keep thinking about you HappyGuy. So here I am writing to you. I am going to try and answer some of your questions that I feel haven't been sufficiently addressed. I feel badly that I didn't answer these questions individually. 1: Expected to? No. The commandments given are for the collective whole of the Church. There are individual cases, such as many women will not be able to find a Temple worthy man to be sealed to. And then there is your case. I know of one member here who is gay, but ended up finding an eternal companion to take to the Temple. His attraction to her was on an emotional level, not a physical level. That is something I can relate to. When walking down the street, women do not look twice at my husband. He is not the kind of fine man that causes a physical reaction when you look at him, unlike Brendan Fraser in the movie George of the Jungle. However, when I got to know him, it turned out he was the key to my lock, and now, I can look at him and have that kind of physical reaction because of the person he is. 2: If mortality were the only window to obtain an eternal marriage then we would not be doing sealings for the dead. So the answer is, no, mortality is not the only time to do this. When Christ returns he will reign for a thousand years on earth. At this time Temple work will be done. So, if you do not find someone in this life to take to the temple you will still have the opportunity, maybe one of those women who also had to live a celibate life on earth. 3: You are a special case. It will only apply if you find an eternal companion, just like those women who will never marry here on earth. However, there are many opportunities for you to be a father figure to someone else. You can still be in training for fatherhood. Children in broken homes need a male figure to look up to, and you can be that person. It's a huge responsibility, but working hard to be the kind of person you want a child to emulate is edifying and a bit a scary too. But I figure if I can be a positive force in a child's life then I'm doing something right. 4: The answer is you will no longer have problems with being gay. I have issues with depression and anxiety. It used to be really bad. Though I am no longer suicidally depressed (praise be) I will still, at times, become depressed for no reason (at least it's for no reason, it means nothing terrible has happened). The Lord does not always take away our burdens but he can make them light, as in, he can make it easier for us to bear. He has done so for me. He can do so for you. I expect that after this life I will still remember what it felt like so I can retain the lessons I learned from having that burden, but that it will no longer be a problem for me, and for you. There is more to you than being gay, just as there is more to me than being that seriously depressed and anxious girl. It's one aspect of my life here on earth. I have eternal qualities to foster, so do you. Satan does not know the mind of God. He probably did not fully understand that Adam and Eve would not be able to have children until after they ate the fruit, and that partaking of the fruit was a part of the plan. Satan is smart, and cunning, but he lacked experience. You will probably find this site rather interesting. Mormon Truth and Book of Mormon Evidences: Not Proof, But Indications of Plausibility Please, let me know if you have any other questions. I will do my best to answer them for you. I feel for you, I really do. You are in my prayers. Feel free to PM me.

The answer is, let the Spirit be your guide. Maybe, you will be able to find someone you can take the Temple. I have heard of this happening before, all under the direction of the Spirit. So, all is not lost. Have faith and trust in the Lord to provide you with whatever it is that you need. *hugs*

From the linked pamphlet: You are a son or daughter of God, and our hearts reach out to you in warmth and affection. Notwithstanding your present same-gender attractions, you can be happy during this life, lead a morally clean life, perform meaningful service in the Church, enjoy full fellowship with your fellow Saints, and ultimately receive all the blessings of eternal life. I also believe that once you are resurrected you will no longer have the issue with same gender attraction.

I think we really need to focus on the child who was called loser. It appears that she thought it was funny as well, but did she really? Or does she actually feel like people do not like her because of her top marks and is thusly a social loser as opposed to an academic one?

I do believe Satan is working against you. He will do anything and everything to try and destroy your family. So, with that said, pray for strength, and for your wife, and that you will know what to do for her. Do everything you can to keep the spirit in your home. The Spirit will protect you.

Egads. What a terrible thought. All that pain, for forever? *shudder*

In every ward I've been in we've always been given at least some sort of general topic. Fasting and praying for inspiration should help too.

They usually give a topic to the youth speaker. Ask the person who asked you to give the talk for suggestions. Mayhaps they simply forgot to give you the topic.

First and foremost, you need to talk to your Bishop. Second, you can only change you. However, I do not know what changes you can institute to help your wife. Only the Lord does. You need to fast and pray and read the scriptures like your life depends on it, and then do whatever it is the Spirit guides you to do. That way you will know you did all you can to save your marriage, and the divorce will be on her head if she still chooses that route. It's going to be hard, and painful and long. But in the end, you can't take away your wife's agency. Pray for you to know what to do, what to say, how to say it, and when (sometimes the Spirit will tell me to keep my mouth shut). Pray for her, that she will be guided in doing what's best for the family. I will pray for you two as well. One thing that salvaged my marriage, aside from my doing the above, is that my husband and I were determined to stay friends for the sake of our daughter, no matter how things went between us. Perhaps, she will be amenable to such a suggestion. If you choose to speak to her about at least staying friends, be sure to have the Spirit with you so that it may speak to her heart.

You know the first thought that came to mind were some of the reasons why someone is excommunicated from the Church. Child molestation for one. I thought, we'll that's the greatest punishment one can have from the Church itself. It's a potentially eternal punishment. None of this other stuff y'all are talking about even came into my mind.

What is an activity? Are all activities sports? Hm, situations where garments are not worn. 1: the shower (I've met people who thought we only do sponge baths! Weird!) 2: Sex. 3: A sauna, which is basically a sweaty shower. 4: Swimming. What makes swimming so different from other sports is that the more clothes you have on, and the looser the clothes (since that equals more cloth) the more bogged down you get in the water because cloth holds water, so you can't move smoothly through the water if you have tons of clothes on. In my opinion, there's little excuse to not wear garments with other sports and exercise activities. The only reason why I do not say there is NO excuse is because unless you're in an all Mormon school we do not have control over our uniforms. I think it's BS that BYU sport uniforms are not designed for the wearing of garments. Some people may think I'm crazy, thinking of Gymnastics or ice skating, but you know, we have wet suits, we can have something like that for other sports. . . Edit: to the OP the second dress is nicer looking. Also, you're going to get tons of eye candy at the hotel. In your private time with your wife she can be as scantily clad, or not clad as the case may be or become, as much as, and for as long as, you and she wants!

I haven't read the whole thread yet, working that, but wanted to not lose track of this post to quote. If I were not LDS I believe I would be Buddhist. Maybe a Wiccan of sorts. Edit: I've read the whole thread and have no further comment.

Satan takes advantage of anything and everything, even our own religion. I say that because sometimes I think that being emotionally and spiritually healthy go hand in hand. It's hard to feel the spirit when you're anxious or depressed or angry.

I am dubious. 7 Healthy Hemp Foods to Try "Hemp use dates back to the Stone Age. Imprints of hemp fibers have been found in 10,000-year-old pottery shards in Asia. Clothing, shoes, ropes, paper, and, probably, wallets, were all made from these fibers. Later, in medieval Germany and Italy, hemp was a common ingredient in recipes like pies and soups. "Although the leaves of the hemp plant can be eaten, the part of the plant best known for nutritional value is the seeds. These small seeds are highly nutritious, containing essential fatty acids, amino acids, and minerals. About a third of the weight of the seed is made up of oil, and most of that oil is the healthy variety: ALA (alpha-linoleic acid, a type of Omega-3 fat) and linoleic acid. These essential fatty acids (EFA's for short) can benefit your health in many ways. Hemp seeds also contain complete, high-quality protein and all eight essential amino acids. "What about THC? "Today, hemp is cultivated in almost every part of the world and used in the production of a variety of products, including paper, fabric, food, fuel, and even plastic. Due to legislation intended to prevent the cultivation of cannabis, a subspecies of hemp that contains large amounts (20%-30%) of the psychoactive substance THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), it is illegal to grow hemp in most parts of the United States. But the type of hemp cultivated for consumer products and food contains such a miniscule amount of THC (0.3%) that it produces no intoxicating effect, even in significant quantities. It is legal, however, to import products made from these plants into the U.S. Besides having an abundance of uses, hemp is also easy on the eco-system. It requires little to no pesticides while cotton, for example, is one of the most heavily-sprayed crops in the world. Hemp also replenishes the soil with nutrients, controls erosion, and produces oxygen. Just as growing hemp is a boon to the environment, eating it is a boon to your health. "

Haha! Beefche! And thanks Pam. Eh heh. Subforum, right, duh. >.<

I could have sworn there was a message board specifically for the Gospel Doctrine class this year. . . I can't find it though. Or maybe I'm a loony.

I have a set of scriptures for marking, and a set that are not marked. Sometimes I feel I need to read certain scriptures without previous markings. I find that I simply concentrate on what's marked, thusly cheating myself out of something new. Marked scriptures are good though if you need to find a scripture relatively quickly. I remember needing to find a scripture, I could clearly see where it was marked, but with no memory of what book or chapter. If I only had my unmarked set I couldn't find the scripture in question, but if I had my marked set then I could find it without issue. Basically, marking scriptures is note taking, designed to help you remember a principle, whatever spiritual impression you got at the time. Or you can think of it as a spiritual journal for the mini moments, the parts without an actual story to go with it. I tried the color coded thing, but like Connie, found that didn't work. I tried pencil, but it's hard to see and read as time passes. Now I use a pen that doesn't bleed through. I've yet to find a highlighter that doesn't highlight both sides of the page. Stickers are cool, but I find them distracting, but other people find them to be helpful in locating particular passages or topics. I also write in the sides, and use vertical lines, boxes, brackets, underlining, circling footnote markings and then underlining that footnote, and occasionally with use arrows. The important thing is that your markings make sense to you. They could be completely nonsensical to me, but as long as you understand it then it's all good.

I found this interesting. Blue Letter Bible - Lexicon, owlam (aka for ever)

Which beginning are you referring to?

""Pandora is a pristine world and there is the synergy between all of the creatures of the planet and I think that strikes a deep chord within people that has a wishfulness and a wistfulness to it," Lang said." Well yes, of course. Because that aspect of the movie speaks truth. It is spiritually true. This uncanny reaction to the movie speaks volumes. People need the Gospel. These fans recognized that something was missing and saw a part of that something in the movie. A direct connection to all life, to God, and to a God that was real and would help you prevail against your enemies. A connection where, when you died, you were still there, in God, with all your friends, and family, and also accessible to your posterity. We have all that in the Gospel, but they don't know it and so they yearn for something they believe to be inaccessible, when it's right here, right now.

The proper answer to that is, "Do not worry sister. I will do as the Spirit directs."

I would like to relate a true story. Bear with me, as it does relate to the discussion. Today I made apple cheese biscuits and bacon for breakfast. My six year old daughter, and her father, were waiting to be served as breakfast was almost done. My daughter asked me if she HAD to eat an apple cheese biscuit. I said yes (she'd eat a whole bag of bacon if I let her). She then asked me if she had to eat a whole one. I said, no. She asked me, a half of one? I started to tell her not to worry about it, and then her father told her not to nitpick. The interesting thing in the conversation that ensued was that her father insisted that she said, a quarter, after I started to tell her not to worry about the amount she had to eat. I did not hear her say any such thing, and she said she didn't say a quarter (I'm not even sure if she knows that a quarter means a half of a half). So, here we have three people personally involved in the same anecdotal and one person insists that one thing was said and reacted to that thing, while the other two are left a bit flabbergasted about it since they insist that one thing was never said. Memory is fallible. What we see and what we hear can also be fallible. If it is so fallible between people who all participate in, or experience, the same event, then how much more so between second or third hand accounts?

Thanks everyone! Does anyone know if there was any of the Joseph Smith Translation added?

Is there a difference between the LDS 1979 published edition of the Bible and the current one? I am using the ol' 1979 version, but I don't know if the footnotes have changed since then or any other possible differences.

I am a Mormon, my husband is not. He lets me do my "Mormon thing", and I do not push him to do my "Mormon thing". Sometimes he'll go to a ward activity, and at night time, if I'm not able to put our daughter to bed, he'll read scriptures with her because he knows that the bed time routine is important. The more I choose to live the Gospel the better I become at being a companion to my husband. However, if your wife starts to push you in her enthusiasm and desire to be with you for all eternity, be calm about it. Let her know that you need time to discover whether or not being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is for you. Love her, and be patient with her. She'll be new, and she'll not have all the answers to questions you may have. To best understand where she may possibly be coming from is to do some researching on eternal families. You can read about eternal families in our new lesson book, Gospel Principles, which the title describes well as it contains the basics of what we believe. The Family Can Be Eternal Eternal Marriage The entire book with links to corresponding scriptures can be found here: Gospel Principles I do not know how often you have internet privileges during your deployment. If you so desire I will send you a copy of the Gospel Principles lesson book. I will also send you a complete set of scriptures so you that you can look up the unquoted scriptures in the lessons. That way you can do your reading and research anytime during downtime. You can email me your information at [email protected], if you desire this. There is no time limit for this offer. :) . . . unless I get hit by a truck or something. Thank you for your service. You are much appreciated.