skippy740

I've been away from the forum for quite some time. When I last visited, there were (and I'm sure there still are) some threads addressing same sex attraction, family acceptance, and other topics. I remember reaching out to a member of the Christofferson family a few years ago, but she never responded back to me. (Wasn't sure if I was treading on something too hard to share, or if she never really got my message.) I genuinely wanted to know how their family dealt with such a hot topic for so long. This article embodies a GREAT example for us and how we can and should treat our family members - particularly those who have same-sex attraction. I found the motives to be right - we are going to keep our family together through love and acceptance. http://www.ldsliving.com/One-Gay-Man-s-Powerful-Journey-Away-from-the-Church-and-Back-Again/s/86366 I look forward to reading Tom's book when it becomes available (I prefer Kindle books whenever possible). I would guess that it would be a decent reference for families and church leaders on how we should BE when relating to those with same-sex attraction. I suggest, that for any family that is dealing with this, to consider this article as how we should be - not that it will change things - but so we can be the kind of people we should be, so others may want to be like us and see the Light of Christ shown in our lives.

Well, I've finally determined that "Facebook" is the "court of public opinion". I know that if everyone was sitting in a room, that we'd be more cordial and polite about each other's beliefs than what I'm seeing on Facebook lately. So... I've decided to delete my account. I'm tired of debate without results. I'm tired of judgment being passed without an OUNCE of understanding our doctrines or of the legal consequences of such decisions. I'm tired of "pointless" defending of my faith when it doesn't matter. And I'm tired of having to hear about little details about my faith or my church and somehow, it's up to everyone else to talk about how "wrong" or "evil" it is. So, I'm simply abdicating my position from the debates. There's nothing in the scriptures that says that you HAVE to debate with people in order to be a good example of the faith. Yes, I can debate and teach the doctrinal points of our doctrines... but I don't have to. And I choose not to be baited into these things anymore.

Just in case anyone is getting hung up on the word 'apostate': a·pos·tate NOUN a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle. synonyms: dissenter · defector · deserter · traitor · backslider ADJECTIVE abandoning a religious or political belief or principle. It is the correct term to use, just like the term 'alien' is the correct term for those who are not citizens of a country, no matter what Gov. Jerry Brown thinks. a·li·en ADJECTIVE belonging to a foreign country or nation. NOUN a foreigner, especially one who is not a naturalized citizen of the country where they are living: "an illegal alien"

D&C 68:25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. Matthew 10:34-37 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Just share this on your facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/christine.mcknight.5/posts/1069435566430706

When you value a religious belief OVER performing the current job duties you were hired to do... then that employee is in violation of their employer/employee contract. That employee should go look for work elsewhere, or become comfortable being uncomfortable. There's no problem hiring a vegetarian to do the work of a butcher... unless they refuse to touch meat after being hired. Every vegetarian on these cooking competition shows still handle meat and cook with it. If they were so against meat that they couldn't compete, don't go on the show. Now, the only difference is the context. The job description CHANGED on these county clerks while they were in the office of serving the public. And that is where the difference lies: their job is to serve the public and carry out their duties according to the law.

Kim Davis... is an idiot. She definitely misunderstands what it means to have her name listed as the county clerk on a marriage certificate. The county clerk's office role is to record various things that happens in her county, not to 'approve' or 'disapprove'. They record births, deaths, marriages, divorces, new businesses, etc. Her name on a marriage certificate simply means that she is the one in office when the marriage was recorded. It does not mean that she 'approved' or 'disapproves' of any marriage - which is what I think she keeps asserting. If she wants to 'disapprove' of any marriage, she needs to attend that marriage... and when asked, simply state that 'I object to these two people being wed'. Other than that, she is simply the elected official who should be carrying out the duties of her office. And if she cannot do so because of 'her conscious'... she needs to step down and let someone else do it, or find other ways of carrying out the duties of her office without doing it directly herself.

First, your husband isn't here posting... you are. Therefore, YOU are who we can communicate with, not your husband. You've sure got it tough - choosing to be so critical, judgmental, and vindictive of your husband. So much that it's probably a bigger cancer in your marriage than your husband's use of pornography. My recommendation: Go see a marriage counselor by yourself... and talk about how YOU are dealing with this problem. You don't have to own your husband's problem. That part is not your fault. You have to own how you're dealing with the problem. It *seems* as though pornography in a marriage feels like it's a 'free pass' to criticize a spouse's righteousness... as though such criticism helps anyone. Yes, lots of talks and articles about the dangers of pornography. But... there isn't much about how a spouse should be HELPFUL and not give in to FEAR. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I think a background check should be a requirement for working with primary and youth... regardless of scouting-related or not.

I suppose I just wish they would've made this decision before the new cub scout program went into effect this past June. Would've saved a lot of time, effort, and money. (I'm the Asst. Webelos DL, Cub Master, and Den Chief District Trainer.)

And on the Mormon Newsroom facebook page, the fact that I keep pointing this out... well, let's just say that my comment keeps getting deleted. It's kinda funny, in a problematic way.

I don't get it: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-re-evaluating-scouting-program Just two weeks ago, they put THIS one out: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-comments-on-boy-scouts-of-america-resolution-on-adult-leader-standards The way I understood everything was that as long as the chartering organizations can choose to appoint whom they wish, consistent with their values, there would be no conflict. Whatever. I'm fine with whatever decision, but I wish they would be clear in what they intend. To me, this new release sounds childish because they didn't hold the vote for a convenient time for LDS leaders... yet it didn't seem that there would be a conflict based on the standards being left with chartering organizations. I just find this odd.

ADD/ADHD has more impulse control issues and the sense of wanting gratification in the moment. Long-term perspective really can be 'out of reach' for someone with untreated ADD/ADHD. They can't organize their thoughts, environment, or time very well. They need more tools to help them to stay on top of things. They can APPEAR to pay attention in class... but really doesn't because the mind wanders. In addition, certain medications help with the way the brain works, but this is only a part of the solution. New habits and structure have to be implemented for maximum effectiveness. I knew my son had it when I went to a parent/teacher conference and she described his behavior in class. I could identify very clearly with his behavior. I had him tested by my doctor and began to implement new routines as well as a mild prescription. His classroom performance greatly improved... no late assignments... and is just much more comfortable in class. I'm glad I found out while he was in the 4th grade... and that I knew how to help him... rather than in high school as it was with me.

ADD is generally hereditary... and you can trace the same behavior patterns through parents or others in the family. Most people assume it's 'normal', until they find out otherwise.

Oh, and I have ADD and my son has ADD/ADHD as well. I want better standards for him, so I will help him the best I can... because I'm the best he has in figuring out how to live with this mindset. I will be harder on him than I am on me. That's what good parents do - to help set their children up for success later in life. The more 'absolute rules' you can incorporate into the ADD/ADHD mind... the better and more disciplined that mind can be. However, it takes one who HAS ADD/ADHD to understand that. Here's a rule that I have always lived by: "Early is on-time, on-time is late, and late is unforgivable." Got that from my marching band days and it has always stuck with me. I'm early to everything. I'm also incredibly neat and tidy because my mind can't stand the chaos of disorganization. So, let your husband be the "ADD/ADHD" coach for your children... and make sure that he himself has his own medications and systems in place... because I'm sure that he has this too. ADD/ADHD is not an excuse. It's an explanation that needs a diagnosis and new patterns of thinking and doing things to manage one's life properly.

Let's sum up, shall we? You have a husband who looks at pornography. As far as you have posted, he is not chatting or hooking up with other women, correct? And he is trying to parent his children better than he can control himself, correct? BTW, don't use the word 'abusive' until you know what it means. Saying "If you were sorry, you'd stop. Don't apologize unless you'll never do it again." is called PARENTING. It's under the category of "Do as I say, not as I do." I'm sure YOU have some things that fit into this category too, don't you? And YOU'RE the one thinking about divorce??? I think there's a BIG PROBLEM IN ZION when the women of the church are thinking of divorce MORE than trying to fix the problems... or even if the problem is big enough to bother solving in the first place! There are plenty of people who have marriages that stick around to make work even when the spouse is addicted to alcohol and tobacco. Yes, I agree that pornography can be thought of as a drug, and it can be a problem... but you're ready to "call it quits"??? You have lost all trust in your husband and you are trying to 'parent' your husband instead of being his helpmate. Get counseling FOR YOU on this. And I'm not talking about ARP meetings. Go see a COUNSELOR. Stop thinking about "tattling on your husband to the bishop". Learn how to pick and choose your fights and issues. Out of all the things out there that could be threatening your marriage... I think you're turning an anthill into a mountain. Remember this: the gospel of Jesus Christ makes bad men good, and good men better. As long as he is a good man, please be happy with him. And the sooner you stop parenting him and nagging him about this... and start just appreciating HIM for WHO HE IS and WHAT HE DOES FOR YOU... the sooner you'll feel at peace in your marriage. (Says the divorced guy whose wife left him for numerous reasons but pornography was on the list too.)

I'm going to dissect your post and give you my opinion. Let's talk a little bit about repentance. There are two kinds of repentance (generally). 1) Ecclesiastical clearance. This repentance comes from your priesthood leaders. This means a complete confession and humility in order to gain ecclesiastical clearance to serve in the church, partake of the sacrament, and be a member in good standing. 2) Changing of your heart. This is done inside of our souls through prayer and connecting our souls and will to how our Heavenly Father wants us to live. This forgiveness is harder... but it is sweeter. The Bishop helps with #1. But you need to see #2 happen. Has he made an effort to avoid this woman at his work... or get a transfer... or find a new job? We don't know the answer to that... and THAT effort is probably more important than anything else he says he is doing. He needs to avoid contact with her, and if he stays at that job where she is... makes everything else much more difficult.

What constitutes a "spirit-led" lesson? (Note: I didn't click on the link) Just because one is skilled in teaching, does not necessarily mean a lesson is filled with the Spirit. Just because one prepares in advance, does not necessarily mean a lesson is filled with the Spirit. While Moses was not strong in speech, I'm sure he spoke by the Spirit. So, what does it take? 1) Personify the lesson. Bring the lesson into a real life example and pose questions. Get a conversation and dialogue going. 2) Talk about what YOU got out of the lesson. (Do you even LIKE the lesson? Do you struggle with it? Talk about that.) 3) TESTIFY of gospel principles when you can. 4) Read scripture verses that help accentuate the point and talk about them. 5) Don't be afraid of silence and pauses. Let the Spirit work in you and them. 6) Respect all volunteered viewpoints, even if they tend to take the subject off-course for a bit. (We all know that happens.) Try to steer it back to the lesson, if you can. 7) Try to show how we can apply the lesson in various stages of OUR lives (young adult, just married, middle aged, retired, etc.), and the lives of those whom we have stewardship - spouses, children, grandchildren, home/visiting teaching families, etc. 8) What resolutions does the lesson want us to make and how can we actually implement them in our own families? Just some thoughts.

First, Youth Protection and Two-Deep Leadership standards are to help protect youth (and adult leaders from unfounded accusations)... if that's your main concern. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss01.aspx Second, religious organizations, by our very nature, are discriminating organizations... as long as such discrimination is based on a moral and ethical code of conduct. I don't see where the long-term problem will be... as long as religious organizations (chartered organizations) are free to choose the scout leaders that embody and portray the chartering organization's principles. Not all religious organizations choose to discriminate based on sexual orientation. (We may believe that's for a 'filthy lucre', but that's our position and perspective. Remember Article of Faith 11.) Third, remember that SCHOOLS also charter scout packs and troops. Schools cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation as religious organizations could. Fourth, it could make for some interesting RoundTable meetings, as most are held at LDS church buildings since we don't charge for the use of the building.

The squirrels reminded me of this:

Here's the link to the Ensign 1979 article of that speech given in 1978: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/02/a-more-determined-discipleship?lang=eng

Here's the link to the full performance with judge's comments:

And to put up with all those Mothers-in-law... ugh!

True. I once heard one idea where Satan's plan would simply remove all of our logic and reasoning... and all our decisions would be made by instinct alone... just like animals, and avoiding the idea of learning anything. In either case, either decisions are made FOR man... or man becomes INCAPABLE of making such decision. In either case, free agency does not exist.