LuckOfTheIrish

When we set up the first meeting, everyone was involved: Bishop, first and second counselor, and primary president. My wife has been a member many years and she reminded me not to overlook that. I'm not a person to seek retribution or harbor grudges. I would feel much more comfortable in our old ward. People give us the cold shoulder in church, except for a few friends. I'm worried about getting a new primary calling with a toddler, an infant, and a wife on bedrest. The last church meeting one of the counsellors said this was a possibility. I'm going to decline it, because I feel it's in the best interest of my family's welfare, but how is this looked upon? I'm not used to a ward like this and the culture in general. Thanks

I'm referring to the law. They are accountable under the color of the law. If they harm someone physically, they will be arrested just like you or me. It is the job of the judicial system to decipher who is mentally ill or not, and they obviously are and would be dealt with accordingly at that point in court and afforded medical help in lieu of a sentence. My point was that every single person is held accountable for their actions by law enforcement at that intitial level. Spiritual accountability is a different subject that I'm not qualified to comment on.

Personally, I feel that doctrine is important, but more important than that is the interpretation of it. I see doctrine in terms of mystic parables, metaphors, and stories from an age completely different from our own. Very little dcotrine is explicit in it's meaning and is not always black and white, at least in my understanding. I've seen many people whou could quote scripture after scripture, but conducted themselves in a differing manner. I couldn't tell you the section or book of most scriptures if you recited one, and I must admit I struggle sometimes with the syntax in the Book of Mormon, but I know many of the stories and the lessons they provide and I try to apply those teachings to my own life.

Everyone has a right to attend a religious institution freely, whenever and wherever they choose. But we also have an obligation to follow the laws. They have every right to attend church, but when it infringes on the safety of others or creates a hostile environment, it's time to step in. People are accountable for their own actions, whatever their mental capacity is. Luckily we live in a society with plenty of resources. At the very least, they need a referral to APS. Call the police any and every time you feel your safety is impacted.

I'm a recent convert. My wife and I moved into a new ward in a town neighboring our old one. The ward seems very cold and distant and there are not very many young couples. All of our prior wards were very big with plenty of young couples and they were very welcoming to anyone. We got a calling to run the nursery. We both accepted. At the timewe accepted, we had a 10 month old son and my wife was pregnant. We watched an average of 7-9 kids on Sunday for 2 hours. To add to this, my wife had pregnancy problems during her last pregnancy (pains, premature labor, thyroid) and my son is very attached to me so I have to hold him a lot. Also, I work night shift in law enforcement and on Sundays I have to pull a 24-30 hour day. I also attend college full time. It was my impression that nursery was given to newly married couples with no kids, as this was what happened in other wards. Despite our reservations we took on the role with no complaints. 3 months into it we had nothing but problems. My son has a weak immune system and became very ill with H1N1, RSV, and multiple colds and ear infections which required 2 E.R. visits. My wife is constantly in pain and faitgued. We approached the Bishop and politely requested to be released and explained all of the baove to him. He seemed to understand and gave us a "solid" promise that in 2 weeks there would be new nursery leaders. That was 4 months ago. We approached him again, with a polite attitude, and simply reminded him we needed to be released as my son was always getting sick and my wife is due in 2 months and was already contracting. His reply was that "they forgot about us". He left us with a promise that the next Sunday there WOULD be a replacement. Next Sunday approaches and we didn't get released. We went into the nursery and asked some of the parents who the new leaders were and they looked at us like they were confused. My son was sick again, and my wife was having contractions. I went to the Bishop again hoping it was just a misunderstanding and he told me that "they found one leader but were waiting on the records of another, so it would be awhile." I'm a very patient man and I respect church authority as a new convert, but I do not like to be lied to multiple times. I approached him again and told him that we quit. I told him I don't like to be lied to and that it's dangerous to have a young baby in nursery and a pregnant wife who is contracting. He wouldn't look me in the eye and kept making excuses. I don't understand this behavior because all he would have to do is get a sub for a few weeks or just step up and find someone else. My wife and I did our calling faithfully and never complained. the average nursery term is 6 months for married couples. I am still enraged over the way we were treated and have no intentions of going back. We will be attending our old ward. As a new ocnvert I don't understand this behavior and wonder how to deal with it... Has anyone had this kind of experience? One thing I'm getting used to about the LDS church are all the boundaries. You can only attend one ward depending on where you live, and you fall under the leadership of only one bishop, good or bad. I was raised protestant and you could go to any church in the country and get the same leadership. I have no doubt this church is true and it has impacted my life in many great ways like forcing me to quit drinking and smoking, blessing me with an amazing wife and son, and making me more responsible. However, I'm still a man and feel extremely offended by the way my wife and I were taken advantage of. Do I stick with the ward or can I move to another one? If I do move, how do I pay tithing, etc? Thanks!

i have to give my son a baby's blessing sunday. what am i supposed to say? how do i phrase the blessing? ive never seen one done. thanks.

I believe in evolution. You can see it on a microscopic level in our own bodies when a strain of bacteria changes to resist a medication. What I struggle with is how dinosaurs fit in with the age of the earth. Carbon dating lists them as millions of years old, while most Christian religions see the Earth as only several thousand years old.

My field of expertise! Dating is a complex science. It can be broken down both emotionally and analytically. Here's a crash course. First off, never give flowers. I hate roses and how we as men are societally pressured to give them on a first date. They are plants! Flowers are a cop out. Ingenuity and creativity will trump flowers and chocolates anyday. I also am not a fan of generic "cookie cutter" dates. That is, dates that are common that every one else does. One, because that is what your girl will be expecting and she will already have a mental set of what's going to happen. Bowling, dinner and a movie, etc. are bad ideas. They are fun but they are bland. There is no ingenuity because we all go to the movies, most of us bowl, and we all eat three times a day. They key to a girl's heart is taking her on a date she will never forget. When she's with someone else who takes her on a generic date, she will compare it to you. To give her that interest you must be in control of every aspect of the date. Take her to do something she's never done before. Best thing is, it won't cost you much. If you're in control, she will be completely dependent on you and that breaks down a whole lot of barriers immediately. I'll be general because I don't know what talents you have, what you have at your disposal geographically, or what resources you have. For me, I taught myself to ice skate. I took my wife here when I first met her because 1) Ice skating breaks the touch barrier in a comfortable way instantly. She had to hold my hand to keep from falling. 2) She never skated before so I had to teach her. We always had something to talk and laugh about and we never had that awkward silent moment. It cost me ten dollars and a tank of gas to give her a date she would never forget about. A date she compared other dates to. A baseline. That is what you want, but you must be in control. Another example... I have a motorcycle. Most girls don't know a thing about motorcycles. Take em' for a ride through the country on your way to a picnic! It gives you instant conversation, it instantly breaks the touch barrier in a comfortable way, and you are in control of everything, and most of all, it's fun!! I guarantee not many girls have ever been on a bike. They will use that as a baseline for comparison on a next date. That baseline is your key! It's what will keep them coming back for a second, third, and fourth date. A final example is repelling... An excellent first date! I leanred how to set up a rig. One, most girls think climbing down a cliff on a piece of rope is ridiculous. Second, you break the touch barrier. Third, you have a lasting conversational piece and never have those stupid awkward silent moments. Most girls have never repelled. If you have a good one that agrees to try it, she will never forget it. It will be "that date" that she will tell all her friends about. The golden date that will land you a second and third date because it establishes that baseline! These are just examples. I highly recommend Mother Nature as a setting. She's beautiful. And best of all, she's free to use and theres plenty to choose from! Rent a jet ski, climb a mountain, go fishing, snowboard... Do something out of the ordinary and do it outdoors! Sharing your opinion on the latest hollywood drivel you just watched and listening to what crazy thing her friend Jennifer did to her hair over a plate of pasta at Olive Garden is all good and dandy, but what you want on a first date is excitement and barriers broken down. You want to give her that one date she will never forget. I'm a quiet guy. Dinner, bowling, movies, etc were hard for me. I always hit those awkward quiet moments because I never knew what to talk about. Family, school, and hobbies will only last you awhile, then they become dry topics. Anyway, I've rambled on too long! Good luck brother.

I oppose the death penalty, but for different reasons. I oppose the American style of execution. It is a joke. Everyone on death row is guilty. That is made sure of through extensive trials, appeals, reappeals, and so forth. The average time it takes to execute someone is 18 years. 90% of people on death row die of natural causes, drug overdose, or suicide before they ever get close to execution. I work behind the walls of a prison. Whoever said it costs more to execute someone than to house them for life is absolutely right. The actual cost is millions. The cost of housing one for life is +/- $40,000 per year. The amount of money we pay as taxpayers for appeals, special attorneys, and actual executions is enormous. Prison is rough. A lifetime there is punishment enough.

EXACTLY what I was looking for scripturally! Thanks! As for what ex19k said(even though he's a former tanker:P), he is exactly right. An empty weapon is useless in a combat situation. I keep it loaded but I do not keep a round in the chamber so it can't accidentally fire from a nudge on the trigger. A simple slide of the rack will load it. Loading a clip takes two seconds that I might not have in a situation. I also keep 2 pairs of handcuffs in the drawer. I carry the same gun I use at work and I know the components inside and out like the back of my hand. I train with it in prone and tactical environments and teach my wife the same. When kids come along, I will think of something. We rent so good lighting and a dog are out of the question, although I want a big German shepherd! I'm not a huge, imposing person physically and neither my wife nor I are experts in self defense. A gun is the only option, and we know how to use them well. Crime is drastically on the rise here, even though I live in a very rural mostly LDS town. Every week I read of someone getting assaulted, robbed, and sometimes worse. It's a dangerous tool definitely, and deadly if used with negligence, but it is a necessary tool in today's world. I rest assured when I'm here and gone during the nights I work that if anyone ever breaks in, they won't be leaving.

Just joined here and I thought of a topic to discuss. I am interested in other people's views on this issue. I live in a good neighborhood in a safe LDS town. I have not been LDS all my life. I ran with a rough crowd at one time and have encountered a lot of degenerate people who make bad choices. I was in the military and drilled with an infantry unit and I currently work in law enforcement. I have seen some extremely gruesome, horrible, evil things done by evil people in my job that I will never talk about to anybody but my co-workers who were there. I am a HUGE supporter of the right to bear arms (in a responsible manner) and the right to defend yourself with deadly force if in defense of yourself or someone else. I keep two loaded firearms in the bedroom (safely) stored in different locations and I qualify with them frequently both at work and personally. I also carry concealed. I taught my wife to shoot both guns in a stationary and tactical environment. One reason I do this is because I can't spend nights with my wife and she is alone. Also, if my house is ever broken into or I am in a situation in town where I'm robbed, I want to protect my wife and myself. A criminal will almost always have a deadly weapon in order to gain an advantage, and sadly the only way to gain it back is to be proficient and carry one of your own. I know the chances of ever needing to use deadly force to protect myself or my family is very slim, especially in a relatively safe, small town but I want the option there if I ever need it. This mindset has carried over from before I was LDS and I don't think it will ever change. There is so much evil perpetuated in the world. My mom thinks I'm insane, my dad grunted in approval, and my poor wife has had to get used to idea of a loaded firearm always being around. As a person, and more specifically as a priesthood holder I'm interested in how other people feel on the issue.. Is it overboard, or is it a good measure of protection in this day and age to be prepared to take someone's life in defense of you or your family? I would never want to of course, but I would not hesitate to do so to protect my family. I have a military LDS "Principles of the Gospel" that addresses the issue but it is vague. Are there any scripture references to this? Thanks!

In the Protestant faith (in which I grew up in), John 3:16 is heavily quoted. Children are baptized by immersion at no particular age and you "receive" the Holy Ghost by "asking Jesus to be your savior" and always acknowledging the same. I believe that they DO feel the Holy Ghost from what I have see nand experienced, but the fullness of it is only unleashed as a Latter Day Saint. John 3:16 NIV: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I just ran into this site and was quite impressed with the extensive Church information. I've learned quite a bit browsing through some of the archives of it all. I thought I'd share my story on how I found the church considering the fact that I plan on using this website as an informational resource for my wife and I in the future. I've been a member of the church for a year and a half. I'm half Irish and growing up as a child I was raised in a strictly Protestant home. My mother is devout and my father was in and out. They divorced early in my childhood. I never went much, although it was a strong small-town Church with a very good moral fabric and values. In fact, it reminds me of the LDS faith quite a bit. My senior year in high school I enlisted into the military. After high school and in the military I got into drinking heavily. I had a lot of vices like watching pornography, smoking when I was drunk, cussing, and not being chaste. I grew up in a predominately mormon town, but never thought once about the Church. My best friend is LDS and that was the only exposure I got. I met my wife two years ago before I left for infantry school. She was LDS so I assumed it wouldn't work out. Something sparked my interest in her, but I couldn't put my finger on t. Two weeks after I met her, I fell in love with her, which is extremely untypical of me. I found out what I found so appealing. She had a pure heart. I had never known an honest woman, aside from my mother. Not only was she honest, she was funny and intelligent, ad beautiful. But I was not LDS. I reluctantly let her drag me to church. I told myself it would just be once, just to make her happy. After that, I spoke to the missionaries. I forced myself to be open minded and atleast hear them out. They didn't say much, and handed me the discussion booklets and told me to pray about it. I did, and nothing happened. Then one day I was reflecting on my life. I was about to leave a person I loved dearly for several months. It all hit me then. It felt like a truck slammed into my chest. I consider myself a very stoic person, but it brought a tear to my eye. All the sin perpetuating in my life that would lead to nowhere, all the failed and fragmented relationships, all the fake friendships and false promises from people I considered close; all of the ineptitude in my life was shown to me in one split second. God had placed me at a pivotal point in my life. I had to choose to heed it or disregard it. I was baptized several weeks later by my best friend, who also gave me both priesthoods. My wife saved my life. It was extremely difficult to break the back of some of my addictions, especially alcohol, but I did. Another trial was telling my family. They didn't take it too well at first, but have come to reluctantly welcome it now. Without her, I couldn't have done this. I now live a moral life. I was medically seperated from the Army last year. Since then I have been blessed with a life that many could only dream of. I married my wife in the temple and we are expecting a baby. We have a wonderful home and both have good careers. I work full time in law enforcement and am going to college to be an IT technician. I hold the priesthood. We certainly have our struggles, but they are not insurmountable. We go to church every sunday and the blessings I've recieved have been nothing short of miraculous.