Islander

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Everything posted by Islander

  1. I suggest you both are in a lot more trouble than you realize. I also suggest that the relationship is not as strong as you think. But you may not know or even realize it since you are quite young. Beyond that, you do not need much to get married but a ring and a date. Your Bishop will be happy to make it official. Your attempt to sweep the situation under the rug will not help you as you are closer to a pregnancy than you imagine and then you will realize that it is a HUGE problem that may stay with you for a very long time. Rationalization is a very dangerous game. Either make arrangements to stay with older/widowed/single-female members or stay home until you can make other arrangements. Intimacy outside of marriage is intoxicating to the point of being able to cause an overdose. If you discuss this with your Bishop instead of here you will gain a whole different perspective.
  2. I guess that is because by the 4th century AD the theology of the original church had been corrupted and clear and pristine doctrines had been discarded in favor of other interpretations. The doctrine is quite simple, we have traits and potential to be like our Father in Heaven as we are indeed His offprings: Psalm 82 Acts 17:29 Rom 8:17 1 John 3:2 Rev 3:21
  3. Well, what I mean is that others do not think it is a "simple" cross. Others do not believe hanging a pagan symbol on your neck is a trivial and irrelevant contrarian fashion statement. What you describe as simple and irrelevant is (or can be) interpreted by others as offensive. I have no value judgment in the matter but because your choice of decor is counter-culture you may have a few looks. If you do not care about the "looks" then feel free. That is all I'm saying.
  4. Just for clarification purposes; The Roman Catholic church did not exist at the time of Athanasius. He is known as a Christian theologian. Appropriating his views as "Catholic" is anachronistic and inaccurate.
  5. I do not agree whith your assertion. There are 150 years to the contrary. Nothing wrong with getting married young. I wish I would have been born in the church and had a chance to marry young. The process is fine, the "ingredients" have change and the "quality" of the product is inferior. In other words; we are raising young people that are ill-equipped for marriage, lacking spiritual and emotional maturity, incapable of overcoming the slightest tension and normal environmental stressor, without (or little) moral or intellectual discipline. Divorce happens because people are selfish and not able to think and behave in terms of US/WE as they are the byproduct of a self-centered, permissive and lax culture that accentuates self and immediate gratification rather than the traits that are conducive to an eternal, God-centered family.
  6. Well, you can attribute (or not) meaning to just about anything you want. However, to ask the same of others seems naive. You are free to do as you please in terms of what you wear. But note that in our case it is counter-culture to wear a crucifix and you are bound to raise some eyebrows. If you don't care then carry on.
  7. Speaking of unusual places for missionary discussions, a few weeks ago we went to a hospital room to teach an investigator that had broken his hip. Missionaries will be happy to go to mount Everest as long the investigator keeps the appointment.
  8. I think we have to be extremely careful with our own history and how it taints our parenting style. If we had more or less disfunctional parents, even though we may be somewhat better we also have knowledge gaps in our parenting repertoire that we ignore. Meaning, we may see a creek when in fact the Amazon is right in front of us. You CAN'T trust a 15 year old! That is why we must wait until much later to make sure they have enough information and emotional fortitude to deal with the world, and still... I could not trust myself at 15. That is what I tell my children. Also, BOTH parents need to be in the same frequency. Kids are extremely skillful at playing both ends against the middle and creating a rift for their own advantage. The two parents need to discuss a strategy for those issues.
  9. Yes, the reprisal for converting to another religion can be death, specially if you are female. "Honor killings" are allowed under the al-hadith or oral traditions. An unbeliever is an enemy to Allah and those that rebel against him after having testified that Muhammad is a prophet in front of witnesses can also be killed. Again, there is what the text actually says and there is what the Imans and the Mullah's interprete in it. Convert from Islam to Christianity killed Gulfnews: Saudi man kills daughter for converting to Christianity
  10. Argument and contention are voided of the Spirit of the Lord. It makes little sense to discuss anything with somebody who's convinced "you are wrong" from the outset. It is a futile and unprofitable exercise. Ignoring them and refusing to play their game is the most sensible choice.
  11. jajajaja...cuidado con el ego Porteno:lol::lol:
  12. Since I am a convert, most of the time I go to the temple in order to perform ordinances for my kindred dead. I take with me insights about these people, stories, family accounts and other information that allows me to feel a tremendous connection with them. I also relish in the Spirit of the Lord that is felt in His Holy Mountain. The certainty, the reality and power of the ordinances burns inside me in a way that I can not easily describe. It is for me a very powerful experience.
  13. Well, I am not sure what you mean by "feel" since we can "feel" many things and at the time they may appear good but they are not. One of the most powerful weapons of the devil is counterfeiting. He offers you something that "seems" good and could even make you "feel good" but at the end will be poison and the means of your destruction; physical and spiritual
  14. I think the questions were rhetorical. You have been in the forum long enough , I think, to have answered those questions.:):):)
  15. Your line of reasoning is faulty and perhaps denotes knowledge gaps in terms of the bible, the dealings of God with men and the purpose of prophets and scripture. Men are the ones that teist and change the meaning of scriptures. It is man who corrupted the ordinance and the meaning thereof. God sends prophets to point to the right way in addition to the existing scripture. So, then as it is now it the prophet and not scripture who can testify and point mankind to the right way of and to God. When God speaks there is argument or confusion about what HE says. In time, it is man that loses his way. The notion of "subject to interpretation" is a modern excuse to pervert the word of God into a man-made concept leading tot he current chaos out there. Those who heed to the word of the prophet wil not be confused.
  16. That is the problem with secular counselors. They apply the wisdom of the world rather than the principles of God.
  17. I can not fully appreciate how you feel on those issues since I was not raised in that particular faith. I was an adult when I started to research theological issues in general so I did not have an allegiance to or identified with any particular doctrine or religion. What you were taught as a child that later becomes part of your belief system and traditions MUST give way to truth, spiritual insight from the scriptures and revelation from the Spirit. That is the solid ground on which the worship of God is sets. It is not history or tradition. The scriptures make that fact abundantly clear time and again. Since yours is a spiritual quest, I do not want to turn this exchange into the historical facts that may negate or affirm the legitimacy of your family's faith. I think you are aware of some of those and are fully capable of researching and study them on your own. I just will exhort you to read what the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints has brought forth in the form of revelation as a second witness of the Savior. Read, ponder and seek the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth and you can not err. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have but the forum is rich in information on every subject you can imagine. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
  18. The fact that at times a doctrine or commandment of God is beyond the reach of our understanding does not mean it will be forever so. At times WE are unwilling, unable or even incapable of understanding God's word. The glitch lies with US, instead. The fact remains that MOST people that call themselves "Christians", whether nominally or even seriously, have not read ALL the scriptures in detail or even understand it fairly. As LDS, we encourage ALL to seek by the Spirit the meaning of what God reveals as to know for oneself the essence of what and why a prophet may have given a certain instruction. The same can not be said of others that rely entirely on what is preached over the pulpit and take it at face value as solid and legitimate instruction without questioning.
  19. Some time ago, Prof. Porter at USC in one of her classes postulated that it would be extremely difficult, without extant sources, to discern the meaning and true intent of some of the writers in the OT, Paul in this case. Although we were engaged in a language class (chewing into the Greek of the NT) rather than a theological one, the assertion, in my opinion, holds true. These are LETTERS, let's not forget; common correspondance between co-religioners which was intended to exhort, encourage and clarify. We, 2000 years later, have "elevated" these letter to the exalted sphere of the "word of God." There is inherent danger here. Inspired as they may have been, context MUST be ascertained in order to more or less have a level of certainty about content. We can not utilize 21 century social mores and values, historical hindsight, current perspectives and belief systems to extrapolate from a 2000 year old letter without any other source as comparative axis.
  20. Another issue to consider is that conversation is an art. Just because you can "speak" it does not mean you know how t converse. We have no formal training, any longer, in how to present and argument or even to propose an idea without bias or advocacy. We tend to think that the universe ends at the tip of our nose and MUST be subject to OUR interpretation. That is the fastest way to a fight.
  21. Welcome Mike. I hope you'll enjoy your stay. Read as much as you can since most questions you may have, rest assured have been asked before.
  22. Have you ever taken an art class? I could explain much better than draw so I am not the expert here. But from one model-object over a table, the resulting 20-something drawings from teh observer/class could not be more different. And we were ALL looking at the same object. The accounts were gathered by different people at different times many years after the Savior's ministry. Without video and audio cameras, recall is a fraction of of the factual events. I happen to know a thing or two about interviewing, memory and recall. The Gospels are no different than any other multi-witness statement after the fact.
  23. The "social life" in college is seriously overrated. Concentrate in your academics, look for the institute locally and seek out the YSA wards and groups in the area. If it is inthe US, the eara will be just like any other area in the Church, for the most part.
  24. The issue here is not the truth of the doctrine or the soundness word of God in the scriptures. The issue is your willingness to live in faith by the commitments and covenants you have made. You will never fully realize your potential or receive the fullness of the blessing that our Heavenly Father has in store for you if you are not wiling to repent, give up your sins and allow the Savior to heal you, strengthen you and reclaim your soul.
  25. Well, to judge by the time you spend on those forums and in this one, in particular, I think that validates my point.