Fiannan

A waiting list for monks? Don't Catholic monks have to be celibate? Weird. As for conservative churches growing and liberal ones shrinking, one big factor is that conservative churches tend to have a low regard for birth control -- so more babies equals more members. Reform Judaism is dying out, while Orthodox Judaism is growing for that very reason. In fact, I'll bet polygamist Mormons have more babies than mainstream LDS (in recent years many LDS have tried to have an affair with the world on the issue of birth control).

Let's see, he was Jewish and did live prior to the invasions from Mongolia, the Muslims (from what is now Yemen and Saudi Arabia), and intermixing with African slaves. So maybe he looked like these Jewish actors: Michael Douglas Kirk Douglas William Shatner Harrison Ford Henry Winkler Michael Landon Woody Allen Paul Newman Tony Randall Tony Curtis ? Red hair is also common in Hebrews (David and Esau) as well as in other Middle Eastern peoples (in tradition Mohammed is believed to have had red hair). The tribe of Joseph was also known for being pale with red hair being common.

http://www.thelocal.se/7534/20070607/ If what he is being accused of is indeed what he did then he potentially has caused the deaths of over 130 Swedish teenage girls. What would you say his punishment should be?

What we should do is adopt Mexico's immigration laws!!!!! http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/grogan/060605

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. However, I would support the above statement if you substituted "Christian" for "Socialist". I know Hitler was no Christian, but if he had converted in the 30s just think of what wonderful things would have come about rather than the horror associated with his government. Ernst Lehmann's quote is right on the mark if you throw out the National Socialist thing and substitute "Christian" (unless by nature you mean the law of the jungle). The problem with Hitler and his followers was that they wanted to substitute their Pagan/Darwinistic view for Christianity.

In the years up to WW2 the scientific concensus was that biology was responsible for everything -- therefore genetics was closely allied with eugenics. After all, if good genes would lead to healthy and moral people then wouldn't it actually be immoral to allow defective people to breed more defective people? What logic was there in allowing one mentally ill person to have three children who would also be more likely to be mentally ill? So most of Europe and the USA adopted manditory sterilization laws to improve the gene pool - and in the case of the USA the left-leaning US Supreme Court in the Buck decision upheld the moral duty of the state to stop defective genes from being passed on. I will note that while these views seem rather fringe there were two schools of thought -- one that was held by the LDS Church that people with good health and good morals should be encouraged to have larger families -- yeah, it's politically incorrect but positive eugenics was very much taught by LDS leaders. Theodore Roosevelt also promoted positive eugenics. Negative eugenics (Margaret Sanger, Hitler, etc.) believed that people with traits you didn't like (even races you did not like) could be phased out through sterilization, incentives to remain childless, etc. Due to where Hitler took eugenics the field became quite unpopular after the war. In fact, any biological determinism became unpopular through the '70s. Then advances in genetics, the Human Genome Project, study after study, showed that there is a strong connection between one's ancestors and how they behave and what their potentials are. The idea of blank slate and environmental determination is fast dying out. So it should be interesting to see what evolves from all this. I will note that I was talking with a guy a while back whose brother is LDS and a doctor in the inner city. A crack mamma with 7 kids came in and he found she was pregnant. He, even with his LDS position, wished there was some way he could have done an abortion on her. I thinnk in these extreme cases most people would agree that some people should not be allowed to reproduce. The question is how far we will eventually go.

In France a few years back a man with a disability sued his parents because they did not abort him -- and he won! I suppose one could argue that today's science preserves people who naturally would have died without medical intervention and the new technologies will make it easier to get rid of defective sex cells without going to abortion. I just find it amazing that things are changing so rapidly. I read aobut the female sperm thing and that was kinda spooky, but now that egg freezing is getting easier then one could see pretty radical changes in family patterns. I had a science teacher back in high school who predicted that this could come into affect in the coming decades -- and he liked it. His hope was that indeed people at young ages would be compelled to freeze sperm and egg cells and then undergo sterilization. Then those who lived, let's say, until their mid 40s would then be reviewed for a license to become implanted with their sex cells harvested and preserved 30 years previously and then have children. Those who did not meet certain societal and health criteria would not be allowed to have children. Now of course this would have to be a very authoritarian society -- a democratic society could not compell all young men and women to be sterilized and then evaluated for fitness for reproduction in the years just before middle age -- however, I'll bet there are some pretty influencial people out there who would welcome such a society.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/fema...in_page_id=1879 Now this is mighty interesting. So your grandchildren may be reproducing a lot differently than their parents did by 2050. So I guess this is how it works, a woman could go into the doctor at the age of 18 (the time period where her eggs are at their healthiest point), take fertility hormones, pop out a dozen or so eggs, put them into frozen storage, have her tubes tied so she is effectively sterile (at least in regards to regular sex) and then just go about her life. Once she was in her upper 30s, 40s or even 50s she could go into the doctor, have her eggs thawed, mix them with her husband's sperm (or her wife's sperm since -- according to another article I read recently a researcher was saying you should be able to make female stem cells into sperm cells since it has been accomplished on a man in Germany), check each embrio for high quality genetic make up (saw that in another article) and then start her family. Quite a change from the old days, huh? And on a further note the FDA recently approved a birth control pill that totally stops monthly cycles (YES! Soon feminine hygene commercials may be a thing of the past) so maybe a woman might have her monthly cycle once in one or two years -- or perhaps never again. So your grandaughters, after being sterilized, may not even have to deal with PMS ever in their lives. And y'all thought cloning was the only thing being discussed in regards to reproductive technology.

Some say that the society does not have the right to grant the ability to take life in order to protect the society in general. If that were so then wouldn't we have to get rid of the entire military since the ultimate purpose of a military is to kill those who might threaten the nation -- even those individuals from otehr nations who might be totally innocent?

Jesus never condemned the death penalty. Also, what he said about a millstone around the necks of people who offend little children and then the perpetrator being caste into the ocean seems to imply that Jesus was not for turning the other cheek in regards to punishment for crime.

If convicted give me one good reason these people should not all be executed? http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=55834

Go to a playground after a nice dinner -- very fun and romantic. 2nd. date...hike.

Actually, the movie Equilibrium was far superior to V. The theme was very similar but one could easily tell that V had an anti-conservative point of view while Equilibrium was more anti-totalitarian (in the same way 1984 was).

Great dialogue: Kim Jong Il: Hans Brix? Oh no! Oh, herro. Great to see you again, Hans! Hans Blix: Mr. Il, I was supposed to be allowed to inspect your palace today, but your guards won't let me enter certain areas. Kim Jong Il: Hans, Hans, Hans! We've been frew this a dozen times. I don't have any weapons of mass destwuction, OK Hans? Hans Blix: Then let me look around, so I can ease the UN's collective mind. I'm sorry, but the UN must be firm with you. Let me in, or else. Kim Jong Il: Or else what? Hans Blix: Or else we will be very angry with you... and we will write you a letter, telling you how angry we are. Team America and...

Thank you all -- your responses were forwarded to her (so you all just did some missionary work). :)

Hello. A young woman I know (who has been kinda exploring the Church) asked me the thorny questions about blacks and the priesthood and the Indian skin color thing from the Book of Mormon. I would appreciate someone providing easy to understand explainations on these issues. Being the typical INTP personality type I can go on and on with an answer but maybe that is not the best way to reach her. So if someone asked you for an explaination as to these issues how would you answer in a simple manner that could reach a feministic agnostic with Christian heritage? I promised an answer soon so...

There are variables here that I do not think carguy 12 has supplied in this thread. First, what is the situation with the bishop? Is he kinda a flirt who has bulging muscles and kinda looks like the new James Bond? In that case maybe an insecure teen male (no accusations, just that many teen males are very insecure) has reasons to emotionally be threatened. As for age, I would really doubt a bishop would be interested in someone who is 16. Now if this were a young adult ward situation with college-age people that could be different but for the life of me I cannot see why someone in the leadership role of a bishop would throw it all away for some youngster. Could happen but not likely. I really think people can get pretty darn paranoid about being alone witht he opposite sex. I just spent a week in Russia on a work assignment with a female collegue almost 20 years younger than me. And no, not a thing went on even though a few months ago someone teased me saying if anyone were ment to have an affair with each other it would be us. I just know that I have a wife and children at home and I am no more likely to hop into bed with a female collegue than a male one. Also, I do kinda like the opportunity to go to the temple once in a while or bless my children so that far outweighs any biology thing. I am not saying that people whould spend tons of time alone with the opposite sex (or if you are from northern Europe even witht he same sex;) )but there is no reason to go all paranoid over it.

"It's Now or Never" by Elvis (mine) "Groovin" by The Young Rascals (My wife's)

Other things that fit under this category: 1) Avoid the sun -- otherwise you will get cancer. More recent research may indicate why countries like Sweden have such high cancer rates -- lack of sun exposure. Your body needs at least the equivalent of 15 minutes of full sun exposure to manufacture vitamine D -- longer if you have darker skin which is less efficent at this process. Vitamine D is vital in the metabolism of calcium, which high calcium diets tend to show they reduce cancers such as colon and breast cancer. These are frequently lethal cancers while basal cell carcinoma is rarely fatal -- and there is not as strong correlation between melanoma development and the sun. 2) Eating whole grains and other "health foods" will make you live longer. Meta studies indicate there is no correlation between diet and longevity. Excercise IS important however. Eating what our society calls health food but not getting proper exercise will lead to less longevity while eating a teenager's diet and exercising will prolong your life. 3) Too much salt is lethal. Depends on your personal body chemistry, the weather in your area and your physical activity. Too little salt is also dangerous. 4) Restricting your child's access to junk food will help them fight obesity. Big myth. Studies show that children where junk food is highly restricted tend to later develop obesity while those where the food is constantly available tend not to. Big factor here also is the amount of time children are allowed to watch TV. There's a few examples to add to the list.

I kinda got mad that when the announcement was made on CNN they refered to him as the founder of "the so-called Moral Majority". Wonder if it were the leader of NARAL or some other liberal group the term "so-called" would be used? Of course this morning when the topic of the Republican debates last night came up it seemed like the spin was to make Romney look like he came off bad and the Democrat from NY (opps, republican) Guliani was so outstanding and courageous for taking a pro-abortion stand. CNN does seem quite biased.

Oh thank you Mitt on behalf of all the anti-Mormons and the people in the church who may have some questions about the entire issue of polygamy. Thank you for making my choice for John McCain so much easier!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give me a break, I know that the thirst for power can cause one to try to distance themselves from their past. Yet instead of making polygamy sound so awful (guess being from Massachusettes the idea of two men getting married isn't quite as bad as what one's ancestors did with the inspiration of God as well as actually getting your sorry ___ down on this planet in a body in the frst place) he could merely have said that he sure wouldn't want to practice it or that the Church doesn't endorse it in the same manner as in the 1800s. But no, what he said was a much better soundbite. You know I miss Orrin Hatch being the highest profile Republican politician in this country. Now we have Mitt flip flopper Romney and Dirty Harry Reid (Democrat) being in the spotlight for our church. Wow!

Oh come on, Sharpton may be a bigot but he's an important bigot -- think the run of the mill bigot/anit-Semite could get an appointment with 2 apostles????

Yeah, bet the imam found out his mother's maiden name was Goldstein!

A person's priesthood power is just as powerful blessing or passing the sacrament wearing a white shirt and tie or a t-shirt. You know, Jesus never wore a tie and I doubt a tie will be part of the standard dress in the afterlife. Just my take on the subject.

No, if Sharpton said it about a Jew the press would leave him alone. I doubt that. Dirty Harry Reid is a Mormon and even with all his corruption I doubt it has hurt the church.