Fiannan

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Posts posted by Fiannan

  1. Aphrodite, if I did not have a 6 week old who will wake soon I would fully respond to your article now. However, I'll just start here. I recently spent some time with a young work collegue (Finnish woman but grew up in Sweden) in Utah. We were chatting one evening and I sent her an article where the Pope was blaming individualism for Europe's suicidal birthrate. I asked her opinion and she offered me this:

    Quite an interesting article. I wouldn't say that the focus on individuality is to blame for people not getting children anymore, but that the attitude towards getting children is to blame. I mean the most things you read and hear in the mass media is how hard it is for families with kids and how hard it is to make it all work. One gets frightened. And generally speaking also the attitude towards children is a bit crazy here (or actually in the west in general (apart from places like orem), many of my friends do not like children (friends in the age around 25 too, which is when most people should want kids). With an attitude saying that kids are a bit of a pain in the ######, that surely doesn't promote making a family.

    So I don't know. Maybe one should send the people in a fertile age to Orem and places where you talk about children as the most precious and important things we have and can make, so we would get the birth rate up?

    I'll note this young woman is an agnostic but has an attitude towards family that I wish more young LDS people would have.

    OH, and if you believe that small families are wonderful and parents need to be total slaves to their children's egos then maybe you should read up on the teachings of psychological pioneer Alfred Adler's warnings to parents or read the article below:

    http://www.nationofwimps.com/nationofwimps.php://

  2. One of the reasons my wife and I never make a baby anouncement until about 4 months -- been through the situation of announcing early, losing a baby, and then people asking later (who didn't know) if the baby was born yet. Not a fun experience.

  3. We should adopt the same immigration program that Mexico has -- you want tough, those guys have it. Also, ever wonder why the Mexicans are not willing to take back immigrants with open arms? Simple -- Mexico is a racist country. Most of the illegals coming here are either from Central America (just passing through Mexico on their way to here) or they are from the southern provinces of Mexico -- meaning almost all of them are Indians. The ruling class of Mexico is generally white and the middle class of Mexico is generally Mestizo (mixed white and Indian). Neither group has a tradition of friendliness to pure Indians and could not care less if they flock to the USA.

    Also, on a side note, doesn't the Book of Mormon say that if the gentiles become unrightious then the people with part or full Lamanite blood will retake the land? Seems like since the USA fell in love with zero population growth, abortion, "alternative lifestyles" and disrespect to the culture of our ancestors the US has started a trend on being replaced -- just as much as the Euro-infidels are being replaced by Muslims.

  4. Do your children see dad go off to work every morning? That's more than a lot of kids see.

    Do your kids know who their daddy is? Lot's in the USA don't.

    Do your kids get spiritual guidance? That's more than a lot of rich kids get.

    Does your husband actually work, play with the kids, love his family, etc,? Bet there's scores of women who would take him off your hands.

  5. This is indeed a complex issue as I think about it. Have I had to room with members of the opposite sex when traveling? Yes. My wife's attitude is that she'd kill me if she discovered anything happened, so I'd better let her know if it would first. Of course nothing has ever happened. I have also let my oldest son room with a female when he was in Moscow a few years ago (but considering she was a hard-core Goth and he is the exact opposite then I did not worry too much). I only now realized that I went camping with a gal I was dating -- in fact, in retrospect another girlfriend was also a camping companion. I guess I would be a hypocrite to take the hard-core "this is evil" stance but at the same time if people do this sort of thing they do open themselves up to moral danger.

    I would hope that a coule would have enough respect for their parents (if they are dating and unmarried) that they would ask for two separate rooms -- no matter how old they are. Heck, I'm married but it feels kinds strange to visit my dad's house and get intimate with my wife under his roof. I could not imagine being unmarried and wanting to stay in the same room (in his home) with a girlfriend. And if parents are totally conservative on this issue I would see it as highly disrespectful and even defiant (no matter what the age of the couple).

  6. Abandonment and physical or emotional abuse. Other than that it should be worked out.

    I disagree. In my case there was NO abuse or abandonment. She was gay. I tried to stick it out, but I couldn't be in a relationship where I knew I wasn't fulfilling her needs. She then wanted an "open" marriage and figured as long as we were together it wouldn't hurt our son. That's when I left.

    I realize that this is not a common problem, but it is happening more frequently. Since my ordeal, I've 3-4 other marriages end the same way.

    Just my 2 cents :dontknow:

    Canuck Mormon

    Sounds like she was not committed to you -- when you are married you must place the partner at the center of your universe. Gay? I don't know, I have met few women who, on a sexuality scale, would not qualify as bisexual yet in the past few ever actually made this an open behavior (the problem today as opposed to 20 years ago is that it has become trendy and it's generally the attractive and smart females experimenting with it).

  7. I would ask, what does God condemn in the scriptures the most divorce or homosexuality?

    Seems as if Christians in general focused more on strengthening marriage and family committments we would see less divorce -- and maybe less of the children from these divorces going into homosexuality.

    If you are LDS and want your kids to go inactive -- get a divorce. If you are LDS and want your daughters to engage in sex at a younger age than the national norm then get a divorce. If you are LDS and want your kids to score less on national exams then get a divorce. If you are LDS and hope that your kids will have problems in committment and marriage later on then get a divorce. It doesn't work everytime but it sure improves the odds.

  8. People need to communicate better than they do today. Do they share the same interests? Do they share the same sexual appetites? DO they both want the same number of children? What is their idea of divorce (one can spot this in conversations about society). Spirituality? Maybe that is what is important before a marriage takes place. But after the marriage takes place (and especially if children are in the picture) marriage should not end. And as much as I hate to use them as role models look at the Clintons -- if these two can keep their marriage together (despite both their flaws) then anyone can.

  9. You know, if someone wants to marry or divorce that is their business. However, it is the business of leaders in all religions to provide the doctrinal for what is right and what is wrong to members. So if someone is Christian they should consider what the Bible says about divorce.

  10. I agree with Shanstress70 on this one. I think it is disrespectful for someone to not be married and sleeping over if the parents don't believe in that sort of thing. I hope this is not something acceptabel in most of America -- in my wife's country if your teen (over 16) is staying over with his girlfriend, and forgot protection, it would be socially aceptable for him or the girlfriend to go ask the parents if they have any spare birth control they could use for the evening.

  11. It is an unfortunant psychological reality in the LDS Church that members tend to emphasize what they hear the most -- and think that if leaders tend not to talk about somethig it must not be important. I remember something I read back in the 1980s that I believe students (probably in a particular college institute) were interviewed about what was considered major sins. Not paying tithing came up more than murder -- although maybe the young people weren't thinking much about murder that day.

    Point is, for years people in the Church (I believe) have just assumed that marriage is the ideal but leaders have rarely (very rarely) emphasized Christ's hard-hitting teachings on divorce (namely that it is wrong and if you leave your spouse for reasons other than unfaithfulness or abuse -- and remarry -- you are living in a state of adultery). So finally a general authority points this out and I believe it was needed. Maybe now taking a worldly approach on divorce will outrank getting your belly button pierced on members minds.

    Of course, one can still get a temple recommend having abandoned spouse and/or children. However, my understanding is that in the afterlife God will be the final judge, not man (church leaders are not in a position to be the perfect judges of what conditions may have existed in a marriage so as long as a member communicates a certain level of worthiness then the burden will ultimately be on the member).

  12. The lady that asked me about my marriage had a teenaged son. She is single.

    I saw a report that says that the average marriage ending in divorce in the UK is 7.5 years. I ask all my teenage customers (I sell skateboards) their names. Almost every other time the Mom will answer with her last name and then go "Oh, my sons last name? It's so and so."

    I can certainly see that a lot of adults wait till the kids leave home to drop the Big D.

    I saw another report that said that the #1 reason for divorce is still cheating, but 'falling out of love' is still on the top ten list. How does this happen? I don't believe for a minute that a man who is reading his scriptures and praying in the Holy Ghost regularly is abusive or suddenly starts cheating on his wife.

    Does the problem actually exist early on? Does it get worse and worse and all remain a big secret until its all out of control? Has he attended meetings, paid tithes, and done all the outward expressions of faith but hasn't felt a burning in the bosom since that overcooked meal his mother-in-law put out last holiday?

    Does this suggest a bigger problem?

    IS OUR SOCIAL ARRANGEMENT SUCH THAT THE AVERAGE MAN IS MORE AFRAID OF BEING JUDGED THAN GETTING HELP IF HE CAME TO HIS FRIENDS, BISHOP, OR FAMILY HAVING TROUBLE BEING SPIRITUAL AND KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS?

    DO WE THINK THAT WE CAN BE ACTIVE AND FAITHFUL BUT NEGLECT SCRIPTURES AND PRAYER? OR THAT OTHERS CAN?

    I recently heard a man say his Dad didn't have a testimony until after 50 faithful years in the Church, because it took it him that long to finally read the scriptures and pray. Could a lack of testimony be the problem?

    Can we locate a root to this Divorce problem?

    -a-train

    Since when did this become a man's problem or whatever? Reasons for divorce are as many as you can sit down and write out but ultimately it all comes down to committment. If you see your wife or husband for the value they really are you will not do things that will destroy them. Why do people cheat? Does a man or woman wake up one morning and decide they need to experience someone else? Probanly not. Maybe a woman constantly belittles a man and can find nothing good to say. Ever wonder what's eventually going to happen if a young woman co-worker always praises him and looks up to him? Ever wonder if a man constantly spends nights out with his friends and has stopped giving his wife the attention she deserves? Sorry, both the man and the woman I have illustrated can read their scriptures daily but they are as weakened as if they were being exposed to disease agents daily.

    If everyone treated their spouces as they would like to be treated the rate of adultery would plummet.

  13. Read Michael Crighton's (sp?) book on global warming State of Fear. I was a skeptic before: now I am a confirmed "global warming atheist". It is a bunch of hooey dreamed up by people that truly want to rule our lives and destroy this country. That is what it really gets down to. Does anyone remember the argument about Eugenics? The one the Germans perfected so well during the reign of the Nazis? There were plenty of "AlGores" arguing in favor of it as well. But it was debunked as a load of manure. 50 years from now the same will be said of GW.

    Not exactly. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eugenics if practiced with morality and God in mind. Hitler was an agnostic or at best new ager who also embraced negative eugenics. Teddy Roosevelt was a Christian and advocated the concept of positive eugenics which promotes people with good health and good character to have big families. Sounds familiar.

  14. I know there are scriptures that warn the wicked that they will vanish root and branch. Maybe the people of the world (when they adopt anti-Christian attitudes) insure they will be elliminated because they stop having children and just vanish. God's way of pruning the human race.

  15. Can someone answer me which season of 24 starts out with Bauer being released from a Chinese prison and having to deal with some Islamic terrorists? I have seen seasons 1 - 4 but couldn't see #5.

    Strange thing was that last night a commercial came on for 24 and my wife wondered how much Kiefer Sutherland has made from this series. I mentioned that he seemed to come a long way from "The Lost Boys" where he played a vampire. Yet I guess he wanted a little nostalgia since in the episode I saw he had to escape from Muslim terrorists by biting the neck off one of the terrorists. Good thing the young children were not in the room for that scene. :wow: