Lindy

Glock- my daughters weapon of choice!

There are so many other things that may call on you to discharge your firearm... especially in Florida...
1.) You get trapped by a mama black bear.
2.) You get coiled by a burmese python.
3.) You get bit by a water mocassin, and you have to take the snake with you to the ER so they know what antivenin to shoot you with.
4.) You get wrestled by a gator.
 
Okay okay... I don't really know if a firearm can save you from these.  I don't carry.  I rely on my husband for all that (yeah, very anti-feminist of me).

Fascinating.  Thanks for these insights.  
I don’t claim any special divine protection but have been told I’m unsually calm in dangerous and chaotic situations.  That bolsters my belief that my vertigo is a physical and not a psychological condition. 😀

I was in a laundromat when a man robbed a woman after brandishing a weapon.  He had her purse in hand when I stepped in front of him, took hold of the purse and said, you don’t want to do this.  He let go of the purse and I stood aside.
i was in a grocery store parking lot when I saw a woman being robbed at knife point about 30 yards away from me. I started walking towards them and about half way there made eye contact with the robber.  I kept walking towards them and when I was about 5 or 6 steps away he turned towards me briefly, knife in hand and then turned and ran.
In case you’re curious I’m about 5’9” and not an imposing figure.

You found a link for it!  Vort, you're my hero.  All I've had for 20 years is this quote, and a claim it was published in some journal somewhere.

We are role models to the world, protecting God-given, inalienable rights and freedoms. We stand in defense of our homes and our families.
- Also Robert D. Hales.
 

Basically, I think no one should have to die because they weren't allowed to defend themselves.  If they choose not to or if they are unsuccessful, fine, but to die because you were denied the right to defend yourself is more wrong than I have words to describe.  So I suppose I got my gun and permit as much for the political statement as for self-defense.  I've never been in a place where I felt like I needed to defend myself.  I hope never to be.  And I would take more risk in defense of others (known to be innocent) than in my own defense, but I still hope none of us ever need it:
This.

Our house have firearms as part of our provident living food supply, castle defense, and for competitive sports.
My husband conceal carries as part of his Boy Scout Oath to Be Prepared.  He's also trained in hand-to-hand combat.  I'll re-post this here from another thread:
”Not having a firearm because you rely on police officers to defend your life is the highest degree of eliticism.  It’s a lot higher than leaving the cleaning of your toilet to the maid service.”
Anyway, he grew up trained by his father who is a Naval officer.

I have no problem with anyone that is willing to permit and carry. I have carried and I have served in the military with opportunity for combat (but was never in actual combat).  At this point of my life - I would rather be shot dead by a bad guy than to shoot dead a bad guy - but that does not mean that I will not shoot a bad guy.  Even Jesus (the Son of G-d) found himself doing things he did not actually want to do but realized that there were somethings he had to do.
 
The Traveler

I'll go- 
My wife and I helped put a felon behind bars for 5-life.  He knew us, he knew where we lived, and we were worried about the possibility he'd want payback when he got out.   So we took classes and got permitted, and got his-n-hers matching Glocks.  
Our general family attitude regarding danger and bad guys is "We should know 80 ways to not be there in the first place, 15 ways to run the heck the other way, 3 ways to hide, and 2 ways to fight back."  In that order.  Should we ever need to actually use our firearm to defend ourselves, it is because there is no other choice.  We can't hide, we can't run away, we weren't able to see the problem coming and not be there.  Our efforts to practice situational awareness and avoid or deter or evade didn't work.

Thank you for the clarification.
 
Styln

Of course the kingdom of God is on earth. It is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lindy was speaking of her understandings of the kingdoms of heaven.

This is a few months old now but I just found out that the TNT Boys won the Grand Prize for Your Face Sounds Familiar 2018 contest!  They get 1M pesos (about $50T) and a house and lot!  Very cool for these boys with humble beginnings.
So, the contest is about impersonating popular artists, not only in how they look but also how they sound.  Here's one of their performances when the TNT Boys (ages 11-12) impersonated the Bee Gees.  The 2nd video is a flashback of their lives and how they got to the point of winning the contest (which is super cool).
 
 
 

Thanks for your reply... Since nobody can tell me for sure if I will make it to heaven, I guess it must be a matter of Faith.
 
Styln

Despite having been here quite awhile, I am not a church member, and still find myself less than competent on certain doctrinal issues. Your question gave me an opportunity to learn more on this issue, so I added my own questions. As for my own answers, they are likely very similar to the ones your own Mennonite faith holds to.

@prisonchaplain  Yes, there are certain ordinances/sacraments and covenants that are only found in the Church. I might have to think about revelations -- not sure. Maybe I will use Iggy's skeleton of D&C 76 to illustrate my thinking here (and invite my correligionists to comment)
vs 51 "They are they who have received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name..." I don't see any reason to doubt that there are non-LDS Christians who have done so. "...and were baptized...according to the commandment." As small as the Church is, there are certainly many more Christians who have not received this ordinance by authority acceptable to the Church. However, if it doesn't happen during a Christian's lifetime, we believe that it can be performed by proxy after death. Sometimes, I see debate over whether we believe that everyone will receive this ordinance by proxy or not -- I tend to believe that everyone will eventually receive the ordinance whether by their own initiative or by proxy. 52: "That by keeping the commandments..." Again -- I think obedience is necessary, and Christians can be obedient to what they know. "...They might be washed and cleansed..." result of obedience. "...and receive the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands..." Another ordinance that, if not performed in this life, can be performed by proxy. 53: "And who overcome by faith..." I'm not sure all of what is overcome, but I expect that Christians can overcome by faith. "...and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true." Promise for those who overcome. If the sealing here includes elements of the other temple ordinances, remember that they, too, can be performed by proxy if not received in life. rest describes outcome of these steps -- being resurrected to celestial glory. As I see it, the parts that are unique and specific to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can all be received by proxy if not received in this life. The stuff that is not done by proxy can be done by all Christians.
I will mention that a person can choose to accept or reject the proxy ordinance work, and I am certainly not in any position to know or judge who will or won't accept or exactly how that works in final grand scheme of things. My impression of the proxy work is that, for those who accept it posthumously, it is not different than if they had performed those ordinances themselves in life. Perhaps there is room to talk about whether that is true or not.
For my correligionists -- am I way off base here?

One of the main requirements that ALL of you who are Latter-day Saints have failed to state are the requirements that MUST be obtained before one can achieve entry into the Celestial Kingdom ~ D&C 76:
50 And again we bear record—for we asaw and heard, and this is the btestimony of the cgospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the djust—
51 They are they who received the atestimony of Jesus, and bbelieved on his name and were cbaptized after the dmanner of his burial, being eburied in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
52 That by akeeping the commandments they might be bwashed and ccleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the dhands of him who is eordained and sealed unto this power;
53 And who aovercome by faith, and are bsealed by the Holy Spirit of cpromise, which the Father dsheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
54 They are they who are the achurch of the bFirstborn.
55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given aall things—
56 They are they who are apriests and bkings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory;
57 And are apriests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of bEnoch, which was after the corder of the Only Begotten Son.
58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are agods, even the bsons of cGod—
59 Wherefore, aall things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
60 And they shall aovercome all things.
61 Wherefore, let no man aglory in man, but rather let him bglory in God, who shall csubdue all enemies under his feet.
62 These shall adwell in the bpresence of God and his Christ forever and ever.
63 These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall acome in the bclouds of heaven to creign on the earth over his people.
64 These are they who shall have part in the afirst resurrection.
65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the ajust.
66 These are they who are come unto aMount bZion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of aangels, to the general assembly and church of bEnoch, and of the cFirstborn.
68 These are they whose names are awritten in heaven, where God and Christ are the bjudge of all.
69 These are they who are ajust men made bperfect through Jesus the mediator of the cnew covenant, who wrought out this perfect datonement through the shedding of his own eblood.
70 These are they whose bodies are acelestial, whose bglory is that of the csun, even the glory of God, the dhighest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.
To summarize: Baptism & confirmation into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [vs 50-52]
Then in verse 53 the word promise is defined in the Bible Dictionary in part as: Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase. Finally he received a promise that all of these blessings would be offered to all of his mortal posterity (D&C 132:29–50; Abr. 2:6–11).
The remainder of the verses give the blessings.
Which mean one must live faithfully within their Latter-day Saint baptismal covenants - then go through the Temple. from a talk given by Russell M. Nelsen, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, April 2001 Conference Talk ". . . Temple ordinances, covenants, endowments, and sealings enable individuals to be reconciled with the Lord and families to be sealed beyond the veil of death. Obedience to temple covenants qualifies us for eternal life, the greatest gift of God to man.10 Eternal life is more than immortality. Eternal life is exaltation in the highest heaven—the kind of life that God lives. . . ."  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/04/personal-preparation-for-temple-blessings?lang=eng
So, to sum it all up - @Styln EVERYONE will get to heaven. But to us Latter-day Saints we believe that only those who have been baptized, endowed and sealed in the Holy Temple of the Lord will be able to receive the highest of the Lord's kingdoms. That is the Celestial Kingdom. In the talk that is linked - the four kingdoms are explained. The last being what Latter-day Saints call Purgatory is what non-Latter-day Saints call Hell.
boldings are mine.
 
 
Edit  
 

Super-short answer: all people who follow Christ will spend eternity with Him, happy beyond their wildest dreams.
Much more informative, but longer answer: members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints don't view the afterlife as a binary Heaven/Hell the way other Christians do.  Rather the LDS view is more of a spectrum view, where even evilest* people end up happy in the eternities, with some measure of God's presence.  The more one accept God into your life, the more of God's glory and happiness that person receives in the eternities.  Obviously LDS folks hold that LDS beliefs are the most correct and fullness of the Gospel, leaving to the fullness glory / happiness / God's presence. 
Even much more informative, but longer answer: see here https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-46-the-final-judgment?lang=eng&_r=1
 
*Ok, 'evilist' excluding the Cain type folks.    

You may be surprised to learn that a number of people on the right also support legalizing recreational drugs. The philosophy is that there should be no law against stupid. 

I understand what you mean. Some wards do have some Pharisees that love to pounce on the smallest mistake, rather than trying to strengthen their brothers and sisters. I am sorry your ward has more of these than others, but I don't think it's super common everywhere. It depends on the congregation I imagine.

And on a happier topic... a happy cow!
 

You have to watch it all the way through... 1/2 point I'm saying to myself "don't give up little buddy"!

I have been in different wards in various states, and found that the bigger cities have a higher dress standard than the small towns.  From 6" heels to flip flops. 
 

They are wearing very long tops that cover all sensitive areas and...I imagine ankle length garments. Whatever we love in fashion today will embarrass us terribly tomorrow! Good for our humility! 

I actually ended up wearing a pair of jeans and a top to church one Sunday, I was out of state and accidentally didn't pack church clothes. I was treated like dirt by the women in Relief Society and was ready to leave in shame......... when the Bishop came up to me and welcomed me with open arms. He understood, and he even guided me into the chapel for Sacrament meeting and I felt a lot better. 
Don't gauge the truth of the Gospel by a mere man and his judgement of not understanding. There are times I go to church in spite of the people there. Faith supersedes mean and ignorant.