FunkyTown

I have to disagree. I would say that a return to Creationism is a return to Orthodoxy. That's not a bad thing and, in fact, we would do well to return to orthodoxy in many ways. Mankind's desire for the things he -wants- to be true is very rarely overcome by his desire for truth: People will sleep around despite religious tendencies. They will curse at their family and then say they love them. They will lie on their taxes and claim to be an honest person. And they will honestly believe it. Wow - That got a bit preachy. I didn't mean it to. :)

I think there may have been some miscommunication. Mark Driscoll is a pretty famous person and the Mars Hill group is fantastic. But Mark Driscoll -is- quite the character, in a totally non-condescending way. I remember this last year on Easter when, in order to show people the true suffering that occurred on the cross, they suspended a man on a cross for the duration of his preaching up in the Mars Hill chapel in Seattle. It stirred up quite a lot of controversy. Mark Driscoll is intelligent, interesting and erudite. I think maybe it was just a miscommunication. I like him, personally.

I think his original question was: Do I think there is a stigma attached to not serving a mission? There wasn't for me, but I joined the church when I was 26 and they weren't accepting missionaries at that time. I would have loved to have gone on a mission and it's one of my big regrets that I wasn't able to. You're very free to choose to go or not go. However, I would follow the promptings of the spirit. It's possible that, at the moment, you aren't of the right mindset to be the missionary you could be if you waited.

Nobody ever confuses me for Australian. It's because I'm Canadian, so I pretty much have to like everyone.

Straight from dictionary.com, Dr. T: Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This hen·o·the·ism Audio Help /ˈhɛnəθiˌɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hen-uh-thee-iz-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. the worship of a particular god, as by a family or tribe, without disbelieving in the existence of others. 2. ascription of supreme divine attributes to whichever one of several gods is addressed at the time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Origin: 1855–60; < Gk heno-, comb. form of hén one (neut. of heǐs) + theism] We're not polytheistic.

They were blocking a fire lane? I'd have called the cops on them a long time ago. 'cause... What if there was a fire? But then again, I'm Canadian. :) I don't think I've ever seen someone park in front of a fire hydrant or in fire lanes here.

I love singles wards! I made so many good friends in singles wards.

You are facing one of the most difficult part of being part of the church - The people around you are not living up to the expectations you expected them to(The other being that a person is not living up to their own expectations). Short answer: You aren't flaking out. You're going where you're most comfortable in the church. Long answer: You should share your concerns with the bishopric. Be open and honest, though that's a frightening concept. Don't be abrasive, but have answers ready for why you feel the way you do. Be understanding as to why this is, but point out that you feel lost in this ward. Ask what you can do to improve things. If you can't, it's okay to go.

Nobody knows if you're paying tithing, Mom. o.O

Wait... Your friend is saying -God- is placing the obstacles of things like "Joseph and the Seer Stones" in our way? You should ask your friend the following questions: 1) Joseph and the Seer Stones - Was God the one writing libellous stories on the 'net? 2) Polygamy - Ask him if he believes in the Old Testament. Reply, "Why would God have put obstacles in front of the faithful that involves having to explain him commanding genocide of the people who were in the Holy Land prior to the Jews. 3) Anachronisms - This is fair. Ask him if there are any anachronisms in the bible that people perceive. His argument will either be "No." in which case you can kindly say "Well, let's use the scrutiny you're using on my beliefs on yours. Go to google and type 'Bible anachronism'. I believe as you do that the bible is inerrant, which means that the perceived anachronisms are mistakes of the perceiver and not the perceived." Then, point out, "Many anachronisms in the bible were later proven to be not anachronistic at all. If I were able to find examples of things that were perceived to be anachronistic that were later proven right, would you convert?" He will say no. Then, you say "Then why are we arguing?" However, he may say yes. At that point, point to discoveries of cave drawings in South America that show that horses -have- been in South America. For quite some time. 4) The book of Abraham - I assume he's referring to the scrolls that were found that people said were basic funerary scrolls? Point out to him that the Rosetta Stone was not a dictionary. It was very basic and does not allow inerrant translations. Then point them to LDS FAQ: The Truth About the Book of Abraham, Part 1

Just kidding? Pfft. Women... Can't live with 'em, can't show up at 2:30 in the morning, screaming and covered in hot tar.

Don't be afraid. It's possible you aren't worthy to become a Priest, but that's okay - That's what working and eternity is for. I've known people struggling with things every bit as difficult as what you're talking about: Prostitution and alcohol to name a few. The thing is your Bishop will be there to help. Confession isn't about punishment, it's about repentance. Don't worry. :)

Hilton

Things are different in canada. Canadians aren't allowed to go to the temple until the first year is gone because there are difficulties here in Canada. For instance: The Edmonton temple is home to the local Yeti population, which can cause some difficulties for new members, and the Cardston temple is colourfully referred to as the 'Temple of Doom' because of the spiky ice stalagmites that grow from the ground. They're really hard on tires, so you have to walk pretty far to get there.

Heya, Dying! Sorry to hear you're having a rough go. :/ It can be hard when it's like you're alone in a room full of crowded people. Anyway, I know how that feels. I'm not gonna write up a big thing on it, but you aren't alone.

Hi Love, I can tell you that I was a bit of a rebel going to school. I listened to Lars Frederiksen, Agnostic Front, The Clash and even went to a Misfits concert a few years back. I was a convert much like you and had a lot of friends that were heavy in to partying. That's okay. I can tell you that the first year of being LDS is the hardest year of your life. Your friends won't understand, your family will be upset and your friends will probably think it's one big joke when you tell them you're a member. I can't say it will be easy or that they or your parents will understand. I can only tell you it'll be worth it. I didn't stop smiling for three days after I was baptized. I had always been a bit of an intellectual rebel and I was looking for the truth. I found it.

And I don't want you to think it's an attack when I make a post like this. Historically, the church has run in to problems when it's ignored the council of their prophets(Ldslibrary.com has the 1925 October General Conference and the leaders suggested that, in the height of American prosperity prior to the stock market crash, members should not purchase things on credit and company owners should treat their employees better) but it's something that needs to be done. I believe in our Presidency, but we do need to keep them accountable for non-doctrinal things.

Recently, there was a thread that was closed that had a member disagree with one of the presidents. In this thread, he was warned that it was derogatory. In defense of the warning, I would say that derogatory is a very subjective thing: Derogatory means, 'Detracting from the character or standing of someone' or 'Expressive of a low opinion'. I'm not certain the poster was expressing a low opinion so much as disagreeing with him. I think it's important to love and respect the leaders, but I can promise that they want to be accountable. I'm going to quote Elder Erasmus Snow here from the April 1880 General Conference: And it becomes us to lay to heart the word spoken, and it should begin with the Apostles, Presidents of Stakes, Bishops, the Presidents of Quorums, and heads of families and run through all the organizations of society, and the spirit of repentance, of reformation and of purification should flow in our midst, flow through the people in all our organizations until every man, woman and child shall feel that the Spirit of God rests upon them; we should put away evil, and endeavor to overcome the world, to withstand the influences of the hosts of hell, to resist the example of evil minded persons, to resist temptations of pride and vanity, and cease to be hypocritical; in other words, to be honest before God and one another, for his eye is upon us. Our ways are openly known unto him. - End quote. He's exhorting everyone - Because everyone needs to be exhorted. If there is only one perfect person, then it means that -everyone(Even Presidents of the church) will make mistakes. I will agree that in doctrine, we will not be led astray, but we must be prepared to question respectfully(Like we would any other) when we feel a mistake has been made. Ultimately, my question is this and I would appreciate an open and honest opinion: Would you say that any disagreement with the prophet is derogatory? I would say it could be dangerous, as I am certainly not as wise as the likes of President Monson or President Uchtdorf. Is any disagreement necessarily a bad thing?

Welcome! Sidle up to the front, grab yourself a sasparilla and make some posts. We're a friendly bunch!

I have a question: Why are so many people on the first page showing "User removed - Banned" as their user name? Did I miss something?

This topic is, without a doubt, the most difficult topic of all to broach respectfully. Anyone who is part of the church must admit that it is a sin. There's no doubt on that front. We all agree. However, this -particular- sin is brought up repeatedly by both members of our denomination and others as well. Despite it affecting less than 10% of the population, it makes up far more than 10% of discussion. The reason for this is simple: It is an easy to finger-point sin because it doesn't affect us. Instead, let's look at far more vicious sins: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:28 How many of you have looked upon a member of the opposite sex with lust in your hearts? I know I have. This makes me, you and almost everyone reading this an adulterer. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15 Has anyone on here hated another human being? I have and I'm ashamed of it. This makes me, you and almost everyone on here murderers. 'Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD. " Zechariah 8:17 Has anyone on here lied? They've committed an act that God hates. I can say with certainty I've lied and so have many of the people on here. How much effort do people take to outlaw lying entirely, or outlaw thoughts of hatred or lust? The same amount they put towards stopping the practices we're talking about now? I say to you that we don't because these are sins that we do not suffer from. It is easy to condemn someone for something we are not tempted by. Instead, what we are called to do is to perfect ourselves - To be honest and forthright. If we are asked if this attraction is a sin, we must be truthful. What we can not be is filled with hatred for a sin that we do not understand.

Hahah! Nothing can keep -me- quiet! Except Duct Tape. Oh, wait... You said I... Uh... Never mind.

I have to disagree with Wanderer. Taking care of her children for her is a favor to the children and not a way of condoning abortion. This is a way to show love. Also, remember that as a new convert it's easy to feel the fire of conviction. That's a good thing, but one of the most important things to feel is compassion for another human being. We've all sinned and the only thing we can do is love one another despite that.

Welcome! No pressure or anything, but you'll be judged on how cool your first three posts are. I'd say to make posts that are awesome to the extreme or you will become a pariah. But no pressure.