FunkyTown

We are firmly in to 'Pseudodoctrine' now. What you're doing is harmless so long as you don't go around teaching it or believing it is central to the gospel. The correct answer to all of your questions is, "We don't know. We weren't there." When you see the Saviour next, ask him. He'll set you straight. Maybe you're right. Maybe you aren't.

The scriptures could be referring to literal light or figurative light(Light illuminates and makes plain, banishing shadows. Dark is simply the absence of light. You cannot force darkness in to a lit room). But light, as a literal thing, is a strange and peculiar item. If you have two cars travelling at 20 miles per hour towards one another, they are moving 40 miles per house relative to one another. If two beams of light are travelling towards one another, they are moving the speed of light relative to each other. Not 2* the speed of light. If someone is watching light and expecting it to behave as a particle, it behaves as a particle. If they are watching light and expect it to behave as a wave, it behaves as a wave. So it could be literal or figurative. Either way, as long as you're getting the lesson's point, I'm sure God is happy.

I am extremely passionate about your political issue. It's clear from the facts at hand that our beliefs completely coincide with said political issue. I cannot believe that in this day and age, in the age of the internet and the information superhighway, that some people are so ignorant that they don't understand how clearly correct your viewpoint is on this issue. If people on the other side of this issue would simply stop and think and not allow their own biases and media choice to dictate their beliefs, they clearly would come to the same conclusion that you and I did. The answer is simple and it's well within our power to defeat this issue if only we had the support of other clear-thinking individuals. Unfortunately, the media's ability to spin things means that anybody on the other side will only be spoon-fed the things that make them comfortable. It is maddening that your political issue is not resolved today and right now, when the causes and solution are so clear. We need to open up our dialogue to free those in the media bubble of the other side before it is too late! Those on the other side are clearly on the wrong side of history, failing to grasp the simple truths that allowed you and I to come to the same conclusion. If only we could reach in to their safe bubble and show them truth, they would clearly reach the exact same conclusions as you and I. This issue is too important to ignore! It is our duty to stand up and educate the world about how right our side is. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate.

The thing is - The center isn't necessarily the right place to be. It's the most comfortable, as it's easy to justify, but it's not necessarily correct. As an example: There is an argument between two men. One says 2+2 is 6. The other says 2+2 is 4. You come in and magnanimously state that it's clear that the answer is 5, since both men are so passionate they are correct. Just because it's the moderate position doesn't mean it's correct.

I'm not sure what the point of the articles are. "White privilege exists". More specifically, "Rich people privilege exists". Rich neighborhoods tend to have less crime. They tend to have better schools(Because they can afford them). They tend to have better shopping, less homelessness and fewer run-ins with cops. Regardless of color, that is a thing. Does it matter? Let's say that it exists. What now? Great. You've identified that I have a privilege. Usually, someone will say something because they have a point to make. In this case, is 'White Privilege' being used: A) As a bludgeon to excuse bad behaviour. B) Some other thing? Ultimately, what's the point of bringing it up? Are people looking for excuses or pointing fingers?

But we don't, 2ndRateMind - We don't make the most of our lives. That is the thing we need to overcome. Creating a simple culture of the nanny state will inevitably lead to a decline. We need to provide for our brothers and sisters, but that needs to be a consequence of our own growth as a society - A change in how we view our lives and those around us. We need to work on truly valuing each other like brothers and sisters rather than means to an end.

2ndRateMind - You have some great ideas. Wonderful ideas and laudable ideas. But the physical nourishing you're speaking of is not necessarily what humanity needs. I want you to consider this article: http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/canada-home-to-the-suicide-capital-of-the-world/ This is the area with the highest suicide rate in the world. In the 1950s, it was seen as a beacon of hope, a rough and tumble society with little incidents of violence of any kind. That all changed. Natives in Canada are provided free housing, free education, free health care, welfare. All of it. The argument most will say is that Natives have been treated poorly by Canadians - Very true. They will talk about Residential Schools and the horrors that the Natives endured - Also true. They will point to that as the source of this people's horrific, 20-times-the-national-average rate of suicide(And highest suicide rate in the world. By far). But that obviously cannot be. All of those things pointed out took place before the 1950s. Some took place after as well, but the vast majority of the destruction took place earlier. It -cannot- be the genocidal acts that destroyed this once incredible people. No, what happened is that in an attempt to provide for them, they lost a sense of self-identity and pride. All of their material needs are taken care of, including things like the potential to do more(Through education). I firmly believe that the way we are starting to treat the poor will be seen as a genocide of sorts in the future. People need to be needed. They need community. They need purpose and drive. In one fell swoop, this nation was tragically broken - Not by war or disease, but by government handouts. 2ndRateMind - There is no better example in all the world than what is happening to Natives in Canada. Handouts do not make a people. They strip them of everything they need to feel human. There are answers, but it requires social evolution - A change to the whole world. You're not wrong, the world IS unfair. It IS filled with injustice. But don't make the same mistake that we did, that mere handouts are what is necessary to fix the world. That way will leave more blood on your hands than any man should carry.

All I can say is be patient: Sometimes, people on the internet with an axe to grind try to attack these missionaries and use these missionaries as a means to do that. What you did was the equivalent of someone on the internet contacting a Priest and saying they have some honest questions about things like Papal Infallibility and the abolition of St. George or Purgatory and admitting they hadn't ever read the scriptures. The Savior did the same when asked about marriage in heaven. In this case, she wanted to be able to have a discussion with you that allowed you to understand what she would be saying, and that you would have an open heart when you did so. I apologize that you felt slighted by this. It would never have been the Missionary's intention.

Yep. I've noticed that in American politics - It seems less about ideals and more about 'Support your local sports team' regardless of whether or not their views coincide with yours. I have yet to hear an internet conversation that begins with "I like universal healthcare, but I'm not a fan of limitations on gun control. If I shoot myself, I'd love not to be bankrupt." It seems pretty silly when you're external. Take Mitt Romney - There's a guy who as governor was a centrist technocrat, resolving issues with whatever tools he had to hand. Smart, respected the democratic process. The press demonized him and made him in to a Mr. Burns-esque caricature. In order to even get a shot, I'm pretty sure he had to say the words 'Conservative' fifty-eight thousand times.

I am very sorry to hear about this. You are amazing and my thoughts and prayers are with you.

It's going to be amazing. I really feel the US is moving in to a golden age of paralyzed democracy. No longer will the majority be blocked by the few. Now, the majority will be blocked by the one. It's like seeing dawn for the first time.

I'm excited for the US. Now, instead of the Republicans filibustering and blocking all laws from being passed they're going to have a President who vetoes every law from being passed. That's progress you can count on!

It's been said on here, so just to reiterate: The riches promised are not necessarily worldly riches. John the Baptist was righteous - He lived in the desert as a homeless guy who ate grasshoppers. Just because you're righteous doesn't mean you'll be wealthy. Just because you're wealthy doesn't mean you'll be righteous. As per Job, "The rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous alike."

No, you are precisely correct. The church is designed to make the individual more malleable to God's will: To consecrate all we have to building God's kingdom. However, know that as bad as that is, we are trying. We need to lift each other up rather than tear each other down. Some of the most passionately pro- So the answer is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know what the future holds, but I have hope for mankind. I think we can follow God's will. Maybe just having a bit more patience with one another, treating other people the way we do small children - Not condescendingly, but genuinely happy with every attempt at improvement made and with an endless patience with the stumbling that we all do.

Under the current system, JAG, the free market is the best possible system. It's a system of economic, rather than physical, compulsion to those under its rule. This(And I think this is the original poster's point) is not the best potential system. I agree with that. The best potential system is one run by two rules: 1) Love the lord thy God with all thy might, strength and purpose. And; 2) Love thy neighbor as thyself. This requires a more social evolution rather than an economic evolution, however. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't want to destroy the current status quo. I want it to be irrelevant. Think of how the Amish work together: The community will get together, work for an afternoon and raise a barn. They'll then celebrate at night in a community. They are part of the free market, but by working together they have rendered part of the free market irrelevant because there was no economic exchange for this goods and service. It was not compelled by government, nor forced by legislation. When acts of compulsion are used, you concentrate power in the hands of a few. Rather than redressing wrongs, you simply create a different tyrant and the system restarts itself.

That's a slippery slope fallacy and you know it! Alcohol is bad. It contributes to broken families, poverty and is bad on many, many levels. But it's legal. Marijuana is bad. The question is: Is it worse than alcohol? If not, do we legalize it and reduce the strain on our courts and reduce the income received by the various illegal gangs currently selling it or do we continue to criminalize it? It was decriminalized in Canada and I didn't see a big uptick in people smoking it. That's been on-going for... 7 years now? Ideally, I'd like to see society becoming more decentralized. The more power(And the more laws) that are administrated federally, the more power the federal government has. I'm not a fan of that. The things that work in downtown Manhattan don't necessarily work in rural Idaho

That we might be draped in golden jewelry instead of wrapped in golden chains. Biblically, worry about the future is subsumed by trust in God. The Savior had almost unreserved love for the rich man who asked how he might make sure he could get to heaven. The Savior told him to follow the commandments and was told by the rich man he had since he was a little boy. The Savior loved him and then said to give everything he had to the poor and follow him. The rich man declined because he loved wealth more. He was wrapped in golden chains and the Savior sorrowed for him. Think of what you could do if you were free of fear: No fear that you couldn't pay your rent. No fear that you couldn't afford to eat tomorrow. No fear that you wouldn't be able to clothe yourself. How much control would your current boss have over you?

To the OP: I agree with you. Not about forcing the haves of the worlds with the have-nots, but that there needs to be a change in the way we think. Frankly, I don't care if Bob the Builder wants to live in a mansion in Beverly Hills with six swimming pools and a hundred cars. Let 'im. The problem is that things we could never have imagined twenty years ago are beginning to be reality: Catoms(Programmable atoms), the Oculus Rift, meat that has never touched a living being, improvements to automation and artificial intelligence. For ten thousand years, mankind's biggest inventions were putting ink on wooden blocks to press letters on papers and domesticating wildlife. Then, in the span of a hundred years, we went from horse and buggy for the majority to cars, we went from balloons to jet-fighters to rocket ships that took us to the moon. We went from leeches to cloning technologies. That century was huge. This next century we're in will make the last centuries discoveries look tame. We need to change as a culture. The super-wealthy who think they run the world can continue to have whatever wealth they want in the future. My dream is that we will look on those who need those things as somewhat sad and quaint, the last vestiges of a time that is now irrelevant. I think that's what God wants for us: To grow past our childish ways instead of hold down other people and demand they be nicer. I think that the people with power now are more afraid of what God wants than of another tyranny designed to take from others rather than give of ourselves: The first rids them of all their power while the second is just another faction to ally with.

For the same reasons people were willing to drink alcohol during prohibition. I don't smoke marijuana. Or anything for that matter. That said, I don't see it as worse than alcohol. Canada decriminalized it several years back and when I was home, I could look out my window and see this completely fine urban community:

Somebody sure wants attention, anyway.

I live in Ashtead. To get to work, I have to take the train to Wimbledon, then to Earl's Court, then to Sudbury Hill. Then, I walk to the school, which is about 15 minutes - 2 hours. The M25 is at a standstill only two times: Day and night.

Just the start of something longer, but I don't want to post the whole thing as I imagine it would be very long. I was just sitting at home thinking about what it would be like to be one of the great ones. Raphael was the only archangel we don't know who he was in Mortality, so I went with him. The idea for the story was basically, "What if one of the Fallen, after millenia of problems, decided to repent because they didn't want one of the ones they loved most in the pre-mortal existence to make the mistakes they did?" Repentence is not an easy process. You have to face demons(In this case literal ones), overcome personal habits that have become ingrained and it can be quite painful. Repentence is usually harder based upon how far you've fallen. I imagine this sort of repentence would be most difficult. The zombie thing was just something I was thinking about at home. The Damned have no need for food or sustenance, they have no love for one another(Because love is from God) and exist solely to indulge passions that no longer bring them pleasure(Because pleasure is also from God - The Fallen have just twisted whatever brought them pleasure to ways and means unacceptable to God.). I thought about what such a creature would be like - Nothing but driving, cavernous need for something that can no longer satisfy them in any meaningful way. They would be a creature without love or mutual respect and fondness for any creature. I realized that was actually a remarkably scary thing to me.

I am looking in to the face of evil: Face to face with the Devil himself(I call him Lou), surrounded by all of his minions. I'm carrying a child in my arms - Someone that I won't let this creature touch, but I have no idea how I can stop him. I am looking at the dissolution of everything that makes me me and all I can think is just this: I hate zombies. I don't have that visceral reaction to anything else: Vampires are laughable, werewolves are painfully dull and mummies look like someone fell in a bandaid bin. Zombies scare me. Zombies fill me with revulsion for only one simple reason: Zombies are real. Romero was right. He was inspired. Sure, he might not have known why, but they exist. When someone leaves God - When they join His adversary, they give up everything that is good about them. They give up love. They give up hope. When they die(Or if they were never born), they cease to have drive or ambition. Zombies are like that. Zombies don't love; Zombies don't care. They exist solely to feed and to procreate, to spread their wretched condition on to as many people as possible. They do this not because it gives them pleasure to feed or to procreate - They do this because of a driving need, a hunger that will never be sated no matter how much they destroy. They move in packs not because of any sense of community or love of each other - They could care less if one is brought low - They move together only because of some base herd instinct and because they destroy more when they work together. They are everything that is human minus any sense of love or caring or higher purpose. They are the yawning void stretching their maws forth to destroy who they will. And I am facing many of them. My name is Mammon. Yes, that Mammon. I was the father of greed. I was one of them, bound to Earth by God above. I introduced the love of money to the world. I introduced sheer human avarice. By my word, nations rose up against one another and brother took arm against brother. My influence brought more suffering and human despair than any other single influence. By rights, I should be on the other side. I should be looking back at somebody else here. Somebody else should have this child and somebody else should be responsible for him. This child is Raphael - Angel who stirred the healing waters at Bethesda - The Archangel that Azazel sought to destroy. He was the kindest, gentlest, sweetest of all the archangels. He was one of the ones I always knew was earmarked by Lou for destruction. I always knew that intellectually and agreed with it, but it was always going to be a thousand years from now, or a million. Before all this happened - Before I was bound on this world, before the war, before I became synonymous with an all-devouring greed, I was an angel. Raffie was my best friend, my younger brother, and someone who I loved more than anything else. He tried to push me away from Lou, tried to warn me that what I was going in for. I didn't listen. I thought I was the smarter one. I was older. I knew better. Fast forward a handful of millenia and now I see Lou had been tracking his bloodline and seeking to turn his parents. He was being born in a drug den in the lower south side of Chicago. He'd have no 'Goodly parents'. No education. No opportunities to see the light. I couldn't let that happen. Not to him. Not to Raffie. I'd seen nations rise and fall, civilizations starve and clouded the minds of men with avarice since the dawn of time, but when I showed up to see his birth and saw that squalling little man, I couldn't do it. Not this. Something woke up in me I'd thought long dead. Something lifted me out of a haze of anger and hatred when I saw this poor little child who once was one of the mightiest of the heavenly host. He looked up at me and I felt love for the first time since the fall of man. And now I'm facing the very jaws of Hell itself. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. My name is Mammon and I was the worst of all, but I will be a good father. ****************** Feel free to comment or make suggestions!

I think you need to read more about Samson or, as I like to call him, "The biggest jerk in the world." Samson: 1) Tried to rip off guests at a party at his place with an impossible riddle. The answer to which was, "A lion lying dead by the road, with bees nesting in its guts." When the riddle was turned on him and the people he tried to rip off won the score of fine suits that he was hoping to steal from them, he found their brothers and clubbed them to death, stole the corpses clothes, yelled out "Here's your stupid suits!" and gave them back. 2) Called his wife a cow and sold her when she gave up the answer to the riddle because she feared for her life. 3) Slept with prostitutes. 4) Was a general jerk. God can use anyone regardless of who they are as a person. That person just might not end up being happy if they are a jerk.

Yep. London traffic is a nightmare. I have to go 15 miles. Takes me two hours.