Vort

But this is not at all what evolution means. Evolution does not refer to the individual development of an organism. In fact, a single organism cannot "evolve", because the term only has meaning when applied to a group through time. Evolution happens between generations, not within an individual organism.

So are horses and donkeys the same species? Lions and tigers? There are humans whose DNA is dissimilar enough that they cannot reproduce, or only do so with difficulty. (Ask around at fertility clinics.) Does this mean they are of different species?The whole concept of "species" is an ill-defined delineation of limited utility. Really, it's just verbal shorthand for a much more complex reality. As long as evolution is thought of in terms of speciation, this will exist as a problem. Not really. The odds of a male and a female organism just happening to have the same mutation at the same time and then reproducing is infinitesimal. Mutations happen in one individual, who then propagates that mutation through his/her progeny. If the mutation is beneficial, then eventually it becomes common in the population. If it is sufficiently beneficial, it may supplant most or all other alleles, or may lead an isolated population to become a (sorry for the terminology) new species. Of course I do. Noah was a real prophet; there is no reasonable doubt of that.Do I believe that the entire globe was covered by water? No, of course not. Please note that the Bible makes no such claim, either. I do not believe that the ancient Hebrews had any idea of a spherical earth. When they heard "the whole earth was covered", they didn't think of the globe being coated with water. They simply thought of the land being covered. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Not according to either the Bible or science.Unless I'm mistaken, science makes no claims on whether life has always existed. Science isn't philosophy.The Bible may not make such a claim, depending on how you interpret it. But fortunately, we are blessed with modern prophets who teach us that our own existence is eternal, in both directions.

LDS doctrine requires that Adam and Eve be literal people, and that the fall be a literal event. Presentation of events in the Garden of Eden are almost certainly symbolic to some degree; for example, no Mormon thinks that Satan was actually a snake slithering around the Garden. Many faithful, believing, committed Latter-day Saints think that evolution is a perfectly reasonable and possible explanation for the creation of man. The Church itself has no official stance on the matter aside from the fact that "Adam was the primal parent of our race". I would guess, though, that DS's statement is correct that the majority of Latter-day Saints who have an opinion on the issue probably think the evolution of man is false. I have no evidence of that, but that's my impression from a lifetime in the Church.

You could just say, with a slightly haughty air, "My brother is autistic." If you use a British accent, people will assume you're being snooty, and will treat your brother with new respect, attributing his behavior to the fact that all artists act a bit strange at times.

Yes, missionary work is many different things. However, when we talk about the Priesthood responsibility to "serve a mission", that does indeed mean a two-year trip to Russia or whatever. That's what the missionary obligation is for men of our generation.Not all men are physically or emotionally able to serve such a mission; such are honorably excused from the requirement. Other men (such as your fiancè) put themselves in a position where serving a mission is impossible. They have not forfeited all their eternal blessings or anything like that, but they have made it impossible to fulfill that particular duty they have. But these things do not change the duty that all Priesthood holders have to the Lord to serve a mission (meaning a two-year trip to Russia or whatever). The Lord does not command any such thing today (although in the not-too-distant past he did exactly that, calling married men with children to leave their family for two, three, or five years or more to serve proselytizing missions). A young man with a child or a pregnant girlfriend will never, ever be called on a mission while he is a young man. He has other, more important duties that preclude him from being able to fulfill the missionary duty.But that doesn't mean the missionary duty doesn't exist. It does. That would never be allowed. I taught at the MTC, and one day a missionary simply wasn't there in the district any more. Turns out that he found out his girlfriend was pregnant.I have been told that if a young man impregnates a woman, he will not be called to serve a mission under any circumstances, even if the woman miscarries or (God forbid) aborts the baby. I have also been told that if a young man engages in homosexual relations, he will also not be called to serve a mission under any circumstances. I do not know that this is true, but I have been told it is. Take it for what it's worth (which is to say, absolutely nothing). I was told by a former stake president that even a young man who has fornicated in the past with a woman is not likely to be called on a mission, although it's possible, especially if he was not a member when he fornicated. The instruction to "raise the bar" has been taken very seriously, as far as I can tell.

Fornication is fornication, and inappropriate sexual behavior is inappropriate sexual behavior. I don't know of any teachings that homosexual fornication is "better" or "worse" than heterosexual fornication.That said, if my own precious child were involved in such activities, I admit that I would be less saddened and overwhelmed by heterosexual fornication than by homosexual. But that's just a personal feeling, not an expression of LDS doctrine. The point is that you can be made clean. Focus on that, not on the specifics or whether A is worse than B.

"Punishment" is not at issue. Believe me, your bishop will have zero interest in "punishing" you. He wants to help you to become clean. That is all he wants. He may be led to impose certain restrictions on you, but those restrictions are not punishment. They are aids to repentance. Always remember that. You are not being punished, you are being guided along the path to full repentance.Don't give up! Tell your bishop everything about this and let him decide how to proceed. With dedication and singlemindedness, I believe you can be fully and completely healed of the damage that pornography has done to your mind and spirit. Don't give up! Don't give up!

Rise, all loyal Cougars, and hurl your challenge to the foe! We will fight, day or night, rain or snow! Stalwart men and true wear the white and blue, While we sing, get set to spring Come on, Cougars, it's up to you! Oh, rise and shout, the Cougars are out Along the trail to fame and glory! Rise and shout, our cheers will ring out As you unfold your vict'ry story! On you'll go to vanquish the foe For alma mater's sons and daughters! As we join in song In praise of you our faith is strong! We'll raise our colors high in the blue And cheer our Cougars of BYU! Rah rah rah rah rah! Rah rah rah rah rah! Rah rah rah rah rah! Go Cougars!

By definition, murder was and is never approved of by God.

There is no difference between the two. The "Old Testament/Book of Mormon" view of God is the "Christian" view of God.

God cannot murder, any more than God can commit adultery. In a practical sense, I agree. The idea is absurd.In a principled sense, the question is perfectly good. Nephi was commanded to kill, and it was accounted righteous for him to obey. Abraham was commanded to kill his own son, and was praised as righteous for attempting to do so. The Nephites and, by extension, we were and are commanded to defend selves and families, by force if necessary. And now you have them!

Typically, a young man "goes through the temple" (that is, he receives his endowment) at 19 years old, just before serving his mission. A young woman typically receives her endowment just before she marries or, if she serves a mission, just before she enters into her mission service. Older sisters can receive their endowment if they are still unmarried at a later age, or if their husbands are not temple-worthy. I assume that older, unmarried men who did not serve missions can also receive their endowment, but that is just my speculation. You don't say if you're male or female. If you are a man, then men rarely or never receive their endowment earlier than a month or so before entering their mission service at 19. If you are a woman, then women rarely or never receive their endowment while very young (18-20) unless they are marrying in the temple. But these are just general observations. You really should talk to your bishop about this. If you are a man, then remember that you need to be ordained an elder before you enter the temple. If you are not yet an elder, then talk to your bishop or stake president about taking that step.

I would rather be rich than ugly. -- Jack Handey

Dr. Payne (did reconstructive surgery on my ankles when I was 22; an alcoholic, very well-named) Carole Holly (receptionist at BEA when I worked there years ago; a delightful person, also very well-named)

It's really very simple.You pay tithing of 10% of your increase annually. That's all there is to it. If you want specific help in determining what that means, you are always welcome to talk to your bishop. He would be happy to assist you in figuring that out. If you want opinions, then ask here and you will get them. But that is all they will be: opinions. The doctrine of the Church is as I stated above. Anything else is just that person's interpretation or application. For example, my wife and I always tithe our gross (pretax) income. We feel that is the most honest way to tithe, since we enjoy the governmental protections and projects (roads, etc.) from our taxes. On the other hand, we do not tithe income that goes to pay Social Security; instead, we will tithe whatever we actually receive from the government at the time we receive it. Many disagree with our former stand, and many others disagree with our latter stand. But it makes sense to us and it feels right, so that's what we do. If our bishop were to ask us to tithe our FICA withholdings, too, we would, but so far no bishop has bothered to inquire into our tithing past asking if we are full tithe payers.

Are you saying that individuals in Utah are not aware of what they themselves believe? Seriously?Amazing. I've met some people I've considered, let's say, not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but I have never met anyone so stupid that he doesn't even know his own ideas. Your opinion of Mormons is obviously quite low. Especially since we don't even know our own individual beliefs.

My buddy Jesus Garcia has given blood every five weeks for the last eighteen years. I'd say there must be many people walking around today with a little Jesus in them. (PS I thought your story was touching. Just had to grab the straight line when it was available.)

Amazing, then, that God created us with the capacity to feel guilt, and the scriptures are replete with examples of people being brought to repentence because of their guilty feelings. What do you make of this, Moksha?

Four families in six years = an average of one family every 18 months. A shameful occurrence, to be sure; but given that you are living in a city that is probably a third Mormon and that you are surrounded by Latter-day Saints, meeting one bad apple (or family) every 18 months should not be overly surprising. Like, for example, if they're unfriendly to you when they find out you're not LDS? 4 times in 6 years != common. I assume you help those rascally Latter-day Saints, too. Assuming you don't actually have the ability to read minds, you are inferring a great deal. Uh, yep. So...? In order to have an open mind, you have to believe that everyone else's worldview is correct? No, I disagree. One can have an open mind while still believing another party is incorrect. Or do you want to admit that you're actually as close-minded regarding the Latter-day Saints as they are regarding you?

As your roommate, it is her sworn duty to make your life a living hell on earth. Better get used to it.

This is an amazing statement, Stacey. Do you really believe that a person does not have the right to feel guilty about failing to keep his/her covenants? I find that attitude astounding. I get a significant tax break every year by claiming my tithing and offerings as charitable donations. I would not be able to do that if things were done as you suggest. In order to get a temple recommend, you must be a full tithe payer (or at least claim to be such). Records, of which the Lord has repeatedly commanded the Church to keep, help us know whether we are in fact full tithe payers. Those whose duty it is to make such decisions apparently disagree with you.

Btw, Anderson Silva was off his game in the UFC event. It took him over a minute -- 61 seconds, to be exact -- to knock James Irvin out in his first-ever light heavyweight match. But after that Affliction card, the UFN event was nothing but an asterisk. Good stuff, anyway.

Don't blink

36 seconds?! 36 SECONDS?! Un. be. lievable. I figured Fedor would win, but 36 seconds? Uh-uh. By my count: Sylvia: 1 punch thrown, 0 landed, 0 sub attempts Emelianenko: 18 punches thrown, 18 landed, 1 sub attempt Win, Fedor Emelianenko, 36 seconds round 1 by RNC. WOW

The "easy-to-read" Book of Mormon is called The Book of Mormon. (Technically, I suppose it's now The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.) Many parents, including my wife and me, teach their children to read from its pages. It's already written in plain, easily-accessible language. Dumb it down and you remove much of the gospel message. Only my opinion, of course. But I happen to be right.