Vort

Members
  • Posts

    25580
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    559

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    Vort got a reaction from Windseeker in I feel silly doubting a relationship over career prospects, but there it is   
    In a recent thread, a young man voiced his struggles over whether his girlfriend and potential fiancée was the right one for him, suggesting that he might meet someone prettier. He was roundly thumped on for such an attitude. I am astounded* that the same people who so willingly got all over him for his "immaturity" and "shallowness" did not similarly condemn this young woman for daring to suggest that her fiancé's new career path might not be as lucrative as she might want.
    *I'm not really astounded. I'm not even surprised. This shameless double standard is par for the course.
  2. Like
    Vort got a reaction from Unity in I feel silly doubting a relationship over career prospects, but there it is   
    As a fellow homeschooler, I am mostly in agreement. The only disagreement I have is that it's per se a bad idea for a socially and politically conservative man (even a homeschooler) to be a public school teacher. As you point out, it's likely not to be a comfortable fit in a lot of ways. But many (I daresay most) parents use public school as a way to abdicate their parental responsibility, often unconsciously. For children of such parents, a good teacher is quite literally a Godsend.
  3. Like
    Vort got a reaction from Just_A_Guy in Panic Over Dating and Marriage   
    I disagree with the above posters. That is to say, I agree that fixating on whether there's "someone prettier" is petty, immature, and perhaps a touch pathetic. But if that's where you're at, brother, then be honest with yourself. If that is what you find important, then do not compromise on it. Doesn't matter if it's stupid. If it's important to you, then stick to your guns.
    Marriage is not an opportunity to show your friends how open-minded you are. If you don't think white girls are pretty, don't date white girls. If you don't like blond hair, please stay away from blonde girls. Whatever you find distasteful, don't date girls who have that trait.
    Trust me on this. I am right. You are not doing yourself any favors to date girls who you think aren't pretty enough (or whatever) for you, and you're not doing them any favors, either.
    Of course, your best course of action is to get your head in a better place and gain enough maturity to honestly not even care about certain unimportant traits, e.g. whether she's the prettiest girl you might ever have a chance at marrying. But you are who you are and you feel as you feel, so for the moment, always be true to your feelings. Yes, even if they're petty, immature, and pathetic.
  4. Like
    Vort reacted to NeuroTypical in I feel silly doubting a relationship over career prospects, but there it is   
    Heh - I know more than one homeschooling family where a mom or dad got a degree in education and works in a school.  How's that a slap in the face for public education?  "Yeah, I'll work for you and take your money, you still ain't getting your claws into my children."
  5. Like
    Vort reacted to estradling75 in I feel silly doubting a relationship over career prospects, but there it is   
    There has been alot of good advice, but I would like to offer you a slightly different take. 
    You say you are questioning if you should marry him because his prospect of being a provider is not as good and you would like.  How would you feel if you found out he was questioning being married to you because you weren't quite as pretty as he would have liked?  Very likely you would feel as if he had just utterly destroyed your world you would very likely feel unfairly judged to expectations that are unreasonable.
    Clearly men and women have different roles to play and different things they consider important and there is nothing wrong that.  Nor is there anything wrong with taking a good hard look at our potential spouses and what they offer...  But that hard look should be based on spiritual foundation rather then worldly one.  Just as there are worldly standards of beautify there are worldly standards of providing.
    The question is... Can you get to the spiritual level or are you on the worldly level?  It is critical to know where you are.  Maybe you find that you need some work in this area.  That is ok we all have areas we need to work on.  But if you know you are weak in this area then you should not move forward into something that will make you miserable.  Its not fair to you and it is not fair to him.    
  6. Like
    Vort reacted to Jane_Doe in Some Ponderings   
    My husband is also not a member.  We've been together 6 years, and friends for 16.  For 10+ years he's lived the LDS lifestyle as far as WoW, no premarital/extramarital sex, clean conduct and word choice, believes in God, honest, caring etc.  He's been to church with me ~20 times.  
    But despite this he has zero interest in joining the LDS church and doesn't really understand even the basics of the Gospel (zero interest and family complications impeding).  Despite our +15 years of friendship, I don't think he remotely has lost his chance to understand and embrace the Gospel.  It just hasn't been his time to embrace it yet, and I am patiently awaiting for the God appointed time. 
  7. Like
    Vort got a reaction from An Investigator in 16 things in a disaster   
    They're an important part of your food storage.
  8. Like
    Vort got a reaction from Unity in Some Ponderings   
    I think we have a communication gap here, AI. I was not trying to beat you down, not in any way. I was responding very literally to your invitation for opinions. I gave mine. I wasn't trying to tell you that you were naughty for even asking such a thing. You aren't. To use Carb's example, I consider the idea of "progression between kingdoms" to be a snake pit, and I was labeling it as such.
    As for the state of your husband, I cannot judge such a thing. A great many good, honorable people will never join the Church. I daresay many of them will never even hear of the Church. But I am quite comfortable in my knowledge that those people who sincerely seek after God and his truths will eventually find what they're looking for. Always.
    So yes, your husband must repent and come unto Jesus, just like all the rest of us. But we are in no position to judge when and how that must happen. My opinion on that topic is that you shouldn't worry too much about it. Just love your husband and keep being a good example.
  9. Like
    Vort reacted to An Investigator in Some Ponderings   
    No its I that should apologise,  I just find it so difficult sometimes that my lovely husband who practically lives as a member won't join the Church,  frustrating that he can't see the truth.    I suppose here in lies the danger,  I'm sure there are a plethora of organisations/ religions willing to give me what I want to hear rather than what is true.
    Changed it so it made more sense 
  10. Like
    Vort got a reaction from classylady in Some Ponderings   
    I think we have a communication gap here, AI. I was not trying to beat you down, not in any way. I was responding very literally to your invitation for opinions. I gave mine. I wasn't trying to tell you that you were naughty for even asking such a thing. You aren't. To use Carb's example, I consider the idea of "progression between kingdoms" to be a snake pit, and I was labeling it as such.
    As for the state of your husband, I cannot judge such a thing. A great many good, honorable people will never join the Church. I daresay many of them will never even hear of the Church. But I am quite comfortable in my knowledge that those people who sincerely seek after God and his truths will eventually find what they're looking for. Always.
    So yes, your husband must repent and come unto Jesus, just like all the rest of us. But we are in no position to judge when and how that must happen. My opinion on that topic is that you shouldn't worry too much about it. Just love your husband and keep being a good example.
  11. Like
    Vort got a reaction from mordorbund in Some Ponderings   
    I think we have a communication gap here, AI. I was not trying to beat you down, not in any way. I was responding very literally to your invitation for opinions. I gave mine. I wasn't trying to tell you that you were naughty for even asking such a thing. You aren't. To use Carb's example, I consider the idea of "progression between kingdoms" to be a snake pit, and I was labeling it as such.
    As for the state of your husband, I cannot judge such a thing. A great many good, honorable people will never join the Church. I daresay many of them will never even hear of the Church. But I am quite comfortable in my knowledge that those people who sincerely seek after God and his truths will eventually find what they're looking for. Always.
    So yes, your husband must repent and come unto Jesus, just like all the rest of us. But we are in no position to judge when and how that must happen. My opinion on that topic is that you shouldn't worry too much about it. Just love your husband and keep being a good example.
  12. Like
    Vort got a reaction from Unity in Some Ponderings   
    Let's consider an extreme example: Murder is an effective way to get money. Is it permissible to reject this idea out of hand as dangerous, regardless of whether or not it's true? Or shall we say that we are not afraid of differences of opinion, so go ahead and consider the possibility that murder is in fact a good path to riches?
    Dangerous things are those things which lead to an evil end. Nowhere in scripture is it taught or even hinted at that we don't need to worry about being celestial, because we'll have all eternity to achieve those things. We are taught the polar opposite: THIS life is the time to prepare to meet God. Our actions have ETERNAL consequences.
    Yes, the idea of "progression between kingdoms" is a dangerous one, even if you're open-minded and unafraid of differences of opinion. It leads to a cavalier attitude of "play now, pay later". I personally know more than a few people who have fallen into this trap and embraced this falsehood. I hope they get past it, and I hope that happens sooner rather than later. But in any case, it is a dangerous idea and should be rejected.
  13. Like
    Vort got a reaction from classylady in Some Ponderings   
    Let's consider an extreme example: Murder is an effective way to get money. Is it permissible to reject this idea out of hand as dangerous, regardless of whether or not it's true? Or shall we say that we are not afraid of differences of opinion, so go ahead and consider the possibility that murder is in fact a good path to riches?
    Dangerous things are those things which lead to an evil end. Nowhere in scripture is it taught or even hinted at that we don't need to worry about being celestial, because we'll have all eternity to achieve those things. We are taught the polar opposite: THIS life is the time to prepare to meet God. Our actions have ETERNAL consequences.
    Yes, the idea of "progression between kingdoms" is a dangerous one, even if you're open-minded and unafraid of differences of opinion. It leads to a cavalier attitude of "play now, pay later". I personally know more than a few people who have fallen into this trap and embraced this falsehood. I hope they get past it, and I hope that happens sooner rather than later. But in any case, it is a dangerous idea and should be rejected.
  14. Like
    Vort reacted to zil in Some Ponderings   
    Generic comments...  In my experience, when talking about doctrine, @Vort gives good advice / opinions that are worth careful consideration, even if one doesn't like them.  I don't disagree with anything he's written here.
    Regarding "dangerous" ideas...  Back when "Ordain Women" was getting lots of press (or the first time I noticed this phenomenon), I decided to go to the source (their website) to see whether the press were giving an accurate description of this group.  I typed in the URL, and the instant the home page loaded, the Spirit told me in no uncertain terms that I was in a dangerous place.  (I find it interesting to note that this warning did not come until the home page was loaded.)  I am 100% certain that this was direct revelation from the Spirit, as powerful as any I've felt.  The Spirit did not tell me to "leave now", rather, that I was in a dangerous place, where lies were told with skill for the purpose of deceiving those who were vulnerable.  I browsed around enough to spot what was, to me, clearly a mechanism meant to deceive (it wasn't that they were confused and teaching what they believed; no, they were intending to deceive others*).  That was sufficient for me, and I left.  I was later able to use this experience to help a friend who was struggling not with wanting to join them, but with some ideas they voiced and with her friends who were either joining or considering it.
    * I later learned that Kate Kelly was a lawyer and thought, "Ah, yes, I see."
    So, there are indeed dangerous ideas.  I don't doubt many have been deceived by dangerous ideas because they didn't understand the truth sufficient to recognize the danger and put the idea in its proper place.  Some have been led to the truth by people going to extremes trying to disprove it.  Others have been led away from it by skillful liars speaking flattering words about dangerous ideas.
    To put it another way, I don't need to dig around in the guts of evil to know it's evil.  Once I have identified it for what it is, I'm better off moving away from it lest I become numbed to its horror, fascinated by its depth or details, or spend so much time exploring it that the Spirit can no longer reach me, and soon I start to excuse away the evil, and then join it.  This has happened over and over throughout history, to individuals and societies.
  15. Like
    Vort got a reaction from An Investigator in Some Ponderings   
    Let's consider an extreme example: Murder is an effective way to get money. Is it permissible to reject this idea out of hand as dangerous, regardless of whether or not it's true? Or shall we say that we are not afraid of differences of opinion, so go ahead and consider the possibility that murder is in fact a good path to riches?
    Dangerous things are those things which lead to an evil end. Nowhere in scripture is it taught or even hinted at that we don't need to worry about being celestial, because we'll have all eternity to achieve those things. We are taught the polar opposite: THIS life is the time to prepare to meet God. Our actions have ETERNAL consequences.
    Yes, the idea of "progression between kingdoms" is a dangerous one, even if you're open-minded and unafraid of differences of opinion. It leads to a cavalier attitude of "play now, pay later". I personally know more than a few people who have fallen into this trap and embraced this falsehood. I hope they get past it, and I hope that happens sooner rather than later. But in any case, it is a dangerous idea and should be rejected.
  16. Like
    Vort got a reaction from mordorbund in Some of My Thoughts about Christmas   
    As far as I know, we do not reject the idea that Jesus might have been married, or that his spouse might have been Mary Magdalene.
  17. Like
    Vort got a reaction from SilentOne in Some of My Thoughts about Christmas   
    As far as I know, we do not reject the idea that Jesus might have been married, or that his spouse might have been Mary Magdalene.
  18. Like
    Vort got a reaction from SilentOne in A general note of no consequence:   
    Crap. Now you tell me, AFTER I already sent off my money to the strangers at Amazon.
  19. Like
    Vort got a reaction from zil in A general note of no consequence:   
    Crap. Now you tell me, AFTER I already sent off my money to the strangers at Amazon.
  20. Like
    Vort reacted to NeuroTypical in Sleep? What's that?   
    Wow - after 4 months of studies and waiting, I now have a CPAP for my apnea.
    Immediate results - my wife says she hasn't heard a single snore from me.  I've gone from 4, maybe 6 hours of sleep to 5 maybe 7 hours.  Just gotta be hooked up to this hannibal lechter-looking face mask thing.  It's a good tradeoff.
  21. Like
    Vort got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Some of My Thoughts about Christmas   
    My original point was not that the Roman Catholic Church is a hive of scum and villany and that we should reject out of hand anything tainted by Catholicism. Rather, it was that Catholic teachings have conditioned our beliefs, and we as Latter-day Saints ought to be aware of that conditioning and not allow ourselves to accept some tradition just because that's what "they" say. Mary was not perpetually a virgin, even though many people like to think so. Joseph may or may not have been significantly older than Mary, and may or may not have been a widower, but there is no internal evidence for either of those ideas in the scripture. (Well, the fact that Joseph appears to have died before Jesus might point toward an older Joseph who died of old age when Jesus was only 30 or so, but that's speculation. He may have died of disease, or of a work-related accident, or of a middle-age heart attack, or something else.) Jesus may or may not have been born in a stable; we know only that, after his birth, he was laid in a manger.
    Last Sunday at Church we sang "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plain". But Judea is a mountainous area; there are no plains anywhere near Bethlehem. But English and other European shepherds raised their flocks on open plains, so when a Mormon Saint wrote the hymn in the late 19th century, he just naturally assumed that the "fields" mentioned in the Bible (where the shepherds watched over their flocks by night) were plains near Bethlehem. And for the sake of the hymn, that's fine. But we should not therefore believe that there must be extensive plains near Bethlehem.
  22. Like
    Vort got a reaction from yjacket in Best Post-Election Reaction   
    Wow. I used to have a great deal of respect for Josh Weed. I felt most of that esteem drain from me while reading his self-righteous nonsense. I am left feeling foolish that I was ever taken in by such a charlatan.
  23. Like
    Vort reacted to estradling75 in Best Post-Election Reaction   
    For the last 8+ years those of us of with a Conservative Religious focus have watched as the government has become more hostile to our hopes, dreams, businesses, freedoms, and rights...   So yes I can understand a certain amount of fear about what the government might do to a person and their loved loves
     
    During those 8+ years many of those who are crying and afraid now... Celebrated the attacks on me (and those like me), and encouraged the government to do even more.
    Now the weaponized government that they thought was a good tool for them to use because they thought the ones in control where their friends and allies.... has been taken away and put in the hands of someone that is not friendly to their ideas and values...  Hopefully... now they see their folly and realize their whole approach was wrong...  But I doubt it.
     
  24. Like
    Vort got a reaction from NeuroTypical in Best Post-Election Reaction   
    Wow. I used to have a great deal of respect for Josh Weed. I felt most of that esteem drain from me while reading his self-righteous nonsense. I am left feeling foolish that I was ever taken in by such a charlatan.
  25. Like
    Vort reacted to Jamie123 in Lame Jokes, the Sequel   
    Oh, it was a mere trifle :)