Connie

Members
  • Posts

    1986
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Connie

  1. I've never read it. I didn't really care for Call of the Wild. Convince me, @Anddenex. Why should I read White Fang?
  2. What!! I can't believe you deleted the spoiler, @Carborendum! I love spoilers! My husband told me not to bother reading any but the first three of the Foundation series. He said the others just weren't worth it. Would you agree with that assessment, @Carborendum?
  3. Our last 4th Sunday topic was "ministering" in Relief Society. One of the discussion topics to choose from was "The Lord wants us to accept ministering from others." It lists 1 Corinthians 12:13-21 as a reference. And also an old conference talk by Robert D. Hales which I am going to study. Any thoughts? Did anyone discuss this topic in their Relief Society or Priesthood Quorum?
  4. @Iggy You should move to my ward. We will minister to you.
  5. I wonder if we can also think of it in terms of the Savior's service. If we are all supposed to be serving/ministering by the Spirit according to how Christ would serve as people who have taken that covenant, then would it be considered as rejecting or accepting Christ's service as offered vicarious through another when we reject or accept the service of another fellow covenant member?
  6. We talk so much about serving others but not much about letting others serve us. My take on this is that we have all taken that baptismal covenant to “mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort,” etc. We can only accomplish this if we all take our turns to serve and to have service rendered to us (or to minister and to be ministered to, if you prefer). Sometimes it seems like the best service you can render to someone is to let them serve you. This requires patience and long-suffering sometimes as we are all imperfect at serving. We may be frustrated with how someone decides to minister to us. We may find it awkward or inconvenient or think we can just do it better ourselves. And then someone may find our efforts at ministering awkward or inconvenient and feel like they don’t need our service in their lives. What are your thoughts on letting others serve you?
  7. This definitely seems to be the most popular of his 4 challenges. Kind of a shame the ladies won't be around for the next 10 days. I was personally hoping to hear what plans anyone had made to fulfill the "participate fully in Relief Society" one.
  8. I'm a little disappointed. My daughter is extremely disappointed that she won't get to go to Young Womens every week. And I think it's a tragedy that we are losing the opportunity to sing opening & closing hymns in Relief Society, but I would think that. Mostly I'm just curious how this is all going to play out in our local ward. I'm really hoping ward and stake leaders won't see this as more opportunity to schedule random meetings. With the emphasis on being "home centered," hopefully the risk of that is minimal.
  9. Looks like y’all have already decided what the new forum name will be. Why insult our intelligence by offering a choice that’s not really a choice. Name it whatever you want. I’m sure people will still come and participate even if it has a stupid name. Note: My husband tells me this is acerbic. I told him I can live with that.
  10. Thank you. That FAQ page is really helpful. See #10 on the FAQs page from the link zil posted.
  11. I am so tired of all the rumors and predictions. Here's my current favorite meme:
  12. Such a good point. I had never thought of this concept before, but recently read about it from Elder David A. Bednar in his book Power to Become. He brought up this very scripture and concept, so it's pretty cool you brought it up here. I love the idea that the commandments are a blessing. Personally, I'm really hoping for a nice, quiet general conference with maybe some clarification and encouragement regarding all the recent changes we have already received rather than getting a whole new set to have to figure out.
  13. That’s one thing about Gulliver’s Travels that I’m not sure I like. Swift isn’t wrong, but I feel like he over emphasizes man’s fallen nature—to the point where, if I remember correctly (it’s been years since I’ve read it), Gulliver forsakes all human interaction at the end, even with his own wife and family. At least More here is willing to acknowledge that we have something other than just a fallen nature. We are dual beings—fallen human and spiritually divine. Though perhaps More is over emphasizing our better nature—again that idealism. There is slavery in Utopia. It’s not explicitly stated (there is not a lot of description regarding the slaves), but I wonder if it’s inferable that they are not allowed to procreate. Perhaps this is the Utopian form of eugenics. It appears that they largely do not even try to reform them. Any Utopian found to be doing something “unnatural” would be punished with slavery either temporarily or permanently depending on the offence. It seems the attitude is almost “once a criminal, always a criminal.” Even a small human foible could potentially be punished. Definitely one of the reasons I wouldn’t want to live there. From the book: “Everyone has his eye on you, so you’re practically forced to get on with your job, and make some proper use of your spare time.” Very Orwellian.
  14. Yes, definitely very idealistic. And perhaps that’s why he named it “No Place.” He knew there wasn’t a place like it anywhere and likely never would be. The leisure was one of the things I actually liked about the society. Maybe that’s just because it’s kind of my ideal. But they are very specific about what pleasure is. There are natural pleasures like health, literature, and music, and unnatural pleasures like gambling, hunting, and excess in eating or apparel. Excerpt from the book: “Pleasure they define as any state or activity, physical or mental, which is naturally enjoyable. The operative word is naturally. According to them, we’re impelled by reason as well as an instinct to enjoy ourselves in any natural way which doesn’t hurt other people, interfere with greater pleasures, or cause unpleasant after-effects. But human beings have entered into an idiotic conspiracy to call some things enjoyable which are naturally nothing of the kind—as though facts were as easily changed as definitions. Now the Utopians believe that, so far from contributing to happiness, this type of thing makes happiness impossible—because, once you get used to it, you lose all capacity for real pleasure, and are merely obsessed by illusory forms of it. Very often these have nothing pleasant about them at all—in fact, most of them are thoroughly disagreeable. But they appeal so strongly to perverted tastes that they come to be reckoned not only among the major pleasures of life, but even among the chief reasons for living.”
  15. It’s interesting to me that the definition of Utopia, which in Latin means “no place,” in our modern English usage has taken on the meaning of the Latin word “Eutopia,” which means “good place.” Granted they have the same pronunciation, at least in English. It appears it is a debated topic whether Thomas More actually thought the society he describes in Utopia was a “good place.” He was, however, fully aware that the word actually meant “no place,” so its interesting that he gave it that name. The name he gives to the character who describes the society of Utopia is also quite interesting. The name he gives him is Raphael Hythlodaeus. Raphael being the Hebrew name of an angel who in the apocryphal Book of Tobit guides a man on a journey that ends in curing his blindness. The edition of Utopia I read points out that “the name is quite appropriate for a character who tries to open people’s eyes to the causes of social evils, and the sources of prosperity.” Hythlodaeus, however, is a word of Greek derivation that means “dispenser of nonsense.” Almost seems contradictory, though perhaps on further thought it isn’t. Let’s start the discussion of Thomas More’s Utopia there. Is the name he gives this character, Raphael Hythlodaeus, contradictory? Why or why not? Is it possible to be a “dispenser of nonsense” but still open people’s eyes to certain societal ills? Please feel free to respond, whether you’ve read the book or not.
  16. An Ensign to the Internet The Hub Formerly Known as Mormon Hub... j/k Honestly, I think keeping it simple with Latter-day Saint Hub or Latter-day Hub would be the best option.
  17. Ah, mordorbund. Always prompting me to engage my brain and think deeply. Maybe we should start a Utopia thread. We can call it "One man's Utopia is another man's Dystopia."
  18. They have been printing the first few chapters, 1 per month, in the last several issues of the Ensign magazine. I have really enjoyed what I've read so far. I'm looking forward to reading the rest now that it's available.
  19. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson was enjoyable. Not sure I would recommend it for beginners, but it makes for a great review if you are already familiar with the concepts. Utopia by Thomas More was interesting. I definitely wouldn't want to live there! Through His Eyes: Rethinking What You Believe About Yourself by Virginia Pearce (one of Gordon B. Hinckley's daughters) was great and very thought provoking. Power to Become: Spiritual Patterns for Pressing Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ by David A. Bednar is fantastic! The entire series is great. Highly recommend.
  20. Connie

    Nike

    Here ya go: https://togetherasfamily.com/chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake-delight/ Way better than a yucky old Sara Lee cheesecake any day. Hint: double the cheesecake layer.
  21. @theplains You might find some of the quotes from the Pearl of Great Price Institute Manual helpful. Here's a link.
  22. @lokimaq00 Maybe it's time to change your email address and not let certain people know.
  23. A few I've finished recently: Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. While I can't say it's my favorite Dickens, it was enjoyable. Pure in Heart by Dallin H. Oaks. All about the importance of our motives and desires. Really good stuff! The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I thought it was awful. I did actually get around to reading O Pioneers. I liked it.