Prodigal_Son

Yeah right. Not the "saints" in Utah!!! Bunch of greedy crooks if ever there were any!

Soooo Google is the great plague of the last days?

Holland, while Pres at BYU quoted the following: (From his talk, "At Their Most Enlightened And Alert") Edmund Burke: "Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains on their own appetites... Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters. The implication is that the less personal control society has, the greater the government control... Holland points out that a truly righteous and civic-minded people would need practically no government at all.

Oh good. So I have some time yet.

I'm sure many of you have noticed how the popular opinion of this nation, in general, moves like tides on the shore - based on whatever perspective the media (and others) want to peddle. It drives me nuts. In light of the good discussions we have going on with the Gaddianton Robbers and Socialism vs. United Order/Law of Consecration, I just wanted to post part of the late/great President Hinckley's talk given in conference 10/01 - where he addressed the plunge that we, as a nation, were taking... (Emphasis was added by me, of course...) I have just been handed a note that says that a U.S. missile attack is under way... I need not remind you that we live in perilous times. I desire to speak concerning these times and our circumstances as members of this Church. You are acutely aware of the events of September 11, less than a month ago. Out of that vicious and ugly attack we are plunged into a state of war. It is the first war of the 21st century. The last century has been described as the most war-torn in human history. Now we are off on another dangerous undertaking, the unfolding of which and the end thereof we do not know. For the first time since we became a nation, the United States has been seriously attacked on its mainland soil. But this was not an attack on the United States alone. It was an attack on men and nations of goodwill everywhere… Those of us who are American citizens stand solidly with the president of our nation. The terrible forces of evil must be confronted and held accountable for their actions… We of this Church know something of such groups. The Book of Mormon speaks of the Gadianton robbers, a vicious, oath-bound, and secret organization bent on evil and destruction. In their day they did all in their power, by whatever means available, to bring down the Church, to woo the people with sophistry, and to take control of the society. We see the same thing in the present situation. We are people of peace. We are followers of the Christ who was and is the Prince of Peace. But there are times when we must stand up for right and decency, for freedom and civilization, just as Moroni rallied his people in his day to the defense of their wives, their children, and the cause of liberty (see Alma 48:10)… Unitedly, as a Church, we must get on our knees and invoke the powers of the Almighty in behalf of those who will carry the burdens of this campaign. No one knows how long it will last. No one knows precisely where it will be fought. No one knows what it may entail before it is over. We have launched an undertaking the size and nature of which we cannot see at this time… Now, brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to Him. He has declared, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Ps. 33:12). Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God.

There's a family over in the Galilee region who runs boats on the Sea for tourists. You know, a big pile of Mormons out on the water singing, "Master The Tempest Is Raging"... I had the opportunity to get to know this family a little bit, as we went to their home and had dinner with them. It's AMAZING the parallels between Judaism and Mormonism. Such good people...

Wait a sec... you guys talk about gas like it's a BAD thing! Haha. With my wife's first pregnancy, things got out of control. We actually created a"fart chart". And she blew me away (pun intended).

I'd love to see the conversation where Father told me what He expected of me while I was down here.

Over in Israel there's a town called Netanya. There's a college there, and there is a "hall of the prophets," paying tribute to contemporary LDS prophets. We have a SIGNIFICANT impact on the Jews. What's more, as any one who's ever been over there knows, our BYU center is about the most spectacular architecture over there.

I just KNEW you'd read this thread with a subject like that! I know this will sound silly, but have any of you ever wondered why our bodies were designed the way they were? Why, for example, we have to eat so much? Why weren't we given lower metabolisms that would allow for eating one meal per day, etc? And for that matter, why do we have gas? I mean, is passing gas truly universally amusing - even celestial comedy? Feel free to share...

I see your thought process, and it's logical. But we don't have anywhere NEAR enough information to come to a decisive conclusion about this. There were obviously worlds/tests before ours, and (unless Heavenly Father retires) He'll prep another batch after ours...

It sounds like you have your answer. And the Lord will bless you for your efforts. The Lord NEVER asks anything of us without a reward being doled out. Our "Word of Wisdom" can be found in The Doctrine & Covenants, Section 89 Here are excerpts: A Word of Wisdom...Given for a principle with a promise... ...Inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father... And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly... And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man... And again, hot drinks [COFFEE/TEA] are not for the body or belly... ...all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man... Flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly... All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine... [AND IF WE OBEY THIS COMMAND, HERE IS WHAT THE LORD PROMISES:] And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments: - shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; - shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; - shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. - And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them =================== The promises are WELL worth the sacrifice.

I was always taught that the Holy Ghost was a spirit child, just like us... and would be the very last one to receive a body. I'll have to look into the veracity of this teaching now... That being said, Bruce R. McConkie said, "the Spirit is broadcasting all truth at all times." This sounds a bit different from the concept of Him dwelling literally within us. It ties more clearly to the whole "being in tune"... like a radio frequency... Just thinking out loud here...

So they MANAGE to screw everything up? Haha.

Wow. Sure sounds like a certain political party's philosophies, doesn't it? THAT is the GR group that scares me the most right now. We're reaching that threshold where the majority of the people are ready to choose wickedness over righteousness - even if it IS unwittingly.

Traveler. You're spot on. There's no better example than Al Qaeda. Mirror copy of the original G.R.'s. Taking out Bin Laden would definitely be a strong blow to their movement.

:lol::lol::lol:

Ding Ding Ding!!!!!! We have a winner! The Federal Gov't is a perpetual machine. It will only grow and grow and grow... unless we can affect a political upheaval that shares some libertarian perspective on how much gov't there should be.

I guess I'm too analytical to look at it that way. Sounds too touchy feely to me. I gotta have concepts and tangibles I can really sink my teeth into. P.S. Lay off the peyote.

By running a small business, you get none of this crap. Yea for me.

Well, that just makes you human (and LDS). Sometimes the greatest struggle amidst all our struggles is retaining the ability to see the big picture, to maintain an eternal perspective. Heaven knows I struggle with this week in and week out. Hang in there.

I miss the fun of living outside UT when it comes to this stuff. It was always fun to coerce buddies into trying us Mormons on for size. I did learn, however, that Fast and Testimony meeting is a risky day to invite non-members! It can be fantastic... or send them screaming for the hills...

I'd love to discuss the differences, and why one is ordained of God, while the other is spawned of Satan. Is this neutral enough to NOT get closed?

I don't mean to offend, but why bother to read the Book of Mormon? If you aren't going to LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES, then they do us no good. Mormon painstakingly recorded these details to WARN AND PROTECT us!!! The whole "ignore it and maybe it'll go away" approach has a very low success rate.

I don't want US to be secret at all. I want to be as loud as we can be.