MrsHart

First of all, ::HUGS:: I feel so angry for you as I read this post! Without regurgitating what you have said, I would just like to say that I understand where you're coming from. If I were you, I would not feel comfortable in asking him for his blessings either, since I know that deep in my heart, I wouldn't *feel* that he's worthy as well. Just my opinion, but that is not what I would want in a person who holds the priesthood, so I don't blame you at all. You shouldn't force yourself to overcome your feelings. I suppose that you can feel sorry for him and pray for him, but you are feeling how you feel because you are following the teaching properly; accepting HIS actions and opinions are the ones that are contrary to what we have been taught. Loving your husband does not mean that you have to accept his actions and beliefs at all. Perhaps he will change for the better; perhaps he won't. The only way to support him is to be patient with him, and pray for him, since there really isn't much of an alternative here (and the alternative is frowned upon by many anyway). Have you brought him to talk to your bishop?

No, but that's only because I think it tastes disgusting.

I admit that I've seen one (it was the scariest and ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life), but it didn't seem to be aware of my presence. It was like...like when you're looking at someone, and they're not aware that you're there looking at them. Just thinking about it gives me the heebie-jeebies! Yet, I contradict myself by refusing to believe in this kind of stuff. LOL

I'm so confused...

This actually makes me feel better, since I tend to freak myself out at night whenever I'm home alone, and worrying that there might be a ghost in the room or something. But now I'm worried about evil spirits! Eeek!

I'm really happy that while we may disagree on some things, we're still able to remain good friends/friendly toward one another.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Or it could be a cultural thing. People tend to think and choose to act based on socialization and cultural influences. Of course, culture is not something that we inherit biologically; it is something that is taught, whether directly or indirectly. I think for the most part, people choose to act based on their upbringing/socialization/cultures, not race. While certain racial groups follow certain cultures, and it is tempting to believe that a person's racial make-up causes him or her to behave certain ways, it is more likely to be due to external influences. Race is biological; culture isn't. What if a boy of race A is adopted by and raised by a couple of race B, and grows up in an area that is predominantly of races B and C? Chances are, this boy would be more influenced by B and C, than of A. Would you, then, say that regardless of who raises him and where he grows up and learns the socialization process, he would still mostly think and behave like a "typical" person of his ethnic background/race? For instance, while I was in Denmark and Sweden, I noticed that while the people were friendly, they were very reserved and only outgoing around their family members and friends, and even then, they were still reserved while in public. Would I, then, claim that these people were reserved because of their white race? Of course not! They were probably reserved because of their Scandinavian culture.

Watch it

All of this is too cute!

We're going to get a tiny Christmas tree and decorate it with tiny ornaments. Our apartment is not big enough to accommodate a larger tree, but at least our tree will be real. Everyone I know is getting fruit cake (rum-free, obviously) for Christmas.

But American isn't a race. Just kidding; I understand where you were getting at.

To me, racism is...: when you believe that someone is inferior to you because of his/her ethnic background. when you dislike or have any other unpleasant feeling toward someone solely because of the color of their skin. I'm not saying that you have to like everyone you meet, but if skin color is your ONLY reason, then yeah, you are a racist. Liking a few different groups of people, but disliking one or two particular groups, still counts as racism, in my opinion. I'm half Japanese and half white, and I guess for the most part I look more white than Japanese, but I remember hating it when people used to tell me that I wasn't Japanese when I was a kid. I feel that I'm both, and I'm very proud of myself for that. I can't imagine siding with one race while denying the other.

Nope, we finally stop at...*drumroll*...the Industrial Revolution now! Perhaps a generation from now, our children's high school history class will end right at...the beginning of World War 2. LOLOL.

RandomEquine: I haven't read other people's responses yet, but to answer your "How young is too young?" question, I have this to say - If you are legally an adult, and you KNOW that you are ready, and have the maturity to handle married life, then you are not too young. After all, nobody says anything when a selfish and immature 40-year-old gets married (just look at any Hollywood marriage to see what I mean), yet people freak out when a 19-year-old gets married? How is one worse than the other, you know? As for your mom's concern, I can understand, but she needs to realize that you are not her, and your fiance is not her ex-husband. Marriage at an early age doesn't cause someone to drop out of school. It has to do with circumstances, the person's drive and ambition, and how supportive that person's spouse and family are. I'm 19, I just got married over this past Summer, and I don't claim to be old and mature, but you know what? My husband is the kindest and most supportive person that I have ever met. He's very encouraging and would never, ever think of telling me to quit school. It really boils down to how you are as a person, your life's circumstances, and the family that you have.

Yep. I believe he was led astray by his own pride, jealous, ego, vanity, etc.

I don't feel old, mostly because I just graduated last year, but the other day a little girl referred to me as "That lady..." when she was talking to her mom. I felt so old then. I also feel old when people refer to me as Mrs. when my husband and I are in places like hotels, restaurants, etc.

Um...green tea DOES have caffeine in it. White, black, and green tea are from the same plant. There is actually only ONE true tea plant. White tea is plucked when the tea plant is fresh and has just bloomed; green tea is plucked after the plant has grown a bit, and I believe that black tea is roasted (for the lack of a better term) or something like that. :: sighs :: The only "tea" that does not have caffeine is herbal or floral tea, 'cause it's not really tea. I'd prefer to call this a "brew," instead of a tea. Herbal tea is not caffeinated because herbs (such as peppermint, spearmint) are not caffeinated. Floral tea is not caffeinated because...um, obviously, these teas are made of rose petals, lavender flower, etc., etc. There are also brews that are made of a combination of cinnamon and ginger, and it always baffles me when people refer to this as "tea." How is that tea, when it's not made from a tea plant? Seriously. This is not a commonly known fact, and I only know this because I have a very good friend whose dad is an importer. As far as why we should not drink tea, it is because it is a stimulant, like coffee, alcohol, etc. And if anyone wants sources, Google is your friend. Answers can be found in less than 1 second.

I am LDS and while there are some things that I disagree with, for the most part I am very happy that there is a community and support that I can turn to. Also, I don't feel that I should leave the religion just because there are a few things that I may disagree with. It's kind of like how even though we may not agree with our parents all the time, or even understand why they do what they do some of the times, it doesn't mean that we would actually turn our backs on them, you know? That's how I feel about the church; it has been there for me all my life, and has done so much for me that I see it as my family. Also, the things that I disagree with don't really have to do with just Mormonism, but with Christianity as a whole, so even if I left the LDS church and joined another Christian sect, the disagreements would still be there. As for your questions, I think that it is up to each person to decide. I think it depends on your personality type. One decision might suit a person better than the other. I would say that if I were the Lord, I would not want someone to follow me if doing so makes them miserable.

LDS. Born and raised. My parents converted while they were in college. :)

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." -- Rita Rudner "The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping up and Down." -- Rita Rudner "I think that when you get dressed in the morning, sometimes you’re really making a decision about your behavior for the day. Like if you put on flipflops, you’re saying: ‘Hope I don’t get chased today.’ ‘Be nice to people in sneakers.’” -- Demetri Martin

Your post makes me so sad because your stepdaughter is my age. I think that if I were in her situation, I would expect my parents to be very strict with me, which is what I think would help me clean up, yet at the same time I might be resentful of them if I can't see that what I'm doing is wrong. I think that you did the right thing, and I think that my parents would have done the same. Like you and her mother, they wouldn't have wanted to kick me out, but I also have younger siblings and my parents would not have wanted them to be influenced by me. Kids definitely look up to their older brothers and sisters, whether they'd like to admit it or not, so the other kids do influence the younger ones. I don't have any advice (sorry), but I just want to say that I don't think you did anything wrong. Also, I can tell that you DO care about her, and that you are not interested in making her look bad, since you did insist that she's a good person.

Most Christian denominations believe that about ONE ANOTHER. Lol. They like to claim that Catholics aren't Christians, just like how they like to say that about Mormons, never minding the fact that Catholic is a very, VERY old Christian sect. Then, the Catholics like to say that the other Christian sects aren't "true" Christians because those sects are younger. Then, there are Mormons who claim that the other Christian sects are false because Joseph Smith's version is the correct one. Then, there is this "competition" (for the lack of a better word) about how "Irish Catholic" is "better" than "Roman Catholic" or vice-versa, or how "Utah Mormons" are "better" than Mormons from elsewhere, and vice-versa. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Lastly, we'd then see most religions FIGHTING with each other to prove that theirs is the most peaceful one. Ironic much? Btw, a friend of mine is a Southern Baptist, and she definitely doesn't believe that about Mormonism. A church can teach anything it likes, but ultimately it is up to its followers to decide for themselves. However, I believe that churches should be more responsible in their teachings. Teaching hate and discrimination, whether blatantly or subtly, is very irresponsible; that is like parents who don't watch themselves or what they say around their children. Georgia2: I know what you mean. There is one part in the Bible where Jesus tells the others not to call him God.

2nd your opinion and advice. Very insightful!

Two men walked into a bar... ...the third one ducked.