Saguaro

Looks like the opposition isn't giving up easily. N. Phoenix residents want new traffic study before Mormon temple vote Loud protest against proposed Phoenix Mormon temple Mormon temple opponents in Phoenix raise funds, hire attorney Rumor here is that they are starting to gather 10,000 signatures needed to bypass the city council and put the vote on the general ballot.

No, I would not. That makes me one of three who at this time have answered the poll a definitive no. I don't think the Bishop has the authority to make such a request and I don't interpret my temple covenants to mean that I should give up everything I own at the drop of a hat. Others have different interpretations, and I respect that. Vort, don't take this as a personal attack, but I think it's a dumb question. Questions like this cause judgmentalism between the righteous ones who say yes, and the apostates who say no, and everyone else along the spectrum.

The Phoenix temple rezoning proposal passed the Phoenix Planning Commission last night with a unanimous vote. The meeting was held in a 1300 seat auditorium and there were hundreds more who couldn't get it, most in favor of the temple. The City Council is set to vote on the porposal on December 2nd. LDS Temple Battle Heads to City Council

I took a quick look at the website. As an EQ president I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Here are just some of my reasons off the top of my head: I (and my counselors/secretary) have enough to do with our callings and life in general, this looks like it would be a lot of work to set up and maintain. And we would still have to report our HT on the ward's computer system. It would cost $20 dollars a year to use. That really isn't a lot of money, but my quorum yearly budget is $50 dollars. If you click on the Preview button it takes you to a site called EQIdeaExchange, it says at the top that it's not an official church site, but they're trying real hard to fool you into thinking it is, they use the same blue and tan background colors as lds.org and even use the same picture of the Christus statue at the top. I find this a turn off. If this helps others improve their HT numbers, then good for them. But in my experience the desire to go home teaching has to come from within, an email reminder may help those who already go home teaching, but those who don't will just ignore it.

Not to threadjack here, but I find this statement somewhat inaccurate. The enforcement of the word of wisdom has not always been as strict as it is today especially during the the 1800's until around the turn of the 20th century. Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom

I have no problem with a Bishop going into detail about what is or is not appropriate. What bugs me about this instance is that he asked her to describe in detail what she and her boyfriend are doing physically. No one should have to offer that kind of detail as long as the Bishop helps them to understand exactly what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. After they arrive at an understanding the Bishop should simply say something like, "so, do you have any questions or have anything you need to talk about?". Prying for details just seems creepy to me. It's as if he's assuming she's guilty from the start. I knows others will disagree with me, and I respect that, but this is how I feel.

I think we know exactly what was going on, go back a re-read the first post. This detailed line of questioning was inappropriate and intrusive. They could have easily had a discussion about what was appropriate or not under the law of chastity without asking her to describe what she does with her boyfriend. If anyone ever feels that uncomfortable in an interview and has done nothing wrong, they have every right to ask the bishop to stop the line of questioning.

Congratulations. I live in the Phoenix mission. If you're lucky you'll spend the summer in Flagstaff and the winter in Phoenix.

I think this bishop went way over the line. Asking if you keep the law of chastity is OK, confirming your understanding of the law of chastity is OK, but asking probing questions and asking to describe your physically interactions with your boyfreind is not OK. I know some people who are so uncomfortable with this type of questioning that they won't let their teenage children have interivews with bishopric members alone, they insist on being in the room with them.

I'm about half way through the book, it is a page turner but certainly no literary classic, I also find the Masonic stuff interesting. I find myself Googling certain places and bits of information to see if theyr'e true or not. If I learned nothing else from this book I learned that (don't worry, not a spoiler) there's a Darth Vader gargoyle on the National Cathedral.

Original Poster

There was an article a couple of days ago in the print edition of the Arizona Republic, I threw it out already and I couldn't find the article online. To me it just illustrated how traditional marriage in one area of society is failing.

I don't know what we could do, I didn't claim to have a solution to the problem. I just think that if we can mobilize the time and resources of the church and its members to fight gay marriage, we could also use those resources to help members and non members alike to create and keep traditional families as well.

I have to agree with Reid, I think the Church's resources could be used more effectively elsewhere. I recently read that 70% of all African American children are born out of wedlock. I think it is more beneficial to encourage people to get married and stay married than it is to prevent a small minority from getting married.

Never heard that before, do you have a source for this? I thought a proper fast was skipping two meals in a row.

This past summer I visited Martin's Cove in Wyoming, there they tell the story pretty much like the sunday school lesson does. There are even three statues depicting three young men carrying people in their arms. I read the same BYU article after I returned. This is a case of how a faith promoting story may have a little bit of historical truth to it, but also has a lot of exageration, unverifiable facts, and a dose of mythology. In this case I think it's an effort to bring something positive out of a horrific experience that was caused by many factors, including poor planning, shoddy equipment, lack of provisions, and just plain bad luck. A good article on the whole handcard experience can be found here: www.xmission.com/~research/central/handcart.pdf

Exactly, I too am surprised at all the discussion going on and how each person thinks they have the right answer. I don't understand why some say they pay gross instead of net "just in case". Just in case of what? If someone feels that between him and God it is OK for him to pay net, then he is following the law. When he arrives in heaven I doubt God will say "Sorry, you should have paid on gross, you're going to burn a little not go to the highest degree of the celestial kingdom." I once knew a guy who supervised a chain of family run restaurants. He was allowed to eat lunch for free while he was working and would pay tithing on the value of the food that he ate. To me, that was a little extreme, but for him it was the right thing to do, and that's all that matters.

Can I assume you were responding to me? If by "it" you mean the CHI, it most certainly does NOT say a "PH holder SHOULD wear a white shirt and tie". This is exactly what it says: "White shirts and ties are recommended because they add to the dignity of the ordinance. However, they should not be required as a mandatory prerequisite for a priesthood holder to participate." P. 37 It very clearly says white shirts and ties are recommended. In my opinion, whenever possible white shirts and ties are the most appropriate attire to pass the sacrament, and any Bishop would probably agree, but it is not required and one should not be denied the opportunity to pass the sacrament just because he doesn't have a white shirt and/or tie.

The Church Handbook of Instructions states that wearing a white shirt and tie to pass the sacrament is recommended, but not requried, no priesthood holder should be denied the opportunity to perform his duty because he doesn't have a white shirt and tie.

There's an interesting podcast on Mormon Stories about Masonry and the temple, it's an interview with a guy who is a current Mason and a member of the church. It's podcast number 005. Multimedia & Writing Archive | Mormon Stories Podcast Archive

Three years ago we moved into a home that has a swimming pool, so as the first summer came we were faced with the decision of whether to go swimming or not on Sunday. The logical answer was no, we would not swim on Sundays, we had never gone swimming before on Sundays which would would have meant at a freind's house or to a public pool, so why start now. But this summer I had a change of heart, I think going swimming with the family is a great activity, we have fun and it brings us together. The other days of the week are so busy that sometimes we don't even have time to use the pool much. So on Sunday evenings after church meetings, home teaching, etc. are all done with it's a great way to unwind and relax with the kids. It's our own pool so we're not imposing on anyone else. I don't judge other people who may decide not to swim on Sundays, it's a personal decision that each family has to make on their own.

Gay, as in "that's so gay", or "don't be gay". My kids hear this all the time at school and even at church. No matter how one feels about homosexuality, I find it offensive to take a word that describes a certain group and turn it into an insult.

My first reaction is one of skepticism. I'd have to see a whole lot of evidence and verification by third parties before I'd believe that petroglyphs in Utah were written by Mormon and Moroni. The author of the email also needs to check his facts about the raids conducted by the federal government in Southern Utah: Dr. James Redd did not lose his life "because of those raids", Dr Redd took his own life, he did not leave a suicide note so we could only speculate on his motives. Mr Ainsworth has his right to his opinion, but the police forces did not take away any god given rights of the citizens of Southern Utah, they were arrested for breaking federal law related to the taking and distribution of ancient Native American artifacts.

If you want to see your membership record just ask your Ward Clerk or your Membership Clerk, they can easily print you a copy, no need to bother the Bishop, you don't need his permission. In our ward when you come in for tithing settlement at the end of the year the clerks have a copy of your family's records printed out for you to review and keep. It's a good way to catch errors or update information. It's not unheard of to find out that one of your children's baby blessing's was never properly recorded.

Seriously??? Do you really believe it would be God's will that you commit suicide? What if he asked you to kill your own child? What if he asked you to break the law of chastity? Where do you draw the line? If President Monson asked me to do any of those things I would tell him to take a hike.