BenRaines
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Posts posted by BenRaines
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Living in Nevada I am not happy at all with what Harry Reid has done. That said he is not Harry Reid the person who gets to make that vote he is Harry Reid the elected official who is voting. His job is not to represent his beliefs but to represent those who elected him to office. While I do not like his politics I am glad to see an elected official who votes as he believes the people who voted for him would vote.
That said, Nevada passed, on two separate votes, by a more than 70% majority an amendment to the state constitution stating that marriage in Nevada is only between one man and one woman.
Guess he wasn't representing very well. In the local paper he said that he felt is was not a constitutional decision but a states rights issue. The same people that say it is a states rights issue will take it all the way to the US Supreme Court to try and make a state comply with something they don't like.
Ben Raines
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I look like the Hulk but I am not green. LOL
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Expect to go out and serve others and serve the Lord. That is what you should expect from a mission. A mission is not about you it is about service to the Lord and to others. If you lose yourself in the service of others your mission will be all you could ever hope for and more. The same is true of life.
Ben Raines
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I have read the book and seen the movie. What are the great discrepencies that everyone sees? There is a lot of fiction and speculation in the book and movie. What are the great falsehoods or urban legends that everyone else is seeing?
Ben Raines
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have a couple questions/thoughts:
1 - I know that this is a fictional book, but a lot of it was based on facts. And Dan Brown, of course, was not the one to introduce this theory (about Jesus being married and having a daughter). How can we be so quick to discount this? According to his statement on his website (see FAQ page), history is written by the 'winners'. Supposedly the meetings to decide what to include in the Bible really did take place, for example. Of course there were meetings held to discuss what to include in the bible. From what I have read it took a number of years, I don't know how many but I am sure someone does. These were not even men who were considered religious that were the once who compiled the books that we find in the bible today. They were appointed by Constantine to compile the writings they felt should be in the book.
2 - Not saying I believe this, and I don't, but I think we'll never know... IF Jesus was married and had offspring, why would that be so detrimental? That doesn't mean He would not be divine... right? Why is this so threatening to some? To some to think that Christ, A God, or to some the, Son of God, to have relations with a woman would be beneath him, no jokes please. For those who believe that family is an eternal concept is it not so foreign a belief.
3 - I was interested in the female/goddess aspect of all this as well. Perhaps Jesus himself wanted females to have more of a leadership role then many churches give them? I believe that in some churches women hold a more important role that males. Perhaps not as the way the world sees it but as God sees it. They are partners with God in the creation of new life. They are the true educators of the next generation. They are the ones who set the moral standards for the family. Holding a position for the acclaim of the world does not make a man or a woman more important in God's eyes.
Ben Raines
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An interesting analysis of Battlestar Galactica. As a viewer of the original series and a member of the LDS church I saw the similarities in some beliefs and how they were placed in the series. While interesting I don't think that Glen Larsen was trying to convert or subvert anyone in placing some of his personal beliefs in a program he was writing for tv.
Ben Raines
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Winnie,
Some times bad things happen to good people. My wife likes to beat herself up when our adult children make wrong decisions. "Where did we go wrong? What could we have done?" Each person has their own agency. More as adults than children they act on that agency. "Should we have held FHE every week? Should we have not missed one prayer in the morning or night? Is that what caused it?" I think that you can do all those things and children still have agency. Our jobs as parents is to tell them how we see it. Be there when it falls apart and love them always. I tell my children that I will always love them but am not always happy with the things that they do.
Ben Raines
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Ray,
Now on this we are in total agreement. We usually do our peach cobbler in a dutch oven in the backyard. I also marinate the rib-eye steaks a couple of days in advance and then bring them to room temperature before cooking. Only cook on coals, no gas. Weber BBQ is a great way to cook. I am looking at getting a texas bbq for those long term cooking spells. Things that take three hours or more to cook, pork shoulders, london broil and of course ribs. :)
Ben Raines
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I read of the best books to expand the mind and read from fiction and non fiction to be entertained.
Ben Raines
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Unless I missed it you don't say how old you are or he is. Not that it is an excuse for profanity but some times people grow out of it.
My father didn't use profanity, I have not used it and my son does not. I believe that profanity is a learned behavior. You learn it from your father or your friends or the people you hang out with or work with.
If you don't want your children to grow up using profanity then he needs to stop it or it will become common in your house.
Personally I think the use of profanity is a sign of ignorance. People wanting to talk and not thinking fast enough use profanity to fill in the silence.
Ben Raines
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Read the book and saw the movie. Read Angels and Demons too. I thought they were entertaining. Liked the movie because it stayed close to the book. Most movies vary from the book. This one did not.
Very entertaining. Looking forward to XMen tomorrow.
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Last I read it is Americans who are paying undocumented aliens to do the work in cash or under the table. I think that we should have a guest worker program and permits issued for non US citizen workers.
The no tax reporting is caused not by immigrants but by employers and people willing to pay cash for work. They are probably the same people who cheat on their taxes to pay less.
I believe that illegal is illegal. If there is a problem in the law then fix it but making illegal legal just to prevent people from being illegal does not make sense. I am all for legal guest worker program and a true immigration policy.
I have lived outside the US and our borders are a sieve. Illegal immigration is almost impossible in many countries.
Ben Raines
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There you go. Once I can get my walker out of the backseat of the car I will be shuffling my way to that building. Thanks for the offer. :)
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Our RS President gave a talk in RS last Sunday on reverence. We have over 100 2 and under children in our ward. After the sacrament is passed you might as well take a nap, if you can over the racket. She encouraged them to use the 3 second rule. If you child is making noise for more than 3 seconds take them out. If that doesn't do it I am going to move to an area where there are a bunch of old people with no children.
Ben Raines
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A small Caribbean island for me. The more primative and less people the better.
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As for me and my household we will eat meat. So what is everyone cooking on the BBQ for Memorial Day? I think we will BBQ some zuchinni and squash along with some red and yellow bell peppers.
They look good decorating around the ribeye steaks. LOL
Ben Raines
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Welcome to the LDSTalk site. I hope that you will enjoy being here and if there is anything I can help you with please send me a PM and I will get right back to you.
Ben Raines
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PC, I agree that Christ's judgement is the only judgement that will matter. He is the mediator before the Father in our behalf.
I hope that when you read the Book of Mormon you do it looking for spiritual insight and not to see how it can be torn apart. I can assure you that if you look with a desire to know spiritual things you will find them.
Ben Raines
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You have good reasoning on the biology and physiology of the human body and Christ's immortality. On that I agree you are right. On the point of it being vital doctrine I don't know of it having anything to do with doctrine if Christ were married or if he had children.
If was just a fictional book and an entertaining movie. Sort of like Indiana Jones but few worried if the Ark of the Covenant is really buried in a government warehouse.
Ben Raines
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PC, there are many God obeying non LDS that will find themselves worthy to enter in to the Celestial Kingdom after all they have done in this life. I believe that we will find more non LDS there than LDS there who did not have the opportunity to accept the gospel in this life who when they have it preached to them in the spirit world will accept.
My understand that qualifying as having heard it in this life and rejecting it has to do with having Holy Ghost witness to you that it is true and then rejecting it. Having the missionaries knock on your door and you turn them away or offer them a drink but say no thank you I am not interested does not meet the requirement of hearing the gospel and rejecting it in this life.
Ben Raines
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ApostleKnight, a great thread.
I have read the first book, Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. I found them both entertaining. I have also read two of his other books, Digital Fortress and Deception Point. All entertaining.
We saw the movie last night. I felt that it followed the book closer than most books I have read and then seen the movie.
I agree with Bob_Oz on the points he made regarding Christ and common Jewish practice during and around the time of the life of Christ.
I also don't think the book or the movie were trying to portray Christ as mere mortal. The one character, The Teacher, is the one who believed that and not the rest.
I also agree with the premise that there were few true believers in Christ and he organized his church after a couple of centuries and Constantine is the one who pulled the whole Christian thing together at his time. At that time it was the church of man and not of God that was upon the earth. Authority lost.
AK, according to the movie Mary did not have her child until some time after the crucifixion.
Those are my simple thoughts.
Ben Raines
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Glad to have the update. I love high school and college wrestling. I try to never miss the NCAA championships each year.
I wrestled in high school and college. My son wrestled from the time he was 8 in freestyle and wrestled through jr. high school. Other interests took over during high school.
Sorry you feel that moderators are not acceptable but that will not change this from a moderated forum.
I am so glad to hear of the great success of your daughter and wrestling in a male dominated sport.
Best regards,
Ben Raines
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Maureen, Ask you husband if he knows or knew Blair Valgardson. I understand that they have a large quarry there in Lethbridge and that his father had the first private airfield there that the city later bought.
Ben
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"As I said before, I'm done trying to teach you (and other people) everything I know, because that is not my job, and the only thing I need to tell you (and everyone else) is that you should have learned and be learning and continuing to learn from God... by getting ALL of your assurances from Him... and from there you can go whereever you want, and I hope you'll end up with God.
And btw, I've already told you that you should be learning from God, so I don't need to say anymore."
If I misunderstood your intention then I am very sorry. I have read many of your posts and enjoyed them. This one just appeared harsh. Was only my opinion I didn't not intend to offend.
Ben
Excomunicate Harry Reid?
in General Discussion
Posted
I agree that we should vote our values and what we believe. I do not run for public office so as not to be conflicted. I vote for candidates based on how I best believe that they will represent my beliefs and hope they follow what they have said or say they will do. If they don't then they don't get my vote next time.
I have never voted for Harry Reid. :)