BenRaines

lisajo, I knew a lisajo up in the northern part of nowhere in Nevada. Are you her? Perhaps Bishop wanted you to attend for a refresher course. Always things to learn be i t Sunday School, Priesthood class. Maybe needed you there to help others to learn. I have been invited to a class as a plant to help others in the class.

Look below my last message. The text at the bottom is not mine and has been placed there by someone else when I send messages.

I don't know how you add a tag to someone's name without their permission. I guess this is for someone who knows computers well or an abuse of power by a moderator but I don't find it funny.

Ray, I agree. I want a story that if claimed to be true can be verified. Before someone goes off on scripture and testimony those are based on belief and belief to be true. To some it is given to know but I believe that most act on faith. I am talking more about stories that are amazing beyond belief happening today. I can just see it now. " I heard this story so it must be true". I like feel good stories just as much as the next guy.

Ray, By no means am I saying that all or most stories read online are false. I think that people should use their comon sense when reading a story and then take if from there. Just because a story is made up, if it makes us feel good, doesn't mean we shouldn't share it with others. I read many heart touching stories everyday from emails forwarded to me, not sent but forwarded by well meaning people. I read up to 20 newspapers a day online. Some mainstream news others not. Here is an example: Missionaries miraculously spared in World Trade Center attack On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Commercial airlines were hijacked and flown into the buildings, killing all passengers on the planes as well as thousands in the buildings. Within a day or two, a message began to circulate around the Internet detailing the involvement of missionaries in New York. There are several versions of this message, most of which describe a missionary conference planned to be held in the World Trade Center on Tuesday morning (the day of the attack). The conference supposedly involved as many as 3 zones of missionaries. According to the message, ALL of the missionaries "miraculously" failed to make it to the World Trade Center due to a variety of circumstances - alarm clocks which failed, missed rides or bus connections, etc. * THERE IS NO TRUTH TO THIS STORY. We spoke with the President and Sister Noel G. Stoker of the New York New York North mission, which includes that area of Manhattan; there was NO conference planned for Tuesday, and even if there had been, it would NOT have been held in the World Trade Center. This is from the following site: http://www.shields-research.org President Stoker was my stake president before serving this mission. I asked him about this when he returned and he said that there was not truth to it and what Shields reported was correct. That is one example of Mormon Urban Legends. Great story just not true. Mom said, and she didn't originate the thought. "Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you read". See you could even not believe this. Up to you. Good reading :)

Some great humorous stories can be found by typing in your search engine Urban Legends. Additional ones can be found by trying Mormon Urban Legends. I find little written in online forums to be TRUE.

WOW now we are "The Others" Sounds like from another planet or something :)

Hey I am not arguing with what you folks care to believe. I am only asking if this is the same one who went for a swim and was found not among the living. Had his body shipped home to Italy and had many mourning him in the chatroom four years ago and had been amazing us with his exploits in parts of the middle east that he could not name or other covert missions he and the boys were one. I just wanted to clarify if this was the same or another acting as an imposter to the dearly departed. No joke but perhaps sarcasm and disbelief. I am not hear to decide what you people chose to believe.

I have enjoyed reading the various comments over the last few days. I do not pretend to have the extensive intellectual knowledge that many of you appear to have or at least you know where to copy another persons talk or viewpoint from a book or a lecture. I live by this simple credo "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" No healthy person would intentionally do harm to themselves. No one would cheat, steal or otherwise take advantage of themselves. This is a topic that can be shared with all and is a Christian as well as many other religion's belief. I believe in sharing it with the rest of the world up to the point they tell me No Thank You. I believe that the injustice done to people in the Inquisition, Crusades and other conquering in the name of Christ was wrong. I have very strong personal beliefs regarding a loving Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ but they are personal and I extend to each individual that same courtesy. Living a good life and caring about others is what it is about. There will be many Latter Day Saints who will find themselves on the outside looking in if they did not have charity one to another. Thanks for the space. BenRaines

Eros and the rest of the bunch. You guys still out there telling your story as heros. Last I heard 4 years ago you had washed up on a beach after an evening swim and were sent home and had everyone in the chatroom mourning you. I guess you have found a new bunch of followers. I guess it goes to show that you can't believe all that you read in a chatroom. :)

If you would like to see some great advice on sharing testimony read the talk in general conference given in Oct 2004 by M. Russell Ballard on Pure Testimony. It can be found at http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5...-479-14,00.html I agree with what he says and until we make an effort to make a change they will be as they have been in many parts of the church. I have noticed that other wards and branches outside the US do not have the same problem but sharing testimony is something we learn and if we have learned to do it one way then we need to change that habit.