RipplecutBuddha

I should have known better....my eyes glazed over two minutes into the show....

Because the standards for entering the temple are not for the Church's protection, but for our protection. Who is harmed if one enters a temple unworthily, the person or the church? Those that enter the temple unworthily will answer for it in time. The Church itself suffers no consequence. As for your example, I hope the rhetorical nature of it alone is enough of an answer. It's just another example of us not judging unrighteously, and also the fact that the people in the church are not perfect. It's a fact of life we all must accept.

Children are sinless until they reach 8 years of age according to LDS beliefs, however they are not perfect. Jesus had to grow, learn, and mature just like any other human would. The unique aspect of Jesus is that he had no mortal father, and he maintained his sinless condition throughout his life. Basically, the verse is saying Jesus got smarter and physically larger as he grew up...just like any other human would. He also was looked upon favorably by people around him and by his true father as well. We balk at admitting that Jesus was a kid, but it's true. He had to go through all the challenges of a mortal life in order to be an appropriate sacrifice for sin....but that's another thread topic.

I've been in several wards, and the only time members financial situations come up is during tithing settlement. Of course the Church is very controlling about the money given to it from members, but I don't think that's what was being discussed. Whatever is given as tithing is considered sacred by the Church and the things it is spent on are watched very carefully. In fact, the Church has an independant audit performed every year to make sure the accounting practices are legal, and that all money has been handled appropriately for its intended purposes, whether tithing, fast offerings, missionary funds, or other sub-categories of donations the Church accepts. The standard is that every member is to give 10% of their annual increase to the church as tithing. It is impossible to prove whether or not someone is paying the full tithe, and there are different measures, whether net pay, gross pay, interest from investments, etc. It's up to each of us as individuals to be obedient to the principle of tithing. The Bishop and Stake President ask us if we are or not, and we answer either yes or no. Whether we're honest about it or not is between us and God.

It's all a bunch of hogwash, IMO. God created this planet for a specific purpose which involves us directly. I seriously doubt he would have set it up so we could bring things to an end before He was ready for it. Yes, the earth is warming globally. It's been doing so since the last ice age. Look at the total volume of the atmosphere against the total human output of greenhouse gasses since the industrial revolution. We haven't done diddly/squat to the atmosphere. Volcanoes have put more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than mankind will ever be able to produce....and nature is still here. The earth is not as fragile as many would have us believe. God created it to be a place for us, and he did his job. I'm not saying that we can just go crazy and pollute/deforest the world without a care. We have been given stewardship of the earth and everything on it. We will give an accounting for our actions in that regard. I am absolutely in favor of taking care of the earth and being environmentally responsible as much as we can. However I think it ought to be done in recognition of our duty as stewards, rather than an irrational fear of destroying one of God's most complex and durable creations.

How about a front end shot of a suburban or MAV (mormon assault vehicle) over a casserole of funeral potatoes under the left wheel and green jell-o under the right wheel (with whipped cream topping of course). Then under all that, "It's not just a religion, it's a lifestyle"

brilliant, with clear Monty Python influence. I loved it

Heaven forbid we actually talk about what 'books' were....

Yep, and newspapers are broken kindles

I'll just address the forgiveness part. To me, forgiving means accepting the results of someone else's harmful actions towards me. The acceptance doesn't mean I agree or like them but rather I accept that those consequences are present, and I must deal with them. Next I look at the consequences and try to determine how long they will, or should, affect me. This includes emotional, physical, religious, or social consequences. For example one of my first questions to myself is 'What part of me or my life is impacted?' and then I ask 'How long will this impact me?' and then 'How long should I let this impact me?' If whatever wrong was merely emotional in impact, I typically forgive in a few hours and forget by the next day. I just can't hold a grudge at all...it's too much effort and I forget easily, thus I just don't worry about it. However, if the impact is in other areas, such as friendship, financial, etc. then the effects will last longer, but it is still urgent to work through the consequences and resolve them as much as you can. For example, if a friend needed $200 and I lent it to them only to have them never repay me, I might be upset for a few weeks while I wait to be repaid. If I realize they aren't going to repay me, I begin the process of forgetting about the whole issue with the one lesson learned from the experience to not lend money to them again until they pay back what they owe. I would rather lose 200 dollars than a friendship any day. That's the final part of forgiveness. Prioritize what is most important in the situation, and sacrifice whatever else is needed to keep the important things. Typically this is friendship and familial bonds. Keeping a long-term or even eternal perspective also helps along with the primary answers, prayer, fasting, scripture study, etc.

I was crying as I laughed....that was hilarious!!!

I agree. I merely mentioned it in reference to the gentleman's significant lack of such outreach effort. Maybe I should have said so earlier. :) True, but here again, he could not have failed to realize the impact of his words, given the audience he knew would hear them. He could have been much more compassionate, rather than purely condemning us. Well, sure. We can ask, but what are the odds that we'll be accepted merely because we ask for a fair chance? (something we've been asking for since 1820, btw) I understand the importance of seeking to find common ground and understanding with protestant christians. By and large, I think many are of the mind of our good friend PC. They are firm in their faith and seek merely to gain strength and fellowship with us through mutual respectful discussion. However, there will always be those of the mind of Mr. (Dr.?) Jeffress. Unfortunately there will always be those who hate for the sake of hatred. No matter how hard you try, you cannot push a rope. We lead by example in word and deed as Christ taught us. Those that accept us can become our good friends. Those that reject us are free to do so in my opinion. Worrying about what others think of us is only useful when a respectful discussion is possible. Beyond that, it's just wasting energy on things one cannot change.

So somebody said they think we're a cult....big deal. I get told that every other time I talk about my faith outside of church. People will think whatever they want. They will believe whatever they want. Even in the face of pure logic and reason. The fact is I believe we are Christian, everything done in the church is done in the name of Jesus Christ, we rely upon Christ alone for our salvation, the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly (and I can't imagine any Christian accepting an incorrectly-translated Bible as the true word of God), and the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. If someone doesn't like what we believe, that's cool. If someone seriously thinks I'm bound for Satan's neighborhood because of what I believe, I'm fine with it. However---if a Christian were to think that in their hearts, I rather think they would set about a serious outreach program to recover us. This man merely dislikes us and isn't afraid to say it. He doesn't care about us one whit, and I'm still cool with that. If we don't like other's freedom of speech/belief, how can we claim ours?

For what it's worth, the AIG bonuses were mandated by conditions set by the bailout itself. Thus the Gov't told them to take their bonuses, then raked them over the coals for taking them... There are corrupt corporations, but not all corporations are corrupt. The Gov't is the most corrupt of them all.

I didn't like the budget simulator. It is not the real budget, it is just the hot-button toics affecting the budget, which are largely trivial in the long run. Give me the real budget and full flexibility in how/where the money is spent/cut, and I'd have the budget balanced almost overnight. Among other issues, I want the ability to; Constitutionalize a balanced budget amendment; spending cannot exceed available funds at any time other than officially declared times of war. eradicate the current tax code and have a flat 7% national sales tax, internet sales included. set income tax at 7% for all wage earners de-fund the Departmenet of Education, which didn't exist until the '60's and has yet to show effectiveness in any of its related goals sell off or make available for sale all federally-owned land not currently used for any purpose, as well as any land not slated for use in the next two calendar years. establish term limits on all federally elected positions to two terms. If it's good enough for the President, it ought to apply to the rest of the lot. set federally elected positions pay to whatever percentage of the GDP that would place them right at the bottom third level of all wage earners. Transportation for Gov't related travel would be included, but the current health care plan would be lowered to whatever the individual could find on the market available to an average private citizen, and retirement would be whatever SS they could salvage plus personal investments cut funding to all non-constitutional Gov't expenditures domestically, including the Smithsonian museums. We're paying taxes to operate them, why pay to enter and get stuff from the gift shop? Eliminate Federal Gov't labor unions. Federal employees are paid with money the citizens must give. cut amtrak loose. Open SS to supplemental investments by contributors, and lock off access to the mony by any other Gov't entity for any other purpose. There's more but you get the idea....none of the issues the simulator works with will have any meaningful impact on the budget in the long term.

Easy, Abraham was never a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...and the dude holding the knife wasn't either...nor was Abraham acceptive of the knife-dude's religion...in other words, the picture is irrelevant. but the inclusion of it in this discussion.....funny indeed

I was thinking the kit would be fine if you added a roll of duct tape in order to secure the cat to the bottom of the bag. That way if you drop the bag, it won't get dirty, especially from multi-floor apartment buildings. On the other hand though. would you have enough time to tape the cat to the bag in an evacuation scenario?

an explanation of a patriarchal blessing that my father gave to me before I got mine; The scriptures are God's words to all of the world. It is advice and council on problems nearly everyone will face at some point in their lives. A patriarchal blessing is Heavenly Father's opportunity to give you personal scripture that is specifically for you and you alone. He loves you so much that he wants this time to speak to your needs; to address what he knows will challenge you in the future years of your life. Fasting and prayer help us focus our spirituality and put the mortal part of us in the background. If there are specific things concerning you, pray for guidance about those issues. As mentioned earlier, bring them up to the patriarch as well. When the time comes to recieve the blessing, relax and let the spirit fill you and speak to you. Don't worry about what 'kind' of blessing you recieve. Short or long, detailed or generic, Heavenly Father knows what you will need most.

Among the recent epic ironies in the news, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church not only announced their plan to picket Steve Job's funeral, it was posted by using an I Phone.

Youtube comments are best known for being emotionally driven rather than rationally driven. In other words, people write from the feelings the video generates in them, rather than the facts surrounding it. This is especially true of LDS issues. For many of the derogatory comments (regardless of the video) they represent a tragic waste of energy and time just in what it took to type and submit them. Giving them any serious thought is just more waste.

This thread is a perfect display of why I'm so very grateful that reincarnation is not real, and that I will never have to go through High School ever again.

Okay, can we at least call the man by his actual name, Boyd K. Packer? Packard was a car manufacturer...

he also isn't the first GA to make the statement. Either the Book of Mormon is exactly what we believe it to be, or it is not. I don't see that it's a bad argument at all, it's merely a statement of perfectly rational fact. Just because some people not of our faith won't like it makes no difference to me. Truth is not something to be tailored to agree with popular sentiment.

I have a proof set of my birth year. That's all I have energy for collecting.

If you Know who Jeb Corliss is, you have an idea of what's coming. If not, you'll be blown away. Just remember....less than six feet...now watch