HEthePrimate

Erm, no. I was talking about girls joining the Girl Scouts (Why would I want them to join the Boy Scouts? To raise the teen pregnancy rate? ). And neither the Boy Scouts nor the Girl Scouts have mixed boy/girl campouts. I think it would be cool for LDS girls to join the Girl Scouts and go camping... with fellow GIRLS.What fundamental differences does the Church have with the GSA? And even if they do have differences, why can't we "play nicely with others?" Does a group have to agree with us on everything in order for us to work with them? HEP

Why worry about what we think? You're grownups--it's between you, your wife, and God. It's not my job to tell your wife how to dress! HEP

Personally, I'd like to see the Church encourage girls to join the Scouting movement. My mother quite enjoyed it when she was a kid, and learned very valuable skills (though that was a while ago, and in a foreign country, so the program there may have been different). In any case, girls need to learn the same basic survival, outdoors, camping, and job skills that boys do.Don't mean to derail the thread, though! I don't know how the budget is decided, but if it is done by numbers of regularly attending youths, that sounds reasonable, all else being equal. HEP

Heehee! HEP

I seem to remember hearing of people getting patterns so they could make their own garments and other temple clothes. If so, that would enable you to tailor them exactly to your size... (Me, I don't have the necessary skills. ) HEP

I bear witness that cats are God's chosen animals. Dogs are beloved by God as well, but cats have been granted a higher station in life, and like humans, have a large measure of free agency. Besides, Koko the gorilla loves cats. HEP

The Unification Church (aka 'Moonies').

Well, I'm the product of an intercultural marriage, and I feel enriched by it. Just before heading off to serve my mission to a European country, though, my bishop told me to be careful about marrying a woman from over there, because it's a different culture. I was really taken aback, because he knew perfectly well my mother is from another country, so where did he get off saying something like that?! *shrug* HEP

Well, I wouldn't say that. There's a saying I really like, "Righteousness is its own reward." You feel good when you do the right thing, you can live with a clean conscience. This is not to say all righteous people feel happy all the time (good people get depressed, too), but that righteousness is a contributing factor to inner peace. It may also contribute to your physical well-being. The commandments are not arbitrary--they are meant to help us live well. If you smoke, you are more likely to get lung cancer than if you don't. You may get cancer anyway, but less likely. If you treat other people with kindness, they are more likely to treat you nicely. And so forth. Plus, doing something nice for something just feels good, even if there is no other reward.In any case, the gospel is not about blessings and punishments--it's about people's relationships with each other and with God. HEP

Little or no correlation. (See Matthew 5:44-45) If we accept the premise that the righteous receive more blessings, the other side of the coin is that the millions upon millions of people in this world who suffer from poverty, starvation, disease, oppressive governments and religions, etc. are guilty of wrongdoing, while the comparatively wealthy, fat Westerners are more righteous. I don't buy it. HEP

That line always makes me snicker. Someday I'm gonna get up in Testimony Meeting and say, "For those who don't know me, I'm George Clooney. For those of you who do know me, you know better" They probably do love their family, but I have a hard time believing that every child in the Church "knows" the Church to be true. People receive their testimonies at different times/ages, whenever God decides to give them that spiritual witness.HEP

Easy: Nederlands (Dutch)! Just because it's what so many of my ancestors spoke. That, and because Holland is WAY cool! :)HEP

In the beginning were fire and ice, with the existence of only two worlds. When the warm air of Muspelheim hit the cold ice of Niflheim, the ice giant Ymir and the icy cow Audhumla were created. Ymir's foot bred a son, and a man and a woman emerged from his armpits, making Ymir the progenitor of the giants. While Ymir slept, the intense heat from Muspelheim made him sweat, and he sweated out Surtr, a giant of fire. Later Ymir woke and drank Audhumla's milk. While he drank, the cow Audhumla licked on a salt stone. On the first day after this a man's hair appeared on the stone, on the second day a head and on the third day an entire man emerged from the stone. His name was Búri and with an unknown female giant he fathered Borr, the father of the three gods Odin, Vili and Ve... HEP

How about 'OMH' for 'Oh My Heck!'? HEP

I don't see any need to take everything we read in the scriptures literally. What's important is the message the prophets are trying to convey to us. Jesus used parables that were not necessarily literal historical fact, but that taught good lessons. I think this principle applies to all the scriptures. For example, it's possible the Lord didn't create the world in six literal days. And perhaps he didn't literally create Eve from Adam's rib. But the creation story can teach us important truths all the same, if we're willing to see the forest as well as the trees. Shalom. HEP

Well, I have never told my leaders what callings I'm interested in. It's always been my understanding that that is not how the Church works. However, I don't think any harm would be done should one volunteer for a calling. If the leaders don't agree with the suggestion/are inspired against it, then they can turn your offer down. Many wards I've been in have passed questionnaires out to the members, inquiring about their skills, experience, interests, past callings, and needs, and I imagine they consider what they learn through those questionnaires when trying to fill callings. HEP

Oh, no. That's so sad. My condolences to their family and other loved ones. HEP

Being somewhat of a Luddite, I don't have an "i-" anything. However, it would surprise me if there weren't already plenty of "explicit" apps out there, roaming wild without their own category. If a category called "Explicit" were created, and consistently applied, it might help those who desire to avoid explicit apps do so more easily, rather like the movie rating system. HE, the "Chunky Monkey" Primate

My employer is a small business, and I know they cannot afford it. That is why I support either a public option, or public subsidies for those who can't otherwise afford coverage, whether those subsidies go to the business or to the individual. Peace, HE, the "Slinkie-Tapper" Primate

I think that older member is making up rules. It's perfectly all right to take the missionaries out to eat, as far as I know. At least it was when I was a missionary, though that was many moons ago... HEP

Last time somebody told me that the American health care system is so much better than the NHS, I rather bluntly told them "No, it isn't." You see, my employer doesn't provide health care coverage, and I can't afford to buy it on my own. And even if I had more money, I have preexisting conditions, and so would likely be turned down. Even if medical care in the U.S. is better, which is open for debate, that's completely irrelevant for the millions of Americans who can't afford it. HEP

That's what did it for my mother. She was an agnostic before she learned about the Church. Other peoples' notions about God didn't make sense to her, and she just couldn't believe in that kind of God. Then the LDS missionaries came along, and she instantly recognized something she could believe in (the Gospel, silly, not the missionaries themselves!)! She had to wait until she was 18 to get baptized, though, because her parents thought the Church was a cult!HEP

Because Mormonism is the one and only true Church, and everybody else will be cast by a just and merciful god into a pit of fiery brimstone for an eternity of suffering. Heheh.

I really liked the opening ceremonies. Among other things, Joni Mitchell's song was nice. (And she's from the same province where my aunt lives!) Shalom

Oh, dang! I was going to watch it, but completely forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Pam--I'll make sure to watch it next time. :)