HEthePrimate

Yes, Mormon theology teaches that women can reach the status of exaltation the same as men can. LDS doctrine does not specifically address the final disposition of the Mary, but I would expect that she is in God's favor and is doing just fine! :)HEP

To find out what Obama is actually striving for, and dispel some of the myths: Get the facts about the stability and security you get from health insurance reform | Health Insurance Reform Reality Check

Well, according to Elder Neuenschwander, "Our homes, likewise, are holy places filled with sacred space. Though not always tranquil, our homes can be filled with the Spirit of the Lord. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teach in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (Dennis B. Neuenschwander, “Holy Place, Sacred Space,” Liahona, May 2003, 71–72)."

Simply not true. The government plan would not make anybody do it. Americans pay far more per capita on health care than any other nation on earth. Yet we trail behind many countries in terms of our actual health. Our life span is shorter, infant mortality is higher, etc., etc. Our system is a monument of inefficiency. The myth that the private sector always outperforms the public sector is taken by many as gospel truth, to the point where they fail to examine the actual facts. The profit motive is a double-edged sword that can lead to inefficiency. How nice. A "me generation" Bulgarian.HEP

You're saying the government is forcing euthanasia on the people of Oregon? Baloney! Euthanasia may be occurring in Oregon, but that's because the people of Oregon voted to allow people to choose euthanasia for their own reasons (dying with dignity, avoiding excruciating pain), not because the government is forcing them to for financial reasons. The fact is, our president has already as good as admitted that under his plan--at least in some circumstances--seniors will not be getting life-saving care, for primarily financial reasons. Just not true.

Your point is?

What's wrong with apes, anyway? I rather like them...

I'm not trying to be contrary, but I honestly don't see what difference it makes, whether one meets God in the temple or outside the temple.In any case, I finally got an email response to my question from someone I know who is an ordinance worker, and he said: "I think members are discouraged from kneeling in the Celestial Room so as not to draw attention to themselves and disturb or distract others who are using the room, and also to keep the robes from touching the floor." So basically, he echoes responses given by some of you folks. :) It probably doesn't really matter. My personal view of the temple is that it's not meant to be a place that is holier than everywhere else. Rather, it is meant to teach us how to be holy, and how to take that holiness with us out of the temple and spread it all through the world. Just as we're not supposed to be "Sunday Mormons," behaving ourselves only one day a week, so we should not be "Temple Mormons" in the sense that we behave in a holy manner only when we are inside a particular building. So, whether I kneel at home or in the temple doesn't really matter. In fact, perhaps my home should actually be MORE holy... HEP

Evolution is true. So is the Gospel. :) This is a case where Gould's "Non-Overlapping Magisteria" helps put things into perspective. Religion is not about how life came to exist, but about the meaning of life. HEP

The hysterical claims about euthanasia for the elderly and sick are bogus. The people who make those claims either don't know what they are talking about, or are purposely misleading people simply because they don't want the Congress to pass a health care bill (Rush Limbaugh falls into this category). The fact is, the health care plan simply allows for doctors to talk with people about what they (the patients) want to have happen at the end of their life. First of all, it's completely optional--nobody has to do anything, even talk about it. Second, it has nothing whatsoever to do with euthanasia. Even if a patient wanted euthanasia, that is NOT AN OPTION. What they are talking about is similar to what the hospice movement is doing. Many people do not want to spend their last months hooked up to machines in a cold, sterile hospital. They would rather die with dignity at home, or at least in a more pleasant environment (like a hospice) than a hospital. And many people, when diagnosed with a terminal illness, do not see any point in spending tens of thousands of dollars extending their life by only a few months, and opt instead to focus on things like pain control and spending quality time with their family for the short amount of time they have left. In my opinion, the right-wing talking heads themselves do not believe in the euthanasia myth, but are instead purposely fanning the flames and scaring people merely because they want Obama and Democrats in general to fail. They don't give a hoot what the American people want, they just want to see Obama crash and burn. This is exceedingly irresponsible and (yes, I'll say it!) unpatriotic. If you are against the health care plan, that is fine, go ahead and passionately oppose it. But do so on the basis of fact, not fantasy. Argue the merits or demerits of the plan based on at least your perception of reality, rather than simply making things up in order to scare the people away from your opponents' ideas. The Rush Limbaughs of the world are unpatriotic because they are more concerned with their own popularity and with making a buck than they are with the democratic process, which requires an informed citizenry. By lying to the American people about what the health care plan is all about, Limbaugh and his ilk are undermining the democratic process. HEP

vegasbay, My late wife was abused and neglected as a child. As a result, she had a difficult time even calling God "Heavenly Father," because that would seem to associate him with her earthly father. I think the combination of Heavenly Mother and a Savior who lived on this earth helped her deal with her feelings and come to know a loving God. Peace, HEP

I hope God will forgive me for engaging in a "false order of prayer" tonight before I go to bed...HEP

The broad generalizations in Bytor's original post are just that, broad generalizations. I think most Americans fall somewhere on a continuum of political belief, and that most members of either major party do not agree with everything their fellow party members say or do. I don't understand why Americans are so attached to their two-party system. Why not have more parties? HEP

Heck, I live in the U.S., and we have waiting times here! And rationing. The difference is that in the U.S., those who get the best care have the most money. I've found that most people who talk about the evils and horrors of "socialized" medicine are talking through their hat and have no idea what they're talking about. I have family who are either from or have lived in various European countries, as well as Canada and Central America. Every system has its flaws, but most of my family members prefer those other health care systems to what we have here. I put "socialized" in quotation marks because, with some exceptions, most health care systems are a combination of public and private, not completely socialized. HEP

Probably for the same reason Joseph Smith, Bruce R. McConkie, and anybody else would kneel in the presence of God. The Church has taught me all my life about the importance of kneeling in prayer, from Primary to Sunday School to General Conference. I don't know if there's a Churchwide policy, but in our local temple it is the official policy, and I've heard of it happening in other temples. HEP

Have seven children, regardless of your situation. Seven symbolically represents perfection, or completion, and so seven children would make for the ideal family size. Right? HEP

Orlando Bloom? I'm sure he's a great guy but, well, I'm straight... HEP

Alana,If you and your husband and children love each other and want to be with each other, things will work out in the end and you will be together. God loves you and will look after you all. Don't let this get between you and your loved ones--just keep loving them, and all will be well. Peace, HEP

I don't have an altar in my bedroom, either, yet I pray on my knees there all the time... HEP

This is so off-topic (sorry, mods!), but Canuck, I LOVE your avatar! I'm a big Trekker.

Vort,Are you actually making fun of people praying in the Celestial Room? I mean, "Faces scrunched up in prayer" and "rows of rear ends" sounds like some kind of parody. How on earth can humble, reverent prayer possibly be construed as changing the temple's ambiance to "something other than what it should be"? You're making it sound as though prayer is downright inappropriate. HEP

This is so off-topic (sorry, mods!), but Canuck, I LOVE your avatar! I'm a big Trekker.

Actually, I saw scriptures in the Celestial Room plenty of times before 2005/2006...

Does anyone here know the rationale behind not being allowed to kneel in the Celestial Room? It seems very strange to me. After all, if the CR is where we are supposed to be closest to the presence of the Lord, what place could possibly be more appropriate to kneel? HEP

Yes, well... We'll just see NEXT time! (Grumbling ) HEP