HEthePrimate

((ajr6405)), Sorry you had a fight, and that you're feeling bad. Two things: (1) Never assume you're wrong. (2) Never assume you're right. In other words, it helps to pay close attention to both sides of a discussion or argument. Think about what your position, why you think the way you do, and whether or not it makes sense. Don't just cave in on everything, because you may be right. Or even if there is no "right" or "wrong" answer in a particular case, you may have good reasons. BUT, also consider the position of your interlocutor. Really listen to what he is saying. Think about it. Think about his reasons for saying what he's saying. Ask questions if you don't understand something. Consider that he may be right, or at least have good reasons for thinking the way he does. Oftentimes, both people are partly right and partly wrong. Finally, just because you had a fight does not mean he doesn't love you, or you don't love him. Couples have arguments. They may not be the most pleasant thing in the world, but can be instructive, and help you grow and form a stronger relationship if you learn from the experience and work to make things better. If you're wrong, give your hubby a hug, admit you're wrong, and tell him you love him. If he's wrong, just give him a hug and tell him you love him, so he feels reassured. Peace.

I can't imagine why wearing nylons would be necessary for modesty. Let's hope this doesn't get pushed too hard. Since we're teaching modesty to four-year-olds these days, we could end up being subjected to the horrific sight of four-year-olds wearing nylons! During my mission, one of the sisters had some kind of allergy that made her itch a lot when wearing nylons. She told the mission president about this problem and requested permission to not wear nylons. He insisted she continue wearing them. But it got so very uncomfortable for her that she stopped wearing them, anyway! Fortunately for her, she got away with it.

"Devil," btw, is from the Greek "diabolos," the Accuser. He is the one who points the finger at people and tears them down. He is the one who scapegoats other people, rather than taking responsibility for himself. Jesus is the Advocate, the Comforter, the Paraclete, who speaks up to defend the scapegoats and help people take responsibility for their own actions rather than blaming others. He lifts people up, teaches people how to get along and improve relationships, and establishes peace. I don't have definitive answers to all your questions, MasterOrator, but they are good questions. If it weren't for the Devil's actions, or the actions of ordinary people who behave devilishly, the world would look very different, and be a much more pleasant place. On the other hand, learning to deal with opposition can be a path to growth. The way I see it, God has essentially taken the stumbling block, or skandalon, that the Devil put in our way, and turned it into a building block. Satan chose to do evil, but God is more intelligent and than he is, and figured out how to turn Satan's rebellion to good ends, and is essentially using Satan as a pawn.

So we should become ascetics? Sorry, but I don't believe in sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice. Rather, I think the Gospel is about relationships. If we are selfish, that is, we focus on our own desires to the point where we would hurt other people in order to meet our desires, that's evil. But the mere act of enjoying something does not have to be a problem. In fact, I plan on enjoying the carnal pleasures of a Chinese dinner tonight after work, and I won't feel guilty about it at all! Should we exercise self-control and discipline? Of course! Eating too much food can make you fat. More important, if we are so self-indulgent that we ignore other people's needs, well, we need to repent.

We had an open house and a dedication here, after our temple was built, but I don't recall any other celebrations, and nothing culture-specific. It's great that they did it in Calgary, though! Good for them!

Indeed, it is going on all over the world. It's easier to see what's going on at home than elsewhere, which is probably why MO focused on the U.S. But yeah, it's good to keep in mind that it's not just a "local" problem.Peace.

Thank you, MasterOrator. I'll admit that I fall into this trap like everybody else. I think it's right, and it can be HARD to sit down and listen to someone, and seriously consider what they're saying. Listening like that doesn't mean I have to ultimately agree with them, but it does help to understand where they're coming from. Sometimes (though not always) when we truly listen, we find out that we actually agree on a lot, that the differences between us are not so insurmountable, after all.

I don't know that we have as much agency as we like to think. Much of what we do is the result of instinct, of the way our brain is constructed, the chemical reactions going on inside of our body, and of the way the human mind works. But I do think we have a certain amount of ability to choose, and if it is limited by certain things, all the more reason to value our freedom! God may have a plan for us, but maybe not much in the way of specific plans. The general plan is for us to "grow up" and become more godlike. To a large extent, how we accomplish that may be up to us. What should your occupation be? Maybe God doesn't really care what you do for a living, as long as it's honest and helpful to your fellow beings, and allows you to grow. It's possible that God has more specific missions for some people, but there's nothing to say it's that way for everybody. And he doesn't force people to do things, no matter how many plans he made, because it's important to him that we are free to make our own choices as much as we can. If someone chooses to ignore God's plan, or fight against it, as a friend of mine likes to say, "God is God because he has contingency plans!"

To be clear, I agree that some things we should not compromise on. But I get the impression that people are extending that to virtually everything, like it's weak or morally wrong to compromise about anything at all. If the Founders had been unwilling to compromise, the Constitution would never have been ratified. Writing and ratifying the Constitution was an arduous process, but they did have statesmen among them, and the job got done. The end result was not perfect, and virtually nobody was completely pleased with it, but it got passed, and a new, more or less workable, government was born. The difference between then and now is that today we could not ratify the Constitution for lack of statesmen and willingness to make reasonable compromises.

Is it possible that the world is becoming more and more polarised because we are less able to agree on the difference between good and evil? People think the difference between right and wrong is as clear as spring water, and that they have chosen the side of good and righteousness. And yet their opponents think the exact same thing, except that they are the ones who are right. Because everybody thinks they are so obviously right about everything, and frame everything in terms of morality, about which there can be no compromise, all they can do is fight against the opposing team(s), and the world's problems never get solved.

I'm not sure the difference between good and evil is any more clear than it ever has been. In fact, people, including Latter-day Saints, seem pretty confused about it. And yet, everybody thinks they are the good guys, and everybody else is evil. Which only makes the situation worse, IMHO. Are Christians good and Muslims bad, or vice versa? I don't think it's that simple at all. Are Republicans good and Democrats bad, or vice versa? I certainly don't think so. Are Mormons good and everybody else in The World bad? Not hardly.

You want to know why your fiancee still loves you? It's because you're a good person. Masturbation does not make you a bad person, it just means you're human. Frankly, I'd be surprised if you didn't masturbate. (Not that think about it lot! ) So, marry your fiancee, be good to her, and be happy. And congratulations on your upcoming nuptials! Seriously, my friend, don't worry too much about masturbation. The Law of Chastity is about being faithful to your spouse, not about whether or not you play with yourself in the shower. Some people think masturbation is such a horribly serious sin, but they have their priorities messed up. There are so many far, far more serious problems in the world that require our attention that spending too much time worrying about masturbation is a waste of time and energy, and a distraction from doing more important things. If you want to be a righteous person, do something to help another person. If someone is grieving the loss of a loved one, offer them a shoulder to cry on. If someone is struggling financially, give them some money, and help them find a job, if they're unemployed. If you know someone who is "different" and socially awkward, be their friend. Those are the truly important things in life. Peace to you. HEP

Extremism and polarisation seem to be on the rise in today's world. Two obvious example are religion and politics. Though plenty of religious people, whether Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or whatever are normal people just trying to live decent lives. However, there also seem to be more religious extremists and fundamentalists of all faiths than before, or at least they wield more influence than they used to. Politics are also becoming more extreme and polarised. It's becoming harder for people, not just politicians, but all people, I think, not only to come to agreement about how to solve problems, but even to simply sit down and talk about possible solutions. The rhetoric is becoming more shrill and sometimes people can't even be friends with those they disagree with. Now, I realize that politics and religion have always been contentious endeavors. I've heard stories about fistfights in sessions of Congress in times past! But that wasn't everyone, and there were still statesmen who would work with each other constructively. There seems to be a general sense today that things are heating up, that it's different now. My question is this: What can we do, both individually and collectively, to come together and start working better together? I'm not talking about suppressing opposing voices. Variety is good, and having a number of different viewpoints brought to the table can be helpful--two (or more) heads are better than one! But how do we get people to the table, discussing things with each other, actually listening to each other, and being willing to compromise, when necessary, and actually tackling the problems we all face? This, rather than remaining at different tables and focusing on destroying the tables of opposing teams. The most common response I've heard so far has been to acknowledge that polarisation is a problem, blame the other party, and say something like "If only the other side would acknowledge that we are right, then all would be well! We can't compromise because we're right, and to move from our position would be wrong." That approach is clearly (to me, anyway) not helpful, and only contributes to the problem. So what can/should we do?

Gay rights have nothing to do with bestiality. This is a straw horse argument (no pun intended).

Yep, God is a loving Parent who doesn't give us commandments just for the heck of it, but for our own good. :)

Why is it "unmitigatedly stupid"? It's one thing to say it's stupid, but surely there has to be a reason you feel that way.

Timpman, not everyone here will agree with me, but I think the scriptures are not perfect. They contain messages from God mixed with the philosophies and opinions of the men who wrote them. Even prophets are not infallible. Also, I think God tends to work with people where they are. That is to say, he doesn't expect humans to get everything right all at once, so he takes people as they are, and in their social milieu, and tries to help us improve ourselves. Thousands of years ago, slavery was considered an acceptable/normal practice in many societies. Maybe God didn't approve of it, but he may have realized it would be an exercise in futility to try to convince humans to suddenly abandon the thousands-year-old tradition of slavery all at once. So instead, he instituted rules on how to treat slaves better, and and who could or could not be taken as slaves. He improved the situation for people who were slaves, and he started limiting the scope of slavery little by little. Over the centuries and millennia, God kept working with the human race, improving them step by step, until we got to the point where we are now, where slavery still exists, but is not considered acceptable, and is practiced much less than it used to. We still have tons of work to do, but in some things we've come a long way. God is still there, and still working with us. So, just because something appears in the scriptures doesn't mean it's actually condoned by God. IMHO. Peace.

Are you speaking about a particular incident, or in generalities? I'm not sure that forewarning makes much, if any, of a difference. Okay, so God says "If you steal a car, I will torture you for 20 billion years times infinity." Does the warning render the punishment just? Granted, it's better than giving no warning at all, but still. I'm not entirely clear on what you're saying here, but yes, people can be bad. Okay. I guess. Yes, people have a responsibility to try to do good. I'm with you!

So, what if God is evil? Are you saying we should worship him nonetheless? The Book of Mormon gives a way of determining if something is "of God" or not, in Moroni chapter 7: Essentially, "by their fruits ye shall know them." In other words, if somebody does something evil, or persuades people to do evil, they (or their message) are not of God.If someone sins in this life, for example by stealing a car, and fails to repent, it would be just to punish them/have them make restitution to make up for the wrong they did. But torturing somebody for eternity for stealing a car is waaaay over-the-top disproportionate to the crime, and is therefore unjust and evil. Call me a heretic if you want, but I would not worship a God who does that. I do believe in God, and I believe that God is good. I also understand that I do not understand everything, and that some things that are harsh may be part of God's plan. I do not believe God (normally) causes natural disasters, wars, or poverty, but he does let them happen. I do not believe God tortures people infinitely for committing finite crimes, but I do believe he lets people experience the natural consequences of their sins. And no, I do not believe he commands people to commit genocide, including killing innocent men, women, and children. God is just, and not a monster.

It's impressive that she would keep trying, but it's not wise. You're totally right that a medical team should have intervened.Kudos to Meghan for stopping to help!

So, the 16-17 year olds lost a good teacher, you lost a calling you loved, and you got a new calling you hate. Have you grounded your son yet, for saying that you like cleaning? There's a very simple solution if you really don't want to do the calling. Say 'No.' Your bishop might not be happy, but you're the one who's stuck with it if you don't say anything. Or the bishop might understand if you explain what happened (with your son saying what he did, and all), and restore you to your previous calling, if he hasn't already called somebody else. Wouldn't it be funny if the new Sunday School teacher for the 16-17 year olds hated that calling? Or you could continue cleaning the church. It is a useful calling, and it definitely needs to be done. But pretty much anybody can clean buildings, while good teachers are harder to find. A sign that you should not have accepted the calling?FWIW, I actually enjoy cleaning--that's what I do for my second job. But I realize it's not for everybody.

Okay, I'm trying to connect the dots between what you said there, and the current financial difficulties. Banks, Wall Street, corrupt politicians, Gadianton robbers, etc.--yes, I can see that. But while our current Q15 do continue encouraging us to be prepared, they do not seem to be predicting imminent disaster, or encouraging people to panic. Quite the opposite, in fact, if I remember General Conference correctly. I still maintain that panic and fear mongering cause more harm than good.And no, guns are not the answer.

Fair enough. You're right!

Q: Is the Gospel simple or complex? A: Yes.

Non sequitur, anyone?