EricM

A returned missionary.

Gotta love the Quizno's rodents...

I just go out and by my music on CDs, then save them to my computer. I usually get the CDs used for around $7, thus cheaper than most albums on iTunes. Plus I've got a hard copy. It's a win-win.

My friend and I make jokes about the mormon punch.. it isn't even mormon punch.. but it is at all of the social events... that it should be trade marked! Is that another thing that is only in Utah??? I have no idea what "mormon punch" is. Sherbert put in sprite And a Utah thing? anyone remember jones town? jim jones? anyone...anyone? LOL It's funny you say that, because my mom (a Mormon) got that punch idea from a non-mormon friend of hers from New Mexico...

Okay, second time typing this... (the keyboard holder fell, keyboard, mouse and all, onto my foot... ouch. Then I noticed the page was closed :-/) But anyways... Josh, you simply need to be patient with this. God ALWAYS answers our prayers, but in his own time. And by no means will it be vain to ask him again for some kind of witness. Just search, ponder, and pray as often as you can. If you're consistant with this, God will definately recognize your faith and give you the witness you've been searching for. Patience and diligence, my friend. I guess I'll give you a scripture from the Book of Mormon (even though you haven't yet accepted it as such): Ether 12:6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith. And also: Proverbs 3: 5&6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Gotta love scripture masteries . As for the whole Book of Abraham thing, read and ponder its content for now; worry about its origin later. There are certainly some interesting theories about this Book, and I'm quite fascinated with it myself. However, theories won't drive me from what the Spirit has revealed to me as scripture. Good luck with your search, Joshua. You're young (though I'm younger), and you're bound to find the answers you seek in due time. God bless. Note: Edited for spelling and grammar.

This topic was brought up on the FAIR Boards not too long ago. Here's the link: http://www.fairboards.org/index.php?showtopic=15600EDIT: Also a rebuttal to the video: http://www.fairlds.org/Bible/Bible_vs_the_...rmon_Video.html

I'd probably seek God's guidance and join whatever church he leads me to... it's how the LDS church started, after all.

Hello again, Josh (I saw you on Yahoo! Answers). I don't know if you've checked yet or not, but I linked you to FAIR, the LDS apologetics website. The issues you've listed have been discussed there (and also here) countless times, and it wouldn't take you long to search them out. If you truly are sincere in your search for these answers, then you should really visit these websites: http://www.fairlds.org - The main website http://www.fairwiki.org - A wikipedia styled format of FAIR information http://www.fairboards.org - FAIR's message board. While LDS Talk isn't a bad place to ask these questions, FAIR happens to exist to answer such questions. Again, if you really did look into them before, I'm sorry for being repetitive. Kudos.

Coke, although I've been trying to avoid soda altogether as of late. But I still voted Coke.

lava lamps and

Dr.T, In all honesty, I believe truth manifests itself no matter what religion you are. Truth is truth regardless of what religion you are. So basically I don't believe you have to be LDS to believe in the one true God. However, it's the amount of truth offered in the religion that makes me stick around. But even if I left the religion, I'd still pray to the same God I've always prayed to. Hope that helps.

amazing cap that

Here's some advice from a 17 year old guy: I've only been on two dates (well, one date and the prom, along with the day activities and stuff), so I can give you advice on your first... Okay, first off do NOT make it a blind date. I was too much of a coward to ask anyone, so I had my friend set one up for me. Just do yourself a favor and ask a girl you at least know you like. You'll find out if she likes you later. With a blind date you don't even know if you'll like the girl, so it's pretty much setting you up for disastor. Second, if you're planning in a group, don't be afraid to add what you would like to do, even if someone else seems to have things under control. Also, make sure the places you're going to aren't very far from your home. My friend planned to go to the E-Center to watch a hockey game, which was like a 45-minute (give or take a few minutes) each way. So not only did I have to drive a car to a place I'd never driven to before, but I had to pick up a girl I'd never met before and try to make conversation while trying not to get lost. And to top it off, sports bore me to death. And to top THAT off, whenever we'd get a conversation going somebody would score a point and a horn would go off, making it impossible to hear eachother, thus destroying the conversation. And then after the terrible date, I had to take the 45-minute drive back to where we live, in the dark, navigating to people's houses in reverse.... and here's more advice. Even if the date went terribly, walk her to the doorstep. I turned around halfway to her porch and got into the car, haha. Honestly, the whole thing was a mess. Still, I wouldn't change a thing. It makes a great story, and has been a guiding force on what not to do on a date ever since. My advice is just relax and laugh off any dumb mistakes you may make... it's your first, and it's not going to be perfect.

Castlevania... to an extent, I was raised on that franchise, hehe. The first game I got into was Super Castlevania IV on the SNES, back when I was 4 years old. Later on Castlevania Symphony of the Night came out on the PS1, and still stands as perhaps my favorite game of all time. Other favorites: -Super Metroid (SNES) -Secret of Evermore (SNES) -Secret of Mana (SNES) -Illusion of Gaia (SNES) -Final Fantasy 7-9 (PSX) -Chrono Trigger (SNES) -Chrono Cross (LOVE the soundtrack) (PSX) ... and several others have entertained me throughout the years. I can't say any newer games have given me the pleasure that the classics have provided for me, however. I can't even look at my Xbox anymore, and my Gamecube hasn't been getting as much attention lately. I've been playing for nostalgia as of late.

Personally, my answer as to how I know is not any different than what everyone else has described. When I feel I'm truly feeling God's love for me, I feel a peace of mind, comfort, and happiness, all of which are to a higher degree than I would achieve in any other situation. Such feelings are also accompanied by that special feeling that has been described as the spirit. However, I don't believe feeling the spirit is limited to these situations. It can be felt it many different ways, and usually as a result of some positive action on one's part. When it comes right down to it, you just know. This is how I know. This is how countless others know. But it is indeed possible to question. I'm sure science can (or will be able to) explain exactly how the body makes one feel they way they do in these situations. But it doesn't really matter how it happens. What matters is what makes it happen in the first place. I guess I'll explain it with a rather over-used comparison. Explaining how you know God exists is much like explaining what salt tastes like. You know you know what salt tastes like, but if someone were to ask you what it tastes like, the best you'd be able to come up with is "like salt." This won't get you anywhere. That person is just going to have to believe that you know what it tastes like. You can't prove it. But you do indeed know what it tastes like. Now I'm going to take this a step further. Say perhaps a person wants to disprove the signficance salt. They go to the trouble of analyzing how the brain detects the taste of this so-called salt, and perfectly maps out how the process happens. They even find ways to emulate the taste of salt, thus proving that salt is insignificant, and thus a farce. But in the end this proves nothing. To you, salt still tastes like salt. You try the imitations, and agree that they taste like salt as well. But they aren't salt, and you know it. The same goes for God. I can feel his presence. I know he exists. But God is not one to be proven or disproven, he's one to be witnessed. And once you witness him, you have to have faith that it is God you're witnessing. It's that simple. And if this doesn't answer your question, Jason, then I really don't know what you're looking for. If this is the case, then I get the feeling there is no answer that will satisfy you, to be honest.