ToleranceGirl

That article made me sad from its truthfulness. I would gladly give up my breadwinning role to become a full-time wife and mother. But that is not an option for me. My husband doesn't have time to work, let alone find a job. Not with all the PhotoShop contests and media threads that require his full and undivided attention. I am liberated. Hear me weep.

I don't speak very much in face-to-face situations as I find I usually will end up accidentally insulting someone. Online I have time to think out my responses. Fewer hurt fellings this way.

All great advice from those who have posted. I wish I had some to give you too. Here is what I do know: As someone who has 'been there and done that', eventually you'll get past being tired of not being tired of sin to just plain being bored of sin. It will lose its thrill. Eventually you'll come to a realization that all the effort you put into sinning was wasted effort. All along you could have been doing something productive, positive, and healthy. You'll look back and ask yourself how your life would be different had you made wiser choices. You have the opportunity to write your future history before it begins. Ten, twenty, thirty years from now when you look back at this moment in time, what will you say? How will you feel about the choices you made? Just a little food for thought.

Traveler: I agree with you about making an effort to let the good people of Iran know that we support their desires for freedom and democracy. Regardless of the religious differences, we are all brothers and sisters. We, as individuals, can only do so much can to show our support. It is hardly anything at all, but it makes me feel better and I have to believe that Heavenly Father sees my small tokens as silent prayers. I wear a green ribbon pinned to my jacket. I also changed my Twitter location to GMT+3:30 Tehran time. For the past few nights I have burned a candle in my window for sweet Neda. I have gone so far as to learn how to write my name phonetically in the Persian language, and tonight we will be sampling a popular Northern Iranian dish called Khoresht Fesenjaan. It's made with chicken, walnuts, onions, and pomegranite juice. Will any of these efforts make a difference. No. But I do them anyway. It's better than doing nothing at all.

To everyone who has sent their well wishes and support. Thank you. It's good to know that there are others who can relate. Word got out that I can speak fluent 8-year-old boy, so I've been invited to help out with scouts tonight. It sounds like a fun time. I think I'll give it a whirl. Sad to say that I get along better with rambunctious boys better than I do little old ladies (not that there is anything wrong with being a little old lady).

I have to laugh a little about the RS stereotype. I remember as a young woman looking at the RS women and thinking - this is what I have to look forward to. Gaining 50 pounds and getting a really bad perm. Among my non-LDS friends and coworkers, I'm known for my sense of humor. People are attracted to me because I make them laugh. When I'm just being myself around the RS ladies, I'll say something and they all look at me like I'm from Mars. Maybe I just don't look right in church clothes. I feel like a pig in a prom dress. The first time my husband saw me in my Sunday best he spit coffee out his nose. Also, I don't do crafts or cook...at all. The only pot luck recipe I know is lime Jello with carrots and raisins in the shape of a lobster. So you say there are others like me? Ones who can get past the what-exactly-is-this-gal's-problem phase? That would be excellent. Thanks for your support.

Traveler: I've been reading your posts and find your messages to be insightful and sincere. I've been following the situation in Iran closely, and I believe I may have some answers to your questions. 1. Does our president hardly say a thing – why not call for international intervention or oversight – NOW!! As much as he may want to give them a piece of his mind, the president is doing the right thing by remaining relatively neutral. The peace-loving protesters are in grave danger. The ruling government does not need any additional reasons to attack their own people. The the protesters themselves have said numerous times that they want us to keep out of their fight. I believe the president is being respectful of their wishes. 2. Why do we not hear outrage from government leaders throughout the world? Please see my response to number 1. 3. Why are religious leader so quiet? Why don’t Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist (even LDS) leaders publicly denounce the violence in Iran? I haven't been to any churches here in the U.S., so I can't say for certain if this is true or not. One of the things that I love most about the LDS church is that it doesn't (or isn't supposed to) get involved in politics. Again, the right thing to do for the Iranian people is to show support, not outrage. 4. Why do Muslim leaders watch with such silence? Where are the moderate Islamic clerics? Where are Egypt, Jordon, Turkey, and all the Arabic states that are so quick to criticize Israel for oppressing Muslim children to protect Israel’s interest? Are they really concerned about Muslim children or is it all just politics. According to my sources, the silence has more to do with race relations than religious ideals. The majority of people living in Iran are Persian. Apparently there is no love lost between them and Arabs. Sad, but true. 5. Where is the UN? And where do they stand on what's going on in Darfur? What are they supposed to do? Say, "stop...or I'll say stop again." 6. Where is Russia and China and for that matter India? They've got their own problems keeping their own people silent and in line. Do you think they're going to condemn human rights violations? If anything, they are probably frantically trying to figure out how Facebook and Twitter work so they can head off any potential uprisings in their own countries. 7. What is going on??? Here, from my source Tatsuma, is a synopsis of what has happened in the past 48 hours. 21st of June Two major events happened today: - Grand Ayatollah Montazeri went directly against Ayatollah Khamenei's wishes and declared a 3-day mourning period in Iran, while Khamenei had ordered mosques to avoid making ceremonies in the memory of the fallen victims of governmental violence. - The Guardian Council admitted that in 50 cities, there were in fact more vote recorded than there are registered voters and said they were looking into the situation. Seeing as the GC is under direct control of Khamenei, this is very likely an attempt at damage control from people who have yet to grasp how deep the schism in Iran is. This could be an attempt to ultimately blame Ahmadinejad for the irregularities and throw him under the bus in order to save their skin, which would be a sign they don't fully realize yet what is happening. - Aside from that, as expected there were clashes all over Iran, but subsided since the 20th. The Iranian Government went on the offensive, kicking out a BBC correspondent and attacking Western countries for what they see as meddling in Iranian internal affairs. Tomorrow Mousavi has called for a general strike all over Iran. It seems that business activity that the already paralyzed country will be stopped completely. 22nd of June Not much has happened today yet - Members of the Parliament have commented that they are getting ready to hold Mousavi legally responsible for the protests and ensuing riots. - Protesters have tried to protest peacefully and hold vigils, but were attacked - A national strike should take place tomorrow, and the government warned that anyone who doesn't go to work will be fired I hope this helps clarify some of your concerns. I understand you frustration. I wish we could do more. I choose to do as my brothers and sisters in Iran have asked us to do: pray for them.

Here is some information regarding the investigation into voter fraud in Iran: "Iran's Guardian Council has admitted that the number of votes collected in 50 cities surpass the number of those eligible to cast ballot in those areas." Read the article here: FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Worst. Damage Control. Ever.

Thank you for your support and friendship.

Hello. I am new to this forum and do not have the rules memorized. I hope it is okay for my to post this link: https://sites.google.com/site/tatsumairanupdate/ I have been following the threaded discussions on Fark.com for over a week now and Tatsuma is a reliable source of information on what is happening in Iran. Since I don't have any LDS friends anymore, I was wondering what the consensus is among the LDS community on the current situation in Iran.

Perhaps I am not so much lost as I am on the outside looking in. I was raised LDS. There was no one thing that made me leave. I simply never felt universally accepted. By the time I was an adult, I felt so disassociated that it made no sense to continue. The gospel has always been in my heart. I carry it with me no matter where I go. I just never felt comfortable with the culture. I am not your ordinary LDS woman. I am in my mid 40s and am even less relief society material than I was as a young woman. In my world all are welcome. In my world people are not judged by their worldview. In my world we can disagree without hate by focusing on issues instead of personalities. I am hoping to find like-minded individuals who will help me to rekindle my faith in organized religion. I cannot do this by myself.