Aristotle

Interesting, polygamists bordering Utah/Arizona were investigated by the Arizona state attorney general. He did not prosecute polygamists who marry minors, supposedly dismissing it as a First Amendment Right issue. So, these men were given license to sexually abuse/rape children under the guise of freedom of religion. The attorney general of Utah intervened. Warren Jeffs fled to Mexico, while the polygamists built a new compound in Texas. - Mrs. A

WHAT IS A HATE CRIME? "A crime committed against persons or property which is motivated by an individual's dislike of a race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or gender." If a person or a group is threatened, harassed, assaulted, even murdered, or someone's property is damaged by any means, including arson, a crime has occurred. If the primary reason the crime took place is because of someone's race, religious beliefs or practices, National origin/ethnicity, disability sexual orientation or gender, a hate crime may have been committed ARE THERE SPECIFIC LAWS AGAINST HATE CRIMES? Arizona currently maintains an "aggravated" or "increased sentencing" statute. This law provides that if a person is found to be responsible for a felony crime, and evidence satisfactory to the Court is presented, indicating the victim was intentionally selected because of race, religion, gender, National origin or sexual orientation, the court may impose a greater sentence of up to TEN (10) additional years. WHAT IF I AM NOT SURE IT'S A HATE CRIME? Example: If someone makes a racial or religious remark that is offensive to you, that person has not necessarily committed a crime. Their remarks may be considered "protected speech" under the First Amendment. If you assault that person in retaliation for the remark, then you have committed a crime. However if that same person assaulted you while spouting racist or religious slurs, then you may be the victim of a hate crime If you are not sure whether you are a victim of a hate crime, call the police and report the incident. You may be the victim of a hate crime, discrimination, civil rights violations or all three. Police departments only investigate criminal offenses, but if a different type of violation exists you will be informed about your options. You may be told that a hate crime did not occur, but you still may be the victim of a crime. If that's the case, a police report and an investigation into the incident are still important. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO CAN HELP ME? American Jewish Committee Chicanos Por La Causa Gay & Lesbian Community Center Local Victim Witness Programs National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Your local Law Enforcement Agency For Emergencies 911 http://phoenix.gov/POLICE/hatecr1.html

Since polygamy is such a popular topic in this forum, I've not heard many women expressing their opinons. Therefore, I would like to pose a question to the women (you needn't be LDS to answer), to give you an opportunity to share your views. - Mrs. A Sorry, I tried to set this up as a poll question, but it didn't work. The question is: IF POLYGAMY WERE LEGALIZED, WOULD YOU ALLOW YOUR HUSBAND TO MARRY ANOTHER WOMAN?

Thanks, Fiannan! Methinks this isn't about the search, but discrediting the source. ;-) - Mrs. A My nickname is Aristotle; my wife's nickname is Mrs. A. Our picture is in My Profile. I'm the one on the left. Mrs. A is on the right...in case you have trouble telling us apart.

One of my dear friends is a psychologist. Just recently, she told me that she has a number of LDS clients who feel just as you do. If you don't fit in the ward, you are shamed, guilt tripped, rejected, and ostracized. It's a shame that LDS society is so dysfunctional, but it is generational. Perhaps this old mindset will fall away with more converts coming into the Church who aren't so judgmental. But what you are experiencing is one of the reasons Mormon women are on Prozac. If the sisters do not accept you for who you are, tell them to get a life and get out of yours. It's no wonder we're not ready to live the law of consecration. ;-) - Mrs. A For the record, my friend does not discuss her cases with me, even though I worked as her secretary. This information is general knowledge from various sources.

Recovery programs are wonderful, as they teach us to look within ourselves for the answers to our problems. Before we can love others, we must love ourselves. In order to love ourselves, we need to know who we are, and to understand and accept our strengths and weaknesses. We learn to put our trust in a power greater than ourselves by "Letting go, letting God". - Mrs. A

I agree! I agree, again. As I stated before, I would advise you to search the internet...especially since we have established that we each use sources which the other may not agree with. ;-) - Mrs. A

Edited by Aristotle

I highly recommend Dr. LaHaye's book, Faith Of Our Founding Fathers...very faith promoting, and reassuring to know that our founders were divinely inspired...the majority of which were Christian men. In particular, read George Washington's prayers. Another book I would recommend reading is Prophets, Principles and National Survival. - Mrs. A

Whoever said that motherhood isn't a talent?! Never underestimate the power of YOU! You are a unique individual created by Heavenly Father. You are a priceless daughter of God. There isn't another you on this earth, and no one can take your place or fill your shoes. You are in partnership with your Heavenly Father who has entrusted you with His children to love and care for. If you are raising children, you are fulfilling your calling, and you fit into LDS society by virtue of that fact. :) Remember, if your cup is empty, you have nothing to give. When it's empty, it is time to fill it. When it's filled, then you can give...but don't give until it's empty...always keep it half full just for you! If you are doing the very best you can, you have achieved perfection. - Mrs. A

The Temple was already trashed when He got there...so He cleared it. ;-) - Mrs. A

Actually, I'm the kind of person who enjoys non-LDS. We've even been known to tune into TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network)! You know what we say in the Church...we seek after things that are of good report. ;-) - Mrs. A

Dr. LaHaye has authored twenty-three books including The Act of Marriage (with Beverly LaHaye,) The Spirit Controlled Temperament, and The Battle For The Mind. Combined, his books have sold in excess of 7 million copies. Over the past several years, Dr. LaHaye has courageously spurred positive change in America through his American Coalition for Traditional Values. His "Capitol Report" is televised nationwide via satellite. The LaHaye's have two sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren. Strictly first rate. - Mrs. A

Of course, I quote Christians, you quote Deists! George Washington was a Christian, not a Deist. Said John Marshall, chief justice of the Supreme Court, about Washington, "Without making ostentatious professions of religion, he [Washington] was a sincere believer in the Christian faith, and a truly devout man." Said the Reverend J.T. Kirkland after Washington's death in 1799, "The virtues of our departed friend were crowned by piety. He is known to have been habitually devout. To Christian institutions he gave the countenance of this example; and no one could express, more fully, his sense of the Providence of God, and the dependence of man." George Washington was born February 22, 1732, into a Christian family...raised in the Anglican church, Washington remained a member throughout his life. He had a deep appreciation for all religions that produced good character, but he expressed a special appreciation for all Christian denominations. That President George Washinton was a devout believer in Jesus Christ and had accepted Him as His Lord and Savior is easily demonstrated by a reading of his personal prayer book (written in his own handwriting) which was discovered in 1891 among a collection of his papers. It consists of twenty-four pages of his morning and evening prayers, revealing many of his theological beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, sin, salvation, eternal life, and himself as a humble servant of Christ. (Exerpts from Faith of Our Founding Fathers, Tim LaHaye). I would recommend that you buy this book, which includes George Washington's prayers. You asked me about hate crime laws/crime statistics and I suggested you look on the internet. I found a diagrahm of the states which have hate crime laws in place. (Search under "hate crime laws"). - Mrs. A

Fooled ya, huh? LOL "This is a question often asked today, and it arises from the efforts of those who seek to impeach Washington's character by portraying him as irreligious. Interestingly, Washington's own contemporaries did not question his Christianity but were thoroughly convinced of his devout faith--a fact made evident in the first-ever compilation of the The Writings of George Washington, published in the 1830s." re: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g011.html There are quite a few references on the internet under Tim LaHaye advertising his books. BTW, did you have any luck finding hate crime laws in your area? I found alot of information on the internet, and you can check by state. - Mrs. A

Here's my prediction: I am going to challenge you to specify even one single enacted law that makes it a crime to speak out against homosexual lifestyle and you are going to refuse or ignore the challenge. The reason: Your assertion is false, definately ignorant and most likely a deliberate lie. Note: My predictions always come true. Look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls. LOL - Mrs. A

If you are interested in hate crime statistics, I would recommend that you do an independent search on the internet. ARISTOTLE ONASSIS SKORPIOS ISLAND, Oct. 20: Mr. Aristotle Onassis and Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy were married today according to the rites of the Orthodox Church at Skorpios, the millionaire shipowner's island retreat in the Ionian Sea. The bride wore a two-piece ivory chiffon, long-sleeved lace dress with pleated skirt and had a matching ribbon in her hair. She stood intently watching the priest who, at one point, translated the service in English for her benefit. He chanted: "The servant of God, Aristotle, is betrothed to the servant of God, Jacqueline, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." WHO FATHERED AMERICA? In recent years, it has become popular for secular humanists, atheists, and other "free thinkers" to claim that the Fathers of our country were not Christians or religious people after all, but at most deists, atheists, or secularists. Some even go so far as to suggest that several were more addicted to French Enlightenment philosophy than they were to Christianity. Nothing could be further from the truth! Of the fifty-five men who wrote and signed the U.S. Constitution of 1787, all but three were orthodox members of one of the three established Christian communions; approximately twenty-nine Anglicans, sixteen to eighteen Calvinists, two Methodists, two Lutherans, two Roman Catholics, one lapsed Quaker and sometime Anglican, and one open Deist--Dr. Franklin who attended every kind of Christian worship, called for public prayer, and contributed to all denominations. - Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers - Mrs. A

Congratulations, Strawberry and Soulsearcher! - The Aristotles

Winnie, I love my Canadian friends, and I love Niagra Falls...I would even recommend it as a vacation spot. ;-) - Mrs. A

In this particular case, Mrs. A. is misunderstood. I had recommended that she use shorter quotes, and she offered the rather humorous reply of the shortest verse in the Bible. Harmless, and somewhat amusing fun--no sniping--not today. Thanks, prisonchaplain...glad to see you've got a sense of humor! ;-) (notice the use of smiley face, again)

That's excellent! - The Aristotles

In your state, you can research the statutes either in a law library, or the public library. There are cases... one which I recall in particular...of the arrest of a minister who spoke publicly against homosexuality. Churches with a 501©(3) tax exempt status would be of particular interest, as this creates a legal contract with the federal government which allows government intrusion into the church. "Christianity ought to receive encouragement from the state...we are not to attribute this prohibition of a national religious establishment (in the First Amendment) to an indifference to religion in general, and especially to Christianity, which none could hold in more reverence than the framers of the constitution..." - Joseph Story, appointee to Pres. James Madison John Jay, first Chief Justice of the first Supreme Court, appointed by George Washington (John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton, authored The Federalist Papers) stated: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Intelligence, patriotism...and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land are still competent to adjust in the best way all our present difficulty. - Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to a political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great pillars of human happiness... - George Washington, Farewell Address Men will either be governed by God, or ruled by tyrants. ~ William Penn THE COURT'S EARLY RULINGS -- We are a Christian nation: Holy Trinity Church v. United States, 1892 Updegraph v. The Commonwealth, 1824, Supreme Court of Massachusetts The People v. Ruggles, 1811, Supreme Court, State of New York Commonwealth v. Abner Kneeland, 1838, Supreme Court of Massachusetts Vidal v. Girard's Executors, 1844, United States Supreme Court John M'Creery's Lessee v. Allender, 1799, Supreme Court of Maryland Runkel v. Winemiller, 1799, Supreme Court of Maryland The Commonwealth v. Sharpless and others, 1815, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Davis v. Beason, 1889, United States Supreme Court Murphy v. Ramsey & Others, 1885, United States Supreme Court City of Charleston v. S.A. Benjamin, 1846, Supreme Court of South Carolina The Commonwealth v. Wolf, 1817, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania United States v. Macintosh, 1931, United States Supreme Court Zorach v. Clauson, 1952, United States Supreme Court The Williamsburg Charter was signed by Dallin Oaks on behalf of our Church), permitting all religions to be taught in public schools. Dallin H. Oaks, “Religion in Public Life,” Ensign, July 1990, 7 "On 25 June 1988, in Williamsburg, Virginia, I signed the Williamsburg Charter on behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Written by a group of farsighted U.S. religious, political, and community leaders, that charter celebrates and reaffirms religious liberty as the foremost freedom of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution..." I can only imagine how Jews would feel if Christians campaigned to remove the Star of David in Israel, or if we intimidated Israelis into not saying "Happy Hannukah". I agree, the civil government has no place in the Church. However, "We, The People" are the government, (Christians being the majority), establishing America as a Christian nation as our founding fathers intended. - Mrs. A

Post Fourteenth Amendment era...otherwise, there would be a need for another women's revolution. ;-) - Mrs. A

For the record, prisonchaplain, I wasn't taking a snipe at you. :-) - Mrs. A

Sorry, but I wouldn't cast my vote for a satanic vampire. LOL - Mrs. A Sorry, just had to throw this in. And the people say, "Let George do it." Who is George, you ask? Why, Satan, of course! - Mrs. A