mrmarklin

My opinion is that it is extremely annoying.........

I have been to London several times and highly recommend the Tube as a means of transport. There is a pass called the "oyster" card that allows as much travel as you want within specified time periods. You're right, London is not cheap, but it's better than when I was there last with the $ 2:1 vs the pound. I personally like to stay in Kensington near a Tube stop for a suburban feel, and if you look online, there can be some reasonable prices (all relative). You will also be close the Hyde Park, Kensington Palace the V&A museum (free BTW) and many other sights. One can stay in London for a month, and not see everything so if you want to get out of town and not go to the expense of renting a car etc then I would recommend some sort of bus tour which can be arranged through your hotel. If you want to be more independant, trains are a good alteernative. One of the highlights of my trips there is a "tour" called London Walks where one just shows up an an appropriate Tube station and goes on a walking tour for a couple of hours with a host that is an expert on the City. Last time I was there these were 7 pounds each, a bargain for all the knowledge you can get. There are many tours to choose from. Try London Walks "first and best of the walking tour firms" Fodors Get one of Rick Steve's guides for advice on going "cheap". His tastes don't really coincide with mine, but it's a good place to start. edit: Harrod's is also in Kensington!

I live near Nevada, still the gambling capital of the USA. Casinos only publish the names of those people who 'WIN' the jackpots, never the thousands who lose. The coupon companies love this stuff, because it's more publicity and creates "buzz". In reality only a very small portion of all coupons printed are redeemed.

Yeah, what Slamjet said...................

Bishops are held to higher standard in that most sorts of sexual immorality will result in excommunication, I believe. The church cannot have a stain on its reputation unlike another religion (which shall remain nameless) that attempted to cover up such irregularities.

Her relationship with her new man is none of your business. Stay out of it. Have you spoken to your Bishop about your repentance?? If not, you should.

Totally agree. Many women want to have children. Find one of them;).

As they used to say in Hollywood: No publicity is bad publicity, just spell the name right.

I would become a Catholic since they can trace the authority of the Pope back to St Peter.

This is not a myth. We are taught, in general, that bringing spirits to the world to obtain bodies is a good thing. And it is. But previously someone had a quote from the Church's General Handbook of Instructions. This is the true position of the Church. It's a personal matter.

I don't know specifics, but many apostles and prophets over the years have used the "multiply and replenish" in a lot of speeches. There is also language used about not "delaying your family life" etc etc.:) It wouldn't surprise me if there was some language to this effect in the current conference last April in some speech or other. I've been quoted so much of this stuff over the years, I really don't want to bother looking any of it up! This is the source of the misunderstanding in Mormon culture about contraception.

Gas & lights average $300 per month, Water $100. I live in a 3000Sq' home with two other people.

This just goes to show that one can parse and over-analyze anything......................:-)

Jennarator, I think it is a common misconception in the church that "fasting and prayer' is a panacea for all problems, and that once an "answer" is received then the prospective activity will prosper forever. As you have discovered, sometimes the activities of others interferes with this process. It would seem that "prayer and fasting" is not a one shot solution that many regard it, but an activity that should be continued throughout life. In addition, our own actions should also be held into account.

Read literally, the prophecy is in the process of being fulfilled. I'm not sure that Hinckley's statement as quoted goes any farther than that. He is speaking of the era in which we live.................."We have seen only the foreshadowing of the mighty force for good that this Church will become. And yet I marvel at what has been accomplished......."

Women having more options is probably a big contributor to the situation. Not necessarily a bad thing.

I think it's fair to say that if one enters marraige for the wrong reasons that the seeds of divorce have been sown, and will grow accordingly. I personally believe that this is the case in the vast majority of divorces. The seeds (of divorce) are there at the outset.

Like many of the things the Lord has given us, contraception is a tool that needs to be used wisely. We will be judged based on the knowledge we obtain, and how we use it. I know for a fact, based on many arguments over the years, that from a cultural point of view, many members believe that the Church is against contraception as a matter of principle; citing the first commandment given to man: multiply and replenish.

All my closest friends are non members as well as 100% of my co-workers. Because I'm in a position of authority at work, it would be totally inappropriate to invite anyone anywhere (most are female), but they are all aware I'm a Mormon, and I've answered questions and had discussions about religion from time to time. All my non-Mormon friends belong to various clubs that while social, there is an unwritten rule that politics and religion are not discussed. I would certainly become a pariah if it was ever percieved that I was "pushing" religion, however subtly. I have socialized and even traveled for extensive periods of time with these friends. Again, they all know I'm a Mormon and from time to time I've answered questions about the Church, and we've had very occasional and general mild discussions about religion on a one to one basis. I guess I'm not a good missionary, because I've never had any conversion stories over the years, but I believe that by setting an example most of the people I come in contact with respect the church, and maybe in another setting might be open to further knowledge.

It may or may not have been a waste of time. Certainly in McConkie's mind it was, but clearly the guy exhibited some faith by his statement about his wife doing his work.:) I'd be curious to see if he actually changed his ways on the other side.

Of course you are correct. That is the purpose of modern Temples.

I've read a lot of Anti-stuff myself. Some of the items make "fun" of, question our beliefs or call us "unchristian". If you are well grounded in the scriptures, this is never a problem because the Bible alone with proper study justifies every belief we have. Remember that the Church defines its own beliefs, NOT some straw man that is set up by the critic. A lot of people in the early days of the church thought that the Book of Mormon covered North and South America. This was even memorialized in various editions of the Book of Mormon. Now thought has changed, and people think that the events in the Bof M took place in a relatively small geographic area. Neither of these assumptions are or ever were church doctrine. Go the lds.org for official Church positions. The other thing they use is allegations against the modern prophets, primarily Joseph Smith, to impugn integrity or allege acts that are clearly NOT prophet like. I have personally researched every allegation I couldn't answer off the top of my head (which was the vast majority) and in EVERY case either the facts were wrong, or the allegation was simply a lie. Edit: there was a series of incidents (20+ years ago?) where a clever forger sold some documents to the Church that had some very strange writings of the prophet Joseph Smith. There was at least one article in the Church News attempting to explain some of it away. I remember thinking at the time that I thought the reply and explanation was a waste of time because JS would clearly not have written those things. I thought at the time the documents were forgeries, and they were.

My mother made some soap once. It wasn't worth it!!! She never tried it again.

If it ever comes to not having enough soap on the shelves for purchase, we have a LOT bigger problems than just that. :-)

There are 48 lessons in the manual.