Choseph

Check this out: NY Town Considering 'Do Not Knock' List - The Consumerist My concern is that door to door proselytizing will become illegal. What?!?! A quote: "Do not knock lists have begun to spurt up in communities across the country...." If it becomes illegal to go door to door, what will our reaction be? Still do it in the name of sharing the faith? What can we do now to prevent this crazyness? I mean, I understand that someone doesn't have to open the door, listen to the missionary, or even invite them in but to say knocking on their door is prohibited? I can't believe it. I imagine a crazy lawsuit where someone knocks on a neighbor's door to ask for two cups of flour and gets sued. Choseph

"other heavenly kingdoms"??? What is this??? Dualism? From what I read in the scriptures, "broad is the way that leads to destruction." I'm seeking absolute truth here, not some PC crap (no offense, just trying to be honest).

This is an interesting thread but I am a little confused here. Is there a concept of "Absolute Truth" in the LDS beliefs that you adhere to? I see conflicting answers here but it seems clear from the scriptures that there is a singular path to salvation. Did not Jesus say, "I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father but by me"? Saying that there are multiple ways of salvation is just heresy IMHO. I know it sounds exclusive and not politically correct but Jesus said it, not me :)

OK, so last night I went out to eat and ordered a Sprite. When it came, it tasted a little strange, kind of like the soda water feed wasn't working 100%. I don't like to complain at restaurants (God knows those waiters work hard enough) so I just drank it. About 3/4 of the way thru it, I felt a little light headed and then somewhat numb in the face. I made it home but today I'm thinking about it and the only thing I can come up with to explain it is that it was spiked with alcohol somehow. I had no idea! Is this wrong??? Am I going to be held liable for this sin??? I'm kind of freaking out here and don't know what to do. Thanks.

Today at the temple we did our usual pageant and it was great except there was this one guy (I'm assuming it was a guy but it could have been a girl) that decided to bring his laser pointer with him and shine it on the choir and other people at the front. I'm not really sure how to respond to this … we get a lot of visitors on Easter but this is really uncalled for. Has anyone dealt with anything like this before? It was really distracting and got me all torched up.

The Fair Tax is not a flat tax as someone has said. Also, it is not trying to oppress the poor. Please see previous posts and pay careful attention to the tax prebate. (also see Americans For Fair Taxation: Americans For Fair Taxation) I don't understand why treating everyone the same is a bad thing. What do you mean by "God's way"?

John Doe, yes as Vanhin said, the Fair Tax is basically a flat consumption based tax (~23% sales tax) that would be levied on everyone. However, it gets rid of all other taxes like income tax, payroll tax, etc. Also, stipends are provided every month so that people are not taxed up to the poverty level. The thinking is that necessities to survive like food and clothing are not taxed so it actually benefits the poor (and the rich too since they get the stipend as well). Everyone is treated the same, or fairly, hence the Fair Tax. See Americans For Fair Taxation: Americans For Fair Taxation for details. Study after study shows going to a Fair Tax system is viable, will boost our economy, and allow our government to run more efficiently. Even after getting rid of the payroll tax, the Fair Tax will bring in enough to support things like Social Security (getting rid of that is a whole nother battle for a whole nother day).

Glad you are really OK, BB. What kind of irks me is that somebody can create an account, say someone else died, and get their account disabled. Guys, I hear Pam died (j/k). Choseph

I've been reading lately about this "Fair Tax" idea and it seems to make sense. I definitely support it and wonder what people's oppositions to it are, if any. What do we need to do to get this passed into law?

Sorry to rant but just want to vent. It really bothers me when people send email out directions but don't include an address, Just "turn left at the giant chicken, go up the hill and take a slight right". I mean, if people have access to email, they have access to the Internet which means they have access to mapquest, Google Maps, etc. Why not just give out an address and then people can look it up themselves and decide how they want to get there or just put it in their GPS? Anyone have similar annoyances?

Do you think there will be new revelations and/or texts discovered in the future or is what we have now all we have in this life? I have been discussing this with my friend and I'm still not sure where I stand. The thought of new revelations is exciting to me but part of me thinks we would already have it if we were intended to have it. Any thoughts/comments/input is welcome. Thanks. Choseph

So sorry to hear that this is happening to you. Of course the LDS Church is not trying to make enemies or turn people away from Mormonism. The way our ward has dealt with situations like this is to keep a list of names and address of people who have requested that we not visit them. Kind of like a do not proselytize list. Your local ward may have something similar. I suggesting giving them a call or stopping by and talking with them. We strive to honor all requests and even send a free copy of the Book of Mormon to anyone added to the list. Hope this helps and sorry again that you were inconvenienced! I am a light sleeper too and often have trouble falling asleep if I wake in the night so I understand your frustration.

I have several co-workers who are giving things up for Lent. For example, one gave up sugar and another beer. They asked what I was giving up and I told them I did not observe Lent and they seemed a little surprised. The thing that bothers me is that these co-workers are not religious and never go to church. I think they grew up Catholic and they give things up for Lent just so they can say they did and check it off their list. It seems almost like a contest - who can one-up the others. I was talking with one guy and he admitted he wasn't religious but he said he was a "good person", donates time and money to help others, and basically thought that he would "slip slide" his way into heaven. His attitude was such that it was inconceivable to him that he wouldn't end up in heaven. Make me sad. Choseph P.S. I almost titled this post, "Lent Vent" :)

Sorry, I meant to say, "at the temple", not "at temple". Anyway, to the UK replier ... the Superbowl is like the World Cup except it is just one game and is American football :)

Long story short, I got invited to watch the Superbowl by a co-worker. Today at temple I mentioned it to a friend and his remarks implied that I really shouldn't be watching the Superbowl on Sunday. What do people think? I was planning on going because I think the interaction would help foster some relationships that could in the future allow me to introduce people to the faith. But if it is wrong to watch the Superbowl on Sunday, I certainly don't want to do that. Yes, there will be drinking there but of course I will not be partaking. Any suggestion/advice is appreciated. Thanks. Choseph