JudoMinja

This made me laugh, because I remember attending a middle-school where the mascot was a leopard, but all our "official" pictures were of cheetahs. I pointed it out and people kept telling me, "No, that's a leopard". And I'd reply- "I KNOW what a leopard looks like, and THAT is not a leopard. The spots are wrong. The face is wrong. It has streaks under its eyes. And its too thin. That is a cheetah." As to the original question about forgiving those who've wronged us and accepting the fact that they can change- I've had a few personal experiences with this, but my mom has been a shining example: This invovles my older brother and his ex-wife. They both did many mean and spiteful things and made many terrible mistakes. They were both physically and verbally abusive toward one another. They were both adulterous. My brother was cruel, masochistic, and narcissistic. His wife was manipulative, controlling, tempermental, and dishonest. There's a lot of bad-blood between them, and quite a bit of ugliness. They were both excommunicated from the church. Currently, they are divorced and share a fifty-fifty custody arrangement with their kids. My brother is remarried to a woman who joined the church thanks to seeing "The Miracle of Forgiveness" on his table and asking about it. However, my brother has not yet given up his bad habits of drinking and smoking, among other things, and taken the time to go through the repentance process with his bishop, and his new wife also drinks and smokes despite being baptised. His ex-wife has repented, been rebaptised, has been called as a primary teacher, and attends the 12-step classes. She attends the same ward as myself and my parents. She and my mother had many clashes during the hardships of my brother's relationship and divorce, and I'm sure it took her quite a bit of courage when she recently asked me for help getting rides to church because she was having problems with her vehicle. This request for help led to a discussion with my mother where we discovered that the vehicular problems stemmed from the fact that her father died in December. He had been in a nursing home and receiving governmental help, but everything in his name was now going to be repossessed. This meant that she and her mother were also going to be kicked out of their house and are living on nothing but her mother's social security check. My mom helped her get a car and look at apartments they would be able to afford on their meager income. It was easy for my mother to forgive and overlook my brother's shortcomings, because her love for him leaves her always willing to help him out of the tight spots he makes for himself. It is harder for her to recognize when she needs to say "no" and show tough love than it is for her to forgive him. Forgiving the ex-wife though... I know that had to be hard. Many of the hurtful things that passed through the divorce were things targeted toward my mother, and I know she was very hurt. Yet she looked past all that, because she felt it was more important to be there for this fellow daughter-of-God and the mother of her grandchildren in her time of need than it was to hold on to hurt feelings.

First off- Vort, your new avatar threw me off. I didn't look at the name, and this looked like something from a newer member of the boards who joined while I was away. Then I saw blackmarch's quote "Originally posted by Vort" and I had to do a double-take. That's what I get for taking a break from the boards, lol. Now for your question: 1. I think that most generally use the term "deep doctrine" to identify things that may or may not actually be doctrine- The teachings and speculations of past prophets and leaders of the church. These can tie into the core of our doctrine, or pull away from it, depending on how study is approached. 2. "Deep doctrine" should mean delving into the scriptures themselves to understand the workings of the Plan of Salvation, repentance and forgiveness, salvation vs. exhaltation, agency, faith, etc. Instead of having a surface understanding of these basics, someone who enjoys looking into the deep doctrine would be someone who will be desirous to "feast upon the word" and use every study tool available to them to gain deeper and more insightful knowledge and understanding of these simple yet profound concepts.

I don't think there's really all that much of a difference between going to school and going back to school. Treat it the same way you would have if you'd been entering college straight out of high school- figure out what you want to study, where you want to study, what prerequisites you need to complete, etc. Then go for it. :)

Mahone and anatess- Thank you for voicing this little debate here. :) It's one I've had going in my head on many occassions. Due to the nature of my degree, there are some things I learned in my classes that I would never have learned outside the classroom, because I never would have been able to arrange the experiences or dig up the necessary information. So, I know my degree has personal intrinsic worth in that regard- but the number of classes I had to take that were simply repeats of information I'd already learned on my own or in ANOTHER REQUIRED CLASS was rediculous. And now, as I'm trying to enter my chosen field, I'm finding that my degree isn't as valued by employers as I thought it would be. Where I'm trying to work, I'm finding the opposite of most job markets- those doing the hiring really just don't care about the degree and prefer someone who has experience. Oh, higher up the ranking a degree matters- like if I wanted to move into a position involving actual management of other wildlife employees. But just trying to get an entry position, people are more concerned about whether you have actual experience working with wildlife. I have some- due to my volunteer hours and student positions while I was going to college- but not enough to crack the case if I haven't networked myself into the place where I'm trying to apply. In many ways, I've been feeling like getting my degree was a useless waste of time. But then, I think about the experience it DID gain me, how it is going to help me down the road when I finally get my foot in the door, and the intrinsic value I gained from some of the classes... I know that my degree wasn't a waste. It just wasn't what I thought it would be. And while that is a disappointment, I've had to adjust my view and expectations to fit reality. And I'm okay with that.

Yes- this is pretty much exactly what I need to keep myself going. A reachable goal. I've been feeling like I was missing a step toward my goal- like there was this big chasm I didn't know how to get over. I've been feeling like I was fulfilling all the steps toward my goals but the chasm remained in my way. A chasm I couldn't do anything about- so I had to leave it to hope and faith. Now, I've figured out what I was missing, and the goal seems more reachable. The chasm is gone, and I think I will see more success- if for no other reason than that I feel more confident and capable, because what I'm doing doesn't seem so hopeless now that I've regained some control.

I've read that story before, but it's been a long time, and re-reading it right now was great. Thank you! :) I actually have something in my life to compare it to now, unlike the first time I read the story when I hadn't really been through any major changes. I can honestly say that I am a lot like "Scurry" in the story. However, this situation that brought me hear to vent revealed that my typical scurrying tactics weren't working, and I had to change them. I thought that getting the degree was all I had to do- I'd been misinformed and was scurrying in the wrong direction, and I think that's why I've had such a hard time getting any applications to go to the interview stage. I'd been applying to things like zookeeper jobs, park ranger jobs, museum curator jobs... and they kept telling me that others more qualified were getting the interviews. Then I applied to a wildlife rehabilitator position, and got the overqualified letter. I thought- if I'm overqualified to work at a rehabilitation center, what would I have to do to open my own? When I went through the change that took me away from college and the setting with all my "cheese"- a great place to volunteer, great wildlife jobs, great friends, great schooling, etc. I quickly scurried into adapt mode and found what work I could and did what I needed to do to finish my degree, thinking that would lead me "new cheese". But I have nowhere to volunteer working with wildlife here. Nobody to network with. All the "new cheese" is too far away and too hard to get to. I thought my scurrying was enough to get me there, but I've been getting frustrated. When I got the letter back for the job that said I was OVERqualified, right before I wrote my little vent on here I thought to myself "What am I doing wrong? This was the 'perfect' position, I've been doing everything I thought I was supposed to be doing... They should have at least wanted to interview me. I thought if I kept scurrying this direction and remained patient, I'd eventually get something." So, I took a step back and decided to backtrack- to look at where I wanted to end up from square one. I looked up what I would need to do to start a wildlife rehabilitation center, and the only thing I am missing is a permit. I have all the know-how, the required experience from past jobs and volunteering while I was going to college- but first I have to get certified. So, that's what I'm doing now. :) I'm continuing my "scurrying" but now in a different direction that is more hopeful and actually has a visible goal at the end, instead of continuing to scurry in the direction I'd been going with little hope because I knew I needed to network and didn't know how I was going to be able to do that when all the jobs are so far away. I am a scurrier. I have no fear of change, but if I don't get pointed in the right direction- I will scurry the wrong way. In adapting, I have had to become more like "sniff" so that I can figure out which way I need to scurry.

It sounds like your feelings toward your mother for walking out on you when you were thirteen are extending out to your sister-in-law for doing the same thing to her children. What she is doing is clearly wrong, but she is right that it is not your place to step in. Essentially- you are allowing yourself to get worked up over nothing. Whether you delt with it or not, you were emotionally damaged when your mother walked out on you and that is making this situation hit you harder than it would otherwise. People make bad decisions, and we must do our best to deal with the consequences of those decisions. Typically, when we make bad decisions, we fail to look past ourselves to realize how much it will affect those around us, but it does. Often in ways we will never ever realize or understand. Instead of focusing on how much you feel hurt by the wrongness of your sister-in-laws decision, focus on "damage control" and do whatever you can to be an understanding support to her children who will probably be looking to you for empathy.

To "turn the time over" to someone else is to give them the floor, NOT to give them the presiding role. The presiding role is always held by whoever is of the highest "rank" in attendance. For instance- a bishop holds the presiding role over a sacrament meeting unless a stake president or general authority is visiting. That does not, however, mean that the one presiding is the one occupying your "time". The presiding authority is in charge of organizing the meeting to make sure the time is adequetly used/spent, but he delegates that time to his speakers and presenters. When you "turn the time over" to someone, you are alloting them their "time" to occupy as they see fit- and if the one presiding has a problem with how this person does so, he can step in to correct it. If the time is not sufficiently filled, it is also then up to the presiding authority to determine how to fill the remaining time. This is sometimes done by filling some time speaking himself or calling spontaneously on missionaries or other members of the ward to bear their testimony. Your usage of "turn the time over" was correct, and your bishop is failing to interpret it correctly.

ALL governments become corrupted with time, because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When we create a governing body, we are entrusting the individuals within that body with a very weighty responsibility. It does not matter what form the government takes- monarchy, democracy, republic, communist... Good, responsible, moral leaders make a good governments; and wicked, greedy, irresponsible leaders make bad governments. Creating a division of power, however, slows that corruption and makes it more difficult for wicked leaders to absolutely corrupt everything under their leadership. King Mosiah recognized this, and when none of his children wanted to succeed him, instead of having the people vote for a new king or calling a new king, he established a system of judges that worked as a republic. Did he do this because monarchy was evil? NO. "Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you." (Mosiah 29:13) He established judges because a monarchy entrusts ONE MAN with too much power. All it takes is one wicked ruler, and your government falls apart. "Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!" (Mosiah 29:16-17) Did he consider this republic/democratic system of judges to be flawless? Certainly not. It is merely a system that entrusts power into the hands of many people instead of one man. The corruption of such a system would require the wickedness of not one man, but of the majority. "Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land." (Mosiah 29:26-27) Lets compare how long it took for great wickedness to overtake the people with these two different forms of government. We can see from countless examples in the scriptures that in a monarchy ONE GENERATION can see a change from righteousness to complete and utter wickedness. Mosiah uses the example of Noah, because it is familiar to his people, but there are many many more examples. Once Mosiah established the judges, how long did it take for their government to see corruption? In Alma we can see examples of some attempts to take over during the war chapters, but Captain Moroni and other righteous leaders weed out the "kingsmen". Utter corruption doesn't fall on their government until the people become so wicked as to form their secret combinations and plot and murder those who sit on the judgement seat in 3 Nephi. And what happens to them? The wickedness spreads until the people plot to destroy all the believers of Christ, setting a day and time that their "signs" must come to pass or they will be murdered... And then Christ comes and visits destruction upon the wicked. What does all this have to do with socialism and communism? Well, these are merely other forms of government- ones which entrust more power to fewer individuals, but not to one man like a monarchy. The form of government itself is not evil or corrupt, but it will only work insomuch as the people entrusted with the power remain just and righteous. The fewer people there are that hold the power, the faster corruption follows; but such always follows with enough time.

Yes. I frequently check all the postings for park rangers on the USAjobs site- that covers federal parks. And I also frequently look into the state govt listings for states I wouldn't mind moving to. But I can never seem to make it past the computerized filter to get my resume looked at by an actual person. I've been having my dad help me keep tweaking my resume to try and get a govt position since my dad went through the same thing since he works for the govt, but apparently there are a lot of people more qualified than me applying for the same positions. Or... those hiring already have someone in mind and just do the job posting as a necessary formality. So, I need to get myself more qualified. And since there's nothing to do with wildlife where I am so I could volunteer, the only way to do that is to get permitted, get certified, go to training events and conferences.. etc. I will keep searching for and applying to open positions I can find, but instead of that being my focus- my focus is now working toward opening my own rehab center. It's exactly the kind of thing I dreamed of doing as a kid anyway. I've just come to realize as an adult that getting a degree isn't the "free pass" into what I want to do with my life I thought it would be. I agree that degrees are made out to be more than they really are. As I've been career hunting, I've felt many times like getting my degree was really just a waste of time. But... It was thanks to going to school on scholarship that I was able to spend so much time volunteering at the Raptor Center and working as a laboratory animal caretaker - and got the experience I needed to do what I really want to do. And I'm of a mind that no education is really a waste- even if it doesn't necessarily take us where we plan. I know I don't have to work in the field I major in- but that's why I got a degree. So I could work with wildlife. That is my passion more than anything else. I won't shy away from taking other jobs while I work toward that goal, but I want to make sure I am actually progressing toward my goal and not just getting stuck in a rut. I've been feeling like I'm stuck in a rut, because I can't get any further ahead if there's nowhere for me to volunteer and gain more experience/networking with wildlife. So, I've identified my next step as getting a permit. The training I need to do in order to get that takes place in September, so I have time to catch up on reading and planning and figuring out how else I can prepare to open a center.

Well, the first bit of advice that comes to mind is to "layer" your video shots so that they sync up with the different layers of music- the beat, the melody, and the lyrics (if it's a music video). There are many styles- some that move quickly through clips and some more slowly, but overall you want it to tell a story that "fits" the music. Make sure that any transitional tools you use ADD to the project and that you don't just use them because they are cool. Really- the fewer transitions and effects (typically) the better. You want to be as selective with your tools as you are with your footage. If you really want to make something great you need to focus on two things: research and practice. Watch other music videos, pick out the ones you really like- that really strike you as "awesome", and then figure out what it is about those videos that drew you in. What qualities made them great? Then, fiddle around with what you have available and practice, practice, practice. I was told that you can never have too much footage. Since a fan-made video typically uses footage from whatever show you are honoring, pull every bit of footage from those shows you can get. Get still images you can work with as well, and make sure you are very familiar with every little bit of your "library" as you can be. As you work on your film, keep going back to your footage base and toy with different ways to pull off what you are looking to do. Plan ahead- create a story board, sketch out how you want your video to pan. Think abstract- what emotions do you want to evoke? What colors and angles will have the greatest effect on your audience? Even with a simpler program, it is possible to make something effective- even if it doesn' get to be everything you imagined. Think outside the box and be creative with the tools you have.

I made an amv (anime music video) using Microsoft Movie Maker (terrible program!!!) which you can find on youtube titled Hughes was Meant to Live. Or you can download it from the site www.animemusicvideos.org if you really want to. There are tons on that site way better than mine! It uses footage from Full Metal Alchemist and the song We Were Meant to Live from Switchfoot. I told myself that if I could ever afford to purchase a better movie making program, I would use it to make better fan-videos. But... now I don't know if I'd want to spend so much time on something like that, lol. I took a video production course in high school and was privileged to work with the program Final Cut Pro, so I felt a bit spoiled by it and then severely limited when all I had available was the Microsoft program. Anyway... I don't know what kind of general advice to offer without having an idea of what exactly you need help with. Ideas for movies? Music input? How to match things together for smoothness and effect? How to make it appealing? How to use the program itself? .... I'd be glad to help you out as much as I can, but have no idea what kind of advice to give without a bit more specific guidance for what kind of help you need.

No, I was not really thinking that analytically faar ahead when I started college. I went straight from high-school to my dream college thanks to a practically full-ride scholarship convinced that I was going to stay in school long enough to become a veternarian... Then I changed my direction to follow my dream of working with animals and kids outside doing educational programs. I wasn't thinking about practicality at all. I was being a visionary. And I feel like my classes required for getting my degree very poorly prepared me for the job market I was to face in my field once I finished. Add to that the rough circumstances that put a stumbling block in my path for my timing in finishing my degree and having to move to be near my family so they could help me get back on my feet and it was like I set myself up for disaster. Remaining optimistic as I've tried to figure out how to make my dream a reality has been difficult. However... Thank you SO MUCH for this book suggestion. I read what I could of it that is provided free online and I am definitely buying it to read in its entirity. From the research I've been doing to figure out how to get a federal wildlife rehabilitator permit, the complete lack of any wildlife related jobs in my imediate area inspiring me to think about trying to start a center, and my father mentioning that one of the people running for city office in our coming local elections wants to start a ZOO here... I've really been thinking that a total change in direction trying to become SELF-employed in my field instead of sending applications to people far away who would prefer to hire someone local... I already purchased the book providing the information for the minimum standards for a rehab center, and a guide to starting a non-profit, and adding What Color Is Your Parachute to my list, I think, will be a great help. I'm not unemployed right now, and I have also been told that simply having a job puts you in a better position to get hired elsewhere... It just hasn't really been working that way for me, because the job I have right now has absolutely nothing to do with what I actually want to be doing. Having a job is certainly better than having no job, and it is a great boost to my confidence to at least be able to provide for my litte guy, even if I am in a minimum wage position. But any networking I would do in my current position would only help if I wanted to get a teacher certification and become a teacher which... I really just... DON'T want to do. While I enjoy teaching, I would not enjoy being a Teacher. Anyway.. I feel like I'm rambling now, but THANK YOU GUYS! I was just letting out a little vent to get out my frustrations, and I feel that the input I've received here has given me a push back into the right direction. Instead of continuing to do the same thing I've been doing and getting no results, I'm going to start working toward starting my own wildlife rehab center RIGHT HERE.

Where is here?

I know that networking is the most important part, and I've been really struggling to figure out how to network when there is absolutely NOTHING related to my field where I currently live. I'm working on doing the training and going to the continuing education things I would have to do to get a federal permit as a rehabilitator, and that would hook me up with some more contacts that might get me something... but it's going slowly because the training takes place WAY far away from me, and going to a symposium is expensive. I was doing quite a bit of networking while I was physically going to college in Minnesota, but that all got flushed down the toilet when I got mixed up in my bad relationship and had to cut and run. There was an opening at the Raptor Center where I volunteered for two years that I qualified for- I applied to it, listed all the people I worked with there as my references... and I didn't get it because I wasn't in Minnesota. Sigh. I've thought about taking just ANY job somewhere closer to a place where I could volunteer, rebuild my networking efforts, and get my foot in the door but it seems even minimum wage positions don't really want to hire someone who doesn't already live in the area. I've even tried just changing my direction and working my way up in the school district here since I already work in the school, but I can't seem to get anyone to take me up to the next level job despite how much all my coworkers like me for how hard I work. I am working as an education aid this summer- totally got the job due to networking yay! And it's at a different school than where I am now, so I can expand my network abit and get more people to notice what a good hard worker I am... but part of me really wishes I could just get a job that actually uses my degree instead of having to work in the schools. Anyway, I'm already doing everything I can think of to do and doing my best to network- not just fill out applications. It's just very slow, time-consuming, aggrivating and.. like you said- like pulling teeth. Getting that "overqualified" letter just really hit my "exasperation" buttons. I know if I keep doing what I'm doing and remain patient, eventually I'll get something.

I'm actually doing this for a lady in my ward who doesn't feel qualified to teach her kids science, so she hired me to tutor them. I go to her place one night a week and work on science with her kids for about an hour or two and get paid $15/hour to do it. She's been talking about trying to hook me up with some of the other moms that homeschool. It's a great thing to bring in extra money and would pay way better than what I'm making now if I could figure out how to segue into doing it full time... That, or figure out how to start my own child-care/tutoring business, or my own wildlife rehabilitation center. It's something I've been looking into and researching a lot.

So, since completing my Bachelor degree in Fish and Wildlife Management, I've been applying like crazy to every job I can find that even remotely fits my skills. So far, just about every response has been an email or letter saying I was not selected for an interview, and it's been very disappointing. Then, a couple months ago I finally got an interview... but I was not selected due to it being only a three-month position and I would have had to move all the way across the US for it, so I was kinda iffy about it during the interview and someone else who already lived in the area got selected. Aaaand, the final blow that has me raising my arms in frustration- Today I received a response for a job I really really wanted and that I thought would be a perfect fit, and I worked really hard to write an awesome cover letter and double checked my resume to revamp my descriptions... and they said they think I'm OVERqualified!!! UGH!!! Okay, just needed to vent.

I live approximately 3 hours from Houston, and my sister is currently living semi-close to Seattle. Weather-wise, I think Seattle is probably better than here as long as you don't mind it raining a lot. Everything else? I don't really know.... I personally don't really like living in Texas, but mostly that's just because I don't like the climate. Housing is rather cheap here. Govt assistant offices are very informative and helpful. No state taxes. Good quality beef from the local stores that get their meat from local farmers. But... a lot of flat land. Few trees. A lot of heat. Terrible schools. Many people of the public overly concerned with issues of racism... So, I guess it has it's pros and cons. I'll have to ask my sister what she thinks of the Seattle area and get back to you. :)

I do not think that seeking to combine science with religion is the same as teaching the "precepts of men". All the scriptures that warn against the precepts of men do so in a manner that suggests it is warning against those who seek to replace scripture or doctrine with worldly teachings. To say something like- "life evolved through a sequence of random chance with no ultimate design in mind other than survival and there was no creator" would be to teach the precepts of men. But to say something like- "this theory of evolution makes some sense and could be the process God used to create life with the ultimate goal being the creation of our bodies in His image" is not teaching the precepts of men. See the difference? I believe it is important to turn to the testimony of the Holy Spirit when seeking to determine the truth of anything- but the scriptures also tell us that part of the process in seeking His testimony is to first study it on our own. "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." (D&C 9:8) I have found that this process works best when I study something enough to come to my own tentative conclusions. I then turn to the Lord in prayer to ask if my conclusion is correct. I've found that when I'm on the right track with something I get that burning in the bosom to tell me it is right, and when I'm way off course I get the "stupor of thought" described in the next verse. Do I teach evolution at church? No. Because evolution is not doctrine. Will I be teaching evolution to my son? Yes. Because I believe the theory to be true, albeit incomplete. How do the creation and evolution come together? I don't know for sure. I have my own speculations, and the post earlier about Aslan breathing "intelligence" into the "speaking creatures" comes pretty close to my understanding of things. Are my speculations correct? Maybe. Maybe not. But I've prayed about it and feel that the Spirit has told me I'm at least on the right track and the more I study both the scriptures and science, the more accurate my speculations will become.

It's okay to go digging for what answers you can find and come up with your own speculations for how it all goes together. I quite enjoy doing that myself. :) Just don't let it shake your faith when you can't make sense of things on your own or can't find all the answers.

Timpman, whether or not the account was literal just doesn't matter. Whether or not evolution explains our origins just doesn't matter. How the two join together, if they do, just doesn't matter. The thing is, we can all come up with just about any explanations we want to make sense of the account of the creation and/or to make sense of evolution. We just don't know the answers. We can reason, we can guess, we can speculate- but whatever answers we come up with will just be the closest we can get to making sense of something we don't have the answers to. I imagine, that whenever all is finally explained to us, it will be something none of us ever thought of that will be infinitely simple and cause us to have one of those "Well, duh!" reactions. We don't have the whole picture. What we have is facts and theories that identify some of the pieces, but like an incomplete puzzle we are still missing some information and do not have enough to know what it will be when completed. I believe we can trust most of the information provided through science and that we can ultimately trust all of the information in scriptures (so far as our ability to understand and interpret it goes). So, as we strive to put the puzzle together for ourselves we can come close to the whole, but our attempts will still result in guesses and speculation that fall short. Basic facts/theories/thoughts about the creation and the story of the Garden of Eden: Adam was/is the first man. God appears to have created at least most life through the processes of evolution. All living things were created in spirit or organized as intelligence before being physically created. Adam and Eve remained in a state of innosense and lack of progression until they partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge (literally or symbolically, we don't know). We are made in the image of God, but our bodies also carry imperfections as part of our mortality that can be the result of genetic mutations. All animals look the same in an embryonic state and their differences in species appear during development due to variations of their genetic code that can be as minute as 0.1%. Put all these thoughts/facts/theories together and what do we get? Possible answers, possible explanations, and a lot of questions. Not having the answers is just part of life. It seems the more we study, the more we learn, the more questions we find ourselves with. We are simply discovering more things we didn't even realize we did not know. But if you have faith in God you can be comfortable with the fact that you don't have the answers, because HE does. EDITED TO ADD: And I don't think anyone here is trying to say that Adam and Eve didn't exist- just that the exact telling of their experience in the Garden of Eden may not be entirely factual. It is full of symbolism and told in much the same way that the creation stories of many ancient peoples were told. I think we are all fairly certain that God did not literally create the world in seven days, yet that is what you would need to believe if you thought the account in Genesis to be completely literal. Did Adam exist? Yes. Was he the first man? Yes. Did he fall from a paradisical state to one of mortality and put in motion God's plan for our probation? Yes. Did it happen exactly the way it says in the Bible? Probably not.

As Dravin and Moe have stated, creation and evolution are not necessarily contradictory, neither need the account of the Garden of Eden be necessarily literal. That said, evolution is not a complete theory- it still has holes scientists are currently working to explain. And, comparing the different accounts of the creation also leaves many holes still in need of answers. We have a limited idea of how God did things, but our understanding is just that. Limited. Vestigal limbs and organs can be explained by what we currently understand of evolution and can be seen in a great number of animals, not just ourselves. Of course, it is also possible that all "vestigal" pieces serve some kind of purpose we haven't discovered. I remember reading something recently that said the appendix actually serves a purpose in our bodies (can't remember what it is), but it was previously believed that the appendix was vestigal and "useless". That is why doctors will sometimes remove it if cutting into you for an entirely unrelated surgery, because they believe it to be "useless" and if it remains you run the risk of getting appendicitis. There are still many things we just don't know the answers to. We may find some answers through scientific discovery, but we won't know for sure those answers are correct or complete until all things are revealed to us when this probationary period is over. God doesn't really take the time to answer such questions for us because they just aren't all that important to our salvation. Eventually, He will provide those answers about why we have "useless" body parts, but for now the answers just aren't necessary.

I've pondered this question myself many times and have never been able to come up with an answer that is not merely a reflection of an outside influence. We seem to be "made" entirely by external forces, yet there is most certainly something within each of us that is uniquely "us". There must be an internal force for those external forces to work upon. But how do we identify that internal force? What is it? What are we, as individuals? Should I answer "I am a mother", that only identifies my relationship with my son. Should I answer "I am a teacher", that is not really a reflection of who I am but of what I do. Should I answer "I am JudoMinja", that is merely my name which others use to identify me. The list goes on and on, and every answer identifies some kind of relationship or connection to an external force, and does not at all identify that core. That core must exist for these relational phrases to have any meaning, but just what is it? How do we identify it? Like an electron that cannot be physically studied as it is only identified by the forces that act upon it. Or like light which we cannot study or perceive directly, but can only understand it based on how it interacts with and reflects off other objects. So we cannot separate our core from the forces that constantly, daily act upon it. I believe that the only truly accurate answer to the question "Who are you?" ... the only answer that will not be merely a reflection of something else would be to answer "I am." Yet, do we understand what we are enough for such a statement to even be accurate? Can we "be" without extending the statement to identify a relationship with something else? I believe that we will never reach such an understanding of our "self" of who we "are" without attaining a state of godliness, as God is the only one who was able to answer "Who are you?" with "I am." "And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:14)

This refers to the events of His Second Coming, when He will come in Glory to Rule and Reign. There are many scriptures which speak of the events that will take place at His coming. There are some scriptures which specifically speak of the gathering of the lost ten tribes in both the Book of Mormon and the D&C, but references to this are more vague in the Bible. In particular, some that come to mind with relation to Article of Faith #10- "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:12) "Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock." (Jeremiah 31:10) "Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel." (Hosea 1:11) "And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:7) "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 59:19) "Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." (Isaiah 24:23) "In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever." (Micah 4:6-7)

I agree that they could have made a better distinction using different words, but defining terms for the purpose of an article or paper is nothing new. They provided their definitions for the terms as it pertained to their purposes, and the definitions made the distinction well enough. Just, the terms themselves probably could have been better fitted. However, also remember the audience. This is a New Era article meant for teens- and the majority of teens tend to be very less nit-picky about word choice. I don't think that faith is used to "plaster over" doubts. That makes it sound like trying to put a bandaid on a fatal injury. Rather, I think faith is the cure to doubts, and seeking out answers or greater knowledge is like an exercise program. Both are important, but starting an exercise program while you are wounded would be severely detrimental and have an adverse affect on your health. While first taking the cure for your ailments and THEN starting an exercise program to maintain your health and prevent falling back to illness will strengthen you more than just relying on the cure itself. Because we find what we seek, it does us little good to question with a lack of faith. The answers to our questions will not give us faith, just as we will not experience/see or understand miracles until after we have the faith sufficient for those miracles to happen and/or be perceived. Faith has to come first. Or our doubts will always remain and eat away at us, no matter what answers we dig up to try and counter them.