OmahaLDS

I would have thought that the title "An Uncomfortable Mormon" would have given this away. I think you miss the point of the article. The LDS Church membership is widely varied, and as such contains varied viewpoints that all fall within the parameters proscribed by gospel standards.

"In the late 1st century BC, and after considerably more Roman expansion, Augustus essentially put an end to tax farming. Complaints from provincials for excessive assessments and large, un-payable debts ushered in the final days of this lucrative business. The Publicani continued to exist as money lenders and entrepreneurs, but easy access to wealth through taxes was gone. Tax farming was replaced by direct taxation early in the Empire and each province was required to pay a wealth tax of about 1% and a flat poll tax on each adult. This new procedure, of course, required regular census taking to evaluate the taxable number of people and their income/wealth status. Taxation in this environment switched mainly from one of owned property and wealth to that of an income tax. As a result, the taxable yield varied greatly based on economic conditions, but theoretically, the process was fairer and less open to corruption." Emphasis mine. Roman Taxes

Very good article. Edit: I am also very jealous, I would love to attend HDS.

Are you familiar with Semitic languages? If so your question makes no sense, because Semitic words (Arabic, Hebrew, etc...) are based on roots that are actually quite easy to translate back to the original to determine an overall meaning. For example, in Arabic... Jihad Jeehad Jehad Etc... All lead back to a j-h-d root, which can be easily used to determine a general, or very specific meaning based on context. It would seem that your opposition is based on animosity, not real questions.

I think it is something we ignore too much. How often do you hear anti-Mormons talk about how horrible Joseph was? My response is usually, "So....?" I do not think Joseph was guilty of all he was accused, but I suspect he was an arrogant jerk sometimes.

Julius Caesar was killed and he left everything, including his name to his heir, his nephew Octavian. Eventually Octavian assumed the name Augustus, at the prompting of his wife if you believe Robert Graves. So he assumed the name Caesar. It would later be title in the Empire. The Caesar in the Bible was Octavian.

Jews are categorized by location. Ashkenazis were Western Europe Jews, predominantly German. Sephardic Jews were Asian, mostly Syrian. Siddurim is plural for prayer book. In most Semitic languages a -im, -em, -um ending is a plural, depending on the figure of speech.

Things are worse and we have more to worry about.

Why not? Satan is "evil" based on his choices, not inherent evilness. Love is a choice as well. The better question (which you stated at the end) is does Satan love, and that answer is pure speculation.

Ceasar was dead. Octavian was a Republican. In fact, he was the head Republican.

Roman taxes were based on a census system. Records were not readily available in all points of the Republic (the internet did not exist), so people had to go to where their records where, ergo Joseph went to his birthplace. Birth records were relatively good at the time.

Normalcy is an illusion. Let your son play as he sees fit.

"When Ye Are in the Service of Your Fellow Beings Ye Are Only in the Service of Your God" (Mosiah 2:17) Going out and serving others is not only commanded, it is essential.

I would look outside of yourself. Help others, volunteer at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, etc...

I suspect that Joseph Smith was... ...a jerk ...arrogant ...mean to his wife ...mean to his kids ...mean to neighbors ...mean to his mother ...mean to the elderly ...etc... Joseph was human, and divine inspiration notwithstanding, all humans act this way at some point or another. I think in many cases we put the Prophet (any of them) on a pedestal, and in doing so we elevate them above humanness. This only sets faith in their "other"ness up for a fall. Prophets, Apostles, Bishops, etc... are all human, and therefore imperfect. Forgetting this, ignoring it, or worse hiding it, is actually dangerous. Martin Luther was a vicious, anti-Semitic, lunatic at times. It does not mean he was not inspired as well.

Iraq is a difficult place to be, some locales more so than others, but it is not necessarily a bad idea. I assume you are not looking to do this long term, and if it is short term and you save accordingly, you can do quite well. I would recommend learning about the region since the Middle East is something different for many, learning about Iraq specifically, and making an informed decision. As for being crazy, no, you are certainly not crazy.