Matthew0059

How hot would the Earth's core be, though, if it hadn't been revolving around the sun for ~1 billion years?

I heard John Dehlin was ecstatic about it.Support for blind ecumenicalism knows no religious bounds, unfortunately...

I don't really know what to say. I'm really not surprised by this. Thanks for sharing, rameumptom.

changed-I think you bring up a good point. I think that the wicked are punished by the wicked in many cases, such as at Ammonihah. However, note the context of Mormon 4:5- it is describing the final acts of the apostate Nephites, and how the LORD will deal with them. I don't think it is a universal declaration of how the wicked are always punished. I think this largely in part because it was the LORD who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and it will be the LORD whose glory destroys the earth at HIS coming, burning the wicked "as stubble".

Maybe you don't read the Advice forum much, or at all?In the first page of threads on the Advice forum, at least 4 (20%) are about problems with adultery. I get this statistic just by mousing over the title of threads and reading the first few sentences in the small pop-up window- you'd probably find more by actually reading the OP's. One doesn't have to be seeking out things about adultery to realize this- they just have to frequent the Advice forum.

I think this is a good way of looking at it sometimes (all sins do have natural consequences), as long as we remember that sometimes the Lord actually does punish us with curses. We see this reinforced merely by searching for the word 'curse' in the Book of Mormon and studying context.God was the one who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So how much of our troubles are natural consequences of our actions, and how much are the result of curses? I don't know, but I believe there's a large amount of both categories.

Disgusting and outrageous. While Mormonism may only be kicked upstairs, as LM wisely quoted, those doing the kicking are still committing vile acts. It hurts to see the truth being mocked.

I think Rosabella hit the nail on the head with her scripture quotes. IMO, worshipping Christ is more than just our religion- it's the desire to truly seek true eternal principles and live them. One of the crucial things that set America apart from other countries was the Founder's unique sense of duty to 'Nature's God' and the Constitution. Those two things lead to the freedoms we have enjoyed for so long. I won't go into what I think happened, but what we've seen- something that's been gaining speed since the Civil War- is a slow abandonment of widespread devotion to those ideals in the political sphere. Religion-wise, however, the bulk of Americans are pulling away from the essentials of Christ's doctrine. Yesterday in an Institute class, the teacher read a statistic that less than 30% of Americans believe in a physical ressurection of the body- yet at least 50% believe in some sort of ressurection. We're fast ripening in iniquity as a country, IMO. Our economic woes and the fact we've "fallen" as a world superpower are results of breaking the commandments, I think, but I don't think other countries' desires to destroy America are. There will always be prideful men who hate those with liberty and the ideals America stands for- the fact that they're not losing on the battlefield is a result of our disobedience.

Welcome! Is that your dog? The picture is so cute!

Already did.In case anyone is wondering, this is the third and final username I'll be using on LDS.net; my change of usernames is representative of phases of my life. So while I did have some issues with some people, and definitely caused some hurt feelings that I regret, I didn't change it to hide from the fact. It's good to be back.

So, it's a photoshopped picture? I didn't look too close, so I thought it was real...

I cannot why what everyone has said works, but it does. I echo and endorse almost every piece of advice I've read. I've dealt with serious clinical depression my whole life, and controlling my thoughts is one of the hardest aspects of it to overcome. Ultimately, it takes time and experimentation to figure out which techniques work best for you and how to effectively use them. Brigham Young taught that the mind is like a stage: only one thing can be on at a time, but something is always playing. The trick is watching what you're thinking, and diligence. The following techniques work very well for me: -Pray for help- This is the most vital aspect of any endeavor. Pray for the Lord to guide you on your journey, stay worthy of the Holy Ghost (as well as you can), and strive diligently to improve yourself. -Study only "the best books" and entertainment- Our spiritual bodies need food- we find that food in the form of study and entertainment. Just like we'll grow obese and unhealthy by eating junkfood, we will grow spiritually dull and weak by ingesting intellectual junk food. Stay away from anything that drives away the Spirit, and be highly selective in the shows you watch, books you read, etc. Most importantly, study the scriptures a bit every day and ponder on the doctrines you read about and learn. This mental exercise helps turn that spiritual food into spiritual energy, which you can in turn call upon in times of struggle or temptation. If you don't live the doctrine- including praying for charity, performing willing service, etc.- the good spiritual food you ingest will avail you nothing. It takes time for you to really notice the effects, but it will be worth the effort. -Occupy your mind with good things- Stay busy and mentally active for most of the day, only resting when you really need it. If you are busy with worthwhile things, it will be harder for you to think of evil things. When you're in transit or otherwise not mentally occupied, ponder on the doctrine of the Christ and/or sing or hum a hymn. You don't always have to do this, of course, but you'll get the greatest stimulation and protection from pondering the doctrine. Anything good, however, will work. -Command evil thoughts to leave- When we fall and let evil thoughts into our minds, they are as little imps running around on a stage doing obscene things. If we try by ourselves to drive them out, we could end up chasing them endlessly with little or no results. I've found the most effective way is to simply let the Lord do it. In your head (or out loud if you're having a particularly hard time) command the evil thought to leave in the name of Jesus Christ, as if it were an evil spirit. When it is gone, immediately fill the vacuum left by its absence with something good (if you don't, the thought will come back)- again, pondering the doctrine of Christ is the most effective guard against the evil thought. That's the most effective techniques I've found. With practice and in time, you'll find that you'll have greater control over your thoughts, your usual state of mind will be elevated to greater spiritual heights, and you'll learn and realize things you never did before. Good luck! P.S.- If you are having any problems with an addiction of anykind, seek help from your bishop, and maybe even a therapist. One of the greatest hurdles to overcome in kicking an addiction is overcoming the mental side of it.

No, you're not alone in thinking that. The end is not yet, though- there is still work to be done, and not everyone is yet prepared for the inevitable calamities.

My name is Matthew; I posted for roughly a year and a half under the username of "Maxel". I'll be posting again for a while, and thought a name change would be appropriate for personal reasons. This time around, I hope to avoid getting into the contention that I seem drawn to...

With a name like Bridger, you could be a hardboiled detective from an old novel! What's the story behing your profile picture? It's interesting.