bl8tant

This is sad! That statue was one of our favorite landmarks when driving south to visit relatives. My kids just drove past it yesterday, then last night it burned down-- glad they got to see it one last time.

Thanks for clarifying that, MOE. I knew that the bishop had stewardship over the entire area of the ward, not just the members. In my experience, though, my bishops have been very careful about providing aid to non-members, perhaps because the needs within the ward memberships have been so great. Good to know that they have the ability to help those in need regardless of their membership status.

That's part of the reason I was so excited about moving. I think kids greatly benefit from exposure to kids of other backgrounds and statuses.

This has been a hot button of mine lately. I really, really like the New Living Translation (NLT). I have learned a great deal about the gospel from studying it. Though I appreciate the majesty of the KJV's language, it seems pretty clear that the KJV is not the most accurate translation. That in turn makes me wonder why we're still using it; the Church could certainly afford to perform its own translation, or even to choose another more accurate one for us to use.

I fight this fight ALL. THE. TIME. My 15-year-old is, I'm sad to say, somewhat of a racist. We moved from the lily-white Midwest to California, and he has had a terrible time accepting the idea that his Hispanic peers are just as loved by Heavenly Father as he is. He certainly never learned that from his mother or me, and we're working on it with him. not_ashamed, you're right: kids have lots of other sources besides what they learn in the home. Our goal as parents is to provide such clear and powerful positive instruction in the home that it will drown out all the other not-so-positive things they get from worldly sources.

Normally only faithful members (where the exact defintion of "faithful" is left open to the bishop's interpretation) are eligible for church aid. You might talk to your bishop, but he's likely to suggest that your neighbors seek help elsewhere. Do you have local food banks or other organizations that specialize in providing food aid?

You will when the league standings are posted at the end of the season :)

It doesn't matter, because none of these so-called "major" [sic] conferences can hang with the mighty SEC. There. I said it.

W0000! Go Saints!

OK, Daniel, I'll take the bait. (I base my answers on a few years spent working for an eminent researcher in the treatment of pedophiles). No one really knows what causes the development of sexual orientation towards children. There are lots of theories, of course. Many pedophiles were themselves abused as children, so clearly that has something to do with it. Some, however, are just born that way, or develop that way on their own without any clear "oh, that's why" moment or habit you can point to. Some people manage to control their desire to have sex with children, and some don't. Some people manage to control their desire to have sex with others' spouses, and some don't. Some people… oh, you get the idea. The Saviour taught that we will be judged on our desires, not just our actions. I like to think that He will judge us mercifully for wanting to not have wrong desires, even if we do. To turn the question back to you, do you think someone develops sexual orientation towards children because they were sexually abused themselves is guilty of a sin? If so, why? If not, why not?

Welcome! And you're right-- Isle of Capri does sound like a beautiful place.

I had a similar problem in college, except that my degree program required a lot of math. I just had to hold my nose and do my best to get through it. Not that I recommend that approach! The folks who suggested getting tutors or other kinds of help are right on the money. I wish I'd done so. What kind of math course are you having trouble with?

Even if you can't get help from the ward during the day, I bet you could get some help in the evenings from the Young Women. Many girls that age would kill[1] to get to babysit a young infant, and the YWs often need service hours for Personal Progress. That might give you and your wife a chance to spend some time together, even if it's just for a walk in the park, a trip to the library, or some other low-cost date. [1] OK, not really, but they might slap or pull hair. Scratching's not out of the question.

We watched "Sixteen Candles" a few nights ago with our 15-year-old. Whoa! For a PG movie, it sure had a lot of stuff in it that we would have rather him not seen. My younger kids often badger me to see the latest PG-13 action flick. I patiently explain to them each time that the rating agency has its own criteria that don't necessarily match up with ours, and that the ratings represent a continuum anyway. Just because something is PG-13 doesn't mean it's OK-- it could be just >this< close to getting an R.

THANK YOU, Saguaro! That's what I needed to know. (update: got e-mail from my bishop quoting the same passage from the CHI and inviting me to come have a recommend interview. Yay!)

It does indeed; I'd read that article, and even noticed the quote. It doesn't, unfortunately, spell out whether the previously-cited policy is still in force, though. Guess I'll have to wait to hear back from my bishop (who hopefully will be back in town before Sunday).

Oh man, I love playing that song in Rock Band. Now that's the mood I'm going to be in for the rest of the day.

I am pretty upset right now. After reading various posts here, I found this 1976 Ensign article. If I'm reading it right, then because my wife has filed for divorce-- something she acknowledges is her fault-- then I can't attend the temple until receiving clearance from the First Presidency, a process which can apparently take years. I'm not going to be very happy if this is true since regular temple attendance is one of the things I'm counting on to get through this process with my sanity intact. My initial hope is that the cited article is just an ancient relic and that the current policy is different. I've reached out to my bishop and a counselor in my old stake presidency for clarification. Until then, though, can anyone with recent first-hand experience comment on whether this is really the policy?

Actually, that's Duty to God, which is changing this summer anyway. Faith in God is the award that Primary kids can earn before they advance to YM or YW. (sorry, didn't have anything to add to the other excellent suggestions: if it's a big deal, work with your bishop and Primary president; if not, it won't matter if he doesn't earn it.)

Know that you're in our prayers! Hopefully that will be some help. The Lord will help you with these challenges, but in his time... and that's the hard part.

We're planning on having a BBQ, just with our family, followed by watching the big fireworks show our town puts on. I considered, but decided against, running in the annual July 4th 5K because it's on Sunday, but all of the other 4th-related activities y'all have discussed seem perfectly fine inasmuch as they promote family togetherness.

Interesting question (and welcome, btw). I don't know about the process for a former member who asked to have their name removed from the rolls of the Church. In cases where a member is excommunicated, there's a one-year waiting period before the ex'd member can be rebaptized. Before the rebaptism may occur, a disciplinary council must be held, convened by the member's current bishop or stake president (depending on whether a stake or ward council applied the excommunication). There's a good Ensign article here that may help explain this in more detail.

You can choose to suppress some kinds of updates, and you can set things so only your friends can see your updates (as opposed to the default "friends of friends" settings). TBH the main reason I haven't just outed myself is out of courtesy to my STBX. She asked for the divorce, she acknowledges that it's because of her issues, and she's afraid of how people will treat her once word gets out. I've tried to respect her wishes but some days that's easier than others :)

I mean this in the nicest possible way... but I don't think anyone here is qualified to answer that question with authority. Seems like that would be something for you to take to the Lord directly.

Facebook is a tough place because it lumps everyone together: my coworkers (some are friends, some are just... coworkers), acquaintances and friends from church, family members, and so on all fall into one big pile. I've been telling individual people when I think it's appropriate, so many of my FB friends already know, but I expect it'll be a shock to the rest!