dahlia

I'll take either one.

What if someone came to the bishop with something like an extramarital affair that will lead to divorce? Does the bishop handle all that (disfellowship? excommunication? something else?) himself? With the other members of the bishopric? With any of the priesthood counsels? I'm just wandering how far down the line a confidential matter might go.

I prefer being around conservatives, mostly because they stay shut up in company and don't feel a need to force their opinions on everyone. Danged liberals always want to go all nasty about conservatives. When Bush was president, I couldn't go to water aerobics without people talking garbage - I mean a bunch of middle aged and older white people - using language these otherwise good Iowans would never use on the street, to refer to the President and conservatives (OK, Bush wasn't the conservative I hoped for, but you get the drift). I just got tired of hearing swearing and trash talk in all kinds of venues when I was otherwise minding my business. We had a huge, 100 yr flood here awhile back. People in my department actually made fun of Bush coming to the area to check out the damage (What does he think he's going to do?). This is what presidents do. And if he hadn't come, they would have jumped on his case for that. You can't win. So, I don't mess with them on deep levels. I don't want to be their friend. You can't trust them - they don't carry weapons (so they can't protect you in a pinch) and they don't want you to have a weapon (so you can't protect yourself). And if we want to go racial, nothing makes a white liberal happier than blacks on welfare because it lets them be the racists they are (oh, Tyrone can't help but be poor, he's black, you know) without being up front about it. If you go to school, make some money, and want to keep more of that money in your pocket, then you're an uncle Tom or aunt Thomasina. To heck with them.

So I was watching a documentary showing Roosevelt getting sworn in and I wondered, when taking office or swearing in court, what do Mormons swear on? The Bible? The Book of Mormon? A Quad? Could you swear on the BOM? Do Mormons take oaths?

I'm more inclined to be upset or not find meaning in why good people suffer harm, than in why harm happens to most of us. On the other hand, maybe more in line with your comment, I have had many good things happen to me or by me, as an agent of something (God? Angels? Karma?) than I have explanations. Why did I take the bus and not the trolley one day, and just happen to stop a toddler from running into the street - a toddler I wouldn't have passed if I'd gotten off 3 blocks away in another direction at the trolley stop? Stuff like that. So, I may agree with you (slightly. We don't want to get a thing going here, Vort.), but for me, more for the positive stuff that occurs 'by chance.'

Are spirits Democrats? If so, I will accept your statement.

I don't know if eating meat will keep you out of the Celestial kingdom (good idea, tho), but I do think that if we have not trained ourselves to be compassionate toward all of God's creatures, man and animal, then getting into the Celestial kingdom might be difficult. Some of the remarks I see from omnivores on veg*n sites are beyond rude. If you want to eat meat, go and eat it. There's no need to say truly barbaric things about what you would do to an animal as a way of getting your meat-eating point across.

I think some people here said the Adversary would try to stop my baptism. Please. I don't function at the whim of some spirit. Why do LDS (and some other Protestant groups) get all worried about the devil? God and Jesus have more power than evil. I focus on them. And if I get sick or in an accident (or have an $800 car repair bill, donations accepted...), it's because I was exposed to germs, or a woman hit me in the parking lot, or my 12 yr old car will need repairs sometimes, it's not because of Satan. Good grief.

I get the local part. I was wondering about on the national/international level, whether there were young adult leaders.

Don't know, since I'm not a young adult and don't really know them well at church (actually, I guess they're all in another ward, huh?). Maybe something about being a young person in today's world and living according to Scripture? In general, I think the leadership does a good job of addressing many of these matters, I just wonder if young people would like to hear it from another young person sometimes.

Can you tell me what is covered before you get to the deductible? For example, I take diabetic drugs. Would I have to pay for them out of pocket? When I was laid off, I could never get a straight answer from the government people (since when is that news?) and fortunately, was able to stay on my former employer's insurance. It was pricey, but I meet my drug deductible by early summer and my drugs are free after that. I am waiting to hit 65 to retire so that I can get medicare, but always wonder about Obamacare. Also, now that so many insurers have left the plans, how can people choose if there's no carrier in your state? What got me was when I started the application process, I thought I could get a subsidy since I was on unemployment, but no. They counted my pre-layoff income. "But I'm not making that money anymore!" I protested, but nope, if I were still unemployed in the new year, I could petition to change my premium then. W. T. H? I kept my old policy, which was almost as much as the Obamacare, but at least I knew what was covered. I'm back with the same employer again, so insurance isn't an issue unless I leave before I hit 65. Side note - I was teaching info policy when Healthcare.gov first came out and was having all of the computer problems. As much as I hated Obama and any move toward government interference in my insurance coverage, I understood that some people thought this would be the answer for them. How shameful that the government wasted money on incompetent system designers (was it a friend of Michelle's?) and people wound up with a process and system that failed them.

I see there is going to be an event for young adults with Elders Ballard and Oaks taking questions. I understand why you would want to have older people counseling young adults, but I also wondered if there are any young adult leaders in the Church that also give such presentations? I think young people like to hear from people their own age sometimes, but maybe that isn't an LDS thing. I don't know.

This is so not what I thought it was going to be...

You'll put your eye out.

I was Catholic and converted. You might be interested in, Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest, by Eric Shuster. Check it out on amazon. My conversion history is here on lds.net. To keep it brief, I'd say some of the most attractive aspects of Mormonism for me is that there is no need for a priestly class to intervene for the regular lay person, priesthood holders (usually dads) can baptize their own children (there's so much power in that), and there's no Original Sin. You are responsible for your own transgressions. On the downside, I miss an ornate church and the need to make the sign of the cross can be overwhelming at times.

No kidding (and I'm the step-daughter of a litigator who loved to sue doctors). I'm on a number of FB pages for veganism, using plant-based diets for health, etc. While there are some physicians who post regularly or who have their own pages, you'd be surprised at the number of idiots who post stuff such as Big Pharma is sitting on the cure for cancer, etc. I audit human subjects research. I have a PhD and have to read both biomed and social science research almost every day, and when I'm not auditing, I'm writing 6 articles a year and giving presentations on research ethics and federal regulations for all of the human subjects researchers in my Big Ten university. There are researchers and MDs working tirelessly to find cures and treatments for just about everything. There are even folks looking at dietary treatments (no big bucks for Big Pharma in bananas and tomatoes) or relaxation (no big bucks for Big Pharma in classical music, either). Many of them work in small, windowless offices in the bowels of the hospital or research buildings. They are overworked and yet are some of the most caring people I've met (and let me emphasize again, I was pretty much raised to distrust and dislike doctors). Nobody is sitting on a cure. Big Pharma doesn't get to stay Big Pharma if it can't develop drugs that people will buy. And yet, the number of people who believe that Big Pharma or Big Healthcare are trying to kill people or keep them sick is amazing. If you don't know how the work is done, then maybe you should shut up about it. (a general comment, not directed at anyone here)

Looks like I haven't lost my Investigator accent. How about the rest of y'all?

And apparently the Church doesn't have an issue with Tongans and Samoans (and probably other groups I don't know of) having tattoos that are important to their culture.

'Founder' about Ray Kroc, the McDonald brothers, and the founding of the McDonald empire. I was torn between understanding the McDonald brothers' dream and the dream of Ray Kroc. Two different dreams, neither one being wholly good or wholly bad.

My position is a mostly dairy free (lactose intolerant) vegetarianism, and ethically, as close to veganism as I can be in terms of not having clothing or purses/wallets from leather, financially supporting animal rights organizations, and using my FB page to educate others and speak for the animals trapped in factory farms. People say moderation in all things - does that include moderation in sin? No. We are supposed to make choices, to choose the right. Following the middle road is weak. Most people are going to eat meat. I understand that. What I don't understand is the cruelty, the thoughtlessness about the welfare of other sentient beings, that is exhibited by many meat-eaters. For example, showing a picture of little piglets with the caption, "Bacon seeds." That tells me all I need to know about you and your lack of compassion. This is from my collection of LDS leadership quotes on the issue: “John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made, whether beasts, fowls, fishes, or men." – Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 343. "Mothers, keep the children from eating meat; and let them eat vegetables that are fully matured, not unripe..." -Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.19, p.68 - p.69, July 19, 1877. "The Spirit of the Lord and the keys of the priesthood hold power over all animated beings ... In this dispensation the keys ... will be restored, and we are to return to the favor of the Lord ... cease hostility with the serpents and lay aside all enmity and treat all animals kindly." - Brigham Young, Brigham Young History, April 26, 1846. “I think that another reason I have very splendid strength for an old man is that during the years we have had a cafeteria... I have not, with exception of not more than a dozen times, ordered meat of any kind. ...I have endeavored to live the Word of Wisdom and that, in my opinion, is one reason for my good health." - Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, April 1937, p. 15.

Perhaps you are unaware of the classism and colorism in the black community? You've probably heard about blacks who accuse those who try hard in school or try to speak correctly of 'acting white.' There is also an issue of some high yellow person such as myself telling dark skinned people about themselves. Nope. I don't even want to go there. I do hear what you're saying about the investigator's needs. I'm not blind. I just don't know how much I have to give to this population.

Probably 'cause I don't want to. No one is asking the white folks to relate to criminals from Chicago.

I don't even know what to say to that. Some of my happiest times were taking my son to the art galleries of Philadelphia and exposing him to art. My godmother was Alma Thomas, who used to take my sister (who grew up to be a halfway decent artist herself) and I to the galleries of Georgetown in DC. They were wonderful and enriching experiences for us. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alma_Thomas Just curious - do you read books? Or, are you unbothered by them as well? I'm surprised you use a computer.

You realize that many cultures breastfeed in public and no one thinks twice? I have had mothers nurse in my classrooms; I have seen sisters nurse in RS - as long as they are covered (and in many cultures they do not cover), what is the issue? It is how God made woman to feed babies. In fact, in countries with uncertain water safety, they are better off nursing than using expensive Western formulas to feed kids. As for Snigmorder's post about all depictions of nudity in art as being pornography - what. the.heck? I guess you can think what you want, but people who see the world differently are not complacent or tolerant of immodesty and nudity. Wow. No art classes for you, huh?

Is this where I ask how do you know what Starbucks coffee tastes like? Even though I am not in Utah, my ward is filled with Utahans because they come here from BYU to go to grad and med school. So, I'm always trying to figure out if what they do is Mormon culture gone crazy or proper Mormon behavior. I bought an expensive liquor for my son the other Christmas because that's what he wanted. I don't have an issue getting 1 bottle of something for a gift, but probably wouldn't want to be seen with a shopping cart full of cases of beer (which was in front of me the other week).