Lucread

To each their own... But the last time I checked, the commandment given was, "Thou shalt not kill." Not, "Thou shalt not kill unless the dude is really evil and totally deserves it." Just saying.

Its an interesting claim to be able to honestly say you've read the entire bible, if only because of the Old Testament being so long winded and boring. I still remember the first time I could say it... was living in California and called my mom jsut to tell her, lol. I had never been able to get through Isaiah until I lived in NorCal.

Yeah, thats how I heard the joke... with the Vietnam thing, a soldier gets shot, and his bible has the bullte in it so he opens it up and says, "Hah! Even a bullet can't get through Isaiah!" But yeah.

Makes sense... who you are hasn't changed... only your beliefs and life style choices (presumably).

I get it... maybe because of my own experiences, but I'm not sure (as we've not had a full conversation, obviously). Basically, I believe that the bible (especially the Old Testament) needs to be taken wit ha grain of salt. Clearly these things can't be absolutely literal, if only given the dates so many of them were written. That said, whats more important than the literal nature of those books is the essence. As for the New Testament... these things can be taken more literal, though some things may not be, given the nature of verbal passing, and the time of writ, thus, just as with the Old Testament, some things come down to the grain of salt. That said, there are fundamental truths throughout. Finding these can be difficult, but are key in realizing any sort of unblinded faith. With that in mind, I can only stress reading the scriptures with that grain of salt, to find its true worth. As for the Book of Mormon, to a lesser extent, this record is also flawed as a great deal of it is a series of abridgements from larger works, thus some things may have been left out or unintentionally altered. Also, with certain things, you have to take into account the author's humanity*. Basically, what I'm saying is this: the message may be from God, but the words are still being given through man. This may or may not be a well supported mentality here, but regardless, it is an undeniable fact. Personally, I believe that there is too much observational evidence of the Book of Mormon's holiness [through witnesses who condemned the church but never the book nor their statements, (mostly through the actions of Oliver Cowdrey)] to not realizee its worth as a true work and glory. And through that belief, the bible is reinforced as the one is an extension of the teaching found within the other and only serves as a reinforcement to its contents... again thats just my personal beliefs onthe matter but still. At any rate... I dunno if that was the kind of greeting your were expecting, but I was compelled to ramble it on... so there you go. Its good to see your on the boards, and I hope you find some answers, if such are what you are looking for. *I say this namely in reference to Nephi's act of beheading King Laban. I refuse to believe that God would command anyone to break one of his own commandments as anything but a test (meaning he would stop them from actually commiting the act like he did with Abraham)... thus I find it much easier to believe in Nephi's humanity. Having been commanded to retrieve the Plates, Nephi finds Laban upon the ground, grasping the plates tightly... trying to figure out how to get them away from him, he sees Laban's sword, and decides the easiest way would be to slay him. Commiting a grievous act of seeming necessity, Nephi retrievess the plates... but as a record of his actions, he gives himself an excuse. I know thats not ever going to be the most popular explaination for his actions, but personally, I find it to be the most logical, and most coinciding with my belief in God.

I don't think this sort of personality test lends to changing... basically, you are who you are by the time your 18, unless something drastic happens... and while we often think things are drastic when they happen, truth is they aren't nearly as big as we think they are in the grand scheme of things, and you're able to go back to as you were before... thus your personality doesn't really change once its been formed.

There isn't any real doctrine that teaches about this either way. But... personally... when I was 14, my dog died, and one of the most reassuring things my father said about it was: "Well, at least now Sparky gets to play with Greg for a while until we join him." (Greg is my brother who was still born about 4 years before I was born.)

Cool... an anime thread! ~lol~ Uhhhhhhhh... this is hard. I obviously must vote "other." But who do I choose? I have a great fondness for Char Aznable from the Gundam series. I also love Spike Spiegel from the now legendary Cowboy Bebop. But I dunno...Edward Elric was a great character and is the main protagonist in my favorite anime series... ... but then there's Vash the Stampeed from Trigun who you can't help but love. /blah Okay... I think I'm going to have to go with Char Aznable (born Casval Rem Deikun; aka Edward Mass and Quattro Bajeena). SEIG ZEON!!!

"Youtube" comedian? I think you mean "stand up" comedian, lol. Youtube is just a place where their videos can be uploaded... like MySpace, or Google. ANYWAY!!! My favorite comedians are Jeff Dunham and Stephen Lynch. Jeff Dunham is a brilliant and hilarious ventriloquist. And Stephen Lynch... well... I can't bring myself to really recommend him here... he can be very sacriligous and is often fairly vulgar... but he is such through song... yeah... he's not a regular stand up, he's a singer who writes crazy funny and demented songs. But yeah, not everyone's cup of postam (I was going to say tea, but y'know... the word of wisdon and all ).

My whole family took this test a couple years ago, and new comers to my family, adn clsoe friends are always talked in to taking it by my father. But yeah, as I have already stated in my profile, I am of the INFP personality type... the dreaming healer/idealist. Go me! lol

To tackle the OP first... First and foremost... do what your parents say. There ARE situations where telling your parents no and doing your own thing is valid and even essential... this is, however, NOT one of those situations. Its your parents perogative to allow and disallow any and all forms of entertainment you read, watch, or play until you come of age. That said... once you have come of age, you have to know what you can handle, just as its your parents job to dictate what they feel you can handle now, that responsibility will fall upon you. Games, like movies, are not inherently good or bad. Violence, language, sex... all in moderation can be useful and aid into a person's maturity, helping to understand and coexist with others. But you have to know what you can handle... you have to know what you can take... you have to be able to realize when too much is too much and be able to stop yourself from making mistakes (be them temporal or spiritual). Video games have many uses... myself, I use them as an out. I take out my built up aggression upon other "people" with games like Call of Duty... or use them to relax with games like Guild Wars... and even to escape, as one would use a novel, with games like Final Fantasy. All are useful and good reasons to play. That said, you still have to be in control. If you're getting angry at any game for any reason, the game is fundamentally defeating its own purpose and you shoulds top playing it. Similarly if a game's content ever makes you feel uncomfortable, be it for voilence, sex, or language, you should probably stop playing it, as well. Ultimately, things come down to you. But remember, thats only after you come of age. Until then, heed your parents' words and keep away from any and all games they say. I know it sucks (believe me, I know)... but its a fundamental principal of our faith. Honor thy Father and thy Mother... bottom line: Until you're 18... stop playing those games. The mentality of a gamer, yes, can promote laziness, however claiming them to be "horrible" for us is naive at best. Studies have proven time and time again that Video Games are actually really good for developing enhanced hand-eye coordination, an improved sense of problem solving, and increased reading comprehension (less often now that most all games have voice casts). Plus, online play can also help some people form social skills that can be applied offline in the real world. So basically... yeah... definately not horrible, and clearly providing us with something of worth outside mere entertainment. Now, let me take a shot at your questions as quickly as possible: Yes (in many ways yes). No... well... no... not really. Absolutely (especially historically based shooters). Most definately (they may be "online" friends, but those are still relationships). Thats too bad... I can understand Sexual "Content" or any forms of "Nudity" on the ratings, but Sexual "Themes," as far as the ESRB is concerned, actually only consists of any romantic plot at all. For example Final Fantasy VIII was rated T for Sexual Themes and there was no sex within it. The extent of the "sexual" content was the love story between the two main characters (Rinoa and Squall) and of some minor characters (Laguna, Raine, and Rinoa's mom [can't remember her name off hand]). No sex took place anywhere within the game, but becasue a romance is based on sexuality, "Sexual Themes" become the label. That said... to each their own. I agree with this quite a bit. As long as its not effecting your personal life in a negative way, and is not presenting you with any sort of pornography, then I really don't think the Lord cares whether you play these video games or not. I also agree with this... video games are fine... obsessive behaviour is not. Many a marriage has been ruined by addicted games like WoW. Knowing how to manage game time with real life is key. LOL!!! That is hands down the best justification and defense for the Resident Evil series I have ever heard! AWESOME!!!

Thanks for the words of welcome. Yeah, the catch at the end was so non-obvious, yet so not in your face, that I think a lot of people were taken aback be it and found it kinda stupid... but watching it with a faith standpoint, and then rewatching with knowledge of the revelation at the end... it becomes a very spiritually astonishing story of one man's mission in life... his calling, if you will. Thanks, and thats awesome. Doctor Who is awesome, I really love the new take on it, and Steven Moffat's work with Series 5 was brilliant. I also really love Matt Smith's portrayal, and I can't wait for this year's Christmas episode. Its just too bad Matt Smith will only be in the role for one more series... I understand his reasons, but as a fan who loves his portrayal... it really dissappoints me. But such as it is. Really? Not even the old series? With a show that has now had 31 seasons (counting the classic and modern series, as the latter was a continuation holding all the classic stories as its back history), countless numbers of specials, and a movie (granted just a TV movie, but still), I'm always pretty surprised when someone has NO experience with Doctor Who. No experience with the modern series, yeah, but none at all... its just kinda weird to me. At any rate... if you enjoy science fiction in any capacity... you should really look into it. ... me too... me too...

Welcome, and I hope you've found some answers, and perhaps formed a few more questions that could lead you to a life. Regardless, though, its nice to not be the only person who's new around here.

I think he means he has done something he shouldn't have and will be facing a disciplinary panel that will decide if he should be excommunicated. Which is unfortunate... but hey! You can find your strength and return if your faith remains. Its the miracle of forgiveness. :)

I've been addicted to message boards for years... since High School, actually. It just so happens that I "fell away" from the church when I was 17, and thus never bothered to join any LDS centric forums... but having recently returned to the church, I've now found my way to an LDS message board, and BOY AM I GLAD ITS A vBULLETIN ONE! ~lol~ At any rate... I've a competely fleshed out profile if you want to know more about me. If you want to know more, please feel free to ask, as I'm not really the shy type. At any rate, I'm here, I'm a peer, get used to it. :D