Backroads

I guess I'm still having trouble relating it to your last post. Or maybe I need more clarification in the grey area.

It is a fascinating story, I don't care what your religious views are. It is kind of fun to see a claim turned down, though. Eh, I have very little problem with polygamy. 'Course, that's me speaking as a single wife. But the idea of it... I have no problem. There's this upcoming claim against the state of Utah to stop criminalizing polygamy.

But who is to say that he is prone to so many areas?

I thought the movie was cute... then again, anything Gulliver's Travels can do no wrong in my eyes. But yeah... let's do more with more talent.

Well, we've spent the week chatting about it here and there... and she was the one to bring it up to me, amazingly enough. I guess that was my answer to praying about it. It seems they are both doing all they can do.

There comes a point when you have to think about your own safety and spirituality. Think of the parable of the 10 Virgins.

You're right. I just hate to see a marriage go down the tubes.

I'm unsure what to think. If she didn't do it, she didn't do it, but there was so much going on that was WRONG.

Yes, I was unfairly suspicious. That gives the man no right to assume everyone will assume the best of him. He says stuff like that, I will probably take offense and wonder why he said it. I'll go with that. I will try hard not to offended by what the announcer said. I guess this is what I've gotten all hung-up on.

I guess I was just extremely offended by what this guy did, and, for the record, I'm just as offended by people that tell dead baby and Holocaust jokes. I don't find those funny, but offensive, mean-spirited, tactless, and uncouth. Is it wrong of me to think that way? I'm still furious at this guy and I think he should have a better sense of his audience. But I do see your point and I will lay off the guy though I still believe he should apologize. Is it? I felt like I was being told what the guy did was okay because I couldn't prove it was mean-spirited.

I suppose I don't, but why would anyone do a potentially offensive joke if they didn't believe in it? There are so many other ways this man could have "played the crowd". But he didn't. He said all the illegals should be stuck on a train. As a joke. No one is going to say such a joke unless they truly and honestly support it. If he had no feelings about it, he would have come up with something else. The joke idea would not even have crossed his mind. Does the idea of "saying stuff to please a crowd" make it okay? Am I really supposed to say "Oh, go ahead and tell offensive jokes because I can't prove you mean it?" And if he didn't mean it, he's tactless and an idiot. Saying things for popularity's sake is a terrible thing when the wrong things are said and there is no justification for it. You said it, don't blame the desire to please the world.

We seem to be on the same page with the marriage, but you'll have to give me some time to come up with my feelings concerning a child. .... .... .... I believe the local ward would welcome the boy for following the gospel, but would definitely encourage him to be as kind and respectful to his parents as possible.

I truly do believe that if the spouse is not willing to consent, the relationship is probably not healthy--and this is what Paul just might be referring to when allowing them to leave their spouses.

I recently read Robert Millet's I Will Fear No Evil and can't wait to get ahold of more of his books. (Note: that's one not particularly scriptorial, but excellent.) Are you perhaps needing the auditory scriptures? Or... and I hope no one laughs because I mean this in all seriousness and all respect... kiddie Book of Mormon stories? Good ones will get you the stories and the lessons.

I ponder this rule of spouse approval and while I suppose one could always find a sexist side to it, I think I see the reasoning behind it. A husband and wife are partners who should be reaching an agreement on so much in life. Even if they don't have the same views on religion, they should be at a spot where they would be happy and willing to let their loved one do what is right for them. Neo-Pagan(or whatever) spouse + spouse who is interested in joining the LDS Church/receiving endowments/insert other church thing: Healthy relationship: I don't fully understand the LDS thing, but I know you are in intelligent and intuitive person who has studied and pondered this. Yes, I am willing to love you and strive to make our relationship work as much as I always have, if not more. Unhealthy relationship: I don't fully understand the LDS thing, and it hurts me that you are doing something I don't feel right about/offends me/goes beyond my control. I feel this will negatively impact our relationship and I don't know if I can/am willing to make this work. Permission from the spouse (written or verbal) strikes me as a handy proof that communication and understanding in this sacred marriage (which I believe to be sacred despite any religion or lack thereof) is going good.

All right, I'll admit I overreacted. I guess I just have trouble thinking that a guy would use a friendly round-up term in conjunction with getting people out of the country in that venue.

I'm very much in support of fixing the legal system. Make it tigther, more efficient. Make it easier for those who want to do it legally while securing the boarders for those who don't want to do it legally (and let's be honest, if we get easy and efficient, most people will be happy to go the legal route). I like immigration. We are a nation of immigrants and I for one appreciate the different cultures that are brought in. I don't like illegal immigration. I have enough issues with the welfare system as it is without illegals using it. But I've also seen way too many human faces on the issue. My father-in-law runs a ranch and a quarry and is a huge support of work visas and similar ideas. But he also hates going through the skimble-skamble process of legally bringing workers over and then having them jump over to some easier, illegal route.

I think this is more or less what I would like to do. My SiL grew up in an extremely conservative household with a mother that has told her that sex is wrong.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll stay out of it. They are seeing a counselor and have thrown ideas off of me and several others, but my brother has now stopped attending church over it because he is unable to look at young families.

I remember listening to an Ezra Taft Benson devotional from the 70s in which he made it quite clear that we should NOT go into debt for education or accept financial aid, but just work as long as we needed. Considering the situation today, I believe in most minds that advice has changed. Don't get me wrong, if you have the money/ability to work for enough money at the time, that is a great option. But school being the cost it is, such an idea is out of reach for most people.

Actually, no, I did not intend hyperbole because "rouding up" is a phrase that has violent connotations. I will be happy to use hyperbole whenever I use it. To my recollection and rereading, I never accused applepansy or bini of saying such a statement. I merely asked them how the joke was funny. I know the announcer meant what he said because the phrase "I didn't meant what I said" is a false concept. One might regret how they said something, but if they said something, it meant the thought and feeling was somewhere inside of them. I have little tolerance for people who makes jokes about others because more often than not it reveals deeper feelings than just a "joke". If this man were truly against randomly grabbing people and putting them on a train, he would not have suggested such a thing.

Lacking time to read all the comments, so here at my thoughts: What is the problem with this guy that his love for you is dependent on your faith? That doesn't sound like healthy love.

When you are baptized, all your sins will be washed away. I'm not sure on the technalicaties if you're supposed to confess this, but my heart tells me that it's a good idea. You're working toward having your sins washed away, why not work on this? Take care of it, get baptized, and start fresh with the Law of Chastity. OP: Yes, oral sex before marriage is breaking the law of chastity. If it's sexual, and you're not married to the person, consider the law broken.

I'm actually pretty good about not buying things. However, I am in debt. I never quite got to the savings I wanted before emergencies happened, so stuff had to be put on credit cards. And they were reasonable necessary things: car repair, medical bills, etc. Top that off with my car payment and student loans and, well, it's a bit of debt. Before I lost my teaching contract, I was doing great. There was a little bit of debt, but it was under control, I was paying way beyond the minimum and doing the snowball thing and things were looking good. When I lost my teaching contract, I took a job that pays $1200 a month and barely makes ends meet. I get by, but only being able to pay the minimum on everything pretty much made the debt explode. Last week we were goofing around watching the old SNL skit about debt. SNL Skit: Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford - The Consumerist

Iggy, like I said, when a guy is making jokes like that, I have NO IDEA of how to determine just how serious/playful he is. But what I have noticed from plenty of people in the world that those who dare make such jokes have few qualms about taking it far. Rounding up IS a violent act in how it dares to treat people like cattle. Where did I get that phrase, you ask? I derived it from his comment to round up all the illegals and put them on the train. Rounding up, as pam as said, as extremely negative connotations when you're speaking about people. Again, I have no way of knowing what I meant; but if he's bothering to crack jokes like that he probably doesn't care if violence happens. If that rodeo announcer is saying stuff like that but not meaning them, he's a tactless hypocrite. If he means them, he's cruel. If I offended bini or applepansy, I apologize sincerely. But I still stand by that I have no way of knowing what this man meant and I have all reason to assume the worst. He KNEW he was in a place where people probably did hate illegals, had a bit of alcohol, and fights do break out at rodeos. He KNEW it was possible for his words to be imflammatory.