bnaur

I guess it is... so is food for a lot of people, but we all must eat at the risk of the addiction. Moderation is a key of life and applies to all aspects. I have never had that problem with caffeine.... I can drink caffeine and go right to sleep, I don't get headaches from it and I do go without it for weeks (even in chocolate and other acceptable sources). I know a lot of Mormons that drink energy drinks and it is loaded with caffeine. Yet I have never heard any Mormon condemn that. Even our Bishop said it is not condemned, but he added.... use your brain and don't drink it, but its not going to keep your from a temple recommend. He too was more concerned about calories and other chemicals in energy drinks, not the caffeine. "The danger in coffee is not caffeine, but oxalic acid in food is considered harmful because it can combine with calcium and may leach the body of this important mineral. For some reason everyone knows of the oxalic acid in spinach, but is not aware of the oxalic acid content in many other commonly eaten foods such as grains, beans, and especially coffee and tea. While spinach is loaded with calcium which minimizes the loss of this mineral from your body, coffee has none. I would be more concerned about the oxalic acid content in coffee..." The Health Benefits of Caffeine | Men's Health MYTHS and FACTS about Caffeine

I don't see caffeine as the problem... caffeine is in chocolate, hot chocolate, no doze, etc.... the actual problem is the fermented tanins in 'black tea' is not good for you. caffeine is also prescribed by doctors and added to medications that help people and does not cause disease states. Most Mormons eat these that contain caffeine with no concern. This is not true of fermented black tea, which was used to embalm people in ancient Egypt. We cannot know why, we should just follow the prophet and don't drink "tea" and to me, black tea is what they are talking about - the tea of those days. No one would have ever thought of a peppermint leaf as a problem... then or now. We know black tea is not healthy, peppermint, chamomile, and other herbal teas are. God gave us brains to decide these things... we must each follow the Prophet... with our brains in tact.

I have always said, "sex is a normal and natural part of life". Sex is the natural drive of life. It is the force of procreation, that I believe God himself used to create us (not literally in physical sex... but the drive we feel for sex is close to Gods drive as we may feel). Its a natural part of our eternal existence, its a divine gift and all we need to do is give it its divine place in our heart and we will do what is right with that drive. Some of this is teaching of Kabballah but it makes sense to me in that context. According to the Kabballah, heaven is the male and the physical world we live in is the feminine (masculine on top of feminine). When the two become one, we will have a new Earth and a new Heaven. More Kabballah: All things are thought in the masculine before becoming and created in the feminine. A potent male will create in the female (all existence was a masculine drive in the feminine... the female forming all creation we see in the physical world). Can we handle the power of creation? Answered by how you handle your sex drive. The two (male and feminine) becomes one flesh (and incomplete as the rib taken from Adam, make the man incomplete without the female... complete only when they become one). Also for physical creation is said "as above, so below". Sex (and the drive) is a vital example of procreative power and is meant for mankind to learn how to control. The sex drive is a desire that must be controlled to make the attainment of heaven the highest desire (above in the masculine that will result in becoming one... the below feminine merging with the above masculine... its all our desire). If we are of God we will control our desire, but just as an animal is not in control of the desire and does naturally only to procreate in the feminine (below with no thought of the above masculine) and so is not fit for the merging with deity above. We must raise our desire to the above heaven.

The Law of Chastity | Mormon Beliefs The teaching to be chaste includes abstaining from pornography and masturbation, lewd talk, vulgar jokes, and having reverence for sex.

The Adam and Eve story is so loaded and can have so many spins. I am constantly amazed at it and all the mysticism that accompanies it. It's symbolic and very representative all at the same time. Great posts!! I love our LDS views so much more than how other religions see it, many of which actually hate our first parents for sinning (how ridiculous). We are living Gods plan for us and it has a purpose. There is purpose in our suffering and understanding will result from even our sins. We will have knowledge of good and evil and hopefully all/most will accept the temple work and Christ will be victorious and we will all be as children of our God.... more like him. Its a truly amazing plan.

Excellent summary. I totally agree.

Your right... Im a newbie... I guess I will stick to the 'new posts' section to be safe.

I am an herbal nutritionist hobbyist. I have studied herbs my entire life. I do not know of an herb to replace what I get benefit from green tea. I could go completely medical, and the medication will take out my liver and it does not adequately control my condition. But that is okay with you? Sounds like you are willing to take that risk. Right?

So Wildflower, you agree with this : On April 7, 1868, the Mormon Apostle George Q. Cannon stated that chocolate drinks and hot soups were forbidden. So any hot liquid is not good for you? A lot of people think cold liquid is not good for you also, I have several friends who refuse ice in there drinks for health reasons (seriously funny). Being real, studies on both hot and cold cause no harm whatsoever. If you realize how the digestive system works you would conclude that the temperature is normalized to 98.6 very quickly no matter what temp you put it in as. Temperature is not indicative of health. As far as green tea and black tea having the same ingredients, I would say grapes and wine have the same ingredients. But just like black tea is fermented, so is wine. Neither are good for you in large quantity, but I still eat raw herbs (like green tea) and grapes. Again, who would blink twice if I took a medication with serious side effects, instead I take green tea, no side effects and am able to avoid some very harmful doses of medication because of it. Who is throwing stones?

Our ward stopped excusing and just thanks them while they are already halfway to their seats. I like it that way too. And the Priests don't stay on the stand either, they go with their families. It all seems good but I think its a Bishops preference. Maybe he wants his Priests to feel like future missionaries on the stand!!! :) I don't really see any harm either way.

My wife graduated BYU as a medical technologist and I am very proud of her accomplishments and I have moved for her sake. So it does happen. But I understand your frustration as sometimes men forget that we are one side of a coin, our wives are the other and it takes both sides to be complete. The best way to do that is communicate, share and respect our needs with each other.

Congrats! Focus not on the external... it will pass away... but this day witness a new beginning inside... that will never pass away. Be comfortable and enjoy your day!

I will not celebrate any persons death. In a public address, Dr. King stated: “What murdered these four girls? Look around. You will see that many people that you never thought about participated in this evil act. So tonight all of us must leave here with a new determination to struggle. God has a job for us to do. Maybe our mission is to save the soul of America. We can't save the soul of this nation throwing bricks. We can't save the soul of this nation getting our ammunitions and going out shooting physical weapons. We must know that we have something much more powerful. Just take up the ammunition of love.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, 1963 -

I love Boyd K Packer... he has a good heart and of good intent! And how true and important to understand, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" Proverbs 23:7 When we die, our thoughts are even more real, they are everything. Now is the time to learn to control them. Now is the time to learn to control our actions but if we dwell on the flesh, how can we be of the spirit? How much more will this be true (to control our thoughts) when we are no longer in the flesh? This is why Jesus said, if you look on a woman and lust after her you have committed adultery, our thoughts are real and even more so when we find ourselves out of the flesh. And that day will come to each of us. In fact, it cometh quickly. Our lives will seem but a moment when we return to our God.

So I took a look and yes this is it (I have an original copy of this and its old but in great shape - its in an old book of mine).