LDSJewess

One more comment about school, and then need to sign off and get ready for a RS meeting. I believe it is true that private schools are better for teaching both morals and better curriculum. I am however a little wary about religious schools because you need to be sure how their religious teachings relate to the beliefs that are taught in your home. You don't want to have a school try to covert a child over to their faith, especially if they believe LDS isn' the right kind of Christianity. I sent my children to Jewish school for two reasons: 1. So they could learn a little about my own Jewish heritage, learn a little Hebrew and learn solid Torah "Old Testament" teachings. And 2. Jews do not prosyltize or try to convert anyone to Judaism, but they do teach children good moral standards. (The Jesus part you would need to tea h them at home though), but it would not be an interference to your religion. Another option is a non religious Charter School where good sound curriculum avails, advanced learning, and good moreal teachings, but religion is kept out of the mix, leaving it completely up to you. Public schools for the most part just don't offer the teaching of values and standards and are more focused on numerical scores to get more puclic funding so that is my last option if I can afford any of the others above.

Girlygirl, Glad to offer an opinion of help. Keep in mind it is my opinion. I am not here to speak out against the teaching of the church. And yes I understand that the Bishop may interview teens and speak to them about mastrubation. I would hope these Bishops would speak to them though with love and understanding and in such a way as to not foster extreme guilt. To do so is non productive and not helpful. It does cause kids to lie. It also can cause people to leave the church, go inactive, delay a mission and a numbe rof other things. Once someone goes inactive, it leaves them far more open to the world and farther away fro the positive support network in the church that they truly need. The church should be a safe haven of love, learning, understanding and serving God. It should not be a place of fostering judgement, ostricizing and guilt. When speaking with your children openly I suggest you suggest lovingly speaking of honest consequences. Example I had regarding smoking. There is no smoking in our home because it is harmful to our over all health, and I want you to be healthy because I love you. As they are older, discuss cancer, the causes and visit or volunteer at a hospice where smokers are nearing their lifes end in misery. The same goes for drugs and alcohol. My husband and I have a lot of non LDS friends and we go to dinners, chairty balls and social events where people drink alcohol. We opt for water, lemonaide or "virgin drinks" juices etc: When asked why we don't drink - we don't give them a religious answer. We tell them we don't like that alcohol causes headaches, sleeplessness and acid indigestion, (and we are talking just a social drinking thing here, never mind serious diseases). Then again as coming from a Jewish background I don't eat prok, but not because of my Jewish heritage, but because I can give you a number of health reasons why). Same with sex. Pregnancy, or early mother or father hood has a lot of consequences. Sexual diseases ruin yur health. Mastubation when done with obsession can lead to the pther sexual acts thta cause health priblems. But don't tell lies to your kids. I had a foster child once and he actually asked me about mastrubation. He was 13. He had spent time in aa Christian group home where the group leader told him that if you mastrubate you will be sterile and not be able to have children which was a punishment from God. Well you can imagine this did not bring this child closer to God at all. Also stupid remarks to adolescents that mastrubation causes acne etc: is just irresponsibly. Kids are smarter than that. Tell them truths and be open. If you are not honest and open they will find their answers by googling the internet which is far from the ideal!

Sharon, I too was raised in a very unconventional and traumatic childhood and my experiences gave me a lot of strength (and my eventual children strength) to be the people we are today. Nonme of us will be able to control if someone mastrubates, use alcohol or drugs, BUT we can control the fact that is is not done in our presence or can cause harm to ourselves As for the issue however, of smoking around you or your baby, that is within your control. I can tell a smoker a distance away because even when they are not lighting up, I can smell it on their clothing, and can tell by the condition of their skin even on younger smokers. My house and personal space rule is non smoking. Not outside my home on my landscaping, not outside around my pool, not in my home or in my car. I have been known to leave a public place, area of a beach, restaurant etc: when the reek of smoke is in my space. It is a fact that people are more likely to become ill from second hand smoke than a smoker will because non smokers have not been able to have their immune system adapt to the toxins emitted by smoke. So next time someone lights up aroud you or your child in your home, ask them to put it out. If you are at their home, tell them you cannot be there. Not only is this a religious view, to me it is about health and safety. I actually had a friend light up over lunch and I asked her to put out her cigarette. She said "I know it is not healthy but I don't really inhale." To which I said: "Yes but I DO."

Actually the Rotary Club is a fraternal organization to raise funds for crippled and physically disabled children. That being said I had to laugh because I guess am am one of those old fogies LOLOL I was raised in the city and in the 5th grade we actually had a class on how to dial a rotary phone. This was because prior to rotary phones coming on the scene, our black ophones had no dial piecde on the, We just picked it up and pressed the little button thingies that the receiver rested on and then the operator answered and we told her to commect us with the nunmber we were trying to reach. Back then all numbers had what was called "exchanges" with words like Lakeview, Townsend, Woodward, Beechwood etc: to signify the area of the city you were calling. The first two letters of the word were the exchange. Such as Lakeview 12345 was LA-12345. My husband grew in the country where when you reached the operator you just told them whose home you were calling. And if the person you were calling was not at home the operator usually KNEW where they were. Such as: "Sorry Jim, Fred is over at the feed store picking up some grain. You may want to try and reach him at supper time." Or "Sorry Mary, Susan is at Nancy's house getting a Lilt home permanent, so do you want me to try her over there instead?" Don't know if you ever go to a Rotary meeting, but if you do you can have some knowledge of their conversations. But hey by the time some of you here are my age, think of how your grand kids will be talking about your funny antique Blackberries and cell phones.

In my opinion, honest and open communication is the key to healthy and successful family relationships. If you are not open and honest with your children, you will be teaching them to be deceptive and not open and honest in life. Teaching your children to make the right choices is the job of parenting. Although I do not believe as your boyfriend that the church rules are "stupid" I do beleive there are way to present the teachings in such a way as it does not create a sense of guilt and shame throughout adolescense and even adulthood. When religion concentrates on putting people in a mind set regarding sin, guilt and shame; there is little time for those same people to follow the Gospel by loving God and serving their fellow man because they become so focused on themselves. A good way to keep kids in the righht direction is to keep them busy, and that means parents staying busy with them. Having Family Home Evening, as a designated time for family prayer, lessons and scripture reading is important. So is getting out in the fresh air, engaging in leisure and sports with your kids and spending time one on one with them to listen to their concerns and allowing them to ask anything, and being able to say it's ok if you don't know all the answers. Your adolescents will still have alone time, and no doubt they will indeed explore mastrubation at one time or another. Accept it for what it is and don't try to riddle them with guilt and therapy. This behavior is indeed normal and a part of growing up. Stastically 90 persent of adolescent boys do this at one time or another, so don't assume your son will be one of the 10 percent that does not. What is not normal though is giving them free range at the internet, TV and pronographic materials. This is not something you keep in your home and it should not be accessable at all in your home. Use a lot of parental control in this regard. They may still mastrubate in their private moments, but without all the accessable toold and with keeping them busy with other things to occupy their minds and their bodies, this is something they will grow quickly out of rather than become obsessed with and addicted to which are very different outcomes indeed. When you are spending time with your kids, also take time to get them involved in serving God through servicng their fellow man. It will be rewarding for them to help others and in so doing will alleviate the feelings of guilt and low self esteem that are so often prevalent in adolesense. One last thing; try not to convery to adolescents and teens that the cure frommastrubation and sexual frustration is marriage. People often do this with the thinking it is better to be married and chaste regardless of the viability of the marriage, than to mastrubate. This can be disasterous. Sex education is important when it is age appropriate and involves honesty and open communication. There are many marriages and families that fail miserably because they married for the wrong reason, only to discover that they frustrations remain. When a child is in their late teens and when it is ready to discuss adulthood, one should have a total comprehension of what marriage entails way beyond satisfying sexual urges. Once they do enter into the covenant of a healthy marriage they have a much better chance at being great parents n guiding the next generation.

Ok hold on a minute. If you do not make it to the Celestial Kingdom it will not be because you didn't "measure up to the LDS people." LDS people are just people who working at their own personal progression. And we are all headed back to our Heavenly Father at a different pace, and we all face a number of different challenges on our journey. Social Anxiety can be a very debiliatating condition. In the past I have dealt with panic disorder where when going to church or any crowded plance, I immediately went to sit in the back of the room in case I felt I had to leave. It took a long time to learn to understand and live with the condition. So I can tell you I understand. Now lets talk about the thoughts of suicide for a moment. Forget about it. It's a cop out, ok. The Lord indeed loves you. But you need to learn to love yourself. You have been given the most amazing gift you will ever receive from your Heavenly Father and that is your life. Can you imagine for just a moment what an amazing moracle you are. Think about this for a moment. What are the chances of a child having the opportunity to be even born. Conception only happens for a day or two once a month and it takes the perfect circumstances for that to happen. Then you have all the challenges before your birth of just surviving gestation. Then you make it through childhood, and here you are today. Think about how awesome it is that you were born in a place and time where you don't know extreme hunger, you are not in constant fear of dying in famine or war. How many humans in this world are wondering if tomorrow they will have one hanful or rice or grain to eat, while we have the luxury of communicating on our computers. Ok so now lets talk about the calling. Think of you calling not as a challenge, rather an opportunity to learn, to grow, to exchange ideas. Also be sure you talk as honestly with your Bishop or home teacher as you are on this forum. Tell him of your anxiety. Tell them you may not always be as reliable as you would like to be. Try to do your best, but your best may be different than someone elses best. Do not compare yourself to anyone else. There is one word that I have always had a bit of an issue with that is used freely in the church and that is the word "worthy." I personally believe by the mere fact that we are here, we are worthy. I believe in the depths of my soul that I am completely loved by God without condition or question, and I believe that is true of not just me but of you as well. This love will not change if you refuse a calling, or fall short of performing your calling ideally. You need to love God and love yourself, because God is always as close to you as your own breath. Now the best thing to do is talk to God from your heart and soul. We call it prayer and that is what prayer is. Then talk to your Bishop or someone you fee comfortable with in the church. Don't go inactive, and don't stay silent about your social anxiety because if you isolate yourself it will be harder to cope with. Then just commit to do the best you can. And another thing, don't be afraid to let your Bishop know that their care callings that you may be able to be better at that you can better perform with your currrent limitations. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Know that your Heavenly Father Loves You, even when you are not sure you love yourself.

I have both. My land line, internet service and e-fax are all connected to one package rate which includes unlimited long distance, unimited minutes, caller ID, Call waiting, conference calling, voice messaging, caller id, distinctive ring and two additional rotating lines which I need for business purposes. This service is in some ways less expensive than my mobile phone which I about 1,000 minutes on a two person family plan but that usage is used mostly by my husband. The charges on the minutes I believe are for both incoming and outgoing calls. Where the mobile phones can add up expense wise are for roaming for international or at sea calls. If we call international from the home base though we can use a magic jack, but the qualtiy of the service is inferior albeit a savings.

I don't think the manufacturers are intending to just give away their products for free with no return; but I do not think the sole purpose is for their customers to try the product and then purchase more in the future. That is part of it, but there are other benefits to the manufacturer and the store when it comes to couponing that everyone is missing, and that is name recognition, and tax deductable advertizing budget. For instance Proctor and Gamble have a line of products and they decide to offer coupons for customers. The retailer say Krogers Grogery carrys the product and because of the coupons they order a lot of extra product in anticipation of the promotion. Then the store runs advertizements in the local newspapers and news inserts where they advertize their of coupons fo the soap, and the brand name is again in print in the ad as well as the coupon. The manufacturer and the store benefit from this co op advertizing. And the manufacturer also benefits because the reatiler orders more product in anticipation of the sale. Since they have now already sold to the retailer, they have given nothing fo free. Now the retailer, say Krogers grocery who has already purchased the product from the manufacturer, stocked their shelves and co op advertized to sell the product, gets their name connected with the manufacturer, so the advertizing alone is a win win. Even at this point if the store is giving away a lot of the product, there are many who are lured into the store from these ads and they buy a lot more products than that bottle of soap. I mean how many times have any of us walked into a store to "pick up a couple of things" and dropped $100 or more on a cart load of stuff. And when it is all said and done, both the manufacturer and the store both receive big tax credits for their advertizing budget as well as for any unsold product or free products in their profit and loss statements. I am not in the grocery business but I am in the travel business, and I can tell you I have given away free airline tickets, free limo service to airports and piers, free hotels, free shore excursions, and yes even free cruises. So how do I stay in business when I am giving away all these freebies. Because it is a much better way to advertize than putting my number in the yellow pages or paying for a display ad in a magazine or newspaper. In the end I have a lot more repeat and referral clients who enjoy all the freebies; and the free offers are my advertizing budget and can be written off on my tax returns so that my profit and loss is balanced proportionately. We all benefit from this win-win situation, including the government because the more a business makes the more taxes they ultimately pay. And for that matter churches and charities win as well because the more a business makes the more the business owners are able to tithe and/or donate to charities. If any business person was not making money or they felt taken advantage of, they would quickly change their business strategy.

I find that if a person is a non LDS Christian and committted to their faith there is more resistance to the idea of seeking beyond what they already believe. Just my opinion, but I believe some of this is borne out of fear. Many Christian chruches teach about a very defined heaven and hell concept with not a lot of gray area. You either believe what their church teaches in it's entirety to be saved (from hell), or you are not considered a true Christian and therefore not saved. Indeed there are a number of Christians who don't even have a clear concept of heaven, but it the fear of the "alternative" causes fear, and thus makes them resistant to "straying." Other religions Islam, Judaism and Eastern religions tend to be more open and free to think outside the box of even their own religions. True each religion makes an effort to keep their members in the fold but it is not done by invoking the fear of hell for investigating and considering other ideas. Athiests, agnostics and non committed Christians (i.e. people who may have been brought up in a church or religion but never fully bought into it), may be the most likely of all to be open minded about entertaining new ideas. Many of them may be searching or hoping to find something that makes more sense to them than what they were taught as children, or possibly are fine with what they were taught but feel it was incomplete and are searching for more.

No problem. I am come to terms with some crazy and irresponsible people that were in my life. It is what it is. They taught me what I did not want to become. They are all dead now and Temple work has been done on them, but I personally don't care to be sealed with them. Better we stay our separate ways and wish each other well from afar. As for my husband, he's a good guy so I think I'll keep him. :)

I look forward to further discussion on this. I'm always ready to learn about other ideas on this.

That makes sense. I am still not sure about people like Hitler. How would one make restitution to 6 million people?

I'm with mightynancy and jennamarie. I used to stuuggle with this because truth be told I would prefer not to meet up with any of the people that I knew as "parents." I had two moms and two dads depending on how one defines it (biological and ones that raise kids). If they all wind up in the CK, I hope I live on a differnet street, perhaps even a different planet. That being said, I see family as a much larger extended group of people, many who came long before us and many who come after us, rather than family members that we refer to in this life experience.

This is good to know. I am also wondering if since part of repentence and atonement is restitution, does the church have a requirement or something implimented where repentance goes beyond "I'm sorry" and "won't do it again" to making restitution to the victim.

I can understand this to a point but have to wonder what the abused victim feels about it.

Thabks Pam. I came on board here after that thread had been active so had not seen it before. Slamjet, thanks for your response. This is one of those things I have to think about. When reading the other thread I can see the sides to the posts, but I don't know if I would be the one to do the baptizing of such people dead or alive. Something to ponder that's for sure.

When I read and posted a response to Slamjet's question on the other thread asking if we would talk with a serial killer, a question came to mind that my husband and I were discussing a while back. Here goes: What is your thinking about baptizing someone and welcoming church membership to repeat offenders of henious crimes such as serial murderers, serial rapists, mass murderers, terrorists, serial child molesters etc: And how would you feel about spending time in church with them if they were able to attend. Also what is your thinking, or is there a church policy about baptizing the dead who have committed unrepented henous crimes. I'm talking like Charles Manson, Adolph Hitler, Usama Bin Laden etc:

Sounds really cute. I like the idea of sports wear etc: Living near the beach we often like to go on long beach walks followed by swimming and followed by dinner at an outdoor beach restaurant, so having something to wear for the day rather than having to change clothes in a beach restroom works. A lot of people just show up at the restaurant in swimsuits but that's a little beyond my comfort zone. Your swim wear sounds perfect to me. :)

Try eBay, seriously. I live in year-round-swim-wear country and love the Nike competition tank suits but new off the rack they can run $60.00 to $90.00 , BUT I found two on Ebay one for $12.00 and the other for $16.00 Also I found the swimsuit score of the century intwo separate auctions. I found a miracle suit tankini top full coverage back and front with spaghetti straps and ruching on the side and all the "hold me in control" that I like as well. I won that top for $8.00 and it was new with tags and retailed for $65.00. And I found a new with tags full coverage bottom by Gottex, regular price $48.00 and I got it for $0.99 cents plus a few dollars shipping. Both pieces are black which works for me because black is slimming, And because I wear la larger on top smaller on bottom in sizing these two pieces are perfect fit wise. So I got a well made brand name suit for $8.99 and the shipping of both did not come to more than $6.00. YAY the joys of internet bargains.

I think you are completely miss reading my post. My point was that we shouild always use common sense. I have met people personally that are indeed hoarders because they are gathering and collecting the wrong items for the wrong purposes and some have suffered serious consequences. Hoarding is a indeed a disease associated wioth OCD. Many hoarders buy items "on sale" to "save money" and the items they buy are completely useless even though they are convinced they may "need them in the future." Anxiety Disorders Center/Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Compulsive Hoarding - Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Sicial services have actually removed hoarders from their own homes when their hoarding practices became a hazard to themselves and to their neighbors and community. I NEVER said or implied that one should not prepare for disasters and did not say or imply that one should not store necessary items. The OP of this thread was about couponing and my response was that couponing was not illegal and not being dishonest BUT it is not wise or prudent to just buy for the sake of getting a good deal on sale or buying for sport. Not all people LDS or otherwise have the property or facilities to keep one or two years worth of food where it can be safely or efficiently be utilized for future use. If you have enough food to line the walls of a store that works for you perfect. Hopefully you use what is close to expiration and replace with what you use. Hoarders do not do this however, they just keep buying and storing. I personally do not have room in my home for enough food to line a grocery store. If I stock piled anything of that magnitude in my home I would wind up feeding cockroaches and rats. Outdoor storage such as sheds etc: of any kind is not allowed in my deed restricted community. Neighbors who do not comply can have a lein put on their property and incur serious fines. Also in many areas including where I live, power outages are a greater imminent concern than a world famine, in which case a freezer is not practical. Electricity is the only source of power and people in many areas are not allowed to bring in gas tanks for storage or fuel or generators that can cause fire hazards to the communities. I unsderstand the churches position regarding preparedness and food storage, but I also understand that no chuch including the LDS church would want anyone to create a junkyard of their property causing health and safety hazards to themselves and their neighbors just because they had a lot of coupons to buy stuff on sale.

I view storing food and necessary items as sensible when the intention of the storage is for use. Whether it is used for economic or preparedness purposes such as: 1. Saving money by buying in bulk and then using the food and items before they spoil or go past expiration dates etc: 2. Preparing for disasters where the storage would likely be useful for those in surviving a survivable disaster. For instance, toilet paper stored under a bed in a one story home in a flood zone is not sensible preparedness for an impending flood disaster since the toilet paper would likely survice the flood and thus it is a waste of time and money. However, storing and updating food, water, medical and power sources in preparing for a survivable disaster is prudent. Since most natural distasters, storms, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes etc: will result in a loss of power, having a safe way to store cash, and non perishable items that will likely survive a disaster is also prudent. Saving a year's worth of food for a nuclear holocause is wasteful because the person storing the items will not survive such a disaster and could better spend the time in preparation to meeting their maker. Now what is hoarding? 1. Making purchase for sport when it is not like that you will be able to use the items purchased. The 150 bottles of barbeque sauce was a good example. Other food items that would perish before the excessive quantity could be reasonable used. 2. Another example of hoarding would be when such excessive amounts of products are stored in such as way as to create a health hazard by creating clutter in such excess whereby drawing pests , insects, rats etc: 3. Purchasing anything when the motivation for the purchase was because the purchase was a "good deal" but the product/s purchased are not something the person could use and the purchaser is not willing to sell or give to anyone who actually could use the item/s. There is a huge difference between preparing and providing for your self and you family and collecting stuff that becomes rubbish.

Volgadon, true I stand corrected At the same time however, I was trying to convey that the attempt to feel closer to God and effect a reconcilliation is far different than the thinking that evolved with Christianity. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the "savior" often referred to as the "Lamb of God" or the sacrificial lamb, that since he was crucified there was no further need as Jesus in Christian belief IS the ultimate sacrifice and therefore no further sacrifice (as in animal sacrifice) is needed. Christianity also teaches that Jesus is the "Messiah" and they believe that Jews think the Messiah hasn't come yet. (This part is correct). What many Christians do not understand is the Jews do not believe in the need for a "savior" or sacrificial beast or anything that will determine whether they go to heaven or hell which is a far more abstract concept in Judaism. Also Christians do not understand that Jews do not view the term "Messiah" as a God coming to save them and take them to heaven rather the hope for a Messiah to a Jew means a righteous human King sent by God to rule a completely peaceful. Jews do not think of this time as the end of the world either. They think of it as a time in life where all the world will live in peace led by a righteous King (Messiah). So getting back to the original post here on this thread, I would have to wonder the following: 1. If Jesus was the final sacrifice according to Christian thinking, what need would there be for animal sacrifice again in the future. 2. If the Jerusalem Temple was restored what would be the motivation of Jews to resume the ancient custom of animal sacrifice and for what purpose? I personally do not see modern humankind sacrificing aimals in the future be they Christians or Jews, as it would not appear to serve a purpose.

Is the Book Of Mormon fun to read? That depends on whether you enjoy reading and what interests you. Aside from the spiritual aspect, I enjoy reading it because I have a deep intereest for cultural anthropology ahd history and the Book Of Mormon satisfies that in me. I also prefer reading (any book) over listening to audio versions. Perhaps it is because I like to look back through pages and reference what I read. I also enjoy referencing the Book Of Mormon to the Torah and other Biblical Scriptures. So for me it is entertaining. You will need to define what is fun or entertaining to you. Either way it's a great read. Enjoy!

You are wecome Suzie. This is one of those things that many in my church have asked me because of my Jewish background. One of our missionaries who was over for dinner asked me if Jews still offer animal sacrifices since they did not believe the Messiah had come, (not believing Jesus is the Messiah). I had to giggle because my little dog looked up at me and well.... it was just a laugh moment. I never though of it though until they asked because it then dawned on me that LDS and other Christians alike think Jews were sacrificing animals with the belief of salvation in the way that Christians believe Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins and for our salvation. In fact Jews in Moses day, nor today are concerned with the afterlife in the way that Christians are. Many believe there is one but there is no concentration or focus on salvation. The entire focus of Judaism is giving thanks to God, atoning through fasting and prayer, serving one's fellow man, and asking God for guidance, protection, understanding and peace. Emphasis on heaven, hell and salvation from a Christian perspective is virtually non existant.

I think the answer to that is common sense. We had a discussion on desaster preparedness in RS today. It was a timely discussion since we are in hurrican country here, and tis the season, so preparedness is on our minds. There are many different secsible ways to prepare for distaster.. In my neck of the woods the top priorities should be first aide kits, batteries, plyboard or hurricane shutters, extra cash where one can have access even when the power is out, (ATM's don't work during power outages), a full tank of gas in the car, updated insurabce and other important papers, updated pet immunization records in the event you have to evacuate with pets and of course pet supplies etc: Bottled water, and water for washing that can be your swimming pool if usable, and filling the bath tubs and sinks. A years supply of food is the last thing on the list. Ideally a few weeks extra food that can be prepared without power. In the event of an imminent hurricane, many people would be asked to evacuate and bring a year's worth of food in your car or on a plane is not an option. If our homes wind up flooded out or blown out they will not be livaable and our excessive food storage will likely be part of the insurance claim. I am not entirely sure under what circumstances or what type of disaster anyone would need a year's supply of food. In the case of nuclear disaster, better to prepare ourselves for meeting Heavenly Father than worrying about preparing dinner. In the case of famine or a situation where food was unavailable for a year, then the preparedness may have to include firearms if we intended to keep our stores because crime would be rampant with desparate people needing our stored goods. Disaster preparedness is important, and food storage is a part of the preparedness, but so is common sense so that we can prepare for the disasters that are more likely to need our attention. I would say a few hundred bottles of bar be q sauce would border on hoarding. No that anyone is a bad person for doing so, but not a common sense choice either.