Hala401

I need some advice regarding one please

I spent my whole working life with very, really short hair because of the nature of my work around whirling machinery and live electrical equipment. I really hated that. So, when I stopped working, I stopped cutting my hair and do not think it will be cut again. It is just past my shoulders now, but age and illness have left it very thin. I don't know when it is long enough to be a problem.

The Wiki link is quite interesting and takes a broad historical view of American history of the time. I do hope that there are not elements in the article that devout LDS folk would consider to be offensive. As a new member, I was not privy to the sort of education that life long members of the church were exposed to. Gosh, now I am getting excited about my research. I just wish that I could contact the person who originally triggered my interest in genealogy. I could reveal her name here. Do you suppose she would object? I have a suspicion that she too is LDS. She was also deeply involved in The Human Genome project. It placed my ancestors as Northern European, 15,000 years ago. :)

By civil, I mean not authorised history of our church. I expect that there are things in this article that some of us would see as repugnant. So please do not be hostile to me over any of this because I am simply exploring. The Salt Lake LDS church has done wonderful things for me and I am extremely grateful for their kindness to me. History of the Latter Day Saint movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is some quite sympathetic history about the early LDS church in Wikipedia, and on Youtube as long as one is careful to confirm their assertions in other places. Yes there are some things, especially on Youtube, that are quite hostile and full of lies. Remember, very early LDS experiences and doctrines were not like present day Salt Lake LDS ones. I pass no judgement on anyone, and am just wearing my historian hat today. Formational years can be rather disorderly in any discipline.

All I can really remember about her bitter epitaph regarding her early church experience is that her father was a lay pastor and would get drunk on Friday or Saturday night, come home and beat the women, and preach on Sunday. In remembering her historical references and the stories passed down to her, it could be a branch?

I've only been a member since January 30th of 2012, so I do not have detailed information. I just remember some remarks my Mother made in the 50's when I was little, and some things I have learned about LDS history in which one of the splinter groups was briefly called, The Church of Christ. What I have are suspicions and not confirmed fact. There is a woman in the Houston area, of the same name as I who compiled a book of family history that goes back to either 1735 or perhaps even 1635, can't remember. I plan to start working on my own family history this summer, after I get some more pressing matters cleaned up. The part about my European family history comes from comments my older brother made while he was doing some family research in the early 60's, and from comments of a Welsh man I know who seems quite knowledgeable about UK history.

I have a suspicion that the folks in my past were LDS in the 1840-1860 era, and perhaps formed a splinter group. I'll learn more, I hope as time goes by. There is some thought that our family were from Alsace in the early 1700's, and then went to Worchester, UK. We think they left the UK around 1735 after one of England's many civil wars. We landed in Western Virginia and over the years migrated across the South but left there in the dust bowl years to settle in Southern California. There are "Boucher's" in the Amish Cemetary near Landaster, PA. When I get down to doing my family history stuff, I plan to do my Mother's side also, "Webb", um just because. Society says that the man's blood is most important, but science says both carry a lot of weight; some genetics being passed down by the women and some by the men. I was born in '47, and lived most of my life around Portland, Oregon, but have travelled to Alaska, Georgia, Oklahoma, California, Honduras, Kenya and Israel. We were married in 1965 and had two natural children, and adopted a lovely baby girl from Korea when she was 3 months old. She was so small, that when she was born we had to wait that long for her to grow enough that they felt she would survive. All the children are grown, gone, and with families of their own. I was divorced and devastated in 2005, and unless Heavenly Father takes a special interest, I will never marry again. I still wear my wedding ring, insuring that any man who is interested in me is going to have to do his research really well. My "politics" are um, interesting, but I have a reason for thinking the way I do and it is not from some radical fringe group. Most of what I think can be easily studied in the Public Library, or in the public record. Since my, shocking to me, conversion to the Mormon faith, I feel absolutely more blessed than I ever have in my life. Since I am unmarried and not in contact with my family, I try to consider myself married to The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. It is my whole life and I constantly pray that Heavenly Father will help me to be sweet, compassionate and charitable to everyone I meet and sometimes that is a challenge, and I don't do everything right. To those I have offended here in the past, I apologise and hope that we can re-set our relationship and I will try to start over. Much peace Hala

SOME Muslims use the term Kafir for those who are not Muslim and in context it is almost like a swear word. However, the one time that I used it, another Muslim really was quite cross with me. Why is it that others can get away with these things and I can not? Labels are not good, I think.

It was much easier when I was not LDS. Then you were nice to me.

Sigh.

I did not mean to imply that I would not support their choice. I just don't think I could handle it.

Out of the vast depth of my lack of understanding come questions too complex for me to understand. Having worked most of my life in construction, which is in most cases a male based world, I well know how difficult it is for a woman in that area. And, when I finally learned enough to do an office job, it was at times doubly hard, because some of those male executives eat "raw steak for breakfast". I've come to the place that my opinion is that we at times don't get treated so well, because of our, to varying extents, reticent nature. For me to stand up to a man holding a hammer, and raising his voice at me is almost impossible. I don't know if the testosterone advantage will ever go away. It is sad to me that so many of my sisters seem to think that having 6 or more children is obligatory. I think 4 is enough, and I had three. I fear that too many children breaks a woman down so badly that she can not enjoy later life. Is there a rule for that? I too am so thankful for the priesthood, and the fact that I will never have to worry about that.

I'm not from LDS stock that I know of, however back in the 1840's ... So, anyhow I was raised in a hyper conservative home and I still remember the war at home when my older sister decided she was going to college. It's the last I saw of her for several years. She did not come home from school the next day and I somehow got word that she moved in with another family and they helped her get through college. She worked as their maid and they paid for college. She just retired from a long career as a Marine Biologist. So, in the 70's in the non LDS world, it somehow was suddenly not OK for a woman to stay home and raise a family. I think that was a huge error. Now, I am getting closer to 70 than I ever wanted to, and having spent years trying to do the same work as a man, my body is paying the price. In the wisdomfultoolateness of life, I can most certainly see that there are things that I did should have been left well enough alone. The things I didn't do are worth longing for, but not attainable at this late date.

These are all doctrinal matters that I have not been taught. I will learn them as I am able and Heavenly Father permits. I'm pretty jaded concerning religion. I just had not seen people who did not preach exclusivity and exclusionary ways. Some of these people are puffed up at their own importance and neglect the very words of Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. I am convinced that people come up with complicated and hard to follow secret rules for the purpose of avoiding doing what Jesus Christ told us to do. After I left the evangelical church, I fully expected that their hell would freeze over before I ever addressed the Jesus issue again. I became Muslim and in spite of the fact that Muslims and myself are as flawed as anyone else in the world, I knew that I loved God and him I would worship until I died and I hoped he would hasten the day. Then I ran into Missionary Sisters in Kirtland and I tell you plainly that the day I found that I would eventually have to meet with Elders, that was nearly a deal breaker for me. Yet Heavenly Father's unfailing love expressed through those sisters eventually wore me down because I now believed that our church was the first one I had ever seen that tried as hard as it could to teach what Heavenly Father wanted, the words of Jesus Christ, the crucifiction, and him risen. There was kindness in that church that I had never experienced in my life. I don't judge our church on past doctrines. I judge our church by who we are today and how we handle things about us right now. That is all that is important.

I will have to say that I am almost a dripping wet Mormon, so do not know as much of the back story as I would like to. Can you explain some of the salient points of the differences in our beliefs from that time to today? We don't really need to talk about Polygamy unless you deem it important.

I started my experience with the LDS at Kirtland Visitor's Center, with Sister Missionaries and attended Kirtland Stake Center from March of 2011 until June of 2011, so I have some familiarity with the area. So, can you tell me where Haun's Mill is in relationship to the Visitor's Center? I am waiting with bated breath for our church to purchase the original Temple.

As far as I know, chemical castration simply uses Spironolactone and when the injections stop the drive returns, unless the doses are carried on for 2+ years. I think it is more humane to simply do the castration. One can save sperm, should the man ever get married and want children. I may sound hard and merciless and I am sorry. I will never forget ... The offender is forgiven but only the dumbest person on earth would ever give him a second chance at me.

Well, there is voluntary castration. I can't think rationally about this.

I'm sorry. I am just done for the day; gonna go find some place really quiet and think of Heavenly Father.

I am gonna hold my tongue on this. I have unsubscribed to this thread a half dozen times, so now I must conclude that someone is baiting me. Who ever is doing this, have you no mercy? Do you not understand that this whole subject is a psychological mine field for me? What will it take for our fine members to finally realise that the church's view on all this leads to people putting guns in their mouth? I have agreed to obey the rules within our church, but this continual exposure to this subject makes me feel crazy.

It is interesting, because once I was cast out of the Evangelical fold, over a period of time I found my thinking changing about one issue or another. When that happened, I often realised that I had been programmed to think a certain way. As time went on, I found myself experiencing the same programming with the Muslims, but this time resisted it and thought very critically about things, though I still loved Allah SWT and believed in the Prophet. Over time programming came in upon me completely unaware. Then came the Mormons, it I experienced a real tearing in my soul, being subtly pushed to abandon my Hijab and modest clothing. Being around men was so threatening to me, I at first refused to do it. At times, I wondered what would be left of me if yet another group remade me to their satisfaction? There was subtle presure to use my birth name, which I hate, instead of Khadijah. And several times I nearly fled from those who were remaking me despite my protests. I am a member now, but I am still working out those above issues, and have not gotten there yet. It feels like their comfort was more important than mine and some were insenstive. I have a calling and a couple other functions to perform and hope that Heavenly Father will eventually give me peace.

I did, but it just did not connect with me. Perhaps too many cliff hangers.

Sometimes I get tired, and wonder why I just don't walk away from religion entirely. Something in me prevents that, and I feel driven by love and gratitude for what Heavenly Father has promised.

I can appreciate you pain. I was part of that crowd in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and I have to say that just trying to follow the words of Jesus Christ often got me labelled as soft on sin. Remember when Hagee said all Muslims were going to hell? I remember the lies that my Baptist friends told about Mormons; that they were a cult, worshipped the devil. I remember them being on a peck about gays and lesbians. They were talking about the love of Jesus Christ, and in almost the same breath saying they were going to hell. The look on their faces was frightening to me. How can a man say he loves the sinner, with his face twisted in hate and rage? I found the same sorts of issues with Muslims. How the Sunni hate the Shia. How the Kurds hate them both, and how the Christians in Iraq fear them all. I still do not know why I did not just turn my back on faith. Now, today, I will turn and confront any Mormon that I see involved in that sort of thing. And I only do so while being mindful and trembling in fear of my own bent nature.