DasMarcos

I speak both Spanish and English, and Portuguese to a much lesser extent. I rarely have the opportunity to speak with my Portuguese brothers as I do not travel to Lisbon often.

Your different strokes for different folks view point is very true. My wife and I were married at the respective ages of 19 and 20. It's a personal choice that needs to take in the circumstances pertaining to those individual set of lives. Whenever one gets married it's important that one is spiritually, emotionally, and physically ready to do so. There is no rush or hurry to wed and there never should be. The time will come, and that time will be magical as when it is designated.

Very nice! Hope you have a fantastic time with the Macdonald name. I'm sure things will go well for you and your wife.

I personally never believed in the existence of Santa Claus. It just never made sense for me to believe that but that didn't take any of the magic away from watching him on cartoons, or seeing him on postcards, or reading stories related to him. I loved Santa Claus and still do! But I always had the feeling, even as a child, that such a man could not exist like that.

My wife and I personally say "dear" to one another. Baby just seems too obvious? Too informal? Not sure...

Hey Joesph. I can give you some background on someone who took his wife's last name. :) I'm much younger than you so the implications and reactions are obviously different but there were some general reactions in people that I think would be the same nonetheless. My last name was Hispanic and my wife's is Chinese. I decided to take her short Chinese last name and boot my hispanic last name to my middle name. My family wasn't incredibly excited by what I had done but they did appreciate me keeping the name in the family. I had thought about doing a hyphenated last name but our personal thoughts were choose one or the other. So far it's been such a great experience with a new last name! I'm very proud of my wife's Chinese heritage and she actively engages in the Chinese-American community. Just feel out the situation and see whether you'd be comfortable with that new last name. If you really want to personally change it, go for it! You won't regret the change. But maybe keep that hispanic last name in the family, somehow.

Quite sure Pam! I just can't let misinformation get around about anything, or any faith!

See also Latter-day prophets strongly discourage the tattooing of the body. Those who disregard this counsel show a lack of respect for themselves and for God. The Apostle Paul taught of the significance of our bodies and the danger of purposefully defiling them: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

“A tattoo is graffiti on the temple of the body,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley. You can place all the rationalization you want on this subject, it won't change the general outlook on body piercings and tattoos, especially within the LDS.

Tattoos aren't necessarily a sin, as such I never said they were. The statement has nothing to do with following the law of Moses. There are general principles found within the OT that all Christians hope to observe and follow. Jesus himself had something to say about that as I'm sure you know.

My statement pertains to the general rulings in most religions. Orthodox Judaism does not allow piercings nor tattoos. Catholicism frowns upon it as well. I do not have the LDS statement but I will have to say that they view it the same way. This has nothing to do with taste but with the general acceptance that some body modifications are unwarranted and unneeded. For instance, in the Islamic faith it is frowned upon for women to put on any type of makeup. Does that mean that all Muslim women do not wear makeup? Of course not. But for someone to have such a condescending and patronizing response I would expect some sources or facts at hand. Do yourself the benefit of being informed, or better informed when it pertains to specific subject matter. We can save ourselves from ignorance, God gave us that gift.

The discussion is never just about scripture and what it says. People transmit everything through God and it's up to people to do so in a satisfactory and acceptable manner. The greatest transcendent doctrine isn't worth a penny if the individual representing that doctrine is cold and unloving. God has to work through us, human beings who are imperfect, to get His point across. This issue is about the attitude a group of people possess i.e. Evangelicals. That attitude does not necessarily have to have anything to do with doctrine but merely an outlook on life. When you limit a discussion on faith just to doctrine you leave out 99 percent of the faith. If it wasn't for the repersentatives of the LDS and their eloquence and outstanding character where would the messages of the LDS be now? I'm sure there are countless Bishops and ward leaders who exude outstanding character traits and that is where the love and acceptance trickles down from. It is all about the people and doctrine is secondary. Anyone who has a problem with doctrine has a problem with the social life of the faith. When people stop embodying the positive traits of the faith that is when doubt is cast. That is why people lose faith and leave God. So it is and will forever be about the people who first and foremost must embody the faith and be that light for others.

If you want your husband to be convinced of the faith do so by your actions and the way you carry yourself as a caring and empathetic human being. You could show him all the facts available but unless he sees you enacting the faith through your acts he won't change his mind, if anything he'll drift apart further. Don't pressure him to conform to your worldview but show him how much better your faith makes you as a human being. Show him the great things the faith does for you and how it makes your life all the better. Be positive and exude that power that the faith has for you. He'll witness all of that and he'll want to be a part of it. If you show him how the faith can change your life for the better he won't need any convincing. So please stick to your faith and grow stronger. Read scriptures, enact the principles of what you hear and read, and don't just make it a side dish of your life. Religion is supposed to flow throughout your day and throughout your years. Use the path you've been given to your advantage and be a light unto others. Then your husband will see and appreciate the faith for what it is. Good luck and God Bless.

My interfaith dialogue is substantial and I think it has led me to have a worldview that is closely inline with the working of God. I've talked to many a folk, LDS, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish (Orthodox, Hasidic, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, Secular), Muslims, Lutherans, Anglicans, Quakers, etc etc. You name it and I've probably had a friend from that faith. What I've learned is that one can draw a substantial amount of knowledge from all worldviews. I'm currently a Catholic but I'm willing to follow God wherever He wants me. I want to have a faith that I can share with my wife and children and that can unite us all together. Whatever that faith ends up being I'll be extremely happy and I know it. I have an open heart to everyone, and every faith. But there is always a substantial difference when one is in a particular faith and one's worldview will never mimick an other entirely until they join that particular group. So I guess I should say be friends with all people, but stay away from the bad. Stay away from the negative influences of life, be that people or otherwise. But accept others and love them, and be open with your heart.

Hala, the key thing is that you keep growing spiritually and learn to love those around you. That means people who even rub you the wrong way and make life hard for you. This is an obviously tough situation for you and I want you to know that you can persevere and get through it. You don't have to confront someone to get a point across. Just let them now politely and gently that what happened disturbed you. This doctrinal issue pales in comparison with the way it is represented. Perhaps it was the way the man went about it that got you so uneasy and not the doctrine itself. You know yourself best so pray to God and see what the true emotions and feelings are here. But remember to keep working through this process. You're new to the LDS and being new to any organization can be rather difficult. Best of luck settling in.