clevermoniker

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a girl, so feel free to ignore my advice :) We all have free will, and you have every right to ask her to wait for you... but I still don't think it's right. I think the appropriate, and fair, thing to do is to make your feelings known to her. Let her know how strong your feelings are, and that you hope that you'll have the opportunity to further pursue this relationship when you get home. Asking her to wait, however, is just selfish and cruel. Asking her to not date other people, to not experience the life that all young adults should go through, just because it will make you feel better... If you love her, and really care about her happiness and well-being, I don't know how you could do that. I'm guessing that deep down you're hoping that she'll offer to wait for you, and save you from having to make this decision. Well, if she does ask, then there's nothing to worry about... because you have to tell her no. Again, if you really love her and care about her happiness, you have to tell her that you're not expecting her to wait. That she can date, fall in love, and get married, without any obligation or guilt toward you. If you get home and she's single and you're both still feeling the same, great. But I wouldn't count on it. If I'm coming off as cynical and mean... that's probably because I am :) So why stop now? Now I'm going to tell you more things that you a) don't want to hear, b) really, really need to hear, and c) probably won't understand until you're much older and more experienced. There is no such thing as "The love of my life". There is no one person out there destined to be your mythical "soul mate". I'm sure you think that what you have for her is so unique, and strong, and special, that no one could ever really understand because you can't even put words to that... Well, nearly everyone here has had that. Several times. I'm very happily married for 7 years now, to the fifth "love of my life". It's funny, because when I think back to #1 and #2(The designation of #2 is soooooo fitting for her, but we won't get in to that!), I can't imagine how I could ever have been as happy as I am now. Your focus needs to be on your mission, not on this girl.

I agree with you. I've always thought it kind of naive when members have tried to claim that they're not missing out on any of the fun to be had out there. Sinning IS fun, that's kind of the point. Otherwise it wouldn't be so tempting. We are put on this earth to learn to overcome this, to say no to things that are fun when they are wrong. For me, I see it as a sacrifice now for a greater reward in the future. But make no mistake, it is definitely a sacrifice.

I'm being... half serious.

You know, I'd go to Church every week without fail... if only there were no people there :) I grew up in Utah, yet had very few LDS friends. The other kids were nicer and more accepting. I still often feel that way. All I can say is, until the apacolypse comes or a zombie virus cleanses the earth of them, we're going to have to deal with people, and we can't let them stop us from doing what we know is right.

Marriott is also listed as one of the top profiters from Porn, because of all of the money they make from pay per view adult movies. that being said, the Church has owned stock in companies that sell alcohol. Brigham Young was the first producer and seller of wine in Utah. LDS members are permitted to work in casinos and can still go to the Temple. What does it mean? It means that certain things are legal, and others have free will. And we have the free will to profit from it.

I was diagnosed while undergoing therapy. (That's a very long story in itself. For now, let me just say that I have many of the same traits as your husband, but I really let things get out of control). It took me a long time to accept it, and a big part of that was coming to trust and respect the therapist I was seeing at the time, after going through quite a few. I had to find a good therapist, and a PhD was a necessity. I believed I was smarter than my other therapists, and proved it regularly by manipulating them just for fun. My therapist was willing to be patient with me, and let me focus on many of the other issues I had until I was ready to address this directly. He helped me to see it logically, when I wasn't able to handle it emotionally. Your willingness to let your husband leave is admirable, and I really urge you to stick to that. The condition is completely treatable, but as with everything there are no guarantees. He has to know that the threat of losing you is real, and that you'll follow through with it. He has to know that, one way or another, you will not put up with his behavior. This will do one of two things: Encourage him to really seek help (Just going to therapy is only part of it, but really wanting help is another) or it will help you more quickly get to a point where you'll know that it just isn't going to work, and at that point there's no point in postponing the inevitable.

The Church holds that Jesus visited ALL of this people. That has not necessarily been clarified further.

Testimony or not, there is plenty of evidence supporting it. It's actually a favorite topic of mine. If you're interested, do a search on Father Crespi and see the kinds of artifacts he was given. These even led to an actual expedition searching for a long lost "Metal library" containing books with information written on metal plates, all existing in a hidden cave...

How's this for a first post on this site? I have been diagnosed with this disorder. It's different for everyone, so I can't speak directly for your husband. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that it's impossible to treat, that's simply untrue. How difficult it will be to treat will all depend on him. It took me a long time to really understand my diagnosis to the point where I agreed to it, and that was probably the biggest step. It can be done, and i'd be willing to answer any questions you might have about it. The bottom line is: It can be dealt with, and you can both be happy.