eddified

@wenglund, wow, I'm really impressed by your blog! I read the entire blog post (save broken images) at https://whyleftistlunc.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-politics-of-race.html and I'm pleasantly surprised by the number of sources cited. Links galore! Good job! This is a blog I'll be bookmarking!

@wenglund I agree that the politics of race have gone off the tracks and are very harmful.

@wenglund I think you make some good points. @Mike there has been a lot of harm done in the name of "racial equality". (See Al Sharpton and affirmative action for examples.) However, the definition of racial equality that I believe in has more to do with judging people based on the content of their character and treating others as children of God regardless of heritage or skin color. Contrast this with slavery reparations and affirmative action, which specifically uses skin color as a basis upon which decisions are made.

@wenglund, I hear you. I've also thought about this. Specifically, to what point should the genders be created equal? Certainly the True Believing Mormon such as myself wouldn't think that the genders are ENTIRELY equal (where "equal" in this case means "the same"), to the point of gender not even mattering anymore (which is where the world is going with it.) Once gender doesn't matter at all, then why restrict marriage to one man and one woman -- why not let two men marry? Once gender doesn't matter at all, then why restrict who can and who can't go in a bathroom or locker room? I personally think that everyone is an equal PERSON before God, very similar to how the Declaration of Independence seems to define equality, but the GENDERS are NOT the SAME. They're equal, but different. See https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&old=true for an explanation. (Maybe this is a bad analogy, but...) Think of your tools. Is a hammer better than a screwdriver? They're both valuable tools, and each has their place. They're different, yet have equal value -- you need both around the house. But you have to be careful here. @wenglund mentioned that this has "increased in importance since the 1960's and the civil rights movement". This phrasing tends to lump gay/transgender rights along with racial equality, which are completely different things. I like to push back against the left's tendency to lump these two very different things together. I agree with racial equality. I do not agree with where the left is taking "gay/transgender" equality. One is righteous, the other quite evil, IMO. Tell that to a socialist/communist, who believe that "equality" should include material possessions/riches. I think such a person (not me) would disagree with @Mike on this. This reminds me of an evil character from the Book of Mormon: Korihor. In Alma 30:17 we read this regarding Korihor's teachings (emphasis mine): That to me sounds like the extreme end of the "survival of the fittest". A world where you get away with whatever you want, because you can. A world where people are encouraged to grind the faces of the poor, because they can. That's not a world I want to live in.

I also think it might be best for you to get married sooner. The bishop can marry you. Then you can work towards being sealed in the temple a year later. Edit: this only applies if there aren't other major issues. Like porn use.

I saw the new Saturday's Warrior and i really liked it. Sure it was cheesy but I really loved the message. And the Piano Guys cameo was fun, and it was a catchy song. In fact the movie brought me to tears. What I'd like to know is, how did this movie compare with the old one ? I never saw the old one. As good as this one is, something tells me it won't become a classic like the old one did. Thoughts ???

was this the one that was rated "R" ? I never saw it.

I thought it was really cute and uplifting. Being male, I don't really identify much with the characters or their experiences. However it was still a fun movie.

Wow I'm sorry @Mcmkk . It sounds like she has some serious issues. Let the Spirit direct and comfort you. Don't confuse your standing before God with how your marriage is going. What I mean by that, is don't feel like a sinner or a loser when you know otherwise. Your difficulties in marriage are not a reflection of your righteousness or lack thereof, provided you are doing your part (it sounds like you are. ). I'm not a marriage counselor, but maybe she needs to know what it's like without you around. I.e. separate and take a break from the marriage for a short while. BUT TAKE THIS ADVICE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I'm not a counselor. Follow the spirit. This is one of your trials , I will pray for you.

@Dustin01, check your Private Messages here https://mormonhub.com/forums/messenger/

Both. Society is cheapening and debasing sex. They are overvaluing sexual pleasure in general, and undervaluing the closeness and love that proper sexual expression provides.

This is a very interesting general statement. If DoctorLemon and his wife make decisions this way, I say more power to them. However, I don't know that this is generally applicable. (But, I could be wrong.) My career is my career. I believe I should counsel with my wife but ultimately the decision is mine. My wife encourages us to have healthy boundaries, so that we can each be ourselves and be individuals, yet we work together on major issues. DoctorLemon's ideas are hard for me personally to accept though because I got married during my last semester of college (undergrad), and my wife never said anything about my choice of career. So in effect, I was never challenged about my career. So it's easy for me to say what I'm saying. On the other hand, my job location affects my family (do we have to move for the next job? etc). So my wife should have a say over my job. I guess I'm tentatively saying I don't think she should choose my career, by she can help choose my job? Dunno. I'm more thinking out loud than making pronouncements of opinion.

I hope you are prayerful about the situation. If you feel God is telling you to try to start anew, so be it, but otherwise I would advise against going that route. I believe we should be faithful to our spouses (yes, even faithless ones) when there is no abuse or sexual unfaithfulness. Marriage is hard. It always is. Don't be tempted to think the grass is greener on the other side. What I mean is, his faithlessness is *not* a reason for divorce. Work on your marriage. Support him in his trials (depression). It won't be easy, but it's not about being easy. God bless.

I have a friend who fell away from the church. I believe his catalyst was the death of a very close loved one. But once he got going, he started reading all kinds of things against God. Which leads me into the next thing I wanted to say. I read a good book lately that might help. It's not in relation to the question of homosexuality, but it does help belief in God. It's not a spiritual book however, it's a scientific book. The book is called "Evolution's Achilles' Heels" by 9 different Ph.D.'s. Now, I'm really not trying to start a debate about evolution. I just wanted to point out that this particular book points out many amazing things that are pretty impossible to explain without Intelligent Design. I won't try to sugar coat it, it is very against evolution defined as the common ancestry of all living things. But if your husband is still on the fence and is actively reading about science and God, this might be up his alley. Link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Evolutions-Achilles-Heels-Ph-D-Scientists/dp/192164382X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430884321&sr=8-2&keywords=evolution%27s+achilles%27+heels

Think about the new fiance. If he is a good, righteous man, he would probably want to know what kind of girl she really is. He should know the full truth before he gets into a marriage relationship with her. If I were you, I wouldn't really worry so much about _her_ salvation as she obviously isn't very worried about it; I would worry more about the poor unsuspecting man who she is going to marry. If I was him, I would definitely want to know the kind of girl she really is. If you tell him and he doesn't believe you (maybe he thinks you're lying to get him to dump her), well then at least you tried to warn him. Later on in their marriage when they have problems, he'll realize you weren't lying, and then at that point he'll more fully understand what he is dealing with. So even if he doesn't believe you now, there is a good chance down the road he may come to believe you. If he DOES come to believe you, (whether it be sooner or later), then it will be helpful to him to know the full truth. Because isn't it always better to know more truth than less?