EarlJibbs

This is simply untrue, MG.  The right does not "hate" Disney, and those on the right who dislike Disney's actions are not expecting Disney to "execute homosexuals for trying to enter the park." They simply want Disney not to participate in the societal rush to normalize and even champion homosexuality. This does not seem outrageous to me. Just leave homosexuality alone.
Why should those who believe that homosexuality is destructive to the human soul and to human societies (e.g. believing Latter-day Saints) patronize and otherwise offer support to organizations hostile to their beliefs? Refusing to normalize and champion homosexuality is a far cry from executing or even shunning homosexuals.

I was baptized as a college student in the 1970s and served a mission after I graduated. The man who baptized me as a graduate student in his 40s, never married, but very active with the missionaries and in fellowshipping me. While I took these circumstances to consider the possibility of his being gay, I did not give it much thought as there was never any inappropriate interaction and he was always a great example of righteousness to me.

After my mission, he shared with me that he was a woman in a man’s body. On weekends he would take on this identity out of town. Like your friend, he did not expect anything in the way of how he was to be addressed or treated. Suddenly a few missing pieces seemed to make sense, but I was not very charitable in my response, after all he had done for me. A few years later I reached out to him long-distance but I could tell he had drawn the line at civility and not so much friendship, and I do not blame him.

God does not make mistakes, but bodies and minds are subject to the random forces at play in the fallen world. God may intervene at times, but often not and therein is the test in seeing “if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” This man baptized and fellowshipped me, as far as I can tell, with no ulterior motive than to share the Gospel.

Your friend’s beliefs and conclusions may or may not be correct, but that is not important in my opinion. The important thing to me is that his tears will be washed away and he will be judged according to the light he possesses. In the meantime, we can be part of that dynamic wherein “intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own.”

I wish I had acted the part those many years ago.

What galls me today is the contention against the Church and the Lord's servants on such issues. The spirit of contention and not sustaining that whioch has been revealed is not an edifying approach for anyone.

There is nothing odd about the Philippines having to adjust to the foreign policy of the countries that are the movers and shakers of the Pacific theater.  The Philippine Military, as crazy efficient as they are, will not last more than a day under the onslaught of either the US, Russia, or China.  So you might think, why would these guys bother with a little country like the Philippines?  The same reason that Magellan ended up in the Philippines.  It is the entrance to Asia.
It is completely accurate to say that Trump Hate is putting the US in its enemies hands.  It is intellectually dishonest to believe that Judge Robards ruled against the Executive Order on non-political grounds.
President Trump has not done A SINGLE THING that deserved the kind of vicious vitriol that is occupying the mainstream news cycle 24/7.  Candidate Trump was called every name on the book and treated like a joke the very first day he announced his candidacy.  He was on the Apprentice for years without getting called a racist, sexist, bigot.  He became that simply because he rode those escalators and said he is joining the Republican primaries.  Looking at the shenanigans of the left on the Senate floor - Jeff Sessions, for example served in the US Senate for 2 decades without controversy until he got picked for AG at which time he became a white supremacist that falls just shy of lynching a black man on the street.
If you think Trump is fanning this divisiveness in our culture then you have no hope of ever becoming a UNITED States again.  Because to do that, you first have to realize what the problem really is.

I'm experiencing one right now at the Creationism thread.  On what constitutes Science.
Mormonhub is also great at having irreconcilable discussions on what the LDS Church teaches.  Which is kinda interesting when all parties in the discussion are card-carrying Mormons.  That same Creationism thread is having one on what the Church teaches regarding evolution.
In any case, these things are not bad when approached with compassion.  When we desire to teach and learn rather than bludgeon the other with our intelligence.

My free-time hobby is learning about different faiths and the people who believe in them.  That is very much seeing another person's viewpoint.  I've learned that in order to walk in someone else's shoes I need to take mine off first- shelf my objections, my bias', and whether or not I think their beliefs are bunk.  Instead, learn their reasoning and their world as they see it: what's important, what's beautiful, what's worrisome, what's not worth bothering with.  From this experiences I've tremendously came to more understand and respect my fellow man and their beliefs.   While I may totally disagree with their beliefs, I do see God moving in their lives and from their lens I learn my about my beliefs.  It is a wonderful experience.  

Welcome, Jsmith85!  (Great name you got there. )
In addition to where to start geographically, I recommend considering the following options to see what's right for you:
Ask questions of these Mormons who have come into your life Ask us questions Read the Book of Mormon (you can get a free one - see next) Or you can get the app - just make sure it's the one published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - I know they have it for Android and Apple, not sure if it's in the Windows app store or not.  I recommend the one called "The Book of Mormon" (the Gospel Library app has tons of other stuff and might be a little overwhelming - you just want the Book of Mormon). Visit https://www.mormon.org/ - where you can read, watch videos, chat with a missionary, and ask for a copy of the Book of Mormon Visit with the missionaries (see above).  It's OK to be up front about your level of interest and how you would like your conversations with them to go. Poke around on http://www.lds.org/ What I would not recommend is going to sites which are opposed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Such sites are usually referred to as "anti-Mormon".  Those sites may include facts, but they'll also include lies and deceptions.  If I want to know what Baptists believe, I don't go to those who hate Baptists, but to a Baptist, and ask him or her directly about their beliefs.  I recommend you do the same - ask the believers what they believe, and don't bother with the haters.
And, of course, to know what our Heavenly Father wants you to do, just ask Him - see James 1:5.

From me... somebody who took almost 10 years to finally get a green card... I think the US immigration system is too welcoming.
The fact is, a lot of people want to come to the US.  Yea yea, you hear Filipinos and Mexicans say Life is Better in the Philippines or Mexico... they only mean that culturally, not economically.  They still want to live in the US so they can send money back home.  So, the first chance they get, they'll go to the US, even risking the illegal routes, just so they can have that chance to earn dollars.
The progressives like to say... We should open our borders to these unfortunate folks and share our wealth... yeah, that's the fast track to making the US a 3rd World County.  Which, I guess solves the immigration problem.
So yes.  Strong borders.  The US don't have full natural borders.  That's why it needs a wall.  There are farmlands in Texas that are private property that abuts Mexico.  These property owners don't just protect their land from wolves and coyotes, they protect them from people too.  I mean, it's fine for us subdivision dwellers to put up an 8-foot wood fence to prevent thieves from coming in as well as nosy neighbors.  It's highly different for these guys who has to keep their property safe from a daily influx especially those trafficking drugs and people for the porn and slave industry.
In addition to the wall and the access road alongside it for border patrol... drone technology to monitor the border to supplement surveillance, vibration technology to detect tunnels, and a highly efficient detention facility to process arrests.
Now, one might question... hello... 3,000 miles of border between Canada and the US... no wall.   What gives?  Well, plain and simply, there's relatively very few problems coming from the northern border.  Yes, you still have the skipjacks... Filipinos flying to Canada then crossing illegally into the US.  But, getting into Canada is just as difficult as entering the US.  Canadians also has a lot less reason to want to risk illegal crossings into the US.  So, how to make the southern border safer?  Improve the lives of our Southern neighbors.  In their own countries.  Unfortunately, Mexico's Spanish heritage has kept them from progressing.  Much like the Filipinos.  The Spanish legacy of government corruption still holds its grip even after more than a century.

I tried fiction food once.  It was a beautiful array, but it wasn't at all satisfying.

Well, as I'm brown, I don't need to.  If you haven't noticed, only White People can be racists and neo-nazis.  They're the only ones that need to publicly denounce it.  Black or Brown or Yellow ones can say the most racist things and not have to worry about it.   

Is it though?   Is it any less than seeing a tile in the floor that is slightly off center? One blinker going off in a myriad of cars that isn't actually changing lanes? That is my off center tile haha. Either way, like I said, I am fast and loose so I really don't have much that bothers me. My wife on the other hand, I driver her crazy!

Mine is when people leave their turn marrieds on.  Drives me nuts!

I just hate it when people call my OCD a mere pet peeve.

james12, as much as I admire your posts, your implication here is dangerously false. It is simply, utterly, completely, 100% wrong.
Let's divide the early American settlers into two broad camps: Those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. Which of these two groups supported the idea of counting slaves as FULL people?
If you said those who opposed slavery, you are wrong.
And which of these two groups wanted to count slaves as ZERO people?
If you said those who supported slavery, you are wrong.
All of the people who we look back on today with admiration as having "enlightened" views on slavery WERE THE ONES WHO OPPOSED COUNTING SLAVES AS FULL PEOPLE.
The reason, of course, is politics. The southern (slave) states wanted their slave population counted toward their total representation in the House. Those who opposed slavery said, in effect, "You can't eat your cake and have it, too. You can't support the institution of slavery and yet turn around and count them as citizens for purposes of representation."  The infamous "Great Compromise" of counting each "Negro slave" as 3/5 of a person was a grudging concession by the North to allow the union to form.
Please, people, don't use the "three-fifths" clause in the Constitution as some sort of proof that our Founding Fathers thought of black people as being worth only three-fifths of a white person. This is utterly false.

Mission President told us to make a decision right then and there on how we were going to live the rest of our lives and commit to keeping a higher standard. Specifically he mentioned rated R movies. I know this can be debated, but I decided that I wasn't going to do it and it has stuck. I have made other commitments based off of this discussion he had with us. 
I had a companion that showed me by example what it meant to teach by the spirit. Make no mistake, we had a ton of fun teaching, but I have never forgotten how strong the Holy Ghost testified to me when he taught. Because of these times, and others in my life, I cannot deny the gospel or it's teachings. They are my anchor experiences when any doubt creeps in. 
 

My mission experience was the culmination of joy and misery, it is where I finally understood what the Lord meant in scripture where he said if not for opposition all things, "if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead." ( 2 Nephi 2: 11)
I loved my mission, not because it was easy, but because I learned by deep spiritual knowledge that I was indeed a "Son of God" by witness from the Spirit of all truth. I learned that God works through dreams. I learned that God will provide dreams for learning and the conversion of his children. I thought it most interesting that these dreams, I encountered, centered around three truth: 1) This is the only true and living church 2) Families are indeed eternal 3) The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
I remember one difficult time where pride entered into my heart and caused issues with my companionship (the sad thing is that we worked so well together). I blamed my companion for my shortcomings. I knelt down in prayer addressing my concerns with our Heavenly Father and to which I said, "Father, if not for my companions pride we would have been more successful." I can count on my two hands the number of times I have actually received an answer while kneeling and this one one of them. "Anddenex, it is not that he was prideful, it is that you were prideful." My prayer changed from hubris to repentance. The next time I saw my companion I asked his forgiveness and told him what I experienced. To my dismay, he said the same prayer and he received a similar answer and he apologized to me. We prayed we would serve again together, but was never answered. I learned to look inward when issues result in a companionship, this lesson has blessed my marriage, as I realized if arguments occur I am rarely innocent, and fortunately my companion is of a similar heart and mind.
These thoughts suffice for me for this thread.

My first job after college took me to Maryland where our stake center was located in Washington DC.  Our Welfare farm was on the eastern shore of Maryland and was a dairy farm.  This was back in the day when it was common for members to do much of the labor at welfare farms – especially on weekends – often for an entire Saturday.  My first assignment at the welfare farm was cleaning out the barn which was approximately 2 feet of cow manure.   The smell was horrible and the first thing I did when entering the barn was to throw up – then I was fine to start working.  There were 3 of us cleaning out the barn that day – myself, an army guy with a bright silver star on his shoulder and a US Senator. 
I tried to make some humor that if I was going to spend the day shoveling B.S. that I spend it with the “Washington Elite” that are expert at it.   The one thing we did agree on – is that none of us would do this for money or any social benefit – but we would for our G-d.  The LDS church has many ways to humble any (and all) members.
 
The Traveler

I am not trying to get you to say that you worship Satan. I was just trying to understand what @Traveler meant.
This terminology must have been what confused me.
I actually am a hermit crab. There was a mutation that made it so that I have thumbs. That's how I'm typing. 
Thanks for clarifying. 

So... this totally back fired in my face and I would highly suggest not duplicating it either. This happened a couple of days ago. In my "wisdom" I decided to do a prank on my family since I had access to a fog/smoke machine for an upcoming Youth Dance. I sneaked the machine downstairs and waited until my wife and kids were all upstairs cooking and getting ready for dinner. This smoke machine is definitely a high output device. I turned on the machine close to the basement stairs leading up to the kitchen area. Smoke quickly filled the down stairs and to my surprise, thinking it was a "fog" machine, the smoke detectors all started going off. The alarms triggered the start of the panic upstairs.
"What is going on?"
"Are you burning the food?"
"Where is your father?!?'
As they called/screamed for me I remained silent down stairs. Shortly afterwards the smoke made it's way upstairs... finally they saw the smoke and that it was coming from downstairs. This set off a higher level of panic and some choice words from my loving wife (who never swears, ever!). As they called down for me from the upstairs, I still remained silent. So with all the alarms blaring, panicked kids, swearing wife I decided to emerge while laughing.
Well... the reaction of my wife realizing it was a joke/prank almost left me one step away from being divorced  I have seen her mad before, but she was MAAADDDD x1,000,000. Oh boy!
So lessons learned:
1. Don't prank involving your death. My wife thought I had died or was dying downstairs.
2. Realize that your family will basically panic in a house fire situation unless you have practiced this.
3. Realize that you are going to burn downstairs because no one came to rescue Dad...he is disposable
So again... don't try this if you want a happy marriage. Don't do this because you might come to the shocking realization that your family loves you, but not enough to risk their lives to go help you downstairs.

I'm reminded of my time as a boy scout.  I was all excited to help with the aluminum can drive - my dad saved cans and we had a ton to donate.  The troop loaded up into the scoutmaster's car and everyone came over to my house.  There they were - piles upon piles of empty beer cans.  Beer cans.
The enthusiasm immediately died. Everyone stopped talking.  Nobody would make eye contact with me.  For 15 excruciatingly awkward minutes, the other boys half-heartedly crushed a few cans, picking them up like a rotting dead fish, and filling a garbage bag.  Then the scout master said "I think we have enough", and we left the piles upon piles of remaining cans and left.  Nobody spoke in the car on the way back, except maybe a comment or two about how the cans smelled gross.  I learned inappropriate shame and undeserved guilt on that day.  I started internalizing lies about how neither I nor my family was good enough to be accepted by the good people of the world.  I stopped going to scouts shortly after, and I went inactive as soon as I could get away with it.  I didn't belong, they had made that clear.   My dad swore a lot that night - and kept swearing at mormons for the rest of his life. 
So yeah, my gut response to the OP question, is 'for the love of pete don't treat anyone like I got treated'.  It took a long time to get over the sting of judgment and rejection from my LDS peers, and pull the plug on the lies I had been believing about myself.  

Sustaining is not a vote for or against someone but more of a recognition that they have received the call and you are willing to sustain (help) them and the L-rd in completing or magnifying the call.  However, if someone is a member in good standing (supports that the Church can call officially to serve in the L-rd Kingdom) and they have personal knowledge that they are unworthy for the call, then they should go before their local leadership and so testify.  But I would also point out that if someone is aware of anyone requiring disciplinary counsel that they should go first to their local Priesthood leaders regardless of any call.  I personally know of someone that was not sustained by and individual and because of the witness brought before the Priesthood leaders that the person was never set aside for the calling.
It used to be that if someone was released from a calling for disciplinary reasons that such was announced before the Church – but that does not happen anymore.  I believe this is to avoid ostracizing someone and making repentance difficult.  If someone is not worthy for a calling – I do not believe that unless there are unusual circumstance that such things need to be made know to everybody in the public meeting of the Church.  Individual worthiness is not something to be discussed in meetings intended for worshiping and renewing covenants.
 
The Traveler

Yes, and no. This also includes the reason for opposing. The option to "oppose" pertains to the worthiness of the individual being sustained to hold the calling they have been called to: male or female. What has the individual done to make them unworthy of their calling?  How and why a person opposes is very important. These individuals yelling out in a formal meeting are no different than those who called Joseph Smith a "fallen" prophet. 
The size of an audience is moot to opposing. There are proper manners of behavior to be maintained no matter the size of the audience. If in a ward a person opposes in the back, and the one conducting doesn't see the sign, if the person then yells out "NOOOO" or "I OPPOSE" they would be wrong. They can maintain reverence and speak with the bishop at the conclusion of the meeting. The yelling in a formal meeting, says more about the person opposing than it does the person who is being opposed. 
Yes, of course. This is why the option to "Oppose" is given, as someone in the audience may know something the current leadership may not know. The appropriate sign is given, and I have no objection against someone raising their hand to oppose. As long as the proper reverence is maintained, the sign given, that is all that matters. The individual who opposed can then speak with their local stake leader as to reasons for their opposition. If it truly is something that pertains to worthiness and not a personal dislike, then it will be brought to the attention to the appropriate leader, and then up to the leading body of the Church.
I will give you an example of a rightful opposition that was given when a young men was called and then to be sustained to the priesthood. When his name was given, and the signs requested, a mother opposed. In a private meeting the mother gave her reason. Evidence and witnesses were given. The young man was not worthy to hold the priesthood and did not receive the priesthood. 
The right to oppose is founded upon the principle of worthiness. What has a person done that would make them unworthy of the calling being received, or being sustained that they are already in? Our person opinions have no right in such avenues. I will give a personal example of an individual I nearly did oppose. I worked for the individual. The individual sought to fire me three times over a lie that was told about me. If not for the president of the company actually seeking evidence I would have been let go. We were in the same ward when he was being sustained to a position of leadership. As his name was given I thought carefully if I should raise my hand to oppose, as I was concerned with regard to how I was treated in the workforce by this man. As I pondered and prayed silently, the spirit attested to me that he had done nothing that would make him unworthy of the calling being received. I did not oppose. My personal distrust, dislike, had no place in opposing an individual to the calling being received. These individuals who are yelling, I am 100% confident these individuals have no good reason to oppose their worthiness. They are progressive Mormons with an agenda and they want to be heard; otherwise, they would maintain reverence and give the sign and then report to their local leader.

Huh? Seems like you have a beef with those that can integrate science with religion. I have had my experiences with weird stuff that cannot be explained, along with people I trust and love tell me theirs. Some real, creepy stuff mind you. However, in this case, it does sound like sleep paralyses, which is a real thing. Do you deny what those that have experienced it have said? There have been a good balance on this thread between a scientific explanation and advise on how to deal with it, along with religious, faithful ideas that could help. 
I wonder how many people thought that having a child born with mental illness meant that they were possessed? But now, you can accept that they aren't right? Faith and living the gospel can help in any situation, whether it is scientifically explained or not. 

Huh? Seems like you have a beef with those that can integrate science with religion. I have had my experiences with weird stuff that cannot be explained, along with people I trust and love tell me theirs. Some real, creepy stuff mind you. However, in this case, it does sound like sleep paralyses, which is a real thing. Do you deny what those that have experienced it have said? There have been a good balance on this thread between a scientific explanation and advise on how to deal with it, along with religious, faithful ideas that could help. 
I wonder how many people thought that having a child born with mental illness meant that they were possessed? But now, you can accept that they aren't right? Faith and living the gospel can help in any situation, whether it is scientifically explained or not. 

It certainly sounds like sleep paralysis. I've experienced it quite a few times - very similar to what Anatess and Pam describe - not with "demons" per se, but with a feeling of panic and inability to move - sometimes a powerful force holding me back against the bed. My wife tells me I make "wimpering" noises when it happens - when she hears me she gives me a nudge and I come fully awake.
Sleeping with your eyes open can produce strange effects: a few years ago I was admitted to hospital with acute asthma, and I was lying on one of their trolley-bed things. I was dead-tired but unable to sleep properly because of the effort needed to keep breathing. I went into a kind of miserable doze during which which I clearly saw a woman with a round face looking at me. She was quite beautiful, with long dark hair; a bit like Anna Ford in her younger days. As I gradually woke up the face changed until it became the rivet in the side of the bed, and I realized that was what I had been looking at all along. I can only suppose is that the dream-state does strange things to the information we receive from our senses.
I also once read an article* which suggest that Fuseli's painting "The Nightmare" is a representation of sleep paralysis: the ugly fella on the sleeper's chest is the force holding her down. (The most scary part of the painting for me is the nasty-looking horse in the background - some suggest is the steed the demon arrived on - probably combined with the pun of "mare" in "nightmare").

*I don't know if this is the same article but it says much the same as the one I'm referring to: http://www.thesleepparalysisproject.org/about-sleep-paralysis/culture-and-history/

I used to have sleep paralysis as a teenager as well.  I couldn't move, I couldn't yell out and there was always that feeling of something extremely evil around me.  I finally had a blessing and never had the problem again. But I put up with it for a long time before I finally had my dad give me a blessing.