tesuji

I think your purpose was to share the joy at how the Houston temple was spared the flooding. I don't want to detract from that intent. However, I just think it's dangerous to put faith in myths, because they are a sandy foundation. If the myth turns out to be false, then misplaced faith can be shaken. And, hey, I could be wrong and God usually does protect his temples. I also saw another apparent myth recently that concerned me. I attended Sunday testimony meeting at a native American tribe. They talked a lot about being descendants of Lehi and got strength from that. I am not sure, however, that many Mormon scholars would say it's certain that a tribe in Utah was definitely descended from Lehi. So if that turns out to be false, I'm afraid their faith may be shaken, if it was founded on a myth. But, I'm overreacting to the title of your post, I agree

This is cool, but it's not entirely true that God always protects his temples. For example, the Tongan temple burned to the ground a few years ago. It is a Mormon myth, in my opinion, that temples fall under 'magical' protection. Hugh Nibley said Mormons are too likely to see their temples as a 'fetish', in the anthropological definition of 'an object regarded with awe as being the embodiment or habitation of a potent spirit or as having magical potency.'

AoS is my favorite TV show now. The first season starts kinds slow but it gets awesome

On the subject of the Holocaust, an interesting to note for this forum that Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has an affinity for the Jews.

That movie The Devil's Arithmetic looks good. Does it have scenes of awful things happening, though? I have seen too many awful things already in movies about Nazis and Jews. I think The Pianist was the movie where I decided I'd seen too much and didn't want to watch any more of those movies. I've still never seen Schindler's List for this reason. To be clear, I think everyone should absolutely know what happened, including seeing some of the great movies on the subject. I've just learned too much and don't want to see any more. Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of my favorite movies

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Being married, I've tried not to look too much. But I did hear a woman on a learning Hebrew 101 tape who sounded very nice My main point was that maybe speeches by grizzled old war vets may not be entirely representative of Hebrew I enjoyed the scenes in Woody Allen's movie Crimes and Misdemeanors where a rabbi(?) is give a prayer (or something, I don't know). If you happen to know that movie.

I'm glad to hear the other side. Maybe I'll have to reconsider Iron Man

Yeah, I stopped watching his movies after he acts like a spoiled 7 year old in Iron Man 2

Yeah, I went to the movie for the action escapism and ended up loving it. I really like what Marvel's doing - we need heroes in our culture, especially boys do, nowadays.

That's an awesome quote in that comic panel. I've never read the comics, just seen the movies, so I didn't realize he was such a great guy.

Captain America, is my vote. One of my favorite scenes in the first Avengers movie was when the Captain called I-Man on his ego-centrism. The context for this thread is the upcoming movie Captain America: Civil War, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war/

Unfortunately, according to the Bible, the house of Israel has often been disobedient to its own God. Isaiah, for example, talks a lot about this. Jesus said he came into his own and his own received him not. In the book of Acts, the main opponent to the church is the Jews. The Jewish leaders at that time were apparently pretty apostate.

Regarding polygamy, the Book of Mormon clearly states that the standard is one man, one wife; and the church has reiterated this. Of course, there's nothing wrong per se with polygamy: Abraham did it. The church Gospel Topic essay explains it well: Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints?lang=eng Brian Hales has recently published a multi-volume work examining all the evidence of Joseph Smith's polygamy, and discussing the doctrines and reasons behind it. He and his wife also just published the following summary of all his findings: Joseph Smith's Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding Paperback by Brian and Laura Hales http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Smiths-Polygamy-Toward-Understanding/dp/1589587235/ There are many reasons for polygamy in LDS history. The main one I think was to test the early leaders of the church. It's also obviously a test for us now, too. It seems apparent to me that the Lord has placed hurdles in church history that we must be willing to go over. It's also a testimony to me that the Lord will force no one to heaven - "You don't really want to walk the path? We'll I've placed many off-ramps along the way, if you are looking to get off."

For the record, I think Hebrew sounds cool. And even better when spoken by an attractive woman Also, I'm thinking maybe the main problem with Bibbi might not be the Hebrew...

I think a good answer to the OP is to read the whole talk wherein the leader says this. They'll tell you what they mean by it.

LOL. Yeah, this is exactly how I see the Oscars ceremony every year: Someone walks out in a tux carrying a big platter heaped with steaming fresh manure. Everyone cheers, "Wonderful! Give it a Oscar!"

I still enjoy his work. I guess I don't care what his personal views are, unless he makes movies that are specifically anti-Mormon. Bridge of Spies and Captain Phillips were both excellent. I wonder why he hates Mormons. Maybe he's had some bad experiences? This case is the one I can most forgive. My brother in law was poorly treated by Mormons growing up. I can't fault him for not liking the church. This kind of thing makes me crazy frustrated. (Luckily, he realized later that individual members' actions do not equal the church or the gospel.)

Yes, I think I actually confused those two people. My bad

I haven't read every post in this thread, and maybe I'm off base. I do not want to offend, but: In my opinion, discussing doctrine is fine, to get a better understanding. But arguing or Bible bashing leads nowhere. If that's what's happening in this thread then I suggest that it's not leading anywhere. If a person wants to know if the the LDS church is true, the best way is to ask God. Who else but God knows for sure what truth is? I think the best approach is to read the Book of Mormon carefully and with an open mind, then pray to God and ask if it's true. Millions of Mormons have done this and have felt the confirmation of the Holy Spirit that it's true. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a true prophet.

One perspective is that artists (directors, authors, painters, etc) are merely telling a story or depicting something. With TV, their main goal is to entertain, to present something interesting, to cause you to feel something. And actors are just playing the roles that are written for them. The whole enterprise is value-neutral. It's just art. However, I don't buy this. I strongly feel that artists must also always consider the consequence of their productions. Everyone is responsible for the consequences of their actions, even more so if the actions are intentional and not accidental actions. Artists do not get a "pass" because they are in some way special. My frank opinion is that much of the media industry (movies, songs, books) is effectively the church of Satan. It preaches a worldview that is against the gospel. The Book of Mormon says there are two churches only, and that which does not lead to Christ is of the devil. Tom Hanks - I've heard statements from him in the past against the church. I think in most cases, people who are against the church do it because they don't understand what the church and gospel are. They just read some headlines about gay marriage or something and come to false conclusions. There are some people who love darkness more than light. They are enemies to God. But most people are not so much evil as wicked. There's a difference. We all have a percentage of good and evil in us. Wicked, however, means you are disobedient to God. I can't judge Hank's soul, just pray that he chooses good over evil, and lives according to the degree of light he has rather than fight against it.

Of course, you are free to believe as you want. But the LDS doctrine on angels is one of the reasons I find LDS doctrine so logical, if you accept some premises: 1. There is a God 2. God is the father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9) 3. We lived before birth as spirits. Birth is the clothing of our spirit with a body of flesh. 4. After death, our spirit (which is who we really are) goes to wait the resurrection. 5. After resurrection, our spirit is again joined with an immortal body. With this doctrine, angels are just people like us. There's no need for a different class of beings, who may or may not have wings, etc. Angels are simply messengers sent from God - they are either spirits not yet born with a body, or spirits who have passed into the next life, or resurrected people.

Of course, you are free to believe as you want. But the LDS doctrine on angels is one of the reasons I find LDS doctrine so logical, if you accept some premises: 1. There is a God 2. God is the father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9) 3. We lived before birth as spirits. Birth is the clothing of our spirit with a body of flesh. 4. After death, our spirit (which is who we really are) goes to wait the resurrection. 5. After resurrection, our spirit is again joined with an immortal body. With this doctrine, angels are just people like us. There's no need for a different class of beings, who may or may not have wings, etc. Angels are simple messengers sent from God - they are either spirits not yet born with a body, or spirits who have passed into the next life, or resurrected people.

Ivory_Tower, I can empathize with you. I often feel like a fish out of water at church, because I am so different (apparently) from most Mormons in my wards. The things I do personally to deal with this: - Remember the church is not foremost a social organization. It's about helping you progress in discipleship, to endure to the end, and to provide opportunities to serve others. - I try to get to know as many people as I'm comfortable with. I often find that even though they might be different form me, I can still have a meaningful connection to them. And often I'm surprised at how interesting other people are, and even sometimes that they aren't as different as I thought. Of course, it's nice to meet people who aren't like you are - less boring. - Think of church as an opportunity to serve. That's what the gospel is in essence, learning to serve God and others. Of course, also ignore annoying people who try to fix you up on unwanted dates. I think most of these people do it out of love, even if they don't know how to show it very well. I would also say that it sounds like you have too much on your plate. Take time for yourself, to recreate, etc. Or you will probably get burned out. I lived in Japan for a year, so I know how it can be. Everything is harder when you live abroad, especially in such a *very foreign* place. But it can be a great experience! It sounds like you are doing very interesting and worthwhile things.

Megs, I'm very sorry to hear about your trouble. It doesn't sound like your husband is doing anything that he promised to do by marrying you. I hope you don't blame yourself for anything that is not your fault. It seems apparent that he has major issues, that that he must be willing to face them and to grow. I hope the best for you.