Hemisphere

First. Apologetics... I disapprove of them as much as I do communists and atheists. Second people do have their agency including the people I disapprove. I would tear a limb out if the Lord asks me to defend their free agency. We may not like it ultimately the only one to judge is the Lord, after all it is his prerogative at the end of days. I wouldn´t even busy myself with people who intend nothing but ridicule my faith because there will never be a common ground and struggling breeds resentment. Sure I have said the one or two unsavory things towards annoying people but in the end it is a waste of time. You do what do best by simply doing it. Words are after all wind. And frankly alienating people does not really promote appeal. It is good to stand up for oneself and your conviction but the same holds true for the "lovely" people that are on the other side of the spectrum. Frankly I was given the best advise ad my baptism. Follow faithfully but not blindly. I elevated this to the most important thing that became the pillar of my faith. Often I find Apologetic people also getting out of touch and line with reality, raising fuss where the battle is either lost or not worth it. I personally think, time would be wisely spend to do as our Lord savior asks us. Care for the poor, be excellent and do hat pleases the Lord and not necessarily church, leadership or you fellow member. I would love to remind you all strongly, that each and everyone has a covenant with the Lord and not with the people and that he loves each and everyone unconditionally. Unless some of our beautiful fellow member forgot that, then I would read that again and try to set this in motion to be a good example to emulate. yes... he even loves the people not being kind or questioning us and I do believe that is their right to do so as long as they don´t hinder us in our right to exercise faith. Besides, if you have rats in the house, you call the exterminator and not a clown. There is much to be done within our own ranks as there is plenty of screw ups that actually need apologizing for while making amends. So in that regard, I am not even sure if being an apologetic is just not simply an idle indulgence... while the actually things that need doing get neglected.

either wouldn´t really be in accurate =) but thanks for pointing a typo out

Dear LeSellers, I am siding with you on this one. It has been proven that the scientific community is biased and that statistics have become very unrealiable since they are being paid. And if the Lord intended for us to play with the strands of life for food, he would have given us a pretri dish instead of fork and knife. I also can´t agree with Neuro Typical adherance to science as absolute truth ( according to that and most of them, there is no Lord but then it hardly matters to them ) maybe even possibly as a religion. I am a bee keeper and I lost 12 colonies out of 20 this year. In most likely hood, I will have to switch from honey to breeding because I fear for one of the most important creature on earth. In a very unscientific manner I decided to take samples of the dead colonies to a science lab and test of neonicotinoids and it was also positive for glyphosate. Call me unscientific but that is not something that my organic farmer utilizes. I would also like to add that the rest of the world does not necessarily agree with american science that is corporate sponsored. And if one overlooks the needs for exceptionalism that other scientific sources favor sustainable proportionate organic farming. GMO crops are after all a big business and if it was meant to ease world hunger, it does a poor job because it fails or manages to be moot due to unsavory business practices. Certainly Neuro Typical will back it up with corporate information and frankly, I invite him to do so. I can only say at the end of days, that there will be a price to pay for perpetual ignorance and arrogance with a unhealthy dose of disrespect towards our Lords creation.

I am actually on it, but between exams and a move this is a dangerous disctraction for me =)

Today’s topic in my talk will be “Personal inspirations- Messages from the Lord.” And believe me, I needed plenty of it for the talk. I apologize beforehand, if I have not received it, boring you =) Joking aside, personal inspiration and revelations do play a significant part in our lives inside the church but it is not exclusively ours as the Lord shares his divine spark, wherever he sees fit to incorporate us and anyone else into his designs. We often tend to forget that a good idea might just be what we prayed for or it is another way for the holy ghost to look out for us. And sometimes a personal message heralds changes, whether it be small or epically on a grand scale. Sometimes we don´t even realize he did. In one example however after the seeds of Christ were brought to Rome, emperor Constantine was marching with his army, and he beheld the sun where he saw a cross of light above it, with a phrase :” In hoc signo vinces.” In this sign, you will conquer. The emperor did not know at first what it meant but in a following night, he had a dream in which our savior explained to him that he should use the sign of the cross against his enemies. So all his soldiers would paint the cross on their shields on the eve before the battle of the Milvian bridge. He achieved victory, which paved the way for the edict of Milan that made Chrisitanity an officially recognized and tolerated religion in the Roman Empire. It was not only a military victory, it was a spiritual one indeed. But I reckon, most of you are more familiar in that regard with Joseph Smith in 1 nephi 8- 12 8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. 9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. 10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. 11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read. 12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. Which led to the restoration of the one church on earth. An inspiration that caused multiple ripples throughout the centuries, touching our lives in one way or another. Bible wise we find also people who were inspired to do things. Ranging from Mose to Elijah over to our twelve Apostles in the new testament. Other cultures refer to divine messengers and inspirators as well. Especially in the Greek culture where we find the Muses and their deities as per example Pallas Athena who aids Perseus in his hour of need with the Medusa or Heracles with the Nemeian Lion or Odysseus with his Trojan horse. The examples are legion. We see that inspiration and personal messages from the Lord can take many shapes and forms and sometimes it even asks for sacrifices. But we all know, without sacrifices, there is no victory. Especially over ourselves as complacency is the most diligent of all saboteurs. Personal inspiration does not help you or serve anyone if you choose to ignore it or refuse to exercise agency but even worse at times is, that if it personal inspiration is used when it is frowned upon or even stifled or outright opposed as complacency has gripped some of us and tempt us to be over dogmatic and close our hearts to ideas and revelations that have been carefully laid out for everyone to grasp. and brought to us by the lords chosen vessel John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. We tend to forget that in a world where the Lord takes on a less and less significant meaning. In effect the worldly things surround us and pollute our hearts up to a point how we forgot to listen to the lord even though he shows is things that are important to us. So how much worth has the word of the Lord to us then. We are guilty of unlearning to speak with the Lords, our hearts close and in the wake of this we unwittingly aid the natural man to combat our Lord and savior and his values which we seek to instill into our own hearts and then pass on. How can we do that though, if petty concerns hold us back ? The world has shifted from creation to consuming and we just absorb without reflection. Ideas are killed off or twisted to a point where once a divine spark might have been, it turned to an unliving object in our heart and mind-. Science can be a good example in that regard as people tend to dismiss the hand of the Lord in their work instantly as superstition. but most scientist forget that science is a way to explain God´s miracles and that their achievement are a result through divine inspiration to bring ease to our daily life. Heisenberg, a German chemist said once: the first swallow out of the cup of science is atheism, however at the bottom of the cup you find God." Inspiration can be subtle that gently , like water reaches its destination or it can be like a powerful tailwind that carries you far. But even with a strong wind, a kite has to be lifted up by pulling and running, lest it becomes useless on the ground or even broken. Then they are just missed opportunities that become regrets when we look back in our lives. I believe that my wife Annika which you know to be my personal conduit. My inspriations find a great source through her love. I would also say that it was the greatest inspiration I have been blessed with. Back then when I was still swimming in the shark tank of dating, I joined a plethora of platforms to find my significant other. There was also one obsolete and discfunct obscure church forum that I bothered to sign up once and visit somewhat bi annually. Most of those people online would waste my time by beating around the bush and being dishonest to themselves and to me and there where times where I would disregard messages as spam. Also in the case with a mail from that obscure forum. However, something told me I should open that mail ( I almost never did ) and in following this inspiration the impact to my life was tremendous. I met the love of my life and during our conversations our inspiration lit our hearts up and subsequently we found that we wanted to become husband and wife. And so it came to pass. It may not be on the scale of a roman conquest or the restoration of the church but it sure rocked my world as the Lord intended to and I am glad that I got inspired to read that email, lest I would have missed out on a wonderful person that is far more than I deserve. I consider this the most personal inspiration of my life. I am blessed and thankful. A diabolo, qui est simia dei. Wherever the Lord has a church, the devil has a chapel. Sometimes we receive ideas that are just plain and simple not from the Lord. They tempt you into mischief or into selfish ambitions and Lord knows , I had my fair share of practical jokes and moronic ideas. We can asks ourselves if the ideas that we have, would be pleasing in the eye of the lord and if the answer is no, then we should probably not follow up. Which saves you the trouble of making amends. Brothres and Sisters, an Idea is a powerful thing that comes in shapes and sizes. And they are meant to change your life because the Lord helps us to find our way. We are all but lost. the inspiration and the messages from the Lord are the gentle hands of the shepherd that guides and leads us. And we would do well to heed it and always have care that it is to the greater glory of our lord and to the benefit of our neighbor as we are servants unto the Lord. Proverbs 3 :5-6 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. As a convert you receive the biggest inspiration and message at the same time if you are willing to open your heart for the messages that could mean an extreme life make over. It took an army of seven sisters to ready the soil for the seed of a divine message to start my life over. At first the thought that my life could be incomplete, seemed to be preposterous and it just motivated me to ridicule the sisters and see it more as an intellectual sparring match. (of course it backfired on me... ) the sisters kept coming and their conviction inspired me to give it a shot. It was a major gamechanger and it turned my life around. It inspires me to pass on the tender mercies I have received to others who need it. Brothers and sisters, I testify to you that, if you learn to listen to the voice in your heart and let that divine spark light you up, you can feel the Lords love for you. There is also a certain excitement as well to see how many people you can affect in the long run if you pass on that divine spark. You will discover potential that you didn´t know it is there because the Lord will unlock it for you when the time is right. I testify that his love for us is true.

I can appreciate your disagreement as I think it still a matter of taste. I have read both and I find Tolkien simply wanting. See, Heinlein is in my Eyes someone who excels pointing out human virtue and fallacy. Especially in Starship Troopers ( which is in essence actually a very good political essay ) and the Moon is a Harsh mistress. I don´t think these topics are dated and if they are, they shouldn´t . As for Herbert vs Tolkien. First of there is foolish people but not stupid people in Dune. I like that. The faith of a million world does not hang in the threads by the mercy of insecure glutton that just has the good fortune to have his almost superhuman gardener with him. In Dune, there is clear motifs and people who actually can´t afford to whine. And Herbert did not waste 20 years making up a fictional language. I want to add that I find his ideas of orcish siegework is quite wanting.Or the strategies of Saruman. Granted that the man was a scholar and not a military commander but one has to give him Kudo´s for trying. And to crown my personal opinion, one did not have to read through 40 pages of meaningless hobbit chronology before the story begins, with Herbert that is. =P I do have the Ancillary Justice on my Ipad. I just recently finished Bolo! by david weber and the trouble with humans also by him. excellent read. I can also recommend the 1632 series by eric flint =) if one is into alternative histories. however I will look forward to your recommendation of the ancillary justice.

well, I can concur with my fellow manga and anime fans that Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a fine addition to a collection. I can also recommend : Barefoot through Hiroshima. Ah! my Goddess for it´s very lighthearted humor. Also from the Same feather You are under arrest! if you like slice of life stories. If you do enjoy good Scifi and can abide violence I can lay Battle Angel Alita at your feet and Last order. Other than that if you like some romance with swords and sandals. Red river is nice. And Magic Knight rayearth along with Clover makes for nice reading.

fun poll but ridiculous. one can only look onto someones head and not into it. Frankly you want the woman with experience that has tasted the forbidden fruit. She doesn´t get tempted after she ties the know, unless you either displayed a colossal error in human judgement or you neglect her on a scale that your marriage flies apart when you already got to that juncture

Nothing about Heinlein. Frank Herbert however beats Tolkien in terms of divine epic with a 4 x 4 with nine inch nails and scatters his bones into a glue factory when it comes to well written long term stories. Though one must say, recent "sci fi" has been wanting. Orson Scott Card made a wonderful piece with Enders game, but what followed was ... like an appendix. ready to be removed

I can recommend flatout classics. they are usually devoid of swearing and most often, they still contain a wonderful command of the english language. In that case : Starship Troopers, Stranger in a strange land by Robert A. Heinlein are exceptional. The Dune series carries a lot of interesting content in terms of agency and the pursuit of immortality. And the Tales of the Otori ( beginning with Across the Nightingale floor ) by Leanne Hearne make fine reading. Also BOLO! from David Weber is something I enjoyed deeply. With my recommendations. Enjoy!

I salute you sir, and the Godemperor of mankind approves

Dear Ulder or anyone else in a similar Position, Unlike most I can be quite emphatic to your plight. The church is not an easy environment. As a convert I learned that in a 60 mph vs solid concrete wall - way. The church is a wonderful place if : You are married, with kids ( cream on top), Say yes and amen to anything that comes out of Salt Lake and managed from the start to butter up. I am not saying this as an accusation but it is a fact. As a convert I neither was born into the church nor was I in time to be on a mission. On top I happen to have the misfortune to do as I say and say as I do with the proper portion of directness and a massive lack of conceitedness. Anyhow, I don´t think you are doing wrong because you have a free agency. If you need to discover life outside the church, I do think it might be a healthy experience if you keep carrying the Lord in your heart. The experiences will actually help you to become something the Lord wants you to be, a happy person with a charitable heart towards to needy. And one can not love his neighbor without loving himself. As for the socials skills, I get you as well. Surrounding yourself with church people all day long talking about the same thing over and over will turn you into major retard. A nice one,albeit but still a retard. I know at this point writing this people will be outraged. But one can not carry the Lords good message towards the people when once is too busy committing social incest. So yes, in that regard you obtain skills and can at your leisure chose to be learn about people and if you have the courage even invite them to the gospel. As for dating in the church, I have never met a group of people handicapping themselves so severely like the people of this church. People objectify and exalt Return Missionaries and a fair number indeed, can be actually pigs, looking for their trophy wife that is expected to turn into a baby factory. The whole concept is a fallacy that you are deemed worthy as a companion only AFTER you went on a mission. Never mind that there is worthy fulltime missionaries at home being good members and subjects unto the Lord, which fall through the cracks. You also will never receive love or understanding if you haven´t gone because it is expected. It turned from a conviction of faith into a rite of passage where one might even get a new car as a reward from the family ( exaggerating here a bit ). Fact is, yes it is easier to date outside because you play rules that are universally known. In the church you play with rules not revealed to you and you draw the short end in any case no matter how hard you try, you may never be enough to project status or the potential to become the the future bishop of your ward if you lack sufficient vitamin c ( connection). I myself as a convert went from very fun lifestyle to the even paced lifestyle I desperately needed. However, I am convinced that converts bring qualities and experiences to the church that are sorely needed but there are places where you are a member second class, at least what some "church nobility" inborn - pioneer super mormons would have you believe. The Lords does not care for status or sanctimonious airs, he cares about that you are happy and loved. And you are loved. I would like for you to remember that. Dating in the church is a soul crushing experience if you happen to be an outsider and in some instances one ought rather pet a rabid shark than step out on to field where you get measured by what you aren´t and not by what you are. For any critics out there, I would like to remind you that I have a covenant with the Lord and not its people. I also happen to contribute whatever I can give to the Lords cause and received a tremendous blessing in form of my wife. All that mess I had to wade through makes me appreciate her sharing her life with me on a daily basis. We distinct between cultural mormons and faithful mormons. We are the latter kind because the former kind is too busy being something else. Some people tend to forget that there is also the bible and not just the book of mormon. But it tends to still hold good classics. This is my recommendation of what kind of woman you might want to look for, while it is also acknowledging praise to our sisters. Proverbs 31: 10 - 31 I can invite you only to exercise your good judgement and agency and let the Lord guide your hands. You should disregard judgement that aims to stifle you in your quest for happiness while taking heed to good advise. First and foremost you are a child of god and again: You are loved! No matter what everyone else thinks of you. I will end this lengthy post in the hope that I may have consoled you a bit and encourage you to make your own mark and find your own place in the world around you. Fortune passes everywhere if you but grasp it. My dear brother, from the bottom of the heart, I pray that the Lord will give you what you need but not what you want. There is a difference in that. My wife and I give our love to you and wish you to be well.

I tend to say ( with HUGE wink) that one spouse is fulltime trouble, why would I want more. but then again my wife would be very unwilling to share even if it would be in some form permissive church wise or on a secular level. Besides, before the law it is always a mess. We don´t follow tv but when we hear about those shows with those polygamists, it is quite a sufficient warning not to even delve into the matter because it seems hardly worth the time, drama and effort. On a personal level, I could not see how one can love more than one person ( romantically ) if it is meant for eternity.

well, leah, thank you for sayin that my and other peoples grivance is inconsequential to you. you know, you can be all happy end addicted you want. it doesnt change the fact that people are leaving because you belittle them or disregard their pain. in anyway, "being a victim" appears to be an anathema . I am not even going to merit this with further attention. if praying andstudying the scriptures are the sole answere to it then according to you, nobody should have cause to leave. because in your world apparently nothing happens that makes people go away . why dont you just proclaim it your private club to breed uberhumans that dont feel grief or pain that just suck it up. I am signin off.

disgruntled , negative, cynical, offended... usually the words that are used to negate legitimate grief. if you deny me that now, you dont need to be surprised that people turn away from the church because you dont accept that htey are genuinely not happy and that there are things amiss

easy for you to say, how often do you smile everytime you get a blow in your face with a sledgehammer ? I dont like being negative but out of 4 years membership I have yet to see something that was not consistent of grief for me. there is not much positive left

well, if it were something like that.

well it just sounded to me that way because in a way it sounded like : " suck it up , if you leave you are dumb" at least I perceived it so

really pam ? since when are platitudes useful ? I dont mean to argue but one way or another, you start wondering if there is a central distribution centre for it. in any case, so he says his thing is going well, good for him. but it ain´t for me and I am honestly beginning to wonder if it would not be best to stay away from the nonsense because people twist and turn the teachings to make other people miserable , especially who mean well and who serve truthfully

that was very highhanded and quite self righteous. no offense but being a member for four years I got only crap and abuse from within the the church but never from without. and I follow faithfully but not blindly and if the stake is the source of the problem it´s not going to hcange over a forseeable future if I just leave it be. at some point you are just fed up. so dont talk about how to look away and endure. people dont open their mouths enough if something is not right and that is why bad leadership always gets away with the things they do

people dont stay because most often out of interhuman relationship reasons. bad leadership in the branches and wards is one big main factor and so is also an uninspiring environment. seen it all and been there. got burned myself for trying to make a difference. currently I, myself am considering to leave because people keep me away from the temple by preventing me to obtain a temple recommend

well, the general attitude inside the church worldwide is not the most flexible one in adressing issues and problems. people like to pretend everything is great and shut their eyes very hard

well, I think it couldnt hurt but in what aspect would that help me ? plus the german mentality has a strong override in christian value insude the church.