SpiritDragon

The way I see it something like survival skills and navigational skills are things that although you hope not to need, sort of like first aid and self defense skills, when you need them you really need them. such skills could be required in far more cases than a zombie apocalypse. Consider living in a city where a natural disaster has disrupted civil order and day to day activities like grocery shopping are stopped, potable water is no longer running, the furnace is dead because there is no power... how are you going to take care of your family for the time it takes the authorities to put things back in order, could be a day or two, could be over a week. You might also wish for such skills if you ended up having vehicle problems in the middle of nowhere and needed to be able to survive. Anyway, I can see where you're coming from that they might not be skills that are required often, and maybe not ever, but it does seem like due to the nature of the situations that would require such skills and that there might not be second chances that such skills seem important to me. I also agree with comments regarding the self-confidence aspect of knowing one can take care of her/himself.

Well there you have it. With that criteria I'd probably have 20+ lady friends... at least insofar as the hanging out is work related - I still wouldn't ever feel it appropriate to call up the ladies from work and go hang out at a restaurant or their house, so my "friendship" with them is contingent on them either being active customers/clients at work or co-workers.

Indeed, everyone is entitled to their opinion. If it works for your husband and you, that's great. I am one of four men in a workplace of fifty women, and I consider many of my colleagues enjoyable to spend time with and interesting people, but not friends. I wonder if much of the difference of opinion is in how we define friends? I like most people I meet and as far as I can tell the feeling is mutual, and yet I consider very few people friends. Out of curiosity do you go hang out with your male friends while your husband is off with his female friends? What sort of friend activities do you guys get up to?

Totally agree. How could an activity on that be made fun and accessible? - Other than letting the kids have a shopping spree with someone else's credit cards?

I know that many discussions have been had on whether or not males and females can ever truly be just friends. I'm undecided, but I know that when I was single I never felt like it was worthwhile to develop any deep friendship with a lady who I was not going to potentially marry simply because from my perspective it would be inappropriate to continue the friendship once I did get married. Wouldn't it make my wife uncomfortable to know that I like spending time with another woman who potentially knows things about me that I've never thought to share with her (my wife). I suppose the friendship could just be cancelled at that time, but it seems kind of harsh to just simply tell all of my friends, "hey, I'm married now, we can't be friends anymore." Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I feel that having opposite gender friends, especially when married, is playing with fire.

Hey everyone, I was just reading some of the comments in @Vort's latest BSA thread and was interested in the discussion around a replacement program for BSA and how individuals perceived different areas of learning and activities being geared toward one gender or another. I didn't want to hijack the thread (and probably wouldn't succeed if I tried anyway), but I thought it might be interesting to discuss what life skills people think would be useful to incorporate into a program to help young men and women develop into well-rounded, self reliant men and women. Some skills that I think would be useful to have activities to train in: Navigation skills: Reading maps, using GPS, Compasses, noting directions based on landmarks and the sky and so on. Basic repair skills: patching holes in drywall, replacing a toilet wax gasket, changing a tire, some basic framing skills, patching jeans, adjusting hemlines communication skills: the art of talking instead of texting.... perhaps even developing proficiency in Morse code and smoke signals Knot tying: I hated this part of scouts, but it's really useful to know. food preparation skills: it wouldn't be bad for everyone to learn some basics on food safety and perhaps learn a few basic reasonably healthy recipes they could use. Maybe even just how to follow directions in a cookbook - I'm often amazed at how many people simply can't follow a recipe. Survival skills: recognizing edible plants and knowing how to use them, possibly some hunting and tracking skills, how to build a fire (without matches or a lighter/igniter/flamethrower?), setting up basic shelter What skills would you like to have learned or like to see learned by youth coming through such a program?

Unexpected consequences indeed!

I get teary eyed with those songs too (kidding of course) I do believe I saw @mirkwood psyching himself up for the shooting range by listening to Supertramp But I won't forget the time I found @MormonGator belting out all the words to every song on his well-worn Avril Lavigne album

The 90's are probably too old for your purposes, but I didn't mind country music of that era so much... in fact I liked some of it. I can say that I like Garth Brooks' songs such as The Thunder Rolls, and The Red Strokes I can enjoy Reba's Fancy and The Night the lights went out in Georgia... oh and I liked And Still One of my favourites is but yeah, probably ancient history... does it make me old if it doesn't seem that long ago...?

I completely relate to the pouring acid feeling. I've never been able to take MoTab or country music in large doses. I was forced to listen to country music at work day after day for several months (13 to be precise) and it felt so good when I left that job and was freed from this form of inhumane torture that strangely isn't a human rights violation.

Funny you should mention this, I've never thought of Meat Loaf or the Sweet as the same kind of music as AC/DC. I did, however, find Meat Loaf had an uncanny resemblance to Air Supply and Bonnie Tyler. I only recently learned the common connection behind the sounds is Jim Steinman. On that note how many more random things could go in a music video:

We're rooting for you!

@DoctorLemon as far as actually forbidden? I can't say but the bolded parts suggest a seriously unfavourable light.

I grew up with a family in my ward where the family didn't play with face cards. They could play all the same games with Rook cards, but the face cards were prohibited. I'd never heard such a teaching in the church and they were the only people I knew who abided by this rule. Interestingly enough face cards have been spoken against much more recently than the 19th century. I believe the following quote is from Joseph F. Smith: “One’s character may be determined in some measure by the quality of one’s amusements. Men and women of industrious business-like, and thoughtful habits care little for frivolous pastimes, for pleasures that are sought for their own sake. It is not easy to imagine that leading men in the Church would find any pleasure that was either inspiring or helpful at the card table” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 329). Other thoughts of President Smith's are available in Gospel Doctrine Volume 2: A course of Study for the Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums 1971-1972, "I have heard that some who are called to officiate in the holy ordinances have, when absent from the house of the Lord, or when tardy in arriving, excused themselves because of the time occupied in giving or attending a card party. Those who indulge are not fit to administer in the sacred ordinances. They are not more worthy than others who violate good morals in any respect. They should be excused." "I am told that young people offer as an excuse for such questionable pastime the accusation that cards are played in the homes of certain leading men in the Church.Bishops, however, ought never to be deterred in their efforts to suppress the evil by counter complaints of this kind. The bishop has the same right to inquire, through the means of his teachers, into the pleasures of the homes of the highest authorities of the Church as he has into those of the most humble members. If it be true that card playing is prevalent in the Church, bishops are charged with the responsibility for the evil and it is their duty to see that it is abolished or that men and women who encourage it be brought to account before their brethren and sisters for the pernicious example they are setting before the youth in Zion. Certainly no bishop can report his ward in good condition where such practice prevails." Knowing that the father of the aforementioned family was a former bishop, likely in the era that this manual was in use, I can see why in his family these cards were not used. What I don't fully understand is the silence on the matter in more recent years. Why such strong teaching on a topic that would clearly lead a family to operate in the manner they did and likely still do, when in my generation not a word seems to have been said on the manner. The closest I can think of is some teachings on gambling in general.

Further to this, if we accept that when the brethren are speaking they do so as the lord's servants, we have this scripture to support your assumption Pam: D&C 82:5 Therefore, what I say unto one I say unto all: Watch, for the adversary spreadeth his dominions, and darkness reigneth; We simply don't have special rules that apply to only some. The same counsel is universal in reach.

I know some real man-haters who might appreciate this too much. Especially with @Carborendum's modification.

This is a nightly read at my house lately! It's a lot of fun

Did the law actually change or simply the way ordinances and practices concerning the law change. I ask because if the law itself actually changed then would that not be indicative of God changing the rules so that different people play by different rules on a fundamental level. Would this not violate the law of justice and god would cease to be God? So if the law did not change, but the application of the law did - what type of ground rules would need to be in place? For instance, Sabbath worship may have changed from the seventh day to the first day, but the concept of Sabbath observance was not done away or fundamentally changed, was it? Blood sacrifice was done away in favour of a broken heart and contrite spirit - that may also have always been required, while the symbolism of the Sacrament certainly still points to the savior just as the blood sacrifices have always done. I'd actually find this a very useful avenue for the discussion to look at what changes took place from the old testament to the new and from the new to the early restoration and on up until now. As changes occur is there a clear pattern of fundamental principles and guideposts that are unchanging, and if so what are they?

Absolutely, but isn't it possible (even likely) that more important than the animal sacrifice to the Lord has always been the attitude of the one involved in the ordinance. So with animal sacrifice being done away with now, it would seem that the sacrament fills the place of remembering the final blood sacrifice of the lamb without blemish, the first born. More important than whether we use bread and water or crackers and wine is the thought and intent in the heart. Even so, though, there clearly is importance in the how and what of the ordinances, and not just the attitudes involved.

I don't actually even like the term Rape Culture because it conjures up the idea that we are teaching people that rape is okay, which clearly isn't really the case in the society that I live in. However, when I had it better explained to me that it has to do with the concept of not getting consent before making physical contact among other things that it represents, I have to admit that there is some validity to such a culture. With that in mind your suggestion, perhaps tongue in cheek, was to go ahead and kiss her quickly before she could say no which is definitely making a move into someones physical space without consent. Yes, this girl kissing this guy could indeed fall into the same category as it appears he is not given a chance to consent to the action. Perhaps, this fellow wanted to save his first kiss for his wedding day or would like to be sure that the girl kissing him doesn't pose a risk for giving him oral herpes or any other number of reasons that people should not be kissed without consent.

Clearly, the Lord looks on the heart and could see that Cain's was not in the offering. Now we are required to offer a broken heart and contrite spirit - has this always been so, and the offering of animals or harvest and such was simply a means of outwardly expressing an inner conviction?

@Traveler @Carborendum @CV75 So far what I'm getting from all of you (I think) is the idea that in regard to the ordinances the only change that really matters is if they are performed without priesthood authority which would obviously include the keys to direct the work and so on. With this being the case could hypothetically baptisms by sprinkling be okay if Thomas S. Monson said so while acting as the prophet? My understanding is that in Catholicism this very change took place under the auspices of having divine authority to make the change, perhaps @anatess2 could offer some insight on that particular perspective. Granted we don't believe that Catholics hold the actual priesthood of God, but they do (think so). Would changing the ordinance in and of itself be a problem, or is the authority really all that matters. Obviously, without the authority everything else can remain the same but the ordinance will still lack any authoritative power. Sorry, I just remembered cv75 mentioning baptism as one that specifically must not change - My question remains the same however, just substitute a different ordinance with the same idea. Thanks for your thoughts everyone.

I've never actually seen or listened to broadway production, but for three years in a row I watched an old movie of the Scarlet Pimpernel in french class. It was a fun show.

Rape Culture!

@Just_A_Guy They seek him here they seek him there those Frenchies seek him everywhere Is he Heaven or is he in ... that darned elusive pimpernel