Marlin1

Your spouses feelings may not always be right, but you will never be right when you play the trump card in regard to your spouses feelings, that is terribly demeaning. You can act independently from your spouses feelings while still respecting and validating their feelings and concerns. You should always do what is right, sometimes that means honoring your spouses wishes over your own feelings of what is right. Each situation is unique, and if there is ever a question, you know where to turn.

Anybody heard of laughing yoga? If not, you should check it out on youtube. It is so great! You can't help but improve your well-being by doing it. Even Hinckley famously said to "live well, laugh often, and love much." There is nothing inherently evil or wrong about strongly audible laughter. I think Skippy740 was on the right path by looking at alternative definitions of the word "loud".

God's commandments are the means by which we love God and our neighbor as ourselves, or he would not have given them. God's commandments are the means to an end - love. The commandments are "literally" how we love our neighbor as ourselves. If you are not living them, then you are not loving others as Christ literally taught us to. Living the law of chastity is loving others the way God taught us to love them. We have all seen the harmful effects that pornography, infidelity, etc. have on others. Perhaps you misunderstand the meaning of true love if you are unwilling to obey the law of chastity. Not living the law of chastity seems more selfish than self-less. The law of tithing allows others to be sealed to their families for time and eternity in Holy Temples. What greater love offering could there be? Again, not paying tithing seems more selfish than self-less. By not fulfilling these basic commandments, you are not loving others as God has taught. I am sure that you do much good for others, but you can offer more good and better love through receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism. You can offer a better and higher love through being sealed in the temple for time and eternity to your family. Tithing and chastity make all of that better good, and higher love possible.

That's a cool way to look at it Traveler. The scriptures say that God's glory is found in our immortality and eternal life. Elsewhere in scripture, God's glory is defined as intelligence. These sound like two different definitions for God's glory on the surface, but with the concept of hive mentality, they are really the same thing. If God's glory is intelligence, our salvation (God's glory) must in someway increase God's intelligence. This hive mentality is a good explanation of how that might happen. Our motivation to take part is the same as God's - it is family and love, which brings greater intelligence and thus glory. Love seems to be the principle that makes it all possible and worthwhile. If God's glory is our salvation and His intelligence, to glorify God mean's nothing more than to give him of ourselves. It is through giving glory (ourselves) that we receive glory (our children). We could not ourselves take part in glory (intelligence through continuation of the seed) without first giving God the glory (ourselves).

The ordinances are in part to teach us of God's love for us - Think of the symbolism of baptism, the sacrament, etc. They also show God our love for Him through covenant, our willingness to put Him first. It's all based in love and entitles us to abound more fully in His love. "That they may always have his spirit to be with them." We can more fully fulfill the command to love God, others, and self when we have His spirit to be with us always. It all points to love.

What is obedience if not done in love?

That's the only commandment that I follow. It is the underlying principle or commandment of the entire law. Love is in essence the only law that exists. To love God, others, and self, is all that exists in the law. All other commandments teach us how to love God, others, and self, and are fulfillment of that primary commandment. Christ said, the second is "like unto" it, which in scriptural language means it is of equal importance or in similitude. He couldn't even answer the question without including the second part to love others, because it is the same commandment in essence. People often forget the third part of this great commandment. It is to love yourself. He said to love others as yourself. That is enough Pete, so when are you going to get baptized?

If I misapprehend your logic it is only because you are speaking out of both sides of your mouth. You completely changed your stance to suit whatever point you were trying to make at the time. That my friend is illogical. I can grab the direct quotes if you want.

I have already agreed that I was oversimplifying terrorism. I never made the following argument that you accused me of: "If terrorists didn't believe they were justified by god then peace would ensue." Re-read what I wrote, it's not there anywhere. You are putting words in my mouth. I am not calling rectangles squares, you are seeing square rectangles. You like the word obtuse about as much as we like rash, moot, and non sequitur. That's quite the collection of favorite words. If you really think that I have a neurological condition - who has the bigger problem, the guy with the neurological condition or the guy formally debating with a guy with a neurological condition?

I thought you were done? I never made that argument.

The antecedent of "he" is the "someone" that you were referring to in your example. I am not referring to Satan. Your premise - Satan believed that he was justified in seeking God's glory. Your conclusion - He became Perdition. Non sequitur, affirming the consequent to be specific. Changing your premise from one statement to the next makes me question your logic.

Sorry to oversimplify terrorism but, That's Besides The Point

I am perfectly capable of listening to you, it's just that I'm getting tired of hearing you. So, thank you for making this your last ditch effort! Thank you also for educating me on the doctrine of addiction recovery. I didn't realize you were as familiar with it as I am. Your argument is absurd. Because the stimulant doesn't create an addict doesn't make it right to be a negative stimulus to others! Will a parent have no accountability before God for the treatment of their child? You said, "Its not being called bad that creates an addict." I never said that that's what creates an addict. I distinctly recall mentioning my beliefs about myself that created the addict. Do I take accountability for those beliefs, absolutely! Secondly, I am not the one who is oversimplifying the matter. Good or bad?!!! Really?!!! That's it? That's all there is when it comes to a man's being? Thirdly...wait what else did you say, sorry I got tired of listening. Something about pedophiles, xyz variables, chemical neuronal something or another, and oh wait, yes that there is more than one truth.

I think you like the phrase non sequitur as much as we like the words moot and rash. Rash statement and moot point, I know. In your example, he was never evil to begin with, nor did his being change through his evil actions. Satan believed that he was justified in rebelling against God? Who is non sequitur now? He rebelled against justice himself, thus becoming the devil. He knew that he was not justified in God, he simply thought that he could win. Terrorists on the other hand do believe that they are justified in God.

You might not use the word BAD that way, but others do. There is potential for someone to begin to believe that they are bad if they hear it enough, even if you are not using it in the way that they understood it. That is one reason why we should exercise caution with the use of our words, even if we are not truly judging other's beings. I perceive Abu Sayyaf the same way you do it sounds like. I don't think you are commenting about his being so much as you are judging his doing. His being is not, and cannot be evil until God places judgment on him of evil. Judgment is a perspective of heart more than a choice of words. There is a difference in perspective which can have a profound effect on our outlook and actions toward others in a positive or negative way.