Jane_Doe

No more than everything else we do is preparation for the Lord's return. I do think the pioneer-era temple renovations have to do with updated earthquake codes, modern AC, and other needed updates in buildings.

Honestly, with the way so many policies are getting revised recently, I could see this one being easily modified by the time you reach your retirement years.

Gale, what is described in the Books of Moses is the Law of Moses: the Old Covenant guidelines in which the old Israelites lived their lives. That old law is now fulfilled and we live in New Covenant times, no longer keeping the Law of Moses which was given to the old Israelites, such as the specifics described in their ceremonial wear. Modern-day garments are harkening back to the ancient practice of clothing being used to symbolize something, a tradition which pre-dates the Law of Moses by many generations.

GaleG is an investigator, a very thorough one at that. She/He has been on here several times before with good questions and really listening.

Gale, garments are symbolic things, reminding us of God. It doesn't matter what fabric they were/are literally made out of (leaves/fir/cotton/etc). What's important is remembering Christ and that we are His disciples.

Clarifying this: the physical items which are used during the sacrament are symbols. The bread (for example) itself is not spacial as bread, but is special in that it is is serving as an symbol reminding of Him. It literally does not matter if you were to use bread or Chex Mix, or wine/water/juice/etc because the item itself is not the point- Christ is the point. To quote the Lord in D&C 27:2 "For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins." This is largely on point: the Lord did not micromanage was fabric garments were to be made of, or what specific cuts, etc. Such things are left for human leadership to decide, and they do take input from members to best serve those needs. So it's quite natural that styles will change over time, just based off of members preferences. Hey, even my own preferences change based on how hot/cold it is outside

Speaking my thoughts on the matter: If it's somebody you don't know super well (like a brother or best friend), then you shouldn't be asking. If it is your brother or best friend, then you should (ideally) know where they are on things without point blank asking. Like I told my imitate family what happened- they didn't need to ask. And they still know where we stand on things. Of course, ideally doesn't always happen/

TFP, I know you mean well here but... you're being extremely incentive to the very real and painful issues a couple may be going through. When someone is hurting (or might be hurting), don't poke the wound. And definetely don't poke the wound and then blame the hurt person for feeling pain when you do so. People don't always want to disclose their reproductive history (and/or pain) for others. For months I didn't remotely want to talk about all the stuff I was going through because frankly it REALLY hurt. It was a topic that just opening up about would result in me completely breaking down-- reopening barely bandaged wounds to bleed all over again. That's not something I owed to a random person.

Adding my vote to the "NEVER ask this question". You have no idea what a couple is going through. Speaking personally, hubby and I have one kid. We tried more for years, getting no where, then having a miscarriage which nearly took my life-- a very dramatic experience. And then followed up by a second miscarriage that nearly took my life again, and added even more trauma. It's a hugely sensitive topic. NEVER ask "when are you going to have kids".

Keep doing what you're doing man (or woman). You're supporting her, guiding her, and being a good friend. My personal favorite talk about sexuality and it's beautiful use is this one: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_souls-symbols-sacraments/ Sexual relations exist to bind lives together. It is worth being in a position where you and the other person are truly committed to each other (which includes marriage).

@Mores, I was that person who never wanted visited for years. I still don't like visited at home because my husband feels obligated to scrub down the house. But I knew who my people were, and when I was stranded in the middle of no where during blizzard of -40F and 60 mph winds at midnight with a newborn baby in the backseat, I knew who I could call & they were truly there for me.

The sister who ministers to me and I are doing fine. We've had the "say hi and chat, ask if you need anything" relationship going before it was the official how-to-do-it. I have been unable to minister myself due to complications, but I was also a very bad visiting teacher before then so nothing has changed there. My companion has been good about contact though.

Having an LDS Christian pray for you is the same as having a Baptist Christian pray for you. The same as you praying for people on here.

Oh I totally don't hide the fact that I have many flaws, don't worry about that. I couldn't hide them even if I wanted to. Again, acknowledging that is different than being mandated to use a certain phrase.

Again: See that the concept you are preaching here is already totally believed. You're literally preaching to the choir here. Can you acknowledge that you hear this and understand it?