askandanswer

I think the clip below is thought provoking. It could be viewed as an example of how we love the sinner but hate the sin, or it could be viewed as an example of the normalisation of homosexuality (and I’m not in any way suggesting that the person featured in this clip is a sinner, she seems to be a very morally upright person). This comes from the Mormon channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd8LkJt9iPI My guess about why some people are homosexual is that the answer probably has something to do with the idea of the “customised curriculum” that Elder Maxwell sometimes spoke about, ie, it is a situation that we made a fully informed decision in the pre-existence to accept, in the knowledge that righteously resolving that situation was the one thing that would aid us the most in our quest for exhaltation. I suspect that same thing applies to addictions of whatever kind. “ I believe with all my heart that because God loves us there are some particularized challenges that he will deliver to each of us. He will customize the curriculum for each of us in order to teach us the things we most need to know. He will set before us in life what we need, not always what we like. And this will require us to accept with all our hearts—particularly your generation—the truth that there is divine design in each of our lives and that you have rendezvous to keep, individually and collectively.” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/neal-a-maxwell_small-moment/ See also https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/04/endure-it-well?lang=eng

I think that last night here in Australia, we may have had an example of the normalisation of homosexuality that has been discussed on this thread. Last night, in Sydney, in the biggest gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in the Southern Hemisphere, Scouts Australia had their own float, with 45 scout marchers. I'm not saying it was right or wrong, I was just surprised to hear of it. Does this happen in the US? I was going to link to the article, but it comes from an LGBTIG online newspaper, and the accompanying ads were not pleasant.

I'm truly amazed at what I'm looking at here, although I must confess I don't fully understand it. Is this a fair and representative example of the complexity of US tax return forms? If so, it's truly absurd!

Well done Gator, keep up the good work. (Just 11 more posts until Pam makes it to 50,000!)

SIgh, I silently slink away, defeated and overcome by the awesome power of the mods

I haven't had a close look at the question of whether Wolfgang Mozart composed the Magic Flute, but I would suspect there's a fair bit of evidence around to support the idea that he was in fact the composer. Who knows, there might even be somewhere the document that commissioned Mozart to write it. As to how it sounded, I'm guessing it was...... magical. I don't know for sure but I think its reasonably likely that the Academy of Ancient Music has probably performed the Magic Flute, using either original instruments of Mozart's time or replicas, and if the Academy followed its usual practice, they would have done a lot of research to ensure that the score they played was either an original of a very close copy . http://www.aam.co.uk/

hmm, I wonder how I can take advantage of this fact (evil laugh)

I disagree Jane. I don't think you post way too often here and it would be disappointing if you started to post less.

I've had the same problem as traveler so here's my test so thanks to @Traveler and @mordorbund Looks like it works

I thought that the topic of evolution has been almost done to death on this forum. Do we need to discuss it some more?

Despite more than two centuries of philosophic inquiry, I don't believe the questions raised by David Hume about causality, the nature of evidence, and the reliability of conclusions that are drawn from observation, have been adequately answered. I think that until these questions have been adequately answered, we cannot rely 100% on evidence based conclusions - maybe 99% if one is extremely optimistic and somewhat irrational, but certainly not 100%. Anybody who does place a high reliance on physical evidence is demonstrating a high degree of faith in an imperfect and inadequately explained system of empiricism and scientific method. When once places a complete trust, rather than a limited trust in science, I am reminded of 2 Kings 18:21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt (science) on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: From wikipedia under the entry on David Hume In what is sometimes referred to as Hume's problem of induction, he argued that inductive reasoning, and belief in causality, cannot, ultimately, be justified rationally; our trust in causality and induction instead results from custom and mental habit, and are attributable to only the experience of "constant conjunction" rather than logic: for we can never, in experience, perceive that one event causes another, but only that the two are always conjoined, and to draw any inductive causal inferences from past experience first requires the presupposition that the future will be like the past, a presupposition which cannot be grounded in prior experience without already being presupposed.[5] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume

Both last year, when we were the second of two wards to meet, and this year, when we are the first of two wards, we have held choir practice straight after meetings .Last year when we were the afternoon ward, we were able to hold practices in the chapel, but this year, as the morning ward, we have to hold them in the Relief Society room. Having practice straight after church means that the choir members miss out in Sundae Sunday, which we had last Sunday. For special occasions, such as Christmas, we will practice at the choir director's house on Thursday nights. The biggest problem for our choir director is that about half the choir show up for practice each week, but its never the same half two weeks in a row, and then there are the ones who only show up the week before we are due to sing.

This is excessively optimistic. I’ve read your posts. You live in Utah and you have connections with Texas. So, I think you need to start preparing yourself for that miserable collection of trashy romance novellas, with the missing covers, and the torn out back pages, and that collection of unstructured scribblings by Russian pseudo intellects that constitutes the “library” in that place down below.

It might be an interesting exercise for a legal scholar to work out on average how long a SCOTUS ruling lasts before it is overturned, either by legislation or another ruling.

Thanks Jag

I completely agree with and endorse what has been said about the finding and using the right combination of professional counselling and medication. But don't forget the power of music, which can be quite powerful. I recommend assembling a playlist of carefully chosen, uplifting, perhaps even spiritual music. Or maybe just put Spotify or Pandora on your phone and add the Mormon Tabernacle choir channel, or even just download the hymns from the church website. When the depression comes, just turn to your music. It takes almost no effort at all and it can be listened to at almost any time. In the mean time, consider this: Count Your Blessings 31243, Hymns, Count Your Blessings, no. 241 1. When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. [Chorus] Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done. 2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings; ev'ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. 3. When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. Count your many blessings; money cannot buy Your reward in heaven nor your home on high. 4. So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey's end. Best of luck with your depression. Sometimes all you can do is just hang in there and endure, but it almost always passes.

In our Sunday School lesson last week we looked at D&C 107. Someone read aloud verse 1 and I realized for the first time that this verse is only talking about those priesthoods that exist within the church. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 107:1) 1 THERE are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood. We learn in another place that there is at least one other “person” who holds a priesthood that is neither Melchizedek or Aaronic and I’ve occasionally heard references to a Patriarchal priesthood, which possibly might exist within families, separately from the church. I note that the wording of this verse suggests that where one type of priesthood is included in, or a part of, another priesthood, eg, the Aaronic Priesthood includes the Levitical Priesthood, the scriptures will make this inclusion clear, as they have done in this instance. I also note that no such suggestion has been made in this verse that the patriarchal priesthood is part of, or included within the Melchizedek Priesthood, thereby opening up the possibility that the Melchizedek and the patriarchal priesthood are different from each other. It seems that the word priesthood refers to a power that is held by, or attached to someone, eg, the Melchizedek Priesthood is so named because it was held by Melchizedek, the Aaronic Priesthood so named because it was held by Aaron, the Levitical Priesthood because it was held by the sons of Aaron, the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God, because it was held by the Son of God, and the patriarchal priesthood because it is held by patriarchs. So now I’m wondering: How many priesthoods there are? Is the patriarchal priesthood the same or part of or different from the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthoods?

I would kill a VT rooster - then serve it with gravy, roast potatoes and peas.

I would kill a VT rooster - then serve it with gravy, roast potatoes and peas.

Welcome back Bini, very nice to see you again. I hope we see/hear more of you.

You're failing in this important responsibility. He's still here!

..........why Zil didn't get one

Thank you Johnson, I'll have to read and think about this several times

Global warming might or might not be a fulfillment of the prophecy that there will be a day that will burn as an oven. I don't think we have enough evidence to immediately discount the possibility that it might be true. Certainly for there to be a day that will burn as an oven the earth, at least on that day, will need to be much warmer than it currently is. That increase in temperature might or might not happen gradually. The fact that temperatures are increasing at least gives reason to think that to get to that oven burning day, it will be a gradual increase. Last weekend in much of the east coast of Australia we had a heat-wave where temperatures in my city were in the low 40's and in some western rural areas, in the mid to high 40's. You can be sure that a lot of older Australians, after finishing their beer in the airconditioned pub, and then stepping outside into the heat, would have been turned back to tell their mates still in the pub, "It's like a blood* oven out here." it's not an uncommon expression amongst older anglo Australians, and for those people, there have been many days when their part of the earth has burned like an oven. I'm also not sure if its reasonable to assume that when using this description, Malachi meant that on a certain day the whole earth would feel like an oven (presumably he was talking about the inside of the oven ) or if he just used that expression to mean a day that was going to be every hot.

(the bold function isn't cooperating) I'm inclined to agree with the scriptures here in their assertion that not ALL flesh shall be cut off, and that neither will there be a flood that destroys the WHOLE earth, but that still leaves a great deal of scope for a lot of flesh and earth to be destroyed by floods - just not all flesh and all earth. I note that the Lord used multiple methods of destruction prior to his arrival in the Americas, and I anticipate He would use multiple modalities again, one of which I think is likely to be flooding.