askandanswer

Thanks @Emmanuel Goldstein, this is very interesting, I haven't looked at much apocryphal literature before.

I've often thought that the government's attitude and behaviour towards organised religion in the Soviet Union was an important contributor to the fall of the former Soviet empire. On the other hand, the actions and attitudes of the government of China seems to be even more repressive than that of the former Soviet empire, and so far they don't look like falling - maybe faltering here and there, but not falling.

Today's newspaper has the solution to loose house cats Robotic pets bring joy, return memories, improve interactions with aged care residents https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-08/robotic-pets-bring-joy-and-return-memories-in-aged-care/102440556 The sound of purrs and meows echo around Norma Williamson's room. Despite the noise, Ms Williamson says she feels peaceful. She's holding a robotic kitten on her lap, which reminds her of the cats she raised when she was younger. "You can hold them, you can pat them, you can talk to them, and you can tell them stories and they never ever repeat them," Ms Williamson said. "It never answers you back."

I'm really looking forward to your next week's article

I thought I would share something from my scripture study this morning in the hope that it might be of interest of benefit to someone else. After an absence of more than 2 months I have finally returned to study instead of reading. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your anakedness[ 1] before God, and also the glory of God, and the bholiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you[2] . [1]Probably this means something like exposure, to be seen as we are, with every subterfuge and all guile and pretense stripped away, without shield, protection or defence. Everything will be open to examination and nothing can be hidden. [2]This is the moment when we will fully realise the difference between what we are and what we could be or could have been. The knowledge of that difference and the realisation that we have missed, forever, that opportunity, that we have lost that potential to become as Jesus Christ, will be the flames of that unquenchable fire. This is the awful, eternal fate that Mormon, motivated by love, is trying to save us from with his pleadings in verse 6.

I've always been a little puzzled about the fact that the Nephites, but not the Jews, were given a definite time, on several occasions, about when Christ would come, but we in the latter-days are given less specific possibilities.

I generally only have a mild interest and small amount of curiousity about woke-related issues, but this one caught my eye and I thought it was worth sharing. It's Rowan Atkinson talking about a planned change to section 5 of the English Public Order Act. I think he makes some good points, eloquently expressed. "For me, the best way to increase society's resistance to insulting or offensive speech is to allow a lot more of it. As with childhood diseases, you can better resist those germs to which you have been exposed." (9 minutes)

I just prefer nonmonochromatic.

Well after a careful analysis the conclusion is obvious - Michael, aka Strider is much cuter than Klaw.

The location of the chapel in my town reminds of a description I once read of Palmyra at the time of Joseph Smith, with a church on each corder of one particular intersection. On our left we have the Lutherans, on our right we have the Anglicans (Australia's version of the Church of England) and directly over the road we have the Catholics. The first temple in Australia, along with all the buildings and offices that made up the Australia Pacific Area Office, and Mission Home and Mission Office are all located on a large block of land that used to be a major administrative office for the Church of England, back before they started calling themselves Anglicans. They moved out and we moved in. Sadly, the Area Office relocated to New Zealand about 5 years ago, so now there are very few people working in those buildings.

I once read an article by a poorly informed newspaper reporter who explained that the way we perform baptisms for the dead is to immerse rolls of microfilm in water. Then all those whose names appear on the microfilm are considered baptized. (Elder Christofferson, April 2021 General Conference) I had been thinking about tossing this laptop into the ocean as a way of vicariously baptising all those whose names appear on this forum but then I had second thoughts about the capacity of the ocean to absorb so many sins.

I get the feeling I'm missing something in this conversation. Or maybe @zil2 and @Jamie123have reached the point where they no longer need words to communicate?

Thanks Carb, I appreciate the time and thought you've put in to your reply.

Its already been decided that the next musical item our choir will do will be hymn 97, Lead kindly light. In my meeting with the Ward Music Director this week I’m thinking about trying to persuade her to go along with this re-write below. Below is the hymn as it appears in our hymn and after that is a re-worded version, with the middle verse being the same. Could I get peoples’ thoughts on whether they think the amended version is about the same as the original, better or worse? Any suggestions are also welcome Thanks Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom; Lead thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on! Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene—one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou Shouldst lead me on. I loved to choose and see my path; but now, Lead thou me on! I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years. So long thy pow’r hath blest me, sure it still Will lead me on O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till The night is gone. And with the morn those angel faces smile, Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile! Lead kindly Light, in these the latter-days Lead me to Thou The night is dark and I am far away Lead me to thee now Keep thou my sight, I always ask to see The nearing scene – eternity, with thee I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou Shouldst lead me on. I loved to choose and see my path; but now, Lead thou me on! I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years. So long thy hand hath held me, sure it still Will still hold me Through grief and loss, through trial and problem til I feel thy peace And then at last I see those angel faces smile Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile

The teaching of math survived the introduction of calculators. Perhaps that experience might shed some light on how education can make good use of chatgpt. ANd @JohnsonJonesperhaps you should ask chatgpt how you can detect essays it has written. I've marked a few essays lately and I think I'm starting to recognise its writing style. My guess is that the final paragraph of an essay written by chatgpt is far more likely to start with the words "In conclusion" than a final paragraph written by a student. Another possibility is for you to ask chatgpt to write an essay on the topic you have assigned the students to write about and then look to see how many essays come in that closely resemble the one you asked chatgpt to write.

I've sometimes thought to myself that the overthrow of the Nephite government in 3rd Nephi 7 shortly before Christ arrived might be a pre-cursor of what might precede His second coming.

And now also by @mirkwood

Sounds like it would be a big step up from Florida.

This didn't work out well for India in 1947 or the divisions of Vietnam and Korea into north and south. And if there was a red/blue state divorce you could so easily end up with a situation similar to India/Pakistan where both countries are controlled by someone the other country doesn't like and both countries have control over a large nuclear arsenal with.

I suspect you would have had some Germans and English/Americans shooting at each other. I heard that a lot of Germans left the country in the lead up to the second world war but we know that Elder Uchtdorf's family didn't. It may well have happened in more recent examples of conflict in Eastern Europe. Given how widespread military service was in Japan during the 1940's my guess is that even the very small number of Japanese LDS would have been somehow involved.

After reading the papers this morning can I ask that you increase the frequency of your meetings?

I think that every person has the right to decide how they want to be addressed and every person has the right to decide how they will address anybody else. I’m not sure why one decision should be respected more than another. If either person decides not to go along with the preferences of the other I would not be inclined to see that as sufficient evidence for any conclusions about love or respect or the lack thereof. As long as the purpose for using a pronoun is being accomplished, I don’t think it matters a lot what pronoun is used.

Its a fairly limited example in its narrow application, but in World War 2 we had Latter-Day Saints who believed in the same doctrine trying to kill each other.

I guess its possible, and maybe somewhere it actually is the case, that some definitions of love include doing all and everything that the loved person wishes. I know what happens when you give a child everything they want even though you love them more than anything else.

The fate of Judas Iscariot? Didn't is cariot swing low and carry him home?