askandanswer

If it’s true that we grow from our trials, and if its true that divorce constitutes some sort of trial for the children of a divorcing couple, then its reasonable to assume that the children of divorced parents have had opportunities for growth in ways that the children of undivorced parents have not. It’s not clear to me whether these opportunities for growth, when taken, will, or will not result in a net benefit after taking into account all of the negatives arising from the divorce, but I think its fair to assume that the greater the trial, the greater the opportunities for growth. (All dependent, of course, on what the people involved decide to do with those opportunities for growth)
I also think its inconsistent with the justice of God to allow harm to come to the innocent without there being some sort of compensatory blessings equal to or greater than the harm. I believe that if a child, through no fault of their own, has been harmed by the divorce of their parents, God will somehow make up for that harm. And its quite possible that those compensatory blessings might be of a sufficient quality or quantity for that child to then become a highly desired marriage partner.
It’s up to us to decide if we will place greater faith in statistics, or in our theology.

If we had enough faith in our theology, divorce wouldn't exist in the LDS culture.
You know what they say, work like everything depends on you, pray like everything depends on God . . .

If it’s true that we grow from our trials, and if its true that divorce constitutes some sort of trial for the children of a divorcing couple, then its reasonable to assume that the children of divorced parents have had opportunities for growth in ways that the children of undivorced parents have not. It’s not clear to me whether these opportunities for growth, when taken, will, or will not result in a net benefit after taking into account all of the negatives arising from the divorce, but I think its fair to assume that the greater the trial, the greater the opportunities for growth. (All dependent, of course, on what the people involved decide to do with those opportunities for growth)
I also think its inconsistent with the justice of God to allow harm to come to the innocent without there being some sort of compensatory blessings equal to or greater than the harm. I believe that if a child, through no fault of their own, has been harmed by the divorce of their parents, God will somehow make up for that harm. And its quite possible that those compensatory blessings might be of a sufficient quality or quantity for that child to then become a highly desired marriage partner.
It’s up to us to decide if we will place greater faith in statistics, or in our theology.

Hey, look at this!  @zil is pretending to show some concern about upsetting men! (We're not fooled Zil)

It sure seems that way sometimes, doesn't it!?  I try to keep this perspective to myself though, lest I upset too many men......

Thanks Pam, I think I'll grab a set when they come out.

Let's not forget that when wicked men tried to destroy the free Government and set up their own wicked version of government that God commanded men like Captain Moroni to raise the title of liberty and put to death any who would deny their freedom.
Accountability for our actions in relation to wicked governments includes, sometimes, standing strongly against them.

There may be some truth in what you have said, but let's also not forget D&C 134:1  WE believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.

I'm starting to wonder if I should feel guilty about eating Kentucky Fried Chicken. Have I been eating something that has been appropriated from the people of Kentucky?

I hereby give permission for anyone to appropriate any one of the recipes of my homeland. Feel free!
Scottish delicacies:
Haggis:https://www.google.ca/search?client=safari&channel=iphone_bm&site=&source=hp&ei=Y_0zWb7oC8nVjwTl_4bIDw&q=recipe+haggis&oq=rcipe+haggis&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.1.0.0i13k1l5.4007.10544.0.16848.13.13.0.2.2.0.193.1914.0j13.13.0....0...1.1.64.mobile-gws-hp..0.13.1702.3..0j41j46j0i131k1j46i131k1j0i46k1j0i10k1j0i13i30k1j0i22i30k1.gwHHYq8hntM#imgrc=BENc1_qCbGzPeM:
Haggis includes all the parts of the sheep, you would normall eshew: eyeballs, intestines, offal (called offal for a reason!). These tasty bits are parboiled, minced with lots of salt, oatmeal added and boiled in a sheeps stomach. Seconds anyone? My mother had the recipe hanging on the wall in her kitchen. Never made it! But the threat was there.
Also deep fried: pizza & mars bars
black sausage: made from blood
nips: turnip boiled until all hope is lost, served watery
mince: a staple of my childhood. Fatty ground beef, fried in all the fat with additional bacon drippings added. Serve with a whole salt cellar.
Anyone who wants to appropriate these recipes can go right ahead!
Note: has anyone ever seen a restaurant labelled Scottish cuisine? Ever? Bakeries, yes. But restaurant? Good reason for this! 
 

8 ...Have ye inquired of the Lord?

Rob, do you think it is possible that you are misunderstanding, or misinterpreting, the doctrines and teachings?  
 
It's obvious that you have studied your scriptures extensively. That's great! You have obviously pondered a lot on the things you have studied, also. But, if I may be bold for a moment, so have the millions of other religious people of the world. Even Joseph Smith determined that an appeal to the Bible alone wasn't going to settle his dilemma of learning the truth. 
 
It seems to me that you are seeking learning by study, which is good. I am suggesting the possibility that you are forgetting the important aspect of learning by faith. (D&C 88:118) 
 
 
“We would remind you that the acquiring of knowledge by faith is no easy road to learning. It demands strenuous effort and a continual striving by faith. …
Learning by faith is no task for a lazy man [or woman]. Someone has said, in effect, that such a process requires the bending of the whole soul, the calling up from the depths of the human mind and linking it with God—the right connection must be formed. Then only comes ‘knowledge by faith.” 
-President Harold B. Lee 

Moose is what is likely to happen if we did duel with approved weapons, as in Sunday, once she had found the trigger, would then pull, push, squeeze, or whatever it is that one does with triggers, and having fired the gun in my general direction, its likely that, rather than hitting me, she would "moose" and I would emerge unscathed.  

I would certainly be prepared to travel for a worthy opponent. 

Moose is what is likely to happen if we did duel with approved weapons, as in Sunday, once she had found the trigger, would then pull, push, squeeze, or whatever it is that one does with triggers, and having fired the gun in my general direction, its likely that, rather than hitting me, she would "moose" and I would emerge unscathed.  

Hmm, first you propose a duel and then you avoid it by proposing that a moose takes your place. How very Canadian. Well if you can have a moose to take your place, I can have a boxing kangaroo take my place and we can duel by proxy. And for Zil's sake, its commentated by someone who sounds like a Russian
 

Maybe the angels and gods are something like an honour god, standing along the path that leads to the pearly gates to honour and welcome those who have qualified for the highest degree of glory?

Thanks for the update alilc, I had been wondering how things were going.
I'm suggesting a different approach. If you say goodbye at this point and let things go, it's likely that you will have to live with uncertainty and maybe some doubt for a long time. It might end up being a long long time before you finally find out why things are happening the way they are so far, and perhaps you might never find out. I think that in cases like this, certainty is better than uncertainty, and the only way to get that certainty is to talk with him, rather than trying to make guesses based only on the fact that he hasn't replied to your instagram message. So I suggest that before making any decision about the future of the relationship, that you talk with him directly. Use your phone or skype, or facetime or whatever, but I really think you need to talk with him directly rather than making guesses and assumptions. If it looks like is is over, you want to be able to walk away knowing that you did more than just send him an instagram message.
And if it does end, well you'll soon be moving back to Utah and that will bring a whole bunch of opportunities to meet new people. 

Thanks for the update alilc, I had been wondering how things were going.
I'm suggesting a different approach. If you say goodbye at this point and let things go, it's likely that you will have to live with uncertainty and maybe some doubt for a long time. It might end up being a long long time before you finally find out why things are happening the way they are so far, and perhaps you might never find out. I think that in cases like this, certainty is better than uncertainty, and the only way to get that certainty is to talk with him, rather than trying to make guesses based only on the fact that he hasn't replied to your instagram message. So I suggest that before making any decision about the future of the relationship, that you talk with him directly. Use your phone or skype, or facetime or whatever, but I really think you need to talk with him directly rather than making guesses and assumptions. If it looks like is is over, you want to be able to walk away knowing that you did more than just send him an instagram message.
And if it does end, well you'll soon be moving back to Utah and that will bring a whole bunch of opportunities to meet new people. 

@seashmore has the wisdom of Master Yoda..  You can't control what other people do, you can only control how you react to them.
Okay, you're 17, right?  So you're in that teen-age wide-eyed romanticism phase in your life.  We - well, at least the girls, dunno if the boys have the same - have that special someone that inspires us to wake up every morning and be excited for the day.  I've had mine too.  Some call it Crushes (seems like such a trivial word for it) others call it First Love, etc.  And you know what they say - First love never dies.  There's a reason for that.  These inspirational people in our lives is a pivotal person that shapes who we become.  A lot of girls look at the biggest jerk in school as that Love-interest because they look at themselves as the one girl that can save this bad boy.  Other girls look at the most popular guy in school as that Love-interest because they see this person as the one that can save them.  Then there are the girls who are more serious about their Love-interest seeing a future family with them.  All this is normal.
Now, at my mature age of... well, a few decades more than you ... I look back at my inspirational guy with fondness at how just waking up and looking forward to talking to him in school, walking together, cheering for him in sports, helping him with homework, etc. has brightened my day and shaped the woman I have become.  So yeah, when I was 15, I was set to marry the guy and have 6 beautiful children with him in our big mansion... of course, I was just this girl in school to him.  So, I grew up, but still a teen, got myself a boyfriend who I then said I'd marry and have 6 beautiful children with.. of course, we grew up some more and his idea of a future is different than mine so that didn't work out too well.... until finally, I was 26 years old and met my now husband.
I didn't forget my "loves" of my younger years.  Of course not.  They're a part of my life and shaped who I became.  We're actually still great friends until today.  Yes, including that cute guy when I was 15 who let me down very gently (he's a super guy through and through)... and the boyfriend that I broke up with not too gently (another super guy up to today)... both these guys helped prepare me for when I finally met my husband.  So, letting go of the "preparation guys" is just another part of growing up.
So, this is what I tell my 2 teen-age sons -  I want you both to go out there and be an inspiration to someone!  Be the popular kid.  Be the kid every girl has a crush on.  Be the guy that the boys want to hang out with.  Inspire them and make their day just that much brighter so they look forward to waking up in the morning and going to school so they can talk to you and walk with you and talk about homework or your favorite bands.  Be the light that helps shape them to the person they will become.  Because, that girl who starts to dream about raising 6 children with you in your mansion will be the better for that experience... IF you boys are upstanding and super young men.
But, that's just me.
 

Because He never faltered on His walk with the Father.  He was not forced to always walk with Him (as I've heard some other Christian denominations proclaim), but choose to.  
Not true.  He learned line upon line like everyone else (I think there's a D&C verse about this, but don't recall off the top of my lazy head right now).  He was an incredibly better pupil than the rest of us.  
I'm not sure what you're asking here.  Christ's perfection and righteousness before mortal birth was a reflection of His character/choices/agency, and those do carry through into mortal life and afterwards.  
Yes.
Was He unwavering diligent and one with the Father then?  Yes.  Was His journey complete?  No.  For starters He lacked a physical body.
Well, I daresay you have company in that club!  Like 15+ billion people keeping you company, including me.
By following Him.

It's strange how abolishing the family is their answer to "leveling the playing field" as opposed to just encouraging the strengthening of families.

Wait till you hear my penguin jokes!

No need - the posts are having the same effect.

Challenge accepted
bang!
I win  
Sorry Sunday, you're too slow