paulsifer42

This is a super long (by internet standards) article, but I think it's awesome, and very though-provoking. Please read it, tell me what you think, discuss, argue, bicker, etc. Thanks! :) http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/

But... It's just not fair!!!!!

They once were, then Liberals learned how to use the system like Conservatives did. So... both sides are using the same ugly tactics now and we're watching the power struggle. Which corruption will win out? The one that most aligns with us or the other? In the end, we've all lost freedom. And, yes, Lord Acton was/is right (in most instances).

The issue, as I see it, is that the government itself as set itself as the moral compass for the nation. I know it looks like "leave me alone" right now, but I honestly believe people would eventually start making their own moral choices, and we'd see a lot of the morality that seems lost return.

Any time! Well... any time I'm online, checking the forum, have time to respond, and know at least something about what you're asking about.

I'd say you tell them you'd be comfortable doing it and see what they say. If it's not legal, they won't let you, if it is, they'll be grateful to have one more resource. :)

Someone, correct me if I'm wrong. I think private schools pretty much do their own thing. Show you have the skills necessary and they can hire you.

I'll have to look for that Polar. I love coffee, but don't drink it anymore.

The way this could be fixed (in America at least) is for our country to go back to following The Constitution: Much more corralled Federal Government and States with the power to run things how they want to which are small enough for individuals to have an actual affect on how things are ran. I am pessimistic about the federal government relinquishing that power though.

I'm afraid none of us are going to disagree with your mom (because we respect parents, and that they receive revelation for their children). If your mom says it's a bad idea, it probably is. As has been stated, being one-on-one with someone of the opposite gender can have its pitfalls, and there's really no reason you can't chill with more than one boy at a time (I doubt they all hate each other). I know it sometimes doesn't make sense, but listen to your mom, it sounds like she's involved in your life, which means she cares about you more than most parents care about their kids. :)

Just to expand on what Estradling said: There are some things spelled out in the WoW, and some things that are not. In turn, there are some things people say go against it and some things people say don't. Follow the spirit of the law. How do you feel when you drink herbal tea? Do you think God wants you to drink it?

My only suggestion (if you're dying to stick with this teacher) is to learn to play something other than finger-style country. I've been playing for a bit (not nearly as long as you) but already I've found how much learning a different kind of something can help me get better at something else I'd struggled with.

I meant it was relative to context (situation). I tried to clarify in my last post.I forgot there was a whole line of thinking (relativism) that takes this all to a bad extreme.

I don't feel I've been disrespectful. I have pointed out holes in your argument. I guess you could see my teasing you those couple of times as disrespectful... I'll keep respect more in mind in the future as it's obvious you've felt disrespected. And, I'm actually pretty conservative, sorry to disappoint. I've not called you names though, or accused you of anything more horrible than not trying to understand others, probably because I'm not a liberal :)I've looked very closely at my opinion. Honestly, no more than five years ago it looked just like yours. Then I actually tried to look at all of this from the viewpoint of the people who have to live with it and my beliefs changed. I have no problem looking again though. And, how do you explain Nephi' s killing of laban, along with the angel's reasoning, if morality is not relative? Well,I should say I don't believe in relativism, but I do believe morality is situational.

Because looking at another's beliefs usually leads to respect. I don't sense respect in your comments. I could be wrong. I didn't say more people disagreeing with you made you wrong, I said you might want to look a little closer at your interpretation. And morality is absolutely relative. Nephi taught us that. I'll agree it has nothing to do with how many people think something is moral, but it is relative.

And I plan to. And I disagree. Don't you think we have a better chance of understanding God by understanding the lives, situations, and beliefs based on experiences of his many children, rather than only listening to those with the only similar experiences to our own? If a lot of people say their experience (not just their rhetoric) don't savvy with your interpretation, maybe you should look a little closer at your interpretation, even if, in the end, it stays the same.

I was just telling you that your interpretation of God's word didn't savvy with my experiences, so I disagree with your interpretation, and it seems like at least a few on here agree with me.

Even in terms of what we should believe though. Our experiences very much matter. To disregard them is to live on someone else's testimony.

I'm new, but I aspire to one day reach the heights you have. You are a gentleman and a scholar... well, a lady and a scholar... Congrats. :)

The Fault in our Stars.

Ummm... wow. Just wow. "Our mortal experiences don't matter." I can't tell you how much I disagree. So, my view supports a view where I look outside myself at others' experiences and notice they might be dealing with stuff that is harder than it looks, so I empathize with their plight and do my best to understand their situation so that I can be caring (you know, Christlike) while still holding to my beliefs. Yours is to condemn even their struggle. I'll stick with mine; you can stick with yours if it really makes you happy.

Well there it is then. If they cannot choose, it is no sin, at least for some. Glad we came to an agreement.

Haha, think of me however you will. I find it kind of a compliment you want to lump me in with you.

So you do concede there are some individuals who do not choose?

Oh, I just find people who are quick to put themselves above a group of others interesting. It makes me want to know more about your thought process. I, personally, think everyone has something important to say on this topic, because I think living life is study enough to have a valuable viewpoint, so, no, I wouldn't see it as foolish. Though I personally choose to study. I think you're reading too much into other quotes. Your view of being able to change EVERYTHING, including things that come without any prompt of our own doesn't savvy with what I've seen personally. I see no clash with the header and the rest of the quotes you posted. Which is more likely? That I've understood all quotes correctly, because they do fit together well, or that you've found, not an obscure quote, but a header put out by the church to be false. Just something to think about. And there is a danger in people thinking "I've tried and failed so what's wrong with me?", even more than "I can't change". Here's why: "I can't change." leads to the more immediate need: Stopping the action. Once it is accepted that 'this is the way it is' people are able to find solutions. The alternative usually leads to feelings of self-loathing, depression, and, in some tragic incidences, suicide. I'd prefer someone decide to love themselves for who they are in that moment and working on what they can work on, than the alternative.