SGoodman

If the objective her is to get the most rewarding scouting experience for your son then the answer is simple enough. Find the best troop available. But I would hope your objectives are greater than that. You might want to rethink teaching your son, by example, that every organization he affiliates with exists to serve his needs and he has little or no responsibility in the reverse. You might want to rethink teaching your son that the guidelines and policies provided by the Church can be casually discarded without consequence, seen and unseen. You might want to rethink passing up on the opportunity to see your son do something hard, overcome stiff opposition, and make a success in difficult circumstances. You would probably have to participate in this process far more than would be necessary in a troop that was more welcoming, and that's not a bad thing. Imagine what overcoming that sort of opposition would do for the growth and maturity of your son and what the process would do for your relationship with him. If you think your son, with your love and support, would be strong enough to survive and grow from the experience you stay with the troop in your Ward. If you think your son isn't strong enough to rise to the challenge then you need to find an outside troop.

I see lots of replies explaining Church policies and declaring the definitive answer to your query.....and I think they are all wrong. A Bishop is a Judge in Zion. He is called and set apart to excersize that judgement on behalf of those in his Ward boundaries. In that vast majority of cases Diet Coke has nothing to do with a Temple Recommend. But somewhere out there is an individual for whom that just isn't the case and it's his Bishop's responsibility to recognize that, council with him, and help him address that issue before he issues him a recommend. The Church gives guidelines and instruction but the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the individual called. In the case of a Recommend that's the Bishop and Stake President and he may be guided by the Spirit to withhold a recommend for whatever reason, not limited to questions in the interview.

Sarah, I had the exact same problem but with the Word of Wisdom instead of with the garments. I'll explain. There is nothing evil or sinful about coffee. And yet the Word of Wisdom prohibits me from having any and that annoyed me to no end. I like my coffee. I'm a coffee connesuir. But I promised, by getting baptized, that I would abide by that particular commandment. In the beginning it was a source of great discomfort for me. It put me in a bad mood. It even robbed me of having the Spirit with me at times. Then I realized that coffee was doing nothing at all. I was putting me in a bad mood, robbing myself of the Spirit. I tried a bit harder. And, little by little, abstaining from coffee became a sacrifice that I was willing to do, happy to do to enjoy the amazing blessings that the gospel has brought into my life. I didn't understand the relationship between coffee and God but I was on board with the process. Now when I smelled a fine Colombian roast blend it made me think of the gospel and of the joy it brings rather than think of what I was missing and what I had given up. And that's when I realized the relationship between coffee and God, and between garments and God. It's a daily, constant reminder that I'll give anything to hear His voice, to feel his presence. He asks me, by covenant, to make uncomfortable changes in what I eat, what I wear, how I spend my money, how I spend my time. And with every sacrifice I make He pours out His Spirit on me. For full disclosure, coffee was never my thing, but it made a better and more relatable example than mine would have.

If someone were to come to our area and ask for what insight I may be able to give them I would probably include... The cheapest grocery stores The dollar theater (now it's the $2.50 theater) The park where the moms take their kids and where the Ward has its picnic twice a year The actual Ward boundaries drawn on a map The names and phones numbers of their Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers (will take a bit of work to personalize the packet) Room number and Teacher's name and number for their kids in Sunday School Times and locations for their kids in Seminary Some bit of nonsense like the location behind the tree in their new backyard where Jimmy Hoffa is buried (just because how cool wold that be) Coupons from the YM and YW for things like babysitting and yard work and FHE (how nice is it when somebody else's kids invite themselves to your FHE with lesson and activity already prepared)

I think you have some misconceptions informing your question. Christ didn't accomplish the atonement so that He could become perfect but so that we might become perfect. And Christ was God before He had a perfected and glorified physical body, even before He had an imperfect and mortal body. We use the word "perfect" indiscriminately and imprecisely. Christ lived a perfect life even while in an imperfect body. Little children are perfect in that they have no sin but theirs is not the same perfection as our Heavenly Father. And I saved the most important point for last. The atonement provided for us by Jesus is real and complete. It is all that was necessary. The idea that each of us must someday accomplish a "mini-atonement" is false and suggests that we don't understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Without it we would be destroyed, victims of our own sins. With it we have the opportunity to become clean and return to the presence of our Father. That's the gospel.

Most of the posts on here have pushed avoidance and if that's possible it's the best option. If avoidance isn't possible then you're going to have to get a better handle on the situation. You need to realize that for the sociopath the workplace is a board game, one where cheating is acceptable but getting caught is not. He plays by a very limited set of rules (meaning almost anything goes). It probably doesn't matter much whether you're smarter than he is, in a position of authority over him or not, or any of the other variables that you've been weighing in your mind. You don't want to play that board game with him. Don't play. Everybody in the office already knows about him so don't worry about it when he "makes you look bad". He has done that to everyone at one point or another and by this time they all know it's more a reflection on him than on you. Treat him as you would treat the jammed copier in the hallway. When I absolutely have to make a copy and I can't go upstairs to use the one that actually works then I have to negotiate with the broken one. Other than that, the copier can do as it pleases, it can set whatever fires it likes, not my problem. If you don't engage with him, you should never become his target. It for some reason you do become his target, ignore the situation. Don't play. You can't play this game with him, not because you are not good enough or smart enough but because there is no winning at this game. The sociopath is more than willing to fight to the death over a paper clip. Think about Coriantumr and Shiz, and don't go to war with the sociopath.

Some random thoughts on the matter. I'll make an effort to pull them together into a cohesive format. Most of the comments at least touch on the fact that we believe God is in charge and calls who He will. Those who voice disappointment or chagrin at the choices made try to downplay that doctrine. The Church of today is, organizationally, very different from the Church in 1850 or in the time of Christ. The skill set required is very different so it isn't useful to compare today's Apostles to those in past eras. The vast majority of men who have decades of experience in Church service at various levels are white. That's today's talent pool. Thirty years from now there will be a whole new crop of men who have thirty years experience and who come from all over the globe. And the last, most important point that I've heard on the subject is this. The detractors suggest that the Apostles should represent the racial and cultural diversity that exists in a global church. Nope. The Apostles are not called to represent us to the Lord. They are Christ's representatives to us.

Thank you for your help.

We weren't a part of your Quorum meeting so we can't know the exact context of the remarks. If we take the comments to mean, as you seem to have, that we only need to do the minimum (the basics) then you are correct. That's not the path to exaltation. If we take the comments to mean that we need to focus on the fundamentals (the basics) then that is presicely the way to exaltation.

The latest new member joined about an hour ago. I'll be the newest member until someone unseats me.

You seem to be describing exactly what a Fire Side is designed for. In fact, I have attend Fire Sides that had that very format.

This scenario is based, in my opinion, on a misunderstanding of the purpose of obedience to the commandments. We don't obey the commandments, including the commandment to repent, in order to qualify for heaven. Other than the Sons of Perdition, we are all bound for heaven. We don't obey the commandments in order to "qualify" for a higher kingdom in heaven. We will end up in the kingdom we are best suited for. We obey the commandments because that is the mechanism for the change that Jesus promised us. Ezekiel 36:26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Following the principles of the Gospel and obeying the commandments is how these changes come about. I always wanted to be a pianist (not really, this is just an example). To become a pianist I need to obey certain principles, primary among them is I need to practice the piano. Every hour of practice brings me closer to being a pianist. I was, long ago, a very angry young man. If I want to be loving and kind it isn't enough just to repent of having yelled at my kids on Thursday morning. It takes practice. In my case it took years, but I'm not that same angry guy. Take those examples and stretch them to cover every aspect of becoming godly and divine. So this scenario is based on the idea that there was a sin that needed repenting of in order to "qualify" for ....whatever. Did this particular sin define this individual? Was he one to act in haste, thoughtlessly? If he was, then repenting of this single instance wouldn't have altered who he was. If he was not, then this single misstep was out of character for him. God will be judging us on who we have become and occurrences like this scenario will only serve as examples and anecdotes relating to that, rather than as barriers to entry to be checked off one by one.