Unlikely_Phoenix

Getting into the topic late in the game but it sounds like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I would add something to the current state of the pile. This item comes from personal experience - It is NOT good enough to just mask the depression. Meds are a good start but it does require more to help him through the fog of depression. I would HIGHLY suggest he gets therapeutic help in the way of cognitive behavioral therapy. Depression is not just a diagnosis, it is a symptom as well and the thoughts that change while under it's influence tend to stay broken even after medication is used. CBT made my world a whole different place and helped me to put it back into a healthy track. I don't need the meds now because of that. I know that I made my wife miserable with my undiagnosed depression... well, because it was a pivotal piece in our divorce. Keep the communication channels open and be sympathetic but not enabling. That is a tough balance.

I love a spirited (the pun was ABSOLUTELY intended) debate. What I really love to do though is inject slippery common sense. So here goes... One can get a Temple recommend and maintain it simply by answering the questions the right way. Even if it's a lie. I know this because I once asked that question of a Stake President and that is exactly what he told me. Problem is, Father doesn't appreciate being mocked and He will eventually balance your bankrupt moral checkbook. There is only one real answer to the WoW question, whatever the exact wording may be - The words have been spoken and we all, as individuals have a duty to interpret them in a way that keeps us in touch with the Spirit. The core of the WoW is to protect our bodies and treat it like the Temple it is supposed to be. Only YOU can decide if your actions are appropriate with that information presented as doctrine. With that said, the only thing you can get in the way of feedback is DO it/ DON'T do it. But it means nothing without weighing it against your faith and testimony. Everything else is conjecture. BTW... Crack will really pick you up too. Tastes like Meth. Or is that spotted owl. Or bald eagle. Never mind. It is all bad for you. DON'T DO IT!!!Pttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhh

Reading through all of the posts and the responses, I would offer up this: Do what the successful people do. Prime example is Lindsay Sterling. She is a musician that is wildly successful. This is in part because she is just a little bit different from the pack and she promotes the crap out of herself on every possible front imagineable. She also just happens to be LDS. She isn't afraid to state that and has on numerous occacions but this is not why she performs and is not the totality of the market she is trying to reach. In the music world, you can't allow yourself to be labeled if you plan to have wide reaching influence. If you go out now with the "Mormon" title, you will forever be that. Besides, I have listened to a lot of LDS artists and little of that content is indie rock. You need to sell your craft like you want it to be purchased and as you have already experienced, it won't fly off the shelves unless you are willing to get out there and PUSH it off the shelves. That is really a good rule for just about anything you want in life. Nothing comes free that is worth having or will last for long. BTW... I don't play an instrument all that well but I play a MEAN iPod!!! Sounds great!