zomarah

Nonsense.
 

I've been trying to not respond to threads with just the word 'nonsense', so I won't.

I think it all boils down to the Gift of the Holy Spirit and our desire to have it lead and guide us every moment of every day. Without it, it's easy to be deceived and sometimes things which should have the appearance of evil begin to appear good and desirable. 
Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
  For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

So, I'm cleaning out, very late, last year's garden plot. I'm finding some lovely plants I don't want in the garden. I want to transplant them, and did so as carefully as I could. I'm sure they'll die.
Here's the garden plot now. We sort of ignored it all spring.
I have plans for it, I swear.
My tomatoes that attacked everything last year are planning a resurgence, as you can see. I think the Black Russians are leading it.

Wow.  It has been over 4 years.  I had nearly forgotten about this post, but I'm sure some random internet lurkers are bound to happen upon this thread and want advice about their own situation or just want to know how things turned out.  First of all, thank you all for the advice.  To all the lurkers, there is some awesome advice here.
I married her!  Never regretted it!  We're loving life.  Now, a few things that I've learned:
1. She was never the problem.  It was always me (basically, I was an idiot).
2. The idea of virginity is just that, an idea.
3. What matters most is that you're best friends.  Best friends are loyal to each other no matter what happened in the past.
4. The past isn't real.  The present is everything.  The future is a dream.
 
My advice, is that if you're in this type of situation, get over yourself.  Assuming your significant other is completely loyal to you, if you still find yourself "haunted" by their past then the most important thing you need to ask yourself is, "Can I be the spouse my SO needs?"  If the answer is no, then stop jeopardizing your SO's happiness by constantly dragging your thoughts through the nonexistant past.  Get out of the relationship for their sake.  If you can honestly answer yes, then go for it.  You've got an entire lifetime to make amazing memories together.
I was taught growing up that it was better to die than to lose your virtue.  I disagree with that.  I was also taught that those who had lost their virtue were like "licked ice cream" or "chewed gum".  That way of thinking is wrong, and it's very harmful.  Let go of that type of thinking.  It benefits no one.
Elizabeth Smart talked about what it feels like to be a "chewed piece of gum" and it sounds terrible: http://fox13now.com/2013/05/06/elizabeth-smart-i-felt-like-a-chewed-up-piece-of-gum/   Don't put your SO through that.  If you're best friends, nothing else matters.
 
Best of luck to your SO (and you) if you're in the situation I was in.  In conclusion, this image sums it all up:

My definition of a gardener – Someone that despises and hates anything that want to grow on its own anywhere it intends to grow and forces everything in their power to grow where they otherwise wouldn’t.   I do not try to grow things in my yard – the only place I can get things to grow is in the refrigerator.   For upkeep in my yard I heir a gardener.
The other reason I dislike gardening is because by time I finish – it seems that there is now more to do than when I started.  I also love nature and enjoy the beauty of the earth as G-d tends it without people trying to make it better – I do, however, love the temple grounds.  There is something about the sacred beauty of the temples.
 
The Traveler

I'm only a hubby, but I have personally witnessed a portion of the rolling tsunami of opinionated old biddies that my wife experienced.  And I've heard my wife's stories about the rest of it.  They came out of nowhere - at the McDonalds, at church, in the grocery store parking lot.  Lots of friendly pointed parenting advice, often just a skosh on the argumentatively judgmental side of polite.  It was about breastfeeding, how to spoil or not spoil, what foods to give, when to demand manners, etc.
They invaded our home, with SIL ignoring requests to just leave wife and baby snoozing on the other side of the door - opening the door anyway "just to make sure".  She later made it known that she had heard about my wife's PTSD, and would be looking for signs that our baby was in danger.  
My wife never breastfed in public, she always went off to a mother's lounge or empty room with a door to close or whatever.  So I figure there was only a category 3 tsunami instead of a 5.  
Open offer to any mommies - if you ever pull me aside and say something like "Getting bruised by some of the flying opinions here", I will gladly go off to another area of the room and make a huge embarrassing spectacle of myself in order to take the heat off you.  

I will try to help with some of the confusion and give an opinion why there are contradictions.
 
Points on which there is agreement (as it seems to me):
Marriage (between a man and a woman) is ordained, embraced and commanded by G-d
Marriage is necessary to become an exalted Celestial being (as per the example of G-d the Father)
Because marriage is divinely appointed all those that worship G-d will support and encourage marriage in society.  This means they will strive with all their heart, might, mind and strength to be worthy of marriage and to participate themselves in marriage – note that marriage requires two – a man and a woman.
Jesus Christ is the one example of G-d that is given to mortal man.
Jesus Christ is also the example of what manner of men mortals should be.  In fact even in scripture Jesus specifically said that the manner of men we should be is – “even as I am”.
Points where there appear to be confusion:
Was Jesus married in mortality?   The reason there is confusion is because of the doctrine of vicarious ordinances.  This doctrine allows that ordinances can be done by proxy.  This doctrine actually has two parts.  First proxy part is the proxy for G-d.  An ordained priesthood holder (ordained under the proper keys of the priesthood) can provide a proxy for G-d in performing ordinances.  Second proxy part is the proxy for individuals that have passed from mortality without opportunity to participate themselves in the ordinances.
Is the man Jesus Christ resurrected and an exalted Celestial being?  This is a point some posters may be confused and so voice a confusing opinion.  The point of doctrine is that if Jesus is currently a resurrected and exalted Celestial being he will have completed the covenant of marriage – I will summarize the possible theories:  (If I missed any – especially if it is a theory any purport – please add to the list.
Jesus was married in the pre-existence.  This theory is not a highly popular theory – but has viable arguments consistent with the idea that G-d is married – Jesus was G-d in the pre-existence – therefor Jesus being G-d before being born of Marry must have been married.
Jesus was married by proxy ordinance.  I am not sure this is strongly held or who exactly support this theory – but it does have some merit -  The problem I have with this theory is the precedence for this theory is that Jesus had not opportunity to marry. 
Jesus is married but did not do so in this life.  This has possibilities but contradicts the notion that Jesus lived by “perfect” obedience in this life.
Jesus was married in this life.  I will not pretend otherwise for myself – this option for me seem the most logical and probable.  I personally am willing to discuss in any detail (which means to put forward answers to any questions one may ask on the subject – even if I personally think the question does not really apply) why I believe this option to have the most merit in the discussion.  I am willing to help others seeking truth in any way I can – I am also open to any point of doctrine or what someone else thinks to be a point of doctrine I may have overlooked and the possibility I could have made a mistake.
Jesus is not married – Not sure if this option is supported by any LDS on this forum – it is my personal observation that those supporting this possibility do so contrary to LDS doctrine – which is the purpose of the op of this thread.
Hope this helps anyone seeking understanding – especially of my place in the discussions as they, I and others move forward.  If there is anything I have missed – Please, anyone so inspired feel free to add but please do not be offended if I or other ask questions to validate your additions – it is not you personally that is being questioned.  And if anyone thinks I am being somewhat arrogant; do not think I dislike you for so thinking.  My dear wife often thinks and voices that I am arrogant with my logic and I love her as much and more as anyone else I know.  BTW I make my living by my logic in the field of artificial intelligence and currently hold two copyright and a patent my field.  Thus I am somewhat arrogant – but to be honest I do wonder where some of the arrogance from other posters find traction???
 
The Traveler

Your logic does not connect...
I agree that Christ did not need to get baptized, that he already had salvation (Or was never subject to the fall)
And I agree that baptism is necessary for us to be be saved (because we are subject to the fall)
But to then say Christ performed one ordinance he didn't need, but didn't perform the other ordinances he may or may not have needed shows a total lack of any kind of constancy. 

I'd say a lot of women would love to not have to be the one who is always right.   That would be such a relief to be married to one who agrees with with them 100% of the time. 
 

In defense of the OP, he/she never did say anything that would infer to me they were trying to get out of wearing their garments.  Just a simple question.  And a valid one as well.  There are many things that newly endowed people don't know or understand and I think just giving straight answers is what we need to do instead of insinuating or assuming anything other than that.

Don't you mean he's so not unpositive?

You didn't, and I didn't think you had.
There are, however, a lot of people who imagine that there is, and some of them might have read my message. So, to avoid a different discussion, one that would get off the track, I added the information to support the point that there is nothing inherently wrong with Plural Marriage.
Oh, and you're welcome for the answer to your question.
Lehi

Royal Skousen has suggested that "scourged" might have been a miscopying onto the printer's manuscript of the Book of Mormon of the original word "scorched". Since we no longer have that part of the original manuscript (is has been long destroyed), there is no way to check this theory. But Royal Skousen probably knows more than any living man about the process of the transcription and publication of the Book of Mormon and the mistakes introduced thereby. So this is a possibility to consider. 

Job is not fiction. 
 
We we are all Job. Almost all of us will have to deal with some sort of adversity. Loss of livelihood, loss of loved ones, including wives, loss of health--even at a young age. 
 
Did the Lord turn the devil loose on Job?  Sure He did. There was no other way for Him to find out if Job would be faithful.
 
But Job's attitude is the real story of how he dealt with his problems. Despite his "friends" spite he kept his faith through all adversity just as many of us will do.
Yeah, Job is real. Look in the mirror. 

No, I think I get where you're going; but to me the mention of Job seems intended to define the hypothetical worst-case scenario; not to compare Job's experience to what Joseph was actually experiencing.  It serves to remind Joseph that his personal worst-case-scenario--the Job-like situation of being alone and friendless, a prospect that haunted Joseph up to the last night of his life--had not actually happened to him yet.  
That may seem like a distinction without a difference, but to me it just feels different.  I guess I'm not articulating very well, either.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
 

I think there is something in your attitude. It seems that many LDS (and more fundamentalist Christians, too) grow up thinking that all or almost all of scripture is absolutely historical, then abandon their faith completely when they "discover" that the historicity of at least some scripture is difficult to prove. I think there is real value in recognizing that scripture's value is more in what it teaches us about God and man and the relationships between them, which can be a different question from whether these events actually occurred exactly as outlined in scripture.

And here is where the teachings of the gospel comes in... we listen to God and not "trends of morality" (whatever that means).  God's morality doesn't "trend".  It is what it is.

This is cool, but it's not entirely true that God always protects his temples. For example, the Tongan temple burned to the ground a few years ago.
It is a Mormon myth, in my opinion, that temples fall under 'magical' protection. Hugh Nibley said Mormons are too likely to see their temples as a 'fetish', in the anthropological definition of 'an object regarded with awe as being the embodiment or habitation of a potent spirit or as having magical potency.' 

That only applies to the swords and maybe my knives.

Same things that happened with laptop batteries for years, and have been happening with various toys off and on.  Unregulated lithium batteries either charged wrong or discharged too fast.  Solution is the same for all the products; avoid junk components.  

Do you also make a habit of approaching random strangers in cars to show them pictures of wreck victims?

So you're saying my plan to forestall His return by having each of the ~3.5 billion men on the planet know it will happen at a different hour won't work?
(If Matt 24:36 is correct, then any hour known by any man to be the one in question must be wrong.  We have enough men, therefore, to push it out by 400,000 years.)
I'm still wondering about linen-wool blends (Deut 22:11) and indoor plumbing. (Deut 23:13)

The OP has handled the repentance process in my opinion.  I am in the camp of don't tell.  No one benefits.  If the OP has truly repented (My personal opinion is that his level of pornography usage does not rise to the level of disfellowshipment) then he is done (home repentance plan).
If the OP wants to shatter his wife's trust, and wants to be miserable.....again....then by all means hurt her to assuage your guilt.