FogCity

after giving this some additional thought I realize my initial response was a little haughty and didn't address your question. Sorry about that. You should follow your heart and trust the Spirit. Perhaps not having children is the correct choice for you.

I was scared to death to have my first child up until the moment she was delivered. I have never had a more spiritual connection with my Heavenly Father than at that moment. Pure joy and worth every sacrifice and wakeless night (at least till they reach about 15)

sorry, I guess that post probably deserved a thread of its own

I read that the influx of new missionaries (due to the mission age change) did not equate to a similar percentage increase in convert baptisms. For example, the LDS Church welcomed a 15% increase in its missionary force, but only a 7% increase in convert baptisms. I recall entering the mission field as an excited 19 year old back in the 90's. I served a stateside mission. It didn't take long to realize that my enthusiasm for the gospel wasn't matched by any non-members in the field. To be perfectly honest, the few convert baptisms that we had, we had to pull and prod to get them to join, and 6 months later they had little to nothing to do with the LDS faith. Membership of the LDS Church is currently somewhere North of 15 million. But, to be honest, I'd argue that a 1/3 of those listed might be on Church membership roles, but personally wouldn't consider themselves LDS. They may have tried it out on a temporary basis, but it didn't stick. This part of the plan of salvation has me perplexed. LDS numbers are so small compared with the overall population of the planet that 99.5% of the people will live and die without an opportunity to hear or learn the gospel. That seems incredibly unfair and inequitable to me. Just another one of those things that perplexes me.

I was grocery shopping at Safeway, when I noticed these 3 clean-cut gentleman grabbing some Postum and Jello, when I passed them one of them whispered to me "don't forget your food storage." I immediately went and bought a case of chili

I remember when stories and myths about the 3 Nephites was much more common than it is today. I'm glad we have moved past that and have been counseled not to spread these stories. _______ The following is from the 2012 LDS seminary manual for youth: Avoid speculation about the Three Nephites. Many have heard stories about supposed visits of the Three Nephites. Rather than share these stories, teach what is taught in the scriptures. Remember Mormon's statement that the Three Nephites would be among the Gentiles and Jews, who would "know them not" (3 Nephi 28:27–28). Refrain from discussing stories or other information that is not found in Church-approved sources.

while I agree that we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves, there is a significant amount of pressure to partake of the sacrament, there are times when I partake that I probably wouldn't/shouldn't if it were a more private setting

<insert Twilight Zone music here>

clearly there have been scriptural accounts of individuals seeing angels. I suspect these visitations are extremely rare because they weaken the eternal principle of faith needed to work our way back to our father's presence.. It seems to me that someone who has seen an angel would have an inherent unfair advantage enduring to the end versus someone who hadn't had that experience. I would also assume that such an experience would be so spiritual that you wouldn't share it openly but hold it sacred and only reveal it to those closest around you.

considering that there are countless ways to sin (sins of omission/commission) I would argue yes. My gut feeling is, (gospel according to me) that anything activity that we are doing voluntarily that is detracting from the Spirit is a sin. That's equal parts humbling and defeating.

in my opinion the Sunday School President has the difficult task of ringing the bell and watching out for hang gliders . . . too soon?

the optimal most correct option is lets get rid of that second hour and just simply have Sacrament meeting and a 45 minute Priesthood/Relief Society meeting Problem solved.

I hope you enjoy the Terrestial Kingdom

I have always understood right hand as well, but I don't recall why. probably something my parents taught me when I was young.

I have watched my conservative father-in-law struggle as my sister-in-law has flip flopped between being gay or straight. The one positive he gained out of that experience is that it forced him to be more accepting and Christlike in his dealings with her boyfriends and girlfriends. Not to the same degree, but I believed it has humbled me and made me more accepting and compassionate. But still lots to learn.

I agree. The difference for me is that Priesthood and Plural Marriage aren't current social issues Homosexuality is.

I often feel defeated when people challenge me that LDS beliefs are discriminatory. Unfortunately, God is discriminatory. I have a testimony of the plan of salvation, the family proclamation and why bringing children into the world is essential to that plan. It certainly appears to me that the LDS Churches stance on homosexuality is a line drawn in the sand that says you are either with us or against us. For the first time, I have felt that the LDS Church is exclusionary versus welcoming. I have found this challenging. It’s a clear indication that the gospel and the world are drifting apart. I understand it. I get that in order to be truly sanctified we need to be challenged in these ways. I just wanted to honestly admit that I’m not finding it easy. Some of my family and friend relationships are being tested by this. It’s uncomfortable and I don’t like it.

there is a beautiful old LDS chapel on about 27th south and 4th east in Salt Lake City that has a huge stained glass window of the first vision right behind the pulpit. I believe it just shows Joseph on his knees and two light beams . this is another topic, but when did we become so boring in the design of our ward/stake buildings, did the church outsource its architect dept. to Ikea ?

its called Discovering Emma

I’ll be the first to admit, I am not well-versed in early LDS Church history and my knowledge is novice level (at best). I recently watched a documentary about Emma Smith (on Amazon Prime) and my perception about her has changed. There has always seemed to be a stigma associated with Emma Smith. But I’m not sure that’s completely fair. I’ve always imagined that Emma lived an exemplary life prior to Joseph’s death and then lost her way after. I think that’s a common held LDS belief or myth. Clearly, there seems to be a negative perception of her that she didn’t come West with the Saints. There was a heated disagreement between her and Brigham Young that seems to have damaged her character. Her remarriage to a man that many viewed as sketchy. And finally her involvement (with her son) in starting the Reorganized LDS Faith have each led to unfair questions about her. It’s impossible for me to defend or justify one way or another. All I know after watching this documentary is that Emma was a woman who endured tremendous trails over her entire lifetime, and showed amazing faith and love. In addition to watching her children and husband die early in life, she also raised her 2nd husbands illegitimate child as if he were her own. Emma is the only female to be directly addressed by the Savior and mentioned as an Elect Lady scripturally. That’s enough for me to remove the thought that she should be viewed as controversial.

interesting topic, but too deep for my simple mind. However, this story/scripture immediately came to mind as I was reading this topic. things that make you go hmmmmm In this instance, you could argue that the brother of Jared was in reality, while the rest of the world at that time was in an altered reality.

I’ve met plenty of Saints who are quietly obedient and live exemplary lives. I wouldn’t classify them as Molly Mormon/Peter Priesthoods. I’ve also met a few rare wacko’s who appear to be constantly auditioning for leadership positions within the LDS Church. They are also obedient (or at least give that appearance), but for different reasons. That is who I define as Molly/Peter. They have a severe lack of personal introspection and recognition. This reminds me of a story about President Monson. I love this story. We all know of Pres. Monson’s dedication to visiting the sick. Years ago, during an important church meeting he received an impression that he should go to the hospital to visit someone. He didn’t know who. However, someone important was speaking and he rationalized that instead of rudely running out of the meeting interrupting the talk, he would wait until the speaker finished. After 20-30 minutes, he rushed to the hospital. As he entered the hospital, a nurse recognized him and told him he was too late. A person that was asking for him had passed away a few minutes earlier. I love that Pres. Monson was so honest and would open up and share this experience. He didn’t need to. He recognized that even as much as he has done for others, even he falls short on occasion. I think honesty and self-realization is a clear indicator as to whether someone is Molly/Peter or not.

My favorite miracle in the scriptures is the Savior calming the Sea of Galilee. The account in Mark 4 is the most detailed: It is such a great story because it truly shows the peaceful reverent demeanor of Christ. One of the reasons I love it is because of the great hymn, Master the Tempest is Raging. Another is there have been a number of beautiful paintings (from Rembrandt, LDS artists and others) referencing the event. I’ve also viewed as an analogy in my own life that when I am in rough seas, there is always one I can rely on to calm them. What is your favorite miracle in the scriptures?

Great advice about reading the scriptures earlier in the day. When time allows, sometimes the first thing I do when getting to work before checking emails, or voice messages is spend 5-15 minutes reading the scriptures. Often, I have found that those few minutes reading help shape the rest of my workday and help inspire me to make wiser decisions. And of course many times I get to caught up in the grind and don't take the time. One of the missionaries I served with bore his testimony that one of his goals was to have some sort of a spiritual experience every day. That always stayed with me as a great goal to have.

No, but in my admittedly flawed mind I've always considered that Old Testament/occasionally head-scratching sort of stuff