person0

That's not quite how it works. We did not yet need redemption when we lived in God's presence. It's more along the lines of God saying - You guys need progression, you need a body. I am going to send you to earth so you can get a body and learn to be more like me. - God did it because he wanted us to have the opportunity to learn and grow. Also, some did sin in His presence. Lucifer and those who followed after him were cast out, they never came to earth. They died spiritually, forever, and can never return to God's presence. Side Note: Technically 'pre-existence' is incorrect terminology; the correct term is pre-mortal existence.

I interpret that in your use of the word organic your intended definition is that of a living soul: 'spirit and element combined'. The spirit is that which gives life to the body. There is no official doctrinal reference that would indicate to us if the combination of spirit and element is uncreated; however, from the lyrics presented above, it is clear that one could never find the beginning of Gods. The term 'man' could also potentially be interpreted to include God since he is also man. There is no official answer, but it will be a fun question to learn the answer to one of these days when my mind is ready to handle it. How would you define 'dead matter?' I think you mean inanimate matter as used before. Either way, honestly, I don't really care if he did it all at once or over time, or if he used a super high-tech celestial 3D printer. That said, Moses did use God's power to quickly trans-mutate a stick into a serpent; it kind of happened 'all at once'. Unless Moses/Aaron actually just pulled a super fast slight of hand trick and swapped the snake out there. I'd say this guy is way far out on the speculation train. The way you have worded this postulation would mean that homo-sapiens did not have spirits, which in my understanding would mean they were not actual living beings, which to me doesn't sound like something rational within the scope of established doctrine. I believe you are interpreting this correctly. No death whatsoever before the fall. I have stated before in this forum that it is not necessarily an illogical position on either side. Personally, however, I think that it is clear from the extant Church materials that evolution involving death is not within the scope of canonical doctrine. I will teach my children not to accept the theories of evolution as truth, but to learn and understand them for purposes of knowledge and understanding as needed in the world. I will also teach them that if one day we learn there is a truthful reconciliation between the accounts of the creation and the process of evolution then that will be wonderful, but until such occurs (if ever), the account of the creation we have through scriptures and modern prophetic revelations is the truth.

The number one best thing I do to have 'fun' studying the scriptures is to ponder them. Pondering helps me make previously unseen connections and to have those verses and insights become part of me. Technically this is not 'fun' but it is very exciting and brings great joy. I recommend taking the time to care more about what you read than about how much. Ponder! ? ?

I know this isn't your primary issue, however, since other people have already given you excellent advice I will first address this. Feel free take comfort in knowing that Heavenly Mother would do exactly the same thing as Heavenly Father. Her response would literally be 100% equivalent. They are one. There is nothing she would understand or say or do that he will not also understand and say and do. When you speak to Heavenly Father it is already the same as if you were speaking to Her, just like it would be the same response if you were speaking directly to Christ. The thought may comfort you to know that she is 100% cognizant of all your prayers and thoughts as is He (and she is); however, Heavenly Father is God, it is his responsibility to receive our prayers and our responsibility to pray to Him and also to follow His commandments as have been given through Christ and the apostles and prophets both new and old. In regard to your primary concern: If you were to end up somewhere other than the celestial kingdom and all the people you know and helped were to make it to the celestial kingdom, do you think that they would not take a moment to look at you and wonder why the heck you didn't just repent so you would at least have a chance to be there with them? I would presume that if you have had a meaningful impact on their lives they would be much more grateful that you repented than if you didn't. Especially considering all the people you have known in your pre-mortal life who also are rooting for you to rejoin with them. There are multitudes who want you to repent, not just Heavenly Father and Christ. I presume your righteously reared child also will want this of you in the long run. You will break more hearts by not repenting than you could possibly break by repenting. For all we know, you and I were great friends in the pre-mortal life! I will be so mad if you aren't there to hang out in the celestial kingdom with all the rest of us. So repent for everyone's sake, especially your own! Sincerely, Your Brother (and possibly one of your pre-mortal best friends) - Person0

That would be amazing! However, I personally would want it to allow manual designation for how it should calculate the tithing, because otherwise all users would pay tithing based on the app creators interpretation of how a full tithe is calculated. (Not trying to start a whole discussion but in other threads it has been made clear that different people pay tithing in different ways)

I absolutely agree with you. However, there are some things where that answer doesn't apply, but unfortunately even members of the church fail to realize it. For example, I once counseled a couple that viewing pornography was not an acceptable practice even for married couples behind closed doors for multiple reasons. The people participating in the acts on screen are in violation of the laws of chastity on multiple counts, and viewership is not only outside the realm of the holy nature of a couples intimacy, but is supportive of the creation of said material. The couple who received this information from me, never returned to church, even though I never asked them if they participated in those things. As much as it is true that couples must determine together what is comfortable to them, sadly, many mistake that as complete free reign. Pornography is huge problem among members of the Church. I can attest that in my ward it is affecting many men and women alike. I'm sure pornography would come up in the class anyway, but that reason alone is why I relate with reservation the position you noted, and almost always follow up with clarification. I think as couples focus more on the true nature of intimacy, and the spiritual growth that can come with it, they then will be prepared develop habits that will be in keeping of the spirit of the law, and will be better protected from sensory temptations that do not fulfill the unity of sexual intimacy.

You should definitely consider stopping being worried. My father and entire family on his side are Muslim immigrants from Israel/Palestine and Jordan. Yes, they are still actively Muslim, too. They were smart enough to realize that Hillary was the worst candidate of the two. Why would you presume trumps rhetoric is having such a terrible effect on Muslims across the country? My impression (being a member of the 'Muslim' community, even though it is not my religion) is that in reality the people who are most offended are self-righteous, self-loathing, left-wing activists (mostly white ). I am not worried one bit about the cultural aspect of Trump's rhetoric. Most American's are intelligent enough to know or to quickly realize that you must take anything Trump says with a grain of salt. Those who are not are most plausibly either uninformed, uneducated, or purposefully propagating an anti-Trump agenda. It may not be the most appropriate way for President Trump to speak or act, but it doesn't mean we should all be scrambling in fear. As should be clear by the injunctions to his travel bans, the President on his own has very little power.

I think one problem is that, chances are, the few outspoken people in the class may ask questions like, "What is okay and what is not okay for us to be doing?". Aside from the 'how often' question mentioned above, from my experience I would presume this will be the biggest question people may actually be seeking out. I doubt it is a good idea to try and give answers to that question, especially in that particular setting. I've mentioned this in another thread before, but a possible beneficial format for discussion would be to go through applicable points made in the Jeffrey R. Holland talk: Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments.

I understand you feel that way now, and it's hard to comprehend having any other perspective. However, God is perfect in his extension of mercy. He will grant each person the maximum glory he is able, based on all applicable factors. The truth is that we don't know how much opportunity you will have to be with your other family members. Even if everyone of you were to inherit celestial glory, for all we know, you may be needed for much more time doing other things than being with them anyway. Personally, although difficult, I try to leave this imponderable for the next life. Even if what you are suggesting actually did happen, by the time it happened you would be okay with it because your understanding will have been opened. Everyone will be given sufficient appropriate opportunity to receive the fullness of the gospel and celestial glory. Your uncertainty about the gospel based on this particular concern, can not change the fact that the gospel we teach in the Church is true; it also can not change God's plan for what will happen in a situation like yours. My father is Muslim, he doesn't even believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior. Many before and after you seek the answer to this question.

I've never used any of those styles. That must be why they are being discontinued! It's all my fault! Sorry.

Pleasure to meet you as well. I know that's what he said; I watched him say it. How many times do people, even just in this forum, make blunt statements for effect and then clarify later? (granted Trump does it way too much, and even flip flops) What he's doing with the travel ban is his intention behind his words, and is an appropriate way to achieve the intended objective. See, now you've got me defending him, and I didn't even vote for the guy!

That's why the list said 'ban Muslims', instead of people from radicalized areas.

Build a wall and make Mexico pay for it Nope. Temporarily Ban Muslims from entering the US He's trying to do some things to keep the wrong people out, I will give him credit for that. Bring manufacturing jobs back No, I don't see a way he can realistically accomplish that anyway. Impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico Nope. Renegotiate or withdraw from NAFTA and the TPP He's got people working on it. Full repeal of Obamacare Not even close. Renegotiate the Iran deal I'm confident he wants to, not sure much progress is or will be made. Cut taxes Nothing of substance yet. I expect it will come, hopefully. Bomb and take oil from ISIS Do I care about their oil? Bombing started before him and will continue. Put Clinton behind bars No, and I doubt it will happen. The list goes on

Dry ice in a bucket with a fan blowing outward. Kind of like this: Now, to prevent suffocation and death from too much CO2, well that wasn't mentioned as a qualifier.

I am grateful to God for the freedoms I enjoy and for His hand in establishing the great land I call home. I am grateful to those who fight to preserve our freedoms, and for the brave men who this day in 1776 prepared the Declaration of Independence and declared unequivocally that our rights come from God. I hope and pray our constitution and freedoms will be maintained in the way the Lord intended when established by His power. God bless America!

I am 85.6% sure that this girl is suffering from emotional problems stemming from something happening, or lack of something happening in her home/family life. I would get to know her more intimately, talk about her home, her problems, what bothers her, what she's dealing with, etc. I bet you just might find something that is emotionally driving her behavior change. Even if you don't have any luck finding it, it is probably there. People tend to change their behaviors and lash out in situations like this because of an 'unfair' life event that is painful for them to bear. Either way, I wouldn't worry about her judging you, instead, don't participate in the gossip or anything, just ignore it and change the topic, or even say something positive about the person. For example, your friend says, "Jane is such a snob, she has a coach purse and flaunts it everywhere she goes" You could respond, "Oh, my goodness, that reminds me, I heard that Jane got straight A's this year in math, she is so smart, I suck at math." Or something true but like that.

I keep trying to convince the wife we need us one of these!

Dear John . . .

I am way late to this conversation but I have two statements to make: 1) There should be no such thing as government ordained marriage at all. This would immediately resolve the marriage problem for both sides as two people being married would not be a government nor public matter. (except that radicals making all the fuss actually care more about approval of their lifestyle rather than marital rights) 2) Any privately owned business should have the right to refuse service for any reason whatsoever, bar none. However, a government operation should not be allowed to refuse service to anyone. If a business owner wants to be racist, bigoted, homophobic etc, etc, etc, then they should have that right, exercise it as they see fit, and suffer the consequences as they affect their sales and other areas of their business. (okay, okay, a couple exceptions: utilities companies and similar large service/product providers where there may not be, or are no alternatives should not be able to refuse service). There are likely to be many arguments against these ideas, but once the principles of classical economics are applied over time, I believe these principles prove themselves. Supply and demand every time!

I personally believe it could be either one or both, but that ultimately it makes no difference. To commit homosexual acts is a sin, regardless of if someone is born that way or it is developed over time. All of us come into life with different trials, that is a trial for some, for others it is alcohol, others it is anger management, etc, etc. Regardless of the origin, the most important principle is that it is contrary to God's commandments, and is to be sought to overcome.

I agree. I believe another actual section of the D&C would probably be revealed in the same or very similar language format. Either way, it's already doctrine.

There are quite a few. Here are some links, but just in case, I wont include the video on the forum! The Office - Sensitivity Training The Office - What Not to Do HR Compilation The Office - Sexual Harassment Training Highlight

I believe it is entirely acceptable to refuse treatment in order to allow yourself to die. However, to take medication, or any action that specifically and knowingly brings about your own death, is entirely wrong.

Effective immediately all forum members will be required to participate in a mandatory harassment and diversity training session every two months before being able to post! Kidding! So I am currently 5 minutes through a 20 minute mandatory harassment and diversity training video at work. This is the second time this year our management team has had to participate in one of these training sessions. The broker who provides my salary is always on edge about the possibility of litigation in pretty much any form. The funny thing is that the actor playing the person being harassed in this video is like the most 'harassable' person ever: Lazy, overweight, has a cane for walking, annoying, etc. Obviously they used that character to make a point and harassment can be very serious, but work training is often just hilarious (and cheesy). I think they should just play an episode of The Office and call it, 'Harassment Training: What Not to Do!' That would definitely be a training session I could handle about once a month!

I just now discovered why God hasn't brought justice down upon my enemies. . . I'm not pure in heart enough So, I suppose I can just skip this chapter until I get to a more perfect level of purity. Oh, well I'm not that bad! I don't think so anyway. This verse alone indicates the importance of the Law of Chastity to the Lord. The Lamanites, as wicked as they were, kept the law of chastity. And solely because of their obedience to this law, the Lord determined that they would not be destroyed. That is a big deal. It also makes me reflect on Sodom and Gomorrah, which were both completely annihilated due to their wickedness, especially related to sexual sin. This leads me to an opinion that there is something spiritually miraculous about the procreative act and power that even has yet not been revealed to mankind. I am excited about the proposition to better understand it in the eternities. I don't believe I could handle the pain of living in sin for very long. If I were to commit adultery, or any other grievous sin, I think that the pains of hell that can be felt by those who commit such sins would be too much for me to handle even for a few days. I would have to immediately confess to my spouse and priesthood leaders and begin the process of repentance. I am also very grateful that I don't currently have to bear the burden that Jacob bore or that a bishop must bear in helping others work through the repentance process for their sins. God bless those sincerely working to overcome, and those sharing in the burden to help them accomplish that goal.