person0

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

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

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! ? ?
 

Hmm. In a neighborhood of mansions a "modest" house in their midst would draw lots of attention. Would that change the definition of that house so it was no longer "modest"?
Obviously intent plays a part -- if one built the "modest" house as a holier-than-thou-look-how-modest-I-am sort of thing then yeah...not modest at all. But the girl wearing the modest swimming suit at the pool when every other girl is wearing a thong bikini may stand out...but she's still being modest.
And we are commanded as a people to stand apart from the world, etc. Being the only one not drinking, smoking, swearing, etc., makes us stand out. Does that mean we're not modest in our behavior?

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

Lost, I am not at all sure you will be excommunicated. I think you very well may not be. But even if you are, embrace it. You are coming to Christ. If that's a step you have to take, be brave and take it.
Please talk to your bishop tomorrow. And if you are willing, I would love to hear back from you tomorrow how things went. I feel sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

You're awfully concerned about judgment, yet you come to an LDS list asking for people's opinions -- that is, their judgments. Perhaps you fear other people's opinions (judgments) too much.
Having read only what you write above, I suspect you are wrong about people standing ready to think, "Aha! I knew it!" Most people frankly don't really pay much attention to you. They are far too involved in their own lives and problems. And to be blunt, the opinions of any who might possibly think such smug, self-righteous thoughts about you are not worth your attention.
Please read and/or listen to this General Conference talk immediately, given last October by Sister Linda S. Reeves of the General Relief Society presidency:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/the-great-plan-of-redemption?lang=eng
Pay special attention to the following paragraph:
When we have sinned, Satan often tries to convince us that the unselfish thing to do is to protect others from the devastation of the knowledge of our sins, including avoiding confessing to our bishop, who can bless our lives through his priesthood keys as a common judge in Israel. The truth, however, is that the unselfish and Christlike thing to do is to confess and repent. This is Heavenly Father’s great plan of redemption.
Please do not fall for the self-deception that it's somehow more honorable to bury your guilt and sin than to face the music. The good, right, brave thing to do is to stand up, admit your actions, and do what is needed to stand clean before the Lord. Please go talk to your bishop immediately. Tomorrow. Yes, he's a friend, but he's more likely to be concerned about you than disappointed in you. Same with your stake president.
Please let us know how it goes. You will feel better, and you will be doing the honorable and courageous thing. In the long run, and frankly in the short run, it will be far better for everyone.

I just want to throw this out before reading the post...but I don't think pondering on nudity is a good idea in my case.

In today's LDS culture, all public adult nudity is considered immodest and therefore inappropriate. Many Latter-day Saints even look on classic sculpture and painting of nudes as immodest, which is only logical, since time and fame do not supersede divine will.
But Adam and Eve were created naked, as are we all. In most cultures, both historically and today, little children run around naked and no one bats an eyelash. What's the real low-down on the acceptibility of public nudity?
Well...you've come to the wrong place. I can't give any authoritative answers. But I can open a discussion on the topic and see if any useful ideas surface.
From what I can tell, in ancient times adult nudity meant one or both of two things:
You were very poor, too poor to afford clothing. You were a slave. The mortal Lord referenced the first of these quite often when he spoke of clothing the naked along with feeding the hungry. Clothing serves the obvious purpose of protecting one's skin against the elements and preserving body heat. But why would poverty and nudity be associated? I see two reasons:
Clothing was expensive. It took a great deal of work to gather material, spin it into a thread, then work that thread on a loom to produce fabric, from which you could cut and sew clothing. Even tanning, cutting, and sewing animal skins into clothing was time-intensive and not cheap. Clothing was an obvious status indicator. Fine, beautiful clothing bespoke a rich man or woman. The Lord also had a great deal to say about this, all of it negative. As for being a slave, if you were naked -- especially given #2 above -- you were ashamed. You were either too poor to buy clothing or else you were not free to wear them.
Children are born naked. In many ancient societies and not a few modern ones, little children are often unclothed. From a financial standpoint, it doesn't make much sense to make expensive clothing for children who are just going to outgrow them in a few months. Children are also not responsible enough to take good care of their clothing, avoid soiling it, and so forth. (Modern ultracheap clothing makes these points moot for a modern society.) Since children are sexually immature, childhood nudity is pretty much of no societal consequence, assuming you don't have any significant element of society that is sexually attracted to children -- which is a separate topic that I won't explore, because I both find it distasteful and don't have any insights to offer.
Adult nudity is another thing entirely. Adults are, by definition, sexually mature, and there are all sorts of obvious physical manifestations of this. A nude adult is a sexual being. Sex implies nudity, if it doesn't actually require it. An exposed adult is an adult ready for sexual mating. This fits very well with the slavery idea, since slaves were considered the sexual property of their owners. The Hebrews and the Arabs, along with many other ancient societies, mandated that a female slave who gave birth to a master's child was either to be treated as a wife or set free. Men, too, were kept in sexual slavery by owners of both sexes, though I don't know that they ever had any get-out-of-jail-free clauses related to childbirth.
So a naked adult is a sexually exposed adult, socially if not physically. Sex being viewed by the world as a sort of animalistic thing anyway, this is an implicit dehumanization of the naked adult.
In modern Western societies, of course, these historical norms don't directly apply. Nudity is highly sexualized, even with children. It is seen as a "choice" and as a matter of "freedom of expression". Men and women demand the "right" to expose their nudity in public, and mock as "prudish" and "Victorian" those who object. I can only imagine the derisive laughter and eye-rolling that an ancient society would express on seeing modern attitudes toward nudity.
But the derision of ancient societies is of no more moment than that of modern societies. The point is that we in the modern Western world view both adult and childhood nudity much differently from ancient societies, and indeed much differently from almost any other society throughout history. It's all about titillation, voyeurism, and consensual sex.
Which leads to the topic of modesty.
"Modesty" means being moderate and unassuming in both action and self-estimation. It also means avoiding impropriety or indecency in behavior, appearance, and manners. Obviously, this will vary substantially between societies and cultures.
Is public adult nudity always immodest? In the United States, I would say the answer is probably yes, except in certain highly specific and artificial situations. But that's clearly not the case in other societies, such as those with public baths. Even in the US, I expect that most people would say that a woman "exposing" her breast to nurse her baby is not being immodest.
There is an obvious link between nudity and immodesty, but I think it wise to remember that the link is not always one-to-one. It is possible to be nude and still be modest, and it is very possible to be clothed and still be extremely immodest in appearance.
So there are some of my ponderings. I invite others.

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 don't think it's complicated at all. An active and faithful LDS member should not participate in any invalid form of the sacrament, last supper, communion, whatever-they-call-it.
Simple. Straightforward. Easy. All that fancy pneumatic talk don't much matter.

A few pneumatic presents I'm hoping for:

I'll resurrect my old signature but with the wording slightly altered:
If prophets and apostles can make mistakes, then maybe the prophets and apostles who say prophets and apostles made mistakes are mistaken.

First of all, I don't think you've caught on to the spirit of the Auto portion of AutoMormon.
Second of all, OK, we guess could add this to the user requirements:
Tithing-Attitude
Full, Gross Full, Net Partial, Gross (will need field to specify how partial) Partial, Net (will need field to specify how partial) Enough to not look suspicious (will need field to specify how un-suspicious) Random amounts (not to exceed X$) at random intervals (not to exceed [frequency here]) None Of course, you could just not allow it access to all your records...  And if you use both AutoMormon and Work-For-A-Living, but don't tell AutoMormon about it, you could claim to be unemployed (after all, it's really the app that's employed, not you - you'd be a kept man, so to speak)...

Single-function apps are so last-decade.  What we need is "AutoMormon" - it'll carry on an AI texting session with your assigned HT/VT folk (and compose a report to text your supervisor); write talks, lessons, and newsletter articles for you (based on calendar appointments); read scriptures, GC talks, and the latest Ensign issue; compose prayers (based on those VT/HT texts, the talk/lesson/article due date, and its latest reading); and it could have a compassionate-service add-on that will order a meal from a random restaurant (from your list, of course) to be delivered to the specified member at the specified date/time - paid for with your credit card (but we can't really expect all that at no cost, now can we?).
I'm thinking we need to find us a developer.

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

 

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.

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

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 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.

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

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.

Yes.
Except that what Trump is doing is legal and appropriate.

If you haven't noticed, Chinese and Indian labor costs have been steadily rising for a decade as they start shifting from producer to consumer.  "Bringing back manufacturing jobs" is a promise for the US to COMPETE against the labor advantage of China/India/et.al.  The competition will not be on low-cost high-risk manufacturing like making fidget spinners.  The competition will be on high-end manufacturing like steel and rare earth minerals.  So, what has Trump done in this arena?  Well, very simple really - reduced the size of the EPA, working on reducing regulations, working on knocking out employer mandates on Obamacare, working on lowering business taxes...
So, you hear all these economists say "Gasp!  Automation is going to put so many people in the poor house!".  This is silly, of course.  Automation is going to reduce the need for low-cost high-risk labor in China and India and reshore manufacturing plants with US markets.  Where a Trump Administration comes in -   with automation providing a reduced low-skilled labor cost (it costs more to provide healthcare and bathrooms for the worker than what he can produce), reduced regulatory impediments, and reduced taxes, it is always going to be better for a manufacturing company to manufacture something for the US market in the US.  Of course, if your consumer is in China, it is better to manufacture it in China.  For a been-there-done-that case study of this - check out K'Nex (the makers of Lincoln Logs).
The bulletpoint is mischaracterized.  Trump did not promise to impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico.  Rather, he promised to re-negotiate trade with China and Mexico both of which are currently ongoing.  The tariff imposition is on American manufacturing companies producing their products in foreign soil for a US market.  This hasn't been necessary yet as it hinges on a production-friendly American economy (need tax cut and healthcare at least accomplished).  Paul Ryan, on the other hand, has always used an appeal for a border tax as a means to increase revenues to plug the Budget Committee's deficits.
But, as far as what Trump has done on tariffs... he has shown that he has no problem using tariffs as a punitive measure against international hood-winkery... as has happened against the stupidity of our neighbor up north - Trudeau.
 
The dice is still on the air with this one.  Trump is using this as a bone to the Republicans that they can use as a trump card over the Clintons.  I have a feeling if Chelsea steps too far into the political arena (the Clintons are showing signs that they're prepping Chelsea to save the dynasty) this card will be played.

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