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Grunt

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Posts posted by Grunt

  2. Peter Santello starts a series of videos on the Mormons

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

    The implication that "Mormons" don't wear beards wasn't very accurate. Brock didn't seem to catch that he was thinking that meant for all Latter-day Saints rather than just BYU and/or leadership like roles. Things like that can be problematic. Thinking that if you join the church you can't wear a beard anymore is going to drive some away.

    A minor complaint though.

    I find it more problematic that people would be driven away from Christ because they can't have a beard.   

    Don't drink alcohol?   Too easy.

    No coffee or tea?   Who cares.

    You have to shave every week?   Sorry, Jesus.

  3. Ben Shapiro vs. Candace Owens

    in Current Events

    Posted

    Politics is a weird battle arena.   People tend to be very black and white in many areas that I personally believe are better accepted as gray.  People also try to cram their personal beliefs into a politics package.   Sometimes it's just OK to acknowledge the facts as we know them, accept that we may not have them all, and feel empathy for all involved.

    You can believe something is necessary while being sad that it is.  You can fall on one side of a gray line while someone with very similar beliefs falls on the other.

  6. Abortion

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    32 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

    Here are some quotes to consider:

     

    Thank you.  I'm familiar with most of these, and others, which ultimately led to my question.   Murder is typically used as a legal term (ie: abortion is legal therefore not murder) but it also has spiritual connections.  The Church has said there may be circumstances where it would not consider abortion serious enough to restrict membership.   I just felt that "abortion is not murder" was a very broad statement that might imply things which are not necessarily true.

  7. Abortion

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, laronius said:

    I think you are misunderstanding what I was saying. I wasn't contrasting moral vs immoral. I was contrasting strictly moral vs those rights which are generally also moral but additionally are secured in the US Constitution. The difference being that those secured by the US Constitution are supposed to be set in stone whereas those that aren't will change with time based on society. 

    Also, I wasn't saying that an unborn child is not a person. I generally believe them to be so. Likewise I also have a testimony of the Church so if the Church says abortion is not murder then that's what I believe. My point was that those two beliefs seem kind of contradictory in nature: saying it's a person (from a Constitutional rights perspective) and yet killing this person is not murder (from an LDS doctrine perspective). This doesn't stop me from believing both, it just makes me wonder how we would explain it to someone. 

    Could you cite where you’re drawing “the Church says abortion is not murder” from?   That’s a very broad statement.  My take is more “there are extremely limited situations where it may be justified “.   I don’t believe justified is the right word, I just can’t think of a better one.  

  8. Abortion

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

    From certain vantage points, it looks like the entire country is in a competition on what sort of abortion law to have in place.  At one end of the spectrum, we have states getting close to "abortion up to birth, and maybe after birth, funded by the state, and actively encouraged by people who hate people and want to fix climate change through population reduction."   On the other end of the spectrum, we have your deal.   Most folks lie somewhere between those two ends.  

    I guess I was just hoping for an easy way to have everyone settled on the matter once and for all. 

     

    I've never really cared where "most folks" lie on most topics.  I'm very comfortable with my "deal" and how it aligns with Heavenly Father's "deal".

  11. If Unmarried When I Die Is Exaltation Out Of The Question?

    in Marriage and Relationship Advice

    Posted

    On 11/5/2023 at 10:10 PM, pam said:

    I feel for your situation.  I'm basically in the same.  Been divorced for 23 years now.  I'm just a couple of years younger than you and not sealed to anyone.  I worry about my exaltation as well.  I don't think you and I are the only ones in this boat.  

    This could be a love connection......  😇😉❤️

  12. Problems with church

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, LDSGator said:

    I get that. The “death by a thousand cuts thing.” I don’t fully agree but I understand where you are coming from. 

    I'll provide an example.  A family moved into our ward for a brief period.  They had one girl in YW that was a modern feminist.  She wore excessive dark make up, short skirts, plunging necklines, used inappropriate language, and teetered on the line of anti-church talk.    She was extremely friendly and all the girls liked her.   Over time, a few of the other girls started to emulate her a little.   She moved back out of the ward (they weren't here long) and things returned to normal.  That girl has since gone full-blown anti.

    I'm not sure what the right answer is in a situation like that.   

  13. Problems with church

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    39 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

    I don’t think the average LDS needs the spiritual protection any of us here. Isn’t it sort of snotty and condescending of us to think they do?

    Most don’t fall for the :: ahem :: “teachings” of Denver Snuffer or that crazy lady who killed her kids. Same with political issues. Go to a ward in Utah and start arguing for gay marriage. You probably won’t get very far. 

    I think it's a fine line, particularly with youth.  The example you provide is extreme, I'm more concerned about the incremental corruption.   I feel this is more of a concern for the youth in my area than it is for the adults.  

  15. "Protestant Mormons"

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    14 hours ago, zil2 said:

    Here is my take:

    If you do not believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's restored church, led by Jesus Christ himself, then disregard everything else I have to say as it's irrelevant without that belief.

     

    If you do believe that, then you only need to trust in Jesus Christ.  Because if he's in charge then:

    1. He called the President of the Church and the apostles.

    2. If they lead us astray in some way, then trust that Christ will stop them.  (D&C 43:3-4, for example.)  (You don't need to trust the prophet, you need to trust Jesus Christ.)

    3. If they lead us astray and for some reason Christ doesn't stop them (yet?), trust that the sins will be on the leaders' heads, just as scriptures say the sins will be on the parents' heads if they fail to teach their children (or on Laman & Lemuel's heads for generations of their descendants - there's a staggering thing).  (And just as the sins will be on the heads of priesthood holders if they fail to do their duty - think temple....)  (Again, you don't need to trust the prophet, you need to trust Jesus Christ.)

    In other words, you can't go wrong following the prophet - if this is Christ's church.  That does not mean you have to follow him blindly.  You can compare his teachings to the whole of scripture from Genesis 1 to Article of Faith 13.  You can ponder and pray about it for a testimony of its truthfulness.  You can ask questions and work through difficult things (e.g. Nephi's working through the command to kill Laban).  There's nothing wrong with any of that.  The wrong comes when you start trying to lead others away from the prophet or publicly declare him not a prophet or some such thing.

    My testimony is that Jesus Christ lives.  He is the Son of God.  He loves us.  This is his church restored to the earth.  It comes with his priesthood, complete with its keys, ordinances, and covenants.  Ergo, the prophet is led by him and if the prophet goes astray, Christ will deal with it and I don't have to worry about it because I trust Christ.

    FWIW.

    This has always been my response as well.   I can't believe "I followed the Prophet" won't be a positive defense on judgement day.

  17. Disney wokeness

    in Current Events

    Posted

    On 10/2/2023 at 7:02 PM, Phoenix_person said:

    While this is commendable, I feel it's worth noting that this is roughly the equivalent of me donating $4 of my monthly income to charity.

    I guess, but I don't feel a need to put a "but" when recognizing something good.  They donate to Charity.  That's awesome.   I'm thankful they give back some of their profits to the community.  Many people don't.

  19. The Third Hour

    in Learn about The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints

    Posted

    Strictly as it relates to worship and ignoring the social/convenience impact:

    I think the shift has been great for some families.  Studying in and Come Follow Me is great for the families that take advantage of it.

    I think the shift has been horrible for children who don't have parents that do home study and family scripture reading.

    I think the shift has zero affect on adults without children who do or don't study at home or listen to music during sacrament meetings.

  25. Gender…

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Grunt

    On 9/3/2023 at 12:27 AM, JohnsonJones said:

     

    THIS is why it is tricky.  It is a trick question from the get go. 

     

    Again, it's not.  There are two.  Spoons don't have gender.  Neither do ships.

    You're trying to make it tricky.  You're trying to make it more complex than it is.  It isn't.