Midwest LDS

I won't pretend I'm an expert on all of your concerns brother, and I'm sorry you are struggling with your faith. I second @Fether comments about the church being restored line upon line. Things were done differently when it was first restored, and that's ok. Before you allow this Dan Vogel, or any other critic of the church to shake your testimony, remember a few things. First, there are always discrepancies in any historical record (trust me I speak from experience as an amateur historian). Sometimes, we don't allow our forebears to be human. They were just as flawed as you and me. Sometimes they misremembered dates, mixed up events in their heads, wrote things down in an unclear way thinking others would be familiar with events they described when we aren't, and a host of other issues. The human brain is not a video recording. Second, and this is most important, all of these arguments about Joseph being a "pious fraud" make the same mistake we sometimes do. They put him on a huge pedastel. How? They seem to believe he was a genius, since he created the Book of Mormon from whole cloth in their view. They never, ever explain how this backwoods, unschooled, "pious fraud" created this brilliant piece of literature, filled with Chiasmus, Hebraisms, signs of multiple authors, and testimonies about Christ. People who knew and loved Joseph said that he was too unlearned to pull it out of whole cloth (see Emma's testimony about Jospeh not knowing Jerusalem had a wall). How did this "pious fraud" always start back up where he left off when translating? According to the eyewitnesses he never needed portions of the manuscript read back to him when starting a day of translating. I couldn't do that when I was writing a 5 page college paper. Can you imagine doing it with a detailed, intricate, religious book, especially when you didn't make it past a 6th grade education? And finally, and this is most important, how did this "pious fraud" create a book that causes the Holy Ghost to burn within our hearts when we read its words? The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion for a reason. It's a living, breathing testimony of the truthfullness of God's work that can't just be explained away. Either it's true and everything else is, or it's not and and everthing else is false as well. There are always going to be problems in the historical record, some of which I hope are satisfactorily solved some day, but if your testimony is suffering, put down the scholarly papers and pick up the Book of Mormon again. I will be praying for you brother, and I hope you are able to find some peace @Queolby

I love how the article says "women with certain hairstyles are sometimes subject to unequal treatment". I can just see someone saying the following now. "I was going to deny this woman a job because of her curly hair because I'm weird, but now I can't because it's illegal, oh well." I'm glad we are finally legislating all the minor inconveniences and occasional unfairness in life away. Once we write enough laws, no one will ever be treated badly again! Thanks California!

Amen brother. Before Obamacare was passed, I actually was able to use my health insurance. It wasn't perfect but it worked and kept me healthy. Since then my costs have skyrocketed, I can no longer afford to go to the doctor despite being insured (I panicked when I was seriously bit by a dog because I didn't have the thousand dollars it cost me to go to the hospital), and my quality of life has taken a big nosedive. Government isn't the solution it's the problem.

Fair enough, but there are enough examples of product and company boycotts that have failed to make successful boycotts the exception rather than the rule. I could Google them and post the results but I'm at work ☺ FYI I don't buy Nike and I won't for personal reasons, but I don't expect them to go out of business anytime soon.

You aren't the only one who goes to Chik Fil A for that reason. I do love their chicken, but a dark part of me also enjoys watching liberals erupt when I talk about how good it is. As to @Mores statement, I'd be happy if Nike got brought down a peg. I still remember their use of slave labour to make shoes, and this flag thing really demonstrates their leftist pandering. It's just that historically boycotts don't work (Chick Fil A, more movies than I can count etc.) Calls for boycotts just have the effect of driving up business for the one being targeted. Maybe this one will be different but I'm skeptical.

An excellent point and example. The Civil Rights boycott worked because of a very specific advantage the boycotters had in that situation, that won't apply to Nike. In the case of the Montgomery bus boycott, African Americans made up around 80 percent of the bus companies consumers, and were highly organized. Thus when almost all of them joined in the boycott, the bus company lost a significant amount of their profits, and was forced to change. There is no mass organziation of all people opposed to Nike. Sure they will lose conservative customers, but then they gain liberal customers who balance out any loss felt by the company. Unless and untill you can get a significant portion of the population to sign up for a boycott, like in Montgomery, all you are doing by calling for one is driving people into a Nike store. See how successful the liberal boycott of Chick Fil A was as a comparative example.

Yeah I noticed the recent nonsense from Nike. I suppose it was only a matter of time before some idiot claimed one of the first US flags was racist, but it still made me do a spit take at the computer this morning. I shouldn't be surprised by this kind of nonsense anymore, but sometimes it still gets to me.

Oh that picture of your new tattoo looks awesome by the way

I'll look her up out of curiosity. Unless the Democratic party drastically changes it's beliefs in a few key areas overnight I won't be voting for them, but I hope they nominate someone at least slightly moderate in case they win in 2020. Can you imagine a President Sanders? Excuse me while I go shudder in a corner.

Anybody stand out? I usually don't pay attention this early because 75% of them will drop out after the Iowa Caucus.

I love those books! They were the first books in the EU that I really got into, and are one of the reasons I am such a big fan of Wedge. I still go back and re-read them on a regular basis and I really enjoy the Battle of Coruscant in book 2 (amongst many other cool scenes).

It's not typical but it happens. On my mission we had a couple instances where we'd have that many over for a member dinner or if we needed district or zone leaders over for a baptism interview. It's possible that the local companship didn't feel safe, and had several other sets over for that reason. If that's the case they probabbly shouldn't have gone over, but hindsight is 20/20. I'm just so glad no one was hurt.

That is epically awesome. I tip my hat to you sir.

No Wedge Antilles is the leader of Rogue Squadron and is a somewhat prominent side character in several films. Here is a pic. He survives the first Death Star run and helps blow up the Second Death Star with Lando.

Agreed 100%. I truly wish all Justices no matter who nominated them would fall into this category. It's the only way to preserve the Constitution.

Good point. Sometimes it's too easy to paint people into their respective corners and forget that most people are not 100% Liberal or Conservative and that moderates do exist.

I'm surprised Breyer and Kagan came around. It's nice to know some of the liberal justices recognize a ridiculous case (sometimes) when it comes around. Glad this case ended well.

That was a legitimately cool story. What a neat thing to do for your employees.

There you go, ruining my morning with your facts. I'm never going to get that flying carpet I keep asking for😉.

Well I had to get you off of your Sanders addiction somehow, this new chest tattoo of yours is just wrong😉

I kind of get where she is coming from, I just finished reading the article, and the an extent I agree. Her main point seems to be that in order to receive blessings we have to be actively engaged in a good cause, and striving to follow the commandments, which is true. The problem I have with her statements is that God very often does do miraculous things for us, or waves a magic wand as she puts it, that are beyond anything we deserve. I've had powerful experiences in my life where God has miraculously intervened, and I haven't always been actively engaged in a good cause at the time these things happened. God is our Father. Just like I, an imperfect and fallen mortal being, sometimes do good things for my daughter just because I love her, so too does the infinitely better Father of us all do good things for his children just because he loves us. So while I do get where the author is coming from, and to an extent I agree, I feel like she's leaning a little too heavily on good works, and forgetting the Grace of Christ in the process. But a good article overall, that's just my little nitpick☺.

Oh I know I was being facetious. Sometimes online forums don't adequately convey intended humor.

Although it seems like someone that picky would be put of business before long. "I only serve Protestants who accept the authority of the Missouri Synod!"

I get where you are coming from. From a perfectly economic standpoint your view makes sense, but I understand artists feel pretty protective about their work, and I can understand why they wouldn't want it represented in an activity they disagree with. Conversly I've never understood the desire to force people to serve you if they don't want to. I know if a court ordered me to make a cake against my will it would be the worst piece of junk cake ever baked. It's a free market system, just go to the 20 other bakers in the area who don't care.

Happy to see this. That poor couple had 130000 dollars in fines and had their religious beliefs compared to holocaust denial by a member of the State Commision. It's a clear violation of First Amendment protections.