Midwest LDS

Lol, that's me. Father, Sunday School President, Dungeon master in his D and D group, war criminal being tried at the Hague.

Hey be careful or you will be the first one up against the wall when the revolution comes😉

Not really. The majority of electoral votes would still go to the winner of the state popular vote. It maintains the difficulty of fixing elections and the voice of small states (especially if you make a certain percentage neccessary to win electoral votes) that is essential to our republic, while encouraging voter turnout in areas that are depressed due to party politics. It also keeps the major parties honest, and forces them to pay attention to voters in states that right now they ignore (either because they know the state is a lock for their party or impossible to win no matter what they do). Now if the question is electoral college as is or popular vote it's electoral college as is hands down, but I think there are ways to improve the college and voter participation while maintaining the integrity of our republic. Just some thoughts from someone who spends way too much time thinking about politics.

I like the electoral college for the reasons mentioned already, although I am ok with a slight modification to the system, say dividing it up by the percentage of the vote you win in each state. Right now, there is little incentive to vote if you are a Republican in Massachusettes or a Democrat in Indiana. By following Nebraska and Maine's example, you can get more people out to vote if there is the promise that even if you lose the state you can still bring in a few electoral votes to your candidate if you go out and do your civic duty. At least that's the way it seems to me.

Out of all the monumental problems facing the church in our society; the crumbling of the family, the plague of pornography, and drug and alcohol abuse (amongst many others) are we truly upset because the name change isn't happening fast enough? It really is a problem that the church is making the change slowly and thoroughly to make sure it's done right rather than a quick slapdash job they would have to be fixing constantly? Wow, I think I finally understand what the Lord meant when he criticized the Pharisees for straining at a gnat and trying to swallow a camel in Matthew 23:24.

I wouldn't be too concerned about it. God does not always send revelations about things that we need to change immediately, he does things in his own time. For example, he allowed the Israelites to write bills of divorce for a thousand years before revealing the higher law about divorce through Christ (that's just one of many examples that come to mind). You could ask why did God allow the Israelites to sin for so long without giving them a chance to live a higher law? Sometimes (as in my example"s case) it's due to the hardness of our hearts, but God's ways are not our ways, and we do not always understand his timing or his reasons, we are just required to trust him. However, as always Christ's Atonement covers anyone, including all of us, who sin ignorantly as it says in Mosiah 3:11. Since that is the case, the problem is not how long God chose to go before revealing this issue to his prophet, but what we choose to do with the commandment now that we know.

Hey you don't have to call me out like that man geez😉.

I agree, my comment was solely focused on what @NeuroTypical posted, and the gentleman he was talking about.

I'll agree with you on Bond. Even without the women, it's just boring. My favorite type of movie is a well thought out historical flick, but unfortunately those are few and far between these days.

Fair enough. But I'm a weak man who likes watching over the top fight scenes and explosions.

I'm planning on seeing it. If I based my movie watching off of actors and actresses whose politics I don't like, I wouldn't watch any movies.

That's such a great idea. We all know how much God approves of people trying to legally twist his laws in a knot. If only there was a scripture about Corban that explained his thoughts on the matter. Oh well😁.

I think that's a fair point. I was refering to an ideal situation rather than the eternities, so I can accept what you are saying. And I believe it's "unfair", in the sense of ideally, to havs to be attracted to the same sex. It makes living a righteous life more difficult than it does for someone who isn't. That does not mean one should not try to rise to the occasion and meet that challenge just as everyone else who deals with "unfair circumstances", per my listed examples, has to do as well.

You know I think the answer as to why God commands us to do hard things, and being commanded to suppress a basic human instinct, as those with Same Gender Attraction must do, is a hard thing, is because of the consequences. God tells us this in D and C section 19:15-20 "15 Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. 16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; 18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— 19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. 20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit." If we do not follow the commandments we will suffer even as Christ did. An agony that caused Christ, the greatest of all of us with powers beyond anyone who has ever lived, to bleed at every pore and beg God to take away the bitter cup. These scriptures right here explain why God asks us to do hard things. He does not want us to suffer as he did. Listen to the pleading in his voice as he begs us to repent in these verses. Whenever I hear someone talk about how unfair it is that homosexuals can't marry I understand where they are coming from, but I think of these verses. Is it truly compassionate to encourage our brothers and sisters to take part in acts that, if they don't repent of them, will cause them to suffer as Christ did? I think too often we think only of this life and it's consequences. There are many unfair things that happen in this life. My stepfather died on my mission, and my younger siblings had to grow up without a father. It seriously screwed up my mom's life and my brother and sisters lives. Several of them are only now recovering from the trauma. It's not fair that they had to go through that. It's not fair that some children have to grow up in abusive households, or when a life is cut tragically short in an accident, or that some develop Leukemia at the age of 9, or that some are attracted to members of their own sex and cannot act on those feelings if they wish to remain righteous. The question is, will we allow the Grace of Christ to make up for the inherent unfairness of life or will we rail against the unfairness and turn away from the very light that could get us through these troubled times? Anyways, that's how I've always seen it.

I just read the article, and I think the author's motives are pure. It really doesn't matter if we think the GC's advice was helpful or not. The fact of the matter is, she didn't and it upset her. But rather than dwell on it, leave her mission early, and ask to be removed from the records of the church as some do, she learned to not only forgive the GC and let it go, but a valuable lesson about staying true to our faith no matter who offends us. She came out of the experience strengthed, and I think the article does a good job of saying, sometimes you are going to be upset by what a church leader tells you. So what? Your relationship with Christ is more important, and you should be loving of and forgiving towards our leaders, who are trying to do the same. Seems like a valuable lesson to me .

Agreed! I still remember the most epically long prayer I've ever sat through in a meeting. Elder Kikuchi had come to visit and speak to the Stake I was serving in as a missionary in Independence Missouri. The man who opened the meeting said a 15 minute prayer. I am not exaggerating, I timed it once I started opening my eyes to figure out what was going on after the first 2 minutes. He just kept going, and going, and going. He prayed for everything you could possibly think of. I was shocked someone didn't ask him to sit down as the first speaker had to cut his talk short because of it.

I get it brother. I remember how much those words would have affected me back when I was single☺. But just keep it cool, and remember she is there to serve the Lord. If she explains it great, but in the meantime just take a deep breath. You are doing the right thing by not pursuing it right now.

I would keep it friendly for the moment, as she needs to focus on her mission. Once she gets done, by all means feel free to court her, but let her focus on her mission right now. You'll both be blessed if you let her stay focused on Christ.

Robotic Nixon for the win!

That's what we get for putting all our nukes out in the prairie states😉

Now, now we all know that was supposed to be a secret. Now I have to activate operation Skynet

Don't worry, I've already begun the ceremonial purging and self flagellation.

Yeah that's what tripped me up. I should have known since my cousin posted it.

No you didn't miss anything I did sorry about that.

I agree, and I think the Denocrats would be smart to leave her behind. But with the way the Superdelegate system works in the Democratic primaries, she still has a chance even if Democrats on the ground don't like her.