Midwest LDS

In fact the church recently updated the dress standards for it's employees as well, and changed the requirements for it's female employees to allow them to wear pantsuits in addition to dresses or skirts. Fashion rules, other than wearing modest and non revealing clothing, really aren't laid out in stone for members because fashion changes constantly @truthseaker I wouldn't get too worried about it, just come to church wearing whatever your Sunday best is.

@truthseaker I saw your earlier question and I wanted to post an answer for you. This is from the Church's "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet which, while it is written for teens, does state the Church's official stance on what men and woman should wear. As long as it's modest, and in the case of church whatever your Sunday best is, you are fine. It does not say women have to wear dresses or skirts. Wearing a dress to church for women used to be the norm, per the older rules that were posted earlier, and for many women it still is, but as long as what you are wearing is nice, there really is nothing to worry about. As you can see, the only guidance we get is what not to wear and it's exclusively immodest clothing it doesn't say all women must wear dresses ☺. Quote follows " Your body is sacred. Respect it and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can show that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ and that you love Him. Prophets of God have continually counseled His children to dress modestly. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and you can be a good influence on others. Your dress and grooming influence the way you and others act. Never lower your standards of dress. Do not use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest. When you dress immodestly, you send a message that is contrary to your identity as a son or daughter of God. You also send the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval. HIDE Immodest clothing is any clothing that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner. Young women should avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the back. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. Young men and young women should be neat and clean and avoid being extreme or inappropriately casual in clothing, hairstyle, and behavior. They should choose appropriately modest apparel when participating in sports. The fashions of the world will change, but the Lord’s standards will not change. Do not disfigure yourself with tattoos or body piercings. Young women, if you desire to have your ears pierced, wear only one pair of earrings. Show respect for the Lord and yourself by dressing appropriately for Church meetings and activities. This is especially important when attending sacrament services. Young men should dress with dignity when officiating in the ordinance of the sacrament. If you are not sure what is appropriate to wear, study the words of the prophets, pray for guidance, and ask your parents or leaders for help. Your dress and appearance now will help you prepare for the time when you will go to the temple to make sacred covenants with God. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord’s presence?"

@TruthSeeker I'm sorry this happened to you. It always hurts when someone says something insulting to us, especially in an unexpected place like church. Please, don't let the bad behaivor of one man dissuade you from following the truth. Especially about something that, too most of us, is a non issue. Out where I live, no one cares if a woman wears pants. I didn't even know this was an issue in some places until I met my wife (who had dealt with such attitudes in the place she grew up). But, you did learn something. Even though the LDS church is the restored Church of Jesus Christ in it's fullness, it's membership is still made up of fallible human beings who regularly make bad choices. That's why we are at church in the first place☺. But it's still Jesus Christ's church! Keep following the feelings that led you here in the first place, and don't let a random person take that truth away from you. Most of us are happy to see you no matter what you're wearing.

I honestly could not stop laughing when I heard this story. It's too bad there isn't some sort of instrument or tool you could use to find out information instantly that would have solved this woman's problem without demonstrating her ignorance. Maybe something with a fun name like "Google"? Oh well we can always dream?.

Sure although I believe that means the weakness persists not neccessarily the addiction. To me, it's the loss of control aspect that represents the addiction rather than the weakness for the particular vice, someone should definitly avoid the substance causing the addiction in the future.

By the way @omegaseamaster75 we are mostly on the same page I think, both of us want OP to end his destructive practice, and regardless of whose advice he follows as long as he visits the Bishop he is on the right track☺.

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Not everyone who has used porn becomes addicted, but many who do are. I don't know how others choose to define it, but to me regular and repeated use that has detrimental side effects on the user's life and despite those negative side effects the user cannot stop the behaivor is an addiction to me. Now I do believe that an addiction can be overcome through the grace of Jesus Christ and sustained effort, I don't believe in the idea of once addicted always addicted, but it's important to recognize the problem in order to overcome it.

I can see where you are coming from, but pornography addiction thrives in darkness. You need to be able to share your struggles with your wife in order to overcome it. It's been my experience that secrets do not strengthen but weaken marriages especially because this one will come out. Whether it's a friend who accidentally mentions it, or a direct question from the wife about why he is seeing the Bishop, or he forgets to clear out his internet history, his wife is going to find out. And she deserves to know her husband's struggles so she can help him. Better to show her your commitment to overcoming the problem by telling her directly, then to have her get hit in the face by a surprise. This is just my opinion, I'm not a councillor, but I think it's true.

I wouldn't be too concerned about how other people do things @Fether . Personal scripture study is, by it's nature, personal. You should do it everyday, but the details are left up to you. I wouldn't worry about what everyone else does, just focus on what helps you remain close to the Lord.

Best of luck to you @Nick0123 LDR's are tough. I had to be seperated from my wife (she was my girlfriend at the time) for three months due to work and summer vacation at BYU. I reccomend frequent contact beyond text messages or online messaging. We talked on the phone every day for an hour. You certainly don't have to talk as long as we did (it was a lot looking back on it now☺) but take time to talk by phone or video chat frequently. I found those loving conversations about our lives kept the fires burning so to speak. Also, depending on how long she is going to be gone, you may want to save up and go visit her or have her visit you for a week or so just to spend time with each other. I think these two things will help you guys make it through this tough time.

That sounds like fun @JohnsonJones I'll have to check out Race for the Galaxy. Star Realms is fun, I bought it for the phone after trying it out in person with my cousin. I really enjoy games like that.

I'll check it out. It would be fun to have something else to play on my phone. Right now the only phone game I play regularly is Star Realms a Customizable Card game.

Excellent point @JohnsonJones if you can find a decent RPG for a phone, you could get around my argument against mobile games...if☺.

Oh if you enjoy the game @seashmore more power to you. I was mostly joking (I got aggravated when I got stuck in a spot for weeks without being able to move forward☺). Usually if I sound overly harsh about something, I'm being silly but I admit I have a hard time communicating that over the internet at times.

Yeah if your going to ignore class you should at least be playing something legit like Zelda. I'm pretty sure ignoring class for Candy Crush is a disciplinary council level of offense.

Agreed @DoctorLemon I'm not even sure you can consider candy crush a game. It's more like a virtual mugger (stuck on an impossible level? If you give us cash we'll let you move on lol)

Please Celestial glory only applies to RPG players and tactical gamers. The Telestial kingdom is only for people who play cell phone games?.

Also sometimes people are in the hallway only temporarily. I recently took a really stressful job that made my life really difficult. I spent one Sunday a few weeks ago in the hallway just chatting with my cousin (and EQP) about life. I like Sunday School and am usually there, but that Sunday I really needed that hallway time. Always remember "In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see". Sometimes people just need a breather☺.

Interesting thoughts. As far as personage and persons go I think others have answered this question ably. We worship one God composed of three seperate physically but united purposelly beings. The addition of "we are Christian" to me sounds like the beginning of a defensive statement. Most of us, especially those like me who grew up in predominantly Evangelical and Protestant areas, are used to defending ourselves immediately from the charge that we don't follow Christ. It isn't neccessary in a scholarly discussion, but it's a knee jerk reaction too years of being told otherwise. It took me a long time to stop being hurt by that statement. Like everyone here I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, I have a personal relationship with him, and I know I am saved by His Grace. Because I know this, the accusations have lost some of their sting as I've gotten older, but part of me still jumps to the defense when I hear them so I think that's just what's happening in the paper you described.

It can work @Mjd1174 but remember the more you know about your spouse before you get married, the better your chance of having a successful marriage. I dated my wife for 7 and a half months before we got engaged (she was 19 and I was about to turn 23). I followed my dad's advice to wait 6 months before proposing so we could get to know each other first and I would reccomend the same to you. We talked about marriage before that certainly, but it gave us a chance to get to know each other and, more importantly in my mind, see how we handled being sad, depressed, angry etc. Seeing if you are compatible with a future partner is vital, because it's better to find out you can't stand another person's reactions before you dedicate yourselves to each other eternally, than to feel stuck later. Best of luck to you guys regardless, I hope your relationship goes well.

Agreed. I will miss having multiple talks from Elder Uchtdorf, he is one of my favorite speakers, but I am also really looking forward to lots of talks from President Oaks. I love his straitforward, to the point messages. I always think of Nephi saying "I glory in plainess" when I hear President Oaks speak.

Why feel guilty about reading the New Testament? I just finished the four gospels myself. We are expected to frequently read the Book of Mormon, but we are also expected to read all the other scriptures frequently too! Here is a powerful witness of the wonderous message of the Bible from President M. Russell Ballard in 2007, "My brothers and sisters, the Holy Bible is a miracle! It is a miracle that the Bible’s 4,000 years of sacred and secular history were recorded and preserved by the prophets, apostles, and inspired churchmen. It is a miracle that we have the Bible’s powerful doctrine, principles, poetry, and stories. But most of all, it is a wonderful miracle that we have the account of the life, ministry, and words of Jesus, which was protected through the Dark Ages and through the conflicts of countless generations so that we may have it today. It is a miracle that the Bible literally contains within its pages the converting, healing Spirit of Christ, which has turned men’s hearts for centuries, leading them to pray, to choose right paths, and to search to find their Savior." This is just part of his talk, but it illustrates what I said. The church expects us to study all of the Scriptures. Just find different ways to work them into your scripture study, but you shouldn't feel guilty about reading the Bible.

I was excited to see President Oaks in the new First Presidency although I will miss Elder Uchtdorf in the same position. President Oaks has always been one of my favorite speakers in conference.

I got mediator, which is close I suppose. Interesting test, although I'm never sure how much stock to put in these. It was fun to take though.