Midwest LDS

I think for me, I would, by a thousand fold, rather hide behind religion in an effort to exercise faith than I would abandon faith in an effort to not hide behind religion. Really, my consternation over the article, can probably be summarized that simply.

There is nothing in the brief write-up that I find reason to dispute. However, I will not follow such a movement, even if I agree with its stated principles. I will follow our leaders. If and when they embrace or extol the idea of "radical orthodoxy", then I will, too. Until then, I will follow the path I see before me, and the name I will give it will be simply "the gospel".

I think we need to be careful. I've been following this thread for a bit, and I've been thinking about things brought up by both sides. But I think we've (speaking generally) strayed from earnest political discussion into vicious attacks that serve no one and foster the spirit of contention. I don't say this from a holier than thou viewpoint, I've made this same mistake before myself, nor am I a mod so take or leave my opinion as you please. But we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and many of us are active members of his church. We should do better than this.

I should have.
I should have watched President Nelson's message when it aired last Friday. If I had I would have behaved different during that day. Among other things, this hit home especially in light of this particular thread. Part of President Nelson's prayer:
 

Yesterday I threw my back out beating the dirt out of carpets.  Then I am grateful this happened to me.  I was walking in the Walmart parking lot later at night and tripped and fell.  After landing on my right side I was not injured except for a minor bruising of my right foot.  When I woke up today about two-thirds of the pain I was feeling in my lower back was alleviated.
 
Edit:  Five hours later and my back is hurting even less and I am feeling even better.  It is strange that a fall could help heal you.

I am grateful for the liberty, comforts, and technology that we have in the world compared to ages past. 
 
I am grateful for having the priesthood so readily accessible in the world. 
 
I am grateful for having temples that dot the land. 
 
#GiveThanks

11/21/2020:  I'm thankful for indoor plumbing and toilet paper.  For those of you who don't remember what I've said in the past, this is quite sincere since for the first few years of my life I didn't have either of these.
11/22/2020:  I'm thankful for talents.  I'm hearing my son practicing some Christmas carols on our piano right now.  I've been making marvelous progress on catching up to him.  Our family loves singing songs together.  Hymns have parts all separated for us and we make quite the choir.
#GiveThanks

Since this is suppose to be  a daily thing.
I am grateful for my wife, my kids, my parents and my brother and sisters.

I'm doing this thing on Facebook, and one of the cool things I'm appreciating, is all the dozens of LDS folk that rarely use facebook, out there thanking their hearts out.  It's cool to see.

I'm grateful for the Holy Ghost that gives us revelation of God's divine will.  I am also grateful for the freedom and liberty we have in many places in the United States.  Most days I pray for the preservation of liberty as I believe that freedom is rare and it is fragile.

I very much enjoyed Pres. Nelson’s message and happy-cried like a baby. 
I am grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life and all of the interactions with them (in person or via tech).

I'm grateful for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice.  I am grateful for the Plan our Father in Heaven has for us 

I'm grateful for the ability to have shelter over my head, to have food to eat, and to have heating and air conditioning.
I'm also grateful for the Atonement and the gospel.

I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with my Heavenly Father. 
 
I’m so grateful to Jesus Christ for His atoning sacrifice and example. 
 
I’m grateful for my wife and family and that we have a happy home life. 
 
#givethanks

Third Hour is the only social media with which I participate...
11/20  I'm thankful for: my family, our health, prophets and scriptures, the cosmos, good food, technology, trials and growth. 
11/21  Heavenly Father, Jesus  Christ and the Holy Ghost.  The ability to experience life and still overcome our mistakes and sins.  The power of love, sacrifice and determination.
11/22 The wonder and excitement of childhood, the power and beauty of youth, and the wisdom and knowledge of maturity.  
11/23 For the insight to see the Hand of God in both Science and the Arts.  It has only been in the last century that we have been able to look into the sub-atomic level and recognize that the Universe is tens of billions of light-years across.  I love being able to read a book, appreciate a painting, or watch a movie that can remind me of the love of God and our limitless potential. 
11/24 A sincere smile, a laugh that broadens the soul, and a sense of humor. 
11/25 Traditions, holidays and weekends.
11/26 Gravy
#GiveThanks

In case you missed it, the broadcast from Pres. Nelson challenged us to use social media to give thanks for the next 7 days.
Since this is day one, I'm going to start with the low hanging fruit.
I'm thankful for the Atonement of Christ. I'm thankful for my wife and children. #GiveThanks

A lot more than the Democrats.  Multiple planks in the Democrat platform spit straight into the face of the Constitution.  And most average Democrats like you are all for them.  I'm personally hoping that you are not one of them.  But many moderate Democrats fall right in line with these planks that dismantle the Constitution.  #1 on the list is the criticism of "original intent" philosophy.
OK , let's.
Did he actually do anything to shut them down?  Having a desire to do something and actually doing it are two different things.  The comments he made were basically about keeping the pres honest (which they are not).  There have been and still are some laws against FALSE statements by the press.  And if they continually make false statements, then they can be prosecuted and have various licenses taken away.  But even though Trump could have had them on those grounds, he didn't push it. Why?  Because he really does believe in freedom of the press even when they lie about him.
That was indeed a travesty.  And IF Trump gave him such a directive to do so, then that was a BIG mistake on Trump's part.  Otherwise, it's a good thing Trump FIRED Sessions.
I (and many original intent interpreters) disagree that eminent domain is itemized as a power granted to the government.  I believe that the 5A prohibits eminent domain. BUT it DOES allow the government to engage in commerce with private citizens.  That phrase has only been interpreted that way because of people with big government ideas.
I'd like to see your references for what Trump, himself, actually did to "make it easier to SEIZE" land, so I can assess what this was about.
Land had to be purchased to achieve an appropriate function of government.  As long as the process was not anything nefarious (which happens all over the place) then it should have been part of the process.  If "making it easier" was simply a matter of bringing common sense negotiation conditions to the table, then there's nothing wrong with it.
I remember the Air Force had a very interesting way of dealing with eminent domain.  They actually kept tabs on various real estate statistics (both rural and urban) to determine just how much some piece of land should cost.  When a piece of Air Force property happen to drop on private land, they would come up with the appropriate land value and rental value.  They would then go to the land owner and offer them 125% of what they determined the use of the land would be based on the estimated time of encroachment to retrieve the property.  If the land owner refused, then they would tell them that they would get a court order to pay them only $100 percent and force the process on them.
Consider that.  "Threatening" that they would only receive 100% of the fair market value.  Is this nefarious?  Who's getting the better deal here?
This is why I want to know the details of such an accusation.
No, it doesn't.  Again, you're reading this based on present eyes and conditions.  The original intent was specifically to counter the DEMOCRAT position that freed slaves should not be considered citizens.  It was only by LEGISLATION that anchor babies were allowed.  It is not "counter to the Constitution" that such babies should not be granted citizenship.  
If you don't believe my statement about the intent and original interpretation, what was the purpose of the legislation to make it that way?
Sure.
What I'd really like to see is some list of statements (I'm sure someone has put one together) that showcases how much the Democrats LOVE the Constitution as the Founders intended.
I note that several of these complaints are more about Trump than "Republican Ideals."  But "Democrat Ideals" (not just Biden or Harris) are about a lot worse.
What I have heard from the Left a LOT of lately is:
The Constitution is inherently racist. The Constitution IS The PROBLEM, not the solution. Get rid of private property. Allow the Federal Government to keep people at home indefinitely and not allow them to leave their homes. The Federal Government under Democrat leadership should have power to arrest anyone for not wearing a mask.  But Republicans should stay out of local/state riots even when they vandalize Federal Property. We should get rid of the Electoral College. Defund the police.  The "actual police" are not a part of the Constitution.  But this movement also affects Sheriffs offices, which ARE a part of the Constitution. Religion should be pushed to the far bottom of all freedoms (if honored at all) rather than honored as the FIRST freedom itemized in the Bill of Rights. Freedom of speech is only allowed if we agree with it.  Otherwise we'll demonetize and/or cancel you.  At the very least we'll call you a racist or homophobe, or whatever. Freedom of assembly is exempt from COVID restrictions if you're a casino or a strip club, but not ok if you're a house of worship. Judges should be able to (effectively) legislate from the bench.  In California the State Supreme Court "interpreted" that an AMENDMENT to the STATE CONSTITUTION was "unconstitutional" (because they didn't agree with it politically) when it was passed by a 65% majority in the state.  All liberal SCOTUS justices agree with this mentality. Get rid of any national boundaries. The UN, Globalism, international culture/opinion/customs/ should have power over the US Government The Constitution is up to interpretation by anyone at any time.  In other words, it can mean anything we want it to mean.  And when it means what we WANT it to mean, THEN it is the correct interpretation. Then you have the BLM list of goals that they have since scrubbed from their website because of the backlash. If you're of a superior race (i.e. not white) then government owes you more rights and goodies than "others" (i.e. whites). The FISA court is a tool for the Democrat Party to spy on Republicans who won't play ball.  But if a Republican wants to genuinely look into a severe abuse of power by a Democrat, that should be impeachable. Again, this is all based on that same ONE report that said so.  And I've already explained why it is a flawed report.  Do you have any other ORIGINAL source?  Or do they all go back and cite that one report?
The thing is that I'm not concerned about who agrees or disagrees.  I'm concerned that someone publishes a report and no one is taking a critical look at that report. No one is even asking the right questions.  The data are almost all conjecture, but no one even pointed that out. They just take it as gospel without question.  This is not scientific inquiry.  It is group think by central leadership.

Fair point.

I think we need to be careful. I've been following this thread for a bit, and I've been thinking about things brought up by both sides. But I think we've (speaking generally) strayed from earnest political discussion into vicious attacks that serve no one and foster the spirit of contention. I don't say this from a holier than thou viewpoint, I've made this same mistake before myself, nor am I a mod so take or leave my opinion as you please. But we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and many of us are active members of his church. We should do better than this.

I think we need to be careful. I've been following this thread for a bit, and I've been thinking about things brought up by both sides. But I think we've (speaking generally) strayed from earnest political discussion into vicious attacks that serve no one and foster the spirit of contention. I don't say this from a holier than thou viewpoint, I've made this same mistake before myself, nor am I a mod so take or leave my opinion as you please. But we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and many of us are active members of his church. We should do better than this.

On this business of “loving America”, I’ll engage with one possible controversial broad over-generalization, by offering another even more-controversial broad over-generalization:
Republicans love America the way a newlywed man loves his wife:  for what she is, and which he hopes she will eternally remain.
Democrats love America the way a newlywed woman loves her husband:  for what he may become, if properly managed.

Random sidenote. 
I just listened to Pres. Nelson's video on Gratitude.  Near the 3:45 mark he says he's found it's better to count our blessings than recount our problems.  The way he was talking as he said "recount" with just a slight pause afterward, I thought he was going to talk about the presidential votes   Maybe I've been a little too focused on politics.

I don’t think it was really Trump that has held the GOP largely together over the last 4 years; it was the hard left’s increasing vocalness (not to say violence), and the unmasking both of the more radical parts of their agenda and the nominally-“impartial” institutions that are willing to make that happen.
If the Democrats can set firm boundaries between their mainstream leadership and the party fringe and make a convincing case that Biden is simply a return to “normalcy”, I think most of Trump’s base will drop their paranoia and go back to (what I like to think is) the GOP’s natural position of elevating ideas over people, and being patient enough to believe that the strength of their policies will win out in the end.  But if Biden appears poised to enact additional dramatic and irreversible changes to the leftwards that are seen as threatening conservatives’ liberty or their prospects for education or employment—single-payer health care, or court-packing, or fiddling with RFRA, for example—there will be a lot of scared Republicans whose knee-jerk reaction will be to stick with the “fighter” they know.  

Here’s my reaction to the first ten minutes or so:
—Giuliani’s tone and asides suggest that he’s less interested in converting his opponents (or even the open-minded), than in confirming the suspicions of those already sympathetic to him.
—Yes, it’s significant to now have apparent documentation of various forms of fraudulent electoral behavior; especially to contest the smug academics who keep assuring us that it Never Happens.
—Yes, hopefully this will make some more open-minded Americans consider the issue and think “golly, if there were election fraud, what would it look like and what kind of evidence would it take to demonstrate it?”  That’s always helpful.
—Ultimately, I am not equipped to make any kind of rational, informed judgment on the overall significance of Giuliani’s claims.  He talks of hundreds of affidavits—but there are tens of thousands of precincts, in hundreds of counties, in half a dozen contested states, and each with their own laws and rules and procedures.  My understanding is that at least a couple of the affidavits have been cross-checked and that some of the affiants didn’t see what they thought they were seeing. 
—I’m glad this is going to the courts.  I hope they take a careful, detailed, comprehensive analysis and are able to quantify the scope of the problem.  But this is an incredibly complicated case (several incredibly complicated cases, really) and there’s no way we are going to have a definitive answer before the electoral college meets in December.  Biden will be inaugurated in January.  If Trump starts getting victories in state supreme courts, they will come piecemeal over the course of the next 3-5 years and will be almost universally ignored by the media and hushed up by Facebook and Twitter.

It’s worth noting in these types of situations that many sex abuse perpetrators are enormous recidivists.  It’s not at all rare for a single perp to have ten or twenty victims, or more, by the time he is caught.
I could well believe that the traditional close-knit, trusting, hierarchical nature of LDS communities allowed a far smaller-than-average pool of perpetrators to victimize a proportion of the community’s children that is nevertheless comparable to other communities where perpetrators are more prevalent but where they just don’t have as easy access to as many potential victims.