KScience

That is a tough thing to go through.  First, you will not be excommunicated.  There are many members that have gone through what you are going through.  That might not make it any easier, but hopefully it gives you some hope.
My first word of advice is to never go out with this young man again.  It will only lead to sorrow for you.  His problems are his problems, not yours and you being around him is only going to be worse for the both of you.  He will need to take care of his issues on his own.
Jesus was all about forgiveness.  He paid the price for our sins.  We still need repentance and change.
As for your parents...  They will be sad, but they are still going to love you.  love you without hesitation.  If you turn to them for support, they will help you.  It can be terrifying to go to parents because you don't want to let them down.  I have 4 kids and all of them have made dumb choices in their lives.  I have made my own share of dumb decisions.  We as parents are there to help our kids get back to where they need to be.  But it is hard to do if we don't know there is an injury.
I wish you the best.  Be not afraid. Let our Savior help mend you.
 

I am really surprised how riled up this has got some people!!
I just saw this as a globalisation of policy and reflection of the more global nature of church membership and a move away from US centric policies with modifications for "the rest of us".
It works well here in the UK, civil ceremony in the chapel and then the couple and close family attend the temple then if close enough to the temple an evening reception or for those who have 4-5 hours to travel each way to get to the temple, family celebrations tend to take place the next day when the couple have returned from the temple.
When I was married then sealed in this way it meant that I could easily separate out the civil service and focus on the ordinance. It made the sealing ordinance the complete focus; we were just concerned about us as a couple and Heavenly Father with no other distractions. We had a simple civil service with close friends and family, both of us the only members in our families and this gave my spouse (who had been shunned by his family due to his conversion and their faith) the opportunity to reunite with his parents and opened the door to them having a relationship again after many years of no communication at all.  - Just my personal view of course.

I am really surprised how riled up this has got some people!!
I just saw this as a globalisation of policy and reflection of the more global nature of church membership and a move away from US centric policies with modifications for "the rest of us".
It works well here in the UK, civil ceremony in the chapel and then the couple and close family attend the temple then if close enough to the temple an evening reception or for those who have 4-5 hours to travel each way to get to the temple, family celebrations tend to take place the next day when the couple have returned from the temple.
When I was married then sealed in this way it meant that I could easily separate out the civil service and focus on the ordinance. It made the sealing ordinance the complete focus; we were just concerned about us as a couple and Heavenly Father with no other distractions. We had a simple civil service with close friends and family, both of us the only members in our families and this gave my spouse (who had been shunned by his family due to his conversion and their faith) the opportunity to reunite with his parents and opened the door to them having a relationship again after many years of no communication at all.  - Just my personal view of course.

I am really surprised how riled up this has got some people!!
I just saw this as a globalisation of policy and reflection of the more global nature of church membership and a move away from US centric policies with modifications for "the rest of us".
It works well here in the UK, civil ceremony in the chapel and then the couple and close family attend the temple then if close enough to the temple an evening reception or for those who have 4-5 hours to travel each way to get to the temple, family celebrations tend to take place the next day when the couple have returned from the temple.
When I was married then sealed in this way it meant that I could easily separate out the civil service and focus on the ordinance. It made the sealing ordinance the complete focus; we were just concerned about us as a couple and Heavenly Father with no other distractions. We had a simple civil service with close friends and family, both of us the only members in our families and this gave my spouse (who had been shunned by his family due to his conversion and their faith) the opportunity to reunite with his parents and opened the door to them having a relationship again after many years of no communication at all.  - Just my personal view of course.

I am really surprised how riled up this has got some people!!
I just saw this as a globalisation of policy and reflection of the more global nature of church membership and a move away from US centric policies with modifications for "the rest of us".
It works well here in the UK, civil ceremony in the chapel and then the couple and close family attend the temple then if close enough to the temple an evening reception or for those who have 4-5 hours to travel each way to get to the temple, family celebrations tend to take place the next day when the couple have returned from the temple.
When I was married then sealed in this way it meant that I could easily separate out the civil service and focus on the ordinance. It made the sealing ordinance the complete focus; we were just concerned about us as a couple and Heavenly Father with no other distractions. We had a simple civil service with close friends and family, both of us the only members in our families and this gave my spouse (who had been shunned by his family due to his conversion and their faith) the opportunity to reunite with his parents and opened the door to them having a relationship again after many years of no communication at all.  - Just my personal view of course.

I am really surprised how riled up this has got some people!!
I just saw this as a globalisation of policy and reflection of the more global nature of church membership and a move away from US centric policies with modifications for "the rest of us".
It works well here in the UK, civil ceremony in the chapel and then the couple and close family attend the temple then if close enough to the temple an evening reception or for those who have 4-5 hours to travel each way to get to the temple, family celebrations tend to take place the next day when the couple have returned from the temple.
When I was married then sealed in this way it meant that I could easily separate out the civil service and focus on the ordinance. It made the sealing ordinance the complete focus; we were just concerned about us as a couple and Heavenly Father with no other distractions. We had a simple civil service with close friends and family, both of us the only members in our families and this gave my spouse (who had been shunned by his family due to his conversion and their faith) the opportunity to reunite with his parents and opened the door to them having a relationship again after many years of no communication at all.  - Just my personal view of course.

I am really surprised how riled up this has got some people!!
I just saw this as a globalisation of policy and reflection of the more global nature of church membership and a move away from US centric policies with modifications for "the rest of us".
It works well here in the UK, civil ceremony in the chapel and then the couple and close family attend the temple then if close enough to the temple an evening reception or for those who have 4-5 hours to travel each way to get to the temple, family celebrations tend to take place the next day when the couple have returned from the temple.
When I was married then sealed in this way it meant that I could easily separate out the civil service and focus on the ordinance. It made the sealing ordinance the complete focus; we were just concerned about us as a couple and Heavenly Father with no other distractions. We had a simple civil service with close friends and family, both of us the only members in our families and this gave my spouse (who had been shunned by his family due to his conversion and their faith) the opportunity to reunite with his parents and opened the door to them having a relationship again after many years of no communication at all.  - Just my personal view of course.

Privately, I suspect this may be the reason behind many of the changes we have recently seen. But that's a slippery path to tread. What I think of as "weakness" may in fact be "spiritual maturity" or "divine insight" that I lack. So I'm hesitant to publicly declare that the immaturity and petulance of the membership as the reason behind many of these recent changes, lest my own immaturity and petulance be put on public display.
As for the sealing/wedding announcement, I take the reason at face value: The leadership of the Church is "[setting] a single global standard" rather than having a US-centric policy that must then be modified for many or most non-US members. I have always supported the old policy and have looked for (and found) valid reasons for it. But I'm not unhappy to see this newly instituted policy, especially if governmental marriage in the US continues in the direction it seems to be headed. Perhaps it's ultimately for the better that we distinguish our sacred sealing for eternity, or even a marriage in the temple for time only, from the governmental perversion of "marriage" as is currently taking place. Without doubt, the Church will still recognize (heterosexual) marriages performed by government entities and require them as a prerequisite for a temple sealing. But the membership will be left completely without excuse when it seeks to equate homosexual government-sponsored, legally recognized "marriage" with actual marriage.

Away in general?  Not really.  I've just spent less time here.  I'm avoiding things that don't add to my conversion and there was too much on this site at the time that I felt was a detraction.  I pop in now and again and comment if something moves me.

Coming from outside the US, its a bit of a mystery to me why the scouting thing is such a big issue. You can run a YM program and interested YM can enrol in the scouting program on an individual basis - as happens in all other countries. Until we have a fuller picture about the new program it is difficult to make comparisons, IMO it comes down to: Do we have faith in church leadership knowing how they want the youth of the church to progress?
I am another one anticipating an October roll out, and see the update as a reassurance that things are coming into place.
Currently my focus is on getting my uber enthusiastic Beehives through Personal Progress in a year.

First I need to admit to not having read all of the posts in this thread.  But thought I might give you some perspective on fuel prices.
In the UK we are currently paying about £1.35  a litre = @3.8 litres per US gallon = £5.10 per gallon. Conversion for currency = ~ $6.60
And we are enjoying a fall in prices over the last 3/4 years, I can remember prices up to £1.60 a litre.  A large percentage of the fuel cost is tax - Fuel duty is currently levied at a flat rate of 57.95p per litre , whilst VAT (value added tax added to all purchases except for a few exempt goods in the UK) at 20% is then charged on the total price (the product price + the fuel duty).  Retailers have a very small margin and make more money on goods and produce sold in the shop. The taxes are obviously a significant government income stream and rises are lobbied for on environmental grounds.
The bottom line is we pay because we have to, and suck it up because there is no other choice. OH and drive small cars
 
Enjoy your cheap fuel

This girl has a great point about Easter
 
 

Is it even worth responding to these articles any more?

Coming from outside the US, its a bit of a mystery to me why the scouting thing is such a big issue. You can run a YM program and interested YM can enrol in the scouting program on an individual basis - as happens in all other countries. Until we have a fuller picture about the new program it is difficult to make comparisons, IMO it comes down to: Do we have faith in church leadership knowing how they want the youth of the church to progress?
I am another one anticipating an October roll out, and see the update as a reassurance that things are coming into place.
Currently my focus is on getting my uber enthusiastic Beehives through Personal Progress in a year.

Coming from outside the US, its a bit of a mystery to me why the scouting thing is such a big issue. You can run a YM program and interested YM can enrol in the scouting program on an individual basis - as happens in all other countries. Until we have a fuller picture about the new program it is difficult to make comparisons, IMO it comes down to: Do we have faith in church leadership knowing how they want the youth of the church to progress?
I am another one anticipating an October roll out, and see the update as a reassurance that things are coming into place.
Currently my focus is on getting my uber enthusiastic Beehives through Personal Progress in a year.

I think it depends on what your degree is in. 
You could always work in the research field for sciences.  You could also take up writing books full time.  Many of those who work at the university level have written Post-doc and other books, and in some cases make more money off book sales (though some of those are admittedly book sales for classes they teach in many cases) then they do from their actual pay!  You could go corporate and become a business expert in your field if a company needs someone with that type of specialization.

I don't recommend the job of messenger
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3  The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.:)
(New Testament | Mark 1:2 - 3)

This feels like more of a “we know you guys are starting to panic over what you’re going to do next year, and we haven’t forgotten about you” thing, than anything else.  

A fair-ish bargain, I suppose.
Still doesn't change the fact I get madder the more I think about it.
There is awesome violent chaos going on and y'all ladies have time to gather like it's Relief Society.

Thanks for the inspiration  
 

I didn't get it either, but then I also fell for the D&C one so I'm just gonna slink off...

First I need to admit to not having read all of the posts in this thread.  But thought I might give you some perspective on fuel prices.
In the UK we are currently paying about £1.35  a litre = @3.8 litres per US gallon = £5.10 per gallon. Conversion for currency = ~ $6.60
And we are enjoying a fall in prices over the last 3/4 years, I can remember prices up to £1.60 a litre.  A large percentage of the fuel cost is tax - Fuel duty is currently levied at a flat rate of 57.95p per litre , whilst VAT (value added tax added to all purchases except for a few exempt goods in the UK) at 20% is then charged on the total price (the product price + the fuel duty).  Retailers have a very small margin and make more money on goods and produce sold in the shop. The taxes are obviously a significant government income stream and rises are lobbied for on environmental grounds.
The bottom line is we pay because we have to, and suck it up because there is no other choice. OH and drive small cars
 
Enjoy your cheap fuel

Glad I made you feel  little better 

First I need to admit to not having read all of the posts in this thread.  But thought I might give you some perspective on fuel prices.
In the UK we are currently paying about £1.35  a litre = @3.8 litres per US gallon = £5.10 per gallon. Conversion for currency = ~ $6.60
And we are enjoying a fall in prices over the last 3/4 years, I can remember prices up to £1.60 a litre.  A large percentage of the fuel cost is tax - Fuel duty is currently levied at a flat rate of 57.95p per litre , whilst VAT (value added tax added to all purchases except for a few exempt goods in the UK) at 20% is then charged on the total price (the product price + the fuel duty).  Retailers have a very small margin and make more money on goods and produce sold in the shop. The taxes are obviously a significant government income stream and rises are lobbied for on environmental grounds.
The bottom line is we pay because we have to, and suck it up because there is no other choice. OH and drive small cars
 
Enjoy your cheap fuel

Ultimate it is not a very good argument...   Putting the best of Home school against the worst of Public school one should not be surprised at such a result.
And really the issue is not between Home school and Public schools.   But rather engaged parents and disengaged parents.  And this has a simple no brainier pattern...  Kids who have parents who are engaged do better everywhere.  Kids who have parents who are disengaged do worse.  Right now to do Home Schooling requires Parental engagement (Thus producing generally good results), but Home Schooling is not the only place engaged parents might be found.  Engaged parents can be found all over the place including Public Schools.  Public Schools also have the misfortune to be the dumping grounds for disengaged parents... And naturally that hurts it.
But Homeschooling is not the answer to the pain of public school.  Getting parents to engage is.  If you try to push Homeschooling without increasing parental engagement all you end up with is more kids with even less education.  Because the idea behind public schools if the parents will not engage with their kids maybe some other adults can.  (Of course this means the other adults get to define what is important but that is what happens when parents do not engage)