scottyg

This one is a huge last moment warning before the destructions of the last days.  I'm watching for this one more than any other.
 
 

I also believe the lack of rain to be the reason for this.
As a supplement to the famine, fire and hail will destroy the crops of the earth. The hail is a major one I am watching out for as it cannot be deliberately caused by human intervention.

This is another false tactic.  Not making someone feel better about their sin isn't "treating them badly".

That's pretty brazen of them.
It's also sad that some would leave the church over not being spoken to in a particular manner. Rather than having a testimony of the restored gospel these folks treat the church as if it were a social club.

That's pretty brazen of them.
It's also sad that some would leave the church over not being spoken to in a particular manner. Rather than having a testimony of the restored gospel these folks treat the church as if it were a social club.

I don’t disagree with you, but don’t ever forget the social aspect of churches. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable or out of place for whatever reason, all of us should do our best to make them feel welcome. 
 
 

That's pretty brazen of them.
It's also sad that some would leave the church over not being spoken to in a particular manner. Rather than having a testimony of the restored gospel these folks treat the church as if it were a social club.

I've decided to try to just let it go.  I know the Church is true, and I know the Lord has a plan that will not be frustrated.  I can strive to live and teach the truth where I am able, and then just let go the things I cannot/should not control, and trust that the Lord will show me and others the way.  I will strive harder to have the holy spirit with me at all times, to help me be the man I want to be, and more importantly, the man our Heavenly Father wants me to be.
Despite the evils of the world and the work of the adversary, with Christ's help, I got this! And so do you!
(Interestingly, it isn't as if most of us don't already know these things, but it is astounding how much angst we can feel to preserve our environment, especially when we see our family, friends, and brethren being torn down by the adversary.  These are truly the last days, and it is becoming more and more clear that learning to navigate them is part of our calling as Latter-Day Saints!)

Just musing, but perhaps they hold those leadership positions not because they know, but so they can gain experience, learn, and eventually come to know. I had a leader once who was a terrible choice for the position...he was  truly just awful. But, the man he became over those few years was much different than who he was before.

This is what I do, and what I believe the Lord would do. He would not lie or indirectly encourage / reenforce sin in any way.

Home centered. Church supported.

Just musing, but perhaps they hold those leadership positions not because they know, but so they can gain experience, learn, and eventually come to know. I had a leader once who was a terrible choice for the position...he was  truly just awful. But, the man he became over those few years was much different than who he was before.

@person0, the only approaches I can think of to your situation are:
Prayer - lots of it - you really need the Holy Ghost to guide you here Studying, to the the point of memorization, if possible, the relevant scriptures Collecting the relevant General Conference talks - a tag or notebook in the Church's "Library" app so that you can pull it all up as needed and quote and cite directly Charity - to see these leaders through Christ's eyes (as much as any of us can do that) Beyond that, pure love brings courage and sometimes courage is needed to confront sin.  The Lord had some pretty strong condemnations all through the Bible for leaders who led his sheep astray.  If called to speak, speak the truth; if called to teach, teach the truth.  Were I in your shoes, I don't think I'd hesitate to tell my children that their leaders were wrong and shouldn't be trusted on this issue.  Growing up in "low-density Zion", knowing that everyone else would be doing something different from what my family did made it a little easier to be different - I was expecting to be different, expecting the temptations and mockery - not saying that's easy, but expectation helps.
Finally, with all that study, I think I would never say phrases like, "you're wrong", "that's false", "you're leading people astray" (unless the Holy Ghost clearly told me otherwise).  Instead, I would not directly respond at all, but would rather say, "In the book of Moses we read...", "In his 2009 GC talk, Elder So-n-So said..." and just read the doctrine / gospel / truth.  Remember what Alma had to say:
Don't try to logic them or argue, quote the word to them.  And inoculate your children against false leaders - kids often like their leaders, often trust them more than parents - you need to find a way to counter that tendency.
(Ignore anything I wrote above that the Spirit tells you to ignore, and follow his promptings instead. )

I don't agree with this. It is truth that's sets us free and only then can a person truly be happy. And if a person is not ready for the truth we don't start pretending it's not the truth. Modern revelation teaches us that we need to teach truth and even reprove if necessary (as moved upon by the Holy Ghost) and then show forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy. We can teach correct principles and show love at the same time. Anything less only makes us hypocrites and reinforces a lie. I don't see how that would ever help a person.

I was in Walmart last week, and the bud light display was comprised of several pallets of the stuff. The cost was 10.99 for a 24pk - absurdly cheap. But the real kicker was a $15 rebate card attached to each box. Basically, you would be getting paid $4 to take a case...and yet, the display was completely full.

I was in Walmart last week, and the bud light display was comprised of several pallets of the stuff. The cost was 10.99 for a 24pk - absurdly cheap. But the real kicker was a $15 rebate card attached to each box. Basically, you would be getting paid $4 to take a case...and yet, the display was completely full.

We've been playing a campaign with the kids. Frankly, I love D&D. Or, rather, the fantasy role-playing general game system. D&D has all sorts of head-scratching events going on with it that it's very possible I'll one day shift to another system with less dramatics.
But I think there's enough stubborn old people playing the game and ignoring the surrounding politics it has some life in it.

And Satan is just as happy to mock them as he leads them on to destruction.  He'll take those who really believe in him, those who use his name while claiming not to believe in him, and those who call him God - he's an equal-opportunity destroyer.

Sister Shelia -- No.
Sheila -- Yes.
Shelia isn't a "sister". The name change doesn't change the biological sex and eternal gender of the individual. "Sister" Shelia does, and Satan rejoices in such loving support that will confuse children and potentially cause (which already has) them to commit sin they would have never without cultural acceptance.

Right now, the United States comic book industry is in a de facto civil war. 
On one side, you have the mainstream comic book industry. Marvel. DC. IDW. Archie. Dark Horse. Image. A large number of mid-tier and vanity houses. All of them have become divorced from reality, with "woke" writers, artists, and editors putting message over even making money and generally making a hash of once-valued and cherished franchises. 
On the other side, you have the vox populi. These are writers, artists, indie houses, and fans of all ages who are sick of being told "We're making this, so you'd better like it or you're a Nazi" by the mainstream industry. Large swaths of people are voting with their wallets, abandoning these corrupt establishment houses in favor of foreign publishers, indie publishers, and publishers of non-traditional fare who they feel are more responsive to what the public is after and who they feel are providing material more in the classic spirit of the art. 
The end result? 
Japanese titles like "My Hero Academia" and "Spy X Family" are massive smash hits in the United States despite being PG-13 at best. 
Graphic novel series like "Dog Man" and "Captain Underpants" are making more money individually than many mainstream comic book publishers are. 
High-profile indie creators like Richard C. Meyer, Ethan Van Sciver, Eric July, and Nerd Wonder can easily clear half a million on crowd-funding projects. 
The Comicsgate consumer revolt movement is now more racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse than many of the mainstream houses that proclaim their commitment to diversity. 
IDW is on death watch after its stock was de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange.
Et cetra. 
If enough people are willing to rise up and say "No, I don't want it, and you're a fascist for trying to force me to want it", and these people are willing to hold their ground, then it *will* add up over time and begin forcing the culture to change accordingly.

I rate Elder Ballard a prophet.

I advocate for this methodology as both kind and honest.
I don't really think it is debatable.  Using a pronoun that is not eternally/biologically accurate is deceitful at best.  Outside of being completely oblivious, any excuse to knowingly use them is to participate in deceiving our fellow man.  Not only is one affirming a false and self-destructive decision of the individual, they are actively participating in both deceiving those around them who may be oblivious into believing the gender identity is real, as well as setting a bad example to others who may know the truth by participating in social pressure to also engage in the deceptive behavior and acceptance of the false identity as reality.  Unfortunately, there is no middle ground option here.

As to Elder Oaks having your back, I would encourage you to consider his perspective on this specific topic:
I believe it is very clear that changing one's language in ways that confuse or alter gender would fall into that category.  The laxity of members in acknowledging this will further contribute to it being enabled to spread more rapidly.  We must "Stand for Truth", albeit with love and as much kindness as possible within the confines of the absolute truth of the Restored Gospel.

Not really, they are just a very vocal group and Hasbro/WOTC are extremely woke corporations.

I'm amazed by the number of otherwise faithful who openly say the Church is just wrong on this detail.

In rereading this I suppose I ought to clarify that Schrier is not pooh-poohing transgenderism/gender dysphoria as a whole.  She is merely pointing out that in juvenile-onset, female-to-male transgenderism, there is a social contagion aspect to the spread of the phenomenon that suggests individual cases may not be permanent and thus render permanent hormonal* or surgical interventions particularly problematic.  

 
*She also makes a case that hormonal interventions are being touted as “completely reversible” even though they really aren’t.