rayhale

I have all the big three, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. If I didn't pay cable through rent, I wouldn't have it. Recently all the big three pay-to-see channels, HBO, Showtime, and Starz, are available without a need of any kind of cable, or satellite subscription. I added all the prices up for these services, if I had the money, for the price for my local premium cable package, I would have the benefit of being to watch all the episodes of a show, plus the new ones, whenever I want. How cool is that?

I have to ask, how many of these people didn't go on missions just because they felt like it, not because of war, health, being a convert after mission age, or any other 'honorable' reason?

I wonder how much a problem it is the fact that women wear dresses, and skirts, less often today, than in the past, and simply don't know how to wear a dress? I can't put all the blame on women, since fashion designers think that modesty and fashion are incompatible.

How do you define Self Esteem, Self Worth, and Dignity? Some people have pointed out, and even made fun of, how religious people, mainly Christians, turn being humble into pride. "I'm more humble than you", is often said in a mocking way, so how do you define the terms?

Oops, double post.

Here is my suggestions: Most churches have a great program for young children (primary), and have a good program for adults, (scripture readings, church/community events) but don't have a very good adolescence program. Some churches have mentioned that they have “holy envy” for the LDS youth, and Yong Adult programs. The church is changing its way of teaching 12-17-year-olds by, instead of teaching them the lessen, they teach themselves. It helps them learn confidence and have the feeling of being listened to and not being told what to do all the time. I would also suggest having programs helping people that want help, with the transition to adulthood. It is one of, if not the biggest transitions a person can make while healthy. You might need to explain what to do, where to go for taxes, voting, government/church programs, job search techniques and other questions, like whether to take a job if there is a chance of being “forced” to work on the Sabbath.

I think that this post is a great example of what people, even members, think missionaries should know, and taught, and what they are actually taught at the Missionary Training Center. Missionaries are only at the Center for a few weeks, not months, or even years, that Preachers take at universities learning to be Preachers. It is surprising, even shocking what missionaries are NOT required to do before, or even on their mission. They are not required to read the Book of Mormon. They are not required to know church history. They are not told or given FAQs, with answers that missionaries can give in response. I could go on, but, to me, these alone should be surprising.

One of my Uncles died, at his funeral, his children told how he had turned down job promotions that required him to move. This is just one example of me hearing of someone turning job promotions, which leads me to wondering if I should think of myself as greedy, and selfish, if I were to accept those promotions in a heartbeat.

Darth Vader

I have to ask the author of the article, "did you, at any time, tell your husband, that you had lost your romantic feelings for him? Also on your trail of self reflection and learning to love what you can, did you involve your husband, your article kept saying I, I, I, not we, we, we. It is unfair for your husband if you never informed him of the fact that you lost your love for him, and never gave him the chance to bring back those romantic feelings of yours."

I don't want to advertise anything, but there is a Bible study software program called "Logos", it is mainly for Protestant Christians, but has LOTS of books in Hebrew, Greek, and other major Bible languages, It also has some major Jewish works like the Talmud, Midrashs, and many, many, many more. If there is enough people that buy them, they will even publish (in a hyperlinked e-book format) the 1830, and 1920 Book of Mormon, Journal of Discourses, and other Public Domain LDS books. Needless to say it's a major tool to really search the scriptures.

I have a problem finding good, clean "adult" books, that don't swear, or 'talk down' to the audience by using simple language, but isn't like Stephen King or Richard Marcinko, who seems to feel the need to swear, and be graphic in describing sex and violence. Personally I would like to see some kind of rating system like there is for movies and video games, this way I would know what kind of book I'm going to read.

I would also add online skills, and manners, since missionaries are now using the internet. I would also suggest learning how to write up an essay since missionaries need to keep an area book up-to-date. On my mission that was one of the hardest parts of the mission, trying to read, and understand what the previous missionaries wrote in the book.

I understand what you’re saying NightSG, I sometimes cringe with the music selection during Church dances. I think there is a careful line between all songs that are ‘religious’, or ‘baby’ type songs, and songs that degrade women. I went to one dance where they played the ‘Hokey Pokey’, and other childish type songs, several people left early because of that. I think it would take a long time to listen songs for veiled references to drugs, degrading women/men, or other things that could be offensive to totally take them out. Needless to say I would have a headache if I were a DJ trying to find songs that are church appropriate.

I've over-heard some business people that said they would hire members before someone else. I would like to point out, that is borderline, if not totally, illegal, since you can't discriminate against someone because of religious reasons.

I could be wrong, but I think it's the first time that the Women's meeting was included in the Ensign along with all the other sessions. It's also on the DVD of Conference, I think that is cool.

One problem I faced on my mission was the Elders before me, did little to nothing to update the area book, and even if they did, I had a hard time reading it. Hopefully with computers, Elders will now type the information, instead of scribbling it out. What I would like to see, would be different areas with pre-typed questions for the Elders to answer, like when they were contacted, baptized, temple, and non-religious info, like jobs, what they like to serve for dinner. This way the Elders won’t have to guess what to write down about investigators.

Adding to what others have said, I need to point out that missionaries are not clergy in the LDS church, which means, if you say something that is against the law, then legally they have to tell the proper authorities. There is no Priest/Preacher type of confidentiality you would have with even a Bishop, so I would suggest you ask the missionaries which sins/actions you would have to have committed to be brought to the Mission President, if you have done anything on the list, just inform them that you need to see the Mission President.

To be fair to the Church, it has roughly 30-40 minutes a week to teach members, and to add to that, classes are taught by unpaid volunteers who are mostly non-experts at the subject(s) at hand. I do think that the Church should do a better job at teaching the basics to the members, but that is hard to do, since when the new Gospel Principles book came out, the Church used it in Priesthood/Relief Society class, people complained since they thought that they knew everything, and somehow, they were being punished by being “forced” to listen to “primary” type of lessens at an adult class. When I was attending Young Single Adult Sacrament meetings, during the Elders class, we took 5-10 minutes talking about one of the Priesthood ordinances, there was a little bit of “we already know this” type of whispering with the Elders, but as I tried to point out to everyone, we almost never have reviewed the ordinances. I even asked the Branch President how often he reviewed the Priesthood ordinances; he admitted that it had been awhile.

I think you need to read the Old Testament; it has lots of verses describing how it is okay to stone someone to death if they committed certain sins. Even in the New Testament there is a woman who is accused of sin, the Jewish leaders of the community brought her to Jesus to judge, with stones in their hands. There are ancient maximums and other sayings that were either always, or never, even when there are obvious exceptions with those “rules”.

Female terms of Priestess and Prophetess, could have been just honorary titles given to the wives of Priests and Prophets, but who really knows?

There has been a Sunday where because of sickness, or being out of town, none of the Bishopric was at Sacrament meeting, the Stake President, Elder's President, and High Priest group leader were on the stand, one interesting thing was the fact that one of the speakers didn't show up, they had to improvise the meeting. As to the question of what would happen if no worthy Priesthood holders show up to a Sacrament meeting? I don't know, they might have a worship service, without the Sacrament, or the meeting could just get canceled.

I can understand the thought that auto-pay takes out the "sacrifice" in tithing, but for someone like me, who forgets to pay tithing, or fill out everything on the tithing slip, set the tithing envelope on something so I won't forget to pick it up, but somehow I did forget it. It would be nice to pay through e-payments, so I won't forget it.

I have to ask the same question. Remember, missionaries don't know everything about what to do or how to do it, in unique situations. Dravin, if your question is if there is ever a time where someone can be baptized by sprinkling, or poring of water, without fully placed all the way into water, then the answer is no. I know of a few cases where the person had some medical condition where he/she could die of drowning. The response by the First Presidency (sorry I don't have a source to cite) was that in these extreme cases where death was a high possibility, then they could wait until after they die to be baptized by proxy.

On my mission there was an old convert, that was in her sixties when she was baptized, she said that she had (and still has) arthritis, so she couldn't bend back in the regular manner of baptism, so she went to a friend's swimming pool, went to the deep end of the pool, stood on a stepping stool, when the prayer was over, stepped down into the water.