rayhale

Here are some CEO’s that I would like to see work at their own company: Nike, Reebok, or any other shoe company, have their CEO’s not only work at their sweatshops, but also to only live on the wages that the sweatshop pays the employees. Any retail store, especially Wal-mart, have their CEO work undercover to see how they feel working 40 plus hours a week, with little pay. I’ve heard this from several managers of several different companies; they had calculated out how many hours they work verses how many hours they get paid for, they say that they make less then minimum wage, lets see how the CEO would like to have that type of wage!

I feel that everyone in business boardrooms should have a requirement to work ‘undercover’ in the company that they work. As Undercover Boss proves, none of the CEO’s that they showed had worked a ‘blue collar’ job in over a decade, and that is most likely the case of everyone in the boardroom. There is what is called ‘mystery (or secret) shoppers’, that is when companies pay people to shop at their stores, restaurant, etc… and that ‘mystery shopper’ will write down what kind of experience he/she had, but until you work at that store/restaurant, you truly won’t know what is going on. The episodes of Hooters and 7-11, are proof of this, as both episodes had the CEO personally calling headquarters to fix something that he saw that was wrong.

I thought the show was funny, it was obviously either scripted or at least planned out. This is one reason why I hate “reality” shows, they claim to be ‘real’ but their not. Here are some things I think that made the show unbelievable: All the people that the boss met in his company ‘so happened’ to have some special circumstance. The boss played the stereotypical role of the clueless boss, not realizing how his policies affected the employees. His lack of any form of verbal chastisement of the manager of the employee that was doing the work of 4 people, when the manager not only knew of her living arrangement (living with parents, being forced to sell house for money), but ALSO had a solution! (if I was the boss, this manager would have been fired!)

These are some Bible versions, commentary, computer software, websites, and scripture dictionaries that I read, along with the KJV: The complete Jewish Bible with Rashi commentary: here Inspired Version (better known as the Joseph Smith Translation): here SwordSearcher; a Bible study computer software program, it has several English Bible versions, Bible dictionaries and commentaries, such as: Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible; Keil and Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary; the Churches Institute class Manuals quote from them a lot: here The Anchor Bible volumes: you can find these at most major libraries, or at amazon: here The Schocken Bible volumes: here The Gospel Study Series, by David J. Ridges: here Logos Bible Study software: here; this is by far the best scripture study program that I have ever seen. There is an app for iPhone and iPod Touch, very cool. Institute of Religion manuals: here And OF COURSE the Scriptures: here 　

My pet peeves: People that are turning right, but wait at a red light, until it turns green, when they had all the time in the world to turn, when the light was red. People that are rude to you, you try to be nice as possible to them, and they still feel that you were rude to them! People that drive four-wheel-drive trucks in a snow storm, or in deep snow, at, and sometimes above, the speed limit, never thinking that a four-wheel-drive vehicle can slip on ice, get stuck, or crash into a non-four-wheel-drive vehicle. People that equates anything with Nazism, i.e.… religion, politics, companies, etc.. The worst case scenario being used in a situation to start off the topic. For example, talking about STD’s when starting out talking about the worst ones, like AIDS, when there are numerous of other STD’s that are more common, that are easier to get, and easier to prevent. Future visionaries that talk about that someday, in the near future, there will be flying cars, never thinking about any of the ramifications of flying cars, like how can you prevent flying cars from flying over private property? If the public has flying cars, then police will be forced to buy, and to be trained to be able to fly, flying cop cars, costing tax-payers millions, if not, billions of dollars to set up.

Back then all names meant something, for example, Adam meant ether man/mankind, or the first man, I can’t remember which one. Read the Bible dictionary section on Christ, Names of: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/c/52. See how many ‘names’ Christ has. Names were regarded not only as labels but also as symbols, magical keys as it were to the nature and essence of the given being or thing.

I think that people confuse laws of God, with laws of culture. Are women oppressed? Yes! Are women oppressed by the Church? NO!!! During the early days of the Church, Mormon women were pretty progressive for their times. The Relief Society fought for the right of women to vote. I think that people see that since women don’t have the Priesthood, then they aren’t worthy of it. I do have a question for women, you have fought for your right to vote, just to have the right to be bare-foot and pregnant? Is oppression toward women found in the Bible, the way that Biblical people saw women, or the 16th century translators of the Bible? I strongly say it’s the 16th century’s view, not really the view of the people of the Bible. There are several accounts in the Bible of prophetesses, women preaching the gospel. I can’t see why some people within our church will see women as something that is beneath man.

This is the more complete text where PastorBob quoted from (The bold is mine): Journal of Discourses 13 page 271 (last paragraph) What was science like back then? How about medical technology? Transportation? Astrometry? Well in 1870, when Brigham Young wrote this, all these fields were, in modern terms, prehistoric, at best. No one, including the Prophet, knew much about astrometry. In the more complete quote that I provided, you can see that Brigham Young speculated that the moon, and the sun were inhabited. It seems obvious that he, and other early Church leaders couldn’t conceive of billions or trillions of years. Who can say whether or not the moon, or the sun didn’t have inhabitants billions years in the past? Or, who can say they won’t in billions or trillions of years in the future?

These are not sayings, but occur all throughout the Book of Mormon: “And it came to pass…” in Jacob 5:4-7, and pretty much every other verse in the BOM. “And it came to pass in the eleventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth day of the second month, there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla, there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years, even until the fifth day of the second month in the eleventh year, there was a cry of war heard throughout the land.” Alma 16:1. This is a good example of the MANY scriptures in the Book of Mormon that over-states the year, month, and date of the writing. Do Jewish/Hebrew writings overstate the time like this?

Thekabbalist, it is my understanding that in Hebrew, the word G-d is plural. If that is the case, then explain how that can be?

Having one ‘official’ version of the Bible makes sense. The KJV is not perfect, there are ‘better’ translations out there, but our church has said that the KJV is the one that the Church will go by. There are several internet websites, and computer software that I use: www.gospelink.com This site is owned by Deseret Book, it has hundreds of books by LDS authors. It is a subscription site though. www.logos.com This is a site where you can buy, perhaps the most expansive software to study the Bible, it has several levels of the software ranging from home study to Preacher/Pastor level. www.swordsearcher.com This site is where you can buy an inexpensive software of Bible study, it has several different Bible translations, Bible dictionaries, and commentaries. I personally love this software, you get a lot, for very little amount. http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/ This is the free online version of the 1914 Catholic Encyclopedia, a great resource to see what the Catholics feel about certain subjects. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/index.jsp This free website contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia which was originally published between 1901-1906. http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm This site has the complete Jewish Bible with Rashi commentary (a famous Jewish commentator). http://www.biblestudytools.com/ As the site name says, this is a mega-site, with links to other web sites, has Bible study tools, Pastor resources, and other info. http://www.sacred-texts.com/ The largest freely available archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric on the Internet. The site is dedicated to religious tolerance and scholarship. http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/default.htm This free site contains the ‘Inspired Version’ of the Bible, better known as the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. 　

All you have to do is google search ‘home schooling’ and you will see lots of resources available. I read in my local newspaper that parents of home schooled children have put their children in the public school’s sports like football, baseball, etc… The parents say that since that they pay for the school, through taxes, then they should use what they pay for. The paper points out that the school system puts so many roadblocks and red tape that hopefully the parents that don’t have children in school can’t use any other service that the school provides.

My stumbling blocks: Reading the Old Testament in a LDS doctrine framework. The HUGE time gap between what the Bible says things happened, and what scientific evidence says things happened. Church history * History of Christianity itself. The silence of Christianity when it became public that the Nazi regime held Jews in concentration camps. Including our own church. * Yes there are instances in Church history that are unbelievable, several Apostles leaving the Church is one, yet read the Old Testament, there are instances of God telling His people to kill EVERYONE in the enemy camp, not just the people that fought, but, also the women, children, and even the animals. One thing that I’ve noticed about Church history is that the interviews of some of the people involved are over 20 years after the fact. There HAS to be a gap between what the person remembers and what really happened. Read the Gospels in the New Testament to see how different each account is from each other.

Looking at anti sources is not all that good since you don’t know what is written is true or not. Read ‘The truth about the God makers’ by Gilbert Schariffs to see what I mean.

This discussion has focused on what is not in the Word of Wisdom, but there is several things that ARE in the Word of Wisdom that most people don’t think of: I’ve modified the text to show that it is confusing, the WoW states that all grain is good to eat several times, but then it makes a statement ‘Nevertheless, wheat for man’ that, for some people have interpreted, that ONLY wheat should be eaten. One of the prophets, I can’t remember which one, clarified that ‘in the season thereof’ means ripe. But what about the ‘only in the winter’ statements? Are these statements just for the 1830’s time, with little to no refrigeration technology? Or are they for modern times, with refrigeration, and freezer technology?

PC that link you provided looks like these ‘deprogrammers’ are using ‘programming’ techniques to deprogram people, they are also charging, which in itself, makes the whole session suspect. Besides that, both you and beefche have pointed out several good, non-cult, faiths that are considered cults. It really makes me wonder what there real objective is$$$$$$

Yes it was to you Pam. My point is that, yes we are encouraged to read the scripture being taught in the Gospel Doctrine class, yet, beyond special occasions, like in 1979, when the LDS version of the Bible came out, did the Prophet, or really any of the Apostles, said to read any other scripture than the Book of Mormon.

Yes, we are encouraged to read whatever scripture that is being taught in the Gospel Doctrine class, yet I have yet heard the Prophet challenge the Saints to read any other scripture than the Book of Mormon. If you know of a time, please tell me.

Pam’s posts that is posts #9-10 are too long to quote, but they mention many items, like toiletries, that most people will forget about in a crisis. Pam also mentioned shoes to walk, I will add to that, and say, if you live in a cold place, with snow, make sure that the shoes are snow shoes/boots, also keep a spare coat, or jacket in your car. If you have caned food, make sure that they are the pop-open kind, or keep a can opener tethered to, taped to, or somehow secured to the 48-hour kit. If you are at home, check with local emergency preparedness agency(s), like the Red Cross, to see what the most common emergencies are, like hurricanes, tornados, and one of the most common flood. Check also with your local church, they may have emergency ideas, even lists of what to in an emergency. I would also add, make a list of emergency numbers, like the Poison Control Center; police/fire/ambulance; personal doctor(s); friends, family, and other people to call in an emergency.

On the Churches website, lds.org, you can search for different subjects, like Atonement, and read all the different articles on the subject. You can also go to www.gospelink.com, which is owned by Desseret Book, it has hundreds of LDS books, it also has the ability to search for topics, not only for its own site, but for lds.org, and BYU’s ‘speeches’ site. You have to pay for access, but it is well worth it.

Even though the Church doesn’t believe in Sainthood, like the Catholics, the Church tries extremely hard to give ‘Sainthood’ to Emma, read Doctrine and Covenants 25, and pretty much anything else written about Emma, you would almost believe that the Church sees her like Catholics sees that the Virgin Mary is incapable of sin. The Church ignores the fact that Emma did NOT leave with the Saints. I do feel Emma Smith was a great woman, but please don’t forget that she, like everyone else, has problems, and sins.

I completely agree with you on that. Next year we are going to teach from the Old Testament in Gospel Doctrine, so we should read the scripture that is being taught in Church.

I like the talk given by Elder Todd Christofferson titled, “Moral Discipline”. I really like note 5 of the Ensign transcript:

I do feel that it can be confusing and frustrating to balance being humble and climbing the corporate ladder. For example at my work I was evaluated for a raise, the manager a list of things to rate me on, it was on a 1-5 level, he said that he never gives anyone a 5 since he feels everyone, including himself, has room to improve. I do feel that a person can go too far being humble, for example a person not getting a Masters Degree since that person did want to be a master at anything, or a rich person humbling himself to the point of living in a trailer park, and giving all his money to charity.

I understand what your saying, DigitalShadow. I hate car salesmen too. I was lied to the two times I went to buy a car. I’m not rich and am forced to look at cars at, or below, $10,000, and at that price, I understand that you can’t get all that great cars at that price, however, my first car, that I bought, the salesman said that there was no problems with the car, but no sooner then I bought it, I had to replace the front axle, buy a new battery, replace the tires, and several optional things costing thousands, making a $6,000 car into a $10,000 car, if I knew I had to spend SO much in repairs, I would have kept looking. The second time I was trying to buy a car, I was seriously looking at one car, so much so that the salesman, after looking at my credit rating, said that I couldn’t buy it on my own, which I knew, the person that was going to co-sign with me wouldn’t be able to come until after the weekend, so the salesman, wanting to sale me the car so much, and thought that he already had the sale, let me test drive the car for the weekend, I thought that would be good, so he brought out some papers to get started, but before I signed ANYTHING I asked if anything I was signing I was obligated to buy the car, he said, no, so I signed the papers, well after the weekend, my co-signer said that she found a better car for a better price, so I went to the car lot to give it back, well, guess what, the car salesman TRIED to say that I DID sign papers that I was obligated to buy the car, I informed him that I was clear when I asked BEFORE I signed any of the papers he gave me to sign, if I was obligated to buy the car. He didn’t give me any answers and just kept telling me that they will look for a different car for me, I was so mad that he wouldn’t answer me, that I asked for the manager, when the manager came out, he told me that I didn’t sign anything obligating. Sorry for my rant, my suggestions to you are: Come with a friend, that could ground you to buy a car that is right for you. Write a list of questions to ask the salesman. If your buying a used car, insist on a independent car check to find out what really is wrong with the car. Remember that the car salesman is JUST that a salesman, NOT an expert, and even if he or she, is an expert, he, or she will mislead, misinform, and out right lie to you, about the car. CARFAX (an online service that gathers information on cars) does NOT tell all important information on the car. I should know I looked up my own car on the service, and it did NOT say anything about me replacing the front axle, which I would like to know if I was buying the car. READ THE FINE PRINT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read and understand the contract that your signing, ask questions, and realize that unless you ask, or say the right word, the salesman WON’T say, salesmen have a kind of, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, if you don’t ask about something, they won’t tell you.