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Did you read the OT before anyone told you anything about it? Or did you first hear (likely as a child) about the violent or vengeful God of the OT, and then read it for yourself? I submit that we hear it first, and read it second (after all, the OT isn't likely to be on a child's list of "things to read next"), and this attitude has become the prevailing view. I submit that this "priming of the pump" causes us to blame God for things in the OT that God had no part in. I believe it causes us to pass by the mercy, generosity, etc. without notice. I am not saying that God's wrath and justice are never on display in the OT, I'm saying that once the pump has been primed, we notice that to exclusion of all else, and attribute to that things which have other origins.

This video on Instagram (you shouldn't need the app or an account if you open the link in a web browser) from the ScripturePlus rep is really useful and has a new explanation I like.

Adam and Eve in the garden would have had Terrestrial bodies (in theory), and when they fell, their bodies would have become Telestial. (The descending sequence is: Celestial - Terrestrial - Telestial - perdition. Yes, hard to remember since this planet is often referred to as "terrestrial".) In the resurrection, only those in the Celestial kingdom will be able to have children (potentially only those in its highest degree - that's hard to say either way).

Well, now we want a link to go see for ourselves.

This. Go read the Old Testament. Look for a God of love, patience, and mercy - He is there for all the world to see. I believe seeing a "vengeful" God happens because people hear that claim before they themselves ever read the Old Testament. That was my view until I read Hugh Nibley claiming that the God of the OT was a merciful God. So I went to read again, and found such love and beautiful promises that I have completely changed my view. Is there violence? Sure, when wicked people do violent things, and when the wrath of God is invoked by a very, very wicked people. But it's clear that God wishes to be otherwise and it takes a lot to call out his justice. Also, check out the hymn "How Firm a Foundation" - full of such gentle and beautiful promises - it's almost word for word from the Old Testament. Pay attention to the sacrifices and how, once given, they are emphasized as "holy" - this is the source for why our tithes and offerings are holy (and if you've ever been in a position to decide how they're spent, then you should have been trained on just how sacred those funds are and how careful we should be about their use - my OT reading really emphasized that for me).

OK, I finally stopped long enough to notice your joke. Very good. We should write to Merriam-Webster - or something.

Thanks to @Vort's reply, I re-read the whole thread today... I really like this hymn. And if the bass is stronger (can't say I recall), that would be another reason for me to like it - I like music with a strong bass. I love this hymn. (And it's easy to play on the flute.) Perhaps I'll make a Christmas special post - after Thanksgiving.

That would be, um, quadrilateral, right?

I've heard that this is becoming common in the UK, to the point where more serious criminals are being let out of jail to make room for the "they said the wrong thing" "criminals". Further, I've heard that people accused of more serious crimes have to wait a long time (in some cases, over a year) to get a court date, while the "they said the wrong thing" "criminals" are getting tried super-fast, including in over-night courts. (Not being there to witness it, I don't know myself. I think it was Douglas Murray who reported some of that, but I forget anymore.) Apparently Canada is well on its way to follow suit.

Come to Utah. Our climate is more than diverse enough. One day it's summer, the next it's winter, the next it's fall, then we're back to winter. It's absurd. Way, way too diverse. What we need is a Director of Climate Consistency!

Yes, I knew that! And as I recall, it was specific to making felt-based hats (as opposed to, say straw or floppy canvas (or whatever fabric they use) caps or something).

Nope.

...across the floor, to find the cap.

Yes, Ruben, please tell us about yourself. It's so rare we get new folks who stick around, so I'm hoping we can get to know you and help you feel welcome! (I love forums and want more folk to join us!) I was born in the Church, grew up all over the US (my dad had a government job that moved us around). I'm currently a Relief Society teacher - teaching adult classes is my favorite calling. Do you have a favorite? I have two cats and almost have enough fountain pens. Contrary to what some might tell you, it's not possible to have "too many" fountain pens. (There are only two pens left on my wish list - one I might get for Christmas, another I will never own - it's way, way too expensive. I wouldn't complain if someone gave me a Kaweco Dia 2, but I probably won't ever buy one.) ETA: Oops, forgot the obvious: Are you still in Portugal? Tell us a little about it (I've never gotten closer to it than Barcelona.)

"Meridian" has more than one meaning. Check out this article on AskGramps.org. (PS: Only modern man is concerned with tracking dates and times to the millisecond. Prior to industrialization, it wasn't so unusual for entire seasons (like winter) to basically be ignored as far as tracking days, let alone hours...)

It won't. It's a feature of forum software so that people who want to discuss programming problems can. It's not a way to introduce functional code into the server or anything - it's a perfectly legit feature. Given that ThirdHour isn't about software development, I assume they chose to hide that button in the editor toolbar, but the editor itself would know how to process it. Makes me wonder if @Ruben is copying and pasting his questions - a bad sign, if so...

How can one be "too mature" "to be able to combine all considerations in a manner that would be successfully mating." - a mature person should be able to combine all that. It's an immature person who would not be able. If you are trying to come up with an idea other than maturity / experience, I don't know what. Innocence? Ignorance? Lack of sex-drive? I'm lost. I like @Just_A_Guy's answer.

He somehow triggered the "code" feature, which displays text in a monospace font and won't wrap lines (makes it easier to read code). The editor button for that isn't displayed, so I assume it was either in the nature of what he pasted or triggered by keystrokes, or he copied it from another forum where the code interface is functioning.

...immature...?

Welcome to ThirdHour, @Ruben!

I don't need this: ...to have this: There are plenty of good authors who don't go places I don't want to go.

No. Cartoon / comic books / graphic novels and anime/manga have never called to me. The fantasy I read is novels, mostly very long novels.

Magic loves zero-length connections between two points in space. Also, as I told my Austrian scientist and fountain pen friend, it appears that Quin's message paper* is quantum-entangled. *Quin being the main character in my ink review story, and "message paper" being two pieces of paper which allow a person with one sheet to write a message that will appear on the other. (I don't think I've explicitly said so in the story, but in my mind, the communication goes one way - one sheet can be written on and the other shows what was written, but can't be used to send a message back. For two-way communication, you'd have to have a second set of linked papers. ) ETA: Oh, and Quin's world very definitely has magic portals to travel long distances quickly.

This verse does not free us from the responsibility to minister to the poor. That we cannot fully remove the corruption from our government or culture or nation or whatever does not, I think, free us from the responsibility of trying, nor, IMO, should it stop us from celebrating what seems to be a reasonable and rational attempt to do so.