Blueskye2

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was expressing my exasperation with the LDS family who just wouldn't leave me alone. Another family member told me that our LDS family see me like a toddler, who is sitting in the middle of a busy road, and who would just let a toddler sit there in the middle of a busy road? Of course, they're going to run out there and rescue me. From the view of someone who left, there are times when personal boundaries are crossed. It's something that people have to learn to deal with, really. The above story, while condescending as all heck in some ways, helped me to deal. Because really, I love my family, and I know deeply in my soul, that me leaving the LDS Church is still painful for them. Still, decades later. I don't feel it is necessary to view their reactions and actions as dirty deeds. They are acting as who they are, and who they are, is who I love. Doesn't mean that sometimes, I just want to scream, but hey, that is what family is for.

Surely, a Mormon testimony has a miraculous aspect to it, no?

FWIW, I was an atheist for the majority of my life. After my conversion to Catholicism, I had a fear that I would revert to atheism. My "antidote" was prayer. I prayed often for Jesus to keep me with Him, and the answer is abide in Him. After a few years, that fear left me, I never feel that way now. In faith, I found confidence that God keeps me with Him, through thick and thin, and all the mistakes I make and things I do, or fail do to do. It is a choice, but the world is full of compelling reasons to not abide in Him. Full of people who focus on the sin and mistakes of others, and not on showing genuine love for the person, with respect for the dignity in which God has made them. Which includes the gift of rational thinking and free will. I see many people come into the Catholic Church, I see many of them don't stick around. Someone recently asked me if I make a guess, in my mind, of who will come and who will go. No, is my answer to that. God is with them, no matter where their journey takes them, and I pray their path leads them to the love of God. My prayer now, is that God keeps all the faithful with Him...that includes you.

I just went wut?

YouTube "pranks" are out of control.

By the list of ingredients, mostly water and corn syrup. I'm off sugary corn syrupy drinks. (Past the lips and to the hips.)

As opposed to people who leave their childhood religion for Mormonism? Similar stories, in the context of the particular religion that was left, are told by now-Mormons...on this very forum. People act according to their conscience, for the most part, when leaving, joining, or participating in religion. I stopped, ages ago, trying to figure out the reasons. It just is.

IMHO I think members fear that what happened to "them", will happen to themselves.

What the heck is Yoohoo? At a party at my work, there was alcohol free punch and the spiked punch. No one drank the alcohol free. But the place is a bunch of drunks lol. Beer and booze are everywhere. I drink water or diet dr. P. (The beer and booze is too high in calories!)

Calm.

It's now "fatigue". People have change fatigue. Meeting fatigue. Marketing fatigue. Etc.

By your posts, and not just about Duterte, you make it obvious that you like strongman type leaders, who rule by impulse and fiat. Let's see, Duterte's orders has resulted in the execution of 6000+ people, without due process of law. And the RCC is not out in the street executing addicts.

Ruling by fiat rather than rule of law, regardless of how many people LOVE being dictated to, is still a dictatorship. History has many examples of dictators who were loved by some, or most, of its citizens.

Superbly.

Hey, the great experiment of the Republic is not perfect. That does not mean we should not TRY. Regardless, the fact remains a dictator is a dictator when acting like a dictator. I'd rather be an arrogant apologist for imperfect justice than apologizing for dictators and dictatorships.

Yes, that poor deprived ignorant worldview, that due process is actually a key ingredient of justice.

Wait, they left off the bend and snap. Otherwise, harmless and containing old advice, such as make eye contact. Gosh, so scandalous I don't know how people read it and survive. ??

Point= you are making an argument. My bad for thinking you meant to make a reasoned argument. But yeah, imprisoning political adversaries is a classic dictator move. If the shoe fits, wear it proudly.

Depends, on which era/series. I just finished binge watching Deep Space Nine on Netflix. Top notch storytelling, until the last season, then it fizzled out. Interesting enough, it straddles the non-HD to HD, and non-CGI to CGI timeframes. Starts out, no CGI and in a 4x5 format, then all of the sudden, its in HD and has a few CGI effects. The original Star Wars (episode 4) will always be my favorite. I mean the original, before Lucas mussed with it. In my mind Hans Solo was forever out there, in a galaxy far, far, away. Then they killed him off and I'll never forgive them for that. He is a hero of myth that should never die. The newer Star Wars films are ok, the story is a rehashed telling of previous stories, which is fine, except they have too much of a reliance on special effects. And this thing with studios, where they split a story that could be told in one movie, into several movies, is irksome. I feel I'm getting fleeced. (DC and Marvel comics. bleh. I wait until my daughter tells me one is "really good" to go see it. They just don't appeal to me.)

Hi there, I'm not LDS. I do live in Utah, which is very Mormon, culturally. I've seen many couples get engaged, pre-mission, and have seen many who get married 2-3 months after their return, and many men are dumped while gone. One in particular still stands out in my mind. A young woman and missionary, they chose not to get engaged before he left on a mission, but she made a commitment to support him and be there for him. They agreed, that she wasn't to be in a two year monasterial state of seclusion. That she might actually date, but she would be open with him about it and not hide anything. All in all, it was a healthy and even beautiful way to support a young man. She made a real effort to deepen her own spiritual life, and committed to supporting him by helping him to build his spiritual life and faith. They're relationship deepened, via letters, while he was gone, and when he returned they did marry. (Yay!) ETA: I have this vague recollection that she was going by the advice of a book, on how to be the girlfriend of a serving missionary. But I could be wrong there. She also had the support of her mom, who was guiding her and helping her to be a support to his mission and not a distraction. I'm with you, in that, I find it hard to celebrate those who are deceiving someone who isn't there, and who is absolutely clueless. The man who is gone has placed a level of trust, on his betrothed and on his community. That trust gets broken, not all think it is ok, or oh-well-stuff-happens, as seen by your own post. I highly doubt you are the only one in your ward who feels the same way. ...broken up via text. Yikes. Reminds me of scene from a TV show where the break up happened via the guy leaving a post-it note. You should say to yourself, buh-bye and good riddance. There are better people in the world than that.

ar·gu·ment ˈärɡyəmənt/ noun 2. a reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong.

I've seen it in my family tree, where a man died, leaving several wives and 20+ children. The youngest children, left without a father to provide, were raised in other families. Some of my family roots go back to Richfield. The family in the case above, were in Holden (50 miles from Richfield).

He absolutely did both. Though, Jesus did not come as the warrior King Messiah. He came as the suffering servant.

I like your view.

My dear, once you've told one person everyone will know, eventually. There will be gossip, about you, and people who will never look at you as human, again. Not saying this to be cruel, but to say, be prepared. It's coming.