NeuroTypical

Whenever I get a chance to talk about my religion with someone, I mention that we're the weirdos who go to church 10 hours in a weekend, twice a year. Every General Conference weekend I also predict rain, because "when the Mormons meet, the heavens weep".

Oh, I dunno. Any discussion on the subject involves seeing these potential other forms of life through our own lives. For example, here's a partial list of unsubstantiated, unsupportable assumptions I see when we discuss such things: * Other forms of life have senses. * They are curious. * They go about trying to discover things. * They create sources of energy. * They create anything at all. * They are appropriately thought about using a term like "they". As far as I can tell, the billion-year-old giant fungus living just below Omicron four's planetary crust isn't able to detect our 3 stooges radio waves, and it also isn't particularly interested in caring one way or the other.

I grew up in one of those homes. They stuck it out and parted at death. I'm grateful they didn't tilt the odds against me by splitting up. Kids in divorced situations are at higher risk of trouble with the law, teen pregnancy, prison time, living under the poverty level, and getting divorced themselves. Having grown up through their unhappy lives, I find my dad's honoring his marriage vows as having a big impact in my ability to follow mine.Another little tidbit - divorcing doesn't end a relationship. Divorcing just changes a relationship. If you both are reasonably healthy and sane, and have a mutual interest in raising the kids, then you'll both still be interacting with each other for a long, long time. Except things will be more complicated, more expensive, and your kids will have more grief and anxiety and difficulties to deal with. Anyone abuse anyone? Anyone an alcoholic or an adulterer? Those are sometimes reasons to ditch someone and protect the kids. A grown man stomping his foot and saying "I don't wanna", well, you are role modeling for them no matter what you decide. Choose carefully.

My only response, is that we Mormons should prepare for a bajillion gazillion more incidents just like this, happening everywhere, all the time. You might as well be civil and take the high road and not be offended, because otherwise you'll have to clone yourself a hundredfold just to have enough bandwidth to be properly outraged at every instance.

So, I brought up this notion to my wife, who is not only the wiser of us, but also has been on a first name basis with real evil at various points in her life. She said she didn't mind me making light of the issue, but she doesn't take the matter lightly. She thinks of the issue of an infinitely large number of sons of perdition in the following way: You know Yellowstone National Park? They have bubbling cauldrons of black mud there, hot and dangerous enough to flay the skin off of anyone who gets too close. Some say the cauldrons are not too deep - only a few hundred feet. Others say it's basically bottomless, as far as humans are concerned anyway. Her take on it, is she doesn't care one way or the other - just for the love of pete don't go poking around in it, or you'll get burned.

Had my temple recommend interview recently. Told the Bishop about how I go to the gym 4-5 times per week, and don't wear my garments while at the gym. He reaffirmed my understanding that was fine - that my attitude, and respect I have for what they are symbols of, are what's important.

There's your answer. Now you do what's best for your 4 kids.

Yep, as I said earlier, the opinion-holders never budge an inch in such discussions. But check the thread stats - 210 views from folks like me. This thread holds (what I assume is) the best of both sides of the debate - and folks are forming opinions. Moe - life is easier when you think of it not as arguing with lds2, but as making an argument for the hundreds of people who come here and read what you have to say.

Heh. I've never thought about it like that before. It may just be that I lack the brain power to comprehend math once we start talking about infinity, or it may be that our mortal corporeal brains aren't able to comprehend - but this seems like one of the mysteries that just don't get answered in the mortal realm.Although one could probably make some good fiction out of speculating. Let's say the infinite number of sons of perdition break out and start waging war on the various kingdoms of heaven. Our infinity is much bigger - or is it? Will our infinite resources be enough to win the war? Outer darkness plays dirty, but Mother Theresea has been studying karate since she got here. Someone write the book or make the movie - I'd love to read it or see it.

This thread reminds me of when I used to argue with anti-mormon countercultists. Nobody ever budged a single inch in their beliefs, but the folks who lurked and watched the battle were able to decide for themselves which side had the better hand. I know which side I stand on here.

I'm a big fan of interview horror stories, on both sides of the desk. I've been both the interviewer, and the person interviewed plenty of times. Surely, there are plenty of goofy stories about bad interviewers (like your guy who didn't know Java had only been out 3 years). But in my interviewing experience, starting in the early '90's, I must say that I've never conducted an interview intended to do anything but see if someone is good for the job. Seeing if I can trip you up, isn't for my own enjoyment. I've asked the hard questions with no good answer, not because I like to see you squirm, but because I was in a similar situation just the other day at work, and I want to know if you can deal with such things in good ways. It's not about a power trip or humiliation games, it's about having to leave my job for 4 hours, to go talk to 4 strangers, and see if I think any of them could contribute. Some of my funny stories: * At 'learn to interview' training in 2002, one guy was asked to give an example of a bad situation he encountered at work and how he overcame it. He gave a rambling and bitter answer detailing how he had been accused of harassment at his last job, and how many meetings he had to attend because of it, and how hard the HR department was to work with, etc, etc. At no point in his answer, did he ever actualy indicate that he was innocent, and it was pretty apparent that he hadn't overcome anything. We helped him practice a better answer. * I worked in a candy store, and we'd hire high school kids. I recommended we fire one kid, after he'd keep picking stuff out of his shoes with the same knife he'd cut chocolate with, and after he'd refuse to do his job. His reaction - somehow, by firing him, we had broken foundational laws of "what it meant to be human".

Beware anyone who tells you "trust me with your money because I'm mormon". Utah once had the distinction of being the fraud/scam capital of the U.S. because so many people would fall for it. If anyone tells you about how your money is safe with them because they are High Priest group leader, or their dad is a GA, or they have three sons who all went on missions - run far, run fast.

Yeah. Iggy, Ripple, and HEP have the correct definition. But folks get hungry enough, or poor and desparate enough, and they'll apply the label to any non-hoarder prepared person. And again, a study of history provides lots of examples of them doing it through legal and governmental channels.

Just in case anyone was wondering what our church leaders are currently saying about such things: Self-Reliance and Family Well-Being - Finances What I take away from this counsel, is that if one has debt, the discussion about gold vs food vs silk vs whatever is sort of missing the point. Sort of like thinking about whether a new car with crumple zones and side airbags is better than an old 1977 Oldsmobile steel tank, and discussing it while you're standing in the middle of a busy freeway.

This morning, my 11 yr old came up to me. She said Apr 3 will be the next date for the end of the world people, because 4 X 3 = 12, and it would be 4/3/12. I think she has a good grasp of end of the world people.

It's all about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Some of us have incorporated various ways of doing this that began in Jewish custom - no unnecessary traveling is one of them. Other folk try to do all the cooking on Saturday, so no work needs to be done in the kitchen besides heating already-prepared food. I once heard that the community of people who produced and stored the Dead Sea Scrolls, believed that one should not defacate on the Sabbath (that one didn't seem to make it into LDS practice - but then I haven't met every mormon). The Gospel Principles book has this to say about the Sabbath:

What MOE said. There isn't really any official statement about who gets paid or gets a living allowance or whatnot. I recorded this tidbit from many years ago on another message board, from a guy named Trencher7:

You mean Canada had 5% last year? Here's what it's looked like in the US: Although yeah, it's horrible even if it's less than 5%. How many of you got a 3.1% raise last year? If you did, that means you basically are holding steady. If you didn't, that means you're falling behind.

Just another shout out for the book: Amazon.com: And They Were Not Ashamed: Strengthening Marriage through Sexual Fulfillment (9781587830341): Laura M. Brotherson: Books No really - anyone nervous, worried, inexperienced, uneducated, terrified, or traumatized about the issue should go get a copy and read through it. It's the mormon's 'how to do it' book, complete with everything but pictures. It's spiritual, factual, and comforting. It's been reviewed and approved by the brethren. When they make me emperor of the mormons, every fourth sunday will teach from that book in Priesthood and Relief Society meetings.

I follow the news in hypermega inflation places like Zimbabwe, and stories from Argentina's economic meltdown back in the '90's and following problems. Folks are starving in Zimbabwe, but you can buy a loaf of bread for a fifth of a gram of gold (roughly eleven bucks). And people in Argentina have been kicking themselves for a decade at not moving out of intangibles into tangibles like silver and gold. Yes indeed, all the bakers in Zimbabwe and Argentina know the value of gold - and so do the guys selling motor oil. The poor schmaltzes like Anatess who don't, find themselves getting parted from their precious metals pretty quickly with very little to show for it. Yeah, when everyone is running around on fire, and buildings are falling into the big cracks opening up in the earth, and the zombies are on the move, nobody will barter with you and your gold. But the story of humanity is always that we put out the fires, build new buildings, fence off all the zombies, and start trading with each other. The only time this has not happened, is when everyone dies and there's noboby left to trade with. (And maybe the city of Enoch.) So no, you can't eat gold or silver, but no, they are not 'false economies'. Whenever people are not in the process of being enslaved by aliens, they value it, will work for it, trade with and for it, try to steal it, and some will kill for it.

I'm not an expert on gold and silver. One thing I would like to ask the experts, is why gold and silver do not always rise and fall together in proportional amounts. There are times when gold is cheap compared to silver, and vice versa. It would seem to me, that if Smeagums' notion was so valid, you wouldn't find times when you could make a profit by buying one low and selling the other high in the same day.

My kids and I are re-reading The Hobbit (getting ready for the movie). The dragon Smaug hoards the treasure. He's got it all piled up in a big room and he sleeps on top of it, and never enjoys or uses a single bit of it. Then again, when you've got food and someone else doesn't, they think the same thing of you. The person looking at you believes they have control over the definition. If they have access to stuff, you're storing. If they don't, you're hoarding. There have been laws passed against hoarding in the past. No reason to assume the past doesn't repeat itself.

Sorry to hear about your experience Hala. It can be quite unnerving to think you're standing amongst folks who want to hear what you have to say, only to find out something very different is happening. Singles Family Home Evening you say? If it was something organized by the church, you may want to consider letting the Bishop know about the tone and spirit present in that meeting. Also, if the organizers weren't present, you may want to consider letting them know what happened. The next poor person they sucker into their midst may not have the strength you have. I once went to an "are Mormons Christian" class held at a local MegaChurch. I immediately discovered that the title of the class should have been "Here's how to convince Mormons they aren't Christian" class. But I walked through the door expecting to make that discovery, so I wasn't taken off guard. They were taken off guard by me, and after a few sessions I was politely disinvited.

That answer works when they can get the necessities of life elsewhere.

Factually incorrect - not only for the world, but also for the U.S. We have many regions and types of crops that grow year round, or through the winter months. Not to mention food animals.I mean yeah, the majority of US food crops (wheat, corn, soy, etc) follow the regular seasonal pattern. But the majority is not the same as all.