NeuroTypical

Heh - cool video. But that cat doesn't have "soothe the baby" anywhere in it's list of motivations. Kitty is idly playing with the odd looking noisy thing, because kitty is bored.

Yeah, count me among those who will take a pass on letting the fallible error-prone agenda driven humans drive the changes to the structure of Christ's church. I'm feeling much more secure in a church where the organization and processes come down through divinely inspired lines of authority based on principles of stewardship, rather than by popular vote on stuff proposed by some random voice on an anonymous internet discussion forum. Feel free to counsel Christ on how to run His church all you like. The choice is yours on how much offense you will take, when your ideas are not acted on.

Her reaction has changed over the years. She used to reject the notion out of hand, thinking about how important I was to her. These days, she just says "I keep waiting to take you up on your offer, but you keep not holding up your part of the deal." Hopefully, she's at least partly joking like Bini...

Heh - I already let my wife know that she's free to remarry if I die. In fact, I picked a suitable replacement early on in our marriage, and made her promise to at least consider dating him.

Part of the training bishops receive, and parts of the handbook they're given, specifically talk about referring people who need professional help to professionals. One thing I did to support my bishop, was buy him a copy of Valley of Sorrow: A Layman's Guide to Understanding Mental Illness for Latter-Day Saints. Actually, I bought a dozen or more, and spent a year or two handing them out to bishoprics and stake presidencies. Universally wonderful feedback.

How come?

I've been executive seceretary for two different bishops who strongly disagree that they should be put on any sort of pedestal whatsoever.For that matter, I've been told by an apostle that there was really no difference between his calling and any other calling - the Lord picks, your job is to magnify it to the best of your ability. Nothing more. Respect the office, understand the concept of stewardship, accept inspired counsel from those who have it over you, and do what you can to support and sustain your leaders. No pedestals necessary.

Yes. Ministers of religion came into existence before anyone had ever thought up licensing, or counselors."Bless me father, for I have sinned" - confessionals are older than the AMA. Older than the modern era. Older than the industrial revolution. Older than the United States of America. Where civilizations and societies have sprung up, they've crafted laws and policies around and along the institutions of religion. Contrary to popular belief, there were things before there were governments to properly license and regulate them.

Meh - this has always been easy. The egg came first. It was laid or created by something or someone who was not a chicken. I've never understood why people make this one so hard.

Heh - I disagree strongly! 1.) No 2.) Sometimes 3.) Sometimes (Ok, maybe not all that strongly.)

It doesn't matter how fully my BIL repents of his past misdeeds - he'll spend the rest of his life with serious brain problems and chronic health issues. From an eternal perspective, absolutely repentence brings a complete removal of sin and restores one's full potential. From a mortal earthly perspective - no really - you can screw yourself and others up so seriously, that you'll bear the burden for your entire life. Repentence does not always mean removal of consequences, or restoration of full potential. Another example: It doesn't matter how great you are with kids - if you're a repentant child abuser - you will never reach your full potential with kids in our church. You'll just have to go through life outside of leadership positions or youth-related callings.

Can it? Sure. My BIL destroyed his brain and health with drug abuse as a young teen. Not sure how bright or able he would have been otherwise, but probably brighter and more able than the mentally impaired chronic-health-conditioned sad case he is today.

Not true, as in cases of justifiable homicide like defending your or another life from the immediate threat of harm. Not true. There have been many governments that have not made it illegal for it's citizens to kill one another for various reasons. I'm having a hard time figuring out what you're saying, and an even harder time buying it.

Again, a literal acceptance is not necessary to believe the Bible to be the word of God.And even if you do wish a literal translation, "the whole world" could be interpreted through the ancient worldview of those peoples - they might have very well thought that everything in a 100-mi radius around them constituted the entire world. Same for "Father of all nations". "Every beast" could mean "every beast they knew about". I mean yeah, if you force yourself into one narrow interpreation of the many possibilities, you can find something that conflicts with at least one of science's "suggestions". So, for your original question: "How does one balance “faith with science” when they are at odds with one another?" I don't know - don't see the reason to force myself to be bound by one narrow interpretation over another. I guess those people have problems.

What anne said. If your statement is true, where do we get off having laws against murder and assault and whatnot?

"suggesting otherwise" does not a conflict make.

Yeah, what Dravin said. I say it often: The only good reason to be a Mormon, is you believe God wants you to be one. Getting baptized so a mormon will marry you, an athiest, could be a horrible train wreck waiting to happen. People weren't meant to live lies - it eats at them. You ask about a list of core beliefs? Sort of the biggie, is belief in a benevolent omniscient God, who sent His son to earth to atone for our sins. Without that core belief in the core of the gospel, anything else you figure you can go along with in our church is sort of beside the point. For the sake of any future children you may have - I urge you to proceed with the utmost caution and concern for their eventual wellbeing.

Hi Dennison and welcome. What do you teach, and at what kind of college?

A question is on my mind. Why do you want to be LDS?

Things you don't have to assume, in order to believe in a literal Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve: * The world was created in 168 hours. * Evolution is wrong. * There were no other humanoids on earth at the same time. Different ways I've heard Genesis interpreted: * It's symbolic/allegorical. * "7 days" refers to seven creative periods, that could have lasted millions of years. * Adam and Eve were the first humanoids God had dealings with, the first two who received a soul. Before that, humanoids were animals only. There's lot of flexibility in belief here. You will run into Mormons who believe different things about Genesis. Some think I'm full of it.

You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you shouldn't take a pickaxe to your in-laws. LM (no really - fantasizing about inappropriate violence sometimes helps. Yeah, PC's advice to pray for help to love them is probably better advice, but mine helps too a little...)

Hi elliott, I have to admit, you're the first Belarussian Scientologist alcoholic that I've had the pleasure of speaking to.

I'm guessing the review was to force discovery of the nonsense in the first place.

Glad to hear it.