NeuroTypical

I'm more with the term "perfect" belonging in quotes, and less with the "do everything right". I mean, I understand and appreciate the distinction you're making - but from where I'm standing, it's more like the folks who don't talk about their sins, and the folks who do.

So, in our neighborhood, it's been our kids and the Catholic kids. For years. Picnics, and playing at each other's houses, and sleep overs, and all that. Our two daughters and their umpteen daughters and a few sons. Growing respect for different faiths and beliefs. A little corner of heaven. Then, the new neighbors moved in. 3 young rambunctious boys. A teenage boy. Kids and step-kids, and two girls who aren't related to anybody. No church-goers here. Mom smokes. (Nobody calls her horrible.) All the adults are friendly and getting along with each other, and we all seem to understand and accept each other's boundaries and standards and rules - the kids are just beside themselves with trying to understand the new rules. Tragedy. Melodrama. Hurt feelings. Favoritism. Accusations of snobbery. Nice kids are becoming mean and bossy. Cliques and counter-cliques. One house's girls can't play over at new neighbors, the other house's girls can. The boys can't have sleepovers anywhere. A month of that, and things are settling down now. The bad blood is drying, the scars are healing, the new lines of who is friends and not friends with who are stabalizing. Good experience to learn that some activities and relationships are not allowed, but basic respect and friendship still exists. Everyone grows up a little and matures a little. Sounds like this inactive young man never had such an experience until now, or never grew up or matured from encountering them. It's not really a blame thing. It is, however, an excuse to chose to be offended and go inactive. And that's a pity. LM (I can see my girls' future involving a long list of boys they're not allowed to date, church discipline or no church discipline.)

Why on earth would you NOT want to know if this boyfriend of yours knows how to deal with repentence and forgiveness? I mean, if he throws a huge fit over something you have repented of, isn't that worth knowing before marrying him? Do you want a lifetime with someone who flips out when they hear about a sin, or would you prefer someone who is supportive and forgiving when there's genuine repentance involved? Figure out who he is. Tell him and see what he does. Keep in mind - he may have some skeletons in his closet too.

Avatar rocked our house for most of 2009. I have a collection of works of art made by our 5-6 year old during sacrament meeting showing various ways poor fire-bender daddy was getting his comeuppance by water Mamma, earth sister, and air sister. Yeah, I have to admit that we still watch the Backyardigans, even though our kids are 10 and 7 now. Yes indeed, Phineas and Ferb too. Both provide creativity and unique execution you just don't get anywhere else. Now I've got "Eureka" stuck in my head. Thanks a lot.

Just to clarify my statement: No, I'm not saying that LDS are the only people who can have a spiritual experience. No, I'm not saying the Holy Ghost only works with Mormons. What I am saying, is the more I talk to members of other faiths, the more I study their beliefs, the more I don't see anything resembling a testimony (as we LDS understand it). Apart from the exercise of apologetics, which uses reason to allow for the possibility of a God, I see very little in other faiths suggesting that an individual should attempt direct two-way communication with Deity for the purpose of becomming convinced about the truth claims of that particular faith. So yeah - if there is such a thing as a Muslim who came to his/her belief through a directly-answered prayer to know if Allah and the Quran are real, I've never heard about that person. So, you asked the question "A man prays in Iran and receives a profound spiritual witness that Islam is the one true religion. Is he wrong". My answer is "I don't think they do that, and I don't think that man exists". Not the answer you were expecting, I know. But it's the answer I'm giving.

Meh. Bring it. 9/11 was an attempt of evil men to prove the US was weak, to embolden popular uprisings that would recreate another caliphate. Everything since has been an increasingly-desperate attempt for that sort of ideology to stay relevant. Times square bombing stopped, shoe bomber stopped, underwear bomber stopped. The little grassroots stuff is all they can point to - and that won't be emboldening popular uprisings any time soon. So bring it, if you think you're relevant. All I see is a has-been militant philosophy running on the vapors of hate.

Basically correct. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restoration Gospel church. We claim additional sources of information, in the form of additional scriptures and living prophets, that the rest of Christianity doesn't have. We have more recent information about God's dealings with His children, and what He wants from us and for us. So yeah, we don't ask you to just take our word for it - we urge you to read and receive the BoM, and kneel in prayer to God, asking with a sincere heart and real intent, if this incredible story is actually true or not. If He says yes, then the burden lies on you to act accordingly.

Dunno. I know some situations where the parents are closer to the ex-spouse than their own child. (Sort of extreme situations, along the lines of "two idiots made a baby, our idiot then went to prison or dissapeared or something, leaving us with the other idiot and the kid")Another story - I used to work with a lady who had a very interesting photograph on her desk. It was of three people: her, her husband, and hubby's ex-wife. The picture was of their three faces in sort of a triangle - the two women looking conspiratorial and happy, the man smiling but looking vaguely worried and dismayed. The story that went along with the photo was just as great.

"Sorry dood (or whatever I'm calling him now). We also have pictures of you with that green hair, and you're not that person anymore either. History is important, no matter how much we've changed since then. Your mother's feelings are important too. Not to mention that this house belongs to me and your mother, not you."There's support, and then there's coddling and enabling and sheltering.

If I meet him in the checkout line at the Costco, I feel good that he remembers me and my wife's name and that we have two girls, even though I've only met him once before. If I meet him at church, or he's doing a temple recommend interview, I feel confident that I made the right choice when raising my arm to the square to sustain him in his calling. If I get called by his seceretary for an appointment with him, I feel total abject terror. But I set it aside and go to the appointment. Oh, it could be anything. A calling is very likely. Or maybe a calling for my wife. Or maybe something not calling-related at all - like him wanting some information he thinks I have. I guess it's possible that if I did something horribly wrong I'd get called into his office, but I don't do stuff like that, so it's never been a worry.

My wife has worked with more than one girl who had been sold as babies and ended up being prostitutes here in America. Anecdotes have their limitations when trying to figure out the truth, but dang. It's hard to be facing deportation when you don't even remember which country your parents lived in when they sold you. And your marketable skills basically amount to turning tricks and taking a beating without getting injured. If there was ever an issue that ought to take people with different opinions and make them want to work together for a solution, it's this one.

Hi Jestress, Just FYI, this is not a debate board. This is a 'learn what Mormons believe' board. If you're here to prove us wrong or argue, I would suggest LDS apologetic boards like mormondialogue.org. You can contend and debate all you like over there.

I'd have to ask you to produce such a Muslim. A common misconception of people who are raised in the LDS church, is that praying for direct revalation from God is something that lots of people do. Not so. I don't think Islam has anything in its scripture or doctrine allowing for such a thing. Allah is great and man is small, so if man is bright enough he'll do what Allah commands, and watch the miracles flow, and that's about it. I don't hear anything about a personal relationship with Allah.From what I can tell, Judaism is in the same boat. God is sort of a majestic figure sitting on a throne somewhere else. The folks at my local mega-church, and the Catholics I talk to, sure don't make any claims about praying to gain knowledge of the truth. In fact, I've been told by various Christians that praying for a spiritual witness, is signseeking, and good Christians would never do such a thing.

I always thought I agreed with Vort's answer. The only hitch I can find, is that we use the KJV version of the Bible, which is full of "The Epistle of Saint James" and such things.

I know legalizing marijuana tends to be a passionately-debated topic here. I think that's partially because so many of y'all live in Utah, and don't have any experience with the fact that it's already legal to one extent or another in 16 states. Folks on the 'keep it illegal' side of the debate are losing. You folks see those guys out by the side of the road waving signs around advertising businesses, right? Here in smoky Colorado, we now see guys waving signs pointing to medical marijuana stores. And by "Medical Marijuana", I mean "It's legal to go get a toke now, whether you have a medical condition or not." That's how things are playing out in this state, and probably many others. Anyway, here is a news story about proposing legislation to set a blood-content threshold allowing someone to be charged with a DUI if they are 'too high'. They're still fighting over what 'too high' means.

Put a little extra on your tithing slip for missionary work.Spreading the gospel is a good way to fix this. Consider - 50 million girls, 50 million solutions. "Talking to their doctor", and education - right? Each one that becomes LDS - with our emphasis on education - with the values we instill about chastity and marriage and all - that does it, right? I have a buddy - a former boss actually. He and his wife just decided one day to sell everything they had and devote their life to God's work (the evangelical Christian variety). He's been in Thailand and Malaysia and other places. His organization participated in an annual event where they basically hire hundreds or thousands of prostitutes for the night - and spend that night trying to do what that movie is urging - teaching basic healthcare, condom use, and good ol' biblical Christianity. Every girl they convince to accept Christ, or leave the profession and go back to school - they count as a win. I think that movie does too, and I think I do too.

Awwww, shucks Funky. It hurts me right here [thumps chest], but I figger' yer rahght.I'll go tell the missus that Funky sez she caint tote Beulah ta the chapel no more.

I'd seriously consider burning those papers. It sounds like your grandmother is manipulative and a professional victim. Honestly grandma - poisoning a kid's perception of her mom? Making your own daughter look bad to her kids? Yeesh. I mean, if you were in danger, if your mother was evil, I could maybe see grandma doing something - but spreading bad stories really isn't it. If she ever tried something like that again, I'd let her know that "honor thy mother" means something to you, and you're not interested. It depends on your purpose for doing so. And it also depends on your relationship with your mother. Maybe you mention in passing that grandma has a rather dark side to her you picked up on with this last visit. Then mention that you've gained an appreciation for some of her troubles, then give her a big hug.

Hi lds2, Just so you know, you are plagarizing one of the posters on this board. He gave this post back as early as 2008. In the future, please put all the stuff you're copying in quotes, and cite your source. Anyway: The first time I heard that line of reasoning was shortly after the talk in 2005. Used to support the notion that 1998-2005 was the 7 years of plenty, and 2005-2012 would be the 7 years of famine.Of course, the various things that happened on earth for the "2nd 7 years" didn't ever really reach biblical prophecy levels, so that theory is pretty much discarded nowadays.

Well, you might wish to consider something else He said about it:"And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed." Back in those times, The Nephites contended "with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion." These days in the US, various citizens carry, not to defend against another nation, but to defend against evildoers who are Americans. We have deadly gang violence, home invasions, armed assaults. There is an established and still-growing threat of home-grown terrorist acts involving small-scale one-man deadly operations. And on top of all that, my drive home involves winding remote foothills and less-traveled dirt roads. If we get stuck and try to walk home, it's good to be able to keep the coyotes off my daughters. Does any of this help you see?

Advice: Stop being your parent's kid/counselor/baggage carrier, and focus on being your wife's husband, and your child's father. Sitting back and watching melodrama is far superior to being involved in it. You want to be the good example? Be the island of calm in the sea of chaos. Have your marriage succeed. Reach your 5, 10, 15, 20 year anniversaries.

The purpose of communication, is to communicate something. The way you communicate, says something about you. That's really all there is to it.

It's just you. We've just got problems you don't have.However, it is almost a fundamental truth of the universe, that in any USA-specific gun thread, someone from the UK will eventually post something along the lines of what you just did. (Canadians used to be part of this truth, but Canada has been producing more and more people like FunkyTown in recent decades, so they were dropped from the list.)

I'm not a fan of naming buildings after people. Or idolizing people who tell me they're just doing what they're supposed to. I am sort of a fan of the notion of having heroes. Heroes help us raise kids, help us decide what to do. But it's easy to put too much faith in a hero. Then you get all let down and stuff when it turns out they are human. Except for Mr. Rogers - he's a good hero. I am a fan of "Praise to the man", but because I see it more as a cultural expression of mourning, and I don't begrudge cultures their expressions of mourning. Not sure where I stand on statues. I understand that's sort of where the phrase "put on a pedestal" comes from, but at the same time, they help us see our heroes.

Here in Colorado Springs, a few places have developed a firearm policy that seems to be a pretty good compromise. I've seen it a the local mega-church where they had a shooting a few years back, a downtown hospital, and a few other places. It sounds a little something like this: "It is absolutely forbidden to have anything even closely resembling a gun here! We don't allow knives either! We are a violence-free premises, and we don't tolerate that sort of stuff around here. Don't even think about bringing your gun or knife here. If we see you with a gun here, you'll be asked to leave, and we will call the cops and have you arrested if you make trouble. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this policy (other than law-enforcement personnel and other permitted situations). No, no, no guns allowed!" Another version of this policy, is the presence of big visible signs on all the doors stating something like "The open carry of firearms is forbidden. Violators subject to removal." It seems to keep everyone happy. People who don't think much about the issue, see the picture of the handgun with the red line through it, and are happy. Conceal carry permit holders like me, understand that we can carry legally, and we're happy. The property owners have a very strongly worded policy in place to keep all the emotionally-driven fearful complainers happy. Dumb criminals see the signs and figure they might get in more trouble than one building over, and go away happy. Smart criminals understand that permit holders are welcome in that building, and they move off to a real gun-free zone to prey on Hoosierguy. I'd like to see this policy take hold and spread all over the place.