NeuroTypical

One comment - I don't think you can find a page in the handbook that doesn't contain the phrse "seek guidance from the spirit" or something similar. At first, it was sort of surprising to see. I've been reading policy manuals for much of my professional career - and wasn't expecting so much "go ask God" in the book.LM

Cool - so as long as we follow copyright rules, we're fine? That means we can quote from it? Excellent. LM

Let's see - Pentecostal AoG? Are you the guys who get carried away in the spirit and throw your hands up in fervor and stuff? If so, the Mormons could certainly use some of that passionate praise stuff - we've been known to get a little stiff on occasion. Even though our Mormon Tabernacle Choir was dubbed "America's Choir" a few years back, I still think we could use a little more energy in our music and worship. I hope your journey leads you closer to Christ. Welcome! LM

I can't quote scripture, but I can mention as a kid, I prepared a talk in the late '70's using a book that mentioned mirrors in the temple.

I am unhappy Pres. Bush started the whole TARP deal. I am happy he started and prosecuted the war on terror - the same war Pres. Obama is basically continued unchanged. LM

People who are married have made covenants to remain faithful. Yeah, there's an effort underway to cancel those covenants, but 'legally served' means they're still in effect. So I guess it's up to you to decide - do you have a problem with breaking your word? If yes, don't date until your divorce is final. If no, then go ahead and date all you want. Your choice will tell everyone what you think of covenants. LM

I can't even imagine what that would be like. Is moving and following them a possibility?

There are only two good reasons to be Mormon.1. You believe God wants you to be one. 2. You believe God is a good guy. LM

Lots of witnesses.

Hi svannek, welcome! I think I've only spent a total of 5 minutes in a parking lot with a Baha'i, but if I remember correctly, he was a very friendly fellow. Do I remember right that you folks actually have a living prophet in your faith as well? LM

The devil is in the details. To me, "UFO's" means "unidentified flying objects". It means stuff in the air that we don't know what it is. Of course there are UFO's. Do you mean something different? I know a lot of people who seem to equate the word UFO with "alien visitor from another planet" or "proof of government conspiracy". Is one of those definitions what you mean? LM

I've been to Area 51 (well, to the public land right next to it, before the Govt anexed the land), and saw UFO's in the night sky there. I figure they were experimental military aircraft, because they didn't have any kind of flasing lights on them. But hey, "I saw UFO's in the skies over Area51" just sounds so cool, no real need to clarify.

You might want to give your husband the choice. "Hey honey, I'm done letting your insulting and demeaning words hurt me. You can knock it off right now, or I will begin building a big thick wall of indifference between us, so I'm not hurt by you any more. You can let me know your decision by the way you talk to me. I hope to remain a sensitive and caring wife, I fear what this wall would mean for our marriage, but it's your choice. I deserve to be treated better." Basically, his words will continue to hurt you, as long as you care about him. He can either knock it off, or you can stop caring. Those are the only two ways to avoid the hurt that I can see. It is possible to be married to someone you have learned to defend yourself against, but I sure don't have the wisdom to advocate one way or the other.

When considering allowing sleepovers, I look for potential issues. If there are teen males in the house, the answer is no. It doesn't matter how well I know the parents, they will be in bed asleep at nighttime, when hormones are raging and still-developing brains are suffering from a lack of maturity in the long-term-choice making centers. My girls just got back from a girl scout sleepover - a basement full of giggly girls in tents, and 3 or 4 groggy mommies in the same rooms with them. Lots of potato chips and sugar. Everyone came home with another round of head colds, but that's it. LM

Note of caution: If the bloody scenes from Passion of the Christ isn't your thing, think twice before clicking. Cool song though. Excellent perspective from our trinitarian and evangelical friends.

The sex problems occured in 1989 while he was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He seduced a 12 yr old girl by telling her he was going to become prophet and that polygamy was coming back.It is an important event to come to grips with, especially for people who believe our church leaders are infallible and must always be followed and trusted, no matter what they say or do.

The post you made after that was your response to Justice about how you think poker is against the gospel. Didn't really have anything to do with my point about the stock market not being gambling.But since you've offered a stinging barb, I suppose I must now supply a witty rejoinder. Here ya go: Hope it was as dismissively insulting as your barb was. Sometimes I have a problem with perspective, so it's hard to tell.LM

Well, I lost ALL of the money I invested in Delta Airlines and 99% of the money I invested in GM. I guess, by this definition, my stock investments were indeed gambling.Well, see, by your take on things, I knew this guy who got food poisoning and died, so I guess eating is gambling too!See, that just doesn't make sense. You've got to eat. You've got to do something with your money (letting it sit there in a corner is doing something with it). There are risky and safe things to eat, there are risky and safe things to do with your money. If you eat risky food and get botulism, they don't disfellowship you for gambling. If you invest in the stock market and lose big, they don't disfellowship you for gambling. See what I'm talking about? LM

That's an interesting take on water storage, Revalationstoo. I hadn't encountered it before. I don't think it will alter my preparations much though, because there are more reasons to worry about water, than just preparing for the last days. There's also realistic preps against natural and manmade disasters that may keep the power out or the faucet off for extended periods of time. There's getting caught in a situation where you might have to travel long distances on foot. In other words, I'm not about to throw away the water filters from our get-home bags and bug-out kits, just because water may or may not go bad in the events leading up to the millenium. I'd feel pretty dumb the next time I'm thirsty from having to walk 20 miles home after a tornado closes the roads, but it's not raining frogs and the moon is it's normal color... Instead of storing? I don't think so. But they do indeed talk about purification. Here. They even provide links to government websites on how to purify water, and suggest some specific kinds of commercially-available filters.LM

This one should be acted upon. If your marriage is going to end, it at least ought to be for stuff you've actually done, and not stuff that everyone assumes you did. Your wife will only see you with the Bishop? Ok - schedule a meeting, and present your side of the story. And then let it drop. You can only tell the truth - you will never, ever, ever be able to make people accept it. Many people with troubled or destroyed marriages waste years of their lives trying to make the other side "get it". It consumes them. It devours them. If you can avoid wasting so much energy on something you can't control, you'll be doing yourself and your loved ones a favor. Well, this one you'll probably just have to buck up and endure. For the next umpteen months, years, or decades. When you hurt someone, you don't get to control how fast they heal, or how quickly trust comes back (if it ever does). All you can do is be the sort of man God wants you to be, and your wife deserves - and leave the 'getting over it' to your loved ones. Your job is repentence, their jobs are forgiveness. The two jobs are very different and do not follow the same paths. Good luck - come here and post often. LM

FWIW, a couple of years ago, he made the news again. Apparently there was an arrest warrant issued for him for failing to register as a sex offender wherever he was living. I don't know how it turned out.

The church has taken several steps over the decades to protect our children from predators. * The semi-recent "No single male teacher" policy: Husband and wife teachers are fine, a solitary sister is fine, two men are fine. No single male teacher. * Windows on every door: You may have noticed these showing up in your ward building a year or two ago. Molestors need privacy. * Permanent annotation on member record: If someone is convicted of a serious crime like sex abuse of a minor, a permanent mark goes on their record. It will follow them from ward to ward. It stays there regardless of excommunication and rebaptism. It can only be removed by a member of the First presidency. It's not just a way of protecting members, but also of protecting the church's good name. (Think about all the 'Catholic church moves pedophile pastors around' news we've heard in the last 5 years.) * Creation of a 1-800 number that Bishops must call when they hear of a case of abuse. The number connects the Bishop/Branch President to legal advice for their area on what they must do. * Training programs for leadership on the issue. I'm glad I'm a member of this church. We do much to keep our kids safe from predators. LM

Gambling involves creating a risk of loss where none would exist otherwise. If you don't gamble, you won't lose your money. Also, professional gambling is designed to force a certain rate of return for the gambling establishment. An occasional person gets lucky, but the community of gamblers lose overall. The purpose of gambling is to win. Investing is choosing from a range of options (from hiding cash under your matress, to bank accounts, bo buying land, to buying parts of companies). The risk of loss is always there, no matter what you do with your money. The purpose of investing is to give your money something to do while it's sitting there. Ok, what about entering a golf tournament with the potential to win a prize? How is this different, say, from entering a poker tournament? No matter the outcome of the tournament, you will have spent your entry fee. It's not a risk, it's a certainty. The purpose of golf tournaments are competition and enjoyment of the sport. LM's two cents. (Daddy taught me to play craps at age 8)

No. And there's no proof inside Mormonism either. There is some inconclusive evidence supporting elements of the BoM.In such questions, it's important to consider the difference between proof and evidence. And consider further, the difference between inconclusive and conclusive evidence. And then it's important to think about the role of faith in religious belief in general. Proof makes faith impossible. Evidence doesn't. (Even conclusive evidence doesn't, because not everyone has the rational toolset to understand when something is conclusive and when it isn't.) LM

The thing about child molesters, is they look exactly like you and me. They come from all demographics, education levels, races, languages, cultures, income levels, and faiths. As the story of George P. Lee illustrates, sometimes they are active in the church, and occasionally even come from the ranks of our trusted leaders. They do tend to be mostly (90%) male, and probably the greatest number of them are in their teen years somewhere. Another similarity they all share: when caught, a serial molester will leave behind a big pile of people with surprised looks and jaws hitting the floor - all of them saying "but he's such a nice guy! We trusted him!" The point is, you can't tell by looking at them. It's not enough to just say "I'll only let my kids go to houses where I know everyone and trust them". Melissa's mom rocks - that's how you protect your kids from molestation. Another thing to do, is just be open about what you've told your kid. Going to a sleepover? Just casually mention to everyone in that house that you've taught your kid about molestation, and the lies that molesters tell kids. Nothing causes a cowardly violent offender to shrink and hide, then seeing that their intended victim already knows their 'best moves' and won't be falling for it. LM