NeuroTypical

We can't always control our thoughts. We usually can control our actions. Seems goofy for God to punish us for something we can't control...

I'm gonna need some sources there, friend. I assume you're getting this from Margaret Mead and that "Myth of Monogamy" book, but want to make sure. Exactly what sources did you research?LM

I used to be you. The only solution you will find to this issue, is exercising your priesthood and learning firsthand that God makes up for your failings and lacks. My first hometeaching assignment was to a very troubled house. The lady had severe mental issues. She would have blackouts, and wake up to find that she'd written on the walls with her own blood. Her 5 yr old kid had regressed back to diapers with the trauma of being around his mom. She didn't know what to do, and asked for a blessing to tell her. My (much more experienced) companion immediately jumped at the chance to stick it to me: "Oh sure Sister X, I'll do the annointing!" - meaning I had to do the blessing. Yes, shaky, ignorant, newly active, freckle-faced me - with all my unresolved sin and obvious weaknesses. Now seriously - exactly how many people would feel up to the task? Anyone here? Any one? Well, I set my sheer terror aside, and reminded myself that God promises to make up for my inadequacy. I was doing my part by putting my hands on her head and opening my mouth, what was going to come out of my mouth was God's problem. It was, to put it simply, a large leap of faith on my part. Well, it worked. Words came out my mouth that I doubt anybody with any amount of earthly wisdom and training would have said. She got what she needed. The promises are true - the Gospel is real - God really does love and look out for His children. You need an experience like that, Inter. And such experiences come as you serve your fellow man. LM

Anyone who knows doctors can tell you that most of them are good doctors, but absolutely lousy business administrators. The more specialized one gets, the more handlers one needs to function in the real world.It's an easy assumption to make that the most highly-educated folks make the best decisions. But if you think about it, it really does depend on what the education is in, doesn't it? Go ask your nearest PhD "Do you have enough sense to come in out of the rain?" I've asked a handful that I know, and if they have a sense of humor, they've always admitted that's why they have a spouse or an office manager. In other words, it's not surprising that "most doctors" are wrong on matters of government entanglement in their practices. LM

So Dust, you are quoting Bible verses as supposed contradictions. Are you saying that you are a Bible believing Christian? Or are you just saying that if there's a contradiction between the Bible and the BoM, at least one has to be wrong, which means Mormonism is wrong because it believes both? 1. Jerusalem was both a city and a land. Luke 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem... 2nd Kings 14:20 And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 2. Ezek is talking about spiritual death, or separation from God. That can be forever, but there's a spirit still there to be dead. 3. This is the question that had me wondering if you're Christian or not. You can't find too many Christians who don't believe ya go to heaven when ya die... 4. Psalms uses lots of symbolism. 5. Dunno. I hope to figure this out someday too. 6. You'll have to argue with Christ's followers there. They made Sunday the sabbath shortly after Jesus' death, and it's still going strong today. 7. Are you honestly saying that God will never give dietary restrictions to his people? Sounds like a hard claim to make if you spend any time at all in the OT... 8. We figure everyone gets resurrected, just to different places. So tell me, did I help at all?LM

Bishop first, go from there. MorningStar asks the ultimate question: This really is the ultimate question. Golden rule and all that. And as I ask myself that hypothetical question, I can see a situation or two where my wife and I might be best off with me not knowing until on the other side of the veil.I see a lot more situations where yes, I would want to know, but that's not absolutely every situation. Good luck! LM

Each of our kids has had at least one black eye each, due to various falls and whatnot. We used to have a lot of fun taking our kids out in public and counting the nasty looks people would shoot us. Because as everybody knows, the only way you get a black eye is if mommy or daddy hits you.

Now, what possible reason could anyone possibly have to get offended by your post... The phrase "false doctrine" has been used exactly three times on this thread, all by you. Care to be more specific? No, admins consider the "report" button your appeal to the admins. It requires you actually identify a specific person and their specific statements, instead of just reciting a litany of accusations pointed everywhere and nowhere. Feel free to use it, if you think you've found a post that does the "bashing ridiculing belittling mistreating hateful vilifying persecuting deriding bickering and arguing that offends God by treating someone the way satan wants us to treat them and refusing to allow each other to explore the mysteries of the universe" that you're complaining about. I sure don't want such a post to go unmoderated - but I really don't see it on this thread. Surely, since you're so worked up about seeing it, you can find the post or posts and click the "report" button...LM

That's the social engineering aspect. If the US wants to encourage people to own their own homes, or give to charities, or save for retirement - they make mortgage payments and charitable contributions tax deductible, and they make 401K contributions pre-tax. Are you in favor of giving up the mortgage deduction, or deducting tithing, or making 401K contributions taxable? If not, then apparently there is some social engineering you support. LM (anyone want to lobby for no more sin tax on cigarettes?)

You can't swing a dead cat in the "regrettable church leader opinions" room without hitting a dozen speculations on the matter. Some of them are worded quite forcefully as THE TRUTH, although to the best of my knowledge, they are not. Like others have said in this thread, ultimately, the scriptures tell us what we know about it, which is Mary was a Virgin, and the Holy Ghost came upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her. No clue what that means, except for the "I know not a man" part. LM

Politicians use the tax code for two things: Social engineering, and getting re-elected. I don't think it's a realistic dream to get either out of the tax code.

Not sure what you mean by artifacts. There is evidence in support of BoM claims, just not conclusive evidence. It depends on what you think the conclusions are. And it also depends on what you think the BoM actually claims in the first place. Every discussion on DNA I've had involves the critic being off on one or the other. LM

Oh absolutely. Whenever I encounter critics of this church who advance DNA and archaeology arguments against us, I ask them a question: "Let's say tomorrow, you turn on the TV and discover that non-mormon archaeologists have discovered Zarahemla, the sword of Laban, evidence of the BoM battles, and Lehi's grave (complete with DNA linking him to various indiginous people in the Guatemala area). Would you bend your knee, profess Christ as your savior and Joseph Smith as prophet, and be baptised? About a third of them refuse to answer, a third say yes, and a third say absolutely not and would still remain as passionately critical. LM

This thread here is turning out to be a pretty neat story about someone...

I didn't realize that was her position - that's very good to hear. My concern is that a "normal life" doesn't usually include periodic news stories and interviews on "how you're doing X years after the event" - unless you choose that life. My wife was raped umpteen years ago - she very much does not want anything to do with being in any public eye whatsoever. A reporter stopping her for an interview would be a serious disruption in the peaceful life we've managed to create for ourselves, even if it was only once every year or two. But if Elizabeth is seeing the good that can come from it, and wants the occasional interview, then double thumbs up for her. LM

Now when I say stuff like that, people start vaguely opining about how the thread has "spirit of contention" in it, and "some post have appeared to have had the element of anger in them". That said, I've sparred with Hemi for quite a long time on this board. It takes a conscious choice on my part to not let his posting style bug me like it does you. I don't really know enough about him to call him self-righteous, but he certainly does appear full of zeal, and quite unalterably concluded about the correctness of his beliefs. His posting style tends to rub me the wrong way, but hey, I'm a rather abrasive poster named Loudmouth, so who am I to throw stones? Finally, I've noticed a theme amongst certain groups of people. Folks who are very enthusiastic about topics like this thread seem to be, in greater numbers than the general posting population, rather, how should I put this, mercurial? Bipolar? Exhibiting tact while actually simmering with unrighteous assumptions and jabs? Consider: Its_Chet's posting style is full of fluff and love, spreading fellowship and good feelings everywhere. And yet beneath his flowery words, he hurls a veiled jab at me, calling me spiritually stunted just because I don't buy what the author is saying. JayGlad observed with pained sadness about the spirit of contention in the thread, and then turns around and personally attacks a poster as "without a doubt, the most self-righteous individual I have ever encountered". Hemi is running around doing his thing, making vague points with broken sentance structures about how he's more right than everyone else, but he'll only hint at what he's claiming to be right about. And then there's me, pulling no punches, tossing around harsh judgements about people without batting an eye. Fringe doctrine issues like the Kolob Theorem tend to pull us out of the woodwork to brawl at each other like a bunch of surly teenagers. Anyone know why that is? LM

I am not always happy, but I am happy in general. My happiness is a conscious choice, not just having a great life with no problems. (I think I just said something important there, but I'll leave it up to people smarter than me to say one way or the other.) LM

I'm sad that no matter what she does or where she goes, she will make the news and people will recognize her as "that little girl that was kidnapped and raped by those crazy people." I wonder why her dad keeps giving media interviews about his daughter. I'm happy she has chosen to go on a mission. LM

Expensive missile shields are never unnecessary. You're incorrectly assuming their main purpose is to shoot down enemy missiles. It ain't. LM

Here is some very good reading on the topic. Basically, the cold war era is over, Russia is ending the post-cold war era as quickly as it can, and a new reality is still forming. There may or may not be a need for a missile-shield in the new reality. I personally hope that Pres. Obama got something good in exchange for this decision. Hopefully about Iran. LM

My wife saw it and laughed. She doesn't understand why any woman would get upset or mad at someone about something like that video.

That scripture doesn't say anything about contention, it talks about the "spirit of contention" - i.e., contending with anger.Jude brother of James exhorted us to earnestly contend for the faith. God wants us to earnestly contend, He doesn't want us to have the spirit of contention, or contend with anger. Jude brother of James was speaking back in the day as the apostles were discovering local church leaders were actually ungodly men, off teaching fringist horse puckey as doctrine. Now, I'm not saying The Kolob Theorem is horse puckey, nor am I calling it's author an ungodly man. But I do earnestly contend that his book is not doctrine. So I take exception when someone accuses me of "put[ting] off this portion of [my] eternal progression until the day [i am] able to handle it" just because I don't buy the author's story. LM

I've experienced stuff like this in the past. The amount of hurt I experience is proportional to the unrealistic expectations or hero status I've assigned some poor fallible mortal like me. Our mortal probation makes such stories inevitable. Also, there is actually a fair chance that the story that goes along with those pictures might not be as tragic and sad as we're all just assuming. LM

Who said it had anything to do with being made perfect? It's part of the process of accepting Christ. No baptism, no Christ, no salvation from our sins, no heaven. Worry about perfection later. LM

Isn't it sort of hard to value diversity at the same time you value transnationalism?