NeuroTypical

Hi Heather! I'm also a big fan of MGF's goals. As we ride the technology wave of the 21st century, many battles of public opinion are being waged, and largely won online. LM

We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. The discussion is around how literalally should we take the things written there? How much symbolism was used? LM

My take on things:If I get to heaven, and learn that 85% of the Bible is symbolism, oral tradition, or otherwise didn't literally happen, I'll still fall at the feet of my Savior. If I get to heaven, and learn that everything documented in the Bible literally happened just as it says, I'll still fall at the feet of my Savior. In other words, I'm content saying "I dunno" in this life. LM

Hello and welcome! The LM compound contains numerous cats, whose primary employ is catching mice in our barn. We love the friendly ones, and we love the semi-feral ones from a distance. LM

Quoting again from the Gospel Principles manual:

My two cents: The term "anti-mormon" is about as useful as calling someone a bigot or homophobe. Once the term is used, no matter how applicable it is, the reasonable discussion is over, and everyone descends down to the level of playground namecalling. I might use the term "church critic" to describe people who author and advance criticisms of the church. That's never offended anybody. There is a difference between a church critic, and someone who has heard a church criticism and is asking mormons what they think about it. All in all, I find charity to be a great enhancer of reasonable discussion. And assigning labels to people quite often offends charity. LM

Hi Shoofly, From "The Gathering of the House of Israel", chapter 42 of the Gospel Principles manual: LM

Hi MikeMcK - welcome! Can I ask why you came here to ask questions about Mormonism? What do you hope to get here? LM [edit - never mind - I see the board admins recognize you from the other board. You can feel free to PM me if you wish.]

Apologetic sites: FAIR SHIELDS Mormon Fortress Jeff Linsay's site Scholarly/research sites: Free Online Books from Maxwell Institute Studylight (45 different translations of the Bible) Blue Letter Bible LDS Infobases And don't forget: LDS.org Library Encyclopedia of Mormonism LM

I've had two Bishops answer questions like these the same way. Their answer is "If the question remains in the mind of the person, they need to come in." Repentance isn't something you 'do to God'. It's a process that, if gone through fully, leaves no doubt, no hidden worries, no worried feelings that something is still not right.The Gospel Principles book has the following to say: The Miracle of Forgiveness is kind of the definitive source of answers along these lines, although it is not an official church publication. LM

I don't think there are any official guidelines. Just common sense based on tens of thousands of experiences, that 95% of girls waiting, don't stay waiting the entire mission. And 4.9% of those who do wait, discover that one or both of them have changed, and there's no point any more.But hey - it looks like Karlita is looking to be that lucky .1% - and I say more power to both of them! Good luck! LM

I'm a big fan of the 'love and logic' methods. It seems to be paying off bigtime with my two little girls. At least right now. The latest deal: We gave the older one some responsibility. She now can get her own cups and pour her own drinks of water from the fridge. The younger one can't touch the cups, but part of the older one's new freedom, is that she has to get a drink for the younger one when asked. So, of course, the practical application of this, is the younger one asks for a drink whenever she wants what the older one was playing with. It took 10 seconds for her to figure out this tactic. So we also had a discussion on abusing power, which probably went over her head, but we did get across that you get in trouble when you ask for a drink for reasons other than thirst. We don't usually parent down to this level of detail, because of all the exceptions and ways to exploit they come up with. It's always fun! LM

Take a look through the links on this page. It's from FAIR, and discusses all the specific claims critics have made about the issue. Joseph Smith was undoubetdly a unique character who has been seen differently by plenty of different people. Here is a list of articles written about his character. That is so cool to hear! I think you've come to the right place. LM

What, you want more? "Even devout Mormons tend to be obsessed with fringe occult practices such as astrology, New Age medicine and healing practices, and even sorcery" Ed Decker, The God Makers p. 310-- “Mr. Romney, like all members of his satanic cult, is a LIAR!…The average person has no idea that the ultimate goal of the Mormon cult is to establish a theocracy here in the United States. Joseph Smith, the cult's founder actually ran for the Presidency. So did Romney's father. This cult has the very real goal of establishing the "Kingdom of God," which means advancing the physical and earthly organization of the multi-billion dollar Mormon cult. There is a special room in the Mormon Temple located in Washington, DC that has been prepared and in place for over 30 years, which will be the seat of power for the Mormon-led government which will supplant our current government. This was the vision Smith laid out less than 200 years ago, and Mitt Romney and those in the hierarchy and leadership of the Mormon cult see this as the time for that vision to become fulfilled!I love you and care about you so much.” -- Bill Keller, Founder of Liveprayer, June 22, 2007Overheard in a Yahoo Chatroom: anskelll (3/17/03 8:27:26 PM): I CHALLENGE THOSE WHO INTERVIEW THE SMART FAMILY, THOSE WHO WILL ONE DAY INTERVIEW ELIZABETH SMART, BRIAN DAVID MITCHELL, AND WANDA EILEEN BARZEE TO QUESTION THEM ABOUT THEIR MORMON FAITH AND THE ROLE THAT IT PLAYED IN THESE EVENTS. I CHALLENGE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THOSE IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY THAT HANDLE THIS CASE TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE THAT MORMONISM PLAYED. WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE MORMON CULT, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE ELIZABETH SMART CASE! I love you and care about you so much. My goal today is to not only expose the "lie" of Mormonism, but to encourage you in your daily walk with the God of the Bible, with the Jesus of the Bible. Mormonism and other cults are growing fast as Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter 3 said would happen in the days before Christ returns.

Sounds EXACTLY like the church I've been going to for three decades. LM

Does anyone know if mainstream archaeologists have been able to do any DNA analysis of Olmec remains? Since their civilization is so old, it would be interested to see where they fit in the secular picture of "everyone came over on the land bridge from siberia, and we don't wanna hear any other opinions". LM

Those of us who have been favorably impacted for years by your message board participation, know that this teetering isn't exactly a new phenomenon. And I'm sure I'm not the only one out here who trembles with fear at the thought that your recent calling might make make a dent in the time you chose to give online. But we hold hope that the addictive properties of online arguing have such a vicelike grip on your psyche, that any attempt you make to sever yourself permanently, will only end up temporary.Rest assured, that even though the people you converse with haven't budged an inch from where they started, there are hoards of silent spectators that find great value in witnessing the exchange. For me personally, I highly value the rich information and true stories you bring, and I appreciate the way they're often presented. LM

Ahh, sweet, seductive inactivity. Sunday's filled with hedonistic movie watching, lawn mowing, and store shopping. So convenient. Such a delicious sense of guilty pleasure. Well, as my spare tire reminds me, not everything that tastes good is good for you. I hate ties, but I love the gospel. Welcome! LM

Just kidding. The name LoudmouthMormon is actually due to my realization that somewhere in the last 10 years, I've stopped being a cut-and-paste apologist with a skill for finding other people's answers to criticisms, and I've become a source of my own answers to criticisms. This dawned on me when I looked through my 173 page word doc of collected apologetics, and discovered that quite a few of the entries were actually my own work. It sure didn't start out that way. In real life, I've just been released as Executive Seceretary after 4 years. I've been keeping track, and I think I actually have had a hand in ushering more people out of the church (via name removal, disciplinary council, etc), than I've helped usher in. This does not sit right with me, even though I'm aware that only the spirit converts people, and only the Lord brings salvation. Well, I make a lousy missionary, but I make a halfway-decent apologist. I even got the folks on a countercult outreach forum based in England, to admit to the possibility that I am actually a real live Christian. So, with record church numbers, a worldwide missionary effort, the SLC Olympics a few years back, Mitt Romney's candidacy and Harry Ried, a new ad campaign from the church, and now the 150th anniversary of the Mountain Meadow's Massacre, more non-LDS are thinking and wondering about us than ever before. It's the perfect time for this board to be here, and a pretty good time for me to be here. LM