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NeuroTypical

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Posts posted by NeuroTypical

  2. LDS Church's New Managing Director for Church Communication

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    Just now, old said:

    Is there or is there not a problem in the LDS Church with LGBTQ+ support?

    Is there or is there not a problem in the LDS Church with LGBTQ+ theological shift?

    What do you mean by "the LDS Church"?  If you're talking about members being blown about by shifting cultural winds, I'd say yes.   If you're talking about "Church leadership hired this guy who has said supportive things about those winds, and therefore there's a problem with church leadership", I'd say no.

    And I'd like to point out site rule #1: 

    Quote

    1. Do not post, upload, or otherwise submit anything to the site that is derogatory towards The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its teachings, or its leaders. Anti-LDS Propaganda will not be tolerated anywhere.

     

    If this becomes an exit story, the mods'll shut it down.  That's why we have reddit/exmormon.

    If it becomes a thread criticizing church leadership, we'll shut it down.  That's why we have mormondialogue.org.

  4. LDS Church's New Managing Director for Church Communication

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, old said:

    Eventually the quantity and quality of negative spiritual experiences overrode the positive spiritual experiences

    Out of curiosity, what's a "negative spiritual experience"?  I was under the impression that it's either a genuine spiritual experience, witnessed to by the Holy Ghost, or it's something else.  

     

    (And I hope you and your family finds peace too.)

  5. LDS Church's New Managing Director for Church Communication

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, askandanswer said:

    The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

    I see that bet and raise you with this: 

    "It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teaching of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear.  You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works. Every man who writes is responsible, not the Church, for what he writes. If Joseph Fielding Smith writes something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member of the Church is duty bound to reject it. If he writes that which is in perfect harmony with the revealed word of the Lord, then it should be accepted."
       - Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1956, 3:203-4"

    "If anyone, regardless of his position in the Church, were to advance a doctrine that is not substantiated by the standard Church works, meaning the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, you may know that his statement is merely his private opinion. The only one authorized to bring forth any new doctrine is the President of the Church, who, when he does, will declare it as revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve and sustained by the body of the Church. And if any man speak a doctrine which contradicts what is in the standard Church works, you may know by that same token that it is false and you are not bound to accept it as truth.
     - President Harold B. Lee, The First Area General Conference for Germany, Austria, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Spain of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in Munich Germany, August 24-26, 1973"

    "What a pity it would be, if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken the influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually." (JD 9:150)
     

    Also, folks who think prophets and leaders are perfect, need to spend more time reading scripture.  From my "I used to argue with Christians a lot on this topic" file: 

    Quote

    Could a prophet...

    Kill? Jg 14:19 (Samson); Ex 2:11-16 (Moses).

     Lie? Gen 12:10-29 (Abraham); Jer 38:24-28 (Jeremiah); 1 Ki 2:8-9 (David); 2 Ki 8:10 (Elisha); and Mt 26:69-75 (Peter).

     Get drunk? Genesis 9:21 (Noah).

     Boast? 2 Cor 11:16 (Paul).

     For a small fee, use his supernatural powers to tell where to find lost animals? 1 Sam 9:6-8, 20.

     Prophesy of an event which fails to occur? Jon 3:1-10; Jer 18:5-10.

     Gamble? Jg 14:12-20.

     Be angry at God? Jon 4:1, 9.

     Believe something unscientific? Lev 11:6; Deu 14:7 (the hare does not chew the cud).

     Curse children? 2 Ki 2:23-25 (Elisha).

     Want vengeance? Ps 137:9; Jer 18:19-23.

     Contradict a former prophet? Mt 19:3-8 compare Deu 24:1-4 (divorce); 2 Sa 24:1 compare 1 Ch 21:1 (who caused David to sin?); Ex 34:7 compare Ez 18:20 (are children punished for the sins of their fathers); Ex 23:7 compare Ro 4:5 (does God justify the ungodly?).

     Fail to understand a revelation? Ac 10:3, 17; 1 Cor 13:9-12.

     Advocate divorce? Ezra 9, 10:3, 11, 19, 44.

     Institute strange sounding rituals? Ex 29.

     Give counsel not approved by the Lord? 2 Sa 7:1-5 (Nathan).

     Worship false gods? 1 Ki 11:9-10.

     Accept a position as the chief of magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers? Dan 5:11.

     Break God's moral law? Jg 16:1 (Samson visits a prostitute); 2 Sa 11 (David and Bathsheba).

     Give two contradictory prophecies? 1 Ki 22:14-18?

     Lie to another prophet in the name of the Lord? 1 Ki 13:11-32.

     Accuse God of deception and betrayal? Jer 20:7.

    Go out in public naked? Is 20:1-6 (Isaiah); 2 Sa 6:20-22 (David); Mic 1:8 (Micah).

    Attribute doubtful characteristics to God? 2 Sa 6:6-7 (God kills in anger); Ex 7:3 (God hardens Pharoah's heart); 2 Sa 24:1, 10 (God punishes David for a sin he "moved" him to commit); 1 Ki 22:9-23 (God causes prophets to lie); Ez 14:9 (God deceives prophets); Am 3:6 (God is the cause of evil in a city); Ez 20:25-26, 31 (God gave laws and judgments which were not good, including child sacrifice); Hos 9:15-16 (God hates and curses); Deu 20:10-11, Lev 25:44 (God commands and condones slavery); 1 Sa 16:14, 18:10 (God sends evil spirits to influence men); 2 Th 2:11 (God will delude men); Ex 32:14, Deu 28:68, Am 7:3, 6, Jonah 3:9, 10, Jer 26:13; 2 Sa 24:16 (God changes his mind).

    Be wrong about what God wants?  1 Chronicles 17, verses 2-5:
    1 NOW it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.
    2 Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.
    3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
    4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in.

    Teach doctrines which contradict earlier scriptures or were totally unknown to earlier prophets?   Peter's revelation concerning the consumption of unclean animals (Acts 10:9-20) contradicts earlier revelations given to Moses (Leviticus 10:10-11; 11:4-47; 20:22-26; Deuteronomy 14:1-20). Paul received a revelation that the Gentiles would be heirs with Israel through adoption in Christ. He taught that this information had been hidden from earlier generations (Romans 11:25; 16:25-26; Ephesians 1:5, 9-10; 2:11-13, 19; 3:3-6, 9; Colossians 1:26-27).

    Basically, if anyone loses their testimony over what current prophets do with how our alphabet friends fit into things, they should understand that the whole of Christianity is denied them as long as they demand inerrancy and 100% correctness.

  8. Grocery store prices.

    in Current Events

    Posted

    50 minutes ago, mikbone said:

    What the heck are yall doing?

    We continue our lifetime habits of bargain shopping.  We also have a freezer of our own chickens and turkeys, and a fridge full of our own eggs.   New for 2022: We started eat out only once a week or less.  Before that we were 3-5x/week-ers.

    I've also been eating homemade chili for a long time for work lunch.  I've gotten ok at it over the years, and inflation taking it from $1.50 to $2.25/serving isn't really dire.

  10. State v. Federal Powers

    in Current Events

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

    Recently, however, I see some states blowing off the dictates of the Federal Government in ways that are unconstitutional.

    But what if the state wants to infringe upon the 2A? 

    I've seen Oregon, then Colorado, now the majority of states officially not give a flying wet crap about federal marijuana laws.  The feds still have it classified as a Controlled Substance Act, determined to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, prohibiting its use for any purpose.  What does the FedGov do?  Enforcement pretty much drops down to zero in the legalizing states.   The federal law isn't popular enough to enforce, or unpopular enough to get removed. 

    I've also recently seen TX start out-maneuvering DHS officials around border issues.  Like, denying them access to border areas where TX folks are using razor wire and walls and whatnot.  I haven't seen arrests or fights or anything, such news would be hyper-interesting to me.  Physically blocking feds from where they want to go (by pulling a bus across the road so they can't drive their DHSmobiles), is pretty dang interesting.

  11. I'm NOT Raising a Red Flag... But I Am.

    in Current Events

    Posted

    On 1/8/2024 at 8:06 AM, NeuroTypical said:

    Let's see what SCOTUS 23-719 does with the case.  (And just starting last week, we can get email updates now on individual SCOTUS cases.  https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-719.html)

    BTW, I'm finding it fascinating to read the amicus briefs being filed.  Half a dozen so far.  Vivek filed one.   Every one of them has been in favor of Trump so far - I wonder if any in favor of Colorado will come?

  12. LDS Church's New Managing Director for Church Communication

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, LDSGator said:

    Is there any noise in Utah over his hiring, or has it been regulated largely to social media? Are people talking about this in wards, in the newspapers, with each other?

    Not even our sister forum MormonDialogue.org, where they literally talk every topic like this to death, are talking about this guy.   

    It makes me wonder - @old, your opening post was a thoroughly researched and documented post.  Did you get this stuff from somewhere, or did you get it yourself?  I'm not demanding answers, but I would be interested if the work is yours or someone else's.

     

  13. Countdown to presidential election begins

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    The next two months.  And the entire year is going to look similar:

    1/8: Appeals court case regarding immunity around his efforts to overturn the 2020 election
    1/10: Closing arguments on civil fraud charges
    1/15: Iowa caucuses
    1/16: E. Jeanne Carroll defamation case trial begins
    1/23: New Hampshire primary
    2/8: SCOTUS hears oral arguments on banning Trump from state ballots
    2/8: NV caucuses
    2/12: Mar-a-Lago Classified documents case starts
    2/15: Stormy Daniels hush money hearing
    2/24: SC primary
    2/27: Michegan primary
     

  14. Countdown to presidential election begins

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, LDSGator said:

    What’s the best definition of insanity? Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. What makes you think Trump vs Biden II will produce different results than Trump vs Biden I? 

    Trump v. Hilary = Trump
    Trump v. Biden I = Biden

    Dude is batting .500.  There are lots of similarities with Biden I, but also lots of differences.  Pre vs. post COVID, Roe v Wade overturned, Biden's obvious decline,   It's not 'the same thing', other than the main players, and they are not who they were 4 years ago either.  (Well, Trump is.  Trump is EXACTLY who he was 4 years ago.  But how he's seen has changed.)

    I'm hardly a Trump apologist.  My first decent prediction back in 2016 remains my prediction of a Trump 2nd term:

    Quote

    President Trump will do a bunch of stuff that you'll hate and I'll like. He'll do a bunch of stuff that you'll like and I'll hate. And then he'll do one or two things that the entire world hates. People will cross aisles and form new alliances in order to stop it, but some of it will happen anyway.

     

  15. Countdown to presidential election begins

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Traveler said:

    Trump may be the darling of most stanch republicans, but he is not attractive to the general populace of America.

    Well, "attractive" doesn't mean what it used to.  In 2015-16 when we were all talking Trump, it was hard to find people who openly admitted liking him.  And yet 62 million people voted for him.  A lot of "I held my nose and thought about Hilary, that made it possible".   It's looking like the same here in 2024, because while Hilary was the consummate corrupt politician bent on seizing power, Biden is the consummate corrupt politician who was bent on seizing power 30 years ago but now he's so frail and infirm he might get blown over by a stiff breeze and topple America in the process.   Facing that, who cares if Trump is attractive or not?  He gonna do more things I like and less things I don't like than Biden would?

     

    3 hours ago, Traveler said:

    I believe that the bumpy ride of the electoral process is nothing compared to what will come after the election.

    I'm afraid you'll be right.  No matter who wins.

  17. Johns Hopkins Diversity Office

    in Current Events

    Posted · Edited by NeuroTypical

    BTW, a weakness of the DEI crowd, is that they want nothing to do with intellectual diversity, aka diversity of opinion/belief.  They're downright uninclusive of such things. 

    Sometimes, when you're talking about DEI with a DEI supporter, they'll start insulting you or telling you why you're wrong and problematic and racist and saying words that lead to genocide.  Not always, but often.  All you need to do in these cases is let them know you're not feeling the inclusivity, and ask them if they value diverse opinions.  I've never seen one not self-destruct or go dark after such an exchange.  They might continue restating their position, I'll just continue pointing out that I'm not feeling the inclusion.  "You sure seem to hate diverse opinions for someone who says they value diversity.  Can you help me understand why?"   Etc.

  18. LDS Church's New Managing Director for Church Communication

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    For me and my house, I've followed the guy on Twitter, and I'm trying not to act like a gossipy Pharisee.  I am withholding judgment, and reminding myself of the principles in this talk: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1999/08/judge-not-and-judging

    Right now, I simply don't have enough information upon which to base a righteous judgment.   "There's potential cause for concern" is about as far as I'm going right now.

  19. LDS Church's New Managing Director for Church Communication

    in LDS Gospel Discussion

    Posted

    Well, dude is certainly not hard to find.   

    https://globalextrovert.com/about-me/

    Quote

    From 2018 to 2021, Aaron served as the Vice President for Global Communications Transformation at Philip Morris International, where he helped manage the company’s historic shift toward a smoke-free future. 
    ...
    Aaron served as Global Communications Director for the Aga Khan Development Network, reporting to His Highness the Aga Khan.
    ...
    Aaron’s career included more than a decade as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the United     Nations Foundation. 
    ...
    Aaron served as the Managing Director of Public Affairs for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. Government development assistance agency, where he worked within both Republican and Democratic administration leadership to administer $7 billion in poverty reduction grants in 40 partner countries.

     

    And yep, can confirm some of the screen shots from @old

     

  20. Johns Hopkins Diversity Office

    in Current Events

    Posted

    By the way folks, you'll notice she didn't give a new and improved definition of privilege to replace the regrettable/simplistic/poorly worded/exclusionary/hurtful definition.   Don't hold your breath for a new definition from Dr. Golden.  In my experience, once a 'grand expounder' is personally called out and gives a meaningful retraction like this, it's sort of like watching a balloon deflate.  The energy just drains out.

    We didn't see this with Harvard, because there was no retraction.  Just a bunch of "I'm sorry you white people are too racist to understand that I'm right and that's why I'm resigning", coupled with a similarly worded statement of defense from Harvard's board.   But I bet 10 bucks that Dr. Golden, the CDO VP role, and Johns Hopkins Office of DIHE, now will suffer from a lack of relevance and mojo.  How permanent that is, remains to be seen.  But it might be permanent.  We can hope.

  22. Johns Hopkins Diversity Office

    in Current Events

    Posted

    I've often extolled the virtues of privilege with woke folk when we're discussing the world's issues.  It's not about getting rid of privilege, it's about making sure as many folks have access to it that I do.   Hooray privilege!   (You say this out loud to their faces, and then come back here and report how they responded.)

    They've taught me their language.  Heterosexual has to do with who you're attracted to.  A boy likes girls, a girl likes boys.  Cisgender is the traditional gender to which you adhere which matches your gender expression.  You're a boy who looks and acts and thinks they are a boy, regardless of whether you like boys or girls.  You obviously need more DEI training.

  23. We've had one sign of the apocalypse, yes...

    in Current Events

    Posted

    27 minutes ago, zil2 said:

    If they were, @NeuroTypical was doing the universe a favor by driving over them by the thousands.

    Sort of like a bizarro version of the starfish parable?

    Them: "You can't hope to make a difference here - there are too many of them!"
    Me (dripping with bug guts and looking wild-eyed): "It matters to this one! [squish]  And this one and this one and this one! [squishsquishsquish]"

  24. We've had one sign of the apocalypse, yes...

    in Current Events

    Posted

    Somewhere near Vernal is a mountain that sees some sort of massive bug activity just about every year.  For whatever reason, my in-laws like visiting there to "see the bugs".  So we drive up the mountain for 30 minutes with the radio turned up loud so we can't hear the crackle-squish as we drive over them.   Then we get out of the car and watch the entire landscape move for 5 minutes.  Then I nope out early and drive back down, with the radio even louder, because everything we squished is now surrounded by 10 bugs eating the squished one, so we're running over 10X what we were before. 

    I guess they weren't cicadas or crickets, because other than the squish and the sound of the wind, it was totally silent.  That made it even more freaky - couldn't even hear any scuttling noises.  

    [shudder]

  25. How to Know When a Family Should be Abandoned

    in Advice Board

    Posted · Edited by NeuroTypical

    12 hours ago, Carborendum said:

    Two people in the same situation. Both are shown a better life and how to get there.  One chose the better path.  The other chose a path of death.  We simply can't do anything to help her.

    Glad to hear about the boy, sad to hear about the girl.  She may leave this world early.  She may not, but spend her mortal probation in the agony that can come from making bad choices.  She may end up suffering more than one might think she deserves.  For example, such folks are prime targets for getting kidnapped and sex trafficked.  Girls with no healthy support system and maybe self-esteem or mental issues, have big red targets on their backs.  

    Your job is the same for both of them.  Show 'em love in whatever appropriate ways you can.   If it all goes south for the girl and she finally decides enough is enough, you might be her escape plan.  What's she gonna do, go back to her parents?  But make sure you don't get taken advantage of or hustled.  There's a difference between saving someone and enabling them, and good people often have a hard time telling the difference.  Remember the scripture: You gotta be harmless as a dove, but you also gotta be wise as a serpent.