MormonMama

While I can see the point you're trying to make, if someone is going to refuse to try something because they overheard one person make a negative comment about it, then that's really that person's issue. Especially when it comes to medication. No one should ever make a final judgment about any medication or medical procedure without talking to a doctor (or maybe even more than one). I don't think that we need to never, ever discuss anything with others just because someone might get the wrong impression or decide to draw a conclusion based on one snipet of conversation. If that were the case, we wouldn't be able to talk about much of anything. I wouldn't dare say anything about how someone at church treated me badly for fear of keeping someone from joining the church, nor would I dare to say anything good about the church for fear that someone would run out and join it without really investigating it, then become bitter later on because they didn't know what they were getting into. Do you see what I mean?

So are you telling me that if someone ever asks you a question about a medication that you or someone you know has experience with, you say "No! I can't tell you anything because you might be irresponsible about it!" You NEVER discuss medication of any kind with anyone? That seems rather extreme to me. I agree with Wanderer. If you can't discuss medications with someone for fear that they will be irresponsible with the information you share, then you can really apply that to anything. We're not talking about someone actually saying, "Yes, I used this and you should too." We're talking about someone saying, "I've had experience with this or know someone who has. Here are those experiences. Perhaps it will work for you, so maybe you should discuss it with your doctor," or "I've had/know people who've had bad experiences with that, so be careful." "Advice" does not mean "must/must no do". Considering most serious medications must be prescribed by a physician or other medical professional, I don't see how just discussing medications with someone can cause as much harm as you seem to think it could.

Yet people do it all the time. If someone asks me if I know anything about a particular medication, I will tell them of my personal experiences, if any. It is up to them if they want to take this "advice" alone or (hopefully) do more research on their own and speak with their doctor. Most people do ask friends and family first because they want to talk to others who have had experiences with whatever it is they are facing. Then, if they think something might work for them, they go on to ask a doctor for more information. It's simply called information gathering. It's really not that unusual, and people don't seem to be dropping like flies so I don't see how it's all that dangerous either. I'm pretty sure Hemidakota was not talking about prescribing medications or advising people for or against any of them, just that he wanted to be able to provide some information from people who have used them as a starting point for those who might be considering them. I could be wrong, but that's the impression I got from his posts anyway.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I get poor sleep or not enough sleep I'm not as receptive to the spirit (or anything else, for that matter).

RuthieChan beat me to the punch, and answered your question better than I could have: I think all factors really have to be weighed. Are you better off with the medication or without it? As others have said, it's all very individual. I've known people who truly would not be here today without anti-depressants and other mood-altering medications. Similarly, I know people who were basically zombies on the meds and did not fare well at all.

I think that anything that affects us physically, emotionally and mentally can also affect us spiritually. I think that's true in all walks of life. I don't feel the spirit when I watch violent movies or listen to music with profanity. But I also agree with GoodK that if God really wants to get through to us, He can. Look how un-spiritual Paul and Alma the Younger were, but God managed to get through to them.

I can't download trailers with my dial-up. It takes so long I usually lose the connection before they finish, so I just don't bother. I need to buy my mom a new monitor one of these days. She has DSL internet, but her monitor is so old that images are super dark on it and you can barely see anything. My daughter and I tried to watch the trailer the other day at mom's and we just couldn't make out what was going on.

Loudmouth Mormon has said it well. Your wife's poor choice is not a reflection of YOU, but of HER. Nor does her stupid mistake make her a "stupid girl". No doubt that other guy knew just what to say to flatter her and make her feel special. My daughter just went through something very similar with a guy, and thankfully found out, before anything bad happened, that he wasn't who she thought he was. Sounds like your wife discovered that with this guy just a little too late. The choices people make have a great deal more to do with them than with the people around them. I highly recommend some type of counseling for both you and your wife (individually as well as together). It sounds like you are really having a hard time getting past this, and it will eventually eat away at your marriage if you don't. You might need the help of a professional to heal this wound. Good luck! You and your wife will be in my prayers.

Actually, that would be "Doubting" Thomas. :)

This really saddens me.

It's okay to have questions! Yes, we must have faith sometimes when we just don't understand something, but that does not mean we are not supposed to ask questions and try to get answers. Talk to your patriarch, and maybe even your bishop. They may be able to allay some or all of your concerns. And if you still have concerns that they can't address, then that is where faith comes in. :) A patriarchal blessing is meant to be a guide for you throughout your life, but you are right in that it is not essential. Usually people get them in their teens or young adult years. I joined the church in my early 20's and did not get my patriarchal blessing (at the urging of a friend) until I was in my late 20's. My husband joined the church over 2 years ago and has still not gotten his (he recently got the recommend for it, but just hasn't gotten around to calling the patriarch to set up the appointment. They are meant to be a help to us, and it is to our benefit to get one. But it is not vital. I'm sure there are many church members who never bother to get one, and they do just fine.

I've never even heard of that pamphlet. When did they start giving that out?

Honestly, I think that if you are doing the best you can with the information you have, then you are on the right track. You can't force yourself to believe anything (nor can anyone else force you, no matter how much they may try). That would be false belief, which in my opinion is worse than no belief at all. I say just keep doing what you're doing (as long as you want to do it, anyway). Perhaps the answers will never come to you in this life (or not all of them anyway), but you will still learn something valuable just in seeking the knowledge, even if you only learn something about your fellow man.

Aww, thanks guys! I don't think I'm that wise, I just have my moments.

Thanks! It happens once in awhile, lol!

You mentioned in a previous post that this patriarch has given well over 1200 blessings. You've also said that your brother's blessing was given a few years before yours. Do you seriously believe that this "falling down old man" could have remembered exactly what he said in your brother's blessing and just copied it into yours? And why would he be stupid enough to do that? If someone was going to just be lazy and copy someone else's blessing, why copy it for a close family member?! They'd be virtually guaranteed of getting caught! Your experience is further evidence to me that our patriarchal blessings DO come from Heavenly Father, that they are divinely inspired. With all the millions of church members who have received blessings, why is it so hard to accept that some of them will be blessed with very similar or even identical experiences? Especially members of the same family?

We must also remember that that agency also extends to those who are doing the misleading. Agency does not just require us to deal with the consequences of our own agency, but that of the agency of others as well.

But that does not mean that the tools are flawed or bad or invalid, does it? It simply means that your knowledge and/or experience are lacking. I still can't change the brakes on my car. My dad has shown me how to do it probably a hundred times, but when I try to do it I just can't figure out what goes where. Even my sister can change her brakes. To them it is easy, but I just can't get it. Does that mean the process of changing the brakes is invalid? Of course not. So why can't I "get it"? Beats me.

Well said. I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is not up to us to decide who should or should not be forgiven, because Christ suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross for everyone, including those who do harm to us. If he is willing to forgive them (and we may never know in this life if someone has earned forgiveness or not), who are we to deny them that forgiveness?

To me, that does not prove that we are descended from a common ancestor, but only that God used the same materials to create all life. I also have to say that the more I study science, the more convinced I am that God must exist.

I just wanted to say that I think your entire post was excellent overall. Line upon line, precept upon precept. We are not all at the same place spiritually, and we are promised that the Lord will never give us more than we can handle. I believe that goes for things of the spirit as well. We also need to remember that life does not end at death. Some people may truly never be ready for certain things in this life, but that does not mean they won't be ready later on, after this life. Heavenly Father knows what is best for each of us and he will not force any of us into anything. He will patiently give us only what we are prepared to receive. It is up to us to accept what He gives us.

I'm so glad you are feeling better. It sounds like you really have the right mindset and spirit about this, and that will be of huge help to you during your repentance process. Good luck (though it sounds like you don't need it)! :)

Is it possible that you are simply not recognizing God's responses to you? I know there have been many times where I felt like God was not responding to me, only to realize in retrospect that He did and I just didn't see it. It reminds me of the email that goes around sometimes, something like, "I asked God for a miracle and he made a flower bloom." I don't recall the rest of it, but it was basically about how easy it is for us to overlook God's messages to us, because they aren't the messages we are expecting to get.

I would discuss it with your bishop. If you were actually inactive (and depending on how long) the answer is probably no, but when my DH and I stopped paying tithing for awhile (while still active) our bishop required us to pay back tithing until it was all caught up. I've heard this is unusual though (and we were working on temple recommends at the time, so our situation may have been different as well).

I'm hesitant to get into this discussion because I'm not nearly as scientifically educated as you seem to be, but I can only tell you my perspective, as a student and lover of science (currently working on an environmental biology degree). It is my opinion that science tries to explain the how of this world and everything in it. We do the best we can with the knowledge and evidence we have so far discovered. Sometimes we find that we were completely wrong about something, and we have to alter our conclusions. The scientific method is only as good as the information we put into it. If we have incorrect or missing information, we are not going to get a wholly accurate result. More than one of my science teachers over the years has stated that they do not wholly accept the theory of evolution, because we have no way to guarantee that the data we set our standards by is correct, especially in regards to trying to measure phenomena over the course of thousands and millions of years. I hold this opinion as well. I think there are far too many variables at work. Science tells us that it took millions of years for the earth to be formed as it is. How do we know God is not capable of speeding up the process? If he is all-powerful as we believe, then he surely could do such a thing. Additionally, we do not know how long the actual creation process took. Many people take the word "day" in the Bible to mean a literal day, but most religious scholars now accept the more likely translation of "time", in which case each "day" of creation could very well have taken millions of years. DNA supposedly states that we descended from primates, but if God formed all flesh from the same material (and why wouldn't He?), would this not explain the similarities in DNA? I'm sure you have already considered these things, but my point is only to say that, while I also study science, I am able to accept that the answers we receive through science are only as good as the data we enter into the equation. We know from past experience that such data can be flawed or missing entirely, and therefore I must take all science with a grain of salt. This would be true for me even if I had no religious faith at all. Science cannot answer all my questions, but that does not mean that I find no use for science. I trust that all will be sorted out in the end, and I am content with that.