WANDERER

Hey Kona...you probably won't live for your whole life in the place that you are living now...life seldom works out that way...it can... the percentages aren't great. When things change...new doors open up and old doors close. Yadda yadda. Life's a challenge.If you have a great situation though, hold onto it. Having moved around a lot, sometimes finding a place to call home and rent out can be consuming and uncertain and a peaceful and safe home is sometimes undervalued. But the streets are not an option and I certainly don't think that is a choice you should make. I just get the feeling that in a year you have really thought through all other options and they're not available or possible at the moment and it's like banging your head against a brick wall kind of thingy: damned if I do, damned if I don't. You're not damned if you don't. God sees your heart. That being said, if you want to become a member of the church it may be something in the future. You don't have to close the door on that one. As disheartening as it is to have no choice for now. I know it's not just for you that you are thinking: your family and such as well and in order to meet responsibilities (work and so on). I see it as a faithfulness and stewardship thingy. Sometimes you can't do all that you want and throw everything aside. It's just one of those things. Sometimes we can't help the life situation we're in. But there's always hope....yep, blind and fruitless at times, but essentially nice to have however frustrating and sometimes things work out unpredictably and bless that hope. Stay strong.

Lake of fire...I'm thinking of that vision where the guy was begging for water...OT. Now where was it?

After reading up on some LDS views on the gift of discernment I think it's a bit worrying that it's either...of God or NOT. I mean the general view of those that aren't all that into faith is that it always isn't, new age beliefs and all. So there you go. Nothing new I guess. I tend to shy away on the whole thingy, coming from a pentecostal point of view where people are likely to pray those offending spirits right out of you if you happen to like chocolate rather than strawberry; no seeking God necessary on their own interpretation of things needed for some. You have to experience the barbaric side of having demons prayed out of you when you misbehave as a kid, you know for essentially demonic things like forgetting to make your bed, to really appreciate just how wonderful this point of view is. But hey if you know God wouldn't you recognise the enemy counterfeit and God at work..at least some of the time, at the very least. Ask/trust/pray/ and so on. Something I read about shaking hands with an Angel ... totally bewildering.

Sends the Holy Spirit to give gifts...I think : ).

I wish I did. Investigating LDS beliefs has kind of challenged a lot of my own and I'm in a repackaging process of what do I believe...I had no idea that concepts would be so different. Er, and beliefs that make me happy and show a loving God that is the one I know WELL is religion meant to make anyone happy...? Am I shopping for a God that fits? Who am I? The thing is it makes so much sense (LDS) and if religious belief is restorationist what are the fundamental things that hold it all together? Yes faith and loving God (sorry, but they're the only things that hold the tree upright ...as all evidence is biased)...but I keep hearing truth and confirmation and factual evidence too. What are the core things in my faith that I must uphold. I'm sure my God expects me to do the right thing and what exactly is that? The problem is: a fiery pit of hell for those who haven't heard of Jesus..and other stuff that just gives me a headache? VERSUS wearing special clothing, a patriarchal structure (who am I kidding, that is what Christianity is after all, that's never going to change even in our own social structure...why do I care...because I see it as a male toll bridge to God, and oh well, maybe that will change but not in this world. Sorry if that offends I know I'm out there on my own with the way I feel about it) and a few things that shouldn't have happened in the past but did and a whole lot of interesting feelings from antis? 3 years ago I uploaded some bits of the family tree that geanologists were looking for and I didn't know about baptism of the dead and my mother would kill me for that....people have some strong feelings about loved and departed ones that don't bear up to it. I have more now and how do I share that with people who are looking because I want to? And I understand the LDS perspective on it BUT doing something unknowingly and all that, but I guess it wouldn't matter where I put it online...except it would to my mother. She'd view it as not letting the dead rest peacefully while the LDS concept is not like that at all. Sorry if that offends, but she is majorly upset about these sorts of things. It kind of makes me ask, what about my faith is real....and the only thing I fall back on is I know that I love Jesus and that He is with me hang on or shouldn't I finish that sentence with know that HE is true(hard to explain that one, but I don't have any problem with confirmation of faith, more is always a plus I guess)..... Perhaps confusion is one of those things that is part of His plan and the next shove in the right direction of growing up spiritually. Ah, I'm so trusting. All things work together for good for them that love Him. But honestly...I wish I hadn't started as it's going to be a bumpy ride that's for sure. There's always that 5% factor that I may crawl out of this a confirmed atheist with occasionally atheistically challenging moments...cause God is no respecter of beliefs LOL. I once looked into it as a sort of refuge from a constant conscience warfare...you can be a good person and not worry about good in terms of how good will always be less than God's plan of perfection..., it didn't work out so well. Er, the vacation from religion that never was. Faith will always make you come out of the atheist closet so to speak. Do I need some more cheese to go with that whine? Good question to ask. I wish you well. Adding: yes I know I sound anti...asking for heavenly help with that one.

You could always make it a middle name. I think Nephi would end up Nev.

Er, you're not joking about the middle earth idea then...ummmm, googles a little, can someone explain this one to me perhaps?

I know a little about auspergers...from severe... to barely noticeable by those who just don't get it. I think with a bit of wisdom that a mission is possible, but the support and structure would have to be there. My friend had an auspergers son who they endeavoured to set up independently in a nearby flat and it didn't work out...while he functioned at a reasonably okay level in the home environment it was a bit ambitious as he wasn't able to grasp conventions within the new setting. He had problems understanding why you wouldn't buy 12 hotdogs if you had enough money and you liked them and why you couldn't hang around shopping centres 24 hours a day doing nothing much without triggering attention and stuff like that. Her brother is a computer programmer with mild auspergers and he functions okay but drives his wife (and others) crazy at times...she used to do things for him like shop and general maintenance thingies that he didn't perceive as important...you know the things most people think of as basic essentials LOL like food. He's apparently a very good computer programmer. He's good at everything...it's just that everyone else's ability to focus on things to the extreme isn't quite up to dealing with it. Currently he's not allowed to play his guitar at home anymore...24/7 (this is not an exaggeration at all, you have to understand that eating and showering may not be daily events when he's in this mode) ...and he could be doing that for a decade or two without getting bored. One can only hear the same song played to perfection so many times I guess. Bless his patient wife. Other people might not quite understand why she would have to do that though. It works for them : ) and they're happy.

Yep : ) . I'm neither hanging out for it or dreading it. I have faith in all things (er 90% of the time).

Jesus us the creator is a new concept to me...are there other references for this in the KJV? Yep Willow I'm a tad confused on it for the same reasons : ).

Sorry to hear that this has happened. Here's hoping she'll come to terms with it and that maybe some help is on the way.

Willow - love the story. Sometimes it's about realising that when others boast it really is about how much of a problem it was for them to get there, not about how short you are of making the grade. In all things compassion.

My mum talked about dinosaurs when I showed her all the refs I'd found ; ). She must have read up... eventually, we discussed what life was like in KJV times/more to the tune of PC's link....without dismissing the Middle Earth theory entirely Moshka (after all it's the Bible), but more in a 'it's possible there is a Loch Ness monster' subtle hint way. It's tough being nine. Guess the Sunday School story about the unicorns not wanting to get on the ark was just for fun Morning Star.

Thanks Lehi : ) . Caught your post on Strong's Concordance in the stickies after posting this....I have a memory of a huge book. I love online resources. Willow, you wouldn't be encouraging my geek factor would you? I think I went looking for dragon references after that...can't remember if I found one LOL...googling away...heaps of all of the above. I was reading about Bible literalists and stuff.

I was reading up, as I do, and they mentioned unicorns in the Bible and I just had this curious memory of me as a kid being fascinated by the number of times the KJV mentioned unicorns. I was a geeky kid, I'd forgotten how much...I used to sit on the carpet and read the Bible during the loooong church services. One night my mother, noticed I was still at the beginning of the book so she asked what I was up to. My answer, "My seventh time through"... LOL. Anyway since she didn't have much to say about the unicorns I'll ask now : ) The writer mentioned that it was translated differently in the Greek...anyone know what it was translated into... Yes, I'm on a trivia hunt.

Rhubarb has oxalic acid in it...like spinach... it came up on a plant discussion on monsteria deliciosa (sp) ..a tropical fruit. Unripe deliciosa can be a bit lethal. I came across a reference to someone that wouldn't drink soup as part of the WOW...but this is probably not common? If you were to extend it to foods that are cooked in hot water that would rule out a lot.

Thanks guys...lucked out on a thread "The Problem of Hell" on the Mormon Apologetics Discussion Board. Google was nice for a change. Lehi, you just provided the missing piece of the puzzle in the discussion that I was following. Correction, trying to follow : ) Thanks for the link.

Tree I hear you...but I'll bet there were times when you didn't think things would work out. It's good to be reminded that they do : ). Kona here's hoping that a blessing comes your way.

Go ahead. Rub it in : ) Hope you are having a great time!

Well that kind of tips the applecart of my beliefs....so where does God the Father come into the picture?

So what are the options you've looked at already that are not working out? Aaaah I see. I;ve clicked on the LDS welfare pages before. A longterm solution would be better than a temporary helping hand: miniminal rental accomodation or something.

Tithing's not the real question here. The thing is I wasn't sure that the whole fiery burning hell thingy damnation existed in terms of LDS beliefs...an outer darkness I think I've heard of...just wondering how it all fits in together?

Ugh...wish the Social Security rules were different and more family friendly.

Not sure if I'm here for the long haul yet...but it's been a journey : ) . I think the shifting nature of online communities is all about that. Perhaps disloyalty is too strong a word...I think of the internet as being one big community. I have links to several online communities that I think of as a series of little homes on the net but they are totally different in nature. If you're breezing through, here for a little while or seriously putting up blog furniture ... be you troll, flamer, forum junkie,lurking about, or chatroom guru ...or all of the above : ) whatever your religious or political beliefs, that's what internet communities are made of.

If the moderators think you are overstepping the rules they'll let you know. But some of those topics have come up in my time here : )