Landy77

Can anyone tell me why it seems when a talk is being given the Ensign is being read almost verbatim? I understand using the Ensign as a source of information, but if most of the people you are speaking to have also read the article what is the point in the talk?

This is funny, I have not been on the forums in years. I login about this and answer a question about moses. So I am referencing Exodus and read through the covenants given to Moses to the people of Israel. It seemed to have meaning to why I came to the forums. :)

Yes, Neo-Pagan religions. I was not referring to a book written by someone you can buy at a store. What I was given is a collection of journals on several pagens that have been put together. The Book of Shadows that was given to me does have rituals and rites performed, administration of a coven etc. It is definatly not an academic writing and I kinda feel silly for even asking this question on here. I wasn't sure if I was going overboard.

In Exodus 19 verse 9 it reads, "The LORD said to Moses: I am coming to you now in a dense cloud,e so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they will also remain faithful to you. ". This explaints God is ascending onto Mount Siani to meet Moses, but wants to stay hidden from the people. When I read this it suggests God wants to keep the authority of Moses as leader intact but tell Moses what to do also. That is just my interpretation of the verse. In Exodus 19 verse 20 it reads "When the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up". So in several verses the bible indicates God resided on Mount Siani to meet Moses. In chapter 33 starting at verse 18 Moses begs God to allow him to see his face. God allows Moses to see his glory when he passes by. I have read about this topic and if you look at it from a science perspective it would suggest Gods presence produces radiation or something semilar that will harm us physically. By reading this God is willing but explains it is not possible. So with Moses being "transfixed" suggest he was changed or protected in some way. I hope this answers your question.

I would agree, a friend a long time ago told me even though you know better does not mean you should entertain the activity, like watching certain movies etc. At the time I didn't really grasp what he said. For some reason that conversation from years ago comes to mind. I have fealt guilty for having this. Some things are not so innocent I guess.

I investigated for five years before I became a member. There is no "best" way to find out about the Church. I am military and was out of town a lot. I spent a lot of time on this forum reading about different topics. Read scripture and pray. You can do that on your own time. If you have a question try and find the answer. If you can find the answer ask someone to help. Go to your local church and make friends. There is no set time for you to decide.

I have been a member of the Church of a few years now. I have always believed the more you know about a subject the better you can respond to someone in that field of work, faith etc. I read off and on a lot of material from anciencient texts and other religions to have a basic understanding on the subject. I was reading a few things about Peaganism and its history. I ran across a "book of shadows" which is a fancy name for a journal. This journal is a connection of writings from promenant Peagans and is around 2600 pages in total. In the beginning of reading about these people it seemed like an amusing pass time. I have realized this is very serious business and I get the feeling the more I read into this the more I will be harming myself. I have always heard knowledge is a wonderfull thing, but I am actually not sure if reading this would be of any benefit to me.

I agree with your comment, the more I am around her the more I know the more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same. BTW, never go to a marriage counselor or a phychologist for help. You will end up wanting to "fix" everyone and you are always right because of something your counselor told you.

I am not going to defend your husband, simply try and give an insight on the thoughts of what drives the male egoe. The number one reason men look at porn is because that is how men figured all that out when we hit puberty. Men are insecure in that area and are afraid of not knowing what to do when that time in our lives comes. In all honesty that insecurity never goes away. Over time we replace that insecurity with some other thing in our lives we are lacking. Either we have a disconnect with our spouse, feel inadequate at work or not connecting like we want in the bedroom. So we go back to how we dealt with being insecure about sex when we were younger. I don't know if this will help you find your answer or not. There have been studies on how often men think about sex. Feel free to look them up, but I think I read a man thinks about sex every four seconds when he is awake. Quite honestly men are wired like that. Some are less than others, but we are all the same. Now if we act on that impulse either with our spouse or someone else is the big issue you are trying to resolve. If your husband has a bigger sex drive than you do that is something you two have to figure out. I would probe his feelings about other parts of his life and see if he is not using this to cope with something else. I might have people disagree with what I have said here but you might be surprised.

I was divorced about 8 months ago. I went out of town to work for the last 6 months and have done a lot of self reflection. I came back in town, I have not "moved on" and neither has she. I decided that things can be mended and actively started persuing her again. I have made a lot of progress in that direction. The one topic that has come to mind is forgiveness and it is never to late. That is my guiding motivation for persuing my ex-wife. I don't know of this is normal or if I am making a mockery of marriage. We have children.

My interpretation of that statement is a woman no longer has a moral or ethical standard. They say, do, and act without any standard or accountability to anyone.

I believe you have to change your outlook on who you are looking for. I had gotten married to someone older than me with three children. One almost finished with high school and two not much younger that lived with thier dad in another state. I was 27 with no children and no experience in that area. We were in very different places in our lives. I had trouble relating to her needs and she couldnt understand mine. We have since parted ways. The best chance you have to make a connection with someone is to be close to the same place in life. I would not suggest finding someone that has never been married or never dealt with children. If you can share some of the same experiences then it is easier to relate to each other. You are not damaged goods.

When I said the Bishop I meant the Bishopric. Seems there is no training for how to be one.

I was speaking with the Bishop about a few concerns I had with my wife. One day the Bishop was not available and I spoke with the second counselor. The next day my wife was questioning me about what I had said. The second counselor had told the secretary what we talked about and then the secretary asked about the details with my wife on Sunday. I have lost faith in the Bishop and do not see anything productive in meeting with him again.

I am a very logical thinker. During my investigation of five years I concluded that if anything in the book of Mormon was true there would be some shred of evidence in history like there is with the bible. So I went to BYU web site and listened to lectures from Hugh Nibley and other professors from F.A.R.M.S. After a LOT of listening to lectures and reading about archeology digs from around the world I came across the Neil Maxwell school of religious study main web page one day. I have been here many times before and read material. At the bottom of the page are different quotes from Neil Maxwell, aparently there are a lot of quotes by this guy, the quote I read this perticular day said "The book of Mormon will remain in the realm of faith, but we have scholars today to protect it". I wondered why a man that spent half of his life proving something existed say the book of Mormon would be based on faith. After several days of thinking about this I came to the conclusion that nothing that is pulled out of the ground will change my mind, nothing that gets translated will change my mind, I either believe it or I don't. The prophet himself can come to him with a wood sign that was dug out of the ground in southern Mexico that says "Lehi was here" and he will still not believe. Facts can reinforce faith but will never replace faith. This is something that everyone has to realize regardless of being an investigator, convert or raised LDS. This is a path each person has to take on thier own.

What is the difference between going to BYU for a degree and any other school. From what I see there are certain points someone must consider when wanting to attend BYU. First you will have BYU (Mormon) stamped on your resume and your life. Outside of LDS mecca (Utah) that can have a negative impact. Also the cost factor and the recognition. I know some institutions are not recognized as an accredited school because of being a private or religious institution.

Can anyone explain or give me a reference on confessing to someone in the church being required for some transgressions?

One thing that people do not notice about spending a lot of time in a video game is you are cutting yourself out of the world. You do not learn social skills and you do not interact with others and learn how to interact in society. When your son goes out into the world he will have a hard time unless something changes.

I live on the coast of Mississippi. I have been in the National Guard for 6 years. In this area everyone remembers where they were during hurricane Katrina and is usually a favorite topic of conversation. I had missionaries over for dinner and we got on that topic. I didn't have much to contribute to the conversation, the missionaries not being from here these were accounts not from a news source. I took them home and they mentioned it would be a good topic of conversation for people they meet. I pointed out that It is not something I usually talk about because of being activated with the national guard for three months cleaning up. My perspective is very different than most people, so it is hard to explain. We handed out food and water, searched houses for people and everything people have read or would think would come with the territory. I think my account is on a personal level with the people I helped. In many instances I would meet someone with a smile and a pat on the back in an effort to maintain dignity for the person, sometimes we would meet in more solemn circumstances. I don't talk about details because I think by coming out with a better or more graphic story the dignity of the persons involved is lost. I just degraded that person to a common story over a hotdog. I think they deserve more respect than that. Am I being over sensitive?

In the interview there are certain things like homosexuality that is asked "Have you ever". The interview is not a confession of your entire life nor is it a place to repent of anything you think you need repentance for. If you need forgiveness that is between you and God. If you want advice on how to deal with something have a meeting with him outside of the Baptizm interview.

I am in the National Guard. Back then if you were in school at a University they would not draft you usually. Also with him being in the National Guard he was undraftable because he was already serving. I know a few people from the National Guard that missed vietnam because of this.

Yes, I already hold Aaronic priesthood. The reason I asked is I didn't know if there was a knowledge base from Aaronic I should know before I move on.

If you look at church history only in the last fifty years or so has the missionary program really taken off. The early church and even into the early twentieth century the numbers of missionaries were modest. Now days it is more of a personal right of passage than a sanction of the church.

I was baptised a few months ago. Started home teaching and things are moving along. I was told the Bishop wants to meet to give me the Melchizedek priesthood. I don't mind the idea, but I don't know what protocol is in this situation. I also do not know much about either priesthoods. Any suggestions?

I lost a bet....