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There's this guy who I go to church with, and I brought him to my school's semi-formal back in February. We've started to develop a bit of a relationship, and I've really taken a liking to him. I've realized though that it's not a good time to tell him anything or try to have a deeper connection with him because he's going on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (AKA: Mormons or LDS). For those who don't know, when a guy goes on a 2 year mission for the LDS church, they devote 2 years of their life to teaching and preaching the Gospel. Once they sign their missionary papers, they send them to Salt Lake City where the President of the Church and his two counselors prayerfully decide where this missionary will go. Once the President and his counselors have the missionary papers, that missionary can go in any area in the world except for a few places, but I can't recall them right now. Thankfully, my guy is going to be staying in the United States, and will be Spanish-speaking. I've figured from this that it would be easier for him while he's on his mission to share the gospel, and his testimony if he wasn't constantly thinking about me who he had to leave at home 24/7. So I've decided to help him by not getting too close, and I've been trying to follow my own words of advice, but I have a crush on him. He's super nice to everyone, he works 2 jobs, and knows how to budget money. He's also been saving money for his mission, but I'm not saying that I'm into him only because he has money. If anything, I think he's really smart for saving up money for his mission. While I've been trying to follow my own words of advice by not getting too close to him, I have written a song or two about him. Songwriting has turned into my outlet through all of this. As I've said before, I haven't even told this guy that I like him, or anything as well because I don't want him to get side tracked and talk him out of going on his mission. I've heard that if you don't want to tell him that you like him to just send him a letter about a week or two before he comes home and explain to him that you really liked him, and that you still like him (that is if you want to continue the relationship with him). I've considered doing that, and I've written the letter already, but I wanted to get some more ideas. What should I do now that I'm crushing on this guy who's about to go on his mission? Another thing I forgot to add was that during the **seminary graduation, he had to give a talk, and when he said "Seminary has changed my life" he accidentally said "wife". He obviously corrected it, but I had a feeling he was referring to me for some reason. (I also caught him staring at me before that) **Seminary is an early morning class for those in high school. Seminary is only held on weekdays (Mon-Fri) and it usually starts as early as 5:30 am and as late as 6:15 am.

I was at a trans* support group a while ago - wherein I explained about my baptism and how, while it doesn't change my feelings on gender stuff, it does mean that I'm not going to transition because it's not what God wants. I've been going to that group for around a year now and it's always fun. But today, when I was leaving, I was saying goodbye to one of the people in the group and I actually held out my arm to shake his hand. He looked at me like "WTFudge?" I've never shaken hands with my friends like that before - it's not something anyone really does in Ireland - but because I'm now so used to doing it every time I meet a church member/missionary, it's become a habit! Do any of you have similar stories, where you do something that's only ever done among fellow church members, but you do it with a non-church member? How did they react?

Hey- so, I'm a Mormon and he's an Atheist- yes, we've been dating for several months now, going strong. However, we are struggling with the Law of Chasity- and unfortunately; we've crossed the line a couple of times. We need help- advice, anything and PLEASE don't say that I need to leave or run away from him; (especially if its because he's Atheist) because it wasn't just his fault; I am to blame to for this as well. Thanks.

Ok guys, we have a new poster name Byron whom seems like a really nice guy trying to get the honest story. Unfortunately other people have told him some completely-off-base stuff. So let’s take turns telling him what Mormons DO believe. I’ll start out— I, as a Mormon, believe full heartedly in God. I believe in the Father, whom created me and this world. I believe in the Son, Jesus Christ, whom lived a perfect life and died as a sacrifice for my sins. He is my redeemer and my Lord. I believe in the Holy Ghost, whom witnesses of truth and comforts me when I cry. I believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost together are God: united completely as 1 in purpose, love, and will (not substance).

Time lapse created over a month's time. Watch how a family finds strength by gathering together as a family - Twice A Day. Short Video - 2 min Enjoy!

Oh dear, I truly am terribly sorry to bring such negativity in what seems to be an exceptionally bright and lively forum, however I'm afraid that my husband and I are quite lost. As devout members of the Mormon church, truly, our wishes have always lied in the saving of young souls, through although, recently, our son of fourteen years has declared himself as atheist, through a rather lengthy letter which described why he felt a disconnect towards the Mormon religion. Included within it, he mentioned that he felt as though our consistent Mormon outings were rather harmful to him, and the cause for his often sullen and irritable mood. Also mentioned, were several debunked pieces of Mormon evidence (such as Nahom, how joseph smith could have written the Book Of Mormon, the witnesses, ect.), as well as what he felt were logical flaws in the book of Mormon (linguistic troubles, "anachronisms", population, "impossible" events, ect.) . He fears that a continuation of his Mormon practices might result in terrible pain, however, my husband and I worry for his soul if we do not force him to attend the Mormon church, and believe in our religion. Would anyone happen to have any recommendations or advice?

I've been working on an article generally intended for non-LDS but subtly intended for LDS. The title is currently, How God Speaks to Mormons. I would like your take on experiences, stories and the like that describe the revelatory experience. Please let me know. If you would like to see a draft copy of what I have so far, I will post it.

I need help. I'll keep it brief and simple. Ive been dating this girl and we talk about the future pretty seriously. But there is this other girl that I've been interested in a lot and I can't get my mind off of her. But she's on a mission. She gets back soon which is great. But heres the catch, we live in different states. and my current relationship is also long distance. So its like either way I have to be long distance and won't really know what its like to be with someone unless one of us moves our life for the other. Any thoughts?f

Hi everyone, I have been married for almost 5 years and have no children. I was raised in the gospel and my husband is a return missionary who was also raised in the church. My husband recently came out to me with the his belief that there is no God. He has struggled for the last few years, with the catalyst (I believe) being his younger brother coming out as gay and leaving the church. My husband also suffers from mild depression and I think that this trial has made it harder for him to feel the spirit. While he hasn't stopped wearing his garments yet, I know that is the next step for him. I still have a testimony and am feeling heart broken. I can see all the things that I wanted for our lives getting flushed down the toilet. I am afraid to have kids with him and kids are something that I desperately want. He has changed so much since we got married I am terrified of how much more he could change in the next 5 years. I just feel so discouraged and sad. It seems that when it rains it pours because I have recently seen many LDS couples around me filing for divorce. We are looking into meeting with an LDS counselor. I would greatly appreciate any advice, support, and prayers during this time because I am feeling so lost and scared. Sincerely, J

I'm occasionally asked what a pentecosal preacher is doing hanging out at lds.net? Especially--as a moderator! A short answer is that I hope to, in my own feeble way, simulate the kind of discussions and friendships detailed by LDS thinkers like Robert Millet: http://ldsmag.com/the-mormonevangelical-dialogue-one-effort-to-engage-persons-of-other-faiths/

This is a shameless play off the thread about LDS and liberalism. However, at its most basic, to be conservative means to avoid change. Can one is has a great need for stasis, for "unchanging truth" survive in a religion that embraces continuing revelation? Some conservatives leave one a major prophetic revelation comes. Others form splinter groups. Still others stay, but grimace, and lament the better days of yesteryear. So, I ask again, can one who is conservative in disposition flourish as an LDS member?

Hey, I was wondering if anyone else on here played on XboxLive? If so, please post your Gamer tag. Mine`s LDSJonesE

For those who are interested in mormonism being talked about. there is a cool podcast at Mormon Discussion : Faith & Doubt where the host (ME) talks about the hard issues and interviews well known LDS people (Terryl Givens, Richard Bushman, Mike Ash, Steven Harper, Brian Hales and many others), and I do so leading with Faith. Kind of the opposite of MormonStories. My older episodes have been picked up by FAIR as well at Fairblog.org What is Doctrine, Faith Crisis, Grace, Women's issues, Elijah Abels, ect.... You name it it's talked about. Thanks ahead for checking it out. Also if you want interviewed or want to submit an interesting topic, please email me at [email protected] Have a great day Mormon Discussion : Faith & Doubt

Greetings, Friends! My name is Geoffrey Miller, Obl OSB Cam. I'm a catechist, cantor, and subdiaconate candidate at Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. I'm also a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate, hence the funny letters after my name. As a twenty-five-year-old graduate student at Texas State University-San Marcos, I live the evangelical counsel of poverty by force of circumstance, not by choice. When not consuming ramen noodles or writing papers, I enjoy learning about theology, especially as it pertains to living out an authentic Catholic spirituality in the modern world. I blog at: Austin CNM | Author Archives Pomeranian Catholic Anyway, I noticed another thread had been started in which Mormons could ask a Catholic questions, so I figured, why not two threads? I'm an Eastern Catholic (Maronite), so my perspective may be slightly different. I also have formal experience in comparative religion, so hopefully, that will provide me with some unique insights to address your questions. Moreover, as a professional mathematics educator, I have learned to explain very difficult and confusing concepts in a straightforward and understandable manner. Please, ask away! Sincerely in Christ, Geoffrey

My daughter recently told us she doesn't want to be "mormon" anymore and doesn't want to go to church. She has had a rough year dealing with depression and self harm. We've also had some big trials in our family (husband lost his job and is still unemployed; lost a child in an accident 2 years ago). I know those things have had a big impact on her. We noticed that something was "off" around age 11, and we took her in for therapy. She's been going on and off since then. There is a family history of mental disorders in our extended family so it doesn't surprise me what's happening here. She's also on medication but we are still tweaking with it. This summer the doc added lithium to help her with self harm but instead of calming her down it made her more irritable and aggressive. She feels like the church makes rules of what we "can and can't do" which really aggravates her ("It's dumb we can't date before 16 and drink coffee, and shouldn't wear short shorts and tank tops" etc.) She's also a strong willed child and doesn't like to be "controlled", which doesn't help her complicated situation. We think the combination of meds gave her the "push" to decide she was done with church. She thinks no one likes her in YW...literally. She has this idea in her head that they talk about her behind her back and don't want to be her friend, which is completely false. She is a beautiful girl, but something has convinced her she's just trash. I feel so helpless, and don't know what to do for her. For now I am focusing on just uplifting her and loving her. I am more concerned about getting her stable mentally before her spirituality, but it is in the back of my mind and I am concerned. She hasn't attended church in a month. Now I know there will be a few of you who will say, "she's messing with you...you just need to put your foot down and tell her to snap out if it". Or, "just throw her in the car and make her go...She is a child and doesn't have a choice". People these things do not work...I know personally and if you know the plan of salvation, you know that "forcing" people to do things is Satan's plan. So please...if you think your judgmental remarks are going to fix this, then take it somewhere else because you aren't helping. So with that said...I need some real advice.... Has anyone else had a teenager who went through this and came back or changed their mind/attitude because you did something different to encourage them to come back? What can I do as a parent to help her? Thanks for your input. Concerned mom

In recent years, Mormonism been popping up to surprise me nearly everywhere I go. Mostly in good ways. Anyway, I took a hint from the Holy Spirit, and I've decided to open up an unofficially official Mormon-Catholic dialogue geared toward orthodox members of either religion. This will not be about debate, but rather exchange. Let's learn about each other! Pomeranian Catholic: Geoffrey's Mormon-Catholic Dialogue If anyone is interested on doing a few guest posts on the LDS faith with an educational focus, please let me know.

Dear Sirs and Madams, I'm currently working my way through Eric Shuster's fascinating book, Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest, and the author briefly mentioned that the Bible bears witness to the Book of Mormon in Ezekiel 37:15-28. However, when I read the passage in question, it seemed to only be talking about the future promise of a reunited Davidic Kingdom and perhaps the arrival of the Messiah. Where is the reference to the Book of Mormon? In Christ, Geoffrey

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Geoffrey Miller. I'm a catechist, cantor, and subdiaconate candidate at Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. I'm also a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate. As a twenty-five-year-old graduate student at Texas State University-San Marcos, I live the evangelical counsel of poverty by force of circumstance, not by choice. When not consuming ramen noodles or writing papers, I enjoy learning about theology, especially as it pertains to living out an authentic Catholic spirituality in the modern world. I sport a pimped-out wheelchair as well. Growing up, my best friend was LDS, but we never discussed our beliefs in depth. After his passing last summer, I've become curious about what Mormons believe and practice. I'm also writing a novel with Mormon characters, so the more I can learn, the better. Cheers and God bless!

I've created a blog to connect with others who are Latter Day Saints and to offer support or advice for other LDS' - specifically younger converts or members as I believe especially in the world today we are surrounded by sin and awful temptation (I am 18 by the way and female) This is the website - Choose The Right I also offer others to come forward with their stories and testimonies :)

I'm a 20yr female from Ohio and my story is really weird. I've been curious whether or not there is a forum for lds members where I can speak out anonymously and I found it today. I don't have time to proofread, so I'll apologize for my primitive writing. I've never been an active member in the church before, but I was baptized at 8. I don't feel comfortable around other members (I've never had a mormon friend) and I don't have the background and lifestyle that seems to fit perfectly with what the culture of mormons expect. I read The Book of Mormon for the first time 2 years ago, and right now I'm reading D&C. I love the gospel, but I hate how the culture of the church makes me feel so it is often difficult to withstand attending church. (especially relief society and in my earlier years, definitely young women's) I identify most with lower class or lgbt mormons. My parents are mormon, but my mom is addicted to pain medication, has severe mental problems and didn't take care of us (they had seven kids) or the house due to her severe bipolar/depressive tendencies. (She's also a little bit of a hoarder, collecting useless junk, and worst of all, stray cats. Always anti-social, in her room or crying/yelling etc etc) We have had 6 full grown cats in our house at one point, not counting kittens that we had to give away, so when I say that the house I grew up in was/is disgusting, I mean fecal matter, trash, rotting food, holes in the walls from sibling aggression, broken doorknobs, lots of trinkets and stuff and carpet that was vacuumed only a few times a year. She didn't cook either, so we ate cereal and macaroni all the time. I tried a chicken sandwich for the first time in High School. Our walls still have crayon and food stains from when we were younger. (They don't paint) It took me leaving for college for me to realize how unsanitary that house is and how I, and all of my siblings, were severely psychologically and physically neglected throughout our childhood. My dad knows a lot about the gospel and went on a mission when he was young, but he's had to work to support the family. It's been very stressful on him with a wife this unstable and having to pay the bills. (she's ruined her own credit and has stolen his cards, my siblings cards before) So he was just never around cause he was working or sleeping. He was shocked when I asked him in high school once what the Godhead was. He said, "Well, sure you know what that is!" None of his kids were active beside 2, and he honestly thought that we somehow knew the gospel, but none of us did. To this day, I still haven't even read the Bible. I don't really know much about what happened during Christ's life other than the sacrifice. Now, because of this neglect, my siblings have gone in every direction from having children at 16, becoming potheads, alcoholics, (it changes all the time) and even when one of my sisters got married in the temple and was the purest, happiest example... She started having delusions and now she's suffering from severe paranoid psychosis so she has a completely new, violent and less intelligible and full-of-life personality and I feel like my real sister is gone. (My dad is showing signs too) There is a lot of mental illness in my family. I have several nephews and nieces whom I love, but some of them are showing signs of neglect (and some mild abuse) too. (bad teeth, bruises, acting out etc) I've witnessed some horrible things that I am powerless of and have been investigating social services thoroughly, but have never felt it right to call due to the gamble of further abuse. Most of what is happening is neglect, not necessarily abuse. It's taken me a long to get through/learn from the shame of my life since I left for college. I have frequented suicidal thoughts since I was a teenager and I still struggle with it today. It's embarrassing to admit that I hadn't been taught proper hygiene.... and I did bad in school, so I'll also admit that I'm ashamed of the knowledge I don't have that everyone in a normal society does. (simple geography, times table, variety of foods etc) I feel like I'm experiencing life for the first time. I don't follow all the commandments, but I've tried as much as I can without being an active member and I still struggle, especially with pornography. It isn't frequent enough or an addiction that goes as far at interfering with my life, but the guilt and fear I feel afterward makes me super depressed and makes it hard to pray/read for a long time. I haven't tried any drugs or alcohol, I'm still a virgin, but I do purposely drink energy drinks for the caffeine to get through work and some schooling. I downgraded to coffee 6 months ago to help wean me off of it, and it has helped me a lot. (I am now drinking decaff) But the caffeine thing feels like nothing compared to the pornography thing, so I don't feel like it's a big deal. I've felt the spirit so much throughout my life and I can recognize it, and I have a testimony of some important basic things, but I feel so alienated to other members because my life is just so different. No member could possibly understand where I'm coming from and I become so angry at the culture of the church so often that I feel judged before I can even get to the building. I feel like I struggle most often with whether God loves me or not because of the life He's given me compared to other people, even non-members. I have a strong testimony that, no matter how awful I feel and run away from the gospel, I can't deny the truth of The Book of Mormon and that God is real. If anyone is into the enneagram, I am a six... Security is a big deal for me. I've tried skipping relief society, and then I've tried just going to Sacrament, but nothing keeps me active. Trying this at a singles ward has been much better than a family ward, but It's sometimes hard because then looks and appearance has some clear emphasis that gets my anxieties flared. I'm really just a genderqueer, super self-conscious art student who knows really... not much about the gospel, but enough to have a testimony. I honestly feel like a struggling convert, but because I'm already baptized or my family is mormon, they hold me to certain standards and sort of turn the other cheek. And when I don't meet those standards, I'm just a 'stray' or a 'bad mormon,' whose fallen off the 'straight and narrow' when in all actuality, I've never been taught the gospel before and I'm trying to learn all on my own. This might be my own anxieties attacking myself, but my sister has been to Utah and she's had some really scary stories about their cultural standards. Is there anyone else out there like me? Are there any members that were born into the church and feel like converts? Any converts that have been baptized, but still feel like converts? Are there any LGBT women/men in the church that have problems with dresscode or the gender roles within some of the culture? How can I become an active member given my circumstances? Could anyone provide insight on the harsh/closed off culture within some of the members of the church? How can I grow a testimony that God loves me? I don't have a strong family and I've never dated/am really scared and feel too fragile for dating. I feel hopeless and lonely a lot, but I read the scriptures and I just know that I should be going to church and meeting people. I'm pretty desperate for insight.

Hello! My name is Katrina :) I live in wisconsin. I'm twenty years old. Let me tell you how I got into the mormon faith. My friend Tyler invited me to go to his church. And he said that everyone would open their arms for me and accept me for who I am. I attended church. And even though I'm not baptised and apart of the church yet. I feel so blessed by the heavenly father to have such amazing, great friends. I'm still a newb when it comes to the bible and also reading the book of mormon. Trying to figure out where some scriptures are and things like that. If anyone would like to chat and be friends with me you absolutely may :) If anyone has any studying tips for me please tell me. I'm so clueless ^^;;

Hi , I do not plan on spending a lot of time here, but I feel like it would be appropriate to introduce myself as an LDS member. History: Raised LDS from birth, baptised a member at 8 years old, currently 18 years old and active in the Church. Skills/Activities: I like to do "Melty Art," an activity in which you melt beads after assembling them on a frame by an iron with wax paper. I can type an average of 70-90 WPM, and am quite capable of most computer activity. Also, I can play the piano quite well with currently 10+ hymns in decent playability. I go to as many church activities that I am invited to, and hope to go to even more. As a preparing missionary, I hope to be serving my Lord within a few months time. Thanks for viewing my introduction! -Alex

I was riding my bike on Sunday to see relatives and while thinking about God related things was stopped just several minutes after by 2 missionaries, asking me all sorts of questions... had a good chat... I asked questions like "was we intentional or unintentional" which lead onto "of course we were intentional, look at how advanced we are, etc" fair point! I was given card and asked to visit. Haven't stopped thinking about it since. Anyway, I found this forum by googling the keywords "dream 2 teeth falling out mormon" which come up with this thread http://www.lds.net/forums/general-discussion/48178-dreams.html as I had a dream of losing 2 teeth lastnight Question is, why only 2 teeth (not that I'm complaining lol) not 3, 4 or even all of them haha - wait a minute... 2 missionaries, 2 teeth...

Hey there. I am a 27 year old guy who was born and raised in the gospel. I have been married for 7 years, sealed for 5 and 1/2 years, and have 2 sons. I know the Church is true, and love my relationship with my Father in Heaven. I actually joined this site to test the waters on my new book, to see if it is a book members and non-members would be interested in. Please let me know what you think! Drug Dealing to Temple Sealing by Matthew Carey — Kickstarter Thank You, Matthew Carey

This is really two questions in one thread, but I feel they belong together. Could you maintain your faith in Mormon doctrines using only the Holy Bible? Also, what exactly in the Holy Bible is considered to be incorrectly translated?