Future Preparations of the Church Against Pornography?

[Guest MormonGator]

Just now, Suzie said:

Wow, a gator and a philosopher. And then they say Mormons are weird.

You forgot how good looking and charming I am too. 

[Suzie]

3 hours ago, MormonGator said:

You forgot how good looking and charming I am too. 

Well, judging by the picture...

1. You need braces.

2. When was the last time you changed sweaters?

3. What the F stands for?

4. Why is your mouth open.

[Guest MormonGator]

4 minutes ago, Suzie said:

Well, judging by the picture...

1. You need braces.

2. When was the last time you changed sweaters?

3. What the F stands for?

4. Why is your mouth open.

1. You are right, but braces get rusty from the blood of seminoles, tigers and wolverines. 

2. Tradition limits our wardrobe 

3. Fantastic

4. Easier to eat those who enter the swamp. 

And @Backroads is friends with me on Facebook, along with being my ex. She can tell how beautiful/charming/wonderful I am, but anything she says about why our marriage went south is a total lie.  

Edited August 22, 2017 by MormonGator

[clbent04]

@estradling75 random question. I'm assuming your last name is Stradling. Do you have a relative living in Mesa, Arizona, named Louis?

[clbent04]

8 hours ago, omegaseamaster75 said:

@clbent04 Do you have a source for your claim or did you make it up?

Here's another reference in addition to those already provided:

"The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, an Ohio-based nonprofit organization working to promote Christian values, says an estimated 47% of families in the United States report that pornography is a problem in their home."

https://mormonhub.com/blog/faith/defending-the-faith/mormons-watching-porn/

Where I got the 33% estimate was more from personal interaction with various bishops in the church. Every bishop I've visited or worked with says the statistic is actually higher in the church for men who watch pornography (closer to 50% in most wards).  Saying at least a third of LDS men have a problem viewing pornography is a conservative estimate based on the discussions I've had and statistics I've come across like the statistics previously mentioned in this thread

Edited August 22, 2017 by clbent04

[estradling75]

1 hour ago, clbent04 said:

Of course there's diversity out there, but when it's something that seems straightforward to you (treat your body as a temple), it's all the more surprising when you read different interpretations as to what that means - especially when it's members in your own church who you thought you were on the same wavelength with

The problem isn't with the straight forward idea of the body being a temple... the problem is with your very narrow-minded definition of what it means to treat it as such.  I am reasonably sure there are many prophets and general authorities (past and present) who would fall in to the modern definition of overweight or obese... This is not hard to imagine when we have NFL line backers in peak playing condition who currently do so.

And of course you can say we should be making healthier choices and that is all well and good but Healthier according to what?  Science?  Science that is repeatedly coming out with conflicting studies on what is healthy and what is not?

The Lord tells us to study it out and they take our plan to him for approval and he will teach us what he means to treat our bodies as a temple..  One we have that... everything and everyone else who is trying to tell us differently is a member of the great and spacious building

[clbent04]

2 minutes ago, estradling75 said:

The problem isn't with the straight forward idea of the body being a temple... the problem is with your very narrow-minded definition of what it means to treat it as such.  I am reasonably sure there are many prophets and general authorities (past and present) who would fall in to the modern definition of overweight or obese... This is not hard to imagine when we have NFL line backers in peak playing condition who currently do so.

Good point

3 minutes ago, estradling75 said:

And of course you can say we should be making healthier choices and that is all well and good but Healthier according to what?  Science?  Science that is repeatedly coming out with conflicting studies on what is healthy and what is not?

Even a better point

3 minutes ago, estradling75 said:

The Lord tells us to study it out and they take our plan to him for approval and he will teach us what he means to treat our bodies as a temple..  One we have that... everything and everyone else who is trying to tell us differently is a member of the great and spacious building

Another good point

[clbent04]

To anyone interested in attending the church's ARP (Addiction Recovery Program) who is trying to break a pornography addiction, I went for the first time last night.

They held the support group inside a church classroom. About 5-6 other people were there to attend, and 3 others were conducting the class (a man and a missionary couple).

We read some paragraphs from the ARP manual. After 15-20 min, they proceeded to have "sharing time".  Everyone got 3-5 minutes to talk about whatever they wanted.

I thought everyone was going to talk about their addictions and where they are at in over coming them. Instead, while they may have referenced the fact they have an addiction, everyone ended up talking about something else like their thoughts on what we had just read out of the ARP manual.

While others were sharing, I read some of the manual myself. The manual has 12 steps to help lead you through addiction recovery.  The first step is admitting you are powerless to overcome your addiction.

I don't know if this is how the meetings typically go, but I got the feeling I was the only one there with a pornography addiction. All I ended up saying way this was my first time being to one of these, and it looks like I'm starting at step 1 out of the 12 steps, and it wasn't until recently my interest was sparked in the gospel once more after a 3-year period being away from the church.

Anyway, that's what I encountered. I'm sure the classroom dynamic is different in other places. I am going to stick with the program since the 12 steps are aimed to help with any addiction, not just drugs and alcohol.

Edited August 24, 2017 by clbent04

[Grunt]

2 hours ago, clbent04 said:

To anyone interested in attending the church's ARP (Addiction Recovery Program) who is trying to break a pornography addiction, I went for the first time last night.

They held the support group inside a church classroom. About 5-6 other people were there to attend, and 3 others were conducting the class (a man and a missionary couple).

We read some paragraphs from the ARP manual. After 15-20 min, they proceeded to have "sharing time".  Everyone got 3-5 minutes to talk about whatever they wanted.

I thought everyone was going to talk about their addictions and where they are at in over coming them. Instead, while they may have referenced the fact they have an addiction, everyone ended up talking about something else like their thoughts on what we had just read out of the ARP manual.

While others were sharing, I read some of the manual myself. The manual has 12 steps to help lead you through addiction recovery.  The first step is admitting you are powerless to overcome your addiction.

I don't know if this is how the meetings typically go, but I got the feeling I was the only one there with a pornography addiction. All I ended up saying way this was my first time being to one of these, and it looks like I'm starting at step 1 out of the 12 steps, and it wasn't until recently my interest was sparked in the gospel once more after a 3-year period being away from the church.

Anyway, that's what I encountered. I'm sure the classroom dynamic is different in other places. I am going to stick with the program since the 12 steps are aimed to help with any addiction, not just drugs and alcohol.

You should have said what you wanted to say.   Everyone there had a problem and I'll bet at least one person was hoping to attack the issue but was scared to go first.   Good job showing up.  It must be tough.  Remember, it's your program so get something out of it.  

[Guest]

On 8/21/2017 at 7:33 PM, MormonGator said:

I think we both know that some people lack the imagination needed to understand any point of view other than their own. 

Whaa?? I don't understand.  

[Guest]

On 8/21/2017 at 8:36 PM, clbent04 said:

"The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, an Ohio-based nonprofit organization working to promote Christian values, says an estimated 47% of families in the United States report that pornography is a problem in their home."

There is another statement with ambiguous wording.  If I don't believe pornography is wrong, how can there be a problem with it?

If you read the rest of the article, you'll see why we really don't have any solid statistics on it.

Edited August 24, 2017 by Guest