LDSJewess

Margin, I don't entirely disagree with what yoyu are saying. No doubt a number of people join the church for social reasons. However, if we don't believe in the church doctrine and church policies, why don't become members of another church with more open minded viewpoints. We could become members of a Unity Church, a Unitarian Church or a protestant denomination that remains neutral in issues like these. If I want just a social church I could have stayed a Reform Jew where they are extremily open minded and even hold special Hanukkah parties for gays. Many people join the LDS church not only because they belief in the restoration of the Gospel but also because they are in agreement with the policies and social morals of the church. I respect your belief in pro choice even though I do not agree with you, and no I am not likely to glare at you if you made your opinion known in the social setting of the church. And I would also welcome a friendly debate about what joy it is to personally be alive today when had abortion been legal when my mother was pregnant with me I would not be alive to be typing this post. But aside from what you or I personally believe on this issue; the fact remains that the church policy is not pro choice. Indeed if you had an abortion, you would likely be called to the Bishops office for a counseling and not likely receive a Temple recommend. The same goes for gay marriage. What we think if we are members may not matter in a general social discussion peoviding we are not gay and wanting to be married; since by doing so wound revoke our membership and at the very least have us on probation with the church. So you see you may feel unwelcome and unaccepted, but in fact if you actually acted on your belief the church may not fully accept you as a worthy member. Is is the way it is. I get that we all want to feel welcome and accepted, but I have to ask myself would I convert to Islam even when I do not agree with their policies for social reasons? The answer is no. So what I am saying is, I think it is very fair to have ope discussions among members in a social setting so long as it is not in sacrament meeting or planned Sunday school lessons. If we don't, many joining for "social reasons" may not know how the church stands on political/socieo policy. Otherwise the church would simply appear to sweep their policies under the table for the sake of getting more members coming in for social reasons. Where would that end though?

Hate to sound harsh and do not mean to be. But if people leave the church because they have problems hearing someone's political opinion, they need to work on their testimony a little. That of course applies to me and everyone. No I do not think it os proper to do open campaigning for a candidate in any church during services or Sunday school etc because we are there for worship and learning about the gospel. But when it comes to social discussions or at social events I see it as fine and perhaps even appropriate. I realize there is a true separation of church in this country, however, that being said, these days there is an extremily fine line between politics aand social issues (and for that matter church policies). For instance social issues such as abortion and gay nmarriage to mention just a few are very much in the forefront of the political arena as they are also in the forefront of church policy. Certain political groups take a very firm stand on some of these issues as do churches including the LDS church. In fact these above issues are discussed prior to baptism and obtaining a Temple recommend. For us not to feel allowed to discuss these issues less they be seen as political discussions then we are not being clear on our beliefs and what we stand for. So although mentioning a special political candidate, it shoudl be well within appropriateness to discuss the issues, and then the individual can look into the issues that the various candidates stand for. This would be helpful for people trying to make decisions that are in line with the church policies.

Please see your Bishop as soon as possible. I know many of us don't want to keep asking for help because we feel we are bugging others. But I once had a Visiting Teacher point out that when someone has a calling, oftentimes if we don't call on them to help us we are denying them the opportunity and the blessings of doing their calling. And in addition to the Bishop, allow your parents and family to know. Of course they will be upset just as you would be if someone dear to you was hurting. But they want to know and want to help you. You have an entire church family as well. Don't deny others the opportunity to be blessed by helping yopu. And don't deny yourself the opportunity to live in the fullness of joy that Heavenly Fathers intends for you. Wishing you all the best. You will get through this.

That is a great deal. Good luck with it. Yes there is a font change feature to enlarge the font, move pages out and forward etc: As I said mine is a year old and has tons of downloads, books, apps etc: and it works just as well as the day it came out of the box. The customer service is great too. A few weeks ago I took an extended trip and an altercation between two grandchildren bent the charger chord. We went to a local Barnes and Noble and they replaced the cord for free no questions asked. Best of luck with yours.

I would not say that the bible is a collection of "suspect" works at all. If we embrace this kind of thinking than EVERYTHING we read; newspapers, books, history, science is suspect. Perhaps a better term is that it is open for discussion, and I find that the LDS church members have numerous discussions regarding many biblical readings. Perhaps you don't hear these discussions in a Gospel Principle class because many investigatiors or new members are just getting the grasp of the basics. What history shows us is not so much as whether scriptures are "true" rather how they were and still are interpreted by various groups that developed religious denominations around their interpretations that in turn became cultural. In other words, just because someone says a biblical writing is true does not mean it is necessarily false to someone else who simply interprets it differently. The same with Joseph Smith. I believe the fact that he fervently prayed to be guided as to what church he should join is not to imply he thought one may be absolute truth and the rest of the denonminations false. It is my understanding that Heavenly Father's plan with Joseph Smith was for him to record and translate scriptures that were left out that had become unavailable to humankind. And also to restore and re-establish the church of Jesus Christ on Earth, and make the Book Of Mormon available to other seekers of scripture. As for the comments about the selling of the idea of Christianity. There is not one specific book. It's a matter of History that many Greeks and Romans practiced pagen religions, and Jews had a number of religious sects within their own ranks (some of which followed Jesus in his time). Perhaps one of the best salesmen/missionaries that was out gathering Christian members was Paul after his conversion. Since Paul was neigher Roman or Jew, but had an education in Hellenistic thought and a bacground knowledge of what others thought, the teaching part became easier than most (that is as long as the students were willing to learn), and he managed to stay aliove in the face of hostile opposition. The second part of selling, (in which this latter case was not selling so much as ordering the masses), came from the government of the day. Remember that back then the government and religious rule was one and the same so the government officials and religious officials worked together to decide what the masses should believe and what scriptures to accept as truth. During the twelve councils on Constantinople (google it because the writings can get long), were councils comprosed of government sanctioned officials., bishops and arch bishops representating various demographics of the Empire, to make decisions on how scriptures were to be interpreted as to the runnings of the church. Meanwhile among Judaism, there were Rabbinical councils interpreting the Torah, developing the Tamlud and Midrash. When Martin Luther brought new interpretations onto the scene, he was executed for his discenting beliefs in the established Roman church and with his death as a myrter, his followers formed the Luthern denomination which also since divided into "synods" or regions of such that vary quite a bit in how the church is run. Then along came other Protest-ant faiths behind Lutheranism. And the list goes on. Although there was much contention and a whole lot of bloodshed amound humankind over the "interpretation" of scriptures, I doubt people of logic thought of it as what was ultimately truth and ultimately falsehood. It was about how scriptures were interpreted to run the church which was synominous with government which equaled the positioning for power. Although I do have a formal education, it does not take a sheepskin on the wall to learn about religious history. Just a willingness to learn and seek out the knowledge. Today you can learn a lot online which often makes we wonder why I spent all that money. In any event, I believe that Joseph Smith was just one of those people. Young, inquisitive, a strong desire to open his mind and learn, and accept and have faith even in the face of strong opposition. The work he was called to do was indeed his calling. Personally I find it amazing that Joseph accomplished all that he did without any help from Google or Wikipedia. Then again, that is where faith comes in. :)

Antibiotics can be hard to add to storage because it would be hard to stockpile them for most Americans. Perscription required means trips to the Docotr and since antibiotics are prescribed for infections it would not be easy to get refills for more than you need, no less with the multiple antibiotic drugs that the video suggested. If you are living in another country that sells over the counter, this will work but unless you can travel to Mexico or Europe etc: not so easy here. Antibiotics have their place and yes they can be life savers against infectious disease. As with all drugs they can carry side effects so the choice to use them should be with the reasoning that the risk of side effects outweighs the risk of the disease. Although allergies are no common, yes they happen and life threatening. But for that matter people can have a life threatening or fatal allergy to herbs, walnuts, strawberries and shellfish to name a few. Antibiotics would be great in storage preparation kits but would need to be recycled or tossed out if not used within expiration dates. Some antibiotics can lose their strength over time, while others like doxycycline can become toxic past the expiration date.

True, the bible (KJV) is a compilation of books written after the Jesus walked the Earth, and yes during the reign of the Roman Empire the books within the bible went through quite the editing process in that Councils within the government (prior to any separation of church and state). The twelve Councils of Constantanople discuss what books are the word of God and are to be considered sacred, and what ones are to be eliminated. And yes Christianity went through a lot of changes from trying to bring appeal and selling new ideas to the Greeks and Roman pagans and various sects of Jews (who were debating what was true and viable in the Torah). Eventually Christianity was no longer "sold" to the masses, rather forced upon them. Then more debating when the Protestant reformation brought more contention and divisiveness regarding what was the true word of God. Some of this was actually printed in tracts that LDS missionaries used as recently 20 or so years ago but do not have this in their lesson information anymore that I know of. It seems no wonder why Heavenly Father saw fit to call on the likes of Joseph Smith who was a young man of pure heart that prayed to seek what religion was true. Then what follows is the Book Of Mormon which clarify's scripture and get his church back on track. :)

Yes. Mine is called the Nook color. QVC (the online and TV shopping channel) sells them. I had bought mine last year for $249 with 5 easy payments which made it affordable for me. I checked their site and they currently have one for $280 with only 2 easy payments but that changes. You may want to wait on a sale with more payments offered, and also check with them for their free shipping offers. This one item number E222235 has a video on their website of what it can do. On the video shows that it was $239.99 with 5 easy payments. The sales come up pretty often. Good luck with whatever you decide.

My take on this is to review the questions that you answered when you interviewed for your Temple recommend. There may be a fine line but in my humble opinion when you answer yes to if you sustain the leaders of the church, this means that you accept, honor and uphold the church leaders and their callings in the church. Whether you agree with their political views is not the question. That said there is also a fine line when it comes to what is a political issue and what is a religious issue. Since we have a separation of Church and State in America, you may need to define for yourself. From a church stand point, it is ok to be a gay member as long as one does not act upon it. So I suppose one could also infer that if a gay couple married but did not consumate the said marriage then this could be acceptable. This would seem odd of course but then again their could be gay couples that want the union for legal reasons such an insurance, tax or inheritance issues etc: From my personal stand point, I don't really care if gays marry or not. Although I would prefer they simply called it civil union. I don't understand or agree with gay lifestyle but I'm pretty much a live and let live person and prefer to spend time working on improving my own life with my family. I don't think that those who do not support prop 8 are necessarily forcing their religious beliefs on gays or anyone else. Indeed I know a number of people who are not LDS, not even Christian, or for that matter practice any religion at all, however, they are not comfortable with gays being married. As for your recommend, I highly doubt a Bishop would just walk up to you and say "Sister Please return your recommend." In the event that you took your strong political views to the streets and spoke out against the church, then that may be another story. But likely your Bishop would opt to discuss the issue and counsel you before such a decision is made.

Last year I invested in the Nook Color and for me it's the best thing since sliced bread. I am not as familiar with the Kindle but my husband has one and he says my Nook has more features. With cover and accessories it is slightly smaller than the Hymn book and it's all I need to carry to church, travel, waiting in a Doctors office etc: I love to read from many genre and this Nook has "shelves like a electronic library where I can catagorize the subject matter. For instance one shelf is all LDS reading and includes my Quad scriptures, Hymn Book, Gospel Principles, Preach My Gospel, Teachings Of The Presidents Of The Church, Daughters Of My Kingdom, and even a copy of "Chicken Soup For the Latter Day Saints Soul" which is just for fun leisure reading. Another shelf may have favorite fiction, and another health and wellness books, and another non fiction, political etc: There is also email and internet when a wi-fi connect is available but not nearly as efficient as a large desktop or large screen laptop. There are a lot of apps that I haven't even figured out yet. But I did find a useful visual and audio relaxation app, and also my favorite mahjong game. If you are just looking for a reader Kindle is great, but I have just found the Nook more useful overall. I believe I paid $249.00 on QVC a year ago with all accessories and free shipping; and they had a 5 month easy payment plan which made the purchase less painful. I hope you enjpy whatever you decide.

Personally I don't think wearing of any stockings has to do with modesty. If it did we would have an entire Ward full of immodest LDS women. I think it has more to do with style preference and the climate you live in and what is acceptable where you live. I don't give much attention to what everone is wearing but in our Ward I would estimate perhaps 80 to 90 percent of women in our Ward were not wearing any kind of stockings and most were wearing sandals and even flip flops and a variety of skirt lengths and styles that are modest enough to cover garments from knee length pnecil or a-line styles to prairie or broom stick skirts with tee shirts with jackets or shawls for when the air conditioning is too cool. This is typical attire here for all ages. I'm over 60 and remember when in high school it was a rite of passage to get to wear nylons with garter belts (before panty hose). Then along came panty hose but they were problematic at first to get them on right to the "seams" would line up right. Then of course came seamless pantyhose. Been there and done that and have not owned nylons or pantyhose in close to two decades. Then again we are in Florida where it's a hot and humid 90 something degrees so dress may vary with the climate. Those of us that spend to much office time and not enough sunshine can spray tan which looks more natural than panty hose. When I visit up North or Wards in cooler climates I take the opportunity to wear long skirts with boots that I can't wear much at home. As far as modesty, if the clothing covers garments it's modest. :)

Quote "But why would I invest ALL of myself in something that "may" last forever... but may not (assuming again that both parties are faithful)? " End Quote I guess my answer is why not? If you get married "till death do you part" or "for time and eternity" would not you go into it investing your all. The future is not etched in stone, but irregardless I would think that no matter what kind of commitment you embark on in life that you would invest your ALL.

Hello everyone, I would like to start a discussion regarding food storage. Throughout my career life I traveled extensively, and my children had a nanny, so I never got in the habit of lerning to prepare food. If not eating out, I prepared very easy micro waveable meals. My husband and I eat out or eat a lot of convenience foods. The subject of food storage has come up at our Ward. Some of the suggested sites for freeze dried long shelf life food is extremily expensive, not to mention that you have to add a cup of watter to every meal, so how would one store a year's worth of water for a years worth of food? We were also told about Berley water purifying vessels, little stoves to cook on that require no fuel just twigs I think, and some kind of living sprouts thing (now how that works I have no idea). I am a little ovver whelmed over this (actually a lot over whelmed) and do not want to sound totally incompetant about this even though I am not feeling very competant about the food issue. We are not poor by anyone's standards, but we are pretty much living from month to month, check to check and paymant to payment. So although we are meeting our bills and financial obligations, there is not extra to add to our expenses. I would enjoy hearing from those who are activelt in the process of storing food. How much do you store, what costs re actually involved. Any advice or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

There are a lot of fabrics. I live in Florida where it is not only hot, but we get the humidity go go with. I personally like the Carinessa II which for me the best way to sescribe is a very light weight spandex-ish stretchy fabric that is very smooth in fit and can be worn very comfortably even under spandex work out wear. (Think nike dry fit fabric only much much lighter in weight). When I got used to wearing garments I tend to feel uncomfortable not wearing them. It's kind of like comparing a jacket that has no lining versus one that does. The lining is just a better fit and feel. I hope you will learn to enjoy wearing them and also come to love their purpose and meaning.

My only issue with this discussion is that it appears that there are some here that believe that the young woman should bear the entire responsibility when entering into marriage. Is this to assume that the groom to be is an unsuspecting naive with no responsibility to get to know the woman he plans to marry BEFORE he proposes marriage. What ever happened to prolonged dating and long engagements where people could get to know the person they plan to spend the rest of their lives with. From the original post if all is factual and not based on emotions, what we have here is three immature kids, and all three of them should mature a LOT befoere they even consider marriage. Couple number one were both wrong do disobey the law of chastity. Couple number two may or may not be doing the same. Chances are if boyfriend number one goes to the Bishop the only thing that solcves is his revenge for tharting a Temple marriage, but likely the couple will have a civil marriage and then to Temple after. Personally it looks like all three parties involved need to grow up before they try and make adult decisions. They are ALL responsible for their actions and their decisions.