The Latter-day Saint Thread v. 8.0 [Archive] - Page 6

mac_attack

August 27th, 2007, 5:58 am

Has everyone had a good summer, then? I have to say, I just got back from a trip with my ward and it completely changed me...I can't even explain it. I couldn't wait to get to church this morning, was sad when I had to leave, and happy to come back later for a meeting. I even went to my parent's ward as well to help out in the nursery, so I was at church for a total of around 5 1/2 hours today...it still didn't seem long enough. My home teachers came and taught me and I've been listening to hymns all day and I can just feel the spirit so strong! This is the most amazing feeling, I love it!

Usually when I go to my ward it's so uncomfortable...I sit on my own, and I don't feel included. I think I may have been suffering from slight depression too, but today was a complete 180 from that!! I sat in the middle section towards the front, with people I became friends with on the trip, and I sang with all the hymns, and I loved the speakers in sacrament meeting, I just wanted it to last forever!!

I actually came on here to ask everyone what their favorite hymns were...I've been trying to decide and everytime I think I've got one, I think of another and have to start all over again! So far I've come up with:

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
Come Come ye Saints
The Spirit of God
Bring the World His Truth
How Firm a Foundation
If You Could Hie to Kolob

And of course, if you count the primary songs then you have to include
A Child's Prayer (I tear up everytime the kids sing this one)
I Often Go Walking
Love is Spoken Here

There are too many others to name...what are everyone else's favorites? Does anyone have a unique favorite hymn?

EDIT: I just was reminded of the talk I heard in sacrament meeting today. The speaker was SO amazing, one of the best I'd ever heard. But anyway, he said something that caught my attention and just made me think, so I figured I'd share it!! He was telling a story about how he and a friend from work went to the chinese restaurant across the street from the Ogden temple and there was a family of four in front of them, a mother and three kids. A sign on the cash register said that children under 5 could eat for free and when the mother got to the front of the line she told the man at the counter that they had three regular people and one under 5. The youngest child looked up at her mom and said, "but mommy, I'm 7." And the mother said, "Today, you are five!". The speaker looked out at all of us in the congregation and said quietly to us, "That woman sold her soul to the prince of lies for four dollars and ninety-nine cents." It just struck me so hard. I can't wait for an opportunity to hear him speak again, I learned so much!

Pegasus

August 29th, 2007, 12:12 am

My favorites are I Believe in Christ and I Know That My Redeemer Lives. My favorite primary songs are My Heavenly Father Loves Me, I Love to See the Temple, A Child's Prayer, and Love Is Spoken Here.
I'm really glad you had such a good experience. Hopefully you can remember it and lean on it when you're feeling low.

mac_attack

August 29th, 2007, 4:51 am

Pegasus

August 29th, 2007, 9:56 pm

Wow. I don't even know how to respond to that. When I was a teenager I had problems with some of the girls, but not the leaders. Hopefully someone else can be more helpful.

Jenni Radcliffe

August 30th, 2007, 12:14 am

AchelRay

September 3rd, 2007, 7:21 pm

Wow... I don't even know what to say to that. I couldn't imagine not having supportive leaders. My leaders are so good. The leader I had the most problems with was just released so I'm feeling pretty good about YW. She was calling all the leaders by their first names when talking with us girls among other things. It was just kind of weird being with her because she didn't give us the same respect and didn't expect us to give respect to the other leaders. Oh well she's not in YW anymore. Although half of our leaders in YW are pregnant so we'll probably get all new leaders by the end of October.

mac_attack

September 9th, 2007, 5:01 am

Thank you for all answering. I had a feeling it was just the area we live in that was this way. I'm sure she will be ok, even though she struggles sometimes. She's actually been listening to a lot more church music lately too.

I just found this written on a website:

You know you're mormon if....You've performed in front of hundreds, no one clapped, and you were completely flattered. :lol:

There are tons more but that one just made me giggle. My catholic relatives came to a mormon church a few months ago for my cousin's baby to be blessed and the kids all started to clap after each musical number. :lol: It was so funny.

PotterPig

September 11th, 2007, 7:23 pm

Sorry to keep posting here so much, but I had a question/rant for fellow mormons...

My little sister is in young womens. And even since I was a Young Woman myself, I have noticed that the YW leaders in our ward/stake seem to like the girls who are cheerleaders/drill team dancers better. They talk to them more, hang out with them, ask them to babysit their kids, and the girls who are into other things are treated differently, some are almost ignored completely. My little sister used to be really into sports...she was in soccer, softball, dance, tumbling, and liked to play football with friends. But when she got into young women's and was treated differently, she wanted to be like the other girls. She completely changed her mind about everything and became more girly, tried out for cheerleading, and moved into a competetive dance group. She ended up not making cheerleader and was devastated. I was really upset about all of these changes, because I'm pretty sure that the main reason behind her actions was wanting to fit in and be liked by her Young Women's leaders.

This was about three years ago...she's 15 now and has decided that she is her own person and is not going to change herself for anyone. She has a big group of friends who love her just the way she is, but they aren't in the ward. She hates Young Women's and mutual because all the girls her age are stuck up and snobby and rude to her and the leaders don't like her. She actually went to the stake girl's camp with her ward, but while she was there she was having a particularly bad day and went to talk to the leaders and ended up having a big confrontation with one of them in particular. She mentioned that she didn't feel included in the ward and her leader went off on her, saying that if she 'tried harder to be nice that people might actually like her'!! Needless to say, my little sister was offended. It seems that no matter what she does, how many meetings she goes to, or who she tries to befriend, the YW are always against her because she does not fit the cookie-cutter shape of who they want her to be. I want to scream at them, take them by the shoulders and show them who she is, that she is a daughter of God, her own person with her own strengths weaknesses and talents, and they have no right to treat her or any of the other girls this way, and that most of the same girls they practically worship aren't the innocent little angels like they make them out to be. It's gotten so bad that my little sister dreads sundays. My mom tells her she has to go to church, that she needs to be there on sundays, but that it she doesn't have to go to mutual or other activities. I think for her this is a good idea...no one wants to go to a church activity to be left alone and made to feel bad about yourself.

So my questions are these...Am I wrong to feel this way about her leaders? Is there anything I can do or say to someone about all this to try to make it better? Is anyone else's ward/stake YW leaders like this? And if so, did it ever get better?

I do sometimes worry that my little sister could fall away from the church because of the way she is treated. They just changed the YW presidency a few weeks ago, but brought in the same type of women for leaders, and in doing that released the one leader who never judged her, and who included her in most activities and took an interest in her life.

Thanks for any answers or help that anyone can give me.

Also, I just wanted to add that I am in no way against Young Women's or the church at all!! It just has been frustrating me for so long, that these women who are supposed to be being leaders and role models for these girls are acting so un-christ-like towards some of them. In the ward I am in now it is nothing like that, everyone is friends...I just wish her's could be a little more like that.

Hi everybody! I haven't been on in a really long time. I got really busy, but I had a little time and I just wanted to respond to this.
When I was in Young Women's we had the same sort of problem. It seemed like our leaders were always favoring the girls that were the most popular in school and that were knowingly "living their lives on the line." This was really hard on a few of us who were just trying to do what was right and not really getting any recognition. I have now been out of Young Women's for eight years and just recently, on a visit with my parents had a chance to retrospect back with them and one of my old friends. We actually came up with some interesting insights.

I think that sometimes we have to remember that the church is not made up of perfect people and sometimes people are given callings so they can grow.
Our Young Women's president had been a very wild youth and had not made the greatest choices but had managed a little later to get her life back on to track. Because of this she related better with the cheerleader type girls who were wild and popular because they reminded her of herself. But instead of trying to be a leader to them, sometimes it looked like she was more trying to be a buddy. At the same time she didn't give that kind of attention to the plain everyday just trying to do what is right girls.

When I look back I think it must have been challenging for her to be a "leader" to girls who were making decisions that she wished she would have made. She may have even been uncomfortable. I don't know if that makes sense or not, but I think she was called to that calling because there was something that she needed to learn from the Young Women who were making right choices.

Even so it was still really hard on me and I did not enjoy going to mutual and I especially hated girls camp. I never felt like I got the kind of support from my leaders that these other girls did. A majority of the friends I had in high school were either not members or they were boys in the ward, who were much easier for tom-boyish no make up uncool me to hang out with.

My parents also pointed out that maybe those girls needed extra support and encouragement. Even though I would like to think that it is important for all Young Women to have attention I can see how some girls would need extra guidance. Of course there is a difference between giving guidance and acting like best buddies.

As far as advice for you sister, I found that this situation actually helped me in the gospel because I developed a desire to be an example to both the other girls and to the leaders. While it wasn't always apparent I know that my example had an affect on at least a couple of the girls who deep down wanted to change things in their lives. It may seem like "Sunday school" answers but if she continues to read, pray, go to church and to seminary and sets that example then her testimony will grow and maybe she can look back on it as a blessing later. It is great that she has a group of friends even if they are not in the ward. If they share her standards then that can be a great help to her. I think what also helped me is that I had the support that my young women leaders didn't give me from my parents. I attribute much of who I am to their testimony and faith. They never forced me to go to mutual but allowed me to make the decision to go. I didnt like going, but I also didnt go grudgingly. I went because I knew that I should. I guess it also helped that I was friends with the boys. :)

As I looked back with my parents we found that all the girls who were around my age except for one have either been married in the temple or have gone on a mission which is pretty good.

My parents ward is still really clique-ish which is funny to me because the ward I live in now is very friendly and everyone is included and makes you feel welcome right off the bat. Anyway, sorry that was a little long, but I hope it helps. Good luck to your sister!

DetrankaGRL

September 18th, 2007, 4:01 am

mariebeth83

September 18th, 2007, 4:31 am

Hey guys, I was just wondering if any of you could explain what The Latter-Day Saints believe in? Since I've joined this forum, I've come to realise that I don't know much about other religions besides Catholicism - which I was brought up to be and Buddhism, which I'm interested in. I'd like to learn more about various religions so that if I meet someone who practices that religion I will at least be able to know what their beliefs are and what impact their religious beliefs may have in their lives.

Pegasus

September 18th, 2007, 5:45 am

mariebeth83

September 18th, 2007, 5:49 am

I'm about to go to bed and this is actually a very broad topic. I'll give you a website to look at for now and you can ask any questions from there: www.mormon.org. Click on Basic Beliefs, then click anything on the side bar that interests you.

Thanks Pegasus, I'll have a look at it and will ask any questions i have then :) sleep well!

Questions I have after reading website: :lol:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ – is this the Bible or is it a collection of Jesus’ teachings taken from the Bible? Is the Bible also taken into account or is the Gospel of Jesus Christ the primary teachings?

I’ve heard that LDS/Mormons believe that homosexuality is wrong or unnatural, is this right? I was just wondering because on the website it says that “it may help to remember that each person on this earth is a beloved son or daughter of God and has a divine nature and destiny” so it would be kind of a contradiction if homosexuality is considered to be wrong.

I really like the belief that God is loving and loves us all, some religions seem to see Him as something to be feared, which I don’t believe at all.

Questions from what I’ve heard & personal experience:

I’ve a friend who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ (I think) Is this the same thing because as she’s German she just explained that it was Mormon because I guess with the language differences, it was the easiest explanation?

Anyway – our different religions doesn’t come into the equation, so I never really asked her about it all. But from what I know of her and her beliefs:

Sex before marriage is frowned upon. This is the same for a lot of faiths, Catholicism being a prime example, but like Catholicism, this belief is wavering for a lot of people (myself included) I was just wondering if young people in LDS still have this belief and are strongly influenced by it? Personally I admire any young person in this modern age who can choose to abstain from sex before marriage and really commits to it. I don’t regret my choices, otherwise I wouldn’t be who I am today, but sometimes I do wish that I’d waited for the right person.

Leading on from that…I was just wondering about contraception? In the Catholic Church it’s seen to be against Catholicism and from what I’ve seen on the website, family seems to be very important to LDS, which is great, so I was wondering then is contraception frowned upon?

You are so totally allowed to give out to me if I’m wrong on this but are multiple marriages allowed? I could be confusing LDS with a completely different faith but I think I heard that it isn’t totally condemned? You can hit me if I’m completely off the mark & I really don’t mean to offend anyone with my ignorance!

My friend doesn’t drink alcohol either – is this enforced in LDS or is it just a personal choice? In Catholicism abstaining from alcohol is advocated by the Pioneers but it’s not enforced and it is generally left up to people’s own personal choices. My parents for example are both pioneers, but they never enforced their choice on me.

Ok…I don’t have much time to look through the rest of the website at the moment…so I’ll leave the questions for now

Thanks for answering guys!

PotterPig

September 19th, 2007, 2:36 am

Hi Mariebeth,
I hope that this will help a little. I don't know if I would call myself an expert, but I will help the best that I can. If any else has anything to add feel free.

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ - we believe that since the Earth was created God has had prophets on the earth at different times. Starting from Adam and even today we believe that the Prophet can recieve direct revelation from God. So in answer to your question, we believe in the teachings of both the Old and New Testament, the prophets from The Book of Mormon, and the teachings of our modern day prophets.
The core foundation of the gospel is:
a. Adam and Eve partook of the fruit in the garden bringing to pass mortality and taking them and their posterity out of God's presence.
b. Jesus Christ is our Savior and he came to earth to sacrifice and atone for our sins so that we could return to God's presence and was also resurrected thus overcoming mortality. I hope that makes sense.

2. We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of both society and of our religion and that the ideal home environment is where there is both a father and mother where the father works and the mother works at home nurturing the children. Call it conventional or old fashioned, but I am grateful that I grew up in a home where I knew my parents loved and cared for each other and where my mother was waiting for us everyday when we came home from school. For more information you can read The Family: A Proclamation to the World. (http://http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b3bc55cbf541229058520974e44916a0/?vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCR D&locale=0&sourceId=1aba862384d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0)
Anyway, to your question, the church does not pretend to know whether or not homosexuality tendencies come from environment, birth, or just a simple choice so I would not use the words "unnatural" or "wrong". We are aware that there are people who have those tendencies for whatever reasons and we recognize that someone who has those tendencies is not a sinner.
There is a difference between having tendencies and actually acting upon them. Members of the church promise to only have intimate relations with their husband or wife to who they are legally married. We frown upon gay marriage as much as we would frown upon premarital sex as something that threatens the family unit.
I am not sure how else to put it so I hope that helps. We are not anti-gay people, but we do oppose gay marriage.

3. Just a note The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the appropriate name for our church. The nickname "Mormon" was given in the early days based on our belief in The Book of Mormon. While we are encouraged to use the full name, there is more familiarity to non-members in the use of the word Mormon which is probably, so the answer to your question about your German friend is yes.

4. The world really is getting farther and farther from the belief of waiting until marriage, but the young people in our church continue to make the choice of waiting until marriage. It is still possible no matter what the world says. While some people may say "why wait" I would counter that with "why not wait." We believe that the powers of intimacy and pro-creation are one of the strongest and most sacred of gifts that we have been given and should not be mingled with lightly. Yes it can be hard, but I can say for myself that is worth it. I would not have had it any other way.

5. The church leaves the matter of contraception a personal one between the couple and God. While we are encouraged to have children there is no set rule that says we are not allowed any kind of form of birth control.
The church is against abortion except under special circumstances such as rape or if the mother's life is threatened.

6. In the early days of our church the saints did practice polygamy. This was done because it was a commandment from God. After the United States banned polygamy the Church also put a stop to the practice. However there were some people who were upset that the chuch stopped it so the continued to have plural marriages and broke off from the church. That is why you hear of little colonies of breakaway sects that practice plural marriage today. This is not condoned by the church and the groups have no association with us other than breaking way over a century ago.
Don't worry about asking this question. It is one that many people have and compeletely natural. Anytime there is media attention given to a colony of polygamists they always somehow associate them as Mormon or a breakaway sect. Any one who still continues the practice is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Plural marriage is part of our history and we are not ashamed about it.

7. Your last question, I would not use the word enforced, but yes, we abstain from alcohol and other drugs. We do this because we do not want to take anything into our bodies that will alter them in a harming way. The Word of Wisdom, which is like our law of health, not only tells us to stay away from drugs but also encourages healthy eating. We view our bodies as temples and want to take care of them.

I hope that helps a little bit. Sometimes it is hard to form my thought onto the keyboard. I would just add that I know that the gospel is true and that we can have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father if we live his teachings.

mariebeth83

September 19th, 2007, 2:59 am

Hi PotterPig! :wave: Thanks for answering my questions so thoughtfully. From what you have answered I can really identify with some aspects as being quite universal for Christian religions, which is good as it will help me to understand LDS and other Christian religions a bit better!

2. We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of both society and of our religion and that the ideal home environment is where there is both a father and mother where the father works and the mother works at home nurturing the children. Call it conventional or old fashioned, but I am grateful that I grew up in a home where I knew my parents loved and cared for each other and where my mother was waiting for us everyday when we came home from school.

I wouldn't call it old fashioned at all. My father was a farmer and my mum stayed at home (although when they got married there was a law in Ireland that women had to give up work once they got married). And I love the fact that I grew up in constant contact with both my parents, so many parents don't get to spend much time with their kids because of work committments nowadays. I just hope and pray that when I'm married and decide to have children that I'll be in a position where I can choose to stay at home and look after them myself.

4. The world really is getting farther and farther from the belief of waiting until marriage, but the young people in our church continue to make the choice of waiting until marriage. It is still possible no matter what the world says. While some people may say "why wait" I would counter that with "why not wait." We believe that the powers of intimacy and pro-creation are one of the strongest and most sacred of gifts that we have been given and should not be mingled with lightly. Yes it can be hard, but I can say for myself that is worth it. I would not have had it any other way.

That's a good belief about the powers of intimacy and pro-creation. I think that if people would think about that and teach their children about how important it can be then maybe it wouldn't be such a light issue for myself and others. I was always just told that "sex before marriage is a sin". I wasn't given any explanation for that by my parents, just given the fact, which I've chosen to ignore. I don't know if I would have listened even if she had explained it more, but it would have been nice to understand her opinion & reasons.

5. The church leaves the matter of contraception a personal one between the couple and God. While we are encouraged to have children there is no set rule that says we are not allowed any kind of form of birth control.
The church is against abortion except under special circumstances such as rape or if the mother's life is threatened.

I like how the church leaves it up to personal choice. The Catholic church is totally against it, which personally I think is stupid. In Africa, where Aids is rampant and the Catholic Church has a lot of ministries, they would be well advised to teach people about contraception and how to protect themselves against diseases, as well as teaching them about abstaining from sex.

6. In the early days of our church the saints did practice polygamy. This was done because it was a commandment from God. After the United States banned polygamy the Church also put a stop to the practice. However there were some people who were upset that the chuch stopped it so the continued to have plural marriages and broke off from the church. That is why you hear of little colonies of breakaway sects that practice plural marriage today. This is not condoned by the church and the groups have no association with us other than breaking way over a century ago.
Don't worry about asking this question. It is one that many people have and compeletely natural. Anytime there is media attention given to a colony of polygamists they always somehow associate them as Mormon or a breakaway sect. Any one who still continues the practice is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Plural marriage is part of our history and we are not ashamed about it.

Thanks for answering that, I felt really stupid and insensitive asking it, but it is something that comes up in the media as being associated to Mormons.

7. Your last question, I would not use the word enforced, but yes, we abstain from alcohol and other drugs. We do this because we do not want to take anything into our bodies that will alter them in a harming way. The Word of Wisdom, which is like our law of health, not only tells us to stay away from drugs but also encourages healthy eating. We view our bodies as temples and want to take care of them.

:tu: that's a very good belief and attitude to have.

Thanks for answering my questions Potterpig. It's really appreciated.

mac_attack

September 19th, 2007, 7:01 am

Hello, MarieBeth83!! I think PotterPig did an amazing job answering those questions, but I figured I'd add my two cents in, as usual. :lol:

Sex before marriage is frowned upon. But for me it has never been a problem...tho that may be because I've never had a boyfriend...who knows? :lol: I agree with PotterPig's question of why not wait. When I get married I want to know that my husband has saved himself for me just as I have for him.

The polygamist groups are always associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...even though they broke off from our church over 100 years ago. The church today does not tolerate polygamy, and any member found practicing it can be excommunicated. The church stopped practicing polygamy when it became illegal in the US, which always reminds me of one of the Articles of Faith, number 12 which says "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates. In obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." The church encourages all members to obey the laws. (went off on a tangent there, sorry!)

To add to what PotterPig said about our bodies being temples, I'd just like to add something one of my church teachers told me. He said that our bodies are not techincally ours to do whatever we want with...Christ died for us on the cross, atoning for our sins, and because He did that our bodies really belong to him. They are just on loan to us in this life, you could say. And we want to keep our bodies as clean and healthy as we can, to take care of them. My teacher said look at the temples, see how clean they are? You wouldn't go spray graffiti on it or track mud through the hallways. It's the same with our bodies, they are temples. We must do all we can to keep them clean, inside and out.

And on another tangent, speaking of temples, I believe there are currently 5 LDS temples in Australia (which is where you are...unless I'm completely mixed up. Which wouldn't be the first time, sadly.) Anyone can go to the temple grounds and visitor's center and walk around. It's a beautiful place to experience if you have the time. I'm blessed enough to live in Utah, so I've seen quite a few temples. :)

mariebeth83

September 19th, 2007, 8:06 am

Thanks mac_attack :tu: Both of you have done a great job in answering my questions! It's great to be able to learn more about things like different religions on a site like this, and from the people who practice the religion rather than from reading books which can be confusing and not relevant to the things I want to know :)

The polygamist groups are always associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...even though they broke off from our church over 100 years ago. The church today does not tolerate polygamy, and any member found practicing it can be excommunicated. The church stopped practicing polygamy when it became illegal in the US, which always reminds me of one of the Articles of Faith, number 12 which says "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates. In obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." The church encourages all members to obey the laws. (went off on a tangent there, sorry!)

I like this :) that the religion seems to be away from the law, not influincing it. The Catholic church had a huge impact on Irish politics for centuries, priests used to tell the people at mass who they should vote for and they did. That's unfortunate as there were some good politicians throughout history who got shunted sideways because the Church didn't agree with them.

To add to what PotterPig said about our bodies being temples, I'd just like to add something one of my church teachers told me. He said that our bodies are not techincally ours to do whatever we want with...Christ died for us on the cross, atoning for our sins, and because He did that our bodies really belong to him. They are just on loan to us in this life, you could say. And we want to keep our bodies as clean and healthy as we can, to take care of them. My teacher said look at the temples, see how clean they are? You wouldn't go spray graffiti on it or track mud through the hallways. It's the same with our bodies, they are temples. We must do all we can to keep them clean, inside and out.

That's a beautiful belief, something that I'm really going to give some thought about. It's definitely not one I've heard before, but it is the best one.

And on another tangent, speaking of temples, I believe there are currently 5 LDS temples in Australia (which is where you are...unless I'm completely mixed up. Which wouldn't be the first time, sadly.) Anyone can go to the temple grounds and visitor's center and walk around. It's a beautiful place to experience if you have the time. I'm blessed enough to live in Utah, so I've seen quite a few temples. :)

Thanks for that, I'd definitely like to visit a temple. I love visiting religious buildings, no matter what religion. I think they're beautiful and an amazing testament of people's faiths and beliefs.

mac_attack

September 20th, 2007, 9:57 pm

Thanks for that, I'd definitely like to visit a temple. I love visiting religious buildings, no matter what religion. I think they're beautiful and an amazing testament of people's faiths and beliefs.

I know what you mean. Half of my family is Catholic, so we've gone to Catholic churches for weddings, baptisms, and even a funeral. I am always amazed at the decoration of the chapel. The stained glass windows are especially beautiful to see. I always get lost staring at them...a lot of hard work and love must go into creating them. :)

Lash Dresden

September 26th, 2007, 9:40 pm

I may have posted this once before, but I just came across it again and I think it's hilarious:

This is originally from a physician in Utah:

I work part-time as a teacher of family doctors. The program provides training on psychiatric disorders and emphasizes the importance of emotional support. The new doctors are given plenty of time in clinic to visit with their patients and learn about their challenges. One of our interns who has never lived in Utah and knows nothing about Mormons is still struggling to understand the cultural climate here. Last week he was interviewing a new patient and stumbled on what he thought was a raging psychosis.

Doctor: "Well, Mrs. Olsen, we've talked about your high blood pressure and your medications. Are you experiencing any particular stress in your life?

Patient: "Oh, yes! It's the Sunbeams. They're driving me crazy."

Doctor (very surprised): "The sun beams?"

Patient: "Yes. I've never had trouble with them before, but this group won't sit still.

They bounce all over the room, and run out the door and down the hall."

Doctor (reaching for a pen): "Have you told anyone about this?"

Patient: "Of course. I told the president."

Doctor: "Really! What did the president tell you?"

Patient: "She said Sunbeams are like that. I'm just going to have to learn to deal with them.

Doctor (concerned that he may be missing something): "I know people who are sensitive to sun beams. Do they cause you a rash or anything?"

Patient (confused): "A rash? No."

Doctor: "What's the biggest problem they're creating?"

Patient: "It's the noise. They just won't quit talking."

Doctor (astonished): "The sun beams are talking to you?"

Patient: "Well, yes. But mostly they talk to each other."

Doctor (scribbling furiously in the chart): "I see. Can anyone else hear them talking?"

Patient (after a moment of stunned silence): You're not LDS are you?

PotterPig

September 27th, 2007, 1:13 am

That is so cute. I am pretty sure I have heard it before. As a former sunbeam teacher myself I can totally appreciate it.

mac_attack

September 27th, 2007, 7:45 am

Hahahaha, that is great, Rapunzel! I do think people are often very confused about the names we have for things. Like the difference between a stake center and a steak center. :lol: I think one of the most confusing to people of other faiths is the priest thing...how old are our priests...14 or 16?? (sorry, I grew up with all girls in the family and my dad wasn't active...I only know the girl groups very well!) In most religions priests are really old. I remember hearing once from someone that the person they were talking to was quite confused when she said that she was dating a priest.

And I am lucky enough to be in a Single's ward at the moment, so no sunbeams for us! (the sunbeam song is stuck in my head and I'm trying to keep from bouncing in my chair, btw!) Though, I did help my mom out in the nursery a couple of weeks ago...it was complete chaos in there! We made cheerios necklaces though, so it was worth it in the end! :lol:

PotterPig

September 27th, 2007, 11:42 pm

I was just released as sunbeam teacher in July to be the primary pianist. So I still get to see all the primary kids, but I don't have to keep them in their seats. It's great! I actually cried when they released me, but what a relief!

Pegasus

September 28th, 2007, 12:16 am

Primary pianist is the cushy calling. I've been there most of my married life. I do miss being able to attend Relief Society sometimes, though.

mac_attack

September 28th, 2007, 4:26 pm

Hehehe, you guys are making me laugh. :D I should probably have kept up with piano lessons when I was 7, then, right? Dang. My calling now is on the Enrichment committee. It's pretty fun, as all the girls in our ward are friends...the only downside is that the activity I am in charge of is teaching pie-making for Thanksgiving. I have never made a pie in my life! If it were pizza making, I could probably handle it, but pie?!? :eeep:

Lash Dresden

September 28th, 2007, 5:47 pm

Pie making instructions:

1. Go to your local grocery store and purchase pre-made pie crusts. . . .

:lol:

PotterPig

September 28th, 2007, 11:49 pm

LOL!

I don't think I have ever made a pie in my life either, but I have made cheesecake. Now that is some yummy stuff!

Pegasus

September 29th, 2007, 12:58 am

Pie making instructions:

1. Go to your local grocery store and purchase pre-made pie crusts. . . .

:lol:

Or just hit the frozen pie sales!

Or call someone in your ward who has no greater love than to make a pie from scratch...

mac_attack

September 29th, 2007, 1:19 am

Or call someone in your ward who has no greater love than to make a pie from scratch...

I just may do that, actually. I'll introduce her as a guest speaker or something. :lol: But first, my mom is making me practice making pies...and I am most definitely not a pie person. Cake totally kicks pie's trash, in my book!

aliauthor

September 30th, 2007, 11:14 pm

Hi Mariebeth! and everyone else...I was browsing and didn't even know this thread existed! cool!

Here are some answers, though some are redundant.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ: We have the King James Version of the bible, plus the Book of Mormon, which is what happened in Bible times on the american continent

sex before marriage: Waaaay frowned upon, since our bodies are temples and God gave us creating power that he does not want misused.

alchohol: we have something called the Word of Wisdom, which tells us not to drink alchohol or coffee, or smoke, etc. Again, because our bodies are temples that we don't want to defile.

temples: You have to be a member with a temple reccommend to get in, since they're so sacred and special ordinances are performed there, but you are welcome to walk around the grounds as long as you're reverent. Even being right outside the temple gives me a feeling of peace.

If anyone has any questions you feel embarrassed about asking or something, feel free to owl me! And if anyone who's a member wants to talk about EFY (supahawesome) you can owl me, too!:tu:

mac_attack

October 3rd, 2007, 7:14 pm

Is anyone else getting seriously excited for General Conference?? Hee.. I actually thought it was last weekend, and when my mom laughed and told me it wasn't for another week I was beyond disappointed!! I thought it was the same day as the Relief Society broadcast for some reason. :lol:

I am actually thinking of throwing a Conference party for the saturday sessions...me and my friends could all watch and eat junk food in our pajamas! I just don't know if people would come...

By the way, did everyone see the RS broadcast? I thought it was great...I especially loved President Monson's story about the man in the bookstore! I laughed pretty hard at that!

So...what do you have planned for conference? Does anyone go to it or just watch it on tv?? My mom makes us a special breakfast for sunday session, and my brother in law and sister come over and we all watch in our pj's. :blush:

PotterPig

October 4th, 2007, 1:39 am

My family is actually going to be in town during conference so that should be fun. It does seem like this one came up really fast.
I am mostly excited because they will be calling someone to replace President Faust, probably from the quorm of the twelve, which means a new apostle.
I was actually at the Conference Center when Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar were called and it was amazing to watch them take their new places.
So that will be really cool.
I really will miss hearing President Faust talk though. :(

Pegasus

October 4th, 2007, 2:46 am

I have to confess that I totally space the Relief Society session. :( I've checked KBYU Magazine and I can't find anymore rebroadcasts, either, so I guess I'll have to wait until the Conference issue comes out.
We're actually going out of town this weekend, so we'll be subject to my brother-in-law's Conference traditions instead of our own. :D

mac_attack

October 4th, 2007, 7:01 am

That's awesome you're going to it, Potterpig! I'm kinda jealous, I've lived in Utah my whole life and have never been. I've only even been inside the tabernacle twice, and both times were for a christmas concert. (the tabernacle is where conference is, right? I'm so out of the loop!) I hear it's supposed to be snowing saturday and sunday, though!

My friend and I decided that for the saturday session in April, we are going to take a picnic lunch and sit outside the tabernacle and listen to conference. :) I'm very excited for it!

And Pegasus, the broadcast was really excellent, if I notice it anywhere I will let you know! President Monson's remark that I laughed at was when he said something along the lines of feeling very out of place in the room full of women, and he told a quick story about a man who walked into a bookstore and asked the clerk, a woman, where he could find the book "Man: the master of woman." (something like that title) and the clerk looked at him and replied, "try the fiction section." :rotfl:

I too am excited to see another apostle called, tho I will always miss President Faust. He was an amazing man...on my facebook profile I joined the group devoted to him. I hold a special place in my heart for Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar, probably because I was old enough when they were called to understand the significance. I always get excited when I recognize them on the stand. :p

Only 3 more days, now!! :D

Pegasus

October 4th, 2007, 4:13 pm

I have an associate degree with Elder Bednar's signature on it. :D (Of course, a lot of people do.)

pann333

October 4th, 2007, 10:34 pm

How do mormons accept Joseph Smiths gospel and the new testament?
When in Galations 1:14 it clearly states that if any other gospel is preached, those who teach it are cursed.

mac_attack

October 4th, 2007, 11:53 pm

How do mormons accept Joseph Smiths gospel and the new testament?
When in Galations 1:14 it clearly states that if any other gospel is preached, those who teach it are cursed.

It isn't Joseph Smith's gospel, it is Christ's gospel. And it isn't a new gospel. If you take a look at the cover of a Book of Mormon it clearly says
The Book of Mormon:Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

It does not contradict anything the Bible already tells us, only clarifies it and expounds upon it. Without the Bible, Joseph Smith would never have read the verse that says: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him. (I apologize if any of that is misspelled or missing a word, I wrote it from memory.) Joseph Smith wanted to know which church was true, so he read that verse of scripture and decided to do exactly that: ask God. And we believe that God gave him the answer, that at that time the true church was not on the earth. Joseph eventually came to translate (translate, not write) the Book of Mormon through the power of God.

The Bible is the record of God's children in the old world, the Book of Mormon is the record of God's children in the ancient Americas. In John 10:16, it says:
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

I hope I answered your question adequately, but if I didn't I'm sure Pegasus, Potterpig, Aliauthor, or one of the others will be able to.

aliauthor

October 5th, 2007, 3:39 am

General Conference: Mac_attack, great idea! Conference partay! My friends and I have to watch it anyway and fill out a worksheet for seminary, which could be easily done in pajamas with junk food....

I'm excited for the new apostle, too. Richard G Scott came to our stake conference a few months ago, and my dad was called as the 1st councilor in the stake presidency, so our family got to meet him and get a picture with him. The primary kids sang for him, and he told them a secret: If you want to wake up with a smile every day, go to bed with a coathanger in your mouth.

I love stories like that! :)

pann333: I'll have to think about that. The book of mormon, etc. are another testament of Jesus Christ, along with the bible.

pann333

October 5th, 2007, 4:03 am

Also, the church of Latter-day Saints preaches of three heavens and no hell. When there is only reference to one heaven and a hell.

"I go to prepare a place for you" not places

And the one main thing i cant except about mormonism is the belief in Celestial Heaven and the rise to Godhood. There is only one God, the belief that anyone can become a god sounds way too much like the first lie ever told.
Genesis 3:4
You will not surely die, the serpent said to the women. For God knows that when you eat of it you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.

mac_attack

October 5th, 2007, 7:05 am

Pann, we here on the thread are all too happy to answer questions to clear things up for you...but please don't try to imply that the religion we love is not true. We will believe what we choose to, so please don't be one of those people who fight and argue and try to make up our minds for us about what is right. (I'm not sure if you were, but that is how I interpreted your posts, Sorry if I misinterpreted them.)

I'll try to answer these the best I can, but Maybe someone more educated in this matter than me should field this one if they can explain it better?? I do know that when the scriptures talk about "endless punishment" most religions believe that to be Hell. But in the scriptures, God refers to himself as Eternal and Endless...therefore, Endless punishment is not 'punishment that never ends', it is God's punsihment for us, because He is Eternal.

I'm a little confused when you say we don't believe in Hell...I'm pretty sure we do. We speak of Hell in two ways in our church...the first way being a temporary place in the postmortal world for those who died without a knowledge of the truth or those who were disobedient in mortality. Secondly, it is the permanent location of Satan and his followers and the sons of perdition, who are not redeemed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I think the 3 heavens you are talking about are what we call the Kingdoms of Glory...we believe that each of us will be judged by the Lord and recieve an eternal dwelling place in a specific kingdom. In John 14:2, it says: In my Father's house there are many mansions.

I really don't know how exactly to address the last part of your post so I will leave it for someone else if you don't mind.

Aliauthor, that's awesome that you got to meet Elder Scott! I would be happy to meet any of them, :lol:. The coathanger thing is funny. Congratulations on your dad's calling...hehehe my dad is currently in scouts. :rotfl: And we have all girl's in my family so I'm sure he is getting used to loud rowdy boys!!

My seminary teacher actually taught us fun ways to be able to recognize the quorum of the 12 by their pictures...Elder Eyering had those big thick glasses so he was easy as eyering=glasses, Elder Wirthlin had no hair on top so his hair quality was "worthless"...Elder Scott was tricky, but eventually we came up with he had "beam-me-up-Scotty" eyes. :lol: I always can tell which is which by remembering the pictures!!

aliauthor

October 5th, 2007, 1:39 pm

mac_attack: thanks, now I'll remember them better too!

And the one main thing i cant except about mormonism is the belief in Celestial Heaven and the rise to Godhood. There is only one God, the belief that anyone can become a god sounds way too much like the first lie ever told.
Genesis 3:4
You will not surely die, the serpent said to the women. For God knows that when you eat of it you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.

Think about this: If we did not have divine potential, what would the purpose of life be? I can't phrase it very well, but here for the umpteenth time is the link that will explain our gospel better: www.mormon.org (http://www.mormon.org)

mac_attack

October 5th, 2007, 5:38 pm

I found some scriptures in the Bible that may help you understand why we believe we can become like God, Pann. They are psalms 82:6 and Romans 8:16-17. I really think if you read those and pray about them earnestly that you will be able to understand them more.

In case you don't have a Bible on you at the moment, or for anyone else reading, I will put the verses below:

Psalms 82:6 says:
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Romans 8:16-17 says:
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together.

The parts that I left un-italicized are the ones that are emphasized by italics in the Bible. :)

I really hope that helps you. I will admit that I asked a missionary for help answering it, because I didn't want to risk giving you the wrong answers. He directed me to those verses. It helped my testimony a lot to read over them and gain a new understanding of these things.

Thank you, pann, for asking questions that challenge us to look beyond our normal sunday-school answers.

Also, if you have a question you would like to ask a missionary (who are awesome at answering questions) you can go to the link Aliauthor has provided and click the chat live option (found under the ask a question section), which will let you chat with a missionary and ask questions.

I cannot wait for tomorrow! :D The anticipation is killing me...but I don't want to watch alone. Does anyone know if they broadcast the saturday sessions in a stake center somewhere or something?? And does anyone have a good note-taking method? I usually start out strong listening, but around halfway through I find my mind wanders and I would really like to have notes that I can refer back to. :D

Pegasus

October 5th, 2007, 6:49 pm

How do mormons accept Joseph Smiths gospel and the new testament?
When in Galations 1:14 it clearly states that if any other gospel is preached, those who teach it are cursed.

This has already been well responded to, but I just wanted to add my two cents:

It's not a "different gospel." It's the very same: That Jesus came to earth to redeem the dead, and that no man (or woman) can be saved except by His name. That scripture refers to those who would teach that this is not true.

Jenni Radcliffe

October 5th, 2007, 10:24 pm

hi everyone!! i haven't commented in a while but i've been keeping updated! life's just been crazy! but i just wanted to say that i, too, and SO excited for general conference! i really love it! i wish i could go butt i don't have tickets! i'm going to wait in line at the conference center though! hopefully we can get in! and I'm very anxious to see who replaces President Faust! he was such a good man, he just must have completed what he was sent here to do! I'm excited to listen to a new Apostle! they're all so amazing!
i'd also like to respond to Pann's questions. i'm surely not the most educated or anything, but i want to put my insights in!
How do mormons accept Joseph Smiths gospel and the new testament?
When in Galations 1:14 it clearly states that if any other gospel is preached, those who teach it are cursed.
we believe him to be a prophet called of God, not any different than Moses or Arbraham. We believe he was called of God to restore Christ's church. We don't believe it's Joseph Smith's gospel and we don't worship him, contrary to what many believe. Others have added scriptures that give scriptures i was going to use, and have mentioned how we still believe in the bible. and yes, we do believe in the new testament. we believe in it just as many other churches do, we just believe there's more.

Also, the church of Latter-day Saints preaches of three heavens and no hell. When there is only reference to one heaven and a hell.

"I go to prepare a place for you" not places

And the one main thing i cant except about mormonism is the belief in Celestial Heaven and the rise to Godhood. There is only one God, the belief that anyone can become a god sounds way too much like the first lie ever told.
Genesis 3:4
You will not surely die, the serpent said to the women. For God knows that when you eat of it you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.
We do not believe in three Heavens. we believe in 3 degrees of glory based upon your life. and we do believe in Hell. But we usually refer to it as outer darkness...
As for the belief in Celestial Heaven and the rise to Godhood-- I don't find it that hard to accept honestly! Since God is our Father, i like to think of it how a dad teaches his son the things he needs to know to make it on his own. The dad raises the son, teaches him, and eventually that son grows up and becomes a dad himself. I don't think it's too different!
But of course we are all entitled to our own beliefs. That is part of our agency!

mac_attack

October 6th, 2007, 7:28 pm

Just a quick post between the sessions: WOW!!! Henry B. Eyering is the new 2nd counselor! And Elder Cook (I have forgotten his first name already...I wrote it down tho) is the new member of the 12. I love Henry B. Eyering, I always enjoy his talks. :D I am exicted to hear him speak.

My favorite talk of the 1st session today (saturday) was, not surprisingly, Elder Uchtdorf's. I really liked them all tho, I LOVE CONFERENCE!!!

:skips off to watch the BYU channel:

pann333

October 7th, 2007, 2:51 am

i have another question. Why do Mormons believe that Jesus and Saten are brothers, when we know that Saten was an angel, and Jesus is God himself?

mac_attack

October 7th, 2007, 3:42 am

i have another question. Why do Mormons believe that Jesus and Saten are brothers, when we know that Saten was an angel, and Jesus is God himself?

No no no. We do not believe that God and Jesus are the same person. That is one of the things that sets us apart from mainstream Christianity, according to Jeffrey R. Holland's talk today in conference. :) SO glad I took notes, now I can refer back to them...

Our first Article of Faith states that: We believe in God the Eternal Father, in His son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. We do not believe that they are three beings in the same body or that they are all one being. They are 3 separate entities. And we believe that God has a body, like ours only infinitely more glorious. We were created in His image, after all.

The 3 (God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost) are one in every aspect of the word, except being one person. Meaning, that they are one in purpose, heart, desire...etc basically. They want the same things for us.

Satan and Jesus are brothers because we are all God's children. In heaven, God proposed the plan to all of us. Satan wanted to take away our free agency...eventually he and all that followed him (about 1/3 of God's children in heaven, I believe) were cast out of heaven because they wanted to go against God.

Satan knew us in the pre-mortal life. We were family. That is why he is so able to tempt us. He knows everything about us, our strengths and weaknesses, our desires and our fears. He wants us to be miserable like unto him, because he did not recieve a body and we did. He wants us to fail so he tempts us.

Does anyone know when the conference talks given today and tomorrow will be published in the Ensign? I came up with a plan today to review one or two talks a month and do my best to live what is taught each month. But I didn't take good enough notes to just read those each month...:blush:

I was nearly in tears during Elder Wirthlin's talk about love. It just hit me so hard when he was talking about the greatest acts of love are simple everyday kindnesses...and then he started to shake so badly, and Elder Nelson just came up and steadied him for the rest of the talk. What an amazing example of a simple everyday act of kindness right then!!

I am so filled with the spirit today, I look forward to tomorrow and to re-reading all of these talks over again.

I loved Enrique R. Falabella's story about his dad "fixing" his shoe. ;)

Did anyone else notice how a lot of the things we have been discussing on these last few pages of posts were discussed in conference? It stood out to me. :D

I think I've written too much...more later. Happy conference to you all!

(P.S. Potterpig was the only one I remember saying was coming to Utah for conference...did you enjoy the snow? It stuck to the ground almost until around 6 pm today, longer than last time!)

By the way...are there any mormons on these threads outside of the US?? They were saying today on the LDS news program thing that they play between the sessions that there are now over 13 million mormons!! And that the majority live outside of the US and Canada. WOW! :D

pann333

October 7th, 2007, 7:04 pm

Then explain to me why Jesus claims to be God?

here is some scripture to support the claim that Jesus is God

http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/jesusgd2.htm

mac_attack

October 7th, 2007, 8:09 pm

Then explain to me why Jesus claims to be God?

here is some scripture to support the claim that Jesus is God

http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/jesusgd2.htm

Read my last post again. I explained it. God and Jesus are one in purpose and doctrine. They are not the same person and they do not dwell in the same body. They are perfectly united in bringing to pass Heavenly Father's divine plan of salvation.

Acts 7:55-56 says: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of this topic in 1995...I will put an exerpt of his talk here:

In common with the rest of Christianity, we believe in a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, we testify that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings. We also testify that God the Father is not just a spirit but is a glorified person with a tangible body, as is his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.

When first communicated to mankind by prophets, the teachings we now have in the Bible were “plain and pure, and most precious and easy” to understand (1 Ne. 14:23). Even in the transmitted and translated version we have today, the Bible language confirms that God the Father and his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, are tangible, separate beings. To cite only two of many such teachings, the Bible declares that man was created in the image of God, and it describes three separate members of the Godhead manifested at the baptism of Jesus (see Gen. 1:27; Matt. 3:13–17).

You can find answers to such questions here (http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg).

Rosie Cotton

October 8th, 2007, 1:34 am

Jenni Radcliffe

October 8th, 2007, 4:31 am

oh my gosh! Conference was so amazing! mac_attack-- i also took enough notes to last me forever! oh my! And the experience with Elder Wirthlin really touched me! i will never forget that! i also really loved Julie B. Beck's talk, and Brother Collister's as well. He was the mission president in my mom's old ward! I can't wait to get copies of the talks in the ensign!

mac_attack

October 8th, 2007, 9:13 pm

mac_attack-- i also took enough notes to last me forever!

Unfortunately, I started out strong on the note-taking but by the last session I had given up and just listened. I fell asleep briefly during a few minutes of one of the talks, but I woke up quickly. I blame that on my family, tho. They all decided to stretch out across the couches and chairs so the only place for me was to lay on the floor. If I had been sitting up straight it wouldn't have happened ;)

I do plan to re-read everything in the Ensign when it comes out, to refresh my memory.

Pegasus, I wondered if we could start our own little game on this thread of "You know you're LDS if.."? We would continue posting as normal but if someone chose, they could add one to the bottom of their post? It's totally up to you, it may be a bad idea...example below. I'd be glad to hear your opinion.

You know you're LDS if: By the time you were 12 years old you had spoken in front of a congregation of hundreds and brought tears to at least one person's eyes... And you find that fact completely normal.

aliauthor

October 9th, 2007, 3:09 am

Hey, I just watched the Saturday Sessions, because I couldn't watch them yesterday, and I'm really worried about Elder Wirthlin. I was crying. I understand that the Lord knows the plan, but we need Elder Wirthlin! I've always loved the love in his voice. May the Lord preserve him. And watching Elder Nelson stand by him so selflessly was heart-wrenching as well.

oh my gosh! I started to cry when he started shaking. He'll probably give talks from a chair like President Faust did before.

Overall, though, conference was awesome! I love President Hinckley's humor!

you know you're LDS if: You find yourself saying 'Oh My Heck' at least 10 times a day.

PotterPig

October 9th, 2007, 10:28 pm

I really enjoyed conference too, but I wasn't in Utah. I was comfortable at home in California watching it over the internet. I actually missed Saturday afternoon, but my older sister told us about Elder Wirthlin. It is really sad. I thought that President Hinckley looked pretty good. He is pretty amazing for a 97 year old. I was also excited about Elder Eyring being called. He is awesome.
You know you're LDS if: you drive a 15 passenger van and the license plate says Utah.
(We actually had a 15 pass. van when I was a kid, but no Utah plate.;)

mac_attack

October 10th, 2007, 12:29 am

Oh I thought you were coming to Utah, Potterpig...I must've been only half-paying attention when I read things. The snow on saturday was beautiful! :D
You know you're LDS if: You've introduced non-member friends to funeral potatoes...and now they beg you for leftovers at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter...

Jenni Radcliffe

October 10th, 2007, 1:04 am

In seminary, i brought my conference notebook because i know there'd be some sort of conference review (i was right of course) but some people were laughing so hard at the amount of notes i took! but someday... they're going to wish they had those notes! :lol:
You know you're LDS if: church basketball is bigger than the NBA... and you've been seriously injured getting a little too competitive with the other ward :p

aliauthor

October 10th, 2007, 3:35 am

mac_attack

October 10th, 2007, 5:06 am

PotterPig

October 10th, 2007, 11:52 pm

I watched the first part of the Saturday afternoon session at my in-laws yesterday. Even though I had heard about Elder Wirthlin I still wanted to cry. It was so sweet. He started off really well too. I was wondering what was going to happen. It seems like he was just so excited to be sharing his message and he wasn't going to let anything stop him. It really was an excellent talk and I thought that what Elder Nelson did was exactly what Elder Wirthlin's message was about. I don't know if anybody else noticed, but when he was finished there were a couple other members of the twelve who came to help him walk back to his seat. It was really touching.

You know you're LDS if you leave for church at 11:20 and don't come home until 4!

Pegasus

October 11th, 2007, 3:10 am

Pegasus, I wondered if we could start our own little game on this thread of "You know you're LDS if.."? We would continue posting as normal but if someone chose, they could add one to the bottom of their post? It's totally up to you, it may be a bad idea...example below. I'd be glad to hear your opinion.

I love it! It's definitely on topic. :agree:
I was traveling and listening on the radio when Elder Wirthlin spoke. I thought he was going to collapse like President Hunter did years ago (then they caught him and pulled him back up and he was still talking--he never skipped a beat). I found out what happened from the in-laws we were on our way to visit. What perseverence and determination our leaders have!
Elder Wirthlin's actually had health problems for a very long time. When they filmed that video of the testimonies of the apostles, everyone else is walking around in an astronomy tower or similar, but Elder Wirthlin was sitting outside his home.

aliauthor

October 11th, 2007, 5:08 am

Aw, you guys are making me miss seminary...Those were good times. :) At least I have institute now, even if it's only once a week. Our teacher is a very interesting woman. I love hearing her teach...only problem is, I run on Mormon Standard Time, and the earliest I've made it there was 15 minutes late. :rotfl:

Jenni, it is awesome that you took such great notes! I am jealous...I'm a horrible note-taker, my green polka-dot journal (can anything green and polka-dot get better? I submit that it cannot!) has about 4 pages. And it's all things like:
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:
- Love
- Charity
- Charity is the pure love of Christ
- Charity never faileth
- Most acts of love are simple everyday kindnesses
:lol: Taking notes helped me concentrate, mostly. I have the attention span of a rodent. I think when I get my own copy of the conference issue of the Ensign, I will add my notes in the margins along with thoughts. :) That way I can keep track of everything in one place!

You know you are LDS (or Utahn) if: Someone you've just met asks your age...and if it's over 18, their next question is "Are you married?" (And in my case, you say "no" and they look at you and say, "well you've still got some time." :rotfl:)

Taking notes helps me concentrate, too. But then I start taking notes like crazy and have to copy them legibly onto another sheet of paper before I forget what I wrote. (I should probably be doing that with my psychology notes...but mugglenet is too fun...)

yes, green and polka-dot at the same time on a journal is an occasion to be celebrated...

mac_attack

October 14th, 2007, 10:00 pm

I'm glad you like my idea, Pegasus! It is fun to think them up. ;)

I am glad to be getting back into regular church mode, as much as I love conference. :) It seemed church flew by today...I went in to sacrament meeting and the next thing I know Relief Society is already over! I wanted another meeting to go to, haha.

And speaking of conference, you will all be happy to know there is a girl in my singles ward who works for the church. Joseph B. Wirthlin's son is her boss, and she informed us all today that he is fine, no health problems or anything. He was shaking because he'd been standing so long. Whew, I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear it!

Also, for everyone who watched or listened to conference instead of being there, there was a moment when everyone in the congregation laughed, but we didn't see anything...what happened was right after the new presidency was sustained and took their seats, President Hinckley turned around and 'knighted' President Eyring with his cane. :rotfl: I do love that man and his cane. He doesn't even use it to walk most of the time, he's too busy waving at people with it and stuff. One of the most amazing 97 year old men to live in my opinion.

You know you're LDS(especially a single mormon) if: You go to church for at least 3 hours on Sunday, FHE for 2 hours Monday, Enrichment night for 3 hours on Tuesday, Quilting Club for 2 hours on Wednesday, Institute for 2.5 hours on Thursday, and Quilting Club again on Friday for 2 hours. And spending 14.5(or more) hours a week in church and church-related activities seems like hardly nothing at all. :blush:

Jenni Radcliffe

October 15th, 2007, 2:09 am

Aw, you guys are making me miss seminary...Those were good times. :) At least I have institute now, even if it's only once a week. Our teacher is a very interesting woman. I love hearing her teach...only problem is, I run on Mormon Standard Time, and the earliest I've made it there was 15 minutes late. :rotfl:

Jenni, it is awesome that you took such great notes! I am jealous...I'm a horrible note-taker, my green polka-dot journal (can anything green and polka-dot get better? I submit that it cannot!) has about 4 pages. And it's all things like:
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:
- Love
- Charity
- Charity is the pure love of Christ
- Charity never faileth
- Most acts of love are simple everyday kindnesses
:lol: Taking notes helped me concentrate, mostly. I have the attention span of a rodent. I think when I get my own copy of the conference issue of the Ensign, I will add my notes in the margins along with thoughts. :) That way I can keep track of everything in one place!

You know you are LDS (or Utahn) if: Someone you've just met asks your age...and if it's over 18, their next question is "Are you married?" (And in my case, you say "no" and they look at you and say, "well you've still got some time." :rotfl:)
hahaha mac_attack do you happen to listen to Brian Reagen (idk how to spell it!) "lunch and no clean up! can life get any better? I submit that it can not!" ANYWAY... i have to take good notes otherwise my mind completely wanders! I know it's important stuff so i really want to pay attention! but sometimes it can be hard sitting on a comfortable couch like mine! haha! so in comes the note taking!
And on the subject of seminary... I love it! so much! in utah, we have relase time seminary, and it makes me so sad that some people just think of it as an easy class to sluff! it is my favorite part of the day! a break from the world! and we have the best teachers! it's awesome!

aliauthor

October 15th, 2007, 2:53 am

mac_attack

October 15th, 2007, 4:04 am

hahaha mac_attack do you happen to listen to Brian Reagen (idk how to spell it!) "lunch and no clean up! can life get any better? I submit that it can not!" ANYWAY... i have to take good notes otherwise my mind completely wanders! I know it's important stuff so i really want to pay attention! but sometimes it can be hard sitting on a comfortable couch like mine! haha! so in comes the note taking!
And on the subject of seminary... I love it! so much! in utah, we have relase time seminary, and it makes me so sad that some people just think of it as an easy class to sluff! it is my favorite part of the day! a break from the world! and we have the best teachers! it's awesome!

I DO listen to Brian Regan! :rotfl: Is he Mormon, do you think?? He strikes me as someone who is, or once was, Mormon. If not, he should totally join up! Him and Josh Groban. ;)

Yeah I know, my little sister sluffs seminary sometimes. She seems to be slipping lately, mostly because of her friends. I just wish she would get to know the people in seminary better...THEY would make good friends, not the people she's hanging around with, tho. :no: I'm glad you like it so much, Jenni. My seminary classes were always so full of the kids who thought it was dorky to be Mormon...the only way they could consider themselves 'cool' was to disrupt class and offend other students and the teachers. Our teachers were awesome tho! Made it worth your time to take an hour and a half out of your schedule.

Also, about conference...did anyone else notice how a lot was mentioned about what our church believes in, whether we are Christians, and that Preach My Gospel was mentioned quite a bit? I think I might buy the book and read through it.

TUHvxcNVSDU

Just checking out the new youtube tag things. It's beautifully made. If it works, it's clips of a Joseph Smith movie set to music.

aliauthor

October 16th, 2007, 2:00 am

I DO listen to Brian Regan! :rotfl: Is he Mormon, do you think?? He strikes me as someone who is, or once was, Mormon. If not, he should totally join up! Him and Josh Groban. ;)

Yeah I know, my little sister sluffs seminary sometimes. She seems to be slipping lately, mostly because of her friends. I just wish she would get to know the people in seminary better...THEY would make good friends, not the people she's hanging around with, tho. :no: I'm glad you like it so much, Jenni. My seminary classes were always so full of the kids who thought it was dorky to be Mormon...the only way they could consider themselves 'cool' was to disrupt class and offend other students and the teachers. Our teachers were awesome tho! Made it worth your time to take an hour and a half out of your schedule.

Also, about conference...did anyone else notice how a lot was mentioned about what our church believes in, whether we are Christians, and that Preach My Gospel was mentioned quite a bit? I think I might buy the book and read through it.

TUHvxcNVSDU

Just checking out the new youtube tag things. It's beautifully made. If it works, it's clips of a Joseph Smith movie set to music.

oooh, pretty tag. Yes, I've been looking for an opportunity to use the youtube thingy! :cool: EDIT: See my post on the next page for a pretty video thingy! :wahoo:

Preach My Gospel is really well done, as are the seminary student manuals. They help me out alot when studying my scriptures, I think I may buy all of them!

What non-scripture books help you guys the most?

Pegasus

October 16th, 2007, 2:14 am

Thank you, Mac Attack! I'm glad I clicked on that.

Jenni Radcliffe

October 16th, 2007, 3:09 am

I DO listen to Brian Regan! Is he Mormon, do you think?? He strikes me as someone who is, or once was, Mormon. If not, he should totally join up! Him and Josh Groban.

Yeah I know, my little sister sluffs seminary sometimes. She seems to be slipping lately, mostly because of her friends. I just wish she would get to know the people in seminary better...THEY would make good friends, not the people she's hanging around with, tho. I'm glad you like it so much, Jenni. My seminary classes were always so full of the kids who thought it was dorky to be Mormon...the only way they could consider themselves 'cool' was to disrupt class and offend other students and the teachers. Our teachers were awesome tho! Made it worth your time to take an hour and a half out of your schedule.

Also, about conference...did anyone else notice how a lot was mentioned about what our church believes in, whether we are Christians, and that Preach My Gospel was mentioned quite a bit? I think I might buy the book and read through it.
hahaha! Brian Regan does seem like that, and just imagine josh groban's church cd's! they'd be amazing!
but about conference... i did notice that! and i had went out and purchased and started reading reach my gospel like 1 week before, so i felt very proud of myself! it's such a good book! i love reading those little help boods, like preach my gospel, for the strength of youth, and true to the faith! they help me understand things much better! if you haven't read those i highly reccommend them!

aliauthor

October 16th, 2007, 3:56 am

hahaha! Brian Regan does seem like that, and just imagine josh groban's church cd's! they'd be amazing!
but about conference... i did notice that! and i had went out and purchased and started reading reach my gospel like 1 week before, so i felt very proud of myself! it's such a good book! i love reading those little help boods, like preach my gospel, for the strength of youth, and true to the faith! they help me understand things much better! if you haven't read those i highly reccommend them!

Yes, I look at True to the Faith a lot!

Coincidentally, Josh Groban's 'You Raise Me Up' was on this years EFY cd. Not preformed by Josh Groban, but still, it was pretty cool. My councilor actually performed it at a fireside and my friend and I were in tears...it's such a great song! :tu:

mac_attack

October 16th, 2007, 5:54 pm

Josh Groban's christmas cd is for sale at Deseret Book. ;) He's practically Mormon already! I think he wouldn't be single if he got baptized. ;) lol

Weird question, but does anyone know if Deseret Book is hiring? That would be an awesome job. :) Especially if the employees get discounts on stuff!

Pegasus

October 17th, 2007, 5:03 pm

There are LOTS of Deseret Books, so that's kind of a hard question. :)
Actually, I want to be an editor and am about to go back to school to get my degree, and I want really like to work for Deseret Book myself. There are not many publishing companies I would feel comfortable working for because of what is often published bast the juvenile level. I'm hoping that if I can't get a job with them that there are other Utah-based publishing companies I would feel just as comfortable working for.

aliauthor

October 18th, 2007, 2:40 am

mac_attack

October 18th, 2007, 6:30 am

I had been thinking about being an editor myself actually, how odd! I'm leaning more toward Psychology now though. :) I have to get a job, get a grant/loan, and start my generals hopefully the winter semester. Hopefully.

I am kicking myself for not starting college right after I graduated. :grumble: I went to a technical school for a year, thinking that I wanted to go into Dental, and then in May I finally realized it wasn't what I wanted. So now I'm going to be just starting college when all my friends are in their sophomore or junior years. :upset: And I'm totally freaking out that I won't understand the classes or something! It has been nearly two years since I graduated!

Deseret Book or Seagull Book and Tape would probably be good places to look into being an editor. Are there other Mormon bookstores besides those two?

Pegasus

October 18th, 2007, 9:31 pm

Actually, I recently found out that Seagull was bought out, taken over, whatever the situation was called by Deseret Book. They're the same company. I do know that there are a few independents who are trying to break out of the mold. My cousin-in-law has published a couple books through Eborn. I'm having trouble finding much information, though. I'm hoping that when I get on campus next fall there will be more connections and resources.
Mac Attack, if you're nervous about school, I'd opt for a community college and start out with general ed courses until you find a passion. That way you don't lose classes when you change majors like I did a billion times.

mac_attack

October 22nd, 2007, 6:00 pm

I actually did an Applied Technology College for Dental, but it turned out that I got a little more than halfway through the program and realized I didn't want to go into Dental. So I took a break from school over the summer and ended up getting a job instead of going back...and then quit that job and still haven't gotten another. Have to have a job to pay for college, and have to go to college to get the good jobs. ;)

It will work out tho, I'm sure. I'm terrified of Math and English...those were my good classes in high school, but it's been a long two years since then! But I have good friends from church who would probably find time to help me out if I struggle. And it'd be a good excuse to talk to the guy I like...homework help! :rotfl:

So how is church going for everyone? I missed it yesterday because I'm sick. I know that at least two of the wards in my building had their primary programs yesterday, did anyone on here have theirs? I love those! The kids are always entertaining!

Lash Dresden

October 22nd, 2007, 9:10 pm

My ward had the primary program yesterday. At the end the eight-year-old class all bore their testimonies. Each one talked faster and faster andfasterandfasterandfaster until by the last one you had to really pay close attention to get what they said. :lol:

Pegasus

October 22nd, 2007, 11:00 pm

aliauthor

October 22nd, 2007, 11:38 pm

Our ward is definitely late. Ours isn't until Veteran's Day!
Kids that age are funny. We have had a problem where one person decides they don't want to do something--pray, take a turn, whatever--and suddenly no one will. What little followers they are.

Thats funny! We had ours on Sunday too, and it was very cute. The little sunbeams are always my favorite- I remember a year when they all said one of the six 'B's'. A few of them always get up there, start to say it, and turn around and go right off the stand...didn't happen this time, surprisingly, though! I love sunbeams (The song and the little ones)! :love:

mac_attack

October 23rd, 2007, 2:05 am

Jenni Radcliffe

October 23rd, 2007, 10:56 pm

My Primary Program was also on sunday! it was awesome! I just love them! there was one little boy i watched practically the whole time because he was so entertaining! It was weird though because this is only the second one (i think) i can remember that my mom didn't write! I think she's done 12 primary programs in her life! :scared: what a lady! lol!
You know you're LDS if: you actually know what "sunbeams" are and can follow that whole conversation above! :p

aliauthor

October 24th, 2007, 11:47 pm

I love the sunbeams too! :lol: In my family's ward, they have a few that LOVE to sing, so they drown out all the other kids in primary by yelling out the songs. And other kids just stand on the stage and wave to their parents. :rotfl:

You Know You're LDS If: You don't know how to cook for less than 7 people. You've never done it.

sounds like me...My mom has to do some weird stuff with measurements for food in our family to double or make 1 and a half of the recipe...

You know you're LDS if this song to you is amazing and familiar:

ojHkWoPWgZ8

as well as this one, which I couldn't find a video for:

Mormon mormon mormon mormon
Mormon mormon mormon mormon

We are the mormon girls
We wear our hair in curls
We wear our skirts below the knee
We are the biggest flirts
We wear our daddys' shirts
Oh, how we love our mormon boys!

Mormon mormon mormon mormon
Mormon mormon mormon mormon

I have a mormon boy
He is my pride and joy
He knows his books from Alma on down (whooo!)
Someday I'll be his wife,
we'll have eternal life
Oh, how I love my mormon boy!

Jenni Radcliffe

October 25th, 2007, 11:25 pm

oh my gosh aliauthor! i love it! at efy when the bys strart singing... that's what gets me! that song really beings the spirit for me! :D
oh and you know your LDS (well at least an LDS girl) if you also know the girls camp songs (princess pat, noah's ark, sipping cider...) and can sing them word for word and do the actions! hahaha

aliauthor

October 25th, 2007, 11:38 pm

oh my gosh aliauthor! i love it! at efy when the boys strart singing... that's what gets me! that song really beings the spirit for me! :D
oh and you know your LDS (well at least an LDS girl) if you also know the girls camp songs (princess pat, noah's ark, sipping cider...) and can sing them word for word and do the actions! hahaha

That's why it's CALLED, a rigabamboo! I love Girls Camp soooo much.

mac_attack

October 28th, 2007, 9:06 pm

^^ You girls are great! :lol: When my family was in Southern Utah in July, we were hiking Calf Creek Falls...my little sis and our catholic friend sang girl's camp songs the entire way! They didn't know the words to The Princess Pat, so they made me sing it. :rotfl: Our Catholic friend often goes to our church's camps with us (her first year was my last so it was fun to be there together) so she knows all our camp songs as well as any Mormon teen! :lol:

I've been re-reading The Work & The Glory. I read it in 9th grade, but have forgotten everything. It just struck me in my reading the last couple days how hard it would have been to be Joseph Smith, or to be someone who loved him. I've always known what he went through, but now it just seems like so much more.

Knowing all that he went through, I can't believe anyone would believe he was lying...he got no gain from telling people about his vision. He was persecuted, tarred and feathered, many of his children died...two of them because of a mob attack, his wife was persecuted, his friends were killed, he was thrown into jails, his own brother was killed in front of him, and finally he was murdered in the jail. And those are just a fraction of all the things he had to endure! All because he had a vision as a boy and restored the Lord's gospel to the earth. Anyone who wants to know for sure if this gospel is true just has to look at Joseph Smith for their answer...he didn't do it for gain or glory, he did it because it was true. He knew it was true and God knew it was true and he could not deny it.

Just like Paul when he testified to King Agrippa, he testified of the truth and even though he was persecuted, he would not deny it and offend God. What an amazing man!

I feel so blessed to have been born into this beautiful gospel of Christ. To have the church that existed at the time of Christ. To know the Plan for us, to know that God knows me personally and cares about me, to know that I can return. :)

You Know You're LDS If: You've been told that you have a "light" in your eyes that most people don't have.
You Know You're LDS If: People who aren't LDS speak badly of the church, but have a very high regard of most of the people in the church that they meet.

Jenni Radcliffe

October 29th, 2007, 2:47 am

That's why it's CALLED, a rigabamboo! I love Girls Camp soooo much.
so do i! :D i look forward to the next one as soon as the current one ends! hahaha !highlight of my year! and efy too... :lol:
we had stake conference today and it was really good! my stake president is actually my best friend's dad, that family is like my second family! so ever since he was made stake president it's been a different experience for me. i know him so well and so personally that his lessons are more real to me and i understand where a lot of the stories come from! the only bad thing is that he's comfortable picking on me and my friends in meetings... hahhaha

missypotter

October 29th, 2007, 6:13 pm

aliauthor

October 29th, 2007, 11:25 pm

I haven't been here is so long. I wasn't sure this thread was still here. It is nice to see the faces may change but the message is the same. Thanks Aliauthor for that video. I love hearing those two songs sung together that way. It depicts such a healthy spiritual relationship between young men and young women. It brings such a spirit of peace.

We had our Primary program two weeks ago. There was a large turn out for it. All the grandparents come to watch. Our kids did such a good job with both parts and singing. I have to give such thanks to the Primary choristers. They do a great job!

I have to say I loved Conference. I can't remember a Conference where so many of the speakers were so moved by the Spirit. Even watching it at home you could feel the strength of their spirits and their powerful messages.

Very true about the spirit. My grandpa, always a jokester, had seem Star Wars the night before conference and whenever someone would wrap up their talk, he would say 'the spirit is strong in that one' or something to that affect. :lol:

primary programs: They're great to invite nonmember friends to, too! The turnout is always great on the day of the program, and you get a lot of inactive people out to hear the kids sing. :tu:

PotterPig

October 31st, 2007, 12:36 am

I love that song too! It is probably one of my favorite. :) I have never heard the Mormon girls song though. Maybe it is a Utah thing.
Our primary program isnt until Veteran's Day either. I am a little nervous, but I am sure that it will be great and hopefully there will be angels lending me their fingers.

mac_attack

November 2nd, 2007, 6:11 pm

My single's ward is throwing a Thanksgiving dinner next thursday. :lol: And over here in Utah I am not-so-patiently waiting for snow now that Halloween is over! ;)

Whoa! Today we had one of those Sacrament Meetings you only ever hear about! (the kind where someone gets up and rambles on and on, possibly offending everyone in the room, before the Bishop has to kindly ask them to sit back down.) :whistle: It was really quite awkward to see.

Pegasus

November 7th, 2007, 7:14 pm

Wow. I've never even heard of that till now. That would be painful to watch.
We had a lull in our meeting so I got up to say something that was on my mind. I should never do that unless I'm practically pushed out of my seat because I always feel kind of silly afterwards. It seemed good at the time, but it wasn't actually a testimony, and, well, it didn't sound as good to me later. At least I kept it short.

aliauthor

November 7th, 2007, 11:14 pm

Whoa! Today we had one of those Sacrament Meetings you only ever hear about! (the kind where someone gets up and rambles on and on, possibly offending everyone in the room, before the Bishop has to kindly ask them to sit back down.) :whistle: It was really quite awkward to see.

very awkward. Someone got up at Youth Conference when there was a lull and was chastising us for fifteen minutes about how we should take this opportunity. I can understand how she wants our testimonies to grow, but that king of thing is discouraged- we have the 'its a testimony, not a thankimony, travel log, or preaching moment' lesson every so often.

Jenni Radcliffe

November 8th, 2007, 10:21 pm

Whoa! Today we had one of those Sacrament Meetings you only ever hear about! (the kind where someone gets up and rambles on and on, possibly offending everyone in the room, before the Bishop has to kindly ask them to sit back down.) It was really quite awkward to see.
haha that's interesting! There was a lady in my ward up until about 3 weeks ago (she moved) that got up EVERY fast and testimony meeting and used about 10 minutes of the time. We've heard everything in her testimony from swearing, to stories about her cats, and the nick name her husband calls her. those are just a few of the interesting ones! hahaha! she never ceased to surprise me! :err:
That's not what all of them are like in my ward though. there are also some of those short, sweet, heart-felt testimonies that help build you up, and of course the little kids who "bury" their testimony! :lol:

mac_attack

November 9th, 2007, 5:14 pm

haha that's interesting! There was a lady in my ward up until about 3 weeks ago (she moved) that got up EVERY fast and testimony meeting and used about 10 minutes of the time. We've heard everything in her testimony from swearing, to stories about her cats, and the nick name her husband calls her. those are just a few of the interesting ones! hahaha! she never ceased to surprise me! :err:
That's not what all of them are like in my ward though. there are also some of those short, sweet, heart-felt testimonies that help build you up, and of course the little kids who "bury" their testimony! :lol:

:rotfl: Yeah, this person got up and was going on and on about how the world is ending and the little kids know it, and that the church is true but they're going to keep smoking until they go on a mission, and that women are horrible, and all kinds of things. I think the whole congregation was wide-eyed by the end of it.

And we had a little kid (3 years old) who got up and "buried" his testimony, thanked his mom for not dying (she wasn't sick or anything, so this one's a mystery), and said he liked his toys. Then his little brother (about 1 and a half years) ran up and yelled, "name of Jesus Christ, Amen!" into the microphone. :lol: :rotfl: One of the cutest things ever!

aliauthor

November 9th, 2007, 6:09 pm

And we had a little kid (3 years old) who got up and "buried" his testimony, thanked his mom for not dying (she wasn't sick or anything, so this one's a mystery), and said he liked his toys. Then his little brother (about 1 and a half years) ran up and yelled, "name of Jesus Christ, Amen!" into the microphone. One of the cutest things ever!

Aww, how sweet! I also think its cute when little kids drag their parents up to help them, bear their testimony with no help, and look back up at their parents expectantly until the parent bears their testimony...priceless!

Ginny1976

November 9th, 2007, 8:52 pm

I've been in a few testimony meetings where the person actually brings several pages, like a talk, up with them and then talks for 20 minutes. That happened a couple of times. And then the Bishop talked to them after and it didn't happen again. I'm not entirely sure that they weren't supposed to be up there in the first place. But now that would be something of LDS legends, where the person getting up would be restrained. Now that would be horrible. I wonder if it's ever happened?

So this is a bit embarrassing, but I finally figured out why we don't have crosses or anything like that. It's just something that I've always taken for granted and never really thought about, until I was reading in the Old Testament, where it was talking about graven images, and it just hit me that those things are graven images. I know I'm way too old to not have known that, but it's not really talked about, just assumed to know. Not that it can't be talked about, but just the way of life for us. Does anyone know what I mean?

Lash Dresden

November 9th, 2007, 10:55 pm

Many years ago, someone asked the Prophet (I don't remember if it was Pres. Hinkley or prior) why, considering we're a christian religion, we don't use crosses on our buildings and etc. He said, without wishing to offend anyone or to disparage their use of crosses in their religion, we worship the living Christ. The fact that he lives again is more important to us than how he died. (I'm paraphrasing very badly.)

Ginny1976

November 10th, 2007, 12:50 am

I remember that too and thought that was the only reason. But now that I read that scripture and it just hit me so hard, I knew it wasn't just a thought. So now I know that there's more. :)

mac_attack

November 12th, 2007, 2:45 am

I have to give a talk next week. I totally had squeaked under their radar and hadn't been asked to give a talk yet (been in the ward nearly 2 years!) and my best friend decided to ruin it by telling the Bishopric that if she had to talk her 2nd week in the ward, it was only fair that they make me talk as well. :grumble:

I am NOT a good public speaker. I've given tons of talks before, but that was in my home ward, where I wasn't crushing on half the guys in the congregation and my family was sitting right there making faces at me. I just know I'm going to get up there and stutter and blush and speak really really fast. The only silver lining is that they know how shy I am and are only making me speak for 7 minutes. *whew*

I have to speak on following the Lord's cousel (basically the commandments and the prophet's teachings) and the happiness that comes from it. Easy enough subject that a 7 year old could do it, but I'm kinda blanking. I really want to give one of those "wow" talks that other people seem to be so good at...anyone have any tips??

I was thinking of talking about growing up with my family, my dad wasn't active, and just how our lives changed when he became active again and we were able to be sealed in the temple. I'm just not sure that will take 7 minutes...or that I won't cry. :blush:

aliauthor

November 12th, 2007, 8:19 pm

ALI'S TIPS FOR 'WOW' TALKS

-rope 'em in with a story or joke related to the subject. A kid in my ward was saying something about John the baptist and then said 'It's interesting how many similarities that John the Baptist and Winny the Pooh have. For example, they both have the same middle names'
-get them involved. our bishop had us get out a peice of paper at the beginning of his talk and write down a date. He didn't tell us what the date was until the end of his talk (it was the date of the next temple trip). Of course, there's always the hawaiian 'brothers and sisters, alo-HA!' where the congregation responds with 'alo-HA!' but the first one is a bit more reverent.
-don't be afraid to show emotion. Crying is okay, it proves that you're sincere. You can smile, slightly raise or lower your voice for emphasis, etc.

That's all I got for right now.

Ginny1976

November 12th, 2007, 9:10 pm

When I give a talk I just think that no one is really listening, or if they are, they won't remember it 2 minutes after I finish. They will all probably be thinking that it was nice, if they think of it at all.

Pegasus

November 13th, 2007, 4:49 pm

aliauthor

November 14th, 2007, 3:43 am

Just FYI: The Brethren have stated that opening with a joke is inappropriate for church meetings and not conducive to the Spirit. It is better to just start in on a spiritual note.

Thanks for the fyi (you know you're LDS if you thought FYI said EFY at first glance...hehe)

But humor is good- President Hinckley cracks a joke in conference sometimes! I love that guy :)

succubus

November 14th, 2007, 6:49 pm

I have a question that I've wondered about for many years. Please let me know if I am overstepping any boundaries by asking this question and I want to say in advance that I do not intend to offend by asking.

What is the significance of wearing garments? I was told once by an LDS co-worker that it had something to do with a measure of modesty in dress but this never really made sense to me since I lived in Utah for a couple of years and knew many LDS folks that would frequent the local swimming pool in a bathing suit. I didn't ask my co-worker nor any other LDS member to further explain this to me since she didn't seem very open to speaking about this topic.

By the way, I commend the LDS church on its extensive genealogical resources. I wish that I had been into genealogy all those years ago when I lived in Utah as I would have benefited greatly by visiting their library. I have found many valuable leads on the LDS genealogy website that has helped me trace some family lines quite a distance back.

Pegasus

November 14th, 2007, 8:15 pm

Swimming is one of the few exceptions to wearing garments. Professional athletes, etc. may also opt not to wear them during strenuous physical exercise out of respect to their significance. They do have sacred meaning to us in addition to the modesty issue, but because it is sacred, we don't talk much about it, as you noticed.
Some awesome things have happened in the world of genealogy in the past few years. Because of them, my mom has actually been able to trace our line back to the pilgrims and even earlier. It's amazing to me.

Ginny1976

November 14th, 2007, 8:55 pm

Here you go, succubus! It's from lds.org newsroom.

" Like members of many religious faiths, Latter-day Saints wear religious clothing. But members of other faiths — typically those involved in permanent pastoral ministries or religious services — usually wear religious garments as outer ceremonial vestments or symbols of recognition. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, garments are worn beneath street clothing as a personal and private reminder of commitments to God.

Garments are considered sacred by Church members and are not regarded as a topic for casual conversation."

And the link as well:
http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=6b4daf3d29baf010VgnVCM10000017 6f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=3e0511154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610a RCRD

succubus

November 14th, 2007, 11:56 pm

Thanks for the responses Pegasus and Ginny1976. This does help clear it up for me somewhat - particularly the part quoted from the LDS newsroom about garments being a personal and private reminder of commitments to God.

Pegasus, I've often thought of compiling a book of a few of the family lines in both my maternal and paternal lines, but the task is quite daunting. If and when I ever do decide to record my genealogy, I will certainly send copies to the LDS library for other researchers to use in the future. I would love to give back to something that has given me so much. That is fabulous that your mother traced your lines back to the pilgrims! I have one family line that is traced back to the early 1700's from France - one of my descendants in that line helped Bienville found the city of New Orleans. Family history is truly amazing and should be kept alive.

Ginny1976

November 15th, 2007, 4:10 am

Well, Succubus, if you like genealogy so much, you should see this site. It's called Family Search Indexing. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints put together a way for anyone to be able to help with family history through indexing. "Volunteers extract family history information from digital images of historical documents to create searchable indexes that assist everyone in finding their ancestors."
Here's the link, if you're intrigued!
http://www.familysearchindexing.org/en/index.jsp

mac_attack

November 17th, 2007, 7:32 am

Hey guys! I'm having a little trouble with my talk, procrastinator that I am! I only have to take up 7 minutes, and I already have quite a bit written, but it's missing something. I can't figure it out. If anyone has a unique scripture or remembers a story told in conference or anything like that, could you post it or owl me? If not, it will be fine, I'm sure. :) I'm the first speaker, so by the time it's over they'll hopefully have forgotten me. ;)

By the way, I you both covered Succubus' question very well. I didn't know how to answer it as I am not very familiar with the subject, but I knew it was sacred and I wasn't sure if I should answer or if I might say something wrong. Reading your answers helped me understand a little bit more as well.

Theodwyn2963

November 18th, 2007, 12:03 am

mac_attack

November 18th, 2007, 3:34 am

I'm not a member of the LDS church, but I have a question for all of you. Please tell me if I'm being impertinent. I was wondering what the general reaction is to people stereotyping and being rude to your faith. In my area, we have a large amount of discrimination against the LDS church. The vast majority of people here believe the church still practices polygamy and trade tips on how to get rid of missionaries. They spread ridiculous rumors about your doctrine including aliens and goddesses. I have a few LDS friends who take it in stride, just staying quiet, but I can imagine how hard it is to deal with these people. So, how do you put up with it?

That's a good question. For me, even when people say horrible things about me or my family or my faith, I just remind myself that they too are children of our Father in Heaven. He loves them every bit as much as He loves me, and He wants me to treat them with love and kindness. They may say bad things about me and others, but they aren't bad people. There are times when it is hard to still be kind to such people, and during those times I just ignore it.

I think retaliating or fighting back would be pointless, but I do not let people walk all over me. ;) There are times when people try to argue with me, try to force their opinions upon me, and I will try to patiently explain my beliefs and let them know that no matter what they say, I will continue to believe in this gospel. If I were to retaliate, though, would be what they wanted me to do. It's not worth it. What Heavenly Father thinks of me is more important than what the whole world thinks of me. His opinion is the only one that will ever matter.

I don't understand why some people can be so set against a church that they haven't bothered to learn about. I have to chalk it up to ignorance on their part. It truly is ignorance, to me, to believe the rumors spread about a religion rather than searching for the truths.

Some of the rumors concerning the LDS faith are hilarious to me...I don't know where people come up with them, or why anyone believes them! :lol: I had a friend who was at a gas station once, and a guy working there found out she was Mormon, and asked, "but if you're mormon,...then where are your horns?" She is quite the joker, and told him she hides them under her hair. :rotfl:...he believed it. :no:

I do think that anyone who would bother to get to know us, would realize that we are completely normal people. We don't churn our own butter, we're not forbidden from dancing or wearing makeup, we don't practice polygamy, we are allowed to have cell phones, we can swim, we don't ride in horse-drawn-buggies...etc, etc, etc. ;) Most people who know a person of the LDS faith, think they are genuinely good, honest, hardworking, fun-loving, happy people.

BTW, and you may tell the people in your area this if they would hear it, if the missionaries try to knock on your door, you don't have to listen to them, but please try to be nice. :) They give up two years of their lives, some of them even giving up scholarships and college spots to do it, to serve the Lord, to preach his gospel. Having doors slammed in their faces repeatedly can take a toll on them. They have to pay their own way on missions (most of the guys I know have been saving up since they were 16), so they aren't getting any financial benefit from being out there. They are often very poor, very tired, and probably hungry. You don't have to listen to them, but offering them a glass of water or a snack is something they would really appreciate. :) Those poor boys (and girls, of course) get pretty thirsty out there all day!

This is dragging on very long, and I still have to write my talk before 9:30 tomorrow, so I'll end it here. I hope I answered your question, feel free to ask something else if I was confusing. :D Have a good day.

Ginny1976

November 18th, 2007, 4:21 am

Nice answer Mac attack!
I think that covers just about everything, but let me add this. We try to follow Jesus Christ's example. If you look at the history of Christianity, up until the apostles were killed, not to mention the LDS church, we're not unaccustomed to prejudice and persecution. Like your LDS friends, we really do just take it in stride and try, if they will allow, to set them straight on what we believe.
So not impertinent at all. Actually it's nice to see other's not of our faith to stick up for us. :)

Jenni Radcliffe

November 19th, 2007, 4:10 am

Good answers guys. I'd just like to add a little example. When i was in 3rd grade i was the only member of the church in my whole school. it wasn't such a big deal to me because i was so young, and i'm sure it wasn't nearly as brutal or hard as you get in high school or junior high. but i (like mac_attack's friend) got asked where my horns were on my first day at a brand new school. Being so little, i had no idea what they were even talking about, never having heard that rumor. so i'm sure i looked very confused. I also had many parents tell their kids not to play with me anymore, or not let their kids come over to my house. :no: It was really sad! But the friends i did make, people who didn't care about my religion, were very surprised to learn that i was a normal little girl. i ate normal food, played barbies and house, wore normal clothes, my family was normal and had normal jobs, and i did well in school. I hope that i made a bit of difference for them, and maybe they defend LDS people now. I just think it's sad that people judge members of the church before they get to know them. Personally, i've just learned that others are free to believe what they want just as I am. They're free to act however they want, and maybe someday they might meet someone who will change their image of our religion.
additionally, i like how this man deals with protestors out side General Conference. :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1wu1r9cEo

xraydude

November 19th, 2007, 5:33 am

They have to pay their own way on missions (most of the guys I know have been saving up since they were 16), so they aren't getting any financial benefit from being out there. They are often very poor, very tired, and probably hungry. You don't have to listen to them, but offering them a glass of water or a snack is something they would really appreciate. :) Those poor boys (and girls, of course) get pretty thirsty out there all day!

That is something that I did not know, and will be sure to offer that and more the next time I am visited. I can respect that kind of devotion. Are they allowed to come inside my home and sit down to talk over a snack? I have always wanted to engage one of the missionaries in a two way conversation about the LDS faith as well as my own, but I have been afraid that they would be offended or that they are not allowed. Are the missionaries free to discuss other faiths while visiting? I would just feel more comfortable in a frank discussion if I know the other person will at least listen to my views as well.

Ginny1976

November 19th, 2007, 3:24 pm

The missionaries for our church would be more than happy to sit down and discuss our religion with you. If you don't want to wait for them to happen by, you can go to mormon.org (http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=57b29c3a68a50110VgnVCM1000003a 94610aRCRD&locale=0) and fill out a form to have them come to you. They will sit and listen and tell you what we believe as well. I'm sure it would be very enlightening for you. If you'd rather not go on the website, please post or owl and I can give you a phone number you can call or you can simply look up The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in your phone book and call. Let us know how it works out for you! And thanks so much for having an open mind!

aliauthor

November 19th, 2007, 4:46 pm

jenni: That's a hilarious video! I wish I'd thought of that...

xraydude: I'm sure they'd love to come in and talk with you about religion- follow Ginny's instructions or ask a friend or neighbor that's LDS if they could contact them. Like she said, thanks for having an open mind! The missionaries appreciate it. :)

mac_attack

November 19th, 2007, 6:53 pm

Ginny said it all. :) The missionaries are happy to meet with anyone to discuss religion further.

While on the subject of how poor missionaries really are, and to give everyone an example: My friend Paul was on his mission (to Argentina, I think). He kept writing home, telling his mom that for Christmas all he wanted was a pair of new shoes. She really didn't want to buy him any, cause he'd only been out there for about 3 or 4 months and he'd bought new shoes before he left, so she wanted to get him something else, but he kept pleading for new shoes. So she bought him the new shoes he asked for, and sent them to him...a couple weeks later, she got a package in the mail. He had sent her his old shoes! They were so cracked and worn out, the soles of both shoes had split open and you could literally bend the shoe in half. Only a small strip of leather (and tape) was holding them together. :lol: Shoes were such an expense, that he'd had to wait until Christmas to ask for new ones.

Also, talking to the missionaries, whether you take the discussions or not, is always appreciated. They write and receive letters from friends and family, but they are only allowed to call and talk to them twice a year: Mother's Day and Christmas.

Jenni, that anti-anti-Mormon free hugs video is awesome! I don't understand why some people hate our religion so much that they feel the need to come disrupt the spirit of our meetings with their protests. There are churches I don't agree with, but I don't hold up signs telling them they're going to hell! I don't disrupt things that they feel are sacred or special! Protesters are so frustrating, Conference is a happy, spiritual experience and they should respect that, whatever they believe! I did comment on that video, and told the guy who did it how great I thought it was. If he does it again in April, I may just go and help out with my own Free Hugs sign! ;)

The protesters at Conference should be ashamed of themselves. They call themselves Christian, but none of them are following Christ's example by what they are doing there. Imagine if they were protesting mecca and Muslims, or the wailing wall and Jews. This kind of bigotry needs to end.

I was at the Manti Pageant about two years ago, and an anti-Mormon protester confronted me and started trying to push all of these pamphlets into my hands and saying all these bad things about Joseph Smith. I kept telling him I didn't want anything he had, and to back off, but he wouldn't. Eventually I got so frustrated I just shoved the stuff back in his hands and ran off. I had a friend who had the same thing happen to her, but instead she took all the stuff he gave her, ripped it up and threw it at his feet, and told him to get lost.

PotterPig

November 19th, 2007, 11:04 pm

Hi Everybody,
That was a really cute video. I went to general conference once and we pretty much just ignored all the protestors. I think you all answered the questions pretty well and I just wanted to add my two cents.
At general conference, Elder Ballard talked about different ways to give out facts and information about the church. I think sometimes the best way to handle criticism is not to argue but to replace it with the correct information. Sometimes that can be enough for just one person to rethink their perceptions.
When I was growing up I really didn't have a lot of persecution, but there was a kid I went to school with that would tell me I wasn't Christian in front of other people. I think this was just a belief that came from the congregation he attended. Instead of being defensive I just explained to him that I was and that anybody that said I wasn't a Christian was not truly informed.
There was also another family that we knew growing up who went to a Christian church and the pastor said something anti-mormon. The family stood up and walked out because they knew my family and that we were Mormon and that we were good people.
So we need to first recognize that their criticism comes from not being informed and second, be willing to share short facts about the church that can clear up their misconceptions.

Theodwyn2963

November 21st, 2007, 2:54 am

Wow! I've gotten a lot of great responses for this. Thanks especially to mac_attack, who explained their views very thoroughly. I really can see and sympathize with most of what you said. I had no idea about those missionaries, I'll invite them in next time. I wasn't aware they had to pay their own way. I normally just quietly take the pamphlets and politely say that I'm not interested. I also use the same method as you for taking beef from others... I happen to be Eastern Orthodox, so you can imagine the kind of stereotypes I get from that. ::rolleyes:

Well, thanks for all the responses, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Pegasus

November 25th, 2007, 5:35 am

I attended a funeral today for my good friend's dad. I got asked at the last minute to help with a special musical number because the soprano part was too high for the ladies who were asked to do it. I very carefully did not look at the family so I wouldn't cry and managed not to choke at all until the last chorus.

I'm singing in sacrament meeting tomorrow, too. This one should be much easier. I'm doing Come Unto Him from The Messiah, which is very nice and appropriate but isn't going to make me cry.

Having the gospel changes everything. It was repeated again and again today that he died a quick death, is very busy continuing the work he was doing on the earth (he attended the temple weekly, did his home teaching faithfully, etc.), and we will see him again.

mac_attack

November 26th, 2007, 5:50 am

That was good of you to help, Pegasus. It's hard not to cry at those kinds of things. I sang (in a group of grandchildren) at my grandpa's funeral three years ago. We sang I Am A Child Of God and I barely made it through the first verse. The song still brings me to tears everytime.

The gospel does change everything. My grandpa's funeral, while sad, was a celebration of his life. My mom and her brothers and sister spoke of their favorite memories of him, and told stories about his kindness and humor. :) There were many tears, but also a lot of laughter. We all knew it wasn't the end, that he had passed peacefully, and that we will see him again.

My cousin's grandma just died about two months ago and the funeral couldn't have been more different. They are Catholic, and so had a Catholic funeral as opposed to our LDS one. The atmosphere was beyond depressing, there was no celebration of her life or stories from the people who knew her best. For them, it was the end. The gloom in the church was almost tangible, there were people just sobbing and breaking down, and I felt so sorry for them that they didn't know! I wanted to tell them all about the Plan of Happiness, that we will be with our families again, and that death is not the end.

The gospel just changes your entire outlook. I still miss my grandpa, more that I can even begin to describe, but I know I will see him again. I know he is where he is supposed to be, learning the things he needs to know. I know he is watching over me, and he wants me to do the things I need to, to make it there too. It helps to think of him right there, cheering me on, when I'm having a hard time. There is no doubt in my mind at all. I know it as sure as I know the sun will come up in the morning. It's a joy to have that knowledge. I can't imagine having to go through the loss of a loved one and not know.

We had three lessons about Tithing today in church. :lol: And sadly, today was the day I forgot to bring my money. :no: I swear, I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached! Hopefully I will remember tomorrow for FHE.

You Know You're LDS If: You see two young men standing on a street corner, wearing suits, and immediately start screaming, "Missionaries! Everyone WAVE!!!" and honking the car horn. Only, after you pass them, you realize: No nametags or backpacks or bikes or anything...they are just businessmen trying to cross the street. :blush: (Oh come on, you know you've done it too!)

Quibbler Reader

November 26th, 2007, 5:04 pm

We had three lessons about Tithing today in church. :lol: And sadly, today was the day I forgot to bring my money. :no: I swear, I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached! Hopefully I will remember tomorrow for FHE.

Heh, at least you remember, I've had my tithing sitting in my checkign account, building up all year. I just keep forgetting to bring my checkbook with me and/or bring home a slip. To mnake it worse, I'm my ward's financial secretary, so you would think I would remember. :grumble:

mac_attack

November 26th, 2007, 10:03 pm

Heh, at least you remember, I've had my tithing sitting in my checkign account, building up all year. I just keep forgetting to bring my checkbook with me and/or bring home a slip. To mnake it worse, I'm my ward's financial secretary, so you would think I would remember. :grumble:

Well...until about August, I didn't really have any income. :no: (I was going to school until May, and I take care of my Nana as well...she's diabetic, so finding a job with hours that will let me be there when she needs tests or food is hard. But hopefully it should get better soon, because we just found out that Medicare might send someone out during the day to do her tests and things. I might get to go to college!!)

But now I have tithing to be paid and keep forgetting...I keep forgetting to get a reimbursement slip thing from the bishop too. I had to buy all kinds of ingredients for Enrichment night...the receipt is sitting around here somewhere.

:lol: You're the financial secretary and forgot your tithing! :rotfl: (I'm laughing with you. ;)) At least you have it though, it's not like you spent it or anything. That wouldn't be good.

I'm pretty sure I'm the worst visiting teacher. :no: It's down to the end of the month again. Anyone have any tips on how to be better?

Pegasus

November 26th, 2007, 10:07 pm

I'm pretty sure I'm the worst visiting teacher. :no: It's down to the end of the month again. Anyone have any tips on how to be better?
I would love a response to that myself. We've got what, five days left? I seriously went on Halloween last month.

aliauthor

November 27th, 2007, 12:19 am

My mom's visting teacher is here right now! hehe. I love helping my mom make cookies and stuff in December, but since I'm not old enough to Visit Teach, I don't really have any tips.

PotterPig

November 30th, 2007, 12:17 am

Do it early is about the only thing I can think of, but I shouldn't talk because I am just as guilty.

mac_attack

December 1st, 2007, 7:37 am

I just got back from The Forgotten Carols! :D :D It was SO amazing. I went for the first time last year and fell in love with it. Now I think it's going to be a tradition in our family to go every year. Michael Mclean is a pretty awesome guy. I always break down during Homeless, Arise, and when the audience sings together.

Quibbler Reader

December 1st, 2007, 6:57 pm

Well, with regards to home and visiting teaching, I wouldn't worry about the once a month visits (I see it as a "letter of the law" type thing). I see them as just guidelines. Sure, its expected, but being a home/visiting teacher is being a friend to those you visit. If you only talk to them once a month, you're not doing it correctly. And it doesn't always have to be a "spiritual message" type of visist. Those are good, but heck, I remember taking several of my home teachee's out for ice cream and also bowling or other fun activities. We also hung around each other alot. True, that was back in my college days at BYU when I had more free time than I do now, but the idea is to just treat them as friends you hang around . . . with several spiritual messages tossed in to boot. ;)

mac_attack

December 3rd, 2007, 5:18 am

That's good advice, Quibbler! The problem with my girls is that we don't live close together or see each other that often. And two of them are planning their weddings! But I could definitely just send them texts and emails just to check up with them. And ask them if they need any help or anything I can do, along with visiting. :) Strange coincidence that one of the girls I visit is my visiting teacher. :lol: We usually see a lot of each other come the end of the month, me at her house one night and she at mine the next. :rotfl:

Did anyone watch the Christmas devotional? I thought it was beautiful. :) I especially liked President Monson's talk about the train set.

You Know You're LDS If: *sigh* You go to your family Christmas party, and at the end they are deciding whose names are all going in the hat to draw again for next year's name exchange. And they all look at you when you write your name, and only your name, down on the paper. And then you have to explain that you really don't see yourself meeting, dating, and marrying a guy before this time next year. :rotfl: But they remain hopeful anyway.

mac_attack

December 7th, 2007, 7:04 am

Hey everyone! I apologize beforehand for the double post, but no one was posting on here and I wanted to get everyone's opinion...

I was considering making a thread in the books section for LDS literature. At first I was just going to make one for The Work & The Glory, but then I figured maybe some people hadn't read that but had read other LDS books. So I thought the thread might be a good idea, since I have read a lot of stuff like that and would like to discuss it. But I wasn't sure if any of the few people on here who are LDS would even post in a thread like that, so it might be pointless. (This is all a lot of thought to go into something at midnight)

So I was wondering if there was anyone here who would actually post in such a thread about their favorite LDS stuff (Jack Weyland, Franklin Covey, Lynn Gardner, The Work & The Glory, Children of the Promise, BOM of course, etc, etc, etc.) Because if no one would really post, I see no point to it really. ;)

Hope everyone is doing well!

Pegasus

December 7th, 2007, 10:13 am

I personally think this thread would be sufficient for those kinds of conversations, but that's a personal opinion. I tried to discuss Mormon Doctrine or something similar in here a few years ago and it didn't take because no one else had read it.
I read The Forgotten Carols last night (well, a few hours ago; I was sick and sleeping most of the day and it's biting me back now). I'd heard the soundtrack but I've never seen the performance and didn't know the story. Quick read. I enjoyed it. Mr. Finnigan's Christmas Chest was good, too; I'm going to share it with the kids this weekend. These are both books that we got for Christmas last year but I hadn't gotten around to.

Ginny1976

December 7th, 2007, 2:36 pm

I've read some of those books. Depending on which book, it would be nice to talk about them. And of course, the BoM is always great to talk about!

mac_attack

December 7th, 2007, 10:21 pm

For now, unless people want to change it, I think we can just discuss it here, like Pegasus said. :)

The missionaries just came by my house. Poor boys. It's soaking wet outside, and I think one of them is from Florida. :lol: They're both bundled up in huge heavy jackets, gloves, and hats. If they come back, I might make them come get some hot chocolate and cookies.

AchelRay

December 9th, 2007, 5:24 am

I don't envy them at the moment. It only got worse today... Traipsing through the torrential rain yesterday and then snow today cannot be good for one's health.

mac_attack

December 11th, 2007, 10:04 pm

Someone broke into my parent's church building and stole the computer with everyone's records on it. :sad:

Their building was just barely completed 2 weeks ago. It's been in the building stage for some time now, and they finally finished all of it, and held the open house just about 2 weeks ago! It was one of the most beautiful chapels I've been in. They really did an amazing job putting it together.

They said the person who broke in broke a window into one of the Bishop's offices, didn't touch anything in there, and then went straight into my parent's Bishop's office and tried to break into the drawer with the temple recommend slips. God was watching out though, because on the drawer of the brand new desk, instead of sliding open, the handle just broke and fell off and the drawer was unable to be opened. Whoever broke in then stole the computer with everyone's records on it. My friend reassured me that church computers are pretty hard to hack into, and that there's really nothing on the files that could be of any use to someone.

It's sad though, that someone would try something like that. It would take a horrible person to break into a House of God and steal something. Especially with pictures of Christ all over, I'm not sure what kind of person wouldn't feel guilty and change their mind, just by looking at the pictures and knowing that they were in God's house. :no:

I do hope they catch the person who did it, and that the building can be fixed where it was broken.

Ginny1976

December 11th, 2007, 10:32 pm

The world is full of people who do horrible things. i would think that the person who stole the computer was a member or an ex member to have know where to go. The scary thing for me is not knowing who in you congregation does bad things.
We had an incident in Stake Conference a few weeks ago where a man took a picture of a 10 year old boy while he was in a stall using the bathroom. The boy had the sense enough (I wouldn't have) to peek through the crack in the door to see who it was. The man had an Usher tag on and eventually was brought in by the Stake President and taken away by the police. The bishop of the ward that the man was from said that the guy was supposed to have been shadowed the whole time he was there. Obviously he was not and thankfully nothing further was able to come from him.
There was a news article about a man taking a little girl from an LDS church on a weeknight. She was found about a mile away, not the sweet, innocent she had been. And as it turns out, there were 2 or 3 other girls that were abducted from the same building.
It's terrifying what can happen in our own churches. but the world can be an evil place that we live and we are just as susceptible to all of it. Just because we are at church, doesn't mean that bad people can't be there.
I've come to be on high alert where ever I go with my kids. They are just too precious to not be.

Sorry this is so much gloom and doom! It's just good to be aware and know what you're up against.

aliauthor

December 13th, 2007, 3:29 pm

Wow mac_attack, that is horrible!

On a different note, I just watched 'Mr. Kreuger's Christmas' for the first time since last year. I'd forgotten how much I loved that movie!

mac_attack

December 13th, 2007, 4:30 pm

That is a good movie! :p It always makes me a little sad at first, when the lady isn't very nice. But it's a really sweet movie. We got a copy of it in the mail last year from the church so last year was the first time we really watched it all together. Christmastime at church/church activities really is lots of fun, when everyone's in the Christmasy mood. :) My FHE group went to Temple Square on Monday, and we're having our Christmas party tonight.

Pegasus

December 13th, 2007, 7:16 pm

We're doing Temple Square a week from Sunday. My chorus is singing at the Assembly Hall, so it's the perfect opportunity. We watch as many of the Christmas videos that are running at the Visitor's Center as we can and, admittedly, avoid the mad pilgrimage to the Christus Statue until the lights go down.
Last year we weren't able to do much because we were too cold. This year I'm taking warm clothes to change into and we're taking blankets to wrap on top of our winter gear.

mac_attack

December 13th, 2007, 9:14 pm

Good idea about the blankets, Pegasus! Monday was absolutely freezing! I was wearing two layers of pants, 2 shirts, a hoodie, two pairs of socks, gloves, and a scarf and still froze! The only part of me that stayed warm was my hands, because my friend found us these nifty little hand warmers at the store. You just shake the little baggy that comes in the package, and whatever is inside of it warms right up. It kept my hands nice and warm for at least 2 hours!

I'd recommend at least triple layers, maybe more for the little ones. There were so many babies there on Monday who's parents had left their little hands and cheeks exposed to the cold. I don't know how old your kids are, but I'd still recommend thick gloves and something to wear around their face, whether its a ski mask or a scarf tied around them.

GrangerHermione

December 15th, 2007, 5:04 am

Wow mac_attack, that is horrible!

On a different note, I just watched 'Mr. Kreuger's Christmas' for the first time since last year. I'd forgotten how much I loved that movie!

I watched that movie the other day, too! I feel so sorry for him at first when he's all alone and imagining that people care about him, but it gets better in the end and I'm happy again. :) And the music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is so beautiful! I wish that I could have a CD of their Christmas songs! That would really be great! I would listen to it all the time. :rockon:

PotterPig

December 16th, 2007, 3:37 pm

I have one Christmas CD from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and I love it. Actually, it's in my cd player right now. It's called "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir." I don't know how many Christmas albums they have.

You know you're LDS if: You use the phrase MoTab.

Pegasus

December 17th, 2007, 12:49 am

They have MANY Christmas CDs. I have two of them and they're both my favorite. :D

katana

December 17th, 2007, 2:41 am

Wow! Can I just say how cool it is that there is a Latter Day Saint thread here. It's the first one I've run across. That's awesome.

I'd like to get some of the CD's the Choir has out. I love listening to them sing. It's so powerful. I'd love to see them perform in person.

GrangerHermione

December 18th, 2007, 5:55 am

Did any of you guys get to see the First Presidency Christmas Devotional? It wasn't too long ago. . . anyway watched it on TV and the MoTab Choir was BEAUTIFUL! I would absolutely love to hear them in person, too, Katana.

mac_attack

December 18th, 2007, 6:54 am

They are very powerful to listen to in person! I'm fairly certain that all you have to do to get tickets is just get them at the right moment when they go online, they go pretty fast. I think they're free...at least, the tickets we got were free. I can't remember if ours were for MoTab or the bell choir. :huh: Or, if you know someone in the choir, that's often a way in. The choir members get tickets to give out for dress rehearsals and things like that. That's how my family got into one of the concerts a couple of years ago.

I'll have to check and post back, but I'm pretty sure that the tickets are free...

Pegasus

December 19th, 2007, 12:43 am

MoTab does not charge. To my knowledge, every concert on Temple Square is free.
I have a question that makes me feel a bit old: My daughter is reading Chris Heimerdinger's Tennis Shoes books. She started a couple years ago and they got too scary, so she stopped. she picked up Book 5 again when my husband and I told her we were going to see Passage to Zarahemla but she can't see it till she's older since it's PG-13 (she's 9). She's handling them much better now. When she finishes them, what should I suggest next? She's into adventure stories, but not teenage angst (being 9 and all), so I don't think Jack Weyland is a good idea, and I think she's still too young to give The Work and the Glory a try. She tried those mouse books that are popular right now with the younger kids (I thing one is called Ravenspell) but they don't appeal to her.

mac_attack

December 19th, 2007, 1:18 am

There are a few fairy tale type books at Deseret Book that I saw. One is one that I recommended for the COS Book Club. It's called Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey, and is basically a retelling of Cinderella.
There's also the FableHaven series by Brandon Mull, which has been compared to Harry Potter. I'm not sure of the age recommendation for that series (only the 1st two books are out to my knowledge). The author of that did write another called Candy Shop Wars...All his books are fantasy genre.

She may like the Leven Thumps series as well...

There was one I was going to suggest and I have completely spaced what it was! If I remember I'll be sure to suggest it.
It's been such a long time since I was 9, that I've forgotten what I liked to read then. :blush: I do remember reading the Kate's Turn series and the Emeralds and Espionage series(gem/jewel series), but those may be a bit mature for her.

I applaud you for having those ratings standards set high! :) My family is a bit lax on those standards...my cousin let's his 10, 6, and 4 year old kids sit in the room with him when he watches R rated movies. (Not all R rated movies, but some...but the violence onscreen was too much for even me to look at, I can't imagine letting the little ones watch.) I think it's a good idea to wait until your kid is old enough to handle thins like that. :tu:

Pegasus

December 19th, 2007, 1:47 am

Yeah, I have family that things I'm overly strict because I have a problem with a lot of PG movies. (Though this one becomes looser as they get older.) The thing is that the industry has relaxed their standards so much since I was a teenager that I don't see many PG-13 movies anymore. As the MPAA relaxes their standards, it only makes sense to me to tighten them for my family.
Passage to Zarahemla will be good when my kids are teenagers, and that's the intended audience, anyway. I appreciate the lack of language problems, etc., but it is a bit violent and intense. My husband and I saw Mr. Bean's Holiday, on the other hand, and couldn't wait to take the kids! Movies that clean are few and far between. (I find it sad that even Disney-produced movies are starting to incorporate swearing and adult themes.)

PotterPig

December 19th, 2007, 1:58 am

It is very refreshing to see nice wholesome movies being made every now and then.

AchelRay

December 20th, 2007, 4:27 am

It is very refreshing to see nice wholesome movies being made every now and then.
They're definitely hard to find. I went to see Enchanted with one of my friends and my mom thought about sending my little sister with me. (the girl I went with has lived next door for ages and has likely watched my little sister more then I have) Anyway, my little sister decided not to come and I'm pretty glad that she didn't come. There were some moments...

Pegasus

December 20th, 2007, 4:40 am

Good to know. Thank you. I was wondering about taking my kids to that.

PotterPig

December 20th, 2007, 4:09 pm

That is too bad because I heard it was really cute.

Pegasus

December 20th, 2007, 5:45 pm

I'll have to watch it and see which kids are old enough for it, because I want to see it anyway.
Temple Square is this Sunday. Salt Lake is in the 40s and raining today. If it lasts we may be able to take our time after my concert and enjoy the lights!

Jenni Radcliffe

December 20th, 2007, 9:10 pm

wow! i haven't been here in like a month! life has just been CRAZY!
BUT...
i have a hard time watching a lot of the new movies that come out, although there are some that are awesome. Like Meet the Robinsons... i loved that one! but people are just getting so loose..
Christmas is so soon! I'm way excited! It truly is the best time of the year for me! I love it! And I've learned over the years that it truly is way more fun when you serve other people throughout the season. My parents were really good to teach me that early. we've done a sub for santa every year. It's become my favorite part of Christmas!
Oh ya. and the Christmas devotional was awesome! Of course, I've heard President Monson's story many, many times, but it was awesome to hear him tell it. (that story is in my family's book of Christmas stories that we read every night leading up to Christmas!)
You know you're LDS (and probably a teenager...) if-- you're dreading the new year because you've just gotten used to this year's church schedule and you're not so excited for the new 9 o'clock time. (i'm not a morning person... not at all....)

Pegasus

December 20th, 2007, 10:11 pm

See, I'm quite happy about going to 9:00. It's actually easier to be to church on time because there's no time to do anything else distracting before church. We've been doing 11 to 2, and interferes with both lunchtime and my preschooler's naptime.

mac_attack

December 21st, 2007, 6:55 am

Try doing 1:30 to 4:30. By the time church's over, you go home, eat dinner, and the day is gone. And if it's winter, by the time you get out of church, it's dark! But that was back when we had 4 or 5 wards meeting in our building...now we've only got 2 or 3, so hopefully we'll get the 9:00 block! Right now I'm at 9:30, and I have to say, It's my favorite time so far. Not too early, but not too late. (although, I usually end up late for church anyway...has nothing to do with the time it starts. Just me running on Mormon Standard Time. :p)

One thing I miss about being a kiddo in the family ward: the teachers were all very generous with the treats. My last Sunday School teacher before I left for the Single's, was great. His idea of teaching was bringing a movie in, bringing us food, and letting us watch. :D We did all church movies, except for one two-week viewing of The Legend of Johnny Lingo, and we ate cake, cookies, doughnuts, jelly beans, etc. He was a good cook and liked to try out recipes on us.

Funny thing is, I think we learned a lot more in his class than we did in other classes. We were able to become very close, and he'd talk to us about our lives and what was going on and he always gave really good advice. And our class had the highest attendance rate! It was much better for me, than those classes where the teacher just makes everyone take turns reading.

I have to say, one of my favorite church movies is the adaptation of The Prodigal Son...I always sympathized with the brother who stayed home and then envied the prodigal brother when he came back because he was treated so nicely. In the movie of it, the brother always wants to know why everyone's treating the one brother like a prince when he was the one who stayed and "was the good guy". And it seemed like he couldn't catch a break, and all these blessings were going to the prodigal son. It took me a long time, but I finally figured out something...the brother who stayed was blessed. He didn't have to go through the trials and things that the prodigal brother did. He didn't have to have his faith tested, and to be broken, and then have to come back and repent. He already had all his blessings around him, he just couldn't see them. :) It was an insight when I first realized it.