Calm

Also this mentioned in your story: https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2025/09/04/succeed-in-school-program-offered-30-countries-youth-mentorship/

How many signatures are required for financial payments? My husband (former clerk) says two, but it’s been awhile since he has been a clerk and procedures may have changes if only done online now. If two, can a counselor typically sign these and if so, can it typically be two counselors?

Guidelines say a bishop can approve an order under the SP’s direction. The problem as I see it with the info given is the SP was only aware of the original order, after that the bishop did it on his own initiative, which isn’t necessarily dishonest, but does seem foolish as is he thought about it, he would have seen it was unreasonable and against guidelines to assume any further payments past the stated time period were okay without official approval, but stress lowers our ability to critique our own decisions in my opinion. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/22-providing-for-temporal-needs?lang=eng The bolded part makes it pretty clear imo the poster followed correct procedure the first time that covered 2/3 months, but he essentially approved it himself and had the counselor sign off on it for any other times (how many?). Unless I misunderstand what the poster meant, this would be like a member not going back to the bishop, but just telling the counselor to make the payment, which would be obviously not acceptable, even if all the forms were filled out correctly.

But the poster (bishop) followed procedure correctly the first time, so it’s understandable why the SP would assume he would follow it the second time. Does the SP check all welfare transactions that go through the ward?

That’s what reviews and/or recaps can do if anyone cares.

I agree. Got to wonder how much therapy they have gone to or if they are familiar with anything but what they might see on the screen.

Amen

Yeah, they ended up getting divorced. I know a lot of kids who loved being part of a large family (my husband at least as an adult, one of 8 with one adopted) and others who felt unseen, unimportant.

I have known a couple of families where one kid is doing a homecoming talk while another does their farewell. It probably depends on the kids, in the one case I know how they felt they liked it. Can’t remember why, maybe they had a sense of passing the baton. I do have concerns about kids who feel like they are wanted because quantity is what is most important to their parents and not that they are loved as individuals. I have a relative who married a woman who wanted 8 kids because the woman she admired most had 8 kids and everyone knew this. They had six or seven and the kids were sleeping on the floor on mattresses (not inherently unhealthy, depends on if it’s an actual choice or happening because it’s being ignored) and all she could think about and focused her efforts on most was getting pregnant.

This sounds strange as well because I have heard only of immediate release of a bishop in any case where there was embezzlement. I could see it if there was an open case perhaps if there was no one else to function as a bishop as there is no requirement of I understand correctly for immediate release if judgment is pending, but if there were counselors and the accused wasn’t even functioning as a bishop, why would they keep them as a bishop? Not insisting this did not happen, just thinking the story is incomplete with likely multiple unusual circumstances being described.

If the parents are capable of giving them the attention the kids need and deserve and actually want them and just don’t see it as a duty. Kids will pick up if their parents are not that interested in them as individuals and that can have traumatic effects on self worth. Just because you are in a good financial situation doesn’t always mean you can handle anything and everything even if having money can remove a lot of stress and worry in that area.

I am actually quite surprised the Church even allows a bishop or his counselors to be involved in approving welfare for anyone in the bishopric. I would have thought they would either do that at the stake level or have another bishop involved. That way if there are any accidental errors, it is not as likely to be seen as not so accidental.

Appreciate you breaking them up, not everyone responds so quickly to my request. Thank you.

Why do you assume embarrassment rather than caution on reading into revelation our own ideas? I like the word “presiding” in this context as it does not imply wandering off from the family to uncharted places and starting one’s own creation in isolation, but rather overseeing delegated work of the Father just as a bishop cares for his ward or parents care for their children in an extended family, but maintain close ties to others.

The name associated with the sefermormon website (which is the store url) is Chris Lambe. It looks like the Hebrew translation is offered on Amazon. But looking at the way it’s presented and the other books under his name, I would be cautious on the quality. He doesn’t list the names of the translators who worked on it and Chat can’t find anything other than this website on the Institute of Ancient Studies. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-lambe/author/ This may be him: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2016/12/young-adults/lets-make-that-our-motto?lang=eng He also has an app:

Ijah, welcome to the board. Would you mind breaking your writing up into paragraphs instead on one block? I always find it easier to read several short sections rather than one long one. I will also admit to using Chat to help me figure out less obvious words in your post (mentioning this in case there are others who are as linguistically challenged as I am). I too use scriptures and focusing on one chapter or one passage to help me concentrate in church. Used to do that as a kid long before phones detached themselves from walls or wires. When scriptures weren’t enough or I forgot my set at home, I would pull out the hymn book and read verses and sometimes even write my own as part of my worship.

What is the difference between this and just suing them for malpractice?

Why?

Are they done for because God has given up or because they choose to be in a state that God understands will always reject him? Or something else we don’t understand because we are not yet masters of the human psyche and what drives behaviour.

It fits well imo with LDS doctrine that scripture is not inerrant. The Bible was written and edited by countless individuals. I don’t see it as likely they would all have acted like puppets and only included what God had actually done and said rather than their own wishful interpretations of their histories.

My first reaction to this is men are too easily entertained.

I felt the same way. I was going to post my wholehearted agreement…I think he stated the reasoning very clearly…but my iPad started its weird frustrating glitch it gets and I gave up and forgot to come back to it. I do enjoy it when I find something I can strongly agree upon with someone I have many disagreements with. Why is it so fulfilling when that happens, I wonder. In full agreement with teddy’s post above as well. Wanting and being able to stay stuck in a rut just doesn’t seem reasonable for a human to me. I don’t think we function that way, whether it’s boredom or a desire to accomplish things or curiosity or just the impossibility of staying still so to speak, movement seems inherent to us (though inertia and external obstacles often makes that movement a struggle). Add to that equation a loving Father who is willing to smooth our way, a Brother willing to climb the obstacles with and even for us…

I was just explaining why some environmentalists are against it.

And it troubles me when parents do this. I think social media should be highly restricted in terms of juvenile pictures and info, limited to private only viewing and anyone who takes it public should have to pay fines where possible (as in money pulled from their website if it is monetized) and where not, get accounts blocked. And that includes anyone reposting someone else’s material. It will never happen, but I wish it would. We need to protect our children better even when our intent is to celebrate them.

No, I did not. Someone can unintentionally harm others by being careless. That happens a lot with adults and it bothers me, especially if I know they have the information available to them to help them avoid harming others. My guess is Gaines believes her comments won’t make much difference when it comes to bullying. She might very well assume the bullies are all on the other side targeting her and her side are the reasonable ones. A lot of people don’t want to deal with cleaning up the mess those they see as their friends are making. They don’t want to believe people who think like they do can be dangerous. Thanks for explaining how you interpreted the information.