MustardSeed

Been on both sides of that. I wish I could say otherwise.

Anyone hard to love in your life?

I think so, but it’s a tall order to love all of them immediately. I can get there and have often.

Many are indeed dying for a chance to be considered worthy of priestesshood.

I feel like this thread isn’t talking about the root / real problem at all for the OP. Not even the OP is talking about what he really wants or needs. It all feels like smoke screen and so it’s gonna go nowhere.

Ok then, be well

Ah but a church is not a “regular organization” is it.? Not if it’s doing its job correctly. The priority of bringing people to Christ and helping them change their lives is of greater importance than image. I’m sure some churches are all about image but when the church’s mission is to bring people to Christ and they align with that mission as much as the LDS church does, I think it’s fair to say that this is the priority over image. I think the church has proven time and again that image is not important lol- but that’s another conversation for another day. I suspect either you are a zealot for righteousness who has no tolerance for sin and you want the bad guys out (errant thinking) or you are embittered and crying out about the unfairness of it all (victim mentality). I could be wrong here? Something about your posting here feels less curious and more accusatory. but I’ll ask again. If you are sincere in your need to eliminate sinners from the church, where do you wanna draw the line?

Human beings are all messy. Like it or not. Where would you like to draw the line with regards to membership? And why do you care?

That’s too bad. It’s possible I suppose that it may have something to do with something other than your lack of shared religion. I don’t talk much to my one brother who is not LDS. He might think it’s due to religion. But I talk equally seldom to my active brother- plus I have another non LDS brother whom I’m quite close to. the first brother is simply too negative and I don’t like being around him. Hes Always looking for a reason to complain and argue. Not interested-

Most members of the church are messy. Thank goodness you don’t have to be perfect to be counted among the membership.

April 20 23 President Nelson gave a stirring conference address inviting us to be very careful about how angry we get when interacting online. This was a call to change for me. In fact, there were many conversations on this site about that address. Lots of talk lately about the power of dopamine, and how getting stirred up into our own feelings of anger, gives that massive rush. Social media moguls have found a way to harness our emotions and feed their bottom line. I largely failed in my commitment to stop allowing myself to get emotionally worked up online. I have improved, but I have not gotten to where I know I should be. Any thoughts on this topic?

We should mourn the innocent children, but the fact that people mourn Charlie doesn’t mean people don’t care about children. The truth is that humans become numb after multiple similar incidents. School shootings are now awful noise that no longer rattles us for days. The charlie situation hits a new nerve so peoples’ fears and upset is rekindled. but the argument “what about the school kids” has me wanting to say, ok then how about cancer? And how about Serbia? And how about the kids being detained? And what about child abuse? where does it end, or is the list that defines us as monsters if we don’t grieve it all equally actually endless?

I can’t help but relate to those who feel we come across in a way that forces defensiveness from them. When it comes to po li tix and people expressing themselves in a way that suggests that there is only way way to think, it makes me want to operate completely differently in every aspect of my life. When I was a kid, I honestly believed that I was favored of God because I was a member of his only true church and everybody else was lost. I of course, do not feel that way now. But I don’t know if it’s because I’m rebellious or if it’s because I’m just more emotionally and spiritually intelligent than I was before. Anybody who attaches themselves to a theology or a religion or a dogma or a pol I tical position and states it in such a way that suggests that I am less than or immoral or stupid or what have you is off putting to me. I never wanna be that guy. But I think I am sometimes.

Does a religion that leans into proselytizing as much as we do imply the latter? it always has to me. But I’m also open to change. If most people don’t see it that way maybe I have been incorrect in my interpretation.

I’d rather hear I know than to hear “I believe and so should you.”

There’s a big difference between “this is what I believe (or feel or think)” and “what I believe is what you should believe”. In 2025, what is your perception of how the church leaders want us to express our beliefs?

Its not true.

DONNY OSMOND is absolutely not paying for those kids. This is fake news. I have gotten several headlines indicating that all these celebrities are paying for the children’s education. I have noticed a significant increase in AI and completely false information. We have to be very careful.

I’ve written something and erased it five times. There’s no more to say. We are lost.

I finished a little more than the first half. It is a much more hopeful message than the message that I received most of my life in the church. I’m not sure how to feel about that.

It would be hard to be on a team and never have the coach put me in the game. There would have to be a love for religion and an abiding faith to carry that out. Impressive.

Thank you. It looks like a very interesti interview. I will watch it today.

Why do you incessantly insist on delivering your messages in such a condescending cruel way?

So if I am stranded on a country road after an accident, and my child is in the car and as a woman, I pray to God to save my child, there’s less power in that person than if the man were there and gave the child a priesthood blessing?

Thank you for the validation. I do believe that there are many including participants here that would disagree but anecdotally that is my experience.