Vellichor

I predict they will give some oblique cautions about postmodernism.

I've skimmed this long discussion and haven't seen anyone provide evidence for police killing blacks at a disproportionate rate when compared with whites. Apologies if I missed it somehow. These are statistics I have seen elsewhere:

Scott, I completely agree that single women are not more deserving of sympathy than single men. That belief has always bothered me. I guess I'm not sure why it's difficult for people to understand that many promises for the next life are nebulous. It's different when there's still the possibility that those promises will be fulfilled in this life. In your case, it sounds like promises were fulfilled in this life. You got married and had kids. Struggling with singleness and then getting married at age 30 is very different from getting married at age 40. And getting married at age 40 is ve

"Nebulous and illusory." So well said.

I've thought about that and might try it at some point.

Of course life is more than mortality. Of course knowing about eternity gives hope. But we still have to deal with living here right now. That doesn't mean we have to "obsess about it to the apathetic neglect of what lies ahead." Sheesh, what a black & white, overdramatic interpretation of what I said. We have to have a healthy balance - if we put too much emphasis on the next life, we just want to get there sooner. Would you ever tell someone who has just become paralyzed, "Don't worry; you'll be able to walk in the next life?" Or would you tell a homeless person, "It's OK, you'll have a

As Calm said, a life of love, purpose, and meaning does not automatically mean that one feels happy. Abraham Lincoln was known for being melancholy. George Albert Smith struggled greatly with his emotional health and wasn't happy much of the time. What is the scriptural support for Christ feeling happy in his suffering? Obviously his suffering was drenched with meaning and purpose, but he was described as "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," not as a man of happiness. Meaning and happiness are not the same thing, at least in this life.

I hear you. Married people often like to remind us singles about the next life, but I think it makes THEM feel better rather than us. We singles rarely tell each other this. It's great that we know that everything will be awesome in the next life and that we can live in God's presence and be reunited with those we love. Beyond that, specific promises don't feel very meaningful.

We do emphasize happiness in the Church quite a lot, but I don't believe the ultimate purpose of mortality is to feel certain feelings. "Men [and women] are, that they might have joy," but I believe that is in reference to the eternities. Our earthly experiences help prepare us for that joy. Certainly we can get glimpses of it here, but life is really hard for a lot of folks. The ultimate purpose of mortality isn't to be happy; it's to become more like Christ, which encompasses learning and progressing and figuring out how to love others better. It's to live a life of purpose and meaning.