BYU is Stephenie a Mormon?

[MRK]

[quote="debussygirl"]Ok, I'll start from the top.
I don't know about anyone getting their degree taken away by BYU. [part]
And Mormons shouldn't shun atheists, just for the fact that they don't believe in God. Like you said, God gave us free will and people can chose to believe in him or not. I have a friend who's atheist, and we both respect one another's beliefs. quote]

Here is the article I saw about the degree thing:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,441382,00.html

and I hope you didn't think I was saying MORMONS shun atheists...I just meant there is a generalization out there that atheists are 'God haters' instead of just non-believers of any higher power. I really wasn't trying to tie it to Mormons at all...sorry if it seemed that way.

I think Religion (any) is almost all faith. Jews, Christians, Mormons, Muslims...all have FAITH that there is a higher power, even though there are highly unexplainable things within that religion. I dunno, having babies has just strengthened my faith so much...that it's hard for me to believe that everything falls so neatly into place without any help from something lol...
Faith is hard to explain...

And debussy girl, I REALLY appreciate you trying to explain your faith...No one should get half baked ideas on any religion...it's dangerous. Although I think questioning them is normal and healthy We should all try to understand and tolerate all religions IMHO
So, thanks

[debussygirl]

Well, it said that in addition to the calendar he wasn't paying tithing and had a lapse in other religious obligations. So that could mean a lot of stuff, other than the calendar. But we don't just excommunicate left and right (I personally don't know anyone who was excommunicated), so something must have happened.
And I didn't think that you were pointing fingers at Mormons for shunning atheists, MRK. I was just answering for my faith, because sometimes people try to answer question about my faith and I get nervous they'll say something wrong, so I didn't want to speak for all believers in God.
And asking questions about other religions is definitely important! My friend is a Jehovah Witness so I'm always asking her questions and she's always asking me questions, and we understand one another a lot better. And like I said earlier, Mormons love questions!

[SethisMine]

True, I do love questions also.


Hey any of you know who John Bytheway is? He is an amazing youth speaker and he is going to be at my stakes fireside!!!! I am soo excited!!!

[awesomejen1]

True, I do love questions also.


Hey any of you know who John Bytheway is? He is an amazing youth speaker and he is going to be at my stakes fireside!!!! I am soo excited!!!

I think questioning faith and belief is what makes it stronger, not matter what it is that you believe in...blind acceptance isn't true faith, at least I don't think so.

John Bytheway is very entertaining...you'll have some good laughs

[Ellie Ibis]

Growing up, and I think one of the main contributing factors to my non-belief in the church is the gender roles that is in place. I never understood why only men can have the priesthood (I realize a lot of religions are patriarchal, but that doesn't make it ok) Also, as someone who never has wanted kids, and doesn't like them either, I was always the odd man out basically because it is a womans duty to raise a family. Another issue I always took was how members of our ward looked negatively at my mom for working...they think women should stay at home and take care of the kids and what not, which I completely disagree with.
I always felt a subservient additude towards women in the church.

LDS women are often viewed as being "oppressed". To tell you the truth, we have to be the least oppressed women in the world. We (the women) do not hold the priesthood, the men do, so people always try to get at Mormons as being sexist. But that is not true. Firstly, the blessings from the priesthood are just as much ours as men's. We recieve baptism, the holy ghost, baby blessings, endowments, and all other blessings that the priesthood bestows. Some, outside of the LDS faith, say that women can do anything men can do, so women should hold the priesthood. But God's plan for us is mostly based on our gender. Men can't have babies, just as women can't hold the priesthood. But as men can be fathers, women can partake in all priesthood blessings. In the LDS faith, being a mother and bringing God's spirit children into the world is the most sacred of responsibilities. Also, men abusing their wives or any woman is not tolerated at all. God loves his daughters and does not tolerate it when anyone, male or female, abuses his children. So, we do believe in "roles" but they aren't: women must cook and clean and man rules the house. A married couple share equally the responsibilities. The mother to bear and nurture children, and the father to provide and protect. Individual circumstances may create flexibility toward the family. To hear what our prophets and apostles have to say, read the Proclamation to the World, found here:
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnex ... ntLocale=0
Sorry I take so long to explain stuff, I just don't want people getting half-baked ideas about my faith.

Thank you both for answering. I have to say, it was interesting to see two different views on the same thing. =)

And, please, debussygirl, never apoligize for explaining (at least to me.) I spend half of my time dealing with people thinking I spend all my time within my religion wearing horned helmets and sacrificing bulls (of which I do neither), so I can understand not wanting someone to have half-baked ideas.

Truthfully, I think that was the most well-explained explanation concerning gender-roles in a church (of any kind) that I have ever read, and I'm glad you took the time to write it in such a well-thought-out manner.

Perhaps I shall return with more questions later!

[debussygirl]

True, I do love questions also.


Hey any of you know who John Bytheway is? He is an amazing youth speaker and he is going to be at my stakes fireside!!!! I am soo excited!!!

Gasp! Yes!! You are so lucky to have him be speaking at your fireside! He is incredibly entertaining while being very spiritual.
And awesomejen, you're right that blind acceptance isn't true faith. I haven't just gone along with what I've grown up with for no reason. I've studied and prayed and pondered, and I've come to find I truly do believe that it's true.

[debussygirl]

You know how we were always told that there was no photo of Joseph Smith? Well, I was doing a project for school when I came across this:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DN
It may be an actual picture of Joseph! Look at it next to a painting of him and they do look very similar. Also, in another blog that I read it said that this was after Liberty Jail, which is why he looks so thin.

[dandyvampgirl_13]

Hey any of you know who John Bytheway is? He is an amazing youth speaker and he is going to be at my stakes fireside!!!! I am soo excited!!!

Oh, duuuuude. I love him. All of his book are immensely helpful (Not that I've read all of them, he writes a lot of stuff for the Young Men, which I don't really need.) But his "Righteous Warriors" was my companion while I was reading the Book of Mormon, in the war chapters of Alma, and he has a "guide to high school" that has another name I'll edit this post with, but I'm currentlly forgetting, that is very explanatory and has helped me a lot. I love just listening to him! Rosa, if you take notes on his fireside, put them on here, I'd love to read them.

[SethisMine]

I have no idea where I set my notes! I keep misplacing things! But he was talking about the parable of the Sower. It was soo funny! He had a "the most useless list" listing the different amounts of astonishment in the new testament.
There was:
'Astonished'
'Greatly astonished/ Astonished greatly''
'Astonished exceedingly'
and last but not least............
'Astonished beyond all measure'

[debussygirl]

We had a fireside on Sunday about being a youth in California right now. With, y'know, all of the Prop 8 stuff happening it's hard for us when we're being called haters and bigots, even now after the election. It was really good, it gave me a lift.