I ran across this and wanted to see what you all thought about this. This is not intended to start a thread about religon or to bash the Mormons. I was interested in the last part about the, "calamities foretold" at the end.
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.
Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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I'm not sure what you expect in response so I'll just say, in reference to the last part of the text referring to the calamities foretold.....in the last 30 years, look at the decline in our society. Can you deny the so called acceptance of the gay "lifestyle" and the flood of gay protecting laws has eaten away at the moral fabric of our society?
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"They cannot be trusted.....The Romulans (our politicos) are without honor." Worf
I'm not sure what you expect in response so I'll just say, in reference to the last part of the text referring to the calamities foretold.....in the last 30 years, look at the decline in our society. Can you deny the so called acceptance of the gay "lifestyle" and the flood of gay protecting laws has eaten away at the moral fabric of our society?
HAH, so the downfall of our society is all because of the gays? HAHA...that is a good one. What about broken families? What about 2 working parents when there are 2 parents? What about the decline of giving responsibility to children? What about the "Let's talk about our feelings" attitude rather than "Screw up and you're gonna get a whoopin'!" ? What about the influx of illegal immigrants into this country? What about the rise of big business into power over our polititicians?
I don't think gays are the problem. Same thing was said about blacks back in the day and the rise to equal rights for blacks hasn't had any mal-effect on our society. Mormons have not regularly practiced all the 'multiple' wives lifestyle in over 100 years, so I don't get this whole attituted toward mormons either.
I know people find it convenient to place blame where they are not involved. It is just easier that way. It is a selfish and hypocritical way to do it, but I guess people do it. You gotta look at your own life and realize that you probably are not contributing the best things to this society yourself, I know I'm not.
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Don't let their ignorance and hate intimidate.
Everyone is entitled to there oppinion, I agree for the most part with what Uncle Red posted. I realize there are many people here that will disagree, yet as citizens of this great nation we can do our part no matter, wether we agree with it or not, to get along and live out our lives responsibly, be good stewards of what we have and live moraley. I for one believe we will be held accountable for the kind of life we lived when it's over.
It is my prayer that a revival will come to this nation and citizens will turn back to God and his son Jesus Christ, but I know some don't feel like I do.
Thats your choice and I respect that so respect mine please. I care !
...A.H
__________________ IN GOD WE TRUST NRA MEMBER
Last edited by ArkansasHunter; 06-09-2007 at 05:57 PM.
The entire Hinkley quote contains false teachings of a cultic organization. If anyone wants a couple of audio CDs or info on the subject, let me know. Just PM me or email me troy at troylaplante dot com.
As to calamity befalling a nation, this is nothing new and has been around (and proven) over thousands of years.
The proposition that family is a good thing is like espousing Mom, the Flag and Apple Pie. It's hard to argue with.
I may not agree with the theological underpinnings of the proclamation, and I'm not sure that disregarding it is going to lead inevitably to national calamity. But I'm not going to dump on anyone who wants children raised in a peaceful, loving family atmosphere...
HAH, so the downfall of our society is all because of the gays? HAHA...that is a good one. What about broken families? What about 2 working parents when there are 2 parents? What about the decline of giving responsibility to children? What about the "Let's talk about our feelings" attitude rather than "Screw up and you're gonna get a whoopin'!" ? What about the influx of illegal immigrants into this country? What about the rise of big business into power over our polititicians?
I don't think gays are the problem. Same thing was said about blacks back in the day and the rise to equal rights for blacks hasn't had any mal-effect on our society. Mormons have not regularly practiced all the 'multiple' wives lifestyle in over 100 years, so I don't get this whole attituted toward mormons either.
I know people find it convenient to place blame where they are not involved. It is just easier that way. It is a selfish and hypocritical way to do it, but I guess people do it. You gotta look at your own life and realize that you probably are not contributing the best things to this society yourself, I know I'm not.
+1...
while i don't personally agree with the lifestyle of being gay, i don't necessarily agree that it is a sin. i was raised in a strict catholic family, and was told that it was. however, i have some of my own beliefs that have developed over time and i truely believe that if you believe in God and live life as a good person in your heart, thats all that matters. you are going to make mistakes, you are going to do things that God may not approve of, but he's just like any other parent and forgives you, provided you seek His forgivness...
<steps down off her soap box>
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My position is that the recent surge in homosexuality comes from the breaking of families, not the other way around.
They've just become more visible.
The whole idea that homosexuals are created by environment rather than born has been pretty much discredited, along with the idea that it's a voluntary choice. The only people I know who believe otherwise do so simply because their religion demands it of them.
I have gay friends, and for some of them it is a choice, they could go either way. But, for others, it is engraved into them. It was always that way with them, no choice in the matter for them.
I would say that for the greater percentage, it is not a choice, but there are always exceptions.
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Don't let their ignorance and hate intimidate.
I have gay friends, and for some of them it is a choice, they could go either way. But, for others, it is engraved into them. It was always that way with them, no choice in the matter for them.
I would say that for the greater percentage, it is not a choice, but there are always exceptions.
If they can perform with either sex, that means both sexes turn them on, and they choose which way to go depending on the attractiveness of the specific individual, like you or I would choose which woman. Choosing which individual is different than choosing which sex.
I'm certainly not turned on by females because I "chose" to be; I was having physical reactions to them long before I was old enough to understand what was happening.
I saw a summary of an interesting study a few months ago. Researchers asked people to classify themselves as heterosexual, homosexual/lesbian or bisexual, then tested their reactions to sexual stimuli.
As you might expect, heterosexual men liked women, heterosexual women liked men, homosexual men liked men and lesbian women liked women.
The interesting part was when they got to the people who classified themselves as bisexual. They found that in reality, most men who claimed to be bisexual actually reacted much more strongly to other men than they did to women, meaning they were basically homosexuals who could also perform with women.
On the other hand, women who classified themselves as bisexual mostly turned out to be just that; they reacted equally to both sexes.
The whole idea that homosexuals are created by environment rather than born has been pretty much discredited, along with the idea that it's a voluntary choice. The only people I know who believe otherwise do so simply because their religion demands it of them.
Yeah, right...not even close. It is a behavioral choice, not genetic. No, I don't believe that way because of religious conviction but rather because it is the order of nature and common sense. I believed that long before I had any religious conviction. I know plenty of atheists and libertarians who believe likewise. You must not know that many people or at least many outside the nutball world of California.
Yeah, right...not even close. It is a behavioral choice, not genetic. No, I don't believe that way because of religious conviction but rather because it is the order of nature and common sense. I believed that long before I had any religious conviction. I know plenty of atheists and libertarians who believe likewise. You must not know that many people or at least many outside the nutball world of California.
There are many instances of homosexual behavior in the wild and nature. Are you saying that these creatures have sentient and make a choice to act that way? Just because we are human and know we are and have the ability to communicate, that does not extracate us from the world of nature. Do we choose what attracts us? I don't think so. When we see, hear, taste or smell something that attracts us, it triggers chemicals in our head. No one has any control over that. What we do seem to have the mispleasure in doing is condemning those who do not react to the same stimuli we do.
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Don't let their ignorance and hate intimidate.
...The whole idea that homosexuals are created by environment rather than born has been pretty much discredited, along with the idea that it's a voluntary choice. The only people I know who believe otherwise do so simply because their religion demands it of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by troylaplante
Yeah, right...not even close. It is a behavioral choice, not genetic. No, I don't believe that way because of religious conviction but rather because it is the order of nature and common sense. I believed that long before I had any religious conviction. I know plenty of atheists and libertarians who believe likewise. You must not know that many people or at least many outside the nutball world of California.
I rest my case...although I should have added, "most such people cloak their religious beliefs regarding the matter in multiple layers of rationalization and rhetoric."
Location: West, Central Florida, Third World America
Posts: 6,342
Dang, don't shoot me, dude.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrazyIvan
HAH, so the downfall of our society is all because of the gays? HAHA...that is a good one. What about broken families? What about 2 working parents when there are 2 parents? What about the decline of giving responsibility to children? What about the "Let's talk about our feelings" attitude rather than "Screw up and you're gonna get a whoopin'!" ? What about the influx of illegal immigrants into this country? What about the rise of big business into power over our polititicians?
I don't think gays are the problem. Same thing was said about blacks back in the day and the rise to equal rights for blacks hasn't had any mal-effect on our society. Mormons have not regularly practiced all the 'multiple' wives lifestyle in over 100 years, so I don't get this whole attituted toward mormons either.
I know people find it convenient to place blame where they are not involved. It is just easier that way. It is a selfish and hypocritical way to do it, but I guess people do it. You gotta look at your own life and realize that you probably are not contributing the best things to this society yourself, I know I'm not.
I only offered that as just one possible example of this nation's down fall. Do you have a better explanation of our fall from greatness to mediocrity? After all, in the Wally Cleaver world of the 50's, America was just about at our moral high point. Look at us now! Even our old friends hate us. I never said I was perfect and I don't think I'm part of the problem. I do disagree with part of your return comments but, it's uncool to voice them here. Besides, to repeat myself, I only offered my comments as just one possible cause, not the root of all the evil in the world.
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"They cannot be trusted.....The Romulans (our politicos) are without honor." Worf
Last edited by Rufus Rhastus J; 06-12-2007 at 09:52 PM.
Which is a losing one. I have had homosexual friends for years. Every last one believes just as I do...it is a choice. Quoting what you wrote then what I wrote does not prove your argument whatsoever. It does point out the fallacy thereof, though. There is no cloaking at all. It is the cloak of maliciousness that is contrarian.
I'm not sure what you expect in response so I'll just say, in reference to the last part of the text referring to the calamities foretold.....in the last 30 years, look at the decline in our society. Can you deny the so called acceptance of the gay "lifestyle" and the flood of gay protecting laws has eaten away at the moral fabric of our society?
Dang, don't shoot me, dude. 
I only offered that as just one possible example of this nation's down fall. Do you have a better explanation of our fall from greatness to mediocrity?
After all, in the Wally Cleaver world of the 50's, America was just about at our moral high point. Look at us now!
Even our old friends hate us.
I never said I was perfect and I don't think I'm part of the problem. I do disagree with part of your return comments but, it's uncool to voice them here. Besides, to repeat myself, I only offered my comments as just one possible cause, not the root of all the evil in the world.
