I am currently writing a dark comedy and one of the main characters are a member (or at least they used to be but they are going back into it)of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now I'm a member and I did this because I feel like we need more representation from the eyes of a storyteller who is a member but I wanted to ask you all if you were to see a member on a show? What are things I should avoid?

So, to summarize my main character follows/worships a deity. Is that bad? Or should I just avoid delving too deep into worshipping, and just say they follow them as a leader?

I am a young adult and I have been struggling with pornography since I was twelve. Looking at porn was the biggest mistake of my life, and now I constantly worry that I will never have a normal life just because of that one mistake. I still mess up every now and then, I'm not completely clean, and I haven't gone in my mission yet though that is my goal soon. I recognize that I can be forgiven in the eyes of God because of the atonement, it's hard for me to wrap my head around sometimes, but I believe that God does love and care about me. The part that worries me the most, is that I will spend my whole life alone and rejected, because what woman would want a man that has lusted after other woman, who would want a guy that's seen the things I have and has a mind as poisoned as my own? Being alone is my greatest fear, every girlfriend I've had, every girl I've been interested in has cut ties with me when I open up and share my problems. I'm terrified that this will be the same pattern for the rest of my life. Any advice or comfort, or your own success story against this sin is appreciated, I'm in kind of a low spot and looking for support from any source I can.

In the beginning, God created man and woman. This is central to our church's doctrine. This has always been my argument against gender identities that go against biological gender. However, I recently learned that some people are biologically born differently, as both genders or neither gender. How does that work out with our church's doctrine? I couldn't find any official statements online about this.

I’ve never grown up drinking tea of any kind. The only few flavors I’ve had are one my mom gave me when I had a sore throat. But, I really enjoy the concept of having a warm drink to have as a morning routine. I even make pottery for a living so I want to make a tea pot and possibly brew my own herbal tea. But I know absolutely nothing about herbal tea, and I don’t exactly want to go out and buy a bunch of different packs and then hate some and have a bunch go to waste. I also worry I might accidentally buy something with green tea in it and just have to chuck the whole box. So, any herbal tea connoisseur’s who want to give me some recommendations I would greatly appreciate it!

From interviews and the trailer, it looks to essentially be explaining how hard the west was.

It’s about the Mormons moving west and massacring the natives as they went.

The trailer for Homestead reminded me of this quote for Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone in his talk, "Food Storage."

I should like to address a few remarks to those who ask, “Do I share with my neighbors who have not followed the counsel? And what about the nonmembers who do not have a year’s supply? Do we have to share with them?” No, we don’t have to share—we get to share! Let us not be concerned about silly thoughts of whether we would share or not. Of course we would share! What would Jesus do? I could not possibly eat food and see my neighbors starving. And if you starve to death after sharing, “greater love hath no man than this …” [John 15:13]

Now what about those who would plunder and break in and take that which we have stored for our families’ needs? Don’t give this one more idle thought. There is a God in heaven whom we have obeyed. Do you suppose he would abandon those who have kept his commandments? He said, “If ye are prepared, ye need not fear.” [D&C 38:30] Prepare, O men of Zion, and fear not. Let Zion put on her beautiful garments. Let us put on the full armor of God. Let us be pure in heart, love mercy, be just, and stand in holy places.

Jesus:

"Blessed are the peacemakers."

President Nelson:

"As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what does the Lord expect of us? As a Church, we must renounce war and proclaim peace.

"As individuals, we should follow after the things which make for peace. We should be personal peacemakers. We should live peacefully as couples, families, and neighbors."

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-07-0083-proclaim-peace?lang=eng

I have the feeling in the US we're going to need more peacemakers in the future. What can we do to be peacemakers?

What type of garments are more comfortable for you and what type of exercising clothes do you wear? I’m a woman. Would really appreciate any experiences with that.

Edit: Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I don’t mind exercising with my garments on cause I come from a country that’s more humid and has really hot summers(no AC).even then I exercised with my garments on and now Being in Utah I’m almost cold all the time even in the summer lol so sweating is not really an issue for me. Really appreciate your comments. Thanks!

Most of the time He seems very remote to me. I'm kind of baffled when I hear of people having a "personal relationship" with Him. I long for that, but honestly I'm not even sure He likes me very much. I know that sounds crazy....

Hi everyone! A brother from the ward gifted me a triple combination, and I bought a Bible along with Gospel Principles. Now I’m kinda lost on where to start. Should I read the Book of Mormon first or dive into something else? Also, any tips on how to mark scriptures or make notes in the margins?

I just got done reading the book, and I really enjoyed it. Writing a complete history of the church from conception to modern day in one volume is a daunting task, but I thought he tackled it well, especially from the aim of a general audience and focusing more on a factual progression of the church and it's leaders as opposed to a progression of their spiritual teaching and contributions.

The only thing I noticed was how much attention he dedicated to detractors or critical members (D. Michael Quinn was referenced multiple times) vs. little to not attention given to influential apologists (Nibley was only mentioned a couple of times and there was no mention of modern intellectual apologist efforts such as FARMS or modern organizations such as scripture central or interpreter).

What have your thoughts been on the book or on what Park's purpose was in the book and if he achieved it or not?

I want to spread positively and created a gallery to show how powerful visual side of faith can be. I want to motivate others and need more inspiring scenes from the gospel.

Let’s reflect together and spread this message across the world.

Check it out - Amen

In October i got called to serve in the Mexico Saltillo mission, i am familiar with the climate already. But i im kinda at a cross roads for what shoes to purchase. Any tips for that area?

Hello. I investigated the Church for several months, and I closed my investigation with the conviction that the Church is good, but that the Book of Mormon is not true.

I understand the scriptural arguments like "a bad tree does not bear good fruit", but I think "good" is the natural product of good communities. I think the ground-level LDS community is the greatest product of the church. Even though I believe that the Book is not true, I had no desire to disrupt the community that welcomed me, so I withheld from them the most convincing pieces of evidence (for me) that broke my testimony of the book. I respect them.

I think that reddit is a place where the average LDS member is better equipped to deal with challenging information. I would like to respectfully request a counter-argument or a refutation of the most convincing, testimony-breaking piece of information I came across. Every piece of information is implicitly endorsed by the Church - it's hosted on BYU.edu or josephsmithpapers.org.

Pre-investigation Claim: The Book of Mormon was not edited to correct logical/consistency mistakes, only grammar or typos.

Post-investigation Finding: Between the First Edition (1830) and the Second Edition (1837), Joseph Smith replaced the words "Jesus Christ" with "Messiah" in 1 Nephi 12:18. The BYU page (Nephi's Messiah) explains:

"Joseph identified this phrase in the original manuscript and changed it. The name of Jesus Christ did not belong in this early verse, because it does not appear that the name of Christ was known to the Nephites until Jacob’s sermon in 2 Nephi 10. Joseph’s corrections to the original 1830 printer’s manuscript appear in his notes from 1837."

The source at the bottom of this article links to josephsmithpapers.org (https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/printers-manuscript-of-the-book-of-mormon-circa-august-1829-circa-january-1830/23).

This is a convincing piece of evidence to me, because..

• It's a published admission by the Church that invalidates what appears to be a common misconception in the Church - namely, that the Book of Mormon has always been a coherent work without mistakes, and editorial corrections were restricted to typos and grammar fixes.
• Joseph dared to correct God's word written upon the golden plates. If Joseph were sincere in his faith, would he have really determined "No, these plates are wrong, the Nephites couldn't have known Jesus' name back then" and corrected the record of God's word?

The best counter-argument I can think of is "Joseph didn't translate it correctly the first time".

Any thoughts? Is this just covered by the introduction to the book as "if there are any errors, they are the errors of men"?

UPDATE:

OK. Thanks for your time, everyone. Best counter-arguments go to u/will_it_skillet and u/Tyroge (here and here, respectively). It's entirely possible that this was Nephi's mistake, because the plates were written in a time when Nephi had knowledge of Jesus' name. This, to me, is a direct and effective counter that addresses the argument made.

Catholic here with a genuine question. It's my understanding that the LDS Church says that shortly after the death of the 12 apostles, there was a great apostasy that led to Trinitarianism, the Catholic/ Eastern Orthodox Church, the Nicene Creed, etc. What basis does this have in history, outside of the claims of Joseph Smith or his contemporaries and their theology, and how is this defended when there were many early church fathers such as Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Iranaeus of Lyons(all of whose teachings led to development in the Apostolic Churches), etc, who knew the Apostles or people who had connections to them?

Edit: It’s been over 12 hours after I posted this and this has been a great and wholesome theological discussion with all of you guys. I’ve always felt the people of the Latter Day Saint Church to be a very good people, although I don’t live around very many, and this only further confirmed it. The respect for Apostolic Churches is wonderful, and I thank you for it. You have not made a new member, but you have made a friend to you all because of the genuine kindness here, and I pray our churches can work to resolve our differences over time. God bless.

I've found myself really wanting to try matcha and coffee, but I won't. My brother who's serving in chile urges me to try matè but I can't find any. I love herbal drinks. I usually make a cold herbal tea with fresh mint and lime juice

Has anyone bought this keyboard from the Church store? Would you recommend it for a beginner/hymns?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is actively hiring for a facilities manager position and the position is posted on LinkedIn. The salary is not listed in the job description (as required by Colorado law). I went directly to the church's website to try and find more information about the position and saw that job candidates must me active members of their church, in good standing, and considered to be temple worthy. The role does not appear to include teaching any sort of religious doctrine, but may include entering a temple while under construction and afterwards as one is currently planned to be built in the area. How is it legal for the church to require a candidate to be an active member of a certain standing for them to be considered for the position? Given the size and how well the LDS church keeps their ducks in a row, I am certain that there is some sort of legal exemption regarding the temple but the way I understand Colorado and federal law I don't know what that exemption is.

My father and nearly everyone in my father's side of the family are LDS members (please excuse my short hand I don't mean any disrespect) so I have a basic understanding of the church and their practices. I have been on the fence as far as ever joining the church is concerned and was genuinely excited to see the opportunity come up because I hoped our Heavenly Father may have been giving me a nudge. Being a part of the church without being a member of the church could have given me some additional insight without the pressures of conversion. I excel at the role of being a facilities manager, and felt that I could have had the opportunity to contribute to an organization that is a very large part of my father (and his wife)'s lives and one that gives him great comfort and joy. With that being said, I am sad and disappointed that I would not even being considered for the role so I would like to understand the reason why in the hope that I may be less disappointed by my exclusion.

Thank you for any insight you can offer.

I need help and advice

My name is Joshua, I'm having trouble reading my scriptures and, having a good daily schedule. I've had severe back pain for 10 years I've been to multiple doctors they have tried everything nothing helps me each and every doctor I go to says they cant help me I have severe muscle stiffness in my back and fatigue. I also have ADHD I find it hard to function to be honest I constantly pray about it seeking God for help, but I don't recognize answers to prayers I'm having trouble studying the scriptures because of my ADHD I'm serving a service mission, and it's almost over idk what I want to do with my life because of health issues I honestly don't know what to do I pray and get no answer. I go to the doctor and get no help, I don't exercise that much. Any advice or help, literally anything would help like prayers for me or something.

I'm a protestant that is unfamiliar with the LDS church. I've recently been talking to a Woman who grew up in an LDS family. Her family, married siblings, and her are still active in their church. Can she date a Protestant? Can she marry a Protestant? Can they be equally yoked?

I just wanted to share and see if anyone has any advice or recommendations :)

I am just considering joining the Latter Day Saints and have noticed the rules regarding tea and coffee. I am a big Monster Rehab Tea drinker. Would this count as not allowed? It may seem silly but I work crazy hours and I am trying to navigate it all.

I (16f) don’t have the relationship with the savior that I’d like to have. I don’t pray on my own often, sometimes I don’t repent during sacrament (mostly bc I’m anxious that the deacons would just stand there while my whole family has their eyes closed, stupid I know). I have racing and intrusive thoughts and I am in meds for it but it doesn’t completely get rid of them. So short story long, how can I tell if I’m having an intrusive/anxious thought or am hearing the spirit. For example I was in the shower listening to conference talks when I got the thought that my Guinea pig potato will “die in two weeks but it will all be okay”. For context: The day I’m writing this post I lost my other guinea pig and am going through the grieving turmoil. I’m also very worried that Potato (the alive one/one I had the thought about) will die soon bc she’s getting older or bc she’s sad her sister is gone. So it’s not like the thought came out of nowhere. A few days before my other pig died and we were trying to see if she could hold out until we could get to the vet, I had the thought “Miss Piggy’s not gonna make it but it will be okay.” Basically I feel like my head is spinning or I’m just getting revelation that I don’t want to hear. Sorry for this long rant but is this a prompting/the still small voice?

Does anyone have experience with this? Are there any funds available to help church employees adopt? If so, do you know limits, amounts, or conditions?

What do you do when you are the only Mormon left in your family? All the secular traditions and celebrations are meaningless without the true celebration of Christ's birth, which was not in December anyway. I want to have meaningful traditions, but it seems impossible when I'm the only Christian here.

I have encountered church associated foods, often with a Deseret Farms label, with peanut butter, butter, grains, and other items here in Utah county. Usually at other people’s houses. Where are people buying this stuff? I’d rather buy staples from the church if I can.

My bright daughter is taking on a serious study of the Book of Mormon for the first time in her life.

One of her biggest questions through her studies remains, "why don't women get the priesthood?" and second to that is "why doesn't God tell us why things are the way they are? Why are there rules with no whys?"