[narf poit chez BOOM]

yes, i'm horrible at posting here.

Deccan:
My questions are: are you a Mormon mainly because you believe that the "hows" that it teaches are true, or mainly because the values and truths of Mormonism are comforting to you (or "feel right" to you)? If the latter, then which truths and values, and why those? If you truly believe in the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient God who has a specific purpose for you personally, have you ever, even once, felt resentful of that, or felt yourself running out of "elbow room" to create and define values and purposes for yourself?

first, i'm a Mormon because i prayed and got an answer. i've also found that the hows, values and truths are generally comforting and all the truths of it which i have examined, i've found to be either true or needing more study to determine, on a logical basis, if their true. i do believe that the truth's of the Mormon religeon are true. they also feel right.

Mormonism emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability, charity, patience, love...all things i beleive in.

well, i have had resentfull thoughts, but...God's my father. setting down values and goals is what a parent does, as well as administering punishments...although i don't beleive that everything bad that happens is a punishment. i can also follow whatever set of value's and goals i want, and i believe that i will be rewarded for the good i do, but, suppose my dad said 'take out the trash and i'll give you $20.' unlikely, but this is theoretical. now, supposing i went and swept the kitchen floor. i couldn't expect to get the $20, although i could expect to get a reward of some kind, perhaps money, perhaps a 'thank you'. and i could expect my dad to be a little dissapointed in me.

the story certainly criticises Catholocism, but i'm not catholic and i don't beleive that God gives out unexplained punishments, so that story is at best irrelevent to me. God's rules make sense; Mormon's beleive in an understandable God.

L:
I am strangely disappointed. Somehow your impressively persistent support of your beliefs is less surprising, more expected.... I'll have to think about why it seems that way.

I'm also surprised I didn't see it. I thought I was awfully familiar with the patterns and idiosyncrasies particular to Mormons arguing religion Online.

Kudos on sticking to your principles and avoiding the more abstract and distracting points of doctrine. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

perhaps because you beleive that Mormons are especially dedicated to their faith, so it's less suprusing. if so, thanks for the compliment.

well, i'm weird.

if i don't stick to them, there not my principles, are they?

can't remember well enough to remember avoiding abstract things.

Fyron:
I think you missed the point... it is not about living down a temper or anything like that, it is about expressing subconscious desires in a harmless way (as is playing SE4 and blowing up billions of people, subjugating billions of others, sending whole crews of people off to their deahts, etc.).

well, actual evil overlord's need a psychiatrist, not SE, in my opinion.

Fyron:
Bah. The few people that are that violent are not violent because they play violent video games, but because they are violent by nature.

early childhood does shape a person and can make a person more or less a certain way.
i certainly had a temper before i went through school, but it was an undefined tantrum thing that may well have gone away as i grew up. after i went through school, it was worse.

Atrocities:
My dad had a good cure all for this, he'd shut the tv off and tell us to go outside and play. I think if more and more parents chose activity over non activity, then we would have fewer violent people in the world.

my own personal complaint is people that couldn't beleive that their little angel could possible do that! or who just don't care. or actively encourage it. makes me want to find a 2/4.

Cyrien:
I keep on hearing about the rising crime rates in the US. I wonder how many are aware that almost all forms of crime in the US have been on the decrease since 1993 after a brief flareup in the early 90's of increased youth violence.

that is certainly interesting.

Besides checking 12 Online biased accounts of something gives you a much better overall view of something than a single biased view.

yep.

Atrocities:
Those statisics are inaccurate. They are customized to reflect information that is desired, and not true at all.

Look at the Governments unemployment reports, they list say 1 million poeple out of work because they are collecting unemployment when the number is closer to 11 million because 10 million people have lost, or used up their unemployment benefits.

so, how would you find accurate statistics?

L:
And a smart mouth, apparently.

just figured that out, eh?