LDS Freedom Forum

I'm impressed with the forum. I checked it out when it first started and didn't see much and forgot to check back. Big mistake.

I look forward to learning.

wf

Welcome to the forum. I hope you find what you are looking for here.

Yes welcome. I was skeptical that the site would be anything special when referred to me. My wife checked it out and made me do likewise. Good to see the interest in the site.

Welcome.

I look forward to your contributions. I quoted you a couple of times here in months past.

If you're the same WhisperFox that posts at Zion's Camp, then you'll really like it here. Not to slam ZC, but your insights may be wasted over there.

Yes, I am the same. At wanted to use the screen name gideon, but figured it might be easier to ban me from here if everyone knew I was the same radical.

Thought I might do a better job introducing myself. It might help smooth a few rough edges I've created here, if others knew a little about me. My writing and speaking style tend to get me in trouble pretending I'm a whosaidofthegreatestmagnitude. I'm not. I'm just opinionated.

My wife and I sold our business and temporarily retired, about 20 years ago just after we were married. We made just enough to pay everything off and buy a mobile home and a small piece of property in a remote area. We raised our own food, had horses goats, pigs, (this list could go on forever), and we tried all the things we'd read about, living off the land. For over seven years we lived there, in an area that had no TV, little radio, and we had no children when we started. My wife wasn't supposed to be able to have children, but she gave birth to two beautiful children while we were there.

We were able to study 8 or more hours a day, talk a lot, ride when we wanted. To say our eyes were opened would be an understatement. We read the scriptures each year. Sometimes we'd read the Book of Mormon in three days. We read most of the Journal of Discourses as well as a lot of other books as you might expect. We compiled the new conference talks from the living prophet (Benson) into a folder and we re-studied all the past talks, new and old, between conferences. Sometimes we would take weeks studying a single chapter of Isaiah. Life was good.

The Lord provided us an old rancher and his wife that lived about 25 miles away as personal tutors during those years. He was 80+ and taught himself to read after he was grown using the Book of Mormon. He'd been a JBS member since the early 1960's. I was blessed in my "education" during this time, but none of it was from a university or college.

My wife's health was very poor, which was one of the reasons we "retired" the way we did. She died about 7 years after we sold our retreat and move back to civilization. We had 17 great years. That was about 5 years ago. I've since remarried and my new wife and step kids think I'm a pretty strange duck. Come to think of it my own kids think I'm a strange duck. Of course, everyone at church thinks I'm a strange duck. They are all correct of course. Maybe my screen name should be Quack.

Now I'm 50, live in a small town (pop abt 900) in central Utah, don't have a lot to show for my life except a beautiful wife, eight great kids, ranging in age from 14 to 28, and a grand-daughter.

Life goes on.

BTW, my signature line is a Latin quote from an address given by George Washington to congress. "SI VIS PACEM PARABELLUM" . He translated it as, the most effectual means to have peace is to be prepared for war. I use the shorter translation,

To have peace, prepare for war.

I don't think you're a strange duck, but I guess that is because I am a strange duck myself. When I was young my friends sister called me wierd and I thought that was the greatest compliment!

Many of us are slaves to our jobs, just making ends meet, and don't have enough time to devote to family and learning. We were not meant to spend our lives that way.

A late welcome, and I have enjoyed your input here.