See, here’s the thing…there is no doctrinal foundation for this belief. The Handbook states that you cannot require YM to wear white shirts in order to participate in the ordinance of the sacrament. No general authority of the church has EVER called the white shirt the “Uniform of the Priesthood”. White is not even required for baptism (yes, you can baptize without white clothes). There is also no requirement for men to shave facial hair (except for missionaries)…or to wear a suit everywhere (this rule is different mission by mission for missionaries).

I’ve been in many situations where bishops and stake presidents have told people to do things are are not right and I have pointed it out to them, fortunately they were humble enough to accept council and change. Blindly doing what they say would have resulted in many people being led astray. It’s important to note that when the scriptures tell us to obey leaders, those verses are referring to Prophets…not your local bishop. Leaders can make mistakes and should be corrected when they do.

I am shocked that people in the Church have come to equate faith with what you wear. Kind of puts them on a Rameumptum I guess. Pride comes in many forms…

I helped my friends deal with depression and the divorce of their parents, and was also help with many of my own personal problems by the strength of my friends. None of us would have felt comfortable acting and talking about the things we talked about if our parents had been parents. Especially since many of the problems were directly related to the parents themselves.

I would just like to point out that I only very recently stopped being a teenager and am currently the father of 2 wonderful young boys. I believe that Elder Lawrence spoke very well on the topic because in essence all he said was, “Be careful.” I would hope that we all take the same care with our own friends and thoughts and practices that we take with those of our children.

I think that “young voice” made a very good point. By prohibiting the sleepovers just because something might go wrong will equally prohibit something from going right. As a matter of fact, by flatly prohibiting sleepovers you effectively remove your children from the world, which is the opposite of the often quoted motto, “Be in the world but not of it.”

Now, I get the risk. I have been put in very compromising positions on a number of occasions. But it is not the avoidance of the situation that makes us strong, it’s how well we follow the Holy Spirit in this situation. If we’ve done our job as parents, our children will know how to do that no matter the situation.

Fear, whether feeling it yourself or causing it in others, does not come from God.

I believe this is wise counsel for all those who would be partaking of the sacrament as well – when possible. Obviously, in a hospital, you’re not going to have this same setting. I’ve felt the Spirit in meetings where the sacrament’s been passed to people in wheelchairs, robes, and IV poles! The key in all of this is – What are the circumstances?