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Ask a Latter-day Saint therapist: Can I overcome my eating disorder through faith alone?

Editor's Note: The views, information, or opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author. Readers should consider each unique situation. This content is not meant to be a substitute for individual, professional advice.

Balancing faith and mental health

A young mother struggling with bulimia was asked one day by her therapist if she ever prayed. “She lived on a small farm, had a simple life and she was a wonderful mother,” said Michael Berrett, a psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. “But she hated herself with a passion. She was throwing up five times a day.”

Latter-day Saint Life

10 Scientific Tips for Finding Optimism in the Gospel

How strong is your hope for the future? Are you optimistic?

Defending the Faith: Moral law is no product of evolution

In one of his dialogues, the Greek philosopher Plato cites his beloved teacher, Socrates, as saying that "philosophy begins in wonder." Plato's student Aristotle expresses a similar sentiment in his "Metaphysics": "It was their wonder, astonishment, that first led men to philosophize and still leads them."

The surprising faith of 8 American presidents

Presidential religious lives are, for the most part, rather unremarkable--just like the majority of Americans they represent. As the 2012 presidential race, and especially the Republican nomination, dominate the news, the religion of the sometimes-frontrunner Mitt Romney continues to be an issue for many Republican voters. Americans have a hard time imagining a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon, as President. Yet Mormonism is, perhaps, the most American of all religions, founded by an American citizen and based on a sacred text that tells the story of God's work in the Americas. As many question Romney's religious heritage, it would be enlightening to look at eight presidents whose religious lives have troubled and fascinated Americans, or whose faiths may surprise us even today.

When faith and football don't mix

Where's the line between freedom of religion and the separation of church and state? It's a question many cities and particularly public schools have had to ask in the past few months. Most recently, a group of high school cheerleaders in Texas have come under fire for using biblical quotes and banners at football games. While the Constitution does support an individual's right to worship, it also frowns upon the state, or in this case a state-sponsored school, endorsing a religion. Thus, public schools must walk a blurry line between allowing participants to express personal beliefs without those beliefs being attached to the school as an endorsement.

Famous Latter-day Saints

Brad Wilcox and Amy H. White Address Faith and Happiness

Brother Wilcox and Sister White began by defining grace. Brother Wilcox told of a young girl that thought she must be perfect for Christ, but later understood that she is perfected in Christ. Members of the church often misunderstand the concept of grace.

31: "The Power of Godliness" (Doctrine and Covenants 84)

What to do you think of when you hear the phrase, “season of joy”? You probably think about Christmas, don’t you? Or maybe your birthday month because, let’s be honest, everyone loves their birthday month. But as joyful as Christmas and birthdays may be, that’s not what Joseph Smith was talking about when he called the events leading up to Doctrine and Covenants 84 a “season of joy.” And after this week’s lesson, we will see how this section brings lasting, eternal joy to all of our lives.

38: “After Much Tribulation … Cometh the Blessing” (Doctrine and Covenants 102–105)

Have you ever built something with your bare hands? Maybe you’re savvy with tools, or maybe assembling IKEA furniture is the closest you’ve gotten to building something. Either way, we all know building includes a lot of different pieces and finagling to get it to all come together. This weeks study group we dig into Doctrine and Covenants 102–105 that is all about building up Zion, and what sort of finagling is involved in helping us become one, together.

13: Collateral Beauty

You can find beauty even in the hardest things when you put your faith in God. Stories in this episode: Teresa has a strange prompting that helps her find the compensatory blessings from God when her plans for retirement are upended by loss; A bid for a spot on the village council places Shauna in some crazy situations, with outcomes that only God could have foreseen.