I definitely have some reservations about this article, but consider it a very interesting treatment of the subject -
Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been asked, “Are you saved?” Most would be properly reluctant to answer this question affirmatively. We know that we must continue to “work out our salvation.” When asked this question we might think or even respond, “Sure, I’m saved from death, everybody is. But what I want isn’t just salvation, I want exaltation.” This is, of course, ducking the question. We know that the questioner is intending the term “saved” to describe a state similar to that which we call exaltation. Elder McConkie makes this answer even more misleading with the clarification that, “Salvation in its true and full meaning is synonymous with exaltation.”(1) If pinned down, you might say something similar to what I’ve said many times: “No man in this life can be sure that he’s saved. We must first endure to the end. Only then is our salvation secure.” While this answer is certainly true, it’s not very helpful when responding to an Evangelical’s query, and is almost certain to either end the conversation or begin an argument. (more…)
Andrew Miller gives us some good scripture cross-references not in the current LDS scriptures -
On a message board that I frequent someone started a post asking for people to give good cross references that are not in the LDS edition of the scriptures. I added a few of my own and found some of the others really interesting. I add them here for your enjoyment. (more…)
An alternative view of the Oath & Covenant of the Priesthood -
There have been a gazillion talks in the church on the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Virtually all of them state the same thing. I have a different take. Here is my understanding of this scripture:
The sons of Moses are the Melchizedek priesthood holders who are sanctified. The sons of Aaron are the holders of the priesthood of Aaron who are sanctified. The Lord explains that “whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods…and…are sanctified by the Spirit…become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and…the elect of God.” (See D&C 84: 33, 34.) Also, the elect (chosen) of God is defined as the sanctified. (more…)
An interesting study into LDS dating. The figure that surprised me most was that only 22-29% of men and women pray about who they will marry.
Summarized by Kevin Barney -
The latest BYU Studies, 46/3 (2007), just hit my mailbox, and features an article by a bunch of folks entitled “A Survey of Dating and Marriage at BYU.” I thought I would take a shot at summarizing it for the benefit of our non-subscribers.
The piece begins by describing a 2001 study of 1,000 college women across the U.S., which found that dating has almost disappeared in favor of Elder Oaks’ favorite bogeyman, “hanging out,” which then leads to the non-LDS variant of “hooking up” (isolated sexual experiences without any expectation of anything more) Only half of the women had been on six or more dates over their entire college career, and 1/3 had two or fewer dates over the entire four years.
These results motivated the authors to do a study at BYU to determine to what extent these trends had penetrated BYU culture. A mail survey was done in 2002, and relied on 784 responses from single students at the Y. (more…)
From the Enduring to the End blog -
Polygamy.
Everyone has an opinion about it, and they always seem to manifest whenever the Fundamentalist LDS Church has a run-in with the government.
I have to give Brother Murray over at Messenger and Advocate a huge thumbs-up for his continued coverage of the case in Eldorado, Texas as it continues to unfold. His post, Standing with Our FLDS Sisters and Brothers, sparked my interest when I read it earlier this evening–especially as I read the reactions of other LDS bloggers on the web.
As members of the LDS Church, we seem to be in agreement that how the FLDS are being treated is unprofessional, and most likely un-Constitutional. It’s disconcerting to see that an affidavit based on the claims of one family on the compound is enough cause to bring the state government of Texas descending upon the entire compound to take 400+ children and their mothers away. Especially since the original subject of the affidavit–a single girl–cannot be located. I have seen, as I’ve read different reactions of the web, that I am not alone in my frustration that the FLDS church should have their Constitutional rights so blatantly denied. (more…)
I personally think not, but J. Nelson-Seawright wonders how they might be reconciled -
In this time of economic uncertainty and crisis, it seems perhaps worthwhile to reflect on our basic theological orientation toward capitalism. After all, some aspects of late 20th-century and early 21st-century capitalism seem to be responsible for our recent run of investment bubbles and collapses, and for the current credit crisis that has placed the U.S. at greater potential economic risk than at any other time in recent memory. How does the Mormon gospel see the seemingly imperfect but nearly ubiquitous economic system that we call capitalism?
Hugh Nibley has famously and extensively argued that capitalism is incompatible with, or perhaps even antithetical to, the gospel of Jesus Christ; several of Nibley’s classic essays in this vein can be found in the volume, Approaching Zion. In the opposite corner, and writing in explicit rebuttal to Nibley, BYU professor Phillip J. Bryson has a BYU Studies article from 1999 which argues that LDS church leaders have regularly and uniformly spoken in favor of capitalism as a system. How are we to approach this debate? (more…)
The views of Hiedi Bialik -
The United Order is not only fundamentally Socialist in nature, it also reflects the will of God in all ages, beginning with Adam and Eve. Furthermore, God’s plan is both theoretically and practically sound. For example, while this Order may have failed among the Latter Day Saints, it was successful in the days of Adam, Melchizedek (JST Genesis 14:34 – “And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world”), Enoch (Moses 7:18 – “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them”), the early Apostles (Acts 2:44-45 – “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need”), and the Nephites following Christ’s visit (4 Nephi 1:3 – “And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift”). Below I have supplied more scriptural evidence. I have also included numbered steps which explain how this economic system works.
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Peter Brown from Mormon Matters writes -
“Elders are agreed on the way and manner necessary to obtain celestial glory, but they quarrel about a dollar. When principles of eternal life are brought before them—God and the things pertaining to God and godliness—they apparently care not half so much about them as they do about five cents. Instead of reflecting upon and searching for hidden things of greatest value to them, [the Latter-day Saints] rather wish to learn how to secure their way through the world as easily and as comfortably as possible. The reflections, what they are here for, who produced them, and where they are from, fro too seldom enter their minds.” – So said Brigham Young.
When one contemplates the sanctifying effects of true Christian behavior, after hope and faith, charity is the greatest of these. Yet can we dissemble charity from normative and theological economics and economic behavior? I think how we see macro-economic philosophy as well as how we behave with our own personal economics ties greatly into how we implement charity.
In Working Toward Zion, James W. Lucas and Warner P. Woodworth examine economic philosophy according to scripture and modern prophetic teachings, and surprise-surprise, it isn’t modern capitalism. D&C 77:2 states “that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual.” In other words, how we conduct our temporal (economic) affairs directly relates to our spiritual well-being. David O. McKay also offered that “The betterment of the individual is only one aim of the Church. The complete ideal of Mormonism is to make upright citizens in an ideal society.” (more…)
A good response to our get-rich-quick, MLM, rich equals righteous mindset -
Posted on January 1st, 2008 by Millennial Star Editors
The following is a guest post submitted by Dr. Warner Woodworth, Social Entrepreneur & Professor, Marriott School, BYU.
By Dr. Warner Woodworth
We are engulfed in a sea of money and conspicuous consumption. This was a shocking realization for me a few days ago when I ventured out to buy my wonderful wife, Kaye, a Christmas gift. We usually give our money and time to the needy during the holidays, which always makes for a spiritual season for our family. Many times, we spend the days doing humanitarian work around the globe.
But I decided to actually go to the University Mall in Orem and purchase a small gift this year, knowing it could be a pleasant surprise. To avoid the temptations of materialism and shopping frenzies, I took a vow each of the past few years to stay away from such places, dens of iniquity and greed that I often refer to in my campus courses as “Palaces of Babylon.” (more…)
Jacob J on New Cool Thang penned this response to England’s anti-polygamy article -
I know, we all love Eugene England. You do and I do. Nevertheless, someone needs to point out that the arguments in his famous On Fidelity, Polygamy, and Celestial Marriage are not good arguments, and it might as well be me that does it. Twenty years after being published this paper is still influential and gets semi-regular mention in the bloggernacle. The main point of the paper is to argue that there will be no plural marriage in the celestial kingdom. Not for Abraham, not for Brigham Young, and not for your grandpa who was sealed to a second wife after his first wife died.
I don’t have a firm opinion either way as far as this conclusion is concerned. I am not as upset about polygamy as some people are, but I’ll be perfectly happy if Eugene England is correct. My problem with the paper is that I think the arguments he presents are not good arguments. My suspicion is that the arguments frequently get a pass because there are so many people who want the conclusion to be correct that they are not as critical as they would otherwise be. Sometimes I really want a conclusion to be true too, so I know how it feels. (more…)
