Movie Review: "The Hurt Locker"

The Hurt Locker is a new nationally distributed film produced and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It is a disturbing but exceptional film about an Army EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) team, or "Army Bomb Squad" serving in Iraq in 2004. It is NOT a documentary. The movie is a drama, taking many dramatic liberties as would be typical of any "Hollywood" production.

The movie is rated "R" for its violence and Army language. The movie would be disturbing to many Latter-day Saints, but there would be others with a connection to or an interest in the military that would find this film worthy of their attention. The movie lasted a little over two hours.

The camera work and acting in this movie were brilliant. Consequently, it was easy to suspend one's disbelief, allowing one's mind to be placed into the Iraq war. The main actors are not well known, but as a result the audience comes to realize that any of the characters in the movie are at risk. A "John Wayne" (typically) does not die in war movies.

Any movie, even those having a high caliber such as this show, will fall short of the details of reality. In another review, "EOD Soldiers View The Hurt Locker," there was this interesting quotation:

Jim O'Neil, executive director of the EOD Memorial Foundation, said the inaccuracies do not take away from the importance of the film.

"The vast majority of everyone I talked to enjoyed the film, and they appreciated there is a credible EOD movie. This very dangerous field in the military has been overlooked in the entertainment industry," O'Neil said. "It's a movie, not a training film."

The movie serves a high purpose. It reminds audiences of the high sacrifices of EOD teams. For example, ordinary citizens should be aware of the EOD Memorial Foundation, and should learn a little about the history of EOD soldiers.

Of course, the personalities depicted in the film are exaggerated and excessively macho. Even so, the excesses cause the viewer to ponder appropriate questions about the nature of disarming bombs. What type of personality would be required to serve on an EOD team? What is the life expectancy? What are the risks for PTSD? How many bombs are diffused in a typical career or during a yearlong deployment?

*****Trailers*****

The official trailer can be viewed at the provided link. A version is embedded below:

*****True Pre-movie Strangeness*****

My wife and I had a frightening experience just prior to the film that set a negative tone.

The theater was part of a large metropolitan mall. As we waited for the matinee to start we ate lunch at the mall's food court. As we finished eating and started heading to the embedded theater we encountered a man (with an official-looking badge on his belt but no obvious uniform) inside the mall carrying a large rifle case, and he had at least two exposed side arms holstered on his belt. I stared at him in disbelief, as this action was provocative and may have violated law.

What should good citizens do in such a case? Our movie was about to start. We headed a short distance to the Security Office. We had to wait five or ten minutes, but we reported what we saw. The security officer told us they were "watching him."

Not to be counseled by our fears, we entered into the theater multiplex under the belief that we had performed our civic duty. Still, I had to wonder whether we had just entered our own version of the hurt locker. Had we done enough? What else could we do?

We missed some previews, but saw the full movie.

After the pre-movie and movie experience it was easy to conclude: Peace is better than war and violence. I want my next movie to be a romance (without vampire teeth please).

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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Crossing Paths: Handcart Mormons & Fugitive Slaves

The Freedom Trail Across Iowa between 1850 to 1864

"A Ride for Liberty – The Fugitive Slaves," by Eastman Johnson, 1862

Preface: My fifteen-year old son (Son#3) recently returned from an overnight trip organized by his Iowa LDS youth group. One of the main activities was to have the teenagers pull handcarts for two miles. They pushed and pulled those carts through thick mud and unplowed fields. Upon his return home (literally covered with dried mud from his hair to tennis shoes) he proudly proclaimed that he knew what it was like to be a Mormon pioneer. Unfortunately, I felt an obligation to remind him that his experience, although valuable, was artificial. My main complaint was that the actual 19th century handcart pioneers took well-used public roads across Iowa. True, they had to ford some rivers and creeks, but normally those pioneers stayed on passable roads, out of the mud whenever possible. In other words, the actual pioneers were smarter than the artificial ones.

In fact, many modern Latter-day Saints (who should know better) have the impression that early Mormon pioneers on their way to Utah blazed new trails. The only lengthy trail blazed by Mormons happened in the winter of 1846 when Brigham Young led an exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois across the southern border of Iowa toward what is now Council Bluffs and Omaha. And, they did NOT use handcarts.

Using public roads, there were seven Mormon handcart companies that traveled across Iowa between 1856 and 1857. They began in Iowa City, and traveled just below Marengo and Grinnell, and then they went directly through Newton, Des Moines, Adel, Lewis, and Council Bluffs. (For highly resolved route details see: S. Faux, "The Location of the Iowa Mormon Handcart Route: Faint Footsteps of 1856-57 Retraced," Annals of Iowa, 2006, 65: 226-251).

There is an unfortunate mindset that is created when we think of Mormon handcart pioneers as blazing trails. The misperception is created that these early Mormons were isolated in their travels. Such a view causes a loss of historical context that otherwise would add essential meaning to the route.

What is the essential meaning that is lost? What else can we appreciate about the handcart route? Read and find out.

*****

As Mormon handcart pioneers, seeking their religious freedom, were traveling west across Iowa in 1856-1857, there were fugitive slaves, seeking their personal freedom, traveling along the same roads in the opposite direction. The exodus of these slaves, of course, was known as the "underground railroad." These two groups, the slaves and the Mormons, sought their own forms of freedom, and both groups had their own kinds of (true) heroes.

During the time of Iowa's underground railroad of the 1850s and 60s fugitive slaves from Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, made their way across southern Iowa toward Illinois and eventually Canada where they could be free. It is quite probable that some of these fugitives passed Mormon handcart pioneers going the opposite way on the same trail. Portions of the Iowa underground trail and the Mormon handcart route overlapped. (Click on the inset map to see the overlap and some of the main trails along the Iowa underground railroad).

Some primary routes along the Iowa underground railroad between 1850 and 1864. The portion in red was also used by the Mormon handcart pioneers between 1856 and 1857. Click to enlarge.

Fugitive slaves were assisted by Iowans, known as conductors, who often served up their homes as hiding places and their wagons as transport. Fugitives ran away from slavery at risk of their lives, and both fugitives and conductors were breaking the federal laws of the time, specifically the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

Information on fugitive slave activity is scarce since the mentioned act of Congress permitted hunters to cross state lines in order to track slaves. Penalties were severe. Consequently, fugitives and slaves did not want their names known.

Historical information is scarce, but a rich oral tradition has survived along with a few houses with apparent hiding places for fugitives. We do not even know how many slaves escaped across Iowa, but oral accounts suggest a fair amount of activity. For example, Harmon Cook, an eyewitness, recorded "Many times have I seen colored men and women crossing the prairie from Middle River to Summit Grove [Stuart] -- slaves running away to freedom."

Historians have sometimes neglected the names of suspected conductors and fugitives, since hard proof of involvement seldom exists. Yet, there is no doubt that Iowa had an active fugitive transport system. Moreover, the existing oral tradition that has been recorded is very consistent and coherent.

The Iowa underground railroad must not be forgotten. We must not forget the fugitives that had to be hidden in potato sacks, baskets, and barrels while being transported by William Maxon of Springdale, or Philip James of Denmark, or Dr. Edwin James of Burlington.

It would be good to remember Laurie Tatum's wagon that got stuck in quicksand. The fugitives hidden inside it decided to risk sinking in the sand rather than jumping out and revealing their hiding place.

We must not forget the story of Theron Trowbridge of Denmark about how he instructed his son to feed poisoned biscuits to the bloodhounds so that they would not catch the fugitives that had just left his house. It is said that Trowbridge once encountered a woman fugitive who had to leave her baby behind. He was so outraged that he mounted his horse and returned in two days with her baby in hand.

The stories themselves become convincing symbols of racial attitudes and meaning. Oral tradition from Springdale tells of a fugitive mother with two sons, one considerably lighter skinned than the other. Differing skin color among the threesome made them conspicuous while they were escaping. The solution was to dye the light skinned child with strong tea in order to make him dark.

In another case at Lyon's ferry in Clinton County a light skinned fugitive wife had to pass herself off as the "white owner" of her dark skinned husband so that they could cross the Mississippi River into Illinois.

The truth of these traditions can never be known with certainty. It is not controversial, however, that Iowa had an active underground railroad, and it is certain such activity involved real champions.

*****

I would argue that the basic routes taken by fugitive slaves on the underground railroad and the handcart Mormons should be marked as a "Freedom Trail."

For us Latter-day Saints, we need to realize that the handcart route was NOT exclusively Mormon. Fugitive slaves, a critically important group of people, also took the route. The primary roads were used by stagecoaches and were public routes. These roads have historic importance, and it is my hope that we LDS remember the entire context, not just that part that is Mormon.

*****

Some Notes: W. H. Siebert, The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom, (New York, 1898) is still probably the best overall analysis of the Underground Railroad. Charles E. Smith gives a detailed analysis of roadways in The Underground Railroad in Iowa (M.A. Thesis, Northeast Missouri State College, 1971). See his map 9, p.128, showing main sites identical to the handcart trail. See also: C. Harnack, “The Iowa Underground Railroad,” The Iowan 4 (1956), 20-23, 44 & 47. William Houlette, Iowa: The Pioneer Heritage (Des Moines, 1970), 140-142, describes how fugitive slaves in the 1850s were taken from Tabor to Hastings, Macedonia, Lewis, Dalmanutha, and Apple Grove. Jacob Van Ek, “Underground Railroad in Iowa,” The Palimpsest 2 (1921), 130, describes how the “main line entered the State in its southwest corner near Tabor, …[then] Lewis, Des Moines, Grinnell, Iowa City, West Liberty, Tipton, De Witt, and Low Moor.” Recognizable maps and descriptions of the “handcart / Underground Railroad” route are published in James Connor, “The Antislavery Movement in Iowa,” The Annals of Iowa 40 (1970), 343-376, 450-478.

Portions of the above essay were previously published by the author in the Des Moines Register in February of 1998.

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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If Jesus Sat at Your Table…?

"Feast of Simon the Pharisee" by Peter Paul Rubens circa 1618

Examine Luke 7: 36-50, as I am going to give these passages my own spin based upon my understanding of the culture and human nature.

*****

One day a Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner. He wanted to find out more about this man who others had been calling “a Prophet.” Jesus had the reputation for being a great preacher who healed the sick (on the Sabbath, a violation of Pharisaical rules), and some had claimed he had even raised the dead son of a widow. The skeptical Pharisee wanted to take a good look at this man.

They had just started dinner when a woman, a known sinner, came uninvited through the door. She approached the location of Jesus, bringing with her an alabaster box of ointment. While Jesus was seated at the table, she kneeled behind him. She was weeping and she washed his feet with her tears, and then dried them with her hair. She kissed his feet, and then anointed them with oil.

The Pharisee considered this outrageous. Why didn’t Jesus shoo away the filthy woman? He thought to himself: “She should not be in my house. If this man were truly a Prophet, he would know this woman was a sinner. She has contaminated him, and now he is unclean.”

Noticing the Pharisee’s disgust, Jesus said, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon the Pharisee replied, “Say on, Teacher.”

Then Jesus gave him this parable: “A moneylender had two debtors. One owed 500 coins and the other 50. When they had nothing to pay him back, he forgave the debts. Tell me, Simon, which debtor loved the moneylender the most?”

Simon answered, “The one who owed the most money.”

Jesus replied, “You have judged correctly.” He then pointed to the woman, and said, “See this woman? When I came to your house, you offered me no water for my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has not ceased in kissing my feet. You did not so much as anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet! This I tell you: her many sins are forgiven because she loved me so much. But, he who is forgiven little, loves little.” He then bent over toward the woman and said, “Thy sins are forgiven. Thy faith saved thee. Go in peace.”

A commotion arose at the dinner table. People said things like, “What does this man think that he is to forgive sins?”

*****

Moral: Did Jesus know this woman from his hillside preaching? There is no indication from the story. However, the story paints a clear enough picture. The Pharisee, no doubt, prayed and fasted. He kept the Sabbath according to his extensive rules. He studied the scriptures or at least the rabbinical interpretation of scriptures. He went to the temple regularly. He did so many things, but he did NOT recognize the Messiah seated at his own table. Self-righteousness is the highest form of self-deception.

By contrast, a woman, a known sinner, anointed the feet of Jesus and loved God with all her heart, despite all her many sins.

It is NOT a lifetime of so-called righteous living that brings us unto God. Instead, it is our ability to love God and love others. This is the currency God requires.

If Jesus sat at your table, would you recognize him? I fear I might be too much like the Pharisee.

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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Methodology II : Teaching for Our Times

Elder Neil L. Andersen (newest member of the Quorum of Twelve, 4-4-09)

Preface: This is a second installment on methodology for "Teaching for Our Times." The first installment can be found here. This post has been quite popular, provoking me to provide a second lesson.

On the fourth Sunday of the month the men's group (Priesthood) and the women's group (Relief Society) teach a lesson called "Teaching for Our Times." The Bishop will usually pick a General Conference talk, and then ask the instructor to create a lesson based on it.

My method is to build the lesson around quotes from the assigned Conference talk. Consequently, I will download the talk from LDS.org and condense it to about 3 pages of typed text. I will organize the material into numbered quotations (chronologically organized), followed by a select question or two (see the lesson below).

Important: All members of the group will get a handout of all the quotations. This procedure greatly increases comprehension.

Each quote is read aloud to the group. I then summarize the quote in my own words, followed by the questions typed below the quote (see the lesson below). Typically, the discussion is extensive by the group. My role is to be both teacher and moderator.

Below is a sample lesson containing the text each member of the group would receive:.

*****

Teachings for Our Times:

Neil L. Andersen, “Come unto Him,” Ensign, May 2009, 78–80
[For the full talk by Elder Anderson, click on the link above. The quotations below do NOT comprise the entire piece. The follow-up questions are mine, and are not part of the original talk.]

Quote #1:
My dear brothers and sisters across the world, my knees are weak and my emotions close to the surface. I express my love for you and profoundly thank you for your sustaining vote. In so many dimensions, I feel inadequate and humbled.

I take solace that in one qualification for the holy apostleship where there can be no latitude extended, the Lord has deeply blessed me. I do know with perfect and certain clarity through the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, the Beloved Son of God.

Question #1: What are the qualifications to serve in the modern-day Quorum of Twelve? [Note: Naturally, members of the group will answer: "to be called of God." Instructors should prompt the group to extend this answer beyond the obvious. For example, the group could discuss the kinds of preparation such leadership requires.]

Quote #2:
There is no man with more love than President Thomas S. Monson. His warmth is as the sunshine at midday. Yet, as he extended to me this sacred call, you can imagine the overwhelming soberness I felt as the eyes of the prophet of God peered deeply into the chambers of my soul. Happily, you can also imagine the love I felt from the Lord and from His prophet as President Monson wrapped his long and loving arms around me. I love you, President Monson.

To those who know me, if ever I have been less than I should have been in your presence, I ask for your forgiveness and patience. I so very much need your faith and prayers in my behalf.

I know that I am not what I must become. I pray that I might be willing and moldable to the Lord’s tutoring and correction. I take comfort from the words of President Monson last night in the priesthood session that the Lord will shape the back to fit the burden placed upon it.

Question #2: Elder Andersen readily admits he has a lot to learn, but he is comforted by the fact that “the Lord will shape the back to fit the burden placed upon it.” Sometimes in the Church we refer to the “enabling power.” What is this concept and where does it come from? Are we expected to perform under our own power?

Quote #3:
Just after my call as a General Authority 16 years ago, in a stake conference where I accompanied President Boyd K. Packer, he said something I have not forgotten. As he addressed the congregation, he said, “I know who I am.” Then after a pause, he added, “I am a nobody.” He then turned to me, sitting on the stand behind him, and said, “And, Brother Andersen, you are a nobody too.” Then he added these words: “If you ever forget it, the Lord will remind you of it instantly, and it won’t be pleasant.”

Question #3: Church leaders have considerable decision-making power in managing the Church. What does Elder Andersen mean when he says, “I am nobody?”

Quote #4:
For 16 years the members of the First Presidency and the Twelve have been my examples and teachers. I have learned from their integrity and righteousness. In these many years, I have never observed any unbridled anger, any desire for private or material gain. Never have I seen any personal positioning for influence or power.

Rather, I have seen their loyalty and care for their wives and children. I have experienced their love and sure witness of our Heavenly Father and His Son. I have watched them untiringly seek first to build up the kingdom of God. I have seen the power of God rest upon them and magnify and sustain them. I have witnessed the fulfillment of their prophetic voice. I have seen the sick raised and nations blessed through their authority and have stood with them in moments too sacred to recount. I testify that they are the Lord’s anointed.

Question #4: What is the basic operating philosophy of ALL Church leadership? What makes leadership in the Church distinct from other forms of leadership outside of the Church?

Quote #5:
The revelations tell of a great gathering that will take place (see 2 Nephi 10:7–8; 3 Nephi 16:5). Isaiah prophesied that the house of the Lord would be established in the tops of the mountains and that the voice of the Lord would go from there to the whole earth (see Isaiah 2:2–3). Daniel declared that it would be as a stone cut out of a mountain without hands (see Daniel 2:34, 44–45). Peter spoke of the restitution of all things (see Acts 3:20–21). Nephi saw that those of the Church of the Lamb would not be many in number but would be in every land and nation (see 1 Nephi 14:12, 14).

We live in these days of the Lord’s “marvellous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14; see 2 Nephi 25:17). We have been blessed to bring the gospel to our families and our posterity and to assist in preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior. The Lord described the purposes of the Restoration “to be a light to the world, … to be a standard for [us, His] people, … and to be a messenger before [His] face to prepare the way before [Him]” (D&C 45:9). Our responsibility is not trivial; it is not by chance that we are who we are; the keeping of our covenants in these days of destiny will be a badge of honor throughout all the eternities.

Question #5: The job of the Latter-day Saints is to “be a standard.” How does being a standard “assist in preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior?”

Quote #6:
I have been privileged to see the Lord’s hand at work across the world. While we honor those pioneers who walked across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley, there are far more pioneers living today. They don’t push handcarts, but they are exactly the same in so many ways: They have heard the voice of the Lord through the Book of Mormon and through their personal prayers. With faith and repentance they have stepped into the waters of baptism and firmly planted their feet in the rich gospel soil. As disciples of Christ, they have been willing to sacrifice for what is right and true. And with the gift of the Holy Ghost, they are holding steady in their course toward eternal life.

Question #6: The early Utah pioneers in the 19th century made considerable sacrifices. Elder Andersen says, “there are far more pioneers living today.” In what sense are modern Latter-day Saints “pioneers?”

Quote #7:
We must remember, my dear brothers and sisters, who we are and what we have in our hands. We are not alone in our desire to do good; there are wonderful people of many faiths and beliefs.

We are not alone in praying to our Heavenly Father or in receiving answers to our prayers; our Father loves all of His children.

We are not alone in sacrificing for a greater cause; there are others who are unselfish.

Others share our faith in Christ. There are loyal and decent fathers and mothers in every land who love each other and love their children. There is much we can learn from the good people all around us.

Yet we must not shrink from what is uniquely and singularly found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. …

Question #7: Elder Andersen reminds us that we have NO REASON to be arrogant about being Latter-day Saints. We have a good work to do, but so DO OTHERS. Is it possible that others (non-LDS) contribute to “preparing” the earth for the Second Coming? What is the unique role of the Latter-day Saints? Below is Elder Andersen’s answer:

Quote #8:
Only here is the priesthood of God, restored to earth by heavenly messengers. Only here does the Book of Mormon stand with the Bible in revealing and declaring the full divinity and gospel of Christ. Only here are there prophets of God, bringing guidance from heaven and holding the keys that bind in heaven what is bound on earth.

Our knowledge of the divine mission of the Church should not bring feelings of superiority or arrogance but should take us to our knees, pleading for the Lord’s help that we might be what we should be. But in humility we need not be timid in remembering the Lord’s words: “This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it” (Mosiah 27:13).

Above all, we proclaim our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. All that we are—all that we will ever be—we owe to Him. While we gaze in awe at His majesty, He does not ask us to stay our distance but bids us to come unto Him. …

His words echo through the centuries: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).

Postscript: It is useful to try to summarize the main "take-home" points. This should NOT be a long list. A testimony can end the meeting with the proper spirit.

My advice to teachers is to let the gospel be the star of the show instead of the instructor's personality. There is no need to impress the group with "superior" knowledge. Instead, draw from the knowledge resources of the group. Guide the discussion, and correct errors when necessary. Avoid the pitfalls of tangents.

One advantage of this method is that when I am sick and cannot attend the meeting, I am often able to give the lesson outline to my group leader. The outline saves the substitute teacher from a lot of unnecessary pain caused by any short-notice.

Mormon Chili

A Mingling of Cultures, Peoples, & Ideas

Preface: Tequitia Andrews recently raised some important issues in a column on Mormon Times entitled: "Is the church a melting pot or salad bowl?" Do new LDS converts from non-Utah regions have to take on the traditions and culture of life-long members? She concludes, appropriately I think, that members of the Church can be in accord on principles, but can also express those principles differently based upon differences in cultural background. Latter-day Saints need not be the same.

The membership of the LDS Church is a mingling of separate identities working together in harmony. This mixture of separate but harmonious components reminds me of chili, a useful metaphor for the mingling of cultures, peoples, and ideas found in the Church. Mormons make good chili, both literally and figuratively.

The Church has the capacity to be adaptive, responsive, flexible, and progressive in order to meet the needs of a worldwide membership.

*****LDS Cultural Variations*****

The members of the worldwide LDS Church are unified in their basic beliefs. Even so, there are geographic variations in practices, because every Ward, Stake, and Area has its own unique set of needs. Those needs often must have local solutions. Latter-day Saints embrace a wide variety of cultures and ideas. Yes, there are foundational principles, but those principles carry with them a lot of latitude.

Some cultural problems are big. For example, Elder Glenn L. Pace in his great book on Africa (Safe Journey) states: "Loyalties to a tribe are usually much stronger than loyalties to a nation and often much stronger than loyalties to the Church" (p. 238). He further states, "This results in numerous serious problems in missions, stakes, and wards" (p. 238). Some cultural practices do have moral consequences and they must be changed.

Most cultural issues are minor. For example, one will not find drumming in African LDS services. However, Church services would be more popular if drumming were permitted.

I find myself wishing for drums. The Church is a shoe that can fit all sizes, but only because it can be resized as the situation demands. The Church cannot be about making the World one big Utah. Chile must remain Chile, Hawaii must remain Hawaii, and Iowa must remain Iowa. Each locale has unique needs.

*****Basic Chili*****

My chili recipe below has some basic ingredients, but NOT everyone will follow the recipe exactly. Here's the easy recipe:

Need: 1 pound or more of hamburger; 1 Heinz chili sauce in a 12oz bottle or the equivalent; 1 small package of chili seasoning, such as McCormick’s; 1 or 2 tomato sauce (8oz); 2 cans of kidney beans or red beans (15oz); 1 onion (optional); 1 green pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown beef and drain fat.

2. Stir in chopped onions and peppers if used.

3. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato sauce, chili sauce, and kidney beans. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Be sure to stir often. It cannot be stirred too much.

4. Cover leftovers with foil or plastic and keep in the refrigerator. Next day chili tastes best.

Now, of course, there are acceptable variations. One could add more or less of each ingredient. One could substitute a homemade chili sauce. One could use steak instead of hamburger. One could add extra spices, or make the chili extra hot.

Moral: If one has ever been to a chili cook-off, then one realizes that there are an infinite variety of chili recipes that every eater still recognizes as chili!!

Similarly, in the Church if doctrinal recipes are performed correctly, then EVERY member will recognize the restored latter-day religion. But, NOT every recipe will be Utah chili. But, chili is still chili.

*****God Speaks to All*****

There is a tendency in religion to want infallibility and rigidity. When one embraces these qualities it becomes easy to conclude that further revelation is NOT necessary. Fortunately, Latter-day Saints reject that conclusion.

God has communicated with humans from the beginning in a variety of ways. The Book of Mormon states: "I [God] shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it" (2 Nephi 29: 12).

Oh, how it bothers some in the Protestant world that Jude quoted from the Book of Enoch, which is not in the Bible:

Jude 1:14 – 15
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Even the LDS Book of Moses appears to make reference to the Book of Enoch:

Moses 7:65
65 And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;

The specific prophecy, referenced by Jude, is thus:

1 Enoch 2:1 (also versed as 1:9 in some versions)
Behold, he comes with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon them, and destroy the wicked, and reprove all the carnal for everything which the sinful and ungodly have done, and committed against him.

John Pratt, a LDS scholar, has given a little of the history behind the Book of Enoch:

"Enoch Calendar Testifies of Christ"
by John P. Pratt
From: Meridian Magazine (Sept. 11, 2001)
[The Book of Enoch] was quoted as scripture by the early Christian Church fathers until the middle of the third century AD, accepted as a divine work having been written by Enoch himself. It then fell into disrepute and was banned from the canon of scripture in the fourth century… .

In 1773 the famous explorer James Bruce discovered it in Ethiopia (then called Abyssinia), and brought back three copies. Fortunately, the Ethiopians had kept it in their Bible, where it was located immediately after the Book of Job.

One of the three copies was presented to the Oxford library. The first English translation was published in 1821 by Archbishop Richard Laurence, who had been a Professor of Hebrew at Oxford. Later translations included that of George Schodde in 1881, of R.H. Charles in 1913, and by E. Isaac in 1983.

Too many Bible-based religions have turned the Bible into a magical idol of worship. The Church has always recognized that the Book evolved by both the intervention of God and man. The Book of Mormon is considered in the same light.

It was NOT the intention of God to say, “Scripture is closed and there is no more revelation.” Latter-day Saints recognize that there are inspired works which are not in the Bible. God communicates with varieties of peoples in their own language.

*****The Atonement Unifies*****

It is essential to realize how many different ways the New Testament, especially Paul, talks about the “enabling power.” Consider these words of Paul from the Book of Hebrews:

Amplified Bible: Hebrews 13: 20-21
20Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament),
21Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).

When we are doing our part, the enabling power takes over. Even our lives should be a mixture of our individual agency and the intervention of God.

Put faith in the atonement. We are NOT perfect, but Christ will perfect us over time. Of course, we must add our own mix of faith and effort, which are the seasonings in the recipe of salvation. Our efforts are important, but they are NOT the main ingredients in salvation. The “Atonement” is the hamburger, the beans, the tomato sauce, the onions, and the green peppers.

That, my friends, is Mormon chili.

*****

Scripture taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. 
Used by permission.

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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The Signature of a Godly Life

The important documents of our life require a full signature or a full name with proper identification. A birth certificate indicates that a child with a certain name was born. A college diploma having an inscribed name certifies that a student properly obtained a higher education. An engaged couple will give their full names to a County Clerk in order to obtain a marriage license. In a similar manner, the Lord has asked us to place a signature on our lives. A signature is a symbol of agreement and commitment. The gospel has many such signatures – those given to God, and those God gives to us.

Consider the following:

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839-42 p.198
Baptism is a sign to God, to angels, and to heaven that we do the will of God, and there is no other way beneath the heavens whereby God hath ordained for man to come to Him to be saved … .

What is the sign of the healing of the sick? The laying on of hands is the sign or way marked out by James, and the custom of the ancient Saints as ordered by the Lord, and we cannot obtain the blessings by pursuing any other course except the way marked out by the Lord. What if we should attempt to get the gift of the Holy Ghost through any other means except the signs of way which God hath appointed -- would we obtain it? Certainly not… .

There are certain key words and signs belonging to the Priesthood which must be observed in order to obtain the blessing. The sign of Peter was to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, with the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost obtained.

Further,

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3, SYMBOLISM
The temple ceremony is richly symbolic, with sacred symbolism in the signs, tokens, clothing, covenants, dramatic enactment, and prayer circle. The unifying connection of this symbolic material is the idea of centering. Everything in the temple is suggestive of centering oneself on Christ. The enactment of this privilege precedes the symbolic entrance into the celestial world and the presence of God.

The Book of Mormon is full of signs and signatures that we often miss because we are not educated enough.

For example, Alma 36, more often cited for its Hebraic chiasmus, very much contains the themes of the Passover: bondage, deliverance, redemption, and freedom in the context of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt as they escaped slavery. Alma 36 could easily be a Passover commemoration from Alma to his son Helaman. It has all the necessary elements. Jewish families discuss being “enslaved in mitzrahyim” (pronounced “mitz-rah-yim” and means Egypt). God is the great liberator of nations and individuals. Alma 36 teaches these lessons.

Alma 30:2 refers to “the days of fasting, and mourning, and prayer” as if these were an observance. “The days” appear to allude to the Jewish “Days of Awe” -- the 10 days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur. These are indeed the days of fasting, prayer and mourning.

The Book of Mormon does not name Jewish holidays. Instead, it just takes them for granted. Critics may argue that Jewish holidays are not in the Book of Mormon, but actually they are scattered throughout. However, we must search for them with prepared eyes.

Little elements in the Book of Mormon could have great significance if we knew how to look.

Signatures are tools, not dictators. Righteousness comes from the spirit and the heart. Find the proper spirit behind religious laws. Then, live the spirit without being caught in Pharisaical extremes.

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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A Mother's Sacrifice Revealed by a Bowling Ball

A Tribute to Our Military

I try hard NOT to take for granted what our U.S. soldiers do for us, but sometimes the subtleties escape me. I am grateful that I eventually understood the significance of the following little moment that happened just a few years ago.

*****

On a December 7th, Pearl Harbor day, my family and I had the privilege of eating at an Army banquet with my Son#1 and his military unit. It was a very nice event with lots of food, but that is not what impressed me the most.

Some of the soldiers from the unit were just getting back from Afghanistan. While we were eating, my son pointed to a female soldier with long straight hair who was seated at another table across the room. He said, "See that woman. She was called up for a year's duty in Afghanistan and just got back."

I said, "Great, but so what?"

My soldier son then explained to me that when she was called up to duty she had to leave behind her six-month old boy.

"What a hardship," I said, "but I suppose that sometimes happens."

He then said that her Sergeant, a man my son referred to as Sergeant "E," had volunteered to take the child during the year into his own family. (The Sergeant was serving in another capacity in the States).

"Great," I said, still not as impressed, as my son wanted me to be.

After the dinner, the soldiers and their families dispersed to various recreational activities. Off to the side was a small four-lane bowling alley. Only one lane was active. It was the woman with the long hair, and she was bending over to assist her now 18-month old son to roll a ball towards the bowling pins. The child was fussing just a little. Standing behind them and watching proudly was Sergeant "E."

Then, an emotional bowling ball hit me. That mother was in the process of getting reacquainted with her baby, now a toddler. It was Sergeant "E's" face that was familiar to the young boy, not the mother's. It was Sergeant "E" who was the reassuring presence to the child. Now he was a catalyst for the mother and child whose bonding had to begin anew.

It was a little moment at an almost ordinary holiday party, but it symbolized for me the tremendous sacrifice women and men of the military make for this country.

At the party I finally "got it." To all U.S. soldiers I wanted to say there is no repayment for what you do for us. I have only one small gift to offer: Thanks!

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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Entering BCT at 18

A LDS Mother's Reaction

Some decisions in life are simply momentous. We do not always know it at the time. It was almost exactly 10 years ago that my Son#1 (first of three sons) entered into Basic Combat Training (BCT) in the Army. He was 18 years old. Son#1 was about to engage on a long adventure that would change his life.

The year was 1999 and the world seemed to be at relative peace. As parents to a soldier we were more impressed with what the Army could do for Son#1 than what Son#1 could do for the Army.

Little did we know how the world would dramatically change over the coming few years.

Below is a portion of a letter from my wife to Son#1 just a few days after he left for BCT. It is the kind of letter than ONLY a mother could write.

July 18, 1999

Dear [Son#1],

I don’t feel like I got to say a proper goodbye the morning that you left. That hour was so rushed. I didn’t get to tell you how proud I am of you and how much I love you. How can you put into words what it feels like to have part of your heart taken away. My first child is a man—and a noble one at that. Just like Daddy mentioned in his letter, you have made a very mature and selfless decision in joining the National Guard. You want to help people—you have always wanted to help others and have shown many times in your life that you care about other people.

Daddy told me that during your first phone call together (I wasn’t home from church yet) that you asked him, “Do you think of me?” I had to chuckle at that because it’s more like when do we not think about you. I have five pictures of you sitting on my desk at work. …

It’s actually easier for me to deal with you being gone while I’m at work because I’m so distracted. It hits me much harder that you’re gone when I get home, especially when I walk in your room. There’s a void there. I remember the special times that you and I talked together. … And I don’t think you realized this, but I always felt honored that you would take the time to talk to me, too. I knew you could be doing other things, but those talks meant so much to me. I look forward to many more when you get home.

As hard as it is for me to deal with you being gone, it’s even harder for your Father. I have to admit I was surprised at how hard he is taking it. I told you this before, but he said, “Sending a son off to the Army is the closest a man will ever come to having a baby”. That week between phone calls when we didn’t know for sure whether you had started Basic and whether you were at Ft. Jackson or Ft. Sill was very hard on him. He said he was getting “ulcers”.

…

[Son#3, age 4] still continues to amaze us with how smart he is. I was reading a story to him the other night when he pointed to a word and said what it was. I can’t remember which word, but I pointed to another word and said, “Do you know what this word is?” He said, “toys”. That was right. On the way home from Church today, he was pointing at all of the banks on the corner of 22nd and Westown and said, “that says bank, and that says bank, and that says bank”. There were three banks on each of the corners. He can already read some words and he isn’t even in school yet. …

News update: Have you heard that John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s plane went down in the Atlantic Ocean late Friday night? He was flying by vision (not instrument panels), at night, in the fog. … He had just barely gotten his private pilot’s license. They think he is dead along with his wife and her sister. It is so sad what that family has been through. …

Well, I’ll let you go. Daddy says you don’t have enough time to sit around and read these long letters. …

Remember how much we love you and are proud of you. Always do what’s right, and set the example for others. You’re a leader!

All my love,

…

At the time of BCT, Son#1 was inactive in the Church. Involvement in the Army provided a sound structure for him to build upon. Although there is necessary roughness in the military environment, Son#1 was exposed to many religious soldiers, some of whom were exemplary Latter-day Saints.

This story has a very long ending, but to make things short in 2008 my Son#1 married a Returned Missionary in the Nauvoo temple. They now live in Colorado and are very active in the Church.

When I helped sign Son#1 into the Army at age 17, I was hoping for the best. Little did I know the signatures on those enlistment papers were momentous -- at least for the Faux family.

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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Proposing Marriage the Hard Way

Preliminaries: Since my title might be misleading a clarification is in order. This short essay is about the topic of proposing marriage. But, my title does make me wonder if anyone has used a blog to propose marriage. It took me two seconds to find "Google evidence" of someone proposing over Twitter. Such a marriage proposal to me is more "geekly" than romantically innovative. For better or worse, it is a simple fact that technology broadens the possibilities for proposals. One way or another, the job has to get done.

*****Faux Proposal Methods*****

Do Mormon men make proposals in a different manner than non-Mormons? I doubt it. If there is a cultural difference, then it might be that Mormon guys ask something like: "Will you have me for eternity?" Latter-day Saint couples living the standards of their religion are eligible to be married by priesthood authorities in a temple "for time and eternity."

My wife claims she never received a proper (romantically-based) marriage proposal. I am NOT sure what she expected. I got the result right. We were married in the Provo, Utah temple – almost 30 years ago.

In fact, my wife says that she was impatient after about a year of courtship. She claims she said to me, "Are you ever going to get around to a marriage proposal?" Apparently, I was VERY "business like" in the later stages of our courtship. Actually, I was just being scientific about it. Was such an arrangement financially viable? Would we have health insurance? Could I afford a ring? All these issues and more had to be worked out in a logical and systematic manner. Romance was for Hollywood – or so I naively thought.

I was a 27-year old graduate student in cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology. Based on an apocryphal quote too often attributed to Brigham Young, I had reached the unmarried age of being "a menace to the community." I doubt Brigham Young used the term "menace," but he did say things more direct like: "[Y]oung men in Israel … at an age to marry … go straightway and get married to a good sister" (Journal of Discourses 12: 200).

Occasionally, when I tell my marriage story to a Mormon audience, someone will say: "Wow. You waited UNTIL age 27!" My retort is, "President David O. McKay was 27 when he got married." Humph. Sometimes in Mormon culture one must have prepared "comebacks."

Maybe it's one of those quirks of cultural evolution, but many Mormons seem to like early marriage.

J. E. Uecker and C. E. Stokes (2008; "Early marriage in the United States," Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 835-846) recently reported the results of an important national survey involving 2,975 young women and 2,900 young men, all within the ages of 18 and 27, in which age of marriage was studied as a function of religion. For example, it was determined that 16.6% of Catholic females and 12% of Catholic males got married before age of 23. Among "Mainline Protestants" these percentages were 28.3 and 15.4, respectively. Among Mormons the numbers increased to 39.2% and 29.8%, respectively. The authors concluded that Mormons were more likely to marry at young ages than both mainline Protestants and Catholics.

The cultural pressure for early marriage extends to short courtships as well. An example is my pioneer relative Jabez Faux, Senior who took "short courtship" to an extreme.

Jabez (born in 1837) was an unmarried young man who joined the Church in England. He traveled by handcart to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1860 at the age of 23. After a couple of years of "single life" in Utah he was probably feeling some pressure to get married. In 1862 at a "Church dance" Jabez encountered a pretty girl named Hanna Danielsson, age 22, who was newly arrived to Utah from Sweden. She could hardly speak a word of English.

As the story goes (told thousands of times in my family) Jabez approached Hanna and without introduction simply said, "How's about it?" He was NOT asking Hanna to dance with him. Instead, he was making a marriage proposal. I have NO idea how Hanna understood him, but the result was clear. Hanna and Jabez were married on the upcoming Christmas Eve. The marriage was long (55 years) and by all accounts successful.

Whenever my wife complains about how I bypassed a standard romantic proposal, I remind her of the story of Jabez and Hanna Faux. As I say, it is useful to have prepared "comebacks."

*****Marriage Proposals on Video*****

To provide my wife with some vicarious experience, I searched wide and far through the video world of marriage proposals.

Here are my top three favorites. I will begin in reverse order. (Be sure to view #1).

Third place for the Faux Award for Memorable Marriage Proposals goes to the following:

In this video Lia Anter, a prominent beauty queen, receives a surprising marriage proposal from a soldier recently returned from Iraq.

Second place for the Faux Award for Memorable Marriage Proposals goes to this Army Sergeant who proposed on TV from Iraq:

FIRST PLACE for the Faux Award for Memorable Marriage Proposals goes to a fellow named John who proposed to Erika at Disneyland using an elaborate production:

I hope these videos caused you to shed a tear, and I hope the essay caused a smile.

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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After the Dogfight Forgiveness Heals

The irony of war is that enemies can eventually be tight friends. If there is a moral lesson to be had, then it is this: forgiveness heals all wounds.

In April 1972 the war in Vietnam was still raging – not just on the ground, but also in the air. On the morning of the 15th Dan Cherry of the United States Air Force was flying a F-4 combat jet over enemy territory near the city of Hanoi. He spotted a Soviet-made MiG jet and obtained a full system lock-on. He fired a missile, which in a moment successfully hit the target, blasting the right wing. As the enemy plane went down the pilot ejected. Dan Cherry had to steer his jet away from the parachute.

A red victory star was placed on Dan's jet to represent the successful downing of the enemy.

Skip thirty-two years later. In 2004 Dan Cherry paid a visit to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. On display was his old F-4 jet, complete with its red victory star. As Dan stared at his old airplane, his brain was flooded with memories. He began to wonder about the fate of the enemy pilot attached to the parachute.

What happened next is best told by Dan Cherry himself. Below is a CBS News report:

Watch CBS Videos Online

This amazing reunion story with Hong My is NOT finished. Here is Part-II:

Watch CBS Videos Online

For a very well-written full report of this pilot reunion, see the Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine (May 1, 2009): "Above and Beyond: My Enemy, My Friend"

Dan Cherry has published a recent book about this reunion experience entitled, My Enemy, My Friend.

*****Devotional Thoughts*****

Seldom do we encounter stories where enemy soldiers have the opportunity to befriend each other. The story of Dan Cherry and Hong My is a great applied example of the ideals taught by such religious leaders as Mahatma Gandi and Jesus:

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.
Mahatma Gandhi

Matthew 5:44
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

In LDS scripture we are taught:

D&C 64:9-10
9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

The atonement of Jesus was designed to forgive everyone. In a way, when we fail to forgive others we have repudiated the effectiveness and infinite nature of the atonement.

Life has its vicissitudes. Occasionally, we may fall into our own version of a dogfight. Even when occasional, such fights are often damaging. We are saved by grace when we actively remember that forgiveness heals.

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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How Many Angels Can Dance On A Blog?

My Top 10 Unanswerable Questions

Preface: Some questions are "wrong" because they NEVER can be answered. Below is a list of ten of my favorite "wrong" questions with no adequate answer. Of course, I try to answer them anyway.

Forgive me for writing proactively to push some points.

*****

1. Is BYU the Lord's university?

Perhaps I shouldn't list this as an unanswerable question, since the answer is clearly NO. However, newly baptized adult members of the Church, at least in the United States, should be forewarned that this question might get raised at LDS gatherings, especially if BYU wins the big game. For some reason the question pops up most when BYU wins, but NOT so much when it loses.

2. Can Mormons drink Pepsi?

This is an all-time favorite unanswerable question. There are usually two LDS camps of thought. Mormons who drink Pepsi usually say "yes." Those who don't drink Pepsi usually say "no" but mainly for the enjoyment of watching the guilty squirm. Guilt-tripping is a highly refined art in some areas of LDS culture – such as Ward picnic parties.

3. Why can't I sing a note?

Singing is a big part of Mormon culture. I love music. Both sides of my family consisted of musicians. In fact, I have two cousins on the Tabernacle Choir. So, why am I tone deaf?

During a hymn I cannot hear the words, just the notes. I can hear spoken words fine, but not well when words are sung. Further, my voice has a range of only two off-key notes.

My only inadequate answer is that life is NOT fair. Such is life.

4. Does the Bloggernacle accurately reflect the Mormon culture, or is it a biased sample?

Bloggernacle authors probably are those Latter-day Saints who have trouble keeping their mouths shut, like ME. Not every Latter-day Saint thinks he or she has something important that everyone else ought to know. So, I think the Bloggernacle is a biased sample of the LDS world.

5. Why is Mormonism a moving religion?

Latter-day Saints are moved by their religious beliefs in about all possible ways. This phenomenon becomes most evident on Saturdays when a team of Elders will show up at someone's doorstep to help load a moving truck.

I know of no other religion that competes with "Two Men and a Truck." The competition is squashed, since the Elders do their work without a fee – except for the lemonade and donuts.

A little study of our religious history soon reveals that Mormons have always been on the move.

6. What do exotic jungle juices have to do with Mormonism and the American way?

Perhaps it is mostly a Utah thing, but some Mormons swear by expensive mangosteen juice or by particular brands of cheap soap. Mormons are good at loyalty, and apparently that characteristic sometimes generalizes to "purchasing" loyalty. How this happens is unknown to modern science.

7. If time is relative, as Einstein suggests, does fasting slow down the clock?

If meteorologists can have psychological temperature scales such as a "wind-chill" index, then chronologists should be able to have a "fasting" index of time. Any Latter-day Saint knows that a three-hour block on Fast Sunday feels like six hours. Time slows by a factor of two when hungry.

8. Are Mormons better than everyone else?

No, but the occasional person who might think such a thing is definitely more unbearable than everyone else.

9. How many angels can dance on a LDS blog?

There are definitely some beautiful "angels" out there in the LDS blog world – a lot of them. I am NOT one of them. I would be better characterized as a grumpy curmudgeon who benefits from the inspiration of others – the true angels that are out there. The LDS blog world runs the gamut of life – going from the sacred to the profane. I try to avoid the profane.

10. Is the gospel simple or complex?

The basic gospel is probably simple, but I make it way too complex anyway.

A few months ago at a High Priest Group meeting I was teaching a talk by Lawrence E. Corbridge (“The Way,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 34–36) as a "Teaching for Our Times." As part of the lesson we worked our way though some of the main scriptural citations, one of which was: “I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord; yea, even I am he, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world” (D&C 19:1). Perhaps I was out of line when I asked the group of High Priests the following questions: " Is it OK to equate Jesus with God, and is it OK to say He is eternal with no start and no finish? Is Jesus temporary?"

Upon hearing this complex question, one of the men (a visitor I think) responded, "I sense this lesson is turning into 'Gospel Mysteries 101.' "

The comment was funny, but it also got me to thinking that maybe I just go overboard.

Here was my prepared answer:

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet; Omega is the last. The basic phrase “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end” is found throughout scripture: Revelation 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13; 3 Nephi 9:18; D&C 19:1; 35:1; 38:1; 45:7; 54:1, 61:1; 63:60; 68:35; 75:1; 81:7; 84:120; 112:34; and 132:66. This phrase, announcing the special nature of Christ, begins six Sections of the D&C (cited above). Further, passages like D&C 39:1, Moses 6:67, and Moses 7:29 state that Jesus is "from all eternity to all eternity."

Yes, I definitely go overboard.

*****Conclusion*****

Some questions are better if NOT asked. If asked, then maybe those questions should go unanswered. In the future, I will work on turning my brain into a "blank slate." If only I could STOP thinking… .

*****

Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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