For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
I cannot address this subject without first sharing my own experience.
I can remember when local LDS paid most church expenses: tithing, fast offering, ward and stake building funds, temples, utilities, and church program costs. My Dad and I helped build a Stake Center in Corvallis, Oregon. That was around 1969. We were able to donate and to serve for building up the Kingdom of God on earth. Literally. My parents cash contribution resulted in a commemorative brick in the chapel of the Stake Center.
The sacrifice was celebrated as expressed in this poem from the Corvallis Stake history:
By Sister Carol Lantz Their Story Their story is set in concrete. It is inscribed on drywalls and plywood sheathings. It is a true story of Latter-day Saints who toiled side-by-side with shovels and hammers, and just plain grit— a family of Saints knit together in purpose who willingly labored and opened their purses to wrest from the earth a place of worship. The edifice stands sturdy as ever, still pleasing to the eye, made more so by a steeple that soars as an epilogue to their tale of hard work. Wards continue to be divided, boundaries continue to be rearranged, but a monument built with sweat and sacrifice remains as it was when their story ended— a story of ordinary people doing ordinary things to achieve an extraordinary goal: a building that touches heaven and earth to meet the needs of its people.
My parents did not have much money and as the oldest of ten siblings I grew up watching them carefully conserve to make ends meet. My father was a blue collar worker with an average income at best while my mother worked full time taking care of the ten of us. They worked hard, sacrificed to be with us, teach us, and tried to be a good example. Church attendance, family home evening time, and church callings were priorities.
Once that I remember, probably between jobs, my family received church food assistance from the Bishops storehouse. The windows of heaven were open to us in many ways. I was old enough to see it, financially and spiritually. One of the biggest blessings that endures with my siblings is one of family unity. For over 45 years we have gotten together for a reunion at least once a year and have been a support to each other.
I have never viewed paying tithing or living church standards of conduct as a burden. It saves paying for the burden of vices which are expensive and painful. It allows one to pray for help and direction with confidence. As a youth I could see that other families not following God had far bigger problems than we did. I saw that the Bishop and Stake President and ordinary members put in hours of labor as an extra donation to the Lords Kingdom. I do not use the word Kingdom lightly. That is what we are building. It has never been all about me but always about family and a foundation for the future and most definitely physical as well as spiritual.
I have to wonder at the ignorance of those that criticize, thinking for example that the extremely poor in foreign countries should not be asked to pay a tithe. The critics just don’t get it. They seem to think of the poor as a lower class, separate and not really equal to those who have more money. But no, they have dignity too and are equal to every other member of the church. They have skin the game. They will “inherit the earth”.
Because of the tremendous faithfulness of the members, the church has prospered more and more financially over the years. Slowly but surely more of the costs of running the church have been payed out of general Church funds rather than locally. After 1982 that included 100% of all building, maintenance and temple construction costs. This means of course that a congregation in a poorer country now receives the same infrastructure and necessary resources as more wealthy countries. The Church can afford to treat all with equity and equal value. I love that.
When I was a young proselyting missionary (1975-77) we were opening new areas in Quebec Canada that had never seen a missionary before. The prevalent religion was Roman Catholic which had far more members, money and resources than the tiny little Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My missionary companion and I baptized the first member of Alma, Quebec, Canada in the Lac Saint Jean and there is an LDS Chapel in Alma. Do I feel a sense of satisfaction about that? Absolutely. I rejoice in it.
And now we can fast forward to 2026. The Church continues to grow and prosper and is in fantastic financial shape. The following chart shows how the Church, as of 2021, has cash and investments that outstrip the largest companies and college endowment investment funds – except for Berkshire Hathaway.
thewidowsmite.org
The chart below shows how those investment funds are distributed. The majority is in stocks and bonds with a high level of liquidity.
thewidowsmite.org
This graphic shows income revenue on the left and expenses on the right. Tithing and other donations fund the operations of the Church whereas investment income is plowed back into investments. This is the basic pattern.
thewidowsmite.org
Here is an historical view on how income has been spent. Note that this chart is in terms of percentage. This means that as the cost of Church operations increases in real time, the percentage of income assigned to Church operations is decreasing because the pie is bigger. The same is true for Member Welfare and Church Education expenses.
thewidowsmite.org
Courtesy of Grok xAI, this report shows the top six Christian denominations in the US. The Church carries no long term debt but has only logistical short term liability which gets paid off quickly. Note that most denominations have liabilities that meet or exceed liquid assets. They are living paycheck to paycheck.
Since only tithing and other donation funds are used for Church operations (about ~$9B annually), why does the Church maintain an investment portfolio approaching $200B?
I can mention two important reasons: 1) We live in the last days and the scriptures say “all things shall be in commotion” (DC 88:88-91); and 2) We are approaching the day when the full Law of Consecration will be implemented. In both cases, having significant assets in reserve will be needed.
And then there is the fact that Jesus commanded the wise use of His money. The scripture is worth quoting in full.
Matthew 25:14-30 (see also Luke 19:12-27) 14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And so here is the main point: It’s our Lords money and he expects His servants to be wise stewards of it until He returns. No other justification is needed.
In 2024 I announced the completion of my Book of Mormon Geography project. I started in 2015 so it has been a big effort, about 7000 hours. I labored to provide a scientific methodology based on the Book of Mormon text itself. Called the Zarahemla Model, everything is freely available for viewing at zchm.theholyscriptures.info .
Here are five important reasons to know about Book of Mormon geography:
I believe it is important to establish the historical veracity of the Book of Mormon as an additional testimony of its truthfulness. Some members of the Church of Jesus Christ have come to believe the Book of Mormon geography and history to be inspirational stories but with fictional history. At BYU they teach the geography with a totally fictional map, implying to many that the best we can do is to think of the Book of Mormon as fictional. I know we can and must do better.
I believe it is also important doctrinally to understand the special purposes and destiny of North America in Gods plan for the latter-day Zion and what that means for those who live there. The Book of Mormon says its land comes with a special promise and responsibility attached to it – and that it has an important role to play in the latter days as regards to the New Jerusalem and the coming of Jesus Christ. Because of this, knowing where the land is located is important.
Geographical references are found extensively in the Book of Mormon during the time of Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi, and Mormon (91 BC – 34 AD, 363 – 384 AD). I find it very satisfying to read the Book of Mormon while understanding the geography involved. Everything in the narrative is thereby clarified and becomes more relatable. There is no need to skim over these verses with eyes glazed over.
On the title page, the stated purpose of the Book of Mormon is for the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. Many people have a need to first accept the Book of Mormon on an historical basis before they can even begin to consider the message of Christ that is in it. The extensive geography portrayed in the Book of Mormon is not just incidental but crucial in establishing the Book of Mormon as real. Not establishing the history and geography as being something real means a closed door to millions of potential investigators of the Book of Mormon. We hold the Bible to be real history but imagine if we could not even agree on the location of Jerusalem? That would be faith damaging for the Bible. I know we can do better for the Book of Mormon.
The Entity Relationship database table provides powerful evidence of the Book of Mormons remarkable consistency regarding geography, and is therefore a testimony of the historical and divine origin of the text. This should be more widely known. It is a part of the convincing process.
I recently watched a video of an evangelical minister preaching alone to a large crowd and taking questions from individuals in the audience. One man stepped to the microphone and introduced himself as a Catholic with a life long question about the salvation of non-Christians like Hindu’s, Muslims, Jews and Mormons. He wanted to know if all these peoples were destined to be sent to hell.
In answer the preacher quoted the Apostle John who says that we have eternal life only through the name of Jesus (John 4:14; 5:11; 5:24) and thus his conclusion was that anyone who doesn’t know about and accept Jesus are doomed to be sent to hell. The audience applauded.
I was astonished on several levels:
Who is this man who has elevated himself to be a judge and to abrogate the judgement which belongs to God?
Who is He to say that I do not believe in Jesus? – and that somehow I need His approval to label myself a Christian?
Does this preacher really believe that Gods plan is to condemn 99% of his children? He apparently doesn’t believe in a loving, merciful God who gives righteous judgement.
Personally I trust in God’s judgement but not the blasphemy of this man.
I was reminded of the story in the Book of Mormon about those preaching at the Rameumptom. Here is the story with a few of my own words added in brackets:
Alma 31:8-26
8 Now the Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites; therefore they had had the word of God preached unto them. 9 But they had fallen into great errors, for they would not observe to keep the commandments of God [e.g. to unreservedly love all mankind and to leave judgment to God], and his statutes, according to the law of Moses. 10 Neither would they observe the performances [covenant ordinances] of the church [like baptism], to continue in prayer and supplication to God daily [and not just the Sabbath only], that they might not enter into temptation. 11 Yea, in fine, they did pervert the ways of the Lord in very many instances; therefore, for this cause, Alma and his brethren went into the land to preach the word unto them. 12 Now, when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld; 13 For they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person. 14 Therefore, whosoever desired to worship must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying:hat thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. 16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our [fellow Christian and pagan] brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our [Mormon] brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us [completely arbitrarily by grace] to be thy holy children [whether we repent or not]; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ [who is a merciful judge of all]. 17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ [with an inclusive salvation], which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. 18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people [and the only ones who are saved]. Amen. 19 Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure. 20 For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers. 21 Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand. 22 Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him [randomly], and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come [by contemporary prophets], which they knew nothing about. 23 Now, after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their [self righteous and elitist] manner. 24 Now when Alma saw this his heart was grieved; for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods. 25 Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were lifted up unto great boasting, in their pride. 26 And he lifted up his voice to heaven, and cried, saying: O, how long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants shall dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross wickedness among the children of men?
Of course members of the Church of Jesus Christ totally and fully believe in Jesus Christ and also that salvation comes only in and through His name. In the latter-days God has revealed many details of the Plan of Salvation wherein we are informed that everyone, prior to God’s judgement day, will have a complete and unfiltered opportunity to accept Jesus Christ and His atonement for sins. Thus, do Latter-day Saints believe in the Merciful and Righteous Judgment that Christ shall render to each person.
Certainly the Apostle John would not be pleased to have his teaching of hope perverted into a doctrine of condemnation to hell for all eternity for the innocent and willing who are waiting to hear about Jesus.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a true apostle of Jesus Christ, has often been my favorite speaker in LDS General Conference when it comes to explaining doctrine (exegesis). He is so clear, complete and precise about it. So when it comes to the Plan of Salvation, rather than explaining the judgement and mercy of Christ myself I refer you to an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. See Kingdoms of Glory.
… the Standard Works of the Church are the measuring rods the Lord has given us by which we are to measure every doctrine, every theory and teaching, and if there is anything that does not conform to that which is given to us in the revelations, we do not have to accept it. Whether I say it or anyone else says it, whether it comes through the philosophy of men, or whenever a statement is made, that is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, you know what course to take. So far as I am concerned, I will just put it aside. And I don’t care how many men may believe it. I don’t care how much backing it has in the world of so-called science or philosophy. If it does not harmonize with what the Lord has revealed, to me it is not worth anything. (Joseph Fielding Smith, 1942, The Signs of the Times, A Series of Discussions, pp 21-22)
Joseph Fielding Smith
There is a LOT of pseudo-science that conflicts with holy scripture that I do not believe in. I feel exactly the same way as Joseph Fielding Smith. To most that will seem incredulous, however much more scripture truth can now be backed up with empirical evidence than ever before. Joseph Fielding Smith was just ahead of his time. So, for example: I don’t believe in macro-evolution (speciation). and I don’t believe in anthropogenic climate change. Actually I don’t believe really in any theory of man that has solidified by into a “fact” just because it has been repeated as such so many times. What I strive for is empirical data. Some proof. I always expect to begin by faith both in religion and in science, but each principle must eventually, via experiment, be put to the test. Each-and-every-one. This concept in and of itself is scriptural, as shown below:
Book of Mormon, Alma 32:27-36 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves–It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. 29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge. 30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow. 31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness. 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away. 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. 34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. 35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect? 36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
One of my great disappointments in life is seeing Brigham Young University failing to promote and support the teaching of the scriptures and the prophets. For example, BYU could have and should have led the way for the concept of Intelligent Design over Macro-Evolution. But instead, more intelligent scientists like David Galernter, Phillip Johnson, Stephen Meyer and others lead the revolution in evolution — while stodgy BYU still embraces the pseudo theories. Apparently there are way too many BYU academics with both feet in Babylon. Fools.
Hominid Evolution display at Brigham Young University, Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum
Fortunately there are some really good dedicated truth seekers. I recently met Dean Sessions, the author of the Universal Model. I had read just a very little about the Universal Model beforehand and what I read was negative. However I was intrigued and I like to be an open minded and a seeker of truth, so I pursued a discussion with him. I found he had what sounded like solid answers. I was quickly persuaded to read the books.
Dean W Sessions
Volume 1 and 2 of the Universal Model are big and heavy. Too heavy to hold comfortably for reading and too large for my book stand as well. I solved the weight problem by reading on my iPad instead. It turns out that’s the book size was the only problem I ever had with these books — because the content is amazing.
Dean Sessions calls the Universal Model the start of a New Millennial Science. I believe that is true. The Universal Model introduces a new scientific paradigm of thinking about our physical world that is revolutionary and that finally provides great answers to long time unanswered questions, especially in the field of geology.
Based on empirical evidence and reproducible experiments, some of which Dean Sessions shares in the books. I found the Universal Model geology to be consistent with physical evidence, holy scripture, and the historical records of many cultures around the world. Below are just a few examples which contrast Pseudo Science vs Millennial Science vs Scripture.
Pseudo Science
Millennial Science
Scripture
The creation of our earth was based on a series of fortunate accidents.
We are running out of natural resources that took millions of years to create and is very limited, so we need to halt consumption. Peak oil, etc.
The use of theses resources is causing catastrophic warming of the planet via anthropogenic climate change.
Humans are ruining the planet and it would be better if we were not here at all.
The universal flood created vast oil, coal, gas, rock, mineral and sand deposits we have today and we still have much to discover. These were globally created by tremendous heat and pressure, up to 850F at 15,000 psi.
The creation of all the earths natural resources has been duplicated in the laboratory under conditions that existed during the global flood and they do not take millions of years to form.
Earth was created intentionally by God for the use of mankind.
DC 104 17 For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.
Genesis 7:6-7 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament [earth crust], and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Genesis 1 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
The earth was first formed by the slow accretion of hard materials that smashed into each other until they melted into liquid and then combined into a molten liquid the size of earth.
Star forming clouds in space are primarily liquid water which is the most plentiful substance in the universe. Water in the vacuum of space is in liquid form at a few degrees above absolute zero — because of the lack of pressure. Water droplets naturally congeal into perfect spheres which combine to grow larger and larger due to gravitational attraction. Like our bodies the earth is also mostly water.
Genesis 1 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, … and it was so. 10 … and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Under the thin crust of the earth is molten magma where radioactivity keeps the rock melted. It has been like this for 4.5 billion years. Below the mantle is a layer of hot liquid iron and finally solid iron at the center. The iron is the source of the magnetic field that surrounds the earth.
The ocean floor/crust is crystalline basalt and the continental crust is crystalline granite plus other crystalline rocks which grow in saturated mineral water under heat and pressure (hyprethermic conditions which have been duplicated in the lab). There is no magma and it has never been demonstrated that it exists at all. All melted rock is glass and not crystal. The mantle below the earths crust is both rock and water. Then there is a layer of liquid water is below the mantle and with a stable crystalline form of ice (not ordinary ice) at the core. Few rocks have any radioactivity and those that do are not hot because of it. Heat within the earth comes from tidal friction and the friction from plate tectonics. This friction is the source of the heat creating lava from volcanoes. The electrical magnetic field around the earth is not a permanent magnet but is generated by the tidal flexing (earth tides) of piezoelectric rock.
Genesis 1 9 And God said, .. let the dry land appear [hypretherm processes]: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; … and God saw that it was good.
A universal flood is impossible because there is not enough water in the oceans, skies, and glaciers for that to ever happen.
The present processes are the key to the past (uniformitarianism pseudo-theory) so nothing as catastrophic as a universal flood ever happened.
Everything takes millions of years to happen, including the Pangaea continental break up.
The only water on the earth is in the ocean, sky, glaciers and within the crust of the earth.
The earth is a hydroplanet composed mostly of water and also with piezoelectric crystalline rock. It is not a magma planet made out of liquid rock.
The mantle beneath the earths crust contains many times the total water of all the surface oceans.
In 2345 BC the continents and seafloor cracked with fissures releasing huge amount of water and heat and covering the earth about 30,000 feet deep. This led to hyprethermal (rock making) conditions responsible for many of the rock and sand formations seen today.
A universal flood was also was the beginning of continents separating from the original Pangaea super-continent which occurred in only a 100 or so years.
Genesis 7 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. … 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. … 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
A universal flood is impossible because there could not have been room for all the animals to fit.
The animals on the earth come from the macro-evolutionary processes over the course of millions of years as evidenced by fossils found in layers of rock.
Because of micro evolution (adaptation within a species) only one type of each species was required in the ark. For example, all types of dog originate from the original wolf.
The ark was quite large at 450 feet in length but not all animal species entered the ark.
Evolution is not supported by the fossil record. Petrified wood and bone changing into rock are not happening today and were only created during the universal flood hyprethermic conditions involving intense heat and pressure.
Genesis 6:15, Jasher 5:27 15/27 And thus shalt thou make it; three hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits high.
Jasher 6 2 And thou shalt go and seat thyself by the doors of the ark, and all the beasts, the animals, and the fowls, shall assemble and place themselves before thee, and such of them as shall come and crouch before thee, shalt thou take and deliver into the hands of thy sons, who shall bring them to the ark, and all that will stand before thee thou shalt leave.
A universal flood is just a myth and belief in God is a myth too.
The flood never happened according to accepted scientific theory.
Pseudo-Theories are not facts. The flood is recorded in the annals of many cultures and the majority of people on the planet believe their own history.
It is true than nearly 100% of modern scientists do not believe in God or the universal flood — but scientific evidence for the flood is overwhelming for those who know what to look for. It requires a paradigm shift to the hydroplanet reality.
Atheism is untenable given the scientific evidence available. The universal flood occurred in part because of atheism. History is repeating itself.
Jasher 6 18 And they called to Noah, saying, Open for us that we may come to thee in the ark–and wherefore shall we die? 19 And Noah, with a loud voice, answered them from the ark, saying, Have you not all rebelled against the Lord, and said that he does not exist? and therefore the Lord brought upon you this evil, to destroy and cut you off from the face of the earth. 20 Is not this the thing that I spoke to you of one hundred and twenty years back, and you would not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and now do you desire to live upon earth? 21 And they said to Noah, We are ready to return to the Lord; only open for us that we may live and not die. 22 And Noah answered them, saying, Behold now that you see the trouble of your souls, you wish to return to the Lord; why did you not return during these hundred and twenty years, which the Lord granted you as the determined period? 23 But now you come and tell me this on account of the troubles of your souls, now also the Lord will not listen to you, neither will he give ear to you on this day, so that you will not now succeed in your wishes.
The age of the earth is millions and billions of years old. This is a fact that contradicts the universal flood timeline.
Macro-evolution, petrified fossils and radiometric dating prove the age of the earth to be billions of years old and that a universal flood never happened.
So-called geological flood evidence are really the result of glaciers of the ice ages.
The universal flood happened 2345 BC and Adam at 4000 BC.
There is no macroevolution (speciation) and no millions of years.
Radiometric dating assumes melted glass type rocks which is a false premise and is therefore totally unreliable. Carbon 14 dating is also unreliable without Dendrochronology and especially to pre-historic timelines.
Most Dinosaurs were not on the Ark and died in the universal flood as evidenced by large numbers of petrified rock fossil remains which could only have been made during the flood hyperthermal conditions which includes intense heat.
The universal flood with accompanying earthquakes and multiple inundations of ever higher surging water account for geological conditions are now falsely attributed to ice ages but it all happened during the universal flood in a matter of months and not billions, millions or even thousands of years. The only truly reliable dating methods are:
1) Historical records attested from multiple sources; 2) Events in historical records that can be correlated astronomically; 3) Dendrochronology which can go back 10,000 years with overlapping tree ring patterns.
Observation of natural processes that occurred during the universal flood can be duplicated in a laboratory so we know the processes do not take millions of years.
Genesis 7 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Jasher 6 26 And the rain was still descending upon the earth, and it descended forty days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth; and all flesh that was upon the earth or in the waters died, whether men, animals, beasts, creeping things or birds of the air, and there only remained Noah and those that were with him in the ark. 27 And the waters prevailed and they greatly increased upon the earth, and they lifted up the ark and it was raised from the earth. 28 And the ark floated upon the face of the waters, and it was tossed upon the waters so that all the living creatures within were turned about like pottage in a cauldron. 29 And great anxiety seized all the living creatures that were in the ark, and the ark was like to be broken. 30 And all the living creatures that were in the ark were terrified, and the lions roared, and the oxen lowed, and the wolves howled, and every living creature in the ark spoke and lamented in its own language, so that their voices reached to a great distance, and Noah and his sons cried and wept in their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had reached the gates of death. 31 And Noah prayed unto the Lord, and cried unto him on account of this, and he said, O Lord help us, for we have no strength to bear this evil that has encompassed us, for the waves of the waters have surrounded us, mischievous torrents have terrified us, the snares of death have come before us; answer us, O Lord, answer us, light up thy countenance toward us and be gracious to us, redeem us and deliver us. 32 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Noah, and the Lord remembered him.
In the title page of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon wrote that the book is for: “the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST”.
The Heartland Research Group and my affiliation with it began about a year ago.
The purpose of the HRG is to support the historicity of the Book of Mormon through research. In this sense it is much different from private LDS organizations like the “Latter-Day Network” and the “Firm Foundation” which provide seminars/conferences featuring a wide variety of speakers but eschew original research. The HRG is much, much more focused: it is boots-on-the-ground Book-of-Mormon research.
The HRG is not exclusionary. Anyone offering to help is welcomed. Although many who assist in HRG expeditions and seminars are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, there are also many who are not members. Typical of HRG supporters is to have a firm conviction that the narrative of the Book of Mormon took place in North America.
The HRG has a goal of finding the lost city of Zarahemla and we are actively looking in the area of Montrose, Iowa. This is done with efforts in the field: magnetic and electrical ground scanning, sonar scanning, core sampling, high resolution LiDAR, and carbon-14 dating. See Zarahemla.site and also ZCHM.TheHolyScriptures.info/#6 for information on past and current activities.
The HRG is funded through large donors and also smaller donors via FaceBook. It turns out there are a lot of people who want to see this research go forward. We haven’t reached all of our goals yet but the results and growth of the HRG have been impressive over it’s short history.
Access to the land of course is paramount for research and one of the initial concerns was the reception of the local farmers. It turns out the reception was enthusiastic – beyond our expectations. Many of the land owners in the Montrose Iowa area go back 100+ years and are well aware that their land has ancient history. Some locals have extensive collections of arrow heads, axe heads, pottery, jewelry, effigy pipes, stone tools, and other relics that have surfaced in the fields over many decades. In fact, the local enthusiasm and encouragement has been much higher in Montrose than in Utah — and we would have thought it would be the opposite.
The HRG has done so much already and it is just getting started.
The Zarahemla Centric Heartland Model (ZCHM) of Book of Mormon geography is based first and foremost directly upon the text of the Book of Mormon — and as close to the original text as possible for technical accuracy. This is made possible by Royal Skousen’s study of the original manuscripts which has resulted in the publication of The Book of Mormon – The Earliest Text. Understanding the Book of Mormon translation process reveals that it was a “tight” translation, which is technically important to know when analyzing the text for geography. A “tight” translation means there should be great respect for the accuracy and the sacred nature of each and every word of the Book of Mormon.
There is much of controversy and conflicting testimony when it comes to the actual translation process. Most of the conflicting information comes from disaffected former members of the Church with a personal agenda to push (like Emma Smith) and with accounts that vary widely from one telling to the next, depending on the audience (like David Whitmer). In truth, only Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had direct experience with the translation process. Fortunately their testimony is consistent, clear and concise, as in the Wentworth letter5 and other authoritative statements1. Therefore the testimony of Joseph and Oliver must be paramount. They testified the translation was: 1) Done by the power of God; 2) Included reading the golden plates; and 3) Involved the use of the Urim and Thummim — also called the Holy Interpreters. The only real question in my mind is the role of the Urim and Thummim had in the translation process.
One fact we do know based on testimony and examination of the original manuscripts is that the translation was a one-time dictation1a,1b,1c. Some have argued that a young Joseph Smith had the necessary biblical vocabulary to dictate the Book of Mormon. However, I don’t believe this is correct — and almost no one does.
It is also argued, for good reason, that the young Joseph Smith studied2a the language2b of the plates for at least three months2c, was tutored by angelic messengers3 and could actually understand the language on the plates2b based on his own study2d. I do believe this is true based on the historical record and also Section 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants4. However, the idea that Joseph Smith could understand the Reformed Egyptian characters on the plates does not explain a one-time dictation into a complex Biblical style English with no revisions. This is where, in my opinion, the role of the Urim and Thummim5 comes in. I believe that Joseph Smith had a gift of translating the written meaning from the plates into his own mind and then the role of the Urim and Thummim (also called “Interpreters”6) was to interpret (consecutive interpreting) those thoughts into the precise Hebrew-like language constructs and Bible-like vocabulary that is now found in the Book of Mormon.
This concept also explains why it was a one-time dictation instead of the normal multiple attempts required “to get the words right”. Multiple attempts and revisions would be needed (double interpretation) for interpreting such a complex text without the aid of the Urim and Thummim. Nobody but nobody, on their own, would get the wording exactly right the very first time with no revision. Only God could do that7 and I believe God did do this via the Urim and Thummim. This was a blessing not only to Joseph Smith but also fulfilled prophecy given by the Lord to the ancient Nephite prophets8.
Thus, I believe the original text of the Book of Mormon to be the ultimate “tight” translation. Every word and every spelling is significant and precise as it came from the lips of Joseph Smith. That is also my experience and testimony as I have studied the text in regard to the geography of the Book of Mormon.
1a The work of translation proceeded haltingly through 1828. Joseph’s wife, Emma, and others served as scribes until the spring of 1829, when Oliver Cowdery took over, recording the bulk of the 275,000-word text from Joseph’s dictation, concluding near the end of June 1829, a period of about 60 to 90 days. (see Church History, ChurchOfJesusChrist.org)
1b These were days never to be forgotten-to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth as he translated” (Messenger and Advocate 1 [Oct. 1834]:14)
1c All witnesses of the translation stated that Joseph Smith dictated the text of the Book of Mormon. This claim is supported by certain errors in the original manuscript which clearly resulted from the scribe mishearing what Joseph had dictated. … Evidence from the original manuscript supports the traditional belief that Joseph Smith received a revealed text by means of the interpreters. … In fact, the occurrence of non-English Hebraisms such as the if-and construction strongly suggests that the text was tightly controlled down to the level of the word at least. This tight control is also supported by the consistent phraseology in the original text. And the spelling of names such as Coriantumr suggests that control could be imposed down to the very letter. (How Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Mormon, Royal Skousen, pp 25,30)
2a …Joseph began to make arrangements to accomplish the translation of the Record; And the first step which he was instructed to take in regard to this matter, was, to take a Fac-Simile of the characters composing the alphabet: which characters were called reformed Egyptian… (Lucy Mack Smith History, 1845, pp 117,122, Joseph Smith Papers)
2b for truth is a matter of fact — and the fact is, by the power of God I translated the book of Mormon from hieroglyphics; the knowledge of which was lost to the world. In which wonderful event, I stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries. (James Arlington Bennet letter, Joseph Smith Papers)
2c I commenced copying the characters of all the plates. I copyed a considerable number of them and by means of the Urim and Thummin I translated some of them which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father in the month of December, and the February following. (Lucy Mack Smith History, 1845, pp 117,122, Joseph Smith Papers)
2d With “true alphabet” languages, like English, one needs to generally speak the language in order to read it. However, for Pictographic and Logographic writing systems, this is not the case. See below. The “Reformed Egyptian” (Mormon 9:32) of the plates was likely a altered/customized form of the Egyptian Hieratic. The beautiful Egyptian Hieroglyphic’s was used for monuments and Hieratic was the everyday “cursive” form, much simpler to write – and designed for parchment. Mormon explains that he used “Reformed Eyptian” that had been altered by the Nephites. One reason it had to be altered is that it was designed to be engraven on metal plates rather than parchment. That it also had to be logographic is clear when Mormon explains it was shorter than the Hebrew (Mormon 9:33).
In context of the Book of Mormon it is useful to understand the basics of the following writing systems
Pictographic/ideographic writing systems:
There is no single way to read them, because there is no one-to-one correspondence between symbol and language.
Only the author of a text can read it with any certainty, and it may be said that they are interpreted rather than read.
Such scripts often work best as mnemonic aids for oral texts, or as outlines that will be fleshed out in speech.
– Examples: Aztec, Mixtec, other Mesoamerican writing systems with the exception of Maya Hieroglyphs.
Logographic writing systems
Glyphs (A symbol, such as a stylized figure or arrow on a public sign, that imparts information nonverbally) represent words or morphemes (meaningful components of words, as in mean-ing-ful), rather than phonetic elements.
No logographic script is composed solely of logograms (A written symbol representing an entire spoken word without expressing its pronunciation; for example, for 4 read “four” in English, “quattro” in Italian.). All contain graphemes that represent phonetic (sound-based) elements as well.
Many glyphs are purely phonetic, whereas others function as either logograms or phonetic elements, depending on context.
Consonant-based logographies
– Examples: Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, and Demotic – the writing systems of Ancient Egypt.
Syllable-based logographies
– Examples: Cuneiform, Chinese, Japanese, Mayan.
Abjad writing systems
Script containing symbols for consonants only, or where vowels are optionally written with diacritics.
– Examples: Arabian, Aramaic, Hebrew.
True Alphabets writing systems
A true alphabet contains separate letters (not diacritic marks) for both consonants and vowels..
– Examples: Coptic Egyptian, Cyrillic – Eastern Slavic languages, Greek, Latin-Roman (current western and central European languages).
3 And when Joseph Smith was raised up a a Prophet of God, Mormon, Moroni, Nephi and others of the ancient Prophets who formerly lived on this Continent, and Peter and John and others who lived on the Asiatic Continent, came to him and communicated to him certain principles pertaining to the Gospel of the Son of God. (John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, April 8 1875, Vol 17, p 374)
4 (revelation given through Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery) Doctrine and Covenants 9 7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. 8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. 9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. 10 Now, if you had known this you could have translated; nevertheless, it is not expedient that you should translate now. (Doctrine and Covenants, 9:7-10).
5 “With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called ‘Urim and Thummim’, which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God” (Joseph Smith, Wentworth Letter, History of the Church, 4:537).
6 5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord. (Book of Mormon, Ether 4:5).
7 2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel; (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 29:2).
8 Ether 12: 23 And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them; 24 And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them. 25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words. 26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; (Book of Mormon, Ether 12:23-26).
NOTE: I haven’t written much here lately, and not too much brand new since March of 2015 when I commenced my research into the Book of Mormon geography (see Book of Mormon Covenant Lands).
I have recently completed enough online to invite others to review Book of Mormon Covenant Lands. Two published authors in this subject graciously agreed to take a look. One was Jonathan Neville. Jonathan has written many books on the Book of Mormon (my two favorites are The Lost City of Zarahemla and Letter VII) and authors a popular Book of Mormon blog. The second person, Brant Gardner, is also a Book of Mormon book author and author at FairMormon, an LDS apologetics site.
There is in the church now a great divide between those who: A) believe the narrative history of the Book of Mormon occurred in North America, USA/Canada (I call it N1C); and B) those who believe it occurred in Mesoamerica (called M2C). The M2C position is that there must be two hill Cumorah’s and that the hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon is really located somewhere in Mesoamerica.
To deflect criticism or controversy it is sometimes argued that “geography doesn’t really make any difference” regarding the Book of Mormon. However, the Book of Mormon contains prophecies, warnings, and special covenants that apply to the land of the Book of Mormon and the people who inhabit it.
The question of N1C vs M2C is now a litmus test between Book of Mormon researchers (BTW, Jonathan Neville is N1C and Brant Gardner is M2C). If you are N1C then you are immediately suspect by M2C proponents in anything you write or propose about the Book of Mormon. Also vice-versa. Most M2C groups, when challenged, will claim to be neutral on the question of Book of Mormon geography. However, while M2C models are documented, they avoid presenting information on N1C geographic models, archaeological discoveries, or writings.
I find that FairMormon makes a claim to be neutral, but fails. They are N1C hostile, sometimes openly, but more often by just ignoring and suppressing N1C information.
Book of Mormon Centralclaims to be neutral, but in practice they are not. For example, their logo still contains a Mayan glyph. They exclude N1C information and perspectives and argue against anything N1C. Book of Mormon Central is owned by Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (bmaf.org) whose mission statement is to promote the Book of Mormon as an “ancient Mayan codex“.
BYU Studies once led the charge for M2C. Now they privately say they are neutral on all Book of Mormon geography. However for now their online curriculum materials (e.g. charts 140-160) continues to point exclusively to Central America for Book of Mormon geography.
My Book of Mormon Logical Model and Map declares that I am definitelyof the N1C persuasion. The reason is not primarily because of geography or maps. It’s doctrinal. The scriptures declare it. The prophets declare it. The M2C people will say “the scriptures are not definitive” and the prophets only did “the best they could with what they knew” but just weren’t privy “to the additional information that scholars have since determined”. They say “it’s the science of archaeology that counts” and trumps all other considerations, and “not everything the prophets say is doctrine so I am not obligated to accept it”. It is not hyperbole for me to say that all of this is the consensus opinion of the M2C folks from my own personal experience. I disagree with it totally.
I have been alive long enough to see that “the sciences” are a moving target, always shifting and changing by definition. Not a foundation to build upon when the rains come and the winds blow. The M2C position is, in my opinion, untenable. By the standard of following only the sciences, the M2C boosters should abandon M2C because the overwhelming consensus of non-LDS archaeologists, the leading experts in Mesoamerican archaeology, is negative. They think it is a joke. They say the written language doesn’t match, the evidence on the ground doesn’t match, the animals don’t match, and the timelines don’t match up either. They say the decline of Classic Maya civilization and the abandonment of Maya cities in the southern Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica is between the 8th and 9th centuries at the end of the Classic Maya Period, and that pre-classic Maya experienced a similar collapse in the 2nd century. None of this matches up with Book of Mormon time-lines. Not. Even. Close.
Most of the membership of the Church doesn’t buy into M2C, with it’s 2-Cumorah requirement, either. They trend to believing the prophets and the scriptures and Joseph Smith (e.g. the Wentworth letter) and they don’t read “academic” books and papers, especially those members who live outside the US. So now the M2C folks are arrayed against the scientific establishment, the lay members of the church, the Prophets, and the Scriptures. It’s what I mean by being “untenable”.
One of the most serious issues is the censoring and altering the words of the prophets in church publications and manuals. This is caused, I believe, by M2C tainted editors who are promoting their M2C worldview. It is not a systemic policy but it happens. What follows below is an egregious example. Simply deplorable.
When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth. … He received the knowledge that [early inhabitants of the Americas] were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim and had power to translate them.
When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth, and that they contained the history of the aborigines of this country. He received the knowledge that they were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim and had power to translate them.
When Joseph Smith wrote the Wentworth Letter, he made this request:
At the request of Mr. John Wentworth, Editor and Proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, I have written the following sketch of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-day Saints, of which I have the honor, under God, of being the founder. Mr. Wentworth says that he wishes to furnish Mr. Barstow, a friend of his, who is writing the history of New Hampshire, with this document. As Mr. Barstow has taken the proper steps to obtain correct information, all that I shall ask at his hands, is, that he publish the account entire, ungarnished, and without misrepresentation.
Unfortunately, some church publications do not honor Joseph’s request by publishing the entire account, but instead use a censored version the Wentworth letter removes the following lines to hide Joseph Smith’s statement about Jaredites and Nephites being from America, “this country”:
Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.
… This book … tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent after His resurrection; that He planted the Gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists, the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days.
Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.
In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites, and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.
This book also tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent after His resurrection; that He planted the Gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists, the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days.
Because of surreptitious M2C editing and M2C stealth promotion, many members are unaware of the teachings of the prophets, and so the M2C position can seem okay to those who buy the books etc. — but I maintain that to contradict the clear pattern of what the of prophets and the scriptures have taught is out of step, doctrinally, with what the Book of Mormon teaches:
2 Nephi 9:28-29,4 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. 42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches–yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
The above scripture is harsher than I would dare to be, so I just quote it. I don’t think it would be right to do less. Also, consider that Jesus “upbraided” some of His Apostles for their initial unbelief of the testimonies of his resurrection. Upbraided means “chastised” and “severely criticized”. So, in fairness to the dedicated M2C people they are in good company, but if they are wise they will repent their ways as the ancient Apostles did.
Mark 1 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
“Stiff neckedness and unbelief” also held back the early Apostles from understanding about the “other sheep”:
3 Nephi 15 11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen: 12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. 13 And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. 14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem. 15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land. 16 This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them: 17 That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 18 And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them.
In support of my position I quote President Oaks below. The complete talk is available here.
I maintain that the issue of the historicity of the Book of Mormon is basically a difference between those who rely exclusively on scholarship and those who rely on a combination of scholarship, faith, and revelation. Those who rely exclusively on scholarship reject revelation and fulfill Nephi’s prophecy that in the last days men “shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance” (2 Ne. 28:4).
Now that I have quoted President Oaks, I could probably end this post and be done. However, I also want to document just how strong the case for N1C really is. It is far stronger than most realize, and is definitely not limited to any one “opinion” but is backed up by many prophets, many scriptures, authoritative accounts, and word of the LORD himself. Below are significant testimonies that I have chosen to share because they transcend “opinion”.
The scriptures below indicate missionaries being sent to the “Lamanites” in Missouri. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the city of the future New Jerusalem mentioned by the prophet Ether is also identified as being in Missouri. These are canonized scriptures, with the Lord speaking in the first person and should not be construed by faithful members of the church as “just” the opinion of Joseph Smith. Because of the taint of M2C some LDS visitors centers have labeled the mission as “missionaries sent to the Indians” to hide the reference to Lamanites in Missouri. Some visitors centers have also employed Mayan glyphs in their portrayals.
Doctrine and Covenants 10 45 Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work. 46 And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people. 47 And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers; 48 Yea, and this was their faith–that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions. 49 Now, this is not all–their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land; 50 And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life; 51 Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be. 52 And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.
Doctrine and Covenants 28:9 9 And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites.
Doctrine and Covenants 28:14 14 And thou shalt assist to settle all these things, according to the covenants of the church, before thou shalt take thy journey among the Lamanites.
Doctrine and Covenants 54:8 8 And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites.
Doctrine and Covenants 84 2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. 3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
Doctrine and Covenants 128 20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel fromheaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets–the book to be revealed. …
Ether 13 3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. 4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
The scriptures above may seem conclusive however M2C proponents say that some church leaders have occasionally referred to Mesoamericans, South Americans and Pacific Islanders as being of Lamanite descent (and I don’t doubt that) so therefore, they say, “Lamanites can be anywhere” and therefore the scriptures cited “don’t mean anything specific”.
However, these first missionaries carried the message that the Book of Mormon was all about the forefathers of the “aboriginal inhabitants” of “this country” (Wentworth letter). When the missionaries took the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites the message from the Lord was that its history applied to this land(DC 10:49,50). This country or this land means whatever the land or country the hearer is from and not the “entire hemisphere” — despite M2C related sophistry.
Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land, the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will, and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book; together with their history, and the things which should befall their children in the latter days. “This Book was written on plates of gold, and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. “It was then that the people prospered, and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth; built buildings and cities, and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do. “But they became wicked: they killed one another and shed much blood; they killed their prophets and wise men, and sought to destroy the Book. The great Spirit became angry, and would speak to them no more; they had no more good and wise dreams ; no more visions ; no more angels sent among them by the Great Spirit; and the Lord commanded Mormon and Moroni, their last wise men and prophets, to hide the Book in the earth, that it might be preserved in safety, and be found and made known in the latter day to the pale faces who should possess the land; that they might again make it known to the red man; in order to restore them to the knowledge of the will of the Great Spirit and to His favor.
I include a quote from Joseph Fielding Smith below because he speaks directly to the N1C vs M2C issue. Of course the M2C folks won’t accept Joseph Fielding Smith on this issue. They gainsay his teachings.
This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case.
I include Mark E. Peterson, Marion G. Romney, and Gordon B. Hinckley below because their statements were made publicly in General Conference while teaching in their official capacity as Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Moroni came back from the dead, a resurrected man! He had lived in America some fifteen hundred years ago and was the sole survivor of his people in a series of tragic battles which took many lives.
As the fighting neared its end, Mormon gathered the remnant of his forces about a hill which they called Cumorah, located in what is now the western part of the state of New York. Their enemies, known as Lamanites, came against them on this hill.
When finished with the record, Moroni was to hide it up in that same Hill Cumorah which was their battlefield. It would come forth in modern times as the Book of Mormon, named after Moroni’s father, the historian who compiled it.
Mormon then wrote directly to us as modern Americans who now occupy this promised land and said: “How can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?
Marion G Romney, “America’s Destiny“, October 1975 Quotes from General Conference talk
Millennia ago he [Jesus] declared: “There shall none come into this land, he was speaking of America, save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
It is my purpose in making these remarks to point out from the record of ancient inhabitants of America that the foregoing decrees have been carried out.
In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Mormon 6:6) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation.
“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God.” (Ether 2:7–10)
Pursuant to this decree concerning the land of America, the Jaredites were swept off in the manner we have reviewed, because, rebelling against the laws of Jesus Christ—the God of the land—they “ripened in iniquity.”
This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites’.
We in this good land of America are now hearing much debate concerning the treaty designed to reduce the likelihood of nuclear attack on this continent. There is much talk of a balance of power and of a balance of terror. In the context of this current discussion I should like to read to you what the God of heaven said long ago concerning this land as recorded in the book of which we are speaking: “Behold, this is a choice land , and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).
Gordon B Hinckley, October Conference, 1979
I include a letter in response to an inquiry regarding the location of the hill Cumorah. The letter was sent by the Secretary to the First Presidency with instructions from the First Presidency.
Letter from the Office of the First Presidency, written by Secretary F. Michael Watson, October 16, 1990
Dear Bishop Brooks:
I have been asked to forward to you for acknowledgment and handling the enclosed copy of a letter to President Gordon B. Hinckley from Ronnie Sparks of your ward. Brother Sparks inquired about the location of the Hill Cumorah mentioned in the Book of Mormon, where the last battle between the Nephites and Lamanites took place.
The Church has long maintained, as attested to by references in the writings of General Authorities, that the Hill Cumorah in western New York state is the same as referenced in the Book of Mormon.
The Brethren appreciate your assistance in responding to this inquiry, and asked that you convey to Brother Sparks their commendation for his gospel study.
Sincerely yours, F. Michael Watson Secretary to the First Presidency
The following quote from L. Tom Perry shows that N1C is still relevant. The church leaders give the “academics” all the rope and latitude they ask for and demand – while still themselves teaching the scriptures, the Prophets, and the N1C perspective.
The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was the birth of the United States of America that ushered out the Great Apostasy, when the earth was darkened by the absence of prophets and revealed light. It was no coincidence that the lovely morning of the First Vision occurred just a few decades after the establishment of the United States.
From a devotional address delivered on January 24, 2012, at Brigham Young University–Idaho.
In contrast, zero prophets and zero scriptures testify in behalf of M2C.
Postscript: A disingenuous M2C argument is “there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon in North America”. What this often means is “we don’t see any ancient stone temples in North America”. I don’t understand this because it is a fact that the Book of Mormon does not mention any such thing.
However, when early settlers came to America they found hundreds of thousands of mounds, massive earthworks, and old fortifications long ago abandoned. A number of these were carefully documented in Smithsonian field surveys and published in 1848 as Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Personal histories and newspaper accounts are common that describe the artifacts, earthworks, and mass burials that were found by the early settlers.
For information on Book of Mormon archaeology in North America a good place to start is LDS Archaeology.
Below is Heber C Kimball’s experience near the hill Cumorah. It is not atypical.
“In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. I have visited the fortifications on the tops of these hills frequently… The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States.”
One of the great joys in my life was attending and graduating from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. My BYU education was interrupted by a two year proselyting mission for the Church and then I came back to finish. I loved the whole experience. Of course BYU wasn’t perfect then any more than it is now but the negatives were inconsequential, especially compared to the positives.
Frequently I read of the really silly, foolish, wrong headed, and stupid stuff that goes on at major schools in our country, and, realizing it would not happen at BYU, I then feel a sense of renewed satisfaction, and yes, pride in what BYU stands for and in its alumni – if that word, pride, can be used in the good sense.
Below are some standout positive features of a BYU education.
Interestingly, the national average is 69% of students graduate WITH student debt, so this is very good indeed by comparison.
It helps that BYU is frequently ranked #1 as “most affordable”. BYU also actively makes an effort to provide part time employment to as many students who want it. That really helps reduce the financial burden even further.
I graduated with some debt, a small amount, but it was all from my freshman year when I was foolish and didn’t work with the system.
Yep, if you are a BYU grad you’re almost twice as likely to be married. Religion and focus on family and family values are a big part of it. A stable marriage is foundational for happiness. This factors into the next subject …
By contrast, the percent of Americans reporting that they are happy is 31% for 2016. I dare say that most of these 31% are following the same basic path BYU students are following in order to end up with that result. A commitment to high moral standards yields the ultimate result of self-respect. However, it appears that the majority believes there are shortcuts to happiness. People usually believe what they want to believe, even if to their own detriment. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.author unknown
Once again, BYU bucks the trend in a major way. Nationally, the gender ratio among college graduates was 57:43, women to men. That’s four women for every three men.
Educated BYU women are about 5 times more likely to be a stay-at-home mom with a working husband. This is due to more stable marriages and a greater value placed on families.
This might have something to do with the other stats on this page being the way they are. Do ya think? Latter-day Saints believe in eternity. They take the long view. That which will last the longest has the most value. Having goals, and planning for the future yields short term stability and long term success.
I love these stats. I would go it alone if I had too. It’s just nice to know I am not alone in my convictions and habits.
These graphics and references come from BYU Magazine.
My religious “conversion” started when I was young. I was blessed to have dedicated LDS parents who were faithful to the gospel and faithful to their family. Their sacrifices for God and family were real and heartfelt. I am their oldest child and have 10 siblings, 9 living.
I hate hypocrisy. Always have. Growing up I noted hypocrisy in school, politics, social leaders, everywhere. In Church, not so much. I could easily see no one was getting rich or famous off of Church service. In fact quite the opposite. Sacrifice for love or for principle indicates to me a true sincerity — the opposite of hypocrisy. So that’s where I wanted to be and still do.
My belief in the doctrines of the Church called “The Gospel” began by observing, contrasting, and comparing. Pretty simple. I was happy to be baptized. I had answers to the basic questions of life and I found that satisfying. My family and my gospel knowledge made me feel special, not different.
It continued that way until I reached the age of 15. I had just finished reading a book my mother provided called “Book of Mormon Stories FOR YOUNG LATTER-DAY SAINTS”. Just stories really but I knew it was based on the history from the real Book of Mormon.
So one day I saw a Book of Mormon sitting on the table and I thought “Why not just read the real thing?”. Yes, I know it’s a cliché (because it happens to a lot of people) but, because I was prepared, the Book of Mormon really did change my life. Forever.
That was 47 years ago. Since then, well, I have had my faith confirmed by “miracles”, direct answers to prayers, and new knowledge granted from the heavens. I think a testimony of God is based on two complimentary experiences: 1) Receiving personal revelation, via prayer and study of sacred subjects; and 2) Miracles. I have had miracles in my life, as has everyone who has sought the truth of God. My failures and disappointments have already worked out in my favor or are in process of doing so. I am a great believer in being patient, and playing “the long game”.
Before my experience with the Book of Mormon, my belief was
observational and based on actions and results. Afterwards, it was based
on an active relationship and trust in God. I was introduced to Him on a
more personal level because of the Book of Mormon. Only those who have
let God mold their heart know what I am talking about. There are no
words to describe the experience — the feeling, the understanding, the
epiphany of sacred moments. I remember reading the part in the Book of
Mormon when Jesus appeared to the Nephites. I was on the edge of my
seat.
So, I love the Book of Mormon, or I should say, I love what is in the Book of Mormon.
When feeling successful in my relationship with God, it gives me confidence in other aspects of my life — like I am going in the right direction. And how many people can really say that? I have many goals and aspirations fulfilled and also unfulfilled but I try to be patient. It will all happen according to the Word of God. I trust Him.
I have found that the following instruction from the Book of Mormon is the key to having a relationship with God.
And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches–yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
2 Nephi 9:42
I recently encountered this quote and am fond of it:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated fools. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Calvin Coolidge
My determination is to be persistent in following God. He can go His way and I’ll go mine — and it will be the same way.
The doctrines of the “restored Gospel” are glorious to comprehend and I love God and His precepts with all my heart. They are to be found complete and intact only within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I first wrote this post over 2 years ago about the Prophet Joseph Smith17. It is my perspective. Other people, for various reasons, have opposite perspectives widely published. In his first encounter with an angel, Joseph Smith was told that it would so:
33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. (PGP, JS History 1)
That has come to pass. I have added Chapter 2 to address it. But first, Chapter 1.
Chapter 1
I have always loved to hear and read about the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Because of his writings and teachings, I feel I know something of his heart and character. My first reading of The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (TPJS) had a serious positive impact on me. My favorite hymn as a child (because I just liked the tune) was “Praise to the Man” and I can still remember the page number from the old edition hymn book – page 149. Below is the music and lyrics: One of the most beautiful and sublime renditions the Tabernacle Choir has ever done (IMO).
Jesus Himself saw many fall away1 from his teachings. So also, the Latter-day Saints see the same in the last days2. It’s sad, but not unexpected. The Kingdom of Heaven is obtained by few. The way is narrow3. Jesus gave a key to this situation in the Parable of the Sower4.
It’s been said that participation in sports does not build character — it reveals character. So true! It’s exactly the same thing with participation in warfare, be it physical or spiritual warfare. It reveals character. The point is that our pre-mortal life5 determines our mortal experience. The simple truth is that our earth time is not our prep time, it’s our test time6 — and it’s a grand mistake to ever think otherwise. Character prep time was in the many years prior to earth life, when we forged our own unique personalities7 AND spiritual capacities8. All that parents and teachers can really do now, at this late point, is provide a comfortable chair, a sharp pencil, and good lighting — but each person must take their own tests and take personal responsibility for the outcomes. It’s important to remember that it’s an open book test9 and that it ain’t over ’till it’s over — that is, until God himself says it’s over10. So don’t give up on anyone or yourself. Remember your own mistakes and that God doesn’t give up on you.
To those who have “strayed” and lost their faith …
A little suggestion: for the sake of your own dignity, do not encourage or engage in the mockery of what others consider sacred. Remember that any religion or belief system can easily be made fun of, but it will do you no credit to engage in that kind of activity. It will just make you look small.
If you honestly follow after truth and righteousness in the best way you know how, we are probably both in agreement that you will find Gods mercy come judgement day, if not sooner.
To the parents, siblings, friends, and teachers of those who have departed the faith, either officially or unofficially, through their actions …
It is totally appropriate to feel sorrow, but not remorse. Don’t play the self blame game because that is not healthy, or scriptural. The Lord lays upon us a responsibility for teaching11 but not for outcomes12. Respect the free agency of everyone, shun no one, and remember that once you have taught repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – another’s sins and errors and “poor decisions” are not yours. Remember that there were many who rejected Jesus to His face, despite His being the best teacher who ever lived and a sinless, perfect man. Are you then better than Jesus? Consider also all the great men and women in scripture who had to deal with loved ones gone astray. Here are a few examples:
Adam and Eve had a son who made a personal pact with Satan and then killed his own innocent brother for material gain. The scripture says that Adam and Eve “mourned before the Lord13“. I’ll bet they did.
Abraham’s father rejected the Holy Priesthood14 and was allied with those who tried to have Abraham killed on a pagan alter.
Jacob’s sons were disrespectful and disobedient and they nearly killed Joseph16 simply because his good character made them look bad. Then then they sold him as a slave for 20 pieces of silver.
Laman and Lemuel beat up on their younger brother17 multiple times, even in front of his family and parents, because he was too preachy in their mind.
Contrary to their fathers wish, the sons of Eli the high priest18 exploited their position in the Holy Temple to commit fornication and make a mockery of that which is sacred.
To the great disappointment of their fathers, Alma and the sons of Mosiah rebelled and left the Church19 totally — and later banded together in an effort to destroy it.
The Lord himself had a wayward nation of Israel, who was constantly unfaithful and disloyal, despite the Lord’s great love and patience.
I could continue with many other scriptural examples of disappointing behavior. In none of the listed cases were parents, siblings, or friends held responsible by God, except for Eli, and that is because his sons were working under his direct supervision in the Temple and he failed to take corrective action. In every other case listed there was great sorrow – even in Heaven20. However, we are promised that this kind of sorrow is temporary21. God makes it all up to us22 eventually — and then some23.
Finally, to those who would take personal credit for the good choices of others, it can be embarrassing to watch. You are in serious error! You should to give credit where credit is due. Much of what we perceive as outcomes is premature, or pure luck, at least from our earthly perspective. It’s not unlike coming up heads or tails a few times in a row. If your close relations, students, children, spouse, or friends are walking a path of righteousness with God and have faith in Him, just be extremely humble and thankful – never proud of yourself.
References
1John 6
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? … 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
2JST Matthew 24
22 For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant… 26 For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. 27 And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together; so likewise shall mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth… 37 And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
3Matthew 7
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
4Matthew 13
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. … 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
5Jeremiah 1
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6Abraham 3
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; 23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. 24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; 25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
7Jeremiah 1
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
8Abraham 1
3 It [the Holy Priesthood] was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, or first father, through the fathers unto me.
9Mosiah 26
29 Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.
10Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:540
The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
11DC 68
25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.
12Genesis 4, Ezekial 33
5 … And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door…
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, … 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
13Moses 5
26 And Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord. 27 And Adam and his wife mourned before the Lord, because of Cain and his brethren. 28 And it came to pass that Cain took one of his brothers’ daughters to wife, and they loved Satan more than God. 29 And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it, they shall surely die; and this that thy father may not know it; and this day I will deliver thy brother Abel into thine hands. 30 And Satan sware unto Cain that he would do according to his commands. And all these things were done in secret. 31 And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain. Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness. 32 And Cain went into the field, and Cain talked with Abel, his brother. And it came to pass that while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him. 33 And Cain gloried in that which he had done, saying: I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands.
14Abraham 1,2
6 For their hearts were set to do evil, and were wholly turned to the god of Elkenah, and the god of Libnah, and the god of Mahmackrah, and the god of Korash, and the god of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; 7 Therefore they turned their hearts to the sacrifice of the heathen in offering up their children unto these dumb idols … 5 My fathers having turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping of the gods of the heathen, utterly refused to hearken to my voice; 12 And it came to pass that the priests laid violence upon me, that they might slay me also
1 NOW the Lord God caused the famine to wax sore in the land of Ur, insomuch that Haran, my brother, died; but Terah, my father, yet lived in the land of Ur, of the Chaldees. 5 And the famine abated; and my father tarried in Haran and dwelt there, as there were many flocks in Haran; and my father turned again unto his idolatry, …
15Genesis 25,26
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: 35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah..
16Genesis 37
18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. name 19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams … 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it … 26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, … 28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: …
171 Nephi 18
11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; … 15 … And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof. 17 Now my father, Lehi, had said many things unto them, and also unto the sons of Ishmael; but, behold, they did breathe out much threatenings against anyone that should speak for me; and my parents being stricken in years, and having suffered much grief because of their children, they were brought down, yea, even upon their sick-beds. 19 And Jacob and Joseph also, being young, having need of much nourishment, were grieved because of the afflictions of their mother; and also my wife with her tears and prayers, and also my children, did not soften the hearts of my brethren that they would loose me.
181 Samuel 2, 1 Samuel 4
22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress. 25 … Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father … 27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, … 29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 … but now the Lord saith, … for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. … 34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. 35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. 12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19Mosiah 27
8 Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. 9 And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them. 10 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king–
20DC 38
11 For all flesh is corrupted before me; and the powers of darkness prevail upon the earth, among the children of men, in the presence of all the hosts of heaven– 12 Which causeth silence to reign, and all eternity is pained, and the angels are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned; …
21Revelations 7
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
22Matthew 19
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
23DC 137, DC 76
1 THE heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. 2 I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; 3 Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. 4 I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.
51 They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given– 52 That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power; 53 And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. 54 They are they who are the church of the Firstborn. 55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things– 56 They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; 57 And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. 58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God– 59 Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. 60 And they shall overcome all things. 61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet. 62 These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever. 63 These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. 64 These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. 65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. 66 These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all. 67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. 68 These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. 69 These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. 70 These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.
The Articles of Faith originated from the contents of an 1842 letter written by the Prophet Joseph Smith35 in response to an inquiry by John Wentworth. John Wentworth was the editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, the first newspaper in Chicago, Illinois.
Regarding the Articles of Faith, B.H. Roberts said:
These Articles of Faith were not produced by the labored efforts and harmonized contentions of scholastics, but were struck off by one inspired mind at a single effort to make a declaration of that which is most assuredly believed by the church, for one making earnest inquiry about the truth.
The combined directness, perspicuity, simplicity and comprehensiveness of this statement of the principles of our religion may be relied upon as strong evidence of a divine inspiration resting upon the Prophet, Joseph Smith. (B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.2, Ch.47, p.131)
The Articles of Faith are listed below, with commentary:
I confess to interpreting Holy Scripture literally. A literal interpretation is my first assumption. When the scriptural intention is be be allegorical, it is usually pretty obvious and stated as such. Some things in scripture are symbolic yet real. Like baptism. It is an ordinance full of symbolism, but you really do get wet.
John describes the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven in chapter 21. It is real. Of particular interest is the shape and dimensions of the city: Continue reading “Zion The New Jerusalem”
Throughout recorded history, mankind has repeatedly sought the perfect political-social system1 – where everyone prospers, has freedom, and is truly happy – a utopia. Wars have been fought and millions killed over the political systems which govern mankind but all of these systems have been far from perfect. However, according to Holy Scripture a “perfect” system really does exists and it is called the “Kingdom of Heaven”. The Kingdom of Heaven is where the laws of God prevail2 100% according to the free will of the people. In our pre-mortal state3 we resided in the Kingdom of Heaven before and during the creation of the earth (according to scripture) for millions of years (according to science), although few of us have any idea of what that means now. I imagine that our concept of time was different then, but still, that is a very long time. What were we doing all that time while the earth was being prepared for our visitation?
According to the Scriptures the earth was created by Jesus4, at the direction of God the Father, and that Jesus had others5 under His direct leadership6. Apparently at least some of us had a hand in planning and development7 for the plants, animals and physical environment that would exist in our future world. Afterward we then eagerly looked forward8 to taking our own personal step into mortality9. We had that grand idea of exercising full independance10, with a fully physical existance11.In the Kingdom of God we learned, grew and thrived under God’s benevolent tutelage12. Our Heavenly Father told us that we, as His children, had a potential to achieve all that He had achieved and that He wanted that for us. We knew about Gods plan for us in the “Sunday School” lessons in heaven over and over again and ours was not a superficial understanding, especially since at that time our minds were not yet constrained with the limits of mortality13. We were positively sure we were ready — maybe a little scared but we could hardly wait14. The goal was that we would graduate to our next class in Godhood15, and meet again on earth.
Of course, there’s always those with different ideas. Too risky, they said. Too much pain and suffering they said. There’s got to be an easier way16 they said. The pro’s and con’s were vigorously debated17. A vote was taken. In political terms it was a landslide: 67% in favor of the official plan18, 33% opposed19. The losers would not concede20. They refused to go along. They rebelled21. So they were expelled22. Where did the losers go? To the earth23 of course, but without the experience of physical mortality — just like they wanted it. They wanted to prove themselves right, smarter than God24, our Father in Heaven. In all of recorded history, every personal philosophy and every conceivable type of governing system has been tried. Most have been dismal failures, and others have only partially succeeded but never close to perfectly except for one case in the past: The City of Enoch25. And one prophesied case for the future is destined to succeed: The City of Zion26.
In Scripture, “The Kingdom of God” is a different entity from “The Kingdom of Heaven”. This is clear1 and Jesus was explicit2 in noting the difference.
The Kingdom of Heaven is His physical9 kingdom, something to “inherit10” in the future11, and to be established as ZION12 when He comes to rule on the earth after His second coming13. It includes both the spiritual and the physical aspects of administration. Jesus himself establishes14 the Kingdom of Heaven because He is the King15.
Some critics actually believe the Latter-day Saints are plotting to take over the world for Jesus and are therefore dangerous. Well, there will never be enough Latter-day Saints for that and we are not trained for it. We have enough to worry about in doing our part to establish the spiritually based Kingdom of God and it’s all we can handle, if that. No, Jesus Himself and His celestial legions16 of angels17 are going to establish His Kingdom18 of Heaven when He comes. After all, Jesus created19 this earth and God, the Father, has given20 it to Him. Meanwhile, we are just temporary visitors, unless He says otherwise21. Jesus says he’ll “bare His arm22” in the eyes of all the nations. Watch out23. Continue reading “The Kingdom of God”
[Preface: This is the eulogy of my father, given September 3, 2011 – Jay Mackley]
My father, Delbert Jay Mackley, was born July 18, 1933 in the midst of the great depression.
Delbert Mackley w/parents Alice and Albert, 1938Albert/Alice Mackley family, 1944 or ’45: Oldest to youngest, 1938: Franklin Oliver (Frank), Wilbert Blaine (Blaine), Thomas James (Tom), Charles William (Chuck), Delbert Jay (Del), Kathleen Dalby (Kathy)Albert/Alice Mackley family, 1944 or ’45: Oldest to youngest, 1944-5: Albert, Alice, Frank, Merle (Franks wife), Blaine, Tom, Charles, Del, Kathy, Stanley (Butch), George (not yet born)
He was the fifth son of Albert Charles Mackley and Pearl Alice Dalby and the fifth of eight children. He had four older brothers and later two younger brothers and a sister. His father, Albert Charles, repaired shoes for a living and his sons, including Delbert, were his assistants. I suppose there was a good demand for shoe repair, especially during the Depression. We have a picture of Albert Charles in his shop with writing in the background that says “We’re not a bank, but we can save you money.” Speaking of his youth, he wrote:
When I was 14, my mother gave me a book called “Book of Mormon Stories for Young People” that retold all the historical narratives of the Book of Mormon. I read it and thought it “interesting” and that was all. Then one day I glanced at the real Book of Mormon, thinking “Hey, I am old enough to read the real thing”. So I began reading and unexpectedly had a profound spiritual experience1. Although I had been taught in religious concepts as a child and accepted Christ in faith, I had just a rudimentary understanding of Jesus, His atonement, and my relationship to God through Christ. Through the Book of Mormon, God opened my eyes. He expanded my vision, showed me that He really cared, gave me to understand my purpose in life, and helped me to set worthy goals with a spiritual foundation. Continue reading “The Marvelous Book of Mormon”
I REALLY do admire Benjamin Franklin. I admire his life, his beliefs, his accomplishments, and his genius. He was the father of his country before George Washington became that. He has also been called the father of American humor with “Poor Richards Almanac” being America’s first joke book. He was loved by his countrymen and was the only man other than Washington who could have been our first President. Were it not for Franklin’s advanced age, George Washington would gladly have had Franklin be President instead. He was the premier scientist of his day: inventing many things including the lightening rod, bi-focal glasses, and the free standing (Franklin) stove. He founded the first public library, fire department, police department and helped found the first Masonic lodge in America. He also started the American Philosophical Society, what we would call a scientific organization. He discovered the gulf stream in the Atlantic. He made many discoveries about electricity including the concept of positive and negative polarity. By his adroit diplomacy he brought about the treaty with France and the military aid which made Washington’s victory over Cornwallis at Yorktown possible. He made significant contributions to the content of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. He had a love of freedom and as a articulate writer and publisher made popular the concepts of liberty and freedom. He wrote the following at the age of only 16: Continue reading “Benjamin Franklin: The Rest of the Story.”
As reviewed in Sexual Purity, Part 117, the divine standard for sexual purity is a high one, especially when compared to the current so-called “modern” standards. Sexual purity is not unique to the Latter-days, of course and it is encouraging that other faiths share these values – it’s just needs to be shared more. This video makes the point.
For the married, the self control required for sexual purity remains extremely important. In a loving relationship, Latter-day Saint doctrine specifies that sex is good, and right, expected, and approved of by God1. This is in contrast to some Christian traditions where physical relationships are considered inherently sinful and marriage viewed as a concession granted to fallen man. Many Christian faiths believe that the fall of Man was occasioned by an act of fornication on the part of Adam and Eve, and that we as their descendants, are therefore punished for this unexpected fiasco. This whole concept of the Fall of Man is simply and totally wrong2. Continue reading “Sexual Purity, Part 2”
And truth is knowledge of things
as they are,
and as they were,
and as they are to come.
(Doctrine and Covenants 93:24)
It’s always been amazing to me just how much an understanding of the pre and post mortal life is unique to the Latter-day Saints. It is truth! Your average Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc. — doesn’t think about it, doesn’t know about it, isn’t taught about it, doesn’t have a clue! Really. Continue reading “The Mighty Sword of Truth”
This timeline (click on “timeline”) is centered on the date that Lehi, in the Book of Mormon, left Jerusalem in 601 BC. The dates for the Old Testament events in the timeline are from the work from Edwin R. Thiele15 and his book The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings16 which is the definitive work on the subject.
The only Book of Mormon event that can be dated directly to the Old Testament, as an anchor point, is Lehi’s departure1 from Jerusalem. Nephi in the Book of Mormon states that Christ would come 600 years2 from Lehi’s departure. The actual date for this event is 601 BC if one believes, as I do, that Jesus was born in 1 BC17. However, if Jesus was born somewhere within 2-4 BC, as some others believe, it does not materially affect the Book of Mormon timeline, except to shorten the period of Lehi’s prophetic ministry. The narrative of 1 Nephi in the Book of Mormon fits extremely well with the established Old Testament timeline chronology once we account for Nephi’s reference to the first year of the reign of Zedekiah3 as the beginning Lehi’s prophetic call. Continue reading “Nephi’s Zedekiah”
I have written in this space about how that in the town of Alma, Quebec, where I was the first LDS missionary, there is now an LDS Chapel and also how the Province of Quebec, which had not even a Stake when I was there, now has a Temple! This is part of the gathering of Israel so long prophesied and now unfolding. It a marvelous work and wonder1 and it has the adversary trembling2 in his boots. Of course, evil and opposition to Zion is more frenzied and desperate than ever. They, the enemy, know that their time is short. Continue reading “Zion Spreads Abroad”
[NOTE: This page currently under development. I post it early for family members who may be interested. Come back in awhile and you’ll see lots more interesting stuff on the life of Albert James.]
Albert James is my great-grandfather and the first Mackley in my family line to cross the ocean and come to America. I actually saw him once when we lived on 32nd Street in Boise, Idaho. I was about six years old when he came for a visit. That was about 1961 and Albert James would have been about 88 years old at the time (he died 31 Aug 1967). We are fortunate that Albert James wrote down his life story. What follows below comes from the original hand-written copy by Albert James Mackley. Later, in 1958, it was typed up by Ella M. M. Mackley and from that typewritten copy, the following was organized. Sentences and paragraphs of the same subject have been grouped together for clarity. Spelling and punctuation have been improved. Additional words have been added in brackets only. Original grammar has been maintained. Historical notes and photo’s have been added. Jeri and I had the opportunity to travel to the UK back in 1999 and we were able to visit Norwich (pronounced Nor-idge) where Albert James Mackley was born and raised. Some of the photos come from my trip to Norwich in 1999.
Autobiography of Albert James Mackley
Click to enlarge: Charlotte Martha Holmes, mother of Albert James Mackley
[The] history of the life of Albert James Mackley born at Norwich, Norfolk, England on the 25th of August 1873. I was the only son alive of James Goodwin Mackley and Martha Holmes.
1873 Norwich, Norfolk, England showing Magdalen (pronounced Maud-len) Street where Albert James Mackley lived.
Norwich was a nice place, pretty in the summer. In the winter at they had to turn on the gas [light] at half past two as it got dark early in England but in the summer you can sit on the door step and read at 11 p.m. There is a lot of rain there. They had a Cathedral (marked “C” on map) that was built by the Danes [Normans] when they invaded England. It was a nice building built out of cobbles. The soldiers would go to church there on the Sabbath.
They only paid [people] two pennies a day. In English [money] that [is] four cents. The people was so poor they would buy two cents worth of raisins and put them in a crock and keep them covered with sweet water. Next Saturday [they did] the same [thing] till they had enough for a Christmas pudding. That is the way they had to scrimp along.
My grandmother took care of me as my mother worked in the factory. Women had to work as it was tight picking. I used to go on a Saturday to meet my mother at the shop. The man they worked for would go over to the Public House and tell them to let the girls have what beer they wanted. One Saturday I got too much half and half. I couldn’t walk straight. My mother told me not to walk like that.
We lived in a house up an alley (see Zephells Yard, marked Z on the map). It had about four rooms. The roof was quite flat, it was made of tile, and I remember the cats used to accumulate there and hold their open air concerts. It would finally end up in a fight [and] then they would go scampering off the roof to the ground. [It was] about a two story drop but they would manage to alight on their feet in another alley.
We never had any stove in our house. Only a fireplace to do the cooking. Pies and cakes and bread was taken to bake shop. We could cook soup over the fire with a chain with a hook on it.
All the houses was infested with rats. The houses were joined together and the rats would go from one house to another one. One night when I came down [the] stairs after a drink of water, when I went to the cupboard for a cup, the rats went scampering out of there.
Later we moved from this to a place called the Red Lion Yard (marked “R” on map) that was at the head of Magdalene Street. There was a street running North and South. All east of that was farms. At the head of Magdalene street was a gate to the city and they [the gates] were closed at nine o’clock. At one time there was a ruler and he made the people go to bed and the lights out by nine o’clock. Well, this gate is still hanging on them hinges, sagging. I can see it now. I was talking to a President of the Norwich Conference a few years ago and he told me the old gate was still there. We lived up this Red Lion Yard till we left for America. At the head of this lane where we lived we had a picket fence in front of the house.
This is a picture of Magdelen street about 1881.
Up this alley where we lived, come off the street named Magdelene Street [Maud – lin]. On this street at the entrance of the alley was a little store run by a man and wife by the name of Eifell. He was kind of interested in the Gospel but his wife wasn’t. He borrowed the Pearl of Great Price. He would read it when his wife wasn’t around but when he heard her coming he would slip it in the pepper drawer. They were whole peppers them days and when we got the book back, for years we could smell the peppers.
School
As [most] people there didn’t have any education they would keep their birthday or year, as they rotated their crops. They would say she was born the year such a piece was in turnips, etc.
[I] started to school between the age of three and four years. [They] call it here “kindergarden” but they learned us the ABC’s. [My teacher,] her name was Mrs. Graves. I remember she raised birds and I know she had a good sized tree. There was a swing in it. She taught in her home. The last school I went to was St. Pauls (marked “P” on the map). There I graduated at the age of nine years. I was in the eighth grade. I liked reading, geography, spelling, writing, [and] history
When the school officials would come to the schools, the boys would have to make a bow and the girls would have to give a curtsy to show respect. The teachers were strict and if we done something wrong we would have to go up to the rostrum and put out your hand. She had a good stingy cane. We would have to put out our hand and get what we called “custard” and if we jerked our hand we got two–so we would hold our hand stiff and take it. But I wasn’t up [but] once or twice. The teacher was called Governess. I remember one day I had a stick of licorice and the teacher told me to put it up. I did but I went and got it again. So she put me in a dark room with one of them things you learn to count with – buttons on a wire.
Grandma was a whirlwind to go and was very good to me. I was going home one afternoon. I had played the truant but she didn’t know it. It was the longest afternoon I ever put in. As I was crossing the street I seen her, I said, “Hellos grandmother.” She says, “Come on, boy, and go home.” She don’t know till this day I played hookie. When I got home she gave me a nice crust with some dripping bacon grease… um good!
The minister would take us out to his home for an outing. We would walk out and ride back, maybe. And he was afraid for us to drink too much water so he put bran in it so you wouldn’t drink too much. The girls would have to learn to sew by hand, have your hand clean sewing this afternoon.
Long before I left school, my mothers brother lived in Arizona. We had a map of the world in school and I went to America and found Arizona and looked and found St. Johns, Apacha County. And [I] took my teacher over there and showed her where my mother’s brother lived in Arizona. When we came to this country he came to Utah to see us.
The Elders
One day when I came home from school I saw a placard in the window. It was a 10×12 light as far as I can remember. On this card it said: “The Elder William Budge will preach at the St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.” I can’t remember when I couldn’t read.
We was always glad to see the Elders. We would go across the city and hold meetings at each others homes but after so many left to come to Zion the harvest was poor. I and my father was baptized the same night in the river Wensum. The Elder that I mentioned before that left the placard in the window [and] that preached at St. Andrew’s Hall was William Budge from Scotland. He was a convert to the church and came to Utah. He was called on a mission to England. Later, when he filled his mission he was put in [as] President of the Logan Temple.
The Elder that baptized me and father was named Joseph W. Vickers. He lived in Nephi, Utah [and was a] very good man. He treated me like a son. As the mobs were on the Elder’s heels, that was the reason we was baptized at night.
Elizabeth Alexander Holmes is the grandmother of Albert James Mackley.
Ezra T. Benson served missions in the Eastern States, British Isles, Scandinavia, and Hawaii. He is the great-grandfather of Ezra Taft Benson, the 13th President of The Church.
My grandma was skin and bones but she traveled like a streak. One night after dark a mob gathered and was going to mob the Elders. I went in the house and told Grandmother some men was after the Elders. She had a large wash basin full of boiling water and she throwed it in their face and she told them if they didn’t go she would give them another. They left. I seen them. She was a real Latter-day Saint. She would stand up for the Gospel. She was about 90 years old when we got word we was going to America. People says, “Mrs. Holmes, you’ll die on the way.” She says, “I don’t care, I’ve been looking for this opportunity for a good many years.” She was one of the first that joined the Church in that part. My mother says she [grandmother] was baptized by Apostle Benson, [great]grandfather of Ezra T[aft] Benson. When the Elders would come and see us they would have a meal with bread buttered and a Yarmouth Bloater. That was good. They were glad of it. Talking about bloaters, there at Yarmouth by the sea they would dry them and string them on wires and dry them and smoke them. They called them “High Dried.” They were good after they was smoked.
Growing Up
There is so much to tell I can’t write it all. I used to get into trouble after school. One time there was going to be a swimming race on the river. We was anxious to see it. So to see it, we got on a roof of a coal bin and the roof went in and we went home in a hurry for fear the police would get us. Another time we got into a carrot patch and there was men working there and they spied us. We got in alright but when we went to get out the hole had closed up, but there had to be a hole. We never tried it again. When school was out one afternoon, some men were working and some plank was laying there and there was a brick wall so we took a plank and then we got on the plank and it didn’t even up so I was the closest to the wall and I got my finger between the plank and the wall and I thought I was killed. I never tried it again.[Once] there was a conference at a place along the sea shore. As people built close so when the tide come in they are far enough from the water. There was a meeting place there. The town was Lowestoft and after the meeting I went down to the beach and walked out there on the sand picking up sea weed, little lobsters and crabs. I wasn’t watching the water, I guess the tide must [have] been coming in one wave, then another. I had to move to keep out of the water as the breakers was coming in. The man that was President of the conference was Albert Carrington. He got cut off the church for adultery in England. That was when I was a boy. This sea weed I mentioned, you could hang it up in the room. They used it as a barometer. They could tell what kind of weather they was going to have. When it was to rain this weed would be wet and when it was to be dry it would powder up. Where we lived was 21 miles from the Ocean. The fish would come in every morning, all kinds. People eat a lot of fish. So many kinds [of] shell fish (all kinds) and [it is] cheap. One afternoon as we were going to market there was stalls that sold shell fish such as cockels and mussel, oysters and other shell fish. They had them in saucers ready to eat as people come along. So I would run ahead and have a saucer cleaned up before she got there and had a bill to pay. The fishermen would go out all night and they would have their boat full so they had them on the market early. The rivers there was navigable. The boats would haul coal from the mines and the coal bins were along the river so they could stop and unload what they wanted. Men would push the boats with a long pole called a quant. It had a finger on it so it wouldn’t go to far in the mud at the bottom of the river and the stream would help to take it. Another story as I read it in the paper; A girl was coming home from school [and] this man ravished her and then killed her on the way to my school. They had his picture in the photographers shop. He was a hard looker. They gave him a trial and found him guilty and they sentenced him to death by hanging. So the morning he was to be hung at daylight at the castle, there was an immense crowd there to watch it. They put a black cap on him and marched him out, put the noose around his neck and they sprung the trap and he dropped. When the folks seen them bringing him out they said, “Here he comes.” Mother said people was so thick there you could roll a ball over their head. That is the way they do there. When a man is guilty they soon do away with him.One night I went to a panorama. That was the first time I saw people act from a stage. They sung “Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.” We never went out at night very much. We used to go to church and sing the hymns.My first recollection of my father was him packing me on his back upstairs. My father worked at the barracks as he made soldier clothes. He was a tailor and so was his father. Practically all the Mackleys were tailors and the women made bonnets and hats. My father had two sisters there that I seen. One was a spinster. The other married and had a family. The single one was Jane and the married [one] was named Clara. She married Henry Allen. He was a chimney sweep. Never seen much of fathers folks. Seen my Grandfather James a few times and my Grandmothers Mackley [but] they didn’t visit much. I had a cousin there in Norwich. He was a barber [and] his name was Billie Mackley. My Aunt Sarah Loveday from Hayland near Barnsley Yorkshire came to visit us before we left. One day grandfather [Charles Holmes] got a job cutting hay with a chopper, up in a barn loft. When he finished and his master paid him, he says “Come on, boy, let’s go ‘ave a ‘alf pint.” He meant beer as that is part of an Englishman’s living–that and his pipe. So the next time he got the job it was my turn to say “Come on grandpa, let’s go have a half pint.” I was quick to learn.My grandfather Charles Holmes was fishing for eel. He thought he had one –but it was his big toe. When he jabbed it with a table fork he found out it was his toe so he had to go home to Grandma and she had to pull it out. But it never got better as he was always lame after. I think it [was] partly [the cause of] his death as he died at 75 [81] and grandma at 92. I remember my grandfather, I heard him say to my mother just before he died (my mothers name was Martha); “Go and get my vest coat (they say, ‘west cut’) and get the money for that boy as it will be the last I will ever give him.” I was five years [old] when he died [on 15 October 1878]. I seen him put in the grave and there was room for another but she was not put in there. When my grandfather died they dug it deep enough so grandma could be put there too, but she fooled them. She came and was buried in Spanish Fork, Utah.
Going to America
We was bent on going to Zion. It would be if we lived right and kept the commandments. The Lord has been good to us. We have our health and all that is necessary.My mothers folks had [a] donkey cart. That is the way they travel, a lot of them. I remember, just before we left, my mother’s brother Abraham Holmes came to bid us good-bye. I sat on the side of the street all day watching to see if he was coming. Finally about 5 p.m. he came–donkey and all. I had to put up my finger to see if he was moving. I remember one Sunday morning mother walked over to Crostwich where she was born to see her brother and wife. On this Crostwich Common it was a big Pasture full of thistles and oak trees large enough to get inside and hide when playing games. The thistle is what the donkeys lived on. Well, as we are about to take our journey across the Atlantic, we started to Liverpool to take the ship, SS Wyoming. It wasn’t a very good ship but it took us across. Some times it was rough. The ship would roll to one side to the other and [was] very rough. Some time one night a storm arose. [There was] thunder and lightning. I thought the ship would break in two. It groaned and squeeked. Water came through the port holes. [However,] most of the time it was nice. One night as I was laying on my back I felt some water running in my mouth. Someone was running over so I put my head out [the] side and told them to shut it off. There was a berth above me [and] there was a big family of them [there.] As we left Liverpool [and] as we got out in the river Mersey (that was getting close to Ireland), there was a couple of girls that was going over too, and they come out to meet the ship in a boat. They hung out a rope ladder so the girls could climb up the ship. They was coming over here to their boyfriends and likely got married. After we had [been] on board [awhile], we got acquainted with some people from Spanish Fork that had been to Denmark to gather genealogy. We found out that she knew my aunt-mothers sister. The folks from Denmark was named Otteson. My mother was sea sick all the way over but it didn’t bother any of the rest [of us]. One day a lady died and I wanted to see them bury her in the ocean. They sewed her up in canvas and slid her down the plank for the fish to eat. The food wasn’t good and the toilet was close to the water. You didn’t need any paper as the water would splash and wash you off. It wasn’t anything for somebody to come while you was there. Some days it would be foggy and the old fog horn would blow. One day we seen a whale. We could see it go down and then come up and squirt water in the air. Sometimes we see icebergs floating. They tried to keep out of the way of them. We had a bottle tied to a string on the neck. We would throw it in the ocean and watch it jump. The porpoise would follow the ship. As time went on, one day a boat came out to meet us. It had a man on to take us into port. We was quite awhile before we reached port and then they came on board with goats milk and fruits and eats of differents kind[s] and when we went in New York we went up to see the city. We weren’t there very long. That was the first time I seen peaches and tomatoes. They used to call them love apples but I never cared much for them. We seen the Elevated Railroad. We didn’t have very much money to spend so they took us up the Hudson River on a big boat with paddles on the side as far as Castle Garden. There we layed around on the floor waiting to be cleared to see where we was going. Boy, we was glad to get out of there. [There were] no accomodations. The toilet was a long building with a pole to hang over. When we got on the train, that wasn’t to good either. Of course, the railroad wasn’t as good them days as they are now-a-days. As we got along through the different states we see different things. We was expecting to see buffalo but we didn’t hardly see chips. As the train stopped to take water, a lot of them would get out and go so far away from the train they would go away and leave them. Then they would take the next train. I remember when they crossed the Missouri they went across on a large boat then they would get off on the other side and go on the rails. One night as the train had stopped for water some men come and we thought they was going to rob the people. They looked around and I guess they thought they wouldn’t get much so they didn’t bother. Sometimes when the train would stop at eating houses they would get some hot water and make some tea. On board the ship I had a boy to play with but on the train I had to sit in the seat. On the train we was looking for historic places like the Horse Shoe Bend, but that was further on. It was getting into September and the fall season was on. The crops was being gathered so there was much to be seen. Cattle [were] on the farms. As we went along we seen the mountains as we come to them as there isn’t in England where we came [from]. We was glad when they said it wouldn’t be long before we would be into Ogden as Mother knew some people that used to live in Norwich but after they joined the church they come to Utah. In some way they was looking for emigrants so they found us and they took us to their place for that night and then the next day we went on to Salt Lake and my Uncle William was at the station to meet us and we stayed there a few days. We went to the meeting in the Tabernacle on Sunday and then the next day or so we visited some of the others that emigrated before [such as] J. J. Daynes. They run a music store and still do. And [we also visited] W[illia]m Wood that was on a mission awhile before we left. I was looking down the street and I said to mother, “There’s brother Wood!” He then was running a meat market. That was his [Brother Woods] son that was [the] President of the Cardston Temple. He was a very good man. When we got to our destination (Spanish Fork) we went and lived with our relations; mothers sister and husband James and Mary Vincent. We come in September and by the next spring we moved to a house we rented. The Salt Lake Temple was about four feet high when we come to this country but the street was full of granite blocks. They dragged them in with oxen as the Salt Lake Temple was forty years in construction. The side walks was made of a tar filling and when it got hot it was soft but later cement walks were put in. It was practically all L.D.S. people [there] then. The trains was small and they seldom went over thirty miles per hour. And they sold bananas, gum, candy, apples, and fruit but now they have done away with it. The roads to the depots then were very muddy and hacks would run and meet all trains. That’s all done away with now.
Life in Utah
We would go and gather sage brush to burn. My mother didn’t want me to run around the streets so she said, “go and find you a job.” It wasn’t long before I had it. I found a job in the shoe shop on the tenth of June. The people I worked for was John F. Mellor. All I got was $1.00 a week and my dinner. One day they gave me an ear of corn and I never seen people eat it before as my uncle used give it to the pigs. I refused it so that is what I told them. They [then] told me I could go home and eat – so I lost my boarding place. He was a hard man to work for. I think they raised my wages in about two years to $1.25 but they was good to me on holidays. They would give me some money or scrip as there wasn’t to much money in the country. Then one day she was going to tell me how to do the job but I didn’t pay to much attention so she took a square box lid and hit me on the head. She found she hurt me so she went and got a piece of pie. I stayed with them nearly seven years. During that time my father died. I didn’t like to stay there as he would slap me [along] the side of the head with his boney back hander. So I was getting nearly as tall as I am now so I thought I wasn’t going to take that any longer. I hit him and skinned his cheek so he sent me home. I was gone away about two weeks and they was getting behind on their work as there wasn’t anybody that could do the sewing on the uppers as their son had gone on a mission to England and they depended on me. Altogether they came for me two different times. Their daughter told me, “Father said he would raise your wages.” I didn’t care. For that, mother says, “You better go back. Some day it might come in handy.” So I went back. He never done it again.
Catherine Braithwaite
During this time father died and my mother remarried and then I left home and went to work. In a few days [I went] to put up hay for a man in Springville named John Hatfield. I worked for a couple of months for him. I learned they was building a sugar factory at Lehi so I went there and got a job on the John Beck Ranch called Saratoga Ranch. I got $1.75 a day cultivating beets. They had 117 acres and I used a walking cultivator and a single horse. I used her two and a half hours and then changed to the other for the same time and it was a real job. The boys that was milking the cows quit. There was 25 cows. Me and another boy took the job [and] for that we got [an extra] 50 cents making 2.25 a day. I thought I was making more money than the President of the U.S. But we had a steady job [and] that’s what we asked for. They irrigated the beets with warm water all summer. We would put the can out in the sun so it would keep warm. We had lots of fun there. I want to tell you before I forget that I topped the first sugar beats that was raised in Utah. That was in 1891 before the peoples Co-op store in Lehi and I have or did have the first sugar made that year. As my Uncle Robert Holmes sewed the first sack, that’s how I got it. That was the best thing that happened to Utah as that is what brought money from the beets but they only got $4.50 per ton. They didn’t have a very good way of handling to unload them with anything at [the] first wagon. But to haul them they soon caught on. There was a lot of hobos working there that year. That was 14 miles to town so we would walk to town. No thumbing [in] them days. Once in a week we would get a cool drink [which] they would haul from Lehi. I stayed there till I got layed off and then I shoveled coal for $.10 a ton. In the fall when they harvested the beets I went back. Their beets went 35 ton to the acre. They was large [beets]. After they were plowed out we would pile them and top them with corn knives. They hauled them in big sacks nearly half as big as wool sacks. They hauled them on cord wood racks [for] 14 miles [and could] make a [single] trip in a day. It began to get cold at night. After supper we would go to an old adobe house with one end out. [It] had an old stove there and there was a lot of hobos working and at night they would tell of their experiences and we liked to hear them. So we would crowd close as the seating capacity was limited. So one day I imagined something so I left the crowd at work and jumped over a ditch and got where there was some sweet clover and opened my shirt. I had some matches and found out I was lousy. They had K.P.C. on their backs. It stood for Kilpatrick Collins and Company–was some that got away so I had to play sick that afternoon so we had an old heater stove where we slept so I rustled a five gallon can, made a good fire and boiled up and I had to dry them before they came from work in the field. That was my first and last experience. After the beets was up there on the ranch I got a job on the George Q. Cannon farm up on Bull River. That is between American Fork and Pleasant Grove and the town of Alpine. We could hear the school bell ring but couldn’t see the town as it was in the dell. Nice place. They say there on that place a lady that was cooking for the men had a girl staying with her (a niece). She was really pretty but there was a young man so in love with her he couldn’t eat. One night after supper we was sitting on the porch talking. I don’t know why she come and kissed me. Boy, was my face red. She asked to come and wake up with a cow bell and then beat it. We left there when the work was over and I went home.
At that time the Provo Woolen Mills was running and it wasn’t paying too well but they made good cloth. A suit that was all wool [costs] about $3.00 a yard [and took] about three and a half yards to make the suit. A tailor would make it [for a] reasonable [price]. That fall I had job working in the harness shop for a James W. Miller. I worked for him for quite a while. I used to get there early in the winter to get the room warm as you can’t sew unless the room was warm. As it was built of rough lumber, it had shrank and left big cracks. So while the room was getting warm there was a saloon nearly joining it and I would go in there to get warm. The bartender was Bob Ferguson. So he says, “Jim, you want to make 15 cents?” I said, “Yes.” He says, “Empty this tank and fill it up with water.” So every morning I would do it and after supper I would go down town and go in there and he would ask me if I would tend bar for him while he had gone to supper. So he told me what to do; fill up certain demijohns with different kinds of liquor. I had to draw it up thru a hose and some of it was good and I would take a cigar and smoke it. I was about 17 years old. So one time Bob wanted to go with some fellow to Salt Lake to the stock fair and he asked me if I would take over and mop the floors and put clean linen on the bar. So it took me all night to do all this work alone. Along in the early morning some of them old soaks would come for an eye opener and by the time I got home it was nearly 12 0’clock and my mother asked where I had been all night. I told here I had been to the saloon at work. “What in devil you been buying there?“, [she asked]. So I told her. She says. “Let that be the last.” It was [the last]. I took her word for it and I am very glad I done what I was told. If I hadn’t I would have been an alcoholic as I was starting out bad for my age–either 17 or 18. I’ll tell you, it pays to mind your parents as they have been on earth long and have seen what happen[s] to boys that go astray. I am thankful for my mother looking after my interest as they never tell you wrong. I worked for Miller in the harness shop for some time and [then] I and my partner had a chance to take a farm on shares, cattle and all. We had bad luck as the ground was run down, full of wild oats and weeds. It hadn’t been fertilized as it ought to have been and our crops didn’t turn out to be worth anything. Our beets that we put in didn’t come up good so we had to replant and that throwed them late to harvest. We dug them in the snow and we payed out so much for labor. And when we settled up for labor we had $18.95 each and my partner said he would go to the mines and work if I’d take care of the stock but I never got a cent out of my work as he gambled his money away as he was a card shark. I couldn’t take it any longer so we had a fight over our stuff. So I pulled out and went up into Salt Lake County and got me a job with Dan Jones for $10.00 per month as jobs couldn’t be bought. He had two women. They took care of the milking. The first wife was good to me like a mother.
Albert James Mackley and Catherine Braithwaite, married 3 May 1897 in the Manti Temple.
I’d take hay into Salt Lake and put it in the stores or up in the loft of the barn. He had a hay bailer besides working on the farm. As it was all horses them days he had several horses and some cows. I would feed them [and] clean out the barns. We would draw up the water [for the animals] and I got tired of that so one day I asked him if I couldn’t take them up to the canal. It was up the state road about forty rods and on the way back a young girl said to her sister, “Who is that young man driving them horses?” Her sister says, “That’s a fellow working for Jones’s.” She says, “That’s the young man I’m going to marry.” Her sister says, “You big fool, I’m going to send you home to Ma.” She didn’t. When she was working as a girl, before she was working for Brother Farnsworth in Manti, that was her home town and Brother Farnsworth says, “ Katie, do you want to see your future husband?” She said, “Yes.” [He said,] “Well, you pray tonight and I’ll pray.” They did. So he asked her the next morning if she seen him. She said no. And he says, “You pray tonight and I’ll pray.” And she seen me that is the reason she knew me when she seen me on the road and after a while I got acquainted with her and she went to her home in Manti. That was along in June. My time run out [for hauling hay for Dan Jones] the 21st of August as I hired out for six months. Then I went and got me a job at the Sandy Smelters. I got $1.52 per day as wages was cheap them days and board cheap. But in September I went to Manti to see her and her parents. They treated me fine and on one Sunday we went around the Manti Temple and it was a glorious feeling. Ever after I told her that when we got married I wanted to be married there and we did. The following Christmas, I went down again and stayed ten days and while I was there I promised her that I would buy her some clothes. And she used to go and work out to get her own clothes. She would go and do a big wash for only 50 cents. That’s what they used to pay. Things were hard for everybody. I promised her I would hunt up a job. I went to the smelters where I used to work. They would only let the men work every other day. Just enough to live on. I sit there with my boss talking. He wouldn’t promise me a job but I went there the next morning and went to work and I [was] never layed off. It looked like the Lord was with me all the time and when I got my money me and her mother went into Salt Lake and bought the goods and when she went home they made them with her other daughter that said she would send her home to me. So on the third of May we were married. She sent for me and we wasn’t going to be married ’till the 25th of May but while I was there she said we better get married. So Bishop Reid married us and we came back in November and went to the Temple and was married for time and eternity by J.D.T. McCallister. We didn’t have much money when we was married but we started right to get things into the house. We moved into a house with a cupboard, stove, table, some chairs, a few dishes, etc. It wasn’t long we lived in that house and we moved down town and on the 6th of May, Albert Charles was born. I done all kinds of work. George Ellis gave me a job helping him to make brooms. He couldn’t pay much as the days were short – about six hours a day. 75¢ rent was $3.00 per month, butter 20¢, milk 5¢, coal $4.00 [a] ton, [and] $65 for fifty pound flour. I did shoe repair for that, hauled my own wood [and we] had our own pig and chickens. We put up fruit and George Ellis had me go on the road. I took a load of brooms as far as Manti that summer. I worked around for different people. That winter in January I started off to hunt a job. I got on the railroad track [and] I walked as far as Lehi about 30 miles [away] and stayed with a family I used to board with when I was about 17. And the next morning I got on the track and walked as far as Draper about 20 miles [away]. As I was going along I seen a man getting a load of sand out of a bank. I asked him if he knowed where I could get a job. He took me out in the road and said, “You see that Steam Nelson and Meek are dipping sheep. Maybe you can get a job there.” I asked them if I could help them dip sheep. They said, “Do you think you can dip the head under that mixture?” So I done it and after I got thru he asked me to go home with him. On the way, I asked him if he had any harness I could fix. He said he had ten set [and] he had eleven bands of sheep. So I told him I would send home for my tools. He said he was going into Salt Lake tomorrow and he would get what I wanted. I worked for him till I got the harness fixed and then I dug a pipe line to water the sheep at the lambing shed. I worked there doing different things–hauling manure and digging drain ditch. When I got through [with that job] I started to run a shoe shop but the people went bare foot – women and kids. So there wasn’t much to do. A neighbor come to my rescue. He asked me if I wanted a job on the section. So I went there for two weeks as one of his men had to lay off. I stayed ’till he came back. After a while I got a letter from my stepfather. He wanted me to put up his hay rack, so I went down to Spanish Fork and got a team and rack and moved back to Spanish Fork in the harness shop until December as that was the [day] Spencer was born (December 19). After that, I was out of work for a few days and then went to the broom factory to work. Later, I went to work for Oran Livis grubbing oak brush and working in the yard hauling coal. And in May I went to Manti go head sheep for Hirum Brown. I worked for him for two months and was called home as he had the whooping cough. And I worked around ’till I went to work for the co-op again for awhile. And then a man came to me and wanted some men to work at Castle Gate Coal Co. to load coke but it was of a short duration. We wasn’t making any money so we took what little money we had and walked home [which was] about 60 miles [away]. We, Dan Lewis and I, bought a bed one night and started out early and walked to Soldier Summit and bought a loaf of bread and broke it in two. We walked to the Thistle Junction and then beat our way on a freight train home. Hadn’t been home over a day ’till a man came and wanted us to go up to sack wool as they was going to sheer sheep at P.V. Junction. We was there a couple of days ago. I was up there for ten days and it stormed so much we couldn’t sheer but we had to eat. When we settled up I had $4.35. I sent the $4.00 home, bought 25¢ in stamps [and] 10¢ to buy tobacco. I got a job herding sheep [and] was there for two days and got sick with tick fever. I was sick all summer. I left the job and layed around sick. I had them administer to me. I got better. I went downtown to get me a job. I got a job on the threshing machine. I stayed down for awhile and when I was coming home I met my wife’s mother and Lyness Braithwaite, her son. They said, “You got a daughter.” My wife wasn’t sick when I left. That [daughter] was Blanch, born [the] 27th of August. I left in September for another job. I packed my grip and expressed it to Bingham Junction and walked up there. I didn’t work that night but the next night I went to work on the night shift and I worked at the Bingham Smelter until 24th of December and came home. I was to be notified but they never, so I went up there and went to work and then I moved my family. I forget to tell I bought a lot. Borrowed the money from the bank so I had to get money to pay the bank. My father-in-law said he would plant the trees for me so when I got the bank paid and the money to build the house I moved back and built a two room sloop and the trees was bearing. We was glad and happy while we was saving the money. Robert was born the 21st of April at Midvale so when we moved back we had four children but we still kept on trying to get ahead. I got tired working for [the] co-op as some of them was lying. I could never like a liar, so I left. A man came to me one day and said he would like to trade for a place in town so I told him I would trade before I knowed it. So we went to trade, it was just a little place but I traded. There was 36 acres and I wanted to get a pasture. There was not water on the place but the house was small and full of bed bugs but we got rid of them in time. I got a job on the section and thought it was steady but in ten days I got layed off. Ten days work brought $10.30. It was getting to close to Christmas so I started to shift for myself. The first few days wasn’t much doing but it started to come. In a few days I soon was working ’till late at night and then I began to make something for myself. It wasn’t long before I began to get up on top. I was really busy and then I bought me a patching machine but the machine never was any good. I sent it into the company but they didn’t do it any good. It wasn’t long before I begin to do harness work. I sent in for a side of harness leather but they sent me a roll 230 lbs and it frightened me so I wrote them about it. They told me to pay for it as I could. The first thing I done was to cut the long side into halter straps and hung them. It wasn’t long before they were sold. I made a lot of hame straps. I got in some collars, curry comb, brush. It wasn’t long before I had to move into a larger building. There I bought buggy harness oil and a vat. Soon I was busy oiling. When I was working a salesman came and wanted to put them (co-op) in one but they couldn’t see it. They brought me their harness. Soon they seen it was a paying business [and] then I had competition but they couldn’t get it all. And then I put in a line of horse remedies and a line of poultry supplies. I sold a lot. I got some incubators and sold them. We tried everything. I was going along fine.We built onto our house. It wasn’t long before I decided to build another house that was larger. So Jesse Braithwaite had studied the architecture business so I asked him to bring over some plans that they had a book of different buildings. So I picked out one with ten rooms. He told me about what it would cost and we decided to go ahead. I didn’t have any money so I had Will Johnson haul me the gravel and got the cement from Jex Lumber. There was 175 bags of cement in the house, basement, foundations and porch. Well, we put in the foundation, had men to help. Well, we wasn’t long before we had the studding up and at night I would put up the sides. It was about four inch wide Larch Lumber, easy to work. I would give it a coat of yellow ocre to keep it from the weather and we kept on. Finally we got the floor down of common lumber and then the flooring was put on and oiled and then the roof. We shingled it at night and it was moon light and cool. I got the adobes and layed them up me self. I got a man to lay up the chimney. Jesse done all the finish [work] of [the] windows and doors. I paid Jesse when he would ask for money. He drawed fast, when the house was completed he was owing me. The plastering was done. I got that paid. I hauled lumber for Jex and cement. They got stuff out of the shop. I bought 253 white lead and done my own painting and I never had to sign a note for nothing I got done or had done. My credit was good. I got all my hardware from Salt Lake Hardware. When the house was finished it wasn’t long before my business growed. We put in a nice orchard. We was enjoying the place. We thought we could do better in Idaho as my brother-in-law George Smith was wanting me to come there and so I went up there in 1916 and filed on a homestead. It was nice place in the summer. Lots of timber on the place. I bought some cows. Some [cows] we took with us up there as we had a big car load of livestock [and] some machinery. Then we had to buy hay as we had to feed the horses and cows and sheep. We built us a long house with two rooms and upstairs. We had plenty of wood and plenty of snow. We couldn’t see the fences as the posts were covered up but we kept on trying. We built a barn big enough to hold 60 head. We had plenty of logs on the place. We took them to a saw mill and had it made into lumber. We was getting some nice heifers coming in and things looked prosperous. We had some young hay in but the wind blowed hard and froze the hay. I had already had a milking machine installed. We was getting 50¢ a pound for butter fat and then the hard time hit everybody. Butter fat went down to 11¢. Hay went up to $40.00 per ton. I had $25.00 paid on the milker. Things tightened up so we lost the milker and cows. Some [cows] I sold for $7.50 and that was bad for everybody. I homesteaded in 1916. We tried to make it. I tried to but a swamp ranch. I paid on that and finally had to give that up. D.C. Buxton has got that now. He will have a good place out of it. He has it stocked with cattle. Finally I gave up the ranch as they couldn’t make anything out of it but we didn’t have any money to put out on it. Now they have electric light up there. They already had good water to drink. Hard to get out of in the winter. We built onto the house so we could get along. I had to go back to the shop in Driggs, Idaho. There I run and tried to keep some cows there. We sold milk to customers. The children married off and I stayed with the shop. My wife’s health got bad. [The] climate was to high so we moved to Rigby, Idaho. We rented a house for a few years. Finally I bought a lot and we built a nice little house. My wife felt so bad when we left our home in Spanish Fork I told her, “Don’t feel bad, we will build you a house and you can have it the way you want it.” We had a nice little home fixed like a doll house, everything the way she wanted. A lawn with all kinds of flowers. You could find her out taking care of them. I planted a nice lot of fruit trees and had a lot of chickens. And then Martha was the only one home. She got married and they moved to Clearfield so we didn’t enjoy the doll house too many years. They wanted us to move there so we bought a nice house across from them. We could see them everyday. We would drop over or they would. We was enjoying it fine ’till Rex thought he could do better on a farm as he was working at the Navy Base there. So it wasn’t long ’till they moved to Mud Lake and we was not better off. We could have lived in Rigby and went 25 or 30 miles and seen them there but we don’t know the workings of the Lord. I think he moved us around to suit his purpose. Mary Ann RogersMy wife Catherine Braithwaite Mackley was taken very sick the latter part of March and 1948 we took her to Mapleton to our son Spencer and later she went to the Provo Valley Hospital and was operated on and kept getting worse. Finally she died on the 30th of April and was buried on our wedding day the 3rd of May 1949. She was buried at Spanish Fork, Utah. We had twelve children.
Mary Ann Rogers
After that we sold the place at Clearfield to Earl Wixom. From then I went to visit each of the children till I thought I would go and do Temple work. I went to the St. George Temple and started on the 27th of November and went steady ’till the 27th of March 1951.One night I made up my mind to pray to the Lord. This is what I said to him. I asked him if he was willing for me to take another wife, I want one that would go to the temple and work in the Relief Society. I waited a few days and I began to think that it was throwed away ’till one Sunday afternoon after conference I was standing by the bank corner. One woman came along and asked me a question. I answered her and she went on, [to] another street. Finally another woman came along and I spoke to her and one word brought on another. I told her I came here from Idaho to work in the temple. She said she came here from Idaho. She had brought her husband for his health but he had passed away and I thought that was a good chance for me. By the time I got to the corner I was going to turn to go across the street. I asked if she cared if I come to see her. She say, “I don’t even know your name.” She hadn’t looked to see what I looked like. She say, “If you’d come to the corner I’ll show you where I live.” I says, “I’m not acquainted with the town.” I says, “I better walk down with you” and I ask her if she would go to the evening meeting with me. So I says [that] I’ll go and get my supper as I was bach’ing it [and then] I’ll bring down the car. So that was the start of our courtship. I was going to leave for Mapleton on the 27th. I was going to take back some tomato plants. I asked her if she would go to Washington with me to get some but [I] couldn’t find any so I went to Hurrican and got a large box [full]. I was going to give them all some, so we visited every day. I would take her to the temple and go home and get my meals. I asked her if she thought we could make it. She says you go home and pray about it and I will. So we done it and everything went along alright and we got married on the 27th of March 1951. After that I took my things there and we have been living happy since.
Temple Work
We have done a lot of temple work. She has done of 1700 [names] and I have done over 2450. We are glad to have the privilege to go to the Lord’s house as it is really a privilege to get in there. So many souls are made happy to get the chance to go there as you have to have a recommend by your Bishop and President of the Stake to get the chance to get in. This winter since the first of December we have had two old gentlemen staying with us. Both [are] over 80 years but in about one month they will be gone as it is too much of a hardship washing temple clothes for four of us so [that] we will be clean and respectable. When Grandma gets her [story] made out and book form there will be quite a history.
Final Thoughts
Now all of this is taken from memory so if there is any mistakes you will have to correct them if you can as this is taken from memory from the time I was about three or four years old. [I am] glad to have that much memory at 85 years. There is a lot that I have jumped over as some come to me when I had written the other. Of course I forgot or tried to [forget] the little things in life such as getting into mischief with other boys. I believe I can remember where all the good apple trees and pear trees and all the apple cellars [are]–especially them that was layed on the ground and covered with straw and then dirt covered. All we had to do was to burrow till we come to the straw and there they’d be. I hadn’t thought to tell the things but they was too good to hold back. All the boys have their days and girls, too. So that is life, but when we grow older we should have more sense but where you repent and not do it again the Lord will forgive you and [you must] try and live the good life. Well, as I have about come to the end [I give this advice]; Do what is right and you have no room to fear. If you have the Priesthood, honor it and do what you are asked. Get yourself ready and go to the temple. Do all that you can. So far up to date I have done work for 2788 [people]. Try and come up to it.
Love and best wishes to all my family. As ever, Grandfather, Albert James Mackley
[P.S.]
This is another day to tell you about. We just got back from our trip from St. George to Fresno, California to see Zella Williams. [We] stayed there a few days and then [went on] to Edith and Kay Hunter. I seen them milk a bunch of cows and then [we went] to Ashland, Oregon to see Seth, Eva and the girls. Charles had moved his wife there as Charles was helping his father and his wife Karen had a baby. [They] named it Seth David. And then we went up to Portland and stayed there two nights and one day. And then [we] went on to Moses Lake and had a nice visit with Martha and Rex and family. From there Rex brought [us] to Walla Walla [where] we visited with Jay Park and family and then onto Letha Idaho and visited with Ethel and Dean Gordon and [their] girls. I helped him awhile with the cement and [then] went on to Emmett and visited with the little family. [We] seen Hyrum and Mary Wallace and from there we came on to Pocatello and stayed with Catherine Wallace and Frank Douglass and family. Then we went on up to Driggs and visited with the Buxtons, Art Mackley, Eva and Carl Josephson and family. [We] seen Blanch and family at the reunion [and] Elmer Mackley and family from Arco. I had my operation, a bad hernia, taken care of. I was in the hospital four days. Went after the next week and had the stitches taken [out]. So far after two weeks getting along as well as could be expected. I’m glad it was done, should have been done before. The Lord has helped me. Now it’s my turn to help him as he has always been with me. A.J. Mackley
[Originally] copied from a hand written story by Albert James Mackley in 1958 [and then typed] by Ella M.M. Mackley.
The following taken from the handwriting of Albert James Mackley – written Sept 11, 1965. Song goes, “If you do right you have no need to fear.” As I have a talk with my little grandchildren I tell them to be good, mind their parents, and never lie because they get you into trouble. Always tell the truth and be free. One lie and you tell another to cover it up.Harold, I am happy here doing the Lords work. Today there was a couple getting married. When they get married for time and all eternity, they have a good foundation to start on. Some think if they get married in the temple, they are saved as far as that go but you have to life good lives. We want to be happy on the other side. If we do what the Lord asks us to do, we stand a good chance. Some think they are saved if they go to the tample but you have to keep on going. About JimThe following is quoted from Vadna J. Mackley in her book Our Mackley FamilyJim had a beautiful singing voice and many, many times he and Catherine would sing together, their voices harmonizing with each other beautifully. Jim had an enviable personality–people liked him. He had a witty mind and could make people feel at ease and forget their troubles. His grandchildren loved him for he was always telling them something funny and they would laugh and tell it again and again to each other. On one occasion after having purchased an insurance policy designed to take care of funeral expenses, he met his friend the mortician on the street and said to him, “Brother –, do you have a second-hand casket for sale?” The mortician laughed heartily.Shortly after 1953, Jim’s eldest son, Albert, moved to St. George so as to be near to and able to help his father. And upon him Jim leaned for support in his last few remaining years. Although his true birthdate was September 1, he had always celebrated on August 25th and on that date in 1967 his daughter Alice brought him a cake and wished him a happy birthday. His only response was, “I’m afraid my cake is dough, Alice.” Seven days later–a day short of his 94th birthday–quietly yet suddenly he passed from this life with his son Albert by his side. His funeral was held in the forenoon of September 4th and was attended by friends and fellow temple workers of the Saint George community as well as by his far flung posterity who had gathered to pay honor and tribute to their progenitor. He had accumulated an impressive number of 7,000 names for whom he had done temple ordinance work. He was buried in Spanish Fork beside Catherine, his lifelong companion. And so came to an end the sojourn in mortality of two of the Lord’s choice children. They had very little fo this world’s material wealth amassed but both left this world and entered into their heavenly reward, wealthy, for the Creator has promised that “He that hath eternal life is rich.” At Jim’s death he had a posterity of twelve children, 64 grandchildren, 174 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. A total of 252 descendants.
Why this blog?? It requires time and effort and provides no monetary compensation. Few people relate to my “Zion” theme – it’s totally foreign to most, even for some Latter-day Saints. Those who know me may think it is a bit odd. After all, who do I think I am to address these topics? I am certainly not a “General Authority” or an official representative of the LDS Church. The men and women who officially represent the Church speak frequently, publish widely read articles, and are more experienced and wiser than I am – at least in general theological and spiritual subjects. My site statistics show an increasing number of hits, visitors, and page views – but I don’t believe the stats really. I do believe more and more robots visit my blog as time goes by because WordPress does a pretty good job of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I get lot’s of spam and have only received two genuine comments since my first post of April 2009.
Well, that’s the negative perspective. If I really believed in the overall tone the first paragraph, I should quit, and if I were blogging on less important subjects I would.
Robert Koldeway’s map of Babylon (in black) with overlays (in color). Ancient riverbed and moat in blue. Total wall length = 37,735 meters = 23.45 miles
Like an onion, truth from scripture is revealed by pealing back one layer at a time. In this sense the scriptures are not “dumbed down” for the masses but require some effort and study. Both the Holy Temple and the Holy Scriptures teach truth by allegory1, parable2, symbolism3 and metaphor4.
So that brings us to Babylon, a major scriptural metaphor that helps reveal a layer of truth as a guide to understanding our present world in the Latter-days. There are many striking parallels.
In scripture, the symbol for our world is BABYLON, from which God advises the righteous to flee, first spiritually and then later, physically. The simple problem with Babylon (the present world system) is that itisabadinvestment from a spiritual and physical point of view: There is no future in it! It is all scheduled for demolition. And where does God say to go? Flee to Zion! ZION is the future: God’s Kingdom of Heaven5 is destined to grow, expand, and last forever6.
[Note: Hover over the links for more information.]
A friend of mine has a poster of Albert Einstein’s face with the caption:
“I want to know Gods’ thoughts, the rest are details.”
It would be great to know Gods thoughts, but logic tells me that we can’t come close to approaching it1. We just don’t live long enough to know anything, really. This is fundamental2.
In the early days of Christianity, converts consisted of just ordinary people. The rulers, the rich, and the famous3 were not interested4 in God’s truths — they felt they were just too smart5 for it! The same is basically true in the modern era. The Latter-day Saint missionaries have always had more success with the poorer classes. Then after a generation, especially in a free country, the rising tide of Gospel truth lifts their descendants to an increased level of education and prosperity6.
To trust in God with humility is the starting point to wisdom7. Trusting oneself instead of God is the ultimate delusion8. As for knowing Gods thoughts9: Sorry Albert, even you didn’t get there. You had the the right goal10 though.
8 Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God.
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths! 6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. 7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she [wisdom] should rule over them!
28 … O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.
21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. 22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.
5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6 And Solomon said, … 7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As a young man I served two years as a French speaking missionary in Quebec, Canada for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Serving a mission was a life changing experience. Talking to perfect strangers every day for two years gave me experience in understanding of how people really think. I learned to love the people and also overcome my natural shyness – to some extent.
There sometimes exists among the Latter-day Saints the idea that our mission as a people is to convert the whole world. Not so.Continue reading "Missionary Tales"
Sometimes, critics say they believe in the Bible but not in Joseph Smith because he’s “not Biblical”.
In actuality, everything Joseph Smith did is Biblical in the extreme. Here’s a list of controversial things about Joseph Smith, all of which are very Biblical.
Said God and Angels appeared to him and that he had visions from God
– All over the Bible. All Bible prophets claim the same in one form or another. Joseph Smith relates the “First Vision” where God the Father introduces His Son Jesus Christ, who then related to Joseph Smith his divine assignment to restore the full Gospel in the Latter-days.
Created new Scripture
– Each Bible prophet has made a contribution to new scripture. Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, James, John, etc, etc. Revelations from God to Joseph Smith resulted in three Holy books of scripture: The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
Claimed authority from God– All Bible prophets claimed the same, saying: “Thus saith the Lord” in one form or another. Joseph Smith also claimed authentic Priesthood ordination by angelic messengers and he received modern scripture revelation where the Lord speaks in the first person.
Had multiple wives
-Very common in the Bible, sometimes in a completely positive way: Abraham, Jacob, Moses. Sometimes in an approved, yet flawed way: David, Solomon. Under the command of God, Joseph Smith had more than one wife.
Used oracular devices to receive revelation
– The Urim and Thummim, also mentioned in the Bible, was an oracular device and used by the Temple Priests to receive the word of God. Joseph Smith also used a “Urim and Thummim” and well as other “seer stones” to translate scripture and receive revelation.
Importance of Temples
– The central role of the Temple is obvious in the Old Testament. Often overlooked is it’s importance in the New Testament. Jesus often taught there and reverenced it as a Holy Place. The Apostles taught in the temple, until they were no longer allowed in. In many of their teachings, the Apostles and Prophets directly reference temple ceremonies. Two latter-day Temples, one in Kirtland, Ohio, and one in Nauvoo, Illinois were built under the direction of God, during Joseph Smiths lifetime.
Martyred for the cause
– Six Old Testament Bible Prophets and ten New Testament Apostles/Prophets are said to have been martyred by Biblical and also extra-Biblical ancient sources: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Amos, Zechariah, Peter, James, James (the lesser), Jude, Matthew, Philip, Simon, Thomas. Joseph Smith also “sealed his testimony” in death by being murdered, shot to death by his enemies while supposedly under the protection of the State.
He is the Supreme Being of the universe, the Father of the spirits of all mankind, and the One True God. He is the only one to whom we should pray.
Names and Titles
He is known as: 1) God; 2) God the Father; 3) Father; 4) Man of Holiness; 5) Elohim/Eloheim; 6) Man of Counsel; 7) Endless and Eternal.
Physicality
God the Father is not just a concept or philosophy but is an actual living Being – a perfect Man. He has Continue reading “The Nature of God”
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
2Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
3Matthew 22:37-38
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment
42 Corinthians 3:3
3 … written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
5Deuteronomy 28:2-13
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
6John 15:16
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
7DC 88:81-83
81 Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. 82 Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads. 83 He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken.
8Moses 7:62
62 And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
92 Nephi 25:23
23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
10Section 121:41
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
11Mark 8:35
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
12Matthew 25:21
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
13Revelation 21:4-5
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
14Isaiah 11:5-9 & Alma 40:22-25
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
22 Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets. 23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame. 24 And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets— 25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.
15Isaiah 11:5-9 & Alma 40:22-25
30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
16Section 76:5-10
35 For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end. 6 Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory. 7 And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom. 8 Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations. 9 And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught. 10 For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.
172 Nephi 2:15-16
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. 16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.
182 Nephi 9:41-43 & Mormon 7:7
41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. 42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them. 43 But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.
7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.
[Note: Hover over the links for more information.]
Because of experience I accept the reality of prayer1. But I’ve often wondered about the mechanics of it . After all, at any given moment there are thousands of people praying to God and, if he is like us, it would be just jumble of noise. So obviously He doesn’t have a limited listening ability like we do.
Early in my computer career I came to a new paradigm in understanding of how God could perceive all prayers Continue reading “Prayer”
[By Jay Mackley. Note: Hover over the links for tool tip info.]
… God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed.
This simple principle of sexual purity is necessary for happiness. The pure in heart1 and action are considered safe with their friends, trusted by their spouses, prized by their parents, and have respect among their peers. In other words, all that is necessary for a successful community and family life is dependent upon sexual purity2. It’s sad to see (time and time again) successful and famous people who fail in their morality3 – they end up not happy4.
I have a number of “hero’s” in my life. #1 is Jesus Christ. He was, after all, the only perfect person1 to ever live on this earth and His example and teachings have affected more people than any other person, and influenced me personally far more than any other. I have read and studied more about Him more than anyone else, including reading the New Testament 11 times and the Old Testament 5 times. The best book written, by far, on the life of Christ, in my opinion, is Continue reading “Heros in Zion”
I really enjoyed LDS General Conference in it’s entirety and the following was my favorite song, sung by the Tabernacle Choir in the Sunday morning session. I have it memorized:
The Holy Scriptures say that God is anxious to bless those that follow Him with both spiritual and physical blessings. There’s only two issues: Continue reading “The Strength of Zion”
In maintaining this Zion blog, I hope to not be viewed as a “gospel crank” — one who focuses on just one point of doctrine to the exclusion of others. Unbalanced. A blog must have some focus to make it interesting, however Zion is an umbrella concept that covers all aspects of doctrine and gospel living – the whole point of which is to bring to us happiness and joy1, to be approved of by God2, to be in the presence3 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to be knit together4 as one eternal family.
References
12 Nephi 2:24-26
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. 26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever…
2Matthew 25:23
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
3DC 76:62-70
62 These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever. 63 These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. 64 These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. 65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. 66 These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all. 67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. 68 These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. 69 These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. 70 These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.
4DC 128:15-18
15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect. 16 And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? 17 And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 18 I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.
Oh yes, absolutely1. I am always sorry to hear an LDS person criticizing church members in Utah. It’s painful to hear a faithful member of the church lay out “holier than thou”, “we are superior” attitudes. Oh my! Not ready for Zion. Great need to repent.2
I don’t live in Utah although I attended and graduated from BYU Provo and have visited Utah many times. If I could choose to live anywhere I wanted for my own selfish reasons, it would be in the center stakes of Zion, in Utah. My observation is that the Utah Saints are generally more dedicated, more active, and more effective in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ than their brothers and sisters outside of Utah. They are the core strength of the Church, providing more missionaries, more general authorities, and more material means per capita than the rest of us. We should strive to be more like them.
The Lord has blessed the saints in Utah. Anyone just driving through can see prosperity everywhere and a Stake Center on every corner. One doesn’t see the blighted neighborhoods that are so common in predominately “gentile” cities. Downtown Salt Lake City is vibrant and safe – and I have walked it late at night. I am amazed anew every time I visit.
1 BUT in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
2DC 105:4-5
4 And [they] are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom; 5 And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.
3Section 78:14-15
14 … that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world; 15 That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, …
4DC 105:4-5
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. 6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; 7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. 8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
5Section 45:67-68
67 And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. 68 And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
The purpose of this blog is to comment on Zion in the last days, also called the New Jerusalem. In doing this I do not ignore the Holy Jerusalem currently existing in Israel and the important role that it plays in the last days. The “old” Jerusalem serves as one of two great capitals on earth throughout the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Every scriptural prophecy regarding Jerusalem is to be fulfilled. The Jewish people will build a great temple there, become very prosperous, “begin” to believe in Jesus, and will continue to defeat their enemies. The essential difference is that Jews gather to Jerusalem in the Middle East and the rest of the House of Israel gathers initially to the New Jerusalem in America. The two Jerusalem’s become united, politically, after Armageddon. The New Jerusalem is explicitly mentioned1 by John the Revelator as coming down from God out of heaven2. Many assume that the “new” Jerusalem is just the old Jerusalem with a make-over. However, Ether, as quoted by Moroni in the Book of Mormon, explains it clearly3 – they are two separate places.
Temple attending Latter-day Saints recognize the significance of the “new name” that John4 (and Isaiah5) mention. It is connected with entering6 into the New Jerusalem and the presence of the LORD.
References
1Revelation 3:12
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
2Revelation 21:2 – 3
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
3Ether 13:2 – 5
2 … the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, … and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, … 3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. 4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. 5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel.
4Revelation 3:12
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
5Isaiah 62:1 – 3
1 FOR Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
6DC Section 130:11
11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.
I once saw my great grandfather, Albert James Mackley (1873-1967), when I was about 6 years old. He had come to America from Norwich England with his parents in the early 1880’s. I have had the pleasure of visiting Norwich, seeing St Andrews Hall, Magdelene Street and as it crosses the Wensum river where he was likely baptized. Here are excerpts from his story:
The process of preparing for Zion is through one individual at a time and eventually, like a rocket, momentum builds. Helena Ericksson/Rosbery (1822-1899), my great-great grandmother, had a zeal for God and for Zion. I look forward to meeting her there. Here are some excerpts from her story:
Just four years after I heard the first of Mormonism, I helped to build me a nice house. Then I went ten years before I heard the Gospel. I [had] wished to go to the Priest to find out how to be saved–but I was afraid to go.
The first Mormon I heard preach was Brother Wimbery. He was talking about the “thousand years” to a man, but I dared not ask him what it meant. After that, I went to [a] meeting and the police were there writing the names of everyone listening to the Mormons to put them in prison. Continue reading “Gathering To Zion – Helena”
I confess I have this “zeal” and that I use this blog to give expression to my feelings. However, in research and writing, my zeal for Zion grows even more. What I am really talking about is what I feel for Jesus Christ and what He means for me and all mankind. However, talking about Jesus is a bigger canvas and it means so many different things to so many different people. My zeal for “Zion” is simply my zeal for Jesus in a more focused way and a more immediate future Continue reading “Zeal for Zion”
The term Zion has two distinct meanings: 1) The people of God; and 2) The City of God where the people of God live. In Enoch’s day the righteous followers of God built a Zion city. Because of their worthiness God came down to be with them and brought them into His “tabernacle” or “sanctuary” which he created and then, “in process of time” removed the people and his physical sanctuary from the earth. This place is where the righteous dwell with God and where His throne is located. The temple “Holy of Holies” is a mini replica of it. It is a place of Celestial glory. It is “heaven”.
References
1Ephesians 1:10
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
2DC Section 128:18
18 … for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.
3Moses 7:18
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.
4Moses 7:19
19 And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION.
5Moses 7:17
17 The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
6Moses 7:13
13 And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course;
7Moses 7:69
69 And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; …
8Moses 7:31
31 And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, …
9Moses 7:69
… and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, ZION IS FLED..
10Hebrews 11:5
5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him…
113 Nephi 21:1
1 AND verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;
12DC 45:69,71
69 And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. 71 And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.
13DC 84:2-3
2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. 3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
14DC 45:66 – 68
66 And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God; 67 And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. 68 And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
15DC 45:70
70 And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.
163 Nephi 20:22
22 And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.
17Articles of Faith, 1:10
10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
18Moses 7:62
62 …and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
19Moses 7:64
64 And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.
20Revelation 21:2 – 4
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
21Moses 7:62
…and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. 63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
22Moses 7:62
9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. 10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; …
Ever since Joseph Smith reported that Jesus told him not to join any church, mainstream protestant Christianity has been offended. They took it personally both then and now.
In the small town where I live (La Grande, Oregon) local ministers are still refusing Latter-day Saint outreach to participate in ecumenical activities, and why? A group of them once said it was because they’re still offended by what Joseph Smith said about their Churches. So what did Joseph report?
Pearl of Great Price, JS-History 1:18 – 19
18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
One of my personal heroes is Frederick Douglass, one of the greatest men who ever lived and a contemporary of Joseph Smith. Here’s what Frederick Douglass said about the churches of the early 1800’s:
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave
… For of all slaveholders with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst. I have ever found them the meanest and basest, the most cruel and cowardly, of all others. It was my unhappy lot not only to belong to a religious slaveholder, but to live in a community of such religionists.
…
I FIND, since reading over the foregoing Narrative that I have, in several instances, spoken in such a tone and manner, respecting religion, as may possibly lead those unacquainted with my religious views to suppose me an opponent of all religion. To remove the liability of such misapprehension, I deem it proper to append the following brief explanation. What I have said respecting and against religion, … I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. … I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me. He who is the religious advocate of marriage robs whole millions of its sacred influence, and leaves them to the ravages of wholesale pollution. The warm defender of the sacredness of the family relation is the same that scatters whole families,– sundering husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers, leaving the hut vacant, and the hearth desolate. We see the thief preaching against theft, and the adulterer against adultery. We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the poor heathen! all for the glory of God and the good of souls! The slave auctioneer’s bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. … The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. … Such is, very briefly, my view of the religion of this land; and to avoid any misunderstanding, growing out of the use of general terms, I mean, by the religion of this land, that which is revealed in the words, deeds, and actions, of those bodies, north and south, calling themselves Christian churches, and yet in union with slaveholders. It is against religion, as presented by these bodies, that I have felt it my duty to testify.
So there you have it. If you argue against Joseph Smith on this subject then you have to argue against Frederick Douglass too.
The Latter-day Saints profess to have new revelation and divinely restored priesthood authority and simply invite all to upgrade their Christianity. Insincere and dishonest Christians prefer to hold on to their positions of authority and status and worldly considerations which lead them to reject additional words from God. And this is exactly the stance of the ancient Pharisee’s and Sadducee’s who rejected Jesus. Sincere Christians are intrigued and open to the possibility of God speaking and acting in our day.
From Joseph Smith:
Doctrine and Covenants, Section 123:12
12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—
Many Christian churches have been so offended by Latter-day Saint claims that their leaders retaliate by saying that the Latter-day Saints are not Christian – a truly arrogant stance – and one they know to be dishonest.
Yet I am heartened by the good things I see that God inspires among many of the “gentile” Christians. When I recently saw the movie FIREPROOF I was most impressed with it’s message, inspired of God.
Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:13, 16
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
…
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
As the events of the last days unfold and The New Jerusalem/City of ZION is established, huge numbers of people will gather together: current Latter-day Saints, non-Latter-day Saints of Gentile nations, lost (unidentified) tribes, and descendants of Lehi in the America’s. A huge number of people will gather to the City of Zion. The Latter-day Saint/covenant people gather together and the many good not yet Latter-day Saints will gather too. Events unfolding in the last days cause the process to accelerate.
Pearl of Great Price, JS-Matthew 1:26 – 27
26 For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
27 And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together; so likewise shall mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth.
I am a Latter-day Saint or LDS, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I prefer not to be called a “Mormon”. That name, invented by the enemies of the church, is not accurate or scriptural, and shows a lack of sensitivity. For the original pronunciation of “Mormon”, one has to heavily accent the first syllable and for just the right tone inflection, I think a slight facial sneer is required.
Most Latter-day Saints don’t mind the name and yet those who use it continue to be disrespectful in their usage. To my feelings, saying “Mormon” is the same as saying “Negro” when referring to black Americans – hateful, and bigoted at worst or just ignorantly out of touch at best. Not all Latter-day Saints feel the same way explicitly but yet amongst ourselves, it is not the default term. Let’s do away with it totally! It doesn’t promote the cause of Zion.
In Latter-day Saint parlance “Jews” means Judah, Levi, and part of Benjamin. In our day the Jews gather and prosper in “Old” Jerusalem. Of course this has been going on for some time already. It was started by Orson Hyde, an Latter-day Apostle of the lineage of Judah, who first dedicated the Holy Land for the return of the Jews in 1841. The current Jewish state is destined to overcome their current enemies and prosper. They will rebuild the Temple. They begin to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and this also has been happening for a number of years but will not be mainstream in Judaism until after Jesus the Messiah returns to Jerusalem again – after the final conflict of Armageddon. Eventually there are two great capitals, two Zions, that are united in belief and who look to Jesus Christ as their Savior and King on the earth.
Meanwhile, to those Gentiles who profess to believe in Christ, the Lord Jesus has this word for them: quit your whining, have a little appreciation, and get with the program. OK, those are my words. Here are the actual words of Jesus Christ, a great declaration. No plainer words were ever spoken:
Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 29
1 BUT behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;
2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;
3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
6 Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?
7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.
11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.
14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.
As used in the Holy Scriptures in the strict sense, the term Gentile refers to non-covenant peoples of the earth. Nations and individuals who have made covenant agreements with God, either now or in the past, are termed “The House of Israel”. All others are “Gentiles” if they come from traditionally Christian countries or “Heathen Nations” if they are from non-Christian countries.
The City of Zion, also known as the New Jerusalem, is the key place of gathering, and is to be centered in Jackson County, Missouri, specifically Independence, where the great Temple is to be built. Right now, baptized converts stay in their current locale. They “gather” only in the sense of meeting together. Eventually all of the House of Israel (except Judah) will be Latter-day Saints and they, along with well intentioned non-Latter-day Saint Gentiles will come to the center place of Zion and build up the New Jerusalem as a place of safety and security in a very tumultuous world.
What about our current “gentile” population and gentile governments in the US and Canada? They’ll need to assist in building Zion or be “swept from the land”. It’s not the faithful Latter-day Saints that do it but rather the judgments of God that come when the level of evil reaches the tipping point. Internal conflict and invasion from the south accomplish the deed.
The word of God is very explicit concerning the establishment of Zion in Missouri: It’s going to happen for sure. The only question is who gets on board and who gets swept away. However the future of the North American gentile peoples is not fixed. The scriptures do not decree their fate but lay out two distinct scenarios: 1) Fight against Zion and be destroyed; or 2) join in building up Zion and be prospered.
My personal take on it is that there are a great many good people in the US and Canada who will support the cause of Zion once it becomes evident to them that God is behind it. Many do not currently support the truth because they really don’t yet know about it or have been deceived regarding it. But that won’t last forever.
As the portentous events of the latter-days develop a great division in our North American societies occurs. We can see it developing already and the division will grow to the point where gray areas shrink and the choices become stark. Those avoiding physical conflict and who want to be governed by honest leaders who follow true principles of democracy, as found in the divinely inspired US Constitution, will come physically to The City of Zion.
I try not to say anything in this blog that is not already in the Holy Scriptures in very plain speech. If you haven’t heard about these things then I suggest to read the words of Jesus on the subject. Here is an example from 3 Nephi 21 in the Book of Mormon:
3 Nephi 21:14, 22-28
14 Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; …
…
22 But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
23 And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
24 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
25 And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst.
26 And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.
27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.
Some Latter-day Saints pass over the subject of the “Lost Tribes” with a bit of embarrassment because they don’t get it. According to the 10th Article of Faith*, D&C 110 & 132, they’ll be coming to the City of Zion, and in great numbers. Since they are “lost” it seems impossible because if such a single large self-aware group existed we would know about it. So I’ve seen books written that they are in the center of the earth, in space, or some other fanciful explanation with no scientific or scriptural support whatever. I believe there is a very plausible answer, beginning with the recognition that they are not now a single group or fully self-aware.
However, first, lets list the tribes of Israel into two groups:
Found
Judah (Leah) [of Jewish descent]
Benjamin (Rachel) [of Jewish descent, mixed with Judah]
Levi (Leah) [of Jewish priestly descent]
Joseph, Ephraim (Rachel, Asenath) [mostly European, especially northern European origins]
Joseph, Manasseh (Rachel, Asenath) [mostly native American origins]
Not Found
Reuben (Leah)
Simeon (Leah)
Issachar (Leah)
Zebulun (Leah)
Dan (Bilhah)
Naphtali (Bilhah)
Gad (Zilpah)
Asher (Zilpah)
Although Israel had twelve sons, the “tribes” are counted somewhat differently. Levi, the tribe with priesthood responsibility was “set apart” for temple service and not counted as one of the regular tribes with a land inheritance. On the other hand, Joseph got a “double portion” as each of his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, received a tribal inheritance, bringing the total back up to 12 again.
As seen in the above lists, only 8 tribes are currently “lost” because Ephraim and Manasseh are essentially “found”. The whole confusion about “lost” tribes can be better understood I think when the word “lost” is replaced with “unidentified”.
Interestingly, the tribal descendants are now in the process of being identified. Missionaries bring back the report. One missionary I know of, from Siberia, reported that individuals from every tribe of Israel had been identified in his mission via Patriarchal blessings. Another I know of, reported others of “lost tribes” in Mongolia where he served. I spoke to a missionary recently returned from Japan, who said the Shinto temples there had, in his opinion, a remarkable similarity to the layout of the ancient tabernacle and temple of Solomon. A google search reveals many non-LDS sources with the same opinion. I am convinced that the locations and histories of all the unidentified tribes will soon be known in detail through discovery and revelatory means, including their ancient scriptures. The best article I’ve read on the subject is Beyond Arsareth: The Twelve Tribes of Israel Today.
* (Pearl of Great Price | Articles of Faith 1:10)
10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
The purpose of this blog is to talk about Zion and all things LDS which relate to Zion. I intend to write whether I am read or not — because writing helps organize my thoughts to focus on what is important.
By “Zion” I mean primarily the City of Zion, the place of gathering and central government, and not just the Zion “in our hearts”. Why Zion, of all things? For many LDS, the belief in Jesus manifests itself primarily as a lifestyle that represents the totality of the Church and belief system and most outside of the LDS Church see us only in the same way – by our lifestyle. However for me directly, church lifestyle and social activities are important, not as an epitome of accomplishment, but rather as a step, a means to an end. Zion is a society where God comes and dwells with us. Where there are sturdy dependable individuals that exhibit no inequity, no injustice, no selfishness and corruption — but rather true love for one another and opportunity to meet our full potentials. We are just not yet ready for that level of Zion society and now live just a slice of the celestial law required for it. So, logically, it’s not where we’re at but where we’re going that counts. But we get there only one small step at a time. Church lifestyle and level of average individual progress, morally and intellectually, was quite different 100 years ago and will be quite different 100 years from now — so keeping a focus on the big picture is ever so important. Sometimes we LDS forget we’re building Zion, for the thousand year reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and preparing for a world dramatically different from the one seen today.
I think this blog focus has a good doctrinal foundation. Joseph Smith said: “We aught to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object …”. The building up of Zion is why gospel truths and priesthood authority are restored at this time in history, i.e. the “Latter-days”. It is also why God is moving scientific knowledge forward so rapidly.
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(marked “C” on map) that was built by the Danes [Normans] when they invaded England. It was a nice building built out of cobbles. The soldiers would go to church there on the Sabbath.
