A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants

I’ve got this itch to do another book and the sermon book is not even fully drafted. This would be strictly online I think. A D&C commentary. I don’t think I would engage too much with a devotional thing. I’ve always figured that to be above my pay grade (and most others who venture that way — ;) ). But it would *have* to be fun to do. And it might even be useful. Probably a bad idea, but you never know.

The 11 June 1843 Discourse – Temples

[No, not a funeral sermon, but it could have been.]
When the 1850s Mormon historians were dealing with the perplexing problem of constructing coherent texts of Joseph Smith’s sermons, a high priority was dealing with Joseph’s discourse of June 11, 1843. The reason: it offers key justifications for that inevitable activity of Mormonism—

The Rapture and Joseph Smith

The recent prediction of the “rapture” by an obscure elderly radio preacher (for yesterday!)[1] opens up some fun considerations. Like most premillennialist Christians in the antebellum period, Joseph Smith wanted to know when the second coming of Christ would take place. Enthusiastics of all sorts made predictions, one of the most prominent being William Miller. Smith made his own based on an 1832 experience. Joseph’s earnest prayer about the eschaton or final events was answered by an audible voice which declared that if the Prophet lived to age 85, he would see Jesus.

Correlation FAIL -part the second

So we get to have conference talk hash in adult priesthood/relief society meetings once a month. We get the opportunity to hear from different members of the group on these Sundays, by design I think, so that new folks get a chance to be heard, and mostly this is positive. But Zig Ziglar’s doppelganger left his side and came to visit us a few weeks back.

Does Doctrine follow Practice?

I suppose the title is a bit misleading. What I really want to know is how circumstance plays into Church doctrinal interpretation and emphasis. I think it’s a two-way street. I’m really interested in what I see (and I know this may be uncomfortable in some quarters) as overlaid forces in Mormonism during the 1845-60 period that seem, at least in my view, to make a fundamental difference in how Church leaders saw religious cosmology/cosmogony. Previously planted seeds grew in robust new ways. In particular, something like this:

The Evolution of Wasatch-Front Units. Part 2.

While my present Church unit has changed in composition over the last 20 years, in one way it remains unchanged. It’s still one of the most “active” stakes in the Church.