Where is Zion? Rises Again!

Coming back for another round:

Blair Hodges’ recent interview with Richard Bushman brought to mind some old ponderings that I have resurrected for the book on Joseph’s sermons. The tandem evolution of concepts of Zion, consecration, temple, millennium and gathering find a discursive foundation in Joseph’s sermons.

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More on the April 8 Discourse

While looking at the manuscript history of the Church today, I saw some interesting examples of editing which I thought I would share. One comes from Joseph Smith’s address of April 8, 1844. The part I’m thinking of is this:

we calculate to give the Elders of Israel their washings and anointings, and attend to those last and more impressive ordinances; without which we cannot obtain celestial thrones; but there must be a holy place prepared for that purpose. There was a proclamation made during the time that the foundation of the temple was laid to that effect; and there are provisions made until the work is completed, so that men may receive their endowments

Growth of the Church in 100 years

What is the future growth of the Church? We get many scriptural paintings of it: the stone cut out of the mountain, the leaven in the lump, the people of God are small compared to the world, etc., etc. The Stark predictions of hundreds of millions in this century are not panning out, and as Richard Bushman noted in Blair Hodges recent podcast, perhaps Mormons will always remain a very small fraction of world population.