Inside the Newly Remodeled Mexico City Temple
Mike Batie has put together another very nice video of the interiors of the newly remodeled Mexico City Temple from the Church’s official publicity photos. Take a look.
Month: October 2008
A Prophet Declares “Redistribution of Wealth” is Socialism
I usually do not post on political themes, but I could not pass up sharing these words of a prophet of God, particularly when they are so in tune with current political ideologies.
Below is a YouTube video of President Ezra Taft Benson speaking about socialism on April 12, 1977. (post continues below)
Since President Benson’s words are so pertinent today, I have included them below: [Read more…]
The Economic Crisis Hits Home
My employer just let go 1/3 of our workforce today, which amounts to 7 employees, some of which were good friends. I am grateful and fortunate that I still have my job. They will also be discontinuing our national retail brand and line of products, for which I have spent thousands of hours working over the past 3 years. Our work will now return to focus on our original business – promotional products.
Even though it seems that something like this should be expected with everything that is happening in the economy and world today, it is still quite a shock when it hits so close to home.
Be prepared and count your many blessings, name them one by one.
The Meaning of the Church of the First-Born
Truman G. Madsen
I was reading tonight a talk by Truman G. Madsen entitled, “Foundations of Temple Worship,” which he gave at a BYU-Idaho Devotional on October 26, 2004, shortly after the ordination of Elder David A. Bednar to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The talk is excellent, and highly recommended reading (or listening). There was one point in particular that caused me to have an epiphany (which is an interesting word). It was on the subject of the Church of the First-born. This is the church that exists among those who so devote themselves to lifelong faithful service in the kingdom that they receive the higher ordinances of exaltation. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism states in part: [Read more…]
The First and Oldest Temple in the World? – Göbekli Tepe
One of the excavated enclosures at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey, with massive T-shaped megaliths forming ancient stone circles thought to be up to 12,000 years old. (Click for a larger view)
Grandpa Enoch over at Pronaos wrote a few days ago that Archaeology Magazine‘s latest issue has a cover article by Sandra Scham entitled “The World’s First Temple” ((Archaeology Magazine, Volume 61 Number 6, November/December 2008, abstract)). The magazine Science also did an article on the same subject back in January 2008 ((Science, Vol. 319. no. 5861, p. 280, abstract)). There are many articles that are being published, all focused on one archeological dig in southeast Turkey (see this map) which has come to be known as Göbekli Tepe, a Turkish name meaning “navel hill/mountain” or “hill with a belly” ((Wikipedia – Göbekli Tepe.)).
What makes this excavation so unique? Why all the hype? Because evidence is showing that this may be the world’s first man-made monumental structure ever built, even before agriculture developed. Archeologists didn’t believe that Neolithic hunter-gatherers were capable of building such an enormous complex at such an early date, but this site is starting to redefine our understanding of the beginnings of mankind. What else is interesting is that this appears to have been some sort of ritual center or ceremonial complex – a temple. [Read more…]