I received an email today which highlights a serious error which I believe runs rampant among some members of the Church, especially those I encounter online. Here are some excerpts from the email which demonstrate the issue:
… You should allow this point to be made. You can always oppose that point, but to suppress it altogether points to a lack of honesty, and integrity in the debate…
Being a fan of Nibley, you should recognize that all is not well in Zion, and it’s up to the inhabitants of Zion to make corrections. … We have a duty to put pressure on our leaders … [Read more…]
A few days ago I posted a request for thoughts on the temple. I’ve received a few messages from some readers, but not as many as I would like. We’d really like to hear from more of you. I think this could be a very powerful missionary tool for all of us.
What does the temple mean to you? Why do you go to the temple? Do you have a short experience you’d like to share? Do you have a testimony of the temple you think others could benefit hearing? Does the temple have an important place in your life? What have you learned about the temple that you’d like to teach others about? Is the temple a blessing to you? How has the temple changed your life? What is it that makes the temple different from the rest of ordinary life? Have you been privileged to do temple work for your ancestors? What was it like? Are you grateful for the temple? Why? Has the temple brought you closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ?
Here is an excellent example from a convert who has been a member of the Church for 11 years, and who has a genuinely powerful testimony of the temple. Press the play button below:
Thank you, brother, for sharing with us your witness and testimony of the temple and the Holy Ghost. You’ve blessed my life today.
What could you share with us about the temple?
The method is the same. Just click the “Call Me” button below, enter in your name (or “anonymous”), your phone number, select “keep number private,” and then click “Connect.” You will receive a phone call and be connected straight to the TempleStudy.com voicemail where you can share with us your message (3 minute limit). In a few days I’ll select some to share with everyone.
Feel free to be a missionary today and share what the temple means to you. It’s easy and you could make a positive difference in someone’s life by something you share.
So, we’re going to try something a little different and creative, something that I haven’t seen done anywhere else on the internet, and certainly not in the Bloggernacle, so we’re setting a new precedent here. You get to hear so much from me, but we don’t often get to hear from you, the readers, except very briefly in the comments or sometimes in private emails with me. I’d like to hear more of your thoughts, insights, stories, feelings, testimonies, things you’ve learned, good books you’ve found, and experiences about the temple. What does the temple mean to you? I want to hear your voices! You all have so many rich things to share that could add to our understanding of the temple, and I want to tap into that treasure-trove of faith and cumulative voice. [Read more…]
A few days ago I wrote about a post I read over at Lehi’s Library which quoted a paper by Kevin Christensen in which he referenced Margaret Barker. The subject was the use of the Hebrew word/letter tau or tav, translated as “mark” in Ezekiel 9:4-6, and what it meant in Ezekiel’s day, and what it may have meant to the Nephites who also referenced it (Jacob 4:14). The conclusion was that it may have referred to an anointing that the high priests received on their foreheads, having literally taken upon themselves the name of God. I was curious to investigate the Hebrew word/letter tav more, which I did, and I want to share some of the intriguing things I discovered.
A small disclaimer. I am most definitely an amateur when it comes to Hebrew, so any insights I might gather should be taken with a grain of salt. Perhaps someone with greater expertise can make a greater inquiry into this particular subject. These are just some of my observations as I’m learning. [Read more…]
In recent weeks I have encountered what I consider to be one of the most damaging forms of criticism of the Church. You might think that it is from all the anti-Mormon literature or propaganda. Or perhaps it is those who are so vocal as to picket the curbs at our General Conferences with signs, profanity, and filth. You might think it is those who have become disaffected, have left the Church, and are now eager to tear it down or “expose” it for what they see as serious problems. You might think it is the work of scholars who have been excommunicated, and now find intellectual haven in promoting arguments against the learned. You might even think that it is those tribulations that come from the adversary himself. But this is not the case.
There is a much more gross and pernicious form of criticism of the restored gospel and of the Lord’s restored Church. It is that criticism which comes from within the Church.
I know that this runs in the same current as several of my latest posts, but I strongly believe that “it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81). And it also has a direct relationship to the covenants we make to God in the temple. [Read more…]
So, we’re going to try something a little different and creative, something that I haven’t seen done anywhere else on the internet, and certainly not in the 
A few days ago I 