This is a great video for this time of year. Enjoy
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-05-01-they-gave-up-their-christmas?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-05-01-they-gave-up-their-christmas?lang=eng
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
I'm teaching next week : two Christmas lessons.
I'll be teaching the Christmas in the Old Testament lesson twice next week.
I am filling in for the teachers who filled in for me for 18 months.
Wednesday, Dec 17: 11 AM Ensign Stake
135 A Street, Salt Lake City, Utah
Thursday, Dec 18 : 11 AM South Jordan Stake
2450 W 10400 S. (South Jordan Parkway) South Jordan, Utah 84095.
Everyone is welcome.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
DNA and the Book of Mormon : Ugo Perego
Several years ago I heard Ugo Perego speak about the connection between DNA research and proving or disproving claims about the Book of Mormon. He was funny and brilliant. Here is an article he wrote on the subject: I highly recommend it.
We're Back!
Elder Stay and I got home from our mission last Thursday.
We had an awesome time directing LDS Humanitarian efforts, mostly in eastern Europe.
We will be reporting on our mission in our ward, Salem 7th Ward, on Sunday, November 23, at 9 AM.
You are all invited to come, but certainly don't feel obligated!
After Sacrament Meeting, we will be serving a light brunch at our home and later will show a powerpoint presentation on some of the Humanitarian projects we approved and completed.
If you ARE coming down, please email me an RSVP so we know how many to plan on.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon
 |
| Alabaster Box by J Kirk Richards |
A good friend (in every sense of the phrase) asked me for suggestions to help her study the Atonement of Christ in the Book of Mormon, something we were encouraged to do by Elder Bednar.
Here are my initial suggestions:
Studying the
Atonement in the Book of Mormon
1. Look for what
Christ DOES: notice the VERBS – then copy those actions in your life Alma 7:11-12
2. Look for what
Christ OFFERS: look for covenants and the BLESSINGS promised for obedience 1Nephi 2:20
3. Look for mentions
of rituals, gatherings and/or ordinances.
Pay particular attention to symbolic actions. Ask what we can learn about Christ and the
Atonement by looking deeply into symbols and metaphors. 2 Nephi 25:26, 1 Nephi 2:7, (see quote
below from Elder Bednar, October 2014 gen conf.)
4. Look for the
OPPOSITES of each of the first three suggestions: remember, the opposites are, by definition,
ANTI-CHRIST 1 – SIN
2 – CURSES
3 – PRIESTCRAFT
Recognizing opposites of truth helps us better understand
the boundaries of goodness.
Bednar quote: “And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the
fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever
before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed
all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
“And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with
exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should
partake of it also” (1 Nephi 8:11–12; emphasis added).
Bednar cont. : The greatest manifestation of God’s love for His children is the
mortal ministry, atoning sacrifice, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The fruit on the tree can be considered a symbol for the blessings of the
Savior’s Atonement.
Bednar cont. : Lehi’s instant response to partaking of the fruit of the tree
and experiencing great joy was an increased desire to share with and serve his
family. Thus, as he turned to Christ, he also turned outward in love and
service.
Another important episode in the Book of Mormon describes what
happened to a man named Enos after his earnest and pleading prayer was heard
and answered by God.
He said:
“And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I
cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the
day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my
voice high that it reached the heavens.
“And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are
forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
“And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt
was swept away.
“And I said: Lord, how is it done?
“And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou
hast never before heard nor seen. … Wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee
whole.
“Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words
I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites;
wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them” (Enos 1:4–9; emphasis added).
As Enos turned to the Lord “with full purpose of heart” (2 Nephi 31:13), his concern for the welfare of his
family, friends, and associates increased simultaneously.
The enduring lesson we learn from these two episodes is the
importance of experiencing in our personal lives the blessings of the Atonement
of Jesus Christ as a prerequisite to heartfelt and authentic service that
stretches far beyond merely “going through the motions.” Much like Lehi, Enos,
and our little boy in the story I recounted, we as members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have felt the anguish associated with
spiritual uncertainty and sin. We also have experienced the cleansing, the
peace of conscience, the spiritual healing and renewal, and the guidance that
are obtained only by learning and living the principles of the Savior’s gospel.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ provides the cleanser necessary to
be made pure and clean, the soothing salve to heal spiritual wounds and remove
guilt, and the protection that enables us to be faithful in times both good and
bad.
An essay by Robert Millet on the Atonement of Christ published by FARMS in 1995
And here are some scriptures to start with, compliled here by Rachel Bruner
An Infinite and Eternal Sacrifice
"And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself
that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ
shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of
his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God
hath spoken it.
"For it is expedient that an atonement should be made;
for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement
made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea,
all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement
which it is expedient should be made.
"For it is expedient that there should be a great and
last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any
manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an
infinite and eternal sacrifice." (Alma 34:8-10)
Justice and Mercy
"But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed,
and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice
claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the
punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would
cease to be God.
"But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the
penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth
to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth
back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his
presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and
justice.
"For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and
also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent
are saved." (Alma 42:22-24)
A Sacrifice for Sin
"And men are instructed sufficiently that they know
good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is
justified...
"Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy
Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
"Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to
answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a
contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered."
(2 Nephi 2:5-7)
Redeemed From the Fall
"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they
might have joy.
"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, knowing good from evil;
to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of
the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath
given.
"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and
all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to
choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to
choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil;
for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2
Nephi 2:25-27)
ALL THE PAINTINGS IN THIS POST ARE FROM J KIRK RICHARDS, by
his permission.
Go check out all his awesome work on his website:
www.jkirkrichards.com
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Mount Zion Conference II : October 25th
Presentations at Temple on Mount Zion Conference II in Memory of Matthew B. Brown
251 TNRB, BYU
October 25, 2014
8:45 am–5:30 pm
8:45 am Opening Prayer, Greeting—Donald W. Parry, presiding
9:00 am Jeffrey Bradshaw: “What Did Joseph Smith Know about the LDS Endowment by 1836?”
9:30 am Dan Belnap: “‘Let the Beauty of the Lord our God be Upon Us’: The Role of Visual Aesthetics in Ancient Israel’s Temple Worship”
10:00 am Carli Anderson: “Enthroning the Daughter of Zion: The Coronation Motif of Isaiah 60-62”
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Carli Anderson, presiding
Stephen D. Ricks: “Prayer with Uplifted Hands”
11:15 am David Calabro: “Joseph Smith and the Architecture of Genesis”
11:45 am Stephen Smoot: “The Book of the Dead as a Temple Text and the Implications for the Book of Abraham”
12:15 pm David J. Larsen: “Psalm 24 and the Two Yahwehs at the Gate of the Temple”
12:45 pm Lunch break
1:55 pm Greeting—David J. Larsen, presiding
2:00 pm Ann Madsen: “Temples in the Margins: The Temple in Isaiah”
2:30 pm Donald W. Parry: “The Number ‘Seven’ in the Context of the Ancient Israelite Temple”
3:00 pm Matthew L. Bowen: “‘I Have Done According to My Will’: Reading Jacob 5 as a Temple Text”
3:30 pm Break
3:45 pm Stephen D. Ricks, presiding
John W. Welch: “Leviticus as an Archetypal Temple Template”
4:15 pm John S. Thompson: “Jesus the High Priest and the Temple in the Gospel of John”
4:45 pm Shon D. Hopkin: “The Day of Atonement, the Mosaic Temple, and the Christian Sacrament of Communion: Links and Symbols”
5:15 pm Daniel C. Peterson: “The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Qur’an”
5:45 pm Concluding Remarks, Closing Prayer
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Hamblin & Peterson: Biblical names for Lord have a strange history
Published: Saturday,
Sept. 20 2014 5:43 p.m. MDTdecorations
still clearly legible after 395 years, at his Christian Heritage Museum on July
18, 2006, in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Summary
You can find the orginal of this article on the Deseret News webpage HERE
Ancient readers and
translators of the Bible, in their attempts to be reverent toward the Supreme
Being, also created ambiguities and theological problems.
Readers
of the King James (or Authorized) version of the Bible will be familiar with
references to God appearing in the Old Testament as “LORD” (in small capital
letters), reflecting a strange and varied history.
In Exodus 6:2-3, God reveals
his name to Moses: “I am the LORD; and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty (“el shaday”), but by my name JEHOVAH
was I not known to them.”
In this
verse, both LORD and JEHOVAH translate precisely the same Hebrew word: YHWH,
which is generally pronounced by modern scholars as “Yahweh” — sometimes called
by scholars the “tetragrammaton” or “four letters.” Every time the name LORD
appears in the Bible in small capital letters, it translates this Hebrew proper
name. The full spelling “Jehovah” was used four times by the King James
translators (see Exodus 6:3, Psalms 83:18, Isaiah 12:2 and 26:4), and three times in
transliterating Hebrew proper names (seeGenesis 22:14, Exodus 17:15 and Judges 6:24); it thus
entered common English usage.
The
name “Yahweh” may be related to the Hebrew root HYH (“hayah,” “to be,” “to
exist” or “to become”). Thus, “Yahweh” might mean something like “he who is.”
Some scholars think Yhwh may also be related to God’s name as given to Moses in Exodus 3:13-14: “When (the Israelites) ask ‘What is his
(God’s) name?’ … God said to Moses: ‘I am who I am.’ Say to the people of
Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
“I am”
in Hebrew in these verses is “eHYeH” (or “ehyeh”), the first person singular
form of the verb HYH.
The
proper name “Yahweh” is found throughout the Hebrew Bible and in many Hebrew
theophoric names — names, that is, that contain the name of God. It seems to
have been generally pronounced “Yahu,” or shortened to “Yah,” and anglicized
(or put into English form) as “-iah.” Thus, “Jerem-iah” = “Yermi-yahu” =
“Yahweh lifts up”; “Isa-iah” = “Yeshi’-yahu” = “Yahweh saves”; and “Elijah” =
“Eli-yahu” = “Yahweh is my God.” Originally, the name seems to have been in
common usage among ordinary Jews.
But
some centuries after the return from Babylonian captivity (c. 538 B.C.), pious
Jews began to interpret the commandment “Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh
(the LORD) thy God in vain” to mean that the name shouldn’t be spoken in
ordinary daily life. Thereafter, the name was only pronounced by priests in the
temple, and, after the Romans destroyed the temple in A.D. 70, its true
pronunciation was forgotten.
Greek-speaking
Jews confused the matter further when they occasionally tried to transliterate
Hebrew “Yahweh” into Greek. Greek has no letter for an internal “h” sound, as
can be seen in Anglicized versions of such biblical names as “Aaron,” which was
originally “Aharon.” Trying to write “Yahweh” became problematic in Greek due
to its double internal "h."
Josephus
claims that the name of God was written on the high priest’s golden crown with
four vowels (“Jewish War” 5:235, alluding to Exodus 28:36), which he refused to write for his gentile
audience. This is confirmed by occasional transliterations of the name “Yahweh”
by early Greeks, Jews and Christians as “Iao,” “Iaou,” “Iaue” or “Ieuo,” which
are all attempts to render “YaHweH”/”Yawe” without the "h."
By the
third century B.C., Jewish unwillingness to pronounce the name “Yahweh” when
reading scripture in the synagogue or speaking had led them to replace “Yahweh”
in pronunciation with either with the word “adonay” (“the lord”) or “ha-shem”
(“the name,” referring to “Yahweh”).
This
practice was followed as well by the Jewish translators of the Septuagint, the
Hebrew Bible rendered into Greek in the second century B.C. There they
translated the Hebrew “Yahweh” as “kyrios,” the Greek word for “lord.”
Unfortunately,
however, they also rendered Hebrew “adonay” as “kyrios,” creating a confusing
ambiguity in their translation between the proper name “Yahweh” and the
ordinary title “adonay.” This confusion continued in the New Testament, where
“Yahweh” is always rendered “kyrios,” as well as in the Christian Latin Vulgate
translation of the Bible, which likewise translates both “Yahweh” and “adonay”
as “dominus” (= “lord”).
The
King James printers tried to resolve this ambiguity by representing “Yahweh” as
“LORD,” and “adonay” as “lord.” But doctrinal problems persist. When Jesus is
called “Lord” (Greek “kyrios,” e.g. at 1 Corinthians 12:3and Phillippians 2:11), does it mean simply that Jesus is a
powerful ruler or master, or that he’s the biblical Yahweh?
Daniel Peterson founded BYU's Middle Eastern Texts Initiative,
chairs The Interpreter Foundation, and blogs on Patheos. William Hamblin is the
author of several books on premodern history. They speak only for themselves.
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