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Come, Follow Me Week 26 – Doctrine and Covenants 67-70

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D&C 67: Four Steps to Rend the Veil and See God

By Jasmin Gimenez Rappleye

Doctrine and Covenants 67 addresses the printing of Joseph Smith’s revelations, but it more fundamentally narrows in on the source of the revelations: the presence of God. In November 1831, while discussing the printing of the Book of Commandments, some of the elders questioned the unpolished and sometimes abrasive language of the revelations. Joseph Smith promised the elders that they could receive a testimony of the revelations for themselves. When the elders tried to receive this revelation and failed, the Lord taught them how to rend the veil and approach God. Joseph had predicted that if the Saints could all “come together with one heart and one mind in perfect faith the vail might as well be rent to day as next week or any other time.” [1] [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 26 – Doctrine and Covenants 67-70

FAIR Voice #34: Witnesses Pt. 1 with Daniel C. Peterson

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Dr. Peterson joins Hanna to talk about the upcoming feature film Witnesses as well as discuss some of the important historical issues surrounding the witnesses themselves. You won’t want to miss this interview or this film! As mentioned in the intro, FAIR’s conference is soon! Please look here for more details.

A native of southern California, Daniel C. Peterson received a bachelor’s degree in Greek and philosophy from Brigham Young University (BYU) and, after several years of study in Jerusalem and Cairo, earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Peterson is a professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at BYU, where he has taught Arabic language and literature at all levels, Islamic philosophy, Islamic culture and civilization, Islamic religion, the Qur’an, the introductory and senior “capstone” courses for Middle Eastern Studies majors, and various other occasional specialized classes. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on Islamic and Latter-day Saint topics–including a biography entitled Muhammad: Prophet of God (Eerdmans, 2007)—and has lectured across the United States, in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and at various Islamic universities in the Near East and Asia. He served in the Switzerland Zürich Mission (1972-1974), and, for approximately eight years, on the Gospel Doctrine writing committee for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also presided for a time as the bishop of a singles ward adjacent to Utah Valley University. Dr. Peterson is married to the former Deborah Stephens, of Lakewood, Colorado, and they are the parents of three sons.

Hanna Seariac is a MA student in Greek and Latin at Brigham Young University. She works as a research assistant on a biblical commentary and as a research assistant on early Latter-day Saint history. Her interests thematically center around sacrifice, magic, and priesthood as it pertains to ancient Judaism, early Christianity, ancient Egyptian religion, and early Restoration history.

FAIR Voice #35: Witnesses pt. 2 with actors for Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

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Please remember to see the film Witnesses! In this episode, Hanna talks with actors Caleb and Paul who play Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith respectively about what it was like to play these characters and to talk more about the film. Actor Paul described playing Joseph Smith as the role of a lifetime and actor Caleb was largely introduced to Latter-day Saint religion through this film. This conversation does not disappoint!

Hanna Seariac is a MA student in Greek and Latin at Brigham Young University. She works as a research assistant on a biblical commentary and as a research assistant on early Latter-day Saint history. Her interests thematically center around sacrifice, magic, and priesthood as it pertains to ancient Judaism, early Christianity, ancient Egyptian religion, and early Restoration history.

Come, Follow Me Week 21 – Doctrine & Covenants 51-57

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by Hanna E. Seariac

One of the amazing elements of the Doctrine and Covenants is the way that the Lord teaches us about personal stewardship and responsibility in the scripture. Many callings are given to the saints and the faithful, where God asks them to stretch and grow to fill the capacity of their calling. While we may think about callings as a way for ourselves to grow, how often do we see them as a privilege?

We read, “And thus I grant unto this people a privilege of organizing themselves according to my laws.” (D&C 51:15). God’s commandments and covenants give us the privilege of becoming more like Him, becoming more good, becoming more loving; they compose the greatest privilege that we have in this life—to grow in the principle of perfection and love like our Savior. With that being said, my mind turns to a verse in Luke 9, “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26).

When we frame commandments and covenants as privileges that God grants to us rather than as burdens or hindrances, we can remember the words of our ancestors, “Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?/’Tis not so, all is right/Why should we think to earn a great reward/If we now shun the fight?” This acts as a guiding principle for us when we consider how the Lord calls us. Edward Patridge was given a great calling and was told, “And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.” (D&C 51:19). We inherit eternal life not merely because the Lord grants it to us, but because we become the type of person who could live eternally with the Lord, who brings souls to Jesus Christ, which is the work and purpose of the Lord. The Lord’s organizational structure allows us to have stewardship in specific areas to learn how to love in the way that the Lord does. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 21 – Doctrine & Covenants 51-57

Come, Follow Me Week 20 – Doctrine & Covenants 49-50

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The Story Behind the Revelations: Using the Joseph Smith Papers to Better Understand the Doctrine and Covenants

by Matt Grow & Matt Godfrey

(This is from a presentation given at the 2014 FairMormon Conference)

Matthew Grow:

It’s a great privilege to speak to you today about the Joseph Smith Papers and the Doctrine and Covenants. What I want to do is to share some thoughts as to why the Joseph Smith Papers is important to answering questions and to defending the Church, and then to share some recent research which can enlighten Latter-days Saints as they seek to understand Joseph’s revelations.

First, a brief introduction to the Joseph Smith Papers. We sing in the Church that “millions shall know Brother Joseph again.” It is our hope at the Joseph Smith Papers that we have a role in helping millions upon millions to become acquainted with Joseph.

The goal of the Joseph Smith Papers is to publish – either in print or on our website – everything that is a Joseph Smith document – that is, documents that he wrote, that he dictated, that he authorized, documents that were written to him, business records, legal records, and other things. It’s a massive undertaking.

On the day the Church was organized, the Lord declared, “Behold there shall be a record kept among you.” The early Saints took that commission seriously. We’ve now published eight volumes out of a projected two dozen. The Joseph Smith Papers is a documentary editing project that’s sponsored by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as the Larry H. and Gale Miller Family Foundation. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 20 – Doctrine & Covenants 49-50

Come, Follow Me Week 18 – Doctrine & Covenants 45

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A House of Order, a House of God: Recycled Challenges to the Legitimacy of the Church

by Cassandra Hedelius

(This is from a presentation given at the 2015 FairMormon Conference)

I. Introduction to Mormon Gnosticism

Apologetics is a very broad field and different topics can involve extremely different audiences. My topic today is a little delicate, because the audience I hope to reach is a certain group of members of the church, good and faithful and well-meaning members, who believe in God, believe in Joseph Smith’s calling as a prophet, and have no problem with most of the doctrines and truth claims of the Restoration. You may now wonder why on earth I’m even up here. The unfortunate reality is that even for such a faithful person, there’s still the possibility of spiritual danger. One particular spiritual threat is gaining strength among some church members, particularly via the internet. What we’re seeing is a modern spin on an old song–that the church has lost its way, church leaders are not inspired or in favor with God, so God has raised up new leaders outside the church hierarchy whose visions and teachings are important for us to follow. It is likely you know someone who finds this narrative persuasive, or at least intriguing, even if you don’t know that they do. It is also possible that you and I have some seemingly harmless beliefs that can lead to this danger.

Central Tension

There is an interesting central tension in our faith. On the one hand, we believe that everyone can—and should—receive personal revelation from the Holy Ghost. On the other hand, God calls prophets to receive essential revelations that are binding on each of us church members. On the other one hand, Christ said many times to ask, seek, and knock, and promised He will answer. On the other other hand, Christ said that answers come in His own time, not automatically like putting a quarter in a pop machine. On the other other one hand, He wants us to come unto him with all our hearts, which is intensely personal and can be done without help or participation from anyone else. On the other other other hand, Christ commands us to receive ordinances which by definition require another ordained person to administer them to us, leaving us helpless if no such person is available. To boil it down: there’s a tension between religion as practiced on an individual level, and the many ways access to religion is mediated through the church organization. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 18 – Doctrine & Covenants 45

Watch the 2021 Interpreter Conference

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Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses

Live Streaming of the Conference
April 23-24, 2021

Program and other details available here.

LIVE STREAMING TIMES:

  • 7:00 pm, Friday April 23 — Keynote Session
  • 8:30 am, Saturday April 24 — Morning Session
  • 12:45 pm, Saturday April 24 — Afternoon Session

TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS DURING THE CONFERENCE:

NOTE: The live-stream links will no longer be operational once the Conference finishes. We expect videos of the presentations to be available 6-8 weeks afterward. An update of the ‘Book of Moses Bibliography’ at https://interpreterfoundation.org/book-of-moses-bibliography/ will be made shortly after the conference. The combined proceedings of both conferences will appear in Fall 2021, as well as other new Book of Moses volumes. For updates, see http://interpreterfoundation.org/books/.

The 2021 Interpreter Conference, “Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses,” is coming up this weekend!

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April 23-24, 2021
Presented by The Interpreter Foundation, Brigham Young University Department of Ancient Scripture, Book of Mormon Central, & FAIR
Due to the COVID-19 situation, this will be a live-streaming-only conference.

The live stream will be available here and on our Facebook page.

Come, Follow Me Week 15 – Doctrine & Covenants 30-36

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Thomas Marsh and the Individualized Instructions of Doctrine & Covenants 30-36

by Steve Densley

            Various sections of the Doctrine and Covenants consist of instructions to specific individuals. It may be that this is illustrated no better than in sections 30 through 36. In these sections we read about individualized revelations directed to various men who were called on a mission to the Lamanites (Peter Whitmer, Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson), some called to share the gospel at home and minister in the church in surrounding areas (David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Thomas B. Marsh, Ezra Thayre, Northrop Sweet, Orson Pratt, & Edward Partridge), and one was given a special assignment to be the scribe for Joseph Smith as he worked on his translation of the Bible (Sidney Rigdon).

As we read these sections, we are reminded perhaps of our own patriarchal blessings or other blessings in which we are set apart for some Church service and are given insight and direction as to how to carry out our assignments and generally conduct our lives. These kinds of blessings can come to be more meaningful with time as we look back on specific events of our lives and how those events were perhaps foreshadowed through prophetic instruction.

As we read Section 31, for example, we are left wondering if the life of Thomas B. Marsh may have been much different if he had followed the direction he received more closely. And, of course, the instruction he received can be applied in our personal lives and may similarly make our lives better if we heed the counsel provided here. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 15 – Doctrine & Covenants 30-36

Come, Follow Me Week 14 – Easter

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I was raised by two parents who loved science. My father was a biology teacher. He was a favorite at the high school, with lots of silly and whacky exercises that helped the students remember the material. I recall one phone call from a Yale university student who called to thank my dad for his help passing his Yale biology exams. He said that he just had to think back on the play they performed in his high school class when the students acted out the various parts of cellular mitosis. My father did try his hand at teaching college classes as well, but he said it wasn’t as much fun. He claimed he would try to crack a biology joke, but the college students would respond by dutifully writing it into their notes as if it were fact.

My mother was also a teacher. She taught grade school, and then later middle school. Her favorite magazine was Scientific American. Each month, she would read the magazine from cover to cover. She would read every single article. Then she would want to discuss it. Imagine my groan and eye roll as a 13 year old when she would start reading the latest article to me and state how it would change everything. Even as she moved into her 80s, she still read it. When I visited, she would want to talk about dark matter, gene splicing, or some other current science issue. She would also read to us as kids when we went on road trips to the coast, or over to Utah. We live in California. She wouldn’t read novels. No, she would read the latest psychology book, or book on mind science.

I believe every student should study science even if they have no plans to go into it. Science teaches us to ask questions. Asking questions is good. Asking questions is important. Science also teaches us how to evaluate evidence. Understanding how to evaluate evidence is very good, and very important.

How Does Science Relate To My Faith? [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 14 – Easter