For the first century and a half of Christianity, the rite of baptism was performed using living water. That was not just because of the poverty of the early Christians, but also because of their understanding of the text in KJV Jeremiah 2: 12-13 (NC 1:5) and also 17:13 (NC 7:1).

The earliest depictions of baptism in early Christian art were invariably in a lake, stream or river. The iconography of the early Christians depicting living water ended in about the fourth century, but a lot of things changed around that time also.

The early text of instructions known as The Didache is believed to have been written in the first century. In Chapter 7, verse 2, it instructs to perform baptism in this way: “Concerning baptism, baptize thus: Having first rehearsed all these things, ‘baptize, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,’ in running water[.]”

Both Matthew and Mark clarify that John the Baptist performed baptism, including of Jesus Christ, in the River Jordan. (NC Matt. 2:3-4; Mark 1:1-2.)

A passage in the Teachings and Commandments explains God’s glory in these words: “The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one. Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning, and God having redeemed man from the Fall, man became again, in their infant state, innocent before God. And that wicked one comes and takes away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.” (T&C 93:11.)

Light and truth are another way to define “intelligence.” And “truth” is likewise defined as “knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (T&C 93:8.) Which raises the question of how we can know of things as they are, were, and are to come?

The most obvious source to know of things past, present and in the future is to study scripture. Scriptures require us to have faith enough to believe they are trustworthy. Exercising that degree of faith lets the believer learn about things as they are, were, and are to come, while the unbeliever rejects that opportunity.

The Book of Mormon assumes many readers will disbelieve it. Nephi recorded that Christ posed this question for the reader to contemplate: “Wherefore murmur ye because that ye shall receive more of my word?” (NC 2 Ne. 12:9.) The question is rhetorical, but certainly worth contemplating: Why do we disbelieve something that originated with Christ?

The explanation is in that first statement from the T&C: “[the] wicked one comes and takes away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.” Rejecting the words of Christ is itself “disobedience.” And justifying that rejection because it is something new and contrary to the “tradition of [your] fathers” is wrong.

The result is that the believer gains more “light and truth” than the one who refuses to believe. They are “more intelligent” because they accept more “light and truth.”

Departing from traditions can be frightening. But fear is the opposite of faith. The Book of Mormon challenges us to test truths by accepting and applying them in our life, to determine what effect the truth has. (NC Alma 16:28.) If it proves to have a good effect, then you can trust the truth is godly and good. And if it proves to have a bad effect, then you can reject it. Applying that test requires only the smallest degree of belief. That small step should be possible, even for the most tradition-bound and fearful.

The third and final installment of the interview with Shawn McCraney is now on YouTube and linked here: Interview-Part 3

All three segments were recorded at the same time, but released in three installments.

I was interviewed by Shawn McCraney for his Heart of the Matter broadcast. It is now up on YouTube and linked here: Part 1 Interview

The second installment is linked here: Part 2 Interview

I dislike interviews. But was ultimately persuaded by Rock Waterman to do this one. This is part 1 of a three-part interview.

I spoke with a friend this morning about marriage. He thought the results of the relationship between husband and wife over time would be akin to becoming “twins:” deeply attached, intuitively connected, continually identified together, separate and distinct and yet unified. I liked the thought.

The deadline to order leather-bound scriptures ends on October 15th, next Tuesday. Once that deadline ends, no other orders will be possible. Although it is anticipated a handful of extra copies will be printed, the only way to know you will be able to obtain a copy is to place an order prior to that deadline.

Orders are made at: Scriptures.shop

When this printing is completed it is not known when, or even if, there will be another printing.

The 7th and final video in the second series about the Christian Restoration is now available. It is linked below:

The Restoration Continues Today

This final video is a companion to the talk given in the Boise Conference yesterday.

The restoration was begun through Joseph Smith but was not completed. In order to complete, it must begin where it last ended. Joseph laid a foundation that has been compromised and must be respected. To respect the work done by the Lord through Joseph Smith, we first need to recover all that has been lost from that initial work.
The scriptures are the result of the best efforts of numerous volunteers to complete the labor of research and recovery to restore the Joseph Smith Revision of the Bible, the most accurate version of the Book of Mormon as Joseph intended it to read, and the most reliable account of the revelations given through Joseph. They differ in numerous ways, some of them quite significant, from existing versions of scripture.
The new leather bound version of the scriptures attempts to print sacred material in a quality that mirrors the value of the contents. The final specifications for the leather bound printing were provided to a large degree by a man who has decades of experience in handcrafted custom book-binding. He has restored many old volumes, including copies of the first edition of the Book of Mormon printed in EB Grandin’s shop.
Samples of the leather bound options will be available to inspect during the upcoming conference in Boise.
We hope to continue on with the Lord’s guidance, to allow Him to complete the restoration, and fulfill His covenants with the fathers. I intend to address that topic in the upcoming conference in Boise.

The link I put up yesterday about the leather edition of the scriptures will only allow special-order for a limited time, with delivery of the entire order expected in early 2020.

The website Scriptures.shop has added a significant volume of new content to help those who are ordering new leather scriptures. It is designed to allow a person to learn about each cover type, as well as the process for making the leather-bound edition.

During the Special Order window that will last only until October 15th, a wide variety of choices of multiple colors and cover types will be available, with pictures and explanations available on scriptures.shop. Most sets are $99, which includes delivery within the USA.

As to the pricing, although the price may seem to be unbelievably low for books of this outstanding quality, it is because much of the development and production of these scriptures has been subsidized by volunteers who have made generous donations of time and money, and because the Restoration Scriptures Foundation does NOT seek to earn a profit from providing the scriptures. Although many of the hard costs involved with making these scriptures are already known, some variable costs such as freight, packaging, and postage cannot be known until the time when an order is actually delivered. Those costs have been estimated and included in the order price. In the event of a shortfall because the price was set too low, several generous people have offered to help cover it. However, in the event the price produces an overage after all orders have been filled, the plan is to donate it to the temple fund. It is my understanding that it is likely the shortfall or overage will be less than $100 on the entire special order of a minimum of 1,400 books.

For those planning to attend next week’s General Conference in Boise, ID, there will be a Leather Scriptures Booth, where you will be able to see and hold the various prototypes. Once you place an order an email confirmation of your order will be sent to you.

The preferred payment method is check or money order, to avoid the processing fees associated with credit card transactions. Especially for orders of $500 or more, they ask that you consider completing your checkout using the “check or money order” payment method, then drop a check for the total amount in the mail to the address on your order confirmation email.

It is now possible to order a leather-bound, 100% cotton paper set of scriptures through this website: Scriptures.Shop

The opportunity to order will last until October 15th, and then the order will be placed with the printer. It is likely there will be another future printing, but when (and even if) that happens is unknown.

The printer will produce all the copies in a single order. We must purchase that order and pay for it, because the printer is not producing these in a print-on-demand process. There will be a single printing of a set number. The number will depend on the quantity of orders that are placed.

Paperback versions will remain print-on-demand and available for purchase at any time. It is only the leather-bound version that is special order and limited quantity.

The link provided above will provide you with the other information and instructions on how to place an order.

I am very grateful for all the labor provided by the many volunteers to make these possible. I also want to thank in advance all those who will be handling the shipping and distribution that will be involved in finishing this process.

September 20-22, 2019 in Boise, Idaho there will be a conference held. The theme of the conference is Keeping the Covenant.

Information and schedule are at this website, which will be updated between now and the conference: Keeping the Covenant General Conference.

The variety of events has expanded over the last few years. Although some parts of the conference are broadcast over the Internet, and others are recorded for later listening, break-out sessions are not always available unless you attend.

Come meet new people, and renew friendships at this event.

Some of the Restoration Edition scriptures are now available for purchase in paperback format. Please go to www.scriptures.info for more information.

Scriptures.shop is still a work in progress. Only some of the volumes and options are available right now, with more coming available as Ingram completes the on boarding process. There are 36 different variations (18 paperbacks, 18 hardcovers) that will ultimately be available. The process of getting them all posted and live will probably take 2-3 more weeks.

On February 15, 1841 Joseph Smith signed an authorization for Hyrum Smith and Isaac Garland to act as agents for the church. Among other things the authorization mentions that Nauvoo was “the corner stone of Zion.” JSP, Documents Vol. 8, page 46.

In a letter to the saints abroad, published May 24, 1841, Joseph urged all saints to gather to Nauvoo, Illinois “without delay.” It said, “This is important, and should be attended to by all who feel an interest in the prosperity of this the corner stone of Zion.” Id., p. 156.

To make the point that Nauvoo was where the saints were to gather as the center point, the letter announced that all stakes were dissolved, excepting only the ones in Nauvoo and across the Mississippi River in Iowa:

“Let it therefore be understood, that all the stakes, excepting those in this country, and in Lee county, Iowa, are discontinued, and the saints instructed to settle in this county as soon as circumstances will permit.” Id.

Of course, three years later locations were changing again. Joseph looked much further westward to establish the center stake and corner stone for Zion. Somewhere in the western Rocky Mountains where a New Jerusalem would be built. Joseph was slain before he could take that journey. Therefore, that location has yet to be revealed.

When the LDS Historian’s Office writes about history they are prone to both troubling equivocation and unjustified dogmatism. They do not, however, make forthright admissions about how little evidence exists for some traditions. In the recent Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Vol. 8, the following is in the Introduction:

“Another, more controversial doctrine that developed in 1841 was plural marriage. Although no documents in this volume will address it, later documents attest that Joseph Smith married two plural wives during the months covered in this volume. Joseph Smith’s understanding of plural marriage seems to have developed over time, perhaps beginning as early as 1831 in Kirtland. There is evidence that Smith began discussing with close associates some form of plural marriage in the early 1830s and that he first married a plural wife, Fanny Alger, sometime in the mid-1830s. However, Smith did not begin practicing it extensively until the church was headquartered in Nauvoo. It appears that plural marriage was part of a broader restoration of Old Testament concepts and practices that included covenants, priesthoods, and temples. Although he had already been married to his wife Emma for fourteen years, Joseph Smith privately married Louisa Beman on 5 April 1841 and Zina Huntington Jacobs on 27 October 1841.” JSP Documents, Vol. 8, February – November 1841, emphasis added.

There are no contemporary documents that definitively address this. No talks, no letters, no evidence traceable to Joseph Smith. They write there “seems to have” “perhaps” been something “sometime” earlier and “it appears” something may have been afoot. All ambiguous language, and yet, this ambiguity is followed by the absolute, clear, unequivocal assertion regarding two 1841 plural marriages.

For the statement about these two 1841 marriages, footnote 84 on page xxxiii cites to the affidavit book Joseph F. Smith gathered in 1869. Both affidavits were signed 28 years after these purported marriages took place.

In the Chronology for the book, on page 397, the entry for April 5, 1841 states Joseph B. Noble sealed Joseph to Beman. On page 399, the entry for October 27, 1841 states Demick Huntington sealed Joseph to Jacobs. The support for these entries is footnote 84 on page xxxiii.

They should have omitted any mention about a subject for which there is no contemporary proof. Instead, they make assumptions based on affidavits composed twenty-eight year later. Those affidavits were written while there were pending legal issues threatening to imprison LDS leaders and confiscate LDS church property. It would be better to remain silent, rather than advocate as a reliable fact what is dubious at best.

Why not admit there is no contemporary proof? Why not say nothing at the time proved Joseph entered into either of these purported marriages? Why not say that twenty-eight years later two women in Utah signed affidavits while lawsuits were pending and threatened? That would be a better telling of the history.

When Christ taught, many did not believe Him. In fact, He was not worthy of their notice. The people were devoted to the Sanhedrin, the Chief Priests, Rabbis, the Pharisee and Sadducee leaders. The only notice most of the religious people took of Christ was to regard Him as a troublemaker.

Christ did not make the effort to be understood by the leading religious figures. Instead, He obscured His teachings, which prevented the leaders from awakening to His message. This caused the disciples to inquire why He did not make it easier for them to recognize and accept Him as the Messiah.

NC Matt. 7:2-3: “Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why do you speak unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given; for whoever receives, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever continues not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he has. Therefore, I speak to them in parables because they seeing, see not, and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning them, which says, By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. And blessed are you because these things have come unto you that you might understand them. And truly I say unto you, many righteous prophets have desired to see these days which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear that which you hear, and have not heard.”

When the Lord begins a new dispensation, anyone can recognize Christ’s “strange act,” and only a few ever do. Why doesn’t Christ make the effort to assure that everyone “sees” and “hears?” Why does Christ accept the reality that only a few will ever “understand?” If you want to be “healed,” what obligation does that impose on you?

The greatest irony of all is that “many righteous prophets have desired to see” the historic moments when the Lord’s great work takes place, but the religious people who live in those moments ignore it. They lack eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand.

This never changes. The test is underway, and it is no different than the test the Lord always requires mankind to take. Few there be who pass it.