Joseph Smith changed the 14th Psalm from reading: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” To read instead: “The fool has said in his heart, There is no man that has seen God because he shows himself not unto us, therefore there is no God. Behold, they are corrupt. They have done abominable works and none of them does good.”

This is a profound change that recasts the problem from skepticism about God’s existence to skepticism about any message of God showing Himself to anyone.

Joseph also changes “Oh that the salvation of Israel were to come out of Zion!” to read instead: “Oh that Zion were established out of Heaven, the salvation of Israel. O Lord, when will you establish Zion?”

Another profound change that recasts the the origin of salvation itself. Zion is to be established out of heaven. And the Lord will establish it.

The Joseph Smith revisions of the scriptures make numerous small, but often profound, changes.

Our scriptures command us: “women have claim on their husbands until they are taken.” T&C 79:1 Meaning that husbands are under a duty to provide support for their wives.

That same section also commands: “All children have claim upon their parents until they are of age.” Id. Meaning that both parents have a duty to support and care for their children’s needs. This, of course, means food, clothing, housing, medical care, education and transportation.

Paul put it more bluntly: “But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” NC 1 Tim. 1:13

Christ cautioned about bringing an offering to the temple altar without paying your debts: “Therefore, if you shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, or if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way unto your brother, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” NC Matt. 3:19 The gift is not acceptable while there remains a debt to be paid to another. Gifts can wait. Debts come first.

I would recommend spouses discuss and agree on how to obey these commandments. I’ve spoken with several people about donating to the temple and have reminded them that family obligations come first. If someone fails to provide for their family, while giving to the temple, that is not just unwise, it is disobedience.

How do we measure success and failure? Grades A, B, C, D or F? Pass/fail. High scores on video games? The bigger number on a scoreboard at a sporting event? What about college entrance exam scores, admissions to prestigious universities. Am I successful if I have a lot of stuff?  A lot of money? The list goes on and on. How is success or failure measured in relationships? Is it as simple as good or bad? Is it based on how much contention, or how little contention? Divorce? Respect? Love? Do positive emotions have to be reciprocal to be considered a success? Does any of this resonate? How do we measure success as a parent? Successful children? What does that look like? Is there a reasonable measurement? Is it the same for everyone? Is there such a thing as religious success or failure? How would I be able to tell? Can someone measure it for me? Can I measure it for you? Can it be measured now, or do I have to wait until I die? Will “judgment day” show my success or failure?

What are some other words for success: victory, attainment, realization, achievement, happiness, ascendancy. Other words for failure: misstep, deficiency, breakdown, collapse, bungle, prodigal.

We have a saying in my family. It goes something like this, “Can I give you a compliment? You’re doing it wrong?” I think we are doing it wrong. I think success is most usefully measured by our attempts, our diligence, our efforts, our perseverance, our struggles, our missteps (don’t call them failures), our earnestness, and our sincere desires to self-actualize – which is just fancy speak for the drive we all have to develop our talents and work towards our greatest potential. Relationship success can be correlated to Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia – fancy speak for flourishing, or constantly moving upwards in our levels of fulfillment and expressiveness within our relationships.

I think the foregoing explanations are lead-ins to what might be a successful religious person. Someone who desires to follow God. A person who selflessly serves. A mother who sacrifices. A man who seeks to lay up heavenly treasures instead of earthly treasures. People who use their gifts and talents to build God’s Kingdom on the Earth. This is the same as self-actualization and eudaimonia expanded out to our spiritual and religious impulses. There are no person-to-person comparisons. My endeavors or expectations will probably be different than everyone else. If I am looking to others for my measure, I will likely always “fail,” and worse, because of the distraction, I will miss out on how I might actually realize my highest religious ideals. I am unaware of any good achievement markers for any of these areas. It is never based on: What can I GET? What can I POSSESS?

Stop it! Stop looking at your efforts in terms of success or failure. Stop comparing your outcomes with other people. Stop imposing on yourself unrealistic expectations of what achievements represent success or failure. More importantly, spend time contemplating how God looks at our efforts. How is God speaking to you about your struggles, your associations, your investment in the Godly? Your life is a gift from Him. Is your life pleasing for heaven to watch? God is paying attention, and you are briefly on-stage. How do you want your hour to be remembered by God and by you? Are you pursuing your best self in all aspects of your life? Will you be ready to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant,” regardless of your “successes” or “failures?”

Because of the current circumstances, there are recordings of the sacrament prayers now available on this site. If you go to the tab marked “Downloads” there will be a sub-tab that appears with the words “Sacrament Administration”–if you click on that link it will take you to both recordings. It is also available under the “Important Links” section as “Sacrament”. Either one will take you to the recordings.

The present circumstances leave some widows and single-mothers in circumstances that may require them to abandon the sacrament until the lock down ends. To help them continue to have access to the ordinance, the blessings have been recorded for anyone to use at home.

Our new scriptures have many things that are uniquely ours and do not inform any other Christian believer’s understanding. The differences are important to note.

We have the most complete and accurate version of the Joseph Smith Translation. We have the most complete and accurate version of the Book of Mormon. We have the most complete and accurate version of Joseph’s “Doctrine and Covenants” including revelations never canonized and Lectures on Faith, that were never decanonized, but nevertheless removed from scripture. But we also have new revelations and instructions given by God to us and exclusively for us.

Here is one insight into Christ’s love for us that can only be found in our scriptures: “God wants for us to understand Him. He is eager to meet with and touch us, as we should be to know and touch Him. God loves His children equally, but we love Him unequally in return. If we would love Him as he loves us, we would leap into His open arms and rejoice in the touch of our Lord.” T&C 159:8-9 These words are humbling to contemplate.

It cannot be overstated how important scriptures are to understanding Christ’s gospel. We have an advantage to understanding His gospel through our unique scriptures, if we are willing to study them.

A few words of instruction on the “Hosanna Shout” appear to be needed:

A languid repetition in unison of:

“Hosanna …hosanna… hosanna”

is not good form. The “shout” ought to be shouted! And doing so in unison always detracts, and forces into order what ought to be individual enthusiasm, uncontrolled, unregulated, and motivated by each person’s heartfelt emotion.

Here is a description of such an event in an authentic outburst at the laying of the foundation of the Second Temple: “And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers who were old men that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. And many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.” (OC Ezra 1:17)

This outburst was loud shouting, weeping, and the words “could not be discerned” because of the outcry.

Should there ever be an occasion for an authentic “Hosanna Shout!” among people of God, it should be rousing, loud, enthusiastic and uncontrolled. It should attract the attention of Heaven itself by the purity of the outburst from the hearts of the participants.

There is a critic who has written to me from time to time in the past. He actively posts on line under a pseudonym and I think even has a website blog somewhere. In any event I heard from him again and responded to him. He linked to a number of websites that are critical of Mormonism generally and of Joseph Smith. I responded to his email and have copied my response below:

I will take the time to review the links. Although I am busy, I do have a little more time because of the virus slowing down everything.

Thank you for caring enough to provide input. It is apparent to me that you do value the search for truth and are sincerely committed to principle.

Many times disagreements are not the result of a person’s failure to study matters through. They are the result of studying different materials and becoming persuaded by one viewpoint because of the lengthy investment of time and effort to understand that viewpoint. The disagreement flows from two different libraries being in conflict, not the ignorance or lack of diligence of either party.

I did not come to Mormonism as an eager, willing convert looking to make a change. I was quite content to leave Mormonism neglected. But once I was persuaded to at least consider it seriously, I began to study carefully what the religion taught, its historical bases, and the opposing literature. That examination has never stopped. I have read more material that challenges or criticizes Mormonism than the supporting materials. I did that primarily because there is more available material criticizing Mormonism than there is supporting it in sheer volume.

I’m actually interested in the materials you linked and sincerely will consider it. I did a quick review and saw that many of the arguments or points are familiar and often repeated. But hopefully there will be some new stuff as well.

As you know, the LDS form of Mormonism is its own worst enemy. They have oversold some things and neglected others, and in the process have distorted both the restoration and Joseph Smith. He has become a caricature and not a real person in both LDS Mormonism and in the hands of the critics. One of the reasons for writing the book A Man Without Doubt was to let Joseph step out from behind the many portrayals offered of him and let him speak for himself. He was not at all the person most people think him to be.

The Joseph Smith Papers project is also disappointing. But at least it contains original material, some of which has not been previously released. It helps somewhat. But the editors have mangled the content with their footnotes and commentary trying to force a viewpoint on the reader.

I’ve said that all history is fiction. Nothing is lived in the way it is later explained in hindsight. I have a lot of original journal, diary and correspondence materials involved in the relevant time period from 1820 to 1900. These “lived experiences” are more authentic than what the historians interpret and retell. Their lives are like yours and mine. We have our hopes, plans and expectations that are invariably frustrated, changed, abandoned and we adapt to the new circumstances. Reading through the daily struggles of those involved lets me identify with them because everyone shares the “life experience” of how this world tosses us back and forth. But historians tell the events as if they were God, with purpose and destiny always informing the storyline. But God doesn’t tell the story. He may inform a person’s life with insight, or inspire hope, or speak from time to time (almost always to correct and challenge the humble soul). But the “story” of life for everyman is the story of surprise, frustration, disappointment, sorrow, relief, appreciation, humiliation leading to humility, and challenge. But acceptance of these circumstances can lead to happiness and even satisfaction as we trouble through it all. In Liberty Jail the inspired inquiry was posited: “The Son of Man hath descended below it all; art thou greater than He?” Knowing of the Lord’s condescension helps us all bear up a little more bravely, with a little more determination, and with a little more humility.

Joseph certainly was not without his limitations and shortcomings. But, then again, so was Peter, and Moses, and Isaiah, and Elijah. Can we learn from Joseph’s life something good to take us closer to God? I leave it to you to answer that question.

All my best to you and your family;

The restrictions in place and proposed to respond to the Coronavirus do not restrict hiking. So the daily hiking my wife and I do will not be interrupted.

Today we saw two bluebirds flying together across the trail. Robins are returning by the dozens. There are hundreds of geese in the area. There is a herd of 16 deer that graze on the east hillside above Draper City.

Winter ended and Spring began on the Equinox a few days ago. Nature is reawakening after months of slumber. Hiking puts you into Nature’s cycles and lets you observe first hand Christ’s management of this creation: “through Jesus Christ his Son, he that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth, which truth shines. This is the light of Christ, as also he is in the sun and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also he is in the moon and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also the light of the stars and the power thereof by which they were made; and the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. And the light which now shines, which gives you light, is through him who enlightens your eyes, which is the same light that quickens your understandings, which light proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space: the light which is in all things, which gives life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sits upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” T&C 86:1

If you get tired of home confinement, consider hiking in nature as an alternative way to spend time. An hour with God’s handiwork can give you insight into our Creator. (and it’s fun)

On October 5, 1840 in a conference at Nauvoo, Joseph Smith had Robert B. Thompson read the instructions on “priesthood” Joseph wrote for the conference. It is significant Joseph wrote the talk before the conference. His talks were almost always spontaneous, and our record relies on note-takers in the audience. Joseph thought his priesthood instruction was important enough to organize and write in advance.

He mentioned a high priesthood that “is the Grand head and holds the hig[h]est Authority which pertains to the priesthood–the keys of the Kingdom of God in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on the earth–and is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation and every important matter truth is revealed from heaven.”

This channel that reveals knowledge commenced with Adam and “he was the first to hold the spiritual blessings.” “Adam holds the keys of the dispensation of the fulness of times, i.e., the dispensation of all the times that have been and will be revealed through him from the beginning to Christ and from Christ to the end of ^^ all world the dispensations that have to be revealed.”

Joseph explained the dispensations are to gather together everything in Christ. The purpose of “the last dispensation is, that all things pertaining to that dispensation should be conducted precisely in accordance with the preceeding dispensations.”

Christ “set the ordinances to be the same for Ever and ever and set Adam to watch over them to reveal them from heaven to man or to send Angels to reveal them[.]” When angels do come to minister, “These angels are under the direction of Michael or Adam who acts under the direction of Christ.”

Joseph explained there was an order that heaven follows, and mankind is required to also conform to the pattern established by heaven. “Adam received commandments and instruction from God, this was the order from the beginning: that he received revelations, Commandments, and ordinances at the beginning[.]” And it was necessary to follow that pattern to be saved.

Dispensation after dispensation it has been Adam who has either ministered or sent angels to minister the conditions for salvation. Each dispensation is required to conform to the pattern ordained by Adam if people in the dispensation are to be saved.

“This then is the nature of the priesthood, every man holding the presidency of his dispensation and one man holding the presidency of them all even Adam.” Further, “the ordinances must be kept in the very way God has appointed, otherwise their priesthood will prove a cursing instead of a blessing.”

The “keys of this [patriarchal or presidency] priesthood consisted in obtaining the voice of Jehovah that he talked with him in a familiare and friendly manner, that he continued to him the keys, the covenants, the power and the glory with which he blessed Adam at the beginning and the offring of sacrifice which also shall be continued at the last time. for all the ordinances and duties that ever have been required by the priesthood under the directions and commandments of the Almighty in the last dispensation at the end thereof in any of the dispensations, shall all be had in the last dispensations[.]”

Animal sacrifice is most notably associated with the Law of Moses. However, Joseph clarified that, “It is not to be understood that, the law of Moses will be fully established again with all its rights and (variety of ceremonies) ceremonies this has never been spoken off by the prophets) but those things which existed prior to Mose’s day viz sacrifice, will be continued[.]”

The foregoing is taken from JS Papers, Documents Vol. 7, September 1839-January 1841, pp. 434-441, retyped as in the original. The entire talk goes through p. 442.

Joseph’s talk is best understood in the context of tying “dispensations” and “ordinances” to temple rites. Had he lived long enough to complete the rites he began, there would undoubtedly have been much more returned by Father Adam for the benefit of his posterity. We have the assurance that this process of restoring will continue and will eventually lead to a full and final restoration.

It is interesting that Joseph uses both the singular and the plural when he mentioned the “last dispensations.” Clearly when Joseph was slain the restoration was not completed. Therefore, another dispensation will be needed to finish the work. Perhaps it will come as a “thief in the night” and arrive while the vast majority of ignorant mankind will believe they cannot and will not be surprised by God.

A transcript of the talk I delivered in the Conference in Hurricane, Utah yesterday is now available as a download. It is linked here: The Heavens are Open (And Therefore We Have Work to Do)

The transcript includes 93 footnotes that I did not read during the talk.

At a later time a transcript of the Q&A discussion will be provided.

Tomorrow’s conference schedule of breakout sessions are going ahead. For topics, speakers and times go to the conference web page to get the Zoom links for the virtual breakout sessions. They will take place tomorrow as originally planned.

Sunday I will be speaking and it will also be accessible through a link provided on the conference web page.

A new video series begins today. The Series is titled: The Heavens Are Open Again. The first video in the planned seven-part series was made live today at this link: The Heavens Are Open Again, Part 1: Condemnation

This evening is the equinox. The First Vision happened near the Spring Equinox. The four year recurring visitation of Nephi with Joseph Smith took place on the Fall Equinox. These movements of the sun on the horizon were anciently associated with heavenly contact, and devotional festivals. Their relevance seem to have been reconfirmed at the beginning of the Restoration.

The sun is now racing across the horizon, moving more than 1 degree daily to the north. Daylight has been growing in the northern hemisphere since the Winter Solstice, but it now is moving rapidly toward the Summer Solstice.

The symbolism of these movements are largely forgotten by modern Christianity and even Mormonism. But they are indeed part of the gospel of Christ, as I intend to mention this coming Sunday during my talk.

Despite our forgetfulness, heaven still uses this occasion to convey ideas for believers. Does God still speak through an earthquake? Does removing the trumpet from the temple’s “angel” atop the highest spire say anything to believers today?

I’ve thought for several years that the shift from primarily proclaiming the Book of Mormon to now requiring fidelity to an organization’s leaders as a precondition for baptism, has gutted the Lord’s intended message. If the primacy of the Book of Mormon is no longer an organization’s central message, then there is no further need to proclaim themselves to the world.

The Hurricane, Utah conference is taking place in rented facilities and the lessor requires compliance with the current crowd-size limitation. Therefore, although I will be speaking as scheduled, no more than 10 people will be allowed to be present. It will be streamed over the Internet through the conference website. The best way to participate will be through the live streaming.

There was a 5.7 earthquake this morning in the Salt Lake Valley. It was centered in Magna. The trumpet of the Angel Moroni statue atop the Salt Lake Temple was shaken off.

There is still a lot of work to be done. The talk I will give at the upcoming conference is titled: The Heavens are Open (And Therefore We Have Work To Do).

On March 20-22 there is a Conference scheduled in Hurricane, Utah. The website for details can be found here: The Heavens Are Open

I look forward to seeing those of you who choose to attend. The opportunity to meet together is always a wonderful experience.

I flew to Denver, Colorado this last week and noted the airline travelers, hotel guests and rental car providers are all having fewer customers. That was a welcome change from what I normally confront in travel. Politics, it seems, are now played with a recklessness and frenzy that puts on quite a show.

Amid all the despair and gloom I noticed that the sunrise and sunset continues to display daily beauty and the constant reassurance that what God ordains will happen. Even in the light-polluted night sky of the Wasatch Front, right now, overhead we have Orion, Venus, Castor and Pollux still visible. A few nights ago the twins of Gemini seemed to be standing with their feet on the moon. Ursa Major still points to Polaris, and that fixed point in the northern sky is visible despite the streetlights of my community.

While we were hiking last Saturday we ran into the rafter of turkeys that have been absent for the last month. (A “flock” of turkeys is called a “rafter.”) It was nice to see them again. Cycles in nature continue unabated.

When I see mankind fearfully running about and acting on their dread, I think of how ancient prophets compared man to the unruly sea. The ‘seas heaving themselves beyond their bounds’ is a familiar scriptural metaphor used to describe panic in the last days. ‘Men’s hearts failing them for fear’ is another way the bemused prophets and our Lord described how society will behave as the end approaches.

I look forward to next week’s conference.

I received a request to put this statement up from the sisters gathering funds for the temple project:

STATEMENT REGARDING FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR DONATED TEMPLE FUNDS

We hereby inform all interested parties that all monetary gifts donated for the temple fund have been and are currently held in their entirety without any disbursal for any reason to this date, March 1, 2020. Not one cent has been spent, or is expected to be spent, until construction commences.

Every donation is carefully recorded in two separate records maintained by members of the committee.

We plan to provide full transparency of all gifts (with donor names withheld for privacy) as well as an accounting for all expenditures when the temple is complete.

The fund at this point has earned over $11,000.00 in interest, which also has not been spent, and which will continue to accumulate as part of the temple funds, until construction begins.

The Temple Fund Committee

Karen Strong
Janette VanLeer
Elaine Henderson