Category: Scriptures

  • CFM 10/20-10/26 (D&C 121-123): Poetry for “O God, Where Art Thou?”

    CFM 10/20-10/26 (D&C 121-123): Poetry for “O God, Where Art Thou?”

    Kent Larsen

    Adversity is rooted in the problem of evil—if God is good, then why does he allow evil to exist? Or if “man is that he might have joy,” why is there so much suffering in life? And worse, it often seems like for some the suffering is “but a moment”, while for others the suffering…

  • CFM 10/13-10/19 (D&C 115-120): Poetry for “His Sacrifice Shall Be More Sacred unto Me Than His Increase”

    CFM 10/13-10/19 (D&C 115-120): Poetry for “His Sacrifice Shall Be More Sacred unto Me Than His Increase”

    Kent Larsen

    Sacrifice is a key gospel concept, and as such is also a key concept for life. Whether the it involves one person giving up something to help others or simply the individual giving up something for his own benefit, sacrifice is always about making decisions that balance one benefit or good against another. So we…

  • CFM 10/06-10/12 (D&C 111-114): Poetry for “I Will Order All Things for Your Good”

    CFM 10/06-10/12 (D&C 111-114): Poetry for “I Will Order All Things for Your Good”

    Kent Larsen

    If things have been ordered for our good, do the things look like they have been ordered or arranged? This week’s Come Follow Me lesson title implies that what happens in our lives is meant to help us both now and in the hereafter. The statement “I will order all things for your good” is…

  • CFM 9/29-10/05 (D&C 109-110): Poetry for “It Is Thy House, a Place of Thy Holiness”

    CFM 9/29-10/05 (D&C 109-110): Poetry for “It Is Thy House, a Place of Thy Holiness”

    Kent Larsen

    I like this photo of the Bangkok Thailand Temple. I know many people will see in it an island of good among a sea of chaos and evil. I can’t disagree more with that view—most of humanity doesn’t live in the stereotypical suburban pastoral nowhere favored by the world, and where they do live is…

  • CFM 9/22-9/28 (D&C 106-108): Poetry for “The Order of the Son of God”

    CFM 9/22-9/28 (D&C 106-108): Poetry for “The Order of the Son of God”

    Kent Larsen

    Like it or not, our lives are built of structures. We organize our days according to everything from natural events, like the rising and setting of the sun and our own biological rhythms, to the hours of the clock that our society has assigned to the day, to the needs we have to coordinate with…

  • CFM 9/15-9/21 (D&C 102-105): Poetry for “After Much Tribulation … Cometh the Blessing”

    CFM 9/15-9/21 (D&C 102-105): Poetry for “After Much Tribulation … Cometh the Blessing”

    Kent Larsen

    I noticed this time through the Doctrine and Covenants how the idea of trials is a major theme of this book of scripture. And the sections in this week’s lesson are during one of the most challenging periods of trials in early church history, the first round of persecution in Missouri and the subsequent travel…

  • Monogamy is the Rule, Part 6: Clarifications and Recap

    Monogamy is the Rule, Part 6: Clarifications and Recap

    Chad Nielsen

    From the comments to this series, Monogamy is the Rule, I have noticed a few points that need clarification. I welcome discussion, and feel like it’s worthwhile to respond to some of those comments in a full post form. Doing so also sets the stage for future posts in the series.

  • CFM 9/1-9/7: Poetry for “For the Salvation of Zion” (D&C 94-97)

    CFM 9/1-9/7: Poetry for “For the Salvation of Zion” (D&C 94-97)

    Kent Larsen

    We focus on the temple, and we have from the beginning of the Church. The temple plays a crucial role in our theology, but also a role that demonstrates tensions between principles. While the ordinances of the temple are done individually, those ordinances are often performed in groups, and the purpose of these ordinances generally…

  • CFM 8/25-8/31: Poetry for “Receive of His Fulness”

    CFM 8/25-8/31: Poetry for “Receive of His Fulness”

    Kent Larsen

    What do we mean when we talk about ‘Fulness’? The Come Follow Me lesson for this week, covering D&C 93, suggests that it’s related to exaltation—but I’m not sure that we know exactly what exaltation is either. ‘Fulness’ suggests some kind of completeness or satiation—we will have everything we need, and maybe everything we should…

  • CFM 8/18-8/24: Poetry for “A Principle with Promise”

    CFM 8/18-8/24: Poetry for “A Principle with Promise”

    Kent Larsen

    Most of the time when we hear the phrase “A Principle with Promise,” we think of D&C Section 89 and the promise that we can “run and not be weary.” However, some kind of promise is associated with every gospel principle—there is at least one consequence that accompanies every principle, and the accompanying consequences follow…

  • Gold-Star Converts and the Parable of the Wedding Feast

    Gold-Star Converts and the Parable of the Wedding Feast

    Stephen C

    On our missions a lot of us gave lessons to some professor or such and were excited at the prospect of a well-thought out, high powered intellectual convert. And we’re not the only ones, I suspect Catholics love to talk about John Henry Newman for this reason. The idea, especially for them, is that you…

  • Canonization, Part 3: Reasons to Avoid Canonization

    Chad Nielsen

    Returning to the series I was working on earlier this year about canonization, I wanted to discuss why it sometimes isn’t the best idea to canonize documents. Part 1 of the series discussed the process by which canonization occurs in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while Part 2 discussed some documents that…

  • CFM 8/11-8/17: Poetry for “Establish … a House of God”

    CFM 8/11-8/17: Poetry for “Establish … a House of God”

    Kent Larsen

    Perhaps the most memorable verse in D&C 88 is 119, which establishes the ‘School of the Prophets’ and encourages our cultural orientation towards education: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory,…

  • CFM 8/4-8/10: Poetry for “Stand Ye in Holy Places”

    CFM 8/4-8/10: Poetry for “Stand Ye in Holy Places”

    Kent Larsen

    What are ‘Holy Places’? What makes them holy? Are there different kinds of ‘Holy Places’? Has our understanding of ‘Holy Places’ changed over time? I suspect that most LDS Church members think of the Temple when we think of a holy place, but when pushed we might agree that the Sacred Grove is also a…

  • John Turner, Joseph Smith, and Plate Mythicism

    John Turner, Joseph Smith, and Plate Mythicism

    Guest

    Guest post by Stephen Smoot Did Joseph Smith actually possess gold plates? This question has intrigued historians, skeptics, and believers ever since Joseph first described the origins of the Book of Mormon. Richard L. Bushman’s recent book, a “cultural history” of the plates, traces how they have functioned as both historical artifact and sacred symbol…

  • CFM 7/28-8/3: Poetry for “The Power of Godliness”

    CFM 7/28-8/3: Poetry for “The Power of Godliness”

    Kent Larsen

    If the priesthood is “The Power of Godliness,” and if we are to learn how to use that power, we should probably think a lot about what the word “power” means in this context. Most of the time power is associated with the ability to control things, often including people and usually by force. But…

  • CFM 7/21-7/27: Poetry for “Where Much Is Given Much Is Required”

    CFM 7/21-7/27: Poetry for “Where Much Is Given Much Is Required”

    Kent Larsen

    The idea behind “Where Much is Given, Much is Required” goes beyond just the idea of responsibility or accountability. There is also in the phrase a sense of equity and care for others that isn’t necessarily part of responsibility. The idea is clearly the opposite of the images we see of excessive displays of wealth,…

  • CFM 7/14-7/20: Poetry for “I Will Lead You Along”

    CFM 7/14-7/20: Poetry for “I Will Lead You Along”

    Kent Larsen

    The introduction of the ‘United Firm’ in 1832 was, I think, an attempt to provide needed structure to the Church and its members. Any organization provides roles for individuals and ways that those roles interact with each other and the outside world. As a result, the scriptures covered by this week’s Come Follow Me lesson…

  • CFM 7/7-7/13: Poetry for “Great Shall Be Their Reward and Eternal Shall Be Their Glory”

    CFM 7/7-7/13: Poetry for “Great Shall Be Their Reward and Eternal Shall Be Their Glory”

    Kent Larsen

    We could argue that section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants has had more impact on Church members than any other section in the D&C. Prior to the vision described in the revelation, Church members, and Christianity in general, had one of two conceptions of the next life; either a dualistic heaven and hell, or…

  • CFM 6/30-7/6: Poetry for “No Weapon That Is Formed against You Shall Prosper”

    Kent Larsen

    Whether by teaching or by missionary work, proclaiming the gospel is a key part of LDS doctrine, practice and culture. And while this week’s Come Follow Me lesson leans toward missionary work, based on the historical events surrounding sections 71 to 75, the basic lessons found in these sections can apply to the many other…

  • CFM 6/23-6/29: Poetry for “Worth … the Riches of the Whole Earth”

    CFM 6/23-6/29: Poetry for “Worth … the Riches of the Whole Earth”

    Kent Larsen

    We all value the scriptures, but we don’t always understand them, and often what makes them valuable to us isn’t clear. If, as Doctrine and Covenants section 70 says, the scriptures are worth the riches of the whole earth, how is that true? What makes them so valuable? Part of the difficulty with understanding pronouncements…

  • CFM 6/16-6/22: Poetry for “The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind”

    CFM 6/16-6/22: Poetry for “The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind”

    Kent Larsen

    What does it mean to have a “willing mind”? My first thought is that it is somehow about our attitude, how we confront or approach problems. But despite the prevalence of ‘positive mental attitude’ sayings and motivational posters, most people act as if their emotional state is something beyond their control. We act like we…

  • CFM 6/9-6/15: Poetry for “I Am with the Faithful Always”

    CFM 6/9-6/15: Poetry for “I Am with the Faithful Always”

    Kent Larsen

    While the early saints from the time that the Doctrine and Covenants was written were not just constructing an institution and building a community, they were also doing the mental work of building testimony—and it looks to me like the process may have been a little different from what we go through today. Where many…

  • The Genesis Creation Accounts: Thoughts on “Revealed Truths,” “Inspired Editors,” and Privileged Texts in the Latter-day Saint Tradition

    Guest

    Guest post by Joseph Green I’ve been reading with interest the new book on evolution published by BYU’s College of Life Sciences, The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evolution. (While the print version has yet to be released, a free copy of the PDF is available now on the college’s web site.) As someone…

  • CFM 5/19-5/25: Poetry for “That Which Is of God Is Light”

    CFM 5/19-5/25: Poetry for “That Which Is of God Is Light”

    Kent Larsen

    If “that which is of God is light,” then we all want to be enlightened; that is, brought into God’s presence and to His understanding. While sections 49 and 50 of the Doctrine and Covenants were written to ‘enlighten’ Leman Copley and others, we might also find in them other light, addressing issues for us…

  • CFM 5/5-5/11: Poetry for “The Promises … Shall Be Fulfilled”

    CFM 5/5-5/11: Poetry for “The Promises … Shall Be Fulfilled”

    Kent Larsen

    D&C 45 covers a lot of different things, from the role of the Savior to the safety of Zion. In the last few decades our LDS culture has also made a lot of this section’s observation that His disciples will ‘stand in holy places, and … not be moved.’ As an image that description suggests…

  • Canonization, Part 2: The Future of Canon?

    Canonization, Part 2: The Future of Canon?

    Chad Nielsen

    In my last post, I discussed the process of canonization. While formal canonization has been rare since the late 19th century, key additions to the scriptural canon—such as the Pearl of Great Price and select sections of the Doctrine and Covenants—highlight a pattern shaped by prophetic authorship, broad communal use, and alignment with institutional priorities.…

  • Canonization, Part 1: Functional Canon to Formal Canon

    Canonization, Part 1: Functional Canon to Formal Canon

    Chad Nielsen

    Canonization is a fascinating process. And with an open canon, Latter-day Saints have the potential to expand books of scriptures like the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. The process of expanding the canon is a rare event in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially since the 1870s, but some…

  • CFM 4/28-5/4: Poetry for “My Law to Govern My Church”

    CFM 4/28-5/4: Poetry for “My Law to Govern My Church”

    Kent Larsen

    Organizations require structure. And the larger that an organization gets, the more structure it needs. That might seem pretty obvious in today’s world, but I suspect it was less obvious in the 1830s among the Saints who had joined the church, many because of the way other churches operated. After the ‘constitution’ of the Church…

  • Abinidi or Limhi?

    Abinidi or Limhi?

    Kent Larsen

    While I don’t know if Abinidi and Limhi knew of each other, I think it’s likely that they did. Abinidi is, of course, known for his parrhesia before King Noah, and Limhi is Noah’s son, who succeeded him and whose later comments indicated that he knew his father was doing evil. Today, most of the…