Parson's Text Book (RLDS) on Degrees of Inspiration

  

DEGREES OF INSPIRATION.

 

Doctor Buck says, that inspiration is “the conveying of certain extraordinary and supernatural notions or motives into the soul, or it denotes any supernatural influence of God upon the mind of a rational creature, whereby he is formed to any degree of intellectual improvement, to which he would not or would not, in fact have attained in his present circumstances in a natural way. And thus the prophets are said to have spoken by divine inspiration.

 

“1. And inspiration of superintendency, in which God does so influence and direct the mind of any person, as to keep him more secure from error in some various and complex discourse, than he would have been merely by the use of his natural faculties.

 

“2. Plenary superintendency inspiration, which exclude any mixture of error at all from the performance so superintended.

 

“3. Inspiration of elevation, where the faculties act in a regular, and, as it seems, a common manner, yet are raised to an extraordinary degree, so that composure shall, upon the whole, have more of the true sublime, or pathetic, than natural genius could not have given.

 

4. Inspiration of suggestion, where the use of the faculties is superseded, and God does, as it were, speak directly to the mind, making such discoveries to it as it could not otherwise have obtained, and dictating the very words in which such discoveries are to be communicated, if they are designed as a message to others.”—Page 196. (A. H. Parsons, Parson’s Text Book [Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Publishing House, 1902], 214)

 

Stephen Shoemaker: The First Four Centuries of Christianity are Silent Regarding the End of Mary's Life

 

 

Although the first four centuries of Christianity are profoundly silent regarding the end of Mary’s life, in the later fifth century, a number of Dormition narratives suddenly appear, all with different endings and divergent views concerning the ultimate fate of both Mary and her body. (Stephen J. Shoemaker, “Death and the Maiden: The Early History of the Dormition and Assumption Apocrypha,” in The Dormition and Assumption Apocrypha [Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha 15; Leuven: Peeters, 2018], 36)

 

 

Parson's Text book (RLDS) on the Jaredite Barges

Commenting on the Government boat which has one large hole in the top, or in other words the boat is open between the air-tight departments above the deck of each end, one RLDS author provided the following quotations that may provide light on the Jaredite barges:

 

JAREDITE BOATS.

 

We now quote from Popular Mechanics for June, 1907, page 628: “The boat can not sink, for there are right water-right compartments in it, any of which is sufficient to hold the boat on the surface full of men and women. And in these eight compartments are righty-two copper air cases, so that the boat can be smashed into small pieces, cut in two, in ten, in a hundred parts, and still there will be enough floating for those in the boat at the time of the accident to hold on to.”

 

National Magazine, November, 1906, page 163 says: “In order to procure the self-righting quality, each is furnished with a heavy iron keel, and well provided with ballast. If overturned it is impossible for the boat to remain so on account of the elevated air chambers in the bow and stern, and as it rolls upon one side, the ballast and the iron keel, which by its own weight must naturally seek the water, quicky force it back into position.”

 

Popular Mechanics, June, 1906, page 625 says: “The boat can not stay upset, and turns over with difficulty; on the bottom is a heavy keen of metal—gun metal. . . . This eighteen hundred pounds of keel flops a boat right side up as fast and as often as a wave upsets the boat—and it must be a mighty wave indeed which accomplishes the feat. . . . The photographs show the difficulty which is experienced in trying to upset one of the boats. A number of men with block and tackle, had to pull and haul a long time, until, inch by inch, the boat finally keeled over, took water, and at last turned bottom up. Released, and in a second the heavy keel flopped back the boat and in no uncertain manner—witness the splash.”

 

National Magazine, November, 1906, says: “The excited spectators held their breath, but presently had leisure to notice certain peculiarites of constructure, namely three round openings in the bottom of the boat, by means of which the self-bailing is accomplished. In the boat’s floor, which is so placed as to be on a level with the water when it is manned, . . . are several openings, each connecting by a metal with one in the bottom. As water can not rise above its own level, and as each tube is closed, at the floor level, by a valve which opens downward, no water can pas up into the boat, while any dashing in from above is at once shipped through the tubes. So quickly is this accomplished that a full boat can empty itself in about half a minute.”

 

Popular Mechanics, June, 1907, says: “The boat can not be sunk. They have a false bottom through which run eight inch tubes, closed with valves, which keep the water out. But let a wave fill the boat and in less than half a minute the water all runs out the tubes back into the sea.” (A. H. Parsons, Parson’s Text Book [Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Publishing House, 1971], 324-25; this is based on the article J. W. Burns, "The Jaredite Boats," The Saints’ Herald 54, 42 [October 16, 1907]:950)

 

 

Duane Crowther on Isaiah 11:10

  

The context of this verse is difficult, for Isaiah 11:10 bridges two different areas of time. Those who would like verse ten with verses six to nine would interpret the root to be a person living during the millennium. But those who consider verse ten as being linked to verses eleven and twelve would place in the time of this individual as before the advent of Christ.

 

Dr. Sidney B. Sperry, professor of Old Testament Languages and Literature at Brigham Young University, speaks out in favor of the Prophet Joseph Smith as the fulfiller of this prophecy. In his text, The Voice of Israel’s Prophets, he says: “We have clearly seen that the “Stem of Jesse” is Christ, but we are still not clear as to the identity of the “rod,” despite the explanation in the Doctrine and Covenants. To be sure, it tells us that “it is a servant in the hands of Christ,” etc., but an express name is not given. May I suggest that the “servant” or “rod” referred to is none other than the Prophet Joseph Smith himself. For this suggestion I am solely and alone responsible. . . . Joseph Smith stands for an ensign of the peoples, because he holds aloft the gospel principles to the world. The restored gospel in this age is indeed the “ensign” or standard held forth by the modern prophet. The nations have sought and will continue to seek him. The Mormon people have no hesitation in proclaiming his greatness and the importance of his message.” pp. 36-37. (Duane S. Crowther, "A Study ofEschatological Prophecies Found in the Scriptures and in the Works of General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," [M.A. Thesis, Brigham Young University, 1960], 40 n. 2)

 

Assyrian šēnu and the Hapax Lexomenon סְאוֹן in Isaiah 9:5

The following entry from the scholarly lexicon of Assyrian may shed light on the use of סְאוֹן səʾôn, a hapax legomenon that appears only in Isa 9:5 (=2 Nephi 19:5). Some critics of the Book of Mormon claim that סְאוֹן is cognate with the Akkadian (note: Assyrian is a dialect of Akkadian) šēnu “boot,” ergo, the Book of Mormon (and the KJV) are in error. However, it appears that šēnu is also associated with “chariot,” and that “battle” could represent an instance of synecdoche:

 

 

Source:

 

The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, ed. Erica Reiner, 21 vols. (Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1992), 17, part 2:292

Leen Ritmeyer on How the Holy of Holies Was Cleaned

  

AN ANCIENT SOLUTION TO A CLEANING PROBLEM

 

With golden plates on the walls of the Holy of Holies, access was needed for cleaning purposes. The Holy of Holies, like the rest of the Temple, had to be kept clean. Yet only the High Priest was allowed entry once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement . . . with so many functions to perform on that day, there would have been no time to do the cleaning as well.

 

The problem was surmounted by having a basket, attached to a rope, descended through the ceiling of the chamber. Closed on three sides, such baskets were lowered with the open side facing the wall. The cleaners standing inside the baskets could only look straight ahead and not into the Holy of Holies. (Leen Ritmeyer, The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem [Jerusalem: Carta Jerusalem and the LAMB Foundation, 2006, 2015], 394)

 

Jason David BeDuhn on Irenaeus Defense of there being 4 Gospels, not 1

 

Responding to Marcion’s preference for a single Gospel, Irenaeus of Lyon insisted that just one was not enough. And although he knew of several more Gospels of varying worth, he declared that Christians should recognize the authority of no more and no less than four . . . (Jason David BeDuhn, “A Liberal Protestant Perspective on the New Testament Canon,” in Five Views of the New Testament Canon, ed. Stanley E. Peter and Benjamin P. Laird [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Academic, 2022], 106)

 

Here is the relevant portion from Against Heresies

 8. It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the church is scattered throughout all the world, and the “pillar and ground”2 of the church is the gospel and the spirit of life; it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh. From which fact, it is evident that the Word, the Artificer of all, He that sitteth upon the cherubim, and contains all things, He who was manifested to men, has given us the gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit. As also David says, when entreating His manifestation, “Thou that sittest between the cherubim, shine forth.” For the cherubim, too, were four-faced, and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God. For, [as the Scripture] says, “The first living creature was like a lion,” symbolizing His effectual working, His leadership, and royal power; the second [living creature] was like a calf, signifying [His] sacrificial and sacerdotal order; but “the third had, as it were, the face as of a man,”—an evident description of His advent as a human being; “the fourth was like a flying eagle,” pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with His wings over the church. And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these things, among which Christ Jesus is seated. For that according to John relates His original, effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, thus declaring, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Also, “all things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made.” For this reason, too, is that Gospel full of all confidence, for such is His person. But that according to Luke, taking up [His] priestly character, commenced with Zacharias the priest offering sacrifice to God. For now was made ready the fatted calf, about to be immolated for the finding again of the younger son. Matthew, again, relates His generation as a man, saying, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham;” and also, “The birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.” This, then, is the Gospel of His humanity; for which reason it is, too, that [the character of] a humble and meek man is kept up through the whole Gospel. Mark, on the other hand, commences with [a reference to] the prophetical spirit coming down from on high to men, saying, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Esaias the prophet,”—pointing to the winged aspect of the Gospel; and on this account he made a compendious and cursory narrative, for such is the prophetical character. And the Word of God Himself used to converse with the ante-Mosaic patriarchs, in accordance with His divinity and glory; but for those under the law he instituted a sacerdotal and liturgical service. Afterwards, being made man for us, He sent the gift of the celestial Spirit over all the earth, protecting us with His wings. Such, then, as was the course followed by the Son of God, so was also the form of the living creatures; and such as was the form of the living creatures, so was also the character of the Gospel. For the living creatures are quadriform, and the Gospel is quadriform, as is also the course followed by the Lord. For this reason were four principal (καθολικαὶ) covenants given to the human race: one, prior to the deluge, under Adam; the second, that after the deluge, under Noah; the third, the giving of the law, under Moses; the fourth, that which renovates man, and sums up all things in itself by means of the gospel, raising and bearing men upon its wings into the heavenly kingdom.

 

9. These things being so, all who destroy the form of the gospel are vain, unlearned, and also audacious; those, [I mean,] who represent the aspects of the gospel as being either more in number than as aforesaid, or, on the other hand, fewer. The former class [do so], that they may seem to have discovered more than is of the truth; the latter, that they may set the dispensations of God aside. For Marcion, rejecting the entire gospel, yea rather, cutting himself off from the gospel, boasts that he has part in the [blessings of] the gospel. Others, again (the Montanists), that they may set at nought the gift of the Spirit, which in the latter times has been, by the good pleasure of the Father, poured out upon the human race, do not admit that aspect [of the evangelical dispensation] presented by John’s Gospel, in which the Lord promised that He would send the Paraclete; but set aside at once both the gospel and the prophetic Spirit. Wretched men indeed! who wish to be pseudo-prophets, forsooth, but who set aside the gift of prophecy from the church; acting like those (the Encratitæ)4 who, on account of such as come in hypocrisy, hold themselves aloof from the communion of the brethren. We must conclude, moreover, that these men (the Montanists) cannot admit the Apostle Paul either. For, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, he speaks expressly of prophetical gifts, and recognises men and women prophesying in the church. Sinning, therefore, in all these particulars, against the Spirit of God, they fall into the irremissible sin. But those who are from Valentinus, being, on the other hand, altogether reckless, while they put forth their own compositions, boast that they possess more Gospels than there really are. Indeed, they have arrived at such a pitch of audacity, as to entitle their comparatively recent writing “the Gospel of Truth,” though it agrees in nothing with the Gospels of the Apostles, so that they have really no gospel which is not full of blasphemy. For if what they have published is the Gospel of truth, and yet is totally unlike those which have been handed down to us from the apostles, any who please may learn, as is shown from the Scriptures themselves, that that which has been handed down from the apostles can no longer be reckoned the Gospel of truth. But that these Gospels alone are true and reliable, and admit neither an increase nor diminution of the aforesaid number, I have proved by so many and such [arguments]. For, since God made all things in due proportion and adaptation, it was fit also that the outward aspect of the gospel should be well arranged and harmonized. The opinion of those men, therefore, who handed the gospel down to us, having been investigated, from their very fountainheads, let us proceed also to the remaining apostles, and inquire into their doctrine with regard to God; then, in due course we shall listen to the very words of the Lord. (Against Heresies 3.11.8-9)

 

Ancient Texts Teaching that God Command Abraham to Marry Hagar

My thanks to my friend Christopher Davis for providing the following:

 

“Now Abram dwelt near the oak called Ogyges: the place belongs to Canaan, not far from the city of Hebron. But being uneasy at his wife’s barrenness, he intreated God to grant that he might have male issue: and God required of him to be of good courage, and said, that he would add to all the rest of the benefits that he had bestowed upon him, ever since he led him out of Mesopotamia, the gift of children. Accordingly Sarai, at God’s command, brought to his bed one of her hand-maidens, a woman of Egyptian descent, in order to obtain children by her: and when this handmaid was with child, she triumphed, and ventured to affront Sarai; as if the dominion were to come to a son to be born of her. But when Abram resigned her into the hands of Sarai, to punish her, she contrived to fly away; as not able to bear the instances of Sarai’s severity to her; and she intreated God to have compassion on her." - Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, X:IV

 

Next, in the Midrash Genesis Rababah, we read:

 

"R. Simeon b. Yohai said: Hagar was Pharaoh's daughter. When Pharaoh saw what was done on Sarah's behalf in his own house, he took his daughter and gave her to Sarah, saying, Better let my daughter be a handmaid in this house than a mistress in another house ' ; thus it is written, And she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar, he (Pharaoh) saying, 'Here is thy reward (agar),' Abimelech, too, when he saw the miracles performed in his house on Sarah's behalf, gave his daughter to her, saying, 'Better let my daughter be a handmaid in this house than a mistress in another/ as it is written, Kings' daughters are among thy favourites (Ps. xlv, 10): viz. the daughters of [two] kings. At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir (ib.) — this alludes to Sarai.

 

And Sarai said unto Abram: Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing, etc. (xvi, 2). Said she : I know the source of my affliction : it is not as people say [of a barren woman], 'she needs a talisman, she needs a charm,' but Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing.

 

It may be that I shall be builded up through her. It was taught : He who has no child is as though he were dead and demolished. As though dead : And she said unto Jacob: Give me children, or else I am dead (Gen. xxx, 1). 5 As though demolished: It may be that I shall be builded up through her, and only that which is demolished must be builded up. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

 

R. Jose said : To the voice of the Holy Spirit, (which he felt moved her to speak) as you read, Now therefore hearken unto the voice of the words of the Lord (1 Sam. xv, 1)." - Genesis Rabbah: 45:1-2

 

Additionally the Midrash Tehilim records the taking of Hagar as a wife one of the ten trials by which Abraham was "purified".

 

‎אמרת ה’ צרופה. שצרפו הקב”ה בעשר נסיונות. ואלו הן – כשירד לתוך כבשן האש, שנאמר (שם טו, ז) אני ה’ אשר הוצאתיך מאור כשדים. שנים, כשאמר לו לך לך. ושנים בשרה. בהגר, (שם טז, ב) בא נא אל שפחתי. ובישמעאל, (שם כא, י) גרש האמה הזאת. ובמלכים, (שם יד, יד) וירק את חניכיו.

‎ובמילה, שאמר לו הקב”ה (שם יז, א) התהלך לפני והיה תמים. ובין הבתרים, כשראה המלכיות משעבדות לבניו. וביצחק, (שם כב, ב) קח נא את בנך את יחידך.

 

(Translation)

"God’s saying is pure” – he [Avraham] was purified by ten trials. And these are [the ten trials]: 1. He was thrown into the furnace, as it says, “I am God that took you out from Ur Kasdim.” 2. God instructed him, “Go for yourself.” 3 & 4. Two tests concerning Sarah. 5. Hagar, as it says, “Consort, now, with my maid-servant.” 6. And with Yishmael, as it says, “Drive out this slave-woman [with her son].” 7. [Going to war] with the kings, as it says, “He armed his disciples.” 8. Circumcision: that God instructed him, “Walk before Me and be perfect.” 9. In the Covenant Between the Parts, when he prophesied that his descendants would be enslaved in four exiles. 10. With Yitzchak (Isaac): “Take, please, your son, your only one."

 

“And the LORD was aware that Abraham was faithful in all of his afflictions because he tested him with his land, and with famine. And He tested him with the wealth of kings. And He tested him again with his wife, when she was taken [from him], and with circumcision. And He tested him with Ishmael and with Hagar, his maidservant, when he sent them away. And in everything in which He tested him, he was found faithful. And his soul was not impatient. And he was not slow to act because he was faithful and a lover of the LORD.” - Jubilees, Book of Division, 17:17-18

Mesoamerican Sanctuaries as a sacred space in nature

 In Alma 16:13, we read of the Nephites having “sanctuaries”; it is possible that the concept of a “sanctuary,” in a Mesoamerican setting, includes a sacred space in nature. As Freidel et al note:

 

The K'iche' lineage shrines reveal something of the integration of sacred and natural spaces in the highland Maya world. In fact, many are placed in low spots close to natural springs or other water sources, while others are placed high on mountain tops. Here as elsewhere among the Maya, the shrines represent points in a grand pattern of procession and visitation, timely ritual action, and prayer. They are holy places along the path of words.

 

The K'iche' shrines also serve as important markers on our own journey into the Maya past. Their word for lineage or cofradia shrine, where the dead souls are propitiated, is warabal ja, literally "sleeping house." This concept has echoes in the Maya Classic period. The logic of calling the shrine home of a dead soul a "sleeping house" is given by one of Garret Cooke's informants in Momostenango:

 

"This then is what I believe. It is as we say when we dream of someone who has died. We have known him and we have a dream. Then we say that the spirit comes down visibly to our spirits in this way when we sleep, and so the two spirits converse, the living and the dead." (Cook 1986: 146) (David Freidel, Linda Schele, and Joy Parker, Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path [New York: William Morrow and Company, 1993], 188)

 

Leen Ritmeyer on the Cubit in Antiquity

  

DEFINING A CUBIT

 

There is much confusion as to the length of the cubit, especially as we know that more than one cubit was used in antiquity. Different lengths for these cubits have been suggested by scholars.

 

That more than one cubit was in use in biblical times is clear from 2 Chronicles 3:3, where it is stated that Solomon was instructed to build the house of God using cubits “after the first measure.” This implies, of course, that there was another “measure” and that at least two different cubits must have been in use during the First Temple period. The prophet Ezekiel (40:5, 43:13) indeed refers to two cubits, one of which was a handbreadth longer than the other. The long or Royal Cubit of seven handbreadths was that used in Ezekiel’s description of the Temple, and is therefore the Temple Cubit. Although so far no rods or inscribed lengths of cubit have been found in Israel, a beautiful specimen of an Egyptian Cubit 20.67 inches long is on display in the Egyptian Gallery of the British Museum (no. K136542, . . . ) together with a rod which is exactly twice as long. In the Egyptian Museum of Torino there is a golden cubit exhibited of the same length and two rods of a span (half a cubit) each. This long or Royal Cubit (20.67 inches or 525 mm) and the Short Cubit of about 18 inches (450 mm) were in use in Egypt since about 3000 B.C. and were widely used in the ancient world. The small cubit was divided into 24 fingerbreadths or 6 handbreadths and the Royal one into 28 fingerbreadths or 7 handbreadths. There is increasing archaeological evidence to show that both these long and short cubits were used simultaneously in Israel since the tenth century B.C. The determination of the length of these cubits is based on the units of measurements found in excavated tombs and other buildings, . . . From these excavations it can be established with increasing certainty that the length of the longer cubit is 20.67 inches (525 mm) and that of the shorter cubit 17.7 inches (450 mm.) (Leen Ritmeyer, The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem [Jerusalem: Carta Jerusalem and the LAMB Foundation, 2006, 2015], 171)

 

Ward Radio (PKA Midnight Mormons) Debunks IRR's Fake Anti-Mormon Map of the Plan of Salvation

 

We Debunked the Fake Evangelical Anti-Mormon Map!

To be fair, Maria probably helped with the low IQ map.

Everett Ferguson on the theology of baptism in the Epistle of Barnabas

 

Neither was proselyte baptism, which may have begun not long before Barnabas’s time, explicitly connected with forgiveness of sins. Rabbinic literature described the proselyte as not only ceremonially pure (Pes. 8.8) but also as separated from the grace (Pes. 8.8), as a newborn child (b. Yeb. 221; 48b; 62a), as becoming a different person (b. Yeb. 23a), as repenting and changing life (the late Qoh. R. 1.8.4), and becoming a freed person (B. Yeb. 46a), and becoming an Israelite in all respects (b. Yeb. 47b). But these descriptions seem to refer more to legal status (Sheb. 10.9; Yeb. 11.2; Hull. 10.4) and not to entail an inner rebirth. (Everett Ferguson, “Christian and Jewish Baptism According to the Epistle of Barnabas,” in Dimensions of Baptism: Biblical and Theological Studies (Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 234; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002], 213)

 

"Altar as a Place of Deliverance" and Alma 15:17

  

Altars have always played an important role in religious practice and belief. In the Old Testament the verb from which the noun altar derives, zbh (to sacrifice), demonstrates the primary function of altars as places for offering sacrifice. Altars also served as places of deliverance. In ancient Israel a person accused of committing a serious offense could flee to an altar to avoid immediate death. The Old Testament refers to this tradition in the so-called Covenant Code of Exodus:

 

He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. (Exodus 21:12-14)

 

Later variants of this statute make clear that the places of refuge were cities appointed for that specific purpose (compare Deuteronomy 19:1—7; Numbers 35:9—28; Joshua 20). In a city of refuge an accused person could find housing, food, and employment—none of which could be had at the altar. The original place of asylum, however, was the altar of God.2 3 The Exodus

passage quoted above supports this view, as do the accounts in 1 Kings 1:50-51 and 2:28. which relate that Solomon's enemies Adonijah and Joab fled to the tabernacle and “caught hold on the horns of the altar” in hopes of deliverance, albeit with different results.

 

This information proves significant for an understanding of altars in Nephite society, which as an heir to the customs of ancient Israel reflected many of the traditions preserved in the Hebrew Bible. One of the four references to altars in the Book of Mormon establishes a direct correlation between that record and the Old Testament.

 

Alma 15:17 notes that after Alma established the church at Sidom, the people “began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble themselves together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the altar, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction.” (The words before God are equivalent to the Hebrew phrase lipne YHWH and suggest a temple context as the original Sitz im Leben, or “setting in life.”)

 

This verse invokes Israelite custom by identifying the altar as a location of deliverance, a subtlety that provides further evidence that the Book of Mormon clearly reflects the traditions of antiquity. (David E. Bokovoy and John A. Tvedtnes, Testaments: Links Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible [Tooele, Utah: Heritage Press, 2003], 166-67)

 

Note on the Addition of "Cities" to Isaiah 5:9 in 2 Nephi 15:9

  

2 Nephi 15:9	Isa 5:9
In mine ears saith the Lord of Hosts:  Of a truth many houses shall be desolate,  and great and fair cities without inhabitant.	In mine ears said the LORD of hosts,  Of a truth many houses shall be desolate,  even great and fair, without inhabitant

 

Commenting on Isa 5:9 (=2 Nephi 15:9), one non-LDS scholar noted that “cities” are in view in the passage:

 

There is a time limit for this condition, and it is the fulfillment of the previous visions of the destruction of the land. Cities will be without inhabitant (5.9) and the land will be desolate (1.7; 5.9). (Peter D. Miscall, Isaiah [2d ed.; Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2006], 46, emphasis added)

 

It should be noted that the Book of Mormon personifies cities as feminine, offering (albeit implicit) evidence that the text is familiar with ‎עִיר ‘ir being feminine:

 

But behold, it is for the righteous' sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in her. Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, for the wickedness and abominations which are in her. (Helaman 13:14-15)

 

And they did also march forward against the city Teancum, and did drive the inhabitants forth out of her, and did take many prisoners both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods. (Moroni 4:14)

 

Rex C. Reeve, The Book of Mormon: A Book Written For Our Day

 

Rex C. Reeve, The Book of Mormon: A Book Written For Our Day

Russell M. Nelson's Appeal to the Complexity of Creation as Evidence for God

  

The fact that man exists is a miracle. As physicians we do not know how two cells unite to form an embryo or how those cells differentiate and divide, some to become eyes that see, some to become ears that hear, and some to become fingers that feel the beautiful things around us. As scientists we can study this process, describe it, and even manipulate it within the laws that God has provided. We are incapable of complete understanding, but our observations cause us to have faith in the process and in Him as the provider of the process.

 

As a youth, I remember wanting a fine camera. I wanted one that had a light meter and, hopefully, an automatic focusing device. Then one day I stood before a mirror and flashed a light into my own eye, and recognized the change in my eye as I withdrew the beam of light. Suddenly I realized that I already had two cameras finer than man could make. I had instant focus and instant accommodation to light and to darkness; not only that, but stereoscopic vision as well, for my two “cameras” were able to transmit images to the brain not be fused into one three-dimensional picture.

 

The miracle of hearing leaves me in awe. First, wound waves strike the eardrums, making them vibrate so slightly. Then that motion is amplified by three tiny ossicles, which transmit that energy to the auditory nerve, which in turn sends an electrical signal to the brain. This amazing mechanism is the model on which all electronic recording and sound amplification systems are based. Our Divine Creator knew all about these processes long before man “discovered” them.

 

The heart has four little valves that open and close more than 100,000 times a day, over 36 million times a year. There is no material yet devised by man capable of flexion that many times without ultimate fatigue and fracture. The best artificial heart valve available to us now is that taken from the lowly pig. Man has learned to harvest that pig valve, prepare it, mount it on a strut, and then implant it to serve as a human valve would. To date, it is better than any of the valves man has made from steel and plastic, although we don’t know yet how durable it may be.

 

The amount of work done by the heart is most amazing. Each day it pumps enough fluid to fill a 2,000-gallon tank car and performs work equivalent to lifting a 150-pound man to the top of the Empire State Building, which consuming about 4 watts, less energy than is used by the smallest light bulb in our home.

 

At the crest of the heart is a little electrical transmitter, the sinoatrial node, which sends its signal over the network of special conduction tissue throughout the heart to organize the heartbeat and synchronize it in response to the extra demands of exercise and the lessened demands at rest.

 

As I go to meetings of the American Heart Association, I see thousands of doctors attending myriads of special scientific sessions, all probing deeply to learn more about this simple pump. It seems all the more we learn, the more we have yet to learn.

 

Even more amazing is the phenomenon of the human mind. The electrical signals emitted from the mind can be recorded by electroencephalographic means, and some researchers have even induced recall of memory by stimulating specific areas of the brain electrically. Nevertheless, physicians do not know how the mind is able to store and retrieve information. The mechanism of the brain is marvelous, and the possession of the mind a sacred responsibility. To see and hear is also a sacred privilege, and the contamination of the memory storage bank by anything unworthy of its divine origin and its infinite capability is sacrilege. As I marvel at the minds of the prophets, I know it is possible for the human mind to receive inspiration and revelation and to provide prophetic and inspired pronouncements. The aging process itself does not dull the mind, but indeed enriches it if one has continually filled the mind with worthy and worthwhile things.

 

The power of the body to autoregulate has fascinated me. Most of us have a blood sugar level between 80 and 100 milligrams per 100 milliliters when fasting. This is all regulated without our having to do a thing about it. Countless other constituents of the blood are similarly regulated without any thought of outs. One gains a greater appreciation of this when one considers the hospital use of a blood gas analyzer. It is a rather sizeable instrument, about half the size of an upright piano. How excited we were when we could put a specimen of blood in this analyzer and learn, without five minutes, what the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide were. This was a great boon in our treatment of patients who required artificial respiration. Yet, in our bodies are two little clusters of cells, situated on each side of the neck that continuously analyze oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood. This information is then transmitted by nerves to the brain, which in turn governs the muscles of respiration. It is this mechanism that only permits us to stay so long under water without an overpowering drive to come to the surface for air. That is because as the carbon dioxide accumulates and the blood pH begins to go down, these sensing centers are sending signals to the brain that the pressure of oxygen is low, and that the level of carbon dioxide is high. A few good breaths of fresh air will correct these abnormalities. These sending centers are ours as a gift from our Creator. (Russell M. Nelson, From Heart to Heart: An Autobiography [Salt Lake City: Quality Press, Inc., 1979], 287-88, 290)

 

Russell M. Nelson's Recollection of Boyd K. Packer's (Based) Comments During a Sealing Ceremony (November 20, 1979)

  

The Marriage of
Marsha Nelson and Hugh Christopher McKellar

 

Date: Friday, November 20, 1979

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Place: Salt Lake Temple, Room 12

Officiating: Elder Boyd K. Packer, apostle of the Lord and member of the Council of the Twelve.

Present: Marsha, Chris, all four parents, and twenty-eight other close relatives and friends.

 

Elder Packer stressed that today a new unit of the Church was being formed. This differs from the boundaries of wards and stakes, which are set up merely for the convenience of administration and are subject to change. The new unit of the Church is named after the holder of the priesthood, and bears the name of McKellar, and Chris presides over this new unit of the Church, which is an eternal unit.

 

Then he went on to indicate some factors that might mitigate the success of this family unit:

 

1. Problems. When problems arise, each should go to the other and not beyond, until the two of you have had a chance to discuss it thoughtfully, and then prayerfully, to resolve the problem. Then, it is proper to see counsel with the bishop, with the stake president, and/or with parents.

 

2. Leadership. There should be one breadwinner—Chris. Of course, during the phase of married life before the children have come, and after they have gone from the home, it is less crucial; but when there are children in the home, the most extravagant economy would be for the spiritual loss of the mother from the home in return for what meager economic gain she could contribute. There must be one father in the home and one mother in the home, both honoring the priesthood, both placing the family first in their list of priorities.

 

3. Children. The purpose of marriage is children. Homes could be built, cars could be brought, other materials could be possessed without the requirement of marriage. The loftiest purpose of the marriage covenant is to provide for a family and invite children into the home. It is a wicked and false doctrine extant in the world today that would lead one to avoid the responsibilities of parenthood.

 

4. Parents Should Let Go of Their Responsibilities. Here, he quoted the statement of President Hugh B. Brown, who referred to the matrimonial ship, and said, “All ashore, we are going ashore, and the first ones down the gangplank should be the in-laws.” This brought a little chuckle of laughter, but the point was, that the ship of matrimony is now being run by Marsha and Chris, and parental interference would not be appropriate, nor would it be appropriate for anyone.

 

Then Elder Packer spoke to Chris and said, “Chris, there would never be any infidelity on your part; there must never be any wedge between you and your bride.” Then he turned to Marsha and said, “There must never be any biting or spiteful remarks.” He then gave the illustration of the couple who had engaged in an exchange of remarks that were made in anger, and as the husband left the door she followed him down the walk to shout one final biting and spiteful remark. Circumstances arose later in that day which caused the husband’s life to be taken in an accident. The anguish in the soul of that wife, who recalled that her last words to him were those of a biting and spiteful remark, caused the opinion to be formulated that this kind of comment should never be exchanged, for they would be the last words between two who are in love.

 

Then he said that next Monday should be the first family home evening and every Monday thereafter, and that the first family prayer should be tonight, and thereafter on a regular basis.

 

After this preliminary counsel, he then explained the ordinance about to be performed, first stressing the blessings of the resurrection, that you will be blessed to come forth on the morning of the first resurrection; then that you would have the right to dominions and powers that can be achieved through activity in the Church and the faithful sustaining of the priesthood; that you will have the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as pronounced in the Old Testament, and all of those other great blessings that you will fall heir to. Then he mentioned the blessings of your posterity, and that all blessings would be pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, which you are about to make.

 

Then he gave a final warning that there are those influences in the world that would destroy the family. To this extent, you must be separated from the world and those influences and teachings that are contrary to the eternal and spiritual nature of the family. He emphasized that your image must be the image of the priesthood, even though it will cause some embarrassment on occasion, perhaps even heartbreak and possibly violence. Yet, you must hang on to the image of the priesthood, for the family must be intact in eternities to come.

 

Then he performed the marriage ceremony, with Marsha on his left and Chris on his right. After this was done, they kissed over the altar and then were called up beside him, where rings were exchanged. He was a bit quizzical as Marsha placed the ring on Christ’s right fourth finger, but she replied with a most significant remark: “I am doing it this way, because this is the way Chris wants it.” This taught everyone a good lesson on her willingness to be obedient to the leadership of the priesthood, in righteousness. Again, they kissed to seal the exchange of the rings, and the ceremony was concluded.” (Russell M. Nelson, From Heart to Heart: An Autobiography [Salt Lake City: Quality Press, Inc., 1979], 215, 217-18)