The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the largest female organizations on the planet which is composed solely of women. It was established by revelation and given power and authority by His prophets to be one of the most powerful engines for doing good that the Earth has ever encountered. But I find that many members, men and women, don’t think of Relief Society as being anything other than that thing the women do on some Sundays. In this article we look at the teachings of Eliza R. Snow, founding member and record keeper of the Nauvoo Female Relief Society, the one who re-founded it in Utah, and second President of the Relief Society as she explains the organization of the Relief Society, its purpose, and the power it has to accomplish God’s work upon the Earth.
Category: Joseph Smith
The First Work of Mormon Fiction Ever Printed
Elder Parley P. Pratt is well known in Latter-day Saint a sone of its earliest converts, most powerful missionaries, and most influential theologians. Nearly two centuries later his ideas still have significant influence on the beliefs of millions around the world, often without their even knowing it. Those who have studied his life may also know him as one of the earliest Latter-day poets, creating the first hymnal used by members of the church and authoring several hymns which are still sung today in addition to the numerous poems that he penned. But few will know that he is the author of the first work of Latter-day Saint fiction ever published. In the present day when authors and authoresses like Brandon Sanderson, Stephanie Myer, Orson Scott Card, and Jessica Day George have dominated the Western fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy bestsellers lists it seems like LDS fiction writers are everywhere. But that hasn’t always been the case. It had to start somewhere. This is that beginning. This is “Joe Smith and the Devil.”
How To Live The Word of Wisdom: The Complete Edition
This is the collection of articles which were written about the Word of Wisdom to address the many issues, misinterpretations, and misunderstandings we have about this revelation head on. By confronting them I hope to help correct the foundational errors in our understanding of the Word of Wisdom, which in turn helps us to explain why some of the apparent hypocrisies and contradictions of it (like why we can have Red Bull but not coffee) are neither contradictions nor hypocritical. I try my best to explore and explain the purpose of the Word of Wisdom by looking at the text itself and what it tells us it is, not what we have said it is, and how it actually tells us to live, not how we say we should live. I address the historical enforcement of the Word of Wisdom, how alcohol mas been treated by the Church, the many errors we make on the issues of drinking coffee and tea as well as eating meat. Finally, I hope to help set us on a better path of following the Word of Wisdom in a spiritually healthy way that will build and strengthen our faith in Christ and the Restoration through a better understanding and living of this great latter-day revelation.
How To Obey The Word of Wisdom: Alcoholic Drinks
The Word of Wisdom is a modern commandment that the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith designed to bless the physical, emotional, and spiritual lives of the Saints in the modern days. It is a topic which many members know about but the history of which very few seem to understand. As a result many members come to erroneous conclusions about its purpose, place, and enforcement in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This in turn leads them to false conclusions about how it should be interpreted and enforced today. One of the most common errors is the belief that beer and perhaps other weak alcoholic drinks were acceptable as “mild drinks” and were only forbidden in the early 20th century by LDS leaders who were supportive of American Prohibition. To find out the truth of this I will be evaluating the history of the Word of Wisdom in the 19th century as well as placing it in the larger context of common ideas of medicine and health common in the era. This will give us a great basis then to address and confirm or dispel some of the most common misconceptions surrounding the Word of Wisdom.
When We Should Break The Law
From our earliest days, when the Prophet Joseph and Patriarch Hyrum suffered in Liberty Jail and died in Carthage Jail, to the Saints spending nearly 30 years resisting Federal anti-polygamy laws, practicing civil disobedience and being willing to go to prison in order to serve God, on down to the modern day we have examples of the lives of great Saints who have repeatedly broken the laws of the land in order to do what is right and to serve God. Latter-day Saint history is full of rebels and rogues, people who would rather be exiled from the nation, who would rather be killed, than disobey the Lord. So how is it that so many of us have become so milquetoast about standing up the government tyranny? Why is it that so many of us think that the Saints should “strictly obey the laws of the government in which they live,” even when such laws aren’t just wrong or immoral, but even when said laws actively compel us either to disobey God or punish us for obeying Him? While there are numerous reasons, one of the largest is because Latter-day Saints have misinterpreted the Twelfth Article of Faith, D&C 58:21, and D&C 134:5 as giving commandments to the Saints to obey the law and to comply even with evil laws. A close examination of these scriptures though, as I attempt here, show that such interpretations are, by the large, gross nonsense.
Exaltation, The Endowment, and The Divine Council
The LDS Temple Endowment and its deep, ancient, rich symbolism is very often unknown and misunderstood even by Latter-day Saints. We live in an age so literal and devoid of mythic symbolism that even the most simplistic rituals can be seen as strange and confusing to the modern man. This is even more so for the Endowment, which is steeped in ritual and symbolism as old as history itself. Here I attempt to peel back one of these layers of mystery by exploring the Endowment in relation to the scriptural concept of the Divine Council of the Gods and what understanding this teaches us not only about the Endowment but the purpose of the Endowment and the Temple in the lives of the Saints.
The Modern Moloch, Part 5: The Political Messiah
In the former parts of this series we have explored how the State, the government, is in form and function an idolatrous death cult as well as how the cult functions in our daily lives, indoctrinating us into its service from childhood. As we have explored these issues the question has arisen of how such an organization developed in the first place and what is its ultimate end? To answer that we must start before even the Beginning and range across time and scripture to beyond even the very End of the World- going from the Council in Heaven to the Apocalypse. Here we find out the Satanic origins of the Cult of the State, see how it is described in the revelations of the prophets Nephi and John the Revelator, explore some of the most important yet confusing symbols in scriptures -the great and abominable church in the Book of Mormon and Revelation’s Dragon, Beast, Antichrist, and the Whore of Babylon- and see what scripture tells us about the ultimate downfall of the State and all the governments of the world.
How We Win: The Complete Series on How Nonviolence Can Help Change Society
What follows below was originally released as three separate parts, but, intended from the start to be read as one whole article, but ended up being too long. Each article works singularly, but the full force of the argument is somewhat disjointed by the need to break it up for easier consumption. Here the original article is restored for those who wish to take it in as one complete work. It explores how nonviolent action would not only help the protestors in the street win allies, change hearts, and alter laws, but how nonviolence makes possible the transformation of our society from what it is into one with greater liberty, equality, and prosperity for all.
What Is God’s Latter-day Church and Kingdom?
An excellent article from early church history that testifies to the supreme authority of the Kingdom of God, the destiny of it to fill the world, the assurance that all the kingdoms of men will one day submit to it, and the power of trusting in the justice and mercy of God. A classic in Latter-day Saint literature.
How We Win: Part 3- The Way to Tomorrow
In Part 3 of 3 of my series about how to bring about true social change through nonviolence, I explore the power of nonviolence to bring about reconciliation, transforming our enemies into our friends, and to create a better world through mercy.