In this LDS Book Review I review one of Stephen King’s earliest and best novels – the vampire horror story, “Salem’s Lot.” Printed in 1975, “Salem’s Lot” tells the story of a ragtag group of small town folk as they fight against a powerful source of true evil, the Master Vampire Kurt Barlow as he converts the town of Jerusalem’s Lot into vampires. The story contains numerous themes that stand out to a person of faith – including battling against true evil as Barlow isn’t just a vampire but he is specifically a worshipper of Satan and sacrifices at least one human child to the Lord of Flies in the book. This novel also has some powerful things to say about government and the State. So in this review I don’t just review the book I also explore what it means to compare the State to vampirism as the book does, the true meaning of religion as a cosmic force, and the conflict between God and the government. The story of “Salem’s Lot” couldn’t be a more apt metaphor for what the State does to individuals and society and what we must do to drive a stake through the heart of the State and reclaim our individuality and liberty.
Category: Literature
What Mormon Women Had To Say About Polygamy – The Great Indignation Meeting
The discussion of plural marriage and the practice of polygamy among the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dominated by a lot of ignorance, error, and anti-Mormon lies. While it is no surprise that non-members would believe these things the degree to which members of the church view polygamy as oppressive, anti-woman, and abusive is shocking and depressing. In an effort to correct these lies I have appealed directly to the words of the women who lived polygamy themselves and what they had to say about their lives. For that I turned to the printed account of The Great Indignation Meeting, a mass protest meeting held by the women of Utah in 1870 wherein they declared the ways that polygamy elevated them in society and protected their rights, denounced federal efforts to violate their human rights by making polygamy unconstitutional, and announced that they would rather die than submit to the oppressive laws of the government that would deny them their rights to plural marriage. The words of these powerful and intelligent women absolutely demolish the lies of anti-Mormons and promote the truths of the Restored Gospel.
Stephen King’s Roadwork: A Parable of Life in a Fallen World and the Light of Hope
Using the lesser known but well written Stephen King novel, “Roadwork,” as a jumping off point, this article explores the vicissitudes of life and how it seems like mortality just piles suffering and pain on top of suffering and pain until we either are crushed under the weight, seek escape in mind-numbing hedonism, or snap and engage in retaliatory violence at the world that has so hurt us. I explore how this happens and why it happens, augmenting the fictional story with a real life example of Marvin Heemeyer, a man driven to the breaking point who struck back at his persecutors, and why we don’t need to similarly give in to such despair. There is a source of hope in the despair, a blinding light in the darkness that can rescue us from the suffering and depression in life. That Light is Jesus Christ which I explain as the solution and salvation to the problems of the world. There is a better way than either suffering or vengeance and the is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power it gives us to tame the monster within us and create a world of light and joy.
Eliza R. Snow Explains The Purpose and Power of The Relief Society
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.
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.”
Remembering The Power of The Cross on Easter
It is well known within and without of Mormonism’s cultural bubble that Latter-day Saints don’t wear crosses, nor do we consider the Cross as the symbol of our faith. Why this is will have to wait for another time. This Holy Week I instead want to explore the symbol of the Cross not in our society but in our theology. Unlike our discourse, every book of LDS scripture is awash with the symbol of the Cross and the Suffering Savior, the Crucified Christ, as the symbol of discipleship and the focus of faith. What do the scriptures have to say about the symbol of the Christ and what does it mean for what we believe and how we should teach about the Atonement of Jesus Christ? What does it mean for our Christianity? How should Latter-day Saints look at the Cross, especially as we go into the Paschal/Easter season? This is what I explore in today’s article as I prepare my heart and mind for celebrating the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ the Lord.
When Elder Orson Hyde Predicted World War I in 1862
In this LDS Classic we have an article originally written by Elder Orson Hyde of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to a Missouri newspaper in 1862, during the height of the American Civil War. In this letter, Elder Hyde does a number of fascinating and insightful things.
First, he talks about how the events of the Civil War in Missouri were divine punishment on the people there for their persecution of the Saints.
Secondly, he explains how the Civil War itself is a fulfillment of a prophecy given by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1832, which is D&C 87 today. He also explains how this connects to the imagery of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation, specifically the Horseman of War and the opening of the Seven Seals.
Finally he teaches that the “demon of war” will move from America to Europe and issues a prediction of war there that fits perfectly what we now call World War I.
An excellent read for all the insights and prophecy contained herein.
The Christian Case For Nonviolence
The following address, “A Case for Christocentric Nonviolence”, is a copy of a presentation made by New Testament scholar Dr. Preston Sprinkle. It is merely the tip of the iceberg of the evidence and arguments from Christian scripture, history, and theology he uses in his book “Fight” to demonstrate that Christianity is rooted in an absolute ethic of God-like love for all and the commandment to renounce all violence for all causes as Christians are ordered by Christ’s word, deeds, and example to save our enemies, not destroy them. In it he discusses four basic theses, statements of fact that will be proven, which demonstrate the nonviolent nature of Christ and Christian teaching. Then he deals with four arguments commonly made by people trying to justify Christian violence – Romans 13, the cleansing of the temple by Jesus, Jesus telling the Apostles to go buy sword, and the Second Coming – and after demonstrating the errors in them and answering those concerns he concludes by suggesting but a few ways of how this should effect the way we think and act as Christians today in both terms of violent personal self-defense and in war.
The Psychological Origins of The State
Typically when discussing politics and the origins of political movements, countries, and ideas one defaults to history as a way to explain and understand what has happened in society. This obviously makes a great deal of sense as it helps us to see where some movement or idea has come from, how it has functioned in the past, how it is effecting the world today, and to theorize about what most likely will happen in the future due to its influence. But, as a means of actually understanding the whys and wherefores of these issues the historical method can only produce half answers. History cannot tell us what it is about the human condition that leads us to making the choices we do, it cannot explain what about the human mind leads us to doing the things that we do. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do so. In fact, I recently completed a series of articles looking at the origins of the State that does just that – it examines the psychological origins of the State, what about the human mind leads people towards Statism. This is a collection of those articles in a single place.
The Eternal Victory of Christmas
I recently wrote that without a proper understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ that one cannot fully comprehend the meaning of Christmas. Christ was born to Resurrect, defeat Death and Hell, and open to path of salvation and eternal life to all. This is absolutely true, but since I wrote that article I have had my vision widened to see that the scope of the Atonement, and therefore the Nativity, is much wider, much deeper, and much greater than I had before understood.
Here I try and share that vision with you through the writings of Apostle Orson Pratt. Herein he discusses the Plan of Salvation and its unending and self-perpetuating nature. The cycle of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Exaltation, and Creation are explored here in Elder Pratt’s writings. Then I briefly connect these truths back to the Nativity and how understanding them will deepen our comprehension of the richness and eternal ramifications of that first Christmas.