Tag Archives: ancients

Promises of Calling & Election in JS Lesson 13

If you’re new here, you may want to sign up for email alerts or subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for reading!Live in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and walk humbly before Him, and He will exalt thee in His own due time. -Joseph Smith 
Last week was the Joseph Smith manual chapter [...]

Words: Mysticism & Orientation

I think many times our culture produces preconceptions or stereotypes about words, images, cultures, forms, meanings, etc., that may not actually be true.  I have found this to be the case with the word mysticism.  Oft times I think we associate this word with gypsies, palm readers, fortune tellers, monks, or other so-called strange or [...]

Time and Eternity: An Egyptian Dualism

As I was researching for the posts on the ankh, I came across some information which was interesting, describing the Egyptian concept of “time” and “eternity.” These concepts almost seem repetitive and redundant to our modern way of thinking, but to the Egyptians each of these terms represented something concrete and distinct, and both were [...]

The Genesis of the Round Dance - Reprise

For those who may have missed it the first time when this blog was in its infancy, have a look over at at the 6-part series I posted entitled “The Genesis of the Round Dance.”  I’d like to get your take on the paper.  I didn’t receive much commentary the first time round.  (No pun [...]

Did the Temple Ordinances Come From The Masons?

Today a commenter on the site mentioned how I should include more parallels with the practices of the Masons, since that is plainly where the temple ordinances came from. And I would respond, did they? Did they really, so easily, come from the Masons? Can we dismiss Joseph as a prophet, seer, [...]

“You Don’t Speak About the Temple” Says Bushman

I have just recently begun reading Dr. Richard Bushman’s prominent Rough Stone Rolling biography of the prophet Joseph Smith. I have found it very insightful and excellent, and I’m sure I will share things here that relate to the temple as I come upon them in the book.
This morning, I read a Deseret News [...]

“Between Heaven and Earth” Videoclips

In 2002 the Church released a documentary on LDS temples that was originally broadcast between sessions of General Conference. It is entitled “Between Heaven and Earth” and is available on VHS or DVD at Deseret Book, Church Distribution, or the BYU Bookstore. It is being shown at temple open houses and in temple [...]

Interview with Professor Andrew Skinner on “Temple Worship”

This morning I heard an excellent 50-minute interview on KSL News Radio on the program “People of Faith with Carole Mikita.” Today, Mikita interviewed Professor Andrew Skinner, Excecutive Director of The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, on his recent publication of the book entitled Temple Worship: 20 Truths That Will Bless Your [...]

Mudra Ritual Gestures in Eastern Religion

I was reading a blog of a friend of mine, Dave Stoker, over at Thoughts of a Seeker when I noticed a photograph of a statue he used in a post. This statue, that he identified as the Tian Tan Buddha, was intriguing to me because of its unique posture that I had not [...]

What is a Temple? - Andrew Skinner

Dr. Andrew C. Skinner, currently executive director of The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU, gives a good and succinct definition and description of what an LDS temple is over at the MormonChurch.com blog. Such an answer would be good for those who question us what the temple is all about.
Here [...]

What Good are the Scattered Fragments?

Since the first day I picked up a book by Hugh Nibley I have been fascinated by the parallels which he taught exist between our practices and those of the ancients.  Many critics of the Church claim that Joseph Smith made this all up, that he was a charlatan, a deceiver, and a con-man.  However, [...]