Author: Guest Blogger

Unfreezing Our Hearts: Choosing to See the Beauty in Disney’s Frozen

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Anna and Elsa embrace at the end of Frozen.

Anna and Elsa embrace at the end of Frozen.

This is a guest post by Raven Haymond, my dear wife.

This life, we are taught, is all about choices. Ultimately, this existence can be framed by the choices made in three gardens. It almost reads like a fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a garden, blooming with all the beauty this world could hold. In this garden lived a prince and a princess who spent their days in the light of the sun, in the shade of the tree, and in the company of Gods. One day, a jealous serpent whispered into the princess’s ear, hissing truths encased in mischief. After listening to the serpent’s words, and after considering the beauty of her present life, the princess made the choice to disobey one of the rules of life in this garden and eat the fruit that would cause her and her children to know the bad with the good, the sorrow with the joy, the toil with the happiness. When her prince found out what she had done, he, too, ate that heavy fruit, for he knew that a life without her was not really a life at all. When their choice was found out, the prince and the princess were cast out of their beautiful garden, into a world of isolation and strife. However, this choice to leave perfect beauty allowed them to know the miracles of family, faith, and repentance. [Read more…]

Sanctuary Vesture: A Brief Overview and Comparison

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Ancient Israelite temple ceremonial clothing

Ancient Israelite temple ceremonial clothing worn in the Mosaic Tabernacle, and succeeding Israelite temples of Solomon, Herod, et al.

I’m very pleased to welcome another guest post by Matthew B. Brown.  Some of his writings, particularly his book The Gate of Heaven, are what inspired me to study the temple more in depth.  He offers a wealth of insight and learning for the Latter-day Saints. ~Bryce

Matthew B. Brown holds a degree in history from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is the author of ten books and has published articles with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU (aka FARMS). Matthew has served as a volunteer researcher, editor, and respondent for The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) and has spoken at several of their annual conferences. He is one of the directors of the upcoming EXPOUND symposium on May 14, 2011, and will also be a presenter (expoundlds.com).

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It is publicly acknowledged that Latter-day Saints who participate in the central temple rites of their faith dress in several layers of ceremonial clothing, consisting of a “white undergarment” (which is worn as part of everyday life) and “other priestly robes” (which are only worn during times of temple service).1 [Read more…]

Expect the Unexpected at the Temple

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Vision of Zacharias, James Tissot (1894)

Vision of Zacharias, James Tissot (1894)

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I haven’t contributed much to Temple Study in recent months.  I’ve received emails from readers wondering if I’m OK.  I’m still here, but have had other priorities to attend to.  Until life stabilizes a bit, I won’t be able to get back to blogging.  Toby Palmer has offered to help keep the blog alive, and I’m interested in his insights about Hugh Nibley and the temple.
-Bryce

Guest Blogger: Toby’ s self-identifying moment came when he read a Hugh Nibley article describing the characteristics of an eschatologist—someone who loves and seeks the infinite possibilities of God beyond the veil. With this self-proclaimed title, Toby voraciously reads and writes searching the mysteries of God while building his own testimony of Jesus Christ. He proudly contributes to TempleStudy.com in hope of strengthening others. Toby lives with his wife and four children in Orem, Utah.

Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seek spiritual guidance for important individual and family decisions as they attend and worship at the temple. Many times divine messages that come to the heart and mind while in these holy spaces is hardly what is expected—and sometimes even a bit surprising.

According to Hugh Nibley in Three Shrines: Mantic, Sophic, and Sophistic ((Hugh Nibley, Three Shrines: Mantic, Sophic, and Sophistic can be found at http://farmsoldsite.farmsresearch.com/publications/books/?bookid=76&chapid=955)), being surprised by revelation is exactly what should be expected. Nibley explains the mantic individual seeks revelation and the sophic person goes no further than his own learning for knowledge. To the sophic the thought of finding answers from a spiritual source is “uncontrollable, incalculable, and full of imponderables” and completely unacceptable to the cool and rational mind. Conversely, the mantic believes revelation comes in the same unexpected way. The difference between the two is the mantic has learned to trust the divine message as he bends his will to the creator.

Consider scriptural accounts of those being surprised by unexpected revelation. Gabriel’s visit to Zacharias in the temple took the wise man by surprise, the shepherds on the eve of Christ’s birth were “sore afraid” at the site of the angel—a feeling the apostles also experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Even people chosen of God for great things had to do a double take during these personal spiritual experiences.

Nibley cites C.S. Lewis in reference to revelation, “That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up…”

Next time you attend the temple seeking spiritual council, keep in mind the answer you receive may be unexpected and challenge the will to obey. Take heart with this paradox. Our faith can be strengthened by expecting the unexpected answers from Heavenly Father.

The Promises Made to the Fathers

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Elijah Appearing In The Kirtland Temple, by Dan Lewis.

Elijah Appearing In The Kirtland Temple, by Dan Lewis.

My father is on the High Council in the Riverton Utah Stake, and this past Sunday he was asked to speak in a ward about the temple and family history work.  He sent me his talk, and I thought it was good and thought provoking.  I thought you might like it too.  -Bryce

By Mark Haymond
November 15, 2009
Riverton 11th Ward

At the first of October, just last month, I had the privilege of traveling with other members of our stake and even President and Sister Higbee back to the important sites in early Church history. We visited the birthplace of Joseph in Sharon, Vermont. We visited Harmony, Pennsylvania, where the Prophet Joseph and Emma first lived after they were married. In the home in Harmony most of the Book of Mormon was translated and revelations were received. Just behind that home, not fifty yards, are the banks of the Susquehanna River where John the Baptist laid his hands on Joseph and Oliver’s heads and the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood was bestowed upon them. While Joseph and Emma lived in Harmony, the Apostles Peter, James and John came to the earth and laid their hands on the heads of Joseph and Oliver and bestowed upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood and the holy Apostleship.  [Read more…]

The Lord Speaks Again: Ancient Temple Patterns in D&C 124

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William Weeks Nauvoo Temple architectural plan. (Click for larger view)

William Weeks Nauvoo Temple architectural plan. (Click for larger view)

It is my honor and pleasure to introduce a new guest blogger to TempleStudy.com, Matthew B. Brown.  Many of you may already be familiar with the great work of this historian, scholar, and author.  If you are not, I heartily recommend his work to you. One of my favorite books on the temple is by Br. Brown, The Gate of Heaven: Insights on the Doctrines and Symbols of the Temple.  A big thanks to Br. Brown for sharing his insights with us here on TempleStudy.com.  -Bryce

Guest Blogger: Matthew B. Brown holds a degree in history from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is the author of ten books and has published articles with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU (aka FARMS). Matthew serves as a volunteer researcher, editor, and respondent for The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) and has spoken at several of their annual conferences. He has also been featured on TV and radio programs as well as at a number of seminars and symposiums.

On 19 January 1841 the Lord issued an important revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith which is now known as Doctrine and Covenants section 124.1 There are many verses within this revelation where the Lord describes concepts associated with the Nauvoo temple. These concepts can be placed under five general categories so that they can be more easily evaluated: The Lord’s People, The Lord’s Commands, The Lord’s House, The Priesthood, and The Ordinances. This article is calculated to help students of the past more accurately understand what (and how much) the Lord revealed about the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois by the first month of the year in 1841. It is also designed to show intriguing connections between the Mormons who lived in the first half of the nineteenth century and what took place among the covenant people of the biblical period.  [Read more…]