I came across an interesting blog post the other day, that gave eight philosophical questions that man believes we may never solve. One of the questions is, “is our universe real?” I researched many different facets of this question in my 45 page paper, “A Modern Worldview from Plato’s Cave.”
In this blog post it states: [Read more…]
Nephi was caught away in the Spirit to “an exceedingly high mountain,” where he conversed with the Spirit of the Lord. Artist: Clark Kelley Price.
If you have not had the opportunity to read David Bokovoy’s inaugural article in the new Interpreter journal, I recommend it. It discusses Nephi’s experience in 1 Nephi 11 when he was caught away to “an exceedingly high mountain” where he had a question and answer exchange with the Spirit of the Lord, and thereafter was given higher spiritual knowledge.
High mountains have always been traditionally associated with temples, and as sacred spaces. Indeed, their physical height and altitude alone contribute to this symbolism; ascending the mount gets one closer to God on high. Many times throughout the scriptures, the prophets ascend high mountains to seek spiritual refuge and converse with God. Such is the case with Moses ascending Mount Sinai, for example. Whenever a prophet or other individual in the scriptures goes to, or is taken to, a high mountain, it is well to pay careful attention to what is taking place, as it is almost always a sacred temple-type experience.
The question and answer exchange format that precedes an endowment of further light and knowledge is also a pattern often found within these scriptural accounts. Bokovoy explains that these exchanges were often to consider the worthiness and faith of the individual who had approached God, and so that there could be a divine witness, or seal by the Holy Spirit of Promise, of such righteousness before higher mysteries were given by God to that individual. At the ancient Israelite temple, such question and answer exchanges also preceded even entering a temple, when those ascending to the temple would encounter the priests at the gate, and be interrogated as to their worthiness to enter there.
I’ve been impressed for some time by the many prophets we read about in the scriptures who have apocalyptic visions of the history of the earth, the creation story, it’s purpose, the reason for our mortal lives, and concluding with visions of the heavenly temple and God’s throne. I’ve often wondered if these prophets were, in fact, witnessing the same heavenly ascent vision, as it almost always includes the same or similar elements. It would be interesting to compare further these accounts.
What were some of your impressions of Bokovoy’s article? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Temple Square Panoramas
I’ve featured 360° panoramas of Temple Square before, those created by Dr. William Hamblin, but a few more can’t hurt. And these ones are very good indeed.
Created by Martin van Hemert Photography, Inc., at Utah3D.net, these full-screen panoramas include 360° images of the plaza, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, the North-West corner of the temple, the Christus statue, and Christmas lights at Temple Square (between the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall). The color and lighting are exquisite in these! And it gives the perception of standing on the spot. Very well done.
To navigate the panoramas, click on the image of the panorama you want to view, allow the image to load, and then click and drag on the image to look around in any direction. You can zoom in/out with the left shift and CTRL keys, or the scroll wheel on your mouse.
And while you’re at it, check out the other Utah panoramas they’ve done.
Utah3D.net 360° Panoramas of Temple Square
[via Mormon Times via LDS Media Talk]
Very sensitive cameras capture light emitted from the body. Kyoto University, Tohoku Institute of Technology / Livescience.com
That’s right. Our bodies actually emit a minuscule amount of real light. This is not just radiation or infrared body heat, but actual photons are released from the surface of the skin:
Past research has shown that the body emits visible light, 1,000 times less intense than the levels to which our naked eyes are sensitive. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals. ((“Humans Glow in Visible Light,” Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience. http://news.aol.com/article/humans-glow/584160))
New research indicates that the amount of light varies throughout the day: [Read more…]
I’m curious. I’ve heard these stories before about the lights from the temple guiding pilots in the night so that they can properly align themselves for landing at a nearby airport. When the lights aren’t there, the pilots complain and the air traffic control calls the temple wondering why the lights are out.
The latest I heard today was about the Los Angeles temple, and about how one night there was a power failure such that the angel Moroni wasn’t lit. The temple received a call from the LAX airport tower control asking why the light was out. They were told that pilots use the light and Moroni as a beacon to guide them in their landing. The temple workers climbed to the top of the temple and lit the angel with a generator.
I’ve heard this story told now about three different temples – the Las Vegas, the Los Angeles, and the Oakland temple. Each time the details are slightly different, but the substance is the same. In some of the versions it is the entire temple which is unlit; in some it is just the angel Moroni.
I was wondering if anyone knows where this story came from, and if any of these are true. I did some quick searches on LDS.org, but didn’t find anything.