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Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple

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Death Before the Fall? First Impressions

September 30, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 22 Comments
Omo 1 skull remains, considered the oldest Homo sapiens fossils discovered, scientists date to 200,000 years old

Omo 1 skull remains, considered the oldest Homo sapiens fossils discovered, scientists date to 200,000 years old

This is a follow-up to “The Age of the Earth” post, although I suppose that one was really laying the groundwork for this one.  This is where everything comes to a head (like the one shown here).  Was there death before the Fall of Adam and Eve?  It is a very delicate question, because there are very strong feelings on many sides of the issue, some of which may have tremendous gospel implications as well.  So here we will tread lightly, and attempt to not make any dogmatic conclusions.  I’m not sure I have any besides.  These are simply some first impressions on the subject.  Because that is the case, we will ask more questions here than we attempt to answer in any substantial way.

This is a point of presumed doctrine in LDS belief that causes consternation for many members.  Similar to the age of the Earth question, it causes cognitive dissonance for some, insofar that some even lose their faith in the Church, and even leave the Church.  I perceive that this should not be.  There are answers, even if preliminary, to most of these difficult questions.  It should also be noted that questions such as these are not necessarily central to the gospel, nor to our salvation, but they do affect some people’s ability to function in the Church because of the cognitive dissonance it causes them.

The belief, as I introduced above, is that there was no death before the Fall of Adam and Eve.  No death, period.  On the other hand, the world and its legions of scientists of all stripes inform us that there were dinosaurs, dating back 230 million years, with bones scattered in all parts of the world (one of the largest caches is located right here in Vernal, Utah).  There were trilobites, perhaps the most common fossil, dating back 526 million years (again, one of the richest quarries is just west of Delta, Utah, where you can actually “farm” for trilobites to take home.)  There were ancient forests, plant life, zooplankton, and algae, dating back millions of year, which helped give us the crude oil that powers much of our world today.  There are even bones of hominids that used stone tools that most scientists concur died a couple million years ago.  Indeed, there are even bones of anatomically modern humans that have been dated to up to 200,000 years old (see the image above). [Read more…]

Posted in: Temples Today Tagged: adam and eve, archaeology, bible, book of mormon, boyd k. packer, brigham young, bruce r. mcconkie, creation, dead, death, doctrines, evidence, garden of eden, hugh nibley, immortality, joseph fielding smith, physical, plan of salvation, questions, research, revelation, revelations, science, scriptures, study, transhumanism

Who are we, really?

September 26, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 5 Comments

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…]

Posted in: Tidbits Tagged: children, christ, glory, greek, life, light, philosophy, questions, transhumanism, universe, veil, worship

Earliest Reference to Nauvoo-Era Temple Endowment?

September 1, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 4 Comments
Urim & Thummim or Interpreters, as described by Joseph Smith and others. Steve Reed, OneClimbs.com.

The Urim & Thummim or Interpreters, as described by Joseph Smith and others. (Steve Reed, OneClimbs.com)

One of the most interesting presentations, at least to me, at this year’s 2012 FAIR Conference in Sandy, UT, was Don Bradley’s “Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages,” for obvious reasons; it dealt with the temple. I have not been acquainted with Don Bradley’s work before, so this was an excellent introduction.

Bradley is working on a Master’s thesis at Utah State University, and the focus of his study is the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon, and he is also planning to publish in a book on the subject, which is sure to be a fascinating read. I have since learned a bit more about Don Bradley, who has a unique history in and out of the Church. The Salt Lake Tribune published an article yesterday interviewing Bradley, and his experience with the Church. Of his unique gifts Don’s mentor at Utah State, Philip Barlow, said, “Intellectually, Don is uncommonly brilliant… In a roomful of Ph.D.s, he’d be among the smartest and most well-read. His writing and the thinking behind it are superlative.”

Bradley’s presentation at FAIR focused on what we might learn about the temple, and temple worship, among the Nephites, particularly from those insights gleaned from details uncovered in the lost 116 pages. Great stuff, which we’ll summarize a bit here.   [Read more…]

Posted in: Church History, Scholarship, Texts Tagged: ark of the covenant, book of mormon, don bradley, endowment, history, holy of holies, interpreters, interview, joseph smith, law of moses, lost 116 pages, nauvoo, ordinances, presence, questions, restoration, revelation, tabernacle, test, veil

Reflections on Temple Discussion

August 7, 2012 by Bryce Haymond 30 Comments

Of course many of you know that we had a discussion about the temple this past Sunday on Google Hangouts.  I hope you were able to listen in or watch.  If not, a recording is available.

I’m curious to get your feedback on the fireside discussion.  Some questions in my mind are:

  • Was it helpful to you? In what way?
  • Did you learn new things?  What?
  • Did you enjoy it?  Why?
  • Were you nervous about what might be said?  Did we assuage that fear?
  • What did you think of the length?  Shorter?  Longer?
  • What did you think of the contributors?  (Be nice!)
  • Was the material we addressed accessible and understandable?
  • Did the discussion encourage you to go learn more on your own?
  • Do you believe it is helpful for the Church in general, both for members within the Church to learn about the temple, and for outsiders to gain a greater understanding of our temple traditions? (Ok, that’s a loaded one.)
  • Any concerns? Suggestions? Critiques?

Before I schedule the next one, which might be as soon as this coming Sunday, August 12, I want to get your take on this, so we can improve it or cancel it.  Please take a moment to share with us your thoughts in the comments below.

Posted in: Tidbits Tagged: church, discussion, feedback, fireside, google hangout, learn, listen, question, questions, recording, study, templestudy.com, watch, youtube

Temple Preparation

November 1, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 5 Comments
President David O. McKay (1873-1970)

President David O. McKay (1873-1970)

One of the most frequent questions I receive from readers is “how should I prepare to go to the temple?”  Or if it is not for them personally, “how do I help someone else prepare to go to the temple?”  It is an important question, and one that should be carefully considered.

Preparing to go to the temple is one of the most important things someone can do, not only for the first time they go, but for the rest of our lives.  The temple experience is incredibly rich in symbolism and meaning, and only a lifetime of study can reveal all its teachings.  Elder Boyd K. Packer once related an experience he had with President David O. McKay in the Salt Lake Temple:  [Read more…]

Posted in: General Authorities, Temples Today Tagged: boyd k. packer, discussion, education, endowment, learn, pop culture, preparation, principles, prophet, questions, ritual, study, symbolism, temple worship
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