Early Morning Seminary: Visiting Professor: Dr. Brooks

Dr. Brooks is a professor of classical english in San Diego.  She also is an awesome journal writer.  She published an "abridgment" of some of her journals.  She is going to be here in a few weeks.  Please read The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith

In Dr. Brooks writing style,
 please consider journaling  a 5 page essay entitled:
"I am a __________ Mormon/Catholic/Jew/Buddhist/Corporation"  (i wish i could make that a drop down menu of a laundry list of demographic indicators.  i might work on that ...

In the meantime, enjoy!

Early Morning Seminary: Line upon Line

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have -- 2 Nephi 28

Whether understanding/feelings/impressions come from Holy Ghost or just my own crzy brain is tough to know.  Learning to use intuition as an epistemology is not easy.  It takes alot of spiritual practice.  You also have to be able to do the simple basics of being civil first.  You need to really know how to use logic, appeal to authority, obey, pray, meditate, read, listen, learn, before you can really know the difference between yourself and God.

sometimes i wonder if it is because you become less and less distinguishable.  i don't have to quote the bible when the words feel like they are my own do i?  only for emphasis?

Even on 9/11 Elder Bednar still spoke to the students of BYU, and this is one of the most important parts of his talk:

I will say, the process of discerning between our will and God’s will becomes less and less of a concern as time goes by and as we strive to rid ourselves of worldliness—and thereby cultivate the spirit of revelation in our lives. That is, as we mature spiritually, we begin to develop sound judgment, a refined and educated conscience, and a heart and mind filled with wisdom. We become ruled by love rather than fear when the love of God floods our hearts with safety and peace.  

It is not just that we have grown older, nor have we simply become smarter and had more experiences on which to draw, as important as those experiences are. Rather, the Holy Ghost has over time been expanding our intellect, forming our feelings, sharpening and elevating our perspective, such that we increasingly think and feel and act as the Lord would under similar circumstances. In short, we have made steady progress in obtaining “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

Early Morning Seminary: Women's Health

Joseph F. Smith wrote to his wife Sarah chastising her working too hard.  He told her that it gave him “no pleasure to hear you say you have worked early and late to get your days work out of the way,” for he “would rather know you had taken more time over it.”[6]  
Joseph Fielding Smith to Sarah Ellen Richards Smith, May 14, 1874, Sarah Ellen Richards Smith Collection, Box 1, Folder 2, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, UT.

His concerns that too much exertion would strain her system, leaving her health and that of her yet-to-be-weaned children compromised, reflected general concerns during the nineteenth century that exercise might over tire young women and their mothers and might be bad for women in general.  Many nineteenth-century doctors advocated that women not exercise or study too vigorously because their bodies were fragile and needed the energy to function.  Even the columns published by female doctors in the Woman’s Exponent and The Young Woman’s Journal reflected common ideas about women.  The Exponent’s complaints about puffs and panniers, for example, were part of a general movement towards dress reform.[7]  Women were no longer to be primped and pampered till they could nothing but “toddle” about like a small children.[8]  Instead, they were to dress sensibly to provide maximum movement.  The lives of nineteenth century Mormon women reflected those of other American women.  Although they were sometimes involved in polygamous marriages and were seen as helpless creatures that needed to be saved from their husbands, they turned old rags into menstrual pads, weaned their children, and cared for their bodies in ways that were no different from women living in New York or Boston.

hopefully soon MoTab will sing this soon ... ;)

EMS: Journaling

today for class we are going to watch a movie and then journal about it.  then tomorrow we will come back and share our thoughts.  please feel free to comment below if you'd like to explain how this video has helped you either:

• come closer to Christ?
• thought of new and creative ways/topics for journaling
• understand what a yanny* is
• or of course, any topic of your choosing.

* yanni is hebrew word for "source of life".  hippies have used yanni instead of vagina for years because vagina means "sheath for a sword".  we all know that vaginas have way more utility than just carrying things so ...

EMS: Work

with the events coming up in portland, it seems apropos to share some wit on unemployment in america.   i'm so glad it's improving.  this is an idea that comes from portlandia where they think they can get to 100% employment.

since i really admire the goal, i'm passing this idea along.  i don't really want people finishing my sentences, so i'm thinking this won't totally work, but maybe?

at this point, might as well try it.  maybe creat a new economy. 

Early Morning Seminary: Peace is Zion?

What is peace?  What is Zion?  Questions that rest heavily on the minds of many I love.  Probably a good time to be honest about what Mormons believe about Zion. Right?

In the Book of Moses, Zion is defined as a state of being where individuals are linked together in community (often referred to as Enoch).  Each person in Enoch is in a state of Zion.  The state of being is dependent on their being community or others.  That is how people can come together where everyone is of "one heart and one mind, and [dwells] in righteousness; and there [is] no poor among them."  Or as others may say: 'God don't make no junk', mingled with a triple portion of 'no man is an island and no man walks alone'.  Or as Brother Merrill so elegantly wrote: "wherever you are, that's Zion to me".

The Mormon Bible Dictionary defines Zion as thus:

Zion. The word Zion is used repeatedly in all the standard works of the Church, and is defined in latter-day revelation as “the pure in heart” (D&C 97:21). Other usages of Zion have to do with a geographical location. For example, Enoch built a city that was called Zion (Moses 7:18–19); Solomon built his temple on Mount Zion (1 Kgs. 8:1; cf. 2 Sam. 5:6–7); and Jackson County, Missouri, is called Zion in many of the revelations in the D&C, such as58:49–50; 62:4; 63:48; 72:13; 84:76; 104:47. The city of New Jerusalem, to be built in Jackson County, Missouri, is to be called Zion (D&C 45:66–67). The revelations also speak of “the cause of Zion” (D&C 6:6; 11:6). In a wider sense all of North and South America are Zion (HC 6:318–19). For further references see 1 Chr. 11:5; Ps. 2:6; 99:2;102:16; Isa. 1:27; 2:3; 4:3–5; 33:20; 52:1–8; 59:20; Jer. 3:14; 31:6; Joel 2:1–32; Amos 6:1; Obad. 1:17, 21; Heb. 12:22–24; Rev. 14:1–5; and many others. (In the N.T., Zion is spelled Sion.)

Does it mean living in a community that feels safe and secure?  Is it feeling the warmth of tighly woven networks of human interaction?  Is it existence sans conflict or is it 'grace under pressure'?

Some believe that when we extend compassion to everyone, we are doing what God (no matter who that is to you) would do it she were here.  To be treated the way Christ, God, a Queen, a President, the Prophet, the perfect Mother, benevolent Father, protective Brother, trusted Sister, nonjudgemental Auntie, etc would is the ideal in Mormonism.  When our Wards do this, it feels like Zion.

Peace is, ironically, not in the Bible Dictionary of the Mormon study helps.  So I will glean most of my info on this from my NIV and the Book of Mormon*

When I was a student at BYU Byron Merrill taught in the Ancient Scriptures Department,  this is from a paper he wrote in 1995:


Appearing repeatedly in the book of 4 Nephi is a phrase which speaks to the heart of what Zion was and will be. Occurring three times in its singular form and once in the plural within the first 18 verses, this phrase explains a primary reason for the blessed state enjoyed by the Nephites as well as the results which flowed therefrom. The phrase simply reads: “There was no contention.” In its simplicity lies a pattern for reestablishing Zion which encompasses both a warning of what must be avoided and a promise of what can, with the Lord’s help, be achieved.


Early in the Lord’s visit to the Nephites, as recorded in 3 Nephi, he taught the people this principle:


And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.  For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.  Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away. (11:28–30)

The people in 4 Nephi received, internalized, and lived this commandment for a lengthy time. Verses 2 and 15 detail the reasons for their success in eradicating contention: “The people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly on with another”; and “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:2, 15). Two other verses disclose the blessings arising from this condition:

And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus.

And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until an hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the land. (vv. 13, 18)


I'd just love to see the @CommonGoodAmerica call out those that think that fighting is the only answer. Let's put an end to this calling out of contention.

Jesus was a lover not a fighter.  Who is the disciple of Christ the hawk or the dove? The one willing to die for truth or the one willing to kill?

Is the purpose of life to identify what your willing to kill for to protect? Or is it to believe something so incredible that you'd rather just live, in part because you believe what sister Simon taught that: "life is eternal", and "love is immortal" and "death is only a horizon". Or, as the Great British Prophet Sting has taught "one day we will dance on our graves, and one day we will "sing our freedom".




 So why not just stand up in peace right now? Reach back to the person behind you, whose been chomping their gum the entire service, and say "peace be with you, my peace i give unto you." Let's see where that takes us.