Literary BMGD #41: A Vision
Poetry by Joseph Smith? That is certainly not what Joseph Smith is known for, nor is it often claimed that he was a poet in all the writing and studies made about him. [Orson F. Whitney is the...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #42: The Gospel
In the final minutes of his visit with the Nephites (3 Nephi 27), Christ makes clear that the church established for the Nephites must bear his name and teach his gospel. He even specifies elements of...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #43: Christ’s Ministry to the Nephites, part III
Parley P. Pratt Mormon, the book in the Book of Mormon written by its compiler, is perhaps the most depressing of the book of scripture. It might be subtitled ‘the Decline and Fall of Nephite...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #44: The Book of Mormon
As Mormon completes his own record in Mormon chapters 7, 8 and 9, he prophesies about the role that the Nephite records will have in the future, saying that the record will come forth in the latter...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #45: Song of the Exiled Saints
Eliza R. Snow The Book of Ether contains the story of the Jaredites — a story that parallels the overall history told in the Book of Mormon. And, as I’ve observed here before, the story also is...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #46: Trials and Happiness
I often wonder how Mormon managed to keep it together. He saw his own civilization decaying around him, perhaps while he was in the midst of abridging the record of the Jaredites, summarizing the...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #47: While of these emblems we partake
Including the sacrament prayers in Moroni 4, and indeed all the instructions in Moroni 2 through 6, seem almost like an afterthought to the Book of Mormon—kind of like “Oh, yeah, you’ll need to know...
View ArticleLiterary BMGD #48: My Friends and I
Joseph L Townsend The final lesson for the Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine class covers Moroni 7-10, the final Book of Mormon prophet’s closing advice to readers, including teachings about faith, hope...
View ArticleWhy Literary Gospel Doctrine Lesson Posts
For the past year each Monday afternoon my “Literary BMGD” posts have appeared each Monday — perhaps confusing some readers who have wondered exactly what these posts were all about. And those who...
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #1: On the Latter-day Dispensation
The initial lesson in the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History course of study points out that the revelations found in the text are meant for our time and cover our dispensation, while the...
View ArticleLiterary Lorenzo Snow #1: Provo Sunday School
I love the first lesson in the Lorenzo Snow manual. It seems like Snow’s love of learning is second to none among latter-day Prophets. And his statements about learning are wonderful: “Though we may...
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #2: Praise ye the Lord
The second Doctrine and Covenants lesson makes the point that this modern scripture talks and teaches of Christ. That focus was easy to find in many Mormon poems and hymns, but the following poem has...
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #3: The Young Seer
[I am traveling for the 4th annual Brazilian Mormon Studies Conference -- please excuse the delay in posting this.] Of our mythic founding stories, the First Vision is surely the most important. It...
View ArticleLiterary Lorenzo Snow #2: For Baptism
[I am traveling for the 4th annual Brazilian Mormon Studies Conference -- please excuse the delay in posting this.] From the beginning of Mormonism, Baptism has been a central focus of our preaching....
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #4: Interview with David Whitmer
I think that we often think of witnesses as something outside of the event, added to fill a particular need or satisfy the desires of the world. But I wonder if this perception might not be incorrect,...
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #5: A Scene in Virginia
Joseph L Townsend The spirit of revelation described in D&C Gospel Doctrine lesson #5 isn’t always credited with all that it deserves. During our lives, I think, we often receive inspiration that...
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #6: May I Remember Thee
The principle of personal revelation is a foundation of Mormonism, a key to our understanding of the gospel. And few places in the scriptures make this as clear as in D&C 8 and 9, which are...
View ArticleLiterary Lorenzo Snow #3: To the Latter-day Saints
Eliza R. Snow The concept of enduring to the end can be somewhat vague. Much of what it requires depends on environment and circumstance — what is required for you to endure to the end is perhaps...
View ArticleLiterary DCGD #7: I would see Jesus
When discussing the first principles and ordinances of the gospel the focus is often on the details and less often on their purpose in the plan of salvation. The 7th D&C gospel doctrine lesson...
View ArticleLiterary Lorenzo Snow #4: Then give us, O Father
When Lorenzo Snow speaks of the Holy Ghost in the material included in chapter 4 of the lesson book, it is clear that he sees the spirit as a great help to us. “It would be simply foolish indeed to...
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