getting soaked

The philosophies of men mingled with scripture.

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The Shakers, formally known as The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, were a Christian millenarian sect famous for their furniture, communal sharing of all property, ecstatic worship, and completely forbidding all sexual intercourse, even between married couples. The total ban on sex and marriage is why the Shakers are functionally extinct - there are a grand total of three in the world. They believed that Jesus's Second Coming had already occurred, this time taking the form of a woman, Mother Ann Lee.

In 1831, a Shaker community was just 15 miles south of the Mormon Church's headquarters in Kirtland, OH. In March of that year, a man named Leman Copley joined the Church after he had been a Shaker for many years, though the fact that he lived several miles outside of the Shaker settlement, owned a large farm, and remained married show that he wasn't a diehard.

The prophet Joseph Smith wrote of Leman following his conversion that he "was apparently honest hearted but still retained ideas that the Shakers were right in some particulars of their faith." Leman was anxious to share the good news of the Mormon gospel with his former brethren, and "in order to gain a more perfect understanding of the subject," Joseph inquired of the Lord and received the following revelation:

(tl;dr - sex and marriage are actually why the earth exists in the first place, Jesus will not return as a woman or some random guy, compelling others to abstain from meat is wrong)

Copley and Sidney Rigdon traveled to the Shaker settlement and met with their leader, Ashbel Kitchell, and spent the evening and next morning engaging in pleasant conversation, agreeing not to try to convert one another. Parley Pratt arrived and told them to pay no attention to Kitchell, as they came with the Lord's authority. Following a Shaker meeting, Rigdon stood and, with permission, read the revelation in its entirety.

Kitchell said, "I reject your message, and release you and your 'Christ' from any further burden about us, and take all the responsibility on myself."

Rigdon replied, "This you cannot do - I wish to hear the people speak for themselves." The people then did so, saying, "We are fully satisfied with what we have."

Rigdon relented, and calmly pocketed the revelation. But at that same moment Pratt stood and began shaking his coattail, saying that he shook the dust from his garments as a testimony against the Shakers, who had rejected the word of the Lord.

Kitchell completely lost his composure:

"You filthy beast! Dare you presume to come in here and try to imitate a man of God by shaking your filthy tail?! Confess your sins and purge your soul from lusts." He then turned to Leman and said, "You hypocrite! You knew better. You knew where the living work of God was, but for the sake of indulgence you could deceive yourself and them, but you shall reap the fruit of your own doings."

The three missionaries returned to Kirtland, but Leman was deeply stung by the rebuke and began vacillating between Mormonism and the Shakers, eventually leaving the Church permanently.

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I'm on record as thinking Joseph Smith was one of the most charismatic figures in American history and a religious genius but whenever he dictated his scriptures or revelations and felt his language was becoming too modern, which was about every three sentences or so, he just dropped in filler words and stock phrases like "behold," "exceedingly," or "and it came to pass", which makes the Book of Mormon in particular very difficult to read.

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I don't like it when people refer to Joseph Smith as a "convicted conman." As far as I'm aware, being a "conman" isn't in itself something you can be convicted of. His charge was being "a disorderly person and an imposter" and accounts differ as to whether he was convicted. There were actually three separate "disorderly person" trials. As I said, accounts of the first differ as to whether he was convicted, convicted but allowed to escape, acquitted, or had the charges dismissed. In the two subsequent cases, he was acquitted.

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When the Latter-day Saints moved their headquarters to a swamp in Illinois called Commerce, Joseph Smith renamed it Nauvoo, which is Hebrew for "beautiful." But in a letter, he described it as a "deathly sick, sickly hole". Many of the Saints died of malaria.

What's the Hebrew for "deathly sick, sickly hole"?

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There was a succession crisis in Mormonism following Joseph Smith's untimely death, with Brigham Young, the American Joshua, eventually leading the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. Mormon denominations other than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are so tiny that they aren't really worth talking about, but splinter groups could make a better case for their legitimacy by pointing out that nearly all of Brigham Young's distinctive teachings were very strange and now rejected by the LDS Church. For instance, Young taught that Adam, the first man, known in the premortal existence as Michael the archangel, was God the Father, and that some sins were beyond the atoning power of Christ, requiring the sinner to be executed in a way that allowed their blood to fall on the ground in order to save them from damnation.

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Interesting exchange from the Reed Smoot hearings, a series of Congressional hearings on whether the Senate should seat Mormon apostle Reed Smoot, who was elected by the Utah legislature in 1903. The hearings lasted from 1904 to 1907 and Smoot was eventually allowed to retain his seat. Smoot himself had only one wife.

Senator Joseph Hoar: Now I will illustrate what I mean by the injunction of our scripture, what we call the New Testament.

Church President Joseph F Smith: Which is our scripture also.

Senator: Which is your scripture also?

Smith: Yes, sir.

Senator: The apostle says a bishop must be sober and be the husband of one wife.

Smith: At least.

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Mormon meme

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Saw a post on Twitter saying "Honestly, mormonism should probably be considered part of western esotericism moreso than it is considered part of protestantism." This is on the right track. I wouldn't consider Mormonism to be part of Protestantism, or even part of Christianity. I have said for a long time that I consider Mormonism to have Christian roots but not be Christian, the same way Christianity has Jewish roots but isn't Jewish.

Re: Mormonism and esotericism, magic was a big part of the early Mormon worldview - the young Joseph Smith's scrying and money-digging is well known. Oliver Cowdery and Heber C Kimble both used divining rods. Joseph carried a Jupiter talisman and Hyrum Smith owned a Mars dagger. Joseph Smith, his father, brother, and several other important early Mormon leaders were all Freemasons and Masonic lore and ritual had a direct influence on Latter-day Saint temple building and worship. Many older temples are decorated with Masonic symbols.

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Apologists are quick to point out that scrying, money-digging, rhabdomancy, etc. were fairly common folk-Christian practices in that time and place. It's clear enough that the Smiths viewed their magical practices as spiritual gifts and an extension of their religious quest - just like many occultists today! (Dr Justin Sledge says in one of his videos something to the effect that Christianity is the biggest cultural influence on Western occultism, though most contemporary Christians AND contemporary occult practicioners would probably take issue with that)

[gettingsoaked]

Saw a post on Twitter saying "Honestly, mormonism should probably be considered part of western esotericism moreso than it is considered part of protestantism." This is on the right track. I wouldn't consider Mormonism to be part of Protestantism, or even part of Christianity. I have said for a long time that I consider Mormonism to have Christian roots but not be Christian, the same way Christianity has Jewish roots but isn't Jewish.

Re: Mormonism and esotericism, magic was a big part of the early Mormon worldview - the young Joseph Smith's scrying and money-digging is well known. Oliver Cowdery and Heber C Kimble both used divining rods. Joseph carried a Jupiter talisman and Hyrum Smith owned a Mars dagger. Joseph Smith, his father, brother, and several other important early Mormon leaders were all Freemasons and Masonic lore and ritual had a direct influence on Latter-day Saint temple building and worship. Many older temples are decorated with Masonic symbols.

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Wilford Woodruff, who would eventually become President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a vision of the Founding Fathers of the United States asking him to do their temple work. "I will here say, before closing, that two weeks before I left St. George the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, ‘You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God. These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and they waited on me for two days and two nights. I thought it very singular that notwithstanding so much work had been done, and yet nothing had been done for them. The thought never entered my heart from the fact, I suppose, that heretofore our minds were reaching after our more immediate friends and relatives. I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McAllister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence and fifty other eminent men, making 100 in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others. I then baptized him for every president of the United States except three, and when their cause is just, somebody will do the work for them."

The three were: Martin Van Buren, who Joseph Smith petitioned when the Saints were being persecuted in Missouri, and who replied, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you." Hence Woodruff's comment about "when their cause is just..." James Buchanan And Ulysses S Grant, who was still alive

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Articles of Faith, part 1

The Articles of Faith are a canonized statement of basic LDS theology written by their prophet, Joseph Smith, in a letter to a man named John Wentworth who had requested information about the Latter-day Saints for his newspaper, the Chicago Democrat. In this series, I will discuss each of them in turn.

Article of Faith #1 "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." This, on the surface, is an orthodox-looking statement of trinitarian theology. All Christians believe in one God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. However, Mormons do not believe that there is one God in three divine Persons. Mormons believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct personages or beings, united in will and purpose so closely that they might be considered one God, but are still three separate people.

God, the Eternal Father - Mormons believe that God the Father is the literal father of their spirits. Before this period of mortal probation, we all lived up in Heaven with God. Latter-day Saints refer to God, or Heavenly Father, by "the exalted name-title Elohim." "Elohim" literally means "gods," and is one of the Biblical names for deity. Joseph Smith taught that God was once a man and dwelt on an earth, but how and where this happened is unclear. In one of his revelations, Smith taught that God the Father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as a mortal man's. and in His son, Jesus Christ - Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the eldest of Elohim's spirit children. They also believe that Elohim physically impregnated the Virgin Mary in the same way that every other mother in impregnated. As such, the Latter-day Saints often refer to Jesus as God's "first begotten in the spirit and only begotten in the flesh." The Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus, in pre-mortality, is the Jehovah or YHWH of the Old Testament. He is the savior of this world, and paid for our sins not only on the cross, but in the garden of Gethsemane, where, according to Mormon scripture, he trembled with pain and bled from every pore. and in the Holy Ghost - the prophet Joseph Smith taught that God the Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone, but the Holy Ghost is a "personage of spirit," and as a personage of spirit is able to dwell within us. The Book of Mormon teaches that "by the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things," and Mormons believe that He is prompting and guiding them throughout their lives, mostly through quiet feelings and thoughts. All of these Persons in the Godhead are circumscribed by their physicality and while their influence is felt throughout the entire world, are capable of being in only one place at one time. As always, questions, comments, and critique are welcome!

[gettingsoaked]

Articles of Faith, part 1

The Articles of Faith are a canonized statement of basic LDS theology written by their prophet, Joseph Smith, in a letter to a man named John Wentworth who had requested information about the Latter-day Saints for his newspaper, the Chicago Democrat. In this series, I will discuss each of them in turn.

Article of Faith #1 "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." This, on the surface, is an orthodox-looking statement of trinitarian theology. All Christians believe in one God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. However, Mormons do not believe that there is one God in three divine Persons. Mormons believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct personages or beings, united in will and purpose so closely that they might be considered one God, but are still three separate people.

God, the Eternal Father - Mormons believe that God the Father is the literal father of their spirits. Before this period of mortal probation, we all lived up in Heaven with God. Latter-day Saints refer to God, or Heavenly Father, by "the exalted name-title Elohim." "Elohim" literally means "gods," and is one of the Biblical names for deity. Joseph Smith taught that God was once a man and dwelt on an earth, but how and where this happened is unclear. In one of his revelations, Smith taught that God the Father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as a mortal man's. and in His son, Jesus Christ - Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the eldest of Elohim's spirit children. They also believe that Elohim physically impregnated the Virgin Mary in the same way that every other mother in impregnated. As such, the Latter-day Saints often refer to Jesus as God's "first begotten in the spirit and only begotten in the flesh." The Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus, in pre-mortality, is the Jehovah or YHWH of the Old Testament. He is the savior of this world, and paid for our sins not only on the cross, but in the garden of Gethsemane, where, according to Mormon scripture, he trembled with pain and bled from every pore. and in the Holy Ghost - the prophet Joseph Smith taught that God the Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone, but the Holy Ghost is a "personage of spirit," and as a personage of spirit is able to dwell within us. The Book of Mormon teaches that "by the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things," and Mormons believe that He is prompting and guiding them throughout their lives, mostly through quiet feelings and thoughts. All of these Persons in the Godhead are circumscribed by their physicality and while their influence is felt throughout the entire world, are capable of being in only one place at one time. As always, questions, comments, and critique are welcome!

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The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith (peace be upon him) taught: "'Mormonism' is truth. … The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or … being … prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men.” This, I think, is one of the greatest appeals of the Mormon religion. Adherents are encouraged, at least in theory, to seek truth wherever they can find it, and as a consequence tend to see some good in all religions, even if they believe their church is the only true and authorized one on earth today. But the second half of the prophet's statement reveals the anti-creed nature of the religion, which make its basic beliefs and teachings difficult to summarize. A good place to start is The 13 Articles of Faith, found in Mormon scripture, The Pearl of Great Price. The 13 articles are taken from a letter Smith wrote to a man named John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, and are a canonized outline of basic LDS theology. I'm going to start a series discussing each in turn.

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your username: thanks I hate it

:)

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Hey everyone. I will try to update this blog regularly, I have a lot of notes for topics I'm excited to cover. But I would also love to answer any questions anyone has or take suggestions for future topics. So feel free to reach out via DM or anon.

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Mormonism 101

One of the reasons for this project is that Mormonism, through its global missionary program, shows like South Park and the Book of Mormon musical, and the music of Donny Osmond, is a very visible religion, yet at the same time its basic tenets, beliefs, and practices are almost totally unknown to anyone except initiates. Most people are aware of Mormons, but couldn't tell you much about the religion. So what is Mormonism? Let's start with terminology. While "Mormon" and "Mormonism" are well-established, people who are usually called Mormons are actually members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Mormon" is a nickname or exonym drawn from the religion's principle scripture, the Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name of what to most people is "the Mormon Church." The term "Mormon" is discouraged, as is the abbreviation LDS. Official Church sources stress that the full name should be used whenever possible, but suggest using the abbreviations, “Church of Jesus Christ” or “Christ’s Church,” which seem more to me like ambiguous theopolitical statements than useful short forms. Apologies to any LDS readers, but I'll be using "Mormon," "Latter-day Saint," and "LDS" more or less interchangeably.

Mormonism is a Christian restorationist denomination, which means that Mormons believe their religion is a restoration of primitive (in the sense of first or original) Christianity. Mormonism is a Christian religion to the extent that its central figure is Jesus Christ, but has several major differences from mainstream Christianity, which we'll get to in later posts. (I personally believe that Mormonism originates in Christianity, but is not Christian in the same way that Christianity originated from Judaism but isn't Jewish.) The Church was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr, who hailed from upstate New York and is regarded by believers as a prophet similar to the way Jews & Christians view Moses or Muslims view Muhammad. Smith had visions from the spirit world telling him to organize his own church, as all Christian creeds were an abomination in the eyes of God, and leading him to a new volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, written by some of the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas on golden plates, and buried on the Hill Cumorah. Smith allegedly translated this record, the Book of Mormon, through the gift and power of God. The Bible, the Book of Mormon, a collection of Smith and other Latter-day prophets' revelations called the Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price, consisting of some excerpts from Smith's revision of the Bible and other ephemera, constitute the open Latter-day Saint scriptural canon. After Smith's assassination, his successor Brigham Young led the Mormons to Utah, and eventually the religion grew to become a global faith. The Church is headed by a president that adherents consider a modern prophet, seer, and revelator, and they consider themselves the only true, authorized church on earth today. They have many distinctive teachings on the nature of God, the afterlife, health and diet, finances, and other matters that I plan to cover in future posts. (Any corrections are always welcome, but I think this is pretty accurate!)

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Hello, everyone. This is my sideblog for posts related to Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and related subjects. A bit about me for those who don't know me. My name is Matty. I am not LDS, but am writing a book about the Latter-day Saint movement and my interaction with it. On my other blogs I mostly post about music and politics, and made this one to avoid cluttering up my feed. This is not an anti-Mormon blog. There are, obviously, many aspects of the religion that I disagree with as a non-believer. But the goal is to be neutral, not polemical. Welcome!