men are that they might have joy

logan | they/he | queer | main: personshapedsplder

[magnetocerebro]

“God does not view you as someone to be despised.” -Patrick Kearon

[nerdygaymormon]

[forthesakeofthespirit]

a compilation of posts that contributed to my conversion

image descriptions in alt

[funeralpotatoesorbust]

[songwriter1-deactivated20130526]

[bliegmeister]

Here's a little fun fact for any fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

You know how we're saved "after all we can do"? When you read it, you'd assume that means grace only kicks in after we've done our part. We do our thing, and if it was enough, God saves us.

That's not at all what it means.

Back in the 1800s, the phrase "after all we can do" actually meant "in spite of all we do". This is incredibly important.

We aren't saved after doing some Godly to-do list. We're saved despite everything we do that gets in the way.

[rickktish]

2 Nephi 25:23 in Literary and Rhetorical Context by Daniel McClellan

Description

This paper demonstrates that the phrase "after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23) was in wide circulation in the early nineteenth century, including in the context of discussions about grace, and was always used to mean "despite all we can do."

URLs

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/jbookmormstud2.29.2020.0001

Published in

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 29, 1-19, 2020.

Publisher

University of Illinois Press

Languages

English

Publication date

2020

[brothermouse]

How do I celebrate Jovial Visitation?? I want to put together a celebration this year -- what do I do? Any typical events or foods or traditions?

- Sparrow [@hiseyeisonthesparrow]

I've only known about Jovial Visitation for a few years now, and from what I know it's only been celebrated by weird artsy Mormon types, which is good news for you because that means you can make up any traditions you want!

Here's a tiktok video of the guy who got the ball rolling and how he celebrates it.

That said, here's a few things I've seen:

Read Joseph Smith History 27-54

Listen to "September" by Earth, Wind, & Fire

"Angel" foods: Angel food cake, Bugle Chips, sandwiches cut into angels angles, anything that you can connect to Angels in any way, really. The more tenuous and convoluted the connection, the better

"Gold" food: for the Golden Plates, chocolate coins, cheese pizza, quesadillas, etc same rules as above

Giving gifts: Books are common, wrap them up and "seal" them before you give them out

Seer Stone Hat Raffle: put everyone's name in a hat, have someone put on the dopest sunglasses available and draw for prizes (like the sealed books!)

Treasure hunt, maybe????

If you're feeling big dad energy you can also wake everyone up three times in the middle of the night and read scripture at them.

But I'm the end, the great thing about Jovial Visitation is that we can make up the rules as we go. It's our holiday, who's to tell us how we can or can't celebrate it? Just have fun because whatever way you feel like doing it is the right way.

[lingering-sunrise]

Latter-day Saints should love deconstructing. It's what Joseph Smith did

So why are we so scared of questions and doubts?

The Smiths were a part-member family.

In 1820, Lucy Mack Smith and three of Joseph’s siblings had joined a Presbyterian church. Joseph’s father was an avowed Universalist, but might not have belonged to any church at the time.

And while young Joseph was inclined toward the Methodists for a bit, he wasn’t committed. He didn’t dutifully show up every Sunday, and he didn’t trust everything that was said just because a pastor said it. If Joseph Smith was 15 years old today, and a member of our church, I can hear what we would say about him:

“He needs to doubt his doubts.”

“He probably got offended.”

“He’s not reading the scriptures and praying enough.”

“We need to get that boy on a mission.”

“Think of what he’s doing to his family.”

“He’s taking the easy way out.”

“He was led astray.”

As Latter-day Saints, we often look down on those who leave the Church (this shouldn’t be true, but it is). But those brave souls, whether you agree with their path or not, are following in Brother Joseph’s footsteps. Joseph Smith had questions, sought his own answers, and challenged everything. So why do we fear when Latter-day Saints do that now?

[official-mormon-posts]

official mormon post

[bornofgoodlyparentsandalsotrans]

Being a Mormon who swears is so great because you get to say shit like “oh my fucking gosh” or “gosh fucking dammit”

[j-the-latter-gay-saint]

something something. huckleberry finn saying "all right, then, i'll go to hell." eve choosing to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. joseph smith saying "and if we go to hell, we will turn the devils out of doors and make a heaven of it." rachel held evans in conversation with twain's huck finn saying "sometimes true faithfulness requires something of a betrayal." i don't know what i'm trying to assemble here.

[and-her-saints]

"remember that if you're feeling far from God, He is not the one that moved." me when i have a shallow vision of God. me when i don't understand the intricacies of the Dark Night of the Soul. me when i have no concept of divine silence. me when i have never wrestled with God. me when i have no healthy view of doubt. me when i thoughtlessly spew out easy-to-digest phrases i heard once in evangelical summer camp and never had the bravery to argue against pinterest quotes being seen as dogma.

[dextermormon]

THAT'S NOT. HOW MORMON. HELL. WORRRRKS [throws everything across the room with my psychic powers]

[adamondiahman]

LazerOS of ARCH-HIVE

[brothermouse]

What it feels like running across other Mormons on tumblr

[funeralpotatoesorbust]

Mormons circa 1840

[j-the-latter-gay-saint]

Happy Pioneer Day

[ohholydyke]

Listen to me

Books and theory and journaling and podcasts and learning are all well and good and valuable

But at some point you need to get out there and start forming a relationship with God.

Put down the text and go talk. Go spend time with the divine. Go breathe the breath of life. Go love. Go care for your neighbor. Go create art. Sit in silence. Sit in silence some more. Keep sitting until you feel God with you. Then stay there until the moment passes. Treat God as you treat a friend. You can’t form a relationship by reading someone’s LinkedIn or by stalking their social media pages. At some point you gotta invite them for a drink or just say hi to them on your commute or just sit and wait for them to come by.

[sparrowthemormon]

Who the frick put Nephi From The Scriptures on FamilySearch 😭😭😭