Joseph Smith | Sacred Symbolic

FAIR Conference: Apologetics, Kirtland Papers, More

Posted on: 07-08-2010

Category : Apologetics, Church History, Joseph Smith, Scriptures

The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR – fairlds.org) held a conference Thurs., and Fri., in Sandy, UT. They had an impressive lineup of speakers. Some that were previously unknown to me, but gave as powerful—or more powerful—presentations than those that were known to me.

All in all, it was a great conference and held many amazing insights and explanations. For me it was a powerful spiritual boost and increased my desire to improve in various ways including studying the gospel with more focus and dedication. I also found it very accessible. Some might think I’m something of a scholar because of this blog, but that’s not the case, I’m nowhere near the level of scholarship that many of these presenters are. Yet most seemed very accessible, even to those who don’t study the kinds of subjects they spoke of, on a regular basis. I’d like to share notes and some links from the conference.

Why Apologetics?

Before you stop reading because you don’t like apologetics, you should read some of my notes from Daniel C. Peterson’s closing presentation on Friday:

A Saturday’s Journey to Gilgal

Posted on: 06-05-2010

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Category : Ancient, Ceremony/Ordinances, Images, Joseph Smith, Old Testament, Sacred Places

Just over a 2 weeks ago, we visited a site in downtown Salt Lake that I’ve been wanting to see ever since I first stumbled across some information on it, on the internet.

Its called the Gilgal Garden, and is located at 749 E 500 S, Salt Lake City, UT. The gardens were built by Thomas Child, who worked on it throughout his life. He named the place after the location where Joshua had the Israelites take 12 stones and place them together as part of a covenant and memorial, after crossing the Jordan river on dry land. Bro. Child was sculptor and put his own interpretations of scriptures, into stone. The piece for which he named the garden, features 12 stones in a circle, with an etching of “The Captain of the Lord’s Host” standing at the head. Because it was basically his backyard, the garden is somewhat secluded and hidden. You can read more about the garden at Wikipedia, or I have uploaded a scan of the walk-through self-tour guide.

Alma Chapter Two: in Modern Language

Posted on: 17-10-2009

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Category : Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, Scriptures

First ever guest post on Sacred Symbolic:
Travis Washburn is my brother and a great friend. He has a bachelor’s degree in English, and studied Spanish extensively both in school and on his own. He served an English-speaking mission in the Arizona, Phoenix Mission, then later spent six months in Chile as an exchange student, where he honed his Spanish skills, among other adventures. He is currently working as a graphic designer and technical writer for Xennsoft. He’s also in the process of applying for grad school.

He recently shared with me something he was doing to enhance his scripture study. Just reading the result changed the way I see Alma 2. I’m going to incorporate the method that follows in my own study, and hope you will too. He’s shared with me some other great study material, so you may see more from him in the future.

Alma Chapter Two: in Modern Language

By Travis Washburn

This is an experimental scripture study. I don’t mean this to be a replacement of the original; I just want to understand the language better. Translating something makes you weigh each word and really think about what is meant. This is especially interesting when you remember that The Book of Mormon wasn’t written in English—the copy we read is a translation.

You might consider reading the actual verses alongside as you go (click here to open Alma Chapter 2 in a new window). I noticed a lot of things about the specific language. For example, although the enemies have “armies”, Alma doesn’t lead “armies”; he leads “his people”. And the Amlicites are fighting “their brethren”, a more serious offense than just fighting an enemy. Tev brought up the point that Joseph Smith must have had an extremely keen understanding of the text because of his translation efforts.

I also noticed Mormon’s role as historian—he copies details that don’t particularly drive the plot, and he repeats details one might initially think to be uninteresting or irrelevant. A careful look shows that the Nephites should have easily been defeated. Yet they miraculously conquer.

Joseph Smith & Jesus Christ: Parallel Lives

Posted on: 27-09-2009

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Category : Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith

My wife teaches the youth 14-18 Sunday school class in our ward. Today’s lesson was on the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. She said that in the manual it was in two parts, one all about the actual events of the martyrdom, and the rest about what might be called Joseph Smith’s “legacy,” essentially a list of all the things he accomplished. She felt there wasn’t time for both, and wondered which she should focus on?

Parallels

I understand the purpose of both, but personally a list of Joseph’s accomplishments belies the true purpose and meaning of what he did. I made a simple suggestion, and my wife followed the Spirit and put together a great lesson around the importance of Joseph Smith giving his life for the Savior. Among other things, she came up with this great list which she read to the class, allowing each student one guess as to who the list was describing: