Personally I really enjoyed the talk. He made some powerful points about putting one’s wife above himself, and the Lord above everything. He used two examples from his own life that he said he was ashamed to share, because they were bad examples, but that we can learn from them.

It was also interesting for me to see some slight shift in perspective, and depth of understanding, since Grandma passed away just over a year ago. Not to suggest that I have any conception of how his perspective has changed, or his understanding deepened, but just going off the talks he’s given in the past, I sense the change, though I can only understand it on the level that his words (and the Spirit, most importantly) touch me.

You can listen to it here:

I’m trying to get the video, which I will post once I get it.

A Grandfather’s Message to His Grandchildren

I’ve also added video of his last BYU-Idaho devotional, to the page I built in honor of my Grandfather. Its a great talk, and one that people who were there still remember years later, especially if they’re reminded that he temporarily adopted them as his grandchildren while delivering his message.

UPDATE:

I added all of Grandpa Washburn’s talks to the J Ballard Washburn page. Now a 3rd BYU-Idaho devotional, as well as two General Conference talks are all available for viewing or download (mp3). I also spoke with Grandpa tonight and I will be getting video of “Our Mission in Life,” shortly. He had some related ideas that he said he felt prompted to try, so watch this site for more news soon.

Spiritual cross training is a scripture-study program based on this principle. Instead of studying The Book of Mormon for a month (or a year), you mix it up daily–you cross train. This idea came to me when I was spending up to two hours a day studying the temple. I was very excited about it, but eventually I got burned out: I didn’t have the time or energy to study that much on a daily basis. The unfortunate result was me taking a break from scripture study for days on end.

Here’s my schedule (but the principle can be personalized to your interests and schedule):

• Sunday: Topical study (Temple, for now. 1-2 hours.)
• Monday: Priesthood/R.S. manual (20 min.)
• Tuesday: Conference talk (20 min. Usually from the last conference, but the options are open.)
• Wednesday: Book of Mormon (15-30 min. I read in Spanish. Consecutive chapters, not by topic.)
• Thursday: Conference talk (20 min.)
• Friday: Book of Mormon (15-30 min.)
• Saturday: Preach My Gospel (30-45 min.)

This keeps my scripture study fresh. And it allows the flexibility to ease a bit during the busy week and do a heavier workout on the weekends. Also, the routine could be changed. For example, once I get my applications finished, I might start doing topical study 2-3 times per week.

I think an important part of this is to have a set schedule. If I miss Monday, I don’t repeat it on Tuesday. I skip it and catch it again next week. This makes it easier to keep from doing catchup all the time (as missing days is inevitable).

– Travis

(P.S. I’d love to learn from your scripture-study techniques.)

Its been a great year, and I’ve seen tons of changes in my own life. This blog has meant a lot to me, as you–those who read–give comments and feedback. It has kept me thinking, studying, and praying about doctrines of the gospel, in times when I might otherwise have given little time to such matters, because of the press of less spiritual–but often more loudly demanding–challenges of everyday life. For that I thank all who read.

In the coming year, I’d encourage you to leave your thoughts on each subject as you comment. My original vision was that this blog would become more of a conversation or discussion, where we all learn from one another, rather than myself merely “preaching.”

The following numbers tell me, even at times when comments are few, that people are reading, and coming back. Once again, thank you.

Current Statistics (The Past 3 Months):

• Average Visitors Per Day: 27.35
• Percent that are New Visitors: 78.9
• Total Unique Visitors: 2,010

From the Beginning (All Time):

• Total Unique Visitors: 3421
• Total Countries: 102
• Most Common Countries: US, Canada, UK, Brazil, India, Australia, Germany, Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa
• Facebook Followers: 23
• Average Number of Feed Subscribers: 31
• Most Popular Posts: Elder Bednar’s Talk on Reality vs Cyberspace, The Washington Bible, My Response to ‘The Lost Symbol,’ Church as an Aaronic Priesthood Temple: Part 1.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Make sure that you really make the new year a happy one.

One middle-aged woman weeps quietly. She’s watching a sacred drama as it is played out around her. Symbolically, God the Father kneels beside an altar. He says a prayer, consecrating the offering covered in linen laying upon the altar. The words do not consecrate the body for burial, but for the sake of all mankind. Upon finishing, he rises, pulls back the covering, and gathers the collected blood from the ritually sacrificed offering, passing it to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then goes about the room, offering the blood of the sacrifice to the whole church, just as it had done with pieces of the flesh moments before. He passes this token of the great sacrifice to each person, if they receive it.

Some accept it, others do not. Of those who accept, most are oblivious to their part in the drama. They partake mechanically, out of habit, and pass the sacred blood on to others, quickly returning to their whisperings, thoughts, and sleeping. Unlike the middle-aged woman, who fully realizes her part in the ritual drama, they see only a quiet opportunity to think, sleep, or practice the rest hymn. The flesh and blood offered them is only bread and water, an interruption.

Its been far too long since I gave the talk that is the seed of this article. Though the exact words that I said is lost to my memory, just as the notes are lost to me physically, I have also learned much in the intervening years that I think explain and enhance the understanding I had when I gave the talk. As in the first part of this article, I write assuming your familiarity with the temple and its ceremonies. This is not to say you shouldn’t read this if you have not received your endowment in the Holy Temple of God, simply that in order to guard its sanctity, I do not connect what you will read directly to the temple. If you have received the blessings of the temple, you should immediately recognize the parallels. If you have not, your temple experience should seem all-the-more familiar when it happens for having looked deeper into our “sacrament” ceremony.

A Ritual Drama

The first thing to be understood, is that the way in which the sacrament is presented, is not just a “nice” or “convenient” way to give people blessed bread and water. The symbolism goes well beyond that. But we have to look to the Old Testament and modern temple rituals, to get beyond our very dull view that we have adopted because the ordinance has been repeated weekly throughout our lives. The ordinance mirrors an Old Testament ritual sacrifice as outlined in Leviticus 1:

10 …he shall bring it a male without blemish. 11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord: and the priests, …shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 13 …and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

Similarly, Christ was a perfect “male without blemish.” His flesh is torn or cut into pieces, and the blood and flesh are arranged separately upon the altar. They are then covered, rather than burned, as the Savior’s body was wrapped to preserve it. Also, His blood is spilled, sprinkled in that it is offered to many, you could say it is sprinkled about the congregation. Both parts of the offering are offered to the people, rather than burned as an offering to God.

The Characters

The teachers represent Christ himself. They must be worthy to prepare the sacrifice to be offered. They lay it upon the altar, and wrap it in preparation for the sacrifice. From that point on, the bread and water represent Christ in this drama.

The Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio

The priests represent God the Father. It is His plan that revolves around the sacrifice of His “Only Begotten Son.” And so, He must offer his Son as a sacrifice to atone for all the world. It is God the Father who performs the sacrifice. By breaking the bread, priests portray Heavenly Father as he sacrifices his Son, just as Abraham did “in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son” (Jacob 4:5).

The deacons represent the Holy Spirit. The flesh and blood of the sacrifice are given them by Heavenly Father, they in turn offer the Atonement to all the world. They offer both gifts freely to all who will receive it. These tokens of Christ’s atoning sacrifice are passed to each member of the congregation. The word “deacon” is an “anglicized form of the Greek word diaconos, meaning a ‘runner,’ ‘messenger,’ ’servant.’”¹ Thus the deacons are the runners or messengers of the Lord, the Holy Spirit.

The congregation represents the church. If they receive them, they symbolically receive the dual gifts of a physical and spiritual resurrection. The body of Christ represents his death on the cross and resurrection, a gift he gives to all, regardless. The bread assures us that we will all experience life, with a physical body, after death. The blood of Christ is symbolic of the blood that came from every pore as He suffered for our sins and pains. The water gives us hope of a spiritual resurrection from our sinful state.

Significance of the Drama

Ritual drama is a way of teaching. Just like an allegory or parable in scriptures, it has many messages to tell that can be interpreted on many different levels. In this particular drama, we are given tokens of Christ and His atonement. We partake of his atonement and sacrifice symbolically. When we accept these symbols, we covenant to partake fully of the atonement. Elder Oaks put it this way:

“…when we witness our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, we are signifying our commitment to do all we can to achieve eternal life in the kingdom of our Father. We are expressing our candidacy for–our determination to strive for–exaltation in the celestial kingdom.”²

Next time you look at the sacrament table, think of Christ’s broken and bloody body laying upon it, in white funerary wrappings. Though not in a tomb of stone as the actual events of His death, but rather on an altar before all the world. He is the sacrificial lamb, being sacrificed upon the great altar for all our sins. In partaking of the tokens of his sacrifice, we express our candidacy for blessings that can only be achieved by studying the scriptures and the teachings of the temple, and by living them, through more fully living the covenants of the temple.

“More mature members of the Church should understand and ponder other, deeper meanings as they partake of the sacrament. It is significant that when we partake of the sacrament we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so (D&C 20:77). The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the most important sense. What future event or events could this covenant contemplate? The scriptures suggest two sacred possibilities, one concerning the authority of God, especially in the temples, and the other–closely related–concerning exaltation in the celestial kingdom.

“… This is the ultimate significance of taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ, and this is what we should ponder as we partake the sacred emblems of the sacrament.” ³

Verbatim Covenant Prayer

As the previous quote indicates, the prayer is also key in the ritual. This blessing said over the body and blood of Christ, before it is offered to the congregation, forms another very direct correlation to the temple, where most ritual prayers are exactly the same each time. The purpose here is to help you look at the sacrament as a whole, in a new light. So I won’t go into the prayer a lot, but notice that just like the sacrament ritual, most of us pay little attention to the words of this very important covenant. If you’d like to study the prayer itself more deeply to continue learning, I recommend James Ferrell’s book The Holy Secret. This book is also very insightful in gaining new meaning from the temple as well. I also recommend that you compare the two prayers (found in D&C 20:77–79). There are key differences. Ask yourself why? Ponder and pray.

Some Application

As Elder Oaks so clearly stated, the purpose of the sacrament is to point us toward things that happen in temples. Church, and especially the sacrament, was setup as an Aaronic Priesthood Temple, to do two simple things: 1) Point us to Christ and encourage us to partake of his atonement on a weekly basis; and 2) Prepare us for and point us toward, the Holy Temple, so that we can participate in and live the holier ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood administered and taught only in the temple. Which helps us accomplish #1 on a higher level.

Once we realize this, the drama of the sacrament ritual plays out even further: if we partake absent-mindedly, has it done any good? We’re professing to be Christian, but getting lost in everyday life and forgetting to truly follow Christ. Even when we are paying attention, and truly receiving of the atonement, we must be careful not to think ourselves better than those in the previous category–in part, because we’ve all been there. If we’re careful not to be judgmental, we can look around the chapel and see examples of different things people do to ignore or become distracted from the gifts the Holy Ghost constantly offers. The entire thing is setup to teach, to remind, and even to both chastise and encourage us.

There is much more here, more than I know. I’ve even discovered much as I’ve written this. So this Sunday, and hopefully many to come, I encourage you to think about the two things church was designed to do. And when the sacrament takes place, open your eyes to the ritual drama and see what it has to teach you about yourself and your relationship to the Savior. Be a part of the drama, study your role in it, and learn from the role of others around you.

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.

This study helped me realize the gravity of what happens. The older language can make being “slain” seem incidental. It’s different when you realize they are talking about being stabbed and murdered by a sword’s edge. And all this bloodshed is to defend freedom.

* * *

At the beginning of the fifth year of their reign, some disagreements arose among the people; a cunning man named Amlici, a clever and crafty man, who had the same beliefs as the man who murdered Gideon with the sword (the one who was executed after being tried)… —Using his craftiness, Amlici had gotten many followers; so many that they were a powerful group; and they were trying to have him made king of their nation. This was a shock to the members of the church and to everyone who wasn’t a follower of Amlici; because they knew this could be done by majority vote. And if he gained that vote, being a wicked man, he would take away their religious freedom—and he intended to destroy God’s church.

So the people of the whole nation gathered into separate parties, either for or against Amlici, and they argued a lot back and forth. Then they gathered and cast their votes, and the ballots were laid before the judges. And the votes were against Amlici, so he was not made king.

Those who were against him were very glad; but Amlici riled up his party until they were angry with their opponents. So they united as a group and declared Amlici their king. And then Amlici commanded them to prepare for war against their brothers; and he did this so he could force them to be his subjects. And his people called themselves Almicites; and the rest of the people were called Nephites, or the people of God.

The Nephites knew what the Amlicites were planning, so they prepared to defend themselves. They armed themselves with swords, cimeters, bows, arrows, stones, slings, and all kinds of weapons. And so they were prepared to face to Amlicites. And they made leaders for their armies: captains, higher captains, and chief captains, depending on the numbers they oversaw. And Amlici also armed his men with all kinds of weapons; and he also made rulers and leaders in his army, so they could be led to war against their brothers.

The Amlicites arrived at Amnihu Hill, which was east of the Sidon River (which ran next to Zarahemla), and there they engaged the Nephites in battle. Alma (the chief judge and governor of the nation) went at the head his people and his armies, with his captains and chief captains, to battle the Amlicites. And they began to kill the Amlicites on the hill. But the Amlicites fought back with great strength, and many of the Nephites were killed too. But the Lord made the Nephites stronger, and they killed so many Amlicites that they began to run away.

So the Nephites chased them the whole day, and killed a large number of them, 12,532 in total; and 6,562 Nephites were killed.

And when the Nephites couldn’t chase any longer, Alma had his people pitch their tents in the Gideon Valley (it was named Gideon after the man who was stabbed to death by Nehor). And they camped there for the night.

And Alma sent spies to follow the rest of the Amlicites, so he could know their plans and plots in order to guard and protect his people. The spies Alma sent were named Zeram, Amnor, Manti, and Limher; they were the ones who took their men to watch the Almlicites’ camp. And they returned in the morning to the Nephite camp quickly, surprised and afraid, and they said, “We followed the camp of the Amlicites, and to our surprise, in the land of Minon above Zarahemla (on the way to the land of Nephi), we saw a huge army of Lamanites; and the Amlicites have joined them. And together they are attacking our brothers there! And our brothers are running away with their animals and families toward our city; and if we don’t hurry, they’ll take over our city, and our parents and wives and children will be murdered!”

So the Nephite people packed up their tents and left the Gideon valley headed toward their home, Zarahemla City.

And as they were crossing the Sidon River, the Lamanites and Amlicites flooded down on them—and there were so many of them it was like the number of grains of sand on a beach. In spite of that, the Nephites were strengthened by God—after praying with all their hearts that he would save them from their enemies, God heard their prayers and gave them strength, and the Lamanites and Amlicites gave way as the Nephites attacked.

And then Alma and Amlici fought one on one (with their swords); and it was an mighty fight. And then Alma, because he was a man of God, used his faith, and prayed: “O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, so I can be your weapon that saves these people.” And after he prayed these words, he continued to fight Amlici; and he was stronger, so much stronger that he killed Amlici with his sword.

And he also fought against the Lamanite king; but the Lamanite king ran away, and commanded his guards to fight Alma. So Alma and his guards fought against the king’s guards until they killed them and drove them back. (At some point Alma was injured badly enough that he couldn’t fight in the following battle; see Alma 3:22.)

And this is how he cleared the west bank of the Sidon River, throwing the dead Lamanites’ bodies into the river, so that his people could have room to cross and keep fighting on the west side.

And when the Nephites had all crossed the river, the Lamanites and Amlicites began to run away, even though there were so many of them that they couldn’t be counted. And they ran toward the jungles on the northwest, outside their lands’ borders; and the Nephites came after them in their strength, and killed them.

And the Lamanites and Amlicites were attacked on every side, killed and chased, until they were scattered to the north and to the west, and scattered into the Hermounts jungle—a jungle full of wild and ferocious animals. And many of them died in the jungle because they were wounded, and they were eaten by the ferocious animals and by vultures; and their bones were found later and piled into heaps on the ground.

First, read the full text of the talk at LDS.org, or download the MP3 at BYU-I’s devotionals archive.

Second, here’s an article the Church posted about it, along with the following Q&A video with Elder Oaks, about the talk:

[See post to watch Flash video]

Third, here are a couple of news spots that KSL did:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Sacred Symbolic News

We were honored to be featured by another blog titled “The Mormon’s Are Coming.” They do articles on Mormon topics around the internet, and featured our recent article “Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’: A Mormon’s Response” as reflective of the LDS response to Brown’s new novel. Visit their blog to see what they said.

We were also honored to have an expert in Masonry comment on that same post. I foolishly replied to his first comment without thinking it all the way through, and making the assumption he didn’t know what he was talking about (never do that). He corrected me, and we were able to clarify some things. He was kind enough to invite me on a tour of the SLC Masonic Temple. I don’t give his name, because I’m unsure if he wants it to be known. But be assured that guest commenter “GAC” knows Freemasonry very well.

Last note: sorry for multiple news-type posts. More sacred symbolism coming soon.

So I was excited when I noticed that the church announced a new DVD set as a resource for teaching Old Testament in the upcoming year. There are 56 videos in the set, many of which are new, or have never been available for purchase previously. There are also many, many other visual resources. From the preview video, they look like great quality reenactments of Old Testament stories. The reenactments either include, or other resources have, life-like renderings of the Tabernacle, Temple at Jerusalem and other stuff that can seem very distant until you see video that looks very real, as if peaking into the past. I’m excited to see all this new stuff, and see if it aides teachers in real Sunday School teaching situations.

You can watch the preview video they made here:

If you’re interested in how technology like this can help advance the purposes of the church, Bryce Haymond at TempleStudy.com posted, and started a Google Wave, about about using Google Wave to advance the purposes of the church.

I remember laying in bed reading the DaVinci Code several years ago excited by the story, intrigued by the symbols and codes, and impressed by what seemed to be some restored-gospel truths about Christ and his possible marriage to Mary Magdalene. Originally I rejected the idea of the marriage, but after talking to some of my mentors of the time, decided that “we don’t know” is probably the only for-sure answer we are going to get for the time being.

However, I had a powerful epiphany in the middle of the book and came to a much better understanding of Christ’s relationship to the Church. In the DaVinci Code, Brown explores the sacred feminine and the idea that a woman (Mary Magdalene) and Christ’s descendant-bloodline constitute the Holy Grail that so many people believe is a cup. It changed the way I see many of the parables told by the Savior and many other aspects of the New Testament. As I said, we don’t know for sure if Christ married Mary, but this is where Brown gets off track, as do many people I’ve discussed the book with. The key is not about whether or not Christ was married, its about Christ’s relationship to the church, His one true church. Throughout the New Testament, one reoccurring metaphor is that of Jesus as the bridegroom, and the church is his bride. Thus if we follow Brown’s line of reasoning, but with this one minor correction, the Holy Grail is to receive all the blessings that he offers us through His church. As Christ himself put it: “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God” (John 17:3). The Holy Grail is to become the family of Christ, though perhaps not through actual blood lineage, but through sealing bonds combined with the Atonement to make us His–one with Christ, as a husband and wife are commanded to be one. This is one of the great metaphors of the New Testament, and definitely part of the great secret of all time.

Though I enjoyed the story (not necessarily the writing), the DaVinci Code left me almost frustrated because Brown came so near to truth, but still completely missed it. In fact he even went as far as to assert that Christ was merely mortal, not God at all. This is something many people say, but begs the question: “if he was merely mortal, then what makes his bloodline (or wife) special?” Regardless of the plot flaws, it falls back on an old and widespread idea that C. S. Lewis addressed very eloquently:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Christ]: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.¹

The Lost Symbol continues on the course set by The DaVinci Code. Here, Brown takes Robert Langdon on an adventure set in Washington DC. A city full of art, architecture, symbols, and all that Langdon specializes in. And once again, the goal seems to be the ultimate quest. The Holy Grail, which has long represented the ultimate quest for knowledge and enlightenment, has already been found. So what’s left? How do you go bigger than that without the strange inter-dimensional aliens quest like Indiana Jones? Mr. Brown’s answer is: the ultimate secret of human potential. Essentially its the true Holy Grail that Brown missed when researching The DaVinci Code. There, he got distracted by a woman (Mary Magdalene) and as a result, tried to de-deify the Savior of the world.

In The Lost Symbol, “apotheosis” is the goal. “Apotheosis” literally means to become like God, or the process of becoming godlike. Its similar to the word “deification.” Among many others, the ancient Pharaohs and Mayan kings tried to literally make themselves into gods on earth, but knowing they were still mortal, they built temples, participated in rituals, and setup burial chambers that were designed to aide them in actually becoming a god in the afterlife. Today, the word is often used when a person is so widely honored and adored, that their name and image become super-human. In the book, a painting features prominently titled “The Apotheosis of Washington,” and is painted inside the dome of the US Capitol building. It depicts George Washington being received into heaven, and attaining the status of a God. As both Bryce Haymond and Mark Koltko-Rivera have detailed so well, this strikes a chord with us Mormons.

However, just like before, Brown comes very close while still managing to miss entirely. As Robert Langdon and others pursue Masonic clues leading to the secret of Apotheosis or deification, in an attempt to stop a madman, they learn about both the ancient path to Apotheosis, as well as the supposed modern, scientific equivalent which is supposedly being explored through Noetics. Both are fascinating subjects, and perhaps easier to be introduced to in a novel, than in going to the source material that at least one of Brown’s characters is so familiar with.

I believe that the reason we see common threads that run through secret societies and cults from the Ancient Hellenes Maya, to the modern Freemasons and even court oaths and Boy Scouts, is that even apostate peoples understand the power and importance of temple worship. Since the first descendant of Adam left the true church of Christ, those who followed similar paths have been trying to regain that which they lost: the path back to God. Many of those have realized that priesthood, ceremony, learning through symbolism, and sacraments, are key and important factors in attaining this. Abraham tells us that one of the first Pharaohs of Egypt did exactly this:

Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood. (Abraham 1:26)

Whether it was the Greek Orphic cults or much more modern Masons, people in various cultures and times have tried to do as Pharaoh did, in restoring the lost knowledge, ordinances, and teachings that God taught Adam & Eve. However, all have had the same problem Pharaoh did, they did not have the proper priesthood authority.

Here is where Dan Brown wanders off the path. He seems to be unable to get over his assertions in DaVinci Code, that in fact Christ is not a God. Not only that, but perhaps there is no god. Man, however, can somehow become god. Or perhaps human potential is god? If man can achieve his full potential, then he will become Godlike? This point he never makes clear and leaves open to speculation and whatever it is that Noetics is supposed to uncover. Now don’t get me wrong, I think the ideas and concepts of Noetics are fascinating, as are the various ancient texts and teachings mentioned throughout the book. Both may prove to help us better understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For me, study of ancient culture, cults, temples, etc. have greatly enhanced my understanding of the modern temple, our cannon of scripture and much more (thus this blog). This is because they try to teach truth, even if they don’t have all of it. And often they understood symbolism as a way of teaching, much better than our modern society. Unlike Mr. Brown however, I believe there is much of these same “echoes” of truth (as one of my mentors liked to say) left in Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and to a lesser extent, the various protestant sects.

For me, reading the last two Robert Langdon adventures has been like cheering your football team on, in the toughest game of their season. They’re trailing 27-30 with just under a minute left in the game. They’ve marched all the way from their own 20 yard line, down to the other team’s 15. They’ve run perfect play after perfect play, get a first down on the 5 and have four downs to score. Then they promptly get a 10 yard penalty, followed by 3 wasted downs, and throw an interception on 4th down with 5 seconds left (some of you may have surmised that I’m a Cougar fan). Its just frustrating  to read a very well constructed story, written about symbolism and secrets hidden throughout history, that seems to be on the right track, almost the entire way, then still misses the touchdown somehow.

Family Bible from the mid 1800's

In the dénouement (stop reading if you don’t want to know), Brown points to “the word”–aka the Bible–as the secret to unlocking human potential and the deification of man. Once again, we as Mormon’s agree completely, and search for symbolic and allegorical meanings beyond most of the Christian world (or should be). We believe that understanding truth is the single most potent factor in changing people to become like God. As Mormon puts it: “the preaching of the word had a… more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than… anything else, which had happened unto them” (Alma 31:5). But we can’t read a Bible that discounts Jesus Christ as Lord, Master, and Savior of all mankind. Nor can we swallow the idea that being made in God’s image is something less than a complete description: flesh, bones, mind, spirit, and all.

Understand, the book has a great story, and tons of intriguing details, places, symbols, etc. In spite of some super-repetitious descriptors and at least one major plot point that was very, very weak when finally revealed, Brown really understands how to keep tension and conflict as a constant throughout. I think its a great read that is both thought, and learning, provoking, and many who are LDS might even benefit from reading it, if it gets them to ask more questions about the symbols and symbolism in our own temples and the temple experience. It also, as Mark Koltko-Rivera pointed out, may lead to great missionary opportunities as people start questioning some of the ideas in the book.

My point is simply this: Mr. Brown, in spite of the shock waves The DaVinci Code sent through much of the world, in the the restored church of Jesus Christ, we don’t find it strange to think Christ might have been married. In fact our doctrine suggests that if he wasn’t, he will need to be at some point. We fully appreciate the sanctity and sacredness of the sacrament of human sexual intimacy. We appreciate, respect, and elevate women in playing a divine and special role in God’s great plan. We offer illumination, enlightenment, and secret knowledge to those who are true seekers. We believe the body and spirit make the soul of man, therefore the concept that our minds unleash our potential and are connected with the spiritual, is familiar. We teach the concept of man becoming like God (even gods themselves), or apotheosis; in fact it is perhaps the core doctrine of our religion, and one that sets us apart from most modern religions. Ceremony, symbol, allegory, parable, etc., etc., are all commonplace forms of teaching throughout our church. They offer depths upon depths of understanding, and also weed out those who are not true seekers by hiding their deeper meanings. The word, or holy scriptures are central to all our learning, teaching, and action in the church, and they offer the same depths of understanding through use of the same types of symbols & allegory already mentioned. I could continue this list, but hopefully you get the point. And so Mr. Brown, if yourself is in any way represented in the character of Robert Langdon, and you’ve opened yourself to possibilities, “come and see” what a religion that has been teaching so much of what your recent books assert, for well over a century and a half, has to offer.

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:

• His birth was prophesied by ancient prophets
• He spoke with God the Father
• He was taught by angels
• He was baptized
• He restored the true gospel to his dispensation
• He performed many miracles throughout his life
• He restored priesthood keys and organized the Quorum of the 12
• He taught the meek and humble, was despised and rejected of the proud
• He often traveled to proclaim the gospel and lead the saints
• He was imprisoned for who he claimed to be
• He was dealt with unfairly by the ruling government
• He prophesied of his own death
• He was betrayed by someone close to him
• He was martyred by an illegal mob that hated him for the things he taught

I was amazed when I saw the list myself. I’ve seen other, similar lists, but in just a few minutes my wife wrote this one out without looking at any other list. The parallels between the life of the Savior and the life of Joseph Smith are amazing and extensive. To list Joseph’s accomplishments seems to miss the point. His whole life was about serving the Savior and doing whatever the Savior asked him to do. Even the events of Joseph’s life, and death, are a testament of the Savior Jesus Christ.

Killed for Teaching the True Nature of God

As Elder McConkie put it: “Knowledge of God is the greatest truth in all eternity. … Joseph Smith came to reveal God, in a day of almost total spiritual darkness, in a day when men no longer knew the nature and kind of Being whom they should worship.”¹ And they killed Joseph because he taught the truth about God:

God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible,—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another. ²

This is another way in which the Prophet’s life mirrored that of his Savior. Both were killed for proclaiming the true nature of God and the steps required by man, for his own deification. We often quote John Taylor’s words: “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it” (D&C 135:3). But perhaps the subtle subtext of this passage is that Joseph has done more than any mortal man to testify of Christ and the truths of the gospel that our Savior would have us live by. Its only by truths he restored that we can inherit all that the Savior has: through becoming pure so that “when he shall appear, we shall be like him” (1 Jn 3:2).

I’d love to hear any additions to the list, anyone else thinks of.

First, this is still the right place. I changed the skin/theme to one that I felt was more professional and less busy. The old one had that cool “ancient scrolls and scripture” feel, but I just didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. This new theme is much better on the eyes and more functional. Hope you all like it as much as I do.

Second, I fixed the video in the Political Iconography post. Seems it wasn’t working, and that’s probably why nobody commented on that post. Still, an interesting video, and it should be working now. There’s a link below it to Youtube, in case its not.

Third, I have begun updating the J Ballard Washburn page, under resources (at the top). The first major update is a talk that he told me was “the best talk [he'd] ever given,” though he couldn’t remember giving it. I’ve posted the video on that page, and you can download an MP3 of it there as well. I’ll add more soon.