Still Giving Thanks 145 Years Later
Proclamation of Thanksgiving
President Abraham Lincoln
October 3, 1863
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Attention All Commenters!
Thank you for your lively participation. Some of you seem to really like the experimental comment system (we’re glad!), but we are reminded afresh of the reason why we earlier imposed a comment limit. Sharon does most of the work overseeing this site, and we need to lighten her load. Effective immediately we are re-enforcing our limit of six comments per day (I don’t remember if that was the number before, but I’m picking six). Because the experimental commenting software doesn’t automatically enforce this, you will need to be diligent to count your daily comments lest they be the victim of my merciless penchant for clicking the delete button. Inordinately long comments will also be removed.
We could also use your help. If you see a violation of our comment policies, please click the “report” button (next to the “reply” button) and alert us.
Thank you for your cooperation. Your regularly schedule program will resume in 3… 2… 1…
Do We Need to Become Children of God?
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God, who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,
but of God. –John 1:12-13
Brigham Young taught,
“The scriptures made use of by Elder George A. Smith this morning, show the way in which the former Saints became the sons of God. ‘But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.’…
“I think, however, that the rendering of this Scripture is not so true as the following, namely: ‘But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to continue to be the sons of God.’ Instead of receiving the gospel to become the sons of God, my language would be—to receive the gospel that we may continue to be the sons of God. Are we not all sons of God when we are born into this world? Old Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was just as much a son of God as Moses and Aaron were His sons, with this difference—he rejected the word of the Lord, the true light, and they received it. For ‘this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.’ [John 3:19] Then we receive not the gospel that we may become the sons of God, but that we may remain the sons of God without rebuke. …My doctrine is—that there never was a son and daughter of Adam and Eve born on this earth whose names were not already written in the Lamb’s book of life, and there they will remain until their conduct is such that the angel who keeps the record is authorized to blot them out and record them elsewhere.” (Brigham Young, November 17, 1867, Journal of Discourses, 12:100-101)
Video of Debate from November 7
Mr. Wallace is pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City. Dr. Tanner is an LDS apologist who has contributed to the FARMS Review of Books and The Encyclopedia of Mormonism. He hosts KSL Radios Religion Today.
Location: University of Utah
University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall Auditorium
Took place Friday, November 7, 2008
Sorry, I know the audio could be better. I’ll work on getting better audio next time.
Remember the Victims
Filed under: Mormon History, Truth, Honesty, Prayer, and Inquiry
Thirty years ago (on November 18, 1978) over 900 people died in Guyana, South America, victims of spiritual deception. Living in Jonestown under the care of self-proclaimed prophet Jim Jones, many of these people died willingly, drinking poisoned punch in obedience to a directive given them by their prophet.
Some of the victims may not have realized that they were actually drinking poison.
Joseph Smith’s Genesis 50 Additions
I’ve recently completed a 2-year study of the Old Testament book of Genesis. What a rich, sacred history God has given us in the opening pages of His Word. Though the book is a mere 50 chapters, it’s so packed with amazing events, prophesies and wisdom I could easily spend many more years in a dedicated study of these 78 pages of Scripture and continue to find fresh and new insight.
When I came to the end of my 2-year study, as I closed the cover of my Bible, I sat thinking about how the things begun in Genesis are fulfilled in Christ. I thought about the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the closing chapter of the book, which so beautifully highlights God’s faithfulness. The end of the book of Genesis prepares the reader for a seamless transition into the book of Exodus, where God continues the sacred history of His covenant faithfulness with His chosen people.
As I contemplated the final passages of Genesis, I remembered that Joseph Smith added 13 verses to the 50th chapter. With heart and mind saturated with the biblical writing, I opened the LDS edition of the Bible and turned to the appendix containing excerpts from the Joseph Smith Translation. As I read the words Joseph inserted between verses 24 and 25 it was like a needle skimming roughly across a phonograph record.