Sidney Rigdon

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Sidney Rigdon was a prominent figure in the Doctrine and Covenants and also in the time of the early Church. So prominent, in fact, that he was involved with 13 revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants as well as being in the actual text of 44 sections. These sections involving Rigdon range from instruction to promises to rebuke. He led a fantastic life and did many wonderful things for the church. Perhaps the biggest lesson to be learned from his life, though, is that even the great can fall from their privelages.

Sidney Rigdon was born in February of 1793, which would have made him the age of 37 when the church was officially organized and he joined it. He was taught the gospel by Parley P. Pratt. He became and accomplished orator, a Baptist Minister, and later one of the founders of the Campbellite movement (a protestant movement shortly before the Restoration). (Doctrine & Covenants: Who’s Who, Ed J. Pinegar, Richard J. Allen, pp. 121-125) As explained by the mentioned book:

“His service to the church included participating in the dedication of Independence, Missouri, as the chosen land of Zion (see D&C 58:57), serving as as a scribe for the Prophet Joseph for the inspired translation of the Bible, participating with Joseph Smith in a number of revelations (including section 76 on the degrees of glory), and generally being a spokesman and defender for the cause of Zion. He became a member of the First Presidency on March 18, 1833. He suffered greatly during the Missouri persecutions.(122)”

It is clear from the actual text of the scriptures that the Lord had great confidence in the abilities of Brother Rigdon:

“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard they prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things.” (D&C 35:3-4)

Conversely, the Lord also gave warnings to Sidney Rigdon about his problem with Pride. It is best shown in this verse:

“I, the Lord, am not pleased with my servant Sidney Rigdon; he exalted himself in his heart, and received not counsel, but grieved the Spirit; Wherefore his writing is not acceptable unto the Lord, and he shall make another; and if the Lord receive it not, behold he standeth no longer in the office to which I have appointed him.” (D&C 63:55-56)

At one point, Rigdon had a dispute with the prophet Joseph Smith and was severed from the church (August 13, 1843). He was later reinstated. Later, in 1844, After the Prophet Jospeh had been killed, Sidney Rigdon claimed to have had a vision that he should become the guardian of the Church. The experience is best explained in the Journal of Discourse (as refreneced in The Presidents of the Church: Teacher’s Manual; Found online on www.LDS.org).

“After the Prophet Joseph Smith was killed, the Twelve Apostles presided over the Church. Many members of the Church did not know how a new President of the Church would be chosen.

Sidney Rigdon had been a counselor to President Joseph Smith for eleven years and had helped Joseph in many ways. Sidney Rigdon thought he should be the next President of the Church. He did not agree that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles should preside over the Church and wanted to be chosen by the people to be the President.

Sidney Rigdon called for a meeting so the people could decide who would preside over the Church. When Brigham Young, the senior Apostle, and other Apostles returned from their missions later in August 1844, six weeks after the Prophet Joseph Smith had been killed, the meeting was held in Nauvoo. Sidney Rigdon and Brigham Young both spoke in the meeting.

Another meeting was called for 10:00 a.m. the next day. A marvelous thing happened in that meeting. When Brigham Young stood up to speak, for a short time he looked and sounded like Joseph Smith.

…The question might be asked, why was the appearance of Joseph Smith given to Brigham Young? Because here was Sidney Rigdon and other men rising up and claiming to be the leaders of the Church, and men stood, as it were, on a pivot, not knowing which way to turn. But just as quick as Brigham Young rose in that assembly, his face was that of Joseph Smith—the mantle of Joseph had fallen upon him, the power of God that was upon Joseph Smith was upon him, he had the voice of Joseph, and it was the voice of the shepherd. There was not a person in that assembly, Rigdon, himself,[bold added] not excepted, but was satisfied in his own mind that Brigham was the proper leader of the people, for he would not have his name presented, by his own consent, after that sermon was delivered. There was a reason for this in the mind of God; it convinced the people. They saw and heard for themselves, and it was by the power of God” (in Journal of Discourses, 15:81).”

Unfortunately, after this experience, Sidney Rigdon was disfellowshipped for attempting to take over leadership outside the framework set up by the Lord. He “fell into a state of disgrace and never recovered. (p. 125)”

As mentioned, the most impotatnt lesson I take from this is that pride is the universal sin. Even in a man who has had some incredible experiences like Sidney Rigdon, pride can still overcome the person in feeling they are due some sort of reward. For me, this is a reminder that the things I have been blessed with in mylife are conditional on my faithfulness until the very end.

I know that we each have divine gifts and opportunities in this life. The most crucial thing we can do is to beware of the creeping sin of pride.

Revelation in the Latter-day Saint Church

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I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, AKA: Mormons. I served a mission for the church for two years and spent my time teaching about the doctrines, blessings, and importance of a “Restored Gospel.” One of the most powerful testimonies of the work that I was involved with is the receipt of Personal revelation.

It is up to each individual person to develop a relationship with God, yet as Mormons, we give heed to the counsel of those we consider modern day Prophets. This pattern of living may seem contrary to the idea that one develops his/her own relationship with God. The truth is, that a person will draw much closer to God by following the counsel of the living prophets than by trying to “find their own way.”

Early in the history of the Mormon Church was a misunderstanding of this doctrine. There was one man who was “receiving revelation” for the church as a whole which was contrary to what the Prophet Joseph Smith was teaching. This matter was clarified in the revelation given to Joseph Smith in section 28. The historical background as explained in the D&C Institute manual is thus:

“After arranging my affairs at home, I again set out for Fayette, to attend our second conference, which had been appointed to be held at Father Whitmer’s where Joseph then resided. On my arrival I found Brother Joseph in great distress of mind on account of Hyrum Page, who had managed to get up some dissension of feeling among the brethren by giving revelations concerning the government of the Church and other matters, which he claimed to have received through the medium of a stone he possessed. He had quite a roll of papers full of these revelations, and many in the Church were led astray by them. Even Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family had given heed to them, although they were in contradiction to the New Testament and the revelations of these last days. Here was a chance for Satan to work among the little flock, and he sought by this means to accomplish what persecution failed to do. Joseph was perplexed and scarcely knew how to meet this new exigency. That night I occupied the same room that he did and the greater part of the night was spent in prayer and supplication. After much labor with these brethren they were convinced of their error, and confessed the same, renouncing the revelations as not being of God, but acknowledged that Satan had conspired to overthrow their belief in the true plan of salvation. In consequence of these things Joseph enquired of the Lord before conference commenced and received the revelation published on page 140 of the Doctrine and Covenants [section 28], wherein God explicitly states His mind and will concerning the receiving of revelations.”

The Lesson to take from this is that as often as the Lord will use his proper ways of conveying revelation (through his modern day prophets); Satan will try to confuse it with false revelation through similar mediums.

I know that God communicates with his children. I know that I can pray and receive personal answers to my prayers, fitted for my individual circumstance. Yet, these answers usually come through the doctrines taught by the living and modern prophets in the church I love, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is Jesus Christ’s church. The leaders in it have been authorized by Him. I am grateful God speaks in an ordered way to us, his children.

A few thoughts on Oliver and Joseph

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What was the historical context of Doctrine and Covenants section 6?

Section 6 of the Doctrine and Covenants is a revelation that includes a lot of what I will call “motivational gems” such as verses 33-34:

“Fear not to do ^bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye ^csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow ^dgood ye shall also reap good for your ^ereward. UAdd a Note Therefore, fear not, little ^aflock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are ^bbuilt upon my rock, they cannot prevail. UAdd a Note Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and ^asin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you. UAdd a Note Look unto me in every ^bthought; ^cdoubt not, fear not. UAdd a Note Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the ^bnails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall ^cinherit the ^dkingdom of heaven. Amen.”

There is a lot of the Lord’s counsel in this section initially directed towards The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. and Oliver Cowdery. I did some research and found that this revelation was given shortly after Oliver met Joseph and began recording the translations for what would become The Book of Mormon.

Oliver began as a school teacher for the children of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith (Joseph Smith Jr.’s parents). The custom was to have the school teacher stay in their home. After some time, Oliver heard of the ‘gold plates’ and inquired of the family. He exclaimed that he had been praying for revelation to come and for this type of thing to occur and for him to find it. These are his words to Joseph Smith Sr. the next day after he heard about what Joseph Smith Jr. was doing:

“….The subject upon which we were yesterday conversing seems working in my very bones, and I cannot, for a moment, get it out of my mind; finally, I have resolved on what I will do. Samuel [Smith], I understand, is going down to Pennsylvania to spend the spring with Joseph; I shall make my arrangements to be ready to accompany him thither, . . . for I have made it a subject of prayer, and I firmly believe that it is the will of the Lord that I should go. If there is a work for me to do in this thing, I am determined to attend to it.” ( History of Joseph Smith, p. 139.)

When Oliver arrived with his intended mission, the prophet Joseph was not at all surprised to see him; for he had been praying for an aid in scribing the translations of the gold plates. Knowing this story, I think, clearly helps us see that the two were now in need of encouragement and instruction for the very difficult journey they would each have in the near future. The counsel, as is shown above, is the best summary of the Lord’s attitude towards these two servants of His. They were in need of an encouragement just as any soldier would need it before going into battle. Section 6 is full of wonderful counsel that each of us now have access to. I know in my life I have found comfort in the words of the Savior about doubting not and trusting in the Lord.I know also, that seeing how the Lord brought these two together to perform a work; can be a lesson I take into my life as pertaining to my mission in life. I will trust in the Lord and His directions as I seek His will for me through prayer.

Ingenuity

Dictionary.com tells me it is: "the quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful; inventiveness." As demonstrated in the following:

The oven buzzer went off at the exact time the kitchen towels (we don't own oven mitts) were in the washer. My "Pigs" were seconds from becoming crisp bacon burn victims. Something had to be done quickly! How would I save them from their burning demise in time?? I looked down in desperation and then, Ingenuity struck...


I know what you are thinking.... And yes, Adidas thought it was brilliant too. They called and said something about a "hand/sock" spokesman position. Thank you, Ingenuity.

P.S. My pigs snugly in their Golden Brown blankets were Delicious.

A Sure Cure

I heard a talk in church today that mentioned one of my favorite scriptures. He said that if you are ever having a bad day, to read this scripture. I have to agree. Its 2 Nephi chapter 4. A long time ago, I heard a song that was put to the music of "Be Still My Soul" and uses the words from this chapter. Here is the reference to the chapter. http://new.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/4?lang=eng

I love the scriptures and all the wisdom, peace and Love from Heavenly Father they include!

A song written with the words of Nephi's Psalm to the tune of Be Still My Soul. Simply Inspiring.

For the Beauty of the Earth

I took a drive up Smokey Canyon today. Smokey Canyon is just passed what my family refers to as Taigee Canyon. I was on my way to snap a picture of the cabin where my Great Grandpa Elno was born when I was just struck with how beautiful a scene I was in. I could look out over the valley and see streams, green rising mountains, and an impending thunder storm.

I realize that pictures will never be able to capture the true majesty of any scenery. So maybe I can explain my feelings better. When I was in Europe last summer, I saw a lot of gorgeous countryside. Some of the most beautiful mountain scenes were when we traveled through the Swiss Alps. Yet, at points in the journey through Italy and other wonderful places; I couldn't help but think of this place near Star Valley, Wyoming. I felt then, as I do now, that I had the privilege of seeing one of the most beautiful places on Earth while my family visited every summer.

So here I was, in the midst of this great place and I just couldn't help but feel so grateful for such a wonderful world. Some time alone out in nature has a way of really stilling your mind and soul.

Religious or not, one has to admit the beauty and majesty of the Earth, wherever you may believe it came from.

No matter how great of things we think we can do - whether its building something beautiful, discovering answers to scientific problems, or anything else that we pat ourselves on the back for - It will always pale in comparison to what has been done long before we got here. I think if everyone could just spend a few moments in a place like this every so often, we mightbetter remember what life is really all about. And it doesn't have a thing to do with power, politics, or money. Its about a personal relationship with a divine creator. In the end, that is all we have.

Love is the Greatest

I would like to get personal for a minute. I need to say: I love this girl!

She is really something special.

I am Shamed

For the very few who read this blog of mine. I sincerely apologize for my lack of blog attendance. I am a "blog tease." Naming my blog "A dose for the DAY" and rarely posting on a weekly basis. I wish I could tell you I will be perfect from here on out, but this is not a political campaign; I'm not required to lie through my teeth. (And yes, I did just distract you from my failing attribute by using a cheap political joke). Happy reading, whenever it happens.

A white lie can be entertaining

I lied. I deactivated my facebook a few weeks ago, then I reactivated it. Then, because I am kind of a freak about internet security, I lied about my birthday on the facebook information page. I did this to throw off some cyber criminals. I don't know if it has worked. What I do know, is that every time I get on facebook, I am thoroughly entertained by the "personalized ads" that are on the side. I always forget that I lied about my age, and so when I see an ad for sleep apnea or to view my high school friends from the class of '69; it takes me a second to realize why the facebook big wigs feel I need these things. Another personal favorite is to buy a book for diabetic cooking. Then I laugh to myself. I feel so much more in touch with the older generation now.

I thoroughly enjoy this little experience and I will continue to lie about my birthday on facebook, but I want my friends to know in case they are wondering that I am not a 58 year old man.

War

Over the Fourth of July, Lorraine and I were watching fireworks around the valley that we were visiting. Everyone had their own, and so there were "bombs bursting in air" all around us. Some were faint, some were close, but we could hear all of them. As we sat there watching and listening, Lorraine commented on what it would be like to go to sleep every night listening to real explosions and real flashing lights; not knowing if your house would be hit next.

Around the national holidays, I am more likely to be thinking about our troops and their sacrifices. Not just those out now, but all those in the past. I take great pride in knowing that my grandfather served in the Army in his younger days. Over the years, I have also come quite a ways in understanding myself what this thing called war is all about. It is so hard for a man growing up in a quiet suburb to understand what a war would really be like for those not only serving in it. I claim no ability to know now either. Yet, I believe it could be said that nobody ever really serves IN a war, but as long as they are within its grasp; all are servants of that war. Whether soldier, civilian, man or child - none are exempt. The headlines today read: "Taliban attacks increasingly kill Afghan civilians." This must be at least some of the reason our troops fight so hard on such a difficult front. Perhaps when we remember those who give so much to fight terror, we also remember the other casualties of this war. To me it is frankly pathetic to think that there are those in the world (a vast number really) that live in fear daily of wild men with powerful weapons of destruction. My heart goes out to them. I hope I can find ways to help them. For now, my prayers will have to suffice. God bless America. God bless the children and families suffering in the war on terror.

A Superstar With Class???

Yesterday, LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat, leaving his beloved Cavs behind. This is BIG. I am not a die hard NBA fan. I am not even really that much of a basketball fan. I only watch the Lakers (my home team) when I know it is going to be a good game. Yet, I feel like I need to weigh in on this issue. I caught most of the live interview with LeBron on ESPN yesterday. This and other times I have seen him showing his personality really convince me he is a great guy, and maybe one of the best role models for how a sports superstar should think. One comment I really liked was: "Whether I am slamming on hoops or at home being a Dad, I am happy." I don't know much about LeBron and his personal life, so I won't comment much on that; but I feel I have a good view on why its such a great thing to make this move. Lets just review what is happening:

1) LeBron will be playing on a team with other superstars: D. Wade as well as C. Bosh. Taking less of the spotlight every game.
2) All three will be taking a pay cut.
3) All three wanted to play together and were hoping for this move.


Let me tell you what I like about this. Every player in any professional sport has one goal: WIN. Yet, many of the really gifted players are so concerned with being the superstar that takes their team to a championship that they end up losing sight of what a team sport really is. Like that saying goes, "There is no 'I' in team, except in professional basketball"(Okay, so I added a little something of my own to that). Each one of these fantastic players has clearly stated that they want to win and have fun playing the game. To me it almost seems like these guys are now the minority thinkers and being persecuted for it. LeBron's Cav jersey was being burned by Cavalier fans and there are statements about his legacy being tarnished because of this move. That may be true, but think about the kind of sacrifice of personal endeavor one of the most, if not the most, talented players in the NBA just made for truly The Love of the Game. You also have to think about the fact that this is his career. Just as anyone wants to excel in a career, you would make a job change if the opportunity came and you couldn't get where you wanted in your old job.

Like I said, I am no expert on this sort of situation. But from a casual fan's perspective, I tip my hat to Wade, Bosh and especially, the king, LeBron. I hope this sort of passion stays in sports and we see a great team play from the Miami Heat this next fall.

A thought on Psalms

Psalms 69:20; Mark 14:32-41; JST Mark 14:36-38

The Lord, Jesus Christ, was alone in the very hour He needed His friends the most. in psalms it states, "Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none."

Further exploration on this shows that this verse prophesies of His time in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Mark, it states, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death...." I thought for a long time that this statement was because He was about to perform the Atonement. Well, it was partly that, but in JST Mark, we read: "And the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah." The Savior not only was about to perform the most difficult task He, or anyone would ever perform, He had little support from those whom should have been His closest friends. Because of this, He states, at least in part, that His soul is "Exceeding sorrowful, Even unto death." Then He asks them to watch with Him, but they do not and thus the Lord, "Looked for some...to comfort, but... found none."

Two applications from this:
(1) When I am in need, the Lord "will not leave [me] comfortless; [He] will come to [me]" (John 14:18), because He knows complete despair and wants nobody to go through it. Like it says in D&C 19:16 - "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent."
(2) When another is in despair, I can be one who does not leave him/her comfortless.

It is no wonder that as Christians and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are asked by President Monson to visit the lonely, and attend to the needs of "the one."

Headphones

My headphones broke a couple weeks ago. I have been putting off getting new ones because I just have so many other things to do. Today I was reminded why getting new headphones should be on the top of my to-do list. While studying on the computer in the library I was trying to focus on chemistry when a self proclaimed "wiener" (his words, not mine) started a conversation with the girl across from me on another computer. After an awkward "Do I know you? -eh uh- hum - doo da doo," he went and sat by her (much too her dislike), right across from me. He then decided to try and impress her by blabbering on about the universe and how we don't understand it because of black space matter jibber jabber blabber, while the poor girl cordially nodded her head and tried to make comments to appear to know what in the world this dude was talking about. The conversation got really awkward when he ran out of deep space facts and slowly fizzled out. It is good to see though, that he is using his new found knowledge (that is probably regurgitated from his professor this morning) to good use by boring the life out of a poor unsuspecting girl. Amazingly though, he kept the conversation going just long enough to become creepy. Congrats young feller. Anyways, about the time that all around were being sucked into his newly formed black hole of blabber, I signed on to Amazon, quickly placing the order for these bad boys:





I can't wait for my sweet release from the oh too common Date Hunters. Goodbye meaningless distraction, hello sweet world of studying solitude.

Math

It takes a very special type of person to love math. I have NEVER been that person. Its not so much that it is very difficult to understand, it is just excessively annoying. Using math is not my problem, its enjoying it. No matter how hard I try, I want to destroy something during my homework, without fail. Case in point: I just spent 3 hours on a math assignment that should have taken me 25 minutes. We're not talking useful math, either. They were just numbers, variables and a blinking cursor that impatiently awaited my answer, which was inevitably: Wrong. Thank you computer math program for labeling me: INCORRECT.

My teacher, on the other hand, stands in front of class and lectures us on the different ways to solve things like she has just solved all the problems of our little worlds. She is floating on cloud nine, preaching the truth of all that is worth speaking of.

Yesterday, I was especially out of it from not eating dinner before class and not getting enough sleep. Luckily, this seems to be the best time for me to think creatively. As I sat in my semi-catatonic state, I entertained myself at the ideas of how someone could come to love math so much that it hurts (my teacher often looks in pain as she reaches her point; I also have a theory that she secretly wants to harm some of us for not caring). Anyways, I threw some ideas around. They ranged from cruel to unusual. I thought maybe she had no friends growing up and her math numbers were her only unchanging variable in life. Maybe she was a younger sibling and had a lack of control in life and just wanted to manipulate and control SOMETHING. Maybe she was like a friend of mine who once explained for an hour how crucial math was to the creation of the universe - AKA "Math is God." (he made a lot of sense, by the way). Still, how could someone love something that was so drab? Math seems to me a sliver that you just never can get out. It is there and you know you have to deal with it, but you just never can rid yourself of the annoyance. How could my teacher be in love with such a maddening thing??

Then it hit me. A little voice in my head reminded me of how the world really is. "Don't be so harsh," it said. People enjoy movies like "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Saw XII." Some people ghost hunt like it was their life's calling and THEN pretend to find stuff. For goodness sakes, some people even adore an administration full of airheads (no political stab intended, of course). So why should I be so confused at my teacher's adoration of imaginary numbers and graphs? You know what? Thank you Mrs. Math Lover, for showing me that Crazy people are an important part of this world. And although you may belong in an institution for your passions; explain on and I will humor your rambling madness.

I Love Calvin and Hobbes

Since my last post, I occasionally come back to see if there are any comments on my blog. Without fail, I read that same Calvin and Hobbes comic I put on the Math blog. I used to spend hours reading those Calvin and Hobbes books. I didn't bring them to college because I knew I would spend all my time reading them and no time doing homework.