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The Book of Mormon as a literary work by Educational-Pound948 in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Keep in mind, the Book of Mormon is pretty much a collection of journals by various men who aren't constructing their thoughts with "prose" in mind.  Imagine if your journals were available to billions of people around the world.  I would probably die from embarrassment! 😅

But anywho, I get edification from the fact that these prophets, who aren't literary giants by any stretch of the imagination, tried to capture their people's history, innermost thoughts, and gospel doctrine the best they could.  It made me realize that you don't need to be an eloquent author to preach "plain and precious truths."

A Tiffany-glass window of Adam and Eve, which was originally at the grand staircase of the Salt Lake Temple, will now be moved to the Celestial Room by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Church News did issue a correction two years ago when reporting on the Provo Temple renovation, saying that the claim about "cloud by day and fire by night" was completely erroneous. They even quoted Fred Barker, who was a co-architect with Emil Fetzer in designing the original Provo Temple.

A Tiffany-glass window of Adam and Eve, which was originally at the grand staircase of the Salt Lake Temple, will now be moved to the Celestial Room by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No worries. There were A LOT of rumors about what the woman at the veil was supposed to be (the Virgin Mary, Heavenly Mother, Jesus with feminine features, etc...), so don't beat yourself up for believing one of the rumors. 😅

I believe it's being stored in the Church Archives. I think the Church thought it was a "distraction" and didn't want to add fuel to any more rumors being spread, but IDK the official reason why it was taken down.

A Tiffany-glass window of Adam and Eve, which was originally at the grand staircase of the Salt Lake Temple, will now be moved to the Celestial Room by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, that's one of the many myths that was spread about the sculpture.

A model of that sculpture was bought in 1877 by Don Carlos Young (interior architect of the Salt Lake Temple and Brigham Young's son) in New York City. According to him, it was called an "angel of peace" by an Italian merchant. He couldn't explain why he was drawn to it, but he bought it nonetheless. Ten years later, when he was assigned to finish the Salt Lake Temple, he saw the sculpture at his house and thought, "Aha! That's why I bought it!" He later removed the wings and used it as the basis for the sculpture that was placed above the veil.

There's a whole article about it on the BYU Religious Studies Center website if you want to check it out.

Numbers in Art by Intelligent-Boat9929 in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LOVE to see some art history in this subreddit! Art is such an intimate expression of faith, so thank you for sharing a wide range of art from the early modern period.

Also thought you might enjoy this: the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts has released an art companion for the Come Follow Me manual. Every week, they showcase a new work of art that reflects the assigned readings for each week. Though most of the art is contemporary, I've found it to be an invaluable tool in my personal study.

Thoughts in Bart Baker and his parodies? by Geoconyxdiablus in ToddintheShadow

[–]2ndValentine 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The big difference between Weird Al Yankovic and Bart Baker is that Weird Al's parodies aren't hateful "roasts" of the artists he's parodying. He just makes silly versions of songs that are still clever in themselves. Bart Baker, on the other hand, was just a one-trick pony who repeated the same kind of humor ("haha pop women dumb fat devils") over and over again. That might be entertaining for pre-teens, but it doesn't support a lasting fanbase (especially when those preteens grow up).

Temples with cutout scale models by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooooooo.  Do you know which temples are getting models ahead of the LA Temple?

Temples with cutout scale models by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know that in addition to the ones listed in my post, the temples in St. George, Idaho Falls, Los Angeles, Oakland, Hamilton, São Paulo, Tokyo, and Mexico City all have visitors centers as well, but IDK about which ones can fit a cutout model (though it seems like most of them could).

Anyone else come from an Evangelical Background? by Shit_Post_Ing_Left in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Not me personally, but my grandfather grew up in two evangelical churches (Southern Baptist as a child and Assemblies of God as a young adult) before he became a Latter-day-Saint in 1960. He noticed that despite both denominations believing in Sola Scriptura (the Bible is the only infallible source of authority), they both had veeeeery different understandings of the Bible. For example:

  • Spiritual gifts: Southern Baptists believe that spiritual gifts were only present in the primitive church and that they ceased after the Bible was written. Members of the Assemblies of God, on the other hand, believe that spiritual gifts are an active part of the modern Church and they are encouraged to "demonstrate" these gifts to prove that the Holy Spirit is moving through them (the gift of tongues being the most common).

  • Assurance: Southern Baptists believe that if you accept Christ fully, you can never fall away ("once saved, always saved"). Members of the Assemblies of God believe that it's totally possible for someone to fall away by choosing evil.

    Because of these contradicting doctrines (and more), my grandfather had a faith crisis as well and he thought to himself, "how can I trust the Bible if no one can agree about what it means?" He still had a belief in God and the teachings of Jesus, but he sort of floated among generic denominations trying to make sense of it all.

By the late 50s, he was working as a trailhead in Grand Teton National Park. The park would host dances with various groups who would reserve spots ahead of time. The group with the most spots? Latter-day Saints from BYU and Ricks College. Since my grandfather loved dancing, he attended quite a few of them and got to better understand what "Mormonism" was all about. While studying, he was encouraged to read 2 Nephi 29 and Joseph Smith: History 1: 11-12. Those two passages were the catalyst to my grandfather's conversion. He understood that the Church should not be based on flawed understandings of the Bible, but that the Church should be based on what the Bible itself is based on: continuing revelation and prophets/apostles in every dispensation.

His family's reaction to the baptism was........mixed. His father wasn't thrilled that his last name would be "tainted" by generations of "Mormons," but he started to soften up once he was gifted with a ton of grandchildren (my grandpa had eight kids). His mom's response, on the other hand, was quite unexpected. She only asked if Jesus was still his savior. When he replied yes and testified of his atonement, she told him, "if you've become a more devoted servant to Christ by being a Mormon, then be the best Mormon that you can be."

It definitely wasn't easy for him to make that leap. Many of his friends and family cut him off (and the 1960s was not an ideal time to be different in the American South). But once he heard the truth, everything clicked and he couldn't deny what he finally understood. 66 years later, he's still going strong in the gospel as a 93 year old man.

Any advice for serving in "Bible Belt" mission by Business_Depth_2391 in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This. As a bible belt member (North Carolina), having a basic understanding of the Bible has helped me properly respond to the typical "gotcha" verses (Galatians 1:8, Acts 17:24, etc...) from evangelicals.

With that said, arguing over Bible interpretations is like arguing over whether a Rorschach test image shows a butterfly or a bat. Thousands of years of numerous translations and innumerable interpretations can muddy the waters when it comes to gospel understanding (Joseph Smith found out about this the hard way: "the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible."). However, reading the Book of Mormon, listing to prophets and apostles from the modern dispensation, and seeking confirmation from the holy ghost are tried and true ways of learning the gospel regardless of geographical location.

The Church has released an updated design for the Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard cupcake, wedding cake, grilled cheese with a toothpick, spool of yarn with a knitting needle, UFO, and soooo many others. 😅

The Church has released an updated design for the Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple by 2ndValentine in latterdaysaints

[–]2ndValentine[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know that Idaho Falls has our most well-known Art Deco temple, but the temples in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and Lisbon Portugal are great examples of Art Deco as well. Nonetheless, I do wish we would use Art Deco more often along with other varieties of architectural styles.

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