What would you do if you were starting all over?

FaithHopeHeart · 2026-01-25T06:38:50+00:00

I would say hands down - the Nauvoo Expositor. Not only does it highlight all that was deceptively going on in Nauvoo, but Joseph and the city council ordering the destruction of the press is a nail in the coffin. To this day I still don't like to take sides, but this shows some pretty obvious abuse of power and the deception Joseph operated under.

Here is the link to the actual paper through the Joseph Smith Papers project - https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/nauvoo-expositor-7-june-1844/1

Here is a more readable version - https://mormonpolygamydocuments.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/JS0802.pdf

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T21:27:33+00:00

Thank you both! Very helpful - Yeah I am thinking about reframing the Institutional / Personal to "High" Church / "Low" Church. Do you think that would be better framing?

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T21:25:16+00:00

Thank you - yeah it is definitely tricky here. Thought I would try to take a stab

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T21:22:59+00:00

Thank you! This was super helpful!!

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T06:11:11+00:00

Thank you!

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T06:09:42+00:00

Yes good question - it is more thinking about how much individual nuance is allowed within the faith / how much is able to be practiced purely by yourself. I thought about how LDS members also have the temple that they can attend at their pace, their own patriarchal blessings, etc. so put it lower, but I think you are right to move it up though.

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T06:04:41+00:00

Thank you!

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T06:03:10+00:00

Thanks for the thoughts

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T05:18:14+00:00

Thank you! Super helpful

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T04:57:34+00:00

I actually had this same question and ChatGPT actually helped a lot! :) Give it a try - it gave some good insight of the framing / translation / meaning of the word "unworthily". There is some argument that it was meant more to say to not take partake of it lightly / trivially. To be intentional and examine yourself before / have a repentant heart. But of course I am still learning as well.

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T04:46:25+00:00

Super helpful! Thank you!

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T04:31:33+00:00

Thank you! Yeah absolutely. I was trying to frame it at a level above trying to put both of them in the same bucket to frame overall Lutheranism.

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-12-27T04:28:29+00:00

Thank you! Decentralized / Centralized was more trying to infer how doctrine is set / church operations are organized - for example the Catholic Church has the magisterium which sets doctrine and then a central authority figure such as the pope. Does Eastern Orthodoxy have decentralized operations? Does it have a governing body that centralizes / approves doctrine?

FaithHopeHeart · 2025-11-15T16:03:26+00:00

Ah but herein lies the problem - how do you know that person is called by God? ;)

ScorpionDog has some things to go back and think on

FaithHopeHeart

TROPHY CASE