Preparing for Easter through Holy Week

I am convinced that if it were not for commercial and cultural factors, Easter would be more important to us than Christmas.

...with Palm Sunday, the week before Easter, much of the Christian world enters into a period of reflection and, ultimately, celebration known as “Holy Week.”...While the LDS community does not formally observe Holy Week...

I fell in love with the Bible when I was in high school. Moving to Tennessee and being immersed in the Baptist Bible Belt probably helped. Perhaps that is where I picked up a bit of my “evangelical” flair. I did not always agree with my Protestant friends in details of doctrine, but I was always moved by their commitment and love of Jesus Christ....I became more “high church” in sentiment as I became attracted to the liturgical patterns of the older, more traditional Christian communities. I came to appreciate their use of the calendar, seasons, and scriptural events as teaching tools...the focal message of the gospel: the good news that Jesus Christ has made salvation possible through his salvific suffering, death, and resurrection (see 3 Nephi 27:13–15)…

...Suddenly I realized that my observance of Easter was rather pale by comparison, and I threw myself into trying to make it a similarly meaningful holiday for me and my family...my background in Classical Studies was drawing me closer and closer to my eventual move from Classics to Religious Education at BYU…I devoured all the NT scholarship I could find and became, at that time, particularly attracted to the works of Father Raymond Brown, an ordained Roman Catholic priest who also served as the president of the Society of Biblical Literature. I caught a vision of what I aspire to be someday myself: both a Christian and, to some extent, a scholar…

From the article: While the LDS community does not formally observe Holy Week, the period from Palm Sunday to Easter morning… Suddenly I realized that my observance of Easter was rather pale by comparison…

No cross on their church or temple buildings. (In fact, they replace Christ with an “angel” Moroni on their temples).
Few Mormons wear crosses, depicting their aversion.
Of course, Mormons have services on Easter. But that’s because it’s a Sabbath like any other.
Some of their facilities recognize Easter in some special way; many do not. And when they do, it’s usually because of some realization by a local leader of the “paleness” in which they have been previously focused on Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection – as this author describes during his time as an Lds bishop.

From the article: Moving to Tennessee and being immersed in the Baptist Bible Belt probably helped. Perhaps that is where I picked up a bit of my “evangelical” flair. I did not always agree with my Protestant friends in details of doctrine, but I was always moved by their commitment and love of Jesus Christ. Later as I become more of a student of history, I became more “high church” in sentiment as I became attracted to the liturgical patterns of the older, more traditional Christian communities. I came to appreciate their use of the calendar, seasons, and scriptural events as teaching tools...

Well, thank the Lord that His evangelical people are a light to Mormons in Tennessee! It seems when Lds move into contact with them that they indeed “appreciate their use of calendar, seasons, and scriptural events as teaching tools…”

The author also cites 3 Nephi as the “restored gospel” -- as if the Holy Spirit was negligent for about 1700 years in letting the gospel go by the wayside. What a terrible Lds accusation toward the Holy Ghost! He has ensured that God would be glorified throughout ALL ages -- as the apostle Paul prophesied:

4In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets… 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:4-5, 20-21)

One key difference of the Mormon “restored gospel” is presenting a violent Mormon jesus: When the Mormon jesus dies, he unleashes punishment and levels 16 cities, killing 70,000-->90,000 people (see 3 Nephi 8 and 3 Nephi 9). Nothing of the kind is stated in the Bible.

From the article: ...the LDS community does not formally observe Holy Week...

No wonder a formal observance of Holy Week is ignored by Lds!
Yes, there was judgment on the cross!
Yes, it was terrible!
But Jesus absorbed all of that judgment and terror -- our very sins -- there on the cross!

Too many Mormons ONLY see the Book of Mormon Easter judgment upon people! The week that followed the Book of Mormon jesus’ resurrection, was a terrible 4 days or so! No wonder they want to stay away from the cross and what immediately happened according to the Joseph Smith version of events:

Mormon version of Jesus speaking post-resurrection:
city Zarahemla: I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof [3 Nephi 9:3; cf. 3 Nephi 8:8, 24)
city Moroni: I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned. [3 Nephi 9:4; cf. 3 Nephi 8:9]
city Moronihah: have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them. (3 Nephi 9:5)
city Gilgal: have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth; [3 Nephi 9:6]
cities Onihah, Mocum, and Jerusalem: waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them. [3 Nephi 9:7]
cities Gadiandi, Gadiomnah, Jacob, and Gimgimno: all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them. [3 Nephi 9:8]
city Jacobugath: have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them. [3 Nephi 9:9]
cities Laman, Josh, Gad, Kishkumen: have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. [3 Nephi 9:10]

In the true gospel Jesus is entombed.
In the Mormon “restored gospel", the mass of people in Moronihah is the emphasis of entombment, having been covered with an entire mountain by the Mormon jesus! (3 Nephi 8:10)
On Easter week! The other cities were all either sunk by the Mormon jesus, or horrifically burned to death, plus for added emphasis, ”many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land…” (3 Nephi 9:12)

The true gospel: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Bible, Mark 2:17)

The Mormon Easter version of this: 11 And because they did cast them all out, that there were NONE RIGHTEOUS AMONG THEM, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them. [3 Nephi 9:11]

Now if the destruction of all these Book of Mormon “cities” wasn’t enough of an “Easter tale” for Smith, here’s what he said went on in immediate days following Jesus’ resurrection:
3 Nephi 9:12:
12 And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land…
3 Nephi 8:
6 And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.
7 And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.
11 And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.
12 But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;
13 And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.
15 And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many in them who were slain.
16 And there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.
17 And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.
18 And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.
19 And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.
20 And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;
21 And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;
22 And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.
23 And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.
24 And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla…

I'm sorry, but Jesus didn't come to make people "howl" in their own destruction (3 Nephi 8:23)...that wasn't his purpose in coming the first time!

From the article: I caught a vision of what I aspire to be someday myself: both a Christian and, to some extent, a scholar…

(Yeah, lots of Mormons "aspire to be some day myself…a Christian" …and we pray that transformation occurs…and that they would stop trying to be “Christians” on Joseph Smith’s terms, and focus on Christ’s terms found in the life-giving cross, which was a destruction of our sins...not people, cities, and the like!)

Jesus said: I am come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

The blood of Christ is so important, as shed upon the cross in death of His body that God saw fit to make a ritual observance which the descendants of Abraham were to practice assiduously.

In the New Testament we are given the revelation answering an open secret, that the blood of calves and sheep were not redeeming, but the blood of the Innocent One sent from God was the event which the temple sacrifices pointed to. In practicing that ritual of blood, the Jews were 'faithing' in the Holy One of God, the Messiah Who takes away the sin of the world!

So, the death on the cross, the shedding of His blood is so important that for more than a thousand years, God's chosen people had 'practiced up' for the coming event! What Jewish History should teach us is that 'faith' is an action word, that blood atonement is a connection to Jesus, that ONLY His blood shed for you and for me is what we 'faithe' in as means for our deliverance from our sin nature.

God's promises NEVER fail. He has promised us a new nature, possible ONLY because His blood was shed for us on the cross. When I sit upon a chair, I'm faithing that the chair will do its intended task of holding my bottom off the floor. When Mormons eschew the Cross, they fail to 'faithe' in the ONLY way they may be delivered by The Deliverer, the Soter, Jesus Christ.

Easter week and Easter Sunday are a 'faithing' way we exercise our faith in Him, in the efficacy of His shed blood, which God deems so important that an entire people ritualized the importance of the event as yet not happened, held as an open secret for more than a thousand years, and now as an open invitation for more than two-thousand years.

I once listened to Christopher Hitchens deride the blood of Christ and the 'obscene nature of a bloody sacrifice for sinners'. Well, to Christopher one might say, 'It is so important that God had an entire nation practice for the coming event repeating the ritual for more than a thousand years! The blood of Christ is the most powerful physical reality in the History of the human species.'

The Cross may be an obscenity to some, but God deems it so precious that He began pointing to the event more than a thousand years before the Cross of our redemption.

I had no idea they beleived there was terrible destruction after Jesus died. The more I learn about these wonderful, caring, sincere, but horribly decieved people, the more I am amazed.

Well, while Jesus doesn't need us to defend His reputation, you can see how the Mormon presentation of the Mormon jesus could be a problem on missionary fields where the jesus Mormon missionaries proclaim is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Otherwise, it would be like some Mormon splinter group coming up with their own version of Joseph Smith's First Vision and spreading it at-large as if it was "Mormon"...oh, wait a minute...maybe, that's not a good analogy...after all, schizophrenic Joe Smith had at least half a dozen versions of this so-called "vision" just off the tip of his tongue!

BTW, it almost seems Joseph Smith was destined to become a usurper of Jesus Christ.

Birthday of Jesus Christ celebrated (even if not actual birthday): Dec. 25
Smith's birthday: Dec. 23
Result? (Guess who steals Christ's thunder in Mormon churches @ Christmas time?)

Who bragged he was the only person that knew how to keep a church together -- even superceding Jesus Christ's ability to do so? (That's right, Joseph Smith again)

And then we have Easter:
On April 3, 1836, as Easter is celebrated in the United States, guess who wanted to garner extra attention that very Sunday?
Yup, that's right. Joseph Smith yet again. On that Sunday, Smith claimed that Jesus Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah appeared in succession to him in their temple. (D&C 110)

(Can Mormons sing, "Glory be to Joseph Smith?")

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