Brigham Young built a 9 ft solid stone fence around his properties. Was it to keep people out, or keep his wives within.
Posted on 04/15/2010 8:56:50 AM PDT by T Minus Four
Think of the Salt Lake Temple as a designer bottle holding a one-of-a-kind fragrance.
Think of the gardens and buildings of Temple Square as bubble wrap around that container.
Think of the City Creek Center to the south, the Church Plaza to the east, the Conference Center to the north, and the Family History Library and Church History Museum to the west as a firm, sturdy box around all of it.
When something merits that much protection, you have to figure rough bumps and bounces are coming down the road.
I get a feeling the LDS Church sees turbulence ahead -- nasty weather -- and it is making preparations.
It's not about being defensive and keeping things out.
It's about being protective and keeping precious things safe.
When the chilly winds blow, forest creatures gather all that's life-sustaining about them.
Horses in the fields cluster together to stand against the hail.
I feel the LDS Church battening down the hatches for bad weather.
The Tabernacle Choir, which was performing musical versions of Robert Frost poetry and other secular works, now releases CDs filled with songs of faith, assurance and the need to rely on the Divine.
I feel protection is the point behind the long row of sentries -- those Mormon temples -- that stand along the Wasatch -- the new Brigham City temple, new Payson temple, the new remade Ogden temple and all the others.
I feel protect precious things is the point of the new mission statements of LDS businesses, the point for books that are picked for publication and the lessons selected for manuals.
Part of the world would divide and conquer.
The church would gather and protect.
Something uneasy this way comes. Not a vilent clash as in Jerusalem -- where cultures fight openly. We won't be seeing stone throwers in the streets of Salt Lake City.
The battle here won't be about territory.
It will be about choices -- about the advent of a bolder, more self-indulgent popular culture.
The church can see the writing on the wall -- often literally.
And graffiti on the temple will never do.
It's time -- as the old hymn has it -- to "safely gather in, ere the winter storms begin."
The plan is not to force people away.
The plan is to keep what's on the inside safe from harm.
And if that means putting up ramparts and watchtowers, so be it.
Even heaven, if you believe the stories, is a gated community -- not to keep people away, but to safeguard the gentle hearts of those who dwell there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com Jerry Earl Johnston chronicles his take on the Mormon experience in his column “New Harmony,” which appears on MormonTimes.com on Wednesdays and Sundays.
A lot of us can see the handwriting on the wall.
Yep.
Brigham Young built a 9 ft solid stone fence around his properties. Was it to keep people out, or keep his wives within.
Mormon "heaven" is definitely a "gated community"....you have to buy a ticket to get into one of those "long row of sentries -- those Mormon temples -- that stand along the Wasatch -- the new Brigham City temple, new Payson temple, the new remade Ogden temple and all the others."...and you can't get to mormon "heaven" unless you have performed required rituals in one of these "sentries"
Ping
Losing members???
This entire article was a bit fanciful and awkward to me, to say the least. It sounds like satire.
I feel protect precious things is the point of the new mission statements of LDS businesses, the point for books that are picked for publication and the lessons selected for manuals.
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Translation: Uh oh, we have to keep our members from fining out the truth that in online. If we ‘protect’ them then they won’t find out the truth and leave.
Reinforcement of brainwashing and the persecution complex.
Joey Smith restored ancient barbarism but Briggy Young perfected it...
If you’re referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the growthrate has only ever “Lost Members” in 1839, and again for one small period in the 1850’s. Other than that of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Church has continued in growth. For 150 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_membership_history
Cool looking fence....
I think this whole concept is very far away from Christianity. If we “believe the bible is translated correctly”, we know that not long after Jesus left this Earth, Christians were not gathered into a protective fold, but were scattered around the world.
Other than new babies born to old members, how many new members contributed to that growth ???
How many members have temple recommends ???
Definitely sounds speculative, but I don’t think the author is entirely off base either.
Find out...
Joey Smith claimed he would be the 2nd Mohammad, but it was Briggy Young who became known as the Modern Mohammad....
Yeah it’s a cool fence. It also surrounded ‘Temple Square.’ In fact it still does.
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