By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog

The latest BYU Studies, 46/3 (2007), just hit my mailbox, and features an article by a bunch of folks entitled “A Survey of Dating and Marriage at BYU.” I thought I would take a shot at summarizing it for the benefit of our non-subscribers. Read the rest of this entry »

Nativity

Among the oxen (like an ox I’m slow)
I see a glory in the stable grow
Which, with the ox’s dullness might at length
Give me an ox’s strength.

Among the asses (stubborn I as they)
I see my Saviour where I looked for hay;
So may my beastlike folly learn at least
The patience of a beast.

Among the sheep (I like a sheep have strayed)
I watch the manger where my Lord is laid;
Oh, that my baa-ing nature would win thence
Some woolly innocence.

–C.S. Lewis

Recent discussion at BCC has reminded me of a powerful experience. I attended a fireside with my wife several years back at which President Hinckley spoke. He was sharply dressed (a light gray suit with a jet black tie and matching pocket-kerchief). I remember being somewhat surprised at his remarks, not because he said anything earth-shattering in itself, but because he seemed to deviate from his more typical folksy conventional wisdom at least topically, if not stylistically. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas Trees

Bonhoeffer in his skylit cell
bleached by the flares, candescent fall,
pacing out his own citadel,

restores the broken themes of praise,
encourages our borrowed days,
by logic of his sacrifice.

Against wild reasons of the state
his words are quiet but not too quiet.
We hear too late or not too late

Geoffrey Hill

According to this press release, the Unitarian Universalists have decided to advertise their religion within the pages of programs sold at college football bowl games this season. I admire the optimism behind this ad campaign, but this strikes me as an even bigger exercise in futility than sending 19 year olds door to door.

Read the rest of this entry »

A variety of authors have long sought to associate Joseph Smith with ancient traditions variously termed hermetic, esoteric, gnostic, mystical, magical, or metaphysical. Many of those seeking to demonstrate an association between Smith and such thinkers (recognizing that these terms are not mutually inclusive and many will dispute the unity of thought these analyses imply) have sought the missing link in Emmanuel Swedenborg, perhaps the dominant image of American mysticism in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As I’ve been researching Mormon cultural history, I’ve encountered a variety of possible associations between Smith and Swedenborg. Read the rest of this entry »

Two by Christina Rosetti

Love Came Down

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign. Read the rest of this entry »

Wilt thou love God, as he thee? then digest,
My soul, this wholesome meditation,
How God the Spirit, by angels waited on
In heaven, doth make his temple in thy breast.
The Father having begot a Son most blest,
And still begetting (for he ne’er begun),
Hath deign’d to choose thee by adoption,
Coheir to his glory, and Sabbath’s endless rest;
And as a robb’d man, which by search doth find
His stol’n stuff sold, must lose or buy it again:
The Son of glory came down, and was slain,
Us whom he had made, and Satan stol’n, to unbind.
‘Twas much, that man was made like God before,
But, that God should be made like man, much more.

–John Donne, from Holy Sonnets

I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. I started with the intention of going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence out of the field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything.

(JS History v 48)

Discuss.

As someone recently moving into the Wasatch Front, I’ve been stunned by the air pollution here. (I apologize in advance for posing a question that’s fairly exclusive to people with a particular geography; I didn’t care at all about Utah’s air pollution when I didn’t live here.) I’ve been thinking that there ought to be better ways to work through the problem of air pollution, and I’m starting to toy with the idea of an ad campaign to help those of us with LDS roots and commitments to express our concerns about air pollution. I’m wondering whether people could help with brainstorming ideas. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas (II)

The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymn for Thee?
My soul’s a shepherd too; a flock it feeds
Of thoughts, and words, and deeds.
The pasture is Thy word: the streams, Thy grace
Enriching all the place.
Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers
Outsing the daylight hours.
Then will we chide the sun for letting night
Take up his place and right:
We sing one common Lord; wherefore he should
Himself the candle hold.
I will go searching, till I find a sun
Shall stay, till we have done;
A willing shiner, that shall shine as gladly,
As frost-nipped suns look sadly.
Then will we sing, and shine all our own day,
And one another pay:
His beams shall cheer my breast, and both so twine,
Till ev’n His beams sing, and my music shine.

–George Herbert

I just found out that our Ward’s block meeting time is going to change from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in January. And I was talking with some friends, and they informed me that in January they’re being switched to the 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. slot. Read the rest of this entry »

(December 26th is the feast day of St. Stephen)

Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho’ the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel. Read the rest of this entry »

This story was originally published in a collection entitled “Wake Me for the Resurrection”, and is reproduced here with permission and attribution. The author is Robert Kirby and the publisher is Slickrock Books. The book was published in 1996, and was illustrated by Pat Bagley.  In the email Kirby sent which granted permission to use the story, he said: “By the way, this story is 100 percent true. “Larry” and I were office partners when it happened. He’s still a good friend. I just won’t home teach him.” I don’t know what to make of that claim. In order for the story to be true, it would mean that home teachers were out making their visits before the last day of the month. Does that sound plausible to you?

Jingle Bell Rocks
by Robert Kirby

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God, our eternal Father, loves us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth in order to provide a means to return to our Father and to show us how to be happy. I am happy when I seek to emulate Christ, less so when I don’t.

For all I do and in all that I become that is the only standard: am I becoming more or less like Christ? As I look back over the previous year, I think that I am overall becoming more like Him, but the gap between us remains great. I think of the Lord and I am almost compelled like the ancient Lamanites to fall before Him in a combination of grief and admiration. Dear Lord, I am not like you; please help me become!

My family, my friends, my internet buddies, my internet foes, my mountains, my sky, my earth, my snow, my green, my red, my self all testify to me of God’s love, of God’s desire to have me back.

Christ came to earth because He loves me (and everyone else). Christ came to earth because He and God want me back. We love Him because He loved us first; because He loved us before we were anything to love and because He loves us when we are left unloved or deserve no love. God loves us for who we are no matter who we are. God changes us, always for the better. God draws us to Him and wants us to know Him.

Joseph Smith restored the means to know God and returned to Him. I must conclude, along with John Taylor, that no-one has done as much for the salvation of humankind since Jesus Christ than Joseph Smith. The restoration of systematic revelation, of the authorized priesthood, of missing vital scripture, of actual living, breathing, heart-pumping communion between God and Man are Joseph’s legacy. He did what had to be done.

I love the Lord; I love my God; I love Mrs. John C. and our two beautiful children; I love Mom of John C., Dad of John C., siblings of John C. and their families; I love the Gospel and the love of which it testifies to me.

On Christmas day, a new star was born to shine in darkness. Dear God, I love Thee. Shine On. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Oxen

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
“Now they are all on their knees,”
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave
In these years! Yet, I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
“Come; see the oxen kneel

“In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
Our childhood used to know,”
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.

–Thomas Hardy

What can I say? My mom read it to me growing up. Reading it to my kids on the front porch, wrapped in sleeping bags and watching the snow fall, I got all choked up.

Real-life moral dilemma from my ward’s Christmas party. It was fun to watch. Read the rest of this entry »

We Mormons put a lot of emphasis on 1820s New York, for it was from this environment that Mormonism was born. As it so happens, Christmas as we know it was also born in 1820s New York. Read the rest of this entry »

“I am very much resigned to my lot knowing I am Justified and have done the best that could be done give my love to the children.”
Joseph Smith to Emma Smith, 27 June 1844

“Is it not better that the blood of two guilty wretches, whose crimes had long awaited the vengeance of Heaven, has been shed and thus by cutting off the fountain head to dry up the steam of corruption?”
Warsaw Signal, Editorial, 29 June 1844 Read the rest of this entry »

Luke 2 opens with these words:

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

A couple of recent posts have made oblique allusions to historical problems with this census. I thought it might be worthwhile to try to articulate these issues more directly for those who may be intereted in this subject. Read the rest of this entry »

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

(Luke 2:1-22)

Discuss.

Merry Christmas to everyone from BCC.

The truth of the matter is that if you don’t believe that a Mormon would make a good president because he is trying to push a Mormon agenda, you don’t have to. There is no secret Mormon mafia forcing you to make that choice. However, if that is the primary reason for your decision, you are a bigot. Do not claim otherwise.
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By Stacy Whitman

Note: a version of this review will appear in the Summer 2008 issue of Dialogue.

If you’re at all familiar with literary talk these days, you might be aware of the chatter about children’s and young adult literature being the hot new thing. Everyone’s wondering what will be the “next Harry Potter.” What was once a ghettoized field of study—because children are a self-perpetuating lower class, and literature for children must therefore serve a purpose: teach a lesson or make kids get good grades—is now legitimate at many institutes of higher learning. Adults are getting reading recommendations from children and teens, and vice versa. Despite frenzied reports to the contrary, reading is not dead among the younger set. Read the rest of this entry »

When Joseph Smith ran for president in 1844, a pamphlet expressing his views (“General Smith’s Views”) was distributed across the nation. Probably penned by Phelps, the New York Herald described the document as “a very remarkable and original document…a more curious and unique thing has probably not been published since the time of Mohamet…” The following are some of Joseph’s positions*; they are worth reading for their striking humanity alone, born, no doubt out of his own deprivations: Read the rest of this entry »

Rome, which eventually would become the greatest power of the ancient world, originated as a small city-state. In the wake of the Second Punic War, however, tremendous inequities in land and wealth developed, creating substantial tensions. What Sir Ronald Syme dubbed the “Roman Revolution” began in earnest in 133 B.C., as Tiberius Gracchus, who had been elected a Tribune of the Assembly, proposed a reform that would limit land ownership to no more than 640 acres, any excess to be distributed by the state to the poor. Riots were accompanied by the assassination of Tiberius and his reform failed, but a new style of politics had been born: appealing directly to the interests of the people for popular support (the populares, as against the optimates or “best” who continued to appeal to traditional structures). Read the rest of this entry »

Listening to the sometimes vehement discussions of our faith tradition in the national media, I wanted to share an experience to give a feel for what it can mean to be a Mormon. I am an active reader and participant in academic and secular discourse, while I also cherish my religion and my church, whatever missteps they may have made and will yet make. Read the rest of this entry »