My blog post on Come Follow Me: D&C 76, The Vision

Excerpt: The Vision
In 1832, Joseph and Sidney received a remarkable Vision that lasted hours. They took turns describing the things they saw. D&C 76 was created from the revelation, covering many of the important truths they discovered.

The first thing to note is that BOTH Joseph and Sidney received the revelation. While many pretenders proclaimed they had revelations from God and/or angels, none had a list of others who joined in many of those revelations: the Three Witnesses, Oliver Cowdery seeing John the Baptist, the First Presidency seeing the Kirtland Temple in vision as they began plans to design and build it, members attending the Kirtland Temple dedication, etc.

When it came to Christianity, the Vision was revolutionary. A few had previously suggested that heaven had several levels, but no one had given as much detail as this. For most of Christianity, only a few would be saved, the rest of the world would be damned – regardless of their opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ in this life. In fact, one leading dogma for many Christians is Calvin’s TULIP, which includes a limited atonement, predestination to heaven/hell, and that most will not be saved.

The Vision turns all of that on its head. Instead of a limited atonement, Christ offers a near universal salvation to humankind. Instead of predestination, there is fore-ordination and free will.It is a Vision of hope and joy.

https://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2021/07/come-follow-me-d-76-vision.html

Believe it or not, US families are doing better. Despite society’s relentless attempts to destroy the nuclear family, more kids are being raised with two parents than at any time since the 1990s. Here is the census data:

Surprising, right?

It turns out that the U.S. census bureau has an expansive view of what a “two parent family” is, often including step-parents and adoption. So, the Institute for Family Studies created a chart looking at how many kids are raised by their biological parents, and that number is also up.

It turns out that the percentage of U.S. children living with both birth parents is at 63.1 percent, compared to 61 percent in 2012.

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Today is the 177th anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Four years ago I wrote about the martyrdom here on the blog, click HERE.

From Doctrine & Covenants 135:

Announcement of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, ​1844. This document was included at the end of the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which was nearly ready for publication when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered.

1 To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o’clock p.m., by an armed mob—painted black—of from 150 to 200 persons. Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls.

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My blog post on Come Follow Me: D&C 71-75

Excerpt: Spiritual leaders aren’t perfect.
Our spiritual leaders aren’t perfect.Simonds Ryder, a friend of Ezra Booth, was angry because his name was misspelled in a revelation given to Joseph Smith. Along with Booth, he set out to criticize and destroy the Church.
So powerful were these critics, that the Lord told Joseph and Sidney to pause the work of translating the Bible and go out and preach the gospel for a month to quell the growing tensions with non-members and members alike.
Booth had seen a miracle. He had been present when revelations were given to Joseph. Yet, these two men could not accept the idea that prophets are regular people, just like you and me, doing their best to serve the Lord.
Having served with several bishops and stake presidents over the years, I can assure you that such issues continue today. If there is a bishop or other leader out there that hasn’t offended at least one person, it is a rare thing. Our leaders do their best, but are asked to be instant experts in many things: finances, psychologist, judge, counselor, speaker, youth leader, etc.

https://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2021/06/come-follow-me-d-71-75.html