Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Fortifying the Mountain of the Lord

Fortifying the Mountain of the Lord

Last updated on: April 27, 2023 at 3:59 pm by Dan Peterson

0 Comments

Fortifying the Mountain of the Lord 2023-04-27T15:59:48-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This is the Salt Lake Temple as it looked a few years ago and as it will look again in a few years. Internal changes, however, will be profoundly significant. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Here are links to three items that have recently been posted on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:

Conference Talks: “The Day of Atonement, the Mosaic Temple, and the Christian Sacrament of Communion: Links and Symbols”

This presentation was given by Shon D. Hopkin at the Interpreter Foundation’s 2014 Temple on Mount Zion Conference, on Saturday, 25 October 2014.

The New Testament in Context Lesson 19: “Rejoice with Me; for I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost”: Luke 12–17 and John 11

In the 9 April 2023 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Radio Show, Terry Hutchinson and John Gee and Kevin Christensen discussed New Testament lesson 19, “Rejoice with Me; for I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost,” covering Luke 12–17 and John 11.

The other segments of the 9 April 2023 radio show can be accessed at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreter-radio-show-april-9-2023. You will be delighted to know that the Interpreter Radio Show can be heard live on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640. You can also listen to it live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

Come, Follow Me — New Testament Study and Teaching Helps: Lesson 19, May 1 — 7: Luke 12–17; John 11 —“Rejoice with Me; for I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost”

Once again, as he regularly does, Jonn Claybaugh provides a set of concise notes for Interpreter readers who are students and teachers of the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

From another front: On Tuesday, my wife and I had our first script meeting with our core group of filmmakers for the Six Days in August project. It’s exciting to see things beginning to get underway. I still have a fairly steep fundraising hill to climb, though. And I hate asking people for money.

An aerial view of Temple Square — including the Temple itself and the Tabernacle — and the Conference Center (LDS Media Library)

I had the opportunity yesterday morning of joining with a group at the headquarters of the Temple Square renovation project in Salt Lake City. We were given a presentation about the effort by one of its leaders and, afterwards, we walked over to the site itself. It’s a huge, complex, and ambitious undertaking. Very impressive. In fact, I didn’t know how big it is; I don’t think I remembered that even the Joseph Smith Memorial Building is also wholly or partially shut down. But I can’t wait until it’s finished. We’ve been without the Salt Lake Temple for too long already.

This has special personal meaning for us. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Even back then, when there were far fewer temples than there are now, I had other favorites that I, at least, personally considered — Oakland and Manti and Cardston, for instance — but none of our families lived near them and, excepting Cardston, none of them had any particular connection to our families. Los Angeles was a possibility, but, given that our families were centered in the Denver and Los Angeles and Salt Lake City areas, the Salt Lake Temple was centrally located. And, given its history and its iconic importance, the decision turned out to be really easy for us. My wife’s grandparents could be there, for one thing. The drawback was that the Salt Lake Temple is a very busy wedding venue in the summer, and that we didn’t know the temple officiator who performed our sealing. (I’ve sometimes envied people who had a father or uncle or grandfather or even a family-friend member of the Twelve officiate at their marriage.). But then, we didn’t have any such connections anywhere.

I’m impressed by President Russell M. Nelson’s willingness to launch this project, knowing, at his age — he is currently in his ninety-ninth year — that it’s very possible that he will never again in this life be able to enter a dedicated Salt Lake Temple for meetings of the Brethren or for his own personal temple service and temple worship. I hope, though, that he will. He’s in remarkably good health. But the anticipated completion date for the Salt Lake Temple’s renovation is now 2026. And, if you’re already ninety-eight years old, that’s a very long way off.

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, adjacent to Temple Square, was originally built as the Hotel Utah. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Today, as a theme for what I’m sharing from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™, I’ve chosen to focus on a trio of horrific ways in which following the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints blights human lives and damages society:

“Pornography use at any level harms romantic relationships, says new BYU study”

“Perspective: The surprising case for marrying young: For many, getting married as a 20-something is no obstacle to fun, professional success or a stable marriage”

“Too Risky to Wed in Your 20s? Not if You Avoid Cohabiting First: Research shows that marrying young without ever having lived together with a partner makes for some of the lowest divorce rates”

“Perspective: Cohabitation doesn’t help your odds of marital success: As Taylor Swift and ‘lover’ Joe Alwyn learned, in most cases, living together hurts your odds”

“Perspective: Is my faith ‘terrible for women’? Not if you believe the data: As a scholar and woman of faith, I know the good that religion offers”

But I don’t want to neglect these three atrocities, which were found in the vicinity of the Hitchens File. They clearly illustrate the nature of the theocratic hellscape that is Utah — where (coincidence?) the Church has its headquarters:

“Opinion: For the 16th time, Utah’s economic outlook tops the nation: Why is Utah the best? It comes down to preparation”

“Opinion: Why Utah’s 16-year winning streak is no accident: Economic prosperity doesn’t come by accident. It requires sound public policies that go beyond merely being business-friendly”

“Here’s why a new study says Utah is ready to host another successful Olympics: Demographic, social, environmental factors favorably position the state, U. policy institute concludes”

Uncategorized

Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens Memorial "How Religion Poisons Everything" File

John Gee. Kevin Christensen

Russell Marion Nelson

Previous Post

April 25, 2023

Standing with Mike Parker

Next Post

April 27, 2023 This is not a way in which I, at least, want to help fulfill prophecy

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Could it be that this scripture is coming to fruition: "And because iniquity shall abound, ..."

peredehuit

On Empathy

"Sorry, let me provide the full question for context. Respondents were given the following two ..."

axelbeingcivil

On Empathy

"Given that I don't know what the actual question was, other than the summary I ..."

Phil Leaning

On Empathy

"Definitely not the worst tangent to go off of! And you managed to teach me ..."

axelbeingcivil

Two experiences with C. S. Lewis ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Jesus' legal father?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jacob Heli Joseph Matthat