symbols

6 Interpretations of Isaiah that Should Not be Perpetuated

September 23, 2010
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6 Interpretations of Isaiah that Should Not be Perpetuated

OT SS Lesson #36 LDS Sunday School students will soon take a quick leap through 66 chapters of Isaiah in five forty-minute lessons. All too often, some uniquely Mormon interpretations are given to these chapters which merit a critical analysis. In this post I present six Mormonisms often used with the first few chapters of Isaiah which I believe hinder a deeper and more accurate understanding of these prophetic writings.  Let us know if any of these interpretations show up in your Sunday School class!

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Yom Kippur and the Symbolism of Jonah’s Spiritual Journey

August 26, 2010
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Yom Kippur and the Symbolism of Jonah’s Spiritual Journey

OT SS Lesson #33 If your ward happens to be just a little bit behind on the Sunday School lessons, you might experience the synchronicity of having the Book of Jonah read on Yom Kippur.  This year, the Jewish holiday falls on September 18 (close enough to Sunday the 19th!) and Jonah is traditionally read as part of the celebration. Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is the holiest and most widely observed day on the Jewish calendar.  It is a day of fasting, lengthy confession of sins, prayer, and repentance.  Jonah’s prophecy is included in the liturgy for...

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Circumcision Rock & Roll

May 13, 2010
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Circumcision Rock & Roll

OT SS Lesson #18 The advantage of blogging the SS lessons instead of teaching them is that I get to cover the chapters that are totally skipped by correlation. (This one probably for good reason, but it deserves a mention SOMEWHERE.) Everyone knows that good Jews are circumcised. God instituted the covenant with Abraham, and faithful Jews have been performing this ordinance on their 8-day-old males ever since, right? WRONG!

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The Seder, Social Justice, and Leroy Jessop

April 1, 2010
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The Seder, Social Justice, and Leroy Jessop

OT SS Lesson #13 At a Passover Seder this week, President Barack Obama’s message to American Jews focused on social justice. Obama said that the message of the Exodus teaches of oppression to be fought and freedom to be won, and that we all have a responsibility to fight against suffering and discrimination wherever we find it. Some Jewish journalists discussing the remarks saw them as a veiled reprimand against Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. Others heartily agreed that Jews should be particularly sensitive to oppression. The American Prospect’s Adam Serwer enthused: “I’ve viewed Passover as an opportunity not...

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What Dreams May Come

March 24, 2010
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What Dreams May Come

OT SS Lesson #12 Whether dreams come from the unconscious mind or directly from God, they are valuable sources of revelation. Dreams can tell us important things about ourselves and our relationships that may remain veiled deep in the psyche if we are unskilled at interpreting the symbolic language from which they present. The great attainment of Joseph of Egypt and the message this scriptural character brings to readers of the Old Testament is the importance of developing an ability to decode symbolic dream messages and using them to integrate our conscious and subconscious knowledge.

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Jacob’s Ladder: More on Faith Vs. Works

March 3, 2010
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Jacob’s Ladder: More on Faith Vs. Works

OT SS Lesson #10 Though it’s only an “additional teaching idea” in Lesson 12, Jacob’s ladder has captured my imagination due to some conversations I’ve recently had with Christian evangelicals. Jacob’s Dream woodcut, Lubeck Bible 1494

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Putting an Edge on Abraham

February 24, 2010
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Putting an Edge on Abraham

OT SS Lesson #9 This story is so very, very familiar to us that I think it’s important to look at it with a fresh perspective.  So in this post I am including some pieces from media and the arts that force us to think about Genesis 22.  I promise you in advance that some of these might be disturbing to you.  Probably you will disagree with the portrayal of Abraham’s sacrifice in at least one, if not all, of these pieces.  I hope you will share your reactions in the comments.

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Time to Study the Old Testament Again Part 6 – Symbols, Signs, Types and Shadows, and Tokens

February 12, 2010
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Time to Study the Old Testament Again Part 6 – Symbols, Signs, Types and Shadows, and Tokens

“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.” 2 Nephi 11:4

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Adam & Eve as UFOs (Unidentified Figurative Objects)

January 20, 2010
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Adam & Eve as UFOs (Unidentified Figurative Objects)

OT SS Lesson #4 Although our SS lesson for this week presents Adam and Eve as two literal, physical characters, the temple ceremony hints that we can benefit by viewing their story as figurative. I am often dismayed that symbolism, while given lip service, is so little understood in LDS circles. Since the majority of Mormons believe in a literal Adam who will return to the earth in his physical resurrected body and fulfill a major role at Adam-ondi-ahman, there is little reason to investigate the allegorical aspects of the Adam and Eve story. Thus, they have become “unidentified...

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Time to Study The Old Testament…Again – Part 2, The Books

November 20, 2009
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In this part 2 of the Studying the Old Testament series, we will discuss the books of the Old Testament, how they were organized, different books contained in different bibles, and extra-biblical books.

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Ardi and the Rise of Mormon Symbology

October 6, 2009
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Ardi and the Rise of Mormon Symbology

With the advance of science and the study of more and more artifacts such as Ardipithecus ramidus, believing Mormons are faced with a challenge which becomes stronger with each discovery.

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LDS Grass-Roots Interpretations of the Eve Archetype

September 22, 2009
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LDS Grass-Roots Interpretations of the Eve Archetype

Since Eve is one of the most powerful archetypes for women, it’s not surprising that this story is at the root of many discussions of womanhood.  Feminists have generally been dissatisfied with how the biblical Eve story has affected values and attitudes toward women over the centuries.  Early exegesis of the creation story became the rationale for rules and regulations guiding women’s behavior.  Because Eve was regarded as a source of sin, there was a perceived need to harness the dangerous energy represented by woman.  LDS theology has attempted to redefine the symbolic Eve by picturing her as a...

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Edward Cullen as Porn Addict

July 28, 2009
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Edward Cullen as Porn Addict

Hear me out. I was talking with a friend recently about addictions. Things like alcohol, caffeine, meth, and heroin (among many other substances) all seem to rob the addict of their free will to some extent. At some point in the conversation we started talking about mythology, and he mentioned how vampires could be viewed metaphorically as heroin addicts. (There is even a movie with the vampire/heroin metaphor, “The Addiction” staring Christopher Walken as a vampire who abstains from blood through fasting and meditation.)

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Adam and Eve: the First TBM & NOM

June 29, 2009
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Adam and Eve: the First TBM & NOM

There have been several attempts over the years to categorize Mormon “belief-styles”: Orthodox Mormon versus Liberal Mormon, Iron Rod Mormon versus Liahona Mormon, and so on. In the online world of LDS blogs commonly called “the Bloggernacle”, Mormons are often categorized as being TBMs (True Believing Mormons) or NOMs (New Order Mormons). One evening when my wife and I had the opportunity to reflect on the timeless story of Adam and Eve, it struck me that their different responses to God’s commandments, and to Lucifer’s “temptation”, perfectly exemplified the different mindsets of TBMs and NOMs, and symbolically portrayed the...

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Scripture Study: The Joy of My Countenance

April 22, 2009
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Scripture Study: The Joy of My Countenance

 There is a strange parable in D&C 88 about workers digging in a field and their boss giving them the joy of his countenance for an hour during their shift.  Read on to weigh in what you think this means.

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Symbolism Of the Passover Points to Jesus Christ

April 11, 2009
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Symbolism Of the Passover Points to Jesus Christ

The traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover, which started Thursday night, can illustrate the rich symbolism found in the Old Testament and show how the symbolism of the Passover points directly to Jesus Christ.  Please note that the original Passover observance is described in Exodus, chapters twelve and thirteen.  The modern Seder evolved from this Old Testament event.

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Mormon Art – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

March 5, 2009
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Mormon Art – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

From the misguided and ill-conceived to the hurl-worthy, why is there so much bad Mormon Art?  Do Mormons have worse artistic taste than non-Mormons?  Or just on par?  You be the judge.  I’ve included various works of art below, all by Mormon artists.  Some I like and some I don’t.  See what you think.

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Revelation & Things

February 11, 2009
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Revelation & Things

Today’s post comes from The Teacher.  Section 8 of the Doctrine & Covenants refers to “another gift” Olivery Cowdery had, called at different times “the gift of Aaron” or “the rod of nature.”  Several commentators recognize this gift as related to Oliver’s use of a divining rod.

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Upon What Rock?

February 4, 2009
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Upon What Rock?

There’s a difference in interpretation between how LDS and non-LDS view the statement by Jesus to Peter when he says “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”  While all might agree that there is a play on words between the name “Peter” and “rock,” Catholics consider this scripture as the origin of Papal authority, whereas LDS readers would say that Jesus was referring to “revelation” as the rock upon which He would build His church.  So, just what rock was Jesus talking about?

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The Symbolic Image of Christ

February 1, 2009
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The Symbolic Image of Christ

Much has been said in church magazines and the Bloggernacle about the image of Joseph Smith. Do we know what Joseph Smith really looked like? Are our statues and paintings truly representative of him? This is not the point of my post here, though. I recently had a conversation with my fiancee about Rastafarianism, mentioning that Rastas believe that Jesus Christ was black. I admitted that, though I personally don’t see much evidence for that, I did concede that Jesus probably looked very different than what most Mormons envision.

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