Special Collections

Class this week was a little different than normal. Instead of having the regular lecture, we attended a presentation in the Special Collections section of the library. This is probably my favorite section of the library. As much as I love the smell of books, I love the smell of old books even more. I find old books amazing. They had to survive hundreds of years of use to make it to today and they hold some of the most amazing information. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the presentation in Special Collections.

Before even getting to the books, the presenter talked about the history of recording materials and documentation. The first materials used for writing on were minerals. We saw a clay tablet that had cuneiform writing on it, or wedge-shaped writing. The small tablet was the records of a merchant from thousands of years ago. After looking at the tablet, we we shown some metal plates that had the citizenship records of a Greek soldier on them. Eventually, two new types writing material came about, depending on geography. Papyrus was invented in Egypt and is made out of a type of reed that grows in the Nile, because of the brittleness of papyrus, it could not be folded several times, so was instead rolled into scrolls. In other areas of the world, people used animal skins to write on. The animal skins were durable enough that they could be stitched together. Monks would stitch several pages of animal skin together and then bind them with wooden boards to make books.

At this point in the presentation, we had an opportunity to see several of the old books that were hand written and bound by monks hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The presenter showed us pages that had ornate lettering and other ornamentation on the page. He also showed us pages that had unusual holes in them that were caused by the person who turned the animal skins into parchment. Some of the pages had been stitched together after being ripped. The material was so a valuable that the pages were used despite their flaws. Something I found pretty amazing was that the stitch holding together the ripped page had served as a mend in that page for hundreds of years.

After seeing these really old books, the presenter talked a bit about how the printing press was made and how the printing press changed how books were used by the world. Books were no longer a commodity of the rich and the monasteries, it became possible for all people to have books. We were then shown a few old books that had been printed using printing presses. Some of them were really valuable because they were old, but others I considered valuable because of their story. We got to see some of the books that were made in the earliest printings of the Book of Mormon and of the Doctrine and Covenants. I just found it so amazing how the time period of the Restoration made it possible for thousands of people to receive published copies of these important books, instead of having to wait years and spend lots of money for handmade copies.

Suffering

Most people associate the word suffering with pain, sadness, and negativity. In general, suffer is not a word that is thought of in a positive light. For this week's assignment, we were asked to write about our feelings on suffering. When looking at current events, some as large and impactful as the economic crisis and the earthquake in Haiti and others as small and personal as the stress of the current semester, I find it initially difficult to find anything positive to mention at all. I find it obvious that myself and anyone else in my situation would primarily feel like the wanted it all to stop, to be solved, to have never happened in the first place.

Yet amidst the suffering I find a purpose and I find hope. There is a reason behind why I suffer, and through that suffering I grow into a better and stronger person. Trust me, this fact does not make me enjoy feeling lonely, worthless, or pathetic anymore than the next person., what it does instead is remind me that I am not suffering without purpose. If there is a purpose behind why I am suffering, I don't only find the pain easier to deal with, but I realize that I am not alone in my trials. Not only are other people going through the same things that I am going through, but Christ went through the same thing that I am going through. He suffered through every trial and hardship I have or will have to go through and he can help me through my pain.

Some ask, if God really is all loving, how can he let us suffer. This happens to relate to another definition of the word suffer. Most are familiar with the definition of going through pain and hardship, but the other definition of suffer has a similar meaning as allow. In the scriptures, there are several passages that read "I will suffer my people to..." or "I will suffer them..." and these passages use suffer in a way that means allow. Yet still, why does good allow his children to suffer, or to make each other suffer, if he is all loving. This is one concept that took me a long time to understand.

I think about it by thinking about my own parents. I know that my parents love me more than I can currently comprehend. I also know, however, that my parents will let me make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes can cause pain to myself or my siblings, who my parents also love, but this does not prevent them from letting me make the mistake. The let me mess up because the love me and they know that if they stop me from making mistakes then I will never learn. I'm sure it is difficult for them to watch me make choices that they know will lead to harsh consequences. Their love for me is what gives them the strength to give me my free agency.

Blessings in the Scriptures

The revelations given throughout the Doctrine and Covenants are similar to today's patriarchal blessings. A patriarchal blessing is revelation from God given to a man called to be a patriarch that is intended for just one person. Many describe it as personal scriptures with individualized blessings and warnings. The warnings are not specific, you will not find a statement such as "avoid this party, if you go you will get in trouble." The blessings are not time bound and because Saints believe in eternal life after death, the blessings can extend to this time.

Revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants is similar to a patriarchal blessing in many ways. The first is that there are several revelations that are given to specific people. Although these revelations are very specific to the individuals who received them, they are published as general scripture because many of the principles, blessings, and warnings can help teach today's Saints.

Another similarity is the pattern of blessings and warnings. Throughout the Doctrine and Covenants, both blessings and warnings are given to the Saints at the time. The warnings given then are the same warnings that each individual can apply to their lives today. The warnings included avoiding pride, not being deceived by hypocrites, and to avoid slothfulness. The blessings found in most patriarchal blessings and found throughout the Doctrine and Covenants are what I refer to as "If/Then" blessings. This type of blessing states that the person it is intended for must remain faithful, keep the covenants of the church, live according to the commandments, or one of many other things. If the recipient of the blessing does what is specified, then they will be guaranteed to receive the blessing that is promised them.

There are two big differences between the Doctrine and Covenants revelations and patriarchal blessings. One is that patriarchal blessings give the lineage of the person who is receiving it. This lineage is a statement of which one of the twelve tribes of Israel the recipient is a descendant. The Doctrine and Covenants do not give this because most of the revelations are not specific to one person and because, even if the revelation is specific to one person, it is not helpful for today's saints to know the recipients lineage so it would not have been published. The other big difference is that most of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants are intended for the church as a whole, or for a large number of people. This means that anyone can read them, learn from them, and study them extensively. Patriarchal blessings, because of their personal nature, are meant to be read only by the recipient and those who are close to them.

The Earth and Frugality

Section 59 of the Doctrine and Covenants brings up some interesting ideas about human-kinds place on Earth. It states quite specifically that the fullness of the Earth is ours. The beasts, birds, and plants are all ours to do with as we please. The section even states that it pleases God that he was able to give us all these things. Some might look at this and think God gave us the Earth and we can treat it however we want because it is ours. However, like all of God's gifts and promises, we have responsibilities that accompany the gift of the Earth. We are to use the gifts of the Earth to make things that are beneficial to mankind. God also asks that we use what we have to make things that are pleasing to the eye and will gladden the heart. Finally, he states that we are to use judgement in how we use what we have and not to use anything in excess.

Today, the responsibilities we have been given seem fairly obvious. With how much emphasis is placed on protecting and preserving what remains of nature, everyone would agree that nothing should be used unnecessarily. At the time though, it seemed like an unusual request. The Saints lived in a world where the forests extended forever. As they crossed the plains they saw seas of bison covering the hillsides. The Saints journeyed into a land untouched by human hands other than the Native American's who had been living there for hundreds of years. It would have seemed like they had an endless supply of resources with hardly anyone around to use them. God asked them to be responsible with the seemingly unending supply of land before them so that future generations would still have some of that beauty that they were able to see then.

The MOA Exhibit

Last week, instead of having our regular religion class, we had a presentation and tour of one of the new exhibits in the Museum of Art (referred to as the MOA). The exhibit is called Types and Shadows: Intimations of Divinity. It includes several pictures of Christ, but also many pictures that were meant to symbolize Christ or tell a story. It included both 2D and 3D works.

The presentation was given in class on Tuesday. Rita Wright, the person giving the presentation, told us different ways to look at religious art. She showed us some of the pieces that we would see during the tour and discussed the meaning and symbolism in the works. I haven't been raised around a lot of visual art, I've always been more of a music person, so I really feel like I learned a lot about art that I had never known before.

We then took a tour of the exhibit during our class on Thursday. We stopped at several pictures that had not been in the presentation and discussed the meaning and symbolism in the works. We even stopped again at some of the pieces we had seen. It was really fun to listen to others talk about what they felt and saw because there are so many diverse backgrounds in my class. I got to learn about a lot of symbolism I never would have even noticed otherwise. My favorite thing about the tour though, was just to stand there and see the paintings. To look at something I know I could never create and let it act upon my thoughts. I saw things and felt things in ways I never have before. If you would like to look at the pictures yourself, use this link and download the powerpoint. http://typesandshadows.byu.edu/FacultyResources.html I have also included my favorite, just in case you don't have time to look at the powerpoint.

Exodus: Then and Now

The exodus of the Old Testament is the even many people think of as the story of Moses. Moses brought his people out of Egypt, where they were kept in slavery. He lead them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai, where the Lord gave them the law, or the ten commandments. The continued on through the wilderness until eventually reaching the promised land, Jerusalem. An interesting geographical fact about this area is that their is a fresh, living sea connected by a river to the dead sea.

As times have gone on, many religions find events that parallel the exodus of the Old Testament. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no exception. Joseph Smith informed the saints that they needed to move to Ohio, taking them out of the state of New York where they were suffering much persecution. While in Ohio, they built a temple, which many believe is what Mount Sinai is supposed to represent. Within the temple the saints received the law of the church. They were not able to stay in Ohio long though before persecution forced them to leave again. Due to the death of Joseph, Brigham Young instead lead the people through the wilderness to the Salt Lake Valley. The valley happened to have two lakes, one fresh water and one salt water connected by a river that was named the River Jordan.

Section 42

For this week's post, I'm supposed to write about the importance of Section 42. Early in the same year, The Lord promised Joseph Smith that he would receive "the law" of the Church in Ohio. Section 42 is the fulfillment of this promise. Of course, since it is "the law," it is a rather long section, so I will break it up into pieces.

The first piece consists of verses 1-17. (For those of you unfamiliar with the lay out of the Doctrine and Covenants, it is broken up into sections which are mostly in chronological order. Each section is then split up into several short verses) So- the first 17 verses of this section talk about teaching the Gospel. We are instructed to teach the principles of the church which are found in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. We are also told how important it is to teach with the Spirit. The Holy Ghost provides a testament of truth to both the teacher and the student. Verses 53-60 also can be included in this part of the section because they declare that the scriptures govern the church and should therefore be taught to the whole world.

The second part consists of verses 18-29 as well as verses 74-93. The first set of verses restate the basic commandments given in the bible. Basically, they saints are commanded not to kill, steal, lie, lust, commit adultery, or speak evil against others. The second set of verses give the laws that govern what to do if a member has broken one of these commandments. It states that those who break commandments like stealing and killing are to be dealt with according to the law of the land. Those who break commandments that are more specific to the church are dealt with by the church and any issue between two saints can be resolved between those two people with the help of church leaders if necessary.

The next piece, from verses 30-39, give details to the Law of Consecration. This was a law lived by the early saints that helped them to survive during the early days of the church as well as helping to unify them. The law of consecration asked those who had more than they needed to give their excess to the needy. This was more than just charity to the poor. If one family had several cows, they would give the excess milk to families without cows. Those families without cows might have an excess of something else and were able to give something else in return. It was basically a system of sharing what they had.

Next, verses 40-52 give several commandments in quick succession. Here's the list: Don't be prideful, cleanliness, don't be lazy, and heal the sick. The last one is focused on longest. Of course, the commandment to heal the sick isn't difficult to understand. The verses after this commandment is given go into detail about having faith to be healed and living together as a loving society.

Finally, the remaining verses talk about how the location of the New Jerusalem shall soon be revealed and that the church should purchase property to help support the saints. It might seem unusual for a church to own large amounts of land other than the land that it's meeting houses and temples are built on. The church purchases other land and turns it into farming grounds, businesses, or even schools, to help support and teach not only members but others who are in need.