Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity

 
In the Saturday morning session of the October 2020 General Conference, Elder Quentin L. Cook discussed how to move toward a Zion society; i.e., he told us "how to Zion." 

The first step is to have the idea that Zion is possible. 

Next is the idea that it is, or should be, a goal of every member of the Church.

With those two elements in place, Church members can actively work toward establishing Zion.

Elder Cook spelled it out as clearly as words can be:

“The clarion call to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to strive to be a Zion people who are of one heart and one mind and dwell in righteousness.”

This is an exciting time in the history of the Church and the world overall. By heeding the teachings of the prophets, modern and ancient, and by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we will strive to be a Zion people.

And this is true regardless of where we live. As President Nelson has taught, "The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. All members of the Church have access to the doctrine, ordinances, priesthood keys, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of their location."

Member of the Church can establish Zion wherever they live.  

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As a side note, Elder Cook alluded to Mosiah 18:21, an example of "blending" discussed by Royal Skousen on pages 1032-3 in his book Part Four: The Nature of the Original Language, which is part of his project titled The History of the Text of the Book of Mormon

Mosiah 18:21 And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.

Those of you who have read A Man that Can Translate or have seen my presentations on the translation will recognize this as one of the examples I use to show that Joseph Smith most likely was not blending the language of the Bible, but instead the language of Jonathan Edwards.

BTW, I'm adding more Zion related passages to my blog on Jonathan Edwards.

https://dailyjonathanedwards.blogspot.com/

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Below is the summary from the Deseret News:

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-10-03/general-conference-october-2020-saturday-morning-session-elder-cook-194048

Talk summary: 

Latter-day Saints should commit themselves as members of the Lord’s Church “to live righteously and be united as never before.”

Righteousness and unity are “profoundly significant,” because when people love God with all their hearts and righteously strive to become like Him, there is less strife and contention in society.”

Unity is enhanced when people are treated with dignity and respect even though they are different in outward characteristics.

“As leaders, we are not under the illusion that in the past all relationships were perfect, all conduct was Christlike, or all decisions were just. However, our faith teaches that we are all children of our Father in Heaven, and we worship Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Savior. Our desire is that our hearts and minds will be knit in righteousness and unity, and we will be one with Them” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:71).

This is a moment of particularly strong divisions. “The millions who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ have committed themselves to achieving both righteousness and unity. We are all aware that we can do better, and that is our challenge in this day. We can be a force to lift and bless society as a whole.” 

With the Church’s all-inclusive doctrine, “We can be an oasis of unity and celebrate diversity. Unity and diversity are not opposites. We can achieve greater unity as we foster an atmosphere of inclusion and respect for diversity. …

The Savior’s ministry and message have consistently declared “all races and colors are children of God. We are all brothers and sisters.”

Church culture comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Our members and new converts often come from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. … Yet we can be united in our love of and faith in Jesus Christ.”