A Feast of Fat Things

 

Today, on the last day of 2020, I'd like to recommend a phenomenal talk on establishing Zion by Sharon Eubank, first counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency and director of Latter-day Saint Charities.

You can find a published version of the video presentation here:

https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/clarkmemorandum/68/

Except:

THE ZION REVOLUTION

Finally, I speak about the revolution that creates Zion. This stage will be difficult and messy because Satan uses all these revolutions for his own twists and misery. Pollution from technologies engulfs the earth. Filth, debasement, and inhuman acts are communicated to every remote corner of the earth. Politics falls into brute violence as human rights are violated for power. 

As opposition increases toward the end of the earth, the polarization will grow stark.

Either you believe in God or you do not. Either you are willing to work in harmony with others or you are not. Either you will keep the rule of law for the good of society or you will not. Zion will be built by those who are willing to unify their hearts and minds for peaceful progress, dwell in obedience to law, and eradicate all kinds of poverty. Everything outside of that will eventually destroy itself.

Latter-day Saint Charities, the collective humanitarian efforts of Latter-day Saints themselves, is striving through both givers and receivers to unify hearts and minds for peaceful progress and to address issues of poverty. Its work, essentially, is to help lay the foundation stones of a Zion society. This would include sharing expertise freely so we can be of “one mind,” working side by side with others very different from us so we can be “of one heart,” keeping the laws of heaven and earth so we can “[dwell] in righteousness,” and building up our characters so there will be “no poor among [us].” (Moses 7:18)

Zion and temples

Brigham Young:

By-and-by Zion will be built up; Temples are going to be reared, and the holy Priesthood is going to take effect and rule, and every law of Christ will be obeyed, and he will govern and reign King of nations as he now does King of Saints. Pretty soon you will see Temples reared up, and the sons of Jacob will enter into the Temples of the Lord. What will they do there? They will do a great many things. When you see Zion redeemed and built up—when you see the people performing the ordinances of salvation for themselves and for others (and they will hereafter), you will see simply this (but I have not time this morning to tell you only a little part of it). About the time that the Temples of the Lord will be built and Zion is established—pretty nigh this time, you will see (those who are faithful enough), the first you know, there will be strangers in your midst, walking with you, talking with you: they will enter into your houses and eat and drink with you, go to meeting with you, and begin to open your minds, as the Savior did the two disciples who walked out in the country in days of old.

About the time the Temples are ready, the strangers will be along and will converse with you, and will inquire of you, probably, if you understand the resurrection of the dead. You might say you have heard and read a great deal about it, but you do not properly understand it; and they will then open your minds and tell you the principles of the resurrection of the dead and how to save your friends: they will point out Scriptures in the Old and New Testament, in the Book of Mormon, and other revelations of God, saying, “Don’t you recollect reading so and so, that saviors should come up on Mount Zion?” &c.; and they will expound the Scriptures to you. You have got your Temples ready: now go forth and be baptized for those good people. There are your father and your mother—your ancestors for many generations back—the people that have lived upon the face of the earth since the Priesthood was taken away, thousands and millions of them, who have lived according to the best light and knowledge in their possession. They will expound the Scriptures to you, and open your minds, and teach you of the resurrection of the just and the unjust, of the doctrine of salvation: they will use the keys of the holy Priesthood, and unlock the door of knowledge, to let you look into the palace of truth. You will exclaim, That is all plain: why did I not understand it before? And you will begin to feel your hearts burn within you as they walk and talk with you.

You will enter into the Temple of the Lord and begin to offer up ordinances before the Lord for your dead. Says this or that man, I want to save such a person—I want to save my father; and he straightway goes forth in the ordinance of baptism, and is confirmed, and washed, and anointed, and ordained to the blessings of the holy Priesthood for his ancestors. Before this work is finished, a great many of the Elders of Israel in Mount Zion will become pillars in the Temple of God, to go no more out: they will eat and drink and sleep there; and they will often have occasion to say—“Somebody came into the Temple last night; we did not know who he was, but he was no doubt a brother, and told us a great many things we did not before understand. He gave us the names of a great many of our forefathers that are not on record, and he gave me my true lineage and the names of my forefathers for hundreds of years back. He said to me, You and I are connected in one family: there are the names of your ancestors; take them and write them down, and be baptized and confirmed, and save such and such ones, and receive of the blessings of the eternal Priesthood for such and such an individual, as you do for yourselves.” This is what we are going to do for the inhabitants of the earth. When I look at it, I do not want to rest a great deal, but be industrious all the day long. For when we come to think upon it, we have no time to lose, for it is a pretty laborious work.

(1850s, 1852, BY Extensive ¶66–69 • JD 6:294–JD 6:295)

seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion;

 

1 A great and marvelous work is about to come forth unto the children of men.

2 Behold, I am God; give heed unto my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my words.

3 Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap, let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God.

4 Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.

5 Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.

6 Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion;

7 Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.

8 Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.

9 Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.

(Doctrine and Covenants 6:1–9)

Nibley on King Benjamin's address

Hugh Nibley's classic essay, "Work We Must, but the Lunch Is Free," includes a discussion of King Benjamin's address. Here is an excerpt:

Benjamin now recognized that they were ready to “hear and understand the remainder of my words,” because at last they were “awakened... to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state” (Mosiah 4:4–5), aware that they could only put their “trust in the Lord,... keeping his commandments;... Believe in God;... believe that ye must repent;... always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and longsuffering;... If ye do this ye will always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God” (Mosiah 4:9–13). 

That being so, “ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due” (Mosiah 4:13). And who decides what is due him? Not you! The Lord will tell you that: “And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked, [or] ... transgress the laws of God” (Mosiah 4:14). Lunch will be provided, and “ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another,” with no fighting or quarreling among themselves—this was not to be a competitive society (Mosiah 4:15). 

And beyond your family, “ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him.” 

A beggar is one who asks, for some reason or other not having what he needs: “Ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish” (Mosiah 4:16). He begs because he is hungry, and we must all eat to stay alive—to turn any beggar down, for all you know, is to sentence him to death—it has happened (Mosiah 4:16). The usual pious appeal to the work-ethic—there is no free lunch—will not do: “Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I... will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just”—I worked for mine! (Mosiah 4:17). 

Indolent and unworthy the beggar may be—but that is not your concern: It is better, said Joseph Smith, to feed ten impostors than to run the risk of turning away one honest petition. Anyone who explains why he denies help to another who needs it, says Benjamin, “hath great cause to repent... and hath no interest in the kingdom of God” (Mosiah 4:18), which kingdom is built up on the law of consecration. 

“For behold, are we not all beggars?” That is no mere rhetoric—it is literally true: we are all praying for what we have not earned. No one is independent: “Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for ... food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver and for all the riches which we have?— You are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are” (Mosiah 4:19–20). And that is just what you must consecrate to the building up of the kingdom: “O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another” (Mosiah 4:21–22). 

We all give and we all receive, and never ask who is worthy and who is not, for the simple reason that none of us is worthy, all being “unprofitable servants” (Mosiah 2:21). “And if ye judge the man,” who asks for your “substance that he perish not,” and find him unworthy, “how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God,” who wants you to hand it on, and is testing you to see just how willing you are to hand it back to him when he asks for it—not at some comfortably unspecified date, but right now (Mosiah 4:22). 

Benjamin says he is speaking here to the rich, but the poor may not hold back either, for everyone should have enough but not wish for more; hence the poor who want to be rich, who “covet that which ye have not received,” are also guilty (Mosiah 4:24–25). In giving, the poor may keep what is sufficient for their needs, and food, clothing, and shelter covers it (Mosiah 4:26), for the rule is summed up simply, that every man “should impart of [his] substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath”—which is also the wording of Deuteronomy, for all have a right to food, clothing, and medical care, “both spiritually and temporally according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26; 18:29).

Seeing eye to eye

 

And the Scriptures say that when the Lord shall bring again Zion her watchmen shall see eye to eye. They shall see alike, they shall comprehend alike, they shall be under the same influence. 

What else shall it do? It shall show you of things to come. You shall be enabled to look through the dark vista of the unborn future, to draw aside the veil of the invisible world, and comprehend the things of God; to know your destiny and the destiny of the human family, and the events that will transpire in coming ages and times.

That is what the Holy Ghost will do, and therein is the difference between that Spirit and the little portion of that spirit which is given to every man to profit withal.

John Taylor; Journal of Discourses, 23:376.

The living of religion is the greatest sermon

From "A Final Testimony" by Hugh B. Brown, counselor in the First Presidency.

_____

When I speak of defending our religion, I do not mean such defense as an army makes on the battlefield but the defense of a clean and upright and virtuous life lived in harmony with an intelligent belief and understanding of the gospel. 

As Mormons, we should do with religion as we do with music, not defend it but simply render it. It needs no defense. The living of religion is, after all, the greatest sermon, and if all of us would live it, we would create a symphony which would be appreciated by all.

There are many churches in the world today, and in those churches are many people and many kinds of theology. I would like to distinguish between theology and religion. Religion is my preference. Someone has said, "I hate botany, but I love flowers." I would say that I do not care for theology, but I love religion....

The Mormon church has a religion aside from its theology, which, if followed, dominates the life of individuals and leads them up out of the grueling surroundings which life may have placed them in, and teaches them that they are children of God and that being children of God they are of royal blood. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has this practical view of religion: that religion should help us here and now; that we should not have to wait until after we are dead to get any benefits; that religion as understood and applied makes men and women more successful, happier, more contented, gives them aspiration and hope; that religion is the vitalizing force, religion is that which gives men and women an ideal, an ideal so high that it may be seen from both sides of the valley of life. 

The religion of the Latter-day Saints teaches youth that as children of God, they are expected to acquire experience as they go through life and that experience will ripen into knowledge, that knowledge will ripen into wisdom and intelligence, and that their greatness will be in proportion to their intelligence.

So the religion of the Latter-day Saints is not just theory from a book or taught in church. The gospel is a plan of which God is the author, a plan of which we are all necessary parts....

My religion sweetens my life. My religion, if properly lived, helps me to be a better friend to my associates, a better neighbor, a better citizen, a better father, a better man. If I am sincere in it, my religion forbids me to do to my neighbors what I would not want them to do to me, either in word or act. My religion, in other words, is that which is the greatest part of me.

https://sciencemeetsreligion.org/lds/brown-final.php

The solution to all social problems

Suppose that the Son of Man said to mankind in the present ages, ‘What seek ye?’

What would be the answer? Many would say: we seek pleasure; some, wealth; others, fame and power; but the most thoughtful would answer, ‘We are seeking the light of the ages, as mankind has ever sought. We are seeking a social Utopia. We want a society in which we may be relieved of some of the ills of mankind, free from the troubles and toils of life.’

With every progressive age of the world, intellectual, noble minded leaders have sought a better way of living than that which was current. The good life, a social Utopia, has been the quest of the ages. To sense the need of reform has been easy; to achieve it has been difficult and well-nigh impossible....

The Church, established by divine inspiration to an unlearned youth, offers to the world the solution of all its social problems.

God help us and qualify us for the mission of carrying to the world this light. May we labor even more zealously than heretofore for the establishment of a social order in which God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven—a kingdom of God which shall foster the brotherhood of man and acknowledge the fatherhood of God. May we so live that men seeing our good deeds may be led to glorify our Father in heaven, I pray in. the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

(1930s, 1930, April, 4th Session, Elder David O. McKay, ¶52 • CR)

 .

-- David O. McKay; Conference Report, April 1930, 78-83.

Zion, a sunny place

 

Zion means, literally, a "sunny place" or "sunny mountain." It first designated an eminence in Palestine on which Jerusalem is built. In the Doctrine and Covenants, Zion has three designations: First, the land of America; second, a specific place of gathering; and third, the pure in heart.

-- David O McKay; “Zion Shall Flourish,” Improvement Era, February 1959, 33.

No fence around Zion

Crater Lake, Oregon, October 31, 2020. Click to enlarge

There is no fence around Zion or the world, but to one of discernment, they are separated more completely than if each were surrounded with high unscalable walls.

Their underlying concepts, philosophies, and purposes are at complete variance one with the other. The philosophy of the world is self-sufficient, egotistical, materialistic, and skeptical. The philosophy of Zion is humility, not servility, but a willing recognition of the sovereignty of God and dependence on his providence.

-- Stephen L Richards; Conference Report, October 1951, 110.

Pathway to Zion

The Pathway program is one of the most profound projects underway anywhere in the world.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I spoke to some Pathway students in Africa. They were amazing young people, smart, ambitious, and dedicated to the Gospel. Such students are learning "how to Zion" and are well on their way to establishing Zion in their communities.

We've met Pathway students in lots of places. 

Today Pathway announced that it reached a milestone: 50,000 students.

As the word gets out, I expect that number to multiply rapidly. 

Here's a quotation from the article:

President Nelson has said that “Pathway is for the Kingdom.” It is part of the gathering of Israel — and with 50,000 students around the world, it isn’t a start-up anymore, President Gilbert said. “It is part of Zion.”

https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2020-10-29/byu-pathway-worldwide-50000-student-milestone-global-higher-education-resource-196318?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=the_churchnews&utm_campaign=twitterpages

click to enlarge the graphics

Sisters in Zion

In the Women's session of the October 2020 General Conference, President Eyring spoke about the establishment of a Zion society. He called upon the Relief Society to prepare the Saints to establish Zion.

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-10-03/general-conference-october-2020-womens-session-president-eyring-194147

Summary points:

• The Relief Society is being called upon to prepare “His people” to become His promised Zion.
• The women of the Church possess unique gifts that were given by God to bless others.
• Latter-day prophets, including President Russell M. Nelson, have declared the vast influence women have on the Church as devout defenders of the faith.

Talk summary: 

Heavenly Father’s “beloved daughters” will play a crucial role in the establishment of Zion.

“We know that the Savior will come to a people who have been gathered and prepared to live as the people did in the city of Enoch. The people there were united in faith in Jesus Christ and had become so completely pure that they were taken up to heaven.” 

The Prophet Joseph Smith promised the early Relief Society sisters that, if they live up to their privileges, they would enjoy the association of angels.

“That marvelous potential lies within you, and you are being prepared for it.” 

Heavenly Father’s daughters have a gift to allay contention and promote righteousness with their love of God and love for all those they serve.

“Sisters, you were given the blessing of being daughters of God with special gifts. You brought with you into mortal life a spiritual capacity to nurture others and to lift them higher toward the love and purity that will qualify them to live together in a Zion society. It is not by accident that the Relief Society, the first Church organization specifically for Heavenly Father’s daughters, has as its motto ‘Charity Never Faileth.’”

Faith in Christ, coupled with the full effects of His atonement, will qualify His followers for the “supernal gift” to live in promised Zion. “There you will be sisters in Zion, loved in person by the Lord and those you have blessed.”

The sisters of the Church are citizens of the Lord’s kingdom on earth.

“You are daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent you into the world with unique gifts that you promised to use to bless others. 

“I promise you that the Lord will lead you by the hand, through the Holy Ghost. He will go before your face as you help Him prepare His people to become His promised Zion.”

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.  

_____

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/

_____

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.”

Sustainable Societies

The Saturday sessions of General Conference (October 2020) included numerous references to Zion. 

Elder Christofferson's talk "Sustainable Societies" stood out as a description and prescription for how to Zion. While most people around the world seek a Zion society in the abstract, they don't know where to find it. And they don't realize that such a society can only work when accompanied by individual responsibility and accountability.

We'll discuss it more when the full text is released, but for today, here's the summary published in the Deseret News:

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-10-03/general-conference-october-2020-saturday-afternoon-session-elder-christofferson-194057

Summary:

A sustainable, flourishing society is one that promotes happiness, progress, peace and wellbeing among its members. There are two examples of such thriving societies found in the scriptures: the city of Enoch, or Zion, and the Nephites and Lamanites for two centuries after the Savior’s ministry in the Americas.

“The societies in these two examples … were obedient to God in their personal lives and they looked after one another’s physical and spiritual welfare.”

A thriving society can fail, however, if it abandons the virtues that uphold its peace and prosperity, turns from a sense of accountability to God and trusts instead in the arm of flesh.

The institutions of family and religion are and have been crucial for endowing individuals and communities with the virtues that sustain an enduring society. 

“These virtues, rooted in scripture, include integrity, responsibility and accountability, compassion, marriage and fidelity in marriage, respect for others and the property of others, service and the necessity and dignity of work, among others.”

In recent years, the perceived importance of religion has declined all over the world. Those who profess no religion are often good, moral people, but this didn’t happen without divine influence.

“Whether aware of it or not, every man, woman and child of every belief, place and time is imbued with the light of Christ and therefore possesses the sense of right and wrong we often call a conscience.”

When society has no greater good than satisfying individuals’ appetites, the detrimental effects will manifest in due course. In contrast, the truth of God points to a better or more excellent way to personal happiness and community wellbeing.

“There is much we can do as neighbors and fellow citizens to contribute to the sustainability and success of the societies we live in, and surely our most fundamental and enduring service will be to teach and live by the truths inherent in God’s great plan of redemption.”