This review of the book Sick Societies fits with the ending of the Book of Mormon (and of the Book of Ether).  In short, not every society is functional.  Societies can get locked into nasty and destructive practices that keep them back or even cause them to dwindle to extinction.  The Tasmanians, e.g. (not mentioned in the article).  Some of the societies mentioned were locked into cycles of genocidal violence and feuding among themselves, just like in the Book of Mormon.

I believe that our own society has a number of nonfunctional features, many of them comparatively recent innovations within the last decades or the last century  (serial monogamny and widespread divorce come to mind) but some even older than that, and we collectively are blind to it because our society is comparatively more functional than most.  But only comparatively.  Like Adam and Even in the garden, we keep accepting a simulacra of godliness.  ‘You shall be as gods,’ the serpent said, and we said, hey, close enough.  I say this as a proponent of Western civilization.  It really is superior in many, many ways.  But only comparatively superior.  We look down and think we are something.  We should look up, and realize we are nothing.

This has implications for the Saints.  The worst thing the Gentiles ever did to us was make us think our mediocrity was excellence because they were worse than mediocre.

Here’s another interesting aspect of sick societies that has implications for the gospel, particularly the 2nd Coming. (more…)

We already discovered that the rapid Nephite cycles of repentance and sin make more sense when you realize that repentance is not total righteousness and falling back into wickedness is not total depravity. Each one just represents a course change. Just like with individual people, a society that is objectively in a bad moral state could be described as repenting and worthy of blessings if it has recently rejected some evil and is trying to do better, whereas a society in quite a high moral state is still falling into wickedness if it has recently discarded some good thing or embraced some new evil thing.

If you looked back over your last few years, it would not surprise you at all if the chronicler of the Book of You described you as repenting and righteous one year and wicked the next. It would not surprise you if the Book of You described you that way on a monthly, a weekly, or even perhaps a daily basis. Not that you have been transfigured and not that you were depraved, but just that you have seasons of change for the better and seasons of change for the worse. (Let the first predominate. I.e, let God prevail.)

But how does applying a common-sense understanding of repentance to the Nephites explain the rapid changes in their prosperity and levels of conflict each time they make a spiritual change for the better or for the worse? Is God just putting a thumb on the scales? (more…)

Sorry.  We are really quite sorry.  Sorry, sorry.

On Christmas morn

a mouse forlorn

At 12 it could speak

But now just a squeak

That hymn moves me greatly. When the choir sung in General Conference this last time I was rapt. I had a sort of a reverie or daydream.

There is a vast, corrupt empire. There is a little frontier war being fought. The center of the Empire hardly cares, but it is a desperate struggle for the ones fighting it. Their foe, a people of tribes and villages, is outnumbered but deadly. And of course in the way of things in a vast corrupt Empire, their strength isn’t being brought to bear. Funds and men are frittered away, bizarre orders are given, competent leaders seemingly reassigned at random.

But the Empire soldiers are far enough away and left enough to their own devices that over time they develop their own identity and even something like elan. Perhaps the single biggest factor is the enemy’s battle song. It is not a fierce song.  It is unspeakably sweet.  It is a song of the tragedy and glory of the fighting both sides do, and of respect for all who stand and fight in spite of fears. It points to something greater than this fight or even this war.  The song includes the Empire soldiers. They are greatly moved by it. They have a higher conception of who they are because of it. They act with greater valor, but also with greater kindness to their foe. They respect their foe. Unlike in every other imperial campaign, they don’t commit atrocities or tortures or brutalities. Even though they are engaged in a campaign of naked conquest for a nasty imperial center, in some ways the struggle has become noble on both sides.

(more…)

The previous section was the Gospel to the House of Israel.
This section is the Gospel to the Gentiles.
We also get to look at the first of the four Servant Songs.
But what I think is interesting is the identity of the Servant… there is more depth there than I originally supposed.

(more…)

Recent events have helped me understand the Book of Mormon better. That’s no surprise. Since the Book of Mormon is written for our day, it follows that living through the events the Book of Mormon was written for illuminates the Book of Mormon. Expect it to become clearer and clearer as time goes on.

The people repent and then fall apart remarkably fast in the Book of Mormon. How? Why? One answer is that repentance isn’t flipping a switch between righteous and wicked. Repentance is some collective embrace of something good even if the people on the whole have a bunch of wicked practices they still adhere to. In the same way, the turn to wickedness isn’t them going all black, its the population choosing some evil, while still otherwise mostly remaining the same including the good they already have. Life goes on. Even as they choose wickedness after wickedness, each step may not have obviously changed a great deal. They continue to marry and be given in marriage.

It’s not some insane step function

(more…)

I have recently been very interested in a young historian, Rudyard Lynch (WhatIfAltHist) who is making some bold claims about pending war in the United States and in the World at large. Of course, we are not so much in the “loot the treasury” stage of imperial decline as we are in the “burn the treasury down” stage. Truthfully, considering Isaiah 19, I would not be surprised if an economic collapse were not initiated partly to styme and discredit Trump and MAGA.

I have listened to quite a bit of what he says and I don’t have a lot of objections. I was already aware of people like Peter Turchin who also predicted similar things. I expect he is likely correct about war (not condoning) and the only thing currently preventing it is too many young men and women enervated and numbed with porn.

This is an interesting topic, though I do wish he would spend a bit more time on things like the next Great Awakening or how this could usher in a new Axial Age.

But my real objections are not that he predicts war, but that he predicts Right or Left will win. While I think the Left will decline, he presupposes there will be a winner.

There is no sense in talking about how we need God, while ignoring the words of the prophets (regardless of whatever denomination or even religion you are).

So what have prophets said?

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This Christmas the JG is honoring forgotten Christmas traditions of yore that have unfairly fallen by the wayside.

Absent Calendars

This fun tradition is simple and easy. Simply remove your calendars. Voila! Instant cheer.

Dissing under the Missile Tow

This Christmas, make your way over to your local truck-hauled missile launcher (we suggest a HIMARS), sidle up to the hauler, and really let the illegitimi know what you think of them. Dis away in the fine old festive style.

While rap-battle disses are always appropriate, this year Shakespearean insults are trending. Give them a try.

But in any case, abide the custom, an ye be not a scapegrace poltroon!

(more…)

The Lovely One and I have been exploring the parallels between premortality—mortality—heaven, Eden—mortality—millennium, and childhood-adulthood-old age

She had an insight that surprised me. The very common desire to regress to Eden—the very common desire to regress to childhood—are both gnostic in that they are both deeply connected with a disgust with the body and the flesh. Sexuality and illness and fatigue and bodily functions and desires almost too strong for your spirit is what we were meant for. Going back is retreat. The way to salvation is through.

Flesh and blood, that is the way.

No more a stranger nor a guest, but like a child at home

I know what I want for Christmas and I know I can’t have it.

(more…)

The word comprehend has two  meanings.  You can only comprehend Christ’s message in one of those meanings.

You can’t understand the  message.  You can only become the  message.