Sunday School was split into two halves. The first half was Mormon 9:7-11, 16-25, on miracles and revelation. The second half was on the Brother of Jared’s stones. But we never got to the second half.

After Capital God and other discussion, we ended with Moroni 9:25

And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.

A missionary fresh to the field raised his hand, bravely it turns out.

So what if, he said, you do have doubts? I grew up in rural Idaho where every one is LDS. This is the first time I’m with people who are challenging me.

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 Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church.

And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.

-thus 1 Nephi 13:8-9

In Joseph Smith’s day the idea of free lance enforcers entrepreneurially and opportunistically attacking dissenters from the world for social  media likes would seem bizarre, but nowadays it makes perfect sense.  In the attention economy, the carefully polished apple they give to teacher is the persecution of the saints.

“They” probably refers to the great and abominable church.  That church seems to be in charge so its odd that they church itself is trying to earn the praise of the world.   What this represents is that no one in really in charge, its just something mutable like “fashion” or “the consensus” and you have to keep scrambling to stay on top.  You never arrive, there is no there there.

But there is another  meaning of “for the praise of the world.”   The second meaning is that you are praising the world.  These are people who are impressed with the power and structure of the world and are angry that someone opposes it or gives it the lie.  They persecute the saints because they feel aggrieved by them.

We have done a surprising amount of work on Lehi’s Dream.  Here are the links to enhance your reading this week and next.

Comparing the  Great and Spacious Building and the Emperor’s New Clothes

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Yesterday we mentioned that the interior of the building is hidden while the tree is open to view.

Today let’s talk about another difference.   The building experience is superficial–literally superficial, it happens on the superficie of the building–and relies on the non-building world to be meaningful.

When the building first comes to our attention, its because of all the people on balconies or windows in it mocking and pointing.

And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

When people go into the building, they quickly appear on the exterior mocking and pointing too.

And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also;

Whatever secrets are in the interior of the building, they are apparently too boring and meaningless to occupy anyone for long.  There is nothing to do there other than to point fingers at people who aren’t.  What is hidden inside the building is almost literally nothing.  The physical building is founded on little to nothing.  The building experience is also founded on little to nothing.  There is no there there.

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Let’s think about the basic symbolic differences between a fruit-bearing tree in a field and big building in a field.

There’s a whole lot to say, so lets focus for now on the different view when you are standing outside.

The tree is open to view.  Whatever is going on at the tree you can see from pretty far away.  There may be problems with your visions–there may be fogs or obstacles–but none of them are intrinsic to the tree.  It is open to view.

The building, however, is concealed on the inside.  The outside observer does not know what is going on in there and that’s the nature of a building.  A building’s basic functions of protection from elements and defense against outsiders mean that it also offers concealment.

In Lehi’s dream, both concealing mists and the building are associated with evil.  Hidden works, concealment, secrets, and cover ups are key to their work.  Whereas the tree is open.

But you can’t know everything about the tree until you go there yourself.  You can see that there is fruit.  You can see that the people who eat it really like it.  But you can’t  know the taste until you taste.

The building is secret.  The tree is sacred.

I’m getting back to the basics on symbols.  Just asking kindergarten questions like, what does this thing look like?  What does it feel like?  What does it do?  I started with the Book of Revelations.  I’m now applying it to Lehi’s dream.

I had a thought about why clinging to the iron rod is a bad thing.

Here’s the context: two years ago we discussed a puzzle in Lehi’s dream.  Those who *cling* to the iron rod eventually fall away.  Those who *hold on* to it don’t.  Huh.  You guys had some interesting thoughts, particularly Annie and Books.  Nothing definite.  Elder Bednar mentioned the two groups in General Conference but didn’t explain it.

As I sing “Let Us All Press On,” I often think of the people in Lehi’s vision pressing forward on the path that led to the tree of life who were not merely “clinging to” but were “continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.”

So two days ago I was thinking about iron rods.

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G. once told us the rest of the story for the Emperor’s New Clothes.  It’s good.  I went back and it predicts Black Lives Matter.

I want to talk about the back story.

Swindlers come in, talk up their new clothes, tell lies about how only good people can see the cloth, and then social pressure and lies do the rest.  Everyone pretends to see it and half-believes that everyone else has.

You can believe that in a story.  It wouldn’t happen that way in real life.

Unless the court were already used to lies and  manufacturing opinions and fashion and trying hard not to be caught out with the wrong set of beliefs.  (more…)