Posts

14 Days - Gordon Platt

14 Days I pictured a rainbow, You held it in your hands I had flashes, but You made the plan You wandered out in the world, while I just stayed in my room I saw the crescent, but You saw the whole of the moon -The Waterboys There are three events, one in the Old Testament, one in the New Testament, and one in the Book of Mormon, which at first blush don’t seem to have much to do with each other. But are, in fact, intimately connected. And, taken together, they tell us something remarkable about the Savior’s mission. ________________ As with all months in the Jewish calendar, Nisan traditionally began with the appearance of the first visible crescent of the new moon. And the Jewish year begins with Nisan. “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” (Exodus 2:12 NIV) On the 10 th day of Nisan the community of Israel was commanded to take a male lamb without blemish from the sheepfold and bring it into their homes. On the 14 th day of Nisan, Israel was tol...
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Reasoning Together Workshop

  Reasoning Together Workshop Defining the Dispute Regarding the Statement of Principles November 7–8, 2026 Utah County All members of the Covenant Christian community are invited to participate in this workshop focused on better understanding the differing perspectives surrounding the Statement of Principles. This is the first in a series of workshops where we will labor together. In order to attend the workshop, individuals must register by Saturday, October 17th. This gathering will provide an opportunity to listen, reason together, and practice charitable deliberation among brothers and sisters who may hold different views. There will be an introductory Zoom meeting for registrants: Sunday, October 18th at 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time. All perspectives are welcome. P.S. Seriously, you need to register by October 17th. This is not a come and sit conference. The success of this workshop will be directly proportional to your participation. Register here---> www.reasoningtogetherwork...
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My Confession - Jared “Log” Livesey

  My Confession  October 07, 2026 To Whom It May Concern, and All of My Listeners and Readers Ever: Accept accountability for your misconduct the instant it’s brought to your attention, to avoid leaving this life unrepentant and risking condemnation. I warn you: You’ll discover no way to escape before paying fully for every sin; and while in prison under condemnation, are you able to redeem yourself? I warn you that you cannot. - 3 Ne. 5:26 CE I, Jared Livesey, do confess to everyone within reach of this document, that as of 11:25 AM  PDT 10/7/26, I am spiritually blind, and always have been spiritually blind, if spirits even exist.  I have not beheld the things of heaven, and do not know if heaven exists.  I have not seen the Lord Jesus Christ, and for this reason, I do not know that he exists, nor the Father, nor the Council of the Gods, nor angels, nor saints, nor demons, nor all the rest.  I do not know the scriptures are true.  I do not know Jose...
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The Sacred Paradox -- (How modern shamelessness and perpetual offense reveal ancient Biblical truths)

  The Sacred Paradox - Biblical Man Proverbs warns us that "pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Yet here we stand, where men glory in their shame and turn offense into a virtue. Consider what the Apostle Paul prophesied in his letter to Timothy: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine... And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." How precisely he described our present age, where truth itself is offensive and moral chaos reigns. Think about that for a moment. We've created a world that fulfills Isaiah's warning: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness." Where men parade their sin like Sodom and hunt for offense like Pharisees examining Jesus' every word. The Prophet Jeremiah asked, "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither...
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Challenging Inherited Religious Assumptions - Jim Palmer

  Many people inherit religious ideas so early and so repeatedly that they stop appearing as interpretations and begin feeling indistinguishable from reality itself.   Entire systems of meaning become psychologically fused with identity, morality, belonging, fear, and even survival. But spiritual maturity often begins the moment a person becomes willing to examine inherited assumptions honestly rather than merely defend them reflexively.  Some ideas deepen human beings into greater aliveness, integrity, compassion, and reality-contact. Others produce shame, dependency, fear, fragmentation, and chronic self-betrayal.  Questioning those ideas is not rebellion for its own sake. It is part of becoming fully human.  What follows is a challenge to inherited religious assumptions that distort human flourishing, psychological wholeness, existential honesty, and becoming fully alive. God is not a belief-system. No concept, doctrine, theology, or institution can fully con...
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Growing Zion - a perspective - Gordon & McKay Platt

  Growing Zion - a perspective In the Growing Zion podcast Denver said, “And the challenge for Zion is always the first one: The seed. “ Some gardeners begin every garden by planting seed in the ground. That has several disadvantages:  1 – you can’t begin until after the last frost.  2 – you have a shorter growing season. 3—not all seeds are viable,  4—the soil may be poor Here’s our calculations on the growing Zion method from seed described in DS’s 2017 podcasts.  Start with 25 families, add one every six months (now that’s Polyannish optimism), and then once you hit 100 split the number into two groups of 50 and add one to each group of 50 every six months etc. until the total number is 800. How long would that take?  ———————————- Phase 1: From 25 to 100– 37.5 years Phase 2: From 100 to 200- 25 years Phase 3: From 200 to 400 - 25 years Phase 4: From 400 to 800 - 25 years Answer: 112.5 years to get to 800 families  But what if you plant the seed...
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  The Name  Written as a memorial 20 years after the publication of The Second Comforter-April 6, 2006 McKay Platt Introduction: The title, “the Name” is intentional. This paper is about “the Name”, not “naming” or “names”, although we will touch on those topics as well. It is about a somewhat mysterious religious concept, scattered throughout the revelations. I understand enough to introduce this mystery. Not enough to elucidate it. With that caveat let’s look at names and naming. Naming:  Of the estimated 7.77 million species of animals, and countless plants, fungi, protozoa and bacteria naming is unique to men.  Adam named the animals and subsequent men have named every other known animal, plant, fungus, protozoan and bacterium. To identify a previously unknown species and name it is considered a great privilege in the scientific community.  Of the 8.3 billion humans on earth today and the estimated 117 billion since the dawn of human existence, presum...
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