While many of you in the Americas were enjoying your Saturday night, I was walking into the stake center in Singapore for 9 a.m. services. The first thing you should know is that going to church in the Singapore 1st Ward (which is the ward I stumbled into) was almost exactly like going in the United States. The ward, like many you see in large financial centers around the world where expats tend to go, was filled with Americans.
Author Archives: Geoff B.
Largest U.S. cities without a temple
I would like to link this list of the largest U.S. cities without a temple.
Top of the list is Miami, my former home, which is easily 4-5 hours from the Orlando temple on a Friday afternoon in traffic. Also, please keep in mind that the Miami stake includes the surprisingly large and active Key West branch, which is 6-7 hours from the Orlando temple on a Saturday morning.
Is Ayn Rand’s philosophy compatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Anybody watching the coverage of the tea parties on April 15 may have seen pictures of Ayn Rand or references to the book “Atlas Shrugged.” Sales of Rand’s classic apocalyptic book are soaring in these days of increasing government control in the United States, and Rand is being called prophetic in some circles. As Latter-day Saints, can we square Rand’s philosophy with the Gospel?
The short answer is “no,” but readers may be surprised at some of the similarities between Rand’s world view and our own.
Was Jesus crucified on a Wednesday?
Anybody considering the Savior’s crucifixion must get their arms around Matthew 12:38-40. In this scripture, the Savior says he will be in the grave three days and three nights, just as Jonah was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights. Mark 8:31 also says the Savior would be resurrected after three days.
So, if Jesus was crucified on a Friday, how can that be three days and three nights?
Happy Easter, translated
So, I stumbled across this web site that tells you how to say Happy Easter in many different languages. Armenian is my favorite:
Քրիստոս յառեաւ ի մեռելոց
(Kuhreestos harryav ee merrelotz)
– Christ is risen from the dead
Օրհնեալ է յառութիւնն Քրիստոսի
(Ornyal eh harrootyunuhn Kuhreestosee)
– Blessed is the resurrection of Christ (response)
It seems the Orthodox churches have a nice tradition of emphasizing what Easter is about. We could learn something from them.