New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 22, “Inherit the Kingdom Prepared for You” (Matthew 25) is now at my personal blog.

http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-testament-gospel-doctrine-lesson-22.html

Read it there.  Comment here!

While we have all joked and pondered regarding rapture and the end of the world over the past few weeks, I’ve also pondered on a similar event closer to home for me.

According to stories told me by my grandmother, my great-great uncle, C.C. Smith was a very religious blacksmith in Oklahoma.  He always had his Bible sitting on his anvil as he worked. One day, the wind blew the Bible open and the scripture he read told him to go forth and preach the gospel.  As my grandmother explained it, he asked “who me?”, the wind opened the Bible to another spot, and it said, “yeah, you.” Continue reading →

I’ve posted on my personal blog lesson 21 of the New Testament Gospel Doctrine class.

It discusses Matthew 24 on the signs of the times.  I go in depth on the Abomination of Desolation, sharing quotes from Josephus regarding the 70AD siege on Jerusalem that ended up killing over one million Jews.  It is not a story for the faint-hearted, as it contains mobs, rape, murder, suicide, and even cannibalism!

Read it there, and comment on it here!

http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-testament-gospel-doctrine-lesson-21.html

Looks like Mormons would do well in space.  A series of articles being done on various religions and how they would fare in space and handling Martians and other aliens that invade our solar system (would they be illegal aliens?).

http://news.discovery.com/space/is-mormonism-the-ideal-religion-for-space-exploration-110510.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

With our views of Kolob, materialism/spiritualism, and God creating new life and planets continually, it makes for a comfortable view of the universe for most Mormons.  Yes, Joseph Fielding Smith did not believe we should have anything to do with space, but I believe most of us today think it is generally a good thing.

For some odd reason the Gods .  gods overlords here at M* decided to invite me to be a permablogger.  How they think they are ever going to increase readership is beyond me, but who am I to turn down a paying gig?

I have been blogging for a few years now.  My own blog,  Joel’s Monastery, mostly holds my Gospel Doctrine lessons and is gaining popularity with every weekly post.  Of course, I do have a few call me a radical anti-Christ for sharing viewpoints that are not always my own, but include views from ancient sources.

I do promise to try and offer quality blogging here, unlike another major LDS blog that today is offering a post on “skanky legs.”  No, I will not provide a link, because the blogger asked them to discuss, and like Jacob of old, I’m not interested in risking the innocence of our high class readers,  “many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God” (Jacob 2:7).

That said, let’s get into a topic I’ve pondered recently:

Gossiping.

I’m sure I’m not the only around who has heard a family member or friend note that he/she/it never gossips, BUT….
Continue reading →