This week, I found a gem in Utah Valley, where I have lived my whole life but, apparently, did not know enough about. I visited the Crandall Printing Museum. When I entered, the host told me that it was the most advanced Gutenberg museum in the world. I acted amazed, but thought, "This guy needs to get out more." Over the next two hours, I was impressed over and over again, and learned a great deal about the miracle the printing press was.
Gutenberg developed his printing press in a very unspectacular way. He duplicated a wine press and added a bed in which to place the paper and set type. He invented a new metal alloy, now called "printer's metal," which expanded in the mold so that the type would be uniform. He even invented a new ink that was sticky enough to stay on the type, as opposed to the runny ink used by the monks. After all of this development and invention, he used it to do small printing jobs for merchants and officials in the area. His break came when he was asked by the Catholic Church to print the Bible in Latin, and developed type in Latin for that specific purpose. It was probably because of this job that his press prospered for some time.
He did make a financial miscalculation, however, when he trained six different teams of men to make type and print the Bible. These teams caused Gutenberg's bankruptcy, since it was too much expansion too fast. but these six teams then took the printing technology to neighboring villages, and it quickly expanded throughout Europe.
At this point in the tour, we jumped forward to Benjamin Franklin, and the press during the American Revolution. I never knew that Franklin was a printer, let alone one of the most powerful in the colonies. The press was essentially still Gutenberg's press, with almost no innovation. Franklin did a lot of things for the colonies and for the Union, but one of the best--he helped to get Thomas Paine's Common Sense published when negotiations with Great Britain failed. He was also essential in the writing of the Constitution and promoting it in the presses. In reality, the presses throughout the colonies made the Revolution possible, and without Franklin's influence, the Revolution very well could have failed.
We then jumped forward to the E. B. Grandin Print Shop, located in Palmyra, New York. Joseph Smith had translated the Book of Mormon, and was in need of a shop to print it. He and Oliver Cowdery approached E. B. Grandin, and wanted to print five thousand copies, a number unheard of at this time. Most books were printed in five hundred book runs, so that the printer could be assured of getting his money back, but the Martin Harris farm was mortgaged to provide collateral. Though it was a huge risk for Grandin, he printed the Book of Mormon in just a couple of months. The true miracle is that all the books were bound very quickly. Binding five thousand books should have taken several months, but it was completed quickly and the Church was able to start selling the books and spreading them throughout the country.
These three events combined show to me that the printing press and its spread throughout Europe and later to America was truly a miracle, and allowed the Revolution to be unified and the Book of Mormon to be published.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Gathering
The gathering of the LDS saints under the leadership of Joseph Smith and then under Brigham Young and the successive prophets of the LDS Church has altered the course of this nation's history. The members of the Church, known as Saints, gathered first in Kirtland, Ohio. They were rejected from that location and settled in several different places only to be rejected from each in turn. Finally, after the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young began to lead the Church and led the Saints to what is now known as Utah. This gathering continued for several decades but was slowly phased out so that the Saints could begin to build the Church in their own countries. This gathering of Saints has affected me personally, mainly through my ancestors.
On my mother's side, the McBride family was among the first group of Saints that traveled across the Great Plains with Brigham Young. They established themselves and became steady members of the Church. Also on my mother's side, several families travelled to Utah in the following years. They all remained faithful to the Church and laid down a legacy that my family has been following. Polish immigrants on my father's side were also converted and also made their way to the Utah settlements. If it had not been for the gathering of the Saints, my family would not be what it is today, and I would definitely not have been born in Utah, and I might not have grown up in the Church.
Also, because of the gathering of the Saints, the church has been able to build many temples. The temple has always served as a rock and anchor for the Church and its members, and the gathering made the temples possible. If the members had remained separated and dispersed across the world, it probably never would have developed the resources to build any temples. But because they all came together and worked together, many temples have been constructed and millions of people have been blessed because of it. I personally have been very blessed by being able to attend the temple. I have also been blessed even more because my family was blessed enough to come to Utah and receive the blessings of the Gospel and of the gathering of the Saints.
On my mother's side, the McBride family was among the first group of Saints that traveled across the Great Plains with Brigham Young. They established themselves and became steady members of the Church. Also on my mother's side, several families travelled to Utah in the following years. They all remained faithful to the Church and laid down a legacy that my family has been following. Polish immigrants on my father's side were also converted and also made their way to the Utah settlements. If it had not been for the gathering of the Saints, my family would not be what it is today, and I would definitely not have been born in Utah, and I might not have grown up in the Church.
Also, because of the gathering of the Saints, the church has been able to build many temples. The temple has always served as a rock and anchor for the Church and its members, and the gathering made the temples possible. If the members had remained separated and dispersed across the world, it probably never would have developed the resources to build any temples. But because they all came together and worked together, many temples have been constructed and millions of people have been blessed because of it. I personally have been very blessed by being able to attend the temple. I have also been blessed even more because my family was blessed enough to come to Utah and receive the blessings of the Gospel and of the gathering of the Saints.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Revelation For Families
Religion has often been charged that it represses women and and promotes male dominance. This idea is explicitly reinforced today by Islamic extremist governments that place women on a lower level, and it seems to be implicitly understood in the Bible, where very few women are mentioned. However, a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to his wife Emma in 1830 shows us what the true role of women is and should be.
In Joseph Smith's time, a woman's role was very different from what we might expect today. Women were not independent beings, but completely dependent on their husbands. The husband controlled and ruled over his wife. In fact, a women could be a minor her entire life, growing up under the rule of her father and then raising children under the rule of her husband later in life. This male dominance was evident in churches and government as well, since only men could preach and vote in the religious sector, and only men could vote and hold office in the civil sector.
Emma's revelation stands in contrast to these social norms. The Lord speaks directly to Emma, instead of telling Joseph what Emma needs to do, which would have been typical in this time. She is named "an elect lady" and her calling as Relief Society President is prophecied. She is even told to study, exhort and teach in the church, and act as scribe for the Prophet Joseph, clearly roles that were typically reserved for men.
Noteworthy is that Joseph is to help Emma in taking more responsibility in these roles. The implicit command is that he is to help around the house so that Emma can have time to study and improve herself. If she doesn't have time to do it, it was Joseph's fault.
While a couple of these instructions were specific to Emma, the majority can be construed as independent of time and place. This revelation placed Emma in a learning, teaching role, on par with her husband, and so the revelation places all women on par with their husbands in their responsibility to learn and improve themselves. From the time this revelation was received forward, women participated in church, sustaining their leaders and teaching others the Gospel. Women also began participating more in government roles later on in Church history because of the implications of this revelation. Mormon women were the first to vote, first to run for office, and were the pioneers in many respects to women's rights in the country, while still maintaining their roles in the family.
The implications of this revelation follow us still today. Women are to learn, teach, and participate just as men are, and men are to help the women in their lives have the time and resources to be able to do these things. We should be forever grateful for this revelation and how it restored women to their rightful position as equals in a marriage covenant between two people. Thanks to the Lord's guidance to Emma, we no have women that are prepared to teach not just children or other women, but women teach men about the mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is how God always desired it.
In Joseph Smith's time, a woman's role was very different from what we might expect today. Women were not independent beings, but completely dependent on their husbands. The husband controlled and ruled over his wife. In fact, a women could be a minor her entire life, growing up under the rule of her father and then raising children under the rule of her husband later in life. This male dominance was evident in churches and government as well, since only men could preach and vote in the religious sector, and only men could vote and hold office in the civil sector.
Emma's revelation stands in contrast to these social norms. The Lord speaks directly to Emma, instead of telling Joseph what Emma needs to do, which would have been typical in this time. She is named "an elect lady" and her calling as Relief Society President is prophecied. She is even told to study, exhort and teach in the church, and act as scribe for the Prophet Joseph, clearly roles that were typically reserved for men.
Noteworthy is that Joseph is to help Emma in taking more responsibility in these roles. The implicit command is that he is to help around the house so that Emma can have time to study and improve herself. If she doesn't have time to do it, it was Joseph's fault.
While a couple of these instructions were specific to Emma, the majority can be construed as independent of time and place. This revelation placed Emma in a learning, teaching role, on par with her husband, and so the revelation places all women on par with their husbands in their responsibility to learn and improve themselves. From the time this revelation was received forward, women participated in church, sustaining their leaders and teaching others the Gospel. Women also began participating more in government roles later on in Church history because of the implications of this revelation. Mormon women were the first to vote, first to run for office, and were the pioneers in many respects to women's rights in the country, while still maintaining their roles in the family.
The implications of this revelation follow us still today. Women are to learn, teach, and participate just as men are, and men are to help the women in their lives have the time and resources to be able to do these things. We should be forever grateful for this revelation and how it restored women to their rightful position as equals in a marriage covenant between two people. Thanks to the Lord's guidance to Emma, we no have women that are prepared to teach not just children or other women, but women teach men about the mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is how God always desired it.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Guiding Documents
There have been many organized bodies throughout the history of the world. Each may have been created for a different purpose, such as governing a people, preaching their religion, or just to create a brotherhood of like-minded individuals. The most durable and influential of these organizations always has a guiding document, some sort of “constitution” or “law book.” From Hammurabi’s Code of Laws to the Magna Carta to the United States Consitution, all of these documents served to preserve a way of governing.
These examples illustrate the importance of the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ, also known as Section 20 in the current Doctrine and Covenants, a book of revelations published by the LDS Church. This section contains a summary of the restoration of the Church to the earth and basic beliefs of the Church and its members. More importantly, it explains the duties and responsibilities of each office in the church as well as the general organization of these offices into groups called quorums.
This section is more commonly known as the “Constitution” of the LDS Church since it serves the same purpose for the Church as the Constitution serves for the United States of America. The Constitution thoroughly explains the powers and rights of each branch of government, details about voting procedure and term limits, and the rights of the citizens. It is not the government itself, but it is a framework that the current Representatives and Senators can use as a guide to build on.
In the same way, the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ provides a framework of the offices of the Priesthood. It is not the church itself, but presents the Lord’s guide for us on how to build and organize His Church. It presents a divine framework to build on, so that His work can go forward on the earth.
These examples illustrate the importance of the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ, also known as Section 20 in the current Doctrine and Covenants, a book of revelations published by the LDS Church. This section contains a summary of the restoration of the Church to the earth and basic beliefs of the Church and its members. More importantly, it explains the duties and responsibilities of each office in the church as well as the general organization of these offices into groups called quorums.
This section is more commonly known as the “Constitution” of the LDS Church since it serves the same purpose for the Church as the Constitution serves for the United States of America. The Constitution thoroughly explains the powers and rights of each branch of government, details about voting procedure and term limits, and the rights of the citizens. It is not the government itself, but it is a framework that the current Representatives and Senators can use as a guide to build on.
In the same way, the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ provides a framework of the offices of the Priesthood. It is not the church itself, but presents the Lord’s guide for us on how to build and organize His Church. It presents a divine framework to build on, so that His work can go forward on the earth.
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