Going From “You Owe Me” to “Money”

The history of money: Standard economic theory is that once upon a time all transactions were exclusively barter:  e.g., 20 chickens for your cow, a basket of corn for your basket of wheat, 3 animal furs for your spear.  Then inconveniences arose when your neighbor didn’t need that many chickens right now but you still [...]

“…and the labor which they had to perform was to look…”

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? [...]

The Adultery of Mary

Mary was an adulterous woman: By definition of the law, that is. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child… The meaning of the Hebrew naaph was “a woman who breaks wedlock”.  For Mary to [...]

Lehi’s Trek to China and North America

Note: to see how this idea popped into my head and began to develop, read all the comments on the Selections from the Book of Laman post, beginning with this one. Jerusalem to Lemuel 600 years before the coming of Jesus Christ, the prophet Lehi, who “dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days” (1 Ne. [...]

Community, Intimacy, and Connection

The Mormon Archetype of Zion: And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them. The ever-present archetype in Mormon culture of the “City of Enoch” – of that first city of Zion that was taken up into [...]