Christmas Book Citations Teachings of George Albert Smith Part 1

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My colleague at MRM we continue looking at books that were given away as Christmas gifts by the first presidency between the years 1981 and 2017.

Today we begin looking at a book that was given away as a Christmas gift in the year 2000. It is titled the teachings of George Albert Smith. It was edited by Robert and Susan McIntosh and George Albert Smith was the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and for a bit of trivia. He was the last of the latter-day St. presidents who had facial hair.

But before we get into this book Eric on it.

You tell our listeners where they can find the quotes that were going to be citing thing go to MRM.org our website and in the search engine type in Christmas book and the first article to come up contains links to all of the books in the Christmas series that we been talking about this past month along with compiled quotes that we have used with the additional quotes from the different books. Jesus himself said in Mark 227, that the Sabbath was made for man and not the other way around. And we find by reading some of the statements of LDS leaders that there are certain things that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can and cannot do on the Sabbath.

Now, of course, Mormons would look at the Sabbath as being Sunday. Technically if you look at the Old Testament.

The Sabbath was Saturday. Christians often refer to Sunday, as the Lord's day, and I'm aware that some Christians do refer to it as a Sabbath as well abusing the Sabbath is one of the ways that a member in the LDS church can lose the spirit and that is certainly something he do not want to do as a member of the LDS church. What is this book have to say on pages 108 and 109 or he says we lose the spirit.

When we do not honor the Sabbath.

Those who do not honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. Displease God. Some people appear to think that if they have attended religious meetings or perform some portion of the service required of them on Sunday. They are then at liberty to go to ball games picture shows are resorts of various kinds and still continue to enjoy the favor of the master.

I say to you that if they persist in doing things of that kind. Members of the church will lose their faith in the spirit of our heavenly father will withdraw from them. I think the emphasis needs to be on the word. Will that use twice in that sentence. Members of the church will lose their faith in the spirit of our heavenly father will withdraw from them if they abuse the Sabbath and others been a lot of things that have been said, as I mentioned on what a Mormon can and cannot do Spencer Kimball in his book the miracle of forgiveness. Another book that was given away as a Christmas gift in the year 1998 had a lot to say about what a Latter Day Saints can do on the Sabbath and I might mention there is disagreement even within Christian circles as to what a Christian can and cannot do. There's not a whole lot written in the Bible. However, folks. So a lot of these prohibitions that anybody might come up with are purely outside of the biblical realm, but what did Spencer Kimball have to say about the subject. This is found on page 46, under the subheading Sabbath breaking, Kimball wrote, we have become a world of Sabbath breakers on the Sabbath. The lakes are full of boats. The beaches are crowded. The shows have their best attendance. The golf links are dotted with players the Sabbath is the preferred day for rodeos, conventions, family picnics and ball games are played on the sacred day.

Even the stranger that is within thy gates is pressed into service businesses. Usual is a slogan for many in our holy day has become a holiday and because so many people treat the day as a holiday, numerous others cater to the wants of the fund levers and moneymakers Sabbath breakers to are those who buy commodities or entertainment on the Sabbath, thus encouraging pleasure palaces and business establishments to remain open, which they otherwise would not do. If we buy, sell, trade or support such on the Lord's day. We are rebellious as the children of Israel the dire consequences of his transgressions against this and other commandments should be a permanent warning to us all. Given that warning that you just gave him.

Spencer W.

Kimball. Could we conclude that if a Latter Day Saints. Let's say goes clothes shopping on Sunday that they are giving up their celestial exultation. I mean if you're displeasing the Lord in the spirit withdraws from you if you violate what the Mormon leadership has laid down for the membership on this subject. It sounds like you could very well be risking your exultation for such an infraction.

It sure doesn't have to ask the question what did Jesus have to say about this issue, it never seems to be the case where Jesus says oh my goodness, your entire salvation is based on keeping the Sabbath law and in fact he angered many of the Jewish leaders. They felt that Jesus had been breaking the Sabbath law. What's interesting is that a lot of the things that Jesus did went against their extra lot, not what the Bible actually talks about in a good example that would be in Luke chapter 6 in Luke chapter 6 Jesus was going through the green fields with his disciples and his disciples start to pick heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands and eat the Colonels and the Pharisees said why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath and then in verse nine Jesus at a says to them, I ask you which is off on the Sabbath do-gooder to do evil, to save life or destroy it. So he went against the ideas that they had of what Sabbath keeping was all about yet another words they are adding what Mormons seem to condemn plan that includes the commandments of men and wasn't that one of the things that God the father and Jesus allegedly told Joseph Smith pertaining to the churches at that time that they were teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. It sounds like when it comes to this subject that the LDS church is very much teaching the doctrines of men making it a penalty so grave that if they violate it they could be giving up their exultation. The bill isn't that what religion does religion sets up rules and regulations of what you have to do listen to what Kimball says on pages 96 and 97 of the miracle of forgiveness again gift given at Christmas by the first presidency in 1998. This is what Kimball said the Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things absence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient.

The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath. He is breaking it to observe it.

One will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed sleeping, reading wholesome material and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected to fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side. Let me add something bill.

I don't see any Bible verse here to support what Kimball is telling us in the course that should be problematic for us to do place a strong emphasis in the New Testament and it's interesting because he says that sleeping is okay but lounging about doing nothing is not okay. All anyone. If you are trying to get to sleep. Somebody could say well you're just lounging around and doing nothing I can.

I suppose a parent might say that to a kid. Well, maybe he's just kinda relaxing. If that's the way he does things on the Sabbath day, the seventh day when you're supposed to be doing things different than what you do on the other six days. Why is it the concern of a prophet of God. Supposedly Spencer Kimball to say that that is wrong and it seems that's really the intent of why we had the Sabbath. It was a butte day were you is an individual switched gears you were not working doing what you normally did six days a week and you were just doing something different.

But there's another way that a person can lose the spirit.

If you remember the LDS church, and this has to do with participation of the sacrament service or the communion service page 95 George Albert Smith writes, it is observed that men and women who go from year to year without partaking of the Lord's supper gradually loses spirit of our heavenly father. They forfeit its companionship, where they have had opportunity to participate in that blessing, but have failed to take advantage of it. A couple things here. Notice he refers to the spirit of our heavenly father as an it, but it gets even worse than that. Eric because on page 93 George Albert Smith goes so far as to say how a person is to partake of the sacrament. As far as which hand they are supposed to use. He says our people have been taught to take the sacrament with the right hand.

We believe that is appropriate and proper and acceptable to our father.

The sacrament should not be accepted with a gloved hand. Nobody should receive it in that irreverent matter. We should partake of it in humility with preparation of clean hands and pure hearts, and with the desire to be acceptable to our father. Then we will receive it worthily and rejoice in the blessing that comes to us by reason of it. Now I can understand partaking of the Lord's supper with clean hands and a pure heart. I understand that but when he goes so far as to say that our people have been taught to take the sacrament with the right hand.

In other words, folks, not the left hand. Where do we find that in the New Testament when has that ever been some kind of a prohibition again I go back to the admonition that Joseph Smith claimed he was given by God the father and Jesus in this alleged first vision that they believe in, where he talks about the church is believing in doctrines that are merely commandments of men. Does this not sound like a commandment of men. Where do we find anywhere in the Bible that it says that when you partake of the communion orders Mormons call it the sacrament, it must be done with the right hand not only the right hand, but you cannot. Probably in this time. If you're a woman you're not supposed to have a glove on your hand for years women wore gloves to church. It was a part of addressing up.

It was a part of the formal attire of going to church. Here he is saying that that isn't even allowed in. How did having a gloved hand partaking of the sacrament become irreverent who came up with that decision. Obviously it had to be one of the men who were running the church because we don't find anywhere in the Bible that shows that that should not be done. It sounds to me more like a matter of taste than anything else should we look at George Albert Smith as perhaps being the Pharisee of the 20th century.

I think most certainly you could I would say that not only would George Albert Smith fall into that category, but certainly a lot of other leaders in the LDS church who have laid down restrictions that they find themselves uncomfortable with, rather than restrictions that are actually biblical and we don't find anywhere. As I mention that it says that we are partake of the communion orders Mormons call it the sacrament with the right hand there just is no prohibition against taking it with the left hand.

According to the Bible. Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry.

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