Describing Celestial Glory

A fun tidbit from the Institute Student Manual in reference to John's description of the resurrected Christ in Revelation 1:

Orson Pratt, who often heard the Prophet Joseph recount his experience in the sacred grove on that spring morning, said that the light was so brilliant that Joseph thought the leaves were going to burst in to flame when it reached the treetops. When they did not, only then did the boy prophet think that he might survive the glory that was descending upon him. (See Orson Pratt, Remarkable Visions, p.2)

The miracle of stress.

I thought this clip about stress was pretty amazing, and made me wonder at what amazing creations our bodies really are. It is easy to see how our bodies respond in just the way Heavenly Father promises us they will (i.e. if we have faith, even trials will turn to our good).



Here's a little Russell M. Nelson for you to add some icing to the cake:

Interesting note for carnivores

There is no statement in the scriptures indicating that the flesh of animals and birds and other living creatures was used as food before the days of Noah. It was after the landing of the ark that the Lord gave his commandment concerning the eating of flesh.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:42.

Instead of our first parents eating animal food, they subsisted upon herbs and fruits of the earth, which were originally designed for the food of man.

Orson Pratt, in Times and Seasons, 6 [1 June 1845]: 918.

I am still eating chicken for dinner tonight. I just thought these were interesting and didn't remember hearing anything of the sort beforehand.

On Onties and Such

I am currently studying the Book of Alma, and thought I would share something that I put together a couple of years back when I was clerking for a Superior Court Judge.

In Alma 11, Alma (and later Mormon) spent quite a long time recording the system of money used by the Nephites anciently. I always kind of thought of this section as novelty, or maybe some evidence that could be matched up with ancient Mayan practices eventually, but I didn't really think about what it meant in the context of the rest of the chapter.

The story being told is that of Alma and Amulek's public debate again Zeezrom, who was a lawyer and who attempted a hearty cross-examination of the missionary duo. At one point he tries to bribe Amulek to deny Christ and everything he had taught, offering him six onties of silver. This is where my calculations come in:

A judge receives a senine of gold or a senum of silver for one day's work.  (v. 3)

Taking a senum as the basic unit for silver, here is how the money system goes (v. 5-13)

1 senum = 1 senum
1 amnor = 2 senum
1 ezrum = 4 senum
1 onti = 7 senum (the sum of them all, v. 13)

Therefore 1 onti is equivalent to 7 days' pay for a judge, making 6 onties worth 42 days' pay.

The current approximate annual salary for a Superior Court Judge in Orange County, CA is $178,789. Dividing that by approximately 250 working days per year, that makes a daily salary of $715.16. So the approximate salary for 42 days would be $30,037.

No wonder Zeezrom wasn't really intending to pay Amulek!

This is kind of on the side of fun facts as opposed to spiritual insights, but it really gives an appreciation for the dedication and conviction of Amulek, who was essentially a new convert. Amulek then goes on to see all of the women and children believers martyred (Alma 14:8-11). Undoubtedly they included friends and loved ones, and possibly even his own family, as his whole house had been blessed and instructed by Alma (Alma 10:11). That is some amazing faith, but I trust that his reward will be much more than $30,000.