For those who love to follow the marriages of the rich and famous, this week was a real doozy. In a new book, researchers are claiming evidence that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had two sons. In the meantime, a new publication on the website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says that Church founder Joseph Smith had as many as 40 wives including one who was only 14 years old.
The findings in the new book “The Lost Gospel,” by Professor Barrie Wilson and writer Simcha Jacobovici seems like something out of “The Da Vinci Code.” It is based on the transcript of an ancient manuscript which tells the story of Jesus’s two sons and his marriage to Mary. The manuscript dates back to 570 AD and written in Syriac — a Middle Eastern literary language used between the 4th and 8th centuries and related to Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. It was written on animal skin or vellum and has been siting in the archives of the British Library for about 20 years after being held since 1847 at the British Museum (which bought it from a dealer who said he had obtained it from the ancient St Macarius Monastery in Egypt). Jacobovici, an Israeli-Canadian film-maker, and Wilson, a professor of religious studies in Toronto, decided to reexamine the text and believe that it contains a missing fifth gospel and confirms not just the long debate marriage to Mary but progeny of Jesus.
The news on the plural marriages of Joseph Smith is remarkable not only for its disclosure but its source. The LDS Church has always been highly reluctant to discuss the status of Smith as a polygamous. However, it was the Church that released the detailed account this month. It is a refreshing openness from the LDS leadership on a subject that has always been a matter of discomfort. The research suggests that Smith took his first “plural wife,” Fanny Alger, in the mid-1830s. There was a distinction drawn between bonds for this life, which included full matrimonial relations, and partnerships that would exist only in eternity in such marriages.
The essay, “Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo,” notes that “[m]any details about the early practice of plural marriage are unknown. Plural marriage was introduced among the early Saints incrementally, and participants were asked to keep their actions confidential. They did not discuss their experiences publicly or in writing until after the Latter-day Saints had moved to Utah and church leaders had publicly acknowledged the practice.”
Researchers believe that most of those sealed for eternity to Smith were between ages 20 and 40. The wives included Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close friends Heber C. and Vilate Murray Kimball, who was [14.]” It was lawful to marry girls at the age during that period.
As was raised in our Sister Wives litigation (which is now on appeal), the LDS changed its position on polygamy when Utah became a state. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff, the faith’s fourth prophet-leader, issued the “Manifesto,” which led to the end of the practice. That led to a split and the continued division between the LDS and FLDS, a small group that believes that polygamy is an essential part of the religion. The LDS Church remains opposed to plural marriages.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
@Teji Malik
Heaven is not a physical place; it is a state of being (one of several, actually) for one’s eternal soul after one’s mortal body has ceased to live. One cannot find the way to heaven on Google Maps, but one might find it the Bible, if one is so inclined.
Or not, depending on one’s view of after-life risk management.
Best wishes on your journey.
Michael Haz – are you sure it is not on Google Maps? Those little cars and bikes have been everywhere. Certainly they can map heaven and hell.
Squeeky – Ha!
Or as the Buddhist said when ordering a pizza, “Make me one with everything.”
Darn it! Just the word “demand” should have been italicized.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
@Teji Malik
Hmmm. Here is you an Irish Poem! It is kind of deep and zen-ny, sooo you have to think about it, if possible.
Traffic Koans???
An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm
An atheist fulfilled his vow,
To demand from a Master of Tao,
That he show him the Path,
Or else face his wrath. . .
Sooo, the monk, he said, “How now, brown cow???”
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Can someone help me guide to ‘ The Kingdom of Heaven’ through Google Maps? Thanks.
Who makes it into the Kingdom:
A person who doesn’t know God yet treats his brother with compassion…
… Or a religious zealot who uses his faith to judge his brother by?
Max-1 Who makes it into the Kingdom of Heaven – no body knows
All religion is made-up hooey intended to control by way of fear and reward, by sprinkling false hope and comforting “answers” in front of desperate and afraid people.
An entity that creates universes could care less about the number of spouses we mammals take on, though no evidence exists of such an entity — outside the myths themselves.
Dave
All religion is made-up hooey intended to control by way of fear and reward, by sprinkling false hope and comforting “answers” in front of desperate and afraid people.
Really Dave? What a fascinating and truly objective point of view.
An entity that creates universes could care less about the number of spouses we mammals take on, though no evidence exists of such an entity — outside the myths themselves.
Really? Really? An Entity? We are really not sure what “God” is so we create myths and sing songs. How truly awful. We try to civilize ourselves. Terrible. 🙂
Most Jewish Scholars have accepted Hebrew as the primary language of the Jews at Jesus time, After all, that is what the first scriptures were translated in
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Jesus_Hebrew/jesus_hebrew.html
Pogo-
The LDS Church has been forced to own up to certain facts which it more or less ignored until recent times. The internet is mainly responsible for that, as there are groups out there who publicly question Church doctrine and official Church versions of Church history (some groups do this respectfully, other groups do this less than respectfully). With the advent of the internet, Church members have greater access to those who question Church doctrine and history (and to the evidence on which they rely). The result has been increasing demands that the Church deal publicly in an intelligent manner with facts that have been ignored for many, many years. I see the public discussion of these facts by the Church as a very positive development, even though it is has taken a long time for this to happen.
Without getting into my own beliefs and religious affiliation, I’m very familiar with the LDS Church, its history and Mormon culture.
Reblogged this on saboteur365.
Both good flicks. Sinatra for the most part never sang in his flicks.
@NickS
That Patton movie was on the other day. I had one taped with Frank Sinatra in it called Von Ryan’s Express. Sooo, I watched it expecting him to sing in it, but he never sang a single note. But after about 30 minutes or so, I was interested in the movie so I just kept watching it.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky, As Patton said, “I don’t want anyone in my command saying they are willing to die for their country, I want the SOB’s on the other side dying for theirs.”
@Annie
Yes, he is. He was in the Air Force.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Warm and fuzzy kind of dad, was he?
@There is some song my father used to sing that went like this, but I don’t think it is a real song:
Flying bombers in the sky!
Drop my bombs and watch them die!
Ay-rabs and Commies all will duck
When I arrive to f*** them up.
It had a real catchy tune and he could have published it, I think.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
The WC really sucks today.