I also learned today more about the temple via D&C 109 (The Kirtland Temple Dedicatory Prayer) and as I was reading, one of Nibley's articles, he quotes President Joseph F Smith (another guy I'm anxious to study) as saying "much temple work would likely have to be done over again because of the slipshod manner in which it was done." That totally rocked my world, but it goes to show you that everything that is done, must be done perfectly and in the Lord's manner. Who would of thought that we could be allowed to do temple work imperfectly? It has awakened my senses as to how I approach the things of the temple. Do I sit on the edge of my seat anxiously trying to understand the mysteries of God, or do I sit back and close my eyes a little bit?
Imagine if that quote above came from our current prophet today at general conference? What would our reaction be? Denial? Recognition? What if somebody else said it? Stake President? Temple President? Member of a local ward? Would we react differently in each situation?
I wonder sometimes how open we are to the truth, even if it hurts. Brigham Young is one of my all time favorite prophets as he has an insatiable appetite for truth and knowledge and was very direct and blunt with the saints. Many didn't like to hear what he had to say and some even questioned his calling, but many times I think we need to hear these things. We wonder why we go over the same lessons over and over again in Sunday School. We're comfortable with the rhetoric and easily accept it. What if something more controversial were discussed? It would probably rock a bunch of people's testimonies if they weren't ready to hear it. Kinda scary.
That's why many people have difficulty reading Brigham Young or Hugh Nibley, because they are both very direct and very correct. We just don't always like to hear it.
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