New Church Logo of Jesus in a Bell Jar?

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Shulem
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Faith and hope of an innocent child

Post by Shulem »

Childlike faith and adoration towards a Christus idol is demonstrated in the following example which shows how a little girl's love for her Christus-idol is manifested in her desire to show love to a make-believe (imagined Christ), via an idol.

I'm not making this up. A grandmother testified, rather proudly, as if this is a good thing.

Grandmother wrote:I wondered as I heard that… do they really know how important Christ’s Atonement will be to them as they grow and progress on this earth? I’m sure they don’t. I didn’t when I was that young. They have no idea how they will need that love, support, comfort and HOPE that only the Savior can give as they experience the learning that comes with the schooling of this earthly life. Our 4 year old granddaughter, Clara, had a part in the program. She said: “Jesus loves me. He got owies for me. I put bandaids on His owies. But my mom said He is all better now. I love Jesus.”

This is a picture my daughter took of Clara on April 6, 2015. It is a treasure. Candace says: “I found Clara in my room with my Christus statue down from my dresser, which I normally don’t let her play with. But as soon as I saw what she was doing… my heart melted! She had gotten out a box of bandaids and had carefully placed a bandaid over each of Jesus’ “owies” on the Christus. Clara, age 3 then, said, ‘Jesus got owies. I’m goina make Him feel better.’ She calls the marks on Jesus’ hands, feet and side “owies” because I have taught her about Jesus in a simple way by saying “He got owies for us because He loves us.” I told Clara that I thought Jesus felt very happy that she had put bandaids on his owies. I told her that Jesus is all better now; His owies are all better.”

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Adding HOPE

Jesus "got owies for us because He loves us", is to me one of the horrors of Christianity, which is a religion, I don't think highly of at all. I reject the atonement as expressed in the New Testament. I reject the idea that a Father-God sent a Son-God to suffer and die in order to forgive transgression and sins of the human race. I reject the need to sacrifice animals (Old Testament) or people (New Testament) in order to qualify redemption.
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Shulem
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President Nelson's Graven Image of God:

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I have a testimony of Jesus Christ.

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Look, I'm a Christian. Can you see my sacred statue?

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I believe in Jesus Christ. Surely you can see that!

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Surely you can see, I'm a Christian prophet.

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Deal with it. I'm the prophet.

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Shulem
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Taking Christus to Peru

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President Nelson and elder Gary E. Stevenson (left) take the gospel to Peru to testify and spread the message of Christus.

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"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left"
Last edited by Shulem on Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Shulem
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A fallen prophet?

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As previously explained, President David O. McKay was responsible for introducing the entire church to the Christus statue in order to make Mormons appear more Christian to the rest of the world. But what was his attitude regarding graven images prior to making a pivotal exception to the rule?

Church sponsored artist and convert, Arnold Friberg, provides important input on how President McKay viewed religious artwork of the Savior.

Court Mann, Daily Herald Feb 18, 2017 wrote:
“Well, Arnold Friberg was a powerful force to be reckoned with as an individual,” Christensen said. “He had very strong opinions, and he had no problem going toe to toe with apostles and prophets when it came to his work — and he often did.”

These toe-to-toe interactions aren’t commonly known among Latter-day Saints, but are made manifest in much of Friberg’s religious art. David O. McKay, president of the LDS Church from 1951-1970, wanted church-sanctioned art to avoid literal, physical depictions of God and Christ — he wanted to avoid the iconography so rampant in other Christian faiths. In this, Christensen said, Friberg was vehemently opposed.

Rare Arnold Friberg sketches come to Springville Museum of Art in new exhibit

President McKay "wanted church-sanctioned art to avoid literal, physical depictions of God and Christ — he wanted to avoid the iconography so rampant in other Christian faiths", a clear indication that he was still in step with the traditions passed down by previous Church Presidents regarding depictions of Deity in church-sanctioned art.

A Motley Vision, Mormon Fine Art and Graven Images wrote:
Except for the notable exception of Minerva Teichert, who produced grand historical and scriptural scenes in the early part of the 20th century, there is no notable presence in the fine arts for Mormons until the 1950s and 60s. This is not to say that Mormons of the Great Basin era weren’t engaging in the arts – early Mormon settlements were renowned for their bands, choirs, and theaters – they just weren’t creating “graven images.”

Lest we think this was a mere cultural preference, Swanson illustrates how very profound its religious underpinnings were, even into modern years, by relating an interchange between artist Arnold Friberg and Church President David O. McKay. President McKay instructed Friberg not to paint pictures of Deity because “the Finite cannot conceive of the Infinite.” When Friberg challenged that the church was already using pictures of the Savior painted by others, the Prophet answered, “Those were not done by our people! Our artists are not to portray the Lord Christ!

While the official prophetic prohibition was soon lifted, remnants of the revulsion against graven images remain to this day.

A Motley Vision, Mormon literature and culture

Until this juncture, President McKay was in step with the Second Commandment in continuing Church tradition of not using graven images. The following two points show how McKay stood firm prior to stumbling and caving in to the world:
  • “the Finite cannot conceive of the Infinite.”
  • “Those were not done by our people! Our artists are not to portray the Lord Christ!”
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Re: New Church Logo of Jesus in a Bell Jar?

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Shulem my son, wilt thou ban mine image?
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace
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Enter into the House of the LORD

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I suspect that evolution of idolatrous temple rites is ultimately going to transform Mormonism into a new religious worship experience as it gradually and slowly makes changes. This is a process, not an event. But this discussion is not about that -- I want to focus on the Christus idol used by the Church to shift into new perspective and transform their worship experience. This indoctrination is already in progress using spectacular images of Christ, more particularly at the temple recommend desk -- the entry or gateway for patrons to enter the House of the Lord. These images, I suspect, will eventually be accompanied or replaced with blessed Christus statues that are specially made and certified by the Church. It's only a matter of time before temples receive a holy Christus to guard the front entry and welcome temple patrons with open arms -- much like a Buddha at every shrine.

It will happen, I do believe. Church members are being prepped and primed for this evolutionary step into Mormon idolatry which is a transformation of old Mormonism into its own special brand of new Christianity.


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I think it's only a matter of time when a Christus statue makes its way into the temple. Whether it begin with a single statue at a specific temple, nobody knows; it may become a general policy whereby sweeping changes regarding temple decorum allow for a sacred sentry of Christus be set in place at every temple entrance.


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Welcome to the temple.
Last edited by Shulem on Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shulem
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Christus in Chile

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Elder Oaks spreads the gospel of Christus in Chile. A gift for the Archbishop of Santiago.

Can anyone doubt that Mormons are Christians?

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Elder Oaks wrote:Every one of the officials we met showed great respect for the Church.

But there is still a lot of work to do in these countries.
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Shulem
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COME UNTO ME

Post by Shulem »

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Approach Christus in reverence

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Behold the Graven Image of Jesus Christ

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Kneeling before a graven image so everyone may honor it

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Shulem
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Memorialized there in marble

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President Russell M. Nelson, dedicatory prayer of the Rome Italy Temple wrote:
As we dedicate the beautiful visitors’ center, we are mindful that Jesus Christ and His early Apostles are magnificently memorialized there in marble sculpture. May Thy blessings be upon all who visit the center, that they may desire to come closer to Thy Son, learn more of His life and teachings, and be numbered among the Lord’s devoted disciples.

Visit and "come closer" to the Son by approaching the memorialized marble sculpture of Christus


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Former Church Presidents: Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, and George Albert Smith, never ever, commissioned a marble statue to commemorate or memorialize Jesus Christ. To do so was simply unthinkable and was not done. Why? Because it would violate the Second Commandment!
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Shulem
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Black Anubis

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Moksha wrote:
Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:00 am
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Shulem my son, wilt thou ban mine image?

I will not ban the image of another religion's god.

Now, with that said, you know that I take particular exception -- with very particular attention made, in how Joseph Smith banned the face of BLACK ANUBIS on the final cut of the printing press edition of Facsimile No. 3, in the Times and Seasons periodical of the early Church. You're well aware that it was I, being the first person in modern times to discover that the jackal snout had been ruthlessly hacked out of the original lead-carved face on the printing plate which had originally been dutifully prepared by Reuben Hedlock for printing production in Nauvoo. Smith had commissioned Hedlock to specially prepare images from the original Book of Abraham papyrus whereby they would be transferred into the Book of Abraham narrative. But Smith banned the black face of Anubis in proper Egyptian form and under his direction had the nose hacked off to hide his true image. This was swept under the rug and covered up for 175 years until I discovered the mutilation and reported my findings on Mormon Discussions.

Whether one worships Anubis or Christus is not necessarily my concern. What is my concern is that the one who is worshipped is identified as such for the one who is worshipped.
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