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The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:59 pm
by _Kishkumen
As IHAQ has drawn to our attention, Dr. P has anticipated the usual good cheer surrounding the Prophet Joseph's birthday by reminding us all that there is no Smithmas. He accurately notes that most Latter-day Saints do not even know when Joseph's birthday is, and so there is little question of a kind of holy festival surrounding this most momentous of days in the LDS tradition.

He again fairly accurately opines on the motives for trotting this gem out every year:

For many, I think it’s just a rather bitter and not particularly funny joke. Some, though, seem to take the claim seriously — or, at least, to want others to take it seriously.


But, you know, I have to say, this is all really sad. Imagine that you are a believing Mormon, and as a believer you think that the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith heralded the opening of the Last Dispensation and the Restoration of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. A figure who stands second to Christ himself in salvific significance. But the LDS Church gives very little attention to his birthday.

Why? I think we all know why. Because Mormons already catch enough grief regarding their veneration of Joseph Smith as it is. Mormons sing "Praise to the Man" to the tune of "Scotland the Brave" as a holy hymn, in other words, a musical prayer to God, in which it is noted:

Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.


Here we see that Joseph Smith has been exalted and thus has become a god.

Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.


As a god he will enter his kingdom. His glory and priesthood are endless, as are those of Christ.

But, considering the topic at hand, also note that:

Praise to his mem'ry, he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
Plead unto heav'n while the earth lauds his fame.


Joseph Smith is a martyr, just as the ancient martyrs of the Christian faith.

So, Joseph is a saint, a martyr, and someone who has been exalted to mingle with the Gods. And Mormons sing a musical prayer that celebrates all of these things. They also believe that they must pass Joseph's scrutiny as they go through their divine judgment. In this sense he is like Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus, the Greek judges of the Underworld.

So why would Mormons not make a big deal out of celebrating his birth?

One might think of Smithmas as something like a Catholic Saint's Feast Day. Or Joseph might be remembered in the way that English Christians sing "Good King Wenceslas" on the Feast of Stephen, the day AFTER Christmas.

What could Mormons do? Well, December 23 is the Feast of Saint Thorlak, the patron saint of Iceland. The Feast of Saint Thorlak is considered the last day of preparations before Christmas, during which the house is cleaned and preparations for the Christmas meal are begun.

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What might Mormons do to remember Joseph Smith on December 23rd? Well, singing "Praise to the Man" would be one option. Or perhaps a new song could be composed that would be more fitting for a celebration of the life, as opposed to the death, of Joseph Smith, similar to the way that King Wenceslas' virtuous deeds for the poor are celebrated in song on the Feast of Stephen.

So, maybe I am not advocating Smithmas exactly. It may be, however, that they could sing in prayer and celebration in remembrance of the birth and life of Joseph Smith on the Feast of Saint Thorlak, December 23rd.

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 3:37 pm
by _Fence Sitter
Kishkumen wrote:What could Mormons do?


Perhaps construct a Joseph Smith themed manger/hay loft scene on the front yard for the holiday?

:lol:

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:03 pm
by _Quasimodo
It seems the Saints are missing two good holidays. Smithmas and the June 27 date of Smith's ascension.

Joeaster, a joyous day of chocolate Moronis and funeral potatoes.

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:22 pm
by _moksha
Quasimodo wrote:Joeaster, a joyous day of chocolate Moronis and funeral potatoes.

Mmmm, chocolate Moronis!

My youngest son whipped up an absolutely wonderful batch of funeral potatoes for Thanksgiving. He thought I might have a hankering for some Mormon food. He was right.

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:27 pm
by _Quasimodo
moksha wrote:
Quasimodo wrote:Joeaster, a joyous day of chocolate Moronis and funeral potatoes.

Mmmm, chocolate Moronis!

My youngest son whipped up an absolutely wonderful batch of funeral potatoes for Thanksgiving. He thought I might have a hankering for some Mormon food. He was right.


I'll have to look up a recipe for those. I've had them, but never made them.

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 7:26 pm
by _Maksutov
Smith does apparently have an unappreciated place in MoCosmology. He seems to be something like a demigod or a Bodhisattva now. Or it was only a wedding ring and only a couplet. :lol:

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:27 pm
by _Kishkumen
Maksutov wrote:Smith does apparently have an unappreciated place in MoCosmology. He seems to be something like a demigod or a Bodhisattva now. Or it was only a wedding ring and only a couplet. :lol:


There is a fair amount of Mormon envy for the liturgical calendar of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. One would think there is sufficient material to do something similar in Mormonism. There needs to be more initiative taken!

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:36 am
by _Gadianton
He has to know he's wrong.

when i was a child many of the relatives met during the season at a rather large residence, always with a 20 foot high Christmas Tree, and had A Christmas program that included Joseph Smith. One distinctive year was sang happy birthday to Joseph Smith, and passed around candles. I think the Christmases when Joseph Smith was brought in, were those where everybody got serious about what Christmas really means and that year wasn't just going to be about presents. The more serious the Christmas, the more likely Joseph Smith will appear.

It's for good reason, actually. Since all things happen for a reason and Joseph Smith was foreordained to come when he did, there is no way it could be coincidence that Joseph Smith was born 2 days away from Jesus. god can't be a complete idiot and not have noticed that was happening. Assuming god isn't a total moron, then he'd know that the first most important person and second most important person born two days apart would be picked up on by his most devout children, and he'd have to accept that it was his fault for allowing it to look that way.

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:07 am
by _Kishkumen
Gadianton wrote:He has to know he's wrong.

when i was a child many of the relatives met during the season at a rather large residence, always with a 20 foot high Christmas Tree, and had A Christmas program that included Joseph Smith. One distinctive year was sang happy birthday to Joseph Smith, and passed around candles. I think the Christmases when Joseph Smith was brought in, were those where everybody got serious about what Christmas really means and that year wasn't just going to be about presents. The more serious the Christmas, the more likely Joseph Smith will appear.

It's for good reason, actually. Since all things happen for a reason and Joseph Smith was foreordained to come when he did, there is no way it could be coincidence that Joseph Smith was born 2 days away from Jesus. god can't be a complete idiot and not have noticed that was happening. Assuming god isn't a total moron, then he'd know that the first most important person and second most important person born two days apart would be picked up on by his most devout children, and he'd have to accept that it was his fault for allowing it to look that way.


Thank you for sharing that touching account of Smithmases past, Dean Robbers! I have to confess that we did not celebrate Smithmas in my family, and I feel absolutely robbed! I am even more filled with Smithmas envy now that you have told your story.

Now I am imagining Joseph Smith manifesting in the guise of the Ghost of Christmas Present.

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I mean, why not, eh? The Joseph Smith of Smithmas should be jolly, full of cheer, a glass of wine in one hand, a torch in the other.

Re: The Case for Smithmas

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:55 am
by _Doctor Scratch
Reverend:

I remember a time, a few years ago, I reckon, when Dr. Peterson openly admitted to celebrating "Smithmas." Once upon a time, as you may recall, the Mopologists had a very different sense of humor about their approach to confronting critics. You can see the relics of this on SHIELDS, and in the "Metcalfe is Butthead" incident; it was evident in the Hamblin/Peterson screening of silent anti-Mormon films for Family Home Evening, and in the hamfisted jokes about "Bill and Dan's Excellent Adventures in Anti-Mormon Zombie Hell." That sort of ribald, rib-poking humor is completely gone from their game. Whereas Prof. P. used to be able to laugh about him and his "highbrow" friends celebrating Smithmas as a means of mocking Church critics, now he's back to the dour-faced insistence that Mormons don't venerate Joseph Smith in this way. I'm not sure which DCP is preferable--the mean, wise-cracking version, who loves to mock critics--or the pious, sad-sack version who has capitulated to pressure from the critics.

I mean, just look at his latest "series" of posts on SeN about "LDS Inc." In total, this may rank among the dumbest things he's ever tried to argue in public. I mean, who is the audience for this? The whole thing is written as if it is intended for people who did not complete the 8th grade. Is that what the joke's supposed to be? "Oh, ha ha! Critics are as dumb as 8th graders, so I'll treat them that way!"

That's one way of looking at it. The other is that the whole "series" is a distraction away from the fact that he openly plugged the Cruise Lady, which, of course, is a paying sponsor of the Interpreter Foundation. "LDS Inc." indeed. Oh, and don't forget: free airfare, lodging, food, etc., doesn't count as "pay." Here's a question for you: has Steve Densley arranged things such that "Interpreter" gets a percentage of any advertising revenue? I guess the bottom line is that people were correct to wonder why the accounting for the Witnesses movie was missing from the most recent financial report.