High Nibley on the comfort of purity in difficult circumstances

I read the book Sergeant Nibley Phd: Memories of an Unlikely Screaming Eagle yesterday.   I very much enjoyed it and recommend it.   It was about Hugh Nibley’s experience in World War II as part of army intelligence.  He was part of the force that invaded Normandy on D-day.

One particular experience of his I found particularly inspiring, so I want to share it with you.

One day I was asleep, all covered up in my foxhole, and Dave came running up and said, “Get up!  Grab a carbine and come quick!  The Germans are in Carentan, and they’re going to attack!”

And I heaved an enormous sigh of relief and I said, “Thank heaven!  It was only a dream!”  Because before he woke me I had been dreaming that I had committed a rather serious crime—I think I committed murder—and I was terrified by the dream.  When I woke in the foxhole with the guns firing and the noise and shouting all around and the dense smoke of rifle fire, I was so happy I could sing because I hadn’t committed that crime.  When I found it wasn’t true, it was as if I’d found myself in my bed in a palace.  “How happy I am!  Everything is all right!  The world is lovely and right because I have not sinned!” (p127-128)

I love this story because it shows what a wonderful thing it can be to have a clear conscience.  I suppose the Lord gave Hugh Nibley that dream specifically so that the comfort of finding it wasn't real would buoy him up in difficulty.

Elsewhere in the book, Nibley reflects on that further on that experience:

I remember the dream I had in the foxhole outside Carentan.  The one where Dave Bernay woke me up and I felt so happy because it was just a dream and I hadn’t actually committed the terrible crime I had dreamed about.  There I was in the middle of a battle, and I was completely happy.  It was a very strong thing; it came to me very strongly: I shouldn’t be happy in this circumstance!  But it’s not what happens to you that matters.  It’s not what becomes of you, it’s what you become that’s important.  And the tragedy today in America is not what becomes of us, but what we become.  As Brother Brigham used to say, if you don’t deserve hell and you’re sent to hell it doesn’t bother you.  You just say, I’m in the wrong place; there has been a mistake. It’ll be corrected, I don’t belong here.  But if you belong there, that’s the sad thing. Then it’s what you are.  There is the tragedy. (p125-126)

Jesus on Divorce Causing Adultery

This is a verse I’ve always puzzled over:

Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. (Luke 16:18)

The thing that bothered me before was I couldn’t understand how divorced people could ever be able to marry again and find happiness if any man who marries a divorced woman has committed adultery.

Finally it hit me that Jesus is describing a situation with certain preconditions that may or may not be true in our modern age of increased mobility.

In Jesus’s day, people stayed in the same place and hardly ever moved far from their ancestral home.  People knew everyone in their locale.  We are also to remember His previous pronouncement in the Beattitudes that he who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already in his heart. 

So, the man who puts away his wife and then marries another woman immediately after has been looking and lusting after that second woman who lives in the same locale.  The second marriage is essentially legalized adultery.

Likewise, the man who pretty quickly marries the woman who was divorced is one who knows her and has been looking and lusting after her all the time she was married to the other guy.  His marriage to her is legalized adultery as well.

The principle Jesus was teaching was you don’t look around and people in your community and pick out who you would marry if you or they were unattached.  And singles aren’t supposed to pick out potential spouses from people who are married.  And if the way seems to open to do something about it, to act on any ideas you’ve had of that nature is adultery, even if it is legalized, because God knows what has been happening in our hearts.  That kind of thing does not stop if the itch is scratched.  It will itch again.

Now, having established this, we can see then that if two singles meet, want to marry each other, and find out that one or both of them have been divorced before, then that is not adultery because there is no history of them knowing and wanting each other while married to other people. 

Now, let us examine another version of this.

But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.  (Matt. 5:32)

This is also puzzling,  the part about how woman who are put away for any cause besides fornication are being forced to commit adultery.   How does that happen? 

I suspect this goes back to the idea of looking and lusting.  Women are not visually stimulated like men, but after being rejected and divorced for a lesser cause than fornication, they might find themselves looking at other relationships around them, looking at the men and wondering if that man or that man would have treated them better than their ex had, wondering what it would have been like to marry one of them instead.     The way women are so relationship-oriented, Jesus implies that those kinds of thoughts are practically inevitable in a frivolous divorce, to the extent that He declares that the ex-husband is to blame for it.  That’s a pretty heavy condemnation, I’d say, especially since this verse comes in the middle of a lot of commandments about guarding thoughts.

Understanding these verses really teach how important mental loyalty is in marriage. They no longer seem unreasonable or nonsensical, but instead are plain in requiring purity of thought.

Things that Helped Me Stay Chaste When I Was a Teen

The Redheaded Hostess has a post called “Teaching Chastity and Virtue Part 1: How to Approach the Subject”, which got me thinking about the bits and pieces of principles I learned as a teen that increased both my desire and my ability to remain chaste.  I also started thinking about the different factors that intersected—people and circumstances—that helped me stay safe.

Understanding the plan of salvation.  This was HUGE.  It is hard for me to point to all the ways that it influenced my thought process and my decision-making as a teen because it ran subtly through everything in one way or another.  It was a very important foundation to have during all the excitement of crushes and relationships and flirting..

When we’re young we are anxious to form relationships to know that we are desirable and can become close with someone.  We want to learn what our power of attraction is.  Having the goal of the celestial kingdom helped me keep my vision from being too trapped in the moment.  Rather than getting too serious about early relationships, I subconsciously evaluated them according to whether they would lead to the temple.   Dating a nonmember wasn’t going to lead there unless the guy converted, so when he chose not to listen further to doctrines of the Restoration, I knew the relationship should not go very far and I learned to hold back and keep it lighter.   Knowing the plan of salvation led me to become willing to make sacrifices in order to reach higher.  Ultimately, I was able to leave two relationships because I had the courage to act on the conviction that those guys weren’t good for me.

Saving the dates for after age 16.  Looking back, I can see this was very helpful.  It didn’t stop me from having crushes. (Heck, I had crushes from when I was 5 years old!) But I think if it weren’t for these standards, I would have felt like I had to get in a relationship and that I had to do anything to keep it.

Long distance relationships.  When the boyfriend lived over 50 miles away, there were fewer opportunities to get into trouble.  Of course, the times when he visited had its own brand of peril because giddiness about seeing him conflicted with the principle of caution.  (It is giddiness when you start to think that rules don't matter and aren't needed because surely nothing bad is going to happen..) This is where the structure of the dates became very important

Structuring the dates right.  Again, I was giddy when I got to be with my date/boyfriend.  My mom insisted on structuring our dates such that they occurred with friends and at least one adult.  If friends weren’t available, then meeting in public among crowds of people was advised.  (Yes, chaperones are a true principle.)  I learned other wise principles for good date structure—doing things rather than just sitting, talking instead of touching, avoiding late dates.  In college I learned to self-advocate to build some of these structures into my dates. 

Good friends.  My friends had good dating standards.  We supported each other in them. 

Paul’s Passion Profile.  One particular EFY class on dating and chastity stayed with me.  The teacher drew this diagram—named alliteratively after himself—on the board for us that looked like a rounded hill.  He put hash marks on the upward slope and labeled them “arm around, holding hands, hugging, kissing” and then the opposite downward slope he labeled “French kissing, touching private parts, sex.”  He told us that when you’re doing the stuff on upward slope it isn’t too hard to stop, but if you reach a point where you are doing stuff on the downward slope, your hormones get all revved up and it gets very hard to stop.  He counseled us to stay away from the stuff on the downward slope.

It was not the only thing he said, but this particular thing helped me because it made me aware that physical touch (often called “public display of affection, or PDA) in a relationship has a pull with momentum toward sexual intimacy.   It taught me that certain kinds of touching have more momentum than other kinds, and if I wanted to stay chaste, then it would be very wise for me to stay away from the dangerous kinds.  

I still marvel at the incredible practically of this bit of wisdom.  I’m so grateful I didn’t have to learn this by sad experience.

Avoiding the “special” trap.  I remember hearing that there is a tendency to add some additional PDA in order to prove to the partner the relationship was special.  I remember thinking to myself, “If someone believes they have to add more PDA to the current relationship to prove it is more special than the last relationship, then it won’t take too many relationships before they have broken the law of chastity.”  I decided I had to be careful, no matter how many relationships I might find myself in.  A relationship isn't special until it becomes marriage.

Avoiding even small regrets.  I’m not sure where I learned this, but I remember hearing that people who gave out their PDA too freely eventually regretted what they had done in their previous relationships when they moved on to a new one.  I found this to be true for me too, even when I carefully limited the types of PDA I gave and how much.  Eventually, while in college, I decided I had had enough of that regret, and I decided I wasn’t going to do PDA at all.  And a very interesting thing happened.  I found the scripture “bridle all your passions that you may be filled with love” was absolutely true.  When I restrained myself, I felt much more affection.  I made much better friendships with guys and I remember those relationships with far greater fondness than the others.  I found that by avoiding PDA I developed new skills of expressing attachment without touching. 

Avoiding PDA is not a popular choice today.  In fact, our culture emphasizes and glorifies the giving and receiving of PDA.  If I could give any bit of advice to teens, I would say, learn how to show affection without touching.  Then, by the time you marry, you will have accumulated many ways to say, "I love you" and keep the relationship strong.

Reflections on Lukewarm Laodicean Saints, Rev 3:14-18

I read these verses recently and something seemed to hit home for me.  They contain words John heard in a vision of Jesus Christ, who spoke messages to the Saints in Laodicea. 

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Rev. 3:14-18)

First, let’s look at verses 15-16.  We usually interpret these verses to mean that the Lord prefers us to be either for Him or against Him, but that He can’t stand our apathy.  But if we think more carefully, we see that this interpretation doesn’t quite work because it doesn’t make sense for Jesus to want someone to be a “cold” enemy.  He wants all to come to Him.  So we have to ask, “Why do both hot and cold seem to be preferable to lukewarm?” 

I got a little bit of a clue from Keith Krell’s online article at Bible.org called “How to Make Jesus Sick (Revelation 3:14-22).” (Kind of an off-putting title, but the article is good.)  In it he suggested that in these verses both cold and hot were positive terms for drink temperatures.  This made sense to me.  Both hot and cold drinks are helpful to us at different times.  Cold drinks are lovely when we have worked up a sweat and need to cool down, while hot drinks (hot chocolate, anyone?) are wonderful when we are cold and we need to raise our core body temperature.  Cold drinks refresh, and hot drinks warm. This suggests that there are “cold saints” and “hot saints” and that both are good. 

Okay, so how could “cold saints” be refreshing?  Well, when we are worried, busy, and wrought up, a “cold saint” is one of those serene people who would calm us down, help us understand that things will work out for the best, and remind us that Heavenly Father will help.  On the other side, when we are reluctant and sluggish, a “hot saint” is one that encourages us, reminds us of our duty and great privileges, who warms us to life and action, and helps us catch the fire again.  When we look at it this way, it is obvious we need both types of saints for the particular good they can do at the right moment! 

A lukewarm saint, however, is useless for either need because they are not enough of either.  They don’t have enough serenity to calm and reassure others, nor do they have enough warmth and passion to encourage and motivate.  We would do well to see where we fall on the continuum of hot and cold.

Okay.  What else did Jesus say to the Laodiceans?  It is clear that he sees their true situation and He also knows how they see their situation.  The two are polar opposites.  

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (v17)

The Laodiceans seem to think that things can’t get any better—they have wealth, they have plenty of goods, and they don’t need anything more from life.  But Jesus knows it is a showy sham.  He applies five adjectives to describe them:

1.     Wetched – of poor quality or condition, very unhappy, morally reprehensible, deserving or inciting pity, having physical misery

2.     Miserable—very unhappy or uncomfortable, of the most contemptible kind, contemptibly small in amount.

3.     Poor—having little money or few possessions

4.     Blind—unable to see, unable or unwilling to perceive and understand

5.     Naked—unclothed, without protecting or concealing cover

I suspect that “poor” was meant to refer to the size of their store of treasures in heaven, that “blind” meant they couldn’t see their own condition for the tragedy it was, and that “naked” meant that their sins were obvious, had not been repented of, and thus had not been covered by the Atonement.

I have to say here that if we’re in comfortable circumstances, it is very easy to become like the Laodiceans.  And even if we’re not in a cushy place, that cushy ideal is a big part of the programming in our societal messages, the place we aim for.  Can we imagine ourselves rejecting that ideal?  I wish I could say that I was independent of it, but I sadly, I realize that it is part of me to the extent that when I try to imagine myself without it, I feel odd, a bit unmoored and at sea.

To remedy the situation, Jesus counsels the saints of Laodicea to buy from Him (and He is the only source) the following:

·      “gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich” – If Jesus is the only source of this gold, then it is highly symbolic, referring to the refinement of the soul. Through this expression we learn the principle that the refining of our soul through trials is what makes us rich.  These are the kinds of riches that can’t be stolen.

·      “white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear”—The white clothing is purity and we buy it from Christ through repentance and then He covers our sins.

·      “anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see”—Jesus wants to heal our perspective so we can see the spiritual realities of life.

If we notice, the counsel Jesus gives is meant to address the three conditions of “poor,” “blind,” and “naked.”   I imagine the conditions of misery and wretchedness would naturally take care of itself.

It seems to me that the remedies Jesus lists have to be done in a certain order.  First the eyesalve so we can see our status for what it really is, then the white clothing as we repent, and then the gold tried in the fire, as we become better through our trials. 

At bottom, Jesus used a different standard to measure the Loadiceans’ lives from the one they used for themselves, and His standard was based on different priorities from the world.  To the Laodiceans, the ideal was wealth, security, and needing nothing.  To Christ, the ideal was to be refined by trials and purified while keeping an eternal perspective. 

In what ways can we reach more toward Christ's standard?  I think paying tithing and fast offerings is one way that we demonstrate that; can you think of any other things?

Having a language pure and undefiled

I was studying Moses 6 about Adam and Seth and something struck me about this verse:

And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled. (Moses 6:6)

The first thing I thought of when I read that was all the things I had heard people speculate about the pure Adamic tongue and how we tend to yearn to know that and speak it and want it brought back. We’ve wondered what it would be like to speak it, what it would be like to have such strength of expression that it would overpower others just for them to read our words, just as Moroni was overpowered by the written words of the brother of Jared. You’ve probably thought this, and I know I have.

But today as I read this I began to wonder, why can’t we make our own language “pure and undefiled”? I started to think about what it would take for that to happen. Yes, English isn’t the Adamic tongue, but it is what we’ve got to work with at the moment, so why can’t we make that pure and undefiled?

So I started to think about what it might take to make our language pure and undefiled. Maybe it’s how we use our words that really makes a language that way. Wouldn’t speaking with both honesty and charity purify our language? Wouldn’t speaking with justice and mercy purify our language? Wouldn’t sharing the gospel purify our language? Wouldn’t expressing faith and trust (instead of doubt and distrust) purify our language?

What kind of things can you think of that we can do to make our language pure and undefiled?

Daniel Purposed In His Heart

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)

I think it is notable that Daniel made this determination in himself when he found his beliefs in conflict with the policies of those in charge of him. I think this story is very applicable to us today, surrounded as we are by the world.

The scriptures say that Daniel would not defile himself with the king’s meat. I used to think it was odd that Daniel was picky about what meat he would eat, until I remembered that the Law of Moses is pretty specific about what animals are “clean” and what animals are “unclean”. It is likely that Daniel was being given all kinds of strange creatures to eat.

Daniel provides us a great model to follow whenever people with authority over us ask us to do things against our standards. Daniel didn’t stew about what he was given to eat (pardon the pun); he went to a person who could make a decision and he explained himself. He also proposed an alternative and even an experiment so that results could be judged. (How scientific! A dietary experiment is recorded in the Bible!) Daniel’s strategy shows us that when we object to something, it would be wise of us to suggest an alternative course of action.

I faced this kind of situation in several of my classes as a Literature, Writing, and Film major at ASU. I knew as I registered for my Introduction to Film class that some films would be shown that would strongly conflict with my personal viewing standards, but the class was required for my major. Like Daniel, I purposed in my heart that I would not defile myself. I determined that I would talk to my teacher about it before the semester began and I fasted about what I should say before I went to see her. I told her about my concerns and my personal viewing standards and I offered to view alternative films and do extra work. We were able to arrive at an agreement. I found that because I chose clean films to do my film analysis papers on, I was able to look more carefully at the artistic elements and give more substantial commentary on them.

As another example, in my first poetry class, we were required to make five semester goals. For one of my goals, I determined that I was going to keep my poetry positive. I knew it was far too easy for poetry to become a medium for venting and ranting and mourning and spewing all kinds of cynical thoughts. As the semester progressed, I found that my goal was an extra constraint that required me to develop extra creativity. In particular, I gravitated toward a speculative approach. At the end of two semesters of poetry classes, my teacher told me she always looked forward to my poems and workshops of other people’s poems.

When we decide that we will not defile ourselves and we make an effort to work with authority to find alternatives, we are blessed. It’s not necessarily easy and we may be misunderstood and thought prudish and too sensitive, but we will have learned while staying pure.

Isaiah's prophecies about Zion

5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. (Isaiah 4:5-6)

I really like these verses, because they describe how the Lord will protect His people in the last days.

The imagery that Isaiah uses is very beautiful, especially that of creating a cloud by day and a flaming fire by night over mount Zion’s dwellings and assemblies, but I have to point out that Isaiah doesn’t use this just because it sounds pretty. He uses it to teach a lesson. He wasn’t making this up out of his head; he was drawing from the history of Israel in Exodus when they were led out of Egypt by Moses the prophet.

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (Exodus 13:21-22)

Isaiah was using this imagery of the obvious sign of the Lord’s presence and guidance to show that in the last days it would be perfectly obvious that the Lord is with His people and protecting them.

Also, in verse 6 it talks about a tabernacle. This we know is the temple. Isaiah uses the imagery of a shadow on a hot day, a refuge, and a hiding place to show how the temple provides an temporary escape for righteous people from the heat of temptation and opposition, from war against evil, and from the storm of upheaval.

I know this is fulfilled when I attend the temple. I go in feeling weighed down with care, sometimes wondering if I really have the time to go. I walk out feeling like my inner soul has been fortified, my moral levies have been shored up against the flood with an additional wall of sandbags.

If Isaiah’s prophecy about the temple is fulfilled, his prophecy about the glory of the Lord resting upon the dwellings and assemblies of Zion will be fulfilled too, but we need to do our part. It lies in the definition of Zion.

Zion is the pure in heart.

Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn. (Doctrine & Covenants 97:21)

Zion is the peaceful, where safety can be found.

68 And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
69 And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. (Doctrine & Covenants 45:68-69)

Zion is the obedient to God.

Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her. (Doctrine & Covenants 97:25)

In Zion is stability, happiness, productivity.

17 Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered.
18 They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion— (Doctrine & Covenants 101:17-18)

Zion is the holy, the city of the higher law, the practice ground for living in heaven.

And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself. (Doctrine & Covenants 105:5)

Zion has the power of God, manifested by the priesthood keys and righteous exercise of priesthood authority.

7 Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to?
8 He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost. (Doctrine & Covenants 113:7-8)

Zion is the unified, the righteous, the charitable.

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them. (Moses 7:18)

Is it hard to believe that the Lord would make His favor and presence known with a cloud and a pillar of fire to this Zion people? After considering the above scriptures, it isn’t hard to believe it at all.

When will this happen? How do we become a Zion people?

When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (Isaiah 4:4)

This washing away the filth refers to baptism, which washes away our sins. The purging by the spirit of judgment and burning means receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, which acts like a purifying fire. Over the course of our faithful lives, the Holy Ghost works upon us to refine our dispositions and desires. I know this is real, because I have felt it in my life. I have noticed characteristics of myself that have become better than they were before because of the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Here's some examples of people working toward Zion-type communities.

Some have built a bit of Zion in New York City’s Harlem. (BYU Magazine, Fall 2008 issue)

Or take this section from a BYU Magazine article “Standing in Holy Places” from the Summer 2000 issue about the Jerusalem Center community:

On a typical evening at the center, some of the students are squirreled away in their rooms or in the library; some are writing e-mail. But others gather for a game of Trivial Pursuit on a landing, a study group in a classroom, or a trip by sherut (taxi van) to buy ice cream on Ben Yehuda street in the "new" city. There may be swing dancing instruction on the stage and aerobics, folk dancing classes, or basketball tournaments in the gym. Anyone is welcome at any activity, and a passerby never lacks an invitation to join the fun.

"It's been very interesting being a part of this group," says Adam P. Ash, a BYU zoology major from Mesa, Ariz. "They throw you together, and you don't have any choice of who you're going to be with. Yet sometimes I feel this is what God wants us to learn—He wants us to be able to get along with every kind of person."

Whatever else it might be, the Jerusalem Center is a laboratory for building Zion, in the "of one heart and one mind" sense (see Moses 7:18). For all their diversity in age and experience, and for all their simple human faults, the students are fundamentally of one heart and one mind. Seemingly without exception they want to be good. They come to Jerusalem desiring to know more of Christ, and they help each other know Him.

"As I watch people in my classes, I see attributes and characteristics that I strive for," says Shawn G. DuBravac, a BYU international development major from Alexandria, Va. "I think that's one of the great advantages to living with so many people, so close. I live next door to my role model when it comes to love. And I live across the hall from my example of humility. And so as I'm in the city learning about Jesus Christ, I'm also witnessing all those miracles that He performed, in each one of us. I'm witnessing people who have humility like the child Christ talked about. And I'm witnessing people who live that new commandment and love one another and show that they are His disciples."

It may be relatively easy to imitate Christ in the center's setting. For one thing, the program eliminates many of the variables that typically divide people. Everyone's meals and living conditions are identical. No one, typically, is fluent in the dominant local languages. Everyone has a calling in the LDS branch or a responsibility in the student government. Everyone travels to the same places and has roughly the same opportunities.

The program also eliminates many of the social distractions that might interfere with opportunities for service and growth. Though students sometimes come with a sibling or a best friend, no one has a pre-set clique. No one, except sometimes the children of faculty, has a parent to go home to. Though plenty of sweethearts get left at home and some people do, therefore, receive affectionate correspondence, no one ever has a "date." Dating of any kind is forbidden, though groups often produce several eventual marriages.

Program policies definitely encourage group-mindedness—the students' little apartments are shared by four people, and no one can leave the center without at least two companions. Concern for each other soon becomes instinctive. Whether sloshing through Hezekiah's Tunnel, clambering in predawn darkness up the steps of Mount Sinai, or trudging up the Mount of Olives toward the center, someone always waits for the straggler.

"You're never alone, and I think this is an amazing experience because of that," says Audrey A. Bastian, a BYU history major from Provo. "I think, in the end, I changed because of the people around me." Bastian came to Jerusalem for a semester in 1997 and returned in 1999 for the intensive Arabic program. On her first trip "we bonded so tightly that I was not only able to learn about this land and the Bible and religion, but I was able to put it into practice in a very close-range setting," she says. "That was the magic of the program for me." (http://magazine.byu.edu/print.php?a=134)

Or how about this section of the article “New Life in Old Nauvoo” from BYU Magazine’s Spring 2002 issue?

It is Friday afternoon, and after a morning visit to Winter Quarters and a few hours on the bus, students kick through fallen leaves on Spring Hill in Adam-ondi-Ahman, Mo. Scraggly tree branches cast shadows across the leaves and grasses and a light breeze comes from the direction of the sun and the Grand River on the other side of the valley. At the crest of the hill, students study a plaque, survey the landscape, and talk about Adam-ondi-Ahman. A few gather around Jerry C. Roundy, '60, one of their professors, and ask questions about what happened here and what will happen here. Others laugh and joke. Cameras come out and someone pulls Roundy into their photo.

Cameras are well used in the Nauvoo program. Students photograph historical sites, displays in museums, sculptures, and—mostly—each other. "We've become family," says Jessica D. Smith, '03, from Meridian, Idaho. "We do everything together: we study together, we eat together, we go outside and play together. We've become really close—even the teachers."

The structure and facilities of the program, combined with the social environment of a small town, foster such a tight-knit community. One building houses student and faculty dormitories, the cafeteria, classrooms, the game room, the library, and computer labs. And everyone is studying the same thing. All students take Church history and the Nauvoo teachings of Joseph Smith. With only half a dozen other classes to choose from, students share homework woes, test agony, and study groups.

Through skills learned in the Nauvoo Pioneer Life class, students also share a new hobby. In front of TVs, at firesides, and on the bus, students—both male and female—pull out needles and yarn and knit or crochet scarves, mittens, blankets, caps, and leper bandages. They call it the Grandma Club.

"Basically we don't want any of our friends back home to see what we do here on Friday nights," says Melissa Horsley, '03, from Burley, Idaho, of the Grandma Club activities.

The wives of a couple of the professors have become valuable resources for Grandma Club projects, and all of the faculty and their spouses regularly offer counsel, friendship, and listening ears.

"It's fun to be on a personal relationship with the professors," says Mark N. Stevenson, from Orem, Utah. "They're not afraid to give you a hug or sit with you at lunch and talk. I feel like they're a part of my life, not just professors."

"Going to Joseph Smith Academy is like going to school with your grandparents—really cool grandparents," says Melanie D. Lenehan, '03, a math education major from Cameron Park, Calif. Those grandparents include professors and the missionaries that work in the academy cafeteria as well as some 100 other senior couples that serve missions in Nauvoo. (http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=984)

What can you do to help build Zion?

Beautiful feet on the mountains?

I've run across the phrase "how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.." (Isaiah 52:7) in my scripture study and a few things strike me.

First, the “on the mountains”. I think this points out that those who teach us the gospel are visible, established as a city on a hill, shining light that none can miss.

What is that mountain? The mountain of the Lord – the temple. There are many temples now, so it can truly be mountains.

Furthermore, Isaiah probably saw a vision of the Latter-day Saints settled in the mountains of Utah and loved what he saw.

What are the “good tidings”? It is the gospel of Christ.

“him that bringeth good tidings” – Christ made it all possible, so certainly He is the first one we think of. Then the prophets who have all testified of Christ. Then the missionaries who go to all the world. And then all of us, whether male or female. Everyone in the church must be able to share these glad tidings, so Isaiah is referring to all of us who share our faith.

Secondly, the phrase “how beautiful…are the feet of them”. We learn more about this phrase when we consider that in Isaiah’s culture, the feet were extremely dirty and that they symbolized the lowliest parts. If the Isaiah says that even the feet of those who teach the gospel are beautiful, then these people must be well onto perfection. Saintly. Even in a dirty world, they keep themselves unsoiled.

This scripture isn't about having photogenic feet. I think the lesson for us here is that to best teach the gospel, we must keep ourselves clean from the sins of the world.