The Mormon Apocrypha

The Book of Mormon is the keystone of the LDS church, so it is no surprise that there are many sermons and teachings on it. In April 1921, Anthony Ivins gave one such sermon in General Conference, discussing its importance and the new changes the Book of Mormon received over the previous year. President Anthony W. Ivins Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles I do not remember, my brethren and sisters, a period in my life's experience in the Church when I felt my dependence upon the Lord to a degree greater than I do this morning. Should I follow my own inclinations, I would not attempt to make remarks at all, but to gam wisdom and knowledge and understanding by listening to the remarks of my brethren and communing with the Spirit of the Lord which is here this morning. I feel the necessity of wisdom, of sound judgment, of the help of the Lord in expounding the scriptures, and teaching the Latter-day Saints, and in discharging the responsibility which has come to me, as I have never f...

Among many other things, Orson F. Whitney was a poet. I already shared one of his poems, but I was inclined to share more, from allegories to dramatic retellings of moments of the restoration, he truly covered a wide variety of topics with his poetry. The Mountain and the Vale There's a mountain named Stern Justice, Tall and towering, gloomy, grand.  Frowning o'er a vale called Mercy,  Loveliest in all the land. Great and mighty is the mountain, But its snowy crags are cold,  And in vain the sunlight lingers On the summit proud and bold. There is warmth within the valley, And I love to wander there,  'Mid the fountains and the flowers, Breathing fragrance on the air. Much I love the solemn mountain. It doth meet my somber mood.  When, amid the muttering thunders, O'er my soul the storm-clouds brood. But when tears, like rain, have fallen  From the fountain of my woe, And my soul has lost its fierceness,  Straight unto the vale I go; Where the landscape...

Mainline Christian Churches have always been fighting again the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from its foundation to the present day. They believe that due to the LDS Churches beliefs it cannot be considered a Christian Church. Here is a sermon delivered in April 1926 by Anthony W. Ivins about why the LDS Church is a Christian One. President Anthony W. Ivins I sincerely desire, my brethren and sisters, during the few moments of time that I may occupy, that I may have the benefit of your faith, exercised in my behalf. I appreciate fully the responsibility which I assume, as I stand here professing to teach the doctrines of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Advice of Gamaliel The scripture which I am about to read I have often quoted before, but it appears so appropriate to the subject which I desire briefly to discuss that it will bear repetition. The apostles who had been chosen by our Lord had been imprisoned by those who were opposed to the doctrines which they taught, and ha...

Orson F. Whitney was a very prolific Latter-day Saint. Born on July 1, 1855, to Horace Whitney and Helen Mar Kimball, Orson was a man of many talents. He was a father of nine children. He was a bishop and on the city council in Salt Lake. He went on a few missions; first he went to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and later he was called to go to Europe to help oversee the Millennial star. He was an apostle for 25 years, from April 9, 1906, to his death on May 16, 1931. But probably one of his biggest contributions to the world is the fact that he is considered by many to be  the father of latter-day saint literature. His work includes multiple works of biographies, hymns, sermons and poetry, inspiring thousands of saints in his lifetime and beyond. He once said about Latter-Day Saints, " We will yet have Milton's and Shakespeare's of our own . "  I already did a post about a poem of his, but I wanted to do a conference talk as well. This one was delivered in April of 1921, and...