I guess I like to post all in one day....

Alpine Loop...

A few weeks ago in class, Dr. Holzapfel told us about living life to the fullest and mentioned the Alpine Loop. He said the trees were in beautiful fall colors and that we should go out and drive the loop. Why not right? While in Utah, do the things that you can only do here. And so that is what we did. Today, in fact, right after school. It was great fun taking a drive on this winding road and looking at all the beautiful fall foliage. As it is a bit later in the season, alot of the trees had lost their leaves but at times the view was just striking. Seeing the sun set, seeing all these bare aspen trees standing pristine on the mountain side, looking right out your window and seeing jaw dropping rock formations. It was gorgeous. And all was learned on the Alpine loop. 

I suggest going out, wherever you live and look at the beautiful world Jesus Christ has created for you and me. He put everything He had into this world. So go out and enjoy it and then thank Him for it. By looking at the world in its everyday beauty, you can get to know the Savior even better because He created it all. 

Love the world and Love the Lord

So many posts...

During New Testament on Thursday we were discussing Matthew 27:25. It reads, "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." In context this verse is written after some of the people against Jesus cried to Pilate to crucify Christ. This is a very interesting verse especially because many people cite this verse as a reason for anti-semitism and/or the Holocaust. Naturally, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not teach anti-semitism and thus we do not interpret it as such. One of the reasons is that this phrase is spoken by Jews to Jews. Without this lens, one could very well be confused. One thing that struck me is an example that was brought up in class. Dr.Holzapfel could not understand why some very intelligent people in the church agreed in this one specific instance that this very possibly could be a reason for the Holocaust. I understand where he is coming from but I think that the actual answer to this problem of thinking that the Jews should be blamed for the death of Christ is teaching others that this is not true. And that this verse does not express it. I don't think being appalled at other's misunderstandings will change their views. And I don't think that Dr.Holzapfel meant to come across as such but I feel from some of the students faces that they also shared that appalled opinion.

I feel that although the thinking of this verse of being a reason for the Holocaust is wrong, I do believe that we should teach others to see through the actual lens in which this verse was written. And understanding should be used in a large proportion because this thought has been around since the Crusades. How can one expect others to know what this verse truly means when it has been used as a device against Jews for so long. 

And thus I want all to know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not believe that this verse is a reason for the Holocaust or any other anti-semitism idea. And that when one reads the scriptures with the lens in which they were intended, one will learn the real implication behind the scripture and be able to lovingly correct those that are misunderstanding.   

In preparation for the ending NT essay....

Well today Devin and I completed a New Testament assignment by recording the article Peter, The Chief Apostle by Andrew C. Skinner. First off, the article was like 25 pages and it took me like an hour and 15 minutes to read it while Devin followed along making sure I didn't skip words or lines. Even though I was parched by the end, I could not help but get emotional by the end of the article. It was so awesome to read an article that completely reiterated what we've been learning in New Testament. And it was just amazing to learn that Peter was the president of the Church of Jesus Christ back in the day after Jesus had ended His ministry. It was also so awesome to know that there have been present-day revelation on the meekness and righteousness of Peter. 

The article has a section that talks about how Peter had been so protective of Christ and so willing to proclaim his association with and belief in Jesus Christ. That is why it is so hard for some to believe that although Peter had defended Jesus just hours before his three times betrayal that he then felt weakness and denied the Christ. I have also felt those same feelings but not as greatly as I did while reading the article. The actual part in the article states, "In sum, it is apparent that Jesus knew of Peter's fearlessness in defending Him. He had seen several manifestations of Peter's unswerving, almost reckless, commitment to prevent any physical harm from coming to the Savior. And this was something jesus knew could get Peter into trouble if not tempered. It would put the chief Apostle in grave physical danger. Therefore, I believe that when Jesus told Peter he would deny Him thrice before the cock crowed trice, it was not a prediction;it was a command. Some might ask, "Why then did Peter weep bitterly after his denial?" I believe these tears of frustration and sorrow in the realization that he was powerless to change the Lord's fate. He had done what needed to be done, but every impulse inside him was to act differently--to prevent the suffering of the Savior. This was a bitter pill for Peter to swallow. These were tears of frustration precisely because he was obedient but now also fully cognizant of the fact that he was going to lose his Messiah to the inevitability of death." 

I hope all can read the 4 synoptic gospels and see for yourselves how righteous of a man Peter was.