Syzygy

This is the second post in a series about the Latter-day Saint doctrine of eternal marriage that began on May 27 with “Eternal Companion: Introduction”.

Jesus and the Sadducees

Most Latter-day Saints have already encountered one common objection to celestial marriage put forward by Evangelicals: the story of Jesus being questioned by a group of Sadducees who don’t believe in the resurrection. As told in Matt. 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, and Luke 20:27-40, the Sadducees pose a rather outrageous hypothetical situation in which seven brothers in turn marry the same woman out of obligation to raise children for the previous brother who has died. After setting up the situation, the Sudducees ask Jesus whose wife the woman will be in the resurrection. Jesus replies that she won’t be married to any of them, for “in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage.”

Continue reading “Eternal Companion: A few passages” →

I’ve mentioned before that I’m teaching a series of small group Bible studies on the subject of Hebrews. One of the study guides I’ve been using has an interesting title for chapter 7: “Eternal Companion”. If you know very much about Mormonism you probably know this phrase has special significance to Latter-day Saints. They hold a doctrine known as the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, which states that a person can be sealed to their spouse for “time and all eternity.” In such a marriage, it’s customary for a husband or wife to refer to his or her spouse using the term “eternal companion.”

I find this chapter title fascinating, because I think it illustrates a primary difference between Mormonism and Protestant Christianity. The chapter, which predictably covers chapter 7 of Hebrews, is about how Christ is our eternal companion. The chapter never comes close to mentioning Mormonism or even marriage, but, without meaning to, it teaches an idea that I think runs directly contrary to Mormon doctrine.

I have a tendency to start writing really long posts and never finish them. I’ve actually been working on this post for a while and have decided to break it down into smaller pieces so I can finally get it published. Stay tuned for a few more posts on this subject.

In the meantime, here are some references regarding celestial marriage for those who may not be familiar with it:

• True to the Faith: Marriage
• Mormon.org: Families can be together forever
• Gospel Principles: The Family Can Be Together Forever
• Gospel Principles: Eternal Marriage
• FAIR Topical Guide: Celestial Marriage (Sealing)

Dan Benjamin of Hivelogic recently wrote about his software setup. Even though he uses a Mac and none of the software he mentioned would be of any use to me, I was intrigued by the idea and inspired to write a similar post of my own. Actually, I’ve been working on this post for a while but I’ve decided to break it down into pieces so it looks like I actually do something around here.

Before I start to talk about individual programs, I’d like to say a little about my computer. For the past couple of months I’ve been using a company-issued HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC. I was a bit skeptical at first about the whole tablet thing, but I must say it adds another layer of freedom to personal computing. I always have the option to flip the lid up and use it like a normal laptop, but it’s quite useful being able to take notes and refer to my documents or the web while I’m up walking around.

Continue reading “My setup: Windows XP Tablet Edition” →