Author Archives: Chad Nielsen
Capturing the Holy City, Part III: Zion in Transition
In 1933, Elder James E. Talmage stood before the Saints for his last general conference address, speaking on timeliness. As a part of his remarks, he made an interesting statement on the doctrine of the gathering: There is a marked timeliness in the advice and counsel and instructions given to the Latter-day Saints from period […]
Capturing the Holy City, Part II: The Great Basin Kingdom
In 1898, President Wilford Woodruff stood before the Saints in General Conference and recalled a priesthood meeting in the early days of the Church where Joseph Smith stood and stated, “I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe […]
Capturing the Holy City: Joseph Smith’s Quest for Zion
The quest to create a Zion community was a defining feature of the early Mormon movement. As they were forced to move from place to place in nineteenth-century America, the early Latter-day Saints attempted to gather to central locations and create holy cities—utopian communities based on religious principles taught by Joseph Smith. The practice of […]
Sextuplet Endowment Rooms: What Does it Mean?
“In the end, the character of a civilization is encased in its structures,” stated Frank Gehry—an important contemporary architect. One of the most interesting episodes in the treatment of historic Utah structures has been the decision to tear the Ogden temple down to its frame and rebuild it with a completely new façade. Preservationist Steve […]
Towards a Christ-centered Life
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of […]
Of Plainchant, Jedi, and Wilhelm
“It was a plot that started in the days of the Knights of Templar and concerns death, doom, and the end of the world.” That was an introduction I gave of the Dies Irae—a commonly-used motif in music originating as a Gregorian Chant about the Judgment Day—to a friend a few years ago. In past […]
Orson Pratt: The Gage of Philosophy
Recently, I asked many of my friends and associates to name five general authorities from the Church in the 1800’s. The most-mentioned men were Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, and John Taylor. Not one mentioned Orson Pratt. This apostle, known by some in the Church (mostly just as one of the […]
One Mormon’s Views on Ecology
Once, someone asked the Prophet Joseph Smith “what was the first miracle Jesus performed?” They probably were expecting to hear about water being turned to wine, but I can imagine a twinkle in his eye as caught them off guard by answering: “He made this world, and what followed we are not told” (Young Women’s […]
Dies Irae and the Totentanz
“I shall speak of a subject which strikes dread—even terror—into the hearts of most men. It is something we fear, of which we are sorely afraid, and from which most of us would flee if we could. “I shall speak of the passing of the immortal soul into the eternal realms ahead, of that dread […]
Dies Irae
It was the 19th of May 1790 in New England. For several days odd signs had been showing—the sky was yellow and the sun was red. Suddenly, the sky darkened further. Animals ran for cover. When seen, the moon was red and soot was seen to be floating in the river. By noon it was […]
Chad's Random Musings 