Was Elvis Almost a Church Member?

Was Elvis Presley almost a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)?

Did an archived Book of Mormon in the Church History Building once belong to the king of rock 'n' roll?

A Book of Mormon — possibly Elvis Presley's personal copy, reputed to have been in his room when he died — is contained in the archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And, a 2007 movie, "Tears of  A King: The Latter-Days of Elvis Presley, The King of Rock N Roll meets The King of Kings," was .filmed in Utah and was inspired by that archived Book of Mormon and the story behind it.

The background story goes like this:

                              A Book of Mormon similar to what Elvis may have had.

The Book of Mormon was given to the LDS Church by members of the Osmond family, who received it from a woman named Cricket Butler. Butler, a friend of Elvis, gave the Book of Mormon to him in the months preceding his death. The book was subsequently returned to Butler by Elvis' father, Vernon, two days after Elvis' death.

 "It is well known that Elvis Presley was a devout Christian who had deep religious convictions despite his personal weaknesses and struggles with a Hollywood lifestyle that was thrust upon him at an early age," Robert Starling, associate producer of "The Tears of A King movie" stated back in 2006.  "What is lesser known is that he reportedly met on several occasions with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that he studied carefully the Book of Mormon."

The movie crew videotaped an interview with Bobby Kauo, who gave the LDS Church missionary discussions to Elvis when Presley was in Hawaii to film "Paradise Hawaiian Style."

Genuine or fake?

Ken Sanders, who owns Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City, said back in 2006 the Elvis book could easily be worth $5,000 to $10,000, if it is indeed authentic. That's pretty good for a soft-cover Book of Mormon of that period, generally worth $5 to $6.

He said $100,000 is the most any early Book of Mormon has been worth to date. However, Sanders said he remains skeptical the book was truly Elvis'.

"All my initial instincts are it's a forgery," he said, after examining four pictures showing pages from the book.

Sanders' philosophy is a book is a fake until proven genuine. 

Grant A. Anderson, church history specialist in the LDS Archives, confirmed in 2006 that the archives do have a book reputed to be Elvis Presley's, a 1976 edition common in its day.

"All we know is what has been told to us," Anderson said. He stressed that the book's history of transfer looks consistent and logical, but the church has conducted no handwriting tests on it.

Anderson said the church has copies of early Book of Mormon editions, but it is not common to have celebrity-owned copies like this.

Alan Osmond told the Deseret News in an e-mail back in 2006 that he did receive the Elvis Book of Mormon from Cricket Butler.

"I interviewed her on cassette tape, had her sign a letter of authenticity and saw pictures of her with Elvis. She said Elvis had talked about the Osmonds and would have wanted us to have it. We had a private barbecue scheduled by Elvis at his house a couple of weeks after he died. We also knew him, met him, conversed with him and have had personal conversations with him."

Regarding the Book of Mormon's transfer to the church, Osmond said: "I did give the book to the LDS Church via my wife's cousin, Elder Rex Pinegar (now an emeritus member of the Seventy). This was for safety's sake, to protect Elvis' privacy, and to preserve the sacredness of this book! Several people that knew I had it were too anxious to see it and touch it. So I put it in a very safe place — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (archives)."

(Alan's brother, Donny Osmond, told the Deseret News during a 2010 interview that he had personally inspected the "Elvis Book of Mormon" and also believed it to be genuine.)

Former Salt Lake City police forensics expert George Throckmorton said he understands there may actually be two separate "Elvis Books of Mormon" out there.

Elvis may have also received a Book of Mormon from the late Ed Parker, who was his karate instructor and bodyguard.

-So, the jury may always be out on this, but it is intriguing nevertheless.

(-Expanded/Updated from a Deseret News Article on Oct. 2, 2006 by Lynn Arave.)

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Challenging the unbelief of some church members ....

                              This is one of the reliable sources for LDS Church history.

 IN a past New York Times article, "Some Mormons search the Web and find doubt," by Laurie Goodstein, published July 20, 2013, a former area authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seriously questions his church beliefs.

  First, I have to say that although the article lists the man as an emeritus "General Authority," I do not agree.
  Area authorities are only a half-step above stake presidents and are below Seventies. Also, since they are NOT listed in the Church Almanac, they are NOT true general authorities.

  The 4 church doctrines the man told the N.Y. Times he questions have been around for decades and pre-date the Internet.
  Also, I find it simply startling that the man didn't find these questions decades ago and he just now tries to come to grips with them then?
Where has he been for decades? 
    He just now comes up with these rather common questions? Curious and curious.
  In my case, I believe the Web has made my testimony stronger, not weaker.
  I offer this blog as some possible answers to the man in question -- and others -- who need their testimony jumpstarted.
  I now examine the 4 church doctrines the man questions in some detail:

1. Why the church portrays Joseph Smith as translating the Book of Mormon from golden plates, when some witnesses say he looked down into a hat at a “peep stone,” rock?

This claim pre-dates my life.
Why does it matter the HOW the Book of Mormon was translated? We have it now and the proof is in the reading of it and the living of its teachings.
Anyone hung up on this claim has a testimony based on facts and history, not on faith and spiritual power.
I still believe the Book of Mormon came from golden plates, but the vehicle Joseph Smith used to translate it is of far lesser importance, though it makes sense he had to use some aid, since he wasn't a scholar.
And, you'd got to judge that question by its context. This question first came back in Joseph Smith's lifetime, when searching for treasure was a fad, and "peep stone" is a term from that era, not from our time. 

2. Why were blacks prohibited from the priesthood from the 1850s, until 1978?

All worthy black men in the church have access to the full priesthood now, so the past is much less a question now.

The Lord doesn't tell us, or even the Prophets everything.

I'm sure the Lord has his reasons for a ban in the priesthood. We will know what it was someday, but it is not a key question worth losing sleep, or your testimony over.

3. Why is the Book of Abraham, in the Standard Works, claimed to be a translation of ancient writings, when Egyptologists now claim the papyrus Joseph Smith used had nothing to do with Abraham?

How many church members today have read All the Book of Abraham?

I bet, not many. (Too many read the Book of Mormon over and over again and that's all.)

You've got gems, like the Theory of Relativity, showing up in the Book of Abraham.

Again, its proof is in its content -- divine content -- not how it came about.

Science is always at odds with the Gospel in some manner and always will be -- in a Telestial World -- where faith is the prime quality needed.

I trust Joseph Smith and that he did translate ancient writings into the Book of Abraham, far more than what any scholar may claim othwerwise.

4. Is it true that Joseph Smith took dozen of women as wives, some very young and some possibly still married to other men?

Again, these sort of claims have been around for more than 1 1/2 centuries.

Godhead, in a true eternal context, means an exalted man has MANY exalted wives in an infinite marriage situation.

Any concerns, or questions about that aspect will disappear in a nanosecond once people regain their full memories of life before birth-- and know (again) that plural marriage is the norm among Gods.

You can't argue against the eternal and we -- those now on earth -- are offspring of that process.

Did Joseph Smith marry young women, or those already married?

Times were different in the 1830s and early 1840s. I'm certain laws and a low marriage age were not as strict, and records weren't as absolute then.

Also, I'm certain some women wanted to be married to the Prophet and may have tried to spread rumors they were secretly married to him.

Also, marriage on Earth and in eternity are two different things. Only God sanctions eternal marriage.

Furthermore, a women could perhaps be married to Joseph Smith for eternity, but not for "time" (on earth).

(I suspect there will a lot of changes in eternal marriage partners during the Millennium.)

Again, I trust Joseph Smith in the matter of marriage and know he did right as best he could. But also, we should not judge others, since we don't know a person's heart or thinking.

God told Joseph Smith that which is wrong under some circumstances, might be right under other circumstances.

So, judge not, lest ye be judged.

Either Joseph Smith was a prophet, or he wasn't. It's a package deal. You can't cherry pick and choose what you will and won't believe.

Yes, his wife Emma had incredible ordeals to go through regarding plural marriage. Almost any woman would have that.

But ancient prophets took wives and concubines in the Old Testament. They key question is if God sanctioned them to do so.

I believe Joseph Smith had God's sanction in ALL his plural marriages. End of the debate.

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-If you want to read the New York Times article, go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/us/some-mormons-search-the-web-and-find-doubt.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.

Don't Look to Science or history to support your Faith ....

                                                    A vintage church book on science.

ANY members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint who look to man's "science" to support, or foster their faith is looking at the wrong source.

The same goes for history and historical evidence.
The Lord didn't make it easy.
  If man's science, or history, proved every thing, or even most Gospel teachings as correct, where would we be showing our faith? Why, there would be no need for faith at all then.
 Science and faith, as well as history and faith, will always be at odds in a Telestial world. That's how it is. That's how the Lord crafted his mortal testing ground.
You've got to have faith to foster your testimony.
 I say, so what if DNA evidence doesn't support the Lamanites' existence; or if supposedly the Spanish brought horses to the New World, etc., etc.
  Science today is NOT nearly advanced as man in general believes it to be.
  I dare so there are loads of so-called scientific "facts" man has that will go out the window in a nano-second once the Millennium reveals hidden truths.
  Man DOESN'T find out ANYTHING unless God lets him.
  Some of the entire thinking of science is based on incorrect principles -- such as leaving out the existence of God in virtually ever scientific fact.
 Also, the Standard Works teach that the entire Planet Earth is one huge living thing on its own. Know any scientist who will support that Gospel truth?
 Yet, that one universal Gospel truth that the entire planet is one gigantic singular being is enough to shatter the foundations of a multitude of so-called scientific facts man has.
  I dare say man is still in the stone age in science, as far as true science  is concerned ...
 - And, regarding DNA, the Scriptures teach that man's soul is his spirit and body together. Scientists today only understand and see human DNA. What about our spiritual DNA? Science is clueless of that and yet that is 50 percent of our makeup..
There ultimately is no conflict between true science and true religion, but that conflict is essential to the test of a Telestial World.
  Historical conflicts with the church fall into the same category.
  How many wives did Joseph Smith have and why? That's between him and the Lord. If his number of wives and/or the why of it ruins your testimony, then your so-called testimony is based on facts and the world, and not on faith and spiritual power.
  Anyone who goes inactive, or leaves the LDS Church over some seemingly scientific or historical conflict is going to be so embarrassed one day about such silly behavior that they will want to hide under a rock from God -- and will feel like they are in a personal "hell." 
 --Some church members are now and recently leaving the church, or church activity in droves. 
  In part, daily living is too easy and luxurious for most Americans and so they think they can get by without God and Church activity. Hard times are coming ... though.
 If you have no stockpile of personal faith built up, you won't be able to stand in the last days.

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.

Another LDS Church themed license plate cover

  You know you've spotted a Mormon license plate cover when you see the word pre-existence.
  I saw this one in Murphys, California.
  Some church  members dislike the term pre-existence and favor pre-earth life, since we have always existed in some form.
  However, pre-existence to me means pre-earth life existence and so that is perfectly correct and proper.

Primary Kids and Testimony Meetings -- Not like before 1980

Where do LDS Church Primary kids learn to publicly share their testimonies?
Sadly, it looks like for most kids it is mostly only by watching what adults do in a fast and testimony meeting.
When I grew up, you had ample opportunities in a small stage to do so in a junior Sunday School meeting every single month on Fast Sunday.
Not so, since the block time meeting schedule arrived in 1980.
On May 5, 2013, a kid, about age 6, was the first to stand up in my ward's fast and testimony meeting.
He didn't know the procedure, or any formula -- he just talked for 45 seconds explaining how the Holy Ghost prompted him not to open his sister's diary to read it -- and how good he felt about following that feeling.
Yes, it was cute, but it illustrates the shortfall with young church members in training.
Perhaps in my youth there were too many chances for kids to bare testimonies. Now there are certainly far less as the church pendulum of change always seems to swing too far the opposite direction.
Again, we're not talking doctrine here, just policy, that could be changed.
At times, the Brethren appear to want to discourage young kids from standing up in fast and testimony meeting. But, at least these kids go from the heart and don't give a travel log or long, overblown discourse too.
Yes, the church is teaching its under age-12 youth better in most all areas than when I grew up. The big shortfall may lie in testimony sharing.

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.

Ward Names Sometimes Sport Local Flavor

 

 What's in a name? Plenty, if you're looking at the names of wards or branches in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
   In recent years, the church has generally moved away from numerical designations, in favor of using more local place names. Sometimes, these names don't include cities or towns.
   For example, one ward in Layton was renamed from the Layton 36th Ward to the Green Leaf Ward. There were once huge fields of alfalfa or onions where most of these ward members now live.
   This non-city orientation has also led to numerous intriguing or off-beat ward titles — some of which may seem strange to anyone not knowing local history or tradition.
   For example, in Weber County, the Hooper 4th Ward was renamed the Muskrat Springs Ward. In pioneer days, Hooper was first known as Muskrat Springs for an artesian well where the critters were plentiful.
   The two wards in Sandy, Ore., located east of Portland, were also retitled. One is named the Sandy River Ward, in honor of a prominent local river. But the other is named the Tickle Creek Ward, a much more odd designation, but also a reference to a local stream of water.
   In Ogden, the 41st Ward was renamed the Waterfall Canyon Ward after a popular canyon directly east of the congregation's boundaries.
   Some wards still use a city name — some of which are already somewhat unorthodox. For example, how about the Moose Jaw Ward in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada? Or, the Humble Ward in Humble, Texas?
   There's also the Fred Branch in Fred, Texas; the Carry-the-Kettle Branch in Sintaluta, Saskatchewan; the To'hajilee Branch in the Canoncito, N.M., area; and the Little Flock Ward in Rogers, Ark.
   Here's a sampling of some other ward/branch names that rank among the most unusual out there:

   • Angel Crossing Ward, Layton, Utah
   • Angel Fire Branch, Angel Fire, N.M.
   • Angel Park Ward, Kaysville, Utah
   • Adams-Friendship Ward, Friendship, Wis.
   • Bearspaw Ward, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
   • Bible Park Ward, Denver
   • Bishop Ward, Bishop, Calif.
   • Bitteroot Ward, Boise, Idaho, area
   • Broadway Ward, five different wards in three separate stakes
   • Captain's Island Ward, Stansbury Park, Utah
   • Crowfoot Ward, Parker, Colo.
   • Crows Landing First Ward, Crows Landing, Calif.
   • Deseret Ward, Layton, Utah
   • Desert Ward, Boise, Idaho
   • Fiddlers Creek Ward, Layton, Utah
   • Gibson Jack Ward, Pocatello, Idaho
   • Golden Branch, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
   • Golden Ward, Golden, Colo.
   • Grapevine Ward, Grapevine, Texas
   • Happy Valley Ward, Portland, Ore.
   • Happy Camp Branch, Happy Camp, Ore.
   • High Desert Ward, Bend, Ore.
   • Hollywood Ward, Hollywood, Fla.
   • Hollywood Ward, Los Angeles
   • Horse Heaven Hills Ward, Kennewick, Wash.
   • Lost Mountain Ward, Powder Springs, Ga.
   • Martha's Vineyard Ward, Vineyard Haven, Mass.
   • Mount Olive First Ward, Mount Olive, N.C.
   • Mount Zion Branch, Maple Hill, N.C.
   • Northern Lights Ward, Anchorage, Alaska
   • One Hundred Mile House Branch, One Hundred Mile House, British Columbia, Canada
   • Peavine Mountain Ward, Reno, Nev.
   • Russian Jack Ward, Anchorage, Alaska
   • Silverbell Ward, Tucson, Ariz.
   • Superior Branch, Superior, Ariz.
   • Superstition Point Ward, Mesa, Ariz., area
   • Temple City Ward, Arcadia, Calif.
   • Ten Mile Ward, Meridian, Idaho
   • Ten Sleep Ward, Ten Sleep, Wyo.
   • Thornydale Ward, Tucson, Ariz.
   • Thunder Mountain Ward, Mesa, Ariz.
   • Tithing Hill Ward, Riverton, Utah
   • Treasure Mountain Ward, Park City, Utah
   • Vineyard Ward, eight different wards in six separate stakes
   • Wines Park Ward, Lehi, Utah
   • Ward Canyon Ward, Bountiful , Utah
   • Zions Peak Ward, Holladay, Utah
   • Zionsville Ward, Carmel, Ind.
 
(Distilled from an article originally written by Lynn Arave, in the Deseret News.)


NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

What NOT To Do In The Temple ...

OK, I thought I had seen it all ...
I'm in the Salt Lake Temple on May 1, 2013, in a sealing room, about a minute before a nephew's marriage ceremony is to begin.
I'm enjoying the serene, quiet spirit and recognizing that the feeling here is like no other place in the world -- to be in a temple of the Lord.
Then, I  happen to look over to my left, two people down my row.
What do  I see?
A man texting and then surfing the Web!
We were on holy ground. There are just some things that can wait 30 minutes or less to take care of.
Do people not understand there are truly some sacred places?
If a 40-something year-old man is doing this, what about the younger generation? Hopefully they know better, cause he didn't.

--In a related matter, I am kind of amused by the sign at the Salt Lake Temple entrance. It basically says all cameras need to be checked-in at the desk, but cell phones just need turned off.
What?
This is the 21st Century.
That's a 20th Century type policy, outdated and missing the point that MOST photos today are taken by cell phones, not cameras.

--We also don't teach members enough about the Sacrament passing portion of Sacrament meetings. I regularly see members come and go during sacrament passing for no apparent urgent reason. Others, just walk in an sit down shortly after the blessing on the bread, likely having never even heard the prayer that day.

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.