For my first four decades as a member of the LDS Church, the only thing I could remember about President John Taylor was that he was in the room when Joseph Smith was martyred. Nothing else stood out for me about him until I started studying the early Brethren’s teachings about building a Zion society […]
‘Thoughts on Zion’ newspaper column
Thoughts on Zion #51: Zion – One of 3 Grand Foundations
Ten months ago, this column included quotes by early LDS apostles and prophets showing that they saw Zion as something other than the Mormon Church or the prophesied New Jerusalem. Among the now-700+ quotes gathered from talks given during Utah’s territorial years, are eleven which strongly indicate that the same leaders saw Zion as one […]
Thoughts on Zion #50: Determined to Build a Zion Here
In this 50th “Thoughts on Zion” article, we’re exploring the determination by the early LDS apostles and prophets to establish a Zion in Utah. Starting out with my favorite Brigham Young quote about building Zion which always makes me smile – “I desire [Congress] to let us alone…. Let them attend to their own business, […]
Thoughts on Zion #49: Building Cities of Enoch in Utah
Another surprising thing I discovered while reading quotes by early LDS leaders was that they equated their Zion-building efforts in Utah to those of the ancient prophet Enoch. “Then again, did Enoch build up a Zion? So we are doing…. Now, this is what we are building up, and they built up a similar thing […]
Thoughts on Zion #48 – God Expected Zion to be Built in Utah
The Point of Gathering to Utah Early LDS leaders taught that the whole point of gathering to Utah was to build a Zion society. They also specifically taught that it was God’s will that they do so. No one put it more clearly than Brigham Young when in 1860 he said: “The Lord has led […]
Thoughts on Zion #47 – Zion-Building Was a Main Focus for Early LDS Leaders
In cataloging all the “building Zion” quotes from early LDS leaders, I found 33 of them, spanning the same number of years, that show that the goal of establishing Zion was a primary focus for them. Let’s review a just a third of those quotes now, with emphases added. 1862: “I have Zion in my […]
Thoughts on Zion #46 – Building Zion was the whole point of gathering to Utah
In 1868, LDS Church President Brigham Young couldn’t have said it any plainer, “We are gathered together in the tops of these mountains for the express purpose of building up Zion, the Zion of the last days, the glory of which was seen by the prophets of the Almighty from the days of old.” Eleven […]
Thoughts on Zion #45 – Building Zion is Crucial to God’s Last Days Plan
Not only was building Zion a central part of the mission of the early LDS Church, as we saw last time, our leaders made it very clear in the mid-1800s that building Zion was a central element in God’s over-arching, big-picture plan in the Last Days to prepare Earth for the second Coming of Christ. […]
Thoughts on Zion #44: Building Zion was once part of the LDS Church’s four-fold mission
While gathering hundreds of quotes by early LDS apostles and prophets, I was surprised to discover 92, of the over 500 found, made it clear that building of Zion was considered a central part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last time, we reviewed the first subset of the 92 quotes; they made it clear […]
Thoughts on Zion #43 – Early LDS missionaries preached about building Zion
While gathering hundreds of quotes by early LDS apostles and prophets, a very clear and startling picture began to come into focus. I was amazed to discover just how central the building of Zion was to the early Mormon Church. Over the next five installments, we’ll look at a few quotes among 92 that show, […]
Thoughts on Zion: The Temporal Side of Building Zion
Reviewing quotes by LDS Church leaders during the Utah Territorial years, one finds that “Zion” meant much more to them than just a spiritual ideal, it had a strong temporal element. For example, in 1861 Apostle Daniel H. Wells stated, “To build up Zion is a temporal labor; it does not consist simply in teaching: […]
ToZ #41 – Zion Is Not Just The LDS Church
Definitions Matter What we mean by the term “Zion” matters very much if we are to eventually build one as the Lord requires. One of the common meanings of the term “Zion” among the Saints is that Zion is the LDS Church. To these members, “building Zion” simply means doing the work of the Church. Unfortunately, […]
Thoughts on Zion #40 – Modern Israel Overcome by Babylon The Great
Over the last 16 installments, we have reviewed the history of the LDS Church’s efforts to build a real, live Zion society in the Territory of Utah. Much was accomplished in their 40 year effort to establish a Zion society based on cooperative free enterprise in the Rocky Mountain west. This effort was the direct […]
President John Taylor’s Greatest Achievement – Zion’s Central Board of Trade
As mentioned last time, John Taylor wasted no time after the death of Brigham Young in working to unify the Saints economically in a Zion-like fashion. Young’s efforts had failed to successfully institute the United Order a second time among the members of the church generally. In 1879, Zion’s Central Board of Trade was established […]
Thoughts on Zion #38 – John Taylor Picks Up the Zion Building Torch
The general failure of the United Orders coincided roughly with the passing of Church President Brigham Young in 1877. One might wonder if at the end, Brother Brigham was discouraged about building Zion, and whether, after he passed, his successor John Taylor would move on and focus elsewhere. This was definitely not the case. To […]
Thoughts on Zion #37 – More Lessons From the United Orders’ Failure
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” – George Santayana. Since we LDS may some day be building Zion communities, we might do well to learn from our Utah ancestors’ mistakes. Last time we suggested one such misstep was that the Saints moved too quickly from cooperatives to the United Order, […]