Every four years, we learn in Sunday School about the early LDS Church’s efforts to build Zion – a celestial society. We review that Zion is “the pure in heart”, that anciently in the City of Enoch they dwelt in righteousness and that there was no poor among them. We may even momentarily pine for the opportunity to live in such a divine circumstance.
We also learn that Joseph Smith organized the Saints economically into United Orders. We learned that they failed, as did the United Orders set up later by Brigham Young. And we listen again to that oft-told tale about how blue jeans took the Order out of Orderville.
Despite all this failure, some of our leaders have of late been encouraging us in General Conference to “build Zion in the midst of Babylon”:
- Come to Zion! Come to Zion! by Elder Keith B. McMullin
- Zion in the Midst of Bablyon – by Elder David R. Stone, and
- Come to Zion – by Apostle D. Todd Christopherson
How About You?
What are your feelings and thoughts about building Zion today?
I’d like to know because I’d like to address those concerns here in this blog. Please take the survey here.
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jwrenf2
March 26, 2015 @ 4:13 am
I agree with many of your views i feel that zion is more than a principle its the only way for mankind to be saved. People used to grow up in community and learn from their elders and in this collaboration human talent and creativity were constantly stimulated. In fact many scientists feel humans fir first time in history are getting dumber. The purpose of zion is to reunite humanity that has gradually lost touch with its roots. The mission of joseph smith was to turn the hearts of children to their fathers. If we look to the jews they are already living the law of consecration in israel in kibbutz and guess what there are no poor among them and they have all things in common. Our inability to live consecration is a gentile affliction. We envy we lack charity we cant sacrifice for each other like the jews can. I long for this too. Our brethren need to stop generalizing zion as going to church on sunday and teach it as joseph did as a literal gathering. We already have the law of consecration so we dont have to receive further commandments. God gave us a lesser law much like the children of israel because we couldnt live the fulness of this law. We dont need the prophet to do this. The Lord said we dont have to be commanded in all things. I wish there was a people i could unite myself with. Those who dont want to be at war will have to do this. Part of showing we are pure in heart and preparing for Lords coming will be to live zion. This isnt a peripheral doctrine. Robert millet called it a joke practically that we believe in literal gathering. Its something we need to be ashamed of. The praise of the world will prevent many members from living this. This is the gentile stumbling block. Jesus is the stumbling block of jews.