“If You Could Hie To Kolob”

[cinepro]

To be fair, I have to admit that if a leader of another religion were given ancient writings in an unknown language and he claimed to be able to translate them and found they were the long-lost writings of a prominent Old Testament prophet and it was revealed therein that Jesus now lived on a planet named Teeroll, I'd chuckle.

[Thinking]

While a student at BYU I had the opportunity to attend a stake fireside at which Mark Eubank was the speaker. For those who don't know him, Mark is a retired meteorologist. He most recently worked for KSL, but at the time of the fireside he worked for KUTV.

At the end of his talk he presented his personal theory about the location of Kolob. 'Nuff said.

[Robert F. Smith]

While a student at BYU I had the opportunity to attend a stake fireside at which Mark Eubank was the speaker. For those who don't know him, Mark is a retired meteorologist. He most recently worked for KSL, but at the time of the fireside he worked for KUTV.

At the end of his talk he presented his personal theory about the location of Kolob. 'Nuff said.

Thank you for this comment. It led me to look around on the internet, where I found this quotation from Eubank:

"

The Lord showed a prophet named Abraham how it all played out. 'The Lord showed unto me that Kolob was not after the manner of the Earth. One revolution was a day unto the lord; it being one-thousand years according to the time appointed upon therein where thou standest' (Abraham 3:4). So in the original position, Adam and Eve, in the day you eat the fruit, before Kolob turns once, you're going to die. In the new position, flipped out into the solar system, it's a thousand years. How long did Adam live? In the new planetary system on planet Earth, the Bible says he lived 930 years. Kolob had turned 93%, and in the day that Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they died."

See at http://devotional.byuh.edu/node/78 .

[Balzer]

I’ve included a poll, so you can choose one of my answers or you can post one of your own.

Besides being a wonderful song, it “is” Mormon Doctrine, that the name of the star closest to the throne of God is called (named) Kolob.

I have read many threads on this topic and some of Nibley’s writings on the topic, also articles here on FAIR.

Of this most “unimportant doctrine” to those outside our faith, it is the one that is the butt of many jokes and crude comments; WHY?

I have included two links to focus and lighten the mood at the same time.

Comments?

You left out "Because it doesn't exist."

Respectfully,

Balzer

[cinepro]

Last Sunday in Church, we devoted the last portion of our Sacrament Meeting to having ward members get up and tell what their favorite hymn was, and then we would sing the first verse. I couldn't decide between "If You Could Hie To Kolob", "As Sisters in Zion", "In Our Lovely Deseret" (we're in California), or "Silent Night".

My wife vetoed all four and I didn't get up

[Deborah]

And a big thank you to Glen Larson for that!

Yes, the married for time and eternity scene and the Celestial-like beings were sure give-aways for Mormons.

Having been a fan of science fiction since childhood, I think one of the reasons the gospel message was so attractive to me when I heard it in my teens was that it made sense. Eternal beings on a higher plain made God seem more real and personal. I guess that's why I find the whole sci-fi thing a plus and not a negative.

In fact the more we learn about the universe and the more we are able to see pictures from our powerful telescopes, the more the whole sci-fi slant makes sense to me. Not to imply in any way that God is fiction but the fact that he is a being that is part of the universe and has all this power and compassion makes him very real.

[Garden Girl]

Cinepro... you make me chuckle...

from the beach on a beautiful June morning, the sun shining through the leaves of the Alder trees as I look out my window, creating a dappled effect... it's down to the beach today for a good long walk... GG

[Garden Girl]

In fact the more we learn about the universe and the more we are able to see pictures from our powerful telescopes, the more the whole sci-fi slant makes sense to me. Not to imply in any way that God is fiction but the fact that he is a being that is part of the universe and has all this power and compassion makes him very real.

A couple days ago I went down to Newport to a media production fellow who was doing some transferring of 8MM to DVD for me... he and his wife love gardening also, and as I walked around back to their studio I was admiring their lovely plantings. One in particular caught my eye because it was so unusual... a low, mound-shaped plant with small round leaves with two tiny star-shaped stemmed blossoms with red centers growing out of each of the main leaves... fascinating... I picked one leaf and when Julia opened the door for me I said... I believe in God and this is why; this is not random... she told me some people think the plant looks like something from outer space... and I said, well you could say God is in outer space...

It is gardening and the staggering number and variety of plants that really sets me to wondering about the hows and whys of "nature" and puts me in awe of our world... our universe...

GG

[Nathair/|\]

There are some interesting articles in Issue 13 of Mormon Artist magazine on why Latter-Day Saints are drawn to speculative fiction.

[Scott Lloyd]

Just want to mention here that we sang "If You Could Hie to Kolob," yesterday in sacrament meeting as the closing hymn.

It's the organist who picks the hymns in our ward, but as director, I exercised my prerogative to have the congregation sing all five verses, including those printed below the staff. As most regular meeting-goers are aware, that's a rare occurrence. I did it because I felt we needed the full impact of all the words. Coming at the close of a particularly spiritual fast-and-testimony meeting, it was effective I think, judging by some of the moist eyes in the congregation as our meeting ended.

1 Corinthians 2:14

[Deborah]

Just want to mention here that we sang "If You Could Hie to Kolob," yesterday in sacrament meeting as the closing hymn.

How'd you sing it. It's not even in our current hymnal is it? I only ask because I was trying to find it in our hymnal this Sunday.

[LeSellers]

How'd you sing it. It's not even in our current hymnal is it? I only ask because I was trying to find it in our hymnal this Sunday.

It's hymn #284.

Lehi

[Deborah]

It's hymn #284.

I looked under the first line index and didn't see it. I love that hymn and wish we would sing it more.

[Scott Lloyd]

I looked under the first line index and didn't see it. I love that hymn and wish we would sing it more.

It's there under the "I" listing. You have to look past the titles that start with the word I, as in "I Need Thee Every Hour" and "I Stand All Amazed." I think that's standard alphabetization, although not everybody follows that convention.

When it was carried over into the new (1985) hymnbook it was set to a different tune than in the old one. The tune is beautiful, befitting the words.

[LeSellers]

When it was carried over into the new (1985) hymnbook it was set to a different tune than in the old one. The tune is beautiful, befitting the words.

I didn't like the hymn in the old Hymn book. Didn't like it until I heard our son and daughter-in-law singing it to our grand daughter one Sunday afternoon. Now it's stuck in my head like a Gillete commercial, only beneficial.

Lehi

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Your poll deletes the valid answer. It is most controversial because of the line, "Do you think that you could ever, through all eternity, find out the generation when gods began to be?" That is what non-Mormons find offensive. It is completely anti-thetical to most of the rest of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

It is also important to recognize that as a Latter-day Saint you do not just consider this a lovely song, you quite literally consider it a proscribed prayer (Doctrine & Covenants 25:12)

Then they should say so and get out from behind their own little planet.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

That doesn't really deal with cinepro's request for actual citations.

On the other hand, are you suggesting that hieing to Kolob is tantamount to a Mormon version of the Rapture?

Not sure about that one...having grown up with the Rapture being central to all doctrine.