Item Detail
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22398
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0
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English
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Joseph Smith on the Body as a Fallen or Blessed Vessel
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Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration : The 34th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium
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Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, BYU and Deseret Book,
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287-304
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"One of the bewildering issues of mortal life is the mystery of our embodiment. Throughout time, as humans have matured, they have been intrigued by their bodies and wondered why they exist and what their role is. Acknowledging the marvel that the body is, many have nevertheless concluded that it is a nuisance and is necessarily transitory. Viewing it as the prison of the soul or otherwise observing its inevitable destiny of decay and dissolution, it has commonly been disparaged. On the subject of the body, its purpose and potential destiny, Joseph Smith stands as a colossus. His explanation as a revelator of answers to these perplexities offers enlightenment, reassurance, and exhilaration for those who grasp and appreciate his teachings. [...] With reference to his assessment of our mortal condition, I begin with the Prophet's view of the body at the start of our sojourn in our fallen world, and then I consider its potential ascent to divinely sanctioned fulfilment. The result will indicate the Prophet's unique proposition in our day about the nature of the physical body in its various stages. In addition to the teachings of the Prophet, including revelations he received in the Restoration scriptures, I will draw on supplementary comments that have been made by some of the brethren who were taught by him, as well as by a few who lived quite a while after his martyrdom in 1844 but who built on his anchor teachings." [From author's introduction]