Didn't Eliza R. Snow write that line into one of her Mormon hymns?
Did Joseph atone to Emma for humping Eliza under Emma's roof, and all the other women he got it on with?
How does Joseph atone for all the harm he wrought upon his own family while feigning to be a prophet of God, and the church members he succeeded in fleecing?
Where does Eliza get a pass for committing adultery under Emma's nose? So she was the church poetess. With all her talents, it's a shame she spent them so foolishly on the chicanery of Joseph and later, Brigham.
All their wrongs don't make it right. "Line upon line, precept upon precept," they got them all wrong and half-assed backwards.
I find it interesting that Eliza R. Snow is buried next to Brigham Young in the pioneer cemetery just east of the SL Temple on 100 North street. Her burial marker says, "Eliza R. Snow Smith." Why don't Mormons refer to her by her married name? After all, that's what's on her grave marker.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2016 05:27PM by BYU Boner.
Regards the starting question, and I'm a bit rusty on this but I'll have a go at what I think is the mormon answer.
As we know the church teaches that the earth was perfect and innocent after its creation, this state changed and it became separated from God. As it began to develop it was needful that it's sins were washed away with Noah's flood - which was in fact the earth's baptism (the number saved from the flood being 8 - alluding to the mormon baptismal age). Subsequent sins have happened such as the shootout described in the hymn quoted as the title of this thread. A further repentance of the earth takes place at the beginning of the millennium when its sins are are finally forsaken (this includes destruction of the wicked). At the end of the millennium the earth will pass away and become celestialised and go back to the presence of the mormon god. And yes all this seems infer that the earth has a spirit.
Cheezus's question also includes a statement about this fanciful subject. "It really makes no sense in any sane world." - Yeah.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2016 12:11PM by jstone.
I've just come back and read what I wrote earlier and it sounds so preachy like from the pulpit - sorry. I think part of my mind just span back to things I thought I'd forgotten. But there's things I actually don't want to forget, like the line "mingling with gods he can plan for his brethren death cannot conquer the hero again" - oh goodness me - how some cults just cant help but express ludicrous adoration of their founders.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2016 01:28PM by jstone.
We're all atoning "bigly," in our way, by having to listen to Mormon bullshit through the generations. As you know, Smith was sitting around in jail, just minding his own business, smoking a pipe and drinking wine with his brother and two others, when he met untimely death at the hands of his back-woods and slack-jawed "persecutors." The payback for Smith's death has been generations of people simply minding their own business, cooking, watching telly, in the cludgie (there, I said it--it had to be said), or tending the garden, when two people suddenly knock them up and yammer on about "the prophet Joseph Smith" and his golden Bible. This is atonement enough.
Why is there always this "someone owes" or "someone must atone"....in religion?
The entire premise is based on debt...we owe Jesus. The earth owes for Josephs blood, etc.
It seems to me the that the main themes of religion are war and debt.
Always at war with the adversary, and in debt to Jesus......and don't forget to do your home teaching and clean the toilets in between battles and payments!