I get emails from Desert Books all the time. I got one this past week about new prints for the first vision. So I went and looked.
One one a picture was JS sitting and the a holy being standing talking to another holy being who was standing above him. Both beings were in white. What was interesting was they had halos around their heads like you see in other Christian art. Is the Church going in that direction now? Lets make our artwork look real Christian?
In the background was a very faint images of lots of people in white looking on. I do not recall that ever being written in Church books or history.
My take away. The two heavenly being had to be shown as one that was more powerful than the other. People from other side of veil got to see this event brt earth beings did not. When we draw Jesus and God add a halo around them so people know who they are. The comments about the work said that these new pictures are more in tune to what we know about the first vision now.
Only $100. They did not show the others.

Seems like Russ wants more of a Protestant church. The church logo is a Lutheran image of Christ. The first vision now has halos.

I wonder if eventually Angel Moroni will sprout wings so regular Christians recognize he's supposed to be an angel. ;-)

It’s amusing watching the church try and throw off the negative image of Mormonism while still being Mormon. Focusing more on Christ is not a solution. Dumping Joseph Smith and everything that came from him is. You can’t shed Mormon and keep the Book of Mormon.

Yeah.The unspoken message is that the only way to Jesus is through Joseph Smith.

Remember that the two personages did not Identify themselves. Just "this is my beloved son" stuff.

Since the Temple teaches clearly Satan is The God of This World, and you wear his apron clear to the Celestial room - it could easily have been Satan. Did not need to actually be "his son" - as he can't tell the truth.

Now it makes more sense, doesn't it?

Is this it?

https://deseretbook.com/p/17x23-first-visions-framed-textured-paper?ref=Grid%20%7C%20Search-15&variant_id=188118-framed-textured-paper

And this couldn't be more creepy.

https://deseretbook.com/p/first-presidency-sketch-print?ref=Grid%20%7C%20Search-53&variant_id=173707-5x7-print

Whoa! Smokey the Bear would have big issues with this. Like the Mormon version of Burning Man.

"Hey, Joseph. Only YOU can prevent forest fires!"

No kidding D&D!!

I thought it was a fundraiser for the UC Davis Burn Unit !

It looks like a scene showing hellfire upon him. God is supposed to be comforting when he is in a blob of fire? Go figure.

The caption should be "Join us in hell." What a bargain at $100!

The key to what is happening is the location of Joseph’s hands. It’s a subtle warning to impressionable youths.

>The key to what is happening is the location of Joseph’s hands.

Not surprising. See my version of the first vision from last year

https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2297949,2297949#msg-2297949

Shameless self topping!

Yes. "That'll teach to think twice about praying in the woods next time Joesph!"

The first one really does look like something that would originate with special mushrooms.

Elder Berry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> And this couldn't be more creepy.
>
> https://deseretbook.com/p/first-presidency-sketch-
> print?ref=Grid%20%7C%20Search-53&variant_id=173707
> -5x7-print

Empty suits do not make gentlemen.
Fake smiles express no kindness.
Cheesy stories aren't wisdom.
And, power is no substitute for class and competence

AND . . . Brothers and Sisters . . .


Don't miss Satan cowering in darkness over on the side of the painting! In a rare moment in the history of eternity, God and Jesus are winning for once! Get a photo before it's over cuz this ain't going to last!

Whoa! Yes, VERY Protestant. I was thinking about this the other day. The church is actually doing a good job of whitewashing the old mythology that we oldsters were raised with and substituting Christ as the center of their theology. And that is really what I want out of religion - something Christ centered - not the part about salvation through Christ (no one knows how that's supposed to work - a million different interpretations), but about the words of Christ and how he tried to teach us to be with each other.

After living in the South for 20 years of my life, I realize that the way the LDS are teaching the Christ doctrine now is so much more palatable to me than the way any other Christian denomination teaches it. And the new Mormons--the younger ones who were mostly raised with the new theology, are really cool people (not all--but the ones who are more social mormons). They truly are pushing for equality and love of their fellow men.

My favorite Roku channel is BYU-tv. Whoulda thunk? No, I don't watch the religious stuff, but that's very little of it. They have some great series. I love Grace Notes--interviews with Mormon (sometime ex-mormon) musicians who have great music. And whenever I need a pick-me-up, I'll watch Studio C. Talk about talented people--some of those sketches are WAY better than anything I've seen on SNL. I laugh my guts out.

I mean, they really could get there--to being a Christian religion with a lot of draw. Especially if they would change missions to service missions, shorten them, and be more like the Peace Corps.

But then there's the history and doctrine that they just can't seem to figure out how to whitewash. They can paint first vision pictures to be more of an obvious "vision" or dream like this one, to downplay former teachings of it being an actual meeting with God and JC. They can say that the BOM was received through inspiration--and that it's more like parables and that it's not necessarily something that was translated as actual events that were written down. And eventually we oldsters will die off and the younguns will look at the old stuff as just being folklore when it was taught.

But what do they do about the temple? That's the big thing. That's the money machine. It's been WAY watered down since our day when we had to pantomime our own violent demise and swear to have our lives taken, get naked with just a revealing "shield" over us and be touched on our private areas by weird old ladies, be groped at the veil, shield our faces during prayer, promise to yield to our hubbies, etc. etc. Women can practically wear sleeveless tops now, and now there's even a chance that people with non-member families can choose a civil wedding and not be blackballed for it. I don't know what else they can do to water it down. But they still need it to make people feel special enough that they'll give the required amount of money, even at the expense of their family needs.

But how can they REALLY make it palatable to people just wanting good a Christ-based religious home when they still demand so much money in order to fully participate, still demand an accounting of your sex lives, and still refuse to acknowledge mistakes made in the past? And they still demand a fealty pledge in order to join. You can't say, "yes, I'd like to be part of the church but I believe Joseph Smith was a con artist and I don't believe the current so-called prophet has any more of a connection to God than I do. But I believe in Christ, the things he taught in the Bible and even his words in the Book of Mormon.

They want it both ways. They want to project themselves as a good Christ-centered church, but cannot give up the cult-type control. You CANNOT become a member on belief in Christ without professing belief in the weird man-made stuff.

The Mormon church still has really terrible art. Since they can't produce good quality art, perhaps they should commission it.

Who is the near-naked individual on lower left side of the painting in Joseph Smith’s shadow ?

Is that Stan ?

This is my beloved son who brought the marshmallows!

I can't believe anyone would buy that; I can't believe any retailer would want to be associated with it. But I guess EB has the connections to get Deseret Book to promote his art.

Go figure.

"He's such a salesman he could sell sawdust to a sawmill"

Deseret Book can sell any old crap to a Mormon

I don't sweat it.


https://deseretbook.com/t/author/anthony-sweat?ref=product-producer-list

I'm quite the outlier at the old Lord's Book store.

? What Happened to the 'Slippery Slope' theory?

OTOH, Mormons have been taught / conditioned not to Question let alone criticize what leaders say, do; nearly 100% effective.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2021 01:22AM by GNPE.

My Pop would have said, “See kids, that boy was playing with matches!”

And we all got burned.

Is it just me, or does the Joseph Smith personage look like Bill Maher?

You're right! When you aim at Brad Pitt and miss, you get Bill Maher.