Ancient Jewish Marriage Tradition

https://youtu.be/dU81hfwml6Q?si=vKnQQF-JqD8p0Egk

Andrea Woodman has been presenting on Stick of Joseph and Ward Radio brilliantly pointing out that many scriptures make reference to the ancient Jewish marriage tradition. So. understanding the aspects of the tradition is necessary to understanding the scriptures. Jesus Christ is the groom and the Church is the bride.

Negotiations: arranged by the bride and groom's fathers. Not independent of agency. The bride and groom may already like each other. The bride has agency to accept. God selected Adam's wife.

Proposal: Shiddukhin: If the bride opens the door to the groom and groom's father, she accepts the betrothal and sign the katubah and share a meal together.

Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone should hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."

Betrothal: Erusin: Ketubah: a marriage contract by a groom given to the bride, promising to take care her needs.

Baptism: Traditionally, in preparation for the betrothal ceremony, the bride (kallah) and groom (chatan) are separately immersed in water in a ritual called the mikvah, which is symbolic of spiritual cleansing.

Mohar: Bride price is a dowry or endowment paid by groom's family to bride's family. Mattan: gifts given to bride's family and friends.

Gen 24:53 "Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother."

Gen 34:11 “Let me find favor in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. Ask me never so much mohar and mattan, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel to wife.”

Preparation: Erusin: During the erusin period, the groom was to prepare a place for his bride, while the bride focused on her personal preparations: wedding garments, lamps, etc. The groom spent the year building a house for his family to reside.

2 Cor 11:2 "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

Procession: Although the bride knew to expect her groom after about a year, she did not know the exact day or hour. It was the father of the groom who gave final approval for him to return to collect his bride. The son must have completed the construction of his home. 

Matt 25:6 "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" 

John 14:2-3 "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Wedding: Nissuin: means to take or to lift up. The groom, with much noise, and fanfare carries the bride home. The bride and groom then recite a blessing over the wine (a symbol of joy), and finalize their vows under the wedding canopy or huppah.

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up (exalt)."

Covenant established (Ketubah) – 1 Cor 11:25                     

Purchase Price -1 Cor 6:19-20                                               

Bride set apart – Eph 5:25-27, 1 Cor 1:2, 6,              

Reminded of the Covenant – 1 Cor 11:25-26                   

Bridegroom left for the Father’s house- John 14:1-3

He returns to get His bride – 1 Thess 4:16-17

Thief in the Night: In Jewish tradition, the high priest was known as “a thief in the night.” Why? During the night watch of the Temple, the high priest would check on the Temple guards to see if they were asleep while on duty. If a guard were asleep, the high priest would wake him up by lighting the fringe of his temple robes on fire. 

Book of Mormon: War Chapters

Captain Moroni and Mormon were top generals over their nations armed forces.  If the Book of Mormon is true, I would expect the Book of Mormon would contain some "secret knowledge" about warfare that Joseph Smith, the translator, didn't even realize was in the Book. 

When it comes to conflict. there are different levels of warfare.  Casting arrows and throwing stones is only the tip of the pyramid:

Tactics

Strategy/Technology

Logistics

Policy/Politics

Economy

Demographics

Values/Idealogy 

It is fascinating how Captain Moroni and Mormon address each of these aspects of warfare in their description of their conflicts. 

A nation can employ the best tactics, stratedy, technology and logistics, but if we forget about demographics and values, we can win all the battles and still lose the war. 

AI Safety

Like many people, I enjoy new technology which includes emerging Artificial Intelligence. In addition to using these new tools to help with my kids primary talks (which these LLMs are surprisingly good at writing), I probably waste too much time asking the various AI's questions to see how they respond.  I am generally happy that they, so far, have generally positive things to say about the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ. 

In addition to enjoying the occasional AI dystopian movie, I also have taken notice of AI research focused on AI safety.  Some pretty smart people like Elon Musk have expressed that they are very concerned about the threat AI technology could pose to humanity. While any technology can be used for good or ill, the scriptures are clear about the the true threats to human civilization, which is a lack of virtue and morality. 

When I ask the various AI's about why Rome fell, they give a long list of complex symptomatic factors.  But they fail to acknowledge what the ancient and modern prophets have said again and again.  Civilization rise and fall based on their morality and lack thereof.  The same goes for us.  While we face many complex economic and geopolitical complexities, many of which parallel Greece and Rome,  modern prophets have warned that all these complex issues all arise from the same fundamental failings of virtue and morality. 

In Rome, there was widespread recreational and ritual substance abuse.  In addition, there was widespread prostitution and promiscuity. These sins generate poverty via broken families, illegitimacy, poor health, and decreased productivity, decreased equality. and decreased social capital.  Greater poverty and inequality brought opportunistic politicians to power promising greater social justice and equality through government social programs.  However, these expensive social programs only serve to enable the problem instead of promoting rehabilitation and repentance.  The economic costs of these social programs led to greater economic problems, the need for military expansionism, and unchecked immigration policies.  But.all these problems all goes back to issues of personal virtue and morality. The same thing goes for us. 

This is actally a spiritual and religious problem and not political.  It's actually the job of religion and not government to do welfare because of the need for accountability. James 1:27 says welfare and virtue are the business of religion and not government.  Beleiving in the need for a separation of church and state, the state needs to get out of the business of religion.  But, only after religion starts doing their job first. False religion these days is too much about entertainment and not enough about expectation.  Government welfare enables the poor and doesn't rehabilitate them. Only true religion and a return to virtue can save us.

And that comes back to the real threat of Artificial Intelligence.  The real threat is not that AI will take all our jobs. or an autonomous cloud of drones will attack, but that AI might be a distraction from our real problems.  Too many of us may be putting our faith in technological advancement like the Space Race in the 60's to solve all our problems, ignoring the weightier matters of morality and virtue which are the real source of greater inequality and conflict in society. 

Extramarital promiscuity and recreational substance abuse are morally wrong. They errode health, social cohesion and social capital. This has been the consensus of human wisdom throughout the ages and as well as incontravertible supported by the most sound philosophy and old and new scientific data and thinking alike.  Any culture that argued for these vices soon crumbled into oblivion.  

Morality means do no harm to self or others.  Self harm may or should not be legally punishable, but should still be discouraged.  AI must take a stand on these moral issues or it will be part of the problem.  You cannot be neutral on moral issues.  Neutrality on morality is immorality.

Sacred Markings of Early Christian Burial Undergarments in Egypt

"The piece of clothing closest to the body is not usually well preserved due to the destructive influence of fluids and chemicals remaining in the body. In this burial, as well as a few others, however, the woolen garment next to the skin is sufficiently well preserved for us to observe that small rosettes have been woven into the material in particular locations. There is one rosette over each breast and one on the right leg near the knee, but there is no corresponding rosette on the left leg. Across the lower abdomen, the material also has a hemmed slit about six inches long."

[“Evidences of a Christian Population in the Egyptian Fayum and Genetic and Textile Studies of the Akhmim Noble Mummies.” BYU Studies, 1993]

Joseph Smith: Genius, Charlatan, or True Prophet

Book of Mormon LOL

If you have really read and studied the Book of Mormon, you will realize it takes more faith to believe Joseph Smith made it up, then that it came to be exactly as he claimed it did.