39: THEIR TREASURE IS THEIR GOD

"...and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god.

And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also."

II Nephi 9:30

The cover of the pamphlet for the exhibit and the inside photograph of the celebration when the statue of Brigham Young was unveiled.
Some have made the observation that B.Y.'s back is toward the temple
 and his right arm outstretched toward Zion's Bank.


Church History Library

"TREASURES OF THE COLLECTION".
Church Cultural Celebrations

In case there are some going to General Conference this weekend, and they are looking for things to do and would prefer to not go to City Creek Center, you can go see the new exhibit at The Church History Library.  The new church collection on display is called: "Treasures of the Collection".  There are 12 exhibits to see. Here are the names of each of the exhibits:

Exhibit 1: Celebrations
Exhibit 2: Balls and Festivals
Exhibit 3: Youth Organizations Activities
Exhibit 4: New York Worlds's Fair
Exhibit 5: Day's of 47
Exhibit 6: Hill Cumorah Pageant
Exhibit 7: Missionary Sports
Exhibit 8: Church Sports- Basketball
Exhibit 9: Church Sports- Softball
Exhibit 10: Helsinki Summer Games
Exhibit 11: Salt Lake Olympic Games
Exhibit 12: Cultural Participation in the Winter Games

In the first exhibit it shows the celebration of the unveiling of the Brigham Young Monument. Fifty years after the first pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, a jubilee celebration was held July 20-24, 1897. The unveiling of the Brigham Young monument, parades, concerts, sports activities, commemorative programs, exhibitions, and fireworks were all part of the program. Each of the surviving pioneers was presented with a special commemorative badge as an insignia of honor. The badge was designed by Tiffany & Company of New York (Tiffany & Company just opened a new store in City Creek)

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I have been reading the book, The Last Days: Types and Shadows from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. In the book it lists several of our modern idols.

• Worldly Images
• Organized Sports
• Human Idols
• Imaginations of the Heart
• Mammon
• Babylon
• the Arm of the Flesh
• Elitism
• Pollution of the Temple

Here is one excerpt:

"In pointing to parallels of idolatry between the Lord's people anciently and today, we must not presume that people worship only false gods. Among the Lord's people, worship of the true God is rarely done away. Rather , they often worship the true God alongside the false gods. They maintain a careful equilibrium in order to preserve an identity with the God of Israel. At the same time, the people follow their own gods as they please. This compromise enables people to satisfy both their carnal instincts and their spiritual aspirations.

In some instances of idolatry, worship of the true God and the false gods becomes fused. Then the concept of the true God gets distorted, while the false gods assume the authenticity and endorsement that belongs to the true God. Of all idolatry, the Lords finds such syncretism most intolerable. It epitomizes the idea of "philosophies of men mingled with scripture". Things incongruent with true worship thereby acquire an aura of sanctity. For the Lord's people, syncretism lies but one step away from severing spiritual roots. In forms the final stage of apostasy before the Lord brings judgement."

SYNCRETISM: is the combining of different (often contradictory) beliefs.
(example combining Babylon with Zion)

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