Comments on: Of Wise Guys and Angels’ Wings

By: BHodges

BHodges — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:57:20 +0000

You rock, Ardis.

By: Left Field

Left Field — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:42:52 +0000

Oops, sorry. I do know the difference between missionaries and missionary's.

By: Left Field

Left Field — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:41:31 +0000

When I left for my mission, back around the time that the LTM became the MTC, English-speaking missionaries used to go to the Salt Lake Missionary Home instead of the LTM / MTC. The president of the Missionary Home was one J. Martell Bird. Predident Bird was well-known for telling the same jokes and stories each week for each new batch of missionaries. He had a whole genre of cautionary “stupid missionary” stories. There were the missionaries who crossed the border into a communist country for photographs, and then couldn’t get back. There were the missionaries who got in trouble for photographing themselves sitting on a Buddha statue. And of course, there was the infamous and elaborate “Elder X and Sister Brown” story.

Another of his stories concerned a pair of missionaries who were teaching a family, when one missionary went with one of the children to the family’s backyard. The family had a fountain of some sort that included a sculpture of an angel. The elder explained to the investigators’ offspring that angels don’t have wings, and to illustrate this important gospel teaching, proceeded to break the wings off the angel. The family was less than impressed with the missionaries pedagogical methods, and the church ended up paying damages.

By: kevinf

kevinf — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:09:38 +0000

I have heard an apocryphal story of a former bishop who surreptitiously broke off the wings of angels on the ward Christmas tree in his ward a decade or so ago. Whether or not I heard this admission from the alleged former bishop himself is immaterial. The ward member, who story has it had donated some of the decorations for the tree, apparently refused in subsequent years due to “vandalism” in the church house.

Urban legends…….

By: Palm Springs LDS

Palm Springs LDS — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:05:42 +0000

I was visiting someone Sunday and was most impressed that atop their christmas tree was something different from the traditional winged angel. It was a miniature Angel Moroni. Complete with trumpet and missing the wings.

By: Rick Grunder

Rick Grunder — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:30:30 +0000

The first edition of the Book of Mormon in German (1852) had paper covers illustrated with an angel (Moroni?) blowing a long horn and carrying a book labeled “Evangelium.” Said angel was very slightly androgynous, and was propelled through the air by distinctly feathery wings.

In the second edition ten years later, our angel had become female, was still flying with horn and book, but no longer sported wings.

Evidently, girl angels can manage on their own without wings! Feelin’ better now, Ardis?

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:27:54 +0000

Check out Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:97. and TPJS, 162 (though I haven't verified a source for the TPJS extract). Between the anti-catholic aesthetics and then the anti-masonic aesthetics later, I'm just grateful the Salt Lake Temple is still intact.

By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 03:06:06 +0000

That’s true, Ardis.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Better for my blood pressure and for fMhLisa’s hospitality that I not go looking for your discussion, Ray.

By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:43:12 +0000

Fascinating, Ardis. There is a current discussion on FMH about expressing dissenting opinions that is informed quite directly by this post.