Promotional image for the Immortal Works anthology “A Mighty Fortress”
By now, most of my regular readers know that my short story The Deseret War is going to be published in an Immortal Works anthology.
I just heard that A Mighty Fortress: A Mormon Steampunk Anthology Book 4 is available for pre-order NOW for automatic delivery to your Kindle device on February 18, 2020.
That’s less than four weeks away. Here’s a summary:
Once Stephen Isaac Eddington converted to Mormonism in his native London and realized the severe persecution the Church was enduring in the United States, he knew he had to use his unique skills to help defend the faith. But to do that, he would have to steal an incredible invention devised by his scientist mentor who had recently perished, and the greedy and corrupt tycoon who had financed the venture. Eddington and his ill-gotten technology arrived in Utah well ahead of the U.S. Army troops who the President commissioned to remove Brigham Young from power and establish a new Governor over the Utah territory. Now, instead of the Church being a mere pawn at the hands of the government, he provided them with mighty weapons that would not only protect the Church, but establish a brand new nation. However, even Eddington couldn’t anticipate the heavy consequences of his actions.
Don’t miss this strange and wonderful mix of Mormonism and Steampunk in the fourth annual edition of this production. Pre-order right away.
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It’s interesting that they use the word “gentiles” the way Amish communities say “the English.”
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Apparently, they have two priesthoods, a Levitical priesthood and one referencing Melchizedek. As you know, you have to be Jewish and of the tribe of Levi as well as a Kohen for the first.
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But do they see the Levitical that way? Do they have a subsection of members who are (or they call) Levitcal?
Anyway, descriptions seem to indicate “in” is the opposite of out (G/gentile).
Of course, likewise, not everyone who isn’t Amish is English (even in America).
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According to Wikipedia (I know, I know):
This isn’t terribly specific about how the priesthood is used, but I’m sure there are aspects of its function that the LDS church keeps relatively confidential.
An article at The Washington Post has more.
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I saw a short documentary look at a charitable home that took in young people who were gay or intersex (and, maybe, in additional situations). One young man had not grown up in the church (the type of church we’re discussing) but had willingly joined on his own. Somehow, the elders had found out he was intersex (this is biological, not the same thing as a woman deciding to be a man); then they told him he could no longer be a member. They told him they couldn’t say he had sinned, he just couldn’t be accepted. The subject matter included, however, the possibility that the living prophet could change the rules at some point.
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I don’t know if this is true or not, but someone once told me that the LDS church periodically recalls all of their Book of Mormon editions from their members and issues new ones, supposedly with some change in their theology/doctrine. Seems that if this were true, older members of the church would catch on. Of course churches adapt across time. In the Catholic church, you had to eat fish and not animal meat on Fridays, but now I guess it’s okay. Well, I just looked it up and technically that isn’t true.
At the Lutheran church I take my Mom to, the Pastor doesn’t wear robes and a deacon lights the candles with a BBQ lighter. When I was a kid, the Pastor of the church I went to wore robes, and when I was in junior high, I was one of the kids who had to wear robes and use some fancy brass tool to light and later stuff out the candles. Things change.
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A BBQ lighter 🤭😂nooooo.
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LOL.
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I said; the elders had found out he was intersex (this is biological, not the same thing as a woman deciding to be a man)
For a little more clarity, some intersex people are or consider themselves to be transsexual or transgender because of what they’ve experienced in their lives.
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