D&c 59:15

[Cra-Z]

D&C 59:15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with athanksgiving, with bcheerful chearts and countenances, not with dmuch elaughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—

Hey there I was just reading this section last night and this part struck me, "not with much laughter, for this is sin." It's a sin to laugh a lot? Haha. I seems to me that especially Gordon B. Hinckley and Joseph B. Wirthlin taught strongly the opposite. I recognize that it's important to be reverent and respectful, but I don't fully understand this.

What are your thoughts?

[Cra-Z]

I just found this:

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “This is an occasion when the gospel should be presented, when we should be called upon to exercise faith, and to reflect on the mission of our Redeemer, and to spend time in the consideration of the saving principles of the gospel, and not for other purposes. Amusement, laughter, light-mindedness, are all out of place in the sacrament meetings of the Latter-day Saints. We should assemble in the spirit of prayer, of meekness, with devotion in our hearts” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:342).

This makes good sense applying to the sacrament meeting. But my understanding of the scripture was that it applied to the whole sabbath day.

[Justice]

Definately the Sabbath Day. I think this even applies to life in general. I think this has to do with attitude. It's not saying it's bad to laugh, but that it's bad to treat everything lightly, and be engaged in laughter much of the time. I know those people where everything is a joke, and they spend most of their time trying to see the funny side to things. It would have to be very difficult to have an eternal perspective with such an attitude.

What happens on this earth is permanent, and that's really not funny. Heavenly Father has already lost a large number of His children. We should have a serious mind about us, and be engaged in the Lord's work to recover those we can, as if it's important to us and we're serious about it. I believe God Himself has a sense of humor, but I bet He spends little effort, in comparison to the rest, laughing.

[mikbone]

I have tried to imagine what Jesus Christ must have looked like when the cleaned the money changers out of the temple grounds. He probably didn't have to use the whip much...

I've also tried to imagine what he would look like giggling.

I think Id much rather see him giggling.

[bytebear]

I think this video is a perfect example of what that scrpiture s talking about:

Serious matters should not be handled lightly.

[Cra-Z]

Haha, is the laugh button gone off this site?

[Dravin]

I'm inclined to go with the much laughter being tied into light mindedness. Laughing is fine, jokes are fine but if one laughs at everything then one ends up laughing at and taking the sacred lightly.

Kinda reminds me of some Missionaries. We get surrounded by religion for 2 years, you tend to joke about what is around you and that can easily go to far. For instance I heard of a couple instances of Missionaries dressing in bed sheets and 'impersonating' the Holy Ghost, I doubt God found it amusing. Same with one missionary who made a joke about something in the temple.

[Wingnut]

Haha, is the laugh button gone off this site?

It's not available in the LDS Gospel Discussion Forum.

[Cra-Z]

Haha, oh, okay, that makes sense. :-P

[StallionMcBeastly]

D&C 59:15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with athanksgiving, with bcheerful chearts and countenances, not with dmuch elaughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—

Hey there I was just reading this section last night and this part struck me, "not with much laughter, for this is sin." It's a sin to laugh a lot? Haha. I seems to me that especially Gordon B. Hinckley and Joseph B. Wirthlin taught strongly the opposite. I recognize that it's important to be reverent and respectful, but I don't fully understand this.

What are your thoughts?

I read it to mean to not take part in sacred things without a serious attitude or humility.

[prospectmom]

I agree with stallion........

[Hemidakota]

D&C 59:15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with athanksgiving, with bcheerful chearts and countenances, not with dmuch elaughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—

Hey there I was just reading this section last night and this part struck me, "not with much laughter, for this is sin." It's a sin to laugh a lot? Haha. I seems to me that especially Gordon B. Hinckley and Joseph B. Wirthlin taught strongly the opposite. I recognize that it's important to be reverent and respectful, but I don't fully understand this.

What are your thoughts?

Roy W. Doxey, BYU Professor, spent time in compiling talks that was quoted for each section of the Doctrine and Covenants. What he found for DC 59:15, was this:

Charles W. Penrose: 15-20

The Lord has to do with those things that are temporal as well as those that are spiritual; for He has declared that "for brass he will bring gold, and for stones iron, and for iron he will bring silver" [isa. 60:17], and He will beautify Zion and cause her to shine and be made glorious. . . . The Lord is in the temporal as well as in the spiritual things of His kingdom, and will be if we keep His commandments and seek to sanctify them in his service. That is the point. As with Him, all things will be spiritual to us, if we use them to the glory of God and the benefit of our fellow creatures. (CR, April 1906, pp. 90-91.)

Daniel H. Wells: 15

With a glad heart and a cheerful countenance

Look at the nations of the earth, and see them plodding along without improvement in the knowledge of the things of God—without being touched in their spirits with the life-giving power, and they rest out; they do not enjoy themselves nearly so much as do the "Mormons," who enjoy themselves a great deal better than any people within my knowledge; for it is a peculiarity of "Mormonism" that its followers enjoy themselves. Upon the plains you can see them dancing and kicking up their heels. There is not much formal sanctity about them; and in this particular they are also right; for the Lord loves a cheerful heart and a buoyant spirit; and those who receive the Spirit of the Lord are full of life and animation. They are not apt to have the "blues" or if at times they do, they do not go into their graves with that complaint. They are ready to do anything that will subserve the interests of the kingdom of God and their religion, even though it may be contrary to their natural feelings. This is one principle that makes us so different from the world; the "Mormons" know that all is right, if they carry out the instructions given them. (JD, March 22, 1857, 5:41.)

The best book that goes to great lengths in explaining how, when, and what was given for each section was a book called, "Sacred Truths of the Doctrine and Covenants" [multi-volume set] by L. G. Otten, C. M. Caldwell. With each section, they added the background on each section and breakdown the versus into sections.

Blessings and Commandments—Sabbath Day

Overview of Section Content

1. Blessings promised by the Lord to the obedient in Zion (vs. 1-4, 15-19, 23-24)

2. Commandments of the Lord to the inhabitants of Zion (vs. 5-14)

3. It pleases the Lord to bless man (vs. 20)

4. The way man offends God (vs. 21-22)

Historical Setting

Joseph Smith, Jun.

On the 7th, I attended the funeral of Sister Polly Knight, the wife of Joseph Knight, Sen. This was the first death in the Church in this land, and I can say, a worthy member sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection.

I also received the following . . . (HC, Vol. 1, p. 199)

B. H. Roberts: Polly Knight's health had been failing for some time, according to a statement made by her son, Newel. She was very ill during her journey from Kirtland to Missouri, "Yet," says her son, "She would not consent to stop traveling; her only, or her greatest desire was to set her feet upon the land of Zion, and to have her body interred in that land. I went on shore and bought lumber to make a coffin in case she should die before we arrived at our place of destination— so fast did she fail. But the Lord gave her the desire of her heart, and she lived to stand upon that land."—Scraps of Biography, p. 70. (HC, Vol. 1, p. 199, Footnote)

The portion of this section you are seeking for an answer is simply, what is our demeanor for the Sabbath day? Is it for the Lord? Or it is for the world?

The Lord directed His people to participate in several activities appropriate to a proper Sabbath-day observance: (See D&C 59:9-15)

a. Go to the house of prayer (house of worship)

b. Offer up sacraments to the Lord (pledges, oblations, covenants, consecrations, etc.)

c. Rest from man's temporal labors

d. Pay devotions to the Lord (prayer, worship, etc.)

e. Confess sins

f. Prepare food without detracting from the spirit of the Sabbath

The First Presidency has given guidelines as to what constitutes appropriate observance of the Sabbath day:

The Sabbath is not just another day on which we merely rest from work, free to spend it as our lightmindedness may suggest. It is a holy day, the Lord's Day, to be spent as a day of worship and reverence. All matters extraneous thereto should be shunned. (Deseret News, June 20, 1959)

A simple way for each person to judge as to whether his Sabbath-day activities are in harmony with the spirit of the Lord's day is to evaluate them in light of the above criteria. We might ask ourselves the following question:

Do my thoughts and actions contribute to the spirit of worship and reverence of the Lord?