If You Could Hie to Kolob

[silentstruggle]

Okay, I am straining at another gnat. I admit, this one doesn’t keep me up at night, but I always wonder about it when it is sung, and it bugs me a bit.

What is up/meant/to be interpreted by the line in the third verse of “If You Could Hie To Kolob” by W. W. Phelps, which goes “There is no end to race;”?

What eternal truth is he trying to teach, or is this simply reflective of the racist notions of the times, which have been discussed in other posts?

[Orson]

“…There is no end to matter; There is no end to space

There is no end to spirit; There is no end to race.”

My thought is it’s simply saying our existence continues without end. Race as in ‘human race’ may not be the proper term for eternal beings, but hey it rhymes with space!

[MisterCurie]

I like the thought that he meant human beings, rather than that he is racist. I’m not sure what the original intent was, though.

[hawkgrrrl]

I always took it to mean “race” like species also. So, rather than racism, it’s probably creationism.

[mormonheretic]

Perhaps Phelps is referring to the human race.

[silentstruggle]

Thanks.

I will now quit obsessing.

Either it is referring to the human race, or there is a huge triathlon on the next life!! It will be really tough to win a race post-resurrection, because we will be all working with perfect bodies.

[LaLaLove]

I like this song! It is one thing that DH actually thinks is unnecessary – Which is bringing “Kolob” into light of people other than yourself (The revelator).

I think it has to do with time personally.

No need to worry about some type of end..No need to dig deeply into it (It’s simple)..Your individual spirit will never die..There is no “Race” to win..Because there is No end (So basically take your time through life and stuff like that)

I like that line “There is no end to race” Just makes sense to me if I think about it in a way that there is no point to literally race in something that doesn’t have an end .. As in a tortoise and hare kind of way

[Cadence]

He probably just needed something to rhyme with space.

[Heber13]

So what is the deal with Kolob?

Isn’t that supposed to be the planet closest to the place where God the Father exists…meaning God is actually in one location far away from earth, and periodically sends messengers to earth to deliver messages to us as His children, and then the messengers report back what the state of affairs on earth is like?

Is that the doctrine being presented with the Kolob revelation?

[Brian Johnston]

That’s the story as it is presented in the Book of Abraham, pretty much.

[Old-Timer]

which makes total sense from the perspective of the time in which it is placed.

[Author]

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