Regarding Christmas and Easter hymns [you] SAY:*******Would those hymns be the “praise to the man” (Joseph Smith) And those little scenes of Smith’s birth but no Nativity. And whats an Easter hymn? My uncle sings with the MT Choir, a baritone. at Christmas time there is a fantastic public showing of traditional Christmas music but he will tell they don’t sing them in ward. Which is pretty telling after all, a public front and practiced front....the twain are not the same.
I have to admit that I have been in wards where the singing of Christmas hymns are sparse, but even in the worst they sing something Christmasy on the Sundays around Christmas.
I must live in one of the apostate wards, because we starting singing Christmas hymns in Sacrament meeting last Sunday. Today in Sacrament meeting we sung "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" and "The First Noel." In Primary (the Sunday School for kids under 12) we sung "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World." And Rudolph, alas.
And I just checked on next week, and in Sacrament meeting we are singing "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful" and "With Wondering Awe." Nope, don't see Praise to the Man anywhere in December. But each ward is different, so your mileage may vary.
I've seen that photo of J Smith's birthplace/nativity thing. Cracks me up. Those Utah Mormons are pretty crazy at times. But as far as I know, that single occurrence is the one and only. It is certainly not common.
As for what an Easter Hymn is, it is a hymn that is sung around Easter. We have a few in our hymnals.
For example:
#200 - Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
1. Christ the Lord is ris’n today,
Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say,
Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Alleluia!
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth reply,
Alleluia!
2. Love’s redeeming work is done,
Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the vict’ry won,
Alleluia!
Jesus’ agony is o’er,
Alleluia!
Darkness veils the earth no more,
Alleluia!
3. Lives again our glorious King,
Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting?
Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save,
Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave?
Alleluia!
Text: Charles Wesley, 1707–1788
Music: Anon., Lyra Davidica, 1708
#199 - He Is Risen!
1. He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered; man is free.
Christ has won the victory.
2. Come with high and holy hymning;
Chant our Lord’s triumphant lay.
Not one darksome cloud is dimming
Yonder glorious morning ray,
Breaking o’er the purple east,
Symbol of our Easter feast.
3. He is risen! He is risen!
He hath opened heaven’s gate.
We are free from sin’s dark prison,
Risen to a holier state.
And a brighter Easter beam
On our longing eyes shall stream.
Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818–1895
Music: Joachim Neander, 1650–1680
Plus a couple of home-grown ones.
Or is this just another case of the hatred being so strong that it is impossible to accept anything good from a Mormon?
Well, Easter hymns. Ok.
Your ward is different than any I have ever attended and I have visited quite a few.
This constant drum beat charge from mormons is one that I personally grow weary of.
Wanna explain T.P. how it is that exactly 190 of the 358 hymns in the Mormon hymnal [53%] were written by non-Mormons -- most of whom are Christians deemed apostates by your leaders (including Charles Wesley)?
So which is it? Your "first vision" scripture -- Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History vv. 18-19 claimed "all" from the various "sects" were "corrupt." Was Charles Wesley and the other Christian hymn writers in the Mormon hymnal "corrupt" as your "scripture" says and "apostate" as your doctrine states...or not?
Or does the Mormon church just grab the lyrics & tunes of Gentile heretical "apostates" willy-nilly and import them into your hymnal never mind what they believe?