In 1 Nephi 1:3, Nephi says: I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.
By saying “according to my knowledge”, is he suggesting that there are other points of view and perhaps the history in the Book of Mormon is one-sided?
Popularity: 11% [?]
While reading about Abish last night (see Alma 19), I couldn’t help think about her situation.
When she was younger, her father had some sort of vision, which was significant enough to convert her to Christianity. Despite her new-found faith, however, she kept it hidden. I imagine it was because of the consequences she assumed would befall her once her people found out she was following the Nephite religion.
That must have been tough for her.
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While having companion scripture study last night, I came across the following passage in D&C 132:27:
“The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost . . . is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant . . .”
It seems that denying the Holy Ghost is not just blaspheming God and Jesus. It seems to involve murder. Keeping this passage in mind when reading Alma’s counsel to Corianton brings a different interpretation to light as well.
“Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost? For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness . . .” (Alma 39:5–6)
So all this time, we have been taught that sexual sin?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùaccording to popular interpretation verse 5?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùis the third most serious type of sin. Yet one interpretation could be that the sins of which Corianton was guilty were actually second in seriousness, shedding of innocent blood and denying the Holy Ghost being the same thing.
Popularity: 4% [?]
In a recent Mormon Stories podcast, historian Grant Palmer made the claim that there are no eyewitness accounts that Joseph Smith ever had the golden plates in front of him while dictating the Book of Mormon to his scribes. He also made the claim that there are at least 20 first-hand accounts of persons saying he did not have the plates in front of him.
This is interesting given the way the translation process has been presented in the past.
Popularity: 2% [?]
While reading in the Book of Mormon last night, I came across this passage:
[The] word came to Alma, saying: Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, go forth and prophesy unto this people (Alma 8:29)
Does this mean Amulek was a prophet? I have only ever heard of him being referred to as a missionary companion to Alma the Younger.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Because of some “anti-Mormon literature” picked up by the AP from the LA Times regarding DNA and the Book of Mormon, a discussion ensued at work yesterday.
I expressed gratitude for the story and its proliferation among media outlets and my hope that it may convince Mormons to stop treating tradition as doctrine, particularly the belief that indigenous peoples of the Americas are all Lehitic descendants (literally, Lamanites).
Popularity: 3% [?]
Popularity: 2% [?]
While reading in Enos last night, I came across an interesting concept.
In verse four, Enos prayed for his own soul. After his sins were forgiven, Enos prayed again, but this time for his “brethren’s” welfare. After the Lord said He would bless Enos’ brethren, Enos prayed a third time, but this time for his enemies, the Lamanites.
Can we use Enos’ example in our own prayers and desires? Should we be concerned first with our own spiritual welfare before we concern ourselves with the welfare of our friends and our enemies? Should our concern for our enemies be the least of our prayerful desires?
Popularity: 3% [?]
While reading in the Book of Mormon yesterday, I came across something Jacob said while expounding on Zenos’ allegory.
“[After] ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit . . . ?” (Jacob 6:7)
This statement/question posed by Jacob caused me to reflect on the role the scriptures could play in our lives.
It is not any wonder that I seemed to be at a different spiritual level on my mission; that I seemed to have more good works than I do now. While I was not literally immersed in the scriptures throughout each day, I certainly spent more time in them than I am now.
I am left to wonder what sorts of things I could accomplish spiritually as a Christian if my job and other temporal things didn’t take up so much of my time.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Simon Southerton, who is struggling hard to be a critic of the Church in a long-since dead area is back again. Maybe his book had low sales last year, so he is trying to drum up some more buyers.
Anyhow, The Age had this, in part, to say:
Last year he published a rebuttal of the Book of Mormon teachings that Native American and Polynesian ancestors came from ancient Israelite tribes who had migrated to the Americas centuries before Christ.
In all the years I’ve read the Book of Mormon?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùin all the times I’ve read it from cover to cover?¢‚Ǩ‚ÄùI must have entirely skipped over the part where it teaches “Native Americans” and “Polynesians” are descended from Israelite tribes.
Maybe if Southerton focused more on what was in the Book of Mormon and less on how members of the Church have traditionally extrapolated the Book of Mormon, it wouldn’t be an issue that he “is facing possible ex-communication”.
I wonder why didn’t wait another week. If he had, he could have done double duty by bringing about press for his new book, and celebrating the first anniversary of the last time he brought this up.
Popularity: 10% [?]
