Tag: Scripture

  • Not Going to Stop

    Not Going to Stop

    LDS Official Declaration 1, October 6 1890, Wilford Woodruff: LDS Official Declaration 1 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng

    To Whom It May Concern:

    Press dispatches having been sent for political purposes, from Salt Lake City, which have been widely published, to the effect that the Utah Commission, in their recent report to the Secretary of the Interior, allege that plural marriages are still being solemnized and that forty or more such marriages have been contracted in Utah since last June or during the past year, also that in public discourses the leaders of the Church have taught, encouraged and urged the continuance of the practice of polygamy—

    I, therefore, as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do hereby, in the most solemn manner, declare that these charges are false. We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice, and I deny that either forty or any other number of plural marriages have during that period been solemnized in our Temples or in any other place in the Territory.

    One case has been reported, in which the parties allege that the marriage was performed in the Endowment House, in Salt Lake City, in the Spring of 1889, but I have not been able to learn who performed the ceremony; whatever was done in this matter was without my knowledge. In consequence of this alleged occurrence the Endowment House was, by my instructions, taken down without delay.

    Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise.

    There is nothing in my teachings to the Church or in those of my associates, during the time specified, which can be reasonably construed to inculcate or encourage polygamy; and when any Elder of the Church has used language which appeared to convey any such teaching, he has been promptly reproved. And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land.

    Wilford Woodruff

    President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

     

    From the Diary of John Henry Smith, May 17 1888: 1

    “Bro. Woodruff spoke a few words again, among them he said [“]We won’t quit practising Plural Marriage until Christ shall come.” F. M. Lyman spoke very nicely. President Woodruff dismissed us by prayer.”

     

    From the Diary of Heber J. Grant, May 17 1888, quoting Wilford Woodruff at the Manti Temple dedication: 2

    “We are not going to stop the practice of plural marriage until the Coming of the Son of Man.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Diaries of John Henry Smith – http://signaturebookslibrary.org/john-henry-smith-3/
    2 LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890 – 1904, D. Michael Quinn – https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/issues/V18N01.pdf
  • Illusory Truth Effect

    Illusory Truth Effect

    Excerpt from Wikipedia, topic: Illusory Truth Effect: 1

    “The illusory truth effect (also known as the truth effect or the reiteration effect) is the tendency to believe information to be correct after repeated exposure. This phenomenon was first identified in a 1977 study at Villanova University and Temple University. When truth is assessed, people rely on whether the information is in line with their understanding or if it feels familiar. The first condition is logical as people compare new information with what they already know to be true. Repetition makes statements easier to process relative to new, unrepeated, statements, leading people believe that the repeated conclusion is more truthful.”

    Excerpt from an address by Boyd K. Packer, seminar for new mission presidents on June 25, 1982: 2

    “It is not unusual to have a missionary say, ‘How can I bear testimony until I get one? How can I testify that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the gospel is true? If I do not have such a testimony, would that not be dishonest?’ Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it!”

    Excerpt from an April 2008 General Conference address by Dallin H. Oaks: 3

    “Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it. Someone even suggested that some testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.”

    Excerpt from a October 2014 General Conference address by Neil L. Andersen: 4

    “A testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith can come differently to each of us. It may come as you kneel in prayer, asking God to confirm that he was a true prophet. It may come as you read the Prophet’s account of the First Vision. A testimony may distill upon your soul as you read the Book of Mormon again and again. It may come as you bear your own testimony of the Prophet or as you stand in the temple and realize that through Joseph Smith the holy sealing power was restored to the earth.22 With faith and real intent, your testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith will strengthen. The constant water balloon volleys from the sidelines may occasionally get you wet, but they need never, never extinguish your burning fire of faith.

    To the youth listening today or reading these words in the days ahead, I give a specific challenge: Gain a personal witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Let your voice help fulfill Moroni’s prophetic words to speak good of the Prophet. Here are two ideas: First, find scriptures in the Book of Mormon that you feel and know are absolutely true. Then share them with family and friends in family home evening, seminary, and your Young Men and Young Women classes, acknowledging that Joseph was an instrument in God’s hands. Next, read the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Pearl of Great Price or in this pamphlet, now in 158 languages. You can find it online at LDS.org or with the missionaries. This is Joseph’s own testimony of what actually occurred. Read it often. Consider recording the testimony of Joseph Smith in your own voice, listening to it regularly, and sharing it with friends. Listening to the Prophet’s testimony in your own voice will help bring the witness you seek.”

    See also:

    Illusory Truth Effect

    References

  • Natural Action

    Natural Action

    Excerpt from an address by Brigham Young, made in the Great Salt Lake City Bowery, July 8, 1860 (JoD v. 8, p. 115):1

    “While brother Joseph was referring to the providences of God, I was led to reflect that there is no act, no principle, no power belonging to the Deity that is not purely philosophical. The birth of the Savior was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood—was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers.”

     

    References

  • Simply Fiction

    Simply Fiction

    Excerpt from a 2000 BYU paper by Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) and Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU) titled ‘The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon’: 1

    “Spanning a period of twenty years (1869-1888), some seventy recorded testimonies about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon claim David Whitmer as their source. Though there are a number of inconsistencies in these accounts, David Whitmer was repeatedly reported to have said that after the loss of the 116 pages, the Lord took both the plates and the Urim and Thummim from the Prophet, never to be returned. In their stead, David Whitmer maintained, the Prophet used an oval-shaped, chocolate-colored seer stone slightly larger than an egg. Thus, everything we have in the Book of Mormon, according to Mr. Whitmer, was translated by placing the chocolate-colored stone in a hat into which Joseph would bury his head so as to close out the light. While doing so he could see “an oblong piece of parchment, on which the hieroglyphics would appear,” and below the ancient writing, the translation would be given in English. Joseph would then read this to Oliver Cowdery, who in turn would write it. If he did so correctly, the characters and the interpretation would disappear and be replaced by other characters with their interpretation

    Such an explanation is, in our judgment, simply fiction created for the purpose of demeaning Joseph Smith and to undermine the validity of the revelations he received after translating the Book of Mormon.”

     

    Excerpt from Joseph the Seer, Ensign (October 2015): 2

    “The stone Joseph Smith used in the Book of Mormon translation effort was often referred to as a chocolate-colored stone with an oval shape. This stone passed from Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery and then to the Church through Brigham Young and others.”

     

    References

    References
    1 The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon, BYU (2000) – http://emp.byui.edu/satterfieldb/Rel121/Process%20of%20Translating%20the%20BofM.pdf
    2 Joseph the Seer, Ensign (October 2015) – https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/10/joseph-the-seer?lang=eng
  • Not a Few Things

    Not a Few Things

    Excerpt from Studies of the Book of Mormon by B. H. Roberts, pg. 240: 1

    “Did Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major things in the other. Not a few things merely, one or two, or half dozen, but many; and it is this fact of many things of similarity and the cumulative force of them that makes them so serious a menace to Joseph Smith’s story of the Book of Mormon’s origin.”

     

    From the Wikipedia article, ‘Studies of the Book of Mormon’: 2

    “Studies of the Book of Mormon is a collection of essays written at the beginning of the 20th century (though not published until 1985) by B. H. Roberts (1857–1933), a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which examine the validity of the Book of Mormon as a translation of an ancient American source.

    In the early 1920s, Roberts was asked by the First Presidency of the LDS Church to develop an apologetic to explain difficulties in the Book of Mormon, such as the lack of Hebrew or Egyptian vestiges in the languages of the Native American peoples and such historical anachronisms in the Book of Mormon as mentions of horses, oxen, wheat, and steel swords in ancient America

    Roberts also compared the Book of Mormon with Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews (1823), published five years before the Book of Mormon. Smith, a Vermont clergyman, drew on, what were at the time, commonplace ideas about the relationship of the Hebrews and the American Indians. Not only did Smith’s work go through many early editions, but Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith’s scribe and one of the Three Witnesses to the golden plates, grew up in the Vermont town where Ethan Smith pastored the church and where Cowdery’s mother and half-sisters were members. According to religion writer Richard Ostling, “it is probably safe to assume that Joseph Smith was familiar” with Ethan Smith’s book.”

     

    Additional Study

    View of the Hebrews, Ethan Smith (1823) – https://archive.org/details/viewhebrewsexhi00smitgoog
    B. H. Roberts’s Studies of the Book of Mormon, Brigham D. Madsen (Dialogue) – https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V26N03_87.pdf

    References

    References
    1 Studies of the Book of Mormon, B. H. Roberts – https://www.amazon.com/Studies-Book-Mormon-B-Roberts/dp/1560850272
    2 Studies of the Book of Mormon, Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studies_of_the_Book_of_Mormon
  • Nothing

    Nothing

    Michael D. Coe (born 1929) is a U.S. archaeologist, anthropologist, epigrapher and author. Primarily known for his research in the field of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican studies (and in particular, for his work on the Maya civilization, where he is regarded as one of the foremost Mayanist scholars of the latter 20th century), Coe has also made extensive investigations across a variety of other archaeological sites in North and South America. He has also specialized in comparative studies of ancient tropical forest civilizations, such as those of Central America and Southeast Asia. He currently (as of 2005) holds the chair of Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, Yale University, and is Curator Emeritus of the Anthropology collection in the Peabody Museum of Natural History, where he had been Curator from 1968 to 1994. – Wikipedia 1

     

    Excerpt from a Dialog article by Michael Coe ‘Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View’ (1973): 2

    “The bare facts of the matter are that nothing, absolutely nothing, has ever shown up in any New World excavation which would suggest to a dispassionate observer that the Book of Mormon, as claimed by Joseph Smith, is a historical document relating to the history of early migrants to our hemisphere.”

     

    In a PBS television documentary broadcast in 2007, Michael Coe reiterated his view when he said: 3

    “In the case of the Book of Mormon, you’ve got a much bigger problem. You really do. We have another part of the world where the archaeology is really very well-known now; we know a lot about people like the Maya and their predecessors. So to try to find unlikely evidence in an unlikely spot, you’ve got a problem. And of course none of the finds that biblical archaeologists are rightly proud about, no finds on that level have ever come up for Mormon archaeologists, which makes it a big problem.”

     

    Also in 2011 the Mormon Stories podcast interviewed Michael Coe reaffirming his earlier statements:268-270: Dr. Michael Coe – An Outsider’s View of Book of Mormon Archaeology – http://www.mormonstories.org/michael-coe-an-outsiders-view-of-book-of-mormon-archaeology/

     

    References

    References
    1 Michael D. Coe, Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_D._Coe
    2 Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View, Dialogue 8 (Summer 1973) – http://www.mormonthink.com/backup/coe.pdf
    3 Transcript of the 2007 PBS interview with Michael Coe – http://www.pbs.org/mormons/interviews/coe.html
  • Unconditional Love

    Unconditional Love

    Excerpt from a 1993 Christmas Devotional address by Gordon B. Hinckley: 1

    “And so at this Christmas season we reach out to all in a spirit of love and reconciliation, even to those who speak evil against us. We sing beautiful carols that tell of the night of His birth, that silent and holy night. In moments of quiet, we reflect upon His matchless life and His unconditional love for each of us. As unworthy recipients of His mercy, we thank Him for His redeeming sacrifice.”

     

    Excerpt from a 2003 Ensign article by Apostle Russell M. Nelson: 2

    “While divine love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot correctly be characterized as unconditional. The word does not appear in the scriptures. On the other hand, many verses affirm that the higher levels of love the Father and the Son feel for each of us—and certain divine blessings stemming from that love—are conditional.”

     

    References

    References
    1 December 11, 1993, Christmas Devotional – http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/23911/Devotional-focuses-on-the-Savior.html
    2 February 2003 Ensign, ‘Divine Love’ – https://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/02/divine-love?lang=eng
  • Roughing It

    Roughing It

    Excerpts from Mark Twain’s 1872 ‘Roughing It’: 1

    “All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the “elect” have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so “slow,” so sleepy; such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle—keeping awake while he did it was, at any rate. If he, according to tradition, merely translated it from certain ancient and mysteriously-engraved plates of copper, which he declares he found under a stone, in an out-of-the-way locality, the work of translating was equally a miracle, for the same reason.”

    “The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James’s translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel—half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained; the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern—which was about every sentence or two—he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as “exceeding sore,” “and it came to pass,” etc., and made things satisfactory again. “And it came to pass” was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been only a pamphlet.”

    “And when I am far on the road to conviction, and eight men, be they grammatical or otherwise, come forward and tell me that they have seen the plates too; and not only seen those plates but “hefted” them, I am convinced. I could not feel more satisfied and at rest if the entire Whitmer family had testified.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Mark Twain, ‘Roughing it’, 1872 – https://archive.org/details/roughingitbymark01twaiuoft
  • Disavows Scripture

    Disavows Scripture

    Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, ‘Race and the Priesthood’: 1

    “Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.”

     

    Racially charged passages in the Book of Mormon: 2

    23 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations. (1 Ne. 12:23)

    14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten. 15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. (1 Ne. 13:14-15)

    21 And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. 22 And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. 23 And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done. (2 Ne. 5:21-23)

    6 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure [white, 1830] and a delightsome people. 7 And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to believe in Christ; and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land; and as many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people. (2 Ne. 30:6-7) [Note: The Printer’s Manuscript, the 1830 first published edition, and the second 1837 edition have “white”; the 1840 third edition and the 1981 edition have “pure.”] 3

    5 Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. 6 And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. 7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator? 8 O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God. 9 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers. (Jacob 3:5-9)

    5 Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin which was girded about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, and so forth. 6 And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. 7 And their brethren sought to destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women. 8 And this was done that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. 9 And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed. 10 Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him…. 14 Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them. 15 And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also. 16 And again: I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed. 17 And again, I say he that departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed; and I will bless thee, and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and forever; and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and to his seed. (Alma 3:5-10, 14-17)

    14 And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; 15 And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites; 16 And their young men and their daughters became exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. (3 Ne. 2:14-16)

    25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof. 26 And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray. 27 And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying: 28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me. 29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them. 30 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus. (3 Ne. 19:25-30)

    And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people. (4 Ne. 1:10)

    14 And behold, they shall go unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance, which the Lord their God hath given them, unto the fulfilling of his covenant; 15 And also that the seed of this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles; for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, yea, even that which hath been among the Lamanites, and this because of their unbelief and idolatry. (Mormon 5:14-15)

    O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. (Mormon 9:6)

     

    References

    References
    1 LDS Gospel Topic Essay, ‘Race and the Priesthood’ – https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng
    2 The Book of Mormon – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng
    3 The Book of Mormon (1830) – http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-mormon-1830/1
  • Journal of Discourses

    Journal of Discourses

    Excerpt from the Journal of Discourses, Topic on LDS.org: 1

    “The Journal of Discourses is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a compilation of sermons and other materials from the early years of the Church, which were transcribed and then published. It included some doctrinal instruction but also practical teaching, some of which is speculative in nature and some of which is only of historical interest.”

     

    Brigham Young Jr., ‘Journal of Discourses’ Vol. 11: 2

    “Each successive year the power of God is manifestly increasing upon his people, and more especially upon His ministers in the Holy Priesthood, whose duty it is to build up and instruct the Church in His most holy will. The “Journal of Discourses” is a vehicle of doctrine, counsel, and instruction to all people, but especially to the Saints. It follows, then, that each successive volume is more and more valuable as the Church increases in numbers and importance in the earth, and its doctrines become more abundantly developed and are brought into practical exercise by His peculiar people. Every step of its advancement is fraught with the greatest possible importance to the human family. No Saint can afford to do without these precious precepts until they are able to exemplify them in their daily lives and conversation.”

     

     

    References

    References
    1 Journal of Discourses, topic – https://www.lds.org/topics/journal-of-discourses?lang=eng
    2 Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. iii (1867) – http://jod.mrm.org/11
  • We Don’t Have That

    We Don’t Have That

    Excerpt from a 2017 YSA Face to Face with Russell Ballard and Dallin Oaks:1

    MALE HOST:
    “…we have a lot of questions in the YSA about their friends dealing with doubts. A question from Utah asks what advice/guidance would you give for answering tough questions about church history when we are asked about them by someone who is struggling with their faith?”

    OAKS:
    “I think the first thing is to distinguish between questions and doubts. Some people merge those as if they were the same. A question asked with a sincere desire to increase one’s knowledge and understanding is the way to increase knowledge. We encourage questions. On the other hand, a doubt is an ambiguous word. Sometimes a doubt is a synonym for a question—you just want to know the truth about something. One dictionary definition of doubt is “accompanied by distrust, a rejection of something.” That’s the kind of thing that the scriptures have condemned. The savior, for instance, said “oh, thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt?” He said that to his apostles when they were in the midst of the storm. And, “doubt not but be believing,” comes out of Moroni, chapter 9. And “look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not,” that’s Doctrine and Covenants section 6.
    So, doubt is a confusing word. In some aspects we don’t encourage doubt and the scriptures condemn it. On the other hand, questions—sincere desire to know that aren’t accompanied by a presumption of rejection—are something that we wish to encourage.”

    BALLARD:
    “And some are saying that the Church has been hiding the fact that there’s more than one version of the first vision, which is just not true. The facts are we don’t study; we don’t go back and search what has been said on the subject. For example, Dr. James B. Allen of BYU, in 1970 he produced an article for the church magazines explaining all about the different versions of the first vision.”

    OAKS: “How long ago was that article?”

    BALLARD: “1970, that was back in 1970.”

    OAKS: “We’ve been hiding that for a long time…”
    [Audience laughter] [Oaks laughter]

    BALLARD continues:
    “It’s this idea that the Church is hiding something, which we would have to say as two apostles that have covered the world and know the history of the Church and know the integrity of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve from the beginning of time. There has been no attempt on the part, in any way, of the Church leaders trying to hide anything from anybody. Now we’ve had the Joseph smith papers. We didn’t have those where they are in our hands now. And so we’re learning more about the Prophet Joseph. It’s wonderful we are. There’s volumes of it. There’s so much in those books now on my book shelf. Maybe you’ve read them all [gestures toward Oaks], but I haven’t got there. I’m a slow reader. So, just trust us wherever you are in the world, and you share this message with anyone else who raises the question about the Church not being transparent. We’re as transparent as we know how to be in telling the truth. We have to do that. That’s the Lord’s way.”

    Excerpt from a 1978 interview with Apostle Legrand Richards: 2

    WALTERS: “Well I thought somebody said that Joseph Fielding had had Joseph Smith’s seer stone.”
    RICHARDS:”No. We don’t have that.“
    WALTERS:”You don’t have that?”
    RICHARDS:”No.”
    WALTERS:”Oh.”
    RICHARDS::”We have got some of the early writings of the Prophet Joseph and things of that kind, and testimony of when Joseph Smith performed a plural marriage for them, but – things of that kind in the Historian’s office. But we have [unintelligible] church.”
    VLACHOS:”Is the seer stone in the historical department?”
    RICHARDS: “We don’t have a seer stone. That went back with the plates when [unintelligible]”
    WALTERS:”Oh! Okay, I hadn’t heard that. I see. I thought that somebody said that it was still out there somewhere.”
    VLACHOS:”Do you know what it looked like?”
    RICHARDS:”What?”
    VLACHOS:”Do you know what the stone looked like?”
    RICHARDS:”No. I’ve never seen it. And I don’t think there is any living man who has seen it.”

    Excerpt from the October 2015 Ensign, Joseph the Seer: 3

    “After Brigham Young died, one of his wives, Zina D. H. Young, who later became the third Relief Society general president, obtained a chocolate-colored seer stone from his estate that matched descriptions of the stone Joseph used to translate the Book of Mormon, and donated it to the Church.  Since that time, subsequent Church leaders have acknowledged the Church’s ownership of the seer stone.”

    See also:

    Church as transparent as it knows how to be – wasmormon.org
    Joseph Smith and “The” “First” “Vision” – wasmormon.org

    Church as transparent as it knows how to be

    References

    References
    1 Apostle M. Russell Ballard, November 2017, YSA Face to Face – https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/oaks-ballard?cid=HP_SU_19-11-2017_dPFD_fBCAST_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng
    2 Apostle Legrand Richards, August 1978, Interview with Wesley Walters – http://thoughtsonthingsandstuff.com/the-legrand-richards-interview/
    3 Joseph the Seer, October 2015 Ensign – https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/10/joseph-the-seer?lang=eng
  • Kill Laban

    Kill Laban

    Dallin Oaks, LDS YSA Face to Face, November 19, 2017: 1

    “If we get an impression contrary to the scriptures, to the commandments of God, to the teachings of his leaders then we know that it can’t be coming from the Holy Ghost. The gospel is consistent throughout.”

     

    1 Nephi 4: 7-18 : 2

    7 Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.

    8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.

    9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.

    10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.

    11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.

    12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;

    13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.

    14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.

    15 Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.

    16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.

    17 And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause—that I might obtain the records according to his commandments.

    18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.

     

    References

    References
    1 LDS YSA Face to Face with Elder Oaks and Elder Ballard, November 19, 2017 – https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/oaks-ballard?cid=HP_SU_19-11-2017_dPFD_fBCAST_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng
    2 1 Nephi 4, Book of Mormon – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/4?lang=eng
  • Liberty

    Liberty

    Book of Mormon, Alma 51:15-20: 1

    15 And it came to pass that he sent a petition, with the voice of the people, unto the governor of the land, desiring that he should read it, and give him (Moroni) power to compel those dissenters to defend their country or to put them to death.

    16 For it was his first care to put an end to such contentions and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction. And it came to pass that it was granted according to the voice of the people.

    17 And it came to pass that Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty.

    18 And it came to pass that the armies did march forth against them; and they did pull down their pride and their nobility, insomuch that as they did lift their weapons of war to fight against the men of Moroni they were hewn down and leveled to the earth.

    19 And it came to pass that there were four thousand of those dissenters who were hewn down by the sword; and those of their leaders who were not slain in battle were taken and cast into prison, for there was no time for their trials at this period.

    20 And the remainder of those dissenters, rather than be smitten down to the earth by the sword, yielded to the standard of liberty, and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon their towers, and in their cities, and to take up arms in defence of their country.”

     

    Definition of Freedom: 2

    “the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.”

     

    References

  • New World Horses

    New World Horses

    Excerpt from the Oxford Journal of Heredity, ‘Iberian Origins of New World Horse Breeds’: 1

    “Fossil records, archaeological proofs, and historical documents report that horses persisted continuously in the Iberian Peninsula since the Pleistocene and were taken to the American continent (New World) in the 15th century….The genus Equus evolved in North America, and during the first major glaciations of the late Pliocene (2–3 million years ago), some species crossed to Eurasia. North American and South American Equus species became extinct about 10,000 years ago from causes that are not fully understood, probably due to a combination of overhunting by humans and environmental causes, such as climatic changes…Horses only returned to the American continent (the New World) in 1493, with the navigator Christopher Columbus and during the subsequent Spanish colonization period. Those stallions and mares were bought in Seville’s province, mainly from the peasant stock bred in the islands and salt marshes of the Guadalquivir River.”

    …

    Various references to horses in the Book of Mormon: 2

    Alma 18:9 – “And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots…”

     

    1 Nephi 18:25 “And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals…”

     

    Enos 1:21 “And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.”

     

    3 Nephi 4:4 “Therefore, there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against the Nephites; and the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind…”

     

    3 Nephi 21:14 “Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots;”

     

    3 Nephi 3:22 “And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their horses, and their chariots, and their cattle…”

     

    Alma 20:6 “Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.”

     

    Ether 9:19 “And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.”

     

    3 Nephi 6:1 “And now it came to pass that the people of the Nephites did all return to their own lands in the twenty and sixth year, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds, his horses and his cattle, and all things whatsoever did belong unto them.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Iberian Origins of New World Horse Breeds, Oxford – https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/97/2/107/2187641
    2 The Book of Mormon (search:horse) – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/search?lang=eng&start=11&end=20&query=horse&testament=bofm
  • Wives Submit

    Wives Submit

    Excerpt from a 1965 April General Conference address by Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Home Training—the Cure for Evil’: 1

    “President Richards explained the concepts of home, fatherhood, and motherhood, and stated this Church has always taught this exalted concept of putting and keeping father at the head. A pity he did not live to see this divine Church embark on this challenging, newly emphasized program of Family Home Evening, transforming houses into homes and homes into heavens.

    One of the most provocative and profound statements in holy writ is that of Paul wherein he directs husbands and wives in their duty to each other and to family. First, he commands the women:

    “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

    “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.

    “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing” Eph. 5:22-24

    This is no idle jest, no facetious matter. Much is said in those few words.

    Paul says, “as unto the Lord.”

    A woman would have no fears of being imposed upon nor of any dictatorial measures nor of any improper demands if the husband is self-sacrificing and worthy. Certainly no sane woman would hesitate to give submission to her own really righteous husband in everything. We are sometimes shocked to see the wife take over the leadership, naming the one to pray, the place to be, the things to do.”

     

    References

    References
    1 1965 April General Conference address by Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Home Training—the Cure for Evil’ – http://scriptures.byu.edu/#:t576:g87
  • Better Dead Clean

    Better Dead Clean

    From the April 1942 General Conference, prophet Heber J. Grant: 1

    “MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH

    To the youth of the Church we repeat all the foregoing advice, but above all we plead with you to live clean, for the unclean life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe physically, — and spiritually it is the path to destruction. How glorious and near to the angels is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here and eternal happiness hereafter. Sexual purity is youth’s most precious possession; it is the foundation of all righteousness. Better dead, clean, than alive, unclean.

    Times approach when we shall need all the health, strength, and spiritual power we can get to bear the afflictions that will come upon us.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Message of the First Presidency, Heber J. Grant. April 1942 General Conference –  http://scriptures.byu.edu/#:t15:g70
  • Facsimile 3

    Facsimile 3

    From ‘A Facsimile from the Book of Abraham No. 3’ explained by Joseph Smith Jr.: 1

    Explanation
    Fig. 1. Abraham sitting upon Pharaoh’s throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the Priesthood, as emblematical of the grand Presidency in Heaven; with the scepter of justice and judgment in his hand.

    Fig. 2. King Pharaoh, whose name is given in the characters above his head.

    Fig. 3. Signifies Abraham in Egypt as given also in Figure 10 of Facsimile No. 1.

    Fig. 4. Prince of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, as written above the hand.

    Fig. 5. Shulem, one of the king’s principal waiters, as represented by the characters above his hand.

    Fig. 6. Olimlah, a slave belonging to the prince.

    Abraham is reasoning upon the principles of Astronomy, in the king’s court.

     

    Modern Egyptological explanation: 2

    Fig. 1. Label for Osiris (text to the right of figure 1 of Facsimile No. 3): Recitation by Osiris, Foremost of the Westerners, Lord of Abydos(?), the great god forever and ever(?)

    Fig. 2. “Label for Isis (text to the right of figure 2 of Facsimile No. 3): Isis the great, the god’s mother.”

    Fig. 3. “Altar, with the offering of the deceased, surrounded with lotus flowers, signifying the offering of the defunct.”

    Fig. 4. “Label for Maat (text to the left of figure 4 of Facsimile No. 3): Maat, mistress of the gods.”

    Fig. 5. “Label for Hor the deceased (text in front of figure 5 of Facsimile No. 3): The Osiris Hor, justified forever.”

    Fig. 6. “Label for Anubis (text in front of figure 6 of Facsimile No. 3): Recitation by Anubis, who makes protection(?), foremost of the embalming booth…”

    “Invocation (text at bottom line below the illustration): O gods of the necropolis, gods of the caverns, gods of the south, north, west, and east grant salvation to the Osiris Hor, the justified, born by Taikhibit.”

     

     

    Additional Study

    Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham, LDS – https://www.lds.org/topics/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng

    Critical appraisal of the Book of Abraham, wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_appraisal_of_the_Book_of_Abraham#cite_note-ritner2003167177-126

    Translation of The Hor Book of Breathings, BYU Professor Michael D. Rhodes – https://archive.org/stream/SnsnTranslation#page/n0/mode/2up

    “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” — A Response, Egyptologist Robert K. Ritner – https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/Research_Archives/Translation%20and%20Historicity%20of%20the%20Book%20of%20Abraham%20final-2.pdf

    The Joseph Smith Papyri [Book of Abraham] video – https://youtu.be/f5FAFVVv_os

    References

    References
    1 A Facsimile from the Book of Abraham No. 3 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/abr/fac-3?lang=eng
    2 Translation of The Hor Book of Breathings, BYU Professor Michael D. Rhodes – https://archive.org/stream/SnsnTranslation#page/n0/mode/2up
  • Abominable

    Abominable

    Jacob 2:24, the Book of Mormon: 1

    ‘Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.’

    Doctrine and Covenants 132: 2

    1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines—

    38 David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

    39 David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.’

     

    References

    References
    1 The Book of Mormon, Jacob 2 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/jacob/2.30
    2 Doctrine and Covenants 132 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132
  • Weak in the Faith

    Weak in the Faith

    Excerpt from a discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the 14th Ward Assembly Rooms, Sunday Afternoon, Dec. 15, 1872: 1

    “When a female in the Latter-day Saint Church marries a person outside the Church it is not a marriage in our estimation, in the scriptural sense of the word, it is only a union until death shall part them. When a person does this we really consider them weak in the faith; indeed it is equivalent in my estimation not only to being weak in the faith, but since these revelations were given on the subject, if people with their eyes wide open will still reject these important things, and marry a person outside the Church, it shows to me very clearly that he or she has no regard for the word of God, nor for their own salvation. They are lacking not only in faith but in the principle of obedience. They have no hope when they marry outside the Church, but when they marry in the Church according to this order, and the persons who officiate in declaring them husband and wife, being commissioned of God and having authority to administer in all the ordinances of his kingdom, that marriage is not only for time, but for all eternity.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the 14th Ward Assembly Rooms, Sunday Afternoon, Dec. 15, 1872, Journal of Discourses, BYU – http://scriptures.byu.edu/jod/jodhtml.php?vol=15&disc=32
  • Two Wives or More

    Two Wives or More

    LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, discourse delivered in the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, Sunday Afternoon, July 18, 1880: 1

    “All these principles that I have treated upon, pertaining to eternal marriage, the very moment that they are admitted to be true, it brings in plurality of marriage, and if plurality of marriage is not true or in other words, if a man has no divine right to marry two wives or more in this world, the marriage for eternity is not true, and your faith is all vain, and all the sealing ordinances and powers, pertaining to marriages for eternity are vain, worthless, good for nothing; for as sure as one is true the other also must be true. Amen.”

     

    References

    References
    1 Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, 1880 – http://scriptures.byu.edu/jod/jodhtml.php?vol=21&disc=32
  • Give a Fig

    Give a Fig

    Excerpt from LDS apostle Orson Pratt’s 1874 General Conference address: 1

    “…I have heard now and then (I am very glad to say that only a few such instances have come under my notice), a brother or a sister say, “I am a Latter-day Saint, but I do not believe in polygamy.” Oh, what an absurd expression! What an absurd idea! A person might as well say, “I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I do not believe in him.” One is just as consistent as the other. Or a person might as well say, “I believe in Mormonism, and in the revelations given through Joseph Smith, but I am not a polygamist, and do not believe in polygamy,” What an absurdity! If one portion of the doctrines of the Church is true, the whole of them are true. If the doctrine of polygamy, as revealed to the Latter-day Saints, is not true, I would not give a fig for all your other revelations that came through Joseph Smith the Prophet; I would renounce the whole of them, because it is utterly impossible, according to the revelations that are contained in these books, to believe a part of them to be divine—from God—and part of them to be from the devil; that is foolishness in the extreme; it is an absurdity that exists because of the ignorance of some people. I have been astonished at it. I did hope there was more intelligence among the Latter-day Saints, and a greater understanding of principle than to suppose that anyone can be a member of this Church in good standing, and yet reject polygamy. The Lord has said, that those who reject this principle reject their salvation, they shall be damned, saith the Lord; those to whom I reveal this law and they do not receive it, shall be damned.

    Now here comes in our consciences. We have either to renounce Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Book of Covenants, and the whole system of things as taught by the Latter-day Saints, and say that God has not raised up a Church, has not raised up a prophet, has not begun to restore all things as he promised, we are obliged to do this, or else to say, with all our hearts, “Yes, we are polygamists, we believe in the principle, and we are willing to practice it, because God has spoken from the heavens.”

    Now I want to prophesy a little. It is not very often that I prophesy, though I was commanded to do so, when I was a boy. I want to prophesy that all men and women who oppose the revelation which God has given in relation to polygamy will find themselves in darkness; the Spirit of God will withdraw from them from the very moment of their opposition to that principle, until they will finally go down to hell and be damned, if they do not repent. That is just as true as it is that all the nations and kingdoms of the earth, when they hear this Gospel which God has restored in these last days, will be damned if they do not receive it; for the Lord has said so.”

     

    References

    References
    1 ‘God’s Ancient People Polygamists’, Apostle Orson Pratt, October 1874 LDS General Conference – http://scriptures.byu.edu/jod/jodhtml.php?vol=17&disc=34
  • I Have Set by His Side

    I Have Set by His Side

    Footnote 31, ‘Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay: 1

    “31. John Whitmer, History, 1831–ca. 1837, 76, in Karen Lynn Davidson, Richard L. Jensen, and David J. Whittaker, eds., Histories, Volume 2: Assigned Historical Writings, 1831–1847, vol. 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 86. “I have set by his side and penned down the translation of the Egyptian Hieroglyphicks as he claimed to receive it by direct inspiration of Heaven,” wrote Warren Parrish, Joseph Smith’s scribe. (Warren Parrish, Feb. 5, 1838, Letter to the editor, Painesville Republican, Feb. 15, 1838, [3].)”

     

    Full ‘Letter to the editor, Painesville Republican, Feb. 15, 1838’, Warren Parrish: 2

    “KIRTLAND, Feb. 5, 1838.

    To the EDITOR of the PAINESVILLE REPUBLICAN:

    SIR: — I have taken the liberty to send you a synopsis of some of the leading features of the characters of Joseph Smith, Jr., and Sydney Rigdon, who are styled leaders of the Mormon Church, and if you are disposed, and think it would be of service to the public, you are at liberty to publish it. I have for several years past been a member of the Church of Latter day Saints, commonly called Mormon, belonging to the quorum of seventy High Priests, and an intimate acquaintance of Joseph Smith, Jr., and Sydney Rigdon, the modern Prophets, and have had an opportunity of ascertaining to as great an extent, perhaps the real characters of these men, as any other individual.

    I have been Smith’s private Secretary, called to fill this high and responsible station by revelation which I wrote myself as it dropped from the lips of the Prophet, and although contrary to my natural inclinations, I submitted to it, fearing to disobey or treat lightly the commands of the Almighty. I have kept his Journal, and, like Baram [sic, Baruch?], the ancient scribe, have had the honor of writing the History of one of the Prophets. — I have attended him in the private Councils, in the secret chambers and in public exhibition. — I have performed a pilgrimage with him, (not to Mecca,) but to Missouri, a distance of 1000 miles, for the redemption of Zion, in company with about two hundred others, called the camp of Israel. When we arrived in Clay County adjoining Jackson County, Mo., in which Zion was located by revelation, and from which our brethren had been driven, we were informed through the Prophet that God had revealed to us that we need not cross over and fight as we had expected, but that God had accepted our sacrifice as he did that of Abraham, ours being equal to his when he offered up his Son. Therefore, we were sealed up unto eternal life in the name of Jesus Christ, as a reward for our suffering and obedience.

    I have set by his side and penned down the translation of the Egyptian Hieroglyphicks as he claimed to receive it by direct inspiration of Heaven. I have listened to him with feelings of no ordinary kind, when he declared that the audible voice of God, instructed him to establish a Banking-Anti Banking institution, which like Aaron’s rod should swallow up all other Banks (the Bank of Monroe excepted,) and grow and flourish and spread from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and survive when all others should be laid in ruins.

    I have been astonished to hear him declare that we had 60,000 Dollars in specie in our vaults, and $600,000 at our command, when we had not to exceed $6,000 and could not command any more; also that we had but about ten thousand Dollars of our bills in circulation, when he, as Cashier of the institution, knew that there was at least $150,000. Knowing their extreme poverty when they commenced this speculation, I have been not a little surprised to hear them assert that they were worth from three to four hundred thousand Dollars Cash, and in less than ninety days after, became insolvent without any change in their business affairs. But such has been the audacity of these boasting blasphemers, that they have assumed the authority to curse, or to bless, to damn, or to save, not only this Church but this entire generation, and that they hold their destinies in this world and that which is to come. And such has been their influence over this Church in this place, that they have filched the monies from their pockets and obtained their earthly substance for the purpose of establishing a Bank and various wild speculations, in order that they might aggrandize themselves and families, until they have reduced their followers to wretchedness and want.

    For the year past their lives have been one continued scene of lying, deception, and fraud, and that too, in the name of God. But this I can account for in my own mind, having a knowledge of their private characters and sentiments, I believe them to be confirmed Infidels, who have not the fear of God before their eyes, notwithstanding their high pretensions to holiness, and frequent correspondence with the Angels of Heaven, and the revelations of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost.

    What avails the claims of such men to holiness of heart, when their examples do violence to the system of morality, to say nothing about religion? What more favorable idea, can one entertain who has heard them say that man has no more agency than a wheelbarrow, and consequently is not accountable, and in the final end of all things no such principle will exist as sin.

    This language, independent of many abominations that might be named, such as the Prophet’s fighting four pitched battles at fisticuff, within four years, one with his own natural brother, one with his brother-in-law, one with Ezra Thair, and one with a Baptist priest, speaks volumes.

    Their management in this place has reduced society to a complete wreck. The recent outrage committed here, viz. the burning of the Printing establishment, I have no doubt was nothing more, nor less than carrying into effect Smith and Rigdon’s last revelation that they had before they took their leave of this place between two days — in fact the lying, fighting, stealing, running away, &c., that has carried on among us are only reducing their theory to practice, and in some instances they have not only taught the theory, but have set the example themselves.

    And I am fully convinced that their precepts and examples, both in public and in private, are calculated to corrupt the morals of their votaries and cast a shade over their characters, which like the twilight of evening will soon settle into the gloom of midnight darkness; and had it not been arrested in its mad career, would have transmitted to succeeding generations, a system of hereditary tyranny, and spiritual despotism, unparalleled in the annals of the christian Church, the Church of Rome not excepted. But they have fled in the night; “they love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil; the wicked flee when no man pursuth.” — the printing establishment, book bindery, &c., was formerly the property of Smith and Rigdon; it had been sold the day previous to its being set on fire, by virtue of two executions obtained against them of one thousand dollars each, for issuing banking paper contrary to law.

    The establishment had fallen into the hands of those who have of late remonstrated against the wickedness of the above-named individuals; and had it not been sacrificed upon the altar of reckless fanaticism, it would no doubt at this time have been speaking the truth, as an atonement for an ill-spent life; a well grounded conviction of this fact was evidently one reason why Smith and Rigdon obtained a revelation to abscond; and that the press must not at all hazards be suffered to be put in requisition against them; also that God would destroy this place by fire, for its wickedness against his Prophets, and that his servants are swift messengers of destruction, by whose hands he avenges himself upon his enemies; this accounts for the outrage.

    This is but a preface to the catalogue of their iniquities that might be enumerated. But the most astonishing thing after all is, that men of common sense and common abilities, should be so completely blinded as to dispense entirely with the evidence of their senses, and tamely submit to be led by such men, and to contenance such glaring inconsistencies; and at the same time to be made to believe, that they had God for their author, and the happiness and well being of mankind for their end and aim. But the magic charm is broken at last; superstition and bigotry have begun to lose their influence and unclench their iron grasp from this devoted people who have “been led like lambs to the slaughter, and as a sheep is dumb before her shearers,” so have we not dared to open our mouths.

    However justice seems to be in pursuit of the workers of iniquity; and sooner or later will overtake them: they will reap a just and sure retribution for their folly. This then is the conclusion of the whole matter; they lie by revelation, swindle by revelation, cheat and defraud by revelation, run away by revelation, and if they do not mend their ways, I fear that they will at last be damned by revelation.

    M. [sic, W.] PARRISH. “

     

    References

    References
    1 ‘Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay – https://www.lds.org/topics/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng
    2 Letter to the editor, Painesville Republican, Feb. 15, 1838 – https://archive.org/details/PainesvilleRepublican02151838
  • Word of Wisdom

    Word of Wisdom

    Excerpt from a 1977 General Conference address by Gordon B. Hinckley: 1

    “The so-called Mormon code of health, widely praised in these days of cancer and heart research, is in reality a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 as a “Word of Wisdom” from the Lord. (D&C 89:1.) In no conceivable way could it have come of the dietary literature of the time, nor from the mind of the man who announced it. Today, in terms of medical research, it is a miracle, whose observance has saved incalculable suffering and premature death for uncounted tens of thousands.”

     

    Wine and Strong Drink

    ???? D&C 89 – 1833 2

    5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

    ???? Means of Preserving Health, and Preventing Diseases – 3

    P. 31 Those who indulge in wine and strong liquors, are, also, often afflicted with that painful and excruciating disorder, the gravel, which rarely yields to the power of any medicine hitherto discovered.”
    P. 31 Means of Preserving Health, and Preventing Diseases… Wine…when drunk frequently and copiously, it generally, sooner or later, injures the constitution, or renders it subject to inflammatory diseases. It is a powerful stimulant, the long continued use of which, rarely fails to induce debility. Hence, great wine-drinkers, somewhat advanced in life, are generally low-spirited, and often afflicted with a long train of hypochondrical symptoms and incurable diseases…
    P. 34 [Concerning distilled spirits] their frequent and excessive use is not only unnecessary, but highly injurious; and has destroyed thousands; perhaps more than either pestilence, famine, or the sword. I need not, therefore, take much pains to show their evil consequences, either in a medical, political, moral, or religious point of view;

    ???? Journal of Health – 1830 4

    P. 38 …strong drinks, which soon leads to intemperance and drunkenness.

     

    Hot Drinks

    ???? D&C 89 – 1833

    9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

    ???? Means of Preserving Health, and Preventing Diseases – 1806

    P. 92 It is supposed, that tea contains a volatile, cordial, or reviving principle; which, if admitted is nothing in favour of its wholesomeness for constant use; for powers of a stimulant nature, when long continued, are sure to be followed by an atonic or debilitated state of the stomach; and, finally, of the whole constitution. Many cheaper and more innocent substitutes may be found in our own country; which, if prepared in a similar manner, should be used rather cool than hot.
    P. 99 It is rare to see great and constant drinkers of strong tea and coffee, somewhat advanced in life, who have not some symptoms of weakness, tremors, or indigestion: wherefore, it is judged, that the great number and increase of paralytic, nervous, and hypochondriac diseases are, in part, to be attributed to the frequent and excessive use of those articles, drunk in a hot and strong state.
    P. 99 Did women know the train of diseases induced by debility, and how disagreeable these diseases render them to the other sex, they would shun tea as the most deadly poison. No man can love a woman eaten up with vapours…Avoid, likewise, the excessive use of hot drinks, such as coffee, chocolate, and tea, particularly the last, in which the inhabitants of this country indulge more than any other beverage

    ???? Journal of Health – 1830

    P. 18 Mrs.___complains of sick headache,—she cannot sleep, she is nervous and unhappy. Advise her to give up drinking coffee and green tea, and to take a walk in the open air everyday.
    P. 211 Even the use of coffee and tea must, in many cases, be discontinued.
    P. 332 I gave up at once the use of tea, coffee, and animal food.
    P. 351 You are better without coffee, tea, or chocolate.

     

     Tobacco

    ???? D&C 89 – 1833

    8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.

    ???? Means of Preserving Health, and Preventing Diseases – 1806

    P. 226 In no one view, is it possible to contemplate the creature man in a more absurd and ridiculous light; than in his attachment to tobacco. This weed is of a stimulating nature, whether it be used in smoking, chewing, or in snuff…
    P. 226 The progress of habit in the use of tobacco is exactly the same as in the use of spirituous liquors. The slaves of it begin by using it only after dinner; then during the whole afternoon and evening; afterwards, before dinner; then before breakfast; and, finally, during the whole night.
    P. 226 The oil of tobacco is of so active and virulent a nature, that a few drops of it have proven fatal.
    P. 226 This plant is possessed of narcotic properties, by which it produces, in those who first begin to smoke it, giddiness, cold sweats, vomiting, purging;

    ???? Journal of Health – 1830

    P. 37 Tobacco is, in fact, an absolute poison.
    P. 329 That few substances arecapable of exerting effects so sudden and destructive as this poisonous plant [tobacco].

     

    Meat

    ???? D&C 89 – 1833

    12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
    13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

    ???? Means of Preserving Health, and Preventing Diseases – 1806

    P. 108 A reason for avoiding much animal food, especially in cities, and during the summer season, is, that a great part of the fresh meat brought to market, becomes overheated and feverish by long keeping…and some, perhaps, has already undergone the incipient stage of putrefaction before it is cooked…It is therefore, recommended to all in hot seasons and climates, to abstain from much animal food…
    P. 119 …although animal food may be admissible by the human economy…for the most part, a small portion of it only is necessary; that the very temperate and sparing use of it is the surest means of preserving health, and obtaining long life; whilst the large use of it tends to the production of diseases…
    P. 114 Melted fat, or the drippings of baked and roasted meat, are equally, if not more, pernicious to the stomach than even stale butter, and both ought to be used only for greasing cart-wheels, and not for injuring human organs.

    ???? Journal of Health – 1830

    P. 351 Meat and fish ought to be used sparingly,
    P. 15 …the large majority of mankind do not eatany animal food, or so sparingly, and at such long intervals, that it cannot be said to form their nourishment. Millions in Asia are sustained by rice alone…

     

     

    Additional Study

    A Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom, BYU – http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6038&context=etd
    Temperance Movement – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement

    References

    References
    1 Joseph the Seer, Gordon B. Hinckley – https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1977/04/joseph-the-seer?lang=eng
    2 Doctrine Covenants 89, The Word of Wisdom – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng
    3 1806 Means of preserving health, and preventing diseases, 1806, Ricketson, Shadrach – https://archive.org/details/meansofpreservin00rick
    4 Journal of Health, 1830 – https://archive.org/details/journalofhealth01slsn
  • Elevation

    Elevation

    Doctrine and Covenants 9:8: 1

    “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”

    From the Wikipedia entry on Elevation (emotion): 2

    Jonathan Haidt is a preeminent researcher in the study of elevation and other positive moral emotions. He defines elevation as an emotion that is caused by witnessing virtuous acts or feats of moral beauty. He asserts that elevation elicits warm, pleasurable sensations in the chest, and it also motivates individuals to act more virtuously themselves. In his explanation of elevation, Haidt describes the three dimensions of social cognition. The horizontal dimension of solidarity refers to the fact that people vary in distance to the self in regards to affection and mutual obligation. For example, across cultures individuals act differently towards their friends than strangers. The second, vertical dimension is that of hierarchy, status, or power. Individuals moderate their social exchanges by the relative status of the people whom they are interacting with. Haidt asserts that individuals can vary along a third dimension, which he calls “elevation versus degradation” or “purity versus pollution.”  This vertical dimension refers to the fact that individuals vary in their state and trait levels of spiritual purity. When individuals feel disgust toward certain behaviors, this emotion informs them that someone else is moving down on the third dimension. Haidt defines elevation as the opposite of disgust, because witnessing others rise on the third dimension causes the viewer to also feel higher on this dimension.

     

    Additional Study

    The Evolution of Empathy – https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_evolution_of_empathy
    What’s “Emotional Reasoning”—And Why Is It Such a Problem? – https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201706/what-s-emotional-reasoning-and-why-is-it-such-problem
    Elevation and the positive psychology of morality – http://people.stern.nyu.edu/jhaidt/articles/haidt.2003.elevation-and-positive-psychology.pub026.html
    Is moral elevation an approach-oriented emotion? – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5215139/

    References

  • Google

    Google

    Excerpt from a 2015 BYU Idaho address Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, by Professor Jayson Kunzler: 1

    “As we humbly search the scriptures, we will come to know both Jesus Christ and his servant, Joseph Smith. In this connection, may I offer a suggestion to all of us? If we truly desire to know the Prophet, we must go to the right source—and that is not a Google search. As President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “Today, with the abundance of books available, it is the mark of a truly educated man to know what not to read.” The Lord gave us the key to knowing Joseph Smith when he said, “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom.” And what are the best books? They are the scriptures. The Savior taught that we “shall know them by their fruits.” We will come to know the Prophet by daily partaking of his fruit—the scriptures—more than any other writings.”

    References

    References
    1 Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, Jayson Kunzler, October 20, 2015 – https://video.byui.edu/media/Jayson+Kunzler+“Millions+Shall+Know+Brother+Joseph+Again”/0_jun5hvww/25962242
  • Sabellianism

    Sabellianism

    Apostle Russell M. Nelson referenced a list of things the Book of Mormon is during his October 2017 General Conference address. The following is an excerpt from that list: 1

    “The Book of Mormon affirms: The individual identity of Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.”

     

    From Wikipedia, Sabellianism: 2

    In Christianity, Sabellianism in the Eastern church or Patripassianism in the Western church (also known as modalism, modalistic monarchianism, or modal monarchism) is the nontrinitarian or anti-Trinitarian belief that the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son, and Holy Spirit are three different modes or aspects of one monadic God…

    Excerpts in the Book of Mormon where the with regard to the nature of the godhead reflecting a Sabellianism model: 3

    Mosiah 15:
    1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.

    2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—

    3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

    4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.

    5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

     

    Mosiah 16:

    15 Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen.

     

    Alma 11:

    38 Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?

    39 And Amulek said unto him: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last;

     

    Ether 3:

    14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.

    ..

    In the 1837 second edition of the Book of Mormon, edits were made to make it appear less Sabellian. Following are excerpts of these additions: 4

    [added text in the 1837 version]

    1 Nephi 11:18 “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest, is the mother of [the Son of] God, after the manner of the flesh.”

    1 Nephi 11:21 “And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of God, yea, even [the Son of] the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?”

    1 Nephi 11:32 “And it came to pass the angel spake unto me again, saying, look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, [the Son of] the Everlasting God, was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.”

     

    References

  • Wage of Sin

    Wage of Sin

    Excerpt from an April 1969 General Conference address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, The Dangers of the So-called Sex Revolution: 1

    “That law is irrevocable and inescapable and applies to all, whether we believe in God or not. Everyone is subject to its penalties, no matter how they may try to ignore them, The wage of sin is death (Rom. 6:23)—even to the unbeliever!

    Immorality is next to murder in God’s category of crime, and always brings in its wake both destruction and remorse, even to college students who carry the pill with a mother’s consent.

    This nation was built upon a foundation of morality and spirituality. It is just possible that a rejection of these basic factors may bring about its fall. It was so with Greece and Rome. It can happen to us unless we repent.

    Every one of us would do well to remember that the “mills of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.” No one can flout the divine law with impunity.

    Every right-thinking person should be willing even to die if necessary in defense of virtue, whether that death be physical or social.

    “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14) will forever stand as an immutable law to all human beings. This generation may rationalize itself into complete intoxication with sin and proclaim to high heaven that it is old-fashioned to be clean, but it will yet wake up to the stem reality that God does not change and that the moral laws are his and not man’s to shift with every whim.

    Adultery is still next to murder in the Lord’s category of crime (Alma 39:5).

    Homosexuality was made a capital crime in the Bible (Lev. 20:13).

    It was the Almighty who decreed that men and women must cover their nakedness by wearing proper and modest clothing (Gen. 3:21).

    No amount of rationalizing can change God’s laws. No amount of fashion designing can turn immodesty into virtue, and no amount of popularity can change sin into righteousness.

    Once again we Latter-day Saints affirm the reality of the existence of Jesus Christ. Once again, as his humble servants, we define his law of personal purity, and solemnly declare that sex sin is an abomination in the sight of God (Jacob 2:28).

    No one on earth can ever cancel the divine command that says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14).

    To this I humbly testify in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

    Leviticus 20:13, The Holy Bible: 2

    13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

     

     

    References

    References
    1 The Dangers of the So-called Sex Revolution, Apostle Mark E. Petersen – http://scriptures.byu.edu/gettalk.php?ID=1684
    2 Leviticus 20:13, The Holy Bible – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/lev/20.13
  • Horse

    Horse

    Excerpt from Wikipedia, Horses in the United States: 1

    “The horse evolved in the Americas, but became extinct between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago. When the Spanish arrived on the American mainland in the 16th century, they brought horses with them and re-established the animals on the continent.”

    Excerpt from a Fair Mormon article titled, Horses in the Book of Mormon Fair Mormon: 2

    “The most likely animals to have been included in the expanded definition of the Book of Mormon “horse” are the deer and the tapir.”

    “In my opinion, a more likely candidate for the Nephite loan-shift “horse” would have been the Central American tapir. Tapirs are one of only a few odd-toed ungulates–a family that includes the horse, zebra, donkey, onager, and the rhinoceros. These large grazing animals have common traits, including an odd number of toes on each hoof, a large middle toe, and a relatively simple stomach (as compared to other grazing animals like cows who regurgitate their cud for digestion).”

     

    Excerpts from The Book of Mormon regarding horses. 3

    “And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots…” – Alma 18:9

    “Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.” – 2 Nephi 12:7

    “And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.” – Enos 1:21

    “Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots;” – 3 Nephi 21:14

    “Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.” – Alma 20:6

    “And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.” – Ether 9:19

    “Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent, and their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion.” – 2 Nephi 15:28

     

    References

  • Burned with Fire

    Burned with Fire

    Excerpts from 3 Nephi, Christ is speaking to the remnant survivors in America, describing the destruction he’s caused: 1

    1 And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying:

    2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!

    3 Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.

    4 And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned.

    5 And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them.

    6 And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth;

    7 Yea, and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them.

    8 And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them.

    9 And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.

    10 And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations.

    11 And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them.

    12 And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

    13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

    14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

    15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.”

    Children represent roughly 25% of a population 2

    References

    References
    1 The Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi, Chapter 9 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/9?lang=xho&clang=eng
    2 US Census bureau – https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US#viewtop
  • Book of Mormon and DNA

    Book of Mormon and DNA

    Excerpt from the ‘Book of Mormon and DNA Studies’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay: 1

    The evidence assembled to date suggests that the majority of Native Americans carry largely Asian DNA. Scientists theorize that in an era that predated Book of Mormon accounts, a relatively small group of people migrated from northeast Asia to the Americas by way of a land bridge that connected Siberia to Alaska. These people, scientists say, spread rapidly to fill North and South America and were likely the primary ancestors of modern American Indians.

     

    Spencer W. Kimball
    The Lamanite: Their Burden, Our Burden
    Feb. 9, 1967 2

    (0:00)
    My beloved brothers and sisters. My fellow Indian students. It’s a joy to be with you and I appreciate this privilege of being with you, especially this week, during the Indian week.

    The Indian is the Lamanite. They are South Americans, Central Americans, Mexican, Polynesian and other Lamanites running into millions who are not specifically called Indians though they are related Lamanites.

    The Lamanites are a mixture of many. Undoubtably there is in their veins the blood of Nephi, Joseph and Jacob as well as that of Laman, Lemuel and Sam. Also of the Mulekites of Judah. They are not Orientals. They are from the Near East. The twelve apostles who were associated with the prophet Joseph proclaimed this to the world. Quoting “He, the Lord, has revealed the origin and the records of the aboriginal tribes of America and their future destiny, and we know it.”

    We also bear testimony that the Indians, so-called, of North and South America are a remnant of the tribes of Israel. Through the centuries, movements, discovery, explorations, settlement and colonization of the people of this land—it is not impossible that there could have seeped across the Bering Strait a little oriental blood as claimed by some people. And possibly a little Norse blood may have crossed the North Atlantic. But basically these Lamanites, including the Indian, are the descendants of Lehi, who left Jerusalem 600 years BC. In the general sense, we are the Gentiles having come from Gentile nations. The name ‘Indians’, given to the early possessors of the Americas by Columbus, as they intermarried with the invading European conquerers and nations were formed, they became Mexicans, Peruvians, Bolivians, Guatemalans and others. But the correct name for all the descendants of Lehi and Ishmael is Lamanite.

    This is an honorable name. It was the Lord who so designated it. Every descendant of Lehi should proudly say “I am a Lamanite, and I am proud of my heritage.” The Book of Mormon was written to the laminates who are a remnant of Israel, for the express purpose of convincing the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God. And that the Lamanites might know their ancestors and the spectacular promises of the Lord to them.

    (4:25)
    Wilford Woodruff, president of the Lords church, identified many of the larger tribes as Lamanites. President Joseph Smith and John Taylor called them lamanites as have all the presidents and leaders of the church since. And so we look upon the name as proper and dignified and fully acceptable. The Lord consistently called his people the Lamanites.

    (4:58)
    He [Moroni] probably saw with rather clear vision the deterioration, becoming savages without a written language, ignorant, superstitious and without God in their lives.

    (5:29)
    Undoubtably, he [Moroni] saw the inspired Columbus bridge the mighty deep and bring two worlds together. The explorers, the discoverers, the conquerers, the colonists, peopled the land. He would have seen the growing gentile nation throw off the thralldom of it’s mother country in the great revolutionary war. There, developing a constitution, and freedom, and all of this was in preparation for the restoration of the gospel with the Book of Mormon.

    (15:18)
    Whereas the Lamanites had been as numerous as the sands of the sea, through disease and warfare these numbers had dwindled by the time Columbus came. Likely there were fewer in the whole land left, than were killed in the one battle of Cumorah.

     

    References

    References
    1 Book of Mormon and DNA Studies, LDS Gospel Topic Essay – https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mormon-and-dna-studies?lang=eng
    2 The Lamanite: Their Burden, Our Burden, BYU Speeches (audio) – https://teknik.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball_lamanite-burden-burden/
  • Worldwide Flood

    Worldwide Flood

    Excerpt from ‘The Flood and the Tower of Babel’ published in the January 1998 Ensign:1

    There is a third group of people—those who accept the literal message of the Bible regarding Noah, the ark, and the Deluge. Latter-day Saints belong to this group. In spite of the world’s arguments against the historicity of the Flood, and despite the supposed lack of geologic evidence, we Latter-day Saints believe that Noah was an actual man, a prophet of God, who preached repentance and raised a voice of warning, built an ark, gathered his family and a host of animals onto the ark, and floated safely away as waters covered the entire earth. We are assured that these events actually occurred by the multiple testimonies of God’s prophets.

    References

    References
    1 LDS Ensign, ‘The Flood and the Tower of Babel’ (January, 1998) – https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/01/the-flood-and-the-tower-of-babel?lang=eng
  • 7,000 Years

    7,000 Years

    Doctrine and Covenants 77:6  [footnote]Doctrine and Covenants 77:6 – LDS.org[/footnote]

    “Q. What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals?

    A. We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence.”

     

    Crash Course:

    Doctrine and Covenants 77:6 – LDS.org

  • Not So Fair

    Not So Fair

     

    Image: Kerry Muhlestein is an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.[footnote]Kerry Muhlestein – Fair Mormon[/footnote]

     

    Defending Exclusive Truth Claims: LDS Apologetics video. [footnote]Defending Exclusive Truth Claims: LDS Apologetics (video) – Examining Religious Claims[/footnote]

     

     

    The Book of Abraham and Unnoticed Assumptions, 2014 Fair Mormon Conference:[footnote]The Book of Abraham and Unnoticed Assumptions, 2014 Fair Mormon Conference[/footnote]

     


    Crash Course:

    The Book of Abraham and Unnoticed Assumptions, 2014 Fair Mormon Conference (video) – Fair Mormon
    Defending Exclusive Truth Claims: LDS Apologetics (video) – Examining Religious Claims