#Nephi scripture insights

[mindfulldsliving]

Understanding 3 Nephi 12:3: The Richness of Spiritual Humility

When it comes to understanding the scripture in 3 Nephi 12:3, the idea of being "poor in spirit" can sometimes be confusing. What does it truly mean to be "poor in spirit"? It's more than just a passing phrase—it's a deep spiritual state

Understanding the Blessings for the Poor in Spirit In today’s ever-evolving journey of faith, many of us grapple with moments of spiritual inadequacy. We find a profound invitation in 3 Nephi 12:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me.” This verse isn’t a call to wallow in despair but rather a promise of hope and belonging to those who humbly reach out for divine assistance.…

[nottskyler]

3 Nephi 28:34

“And wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them;”

I really like the wording of among them and interpreted this as chosen among them and sent among them. And either this scripture is about how apostles and prophets are failing to fulfill their calling or about how the people we need to “harken unto” is a wider group than them.

What does it mean to be among them? I don’t know how to look up what words meant back in 1800’s when Joseph Smith translated the book, but I like many of the definitions on dictionary.com.

-“Familiar to or characteristic of” was the first nebulous idea I first had reading this. It made me think of representation of what congregations look like around the world. People of different walks of life and race and culture and gender and sexual orientation and most importantly class, which I guess also encompasses “in the number, class, or group”.

-”in, into, or through the midst of; in association or connection with; surrounded by” Was the closest to the other nebulous idea I had. One that indicates that they do more than sit on the pulpit and teach but actually come out into the crowd to know what it is like on the other side. To hear and listen to struggles and pains instead of praise and questions. Where they spend more time trying to lift burdens than preaching and administering the organization of the gospel, which is what makes me think it is more than prophets and apostles because they are called to lead the administration of the Church and so Christ needs ordinary people to minister since His leaders are called to administer.

-”with a share for each” was an interesting one that emulated how the people in 3 Nephi handled it, separating into groups and having one be over each. Do the apostles have areas they are over? I’ve never heard of that and would hate to see it unless it was after the matter of they are called to represent the people they are characteristic of. Someone who can give insights and application examples for specific cultures and situations unique to specific groups.

-but “by all or with the whole of” and “by the joint or reciprocal action” and “each with the other” were the ones that surprised me the most and what felt like the important part. They talk about being a chosen generation every generation, the scriptures talk about being chosen people, and so it is interesting to think of this about harkening unto each other. This need to acknowledge that everyone has truth and everyone has a part to play in the discovery of truth. The fact that we can be chosen from among them/us and still be there instead of lifted up to the stand. That salvation is not possible without learning compassion and charity for those around us.

I think it is profound that salvation is knowing other people: Listening to them, caring for them, healing them. After all that is literally what Christ did while alive and last chapter did say: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Nephi 27:27)

[wmb-salticidae]

Let's Read "Teachings of the Book of Mormon" by Hugh Nibley (and consider Mormon Xianxia) #5

Introduction + Master Post <== Last Post: 1:4 Setting the Stage, 600 B.C. || Introduction

1:5 Insights from Lehi's Contemporaries || Jeremiah

Nibley brings up Thales, Solon, etc. because we are still living in the house that the Axial Age philosophers built. He praises the students of Thales as "the first physicists," for saying that "you don't need God for your calculations." There is a materialist bent in Mormonism — spirits are composed of matter, God is unable to create anything ex nihilo — that was mostly abandoned in the 20th century.

You can go too far in your materialism, though, according to Nibley, and not just leave God out of the calculations but "resent" and "preach actively against" God. This is a problem largely because blah blah, how do you explain the beginning of the universe without God, blah blah.

Like a good Mormon in the tradition of the early church, Nibley considers the underlying vice of society to be the unfettered pursuit of wealth. Cain murdered his brother in order to obtain his brother's flocks. That is the original sin, if anything is (Mormons refer to the whole apple-eating business in Eden as simply a "transgression," a thing that was "disobedient" without being sinful, and they think it was actually a net positive event, and that Adam and Eve were excellent people).

He talks about this at length, but he's mainly quoting Greek historians, the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, etc., not any specifically Mormon scriptures, so I'm going to skip over most of this.

The four things that everyone wants: wealth, power, popularity, and the lusts of the flesh (which Nibley clarifies is not just sex). All of this stuff is good in moderation, but civilizations always fall when people are willing to kill other people to get more of it than they need (and taking food from the mouth of the beggar, or contributing to the beggar's poverty, is killing them by inches).

He is very careful to say that prosperity itself is not bad. The problem is not having a full belly of good food, but gorging yourself at the expense of other people, taking what you don't need and in the process depriving other people of what they do need. You get sick, and they starve.

When all else fails, and the society around you is ripening with wickedness and fit to burst, there is the "Rechabite principle," which is "get out of it, escape it, go to the desert, be by yourself." This is what Nephi's family is going to do early in the Book of Mormon: Jerusalem is soon to fall to Babylon, so Nephi's family is getting out of Dodge.

There is no guilt without condemnation: you can be wrong-incorrect without knowing what you are supposed to do, but you cannot be wrong-bad. Nibley explains that this is why God sends prophets to people who God already knows won't accept criticism.

Nibley quickly compares the Book of Mormon's obsession with Isaiah (who is quoted all over the place; the Second Book of Nephi is practically an exegesis on Isaiah) to the Dead Sea Scrolls and their own obsession with that prophet. More parallels between the Book of Mormon and ancient scriptures that Joseph Smith didn't have access to, you know.

The Book of Mormon is a tragic book; it is a "voice from the dust." It's very sad, as you know. It begins on a note of destruction and ends on a note of destruction. It begins with lone survivors in the wilderness and ends with a lone survivor.

Morcult Corner

One of the quasi-creationist theories of Mormonism is that the Earth was formed from the matter of previously-inhabited planets. This does not quite make sense given that the Earth itself is supposed to be "celestialized" or transformed into a physical Heaven inhabited by the most righteous of the resurrected dead. It also does not explain why less complex life forms seem to be layered more or less consistently beneath more complex life forms, and the detritus of these former planets all lack the sign of sapient life, which is rather confusing because the purpose of a life-bearing world is presumably to support human (or quasi-human) life.

So, let's say that planets are formed from other planets. Archaeologists, geologists, paleontologists — they learn about other worlds, former worlds, as much as they learn about their own. This also ties into the idea of ancient records being uncovered and "voices [speaking] from the dust." The present world has probably been inhabited for less than a hundred thousand years (probably considerably less). Some "scientists" say that their planet was actually formed millions of years ago and all living organisms descended from a single simple ancestor, but that's pseudoscientific bunk that doesn't fit the evidence at hand.

It is sometimes possible to find points of similarity between strata that correspond to the older planets that were combined to create Morcult World but for exactly the same reason that you can peruse an artist's complete portfolio and see relationships between older and newer works in terms of style, theme, progression of skill, et cetera: if normal people can eventually, eventually become Gods then it stands to reason that some Gods are less knowledgeable than others and must become more proficient creators, and that any God may have particular interests that distinguish their work even from Gods of comparable skill.

(Extra wrinkle: fossil fuels may be scarce on Morcult World)

[mormonophile]

Different editions of The BoM...how different are they?

So if I'm counting correctly, I have about 56 different copies of The Book of Mormon in my personal library. This includes a few foreign language editions (in Russian and Spanish). Most of them are just different formatting of the commonly available editions published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some are individual copies of The Book of Mormon, while others are part of "triple combo" or "quad combo' editions. If you're a non-Mormon, those terms may not mean a lot to you. They're nicknames for publications that combine the BoM with other LDS/Mormon scriptures, such as The Doctrine & Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and the King James Bible. Other editions of the 1920, 1981, or 2013 versions of the LDS text are annotated editions edited by various people. That accounts for most of my collection

However...some of the versions in my library are quite different from the usual LDS editions. I thought I'd take some time to address some of the more interesting non-LDS versions of the BoM in my collection. So here we go...forgive me if I come off as a total geek.

Facsimile Editions

Since the BoM, having been originally published in 1830, has long been in the public domain, several publishers have created facsimile editions that try to re-create the BoM in a similar format to how it first appeared. I have three different facsimile editions from different publishers, and I find them quite enjoyable to read sometimes. Joseph Smith originally published the BoM without chapter and verse numbering, in a single column format. So even though the titles of the various books (1 Nephi, 2 Nephi, etc.) are pretty much the same as modern editions, the text in each book is divided into paragraphs that read more like a novel than a Bible. Each of the facsimiles is a bit different the others: one has blue speckling on the sides of the pages, the thickness of each is a bit different, and the quality of the typeface is a bit different in each. (Also, two of the editions retain certain printing errors, such as the misspelling of the word "seen" in the Testimony of the Three Witnesses.)

Royal Skousen's The Earliest Text

There is probably no greater expert in the printing history of the BoM than LDS scholar Royal Skousen. In 2009 he published The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text, which was an attempt to reconstruct the text of the BoM in its earliest form, before it was actually published. This task was much harder than it may seem at first. The BoM as originally published was based on a handwritten manuscript (in English) with no punctuation or capitalization, only about 28% of which still survives. After the book was first published in 1830, Smith made hundreds of corrections to the original publication, and the Church has made numerous corrections and changes since then. Much more detail is given in the Introduction to the book, written by LDS scholar Grant Hardy. You can read the entire first edition for free online at Book of Mormon Central. Skousen released an updated Second Edition in 2022, with a brand new Introduction by himself, that is well worth reading for its insights into his process.

The Restored Covenant Edition

Several years ago, I stumbled over a leather-bound copy of the BoM at my local used bookstore, entitled The Book of Mormon: Restored Covenant Edition. It was clearly not published by the LDS Church, but it was beautifully laid out The Title Page included this interesting claim:

With text restored to its purity from the Original and Printer's Manuscripts as translated by the gift and power of God through Joseph Smith, Jr. from the original plates preserved by the hand of God to come forth for this time.

I found that intriguing, and added the edition to my collection. I later found out that the edition was published by the Zarahemla Research Foundation, and mostly edited by an RLDS scholar named Shirley Heater. For formatting of the text, this edition may be the most enjoyable one to read. A second edition of this version was recently published, only in softcover.

The Stick of Joseph in the Hands of Ephraim

Perhaps the most unusual version of the BoM in my collection is this publication, entitled The Stick of Joseph in the Hands of Ephraim. Of course, the different title catches the eye immediately, but it gets even more interesting from there. Much like some "Hebrew names" editions of the Bible, that use Hebrew names in the Old and New Testaments (Moshe, Chava, Yeshua, etc.), this edition replaces Nephi with Nefi, Moroni with M'roni, Jacob with Ya'akov, and so forth. No longer is the "translator" called Joseph Smith, Jr., but the much more Hebrew sounding "Yosef Ben Yosef." "The Lord" is replaced by "YHWH," to indicate where the Tetragrammaton (The Name of God) would likely have been found if the text were originally written in Hebrew (which, to my knowledge, no Mormon scholars had ever claimed).

It is an unusual publication, to be sure. However, if you really want to view the BoM as a literary creation of ancient Hebrews, rather than the creation of a 19th century American farmer, the way the text is handled in this edition is pretty evocative. As a non-Mormon, of course, I don't have any strong position on the origins of the book, so I'l let the reader decide whether this approach is valid or not.

So those are some of the more interesting non-LDS versions of The Book of Mormon in my collection. I will address some other versions as the blog continues. It may go without saying that, for most people, it's probably considerably easier just to get a free paperback BoM from LDS missionaries than it is to get a hold of one of the versions described above. But if you become interested in digging deeper into the text, as I have, you might find one of these publications to be useful or interesting. Thanks for checking into the Mormonophile blog!

[nerdygaymormon]

You said you feel like there is one more thing you are meant to do from inside the church, would you mind sharing what that one thing is? Also, I love your insights on everything, it has truly blessed me and my perspective as a gay member :)

Thank you so much for that compliment! :)

I feel like I need to keep that last thing private as it involves another person and their family.

Thanks for being interested. I appreciate that.

—————————————————————    

In Nov 2015 there were several things I thought would happen if I stayed

Helping young gay Mormons accept themselves

speak to leaders and help them understand better

speak to youth of my stake about being gay

maybe have a chance to share my story as a gay Mormon

Each of these went much bigger than I anticipated. For example, I thought I might talk with some local bishops or the stake president, not General Authorities.

—————————————————————    

Here is a list of things that I think fall within this idea of a work to do in the Church if I stayed rather than walk away in Nov 2015:

2016 - January - My church assignment changed from stake young men president to stake executive secretary. The stake president says it is so my unique viewpoint can be heard in all the highest councils of the stake

2016 - June - I wrote my first blog post and it received exactly 0 likes or comments (prior to this I had only reblogged from others). It was about meeting the Sistas in Zion.

2016 - August - met a Seventy, Elder Joaquin Costa, and came out to him and he treated me with kindness

2016 - November - received my first anonymous ask/comment

2017 - April - After Elder Joaquin Costa spoke in General Conference, I again wrote about meeting him in 2016, this time with more details. That post went viral, receiving over 500,000 hits (mostly from Facebook people linking to it).

2017 - April - that viral blog post caused a lot of people to contact me, including a lot of queer teens & twenty-somethings who were hurting.

2017 - November - met Elder Claudio Costa. He and I got off to a rough start on a Friday night, but by Sunday afternoon we were friends & he invited me to visit him in Utah

2018 - January - Spoke at a stake youth fireside, gave message specifically for LGBTQ youth who may be in attendance

2018 - February - Spoke to the bishops in my stake about how to respond if someone comes out to them

2018 - March - The Out Foundation published a profile of me as a gay BYU alumnus

2018 - June - PFLAG of Provo asked me to create a square for a quilt that would be carried at the July 4th parade

2018 - September - Had lunch with Elder Claudio Costa in Utah. I told him God must love LGBTQ people because He keeps making more of us

2018 - November - I was on an episode of the Queerstake podcast

2018 - December - I had dinner with Elder Dale Renlund and we discussed a letter I had sent him about being a gay member.

2019 - January - I received a letter of apology from a Seventy who had told me that my assignment was to get a wife. I had written to him about why that was inappropriate and how to better approach others about that subject in the future.

2019 - February - I was quoted in an online article about my reaction to the Policy of Exclusion and having it added in the Preach My Gospel for missionaries

2019 - April - A bishop asked me to help him be more sensitive to LGBTQ members in his congregation

2019 - June - Went to Utah and met both Elder Claudio Costa and Elder Joaquin Costa again

2019 - July - I was on an episode of Richard Ostler’s podcast Listen, Learn & Love

2019 - September - I was interviewed by a French weekly newspaper

2019 - October - I spoke in a stake priesthood meeting (all males age 12+) and I included some ideas of how they could use the new Church youth initiative to be sensitive to gay youth in their ward

2019 - November - I received an impromptu request to speak in my ward. I spoke about being gay and how that puts me in the position of Hagar, the servant of Abram & Sarai. Hagar gave God a name, “the god who hears me.” Like her I deal with hard things, and God hears me and other marginalized people

2020 - January - I wrote a letter to Elder Holland

2020 - February - Received my 1000th ask on Tumblr, which is just incredible to me. This has been a way for me to address subjects that are of concern to LGBTQ+ people

2020 - February - Became President of Affirmation’s Florida chapter. It’s been dormant for 5 or 6 years, so basically it’s like starting a brand new chapter. Will organize a few events each year so LGBTQ+ people, their friends & family, whose lives intersect with the LDS Church, past or present, can get together and meet each other and feel supported & part of a community.

2020 - ??? - I will have several quotes in a book by Richard Ostler

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Seeing this all compiled into one list is, wow, I don’t even know how to describe what I’m feeling, but I can see that I have done what was asked of me by staying.

If something happens tomorrow and I get hit by a bus or I feel like God releases me from being a member, I can leave satisfied

This list doesn’t include all the one-on-one interactions.

And also this list doesn’t include how I tried to use this this blog to provide some honest experiences and feelings of a gay member, including good and hard times, which I feel are often missing in church.

Also, on this blog I provided resources for queer members along with some perspective & history. I wanted to reframe how we view ourselves because the church & scriptures are often so negative about us. We aren’t meant to hate ourselves, we’re meant to have joy in this life.

“[People] are that they might have joy.” 2 Nephi 2:25

Have Joy! Research shows, and my own experience corroborates it, joy is most likely to be found in association with others.

Let’s find joy in life. If that means being part of the church with your friends & family, then find joy there. If it means finding companionship and letting go of loneliness, find joy in that. If it means walking away from institutions and people who hurt you and inhibit your ability to feel joy, then go find joy.

[eldermillarmissionblog]

General Conference is coming!

Hello everyone!

Who’s excited for General Conference? I sure am! For anyone who doesn't belong to this church, let me explain. Twice a year we have the privilege of hearing from the living prophet and apostles that guide our Church today. It will be broadcast on October 3rd and 4th at churchofjesuschrist.org. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear words of hope and encouragement, and to learn how we can draw closer to the Savior and follow in His footsteps. I invite all of you to watch it and see how you can become closer and more devoted to your Savior, Jesus Christ. :)

The work: 

Although we can still do some in-person lessons (provided that the family is healthy and okay with us coming), most of our contact with people is through phone calls or text. It's honestly super cool because we can reach out to more people, and often do it more efficiently than knocking on doors or street contacting. However, it also poses the problem that people can easily ignore us…haha. I think we were blocked quite a few times this week alone…haha, good times. As such, the work often seems kind of slow and inconsistent, but we did have an investigator named Will show up to church yesterday. He is an absolute stud. He is 17 and seems really motivated to learn more and be better. When we asked him what made him decide to come to church, he said that he woke up early that morning and just felt like God would want him to go to church. How awesome is that? I know that God definitely wants us to go to church so that we can fellowship with other people and all grow stronger in our faith together.

Spiritual thought:

Read the scriptures with a purpose in mind. Scripture reading is awesome and always really beneficial, but I can promise that if you read looking for an answer to a question, or for insights about a specific topic or principle, you will find an abundance of answers. This week I started reading the Book of Mormon again and decided to read looking for how the Savior can help us overcome trials. I have been amazed at how much the Spirit has opened my eyes concerning this topic. As one example, I learned from 1 Nephi 1:20 that God often does more than just deliver us from our trials. Through our faith, He will give us the power to overcome them. Read with a purpose. It's awesome.

Love you all! Sorry there are no pics for the week. 

-- Elder Millar

[medic-hoss-blog]

Dealing with a Spiritual Crisis?

I have been thinking a while on how I have gotten through life with its many ups and downs, and still be able to feel somewhat in control.  I wished that I could say that I have always been a strong, valiant, and unwavering disciple of Christ. Or do I? I raise that as a question, because I don’t believe that I could be where I am at today, if I had not had the challenges, questions, and Spiritual Crisis’s that I have. Recently a dear friend of mine shared a talk by Elder Neal A Maxwell that was given at BYU-I when I believe it was still Ricks College back in 1981. A version of this talk would be given by him at BYU as a devotional also.  As he talks about what we must do to remain upright, we need to be grounded, rooted, and established.  

As I have pondered this, I had been feeling the pressures in my life mounting as I have put more emphasis on becoming a better disciple of Christ, and feeling that as many new changes have come to the Church lately, that Satan has also increased his attacks. Then in this talk, a prophecy was quoted from Brigham Young where he said “that the Church would spread, prosper, grow and extend, and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise.” So what I have been feeling was not only prophesied by a Prophet of God at the beginning of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ, but continues to be taught and prophesied by modern day prophets and apostles. In a talk given in April 2017 called “The War Goes On” by Elder Larry R. Lawrence, he quoted the same prophesy along with other revelatory insight. Elder Lawrence taught “The premortal war was fought with words, ideas, debate, and persuasion (see Revelation 12:7–9, 11). Satan’s strategy was to frighten people.” Elder Lawrence also taught why we fought, saying “Why did you and I fight against the devil? We fought out of loyalty. We loved and supported our Father in Heaven. We wanted to become like Him. Lucifer had a different goal. He wanted to replace the Father (see Isaiah 14:12–14; 2 Nephi 24:12–14). Imagine how Satan’s betrayal hurt our Heavenly Parents. In the scriptures, we read that “the heavens wept over him” (D&C 76:26).

So how do we survive this Spiritual battle that we are faced with each day? I think that these two talks along with teachings in the scriptures give us the answers. Satan has NOT changed his tactics from the beginning battle in the premortal life. He is using words, ideas, debate, and persuasion to pull us away from the Fathers plan and go for His.  I also now, relate different to the word Contention, since we are taught that Satan is the Father of contention.  I used to just think of it as arguing, and fighting, but now also look at it as, confusion, questioning to the point of disbelieving, stirring us up to anger rather than leading us to find correct answers. 

So back to my first question of “Or do I”? A lifetime of questioning, searching, doubting, stumbling, and believing has brought me where I am today.  Looking in, some might see a polished easy going ‘no trouble’ life, but on the inside has been strengthened with screws, scare tissue, baling wire, and still some open healing wounds. I wouldn’t have the strength I have today if I hadn’t been tried and tested.  Like a story by President Gordon B. Hinckley about the tree he planted and left, only coming back years later to find that it had bent to the wind. He then had to make some radical changes to save it, likewise we might need to do the same. We also need to be aware of the warning signs that we are seeing today, and not be as those that ignored the signs that they knew to be true in 3 Nephi. 

Hoss Tomkinson

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2017/04/the-war-goes-on?lang=eng&_r=1#note3

https://byui-media.ldscdn.org/byui_ft/devo_audio/1981_04_07_ADV_Maxwell.mp3

[vanhinkoch]

Second Week Report: Getting Acquainted...

Hello Family and Friends!

I don't this email will be nearly as long as the last, because things are starting to get into a routine now. It's been really wonderful though, being here for 15 days now! I still reaffirm that I love being here at the Missionary Training Center so much, I don't understand why some people think of the MTC like a prison that they can't wait to leave! Elder Halverson wants to be in the mission field already; and while I understand being in Finland is going to amazing, I want to relish every moment I can here at the MTC. 1/12th of my mission experience is going to be here in Provo, I'll have the other 22 months to enjoy in Finland. For now, I'll be learning all I can about the gospel and language.

I'll start off by sharing some of the more secular/not gospel related stuff that has happened within these past 7 days.

Two things that I absolutely LOVE about my lifestyle right now: Exercise Time and Food.

Hahaha, it's so true!! My favorite part of the day is exercise time by far. Our zone predominately plays two games, Spikeball and Kill. Spikeball is alright, it's mostly a Utah kind of sport I guess, but nah; it's all about KILL >:D. Most of you already know this game, but the premise is that all the players stand in a circle and attempt to juggle a soccer ball to 3 to 4 times, then catch the ball after the 3rd or 4th hit and nail somebody to get them out. This is where I as an individual can have my talents shine, as I looove soccer, and nobody else in our zone has quite as much experience as I do. Everybody loves to play, and it's always a bundle of laughs. Another reason why I'm in no rush to leave the MTC, I'm going to miss exercise time with our zone and district.

And yes, I personally love how they feed us here at the MTC. I know some people who don't love it, but you have to a special kind of ungrateful to not love the food and effort they put into it. Every single meal is basically a buffet. You can have as much food as you want, there is a huge variety in drink options (I usually drink a glass of water + a glass of chocolate milk/coke for lunch and dinner) as well as meals scheduled, there's a nice salad/fruit bar, as well as the trusty left-over bar. They have a really awesome system here, and it's amazing how much they really care about all the missionaries. Best cafeteria experience I've ever had! Every single day I have a whole fruit, like an apple/orange/pineapple, as well as a salad. Plus the meals they prep everyday are very well rounded! It feels great to be so well nourished and taken care of. But don't worry Grandma and Grandpa, I still appreciate the "Pantry o' Plenty" experience I shared with you all when we lived together prior to this ;).

Now onto the more spiritual side of my week, and there's so much to cover, but I'll try and prioritize best I can.

Last Sunday was super great. It was sooo busy, it's funny how our "day of rest" is the one where we're running around to so many different meeting and workshops, Haha. I taught the lesson in priesthood class, alongside Vanhin Tracy, and we taught over The Creation, The Fall of Adam&Eve, and Agency. We prepared well, and led really good discussion! 1st counselor of our branch presidency commented on how he thought that was one of, if not the, best discussions he's ever witnessed during his 2 years at the MTC. So that's cool! Since I was assigned to be district leader, I led our district meeting, and I have to say I really enjoy doing that. I never thought of myself as a "natural" leader, but if I can be confident over a subject, and receive support from the people I'm with, it inspires me to believe that I am capable of being one. One thing I have certainly noticed is that I am certainly one of the least "knowledgeable" within our district; especially if we're talking about academics. I'm surrounded by a lot of bright and learned souls, sometimes it feels strange to be a "leader" over them.

A lot of my gospel knowledge has come through the Book of Mormon and the witness of the Holy Ghost, but a lot of the other district members are much more knowledgeable on the bible and deeper doctrines/history of our church. However, I have felt my relationship with the Holy Ghost become immensely strengthened since being here. I try to say more of my general prayers in Finnish, and it's the coolest thing feeling the spirit when speaking and thinking in a different language!!! But I've had some very profound experiences through prayer where I offered up the total desires of my heart in English, especially in the temple. Having this close companionship with the Holy Ghost has allowed me to keep up with the other missionaries, and teach with power. It's kind of really nice not being the smartest elder here, more many reasons, but most importantly it forces me to rely on the promptings of the Spirit. If I am to become a successful and effective missionary, I'm going to have to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost; I'll never be able to wing it based solely upon my gospel/language knowledge. I've had some fabulous teaching experiences, both in Finnish and English, and I give all the credit to the influence of the Spirit. Blessings come from being meek like unto a child, being humble and submissive, and keeping God's commandments. I can personally testify of this!

Last Tuesday, our devotional speaker was Sharon E. Eubanks, 1st counselor in the general Relief Society. She served her mission in Finland!!! She immediately became the coolest women's general authority ever. One really fascinating experience: She was speaking of how she knew an elder who grew up in Germany, spoke German, and had a German Father. He so badly wanted to serve his mission somewhere he could speak German, but got called to Finland. The Elder was initially livid to be speaking such an insignificant language, and felt that it was his destiny to serve German speaking. However, he ended up loving his mission and everything about Finland after he left the MTC. I'm not even making this up! You could imagine how I felt hearing this, having Sister Eubanks tell a story where it almost felt like I was her protagonist. After she told this story, I felt a surge to answer the next question she would address the missionary audience, which was composed of some 750+ Elders and SIsters! I chickened out on the first one, but I was on the edge of my seat so I could be first to raise my hand. Next question came, and I shot up, standing tall with my hand extended. Another Elder on the opposite side of the room did the same. It was a matter of who would have a mic ran to them first. Unfortunately, the mic runner on the other side of the hall was double stepping it, while my guy was just ambling his way up to me. I lost out, and didn't get to answer her question. She moved onto her next point, and I prayed that one more opportunity could present itself, and that I could share my thoughts and say something that would inspire the congregation. That opportunity never came. Family and friends, let me tell you, when you are denied the opportunity to speak and release the spirit that has so strongly filled your vessel, it is a truly awful feeling. There is a difference between disappointment from excitement, and disappointment from being robbed of sharing spiritually inspired thoughts. This was situation where both of these gauges were maxed out. I felt so terrible after that.

After the devotional, we were to have a district discussion over what insights and thoughts we had from the speakers. Me, being the district leader, was in charge of leading this discussion. Hahaha, family and friends, I could hardly look at my fellow elders and sisters without fighting off tears. The branch president was also there, and asked me to share any thoughts I had first. Haha, oh my goodness, I retold them of the experience I had where I was denied the opportunity to share the spirit, and I cried through telling the entire story. My moral of the story was that it isn't about us as missionaries. It isn't about us looking cool, or where we come from, and how we feel; it's about others. We are here to lose ourselves in the service of others, and the service of God. So perhaps God wanted me to realize that through this experience. Funnily enough, there was an immense spirit in the room as I spoke, and perhaps it was wisdom in the Lord that I share my thoughts personally with my district. It would've been so cool to be the German who got called to Finland, where Sister Eubanks served, in front of her and all the other missionaries; but I think that I was denied that opportunity so that I could bear profound testimony to my district. It isn't about me. It is about the people whom I am serving. It is about God and His plan for my progression on Earth. It felt wonderful to release the powerful spiritual feelings built up inside me with my district. Being worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost is so critical for me to have experiences like these. I hope that I am never found unworthy, and never grow content in my knowledge, but continually seek to be guided and led by the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord.

I want to try and make a habit of including Finnish in my emails, so I'll try and recite the Missionary purpose in Finnish (without cheating!).

Meidan Lähetyssarnaaja Tarkoitus:

Kutsua muita Kristuksen luokse autamalla heita ottamaan vastaan Palauttetu Evankeliumi, uskomalla Jeesuksen Kristuksen ja Hänen sovituksensa, tekemällä paranneus, ottamalla vastaan kaste ja Pyhen Hengen lahja, ja kestamalla loppun asti.

Moroni 10:5

"Ja Pyhen Hengen voimalla, sina voit tietää totuuden kaikesta"

I would like to extend a commitment to each of you this week, that you share a scripture that speaks to you with a friend (whether they be a member or not), and bear your testimony on why you like that scripture. I was able to share a scripture of my own, 2 Nephi 31:20, during TRC (basically teach a member fluent in your mission language a lesson), and while my Finnish was very poor, it magnified the spirit as I attempted to bear my testimony. Love and faith means is what pierces hearts, not clever words and logic. I invite each of you to do this and report back to me how it went. I expect 47 emails back ;) so do your part :P xD

I hope that all of you have a wonderful week :) It is always a joy to share my experiences with you all. Perhaps this email wasn't as short as I had originally thought it out to be! I hope to hear back from anybody who enjoyed the things I've shared, it means a lot! Also special shout out to last week's sponsors: Mom for the EUROPEAN FANTA she sent, as well as the Grandma and Grandpa for the huge sheet of delicious brownies!!! Letters from Mom, Dad, Saren/Donnie, and my Grandparents, were also wonderful. Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support! I love you all so much, I'm excited for the adventures of this next week, and to report back to all of you about it.

Until then,

Vanhin Koch

[karlyanalora]

A Better Understanding of The Fall

In the Pearl of Great Price, Moses has a vision where God shows him the entire history of the Earth. And in that vision he gets some clarification on The Fall. 

First, he gets some background. We got to the Council in Heaven, where God gathered all His spirit children (us) while we were still spirits and explained His plan. This plan required a savior; there were two volunteers: Jesus and Lucifer.

Now, apparently some people have pity for Lucifer, saying God was to harsh when He chucked him out to become Satan. But verse 3 explains this “Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;” Satan’s plan was to take God’s power and His glory, but none of the sacrifice. He wanted us to be puppets on strings, unable to act for ourselves. And he was ready to fight God to make it so.

Thus, Lucifer fell.

Joseph Smith points out that Moses gave us some more insight on the whole don’t eat the apple deal. “It is that the Lord said to Adam that if he wished to remain as he was in the garden, then he was not to eat the fruit, but if he desired to eat it and partake of death he was at liberty to do so.” Adam was innocent in the garden, unable to have children or progress. It was Eve, awesome lady she is, who decided it was time to make the leap and open the door for the rest of us to come to Earth.

Dallin H. Oaks also goes on to say

So, you see, The Fall is not a backup plan. Eve was doing her job admirably and it was Satan who misunderstood the plan.

For those of you wondering why Adam and Eve would want or need to leave the Garden of Eden, the ancient American prophet Lehi has some words:

“And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men care, that they might have joy. 

And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.” (2 Nephi 2:22-27)

Alma has some words about why we have a cherubim with a flaming sword and how it isn’t overkill.

“What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? And thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever.

“Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.

 “And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.

“And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

“Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.”

[mindfulldsliving]

Daily Cross-Bearing: Living True Discipleship Today

Discipleship is a journey woven deeply into the fabric of Christian faith. It beckons us to follow in the footsteps of Christ, embodying His teachings day by day.

Understanding Discipleship: Taking Up Your Cross in 3 Nephi 12:30 and Matthew 16:24-26 When we consider the words of Jesus in 3 Nephi 12:30 and Matthew 16:24-26, we find a call that pierces the heart of true discipleship: “Take up your cross.” These teachings challenge us to weigh the essence of following Christ against the pull of worldly gain. Christ urges us to deny ourselves and embrace the…

[healthwealthappiness]

How have the events that followed the first vision made a difference for me and my loves ones?

You can’t become what you don’t see.

I've been asked to speak about how the events that followed the first vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?

Gordon B. Hinckley said: "In all recorded religious history there is nothing to compare with it. The New Testament recounts the baptism of Jesus when the voice of God was heard and the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove. At the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw the Lord transfigured before them. They heard the voice of the Father, but they did not see him. Why did both the Father and the Son come to a boy, a mere lad? For one thing, they came to usher in the greatest gospel dispensation of all time, when all previous dispensations should be gathered and brought together in one."

Joseph Smith said:

I retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord; while fervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, surrounded with brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noon day. 

I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true . . . . I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation. 

 SOME EFFECTS: Let us not forget or take for granted the many precious truths we have learned from the First Vision and the events that followed it.

 We learn that when we care enough to desire God’s input in our life, He will reveal a refining course for us. At Joseph’s time all the denominations and sects were wrong.

We learn that every dispensation of time receives the visions, blessings, and glories of God.

We learn insight into how God chooses His prophets.

We learn that God chooses the pure in heart who are righteous and have righteous desires to do His work, confirming the teaching from the Bible that God looks upon the heart and does not choose based on outward appearance or social status or standing.

TIMELINE OF JOSEPH SMITH

1820 Age 14: Joseph receives the First Vision, of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in the Sacred Grove in answer to a prayer about which church to join.

1823 Age 17: Joseph is instructed by the angel Moroni for the first time, who reveals to Joseph information about an ancient record that will need to be translated and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1824 Age 18: Joseph is instructed by the angel Moroni at the Hill Cumorah until 1827.

After years of instruction, Joseph obtains the gold plates from the angel. He and his wife, Emma, face many persecutions.  

1828 Age 22: Martin Harris obtains certificate of authenticity from Professor Charles Anthon stating Joseph’s translation of a set of ancient characters is correct.  Anthon asks where the characters were found. Upon hearing Joseph’s story, Anthon withdraws certification and offers to translate the gold plates himself. Learning that part of the plates are sealed, he says, in fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 29:11), “I cannot read a sealed book.”

 Joseph Smith commences translation of the Book of Mormon with Martin Harris as scribe.

Martin Harris leaves Harmony with 116 translated pages of the Book of Mormon, against the Lord’s counsel, to show them to others and convince them of the truth of the translation. The pages are lost between June and July.

In July we see Joseph’s first known recording of a revelation immediately after receiving it (Doctrine and Covenants 3). The interpreters and plates are then taken from the Prophet by the angel Moroni. Later, they are returned to the Prophet by angel Moroni.

Elder Richard J. Maynes Of the Presidency of the Seventy said “it is an amazing and enlightening experience to analyze what we learn from this sacred, awe-inspiring experience.”

In his talk, the Fruits Of The First Vision, Elder Uchtdorf taught: “Through our faith in the personal witness of the Prophet Joseph and the reality of the First Vision, through study and prayer, deep and sincere, we will be blessed with a firm faith in the Savior of the world, who spoke to Joseph “on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. Faith in Jesus Christ and a testimony of Him and His universal Atonement is not just a doctrine with great theological value. Such faith is a universal gift, glorious for all cultural regions of this earth, irrespective of language, race, color, nationality, or socioeconomic circumstance. The powers of reason may be used to try to understand this gift, but those who feel its effects most deeply are those who are willing to accept its blessings, which come from a pure and clean life of following the path of true repentance and living the commandments of God.”

MORE EFFECTS: Joseph Smith’s First Vision is the key to unlocking many truths that had been hidden for centuries. 

We learn the reality of Satan’s existence and that he has actual power to influence the physical world, including us.

We learn that Satan’s power is limited and superseded by God’s power.

We learn that Satan will stop at nothing to destroy the work of God and that Satan must have known the importance of Joseph Smith in his role as the prophet of the Restoration.

We learn that we can overcome Satan by calling upon God and putting our complete faith and trust in Him.

We learn that where there is light, darkness must depart.

We learn that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate and distinct beings, resembling each other in features and likeness.

We learn that we are created in God’s image.

We learn that Christ is risen.

We learn that God knows us personally and is aware of our needs and concerns. He called Joseph by name.

We learn of the relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus defers to His Father, and the Father communicates with mortals here upon the earth through His Son.

We learn that Jesus Christ is beloved of His Father by the Father’s designating Jesus as His Beloved Son.

We learn that the true Church of Jesus Christ as He originally organized it was not found upon the earth at the time of Joseph Smith, confirming the reality of the Great Apostasy foretold by Paul the Apostle.

1829 Age 23: Oliver Cowdery arrives from New York and work on the translation recommences.

Joseph and Oliver receive the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist and are baptized.

Joseph and Oliver receive the Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John.

Joseph finishes Book of Mormon translation; three witnesses view the plates, see angel Moroni, and hear the voice of God; Eight witnesses see and handle the plates.

1830 Age 24: The Book of Mormon is made available to the public at E. B. Grandin’s Bookstore.

Joseph Smith officially organizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The priesthood offices of deacon, teacher, priest, and elder are announced.

1832 Age 26: Joseph is officially sustained as president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He serves in this position until his death.

My family has learned  many other  truths from these events. These include the eternal nature of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ; the struggle between good and evil; and other important aspects of the great plan of salvation.

We learn that the scriptures are true and can be applied in our lives.

We learn that pondering the scriptures brings power and insight.

We learn that knowledge alone isn’t enough; acting on what we know results in God’s blessings.

We learn to put our trust in God and look to Him for answers to life’s most important questions and not to put our trust in man.

We learn that prayers are answered according to our unwavering faith and according to Heavenly Father’s will.

God has spoken to Joseph Smith for the purpose of blessing all of God’s children with His mercy and love, even in times of uncertainties and insecurities, of wars and rumors of wars, of natural and personal disasters. In third Nephi the Savior said, “Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive." And from Alma 26:  "all who accept this invitation will be “encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love.”

You can’t become what you don’t see.

[evilxxmunkee]

Timing and Type About 35 years ago, when I was president of Brigham Young University, we were making plans to persuade the president of the United States to speak at the university. We had particular times that would suit our convenience, and we had in mind some things we wanted him to say and do while he was there. But all of us were wise enough to know that we could not contact the highest authority in the United States and invite him to come to the BYU campus—even to speak to 26,000 people—and put conditions on his appearance. We knew that in inviting the president, we had to say in effect, “We will welcome you whenever you can come and for whatever time you choose to be here and for whatever you choose to say and do while you are here. We will accommodate our schedules and our arrangements entirely to your visit.” Now, if that’s the way a community of 26,000 people must approach the highest authority of a nation, it should not be surprising that one person—however important—is in no position to put conditions upon or to impose personal timing upon a visit or communication from the Highest Authority in the universe. Indeed, this is the principle the Lord revealed to His children in the great revelation printed in the 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord said, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (verse 63). Next, the Lord declared that if our eye is single to His glory, our whole body will be filled with light and we will be able to comprehend all things. Then, His instruction continued with this great promise: “Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will” (verse 68; emphasis added). The principle stated in that revelation applies to every communication from our Heavenly Father. We cannot force spiritual things. In most cases, “his own way” is not the thunderous interruption or the blinding light but what the scriptures call the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12; 1 Nephi 17:45; D&C 85:6). Some have misunderstood this principle. As a result, some have looked exclusively for the great manifestations recorded in the scriptures and have failed to recognize the “still small voice” that is given to them. This is like making up our minds that we will learn only from a teacher who shouts and that we will refuse to listen to even the wisest teaching that comes in a whisper. We need to know that the Lord rarely speaks loudly. His messages almost always come in a whisper.

[examiningmormonism]

Are Book of Mormon Names Evidence for Authenticity?

One of the most common arguments for the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon is the use of nonbiblical personal and place names which have 1) sensible etymologies in Old World languages sometimes making contextual sense as wordplays and/or 2) have been verified from extrabiblical sources after Joseph Smith's day.

I find such arguments, taken as a whole, deeply unconvincing- despite a smattering of reasonably interesting cases. These cases are overwhelmingly the exception to the rule. A good model should account for the entire phenomenon of Book of Mormon names rather than picking out a few here and there and utilizing them as individual arguments isolated from the pattern of the text as a whole. 

Here are seven reasons why Book of Mormon names are not a sound argument for historicity. I begin with factors which undermine arguments for historicity and move towards arguments which mitigate against historicity.

-1- A survey of the Book of Mormon Onomasticon often- even typically- provides a list of possible etymologies, each of them called "plausible." I have never seen LDS scholars or apologists note how this completely undermines the argument for "direct hits." If you have three different plausible etymologies, at least two are chance connections, as these are mutually exclusive. So by virtue of providing different options, the LDS scholar has acknowledged the possibility and frequency of chance connections with ancient languages in unique Book of Mormon names.

-2- Claimed independent verification is often indirect and far afield from the Lehite exodus. For example, the oft-cited Jewish name "Alma" is found in a text dated 132 AD- 700 years after Lehi left Jerusalem! Moreover, the name is Aramaic and appears long after Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language (it was known as a liturgical and scriptural language only) among the Jewish people. As such, whether the word was actually used as a Hebrew personal name is unknown. The "A" in the name "Alma" could represent either the Hebrew aleph or the Hebrew ayin, both of them being real Hebrew words but with very different meanings. The common claim that Alma as a male name in the Book of Mormon would have been unthinkable as an invention of Joseph Smith because of its feminine gender in Latin is silly.

This is a very common mistake made by LDS scholars. On the one hand, they insist that Joseph was an unlearned farmboy. On the other hand, they compare the Book of Mormon with what would have been expected from a deeply learned scholar of his day. Was Joseph Smith a Latinist? Did he know Latin? How familiar was he with the notion of grammatical gender, which is not generally present in the English language? There is no evidence that Smith knew Latin or was particularly familiar with grammatical gender. The idea, therefore, that no person writing a text in his day would use Alma as a male name is unfounded. It is possible that Joseph vaguely recalled hearing about "alma" in a biblical context, as the word is used in Isaiah 7:14 (associated with the virgin birth in Christianity and thus given special importance) and generally understood (though alternative translations exist, i.e. those proposed by Eugen Pentiuc) to mean "young woman." This meaning is very interesting since the first reference to Alma in the Book of Mormon calls him a "young man." Were this derived from Hebrew and transliterated into English, the word "Elem" would be a much more natural fit.

-3- Independently documented nonbiblical Book of Mormon names are often very slight alterations of biblical names. The name Sariah is found in papyri from Elephantine, Egypt. But given that we are to evaluate Book of Mormon historicity based on a comparative analysis of two production contexts, the name is essentially a wash. One already convinced of historicity can, quite reasonably, note the presence of Sariah in extrabiblical documents as historical context for its use as the name of Lehi's wife. Nevertheless, the nonbelieving model for the production of the Book of Mormon explains the data equally well.

The name "Sariah" is a slight variation of the biblical name "Sarah." There is a one letter difference. Significantly, Sarah the wife of Abraham had her name changed from Sarai. Sarai provides the "i" which differentiates Sariah from Sarah. Moreover, an echo of the name of Abraham's wife makes sense given the story Smith is dictating. Smith is providing a history of a branch of the Israelite nation beginning with the wanderings of a family patriarch called by God to leave his homeland and journey to a new land of promise. This is the story of Abraham, called by God to leave Ur so that he might become the progenitor of a great nation in a land of promise. That Smith would give Lehi's wife the name "Sariah" is easily explained by a desire or instinct to echo the well-known story of Abraham without outright copying any of the personal names. Note, I am not saying that this is an argument against historicity. Instead, I am saying that the presence of the personal name "Sariah" is equally consistent with both models and thus provides an argument for neither.

The same applies to the name "Mosiah", though this name has no documentation from the ancient world outside the Book of Mormon. It does have a good Hebrew etymology as "the Lord saves." But it is easily explained as Smith's combination of "Moses" with the "iah" ending found throughout biblical literature. There is good evidence that the character of Mosiah is modeled on Moses. Mosiah leads his people to a new land. The language of Omni in describing the Lord's leading Mosiah and his people to the land is rooted in the story of the exodus. According to Omni 1:13, the Lord "by the power of his arm" lead Mosiah and his people through the wilderness into a new land of promise in Zarahemla. "Arm" language in the Bible is rooted in the exodus story. Compare:

And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness*, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord; and they were led by many preachings and prophesyings. And they were admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the* power of his arm*, through the wilderness, until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla. (Omni 1:13)*

lest the land from which you brought us say, "Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness." For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.' (Deuteronomy 9:28-29)

I should emphasize that I am not saying typology is an argument against historicity- this is a fallacious argument present in both biblical and Book of Mormon studies. Instead, I am saying that the presence of the name "Mosiah" is perfectly intelligible in light of Smith's background and a 19th century production context- as a conscious drawing of themes from the Old Testament into a biblically rooted history of ancient America.

-4- The most unique Book of Mormon names have the least extrabiblical documentation and sound etymology. Consider the names Mormon and Moroni. This sound very little like common biblical names. Thus, were they documented outside the Bible in the appropriate context, their presence would be a reasonable argument for historical rootedness (relative to this particular point- their overall significance, as with all arguments, must be determined relative to the whole fabric of argument and evidence) and somewhat striking. See:

https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/MORONI

https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/MORMON

Notice the lack of attestation for these words as personal names outside the Book of Mormon as well as the variety of mutually exclusive etymologies proposed. It is exactly where the Book of Mormon is "boldest" in departing from its biblical background that its language becomes the least intelligible as an ancient document.

-5- Personal and placenames often bear superficial resemblance to biblical names but lack etymological sense when actually considered in a Hebraic context.

Consider the use of the affix "ihah" in the Book of Mormon. This is very common- Moroni becomes Moronihah. Ammon becomes "Ammonihah." Nephi becomes "Nephihah." There are also instances of the affix without having a counterpart name lacking the suffix, such as Orihah. Notice how the same linguistic pattern appears in both Jaredite and Lehite names. This makes good sense if original names are being produced artificially from the same mind. It is hard to account for if these names have genuine and independent linguistic histories. The frequency of the affix "ihah" suggests that if the Book of Mormon is historical, it must have had a clear meaning in relation to those words to which it is affixed. The most natural source would be in the element derived from YHWH, such as in the theophoric names Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micaiah, Shemaiah, and so on. However, ihah makes little to no sense as a representation of the theophoric element found in "iah." See the entry in the Book of Mormon Onomasticon here:

https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/-ihah_As_an_Affix

In this insightful article, the origin of the affix is left unexplained. The author provides a series of powerful arguments against its origin as the theophoric element from YHWH. Yet, this linguistic anomaly is a pervasive feature of Book of Mormon names. Its explanation, therefore, ought to have an outsized role in considering the relative merits of our two possible production contexts. In an ancient production context, the origin of the affix is highly anomalous by normative linguistic principles. The anomaly is made more striking based on its presence in both Jaredite and Lehite names- two people groups with languages which should not be unrelated.

(I see absolutely no basis for demythologizing the Jaredite narrative with respect to the Tower of Babel. The implication is clearly that the Adamic tongue is not Hebrew and that it was unknown to those whose languages were confounded. We should not expect Jaredite names to resemble other Book of Mormon names, nor should we expect them to be intelligible in light of ancient Near Eastern languages.)

What about a production context in the 19th century? Here, "ihah" makes perfect sense. Needing to generate a reasonable variety of names and being familiar with the KJV Bible, Smith simply affixes "ihah" to many of the names already present in the text. As someone steeped in the Bible, Smith has heard countless names which have the "iah" theophoric element. For someone unacquainted with linguistics (as LDS scholars often point out), "ihah" sounds like a perfectly reasonable biblical-type name. This is exactly what one expects from a pseudotranslation. The result is a text with pervasive superficial similarities to biblical naming patterns but which makes little linguistic sense to one who has a understanding of the real structure and logic of biblical and ancient Near Eastern names.

-6- Proposed etymologies and ancient roots of Book of Mormon names are only possible when taken from a large "grab basket" of vaguely related ancient languages. I say "vaguely related" because Book of Mormon scholars are usually quite vague when attempting to explain the actual mechanisms of cultural cross-pollination which produced the family of names present in the Book of Mormon text. The proposed ancient Book of Mormon has personal and place names of Hebrew, Egyptian, Arabic, Akkadian- and Greek- backgrounds. How did these names come into the Lehite and/or Jaredite tradition? That Lehi was a sometime trader in Arabia and Egypt is simply not a sufficient explanation for how such a long tradition of names derived from these languages came to appear. While individual names might be intelligible in light of this or that language, there is no overarching theory coherently explaining the phenomenon of Book of Mormon names in its entirety.

It is highly instructive to contrast the contemporary situation in Book of Mormon studies with the principles set forth in Hugh Nibley's first article on the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon, "The Book of Mormon as a Mirror of the East", published in 1948. In this article, Nibley seeks to explain Book of Mormon names on the basis of Egyptian language and culture as known from the Third Intermediate and Late Periods, precisely the time closest to the time of Lehi of Jerusalem. Nibley laudably seeks an overarching explanatory model for Book of Mormon names taken together. He notes the possible objections of critics of historicity- aren't some links with authentic names likely given the size of ancient languages from which the Book of Mormon scholar can choose? Nibley agrees- coincidences are likely if this is our method. But, he argues, such a grab-bag is not what we find. Instead, we find that Book of Mormon names consistently derive from Late Period Egyptian and make sense in light of the historical contexts of Late Period Egypt.

Why is this instructive? Because many or most of Nibley's etymologies have not panned out in LDS scholarship after the publication of his 1948 article. I checked a sample of names commented on by Nibley with the Book of Mormon Onomasticon. What I found was exactly the situation Nibley suggested would be likely to occur by chance. The Late Period Egyptian sources for most names has been set aside or suggested as an alternative but less likely etymology. Instead of this nonrandom distribution of linguistic connections, one finds the grab bag approach. Lehi's family is a good example. Lehi and Sariah are Hebrew (though Lehi makes no sense as a personal name), Nephi is Egyptian, Laman is Arabic. One of Nibley's key etymologies is "Ammon" as derived from Egyptian "Amun." While I agree with Nibley that "Amun" is the supreme God corresponding to the Hebrew Yahweh in their identities and relative positions, it is unlikely that a prophet of Israel versed in the Israelite tradition would, for some reason, transmit a lengthy tradition of using the Egyptian title for the high God. And indeed, "Ammon" based names are easily explained as derived from the biblical personal name "Ammon" in "Moab and Ammon." This is actually found in 2 Nephi 21- one of the Isaiah passages, where Isaiah is referring to Moab and Ammon.

-7- Finally, and most problematically- where are all the Mesoamerican names?! Very few Book of Mormon names have even a proposed explanation in terms of Mesoamerican languages. Those few proposed explanations that do exist are either based on very simple, monosyllabic names or are highly dubious. Yet, it is a cardinal doctrine of contemporary Book of Mormon scholarship that the presence of indigenous outsiders is implied throughout the text and constituted an essential part of the historical Nephite and Lamanite experience. To give an example from one of my favorite and most astute Book of Mormon scholars, Brant Gardner explains the linguistic confusion between Mosiah and Zarahemla in terms of the relative geographical distribution of different Mesoamerican languages in the time of King Mosiah. Book of Mormon scholars universally hold that the Lehites joined with much larger preexisting indigenous populations and made a minimal genetic contribution. If this is true genetically, it ought to be true linguistically as well.

If Brian Stubbs is ultimately correct about Hebrew and Egyptian in Uto-Aztecan (Stubbs is a real scholar, but many linguists have idiosyncratic theories about relationships among languages which don't pan out- the test for Stubbs' model should be its coherence with the overarching historical situation in which this linguistic influence is supposed to have taken place), then what is being proposed is that Lehite union with non-Lehite populations entailed not only the adoption of the Lehite religious tradition, but the Lehite languages- not only Hebrew but also Egyptian! Why are the Nephites and Lamanites speaking Hebrew and Egyptian to each other and requiring that new populations use these languages as well? Appeals to a belief in the sanctity of the Hebrew tongue are unsound because they are supposed to have imposed the Egyptian language as well. This is a very unlikely historical situation.

Brant Gardner's suggestion that the Nephites would have retained Hebrew and/or Egyptian as scribal languages is far more plausible. But this raises an essential question. If Mesoamerican languages are the spoken languages of Nephites and Lamanites, why are most of their names based in Hebrew, Egyptian, Arabic, or some other language from that region of the Old World? Where is the memory of these widely varied names even coming from? Lehi's family would have been familiar with a host of names in the Old World, but within a couple generations it is probable that nearly all such names except those in the founding generation would have been forgotten. The only possible source for continuing Old World names in cultures speaking Mesoamerican languages would be the brass plates. But it was not as if the brass plates were accessible to everyone. They were sacred objects housed in the Nephite temple. Even if one were to plausibly suggest that copies were made to teach the people, only an elite scribal class would be able to read these copies. One would expect Old World names to constitute a distinct minority of personal names found among 1) the elite with access to Old World texts and 2) highly religious families whose devotion to their Old World religious heritage held special significance.

Yet, it appears that these names don't fit this pattern at all. We find Old World and biblically based names among Nephite, Lamanite, and even Jaredite (notice the bizarre presence of "Aaron" and "Levi", both Hebrew names in the Jaredite lineage) peoples. During periods where Book of Mormon peoples are supposedly highly assimilated to preexisting cultures, there is no leap in Mesoamerican names. For example, the harlot Isabel, probably though not certainly of Lamanite background, has an Old World name. This is hard to explain as an historical phenomenon. It is very straightforward on a 19th century model where the author of the Book of Mormon is steeped in the KJV Bible. Isabel sounds like Jezebel, and Jezebel is the paradigmatic harlot in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.

I think this is the most devastating factor in considering Book of Mormon names relative to the question of historicity. An historical Book of Mormon produced as a Mesoamerican codex should be filled to the brim with Mesoamerican names and names which only make sense in terms of Mesoamerican language. Yet we find almost nothing of this kind.

----

Summing Up

We have seen that Book of Mormon names have the following characteristics:

-Many or most have biblical roots: Sariah, Mosiah, and Amulek are examples- from Sarah, Moses, and Amalek, respectively.

-Many are constructed from roots superficially resembling biblical names but lacking intelligibility as actual Hebraic names: Names with the "ihah" affix.

-Lehite and Jaredite names appear to share the same background and structural principles: Levi, Aaron, Gilead (as in biblical Ramoth-Gilead), Orihah. I have made an exception for biblical names found in the antediluvian period and in the Jaredite story (as in Seth and Noah) because these make sense in terms of the internal narrative of the text.

-The clearest connections are with a Hebrew background.

-Names making sense on a Mesoamerican background are absent. Arguably, there is not a single Book of Mormon name which makes more sense as a Mesoamerican name than as a biblical-type name.

[thoughtfloodway]

Insights on Parenting from Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-46

I was inspired to do this from a school assignment, where I am majoring in Marriage and Family Studies. Although I tried to make sure it was in line with what the Spirit approves, it is likely not all right. Use the gift of the Holy Ghost to decide if any of this is applicable with you or others.

The first insight I got was from footnote 43b, on the word “sharpness.” It referenced Doctrine and Covenants 15:2, which used the word “sharpness” along with the phrase, “with power.” So part of “reproving with sharpness” is reproving “with power.” Before trying to write an example of what this would look like, my ideas varied and were not what I define it as now. Previously, I thought it to be like Super Nanny telling a girl very sternly to get ready for bed. But after looking up another example that came to my mind, from the Book of Mormon, I realized it is much, much different. The example I looked up was of Nephi telling to his brothers Laman and Lemuel to “touch [him] not.” When I actually saw it, I saw the attitude in it. Here is the exact quote: “In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even to the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed” (1 Nephi 17:48). I realized that Nephi was not just telling someone in a stern way that they needed to do something, or that they were wicked, or that bad things would happen if they disobeyed; he was speaking with the power of God, from spiritual anger, the kind which inspired Jesus to whip the sellers in the temple. This is the kind of teaching that is only for times when a person is being grossly disobedient to God. If reproving with sharpness is the most severe of correction that God wants us to give, then correcting our children in all other circumstances must be very peaceful.

One of the next insights I got was on the footnote on the word “reproving.” It referenced the Topical Guide for chastening. I went to the Topical Guide and read some of it. One of the scriptures was Deuteronomy 8:5, which said, “As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord God chasteneth thee.” Perhaps this verse is comparing Heavenly Father to our earthly father and how he teaches us, but it also got me to think that we shouldn’t chasten our kids in ways we wouldn’t want God to chasten us. This especially makes sense because Jesus told us that we should love others as much as we love ourselves and that as we forgive others (or do not forgive others), we will be forgiven by our Father in Heaven. So it makes sense that how we chasten our children could also be how Heavenly Father will chasten us.

The next insight I got was also from the Topical Guide for Chastening. I went to a reference there for Leviticus 26:28, but what really caught my eye was verses 29-31, where God told all the ways He’d punish His people if they did not repent. I went back to earlier in the chapter and looked for principles of his parenting. Though what I came up with may not be perfect, the principles I saw were in these steps: (1) a kid sins. (2) God teaches them and uses positive reinforcement. (3) He gives them time to change and actively helps them change if they want Him to help. (4) If they don’t change, then He punishes them, and he increases the punishment until they do change. Every blessing is predicated on keeping a commandment (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21). So, He basically just takes away the blessings that they no longer qualify for. Every blessing is a privilege. Therefore, you can discipline your children by taking away privileges they no longer qualify for.

I know this is already long, but there are two additional insights I would like to share. The first is on a footnote in verse 42, on the word “Soul.” It leads to the Topical Guide for understanding. If you replace the word “soul” with “understanding,” then you get that “maintaining [influence]” by “kindness and pure knowledge […] shall greatly enlarge the understanding.” And that, it seems to me, is a promise! Since understanding will lead to obedience (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/todd-b-parker/true-doctrine-understood-changes-attitudes-behavior/), kindness and knowledge will increase obedience! What a wonderful, useful promise to parents!

The 2nd is from the same verse, but from a footnote before it. It is from the footnote on the word “kindness.” It references the Topical Guide for courtesy, which describes being polite. Applying this to parenting, this tells me that we should give kids the same politeness our culture requires for adults. This also reminds me of something I learned while reading a blog post about parenting and other cultures. (Unfortunately, I could not find the blog to reference it here.) In either China or Japan, parents usually revere their kids as “adults in training.” This perspective definitely would cause you to be equally polite to children, as with adults.

Therefore, we know from these verses and insights from their footnotes that we must be sensitive to the Spirit, correct our children as God guides us to, treat our children how we want to be treated by God our Father, use positive enforcement, teaching, patience, and then punishment, and “maintain” authority by” kindness and pure knowledge,” which will be the most likely to increase obedience. There is more, but this does not have to be an end-all-be-all.

[eldermillarmissionblog]

Howdy!

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope you all had a good week. Our week here in Payson was honestly a little slow. Sadly a lot of our friends seem to be slowing in their progression or choosing not to continue meeting with us. That is always a bummer, but I know God has a plan for each of them and one day they will be prepared to receive the Restored Gospel. :)

We did have some really cool experiences this week though! I will share two of those experiences briefly.

First, we had a WONDERFUL lesson with Kelli. Kelli has been taught for a really long time, but has never committed to much. We have been striving to help her gain a testimony step by step. Since the middle of April she has been reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning and she is already half way through Alma (well over half of the Book of Mormon). She told us that each night she prays for God to open her heart to understanding. After having taught her everything in the past, we have been unsure of what to teach her, but we felt prompted to read 2 Nephi 31 with her. Without planning on it, we heavily discussed baptism and the Spirit was very strong. She is now committed to praying about when she wants to be baptized. Seeing her grow in her conversion and relationship with Jesus Christ has been amazing. Please pray for her!

Second, we had another awesome experience with Bryan. We taught him a lot about the Book of Mormon the other day and he has such great desires to know if it is true. While he was holding the Book of Mormon in his hand he said: "Guys, I just need to know if this is true. I need to know if Jesus is real." He has committed himself to reading it everyday and he is doing pretty well with that commitment so far. Please pray for him to receive an answer that it is true. 

Spiritual thought:

I read this verse the other day and it really stuck out to me. 2 Nephi 15:23-24

"And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction."

I know that as we hold fast to the iron rod (the word of God) we are promised increased protection from the Adversary and strength in hard times. However, we have to hearken unto the words of God. We cannot simply rely on the words of others or listening to others share their insights. Podcasts and other resources are great, but nothing can replace daily personal study of the scriptures. I would invite each of you to prayerfully consider how you can better hearken to the words of God in the scriptures and apply them in your life. I promise you alongside Nephi of old that your ability to feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and resist temptation will be heightened and you will find greater joy. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Love y'all!

Elder Millar

[heatherdvdprincess]

Insights on Parenting from Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-46

The first insight I got was from footnote 43b, on the word "sharpness." It referenced Doctrine and Covenants 15:2, which used the word "sharpness" along with the phrase, "with power." So part of "reproving with sharpness" is reproving "with power." Before trying to write an example of what this would look like, my ideas varied and were not what I define it as now. Previously, I thought it to be like Super Nanny telling a girl very sternly to get ready for bed. But after looking up another example that came to my mind, from the Book of Mormon, I realized it is much, much different. The example I looked up was of Nephi telling to his brothers Laman and Lemuel to “touch [him] not.” When I actually saw it, I saw the attitude in it. Here is the exact quote: “In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even to the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed” (1 Nephi 17:48). I realized that Nephi was not just telling someone in a stern way that they needed to do something, or that they were wicked, or that bad things would happen if they disobeyed; he was speaking with the power of God, from spiritual anger, the kind which inspired Jesus to whip the sellers in the temple. This is the kind of teaching that is only for times when a person is being grossly disobedient to God. If reproving with sharpness is the most severe of correction that God wants us to give, then correcting our children in all other circumstances must be very peaceful.

One of the next insights I got was on the footnote on the word "reproving." It referenced the Topical Guide for chastening. I went to the Topical Guide and read some of it. One of the scriptures was Deuteronomy 8:5, which said, "As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord God chasteneth thee." Perhaps this verse is comparing Heavenly Father to our earthly father and how he teaches us, but it also got me to think that we shouldn't chasten our kids in ways we wouldn't want God to chasten us. This especially makes sense because Jesus told us that we should love others as much as we love ourselves and that as we forgive others (or do not forgive others), we will be forgiven by our Father in Heaven. So it makes sense that how we chasten our children could also be how Heavenly Father will chasten us.

The next insight I got was also from the Topical Guide for Chastening. I went to a reference there for Leviticus 26:28, but what really caught my eye was verses 29-31, where God told all the ways He'd punish His people if they did not repent. I went back to earlier in the chapter and looked for principles of his parenting. Though what I came up with may not be perfect, the principles I saw were in these steps: (1) a kid sins. (2) God teaches them and uses positive reinforcement. (3) He gives them time to change and actively helps them change if they want Him to help. (4) If they don't change, then He punishes them, and he increases the punishment until they do change. Every blessing is predicated on keeping a commandment (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21). So, He basically just takes away the blessings that they no longer qualify for. Every blessing is a privilege. Therefore, you can discipline your children by taking away privileges they no longer qualify for.

I know this is already long, but there are two additional insights I would like to share. The first is on a footnote in verse 42, on the word "Soul." It leads to the Topical Guide for understanding. If you replace the word "soul" with "understanding," then you get that "maintaining [influence]" by "kindness and pure knowledge [...] shall greatly enlarge the understanding." And that, it seems to me, is a promise! Since understanding will lead to obedience (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/todd-b-parker/true-doctrine-understood-changes-attitudes-behavior/), kindness and knowledge will increase obedience! What a wonderful, useful promise to parents!

 The 2nd is from the same verse, but from a footnote before it. It is from the footnote on the word "kindness." It references the Topical Guide for courtesy, which describes being polite. Applying this to parenting, this tells me that we should give kids the same politeness our culture requires for adults. This also reminds me of something I learned while reading a blog post about parenting and other cultures. (Unfortunately, I could not find the blog to reference it here.) In either China or Japan, parents usually revere their kids as "adults in training." This perspective definitely would cause you to be equally polite to children, as with adults.

Therefore, we know from these verses and insights from their footnotes that we must be sensitive to the Spirit, correct our children as God guides us to, treat our children how we want to be treated by God our Father, use positive enforcement, teaching, patience, and then punishment, and “maintain” authority by” kindness and pure knowledge,” which will be the most likely to increase obedience. There is more, but this does not have to be an end-all-be-all.