Here's just a few quick notes to ponder while discussing these chapters. First, we see again Nephi using an oath commonly found amoung middle eastern peoples. After Zoram finds out the Nephi is not Laban, he tries to run away. He is caught by Nephi but continues to struggle until Nephi says "as the Lord liveth, and as I live...we would spare his life".
Once again Nephi swears by both his life and the Lords. And this seemingly simple phrase calms Zoram and convinces him to listen to Nephi and ultimately go with him. This is because of the emphasis and power placed on this type of oath. No one in that time would have considered breaking such a solemn covenant, and that idea has persisted through to our times. Hugh Nibly stated that "Hardly will an Arab break his oath, even if his life be in jeopardy, for there is nothing stronger, and nothing more sacred than the oath among the nomads."
One other note concerns the brass plates. We all know that the Lord, and consequently Lehi and Nephi, thought the brass plates were important. This is because the plates contained their religious teachings and prophecies from Adam to their current time. It also contained the Law of Moses and the 5 books of Moses, which were some of the most important scriptures to the Jewish people. Further, the plates recorded genealogy the Lehi's ancestors. When we look at the effect the plates had on the Nephites, we can see how their teaching were able to stay in line with the doctrines of the gospel and their language was preserved. This contrasts with the Mulekites, who left Jerusalem about 11 years after Lehi, but did not have access to any scripture. When the 2 civilizations eventually came together, the Mulekites had lost their language, religion, and civilization. It's amazing just what having the scriptures will do for a people!!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Notes from 1 Nephi 1-3
Once again, I was carried away in our conversations at the book club meeting and forgot to take notes. But I will do my best to recall some of the things we talked about.
One of the things that really stood out to me was when Nephi opened the book by stating that he was "born of goodly parents." I've read that line a hundred times but it wasn't until now that it occurred to me that that means Laman and Lemuel were ALSO born of goodly parents, yet we know they chose to take a much different path in life. One of the ladies pointed out that Nephi also said he had "been highly favored of the Lord" and that he "had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." She related that to the gifts of the Spirit, which is something I'd never thought of before. It makes a lot of sense too if you think about the different paths the brothers all chose. It was also pointed out that Sam was probably blessed with the gift of believing in other's testimonies. That was made evident in 1 Nephi 2:17.
Another interesting thing we noticed in these chapters was that when Heavenly Father wanted Lehi to see the fate of Jerusalem as well as the greatness of God, he gave him a book to read. We are also given books to learn more about God in our day. (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) I continued the conversation with my husband after the book club and we had a thought: If all we take with us from this life is our knowledge, feelings, and personality, then wouldn't it make sense that "having the veil lifted" doesn't mean we will know ALL things, but instead, that we will remember all the things we had done and learned in our pre-mortal and mortal existences? And perhaps, when we enter the next life expecting to learn the answers to the questions that plagued us in this life, we will simply be directed to a giant library of books where we can actually learn ALL things! (Obviously, none of this is doctrine, just us speculating.)
During our meeting we also talked about the tendency of characters in the Book of Mormon to turn to murder to solve their problems (i.e. the people in Jerusalem sought to take away Lehi's life when he preached to them, and Laman and Lemuel sought to take away Nephi's life whenever he did anything that made them mad.) It seemed really crazy at first that a person would ever see murder as a solution, but when you really think about it, we still have those feelings today (i.e. I sometimes feel like we should use capital punishment on people who molest and rape children) the difference is we've been given enough light and knowledge to know that that is not an acceptable or Christlike way to solve our issues, and killing in and of itself has become very socially unacceptable.
One of my favorite things that we talked about during our time together was Nephi's reaction to the information given him from his father, versus the reaction of his brothers. When you read 1 Nephi 2:16 Nephi says that the Lord "softened his heart". This suggests that he was also struggling with the words of his father. The difference came when he chose to pray for clarification and understanding instead of brooding and becoming angry about how crazy his father may have sounded.
Anyway, we talked about a lot of fun stuff and had a great time together talking about the gospel and eating yummy fruit and dip!
Next week we will be discussing 1 Nephi 4-6 and Stephanie has volunteered to bring a snack. Also, we will be meeting in the cultural hall (gym) of the Woodridge Ward Building. See you Friday at 9:00 am!
One of the things that really stood out to me was when Nephi opened the book by stating that he was "born of goodly parents." I've read that line a hundred times but it wasn't until now that it occurred to me that that means Laman and Lemuel were ALSO born of goodly parents, yet we know they chose to take a much different path in life. One of the ladies pointed out that Nephi also said he had "been highly favored of the Lord" and that he "had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." She related that to the gifts of the Spirit, which is something I'd never thought of before. It makes a lot of sense too if you think about the different paths the brothers all chose. It was also pointed out that Sam was probably blessed with the gift of believing in other's testimonies. That was made evident in 1 Nephi 2:17.
Another interesting thing we noticed in these chapters was that when Heavenly Father wanted Lehi to see the fate of Jerusalem as well as the greatness of God, he gave him a book to read. We are also given books to learn more about God in our day. (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) I continued the conversation with my husband after the book club and we had a thought: If all we take with us from this life is our knowledge, feelings, and personality, then wouldn't it make sense that "having the veil lifted" doesn't mean we will know ALL things, but instead, that we will remember all the things we had done and learned in our pre-mortal and mortal existences? And perhaps, when we enter the next life expecting to learn the answers to the questions that plagued us in this life, we will simply be directed to a giant library of books where we can actually learn ALL things! (Obviously, none of this is doctrine, just us speculating.)
During our meeting we also talked about the tendency of characters in the Book of Mormon to turn to murder to solve their problems (i.e. the people in Jerusalem sought to take away Lehi's life when he preached to them, and Laman and Lemuel sought to take away Nephi's life whenever he did anything that made them mad.) It seemed really crazy at first that a person would ever see murder as a solution, but when you really think about it, we still have those feelings today (i.e. I sometimes feel like we should use capital punishment on people who molest and rape children) the difference is we've been given enough light and knowledge to know that that is not an acceptable or Christlike way to solve our issues, and killing in and of itself has become very socially unacceptable.
One of my favorite things that we talked about during our time together was Nephi's reaction to the information given him from his father, versus the reaction of his brothers. When you read 1 Nephi 2:16 Nephi says that the Lord "softened his heart". This suggests that he was also struggling with the words of his father. The difference came when he chose to pray for clarification and understanding instead of brooding and becoming angry about how crazy his father may have sounded.
Anyway, we talked about a lot of fun stuff and had a great time together talking about the gospel and eating yummy fruit and dip!
Next week we will be discussing 1 Nephi 4-6 and Stephanie has volunteered to bring a snack. Also, we will be meeting in the cultural hall (gym) of the Woodridge Ward Building. See you Friday at 9:00 am!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Supplemental Reading for 1 Nephi 1-3
Here's a little background history and some random commentary that I hope will help with understanding more about Nephi chapters 1-3!
First some history. The Pharaoh of Egypt had exercised political control of the kingdom of Judah from 608 B.C. to 605 B.C. In 605 B.C., the Babylonians defeated Egypt at the battle of Carchemish and took control of the Jewish nation (see 2 Kings 23-25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 26-39). At this time, southern Palestine (the area controlled by the tribe of Judah and Benjamin- the other 10 tribes had already been scattered by Assyria) was made a vassal state of Babylon. However, the Jews decided to revolt against Babylonian rule and King Nebuchadnezzar came with his armies, surrounded Jerusalem, and ended the rebellion.
King Zedekiah was put in charge and it was in the first year of his rule that Lehi began preaching to the Jews against their wickedness and testifying that if they did not repent, Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed and the people scattered. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Lehi and also prophesied these same things. Jeremiah was eventually taken and cast into prison on charges of blasphemy by wicked priests who did not like his prophecies. Had Lehi stayed in Jerusalem, this would probably have been his fate too.
As a note, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 587 B.C. and carried away most of the Jews to Babylon. Those left behind eventually became the Samaritans and were hated by the Jews because they intermarried with other peoples while the main body of the Jewish people were in captivity. The majority of Jews were not permitted to return to Israel and rebuild the temple until after the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians and the Persian king Cyrus decreed the Jewish return in 537 B.C.
Because Lehi's life was in danger, the Lord commanded that he and his family should depart into the wilderness. They kept records of their journeys in what Nephi describes as consisting of "the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:2) Reformed Egyptian would then have to have been very efficient at conveying many ideas with few words. For comparison, in English it takes about 15 words to translate 7-10 Hebrew words. And Mormon and Moroni stated that they did not use Hebrew because the plates were not sufficiently large to hold all their writings in Hebrew. Reformed Egyptian must have been quite the shorthand!
Continuing with Lehi's journey into the wilderness, we read that they came to the borders of the Red Sea and travelled through days through this wilderness before setting up the camp. It was from this place that the Lord commanded Lehi to send his sons back to Jerusalem for the plates of brass. The distance from Jerusalem to the fountain (meaning the head or beginning of) of the Red Sea (this is known as the Gulf of Aqaba now- see Bible Map 2)) is about 180 miles through hot, barren, thief infested land. And they travelled 3 days beyond that before Nephi went back for the plates of brass. That makes it about a 12 to 14 day trip one way to return to Jerusalem. Long way!
A few notes on Laban. For Laban to have a genealogy of Lehi's family, they must have been distance relations. However, Laban had risen to enough prominence to command a garrison of 50 men, he met with the elders of the Jews (a strong political connection), and had control of a treasury that contained the plates of brass among other things. Laban must therefore had quite a bit of power and, as he was a cruel and greedy man, must have been an intimidating person with whom to meet.
On Jewish oaths. The Jews were commanded by in the Old law to perform all their oaths unto the Lord. In 1 Nephi 3:15 Nephi says that "As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us." An oath made in the name of the Lord and in the name of the person performing the action was the strongest oath and promise that could be made. It was as good as the strongest written contract would be today. It is evidence that Nephi not only believed what he said in 3:7, but that he was staking his life on his belief.
One last gospel commentary. in 3:22-24 Nephi and his brothers gather all their worldly goods, everything that made them wealthy in the world (as Lehi was wealthy) and they planned to give all these things to Laban in exchange for the brass plates. Dollar to dollar value would not even come close to comparing. But Nephi and Lehi wanted the plates to "preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time." (3:19-20)
This reminds of the parables given by the Savior in Matthew about treasures in Heaven. Christ said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. " (Matthew 6:1-21) Nephi and Lehi understood that the treasure that was the brass plates had the power to bring them to eternal life and innumerable treasures in heaven in the presence of God, while their worldly wealthy could not stay with them forever. I've always loved that lesson!
Hopefully this background makes reading these chapters more enlightening!
First some history. The Pharaoh of Egypt had exercised political control of the kingdom of Judah from 608 B.C. to 605 B.C. In 605 B.C., the Babylonians defeated Egypt at the battle of Carchemish and took control of the Jewish nation (see 2 Kings 23-25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 26-39). At this time, southern Palestine (the area controlled by the tribe of Judah and Benjamin- the other 10 tribes had already been scattered by Assyria) was made a vassal state of Babylon. However, the Jews decided to revolt against Babylonian rule and King Nebuchadnezzar came with his armies, surrounded Jerusalem, and ended the rebellion.
King Zedekiah was put in charge and it was in the first year of his rule that Lehi began preaching to the Jews against their wickedness and testifying that if they did not repent, Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed and the people scattered. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Lehi and also prophesied these same things. Jeremiah was eventually taken and cast into prison on charges of blasphemy by wicked priests who did not like his prophecies. Had Lehi stayed in Jerusalem, this would probably have been his fate too.
As a note, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 587 B.C. and carried away most of the Jews to Babylon. Those left behind eventually became the Samaritans and were hated by the Jews because they intermarried with other peoples while the main body of the Jewish people were in captivity. The majority of Jews were not permitted to return to Israel and rebuild the temple until after the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians and the Persian king Cyrus decreed the Jewish return in 537 B.C.
Because Lehi's life was in danger, the Lord commanded that he and his family should depart into the wilderness. They kept records of their journeys in what Nephi describes as consisting of "the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:2) Reformed Egyptian would then have to have been very efficient at conveying many ideas with few words. For comparison, in English it takes about 15 words to translate 7-10 Hebrew words. And Mormon and Moroni stated that they did not use Hebrew because the plates were not sufficiently large to hold all their writings in Hebrew. Reformed Egyptian must have been quite the shorthand!
Continuing with Lehi's journey into the wilderness, we read that they came to the borders of the Red Sea and travelled through days through this wilderness before setting up the camp. It was from this place that the Lord commanded Lehi to send his sons back to Jerusalem for the plates of brass. The distance from Jerusalem to the fountain (meaning the head or beginning of) of the Red Sea (this is known as the Gulf of Aqaba now- see Bible Map 2)) is about 180 miles through hot, barren, thief infested land. And they travelled 3 days beyond that before Nephi went back for the plates of brass. That makes it about a 12 to 14 day trip one way to return to Jerusalem. Long way!
A few notes on Laban. For Laban to have a genealogy of Lehi's family, they must have been distance relations. However, Laban had risen to enough prominence to command a garrison of 50 men, he met with the elders of the Jews (a strong political connection), and had control of a treasury that contained the plates of brass among other things. Laban must therefore had quite a bit of power and, as he was a cruel and greedy man, must have been an intimidating person with whom to meet.
On Jewish oaths. The Jews were commanded by in the Old law to perform all their oaths unto the Lord. In 1 Nephi 3:15 Nephi says that "As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us." An oath made in the name of the Lord and in the name of the person performing the action was the strongest oath and promise that could be made. It was as good as the strongest written contract would be today. It is evidence that Nephi not only believed what he said in 3:7, but that he was staking his life on his belief.
One last gospel commentary. in 3:22-24 Nephi and his brothers gather all their worldly goods, everything that made them wealthy in the world (as Lehi was wealthy) and they planned to give all these things to Laban in exchange for the brass plates. Dollar to dollar value would not even come close to comparing. But Nephi and Lehi wanted the plates to "preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time." (3:19-20)
This reminds of the parables given by the Savior in Matthew about treasures in Heaven. Christ said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. " (Matthew 6:1-21) Nephi and Lehi understood that the treasure that was the brass plates had the power to bring them to eternal life and innumerable treasures in heaven in the presence of God, while their worldly wealthy could not stay with them forever. I've always loved that lesson!
Hopefully this background makes reading these chapters more enlightening!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Notes from the Introductions and Testimonies
On Friday the 16th we had our very first BOM book club meeting and it was FANTASTIC! Four of us showed up, got our kids busy in the nursery room, grabbed some cookies to munch on, and began our discussion about the introduction chapters of the Book of Mormon.
It was really neat to read the BOM from the first page and to be reminded why we have it, and what it's real purpose is (which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what the covenants of the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever - And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.)
As we discussed the introduction further, a lot of comments were made about the character of the witnesses and how we are more like them then we realize at times. As Jennie pointed out earlier, many of them eventually left the Church, although they never denied their testimonies of the Book of Mormon. The times they were living in were harsh and the things they were asked to do were difficult. Looking at them from my life right now, I can see how it would have seemed easier to leave it all behind then deal with the cards they were dealt.
How often do we, in our much simpler lives, feel that it would be easier to stay home from church than wrestle small children for 3 hours, or skip going to the temple for a month rather than spend endless hours trying to find and coordinate with a babysitter? Our circumstances are different than theirs, but the little excuses and moments of doubt we experience can easily lead us down that same path.
That being said, I think we all felt a little more gratitude for Joseph Smith for enduring far more than we could ever imagine and still sticking to it until the bitter end. A consequence of thinking about these men as individuals with real lives and feelings has strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon and the doctrines it contains. I mean, if you really think about it, if a person as flawed as we all are could bring about such a great work, then surely the hand of God must have been involved, and SURELY with the help of our Heavenly Father we can accomplish ALL things!
Anyway, the conversation was so intriguing that I forgot to take notes, so now I can't remember everything we talked about. Perhaps the other ladies in the group can chime in with some of the things they remember in the comment section. But until then, I just wanted to end this with my last thought as I was finishing up reading the intro pages...
When I was reading through the brief explanation of the Book of Mormon, I was suddenly struck with feelings of gratitude and humility toward Mormon and Moroni. All the work they did, dedicating their very lives to making sure we, in our day, could read this book, came at a great cost. The loneliness alone that they experienced is more than I can imagine having to bare. But they did it because I believe they felt a great deal of the love our Heavenly Father feels for us. That same love that allowed Moroni to continue his work with Joseph Smith and see the fruits of his labors. That same love that coaxes me out of bed each day and buoys me up in my times of need. That same love that is flowing through every page of the Book of Mormon. And they knew we would need to feel that love, so they finished what they started no matter the cost and we are all so very lucky that they did!
For next week we will be discussing First Nephi Chapters 1-3. We will be meeting in the nursery room of the Woodridge Ward Building at 9:00 AM and I will be bringing a HEALTHY (but delicious) snack for us to munch on. Hope to see you all there!
It was really neat to read the BOM from the first page and to be reminded why we have it, and what it's real purpose is (which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what the covenants of the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever - And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.)
As we discussed the introduction further, a lot of comments were made about the character of the witnesses and how we are more like them then we realize at times. As Jennie pointed out earlier, many of them eventually left the Church, although they never denied their testimonies of the Book of Mormon. The times they were living in were harsh and the things they were asked to do were difficult. Looking at them from my life right now, I can see how it would have seemed easier to leave it all behind then deal with the cards they were dealt.
How often do we, in our much simpler lives, feel that it would be easier to stay home from church than wrestle small children for 3 hours, or skip going to the temple for a month rather than spend endless hours trying to find and coordinate with a babysitter? Our circumstances are different than theirs, but the little excuses and moments of doubt we experience can easily lead us down that same path.
That being said, I think we all felt a little more gratitude for Joseph Smith for enduring far more than we could ever imagine and still sticking to it until the bitter end. A consequence of thinking about these men as individuals with real lives and feelings has strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon and the doctrines it contains. I mean, if you really think about it, if a person as flawed as we all are could bring about such a great work, then surely the hand of God must have been involved, and SURELY with the help of our Heavenly Father we can accomplish ALL things!
Anyway, the conversation was so intriguing that I forgot to take notes, so now I can't remember everything we talked about. Perhaps the other ladies in the group can chime in with some of the things they remember in the comment section. But until then, I just wanted to end this with my last thought as I was finishing up reading the intro pages...
When I was reading through the brief explanation of the Book of Mormon, I was suddenly struck with feelings of gratitude and humility toward Mormon and Moroni. All the work they did, dedicating their very lives to making sure we, in our day, could read this book, came at a great cost. The loneliness alone that they experienced is more than I can imagine having to bare. But they did it because I believe they felt a great deal of the love our Heavenly Father feels for us. That same love that allowed Moroni to continue his work with Joseph Smith and see the fruits of his labors. That same love that coaxes me out of bed each day and buoys me up in my times of need. That same love that is flowing through every page of the Book of Mormon. And they knew we would need to feel that love, so they finished what they started no matter the cost and we are all so very lucky that they did!
For next week we will be discussing First Nephi Chapters 1-3. We will be meeting in the nursery room of the Woodridge Ward Building at 9:00 AM and I will be bringing a HEALTHY (but delicious) snack for us to munch on. Hope to see you all there!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Supplemental Reading for The Introductions and Testimonies
It's amazing that, for as many times as I've read the Book of Mormon, I rarely take a moment to read these initial testimonies. But reading through them this time has given me a powerful reminder of just how important the BofM is in our developing a testimony of Jesus Christ. I'd like to offer a few thoughts about the introductions and testimonies found at the beginning of the BofM.
First, the title page to the BofM according to Joseph Smith is a literal translation taken from the last leaf, left hand side of the gold plates and was written by Moroni. The title page contains the thesis statement or purpose of the BofM. It is written "to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations". To me, this statement reminds me that Jesus is the Christ- my personal Savior- and that through His Atonement, I can make covenants with the Lord that will return me into His presence.
Next comes the Introduction, written to give an overview of the history of the BofM peoples and some of the crowning events found therein. The lines that stuck out to me in the third paragraph described how when Christ visited America he gave instructions that "puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come." I thought this was a very succinct summary of the gospel of Christ. I also enjoyed the quote by Joseph Smith found further down the page that states, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."
When I read the testimonies of the witnesses, I am humbled by the fact that these men were given the privilege of seeing and handling the plates and were given the opportunity of testifying of its truth to the world. I find it interesting that all 3 witnesses-David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery- did eventually apostatize from the church, though Harris and Cowdery did later repent and return to membership. But even after their apostasy, none of them denied their testimony of the Book of Mormon. Even David Whitmer, who never returned to activity in the church, never did denounce his testimony included in that of the 3 witnesses. Similarly, 3 of the 8 witnesses were also excommunicated, but did not deny their experiences or testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I love the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith because it shows how he had to learn and progress in order to be worthy of his calling from the Lord. Sometimes I think that he must have been nearly perfect in order to be given such an assignment, but the fact that it took 4 years of preparation before he was even allowed to remove the plates, shows that he needed to learn and grow just as I do. This account also strengthens my testimony that God will protect us and assist us in doing the works that he has commanded. There are numerous accounts of attempts made to steal the plates from Joseph, starting with the very night he received them. Men hid in the woods and attacked him as he ran for home. But God kept Joseph and the plates safe until the work was finished, just as He will protect us as we strive to do His will.
One last note. In seminary I wrote down 3 keys through which the light of the Holy Ghost allows us to understand the Book of Mormon, and I'd like to share them. First, remember the BofM is a modern witness that Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 8:6, 2 Nephi 25:22-30). Second, remember that this was written for our day-for us (Mormon 8:34-37). Third, remember you can know for yourself that this book is true through revelation from the Holy Ghost (Moroni 10:3-5).
-Jennie Smith (Naomi's cousin)
Note from Naomi: The BOM Book Club will be held this Friday, September 16th, at 9:00 AM at the Woodridge Ward Building. For anyone who can not come but still wants to participate, Jennie and I will be doing weekly posts on this blog about the topics we are studying. Feel free to follow along and leave your thoughts and feelings in the comment section for the rest of us to see! Otherwise, see you Friday!
First, the title page to the BofM according to Joseph Smith is a literal translation taken from the last leaf, left hand side of the gold plates and was written by Moroni. The title page contains the thesis statement or purpose of the BofM. It is written "to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations". To me, this statement reminds me that Jesus is the Christ- my personal Savior- and that through His Atonement, I can make covenants with the Lord that will return me into His presence.
Next comes the Introduction, written to give an overview of the history of the BofM peoples and some of the crowning events found therein. The lines that stuck out to me in the third paragraph described how when Christ visited America he gave instructions that "puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come." I thought this was a very succinct summary of the gospel of Christ. I also enjoyed the quote by Joseph Smith found further down the page that states, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."
When I read the testimonies of the witnesses, I am humbled by the fact that these men were given the privilege of seeing and handling the plates and were given the opportunity of testifying of its truth to the world. I find it interesting that all 3 witnesses-David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery- did eventually apostatize from the church, though Harris and Cowdery did later repent and return to membership. But even after their apostasy, none of them denied their testimony of the Book of Mormon. Even David Whitmer, who never returned to activity in the church, never did denounce his testimony included in that of the 3 witnesses. Similarly, 3 of the 8 witnesses were also excommunicated, but did not deny their experiences or testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I love the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith because it shows how he had to learn and progress in order to be worthy of his calling from the Lord. Sometimes I think that he must have been nearly perfect in order to be given such an assignment, but the fact that it took 4 years of preparation before he was even allowed to remove the plates, shows that he needed to learn and grow just as I do. This account also strengthens my testimony that God will protect us and assist us in doing the works that he has commanded. There are numerous accounts of attempts made to steal the plates from Joseph, starting with the very night he received them. Men hid in the woods and attacked him as he ran for home. But God kept Joseph and the plates safe until the work was finished, just as He will protect us as we strive to do His will.
One last note. In seminary I wrote down 3 keys through which the light of the Holy Ghost allows us to understand the Book of Mormon, and I'd like to share them. First, remember the BofM is a modern witness that Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 8:6, 2 Nephi 25:22-30). Second, remember that this was written for our day-for us (Mormon 8:34-37). Third, remember you can know for yourself that this book is true through revelation from the Holy Ghost (Moroni 10:3-5).
-Jennie Smith (Naomi's cousin)
Note from Naomi: The BOM Book Club will be held this Friday, September 16th, at 9:00 AM at the Woodridge Ward Building. For anyone who can not come but still wants to participate, Jennie and I will be doing weekly posts on this blog about the topics we are studying. Feel free to follow along and leave your thoughts and feelings in the comment section for the rest of us to see! Otherwise, see you Friday!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Welcome!
Hello Ladies,
Welcome to our book club blog! Today my purpose is to give you a little explanation of what it is I'm trying to do, and why I'm trying to do it. So to start us out, I'm trying to set up a weekly book club to help us get more out of our Book of Mormon studies. I'm hoping we can meet in the church (where our kids can run around in a separate room) once a week to discuss our thoughts feelings, and insights from our weekly studies. Assignments on specific chapters will be given out each week so we are all on the same page and can better discuss our readings, and yummy snacks may occasionally be provided!
The reason behind putting this together is two-fold. Number one, I'm getting REALLY bored with my scripture study. I tend to be a one time reader. I loved the Harry Potter series but I only read each book once and plan to keep it that way. So its only natural that re-reading the Book of Mormon again and again gets a little trying on my attention span. However, I've found over the years that listening to the insights of others sparks interest in my studies. It's amazing what a new set of eyes and experience can bring to the table, and I often find myself surprised that I missed whatever it was that other people discovered. I'm hoping that by sharing thoughts with a group of people, I will be able to, once again, rediscover my love of the scriptures and their many secrets!
The second reason for starting this club is because I AM LONELY! I grew up in Utah where all my ward members lived on the same block as me and it was easy to make friends. Chicago has been a different beast. I feel secluded and apart from everyone in our ward. I also just went from a calling in the Young Women's Organization to one in the Primary, furthering my separation from adults my age who share similar life situations. I'm hoping that this club can help ALL of us to feel like we are a part of something and that we all have friends who are there for us, who know what we are going through, and who share the same love of the Gospel with each other.
I hope that each of you will strongly consider this invitation to be a part of my BOM book club and that if you really don't think you can fit it in to your busy schedules, you will at least drop by this blog occasionally to see what others have shared about our meetings as well as the scriptures.
Sincerely,
Naomi Hanks
P.S. I think I am going to tentatively schedule our first meeting for Friday, September 16th, at 10:00 AM in the Woodridge Ward Building. If you are planning to come, please read the BOM Introduction, The Testimony of Three Witnesses, The Testimony of Eight Witnesses, The Testimony of The Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon before you come. I will bring some yummo snacks and hopefully we will be able to enjoy an hour of good food, company, and conversation!
Welcome to our book club blog! Today my purpose is to give you a little explanation of what it is I'm trying to do, and why I'm trying to do it. So to start us out, I'm trying to set up a weekly book club to help us get more out of our Book of Mormon studies. I'm hoping we can meet in the church (where our kids can run around in a separate room) once a week to discuss our thoughts feelings, and insights from our weekly studies. Assignments on specific chapters will be given out each week so we are all on the same page and can better discuss our readings, and yummy snacks may occasionally be provided!
The reason behind putting this together is two-fold. Number one, I'm getting REALLY bored with my scripture study. I tend to be a one time reader. I loved the Harry Potter series but I only read each book once and plan to keep it that way. So its only natural that re-reading the Book of Mormon again and again gets a little trying on my attention span. However, I've found over the years that listening to the insights of others sparks interest in my studies. It's amazing what a new set of eyes and experience can bring to the table, and I often find myself surprised that I missed whatever it was that other people discovered. I'm hoping that by sharing thoughts with a group of people, I will be able to, once again, rediscover my love of the scriptures and their many secrets!
The second reason for starting this club is because I AM LONELY! I grew up in Utah where all my ward members lived on the same block as me and it was easy to make friends. Chicago has been a different beast. I feel secluded and apart from everyone in our ward. I also just went from a calling in the Young Women's Organization to one in the Primary, furthering my separation from adults my age who share similar life situations. I'm hoping that this club can help ALL of us to feel like we are a part of something and that we all have friends who are there for us, who know what we are going through, and who share the same love of the Gospel with each other.
I hope that each of you will strongly consider this invitation to be a part of my BOM book club and that if you really don't think you can fit it in to your busy schedules, you will at least drop by this blog occasionally to see what others have shared about our meetings as well as the scriptures.
Sincerely,
Naomi Hanks
P.S. I think I am going to tentatively schedule our first meeting for Friday, September 16th, at 10:00 AM in the Woodridge Ward Building. If you are planning to come, please read the BOM Introduction, The Testimony of Three Witnesses, The Testimony of Eight Witnesses, The Testimony of The Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon before you come. I will bring some yummo snacks and hopefully we will be able to enjoy an hour of good food, company, and conversation!
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