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Finrock
Guest
Hello again GodIsGracious! 
There was another part of your post that I also wanted to comment on, which I have quoted below.
Speaking of the time when the Book of Mormon would come forth, the prophet Nephi wrote that many would reject the book:
“And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible…and we need no more Bible.” (2 Nephi 29:3,6).
In response to these denials, Nephi records the words of the Lord:
“Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word” (2 Nephi 29:6,7,8)?
In the past I’ve been amazed to hear people say almost verbatim what it reads in the Book of Mormon, that they have a Bible and don’t need anything more. Anyways, I always find it interesting to see this Book of Mormon prophecy being fulfilled.
Kind Regards,
Finrock
There was another part of your post that I also wanted to comment on, which I have quoted below.
I served as a missionary in Finland for the LDS church from 1996-1998. There were more than a few times when I would present the Book of Mormon to people and they would express sentiments such as you have expressed above, saying that they already have the Bible and do not need anything else. This always struck me as ironic and continues to do so to this day when I hear the same thing being said. I say ironic, because by denying the Book of Mormon because you already have the Bible, you are unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that is contained in the Book of Mormon.
Speaking of the time when the Book of Mormon would come forth, the prophet Nephi wrote that many would reject the book:
“And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible…and we need no more Bible.” (2 Nephi 29:3,6).
In response to these denials, Nephi records the words of the Lord:
“Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word” (2 Nephi 29:6,7,8)?
In the past I’ve been amazed to hear people say almost verbatim what it reads in the Book of Mormon, that they have a Bible and don’t need anything more. Anyways, I always find it interesting to see this Book of Mormon prophecy being fulfilled.
Kind Regards,
Finrock
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why_me
Guest
This thread was started by good ol BILLPICK, a catholic. He tends to start mormon threads to stir the pot. :yup:
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why_me
Guest
After the coming forth of the book of mormon, many people wanted a piece of him. Most of the time he was found innocent of wrongdoing.
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why_me
Guest
Through out his life, he was hounded by people. At this time he was 20 years old, just a young man. And I don’t believe that he was guilty of any crimes.
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twopekinguys
Guest
I hate to burst your bubble on this one, but the Spanish Inquisition that you refer to was started by the ruling monarchs of Spain at the time. Ferdinand II and Isabella I.
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ParkerD
Guest
Catholic20064 or others,
Here is the continuation of discussion about the articles you referenced, as I said I would provide:
No critics of Mormonism have shown “convincing proof,” other than of their own limited thinking and willingness to draw conclusions by unfounded conjecture.
To think that the Book of Mormon would not have quotations from Biblical writings, knowing full well that the Book of Mormon is based initially on the Brass Plates of Laban which contained writings of more prophets than even the known Biblical writings up to the point of 600 BC when Lehi’s family left Jerusalem, shows no understanding of the Bible itself. Prophets quote other prophets, often. Christ quoted prophets, often. That is the prophetic pattern.
I wish these particular authors would show the specific sets of text they are referring to in the Isaiah passage differences. Then serious and interested readers could draw their own conclusions, rather than trust this fourth-hand source with their obvious bias. I think it would be an interesting study. I found an article on the subject, but since it was an LDS source (could not find otherwise) I won’t bother anyone with the discussion points. It is a minor matter. I love the writings of Isaiah in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible–every chapter is a gem.
Here is the continuation of discussion about the articles you referenced, as I said I would provide:
AS FOR EXAMPLE?
No critics of Mormonism have shown “convincing proof,” other than of their own limited thinking and willingness to draw conclusions by unfounded conjecture.
To think that the Book of Mormon would not have quotations from Biblical writings, knowing full well that the Book of Mormon is based initially on the Brass Plates of Laban which contained writings of more prophets than even the known Biblical writings up to the point of 600 BC when Lehi’s family left Jerusalem, shows no understanding of the Bible itself. Prophets quote other prophets, often. Christ quoted prophets, often. That is the prophetic pattern.
I wish these particular authors would show the specific sets of text they are referring to in the Isaiah passage differences. Then serious and interested readers could draw their own conclusions, rather than trust this fourth-hand source with their obvious bias. I think it would be an interesting study. I found an article on the subject, but since it was an LDS source (could not find otherwise) I won’t bother anyone with the discussion points. It is a minor matter. I love the writings of Isaiah in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible–every chapter is a gem.
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twopekinguys
Guest
And why do you think that is? Do you think his behavior and actions had anything to do with it?
And yet the court did. Imagine that! People that were there, heard the testimony etc. found him guilty…I’m sure he was just misunderstood, just like when he changed the first vision how many times? Like when he ordered the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor. Like when he married 34 women (some of whom were married to other men).
Sure, I can see where he, like many others are misunderstood.
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twopekinguys
Guest
Need Help? I have a truck I’m not using
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ParkerD
Guest
Continuing:
Christ taught the Nephite group He visited, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” (3 Ne. 12:48) He stood among them as a resurrected being, just as He had among the eleven apostles. He was the example of what perfection is. Perfection means having a perfect resurrected body as well as being sinless and full of love and perfect peace and humility.
Lucifer or Satan was a fallen angel. (2 Nephi 2:17) The Isaiah passage about his fall is in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 24. His rebellion from having been a “son of the morning” is described. Whether he was a spirit brother is not in any scriptural text. He is deceptive at every moment beginning in pre-mortal life.
The plainly written doctrine of becoming a joint heir with Christ was reserved for the apostle John to write about in the book of Revelation, as Nephi says in 1 Nephi 14:21-27. Nephi was permitted to see it, but forbidden to write about it.
The fulness of the gospel is revealed by the process of revelation from God to His worthy covenant people, and that is clearly shown manifestly and repeatedly in the Book of Mormon.
The inference in paragraph one would be about temple ordinances. Temple ordinances are kept sacred by those who participate in them if they take their covenants seriously, and are understood as “not lawful to be written” as the Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 26:18 states. Compare 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, also Alma 12:9-10 about the mysteries of God. Why would they be talked about if they are not lawful to be written or uttered? These are serious-minded, covenant-keeping people we are talking about, not make-a-promise today and break-it-tomorrow people.
Christ taught the Nephite group He visited, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” (3 Ne. 12:48) He stood among them as a resurrected being, just as He had among the eleven apostles. He was the example of what perfection is. Perfection means having a perfect resurrected body as well as being sinless and full of love and perfect peace and humility.
Lucifer or Satan was a fallen angel. (2 Nephi 2:17) The Isaiah passage about his fall is in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 24. His rebellion from having been a “son of the morning” is described. Whether he was a spirit brother is not in any scriptural text. He is deceptive at every moment beginning in pre-mortal life.
The plainly written doctrine of becoming a joint heir with Christ was reserved for the apostle John to write about in the book of Revelation, as Nephi says in 1 Nephi 14:21-27. Nephi was permitted to see it, but forbidden to write about it.
The fulness of the gospel is revealed by the process of revelation from God to His worthy covenant people, and that is clearly shown manifestly and repeatedly in the Book of Mormon.
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ricko
Guest
Houston we have a problem! An intelligent man cannot see that Joseph Smith would have foreseen questions like the above and simply write responses to them in the BOM and cannot see that fact is “brainwashing” “beyond belief” ??Hello again GodIsGracious!
There was another part of your post that I also wanted to comment on, which I have quoted below.
I served as a missionary in Finland for the LDS church from 1996-1998. There were more than a few times when I would present the Book of Mormon to people and they would express sentiments such as you have expressed above, saying that they already have the Bible and do not need anything else. This always struck me as ironic and continues to do so to this day when I hear the same thing being said. I say ironic, because by denying the Book of Mormon because you already have the Bible, you are unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that is contained in the Book of Mormon.
Speaking of the time when the Book of Mormon would come forth, the prophet Nephi wrote that many would reject the book:
“And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible…and we need no more Bible.” (2 Nephi 29:3,6).
In response to these denials, Nephi records the words of the Lord:
“Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word” (2 Nephi 29:6,7,8)?
In the past I’ve been amazed to hear people say almost verbatim what it reads in the Book of Mormon, that they have a Bible and don’t need anything more. Anyways, I always find it interesting to see this Book of Mormon prophecy being fulfilled.
Kind Regards,
Finrock
Joseph Smith did the same thing with the missing manuscripts. He covered his behind again by simply writing about them in the BOM!
I am amazed that the Mormons cannot see something so simple as the two items above as a ruse by JS.
There is no prophecy being fulfilled, none at all. Just a cover up by JS when he wrote that book of lies.
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ParkerD
Guest
Conclusion of the discussion dealing with the Catholic website article:
The authors who wrote this without noting this difference that is as plain as day, are the ones “stung” by their own lack of reading skill.
Amulek knew the purpose and intent of the question. The “one God” of the Old Testament is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who is Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the Redeemer, the Creator, the Great I Am. Zeezrom was not in position to understand or be taught about God the Father, and it would have been futile and unnecessary for Amulek to try and do so under those circumstances.
Jerusalem was the known big city in the area, and the city the Nephites were intimately familiar with having left from there. The land of Jerusalem would encompass a wide area. Isaiah used references to cities often, meaning much larger areas and whole groups of people.
The Jaredites had honey bees with them when they were in the Old World valley of Nimrod, but that is the last place the bees are mentioned and there is no description to indicate they were carried with them in the barges used to cross the ocean to the New World.
The authors who wrote this without noting this difference that is as plain as day, are the ones “stung” by their own lack of reading skill.
Why not pray if God answers sincere prayers of the honest in heart? The authors don’t seem to trust sincere, heartfelt prayer as a source of inspiration and guidance from God. This is a clear case of saying in effect, “trust in the wisdom of men, not the hidden wisdom offered by God.”
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ParkerD
Guest
JPaul,
I added some points in bold print. You must understand the apostle John’s writings in Revelation about being a joint heir with Christ, on a throne, as a ruler, to even begin to grasp the concept you are trying to describe. It is all in the Bible, clearly and explicitly. But the Bible needs to be read, pondered, perhaps even prayed about–YES!
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Finrock
Guest
Good evening ricko! I hope you are doing well today.
Now, as far as what your point is, I think I understand what you are trying to say. If I understand you correctly, your contention is that Joseph Smith foresaw that people would say in response to the Book of Mormon that they already have a Bible and don’t need anything else and futher, I believe you are stating that because of his foreknowledge (or prediction), Joseph included a passage in the Book of Mormon to account for this objection. Is that your point?
If I got what you said right, then I would respond that sure, that is a possibility. For a bit more clarification, let me ask you, are you saying that what you suggest is a foregone conclusion or are you offering it as only your opinion? Meaning, are you taking the weaker position that it’s possible that Joseph Smith did what you described or are you taking the stronger position that it is probable or even* absolutely certain* that Joseph Smith did what you described? Your assertion is sufficient enough for the weaker position. All of us have opinions and we can express them as we like, and it certainly is a possibility that in writing the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith predicted that people would say those exact words as a means to deny the Book of Mormon and then wrote that in there so that it could seem like it’s a prophecy. Now, if you are taking the stronger position of probability or even absoluteness, then of course you’ll need stronger evidence to make that claim. Otherwise, your assertion just comes across as simply a prejudiced opinion.
“But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my poeple, O house of Israel” (3 Nephi 16:13)
OK, so according to you, is that verse a lie? Let me flip to another passage…
“Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel” (Alma 26:16).
How about this verse, is there something false in it? OK, one more cause this is kinda fun to see what comes up…
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moro. 10:32-33).
Are these verses lies?
If you think any of the verses I randomly flipped to are lies, I would be interested to know why and how.
Here is the thing about the Book of Mormon. It is it’s own best proof. You don’t have to believe in Joseph Smith. You don’t have to believe in the history of the Book of Mormon. Just take all those things away, and just look at the message. What is the Book of Mormon asking it’s readers to do? From cover to cover, the message of the Book of Mormon is this: Believe in God, believe in Jesus. Have faith that Jesus Christ is the Savior. Obey Jesus Christ and follow Him. Come to Jesus and be His disciple. If you trust in Him, obey His commandments, and endure to the end, you’ll find true happiness, true peace, and true joy. Not only here, but in the life to come. This is the message of the Book of Mormon, and this message is independent of whether or not Joseph Smith was a true prophet, or whether the LDS church is true, or whether the Book of Mormon history is real, the message of the Book of Mormon is independent of all these things. So, really, each person needs to decide for themselves if the message of the Book of Mormon good.
Kind Regards,
Finrock
I’d like to understand your objection a bit more, but you have what appears to be a question, so I must clarify first: Is this a rhetorical question or are you genuinely looking for a response? If you are looking for a response, can you please rephrase the question. It seems to be a statement ending with question marks, so I’m not certain how I would answer it in it’s current form.
Now, as far as what your point is, I think I understand what you are trying to say. If I understand you correctly, your contention is that Joseph Smith foresaw that people would say in response to the Book of Mormon that they already have a Bible and don’t need anything else and futher, I believe you are stating that because of his foreknowledge (or prediction), Joseph included a passage in the Book of Mormon to account for this objection. Is that your point?
If I got what you said right, then I would respond that sure, that is a possibility. For a bit more clarification, let me ask you, are you saying that what you suggest is a foregone conclusion or are you offering it as only your opinion? Meaning, are you taking the weaker position that it’s possible that Joseph Smith did what you described or are you taking the stronger position that it is probable or even* absolutely certain* that Joseph Smith did what you described? Your assertion is sufficient enough for the weaker position. All of us have opinions and we can express them as we like, and it certainly is a possibility that in writing the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith predicted that people would say those exact words as a means to deny the Book of Mormon and then wrote that in there so that it could seem like it’s a prophecy. Now, if you are taking the stronger position of probability or even absoluteness, then of course you’ll need stronger evidence to make that claim. Otherwise, your assertion just comes across as simply a prejudiced opinion.
These types of statements always baffle me a bit. I mean, I’ll randomly flip to a page in the Book of Mormon, and I want you to tell me if the passage I flip to is a lie (sorry, you’ll just have to take my word for it that I’m randomly flipping)…
“But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my poeple, O house of Israel” (3 Nephi 16:13)
OK, so according to you, is that verse a lie? Let me flip to another passage…
“Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel” (Alma 26:16).
How about this verse, is there something false in it? OK, one more cause this is kinda fun to see what comes up…
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moro. 10:32-33).
Are these verses lies?
If you think any of the verses I randomly flipped to are lies, I would be interested to know why and how.
Here is the thing about the Book of Mormon. It is it’s own best proof. You don’t have to believe in Joseph Smith. You don’t have to believe in the history of the Book of Mormon. Just take all those things away, and just look at the message. What is the Book of Mormon asking it’s readers to do? From cover to cover, the message of the Book of Mormon is this: Believe in God, believe in Jesus. Have faith that Jesus Christ is the Savior. Obey Jesus Christ and follow Him. Come to Jesus and be His disciple. If you trust in Him, obey His commandments, and endure to the end, you’ll find true happiness, true peace, and true joy. Not only here, but in the life to come. This is the message of the Book of Mormon, and this message is independent of whether or not Joseph Smith was a true prophet, or whether the LDS church is true, or whether the Book of Mormon history is real, the message of the Book of Mormon is independent of all these things. So, really, each person needs to decide for themselves if the message of the Book of Mormon good.
Kind Regards,
Finrock
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ricko
Guest
Good morning Finrock.
It is a great probabllity that Joseph Smith did forsee the objections as noted. Fin you are going to have to put aside that feeling in the bosom for just a little while, put on your objective thinking cap and turn on the common sense switch. Hard to let go of the “feeling” that you and LDS are right I know but try.
There are so many troubling things with the whole LDS concept, the golden plates disappearing, the seer stone, the apostasy, ongoing revelations, multiple gods, baptism of the dead, teachings contary to the bible and Christianity to such a degree that the LDS church is labeled a cult and rightly so.
Now, taking all of these things and many, many others together paints a picture of fraud and deception. The probability is extremely high that JS did write the BOM and included the two passages in question. Anyone committing a fraud would of course consider these objections and what better way to answer them than to write a book, claim it was Heaven sent and was written by a person who is now a angel. With some people all it takes is the claim (no evidence) that an angel was involved. They want to believe and so they do against good common sense.
The lost manuscript is so obiviously a ruse that it is hard to believe that anyone could believe the statement of JS and the comments about it in the BOM. There is always someone who will believe the improssible and improbable. There were people who believe the Roswell incident, they believed Jim Jones, Jim and Tammy Baker, the Heaven’s Gate people, the Jehovah Witnesses, etc, etc… We wonder, HOW could these people believe these groups? How could retired people give their checking account number to someone on the phone? I can only speculate that they WANT to believe and feel that there is something wrong with them if they don’t. The retired person who gives their account number away WANT to believe that the person calling them is a decent person. Now Fin, I don’t have any proof that the person asking for their account number is bad, but my common sense tells me that in all probability they are bad. That is how I known that Joseph Smith is not a prophet, wrote the BOM himself as his own invention and has misled many because of it.
God Bless
It is a great probabllity that Joseph Smith did forsee the objections as noted. Fin you are going to have to put aside that feeling in the bosom for just a little while, put on your objective thinking cap and turn on the common sense switch. Hard to let go of the “feeling” that you and LDS are right I know but try.
There are so many troubling things with the whole LDS concept, the golden plates disappearing, the seer stone, the apostasy, ongoing revelations, multiple gods, baptism of the dead, teachings contary to the bible and Christianity to such a degree that the LDS church is labeled a cult and rightly so.
Now, taking all of these things and many, many others together paints a picture of fraud and deception. The probability is extremely high that JS did write the BOM and included the two passages in question. Anyone committing a fraud would of course consider these objections and what better way to answer them than to write a book, claim it was Heaven sent and was written by a person who is now a angel. With some people all it takes is the claim (no evidence) that an angel was involved. They want to believe and so they do against good common sense.
The lost manuscript is so obiviously a ruse that it is hard to believe that anyone could believe the statement of JS and the comments about it in the BOM. There is always someone who will believe the improssible and improbable. There were people who believe the Roswell incident, they believed Jim Jones, Jim and Tammy Baker, the Heaven’s Gate people, the Jehovah Witnesses, etc, etc… We wonder, HOW could these people believe these groups? How could retired people give their checking account number to someone on the phone? I can only speculate that they WANT to believe and feel that there is something wrong with them if they don’t. The retired person who gives their account number away WANT to believe that the person calling them is a decent person. Now Fin, I don’t have any proof that the person asking for their account number is bad, but my common sense tells me that in all probability they are bad. That is how I known that Joseph Smith is not a prophet, wrote the BOM himself as his own invention and has misled many because of it.
God Bless
C
CHRISTINE77
Guest
However, Finrock makes a good point. Even if the Book of Mormon is an entirely fictional piece of work written by Joseph Smith, is there anything bad in it? It definitely teaches Christian and Old Testament things, along with being an adventure story of people in the New World. Obviously Finrock and other Mormons get a great deal out of it; a lot of spiritual guidance. Even if Joseph Smith made the Book of Mormon up, perhaps he was guided by the Holy Spirit. He certainly founded a church, a huge church, with very loyal followers. None of the other religions which were founded at that time in American history came close to the success of the Mormon Church.
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swplan76
Guest
Well done!
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Catholic20064
Guest
If he was guided by the Holy Spirit he would have directed people to the Catholic Church.
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swplan76
Guest
Everything is turned on a slightly different angle in LDS.
One huge thing is that heaven in the LDS is about **me **and my celestial kingdom. While on earth I get to build **my **family and get sealed to them on earth, so that in heaven **we **get to hang out together. One of the carrots offered to people who grow up in the LDS is that if they leave the church, they lose their “temple recomend” which is a kin to salvation, so they are no longer sealed to their family and they will not be able to hang with them in heaven. The power over whether they lose their temple recommend/salvation is determined by a council of deacons or elders or something. Men decide who will be saved or damned in the LDS. You can lose your temple recommend for various reasons. If you think in a way that is too unique, you can lose your recommend. If you do not tithe, you will lose your temple recommend. Salvation gone. Damnation. Decided by the men who run the church/ward you attend.
As far as I understand it the Bible presents the idea that heaven is about God. The activity of heaven is worship. When we come face to face with Him, we will be consumed with who He is, overwhelmed and unbelievably satisfied with being in His presence. We get to be eternally in the presence of God. From what I understand, LDS does not see it that way. Heaven will be a place where we are chillin with our homies (not LDS language) and building our own kingdoms. They believe we will get to become gods.
Another note on wards…
You have no choice about which church you attend. The section of the city you live in determines the church you will attend… I suppose if you don’t like the way the ward is run and you decide to go to another church, you might lose your temple recommend (I don’t know). I’ve heard of LDS people moving from one neighborhood they like because they don’t like the church they have to attend (It makes more sense to pick the church first and then find a house that will give you the freedom to attend that church).
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ParkerD
Guest
Christine,
Thanks for your comment here.
I have thought that I might as well point out several of the benefits of the Book of Mormon from the perspective of myself and my family. We read from it as a family, aloud together for a few minutes most evenings before bedtime. This is enjoyable for each member of the family. (We have also read some of the New Testament in this way, though not as much.)
One of the biggest benefits is that it shows how strong-willed and opinionated people (such as government leaders or even school teachers) can influence other people to do things they might not otherwise have thought of doing on their own. That influence can be subtle sometimes, but the result is that people can move in a direction that runs counter to the nature of real happiness and counter to the commandments of God.
The Book of Mormon does this in a way that brings the reader along successive experiences of people dealing with these kinds of issues in their lives, and how they rely on the strengthening influence of their knowledge of Jesus Christ and His plan for them as well as their knowledge of His commandments and the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost. My children have benefited from having read these experiences, and I have benefited personally over the years.
There are all kinds of choices to make in life, and all kinds of people we meet with personal agendas that may differ from our own beliefs. Those people may be very persuasive, may mix up the message to get a person to think their own belief is wrong or narrowminded, and may get the government on their side. I am so grateful that my children have the background of having read the Book of Mormon to have a stronger personal foundation for overcoming that insidiousness of outside influences. I see the benefits every day in the choices they make.
Another benefit is that my children have memorized some passages that really do strengthen their foundation in Christ. I can sense that strength when I hear them say the verse and hear their conviction about its truthfulness. They do that with Biblical verses also. Both sources are important for our family.
A third benefit is an influence toward being kind to people in the way Christ taught, and being helpful and generous. I am grateful that my children have been examples of that kind of living among their peers, and many parents have thanked us as parents for that–but it was our children who made their personal decisions to act the way they act, and be friends to those needing friendship.
Thanks again for your many kind and insightful comments, Christine.
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