Monday, June 28, 2010

40p - This Post Is a Repeat of Post 38y. Joseph Smith, the Prophet Who Translated the Book of Mormon by the Power of God, Lived a Christlike Life!

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TODAY'S THEME
Painting: Del Parson
Joseph Smith
The First President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Perhaps we can say that Joseph Smith began his training as a Prophet of the Lord as a seventeen year old when he was instructed by the Angel, Moroni during the night of September 21, 1823 while in his upstairs bedroom in his parents' home.
Painting: Tom Lovell
The Prophet Moroni of Ancient America, now an angel of the Lord, Instructs the young Joseph Smith regarding his (Joseph's) soon to come, prophetic responsibilities, especially regarding his, (Joseph's) translating the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ which was written on golden plates by Moroni's father, Mormon and hidden up in the earth by he, Moroni in about A.D. 421.

We will skip ahead many years in the life of the prophet, Joseph Smith to the fall of 1838:

One of the desires of the early Latter-day Saints was simply to be allowed to live their religion in peace. But wherever they moved, peace eluded them. In 1833, just two years after the dedication of a place of gathering in Missouri, mobs forced the Saints to leave Jackson County, Missouri. Church members found temporary refuge in Clay County, Missouri, and then, in 1836, began moving into northern Missouri. Most of them settled in Caldwell County, a new county organized by the state legislature to accommodate the Saints. Far West, which served as the county seat, soon became a thriving Latter-day Saint settlement.
The Prophet Joseph Smith had continued to live in Kirtland, Ohio, but in January 1838, he was forced to leave, fearing for his life. With his family, he traveled the 900 miles to Far West, where he joined the Saints living there.
Later in 1838, most of the Kirtland Saints sold or abandoned their homes and followed the Prophet to Missouri. To accommodate the Church members pouring into the area, the Prophet designated areas near Far West where the Saints could settle.
In July 1838, cornerstones were dedicated for a temple in Far West, Missouri, giving the Saints hope that they could establish a permanent settlement where they could enjoy prosperity and peace.
Unfortunately, tensions similar to those they experienced in Jackson County soon divided them from local settlers, and in the fall of 1838, mobs and militia once again began to harass and attack Latter-day Saints.
One day the Prophet was visiting his parents’ home in Far West, when a group of armed militiamen came in and announced that they had come to kill him for a supposed crime. Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, described his gift for peacemaking: “[Joseph] looked upon them with a very pleasant smile and, stepping up to them, gave each of them his hand in a manner which convinced them that he was neither a guilty criminal nor yet a cowering hypocrite. They stopped and stared as though a spectre had crossed their path.
“Joseph sat down and entered into conversation with them and explained to them the views and feelings of the people called Mormons and what their course had been, as also the treatment which they had met with from their enemies since the first outset of the Church. He told them that malice and detraction had pursued them ever since they entered Missouri, but they were a people who had never broken the laws to his knowledge. But if they had, they stood ready to be tried by the law. …
“After this, he rose and said, ‘Mother, I believe I will go home. Emma will be expecting me.’ Two of the men sprang to their feet, saying, ‘You shall not go alone, for it is not safe. We will go with you and guard you.’ Joseph thanked them, and they went with him.
“The remainder of the officers stood by the door while these were absent, and I overheard the following conversation between them: “First Officer: ‘Did you not feel strangely when Smith took you by the hand? I never felt so in my life.’ “Second Officer: ‘I felt as though I could not move. I would not harm one hair of that man’s head for the whole world.’ “Third Officer: "This is the last time you will ever catch me coming to kill Joe Smith or the Mormons either.’ …
“Those men who went with my son promised to go disband the militia under them and go home, and said that if he had any use for them, they would come back and follow him anywhere.”1 Speaking the truth in a kind, forthright way, Joseph Smith overcame prejudice and hostility and made peace with many of those who had been his enemies. (Quoted from Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith, Chapter 29, pp. 339-341), (an Official Publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
Now I will quote statements made by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and maybe one, who was not) who knew the prophet Joseph Smith well. These statements were made after the prophet and his brother, Hyrum, had been killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois in June 1844.
Parley P. Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 to 1857: “President Joseph Smith was in person tall and well built, strong and active; of a light complexion, light hair, blue eyes, very little beard, and of an expression peculiar to himself. … His countenance was ever mild, affable, beaming with intelligence and benevolence; mingled with a look of interest and an unconscious smile, or cheerfulness, and entirely free from all restraint or affectation of gravity; and there was something connected with the serene and steady penetrating glance of his eye, as if he would penetrate the deepest abyss of the human heart, gaze into eternity, penetrate the heavens, and comprehend all worlds. He possessed a noble boldness and independence of character; his manner was easy and familiar; his rebuke terrible as the lion; his benevolence unbounded as the ocean; his intelligence universal.”
John Needham, an early English convert: “Joseph Smith is a great man, a man of principle, a straight forward man; no saintish long-faced fellow, but quite the reverse. Indeed some stumble because he is such a straight forward, plain spoken, cheerful man, but that makes me love him the more.”
Emmeline B. Wells, the general president of the Relief
Society from 1910 to 1921: “I … testify that he was the greatest man and the greatest prophet and the greatest personage of this generation, the greatest, I feel safe in saying, since the days of the Savior. His majesty in appearance was something wonderful. You would think that he was much taller and much larger even than he was. Perhaps many of you have noticed men who have such a bearing when they rise up and walk. This was the way with the Prophet Joseph. There are no pictures of him extant that I know of, that compare with the beauty and majesty of his presence.”
Mary Alice Cannon Lambert: “The love the saints had for him was inexpressible. They would willingly have laid down their lives for him. If he was to talk, every task would be laid aside that they might listen to his words. He was not an ordinary man. Saints and sinners alike felt and recognized a power and influence which he carried with him. It was impossible to meet him and not be impressed by the strength of his personality and influence.”
John M. Bernhisel, a medical doctor who boarded in Joseph and Emma’s home in Nauvoo for several months during 1843 and 1844: “Joseph Smith is naturally a man of strong mental powers, and is possessed of much energy and decision of character, great penetration, and a profound knowledge of human nature. He is a man of calm judgment, enlarged views, and is eminently distinguished by his love of justice. He is kind and obliging, generous and benevolent, sociable and cheerful, and is possessed of a mind of a contemplative and reflective character. He is honest, frank, fearless and independent, and as free from dissimulation [false appearances] as any man to be found. … As a religious teacher, as well as a man, he is greatly beloved by this people.”
Jesse N. Smith, a cousin of Joseph Smith: “[The Prophet was] incomparably the most God-like man I ever saw. … I know that by nature he was incapable of lying and deceitfulness, possessing the greatest kindness and nobility of character. I felt when in his presence that he could read me through and through. I know he was all that he claimed to be.”
William Clayton, an English convert who served as a clerk to Joseph Smith: “The more I am with him, the more I love him; the more I know of him, the more confidence I have in him.”
Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church: “He was brimming over with the noblest and purest of human nature, which often gave vent in innocent amusements—in playing ball, in wrestling with his brothers and scuffling with them, and enjoying himself; he was not like a man with a stake run down his back, and with his face cast in a brazen mold that he could not smile, that he had no joy in his heart. Oh, he was full of joy; he was full of gladness; he was full of love, and of every other noble attribute that makes men great and good, and at the same time simple and innocent, so that he could descend to the lowest condition; and he had power, by the grace of God, to comprehend the purposes of the Almighty too. That was the character of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” (Quoted from Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith, Chapter 43, pp 497 - 499 (There were many more I could have quoted if I had the space.)
Below are the words of a hymn found in the current LDS Church Hymn Book. This hymn was written after the death of Joseph Smith. Earlier, Joseph excommunicated the author of this hymn, William Wines Phelps for having seriously betrayed himself, Joseph, and other leaders and members of the Church to their enemies who were attempting to destroy them and their church. In June 1840, Phelps plead for forgiveness in a letter to Joseph Smith. Joseph replied with an offer of full fellowship, and ended with the famous couplet,
"Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first are friends again at last."

William W. Phelps
Hymn: Praise to the Man, Words written by William W. Phelps, (1792-1872) Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Verse 1: Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer, Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, and nations revere,

Verse 2: Praise to his mem'ry he died as a martyr; Honored and blest be his ever great name! Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heav'n while the earth lauds his fame.

Verse 3. Great is his glory and endless his priesthood, Ever and ever the keys he will hold. Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.

Verse 4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, Earth must atone for the blood of that man. Wake up the world for the conflict of justice, Millions shall know "Brother Joseph" again.

Chorus: (Sung after each verse) Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain, Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.


On 11-15-2009 I, Neil Birch am inserting something additional about William W. Phelps and the hymn he wrote which you have just read above.

In June of 1952, at the end of my first of two missions to Finland (My wife, Melva was my companion during my second mission there)I traveled through part of Europe by myself. Later, all solo travel by returning missionaries was not not permitted. One Sunday in that month I arrived in Hamburg, Germany by train. By some miracle, not knowing the German language very well (I had been successful in completing German I & II in my year at Placer College in Auburn, California but had not learned to converse well in that language), I was able to arrive at an LDS Sacrament meeting being held in an LDS Chapel in a nice part of Hamburg.

After entering the building and walking toward the door to the chapel I heard those in attendance at that Sacrament meeting singing: Praise to the Man which I quoted for you above. I was deeply touched. I was handed a German Hymn Book and began singing with them. Tears flowed freely. I was especially touched by the spirit with which those German members were singing. The truthfulness of Joseph Smith's mission was reinforced strongly in my heart and soul by their singing that inspired hymn.
That experience also helped me to develop a love and respect for Brother William Wines Phelps.

After finishing my bachelors of science degree at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah in 1960 and my Master of Social Work degree at California State University in San Jose, CA in 1973, I became a social worker. As such I became very interested in helping people overcome particular problems they have somehow developed that hamper their progress. Therefore, I appreciated reading this revelation received by President Joseph Smith August 1, 1831 which, in part, is about William W. Phelps:
D. and C. 58:
40 And also let my servant William W. Phelps stand in the office to which I have appointed him, and receive his inheritance in the land;
41 And also he hath need to repent, for I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me. (emphasis added)
That problem the Lord knew William had, apparently hindered his progress throughout much of his life. I did not mention it above, but Brother Phelps was excommunicated several additional times, each after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Brother Phelps went to Utah with the Church. One record I recently read on the Internet showed that on a certain day he was excommunicated and then the very next day was rebaptized and welcomed back into full fellowship. I believe he died in full fellowship. He must have eventually overcome the pride the Lord implies in the scripture above he had . I'm quite sure that eventually he had humbled himself sufficiently!

I, and many other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints love you, Brother W.W. Phelps. We hope that we too can overcome our particular weaknesses and enjoy eternal bliss with our families and fellow saints like you.
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This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

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Neil Birch
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

40o - Evidence that Other Righteous Nephites, Like Abinadi Before, Were Willing to Risk Their Lives to Teach Their Enemies the Gospel of Jesus Christ

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post! (A Suggestion: If You Have Made Comments On Any Of My Posts, Look For Your Name in the Blog Index To See if it is There!)

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Preparation for TODAY'S THEME

You will be viewing my post 35q in this post. I have decided to insert this past post at this point as a follow-up to fairly recent related posts beginning with Post 40i, in which the Prophet, Abinadi allows himself to be killed by King Noah because of his firm commitment to teach of Jesus Christ and to testify boldly and clearly of His birth, life mission, atonement, crucifixion and resurrection.

The second closely related post is Post 40j in which the conversion of Alma the Younger, along with the four sons of King Mosiah, is expounded.

Post 35q which I am repeating today tells the rest of the story that began with the valiant Abinadi and his willingness to do that which the Lord wanted him to do.

This is one of my longer posts, but I hope you will bear with it and go through all of it. It is a very faith promoting account! It will be worth your time!

The events told about in this post are great evidence from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, that His Gospel changed many lifes of previously wicked individuals because of men and women becoming converted to Christ and then under the Lord's guidance teaching and helping the Lord to convert many others.

As you read in one of the posts mentioned above, I have theorized that all of this success in converting hard-to-convert people to Christ, most likely began with a younger Abinadi being among those who in 124 B.C. was converted to Jesus Christ by by the inspired words of righteous King Benjamin in his final sermon to his people before turning over his kingdom to his son, Mosiah. Here is an artist's depiction of that great historic event in Nephite history:

Painting: Gary Kapp
King Benjamin Speaks to His People From a Tower Built on the Wall of the Temple -by Gary Kapp

Now with that preparation for what follows is my Post 35q which reports the amazing results of the mission of the Four Sons of Mosiah along with the missionary companions they had chosen to take with them. This was a very dangerous mission because there had been much bloodshed over many centuries between the Nephites and their close relatives, the Lamanites. The Lord promised King Mosiah that each of his sons would be protected on their mission and would be saved from death while among their nation's enemies serving the Lord Jesus Christ!
(A Repeat of )Post 35q

Alma Safeguards the Flocks of Lamanite King Lamoni -by Arnold Friberg

Alma 17: (about 90 B.C.) 26 And after he (Ammon) had been in the service of the king three days, as he was with the Lamanitish servants going forth with their flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus, and all the Lamanites drive their flocks hither, that they may have water—
27 Therefore, as Ammon and the servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water, behold, a certain number of the Lamanites, who had been with their flocks to water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon and the servants of the king, and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.
28 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.
29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.
30 And now, these were the thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those whom he termed to be his brethren.
31 And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.
32 And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water.
33 And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon said unto his brethren: Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks.
34 Therefore, they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few.
35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.
36 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. (as in the scene depicted in the painting above illustrates)
37 But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.
38 Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few.
39 And when he had driven them afar off, he returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done. (clarification and emphasis added)
Dear Readers, the previous Book of Mormon scripture was given you to prepare you for:

TODAY'S THEME

Please read and listen to Alma, Chapter 18 which contains that which comprises TODAY'S THEME. After you have read and listened to Chapter 18 and then returned to this post, I will explain the key verses of that which you will have read in Chapter 18.

Remember as you read and listen to this account that you look for evidence of Ammon leading King Lamoni to accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior and Redeemer. Also remember that you can also Listen to this chapter.

Now I will review with you several portions of Chapter 18 which you have just read and listened to:
3 And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king's flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain.
4 And now, when the king heard these words, he said unto them: Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.
5 Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit they supposed that whatsoever they did was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants;
6 For he had slain many of them because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus, because they had had their flocks scattered they were slain. (emphasis and clarification added)
Through some special circumstances, the Lord, through his servant, Ammon (a son of the Nephite King, Mosiah) was bringing about the preparation of King Lamoni (without Lamoni realizing it) for a mighty change in heart which would soon lead him to actually become a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We then read these words of King Lamoni to Ammon.
Alma 18: 21 And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.
22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.
23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.
24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?
25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.
26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?
27 And he said, Yea.
28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?
29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.
30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.
31 And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth?
32 And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.
33 And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?
34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
35 And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me (did it ever! - Neil's clarification), which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God. (emphasis and clarification added.)
I realize that you have read and listened to all of this, but I desired that you could really focus on these very inspired, (on the part of Ammon, who possessed the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation), words of this son of a king who, along with his three brothers and with a very close friend, Alma the Younger, had given up their previous terrible mischief of trying to actually destroy the Church of Christ in their father's (King Mosiah's) land.

The picture I am about to show you is an artist's depiction of an experience those five young men had several years before with an Angel of God. This jolting experience actually brought about a mighty change in all five of them.
I showed you this picture to assist you to really begin to appreciate what caused these sons of a king, Ammon and his three brothers, to repent of their previous wickedness and then, of their own free will, to strongly request of their father, the king, a mission to the Lamanites. They knew full well they were getting themselves into an assignment that would be exceedingly difficult! Nonetheless, their conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ because of that experience was such that it made them willing to face any worthy challenge the Lord might allow them to face.
They had truly been converted to the Lord and learned of the power of His atonement in allowing them to change their lives!


After you learned of Lamanite King Lamoni's discussion with Ammon, you can see that the mission that he along with his brothers, had been given, had presented him, Ammon with the kind of teaching opportunities they had expected to get.

I'm sure Ammon viewed this experience with the Lamanite King, Lamoni as a great opportunity to do what he knew the Lord wanted of him. I'm sure Ammon felt great gratitude to the Lord as he went about doing that which could rightly be termed, miraculous!

Each of these four sons of a king knew quite well the kind of challenges they would be getting themselves into. They had to work hard to persuade their father, King Mosiah, to send them on such a mission. Their father, after much deliberation and prayer, relented and allowed them to serve the desired mission to the very dangerous (especially to Nephites) Lamanite people.

I now will quote from the Alma, Chapter 17, verse 35 above, the promise that King Mosiah had received from the Lord regarding their dangerous mission to the Lamanites.
Alma 17:35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king. (emphasis and clarification added.)
After thinking the above through and thinking about the experience these four young men and their close friend, Alma, had with the Lord's Angel, I think you will appreciate the great change which had come about in Ammon. He had become an inspired and experienced servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, instead of tearing down the Lord's church as he and his brother's had done along with their friend, Alma, Ammon and his brothers (we will mention the brothers' successes in another post) were actually preparing the way for Christ's Church to be established among the Lamanites (their former enemies who had now become to them, their brethren).

I invite you to read the scripture below in order that you come to understand what Ammon was able to do with the King and his queen, and eventually with their people too, to actually have them come to being witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ and being deeply grateful for that which He (Jesus) has done for them and all of us.

Afterwards when you have returned to this post from that scripture reading and listening, I will help you see the details of the amazing change that was taking place in the king and his queen and in their people too.
Alma 19:1-36

Now I'll explain briefly what happened after that. This Abish, having been converted to the Lord for many years without telling others about it, wanted the people of the kingdom to be just like she secretly had been, knowing about the power of God so she went actively about inviting people to come to the house of the king. In Verse 18 we are told that a multitude arrived and saw their king and queen, and their servants "prostrate on the earth," as though they were dead. Then they saw Ammon laying there also. They quickly realized he was a Nephite. Some of the people blamed all of these apparent deaths on their king for having allowed a Nephite to remain in their land.

2 Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her.
3 And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do.
4 And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;
5 Therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead and that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for myself, to me he doth not stink.
6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—
7 Therefore, what the queen desired of him was his only desire. Therefore, he went in to see the king according as the queen had desired him; and he saw the king, and he knew that he was not dead.
8 And he said unto the queen: He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not.
9 And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.
10 And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.
11 And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.
12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.
13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit.
14 Now Ammon seeing the Spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God because of their iniquities and their traditions, he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth.
15 Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon.
16 And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—(emphasis and clarification added)

How is that for some reverse racial prejudice! I now quote some scriptural verses.

Alma Chapter 19: 22 Now, one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.
23 Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord.
24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean. (emphasis added)
Now let me stop right here at this pre-climax point in this deeply touching historical account and suggest that if the "scholar" from the Utah Valley University who was quoted in the May 2007 PBS Prime Time Video, "The Mormons", as saying that every time he reads the Book of Mormon he sees the writings of a young, unschooled 19th Century farm boy; were with us right now reading the thing you and I are now reading, he ought to be ashamed of his ever having intimated that the young man, Joseph Smith, could have ever made up this true and intriguing historical account.
In truth, this and all of the other accounts recorded in the Book of Mormon were either written by, or selected from, the writings of other Nephite prophets, by this great prophet, Mormon. In about 400 A.D. he, through the spiritual guidance he was receiving from the resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was selectively including those matters he found in the historical accounts of his Nephite people, in his record which would become, The Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ.

Mormon knew full well that these records would be hidden up in the earth in due time by his prophet son, Moroni, and then brought forth for the enlightenment of the Lord's people in our time of the world. I'm sure this Mormon knew that the book, which would bear his name, would be a key factor in the restoration of the Lord's Church in preparation for His Second Coming!

Let me now quote more from Alma Chapter 19 to let us know what happened!
Alma 19:24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean.
25 And it came to pass that there were many among them who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others said he was sent by the Great Spirit;
26 But others rebuked them all, saying that he was a monster, who had been sent from the Nephites to torment them.
27 And there were some who said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their iniquities; and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, who had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit who had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites.
28 And thus the contention began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant (Abish) who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came, and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.
29 And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her (the queen's) hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!
30 And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold he arose and stood upon his feet. (emphasis and clarification added)
In the previous post I promised that you would learn from the following post (this post) of a Lamanite woman who had become a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You just read about it! There weren't many words, but the Queen's witness of Him was a sure witness!

The witness of King Lamoni about Jesus Christ being their Savior and Redeemer was equally powerfull:
Alma 19:
12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.
13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit. (emphasis and clarification added)
Again, the purpose of this post and the other posts in this series of posts of mine is to vividly demonstrate that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is just what its title says it is.

I, J. Neil Birch bear my personal testimony to you that I surely know that Jesus is the Christ and the Redeemer of my soul. Words can't express the depth of my gratitude that I have for Him!

You have been with me for quite a while with this post and I try very hard to keep these posts as short as possible, but I feel it important to give you just a quick glimpse at what great things occurred among these Lamanites because of the mission of Ammon, (one of the sons of King Mosiah), among them.

I'll use another one of the great paintings that are made available to me by lds.org. followed by an explanation:
Lamanite Families Burying Their Swords Deep in the Earth as Hostile Lamanites Advance Toward Them to Kill Them (men, women and their children) -by Del Parson
As a Result of King Lamoni (and his queen's) Conversion to Jesus Christ, families of their kingdom were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than to break the sacred covenant they had made with Christ to never ever shed the blood of their fellow man again.

It surely takes an "eternal perspective" on the part of anyone reading this account from the Book of Mormon, to view these dear Lamanite families giving up their very lives to be faithful to their determination to be killed, along with their families, rather than to arm themselves and kill their attackers!

Alma 24:
5 Now when Ammon and his brethren and all those who had come up with him saw the preparations of the Lamanites to destroy their brethren, they came forth to the land of Midian, and there Ammon met all his brethren; and from thence they came to the land of Ishmael that they might hold a council with Lamoni and also with his brother Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
6 Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king (Lamoni) commanded them that they should not.


7 Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.
8 And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.

9 And behold, I also thank my God, that by opening this correspondence we have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed.
10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son. (emphasis added.)

Was Ammon and his brethren's mission to the Lamanites a success? The picture above is a sure witness that it was!


If you are able to agree with what the Lamanite families depicted in the picture above decided to do, you have taken a huge leap forward spiritually! Congratulations!

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This BlogPost (or to Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph,Please scroll Back Up and Click on the Following: Joseph Smith, a True Prophet . . . -Post 40o; After You See The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To The Little Boy, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device. (When It Has Been Installed).
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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch
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Friday, June 18, 2010

40n - The Lord Jesus Christ Teaches Us to Serve One Another. This is Also Emphasized by His Prophet, King Benjamin, in the Book of Mormon!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From The End of This Post.

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TODAY'S THEME
King Benjamin's Farewell Speech -by Gary Kapp

Mosiah 2:16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?
19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King! (emphasis added)
Service To Mankind is Certainly Something which Is emphasized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as you have discovered from a good number of my blog posts. This post (40n) is one of them. (Please see Posts: 25; 39r; 39p; and 39q.)

I think you will be able to discover much more about the great amount of service that has been rendered and is still being rendered by that Church from an LDS Church News Article that I have inserted into this blog post. After all, as you can discern from the Book of Mormon scripture above, SERVICE TO THOSE IN NEED is a paramount doctrine of that Church, the church in which I attempt to devotedly serve!

From The authorized News Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I have copied the following:

Humanitarian Efforts

As disciples of Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to follow the Savior’s admonition to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison (see Matthew 25:35–36).

The Church sponsors humanitarian relief and development projects around the world that benefit those of other faiths. These projects include emergency relief assistance in times of disaster and programs that strengthen the self-reliance of individuals, families, and communities.

Hundreds of full-time Church volunteers with skills and experience in education, agriculture, social work, business, and medicine serve throughout the world take part in these humanitarian projects.

The Church conducts humanitarian activities worldwide. From 1985 to 2007 LDS Humanitarian Services provided more than $1.01 billion in total assistance to needy individuals in 165 countries.


Thousands of members in Central America were left reeling from a two-fisted combo of natural disasters that killed hundreds, destroyed homes by the thousands and prompted a ongoing LDS Church humanitarian response.

Published: Saturday, June 5, 2010
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Earthquakes can topple homes, buckle roads and, sadly, claim lives by the hundreds of thousands. But even the strongest temblor can't, by itself, destroy testimonies, rattle hope or level a Christlike impulse to look forward to better days while serving others.

Published: Saturday, March 13, 2010
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In the days following Chile's massive quake, the Chile Area presidency enlisted the words of Christ to offer comfort to members and their friends: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid"...

Published: Friday, March 12, 2010
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The Seattle American Red Cross honored Bellevue, Wash., residents Gordon and Myrna Conger on March 11 at its 2010 Everyday Heroes Breakfast.

Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010
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Published: Monday, March 1, 2010
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Published: Monday, March 1, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010
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Published: Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010
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Published: Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010
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Published: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010
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Published: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010
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Published: Friday, Jan. 22, 2010
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Published: Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010
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Published: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010
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Published: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010
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Published: Monday, Jan. 18, 2010
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Published: Monday, Jan. 18, 2010
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Published: Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010
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Published: Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009
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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


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TO OPEN NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This BlogPost, (Or To Search For Any Other BlogPost You Decide to Open, After Reading All of This Paragraph), Please Click On The Following: Service Provided Victims of Natural Disasters by -Post 40.n When the Picture of Jesus and the Little Boy Has Come Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down to Your Chosen Target Item or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
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For your further enlightenment and spiritual strengthening Please view: Mormon Messages

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Legal /Statement Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch
____________________

I deeply appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have one additional blog. It is in Spanish: The content in it is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, June 13, 2010

40m - A Repeat of Post 17 Which Was Published: August 7, 2008 (With A Helpful Introduction.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME

The Salt Lake City, Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Post for Today Was chosen by me, Neil Birch, from the New BLOG INDEX I first published several days ago. (Instructions for the General Accessing of that blog are given near the end of this and all future posts.)

Because of all of the time it has been taking me to put each of the blog post links in place alphabetically in the new Blog Index, (and I've still got more of those to put in place) I haven't had the time to put together a new post for today. Therefore, I decided to have you experience one of my earlier blog posts, Post 17, first published on Thursday, August 7, 2008. That was long enough ago so that most of you readers may not then have even heard of this blog. It is unlikely that you would have even found that post without having a Blog Index to assist you.
Your experience now will give you a further opportunity of using the new Blog Index.

If you have, by some means accessed that post before, I think you will enjoy reviewing it again. I feel good whenever I view it. I hope you too will benefit from viewing it, be it for the first time or a repeat!

It has always been possible for readers of this blog to access my past blog posts, but it took more time than it should have because it wasn't possible before to search for specific topics you might have been interested in. I hope that each of you will find This Blog Index very useful in your efforts to gain new insights into the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in both the Bible and in the Book of Mormon by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Lord Jesus Christ has seen to it that His Church has been re-established on the earth beginning on April 6, 1830 in the State of New York, in the United States of America.

This Blog continues forward and I hope to cover many additional inspiring and enlightening subjects for your benefit.

Occasionally in the past I have modified and then reposted a number of my older posts to make them more interesting in case readers had read the first version. I have chosen not to do that this time.

I just read again the post I have decided to link you to, and I feel very good about having you access it. I really enjoyed writing the post you very soon could be reading!
Now, although I have given some links from my new Blog Post Index in the past two posts to let You see how it works, I've never yet, until now, substituted viewing a post from the past by having you access it directly from the Index Blog.
When finding myself trying to decide which painting or photo to use for this blog post, I finally decided to use a diferent version of the same subject's photo that you will see at the beginning of the past post of mine which I will be suggesting below you link with.

I have included below several other post links that are listed in my Blog Index just above the one I have chosen just so you could form a better mental picture of what the Index looks like:





I hope the message of Post 17 strengthened your faith in the Truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ! I appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.
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Neil Birch's INDEX BLOG

Credits: I give credit to Fabiola Sikes of Utah County (Utah, U.S.A.) for suggesting the need for a Blog Index. Without her suggestion I most likely would have never set it up. Corollary credit needs to be given to: Richard K. Miller for suggesting electronic linking for this index. He made useful suggestions for doing that.

Jonathan Smith of Genoa, Utah, a relative through my marriage. His technological advice helped me apply some principles learned from Richard Miller.

Bryce Mitchell of Herriman, Utah, a step-grandson. He helped me understand some of the technological advice given me previously.

Bruce Westenskow of Murray, Utah, a member of our (my wife and I) LDS Ward. He is a professional in the Internet field. His help was crucial! My lack of training in Internet matters made it difficult for me to pull all of the advice together that I had been provided by the above-named skillful persons!

As I have indicated in my previous post, I initiated on June 7, 2010 an Index for all of the key subjects found in the approximately 204 posts I have published in this blog beginning in March of 2008. I am still in the process of including each of those posts in this Index. However, by my making that available which is already in this new Index, I believe you will find it a very helpful tool as you search for information related to the subjects covered in this blog!
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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

_____________



TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Decide To Open), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: More Evidence of the Truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. -Post 40m When You See The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To The Little Boy, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon? Legal /Statement Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch
____________________

I deeply appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have one additional blog. It is in Spanish:The content in it is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

40l - Why Neil Birch Began This Blog and has Just Introduced a Blog Index to Assist All of You.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From The End of This Post.

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TODAY'S THEME


Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ethiopia in March 1985.

In this post I aim to review briefly how it came about that I became a blogger. I didn't grow up with computers and the Internet. I saw my first computer about two weeks after graduating from high school in Roseville, California (U.S.A.) in early June of 1950.

My father had worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad there since he was 17. He arranged for me to get a job there as a yard clerk only after I promised him I would not let that job keep me from beginning college right away. (I faithfully lived up to that promise. I received both a bachelors and masters degrees over the years from two Universities, one in Provo, Utah (BYU) and one in San Jose, California (California State University, San Jose, California).

When I first walked into the clerks' office from where I would do various jobs throughout that very large railroad yard, the first thing my bosses did was let me become acquainted with a large metal device which had electricity running into it. That was the first computer I ever had laid my eyes upon. As I remember it, it was about ten feet long and about four and a half feet tall. It sorted cards which each represented a railroad car that was in our railroad yard right then. Those cards were each eventually sorted by that machine into the particular train in which that railway car would leave that railway yard to go in one of all four directions. It was just a month or so later while in my first year of Junior College that I saw a television program for the first time.

Over the years in my occupation as a social worker for the LDS Church I began to become involved again with computers and ended up using my own lap-top in my work until I retired in April 1996 in Salt Lake City, UT.

I don't own a lap-top now but used one for a good number of years, even when my wife, Melva and I served a mission in Finland from 2004 to 2006. That lap-top eventually wore out and now we have a desk top computer and printer. I learned to use the Internet along the way and it helped us much while serving as missionaries in Finland.

For about six months in late 2007 and in early 2008, I did Family History Extraction work through the Internet on our computer as a church assignment. I regularly did a large volume of that work each month. It took much time and was very intensive. I enjoyed it because I knew it was helping LDS families do the necessary research on their family lines to be able to have the temple work done in LDS temples for ancestors who had already passed away from this life without having heard of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In about February or March of 2008 I happened to read a speech on the Internet delivered by an LDS Church Apostle, Elder M. Russell Ballard. He gave that speech at the BYU Hawaii December 2007 graduation. I've shown an interesting photo of him at the beginning of this post.
In the July 2008 Issue of the Ensign Magazine published by the LDS Church Elder Ballard expanded some on what he had said at that graduation. I quote just a brief portion of what he wrote for that article. "From its beginnings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has used the power of the printed word to spread the message of the restored gospel throughout the world. The Lord, over the centuries, has had a hand in inspiring people to invent tools that facilitate the spreading of the gospel. The Church has adopted and embraced those tools, including print, broadcast media and the Internet . . ." (emphasis added)
Again, Elder Ballard in that article urged members of the LDS Church to set up their own blogs on the Internet so as to tell of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had already begun following his advice, after going about getting help, in beginning my own blog. I named it: Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?

I named it that because in an April 2007 PBS Television Nationwide (U.S.A.) broadcast I watched, I couldn't believe at all that that program's Narrators had ever read the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
One of those Narrators who I have quoted from time to time in my blog posts said something like: "Every time I read from the Book of Mormon I read words that were written by a poor and uneducated farm boy."
That Narrator didn't believe that Joseph Smith translated that book by the power of God. I had come to know, understand and to know spiritually the truthfulness of that Great Book over many years and from his words I knew that man must have never even read a page of it. It is a history of a complex nation of Israelites that were led by God to what is now known as Central America arriving there in about 570 B.C.

In it, as you may well know by now, there is much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Holy book stands side-by-side with the Holy Bible as a divine testament of the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Enough said about that for now. In the October 2009 Issue of the Ensign Magazine, my name was mentioned (on page 24) in an article authorized by Elder Ballard. It was reported that I had begun and had continued my LDS blogging and was feeling very good about what I was doing.

I must also mention the role of the moregoodfoundation in helping me to begin my blogging. It was from something they had posted on the internet that gave me access to Elder Ballard's BYU-Hawaii graduation address mentioned above.

Moregoodfoundation is a non-profit organization that provides much information about the Church through the Internet. One of their officials, Richard K. Miller invited me to their offices (which are now in Orem, Utah (U.S.A.) in order to give me assistance in beginning to blog for the first time in my life.

I not only received very good help from him in learning the basics of blogging, but over two and half years he (although he left that organization over a year ago) along with one other moregoodfoundation employee, Fabiola Sikes, continued to answer my questions on various matters related to my blogging.

That organization has also, by means of the internet, informed organizations and individuals with whom they have contact, about my blog. That has helped increase my readership considerably!

I have, as of this month published my two hundredth Blog Post in my English language blog. I have not published that many in my Spanish language blog which is translated by a kind couple who originally came from Argentina and ended up in France. They are strong members of the LDS Church and I appreciate their translations which are done free of charge. I earn nothing from my blogging, except blessings from Heaven! (and I really need those!)

I've just taken a huge step forward in my blogging. In the just previous blog post of mine I introduced a new Blog Index from which you readers can search for topics which interest you and then are guided to click on an electronic link which pulls up a post in which I have written about that specific topic.

Now instead of going on with more words I will offer you an opportunity to use a small excerpt of blog post links that I have copied over from my Blog Index to this post. At the end of this blog post you will be able to gain access to that entire Index. I have not yet had the time to put all of my published posts into it, but it won't be too very long until I have done so. Of course, I will continue adding to it as long as I continue to blog which I hope will be for a long time.

Because June 8th, tomorrow, is the annual anniversary of the Prophet of the LDS Church announcing that the Priesthood would then be available to men of all races throughout the world, I would like you to access that particular post. I really enjoyed writing it. There is a very beautiful musical video within it that you will enjoy. Maybe today will be the first time you will have had the opportunity to use my Blog Index. I just introduced it in the post I published about four days ago. That was the post that comes just before this one (therefore, you can just scroll down to it).

Now, I'm not asking you to click on each of these links I'm providing you from my Blog Index, just the second one down. I added the other links just so you would know better what my Index looks like. Clicking on it will take you right to my Post 38l. I hope you will enjoy that experience. (However, you are welcome to click on the other links too if you so desire!)

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Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit to Ancient America -Post 31f

Priesthood Revelation Regarding Availability of Priesthood to All Races Commemorated -Post 38l

Prophecy and Revelation Is Always Found in Jesus Christ's Church -Post 35b

Prophets Speak for Jesus Christ -Post 12

(The) Purpose of This Blog -Post 1

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I deeply appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.

As noted in the first paragraph of the previous post, I initiated on June 7, 2010 an Index for all of the key subjects found in the approximately 200 posts I have published in this blog beginning in March of 2008. I am still in the process of including each of those posts in this Index. However, I feel it best to make that which is already in this new Index available to you now. I believe you will find it a very helpful tool as you search for information related to the subjects covered in this blog!

Credits: I give credit to Fabiola Sikes for suggesting the need for this Blog Index. Without her suggestion I most likely would have never set this up. Corollary credit needs to be given to: Richard K. Miller for suggesting electronic linking for this index. He made useful suggestions for doing that.

Jonathan Smith of Genoa, Utah, a relative through my marriage. His technological advice helped me apply some principles learned from Richard Miller.

Bryce Mitchell of Herriman, Utah, a step-grandson. He helped me understand some of the technological advice given me previously.

Bruce Westenskow of Murray, Utah, a member of our LDS Ward. He is a professional in the Internet field. His help was crucial! My lack of training in Internet matters made it difficult for me to pull all of the advice together that I had been provided by the above-named skillful persons!
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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This BlogPost, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Decide To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on any of the Following links: Miller; Mitchell; moregoodfoundation; Sikes; Smith; Westenskow; - Post 40l; When You See The Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Automatic Alphabetical Finding Device (When It Has Been Installed!)
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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have one additional blog. It is in Spanish: The content in it is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch
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