Post 9 - Once God's Enemies, Now His Valiant Servants

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TODAY'S THEME



Ammon Defends King Lamoni's Sheep from Robbers -by Arnold Friberg



Faithful Lamanite Families Await Death For They Have Covenanted to No Longer Kill Others -by Del Parson

At the top, you are viewing a painting by LDS artist, Arnold Friberg, which depicts Ammon, one of the four sons of Mosiah, as he defends the Lamanite King's sheep from Lamanite robbers.

After their conversions, these four sons of Mosiah worked long and hard to gain their father's permission to serve as missionaries to the Lamanites who were for the most part bitter enemies of their Nephite people.

The next painting, by LDS painter, Del Parson, depicts Lamanites, converted to the Lord Jesus Christ through the efforts of the four sons of Mosiah and their companions, preparing to bury their weapons of war in the earth as an army of hostile Lamanites advances to kill them. You will learn why this was happening later in a future post in this blog.

It is recorded in the Book of Mormon that Ammon, his three brothers and some of the others they had chosen as missionary companions, worked hard to prepare themselves spiritually for this exceedingly difficult mission. It is in Alma 17, that we are told of the incident, depicted at the top of this post,in which Ammon protected the Lamanite King's sheep with his sword, strengthened by his special spiritual preparations.

Ammon was doing that which would achieve acceptance from the potentially hostile Lamanite king. This is told in Alma 17: 1-39

By reading this scripture, you will have gained the insight that because of the great results he had, the Lord was with Ammon in all he did among the Lamanites.

Now if you were to read chapters 18-23 of Alma you would read of the great success that all of the other sons of Mosiah, along with their missionary companions, had in turning the hearts and souls of a great number of Lamanites to God. You will also read of the great tribulations they each went through in accomplishing this. I will provide each of these chapters here for you. Remember to click on "Listen" on each, as suggested  above. These are action filled chapters!

Alma 18: 1-43  Alma 19: 1-36 Alma 20: 1-30  Alma 21: 1-23  Alma 22: 1-35 Alma 23:1-18

Next I have provided a link to Alma, Chapter 24 which will explain the meaning of the picture painted by LDS artist Del Parsons, inserted at the beginning of this post just after the painting of Ammon wielding a sword to defend the King's sheep,

Alma 24:1-30

From this great account we learn more about the power that comes to people after true conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That power could come to you too!

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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 Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: (King) Mosiah's Four Sons Were Converted . . . - Post 9. When The Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In the Index 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 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 in it. 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

Post 8 - Way Before Computers, The Lord Provided Something Better!

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TODAY'S THEME

Lehi and Family (and others) Examine The Liahona -by Arnold Friberg

The first painting shown here was done by LDS artist, Arnold Friberg, of an event that occurred in about 600 BC in the Northern part of the Arabian peninsula. This event is described in The Book of Mormon.

The second painting is by LDS artist, Del Parson. It is a partly symbolic depiction of the translation process of the Book of Mormon as the golden plates were not accessed directly during the translation process. The subject of the Book of Mormon translation process will be addressed in the second half of this blog post (in the video).


Please read the scripture found at the end of this paragraph to read about the device (Liahona) which was found by Father Lehi in front of his tent on the morning they were to begin their arduous trip across a forbidding deseret and later a large ocean to the Americas. (Lehi didn't know where they were to go. He needed the guidance of the Liahona to get there.

1 Nephi 16: 9 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord spake unto my father by night, and commanded him that on the morrow he should take his journey into the wilderness.

10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.

This next verse will help you learn how the Lord, through the Liahona made sure that Father Lehi and all of his group had enough to eat in this very difficult, threatening wilderness.

1 Nephi 16:16 And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.

As you sit in front of your computer reading this which I typed using my lap-top, can't both of us justifiably wonder at the amazing advances in communication tools that have been made in our lifetimes? And they just keep coming. I saw my first computer a few weeks after graduating from high shcool in 1950. It filled half a room, but it really sped up the job it was assigned to do. A few months later, I saw my first television show. It was in black and white, but it was much better than radio.

600 BC was a long long time ago, yet the device Lehi found in front of his tent that became a vital guide in their journey on the edge of one of the world's harshest deserts, appears to me to be technically much beyond what we presently can do with computers and other electronic gadgets we may have. (It didn't come with replaceable batteries and they had no electricity to plug it into!) That relatively small brass (or more accurately, bronze) ball amazingly, not only directed them to all the more fertile places around that harsh desert area so they could survive, but also printed messages in their Hebrew language (using possibly Egyptian characters like writers of the Book of Mormon said they did) and taught them to "understand the ways of the Lord."

Through this amazing device the Lord chastened them for not doing as they should and I'm sure He gave them much encouragement when they deserved and needed it. They were being led by the Lord with the help of this Liahona to travel on to the distant ocean, to build a ship and then travel, sometimes dangerously, to ancient America to where they were being led by the Lord, through the help of His device. Without this Liahona, which means, "compass" in Lehi's language, they would never have made it to what we know now as Central America.

Lehi and his family, soon after finding the Liahona, learned that the pointers within it worked "according to their faith, work, and obedience." (What! no computer manual!)

In my just previous post you learned about Alma the Younger, who was converted to righteousness by the appearance of an angel of the Lord to him and his four friends. Please read here to learn what the converted Alma tells us about the Liahona.

1 Nephi 16:28 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.

Alma 37: 38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.

39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.

40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.

41 Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey;

42 Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.

43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.

This brings me back to matters discussed in previous posts of this blog. In Posts 1 and 2 of this series we are told about a "so-called scholar" who appeared on a PBS program (May 2007) in which he told the viewers that everytime he reads the Book of Mormon he sees the farmboy background of Joseph Smith coming through. In other words, this man insists that the Book of Mormon was thought up and written by Joseph, who had very little education in a time in America where schools weren't very advanced anyway.Now you tell me: If this man's hypothesis is correct, how did 24 year old, uneducated farm boy Joseph Smith, come up with the idea of a Liahona, an instrument that far surpasses the electronic gadgetry we have today, in many way?

Perhaps some of you may say that Joseph Smith merely copied what some educated man had thought up and wrote, perhaps, what he intended to be a novel. This argument used to be made, but no longer do we hear it because all of the theories regarding that have been proven to be invalid.

In Post 4 of this series I wrote about the lecture I attended which was presented by Daniel C.Peterson of BYU's Neal A. Maxwell Institute of Religious Scholarship.

In that lecture (April 10, 2008)he discusses details of the translation process of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith. At the beginning of his translation, Joseph Smith actually used another ancient device, the "Urim and Thummin" that the Lord provided him, which, like the Liahona, goes far beyond our modern electronic devices. It was expressly devised by the Lord to allow a seer (a type of prophet) to translate unknown languages.

Now I have used "Google Translate" on this lap-top to help me translate from English to Finnish and Spanish. Although Finnish is difficult to learn, it is not in any way as difficult to learn as an unknown language like the Hebrew-Egyptian amalgamated language which was used by Lehi and his descendants. By listening to Dr. Peterson's lecture, I want you to hear what he said about how all the evidence clearly shows that Joseph Smith never had any documents with him when tranlating the Book of Mormon, from which he could have copied. He also shows how it would have been impossible for Joseph to have memorized that which he was dictating to his scribe.

Other convincing evidence is also given verifying that Joseph Smith was guided by Divine guidance in his translation of the Book of Mormon. You will be listening to Pt. 2. of Dr. Peterson's video. (Part 1 was to be viewed in my Post 4.) Part 2 lasts 10 minutes and 24 seconds. I recommend you listen to all of it. It will be very much worth your while to hear this. There are five parts to this lecture which lasted about an hour and a half altogether. You can access the other four parts of his lecture, if you so desire. Dr. Peterson tells us a number of convincing facts.

However, no matter how convincing these facts may be to the human mind, they cannot take the place of the conviction that will come to your soul when you do as the ancient prophet Moroni advises you to do. I have brought this scripture to your attention in previous blog posts, but I repeat it in case you have not yet humbly and sincerely sought the answer which Moroni promises you.

Moroni 10: 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

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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 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 Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: (The) Liahona, An Instrument Provided Father Lehi by God . . . -Post 8.When The Picture Of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, 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 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 in it. 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

Post 7 - A Striking Answer To Two Fathers' Prayers

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TODAY'S THEME



An Angel of the Lord Chastizes Alma the Younger and the Four Sons of King Mosiah -by Gary L. Kapp


This painting is a depiction of a remarkable answer to fervent prayer on the part of two fathers, Alma, the High Priest of the Ancient American land, Zarahemla, and his close associate and king, Mosiah. Alma, the younger and the king's four sons had gone through the kingdom secretly trying to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ and were having success.

These two fathers' prayers of faith were fully rewarded by the Lord. In our book of books, the Book of Mormon, we read what happened:  Mosiah 27:11-37  (you most likely will choose not to use the Listen function provided you because this scripture begins with verse 1.)

Having just read that, you will have learned that because of their experience with the angel of God, all five of these young men made a complete turnabout in their lives. Alma became a great prophet and government leader. The sons of Mosiah, after pleading long and hard with their father for his permission to serve as missionaries to their nation's chief enemies, the Lamanites, were granted that opportunity. They became valiant and successful missionaries. They all remained faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ for the rest of their lives.

As a teenager in my hometown of Roseville, California, I first heard that Book of Mormon account at a fireside at the home of a family in our LDS ward. I was surprised that such a great prophet as Alma, could have once been an evil sinner.

I was old enough to know what sin could do to a person, namely, to me. I thought it amazing that one could make such great changes in themselves as Alma did. It actually gave me hope that I could be forgiven for my sins if Alma had been forgiven for all the greater evil He had done. I learned from Alma's experience that it was through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ that his and my redemption became possible. What comforting assurance to each of us!

The above-mentioned Book of Mormon account gives us the basic history of what happened when the prayers of the two fathers were answered. In Alma, Chapter 36 Alma the younger tells one of his sons about this experience. This account gives you Alma's first-hand account of this astounding event. You can read that entire chapter from your own copy of the Book of Mormon or by clicking: Alma 36:1-30

Just in case you decided not to do that much reading now, let me quote here a key thing Alma told his son in it: Alma 36:

15. Oh thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.

16. And now for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.

17. And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more.

20. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

There are other very sensitive, touching words spoken by Alma then, but I may be keeping you too long. If you desire to read it all, go back above and click on Alma 36:1-30 and read it.

THERE IS HOPE FOR EACH OF US NO MATTER WHAT EVIL WE MAY HAVE DONE!

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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 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: Alma the Younger, Son of Alma the Elder was converted. . . Post 7 When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index 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 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 in it. 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

Post 6 - American Idol Finalist Worships God

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

David Archuleta of Murray, Utah (U.S.A.)

As I sit typing on my lap-top with my wife sitting nearby, we are about one minute away from the beginning of the American Idol "Season Finale."

The Idol host just said: "It is the final vote show." He told us that 97 1/2 million votes came in since yesterday, 54% were for one "David" and the other 46% were for the other "David."

We have been told that in two hours we will know whether, 25 year old David Cook of Blue Springs, Missouri or 17 year old David Archuleta of Murray, Utah will be this current season's "American Idol." I won't be typing during the entire time, but I won't finish this blog post typing session until after the winning David is announced.

I have chosen to begin this blog this way for a special purpose. You'll just have to read along as I write to see how I tie this American Idol event into this current Blog title, "Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon? Part 6"


David Cook just said something like:

"I guess I'd like the bar-room setting that's coming up, because that reminds me of what I did before I began doing this."

I heard him mention last week that he had been working as bar-tender. I'm sure he performed that job conscientiously. He obviously knows how to work hard because of his having developed such musical talent as he has. The other David, David Archuleta, didn't make a comment at this point.

I won't focus on David Cook in this post, but I will focus on 17 year old David Archuleta. I have never personally met him, but inasmuch as we live about a half mile from where David had been attending High School in Murray, Utah and we live no more than about 2 miles from his home, I have read and heard much about him.

I believe I understand why the younger David is quite humble and expresses appreciation for what is happening to him, through many difficulties, and even why he chooses the songs that he was allowed to choose to sing in this very challenging competition. His fellow students at Murray often have called him "shy."

However, David A. is clearly very confident of his ability to sing and it is very obvious he loves:

"good music."

 I personally think he regularly makes the songs he sings, better by singing them. His "favorite song" which I believe he sung yesterday has in it the words

"Make the Whole World One."

Listening to him sing that song made me, a Mormon, realize why David Archuleta, also a Mormon, believes like I and other Mormons (or more properly stated, Latter-day Saints) do, that the more righteous people of the World will, before long, after the Lord Jesus Christ has come for the second time, become fully united, or as David's favorite song prays for: "Make the Whole World One."

Because it has been reported that David and his family are active "Latter-day Saints," I have taken the liberty to assume he has learned and really believes and lives according to what is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In my view, David comes across as a very talented, spiritual and humble young man instead as a just a talented entertainer who could be described as "worldly."

Just about a year or two ago, LDS prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, requested that the entire Church membership read the Book of Mormon during that year. If I were a betting man I would bet that young David Archuleta read the Book of Mormon all the way through sometime during that year, or did the best he could to do so. For this reason I am going to highlight several significant things that David Archuleta most likely read and believes in fervently, if I read him right. Please read the following from your own Book of Mormon, I Nephi 3:7, if you have one or click on the following:

1 Nephi 3:7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.This was said by young Nephi just before he took upon himself an exceedingly difficult task of accomplishing something crucially important that his father, Lehi told him the Lord wanted him and his three brothers to accomplish. If you aren't aware of what this assignment was and how Nephi, with the Lord's guidance accomplished what the Lord, through his father, Lehi, wanted him to do, Please open the Book of Mormon right here and read I Nephi, Chapter 3:1-31 to read about these accomplishments. You may also want to read: 1 Nephi 4:1-38.

If you were to ask David Archuleta if he tries to emulate the kinds of challenging things Nephi accomplished as a young man about David's own present age when Nephi started to accomplish what God and his own father wanted him to accomplish, I would guess he would say something like, "I could never do what young Nephi did," but actually what he, David Archuleta, has recently accomplished, in many ways, is equally challenging.

David took upon himself a very challenging opportunity by competing with a number of other talented young people in the American Idol contest. He has performed at his very best through a long and drawn out challenge and during all of this I am convinced that he kept his humility and faith in His Heavenly Father and in Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

It was just announced that the vote has gone to David Cook. This older David is weeping with what I see as humility. You don't have to learn about humility only from reading scriptures, you can learn it through facing hard challenges such as David Cook has done and by being a basically good person. Humble David Archuleta said this about David Cook after the announcement: "I watched him and learned from him."

Afterwards it was said that David Archuleta, despite the decision having gone against him, was in good spirits. They are trying to have David Archleta make his comments. That didn't happen for some reason.

One spectator said, "David Archuleta won a lot of little girls' hearts." I, Neil Birch, think he won the hearts of many people of all ages, because of his good character.

I hope young David was able to share some of his beliefs with the older David. I have no doubt that David Archuleta's faith in God remains very strong. I am positive that David Archuleta will continue to be a very dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will continue to be strengthened by this book of books, The Book of Mormon.

I would even guess that if David could speak with you personally and you asked him about the Book of Mormon, he would suggest you read Moroni 10: 3-7, like I am sure, if I am reading his character correctly, he, David Archuleta has sometime before personally done.

I personally believe that the Lord had a hand in what happened tonight to both Davids. I think that David Archuletta will be guided in his life by the Lord because of his great faith and ability to face hard challenges much like Nephi, son of Lehi, did.

I have focused on David Archuletta in this post, but I would like to focus on each of you , the readers of this blog post. You are as important to the Lord Jesus Christ as either Nephi, David Archuletta and David Cook. The invitation given above by Moroni to each of us, are the words of Jesus Christ as written by one of His great prophets, Moroni, son of Mormon. Hopefully, each of us will whole-heartedly accept Moroni's words as the Lord's words and then you, like Nephi of old will say,

I Nephi 3:7 I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

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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 Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up and Click on the Following: David Archuleta, American Idol Finalist, Is . . . - Post 6. When the Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In the Index 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 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 in it. 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

Post 5 - The Mormon Church Doesn't Allow Practicing Polygamy

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

President Gordon B. Hinckley 

The purpose of this blog post is to provide evidence as to where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands on the subject of plural marriage or as it is often called, polygamy. Later in this post you will read words on the subject by recent Church President, Gordon B. Hinckley, whose photo you see here.

As is usual in this blog, we look to that book of books, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, to shed light on the subject being considered. Jacob, one of Father Lehi's younger sons became a formidable prophet in ancient America much like his older brother, Nephi. Speaking for the Lord as a prophet, we find these words in the Book of Jacob:

Jacob 2: 27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;

28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.

29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.

30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. (emphasis added)

This very clearly stated scripture lets us know that plural marriage was not to be allowed among the Nephites. In verses 28 and 29 the Lord explains what He wants His Nephite people to avoid by disallowing plural marriage.

The Lord, through the prophet Jacob, in verse 30, makes it clear that plural wives will be allowed only at times when the Lord indicates, through his authorized servants, His prophets, that there is a great need in the expansion of the numbers of the Lord's people. (emphasis added)

In the case of the great prophet, Abraham, because his only wife Sarah was unable to conceive children, the Lord, after Sarah had give her consent to it, allowed Abraham to have a child through her servant, Hagar. This surely was an example of there being a case where: "For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people... (emphasis added)

Certainly such was also the case with the prophet Moses having a number of wives while the Children of Israel were struggling to be of sufficient numbers to retake the land of Israel which God had given their forefathers.

In Jacob 2: 23-26, the verses just previous to the quote from Jacob in the Book of Mormon above, we read that the Lord was very displeased with the excesses in regard to plural marriage by King David and his son, Solomon. Their bad examples in regard to plural marriage was certainly something Book of Mormon Prophets wanted their people to avoid following after.

For fifty years early in this Church's history, (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) polygamy, or plural marriage was authorized by the Lord through a series of presiding prophets. Having been driven from the United States proper, and even before, while living in Missouri and in Illinois where they were driven and persecuted , the Church had a great need to grow in numbers. The average age of wives entering into this form of marriage was very comparable to the average marriage age of women throughout the USA at that time.

The following is an up-to-date statement by a prophet of this Church regarding Plural marriage:

The Ensign, November 1998- Questions, Gordon B. Hinckley ("What Are People Asking About Us? (Question 4. What is the Church's position on polygamy? pp.71,72)

"We are faced these days with many newspaper articles on this subject. This has arisen out of a case of alleged child abuse on the part of some of those practicing plural marriage. (emphasis added)

I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.

If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law" (A. of F. 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.

There is no such thing as a 'Mormon Fundamentalist.' It is a contradiction to use the two words together.

More than a century ago God clearly revealed unto His prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that is now against the law of God. Even in countries where civil or religious law allows polygamy, the Church teaches that marriage must be monogamous and does not accept into its membership those practicing plural marriage."

As a young undergraduate at BYU in 1951 I worked part-time at the Heber J. Grant Library there and enjoyed, when on my own time, looking through books in the special collections room downstairs. I do not have any notes on this, but my memory is very clear on what I read there on several occoasions. A writer whose name I do not recall, told of how several women, who were women's rights advocates from back East in the United States, came West to Utah in about the 1870s to liberate the Mormon women who were "trapped" in Polygamy. The efforts of these Easterners to "liberate" plural wives were rebuffed by the women they were trying to "save."

Basically, plural marriage, which was, at that time, authorized by the Lord through His servant, the President of His Church, was succeeding. I'm positive that the Lord directed this to happen as instructed in Jacob 2:30 ("For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people...)(emphasis added)

There were divorces among a few of those who had plural marriages, but there were very many happy families from which came children who made great contributions to society in many ways.

One woman was unhappy that her husband had built a more magnificent home for one of his other wives than he had for her, but she and the other wife remained great friends. There certainly were difficult challenges to be faced in plural marriage families, but surely these faithful members of Latter-day Saint families were guided by the Gift of the Holy Ghost given to all faithful members of the Church, that guided them through their special challenges.

I will end this blog post by mentioning that all through my seventy six years of life, I have seen example after example of virtuous Latter-day Saint men and women (monogamists) who were married for "Time and all Eternity" in holy temples of the Lord. I have observed closely their marriages and know they are worthy examples to be followed by all. Their children accomplish much good in this world and are ensuring a great place for themselves, through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through their faithful, upright lives, in the next world!

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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 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 Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: Plural Marriage (Polygamy), The Mormon Church Doesn't Allow its Practice - Post 5. When the Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen,Please Scroll Down In the Index 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 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 in it. 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

Post 4 - Sure Evidence That The Book of Mormon's Translation Was of God

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

If you have really read the Book of Mormon as the title of this post series asks, you would have really enjoyed, along with me, Neal Maxwell Institute's Daniel C. Peterson's fireside presentation at the Olivewood Book Store in Provo on April 10, 2008. When one "really" reads the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, as many times as I have been privileged to do, he will have recalled much from that reading of this Book of Books, during Dr. Peterson's captivating presentation.

Sometime, a number of years ago, while studying the Book of Mormon, I noticed that Nephi tells us his father's family's travel direction in Southern Arabia changed to due East at a place named Nahom (I Nephi 16:34). I also noticed then, that before and afterwards, most all locations on their long route were given names by Father Lehi and his fellow travelers, such as the Valley of Lemuel, after his second oldest son and the place by the seashore they named "Bountiful" because of "its much fruit." Dr. Peterson really enjoyed telling his audience about how this Arabian site, Nahom, still bears the same name it did in the day of the prophet, Lehi.

Although Dr. Dan didn't mention it, I remember reading a report from a BYU researcher who reported that there is an ancient burial ground there. Co-incidentally Lehi assisted in burying his relative, Ishmael there.

You will enjoy the convincing description our fireside presenter made of all this evidence which supports that which Joseph Smith told us right along, that this record was made by Hebrew travelers in about 600 B.C. As Dr. Peterson asks, "How could Joseph Smith or any other person in our day, except for a possible Arabian bedeouin who possibly didn't read or write, come up with that ancient, accurate place name."

That is just one of many items Dr. Dan gives to convince us that no-one in Joseph Smith's day could come up with the information we find in the Book of Mormon about such accurate details of ancient Hebrew olive orchard cultivation and details of experiences Book of Mormon people had in the Seismic Disaster described in III Nephi that occured just before the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the relatively small Nephite-Lamanite population that had escaped death at that cataclysmic occasion.

Another matter that Dr. Peterson so ably discussed is how Hebrew language characteristics regularly showed up in the English translation the Lord gave Joseph Smith through direct revelation. He told us that many of those Hebrew language characteristics were changed later by the Prophet Joseph or others in Church leadership to improve the English of this divine translation.

Dr. Dan is so convincing. I have noticed that there were no direct responses on the Internet to the facts that were presented by him that evening. There is no plausible way to dispute the facts that were given us by Dr. Peterson that evening.

It will be very much worth your while to watch this video. You will be viewing Part 2 when you begin. There are five parts to this lecture which lasted about an hour and a half altogether. You can make the other four parts of his lecture available to access at any time, by merely a single left click on the screen just to the right of Dr. Peterson's left shoulder. Dr. Peterson tells us a number of convincing facts in each of them. I had you begin with Part 2, because I found it particularly interesting. You may find parts 1, 3, 4 or 5, particularly interesting. Check them out as you have time!

Daniel C. Peterson

 Turn on your computer's speaker now! Click on the arrow on the screen below!

There was something special that I picked up on. I particularly appreciated Dr. Dan's enthusiasm and conviction as to why we should believe the statements of relatives and friends of Josephs Smith's in the Harmony, PA area regarding the actual manner of translating of the Book of Mormon rather than what the sophisticated, modern, easy living, computer wielding ciritcs describe. Our presenter described in great detail things that were reported by these local people regarding the translation. He then pointed out to us that all of these local folks were down-to-earth, practical and pragmatic farmers who really had to hustle to keep alive. He asks whose statements are the most credible, the modern easy-living critics or those Nineteenth century "down-to-earth people" who really knew what they were talking about.

I really appreciated Dr. Dan's enthusiasm for this great helping of convincing information given us throughout his captivating, scholarly, presentation. He apologized beforehand about having to read much of his material, but that wasn't needed because of his captivating enthusiasm. I look forward to future presentations to be made by this good man. He could read all of them as far as I am concerned.

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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 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 Blog Post You Desire To Access), When You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: The Book of Mormon's Translation Was of God. Sure Evidence (A Dan Peterson Video Assists in providing this evidence) - Post 4 After The Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next to a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).


__________

"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 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 in it. 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

Post 3 - Works Required Of Those Saved By Grace

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

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TODAY'S THEME

(A Relative): Hi!
A couple of comments about Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23. If grace only applies after all you can do, how do you know when you have done enough? Have you truly done ALL you could do? If not, then it would seem that grace would not apply.

(Neil) I believe it is very challenging to do ALL the Lord expects of us. However, we need to keep on doing what He wants us to do. For sure the "Marvelous Gift of the Grace of Christ" gives us the desire and courage to forge forward through all the challenges we meet in this life to the end of our lives. If we accept the grace of Christ, and prove ourselves worthy and continue becoming more Christlike we don't have to worry about whether or not we have done ALL He wants us to do. He will, by His spirit, and by the power of His grace, guide us forward to the end of our lives, giving us reassurances along the way, that we are on the path to salvation and prompt us to make the changes we need to make.

(A Relative) A Christian rejoices in grace as presented in the Holy Bible. (Neil) I believe a Christian should rejoice in grace, but at the same time he strives to be obedient to Christ as presented in the Holy Bible and in other sacred scriptures.

(A Relative): Good works are a *result* of grace, not a way to achieve it.
(Neil): If all good works are a *result* of grace, why did The Apostle, Paul write all he did about Charity in First Corinthians, 13. Why didn't he just simply write "that if you are blessed with the grace of Christ the result will be that Charity will come automatically." Wasn't Paul trying to help us to desire developing the quality of Charity?

Why didn't the Savior in Matthew 5:48 just say: "Accept my grace and all will be well" instead of

Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

And why did the Savior teach the apostles: " in

John 13: 34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

 We just don't automatically "love one another as Jesus loves us." His ability to love goes way beyond any of our present abilities to love. That is a challenge that isn't met automatically by grace, but it does take much guidance by the gift of the Holy Ghost. However, without the grace of our Savior we would not have the motivation to move forward spiritually. It also takes much effort, prayer and years of learning.

(A Relative): "You do not pay for a gift. Grace is not a license to sin, but if you truly love God, you will want to please Him.

(Neil) That being so, don't we need to study all the scriptures to know how to please Him. We must learn the commandments he has given us. We must believe that the power of His grace is sufficient to give us the desire to learn and then the ability to keep His commandments."

Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 25:23. "By grace are we saved after all we can do."  

The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is very much needed in our day.

(Neil) I will now comment on the two scriptures you listed, one at a time:

(Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

This scripture applies to each of us. By the Spirit, we each must strive to keep His commandments and live as Christ and His apostles and prophets have taught us to live. Again, these qualities don’t come automatically because you feel or know that you accept the grace of Christ. If they did come automatically, why then (I'm repeating myself) does the Savior and his apostles and all the prophets teach us how to live righteously?

(Eph. 2) By Grace are Ye Saved is given in this scripture. The apostle Paul was teaching the Ephesian Saints that just by living the Law of Moses and all of the ordinances given by Moses, people were are not saved. The Grace of Christ is an absolute necessity. Without the Grace of Christ all of these performances required of ancient Israel do not benefit anyone.

The commandments given us by Christ and His apostles and prophets are a different matter. They must be obeyed so that grace, (or in other words, the atonement of Christ) can save us.

Ephesians 2: 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

That last verse is very meaningful. God expects us to produce good works, but those good works are not automatically produced by us because of the Grace of Christ. We cannot boast of our good works, because they would amount to nothing were it not for the grace of Christ. We keep the commandments given us because we love Him for what he did in atoning for our sins and imperfections, and for the blessings of Eternal Life which He promises us.

So let's look again at the scripture you referred to in your comment in my blog: "Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon",

2 Nephi 25:23 "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Notice the words: "be reconciled to God" doesn't that means keeping His commandments and accepting His grace in my view. The Bible and the Book of Mormon agree!

I'm not writing this to prove that I'm right, I'm writing all of this because you and your family are very dear to me and my wife. May the Lord bless you in your righteous efforts.

Neil
____________


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 Blog Post You Desire To Open), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up and Click on the Following: Works are Required as Well as Grace - Post 22; Post 3. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down in The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
____________


"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 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 in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: http://varsinaisella.blogspot.com/. Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch