Thanksgiving

Hey Guys,

I’m off spending time with my family that I only see once a year. Of course this visit is serving as a reminder as to why I only see them once a year… I’ll be back Friday and will continue my discussion. It is my prayer that you will have a blessed Thanksgiving and I hope that you will remember to be thankful and give of what you have been blessed with. May Allah lift each and everyone of you to the highest heaven and bestow upon you blessings in this life and the one to come.

As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم)

Adeeb

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). Sura 1:1

By God Alone

There aren’t many guarantees in life as we aren’t promised another second after the breath we just took. It is by the permission of Allah that we breathe, that we eat, that we sleep and that we live day after day. Allah is the sustainer of life and grants unto us everything we stand in need of. We are nothing without Him.

The only guarantee in life is that we all, at some point will die. And it becomes the unhappy duty of those we leave behind to lay our mortal bodies down into the ground from whence our first parents came. I’ve been reminded of just our fragile our lives really are as a friend of mine, only six months older than passed away from complications of pneumonia. She was 25.

This sudden slap in the face of a wakeup call reminded me that it is the mercy of Allah that I live and is at the will of Allah that I die. It is through His permission and His permission alone that mankind lives and dies and as we live, being given all things that we stand in need of from the Sustainer, I’ve realized that I need to strive harder in my life, to live away that would be first and foremost pleasing to Allah, to be deserving of His blessings, but also, as an example to my brothers and sisters as how we all should treat each other.

To my friend, it is my prayer that you will be lifted up in the highest heaven and that Allah will remember your good deeds. There were so many of them! And I pray also that my friend’s family will be comforted and that they will know that the Lord loves them.

My heart has been very grieved by the loss of my friend and honestly I don’t really want to be talking about the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel Principles book, but to keep my promises to myself and to my friend, I’ll go ahead and discuss what I’ve learned.

The past couple blogs I exploded and put forth my argument as to why I cannot accept the Book of Mormon as divine scripture. Regardless of how I feel about the Book of Mormon, I know that people will take comfort from it and will regard it as scripture-but well I guess I require evidence for belief. When a book makes an extraordinary claim like the Book of Mormon does, I expect there to be extraordinary evidence to accompany that claim. The Quran, indeed, makes extraordinary claims, but science backs up its statements and its historicity is verified. The Quran is a book that calls people to faith, but not a blind faith. That’s what caused me to revert in the first place…

Moving on…

The thirteenth chapter of the Gospel Principles book deals with the priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I grew up Anglican so am not unfamiliar with the concept of the priesthood, though I never really saw the need for it other than legality concerns when marrying people.  The church, for me at least, always got in the way of the one thing that mattered most: God. Prophets, scripture, and my own personal prayer closed the gap between God and me. But, well, some churches and faiths believe that priesthood is necessary.

I’d like to share what Mormon faithful believe concerning the priesthood and this can be found in the Gospel Principles book pages 67 through 68:

What is the Priesthood?

The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood He created and governs the heavens and the earth. By this power the universe is kept in perfect order. Through this power He accomplishes His work and glory, which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)

Our Heaven Father delegates His priesthood power to worth male members of the Church. The priesthood enables them to act in God’s name for the salvation of the human family. Through it they can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation and govern God’s kingdom on earth.

Why Do We Need the Priesthood on Earth?

We must have priesthood authority to act in the name of God when performing the sacred ordinances of the gospel, such as baptism, confirmation, administration of the sacrament, and temple marriages. If man does not have the priesthood, even though he may be sincere, the Lord will not recognize ordinances he performs…These important ordinances must be performed on the earth by men holding the priesthood….

Another reason the priesthood is needed on the earth is so we can understand the will of the Lord and carry out His purposes. God reveals His will to His authorized priesthood representative on the earth, the prophet….

This all seems well and good but in all honesty I am bothered by it. It seems to me that the concept of the priesthood does one of either two things: It attempts to elevate man to the level of God or attempts to bring God down to man’s level.

For me at least, Allah does not need priesthood in order to govern the heavens and the earth. After all, He spoke and the world was. Men are the ones who came up with offices that elevated men above other men, that gave them special rights to do things- in the eyes of Allah we are all equal. That is why in Islam kings will prostrate themselves in prayer with the common man; it is why we pray shoulder to shoulder, side by side- no one is above anyone else and it is God who governs everything by His divine will alone. No priesthood needed.

BOOK OF MORMON PART 2

When looking at a document claiming to be ancient in origin, I think the following questions need to be posed:

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

The how and the why will usually fall into place.

If these questions can’t be answered then said ancient document is nothing more than a forgery and should be dismissed as such.

WHO?

After an appetizer combo bucket from my favorite bar and grill I came home ready to tackle the question of Who?

The second sentence in the introductory note of the Book of Mormon answers the “Who” question though rather vaguely.

“It (meaning the Book of Mormon) is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas…”

The second paragraph tells us that these ancient inhabitants were known as Nephites and Lamanites and that after the Nephites were destroyed the Lamanites became “the principal ancestors of the American Indian.”

STOP!

Remember how I showed that there were changes found in the Book of Mormon, changes that haven’t been noted in any foot notes in the Book of Mormon? Guess what. There’s another one.

In the edition of the Book of Mormon I own, copyright 1981, the sentence mentioned above does indeed read: After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians. Please notice it says: ARE THE PRINCIPAL ANCESTORES OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS.  But I noticed that on the Mormon church’s website, www.lds.org, the official scriptures found on the website said this in the Introduction: After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians. The word AMONG was inserted in the sentence which has completely changed the meaning of the original sentence.

Why was the wording changed? If the Book of Mormon is true and the “most correct” then why change the claim that the Lamanites are the principal ancestors of Native American Indians?

The simple answer is: It’s a lie.

From all the reading I’ve done on the origins of the Native American Indians I have never, not once come across any information suggesting that they came from Israel or Jewish migrants. Not that this wouldn’t be neat, but it simply isn’t fact. What I have read, learned and come to know as fact based on DNA, archaeology evidence and all that good stuff, is that the American Indian came from Asia and Siberia.

The Book of Mormon teaches that the Lamanites were a dark, loathsome, and a filthy people and that they were a people full of idleness and all manner of abominations (1 Nephi 12:23)

Sort of sounds like the depiction of the American Indian in Walt Disney’s Peter Pan.

The Book of Moron further explains that their dark skin was a curse that was set upon them from God (Alma 3:6) and that this curse will only be removed after they have accepted the gospel of Mormonism and then they will become a white and delightsome people (2 Nephi 30:6). {Please note that the word white was changed to pure. The original text from 1830 read white. pp 117, 1830 edition of Book of Mormon.}

You know, maybe it’s just me but if a book of scripture claimed to be written to my ethnicity specifically, as the Book of Mormon does to the Indians, I’m not too sure that I’d give it much attention if it kept repeatedly telling me my ancestors were lazy and blood thirsty (Enos 1:20). That’s just not good public relations.

But here’s the problem with the Book of Mormon claim that the American Indians are any way shape or form related to a band of Jewish migrants: As of March 2006, 99.5% of American Indians who had their DNA tested demonstrated that their ancestral linage came from Asia. The other .5% was a mix of European and African. Beyond this, scientists cannot find any Hebrew influences in America whether it be in culture or language, architect or religious practices. It simply isn’t there.

An article posted on the Institute for Religious Research website (www.irr.org) posed this question: If we don’t know who the Lamanites are, how can the Book of Mormon promise to bring them back? It’s an identity crisis for many of us that [must] be understood.

Show me a Lamanite and I’ll be a Mormon convert.

WHAT?

What is the Book of Mormon about? According to the introductory note it deals with the history of the Nephites and Lamanites and one can surmise that because after thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, that the book probably deals with wars. We are told that:

The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.

Here’s the thing: If the ancestors of the American Indian were Jewish then there would be evidence supporting this in ancient religious practices. Shockingly, there is no evidence of such. For lack of a better term, the ancient inhabitants of America were “pagan”. If Jesus Christ really did appear then those inhabitants would have converted to Christianity, which the Book of Mormon states was the case and that all the people’s were converted to Christ for two hundred years following his appearance to them. But there isn’t any evidence for this. Christianity didn’t come to the Americas until the first Europeans showed up.

Another problem is that the history of these peoples cannot be established. We know that there were peoples here way before 600 B.C.E. which is the time the Nephites supposedly arrived in the new world. We can find the places that Incas, Aztecs and Mayans lived and even in my own state, we know where the Mississippian Indians hung out. We cannot find any ruin that is similar to the cities the Book of Mormon describes. The claims of the Book of Mormon are not established by archaeology or any other supporting science.

WHERE?

In just about every Bible I’ve been given I have found maps in the back or front of the book. These maps usually highlight Paul’s missionary journeys or the land of Palestine at the time of Christ. Some maps are greatly detailed with notes about the places highlighted while others are simply illustrated. But nearly every Bible I’ve purchased or have been given there has been an accompanying map.

If I had thousands o extra dollars lying around I could go to places like Bethlehem and Jerusalem. I could see Nazareth and I could dip my hand into the Jordan River. I could see the ruins at Capernaum and see the steps of Herod’s temple. Thousands of years after these places have been written about I can still go see them today.

So here I sit looking at the copy of the Book of Mormon I have. Cracking it open I flipped through the introduction and explanatory note and came to eight pages of beautiful, full colored pictures. There is a portrait of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and a few paintings depicting various stories found within the Book of Mormon.

I flipped to the back of the book and found a pronouncing guide and an index. But, no maps.

As I studied the Book of Mormon in depth it dawned on me that there were numerous cities mentioned in the stories but there was no map indicating where any of the cities were.

If the Book of Mormon was a true volume of scripture about the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, as the introduction note states, then why were there maps indicating where these peoples lived?

I began to question: Can I visit cities like Zarahemla? Bountiful? Or Manti?

A brief look at older Central and South American maps quickly revealed I could not. The names didn’t exist.

But if the Book of Mormon was true then why weren’t there maps?

The answer: There are no maps because you can’t place the events in the Book of Mormon in a real world setting. You either have to distort the text itself or the real world setting. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes no official position as to where the events took place. One reason for this is obvious: the events didn’t take place any where!

WHEN?

The Book of Mormon claims to encompass a one thousand year time period beginning in approximately 600 B.C.E. and ending in about 420 C.E. It tells the history of a people who claim to be literate and claim to have kept records (Helaman 3:13).

But when a claim that a group of people kept records about their proceedings and the scholar can’t find the records then it’s a pretty good guess that the peoples didn’t exist.  Let’s look at the Book of Mormon for instance.

It encompasses a thousand year time period. It tells us that it was abridged from other plates that contained longer stories. It tells us that there were multiple records about the people. But there’s not documentary trace. From the time that the Book of Mormon was originally written in 400 C.E. to its English publication is fourteen hundred years. Where’s the trail? The Bible has a documentary trail. Why doesn’t the Book of Mormon?

Simple answer: It’s nineteenth century religious fiction.

COMPOUNDED COMPLICATIONS

To be a Mormon is to accept the extraordinary with no proof. In fact, the less proof there is for their convictions the more my Mormon friends believe. Example of this would be the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is the foundation of the Mormon Church and the proof of Joseph Smith’s prophetic call. If the Book of Mormon falls then so does Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church and thirteen million people’s faith.

It’s dangerous to be a Mormon and openly publish statements like: There is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith is the author of the book. It usually lands people in excommunication.

Got to love those fear tactics.

My cats have these annoying little fuzzy mice that if seen in a dim light appear to be large roaches. I hate them.

Much to my dismay my cat will often jump on my desk while and drop one of these God forsaken toys on my key board. I throw it and like a dog she brings the thing back. I have long since figured out that if I throw her toy mouse under something she becomes convinced that it’s gone and the game ends…until she finds a paper ball.

Children are like this as well. A child can sit and play with a tennis ball for a while and be as happy as a honey bee in a flower garden. But if that tennis ball happens to roll under the couch then the ball is gone. Because the child can’t see it, the ball is gone.

But we know that isn’t the case. The ball is still there it just takes someone with a little more understanding to find the ball and make it come back.

Guess what! History is the same way. Someone with a little more knowledge and understanding that the average bear can bring it back to life and make these fun little things called artifacts reappear.

The funny thing is that the artifacts that one should find in conjunction with the Book of Mormon story aren’t found. Anywhere. They aren’t found in North America, Central America or Southern America. However, we can, have and do find artifacts of the Native American tribes that have roamed this land for thousands of years. We just can’t seem to find anything that correlates with the Nephites or the Lamanites.

ARTIFACTS

Coins

While working in a shipping department for an antiques dealer I came across a coin simply marked ancient. Popping the plastic baggie open I pulled a coin out carefully clutching it in between my index finger and thumb. Laying the coin in the palm of my opposite hand I examined it closely.

What I was holding in my hand wasn’t of much worth: the coin sold for only a dollar and twenty cents, but for the love of history I possess it was a momentous occasion.

My imagination ran wild as I thought of the thousands of hands that had touched it between it’s creator and me. The stories this coin could tell!

The coin was from Ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Constantine AD 306 through AD 337. The coin was no bigger than a modern day American penny and contained a bust of Constantine and Greek lettering on the back.

And then something struck me.

An object no bigger than a penny, the coin had been preserved through seventeen hundred years of history. An object with a circumference of only 59.84 mm and a diameter of 19.05 mm had been preserved. There in my hand was an Ancient Roman coin and was available for purchase on Ebay.

Not available on Ebay are Nephite coins called:

Senine

Seon

Shum

Limnah

They aren’t available because they don’t exist.

Coins never existed in America before the 16^th century and they certainly weren’t used as any medium of exchange amongst the native peoples of America. They tended to trade food, animals, clothing, people etc. They wouldn’t have known what to do with coins except maybe flatten them out and make jewelry out of them.

But if one believes the Book of Mormon and holds it as a true and accurate history of ancient America then coins did exist.

The chapter heading to Alma chapter eleven states: Nephite coinage set forth…and verse four states: Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their value. This is followed by a long list of alien names and measurements.

Even though it is rather clear that this chapter is about coins Daniel Petterson, Mormon apologists, asserts that the Book of Mormon never mentions the world coin.

Peterson states in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 5:55, “It is, alas, quite true that there is no evidence whatsoever for the existence of Book of Mormon coins. Not even in the Book of Mormon itself. The text of the Book of Mormon never mentions the word ‘coin’ or any variant of it. The reference to ‘Nephite Coinage’ in the chapter heading to Alma 11 is not part of the original text and is mistaken. Alma 11 is almost certain talking about standardized weights of metal- a historical step toward coinage, but not yet the real thing.”

Wow.

There are a lot of issues with this statement.

Let’s take a look.

The Book of Mormon may not actually use the word coin but you can look it up in the Index in the back of the book and you are referred to chapter eleven in Alma. Secondly, the chapter heading of Alma eleven was coined by James Talmage, a former apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Author James P Harris noted of Talmage that he was “customarily meticulous, making sure there were no errors or omissions.” (The Essential James E. Talmage pp 29) Beyond this Peterson’s statement is rather presumptuous. The chapter heading has read the same way since 1920 and the Book of Mormon is printed under the authority of the First Presidency of the Church. If there really was an issue with using the word ‘coinage’ wouldn’t the First Presidency have changed it rather than leave it for the past ninety years?

Call me crazy.

Secondly, for Peterson to say that “the text of the Book of Mormon never mentions the word ‘coin’ or any variant of it’ is a gross inaccuracy.  Remember just a little bit ago that I said verse four of chapter eleven states: Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold…? Guess what: piece in Joseph Smith’s day meant coin.

According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary copyright 1960 and based on older editions copyright 1916 ‘piece’ in its sixth definition is defined as: A piece of money; a coin; as, pieces of silver. We can go back further than that and look at Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language and read in definition eight: A coin; as a piece of eight.

So to counter Peterson’s statement: Yes there is a variant of the word coin found in the Book of Mormon text.

The last thing that is wrong with Peterson’s statement is the last sentence: Alma 11 is almost certainly talking about standardized weights of metal…

What Dan Peterson is trying to do is persuade the reader into believing that archeologists can’t find coins because the Nephites didn’t use coins but used weights and measures that can’t be found. Thing is, however, hunks of metal would be needed to determine the actual weight of something. We could still find those. I mean we have Roman coins for God sakes why not a hunk of metal?

Apologize again, Peterson.

Literally, I could go on and on about the scientific problems facing the Book of Mormon. I could talk about the zoology of the Book of Mormon being completely wrong, the discussion of plant life in the Book of Mormon being completely wrong, the topic of metallurgy being completely wrong…etc etc etc The simple fact of the matter is that the Book of Mormon is just COMPLETELY wrong. What is bothersome is that despite the evidence against the Book of Mormon people still believe it.

At some point I have to feel sorry for people that they have such a desire to believe that they are willing to believe anything. But on the other hand, when a people continually choose to believe something despite the evidence that has been presented, I question their intelligence.

When I reverted to Islam, I did not pray to know whether or not Islam was true or to know whether or not the Quran was true. I reverted because of the facts and scientific evidence in the Quran. I’ll get into that later, but my point is that intelligence is as much a part of faith as love is to a marriage. Allah does not ask us to have blind faith. He has given us the ability to KNOW: to know spiritually, to know emotionally and to know scientifically. We aren’t not meant to have a blind faith- just think of the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. The second Peter took his eyes of Jesus (or his faith if you will) he began to sink.

Just think about it.

Book of Mormon Part 1

As I’ve been studying the Gospel Principles book I’ve also been reading the Book of Mormon, which is believed to be the keystone to the religion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This book is a literary blunder in my opinion. It’s relatively boring and so far, hasn’t shed much light on anything doctrinal or answered any questions about the purpose of life or the origins of the universe, short of saying “God did it”.

The Book of Mormon encompasses the story of a Jewish family that migrated from Jerusalem to the American continent. Among those that came to the Americas were Nephi and his brother Laman. After arriving, sibling rivalry caused the family to split and form into two nations known as the Nephites and Lamanites. After a thousand years of war, the Nephites were destroyed by the Lamanites leaving the Lamanites to ultimately become the principal ancestors of the American Indians.

According to the introductory note of the Book of Mormon Joseph Smith is said to have “translated them (the golden plates the Book of Mormon was originally written upon) by the gift and power of God.” If this was so and God, who in Judeo-Christian religions is all knowing, helped Joseph translate it would He have the wherewithal to make the work perfect?

The simple fact of the matter is there are a lot and I mean A LOT of issues with the Book of Mormon. And while I could spend the next several thousand pages, literally, demonstrating the problems, I will just break it down into convenient bite size pieces.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

The Bible is a literary masterpiece and can be studied in colleges as literature, giving the student a look at early Jewish writings. The individuals stories found within the Bible are consistent, have different writing styles and are clearly given from different points of view. The same cannot be said about the Book of Mormon however. It is full of inconsistencies and even though there are fifteen books purportedly written by different writers they all sound the same. There is little to distinguish the characters except for the change in names. This is particularly noticed with the characters of Nephi and Moroni.

These little inconveniences are easily missed when reading the Book of Mormon simply because the book is so damn boring, but what is disturbing is that a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints noted: In the first place there is a certain lack of perspective in the things the book relates to history that points quite clearly to an undeveloped mind as their origin. The narrative proceeds in characteristics disregard of conditions necessary to its reasonableness, as if it were a tale told by a child, with utter disregard for consistency…There were other Anti-Christs among the Nephites, but they were more military leaders than religious innovators…they are of all one breed and brand; so nearly alike that one mind is the author of them, and that a young and undeveloped, but piously inclined mind. The evidence I sorrowfully submit, points to Joseph Smith as their creator. It is difficult to believe that they are the product of history, that they come upon the scene separated by long periods of time, and among a race which was ancestral race of the red man of America. (B.H. Roberts Book of Mormon Study)

This is a damning thing for a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to say especially considering that Joseph Smith wrote: I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion…(Introduction of the Book of Mormon) The problem is, of course, that if the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book” then there are an awful lot of books in the world full of lies.

It is impossible for anyone to read the Book of Mormon with an open mind. The title page of the book immediately bombards the reader with the thought that it is document “written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation”. Beyond this the reader is told that the book was written “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations”. And if that wasn’t enough, the title page issues a warning that “if there are fault they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ”.

Darn.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Introduction page complicates matters making it all together impossible for a reader to simply read the work as a literary piece and not scripture. There is an over emphasis that it is true scripture from God and an uneasy sense of fear for rejecting the work. It can put the reader in quite a dilemma.

However, forgeries of ancient documents are easily spotted.

If the Book of Mormon is a true and an ancient document everything it says should stand and be proven correct. But because it’s me, I’m prepared to demonstrate how grossly inaccurate it is by simply looking at its claim of being ancient scripture.

LIST OF COMPLAINTS

There are several approaches to drawing up a list of complaints against the Book of Mormon because there are several different aspects of the book that are in question. Its history can be brought into question, sciences, language, and its validity as divine scripture: the list goes on. And while I could take any number of approaches, I will just start on page one of the book because that’s where I noticed the first problem and so have many other Book of Mormon skeptics.

LOST BOOK

The Book of Mormon, like the Bible, mentions a few lost books here and there. Of course, there’s no way of obtaining these records now. But there was one record that wasn’t lost until the year 1828.

In 1 Nephi 1:17 we are told: ..Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father…after I have abridged the record of my father then will I make an account of mine own life.

You can’t make an abridgment unless you already have a book to abridge, so we are told by this verse that Nephi’s father, Lehi, had his own book. Which would make sense considering the latter chapters of 1 Nephi explain that Lehi was very concerned with having a record of the Jews to take with them to the new world.

A few years ago now, I was watching an episode of South Park, there goes my credibility, which was talking about the beginnings of Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. The musical number that was woven throughout the course of the episode recounted the finding and translating of the Book of Mormon rather accurately. The story even went so far as to talk about the first pages of the Book of Mormon being lost and summed up the show with a logical argument against Mormonism.

In 1828 Joseph Smith transcribed one-hundred and sixteen pages to Martin Harris. These one-hundred and sixteen page were taken from the Book of Lehi and were contained on the larger golden plates that Smith claimed to have found not too far from his home.

Subsequently after Joseph Smith had translated these one-hundred and sixteen pages and Harris had recorded them, Harris asked Smith if he could take the pages home to show to his wife who was a little doubtful of what was really going on. Two times Smith informed Harris that he could not take the pages but being that third time’s the charm, Smith finally relented and allowed him to.

Shockingly, the pages came up missing.

It is believed that Martin Harris’ wife, Lucy, took the pages and destroyed them claiming that if Joseph Smith was really translating the work then he could simply retranslate them exactly as before.

As the South Park episode said: Lucy Harris…Smart.

Harris went back and told Smith what had happened and Smith demanded that Harris go and research the house. This of course was to no avail. Not sure what to do,  Joseph Smith asked the Lord and was given his first written revelation found in Doctrine and Covenants section ten.

In this section one can find that God tells Smith not to retranslate the lost pages as this was part of Satan’s plan to destroy the work of the Book of Mormon. He was told that if he translated the pages that wicked men would publish an altered version of the pages that had been taken and to commence translating from the smaller plates of Nephi which contained an abridged version of what had been written by Lehi. This way the same information would still be contained in the Book of Mormon just told a little differently.

God knew that this was going to happen and so told the historian and man who abridged the Book of Mormon account, Mormon, to make two sets of plates that would cover essentially the same material.

In the Book of Mormon we conveniently read:

And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will. — Words of Mormon 1:7

This verse is summing up Mormon making two sets of plates.

The problem with this of course is that the lost pages have never surfaced. Lucy most likely destroyed them so it seems that Smith made up the entire thing of wicked men and Satan’s cunning plan, just to cover his tail. Another problem with this is that it would have been difficult to create such alterations. They would be completely noticeable if one tried to change the pages the account had initially been written on and if someone tried to make a hand written copy with alterations the forgery would sooner or later be detected. Beyond this, isn’t it a little too convenient that a prophet of old knew he should make a second record of the same thing?

Well despite Martin Harris being called a “wicked man” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:7) he becomes one of the original three witnesses to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. I suppose it was the least Joseph Smith could do after Harris mortgaged his farm for $3,000, just in case the Book of Mormon didn’t sell, in order to pay the printers.

The book didn’t sell. Harris lost his farm and his wife.

As South Park said: Martin Harris…dumb.

LINGO

It is believed by faithful followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and millions of others that the Book of Mormon was written in a language known as “reformed Egyptian”.  The Book of Mormon itself states:

Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. – 1 Nephi 1:2

…for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings… — Mosiah 1:4

…we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian… — Mormon 9:32

When I first started reading the Book of Mormon I had difficulty getting past 1 Nephi 1:2 (page one) as I had always understood that Jews spoke Hebrew. It was puzzling to me that a devout Jew, as we know Nephi was by his own records (I, Nephi…having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days… — 1 Nephi 1:1) would be writing in Egyptian. So I did a little research on the matter.

Hebrew is one of the oldest languages still in use today. It is spoken by seven million people worldwide and classical Hebrew is still used for prayer and study in Jewish communities everywhere. It is referred to as Leshon Hakodesh, ‘The Holy Language’. Webster’s NewWorld Hebrew Dictionary translate Leshon Hakodesh as the sacred language (i.e. Hebrew). Hebrew is a Canaanite language flourishing in the sixth century B.C.E. and while other Canannite languages are extinct, Hebrew flourished.

The language that Nephi would have spoken in Jerusalem in 600 B.C.E. would have been Hebrew because he lived there before the Jews were put into exile by the Babylonian Empire. It was only at the time of exile that the Jews, as a means of survival, had to learn other languages like Aramaic but ultimately Hebrew was a spoken language along side of Aramaic and was used for writings: i.e. letters, contacts, science, philosophy, medicine, poetry, and sacred texts. So this begs the question; Why was Nephi writing in Egyptian?

Mormon apologist would have us believe that reformed Egyptian was used because it was smaller and that the authors in the Book of Mormon could fit more words than if they had used another language, like Hebrew. I could buy that as we have an English short hand used for taking notes, BUT, remember how I said the Book of Mormon was boring? It’s also wordy. Below is an example of it’s wordiness.

And thus did the thirty and eighth year pass away, and also the thirty and ninth, and forty and first, and the forty and second, yea, even until forty and nine years had passed away, and also the fifty and first, and the fifty and second; yea, and even until fifty and nine years had passed away. – 4 Npehi 1:6

That equals fifty-seven words to explain that twenty-one years passed away. So the claim that reformed Egyptian took up less space is a little blown out of the water by the text itself.

Just a little amusing side note: The term and it came to pass is used something like 3,800 times in a book that was written in a reformed language designed to use less room.

Aside from this there is no scholar in the world that recognizes reformed Egyptian as an actual language. If a scholar does recognize it chances are they are Mormon. But to complicate matters more on the issue of reformed Egyptian there is no archeological, linguistic, or other evidence to support the use of Egyptian writing in ancient America.

Joseph Smith is said to have translated the Book of Mormon into English yet surprisingly, there’s a random French word contained in the text.

I make an end of my writing upon these plates…Brethren, adieu. – Jacob 7: 27

‘Adieu’ means parting, farewell, goodbye, bye, bye bye so I am a little perplexed as to why a French word would randomly appear in the text. What is more puzzling is that in the same verse that ‘adieu’ appears the word ‘farewell’ also appears.

And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands. And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu. – Jacob 7:27

Why couldn’t Joseph just say farewell? And if he was “translating” the text into English, why not just say ‘goodbye’ or ‘farewell’? It doesn’t make sense.

Now, I’ve already mentioned that Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon “was the most correct book on earth” and that the title pages makes excuses for anything that is wrong in it. But what is more is that the text itself makes excuses for the problems it contains.

Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh…. – 1 Nephi 19:6

And if there be faults they be the faults of a man… – Mormon 8:17

My question: How can a book, written “by the spirit of prophecy and revelation” contain any errors if guided by a God who “knoweth all things” (Mormon 8”17)? Wouldn’t God have the wherewithal to write the book properly?

The Bible has this same problem.

The stark reality of the Book of Mormon is that thousands of changes have been without even a note. As far as I know nearly 4,000 changes were made to the Book of Mormon: grammar had to be fixed, spelling errors corrected, textual changes…the list goes on. But how is this possible if it is “the most correct book on earth”?

CHANGES

The problem with believing the modern text of the Book of Mormon is that the 1830’s edition of the text is readily available. In Nauvoo, IL, if I wanted to spend the money, I could purchase a reprint of the 1830’s edition at the LDS book store down town on Mullholand Street. Heck, I could have purchased it at the gift shop at the Church History Museum just across the street from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT. It’s puzzling to me why the LDS Church would risk having this reprint available to the public when the problems with textual changes are so insanely noticeable.

A book called 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon by Jerald and Sandra Tanner literally takes the original 1830’s edition of the Book of Mormon makes a photo reprint of it and clearly highlights the many changes within the text. There is an average of 7 changes per page and some of these changes are rather big corrections.

According to History of the Church written by Joseph Smith on pages fifty-four and fifty-five there shouldn’t have been any changes made to the Book of Mormon whatsoever: “…we hear a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, ‘These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear’”.

The changes, my friends, are documented.

Following is a brief example of some doctrinal changes and other random errors that have been “corrected”.

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh. – 1 Nephi, 1830’s edition page 25

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. – 1 Nephi 11:18, 1981 edition

And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father! – 1 Nephi, 1830’s edition page 25

And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! – 1 Nephi 11:21, 1981 edition

And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not. – 2 Nephi, 1830’s edition page 87

And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not. – 2 Nephi 12:9, 1981 edition

And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not. Isaiah 2:9

…and for this cause did king Benjamin keep them… — Ether, 1830’s edition page 546

…and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them… – Ether 4:1, 1981 edition.

King Benjamin was dead at this point.

By Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and Proprietor Title page, 1830’s edition

Translated by Joseph Smith, Jun. Title page, 1981 edition

There are many more things that have been changed, whether it be spelling, grammatical or whatever, if it was “the most correct book on earth” then no changes should be made. And guess what: There shouldn’t be contradictions either.

CONTRADICTIONS

It never looks good for a “divine” document from an all knowing God to contain within its pages any sort of contradiction. It means one of two things: Someone is lying or God is stupid.

…and there he was caused, or rather did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what he had taught to the people as contrary to the word of God; and there he suffered and ignominious death. – Alma 1:15

VS

Now there was a strict law among the people of the church, that there should not any man, belonging to the church, arise and persecute those that did not belong to the church, and that there should be no persecution among themselves. – Alma 1:21

Really? Because it seems to me that there is some persecuting going on.

…if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to punish him. – Alma 30:9

VS

…when they saw that he would revile even against God, they would not make any reply to his words; but they caused that he should be bound; and they delivered him up into the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land of Zarahemla, that he might be brought before Alma, and the chief judge who was governor over all the land. – Alma 30:29

I thought you weren’t punished if you didn’t believe.

And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance. – 2 Nephi 5:15

VS

And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. – 2 Nephi 5:16

But you said it was in abundance!

Is the Book of Mormon true?

It depends on which verse you are reading.

It’s true! It’s true!

The things which I have written are true. And thus it is. Amen. 1 Nephi 14:30

I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true. – 1 Nephi 22:30

O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi … are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes. – Mosiah 1:6

And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true. — 3 Nephi 8:1

And when ye shall receive these things…ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true … he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. — Moroni 10:4

Just kidding!

And now, if I do err, even did they err of old … because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself. — 1 Nephi 19:6

I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power. –Alma 10:5

And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time. — 3 Nephi 8:2

If there be faults, they are the faults of man. — Mormon 8:17

Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him … if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. — Mormon 9:31, 33

FAILED PROPHECY

Every scripture, Jewish, Christian, Islamic and what have you, contains some form or prophecy or another. The Book of Mormon, a Judeo Christian text, is no exception.

Prophecy plays a vital role in Mormonism as it is through prophecy that members believe that the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and other aspects of the restored church are foretold.  Mormon scriptures even teach the importance of prophecy by stating: …wo unto him that shall…say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation or by prophecy…(3 Nephi 29:6)

Bruce R. McConkie, a former Mormon General Authority, wrote: Belief in and the manifestations of the spirit of prophecy are two of the great evidences of the divinity of the great latter-day work in which the saints are engaged (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie pp. 603).

But what happens if prophesies written in a divine document don’t come true? If prophecy is one of the “great evidences of the divinity”, what does a failed prophecy say about the Divine?

The Book of Mormon, just like the Bible, cannot resist making prophetic claims. And just like the Bible, the Book of Mormon has multiple failed prophecies.

FAILURE

For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain,.. in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear..they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet. – 1 Nephi 22:23

This verse of found in the Book of Mormon is suggesting that all the churches that aren’t Mormon will soon be destroyed. The problem with this, of course, is that there are multiple churches in the United States and abroad that are building and not being destroyed.  Evangelical churches are among those movements that are rapidly growing. The worse the economic times are, the more these movements grow.

Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. – 2 Nephi 1:6

What the prophet Lehi is suggesting here is that no one will come to America unless they are lead by God. While this could be an intriguing concept as many explorers brought with them a priest, the simple fact of the matter is that studies suggest that the American Indians came here in search for food. They were following their bellies, not a belief in God. Beyond this, we know that the Vikings cruised around the eastern coasts of America and they were commonly pagan. It is quite safe to say, therefore, that multiple people will come to America who aren’t led by God.

For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. – 2 Nephi 3:6

Joseph is the younger brother of Nephi and is of the Nephite nation. This modest prophecy here is of course about Joseph Smith.  The problem with this verse, however, is that the Book of Mormon later on states that all the Nephites were destroyed therefore making it impossible for Joseph Smith to have been born through “the fruit of my loins.” And it came to pass that there were ten more who did fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each; yea, even all my people… (Mormon 6:15).

Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed..wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God. – 2 Nephi 10:19

When I read this verse, I couldn’t help but laugh. “All men that dwell thereon…shall worship me.”

Really? Because I know several atheists.

A survey published by the Associated Press in 2009 suggested that more and more Americans are claiming to have no religious affiliation with eight percent in 1990 to fifteen percent in 2009. Other studies have showed that the atheist population in America has doubled from nine-hundred thousand in 1990 to one point six million in 2009.

And Babylon..shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. – 2 Nephi 23:19-20

This prophecy here falsely makes the claim that Babylon won’t be inhabited. Well, it is inhabited with over three-hundred thousand people today. The name of the city has changed to Al Hillah and is in a province of Iraq about fifty-five miles south of Baghdad.

And behold, they shall go unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ… –Mormon 5:14

The trouble with this prophecy is that Mormon missionaries today are not allowed to proselyte in Israel making it rather difficult to spread the Mormon gospel and convince the Jewish that Jesus is the Christ.

Despite the multiple failed prophecies of the Book of Mormon there is one prophecy that was fulfilled:

And in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach. – 2 Nephi 14:1

One word: POLYGAMY

With the previous information it is difficult to accept the claim that “the Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable t the Bible.” The only thing that is comparable is all the blunders it contains.

The problems with the Book of Mormon don’t just stop with scriptural matters they stretch in geography, history, archaeology and sciences. All of these things stand against the Book of Mormon and embarrassingly so.

But before one can begin to question whether or not the science aspect of the Book of Mormon even matters, one has to ask: Did the Book of Mormon peoples ever exist?  Without the existence of the people the issues facing sciences and the Book of Mormon vanish.

The next few passages present all the evidence for the existence of the Nephite peoples living in ancient America.

 

 

 

 

Oh, that’s right…

There isn’t any.

However, with the claim “that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth” multiple aspects must be examined in order to establish its extraordinary claim.

The Bible’s historicity is very well established. Historians and archaeologists can confirm that battles found in the text of the Bible did happen, that Philistines did exist and even a man named Jesus really walked the earth. Archaeologists use the Bible to help locate ruins of cities from long ago: in short we know the Bible is historically accurate. The same cannot be said of the Book of Mormon.

In the introduction of the Book of Mormon alone, extraordinary claims are made that deserve attention not only from a religious aspect but from also from a historical one. When considering these claims one should ask themselves: Is what I’m being asked to believe based on historical fact? This is important because if the historical facts aren’t there then this is an indication that the ancient authors didn’t exist and nothing contained in the Book of Mormon is derived from ancient wisdom but came only from Joseph Smith’s imagination.

And personally I wouldn’t want to base my eternal life on the whims of someone’s imagination.

Dealing with Life

A friend of mine has passed away. I’m not going to blog about my study today, but will hopefully catch up everything later.

Adeeb

The Atonement

For God so loved the world that He gave his only Begotten Son that whosoever beliefeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

This Biblical verse is probably one of the most well known and most recognizable scriptures throughout the western world.  It is the call to sinner to repent and to be assured that if they will believe their sins will be washed away and they will have everlasting life.

This verse is the foundation of the Mormon concept of the Atonement, the agony and death that Jesus suffered in order to forgive man their sins and grant resurrection to the entire world.  Mormons, as well as Christians, for that matter, believe that without the Atonement, or death of Jesus on the cross, salvation couldn’t come have to the world.

As I was reading in chapter 12 of the Gospel Principles I came to discover that the Atonement is twofold for the faithful of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. First, the agony that Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane was when Jesus took upon him the sins of the world and underwent agonizing pain in order to spare us from having to do so.  Second, he had to die on the cross in order to be raised back up and thus bring resurrection to the rest of the world.

As romantic of an idea as this might sound, I’ve never believed this concept. I’m going to leave Islam completely out of this discussion because I can remember as a child (being 7,8,9 years old) questioning this concept.

I guess when it comes right down to it, I’ve never believed that Jesus was the Only Begotten. I can remember having my father read to be me over and over again the Nativity from the Bible and the Passion from the Bible, and yet I could never believe it, though I really wanted to.

Looking at things, I’m sorry, but I have to chuckle at the notion that Jesus died in order to bring about the resurrection. Somehow the stories of Jesus raising people from the dead have been forgotten.  Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and brought the soldier’s daughter back to life. The accounts of these stories are right there, found in the Gospels.  The power of God does not rest upon the actions of men, otherwise, God is not all powerful. Things happen in the world via the power of God, through men, to give glory to God, but to suggest that Jesus had to die in order to bring about the resurrection for the entire world is an arrogant slap in the face to He who holds all Power. God does what He wills and doesn’t need a man to bring about anything necessary for our salvation.

The concept of human sacrifice bothers me to no end. To me it’s so backwards and just barbaric. The idea that I would have to sacrifice something to please God is just so…well for lack of a better term, stupid.

This is what I find so stupid:

It pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied…(Isaiah 53:10-11)

So God punishes and tortures himself to appease himself for making a faulty creation???

It pleased God that Jesus, who was suppose to be His Only Begotten, was brutally beaten and murdered for sin. This pleases him even though Micha says:

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (Micha 6:7)

The answer? No.

If Micah says that the sacrifice of the first-born and the “fruit of my body” will do no good to satisfy God, then what good does Jesus, who is the first born and the fruit of God’s body, do?

This blows the entire concept of Christianity out of the water. It is on the death of Jesus Christ that Christians feel they are forgiven, but Micah makes it very clear that it does no good. If human, animal, and plant sacrifice won’t appease God for one’s sins, then what good do all the commandments found in the first five books of Moses do? What did all those sacrifices accomplish other than feeding the priests? It would appear they did nothing if Jesus had to come along and “atone” for sins with his own life, only find out, just by flipping back to the Old Testament, that it still didn’t do any good.

It is a confusing and troubling problem, and one that is found directly in the pages of the Bible.

Just by reading the Bible, I see that it was Paul who came up with the idea that the death of Jesus Christ was the atonement for man’s sins, as this concept is never mentioned in the gospels at all. It sort of seems to me that Jesus was a martyr for his own cause, which is a great way to seal your belief, immortalize yourself, and have your religious convictions impact the lives of millions for years to follow. But if one really thinks about it, a martyr is nothing more than a person too narrow minded to admit they might just be wrong about things.

And evolution of sacrifices is evident in the Bible alone. There seems to be four stages of this throughout the Bible. Of course it starts in the Old Testament and climaxes in the New.

Sacrifices:

• Trivial gifts
• More expensive gifts
• Human life
• Gods themselves

Genesis begins the process of evolution for sacrifices. In Genesis 4:3 we find that Cain brings fruit as an offering and in Genesis 4:4 we find that Able brings the firstlings of his flock.

In all nations where offering were made, the conclusion became established in the minds of the people that the amount of God’s favor procured in this way must be proportionate to the value of the commodity or victim offered up-a conviction which ultimately led to the seizure of human beings for the atoning offerings, which brings us to the third stage of growth in the atonement doctrine. (Kersey Graves and The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Richard Carrier)

But why stop with humans when you can reach into heaven and rip gods themselves down and murder them?

John states:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:14

This sets the tone that Jesus is divine and if one believes in the a Godhead, this makes Jesus then God. John continues and declares…the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)

This would establish that Jesus is then an acceptable sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice. Paul takes the doctrine further and states:

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)

Of course, this would be the blood of Jesus.

Does anyone else have a problem with this? Is anyone else completely and utterly disgusted by this? I mean, this is not a conversation that you would want to have at the dinner table.

But this is what is most disturbing, and Richard Carrier put it the best:

Somebody must pay the penalty in blood, somebody must be slaughtered for every little foible or peccadillo or moral blunder in which erring man may chance to stumble while upon the pilgrimage of life, while journeying through the wilderness of time.

Nothing less will mitigate the divine wrath, even if a god has to be dragged from his throne in heaven and murdered to accomplish it.

For the Father to consent to the brutal assassination of His own innocent Son upon the cross to gratify an implacable revenge toward his own children, the workmanship of his own hands, rather than forgive a moral weakness implanted in their natures by a voluntary act of his own, and for which consequently he alone ought to be responsible, would be nothing short of murder in the first degree. (Kersey Graves and The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Richard Carrier)

The Rorschach of Religions

I should be talking about the Atonement…and yes, I realize I’m a day late. It hasn’t exactly been the greatest weekend.

I should be talking about chapter twelve from the Gospel Principles book as that is what this blog is about, but I just don’t have it in me right now. I’m sitting here staring at my study materials wondering what the heck I’m doing.

At prayer I listened to the lecture about studying the Quran and studying Islam and not having any further need to study other religions. The question was posed: Why study other religious books when you have the truth? Well besides that fact that I made a promise I don’t know why I’m studying the Book of Mormon and the Gospel Principles any more. Repeatedly I’ve stated I won’t join the LDS Church so why am I studying?

I’m a creature that believes education leads to understanding and understanding leads to peace. That’s why I started studying religions in the first place over ten years ago. It seems to me that there is a lot of religious tension, no matter what people might think. Over the past decade I’ve ran into many people who think their Jesus is better than mine. I’ve come to realize that if I can understand a religion I can usually find a common ground with people and have found that because of this, I have friends all over the religious spectrum.

But here I am looking at Mormonism. There’s something about it that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s one of these things that you start looking at it and it becomes the Rorschach test of religions. You look at it’s found and question his character only to find that you’re questioning your own. I don’t quite know what to do with it.

Part of me looks at Mormonism and questions how any person with any sort of sense of intelligence could buy into its claims, but there’s part of me that questions quietly in the back of my mind, “What if?” The “what if” is so quiet that it rings the through the loudest.

The “what if” can go so many ways:

• What if I’m sinning by studying Mormonism?
• What if my questions are leading me to hell?
• What if I’m wrong about everything?
• What if…God forbid.

So here I am.

I don’t quite know what to do.

Off For the Weekend

Hey Guys,

thought I’d leave a note and explain why no updated study blogs for the next couple days… I’m headed off to spend time with the family and hang out with my new little niece. Hope you guys have a fun weekend and I will get back to everything on Monday. Take care!

Adeeb

Jesus Christ

Jesus is a character of intrigue and mystery in our society. Though his story is 2,000 years old questions about his birth, life, teachings, death, and resurrection still puzzle scholars today. It seems that everyone has an opinion on Jesus but no one can really agree completely about who he really was.

Millions around the world attribute their religion based on a faith in Jesus Christ. Christian churches the world over claim to preach his message, the gospel, and proclaim that good news that he died was buried and rose again from the dead. Millions the world over don’t realize it was the Apostle Paul who came up with the concept of today’s modern Christianity.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints obviously believes in Jesus. (Hence the title of the church.) As I read chapter 11 in the Gospel Principles book I learned that there were prophecies that foretold his coming, that Mormons believe he was the only begotten of the Father, that he led a perfect life, that he was a prime example of how we ought to live and love others, that he organized the only true church, and that he redeemed us from our sins and saved us from death.

Growing up in a Christian household my entire life these concepts and ideas were not new to me. It was comforting to see that the LDS faithful believed basically what I believed- but I had read the same Bible they read. And the teachings of the Bible taught that Jesus proclaimed the same message of John the Baptist, (Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand) and had witnessed unto to the Jews that there was one true God.

As a student of history I know that Jesus didn’t form a church that he was never Christian and never taught what the basis of Christianity is today, being that of the atonement for man’s sins on the cross.  That was all Paul. In fact, it is believed that Jesus was a radical Essence, the known Jewish group that practiced baptisms. John the Baptist was also part of this group. In fact it is believed that Jesus had been a disciple of John.

At either rate, most of what the LDS Church says about Jesus is true and accurate, but the story of Jesus’ life as found in Islam is radically different than the story as told in Christianity.

Below you will find what Yahiya Emerick says about Jesus according to Islam. This is available online at www.whyislam.org. This is one of those things that I will let you decide on. I have my beliefs and my own opinion on things but for now I will keep them to myself.

His Origin

Jesus lived about 2,000 years ago in ancient Palestine when the Roman Empire was at its zenith. He was not conceived in the usual way, but was implanted in the womb of a young woman named Mary. God simply commanded, “Be” and he was. In this sense, he was “a word” of God and a special sign for humanity. In fact, he was the last in a long line of religious guides sent to the Jews.

Mary, The Blessed

Mary was a righteous woman. Her mother dedicated her to God’s service even before she was born. As a child, she lived a life marked by health and righteousness, which others pointed to in admiration. She was raised by the wise Zechariah, who instilled in her, a beautiful sense of faith in God. When she had become a young woman, Mary sought to purify herself further before her Lord. Knowing that the hustle of life in the towns was distracting, she withdrew from her people to a sanctuary in the East. There she could meditate in seclusion and peace. Suddenly, on a day that seemed no different from the rest, an angel of God visited her, disguised in the likeness of a human. Afraid of so strange a sight, Mary prayed for protection, but the strange being reassured her and declared that he was a messenger from the Lord to announce the glad-tidings of a faultless son. Mary, astounded, asked how this was possible seeing that no man had ever touched her. But the angel replied, “Your Lord says, it is easy for Me …”. But when she felt the little child within her, she fled her sanctuary out of fear of what her family would do or say when they heard the news. Mary, however, was not to face hardship. When in her despair she cried out to God for oblivion, a voice soothed her and she found shade and a cool spring. Under a date-palm in the warmth of late summer, she made her dwelling and there bore the child unlike any other in human history.

Shortly thereafter, Mary returned to her community carrying the child who was to be called Messiah, Jesus, and son of Mary. When her people saw her with the baby in her arms they couldn’t believe their eyes, let alone accept her word. They refused to believe when she told of an angel who came and told her she was chosen above all other women to carry this burden. They accused her of infidelity and implied that she had ruined the family name. Mary, being overwhelmed, simply motioned towards the child meekly.

The Miracles

Now the child was the product of a miracle and consequently, miraculous things began to happen. In defense of his mother and of the truth, the infant Jesus spoke saying, “I am a servant of God. He has given me Scripture and has made me a Prophet. He has blessed me wherever I may be and has made prayer and charity my duty as long as I live.” This put the detractors to rest.

Throughout his youth, Jesus remained dutiful to his mother and developed quickly in intelligence, wisdom, and piety. He dumfounded the learned and was greatly admired by those around him who appreciated his talents. He claimed to be a sign of God and a Messenger to the Israelites.

His people had strayed from the spirit of truth and placed their trust in legalism, thereby burying their sense of mercy beneath dusty scrolls and rituals. Finally, when he came of age, Jesus began to travel and preach throughout the land of Palestine about a return to the truth of the old revelations and a rejection of all that man had added. In his task he was supported by the spirit of truth, the angel Gabriel.

The Gospel, His Message

He taught that love and mercy overcome hate and anger and that only a true and sincere faith in the Creator and obedience to His will can bring a person salvation in this life as well as in the next. To reinforce his message, which was called “Injeel” (Good News), God granted him the performance of miracles. He healed the sick, uplifted the distressed and revived the dead. All these things he did with the permission of God, never taking credit for them himself.

He led a simple and pious life. Soon he attracted an inner-circle of devoted followers who listened to his teachings with fervor and humility. These disciples, among them Peter, Barnabas, and John helped him carry the message of Divine Love to the people. They helped him in his mission.

A Test Of Wills

But no righteous man of God is without trial and tribulation. As the message of Jesus began to gain wider acceptance, a small clique of hypocrites and evil men began to plot against him. They were the priests and leaders of the Jews whose position and wealth depended upon their place as the sole interpreters of religion to the masses. They pursued him and his followers and eventually captured him. Though they abused him, he never renounced his faith in the one God. So in their anger they plotted to crucify him on a Roman cross. But Jesus slipped from their grip at the last moment, and all the while they thought they had succeeded. They were sure they had killed him but God answered Jesus’ prayer and saved him from their schemes. Confusion overtook the mob and they might have killed the man who betrayed Jesus instead. In any case, Jesus escaped from their grasp. Then God removed Jesus from this world into another dimension, to a place with Him, not to return until a later time.

With their teacher gone, the devoted followers of Jesus tried to maintain the purity and simplicity of his teachings. But they were soon besieged and overtaken by a flood of Roman and Greek influences, which eventually so buried and distorted the message of Jesus that only a little of its truth now remains. Strange doctrines of Jesus being a man-god, of God dying, of saint worship and of God being made up of different parts came into vogue and were accepted by many of those who took the name “Christians” centuries after Jesus.

Conclusion

The only records that have come down to us concerning Jesus are some sketchy biographical material, poorly researched and compiled, which can in no way be representative of the full and accurate Message of Jesus, the Son of Mary. The time of the final and incorruptible Message was not yet at hand. It would be left to the last prophet of God, Muhammad (peace be upon him), to clarify the truth from man’s additions and deletions.

Jesus taught the same eternal message that was taught by all the Messengers of God, from Adam, on through Noah, Abraham, Moses and ending with the mission of God’s last Guidepost to humanity, Muhammad (peace be on them all), whose coming was foretold by Jesus himself.

Every nation and every people, from the Aztecs to the Greeks, have received a Prophet or a Messenger from God. Jesus was the last of a series of Messengers sent to the Israelites, but they consistently strayed from the path of surrender to God. Each of the many Messengers spoke a different language and followed varied customs. Yet the core faith taught by each was the same: surrender your imperfect and fickle will to the perfect will of the Power that is greater than you. You will then find the peace and freedom that only the Creator of all things can provide. Then you must do what is right and good to your fellow creatures. This way of life is called Islam (surrender to God and find peace).

By Yahiya Emerick (Available Here)

The Word of the Lord

Holy books for thousands of years have influenced the lives of millions of people. Sometimes the greatest good occurs because someone has followed the teachings of their holy book. But sometimes tragedy strikes because people have misinterpreted the words of a sacred writing. Even though the words of many sacred texts were written thousands of years ago, there is little doubt that their messages don’t continue to impact us today.

Chapter ten in the Gospel Principles book talks about the scriptures. It talks about the great worth of scriptures, that reading the words of the scriptures leads to steadfast faith: it also explains that the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.

I want to talk about the Book of Mormon, after all Mormonism’s founding prophet said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book on earth, and the key stone to our religion.” (See Introduction to the Book of Mormon.)

The Book of Mormon is considered by millions the world over to contain the fullness of the gospel and is believed to restore “plain and precious” truths that were taken out of the Gospel by corrupt men.

Well I’m 209 pages into the Book of Mormon and I haven’t come across any new teachings that I didn’t already know from growing up Christian. I haven’t read any doctrine supporting the idea that God is a man with flesh and bone or that men can become gods. I’ve read these teaching in the Gospel Principles book so why aren’t I finding them in the Book of Mormon? Maybe I haven’t read far enough in.

I’m having trouble believing the historicity of the Book of Mormon as I am not finding any correlating statements from secular sources. I’m having a hard time believing the Book of Mormon because the mathematics and the said population of the Nephites and Lamanites in the Americas between 600 BC and AD 400 don’t come out right: the zoology is wrong, the anthropology is wrong- there is no supporting archaeological evidence for the cities mentioned in the Book of Mormon and I have to stop and wonder: Why?

Why have I never learned about a Native American tribe called Nephite or Lamanite?

Why isn’t there a map in the Book of Mormon showing where the events took place? The Bible has maps.

Why is “the most correct book on earth” so full of errors?

As I still am studying I will keep my theory to myself.

The study of scripture is important. It helps us lead better lives and be better people. It helps us understand what we should do and at time stands as an example of what not to do. I agree with my Latter-day Saint friends that we need the scriptures in our lives. But I must be honest: I also believe we need to be careful as to what we accept as the word of God.

Bismillaah