The Natural Man

In the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 3:19 it says "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever..."  I have heard people stop there and think that God considers them His enemy.  And also in Helaman 12:7 how it says "O how great is the ^anothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are ^bless than the dust of the earth."  If we stop there, it sounds like we really are worthless souls!  Does God really consider us worthless and His enemy?  

This morning I was reading a Conference talk and went to the footnotes and saw this scripture in 1 Corinthians 2:14 where it says "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This scripture helps me understand a little better what Mosiah 3:19 may mean.  If we take the things of the spirit of God to be foolishness, then we are alienating ourselves from God.  And by alienating ourselves from God we are unable to understand the things of the Spirit because they are only to be understood through the Spirit.  If we alienate ourselves from God, we may become His enemy by fighting against Him.

The rest of Mosiah 3:19 says: "unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

This may be hard for some to take, because becoming as a child, submissive, meek and humble, etc. is against their nature.  The idea of giving up our own will in submission to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ can be a hard one, when we value our own will.  It may be hard and even scary to give up our own will to accept what God wants us to do.  The difference between us and a child is that a child usually trusts their father.  

What happens as we get older?  Teenagers usually go through a phase where they may not be quite as obedient to their parents.  They want to try their wings and do their own thing.  It's usually not until they are parents and have their own children that they realize that maybe their parents knew more than they thought.  Then sometimes they appreciate what their parents taught them and understand better the intentions of their parents.

Let's consider Helaman 12:8.  After verse 7 where it says the children of men are less than the dust of the earth, Helaman 8 goes on to say why.  It talks about the power of God and how he can command the dust of the earth.  He can cause the hills and mountains to quake and be broken up and become smooth.  He can cause the earth to stand still, the waters of the deep to be dried up, mountains to move, etc. etc.  I think the reason we are less than the dust of the earth is because we don't always obey Him as the dust and the earth and the mountains do.  

In Helaman 12:23 it says "Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved."

Verse 25: And I would that all men might be saved...

So from these scriptures I understand that God wants us to submit our will to His, and in return He will save us.  But my experience with being submissive to God, hasn't been a trial or something bad.  Submitting to God makes me free.  It helps me to know what to do.  When I obey Him and do what the Spirit prompts me to do, things go better than when I just do what I want to do.  The idea is to get to the point where we want the same things as God does;  because those things always bring a deeper joy than when we go against His will and do our own thing.  My experience has been that I can trust Him.  Things always go better in my life and I am happier when I follow the promptings I receive from Him. 

Firewalking and Faith

Several weeks ago my husband and I met a man who claimed to be a fire walker.  It was fascinating hearing his story.  He had been an alcoholic and a drug addict and fire walking saved his life.  He didn’t consider himself a member of any church, but he definitely believed in God.  He felt that it was spirituality and love that allowed him to walk on the hot coals.  He didn’t believe that faith in God had anything to do with it, but he shared that others thought it was their faith that allowed them to do it.  It was a very interesting discussion.  He mentioned how someone who got burnt would be able to cross back over the coals when they would forgive themselves for it and on the other side, the burns would be gone.  

This caused me to remember an experience I had one day when I was in a lot of pain.  To help me through it, I reminded myself of the purpose of life - to gain experience and so at that point, I thanked God for the painful experience I was going through.  I noticed shortly thereafter that the pain was gone.  

When I got home from the firewalker's home, I looked up fire walking on the internet and found several websites that talked about the science behind it.  Apparently, it’s not so miraculous, although there are some guidelines that need to be adhered to in order to not get burnt.  You can do a Google search if you want to know more about it.  

The interesting thing to me is that doing something like fire walking can make a huge difference in the life of someone who has lost control of himself.  He was addicted to drugs and wanted desperately to be free from them but felt helpless to do so until he was introduced to fire walking.  It gave him the confidence he needed to change his life for the better.  Now he is teaching this skill and helping others.

What would happen to this man if he found out that what he is doing isn’t as miraculous as he thought it was?  Would he go back to his drugs?  Or would the change be a permanent change?  I would hope it would be a permanent change as he found out what life could be without the chains of drug addiction.

What about those of us who love God and whose lives are made beautiful and even miraculous because of our faith in Him and in His Son?  What would happen to us if we found out that God is not real and that the Bible truly is myth?  What happens to the miracles that we have seen in our lives because of our faith?  Would we ever be able to see miracles again?   What would happen to our faith?  

The longer I live, the more I discover there is to learn.  Many things that seemed miraculous to people years ago, like a match causing fire, a camera being able to make a picture of a person, planes being able to fly.  These were miracles to those who didn't know the science behind it.  I think it will be very interesting when we learn the science of how Jesus was able to walk on water.  I am learning that our minds are very powerful.  In general, if we believe we can't do something, we usually can't.  If we believe we can do something, we often can.  Our beliefs are very powerful.  In the scriptures it says that by faith the worlds were made.  So if it takes faith to create a world, then it seems that faith is one of the most powerful things that we should develop while in this earthly existence.

At those times when my faith is strongest, I feel wonderful!  I feel so happy and confident.  I feel like I can do anything the Lord wants me to do.  My inhibitions and fears go away and everything seems possible.  I feel joyful and peaceful at those times.  But occasionally, when I first wake up in the morning, I feel sad.  I still have my faith in God to help me get over the sadness quite quickly, but when I think about the reasons for my sadness, I have to cry a bit first.  I have loved ones who have rejected me along with my faith.  I don't know what to do about it.  They want me to stop doing the things that bring me the greatest happiness, like talking about the gospel, bearing my testimony, posting faith based things on Facebook.  What would happen to me if I stopped doing those things?  Those things that make me the happiest?  I stopped for a little while, but didn't feel good about it.  

But if I want a relationship with them, it seems that's what I need to do.  Would that really make them happier when they sense that I'm not happy giving up the things that bring me the most happiness?  Sharing my faith is how I show love, because I want others to feel the joy that I feel.  But they don't feel the joy I feel.  They don't believe what I believe, and I guess I just keep reminding them of what they have given up.  Is there a way for us to just love each other unconditionally?  I love them unconditionally, but they don't feel it.  I would love to have a relationship with them once more, but is it possible?  Is our relationship destined to just be awkward as we avoid any mention of the things that mean the most to us?  I hope the day will come when we can talk about the things that mean the most to us without feeling threatened,  to be able to share our ideas and feelings and try to understand each other without requiring the other one to change who they are and what they believe.  I hope it's possible with all my heart.  Is it possible?

More Things I Know

During one of the talks in Sacrament Meeting a few months ago, before the Pandemic, I especially loved the following quote the speaker shared by Harry Emerson Fosdick who wrote the following, “Some Christians carry their religion on their backs. It is a packet of beliefs and practices which they must bear. At times it grows heavy and they would willingly lay it down, but that would mean a break with old traditions, so they shoulder it again. But real Christians do not carry their religion, their religion carries them. It is not weight; it is wings. It lifts them up, it sees them over hard places, it makes the universe seem friendly, life purposeful, hope real, sacrifice worthwhile. It sets them free from fear, futility, discouragement, and sin—the great enslavers of men’s souls. You can know a real Christian, when you see him, by his buoyancy.” This rang true for me. The only thing I would add is that a real Christian is Christlike. They radiate love and kindness to others.

A year and a half ago I wrote a blog post called Things I Know. here In this blogpost I would like to expand and add to the things I said then.

I know that truth is truth, even if few people believe it.

I know that mankind is fallible. I know that there are no perfect people who have ever lived on the earth except for Jesus Christ (in whom I strongly believe). Most people, including the prophets, learn from making mistakes. It's a part of this life. I know that sometimes we put our trust in those whom we shouldn't and sometimes we believe things that aren't true. I think when we become aware of those mistakes, it's good to admit it rather than hide or excuse them.

I know that our subjective experiences are not always the same as another's. We shouldn't assume, as I have in the past, that others will have the same experience we do if they do the same things we do. We need to be more understanding and sympathetic of the needs and feelings of others and not negate their subjective experiences. Those experiences are valid to them.

I know that millions of people all over the world (inside and outside of the Church) have felt what they believe is the spirit of God in their lives giving them comfort and guidance. And I believe that telling any of them that the spiritual feelings they have had are somehow not valid, isn't being helpful, but is being demeaning and disrespectful, unless what they believe is spiritual guidance is clearly destructive and harmful.

I know that learning all we can about what we have been taught to believe is a wise thing to do to determine for ourselves if it is really true.  But we need to be aware that our study can destroy or strengthen that belief, according to the integrity and diligence of those whose writings we study. I believe we should study a wide variety of sources, not all being supportive to what we want to be true, but realizing that sometimes critics have a tendency to look for the negative and assume the worst in every situation, rather than looking at all of the evidence.

I know that most people are doing the best they know how with the knowledge and understanding that they currently have. Most people listen to their conscience. Those who don't are the ones who make life miserable for others and themselves.

I know that there is much good inside and outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And the Church teaches its members to embrace all truth wherever it is found.

I know that the prophets and the Book of Mormon have taught us that we don't need to obey them or the scriptures blindly, but that we can and should gain our own testimony of the truthfulness of what they say or of anything else. We should never obey anyone "blindly."

I know from a report I read recently about the mental health of BYU students related to their belief in grace vs. legalism, that many church members, including some of my loved ones, don't understand the blessing of the grace of God. grace-legalism If they did, and believed it, they would know that we have no need to hate ourselves or belittle ourselves or feel like we are unworthy when we make a mistake or when we don't believe the same as someone else. We are enough if we live with integrity according to what we believe to be true and continue to improve ourselves the best we can. 

I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of the reality of Jesus Christ. Along with the Bible, it teaches us about His atonement for our sins and adds that he also experienced our sicknesses, pains, temptations and anguish so that He would be able to succor us in our trials when no one else can.

I know that the Church teaches its members to be like Jesus Christ, to follow His example, to love one another and serve one another.   

I know that the prophets and apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teach principles of the gospel that if believed and followed would bless and have blessed millions of lives with joy and peace.

I know that if we can understand and believe the plan of happiness as taught by the Church and the Book of Mormon, and that this life is just a moment in eternity, a learning ground, then it can make our experience here on the earth become deeply meaningful and even joyful.

I know that living my life as a Christian, specifically as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "lifts me up, sees me over hard places and makes the universe seem friendly, life purposeful, hope real, and sacrifice worthwhile. It sets me free from fear, futility, discouragement, and sin." It brings me joy, hope and peace.

You Have Not Understood

Many years ago I was a Visiting Teacher to a less active sister and while we visited, I sensed that she had a very low feeling of self worth. To try to cheer her up I told her that she was a child of God. To this she came back with something like: "Everyone is a child of God, so how does that make me special?" I tried to explain, but my explanation didn't satisfy her, so I told her I would study it out and have some answers for her the next month.

I remember pondering on this question a lot during the following days. I seem to remember rocking one of my small children in our rocking chair one day and thinking about how much I loved this little girl. This was my 4th child and I was pregnant with our 5th. My thoughts went back to when I was pregnant with my 2nd child and wondering if I would be able to love that baby as much as I loved our first. Of course my love for our 2nd child and then our 3rd and 4th was just as much. My love wasn't divided into smaller portions, but instead it was multiplied so I had just as much love for each of our children. They were each one special to me and an important part of my life. (And now I have 11 children and 40 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild and still my love is multiplying so I have enough for all of them.)

Then my thoughts went to our Heavenly Father, and knowing how my love multiplies, I knew that His does too.  He has an infinite amount of love that extends to include every one of his Spirit children whom He knows intimately, even more than I know my children. He knows our needs, our desires, our hearts, our weaknesses, our strengths and our talents. (Today I also think of His Son and our advocate, Jesus Christ, who along with the Father knows us even to having felt our pain and anguish.) Comparing my love and deep affection for my children with God's love for His children helped me to understand how it could be done. The next time I met with that sister, I was able to share these thoughts and others with her, and it gave her much comfort.

But some might ask, if God is our loving Heavenly Father, why doesn't life seem fair?  Why are we even on this earth where so many suffer from physical and emotional pain, disability, racism, abuse, ignorance and poverty, etc. etc. and others seem to have all the blessings of good health, luxury, education and loving, nurturing homes?  Why does God allow bad things to happen to people who are doing their best to do the right things?  And why do some of His children feel His love and hear His voice and others don't?

I don't know the answers to all of these questions, but what helps me to understand some of them a little better is when again, my thoughts turn to my own children. Each one is very different. They don't have the same talents or interests or personalities or capacities. When our children were young, I sometimes wished I could treat each one of them differently because they each had different needs, but I didn't think that would be fair. I didn't always know what their needs were, but I learned that what worked for one didn't always work for the others.  I was occasionally overwhelmed with so many children, especially when sometimes they all seemed to need my attention at the same time. I don't regret having so many children, but I regret that I couldn't figure out a way to give them all the attention they needed.   Looking back, I wish I could have somehow convinced my children of the need for us as parents to treat each one differently. I don't think it occurred to me at the time that it was even an option.

On the other hand, Heavenly Father isn't limited at all in the way I was as a mother. He knows exactly what trials, challenges and circumstances each one of His children needs for their highest growth and progression. And it's because of that, that we are going through this moment in the eternities. The late self-help author and motivational speaker, Wayne Dyer liked to say "We are spiritual beings having a mortal experience."  I sometimes wonder if those with the worst trials could have asked for them in the preexistence so they would be that much farther ahead in their learning and progression. We can't see how those challenges could bless us when we're in the middle of them, and we may feel like it's not fair that we have to go through them, but I can look back at the trials and challenges I have had in my life and with hindsight I recognize them for the blessing and growth they were. Even right now as I am going through one of the worst trials of my life, I can see how my knowledge and understanding of what this life is all about has grown and my faith and trust in God has gotten stronger.   

Because Heavenly Father loves us so much, He has not left us to navigate this life on our own. God is in the details of our lives. He sends angels to help watch over us and He has given everyone the Light of Christ, or our conscience to help us make good choices if we will listen to it.  He knew that as mortal beings we would make mistakes and sin, that we wouldn't have the ability to live perfect lives and being unclean, we wouldn't be able to live with Him again. This includes even his servants, the prophets who were chosen in the preexistence.  Like the rest of us, they also had to learn and grow and make mistakes and repent.  That's how we all learn!  For this purpose, He sent His son, Jesus Christ, God of the Old Testament to come down to the earth to gain a body, to experience mortality and to be a perfect example for us to follow.  Jesus Christ, being a God already, had the capacity to suffer and die for the sins of every one of us, satisfying the demands of justice and making it possible for us to eventually make it back to God's presence through our repentance and His grace.  In every dispensation, God has sent His servants to teach us about Jesus Christ, to teach us of His coming and His atonement for our sins.  Through them we have the Bible, and when the time came that the Bible wasn't enough, He gave us the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Christ to validate the truths and restore lost truths that once were in the Bible.

I remember times when my young children wanted to do things "all by themselves." Usually, that was a good thing, because we are here to learn and gain experience and make mistakes and repent and keep learning and growing. But sometimes it was very frustrating for the child. Sometimes they needed just a little bit of help and then they could finish by themselves. Sometimes I could give them a little help without them even realizing it and they were so happy, thinking they had done it by themselves. But oh the anger and frustration when they wanted to do something by themselves and they couldn't quite do it! I think God looks at us in those times when we're frustrated and wishes we would just ask for a little help from Him and then we could do it. And sometimes He gives us a little help and we don't recognize it or give Him any thanks for it. Then there are other times when He knows that we need the experience of doing it all by ourselves. I believe those are the times when He knows we can do it and that there is a lesson in it that we are to learn. 

I enjoy spending time with my children, conversing with them and appreciating their talents. I find pleasure in watching their interactions with each other and their children. I am pleased with their acts of compassion and the people of integrity they have grown to be. Most feel my love and we are able to converse naturally, but others have a harder time feeling my love and have even distanced themselves from me because they don't recognize my efforts to show my love and we don't see eye to eye on the things that are most important to us. This rejection causes a lot of pain and I weep for them. But as I try to understand their hearts, I realize they are good people and are acting with integrity according to their experience and understanding.

In a similar way I believe God, who knows our intent, is pleased with us when we truly desire to have a relationship with Him and do all we can to learn how to feel His spirit, when we feast on the scriptures and pray for understanding.  I believe He appreciates our using our talents to make a better world.  He is pleased when we show compassion or kindness to someone. He is displeased with us when we are unkind or unforgiving or disobedient. He is disappointed when we give up and stop trying to be a better person or stop trying to develop the talents He has given us. He is quick to forgive us when we repent and try to do better. He is amused and laughs with us when we do or see something funny. He cries with us when we are sad. He envelops us with love when we need a hug. He is saddened when we distance ourselves from Him and He has great joy when we draw near to Him. He truly wants us to be happy and knows intimately what will bring us the greatest happiness in the long run. 

So in summary, we are all spirit sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father who knows us completely and loves us deeply. He wants us to be happy eternally, not just for this life, this moment in eternity. The circumstances of our lives are not a punishment, but are for our eternal well being. It is an opportunity for spiritual refinement. There is something for us to learn from every trial that is placed before us, whether it be physical challenges, unhealthy relationships, our race or ethnicity, our sexual orientation, our financial struggles or the unkind or destructive actions of others. No matter what the trial is, God has given us everything that is necessary for us to be successful in this life, meaning that we can fulfill our purpose for being here, which is to gain a physical body and to learn through our experience to choose the good and reject the evil. Jesus Christ has paid the price of justice through His atoning sacrifice for our sins, so if we accept His atonement and repent of our sins, then through His grace, our experiences in this life can be for our learning and growth and we can eventually enjoy Eternal Life and Exaltation with our families and live with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ once more and continue in our progression to become more and more like them.
References and articles to consider:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1995/10/trust-in-the-lord?lang=eng

https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/grace-legalism-and-mental-health-among-latter-day-saints

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/brad-wilcox/his-grace-is-sufficient/

https://www.ldsliving.com/Our-Pain-Is-Christ-s-Pain-Too-3-Insights-That-Will-Change-Your-Relationship-with-the-Savior/s/86161

Why is the Book of Mormon so Important?

Why is it so important for the whole world to know that the Book of Mormon is true?  I believe that most people throughout the world are doing their best to live good lives.  Millions gain much understanding and joy from reading the Bible, but their different churches teach different things.  And there are other voices today that are saying that the Bible is myth, it’s not true.

Now, along with the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ.  If the Book of Mormon is true, then the Bible is true, because it is a witness of the truthfulness of the Bible.  It validates and clarifies the Bible teachings that God is our Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is His son.  It validates the Bible teachings that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and restores the teachings that he also felt our pains, afflictions and temptations so that he would be able to succor us in our trials.  It validates the Bible teachings that God hears and answers our prayers and that the Holy Ghost will bring all things to our remembrance and will teach us all things.  It restores truths that were lost such as God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is not finished with His work and He continues to speak to His people.

How can we know the Book of Mormon is true?  The Book of Mormon itself says to pray to God to know for yourself if it is true.  Millions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have done this and have gained a testimony for themselves that the book is true.  However, because I have loved ones who have not felt that witness or who have forgotten it or don’t trust the witness they once had, I have felt the need to do some deeper investigation.  Over the past year I have read many books and articles by researchers, scholars, archaeologists and experts who have looked at the Book of Mormon from every angle and have come away with the firm belief that it is what it claims to be.  It is an ancient book that could not have been written by Joseph Smith or any of those he associated with. (See below for some references if interested.) So where did it come from?

If the Bible is true, then it isn’t that far fetched to believe that an angel could have given the plates to Joseph Smith just as Joseph said and that he translated them by the gift and power of God.  And if Joseph Smith really did see God the Father and Jesus Christ in vision then the Church that Jesus Christ established when he lived upon the earth has been restored today.  That is why the Church has sent so many missionaries throughout the world, to spread the good news so that everyone can know that God is our Heavenly Father who loves us and wants to bless us.

I love the Book of Mormon.  Its doctrines and principles are “delicious” to me.  Its wisdom enriches and guides my life.  But most important to me is that I have prayed to know if it is true and received a spiritual witness that it is true.   Because of the experiences I have had with the Book of Mormon, I logically cannot believe that it is a fake.  It’s true.  It’s all true.


References to some of the books I have read that validate the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon:

John Sorenson’s books Mormon’s Codex and An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon offer some pretty compelling evidence from archaeology and comparing the descriptions in the BoM with the lands of Central America where there are actual ruins that correspond with the cities mentioned in the BoM.  We don’t know 100% that that’s where it was, but the evidence from ancient history and archaeology fits well there.

Reexploring the Book of Mormon by James W. Welch is a compilation of various scholars who address over 80 topics concerning the Book of Mormon including comparing ancient writings with the Book of Mormon. It convincingly dispels any doubts caused by the critics.  

Leap of Faith by Bob Bennett who uses modern forgery techniques to determine if the Book of Mormon could have been forged rather than being the ancient book it claims to be.  He shows how the BoM could not have been written by Joseph Smith.   And the likelihood of it being written by any of his associates is not likely either.

Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses by Richard Lloyd Anderson who researched the lives of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon.  He discovered that none of them ever denied their witness.

Imperfections

Recently I had cause to ponder on my many imperfections.  It kept me up one night, not being able to sleep.  I thought about my children and the times I made mistakes in how I treated them and their suffering the consequences of my imperfect parenting.  I thought about all of the prayers I offered through the years that I would be a good mother.  I remember praying that I would be the mother my children needed me to be.  I still pray for that every day.  And yet through the years, not meaning to, I made mistakes.  I was human.  I was real with real faults.  How could I have made so many mistakes when I had prayed so hard that I would be a good mother?  Then the spirit came and reminded me that my Heavenly Father knows me intimately.  He knows my faults and the mistakes I would make in raising our children.  He also knows my strengths and the good I would do.  He knows my children completely as well, and He knows the challenges they would need to become their best selves.  Perhaps they were sent to me because of the challenges my parenting would give them to overcome?

We are taught that one of the purposes for this life is to gain experience that through our experience we may discern between good and evil.  I guess that's why we aren't given perfect parents or perfect spouses or perfect children or perfect leaders.  We are here to learn to discern between truth and the philosophies of man, to learn the difference between good and evil.  I believe every one of us is given a set of trials tailored to our eternal needs, for our highest good. 

Thankfully, Jesus Christ was sent to atone for our learning curve.  He felt the pains and the discouragement and the remorse and the anguish of every one of us.  He knows how we feel and if we will accept his atoning sacrifice for us, we can feel relief and even joy as we willingly repent.

My husband and I have been reading a book on the life of Joseph Smith by Richard Bushman called "Rough Stone Rolling."  This very thoroughly researched book doesn't sugarcoat the life of Joseph Smith.  It portrays a man who was very human.  He got angry when people disagreed with him.  He was sometimes prideful.  He made errors in judgment.  He was not constantly inspired.  But he was also very concerned about wanting to be forgiven for his sins and he was very quick to forgive others.  He dreamed of living in a Zion Society where everyone was of one heart and one mind.  He was an imperfect instrument in God's hands. 

Joseph Smith was God's instrument in translating the Book of Mormon.  Though there are several opinions out there as to where the Book of Mormon lands were located, and it's impossible to know for sure where they were at this time, I just finished reading Mormon's Codex by John L. Sorenson, an emeritus professor of anthropology at BYU and scholar on Mesoamerica. With over 1000 pages (ebook) including an over 100 page Bibliography, he very convincingly shows how the Book of Mormon lands were probably in Mesoamerica, where there are ruins located in all of the places where the cities spoken of in the Book of Mormon were probably located.  He showed how Joseph Smith couldn't have known all the mesoamericanisms (knowledge that is only known in/about Mesoamerica) that are present in the Book of Mormon to have been able to write the book himself.  God was able to use this very imperfect man to bring forth this other Testament of Jesus Christ that validates and goes beyond the truths found in the Old and New Testaments. 

While some imperfect men are writing documents trying to prove that the Old and New Testaments can't be believed literally, that they are just myths, other imperfect men like K.A. Kitchen, a Professor of Egyptology and Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology in England wrote a 662 pg. volume "On the Reliability of the Old Testament." He uses archaeology and ancient history to help establish that most of the book is historically reliable.  And Professor F. F. Bruce wrote a book called "The New Testament Documents:  Are They Reliable?" which helps to establish that that book is historically reliable as well.

We imperfect people are here on the earth to learn through experience what is good and what is evil - what is true and what is false.  Some of us struggle to understand how a loving God could cause us to have to struggle through the trials of this life, the heartaches, illness and death, divorce, depression, miscommunications, same sex attraction with its physical, social and family challenges, war, abuse, deceptions, and the list can go on and on.  Many but not all of these trials are brought about by imperfect people, who are doing their best to make themselves happy, but in the process are the impetus of making themselves and/or other people unhappy.  God allows it because that's how we learn.  Some of our trials are given to us to strengthen us spiritually.  "I give men weakness that they may learn to be humble."  I have found through experience that when I am truly humble it is easier to feel the guidance of the spirit.

As we stumble through this life with our imperfections, we can have solace in knowing that we have a loving Heavenly Father and older brother, Jesus Christ who are cheering us on.  They are there watching over us and wanting to help us if we will only turn to them and ask.  They are there, but they will not force themselves upon us if we reject them.  They are there to strengthen us and guide us through this life if we can only exercise a particle of faith in them. 

I hope that my imperfect attempt to share my thoughts today will be of use to someone who may be feeling depressed, as I did, getting caught dwelling on their imperfections and need to refocus on the purpose of life and our Heavenly Father and His Son who will heal our hearts and help us become our best selves.

Jesus the Christ

My husband and I have been reading Jesus the Christ by James Talmage and have been filled with awe at what Jesus Christ went through in Gethsemane and on the cross for all mankind.  We've also been listening to an audio book "The Infinite Atonement" by Tad R Callister.  I am amazed and grateful for the research that both men put into their books to help us to understand better what Jesus Christ did and why He did it and to understand the deep love that He and our Heavenly Father have for each one of us.  I also finished a 6 week reading of the Book of Mormon on December 31st, again highlighting all the words of Christ and words about Him in a new book.  Almost every chapter has something highlighted and in Third Nephi almost every verse in the book is highlighted.  I come away from these books so full of love for my savior and my Heavenly Father and for the great plan of happiness that they orchestrated for the eternal happiness of every one of their children if they will but accept the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

As I read about Thomas, the apostle that refused to believe that Jesus was resurrected and had appeared to the other apostles, who said: "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."  I wonder what would have happened to him, if he hadn't had the opportunity to see the resurrected Jesus Christ.  Would he ever have come to a knowledge that Jesus really had been resurrected?  When Jesus appeared to the 12 a week later, when Thomas was present, Jesus said to him:  "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing."  Then Thomas acknowledged Him saying "My Lord and my God."  Then Jesus said:  "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."  I understand that it is difficult for some people to believe without seeing him and without having the gift of faith, but faith can come to those who even have the desire to believe.  It becomes stronger as we exercise it.

Last year in Sunday School we were studying the New Testament, and studying the life of Jesus Christ.  Before that or during (I can't remember) I read through all of the references of Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide, which included all the references to him in the Old Testament and other Standard Works.  All of the scriptures confirm that Jesus truly is the Son of God and our Savior.  I'm amazed at how they all correlate with each other.  If they were all myths, all coming at different times, it's amazing that they all agree that Jesus would come, He came and he died, was resurrected and will come again.  They all witness of his divinity, the need for a Savior and that He was to be our Savior.  We are taught that at the last day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ.

The Book of Mormon is truly another testament of Jesus Christ.  I realize that more now than I ever did before.  There are some who would say that the Book of Mormon was written by Joseph Smith himself or that he was part of a deception by those close to him.  It doesn't make logical sense to me that the Book of Mormon could have been written by an evil man who just wanted to pull the wool over his followers eyes.  It doesn't make sense and why would he do it?  I recently read a short book called the Case of the Book of Mormon Witnesses by Eldin Ricks https://deseretbook.com/p/case-of-the-book-of-mormon-witnesses-bookshelf-ebook?variant_id=168686-ebook  and also I read this article: https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/evaluating-book-mormon-witnesses by Steven C. Harper.  Both of these sources give excellent evidence that the Book of Mormon Witnesses never did deny their witness.  Some left the church, but still to their dying day, never did deny their witness as written in the front of the Book of Mormon. What other evidence could be given to someone who doesn't want to believe?  DNA, Horses, all the stuff that critics bring up as evidence against the validity of the Book of Mormon will eventually be explained/discovered.  I'm not worried about it.  God wants us to live by faith and we are blessed when we do so.

We are told that half to two thirds of the Book of Mormon was sealed, but that some day, when the people are ready for it, we may have access to the sealed portion.  But that day won't come until we accept the part we have.  I love the Book of Mormon and it's strong witness of Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful for Jesus Christ, and His willingness to give His life for us that He may truly be our advocate with the Father.  I look forward to the day when we are ready for all that our loving Heavenly Father has ready and waiting for us.