No Coincidences

Tag: proof

  • Is the Book of Mormon true? Yes.

    Is the Book of Mormon true? Yes.

    *I’m following an extremely short post with an extremely long one. I don’t expect most people (or anyone) to read all my notes and information at the end, but I’m still posting it to illustrate how seriously I’ve looked into this. Don’t ever doubt if I take this seriously.

    **I was asked to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon with high school students. This is what I wrote.

    I recently read in a Doctrine and Covenants commentary a quote from George Q. Cannon, relating a time that Parley P. Pratt preached to the early saints of the restoration. George Q Cannon stated:

    “[Parley P. Pratt] brought forth from the prophesies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets, abundant proofs concerning the work which the Lord had established through His servant Joseph. A great many of the Latter-day Saints were surprised that there were so many evidences existing in the Bible concerning this work. The Church had then been organized some five months, but the members had never heard from the Elders these proofs and evidences which existed in the Bible.”

    That commentary added:

    “Studying the Scriptures without the guidance of the Spirit does not reveal their true meaning to us. But if we have the Spirit, we shall not fall into error, even if we are not great Bible scholars.”

    I have good and bad news for you young people. At this point in your life you’ve heard it said countless times that you’re a choice generation. You are! I state it unequivocally and with as much force as I can muster. YOU ARE A CHOICE GENERATION. Sent here by your Heavenly Father for THIS MOMENT. Look around you. How many are in this room? How many compared to the countless young people you associate with at school? You are God’s choicest soldiers. His chosen. Never doubt it.

    With this honor comes a great responsibility. You can no longer plead ignorance as the saints of 1830, not knowing the truth that exists out there. You have all the information of the world literally at your fingertips. If you use your mobile phones and the internet to play Candy Crush and scroll through Instagram, you waste a great power. One day you will stand before God and you will report. At that time you can say, “I didn’t know.” And He will reply, “You didn’t look. I put you on that earth with a responsibility and all the power of information to find everything you could seek. You didn’t look.”

    It is out there for you to find the “proof” you need to know the Book of Mormon is true. There are countless resources: books, the internet, commentaries, podcasts. These things can be used to confirm in your mind and soul, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Book of Mormon is true, that this is Christ’s Church, that this is His work. You must find it. You cannot plead ignorance. You have been chosen for an extraordinarily significant purpose. Don’t ever doubt it. If you ever wonder why you’re here or what you’re meant to do, I don’t know. But God does. And I assure you, because you’re in this room right now, at early morning seminary, studying the word of God, that you’re on this earth for something powerful, significant, and important. NEVER FORGET IT.

    Now, finding the proof in the Book of Mormon is not easy. It’s not something you discover casually. I’ve studied the Book of Mormon alongside commentaries every single day since I came back to church 8 and a half years ago. I know I’m just scratching the surface of all the proof that exists out there that the Book of Mormon is true. Find a reason to study the Book of Mormon that excites you and it will make your study so much easier and rewarding. For me, this passion project of finding “proofs” of the Book of Mormon started with a friend who could not accept that the Book of Mormon is true because of a lack of evidence. I believe I’ve found sufficient “proof” that the Book of Mormon is true. But you need to find that for yourself.

    I’ll provide a list of reading materials, talks, podcasts, and people to get you started. Just know, my list isn’t close to all that is out there to prove to you that the Book of Mormon is true. I hope the list I provide overwhelms you. It should! The evidence that the Book of Mormon is true is out there, it is irrefutable, it is overwhelming. You just have to see it.

    I say this next part not to brag but to show an example. It is possible to use the power at your fingertips for good. You don’t need to spend so much (or any) time on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

    My sister sent this to me the other day:

    I replied with this:

    I replied that I only use my phone at this point to reply to texts, take notes, and study the scriptures. This brings me joy. I hope it can bring the same to you.

    Now I must apologize to you. You can no longer walk blindly and ignorantly through the world wondering if the Book of Mormon is true. You have the tools, you know how to use them. It is up to you now to find your own proof and confirm your testimony so that when someone asks you if the Book of Mormon is true, you can reply without hesitation that you know it is.

    I leave this, my testimony of the Book of Mormon, with you, in the name of Jesus Christ.

    This list is from LeGrand Richards’s book Just to Illustrate.

    The Bible is the Lord’s Blueprint. Any church that is God’s church should fit God’s blueprint. The below is a list of biblical scriptures that fit “God’s Church Blueprint”. Other churches have no explanation or guesses about the meaning of these scriptures. We know.

    John 10:16 (other sheep I have)

    1 Corinthians 15:29 (baptism for the dead)

    1 Peter 3:18-20 (Christ preaches to spirits in prison)

    Revelations 4:1 and 14:6-7 (angel with Gospel preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people)

    Acts 3:19-21 (Christ to come after the restitution of all things)

    Daniel 2:27-28, 34-35, 44 (is there a church that claims it is God’s kingdom on the earth?)

    Malachi 3:1 (messenger sent to prepare the way for Christ’s second coming)

    Amos 3:7 (God reveals nothing except to His prophets)

    Malachi 4:5-6 (Send Elijah lest the earth be smitten with a curse)

    Isaiah 2:2-3 (In the last days, Lord’s house in the tops of the mountains)

    Luke 24:25 (are we slow of heart to believe what the prophets have spoken?)

    Ezekiel 37:15-20 (Stick of Joseph, verse 18 wilt thou tell us what the Bible means?  Answer – verse 19)

    My own Added:

    Matthew 12:25 (House divided amongst itself)

    Ezekiel 37:21-22 (where else is this gathering taking place but the Church of Jesus Christ?)

    Isaiah 24:5 (changed ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant, what is the everlasting covenant?)

    Ephesians 4:5 (one faith, one Lord, one baptism)

    Acts 8:15-17 (laying on of hands)

    Jer. 1:5, Job 38:4,7, Acts 17:29, John 9:2, 2 Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6, Rev. 12:7-9 (pre existence)

    Why are these promises in the Bible if they are not a part of God’s blueprint and if He does not intend for them to be fulfilled?

    The Bible is the Lord’s blueprint, and it will fit no other church in the world.

    Proofs of the Book of Mormon:

    The below lists coincide with this link (When I wrote this in 2022 this first list was 139 items long, in the past two years it has grown to the current 306 and is still growing) –

    A Cultural Commentary
    1. Nephi 4:28 hebraism from before 
    2. Nephi 10:7 first note, Zacharias murder, supportive texts discovered after Joseph Smith’s death. 
    3. Nephi 10:10 Lamb of God, writings of Joseph of Egypt that Lehi took from Jerusalem 
    4. Nephi 10:18 chiasmus
    5. Nephi 11:6-7 Son of God
    6. Nephi 12:4 thunderings: Book of rolls 
    7. Nephi 12:20-21 population 
    8. Nephi 13:26-28 all about truths removed from bible. 
    9. Nephi 15:28
    10. Nephi 16:10 curious – Semitic 
    11. Nephi 16:13 hebraism 
    12. Nephi 16:20 murmur exceedingly 
    13. Nephi 16:21 hebraism 
    14. Nephi 16:23 bow and sling. How would joseph smith know those details? 
    15. Nephi 17:1 Joseph ridiculed for 100 years about this route 
    16. Nephi 17:5 Nephi’s Journey (Aston theory)
    17. Nephi 17:5 Irreantum-Egyptian, how could joseph smith know that word?
    18. Nephi 18:9 lack of adverbs
    19. Nephi 18:13 geography 
    20. Nephi 18:23 promised land
    21. Nephi 18:25 words for corn/wheat 
    22. Nephi 20/21 Isaiah translation 
    23. Nephi 20/21 Isaiah – chiasmus- Bible deletions
    24. Nephi 20/21 Isaiah – authenticity
    25. Nephi 20/21 use of Isaiah in joseph smith’s day 
    26. Nephi 21:1 portion added to Isaiah by “Joseph Smith” is perfect chiasmus 
    27. Nephi 22:31 Egyptian closing 
    28. 2 Nephi 2:4 perfect doctrine of the fall 
    29. 2 Nephi 2:15 inverted quotations 
    30. 2 Nephi 2:17 Satan 
    31. 2 Nephi chapter 3 heading – chiasmus
    32. 2 Nephi 3:12 sticks of Judah and joseph 
    33. 2 Nephi 3:12 fruit of thy loins
    34. 2 Nephi 3:14 PROPHESIES OF A FUTURE JOSEPH
    35. 2 Nephi 3:15 Messiah ben Joseph
    36. 2 Nephi 3:15 meaning of Hyrum 
    37. 2 Nephi 3:15 pretty much every note for that verse (9 notes)
    38. 2 Nephi 3:17 historicity of spokesman for Moses in Genesis and BoM and Jewish tradition
    39. 2 Nephi 4:10 and it came to pass
    40. 2 Nephi 4:11 cultural inheritance consistent with bible and ancient israel 
    41. 2 Nephi 4:16 Nephi’s psalm, chiasmus, Hebrew literature 
    42. 2 Nephi 5:15 and conjunctions Hebraisms 
    43. 2 Nephi 5:16 why are there temples in America after same pattern to Jerusalem?
    44. 2 Nephi 6:4 linguistics 
    45. 2 Nephi 8:15 variations of Isaiah translation 
    46. 2 Nephi 8:20 Ephraim and Manasseh importance explained 
    47. 2 Nephi 9:2 doctrines taught in chapter 9
    48. 2 Nephi 9:7 “atonement” New Testament vs Book of Mormon 
    49. 2 Nephi 9:40 unique use of word by author (Jacob) 
    50. 2 Nephi 12 (heading) Isaiah plagiarized? Modern language 
    51. 2 Nephi 12:2 missing phrase and upon all the ships of the sea 
    52. 2 Nephi 12:20 HE hath made
    53. 2 Nephi 13:12 and my people (translation correction) 
    54. 2 Nephi 13:14 And (translation correction – send to Zach)
    55. 2 Nephi 12:16 footnote for “sea”
    56. 2 Nephi 15:5 I will – Septuagint 
    57. 2 Nephi 20:29 Ramath, more ancient spelling 
    58. 2 Nephi 23:3 mistranslation of Isaiah in kjv
    59. Page 60 and 61 of “temple worship” book- parallels of current temple rituals and ancient rituals that Joseph Smith knew nothing about. 
    60. 2 Nephi 24:4 Isaiah not found in KJV but in codex Alexandrinus
    61. 2 Nephi 25:19 name of Jesus and Mary used in ancient records 
    62. 2 Nephi 27:1-5 chiasmus (note on verse 1)
    63. 2 Nephi 27-2 Book of Mormon consistent with Syriac texts 
    64. 2 Nephi 27:15 the Anthon transcript 
    65. 2 Nephi 27:32 BoM consistent with Syriac and Septuagint 
    66. 2 Nephi 28:10 note – blood types in americas 
    67. 2 Nephi 29:3 note -“teachings of joseph smith” on the Bible and why we need BoM
    68. 2 Nephi 29:3 adding to the Bible 
    69. 2 Nephi 29:6 incompleteness of the Bible 
    70. 2 Nephi 29:12 Hebrew poetic device 
    71. 2 Nephi 29:13 books of scripture 
    72. 2 Nephi 33:9 Polysyndeton- repetitive use of and (no punctuation in Hebrew) 
    73. Jacob 2:2 different voices of BoM
    74. Jacob 4:1 engraving on metal plates 
    75. Jacob 5:1 olive tree allegory proof of BoM note 
    76. Jacob 5 section heading: note “Horticulure – Joseph Smith knowledge of and proof of BoM”
    77. Jacob 5:3 Joseph Smith use of the word vineyard 
    78. Jacob 5:16 Hebrew syntax
    79. Jacob 7:20 Hebrew idiom
    80. Jacob 7:27 all three notes on adieu 
    81. Enos 1 and and and vav-consecutive 
    82. Enos 14 intricacies and subtleties in reference to Jacob and Esau
    83. Jarom 1:7 fortifications 
    84. Jarom 1:8 preposition repeated hebraism 
    85. Omni 1:1 different writing styles 
    86. Omni 1:8 Hebrew name 
    87. Omni 1:12 Mosiah 
    88. Omni 1:15 how did Joseph Smith come up with Mulek (note on this verse) 
    89. Pretty much all of notes in Omni chapter. 
    90. Omni 1:18 note about the potential royal and priestly lineage of Mulek, son of King Zedekiah. 
    91. Words of Mormon heading 
    92. Words of Mormon 1:5 why Isaiah in the BoM
    93. Words of Mormon 1:17 stiffneckedness 
    94. Mosiah 1:1 absence of colophons (different voices for an abridged record vs first person account). 
    95. Mosiah 1:2 and it came to pass – Maya 
    96. Mosiah 1:2 He had…He called…He caused (third person account) note – new voices in translation / no errors. 
    97. Mosiah 2 chapter heading. Multiple notes on the chapter heading. 
    98. Mosiah 2:7 tower more correct translation (note from Matthew roper) 
    99. Mosiah 3:1-3 chiasmus (note on verse 1) 
    100. Mosiah 3:18-19 chiasm 
    101. Mosiah 4:16 parallels between jubilee celebration and king Benjamin’s Speech 
    102. Mosiah 5:10-12 first chiasmus found in BoM (this is a good note and proof of BoM) 
    103. Mosiah 5:11 God’s name spoken 7 and 3 times for a total of 10, just like ancient Israel. 
    104. Mosiah 7:9 scribe for King Limhi
    105. Mosiah 7:17 8 features of covenant tradition 
    106. Mosiah 7:21 language structure 
    107. Mosiah 7:26 minor proof of the BoM. Good point about how difficult to keep things straight. 
    108. Mosiah 10:20 slew slaughter Hebraic phrase 
    109. Mosiah 11:25 tradition of fasting while covered in ash 
    110. Mosiah 12:1 prophesies fulfilled, keeping track 
    111. Mosiah 12:3 Dead Sea scrolls, Hugh Nibley, need to look at this one closer. 
    112. Mosiah 15:7 crucified 
    113. Mosiah 15:7 cross in Americas
    114. Mosiah 15:20-23 chiasmus 
    115. Mosiah 17:2 Alma 
    116. Mosiah 20:19 Semitic device 
    117. Mosiah 21:2 how did Joseph Smith incorporate those voices seamlessly? 
    118. Mosiah 23:31 Hebrew poetry word pairs 
    119. Mosiah 25:2 Ezekiel prophesy fulfilled 
    120. Mosiah 26:39 Semitic language 
    121. Mosiah 29:7 plot, keeping track of everything, see also 28:9
    122. Alma 1:1 Hebraism 
    123. Alma 1:2 Arabic idiom judgement-seat
    124. Alma 1:29 Hebrew writing form polysyndeton
    125. Alma 1:29 flocks and herds consistent with Old Testament 
    126. Alma 2:1 another Hebrew literary device hal-clause
    127. Alma 2:15 river Sidon – how did joseph know the name Sidon?
    128. Alma 2:20 tents 
    129. Alma 2:22 meaning of names 
    130. Alma 2:37 hermounts – what a coincidence! This is a good one. 
    131. Alma 3:1 Epanalepsis, writing styles of BoM authors
    132. Alma 3:13 mark of red, another Hebraism 
    133. Alma 3:26 Semitic repeating of number 
    134. Alma 5 superscription. Pretty amazing joseph smith kept this all straight. 
    135. Alma 5:7 behold
    136. Alma 5:9 soul expands – works better in Hebrew than English 
    137. Alma 5:9 song of redeeming love, old world temple rite 
    138. Alma 11:15 barley 
    139. Alma 36:9 Semitic language
    140. Alma 5:19 more inverted quotations (Seidel’s law, see 2 Nephi 2:15)
    141. Alma 5:26 amazing joseph smith kept these voices and phrases from time periods straight. 
    142. Alma 5:28 Semitic idiom 
    143. Alma 5:37 Semitic expressions 
    144. Alma 5:40 antithetical parallelism
    145. Alma 7:10 land of Jerusalem 
    146. Alma 7:11 pains and sickness more accurate translation  
    147. Alma 8:6 how did Joseph  Smith know maya place names ended in “ha”/“hah”?  
    148. Alma 8:7 bountiful and desolation connection to Hebrew 
    149. Alma 8:7 custom in mesoamerica to name after kings who first settled
    150. Alma 8:13 additional “and” additional proof of BoM authenticity
    151. Alma 8:18 it came to pass (same as 2 Nephi 4:10)
    152. Alma 9:19 having…having…
    153. Alma 11:15 barley 
    154. Alma 10:11 women wives Hebraism 
    155. Alma 10:20 singular for plural 
    156. Alma 11:4 perfect monetary system 
    157. Alma 11:5 monetary system with ties to ancient civilizations 
    158. Alma 11:13 how did joseph smith know onti was a unit of value in Egyptian? 
    159. Alma 11:15 how did joseph smith know that Egypt measured in barley before the world knew? 
    160. Alma 11:16 Hebrew word 
    161. Alma 11:43 limb and joint
    162. Alma 12:11 different voices 
    163. Alma 13:9 chiasm 
    164. Alma 13:25 “would to God” how did Joseph Smith know that meant it wouldn’t happen? 
    165. Alma 14:8 fire Epistrophe
    166. Alma 15:17 altar – deliverance 
    167. Alma 16:5 Aha – warrior in Egyptian 
    168. Alma 17:14 precious stones 
    169. Alma 18:9 horses (multiple notes) 
    170. Alma 18:9 wheels (multiple notes) 
    171. Alma 18:13 Rabbanah Aramaic, melek Hebrew, good thing joseph smith knew that. 
    172. Alma 18:18 Hebrew idiom 
    173. Alma 22:31 Desolation and Bountiful 
    174. Alma 23:1 epanalepsis Hebrew writing device
    175. Alma 23:7 double negative Hebrew authorship 
    176. Alma 25:1 prisoners of war needed to establish a new king – consistent with maya rituals
    177. Alma 27:15 compound subject proper Hebrew 
    178. Alma 27:22 Jershon = Semitic to inherit 
    179. Alma 29:9 authorship 
    180. Alma 30:51 Put Forth His Hand – different phrases by different authors
    181. Alma 31:7 Helaman Egyptian name 
    182. Alma 31:7 Shiblon and Corianton Hebrew and Arabic 
    183. Alma 31:21 rameamptom Semitic
    184. Alma 32:8 Semitic idiom 
    185. All of Alma chapter 32 on faith. An unlearned farm kid wrote this? 
    186. Alma 33:13 writings of Zenos discovered in 1906
    187. Alma 34:8 voice of Alma 
    188. Alma 34:10 A great and last sacrifice, voice of Amulek
    189. Alma 35:13 Joseph Smith returning to things previously mentioned during dictation 
    190. Alma 35:16 Passover father talk to sons Old Testament tradition
    191. Alma chapter 36 odds of chiasmus being random
    192. Alma 36:9 Semitic language
    193. Alma 36:22 exact quote of Lehi 
    194. Alma 37:5 Proof of brass/bronze existing from 6th century BC
    195. Alma 37:23 Gazalem and Liahona Egyptian and Hebrew meanings 
    196. Alma 37:23 Onyx or chocolate colored seer stone tribe of Joseph in ancient Israel 
    197. Alma 37:37 ancient Hebrew poetic form, known as merismus
    198. Alma 37:37 Liahona – very good Hebrew
    199. Alma 39:3 Isabel – Lack of Baal names – Jaredite
    200. Alma 39:9 cross yourself – John Gee, awkward English 
    201. Alma 41:13-15 Hebrew parallelistic writing 
    202. Alma 43:21 armor terms in BoM differ from those used in bible. 
    203. Alma 43:26 voice of Moroni, land in quarters 
    204. Alma 45:19 mistranslation of Bible about Moses translation, Joseph would have had to keep track of this in his Bible translation. 
    205. Alma 46:17 Dead Sea scrolls, land of desolation and land of bountiful before a war
    206. Alma 46:29 Hebraisms
    207. Alma 46:21 Hugh Nibley – Battle Scroll – proof of BoM
    208. Alma 46:22 simile oath 
    209. Alma 46:24 coat of the Garden of Eden
    210. Alma 46:40 no cold words in BoM 
    211. Alma 49:13 proof of fortifications 
    212. Alma 51:5 king men, historical correlation with what is happening in Book of Mormon 
    213. Alma 51:33 climate in new year 
    214. Alma 53:7 seasons of war. Such a tiny detail. But what you’d expect if this is a legitimate record. How amazing that joseph smith considered the seasonality of war in middle America when making up this book… 
    215. Alma 54:1 Egyptian 
    216. Alma 57:5 Joseph Smith did this timeline stuff off the top of his head?
    217. Alma 63:5 Hagoth Mycenaean name 
    218. Helaman 1:3 Egyptian and Nephite judge names
    219. Helaman 1:3 Paanchi- indisputably Egyptian
    220. Helaman 1:9 Kishkumen and Akish tied together in way different parts of the book 
    221. All the notes in Helaman 3 (especially verses 4 and 5) about the evidence of vast civilizations in the americas. 
    222. Helaman 3:5 deforestation 
    223. Helaman 3:5 blood types
    224. Helaman 3:7 cement – proof 
    225. Helaman 3:7 more on cement + all other notes about cement on this verse 
    226. Helaman 3:12 “sea south” changed to “ocean of the peaceful people” (bottom part of that note). 
    227. Helaman 3:14 “and” – Semitic language
    228. Helaman 3:14 shipping and calendar 
    229. Helaman 3:15 undisputed now that Mesoamerican people kept written records. 
    230. Helaman 3:36 fifty and second year, Semitic numbering 
    231. Helaman 5:39 Semitic names 
    232. Helaman 6:8-9 free trade
    233. Helaman 6:10 good chiasmus 
    234. Helaman 6:10 Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah – think about how long it took you to connect reading the scriptures that King Zedekiah of Jerusalem had all his sons killed – and you with all your commentaries and explanations and internet- then think of 24 year old joseph smith putting that together and applying it to a “fiction” he wrote implying that one of the sons got away and was established in the americas but that’s tied in just in a side part of his main “fiction”, a guy who didn’t even know Jerusalem had walls. Insane. 
    235. Helaman 6:22-26 good chiasm 
    236. Helaman 7:10 chief market, highway, gardens (5 notes in total). 
    237. Helaman 8:15 parallelism 
    238. Helaman 8:18 Semitic expression 
    239. Helaman 11:36 Anabasis staircase parallelism 
    240. Helaman 12:13 if and Hebraism 
    241. Helaman 13:11 anaphora Hebrew literary device 
    242. Helaman 13:33 quote from Enoch text 
    243. Helaman 14:25 how did Joseph Smith insert a “missed” prophesy INTO a chiasm? 
    244. Helaman 16:22 Hebrew preposition usage 
    245. 3 Nephi 1:1 Mexican record mentions age of 600 years
    246. 3 Nephi 1:1 both notes about Lachoneus – ch to k and why a Greek name is in BoM
    247. 3 Nephi 1:8 Native American legends of the “dawn star” 
    248. 3 Nephi 1:13 Olmec-Maya long count calendar correlates with Book of Mormon account
    249. 3 Nephi 2:8 birth of Christ same as birth of Quetzalcoatl
    250. 3 Nephi 3:9 Giddianhi Egyptian name 
    251. 3 Nephi 9 jaredite records references to secret societies that would tie in later 
    252. 3 Nephi 3:12 robbers vs thieves distinction 
    253. 3 Nephi 3:22 horse bones archaeology 
    254. 3 Nephi 4:4 7 years and ancient Israel custom 
    255. 3 Nephi 4:7 polysyndeton, religion of and 
    256. 3 Nephi 5:10 poetic structure and Mormon and Nephi having similar testimonies 
    257. 3 Nephi 8:5 Quetzalcoatl same birthdate as Christ 
    258. 3 Nephi 8:11 Great destruction in Mexican history correlates with Book of Mormon
    259. 3 Nephi 8:12 Volcano activity 34 A.D.
    260. 3 Nephi 8:23 Hebrew idioms 
    261.   3 Nephi 9:3 great cities and Book of Mormon parallels to Mesoamerican cities 
    262.   3 Nephi 9:5 circular repetitive parallelism Hebraism 
    263. 3 Nephi 9:8 volcanic lava covering cities from time of Christ 
    264. 3 Nephi 9:10 another and, and, and Hebraism 
    265. 3 Nephi 9:10 known ancient city of Lamonai buried
    266. 3 Nephi 11:14 Mesoamerica depictions of a god with marks in his hands 
    267. 3 Nephi 11:14 Jesus Christ and Quetzalcoatl parallels
    268. 3 Nephi 11:14 Parallel names between Christ and god of Mesoamerica
    269. 3 Nephi 11:15 Ancient Aztec record, Quetzalcoatl with prints in hands and feet
    270. 3 Nephi 11:19-20 another polysyndeton
    271. 3 Nephi 11:21 Baptism in ancient Mesoamerica
    272. 3 Nephi 11:27 3 Gods in one parallel in Mesoamerica – remarkable
    273. 3 Nephi 12:1 Hebraism – conjunctions and parenthesis
    274. 3 Nephi 12:6 filled with the Holy Ghost correct 
    275. 3 Nephi 12:10 persecuted for my name’s sake closer to Aramaic 
    276. 3 Nephi 12:17 likely Paul criticism removed from Book of Mormon 
    277. 3 Nephi 12:20 another example of perfectly adjusted text to adjust from an old world audience to a new world audience, how did JS do this off the top of his head? 
    278. 3 Nephi 12:21 old world oral law new world written law, amazing thought by JS
    279. 3 Nephi 12:22 Book of Mormon matches earliest manuscripts (this is a good one). 
    280. 3 Nephi 12:29 further case where sermon at temple seems more like what Christ would have said 
    281. 3 Nephi 12:48 temple setting in BOM amplifies sacred covenant concept 
    282. 3 Nephi 13:1 another more accurate translation than Bible almsgiving for poor
    283. 3 Nephi 15:16-17, 21 Joseph and Judah uniting, Jewish readings 
    284. 3 Nephi 18:5 Christ/Quetzalcoatl ordained priests 
    285. 3 Nephi 18:6-7 sacrament in the new world 
    286. 3 Nephi 18:7 remembrance as a covenant 
    287. 3 Nephi 19:4 names in the Book of Mormon don’t use vowels not found in Hebrew
    288. 3 Nephi 19:6 Mesoamerican temple dedicated to Father, Son, Holy Ghost, and 12 helpers 
    289. 3 Nephi 19:25 more accounts from Mesoamerica that align with BoM record of a white God (Christ) visiting 
    290. 3 Nephi 20:1 And = but Hebraism
    291. 3 Nephi 20:6-7 ancient records show Quetzalcoatl fed a multitude like BoM 
    292. 3 Nephi 20:10 another chiasm 
    293. 3 Nephi 20:10 Jesus’ covenant people discourse significance of chiasm
    294. 3 Nephi 24:1 Aztec belief in white god and letter from Cortez to Spain 
    295. 3 Nephi 24:9 Hebraism
    296. 3 Nephi 26:5 joseph smith keeping straight quotes he’d have to make later 
    297. 3 Nephi 27:14 specific example of pre Spanish cross 
    298. 3 Nephi 27:20 baptism in Americas 
    299. 3 Nephi 28:1 “that” Hebraism
    300. 3 Nephi 28:23 Aztec names with Hebrew roots 
    301. 4 Nephi 1 evidence of religious change around 34 A.D.
    302. 4 Nephi 1:5 polysyndeton (repeated ands)
    303. 4 Nephi 1:6 annal-like recounting 
    304. 4 Nephi 1:17 double negative hebraism 
    305. 4 Nephi 1:24 pearls 
    306. 4 Nephi 1:26 Teotihuacan pride cycle coincides with BoM timeline 

    Defense of Mormon theology:

    1. 2 Nephi 29:9 Polytheism, idolatry, and the patriarchs
    2. Mosiah 4:6 note premortal life references in bible 
    3. Mosiah 4:6 note Ancient texts – Christ in premortality
    4. (Godhead)- Mosiah 15:2 note about suzerain and vassal relationship. How Christ is the father and the son. 
    5. Mosiah 16:13 grace 
    6. Alma 1:4 faith and works 
    7. Matthew 21:30 faith and works 

    Proof of restoration:

    1. 2 Nephi 21:1 “Gentiles, Israel, and the olive tree allegory” note
    2. 2 Nephi 21:12 only church to prophesy of the Jews returning to Jerusalem 
    3. 2 Nephi 26:4 defense against an example of accused “plagiarism” 
    4. Jacob 5:35 apostasy 
    5. Mosiah 4:3 baptism (this is a good note explaining importance of baptism) 

    Defense of Book of Mormon:

    1. 2 Nephi 29:3 Bible anachronism 
    2. 2 Nephi 33:4 BoM Christ focused 
    3. Enos 1:21 horses 
    4. Omni 1:15 DNA
    5. Mosiah 2:3 offering sacrifices 
    6. Mosiah 3:2 the name of Jesus Christ 
    7. Mosiah 9:9 wheat and barley 
    8. Mosiah 16:7 quoting Paul (who quoted Hosea) 
    9. Mosiah 16:8 pretty much same as above with additions 
    10. Alma 2:12 bows 
    11. Alma 2:15 Sidon without Tyre (“Sidon – historical” note)
    12. Alma 4:6 silks 
    13. Alma 4:6 silks and linens 

    Kind of:

    1. 2 Nephi 24:19 remnant – raiment 
    2. Mosiah 2:9 how did joseph smith connect that “this day” was linked to temple worship in Hebrew? 
    3. Mosiah 2:28 choirs and kingly coronation 
    4. Mosiah 2:28 king farewell (note on about to go down to my grave) 
    5. Mosiah 2:30 Similarities between Mosiah coronation and Old Testament coronations 
    6. Mosiah 8:15 defense of seer stones, used in ancient Egypt 
    7. Mosiah 19:24 peace ceremony 
    8. Mosiah 27:29 
    9. Mosiah 27:34 how did Joseph smith know Himli could be a Hebrew name? 
    10. Mosiah 28:9 keeping track of plot
    11. Alma 3:15 “and again” meant to be read aloud, without punctuation in the ancient writing 
    12. Alma 3:14 this is kind of complex but I think it adds to the complexity of the lost 116 pages, how could JS plan this? 

    These are my own additions of books, talks, podcasts, scriptures, etc. that I’ve found provide particularly strong proofs of the restoration:

    Joseph Smith:

    1. D&C 135:4 note from Jeffrey R Holland about Joseph Smith and Hyrum BoM testimony unto death. 
    2. Hebrews 9:16 
    3. D&C 42:64

    Old Testament:

    1. Isaiah 2:3 why are Zion and Jerusalem different places? We know. 
    2. Isaiah 2:16 how did Joseph Smith know about the Greek and Hebrew? (Subscript a)
    3. Isaiah 54:16 explanation? This coincidence combined with a 14 year old who likely never read this verse claiming to see God, then writing an extraordinary book, then spawning a worldwide religion. Coincidence? “Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.” 
    4. Malachi 2:4 where do other churches believe the covenant of God is today? 
    5. Malachi 3:1 what temple do other churches think Christ will come back to?
    6. Malachi 3:7 What ordinances do other churches believe they need to return to? 

    Books:

    1. A Marvelous Work and a Wonder
    2. Just to Illustrate 
    3. A Case for the Book of Mormon
    4. Those Gold Plates – From Those Gold Plates (book by Peterson – the Book of Mormon claimed to be in reformed Egyptian. Many names of people and places in the BoM have roots in Egyptian. How did Joseph Smith do that? Ancient Writing on gold plates has since been found across the globe. Even the cement box Joseph Smith described the plates residing in has been found as an ancient way to store precious items, like records. Page 72- the 29th chapter of Isaiah says the book would come forth before the flourishing of Lebanon, which started to happen in the mid 19th century. 
    5. Temple Worship by Andrew C Skinner (item 59 of list above) 
    6. 1000 Evidences for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Haven’t read yet) 

    Podcasts:

    1. LDS Perspectives (especially Episode 6 on DNA)
    2. Church History Matters

    Talks:

    1. What is the blueprint of Christ’s church? By Tad R Callister
    2. The profile of a prophet by Hugh B Brown (YouTube video of his talk – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnhPeGI__DY). 
    3. “Prophecy of war, prescription of peace” by Matthew S. Holland. Details D&C 87 and Joseph Smith’s prophesy of the civil war. 

    People:

    1. Hugh Nibley – specifically his “challenge” (jefflindsay.com/BOMchallenge.shtml) 
    2. LeGrand Richards

    The list of 306 items above have to be compared to the website StepByStep to get the true message. A couple examples are –

    1. 2 Nephi 2:15 inverted quotations (https://stepbystep.alancminer.com/a-cultural-commentary/volume-2/2-nephi-2/).

    According to David Bokovoy, when the Book of Mormon appeared in 1830, the Western world had only a limited knowledge of the literary techniques utilized by Semitic authors. One such discovery came to light in 1955 when a scholar named Seidel published a study on parallel statements in Psalms and Isaiah. His work prepared the way for further analysis of what has come to be called “inverted quotations” in the Bible, and today scholars refer to such inverted quotations of earlier sources as an example of Seidel’s law. The Bible contains many examples of inverted quotations. Since Bible scholars in Joseph Smith’s day had not yet recognized the existence of Seidel’s law, its attestation in 2 Nephi 2:15 and elsewhere in the Book of Mormon (e.g., Alma 5:19; compare Psalm 24:4) provides additional evidence that the Book of Mormon is an authentic record of ancient origin.

    How did Joseph Smith know about inverted quotations?

    2. 2 Nephi 4:10 and it came to pass (https://stepbystep.alancminer.com/a-cultural-commentary/volume-2/2-nephi-4/)

    Royal Skousen reports that the original text of the Book of Mormon contains expressions which seem inappropriate or improper in some of their uses. For example, in the original text a good many occurrences of the phrase “and it came to pass” are found in inappropriate contexts. In his editing for the 1837 edition, Joseph Smith removed at least 47 of these apparently extraneous uses of this well-worked phrase. In most cases, there were two or more examples of “it came to pass” in close proximity; in some cases, nothing new had “come to pass.” Now the King James phrase “and it came to pass” corresponds to a Hebrew word meaning “and it happened.” When translating the Hebrew Bible, the King James translators avoided translating this Hebrew word whenever it wouldn’t make sense.

    English, especially when too many events were “coming to pass” or when nothing had really “come to pass”–in other words, in those very places that the original text of the Book of Mormon “inappropriately” allows “and it came to pass” to occur. Consider the following example (where the deleted phrase “it came to pass that” is in brackets) with a corresponding example from Genesis, given in the original before the King James translators took it out:

    2 Nephi 4:10–and it came to pass that when my father had made an end of speaking unto them behold [it came to pass that] he spake unto the sons of Ishmael yea and even all his household (1837).

    Genesis 27:30–and it came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob and [it came to pass that] Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

    Other Book of Mormon examples of multiple occurrences of “it came to pass” which were edited by Joseph Smith in 1837 are found in Alma 8:18-19 and Alma 14:4-5.

    What is important here is to realize that the original text of the Book of Mormon apparently contains expressions that are not characteristic of English at any place or time, in particular neither Joseph Smith’s upstate New York dialect nor the King James Bible. Subsequent editing of the text into standard English has systematically removed these non-English expressions from the text–the very expressions that provide the strongest support for the hypothesis that the Book of Mormon is a literal translation of a non-English text.

    How did Joseph Smith know to have multiple “and it came to pass”es in the Book of Mormon when the same pattern had been removed from any Bible? Then, if he originally had these “it came to pass”es, why did he remove them if he did understand their significance?

    3. 2 Nephi 3:15 “His name shall be called after me [Joseph] (https://stepbystep.alancminer.com/a-cultural-commentary/volume-3/2-nephi-3/)

    Joseph McConkie makes this sidenote:

    Having learned of the special meaning associated with the Prophet’s name, I was especially interested when I discovered the following in the patriarchal blessing of the Prophet’s older brother Hyrum. “Behold thou art Hyrum, the Lord hath called thee by that name, and by that name He has blessed thee.” It then dawned on me that Hyrum is also a Hebrew name which means “my brother is exalted.” What more appropriate name could have been given to the man who was destined to go with Joseph to Carthage and seal his testimony with his blood? So the testimony of the Restoration has been sealed on this dispensation with the blood of two prophets who, according to the ancient tradition, bore the right names.

    Me – interesting coincidence.

    I intentionally didn’t pick the best ones from my list. I took a random sample of three. You’ll have to dig into the list yourself to find the best ones and shore up your own testimony of the Book of Mormon. True faith and real testimony takes effort.

    Any one of these may not be enough to say the Book of Mormon is true. But when taken together, all these coincidences, hundreds of evidences, it is true.

    I didn’t compile this list in a couple weeks. This has been 8 years of study, a little bit every day, to compile this list. I’m not close to finished. My point is that you can find your own proof. It’s there. Just look for it.

    Is the Book of Mormon true? Yes, it is.

  • What do we believe in?

    What do we believe in?

    My Aunt Lindsey often asks the question, “What do you know?” I usually respond, “Not much.”

    What do we really know? Anything?

    While reading Mosiah chapter 26, I came across an interesting commentary from Hugh Nibley, one of my favorite scholars. The commentary was on Mosiah 26:15 which reads:

    “Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi” (emphasis added).

    In considering that phrase, “in the words alone of Abinadi”, Hugh Nibley asks, “Now what about childish faith? What about being gullible, etc.? Alma believed in the “words alone”? Alma saw no evidence, no proof, or anything like that? And it wasn’t the words of God; it was the words of Abinadi alone that he believed in? What’s going on here? Why is there merit in this?”

    He continues, “There is merit because Alma believed in his words alone. I would emphasize his. You are blessed because of the things you choose to believe-not by the act of believing, not just by faith. You weren’t blessed because you believed, but because you chose what to believe. Everybody chooses what to believe. The atheist is a very strong believer. He is the most passionate arguer you can possibly find, and the positivist. Where will you find greater faith and firm conviction than among economists? . . . You must believe in something, and everybody does. But the Lord said, blessed are you [Alma] because of the things you chose to believe; you chose to believe in the things that Abinadi taught.”

    I’ve written before about The Faith of an Atheist.

    What do we believe in?

    This is an interesting statement by Hugh Nibley. The idea that it isn’t our faith that is important. Everyone has faith in something. It is what we have faith in. What do we choose to believe? Do we choose to believe that this is all one dumb coincidence and we’re all here for no real reason? Or do we believe in a Savior who redeems us, a Father who loves us, and an eternity of potential?

    Like a lot of things, it’s really about agency. What do we choose to believe in? Alma chose to believe in something good, hopeful, eternal.

    People who leave the church – are they better for it? This is going to upset some people. But in my opinion, no, people aren’t better for leaving the Church. That’s not absolute, of course. Some who leave the church still donate constantly to good causes, serve others, love others, and use their time in helping others. More often than not, I don’t think that’s the case.

    Many who leave the church, instead of turning their focus to good, hopeful, and helpful things, spend the rest of their lives trying to bash, destroy, and talk negatively about the church. Why is that? If leaving the Church of Jesus Christ is a good thing, why doesn’t more good come from it instead of more negativity? Why is tearing down something, whatever your feelings on it, that brings others hope and joy, a good result?

    Is it easy to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ? With the number of people my age deciding they don’t care for the Church, or any church, I’d say membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is not super easy. A lot of people say, “The church doesn’t do anything for me.” The Church isn’t about what it can do for you. It’s about what you can do for others. When you leave the Church, what do you do for others?

    Leaving the Church is complicated. I’m not trying to oversimplify it too much. But what I think gets lost sometimes is that leaving the Church is often a selfish choice. At least it was for me. I don’t want to have to get up early for church on Sunday. I don’t want to use my Saturday morning helping an elderly person move their belongings. I want to drink. I don’t have time for a church calling like teaching a class, working with the youth, or organizing group activities. I definitely don’t have time for ministering. Yeah, checking on a couple people every so often to make sure they’re doing OK, and really help them if they say they need something, don’t have time for that. I don’t want to pay 10% of what I earn anymore. The list goes on. Someone leaving the Church NEVER thinks this way (or won’t admit it). It’s about historicity or “what they feel” or feeling lied to or CES letter blah blah. I’m not trying to say that those things can’t be hard for people. They are, and I understand that. But often, it comes back to I, when the Church’s main goal is to help us see outside of ourselves.

    Now let’s be clear. Simply going to church isn’t enough. There are plenty of people who go to church on Sunday, leave, and call themselves stalwart disciples of Christ. You may be worse off than the nonbeliever in that case. It may be worse to believe and turn away the sick and needy than to choose not to believe.

    Does some small historical question, or some big historical question, distract you from a plan called “the Plan of Happiness”? Do you choose to worry about a statement by Brigham Young or some question about Joseph Smith? Do you disregard the miraculous book that was written, the testimony of a Savior of the world, an account of that Savior visiting His children in America? Do you ignore the hopeful and positive miracles because you have doubts?

    What do you choose to believe in?

  • Thomas Edison and the Unimaginable

    Thomas Edison and the Unimaginable

    How do you imagine something unimaginable?

    This thought is motivated by an awesome podcast called “How to Take Over the World.” I highly recommend it.

    When Thomas Edison discovered the ability to replay the voice using an invention that would become the phonograph, people couldn’t begin to fathom what they were hearing.

    When Edison started showing his new invention to individuals who had never seen anything like it before, this was a regular occurrence:

    A person would come in. Edison’s invention would be used to play back some recorded statement. The person would be asked what they just heard. The person would have no idea.

    The person would then be told that what they were about to hear was a human voice. The same recording would be replayed. The person would be able to repeat every word from the recorded statement.

    People who had never “seen” (heard) this before literally couldn’t fathom what was happening, so much so that their brains couldn’t even quantify it. How crazy is that? Makes you think how amazing it is that hearing the recorded voice has become so second nature to us. Up until 150 years ago, no human ears had ever heard the human voice from anything other than a human mouth.

    This new invention led to tons of confusion and misinformation about this device. People thought that dead spirits were speaking or the machine itself was talking. People just couldn’t wrap their minds or imaginations around the human voice being replayed.

    There is even a story of a scientist writing Edison after reading an article about the new invention/wonder in a magazine. The scientist asked Edison to issue a public statement refuting the absurdity, as it was not scientifically possible.

    This invention created a worldwide phenomenon. Thomas Edison became a celebrity overnight.

    This story leads to many interesting thoughts.

    The first interesting thing to consider is the idea of thinking about something that you can’t comprehend. When was the last time you were truly shocked by something? In the day and age we live in, nothing shocks us anymore. We’ve become numb to the fantastic world we live in. Moving stairs, cold boxes for food, flying tubes of steel, speeding metal squares: these things are amazing. We don’t even marvel at UFOs anymore, for crying out loud.

    I’m fascinated by inventors. I’m fascinated by people that can create something most of us never even dreamed possible. That was the phonograph, that was playing the human voice. Think how second nature the recorded voice has become to us. But back then, it was UNFATHOMABLE.

    The second thought that came to me from this story was, what do we really know about the world around us? We consider our society so intellectually mature and advanced, and yet, what do we really know about science? When we discover a fourth dimension, will we be shocked? When we learn there’s a spiritual realm all around us that we can’t see, how amazed will people be?

    This is also a lesson in trusting our senses. People back then couldn’t believe their eyes or ears. Today this has become a saying flippantly thrown about: “I couldn’t believe my eyes.” No, back then, they really couldn’t believe their eyes or ears. How much trust do we put in our senses? When it comes down to it, we can so quickly feel like our senses are deceiving us.

    Another noteworthy thing about this story is what the public latched onto when they heard of this invention. People got it into their heads that what was being played when the phonograph spoke were the voices of the dead. This kind of made sense. It was such a foreign concept to them, they just went to the most fantastical thing. Soothsayers and fortune tellers have existed for millennia. The natural assumption by people at that time was, if an unexplainable, miraculous, disembodied voice is speaking, it must be the dead talking.

    Not only did people jump to the conclusion that it was the dead speaking, they latched to the idea with an abundance of enthusiasm. Our fascination with the dead is endless, especially today. Why are we so enthralled by the idea? Why is it so important to us? Well, I believe, it’s because the hearts of the fathers are being turned to the children and the hearts of the children being turned to the fathers (Malachi 4:6, D&C 2, D&C 110:13-16, D&C 138:46-48, JSH 1:37-39).

    It’s our natural hope and desire to speak to our loved ones on the other side. We are drawn to them.

    There is an invention today, also from the 1800s, that is magnitudes more magnificent than the phonograph. This invention is equally as mystifying. In 1836 Joseph Smith, Jr. dedicated a temple to the Lord. This “invention” allowed the sealing of families for eternity. This miraculous invention, like the phonograph, is little understood by the world. Much of the world doesn’t realize this “invention” exists. Coincidentally, the phonograph was invented in 1877. The oldest standing Temple of God is the St. George temple which was dedicated in 1877.

    How amazing to see the temple work of this dispensation where so many of our hearts are turned to our progenitors who have already passed through the veil. When temple work is done for a family member, a real bond is created. We are all connected.

    This, I believe, is why people were hopeful the phonograph was a way for them to speak to their dead.

    The phonograph is an invention that has blessed the lives of so many with the ability to communicate here on Earth. Temples bless every person who has ever lived, does now live, or will ever live. The temple is eternal. I’m grateful to live in a time when we know of temples and of their eternal significance. I’m grateful to have temples nearby. I’m grateful to be sealed to my family for eternity. I’m grateful to know I will see all my loved ones again.

    How powerful is that? How amazing is that? We get to do work for our dead, be linked to them forever, and create a connection for eternity. Now that’s an amazing invention.

    Columbus, Ohio Temple
  • Bees Perceive Time….or do they

    Bees Perceive Time….or do they

    Can bees perceive time?

    Scientists put sugar water outside of a beehive every day at 4:00pm and found that the bees soon started coming out of their hives for the sugar water at 4:00pm every day. The bees did this even when there was no longer any sugar water left out for them.

    Therefore, bees perceive time.

    But some said, “Hold on, what if the bees are measuring the angle of the sun.”

    So they did the experiment in the dark. The bees still came out at 4:00pm.

    Therefore, bees perceive time.

    But…some said, “Hold on, what if the bees are measuring the heat from the sun?”

    These back and forths happened repeatedly until the experiment was eventually performed underground in a salt mine.

    But…some said, “What if the bees are measuring the rotation of the Earth?”

    How do we prove that bees perceive time?

    Then, a scientist did the exact same experiment, not in a salt mine, but in Paris. Then that scientist flew the bees to New York City. The bees left the hive at 10:00am because they had jetlag.

    This proved that bees perceive time… I think? (Maybe bees have an internal clock completely separate from our “time.” Do bees, in this case, perceive time “more” than I do because I don’t think I could be that precise…. But I digress). I’m not smart enough to think of another, “What if bees were doing this,” scenario, but what this did make me think about is how faulty our human logic is. Almost anything can be proven or disproven. What do we really know…about anything?

    With all our science, logic, and knowledge, we still basically know nothing. Our very own bodies are a mystery. We still don’t know how the pyramids were built. There are theories, of course, but we’ll never really know until it is revealed to us. I’m amazed at the pompous ignorance of our generation. Our generation believes that because we can Google something we’re the smartest generation to ever live on the earth, while most of us can’t begin to explain how “Google” even works.

    This story just made me think of the frailty of our own brilliance.  It’s hard to prove anything and we’re really not as smart as we all think. That’s all. 

  • Truths Removed from the Bible: What does the Book of Mormon tell us about Baptism?

    Truths Removed from the Bible: What does the Book of Mormon tell us about Baptism?

    I like to think about what critics would say as proof against the Book of Mormon.  I think it helps to have responses to honest concerns about its validity.  I always hope something I read, know, or especially my testimony can one day help someone to see what I see, the truth of this ancient record. 

    The Book of Mormon makes a very important claim.  The claim is that many plain and precious truths have been removed from the Bible over time.  When Joseph Smith first translated the Book of Mormon this was an outlandish and inflammatory statement.  Even more so than today. Christianity in the early to mid-1800s had a firm belief that the Bible was infallible. 

    From a website (https://stepbystep.alancminer.com/) I’ve loved using to study alongside the Book of Mormon, I read this:

    “Richardson, Richardson and Bentley write that while the Book of Mormon testifies to the authenticity of the Bible, it does not claim that the Bible is without error. It specifically states that there were many “plain and precious things” that were deleted from its pages through the evil works of men. (See 1 Nephi 13:20-32; 19:10-12; 20:1-3; 2 Nephi 3:5-22; Alma 33:3, 13, 15; 34:7; 46:23-27; Helaman 8:19-20; 15:11; 3 Nephi 10:14-17; 12:13, 17-19, 22, 29-30; 14:1.)

    Scholars of the Bible have found indisputable evidence that the Bible has indeed suffered many deletions. Non Mormon scholarship has concluded that the gospels found in the New Testament have also been manipulated.”

    Critics may ask for specific examples of any “plain and precious truths” found in the Book of Mormon that are not also found in the Bible.

    The website I mentioned above goes on to list 24 plain and precious truths removed from the Bible and where they are laid forth in the Book of Mormon.  I’d like to go over an extremely important one.

    Baptism is only for those who are accountable (Moroni 8:5-23).

    I know of nowhere in the Bible that lays forth the age of accountability. Should children be baptized?  We know baptism is of the utmost importance:

    John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

    What does the Book of Mormon teach us on the subject of baptism? Moroni chapter 8 is full of profound truths found nowhere in the Bible. I will quote portions of the chapter here but encourage everyone to read the chapter and ponder its truthfulness.

    8 “the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me (Jesus Christ), that it hath no power over them”

    9 “I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.”

    10 “repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.”

    11 “And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism.”

    12 “But little children are alive in Christ…if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respector of persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!”

    15 “For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.”

    19 “Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of mercy.”

    20 “And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption.”

    Girl Being Baptized

    Who can read this and deny the truth that speaks to your heart and soul?  It is so clearly laid out. So perfectly explained. 

    What about how to baptize?  There is so much confusion in the world on not only when but how.  Does the Book of Mormon provide an answer?  Of course!  3 Nephi 11:24-28.

    24 And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying:

    25 Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

    26 And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.

    27 And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one.

    28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.

    How lucky we are to live in the dispensation of the fullness of times. I’m grateful for the Book of Mormon. I’m grateful that it clarifies what has been a point of contention within Christianity for centuries.

    Christ was our ultimate example.

    2 Nephi 31:5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized yea, even by water!

    Click below to learn more about baptism as it has been perfectly restored through the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/baptism?lang=eng