The problem with being an avid Facebook-er means that I don't write in my blog very often.
Deal with it. (That means you, Tiffany.)
Anyway, I should post my progress. I have now almost finished the Doctrine and Covenants. Which is great, but I'm still pretty darn behind. I'm confident (read: hopeful) that I'll finish in time anyway. :)
Also, we've reached the "one month" marker. It's getting crazily close now (29 days) and I'm SO excited. Going through the temple for the first time (oh yeah, I went through the temple for the first time) was such a real manifestation of how close I actually am. Getting this close is also making me think a lot. I posted the following on Facebook this morning:
People think a lot about the LDS church. People inside the church and outside of it. I do more than my share of thinking, in fact. The following is the product of the past few days' thoughts.
If Joseph Smith was really trying to fool everybody, why would he add so many easily debatable features into the Book of Mormon? There were TONS of little things that, at the time, were not widely accepted as fact, such as:
Ether 9:19
"And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms."
"Cureloms" and "cumoms"? Not to mention "elephants" AND "horses" which had, at the time, not been proven to exist in North America. Granted, we still don't know what "cureloms" or "cumoms" are, but elephants and horses have both been proven to exist with the Olmecs (the Jaredites) at that time.
Alma 11:7
"A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain."
Joseph Smith was ridiculed by critics because of passages like this, which mentioned barley. No such mention was ever found anywhere in histories of civilizations in Book of Mormon times. Modern research, however, has shown that such crops existed.
Mormon 9:32
"And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech."
Skeptics have a field day with this verse. "Reformed Egyptian?" they say. "Why not Hebrew? The language handed down would have been Hebrew!"
I don't have the exact reason that they used reformed Egyptian for their writings. In fact, the point I'm making here is this: Joseph Smith was telling the truth. He could have changed SO many details about the Book of Mormon (like the ones I've mentioned) if he'd have been lying. It probably would have made things a lot easier on him.
But he didn't.
Because it's true."
I'm getting more and more excited every day. :)
2 comments:
I was told they did reformed egyptian because it's a lot easier to engrave on plates, if they used Herbrew the plates would have been too heavy to lift. Like I said, that is what I remember being told, I can't "prove" that. Although, be careful with trying to "prove it". The only proof that you really need should come through the spirit.
When are you going to give me access to your blog as an author??? I have a picture of you from this weekend that I'm sure everyone would love to see!!! (jk--kinda)
See Cody? How hard was that, really...to make your brilliance accessable to your facebook friends AND me...!
Still can't believe that in 29 days you are GONE for 2 years! I love to hear you talk about how excited you are, though. You have always had a great testimony...!
:D
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