> On Jan 29, 2:49 am, "Jong Kim"
hotmail.com> wrote:>>> "Chapter XVI
>>
>>> Roughing It - by Mark Twain
>>
>>> All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the "elect"
>>> have
>>> seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a
>>> copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a
>>> pretentious affair, and yet so "slow," so sleepy; such an insipid mess
>>> of
>>> inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this
>>> book, the act was a miracle--keeping awake while he did it was, at any
>>> rate. If he, according to tradition, merely translated it from certain
>>> ancient and mysteriously-engraved plates of copper, which he declares
>>> he
>>> found under a stone, in an out-of-the-way locality, the work of
>>> translating was equally a miracle, for the same reason.
>>
>>> The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with
>>> the
>>> Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New
>>> Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the
>>> quaint,
>>> old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James's translation of
>>> the
>>> Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel--half modern glibness, and
>>> half
>>> ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained;
>>> the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found
>>> his
>>> speech growing too modern--which was about every sentence or two--he
>>> ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceeding sore," "and it
>>> came
>>> to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to
>>> pass" was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been
>>> only a pamphlet."
>>>
http://www.readprint.com/chapter-10727/Mark-Twain>>
>> Well, no surprise. There was a huge mob that cried out for the
crucifixion
>> of the Lord Jesus, the greatest teacher of the ultimate wisdom and the
> doer
>> of the most astonishing miracles. Mind boggling, but it happened, folks.
> And
>> it has always been the same, the shattered condition of the minds of
men.
>>
>> 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
>>
>> 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
> believe
>> not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of
>> God, should shine unto them.
>>
>> (New Testament | 2 Corinthians 4:3 - 4)
>>
>> Mark Twain was a conceited blind fool, not in anyway a literary genius,
a
>> praise reserved only for someone like Fyodor Dostoevsky.
>>
>> Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov):
>>
>> God took seeds from different worlds and sowed them on this earth, and
His
>> garden grew up and everything came up that could come up, but what grows
>> lives and is alive only through the feeling of its contact with other
>> mysterious worlds. If that feeling grows weak or is destroyed in you,
the
>> heavenly growth will die away in you. Then you will be indifferent to
life
>> and even grow to hate it. That's what I think.
>>
>> [end of quote]
>
> I agree that's very good--sort of prophetic too, I think.
>
Dostoevsky, due largely to his magnum opus, proved to be useful to the Lord
Jesus Christ. We all need to use our talents to be useful to the Only
Begotten Son of God, rather than to Babylon the great and her prince,
Lucifer.
118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another
words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek
learning, even by study and also by faith.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:118)
26 And behold, all things are written by the Father; therefore out of the
books which shall be written shall the world be judged.
(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 27:26)
Nevertheless, The Brothers Karamazov is not a book of Scripture, though it
is inspired of the God of Isaiah and Art Bulla. And I know that Dostoevsky
was inspired because the Holy Ghost bore record to me concerning the above
passage from The Brothers Karamazov on several occasions (several years
ago).
>> Joseph Smith and Art Bulla have proven themselves to be much greater
> writers
>> (in the English language) than Mark Twain, a celebrated blind fool.
>>
>> 12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good
> cometh
>> of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he
>> that will not believe my words will not believe me-that I am; and he
that
>> will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold,
I
>> am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.
>>
>> 13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater
> things,
>> the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
>>
> -> 14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and
> -> it shall be made manifest unto you how great
> -> things the Father hath laid up for you, from the
> -> foundation of the world; and it hath not come
> -> unto you, because of unbelief.
>
> The thing I have to ask myself is how much is original and how much is
> simply a cobbled together string of existing Biblical phrases. Here
> are some examples:
>
> Come unto me, O Ye
> Ahunuvaiti Gatha. Yasna 33, verse 7 (whatever that is?)
>
> Come unto me
> Matthew 11:28
>
> manifest unto you
> 2 Corinthians, 11:6
>
> O ye house of Israel
> Ezekiel 33:20
>
> how great things God hath
> Luke 8:39
>
> laid up for you
> Colossians 1:5
>
> foundation of the world
> 1 Peter 1:20
>
> come unto you
> Romans 15:23
>
> because of unbelief
> Romans 11:20
>
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has always been the same in all ages of this
world. The natural man is fickle, but the God of Israel is not, constant and
steadfast in His purity and righteousness, hallowed be His name forever and
ever. Amen.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning.
(New Testament | James 1:17)
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
(New Testament | Hebrews 13:8)
As far as whether Joseph Smith was inspired in his translation of the Book
of Mormon rather than using scholarship on the recognized Scriptures, you'll
need to carefully study these things out in your mind (I have tried to
assist the pure in heart by applying scholarship on the difference between
King James Version Isaiah 2:16 and 2 Nephi 12:16) and pray to your Father in
heaven for a testimony of the Holy Ghost to be given you, in the name of
Messiah, concerning the calling of the Apostle Joseph Smith and any other
matter worth asking God about (i.e., not to ask of God frivolously). Simon
Peter discerned Jesus of Nazareth to be the Christ, the Only Begotten Son of
God, because of the light of the Holy Ghost given him, not because of any
miracle the Lord had performed.
66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the
wilderness-in the wilderness, because you cannot see him-my voice, because
my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and
if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled
with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is
filled with light comprehendeth all things.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:66 - 67)
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy
whole body shall be full of light.
(New Testament | Matthew 6:22)
36 If thy whole body therefore [be] full of light, having no part dark, the
whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth
give thee light.
(New Testament | Luke 11:36)
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would
ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not
true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having
faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of
the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is
good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
7 And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I
would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power,
according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow,
and forever.
(Book of Mormon | Moroni 10:4 - 7)
Joseph Smith engaged in scholarship long after completing his translation of
the Book of Mormon plates, not during or before his work of translation, at
the time of which he was still but an unlearned young man, though naturally
intelligent, and his talent had to be exercised to the fullest extent while
performing the translation, to discern what the Holy Ghost was communicating
to him. I say, the only man who could have done it better was Jesus of
Nazareth. Thus God has surnamed Joseph Smith, the Seer, even as Jesus is the
Christ and John the beloved Apostle is the Revelator and Art Bulla is the
One Mighty and Strong.
12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this,
I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
(Old Testament | Isaiah 29:12)
I now bear record, as the Holy Ghost testified to me this morning about 6:15
am, of the above prophecy of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, given
through the instrument of Isaiah.
Joseph Smith, Jun.:
And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore,
condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the
judgment-seat of Christ.
(Book of Mormon | Preface Title Page:2)
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men]
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a
wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.
(New Testament | James 1:5 - 8)
93 And all who desire a witness from me, saith the Lord, shall humble
themselves in much prayer and fasting and behold thus saith the Lord, they
shall receive from me, even Jesus of Nazereth, through the power of my
Spirit, witness that these things are true and of me, saith the Lord.
94 For the things of God, no man knoweth but by the Spirit of God which is a
consuming fire, to the consuming of both joints and marrow and sinew and
bone, to the glory of God.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 5:93-94
12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the
very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus
is the Christ, the Eternal God;
13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the
power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and
people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of
men according to their faith.
20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have
stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have
built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles
of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own
learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.
21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes,
and malice.
(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 26:12 - 13,20 - 21)
--
Jong Kim
>
>
>
>
>>
>> 15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you
> to
>> remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and
>> blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have
> been
>> hid up from the foundation of the world from you-yea, when ye shall call
>> upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit,
> then
>> shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made
>> unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
>>
>> 16 And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my
>> servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when
ye
>> see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall
> be
>> made manifest in very deed.
>>
>> 17 Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the
work
> of
>> the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.
>>
>> 18 Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and
> believe
>> in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is
>> baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and
>> signs shall follow them that believe in my name.
>>
>> (Book of Mormon | Ether 4:12 - 18)
>>
>> --
>> Jong Kim
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Jan 27, 11:34 am, "Jeff Shirton" wrote:
>>>> "Make reading the Book of Mormon a few minutes each day
>>>> a lifelong practice. All of us need uninterrupted association
>>>> with the Spirit of the Lord"
>>>> -- "Gospel Classics: The Book of Mormon",
>>>> Ensign, Aug 2005
>>
>>>> My question is, why single out the Book of Mormon
>>>> for such a statement?
>>
>>>> The article continues (along with my comments):
>>
>>>>> The Lord has put us under obligation to teach the Book of
> Mormon.Isn't
>>
>> the Bible for to be used for "teaching" as well (2 Tim. 3:17,> > Col.
> 3:16, etc.)? Is this any less of an "obligation"?
>>
>>>>> and that it contains "the truth and the word of God" (D&C
>>
>> 19:26)Doesn't the Bible *likewise* contain "the truth and the word> > of
> God" (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:19-21)?
>>
>>>>> and "the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles
>>>>> and to the Jews also" (D&C 20:9).It seems to me that the Bible
>>
>> likewise contains "the fulness> > of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the
> Gentiles and to the Jews
>>>> also".
>>
>>>> (I find it interesting that the D&C *reverses* the order of
>>>> the original gospel, in contrast to both history and the Bible:)
>>
>>>> Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
>>>> for it is the power of God unto salvation to
>>>> every one that believeth; TO THE JEW *FIRST*,
>>>> and also to the Greek.
>>
>>>>> The Prophet Joseph Smith "told the brethren that the Book
>>>>> of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth,
>>>>> and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get. nearer to
God
>>
>> by abiding by its precepts, than by any other
>>
>>>>> book."Seems to me that the Bible is pretty "correct" as well,
being
>>>> "God-breathed", (2 Tim. 3:16) and uncorrupted by the fallible
>>>> ideas of man (2 Pet. 1:19-21).
>>
>>>>> For me there could be no more impelling reason for reading
>>>>> the Book of Mormon than this statement that we who have
>>>>> the Book of Mormon shall be judged by what is written in it.And is
> it
>>
>> not equally true that "we who have [the Bible] shall
>>
>>>> be judged by what is written in *it*", as well? How is this
>>>> any less true for the Bible than for the Book of Mormon?
>>
>>>>> Prior to this He had told them that "the Book of Mormon
>>>>> and the holy scriptures are given of me for your instruction"
>>>>> (D&C 33:16).Interesting.
>>>> At least this quote includes "the holy scriptures" as well as
>>>> the Book of Mormon. If LDS Scriptures don't single out
>>>> the Book of Mormon, why do LDS GA's do so currently?
>>
>>>> And I find it fascinating that the author of the D&C didn't
>>>> consider and include the Book of Mormon among
>>>> "the holy scriptures".
>>
>>>> Is the BoM not "holy"?
>>>> Or is the BoM not "scripture"?
>>>> Or is it neither?
>>
>>>>> On another occasion He had said, "The elders, priests and
>>>>> teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my
>>>>> gospel, which are in . the Book of Mormon" (D&C 42:12).Whenever I
> see
>>
>> an ellipsis, I like to look up the original quote,
>>
>>>> and see what was removed. This was the original citation:
>>
>>>> D&C 42:12 And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church
>>>> shall teach the principles of my gospel, which
> are
>> IN
>>>> THE BIBLE and the Book of Mormon, in the which
>>>> is the fulness of the gospel.
>>
>>>> Again, LDS Scriptures don't seem to single out the BoM, but
>>>> include it alongside "the Bible" (is this pre-eminence of the
>>>> BoM a more modern invention, I wonder?)
>>
>>>> I also note that the Bible is mentioned *first*, given top
>>>> billing over the Book of Mormon. Interesting, indeed...
>>
>>>>> It is, of course, obvious that unless we read, study, and learn
>>>>> the principles which are in the Book of Mormon, we cannot
>>>>> comply with this direction to teach them.And again, I would note:
>>
>>>> "It is, of course, obvious that unless we read, study,
>>>> and learn the principles which are in the [Bible],
>>>> we cannot comply with this direction to teach them."
>>
>>>> So the question once again comes begging, why single out
>>>> the Book of Mormon?
>>
>>>>> There is another reason why we should read the Book of
>>>>> Mormon: By doing so we will fill and refresh our minds
>>>>> with a constant flow of that "water" which Jesus said
>>>>> would be in us "a well of water springing up into everlasting
>>>>> life" (John 4:14). We must obtain a continuing supply of
>>>>> this water if we are to resist evil and retain the blessings
>>>>> of being born again.I find it fascinatin that LDS think that
Jesus,
> in
>> John 4, is
>>>> allegedly referring to the Book of Mormon!
>>
>>>> And again I have to ask, why is the above a reason for
>>>> singling out the Book of Mormon above all the other
>>>> writings the LDS recognize as "Scripture"?
>>
>> ...
>>
>> read more
