KTMxer_250f

Ya know, all this evidential analysis is interesting and can definitely help your testimony at times, but if your REALLY trying to find out if the Bom is true, you need to not get caught up on the little details. You need to open your heart and really read and pray about the book of mormon. Even though everyone once in a while I hear controversial things about the Bom, theres always another side to the debate. Like the DNA thing for instance, i read this great article explaining and debunking that whole argument.. Anyways thats besides the point. It's very heard to put aside all the things you hear from critics, but i have a testimony that if you do you will gain a witness of its divinity, and when you do hear the critics they will have no effect on you. Its really amazing. I went through the same thing, I always used to wonder and kinda doubt but after really wanted to know and reading and really paying attention in church and putting my heart and all my effort into it, I just know. Its weird cuz you think you would be swayed, but Its like i dont even budge. I just have that foundation. I cant explain it any other than that besides you just know its true and you are unaffected by any critical claims. And also I as far as peoples claim that he just made it up... Lets see how you or anyone else would do trying to make a similar record!!!! This is an assignment at BYU: "Since Joseph Smith was younger than most of you and not nearly as experienced or well-educated as any of you at the time he copyrighted the BOM, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester (which will give you more time than he had) a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. Call it a sacred book if you will, and give it the form of a history. Tell of a community of wandering Jews and involved them in all sorts of public and private vicissitudes, give them names—hundreds of them—pretending that they are real Hebrew and Egyptian names of circa 600 BC; be lavish with cultural and technical details—manners and customs, arts and industries, political and religious institutions, rites, and traditions, include long and complicated military and economic histories; have your narrative cover a thousand years without any large gaps; keep a number of interrelated local histories going at once; feel free to introduce religious controversy and philosophical discussion, but always in a plausible setting; observe the appropriate literary conventions and explain the derivation and transmission of your varied historical materials. Above all, do not ever contradict yourself! For now we come to the really hard part of this little assignment. You and I know that you are making this all up—we have our little joke—but just the same you are going to be required to have your paper published when you finish it, not as fiction or romance, but as a true history! After you have handed it in you may make no changes in it (in this class we always use the first edition of the BOM); what is more, you are to invite any and all scholars to read and criticize your work freely, explaining to them that it is a sacred book on par with the Bible. If they seem overly-skeptical, you might tell them that you translated the book from the original records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim—they will love that! Further to allay their misgivings, you might tell them that the original manuscript was on gold plates, and that you got the plates from an angel. Now go to work and good luck! To this date no one has completed the assignment"

what a bunch of lying fools!!! It already has restricted religious beliefs in Massachusetts. Christian adoption agencies have been shutting down because they refuse to give children to gay couples, and the state says they have to or be shut down, and thats what happens. I also know that a lesbian couple is suing a church and a pastor for not letting them marry in his church. If churches refuse to let gays marry in their church, essentially they will be breaking the law, so they will lose their tax exempt status. Theres alot more to it than the gay agenda will lead you to believe

what did they do in temples back in those days? Was it like what goes on in ours today?

All the priesthood keys weren't on the Earth because the President of the church after Jesus died was Peter, he being the prophet, is the only one who had all the keys. So John didn't have all the keys, nor did the nephites.

I have had several encounters with folks that have criticized my about being LDS. It's happen multiple times on temple square, sometimes I just have to argue with those arrogant rude folks protesting! It never gets anywhere though. Anyways, my girlfriend recently decided to get baptized in our church, but things at the last minute are going hay wire because of all these Christian preachers keep telling her mother that A. were a cult, B. We worship Joseph Smith, and C. We don't believe in Jesus. I mean its so ridiculous!! It's all a blatant lie! It makes me so angry and frustrated. I explained to her thoroughly how each of those statements aren't true, but I'm not sure it got anywhere. My girlfriend's ex young life leader told her a little while ago when she was at his house that we believe in a different Jesus..... It's the stupidest thing I have ever heard in the world! The funny thing is he can't even think for himself because they ALL say that!!! EVery Christian that has a problem with our church! And they think were a cult?!?!? Every single anti-mormon christian person you talk too, no matter where, says the same stupid thing word for word. I mean come on, their just spitting out what their pastor or preacher has been telling them on the pulpit because they always have the same arguments.... I swear when you talk to these people they are brain dead.. No joke they can't even think cuz their so wrapped up in these stupid claims... It makes me so angry because it's just ruining everything right now but I know i just have to be patient and not have an hate towards these people because their just misguided but still, where in the bible does it say to ridicule others and protest outside their houses of worship and to EVEN protest the funeral of the President of their church (Pres. Hinckley)?!?!?! You also here them quote revelations a lot, the verse about adding anything onto these things... It would seem by now that they would know that is not a valid argument seeing revelations wasn't that last book written.. And it says the same thing in Deuteronomy and Ecclesiastes... Just proving once again these folks are brain dead!!!!!!!!! It was actually funny, one of those protestors at salt lake qouted that to my brother, and he turned to Deuteronomy and showed him where it said the same thing and the guy was like "Err ummmm yeah...I uhh see your point".. Then as soon as we left began to yell at the top of his lungs how we have "demon" doctrine and were going to hell... end of rant.