TBWilson

Wow, way too many examples of certain words and phrases to respond to with the little time I have. How about this one......the Book of Mormon did not use any English words at all. It was written in a reformed Egyptian language. It was a hard language to engrave, according to the prophets who did the engraving. They hoped that us "Gentiles" would not condemn or mock them because of their mistakes. All the Old and New Testament phrase grabbing was completely appropriate. When a certain section was up for translation by Joseph, rather than go over the tedious engravings, rephrasing the message, the Lord sufficed that he just use common phrases from the Old and New Testament. Nothing is new under the sun, and in 1829-30, the book of Mormon was no exception......with the exception that is was the most doctrinally correct book on earth, and it still is. Grammatical errors published in the 1830 edition? Tons. Over 4,000 in fact. Does that make the book "false", a work of Joseph, a grand deception? No. It makes it human, just as the original writers made it plenty human. So in 1837 the grammar was changed, was corrected. The Old and New Testament wording, and even the French word, "adieu" (may blessings attend you) remained. So what? The Book of Mormon is "Another Testament of Jesus Christ". That is its mission, and it is wildly successful in that mission worldwide. So who cares that whole chunks of Isaiah are in 1st and 2nd Nephi? Who cares that phrases from the Old and New Testaments are used in it's context of witnessing for Christ? The Lord can pull and English He wants from any source for a translation. Won't it be fun one day to understand reformed Egyptian and to read the actual gold plates if we so desire? The brass plates are coming back. The rest of the gold plates are yet to come (the vision of Jared's brother and other amazing things). Oh, the best is right ahead of us, so I for one and not going to haggle with the Lord about His phraseology. Especially when the original was never written in English. And what of the translations of the Book of Mormon from English into 140 other languages? Good grief! Tim

Okay, you referred to Mormon 9:9-10 that basically says God doesn't change. That if He were a changeable God He would no longer be a God of miracles. And how does the changes surrounding polygamy and the blacks w/o the priesthood fit into this? Well, first of all, polygamy has always been a part of God's system. It's all over the Old Testament. And even in the Book of Mormon, talking to Jacob about it, the Lord said He will command polygamy when He sees fit to do so, to raise up righteous seed unto Him. Sounds reasonable to me. And Joseph Smith did ordain a black man to the priesthood. Elijah Abel. That's part of LDS Church history. And where in the Book of Commandments (what the D&C was first titled) is the revelation that put a stop to more blacks receiving the priesthood in the 19th century? It's not there, nor in the Pearl of Great Price. So how did the blacks not receiving the priesthood continue until 1978? How did hogwash stories like the blacks being "neutral in the pre-existence" come about? How is it that men are human and subject to error? The Lamanites in the Book of Mormon received their "curse" of black skin so they would not be enticing to then righteous Nephites. It worked for awhile, but eventually the Lamanites prevailed. The black race did come from Cain's seed. That has nothing to do with any black person's worthiness now or in the pre-existence. It's just a matter of skin color and cultural background. The Book of Mormon states that the gospel is for all.....male and female, bond and free, black and white. The priesthood IS the administration of the gospel on earth. For years men like Spencer W. Kimball felt that it was wrong that blacks did not hold the priesthood. He did pray earnestly in the temple in 1978 and received a strong message from the Lord to put an end to it. My personal feeling is that the Lord never withholds blessings from anyone based on race or heritage. Just as we are not responsible for Adam's transgression in the garden, no man can be responsible for his father's sins. No man can be denied the priesthood because of his race. That is absolutely absurd. Joseph Smith knew that from the beginning of this dispensation. That is why he ordained Elijah Abel. So what happened between 1844 and 1978? A lot of prejudice happened, that's what. White Europeans from England and Scandinavia pretty much filled the ranks of Church membership, establishing themselves in positions of leadership. And the Lord allowed this prejudice in His church? Absolutely. The Lord never steps on agency. And in His wisdom, the Lord knew that short-lived prejudice was not going to thwart His plans. It was only 134 years that the prejudice prevailed. Not bad in terms of the history of the world. I personally knew my great-grandmother for my first 22 years. She was born in 1883, ten years old at the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple. I knew her! The blacks were denied the priesthood by the weakness of men, by their prejudice, for just a couple of generations before the Lord prevailed upon His prophet to fully prepare the world for His second coming. And so our awesome black brothers have been with us in the priesthood for nearly 30 years. The restored gospel is in full bloom with temples, missionaries, tand emple and genealogy work that staggers the stats of the past. But in all the greatness of the restored gospel, it will always be puny compared to the hosts of the wicked in this world. There will be great divisions and great calamities that will not be turned away. And so let us be about preparing ourselves temporally and spiritually. We have little time to question our faith in this great work because of some speed bumps along the way. After all, we are in a fallen Telestial world... the only world in all of God's creations wicked enough to kill the Son of God. The resulting atonement made was an "infinite atonement' that applies to all the worlds created, even as numerous as the grains of sand along the seashore. Let us ponder the magnificence of this work. We are so honored by God just to be on this planet among the Saints of the very last days. He is in control and His Son is at the helm, guiding and directing every move. There are yet ahead events that will shake and divide this Church. People cannot put their faith in men nor in traditionals ways. The prophet may yet be the last man standing. We cannot tell God his business. We are not to counsel the Lord, but are to receive His counsel. Only therein lies true safety, peace and contentment. I hope I have helped you along, my good sister, Tim

I want to only address your phrase, "the Lord will not allow the church to be led astray." Could you give me the direct quote to this? I have only heard that the Lord will not allow the leaders to lead the members astray if they are doing their duty. You see every promised blessing is predicated upon the obedience to the law upon which it is predicated. Doing our duty is obeying the commandments, loving one another, serving one another, teaching one another the principles of the gospel, growing from grace to grace in our daily walk with the Lord. If you are doing all of these, you will not be lead astray, no matter what the leaders do in their weaknesses as men. An example of this is Abinadi. Read his story. All the people had been led astray by wicked king Noah. But not Abinadi. What did he do differently to stay on the righteous path? His duty! He listen to the Spirit. He lived righteously and did all he was commanded to do. You must do the same. The one thing that is really great about the Lord is that He will use even our weakness and the weakness of others to our benefit. All things work for our good if we love the Lord. This is doctrine. A sincere faith and trust in God, God will over rule all to bless us. The story of Ruth demonstrates the forward obedience that brings blessings even when things don't look easy or practical. She did everything her mother-in-law told her. She didn't know what to expect, but she trusted in the providence of God. You need to go out on a limb and have faith in the leaders and church under God's rule. Don't live by fear. The fact that God over rules even wrong mistakes of the leaders is a tribute to His glory, it is not a loop hole for our rebellion. God has prospered His church despite the errors or weaknesses of men in leadership positions. He will do the same for you and your mistakes or seeming weaknesses. Hey, Ajax, give me a call (801) 860-0199. Tell me more about me stealing a book my ex-wife wrote. About me not being honest and abadoning my children. Identify yourself if you are too afraid to do so. I want to only address your phrase, "the Lord will not allow the church to be led astray." Could you give me the direct quote to this? I have only heard that the Lord will not allow the leaders to lead the members astray if they are doing their duty. You see every promised blessing is predicated upon the obedience to the law upon which it is predicated. Doing our duty is obeying the commandments, loving one another, serving one another, teaching one another the principles of the gospel, growing from grace to grace in our daily walk with the Lord. If you are doing all of these, you will not be lead astray, no matter what the leaders do in their weaknesses as men. An example of this is Abinadi. Read his story. All the people had been led astray by wicked king Noah. But not Abinadi. What did he do differently to stay on the righteous path? His duty! He listen to the Spirit. He lived righteously and did all he was commanded to do. You must do the same. The one thing that is really great about the Lord is that He will use even our weakness and the weakness of others to our benefit. All things work for our good if we love the Lord. This is doctrine. A sincere faith and trust in God, God will over rule all to bless us. The story of Ruth demonstrates the forward obedience that brings blessings even when things don't look easy or practical. She did everything her mother-in-law told her. She didn't know what to expect, but she trusted in the providence of God. You need to go out on a limb and have faith in the leaders and church under God's rule. Don't live by fear. The fact that God over rules even wrong mistakes of the leaders is a tribute to His glory, it is not a loop hole for our rebellion. God has prospered His church despite the errors or weaknesses of men in leadership positions. He will do the same for you and your mistakes or seeming weaknesses. Ajax, this is Tim, the man you know so much about. Call me and identify yourself if you value truth at all. (801) 860-0199.

I strongly recommend checking out my free website, plainbookofmormon.com If that cannot help anyone gain a better understanding of the Book of Mormon, then nothing can. It's chock full of illustrations, paintings, photos, charts. You can't go wrong. And check out the reviews at the bottom of the home page. Best to you, Tim