kckern

Hi everyone, I run The Book of Mormon Online and I'm currently expanding it to support foreign languages. I'm looking for a few volunteers who are bilingual who would be willing to help out with some translation at your own pace. It's a chance to experience the scriptures from a new perspective, and will be helpful to many non-english speakers. The languages currently in need are: SpanishFrenchGermanDutchRussianPortugeseTagalogThaiKoreanJapaneseChineseIf you speak one of these and would like to help out, please have a look at these video tutorials to see what the workflow is like: Book of Mormon Online Translation Tutorial (YouTube)If you are interested in helping out, please contact me at [email protected] and I'll get you a translator account.Thanks!

I do not find topical marking effective at all. I mark mine according to what a term "shock value" I have yellow, green, orange, and red. Based on the significance, relevance, or impact words have on me (ie "shock value") I color it based on the scale. I also use blue as a wildcard, to highlight things that may not be particularly important, but that for some reason I want to stand out.

Hello Everyone! I've created a website that attempts to present the Book of Mormon text in its most accessible and understandable form. Members young and old, as well as non members or investigators, should be able to gain a more solid understanding of the Book of Mormon here: http://bookofmormononline.netCheck it out, then let me know what you think!

RodAZ, I began writing initial drafts of my outlines in 2004. I didn't start work on the web version until early 2006. I completed the bulk of the writing in summer of 2007. But I must admit that there were some segments of time where I didn't get much written at all, and other times that I was much more productive. But I never kept track of the hours, so I can't give you that number. Regarding the DNA issue, (as well as most other Book of Mormon related issues) I rely almost exclusively on the actual text of the Book of Mormon. Comments or statements made by other people (friend or foe) take a distant backseat to the actual content of the Book of Mormon for me. The DNA issue seems to rely on the assumptions that : The civilizations mentioned in the Book of Mormon all are genetically middle eastern.The American continents were populated entirely by the civilizations mentioned in the Book of Mormon.Native Americans are all (or mostly) descendants of Laman or Lemuel.I must note that these assumptions were/are prevalent among many members, including some Church leaders who made certain related statements. However, a careful reading of the Book of Mormon text will not lead any one to any of those three assumptions in any conclusive manner.Let me give you my take on each one. The Lehites and Mulekites both came from Jerusalem. One would assume semitic genes in all of them, although even that assumption can have its limitations. Lehi was reportedly a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. This is a clear link into the Abrahamic family tree, but wait--who was Manasseh's mother? Joseph married an Egyptian woman named Asenath, who gave birth to Manasseh and Ephraim. So from the get-go, we see that even Lehi's clearest link into the family of Israel is 50% Egyptian! That's to say nothing of Sariah, Ishmael, Ishmael's wife, or Zoram, all of who's lineage is not stated. Mulek was the son of Zedekiah, who was in fact a direct descendant of David through Solomon. Let's again remember that that is one thread of lineage in an otherwise unknown tapestry of genes. And then Mulek traveled with others who were certainly not his offspring, whose genes are thus unknown also. The Jaredites considerably predate Abraham and anything that would be associated with Hebrew or semitic DNA. The Jaredites apparently began in the environs of Mesopotamia and then traveled through Asia before making their transoceanic trip. There is no logical foundation to the notion that Jaredite descendants' DNA would be similar to that of those currently living in the middle east. I suppose I should also mention the additional assumption that the Jaredite nation was 100% wiped out. We at least know of Coriantumr who survived the last battle, and Ether, who apparently was around to tell the story. The Jaredite population far outnumbered the other civilizations, with reportedly "millions" of people. Our record as found is Ether is a heavily condensed and abridged version, but it is fully possible that with that many people over that much time, there were Jaredite migrations to other parts of the continent, and thus they would not have participated in the final battle. And again, the Jaredites have no connection with Israelite genes, but are most likely Asiatic. There is also the idea that Lehi came to an empty land. This is clearly not the case when one carefully reads the story of Sherem. If Jacob (a first generation Lehite) was still alive, he would have known all of the Nephites--there would not yet have been that many. Sherem comes in, and introduces himself for what appears to be the first time. If Sherem was a Lamanite, he would have killed Jacob. This is an overwhelmingly strong indication that Sherem was an outsider who was on the continent independent of the Lehites. And Sherem was not alone. There clearly were other civilizations that the Lehites integrated with. Laman and Lemuel forsook the covenant (which included a mandate to marry within the covenant) so they probably had no inhibition of integrating with the native cultures. The Nephites on the other hand, marrying in the covenant, would have been reluctant to do so. Thus, we would have an ethnic division of two groups fairly early on. However, the Nephites search the brass plates, read the words of Isaiah and Zenos, and "liken them unto them" and thus learn about the Gentiles coming into the covenant through adoption, grafting, etc, meaning accepting Jesus Christ. They build a temple, bring people into their fold, and eventually do integrate with the natives also. However, all questions of ethnicity and Lehite lineage are smashed to bits after the coming of Christ, when they all become a single society. Later, a group splits off and calls themselves "Lamanites", but there is no mention of ethnicity or lineage in that distinction. So the final battle between Nephites and Lamanites as recorded in Mormon was *not* a battle of two sides of the family, but was a battle of an ethnically homogeneous people split by principle, ethics, and religion. One final note is that the idea of boat travel to the new world is *not* mutually exclusive with the land bridge concept. The Book of Mormon makes no indication that the continent could not also have been populated by Asian travelers coming across the land bridge. So, in conclusion, the Book of Mormon tells of 3 groups, the largest of which was Asiatic, the others were in fact Middle eastern (but even so with unknown and/or mixed genes), who came to the New world, integrated with pre-existing civilizations, stewed and brewed their gene pools for thousands of years, and what we apparently have left are the Native Americans. So we sample DNA from a Native American and an Israeli and we get different results? I would think we should expect that. Now, I do realize that there are statements made by authority figures that suggest that all Latin Americans and Polynesians were fathered by Lehi. I will let them answer for their own words. In the meantime, I will look to the Book of Mormon text to tell me what the Book of Mormon says about itself. My reading of the scriptural text leaves me in a frame of mind that is fully able to accept whatever scientific findings come our way--even it means putting to rest some longstanding Mormon folklore. I hope this answers your questions. I feel the core of the issue is not actually about the Book of Mormon, but rather it's about erroneous assumptions that lead people to believe that Book of Mormon says things that in fact is does not.

If you look on the main panel when you mouse-over the map button, you will read: The locations have been placed based on descriptions that the book of Mormon gives about places RELATIVE TO OTHER PLACES. Due to incomplete information, there is much guess work, but a careful reading of the book of Mormon text with attention to geographic references actually paints a more clear picture than you might think. And yes, the shape of Laban's sword is highly speculative. This site is by no means an attempt to provide a photo-documentary of Book of Mormon artifacts.

Well, you're right that the site isn't "little", but it technically is "home-grown" . This has been in the works now for about 2 and a half years. I started it shortly after I returned from my mission (I'm 23 now) Please continue exploring the site! There are little hidden treasures nearly everywhere you look.

To all those who would like to get the most out of their Book of Mormon study, I would like to share a website I've been working on for a few years: http://bookofmormononline.net It's an interactive and engaging walkthrough of the entire Book of Mormon narrative, laced with supplement, explanatory notes, media, and more. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for checking it out, if you look at the main area of the screen when you hover (mouse-over) the "map" button, you will see this: # Arabia * This map shows the plausible route and waypoints of the Lehites as they traveled from Jersualem to the Indian Ocean coast through the Arabian penninsula. # The New World * This map shows a suggested arrangement of New World locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon based on internal descriptions and relative references. It is NOT an attempt to match existing Mesoamerican locations with Book of Mormon locations. Perhaps I should put that disclaimer in a more visible area, because as you pointed out, these are just "best guesses". And yes, the new world locations are on a fabricated map, whereas the old world locations (around Israel, Syra, Mesopotamia, etc) use real google maps.

There's a really cool interactive Book of Mormon map you should check out: http://bookofmormononline.net/map

I present to you my new Missionary website, http://bookofmormononline.net . Let me share a bit of the story behind it: From a very young age, I remember being told that I should do member missionary work, and do things such as pray about who I could give a Book of Mormon to. I remember thinking that before I could share the Book of Mormon with someone, I had to be able to make some sense of it myself. I made several attempts at trying to get through the book, but often I would lose my place, misunderstand the sequence of events, or dead-read through chapters at a time, getting very little out of the experience. While serving my mission in Seoul, Korea, I was able to dedicate much more time and effort to scripture study. I came to a rich and deep understanding and appreciation of its story and message, and was filled with a desire to share it with others. I placed countless copies of the Book of Mormon in the hands of the citizens of Korea, and worked with many investigators on a personal level. Time after time, I saw my investigators express the same frustrations over not being able to understand or make sense of what they were trying to read in the Book of Mormon. I so badly wanted them to be able to catch the vision that I had, but I was unable to convey it. That's when I got the the idea to create a resource where users could be carried through the Book of Mormon text step by step, with aids for understanding along the way. I wanted to find a way to present the actual content of the Book of Mormon without the intimation of an ocean of text spanning hundreds of pages. I began creating outlines of the Book of Mormon narratives, and found great insights and increasing understanding when I escaped the paradigm of book-chapter-verse. After several revisions and continued progress, my outlines turned into what you will find at BookofMormonOnline.net. If I give a printed copy of the Book of Mormon to a friend, I sincerely doubt he or she would have the interest and motivation to read more than a few introductory chapters or verses. But I feel confident that a person with whom I would like to share the gospel would get a much more insightful, meaningful, and accurate portrayal of the Book of Mormon and its message by exploring BookofMormonOnline.net.

Let's not forget http://bookofmormononline.net/ , the "Web 2.0 Edition" of the Book of Mormon!!

A lot of people get lost trying to read the Book of Mormon. They know they should be reading it, and really do try, but the stories get lost in the discourses which get lost in the Isaiah quotes, which all get tangled up in the flashbacks and the flashbacks within flashbacks, and even a well intending young reader can get confused and absorb very little from the book of Mormon. Thankfully, for the rising generation who have a hard time reading books, but love surfing the web, there is a new "Book of Mormon Web 2.0 Edition" out now! Check it out at http://bookofmormononline.net/ ! It's an engaging and interactive exploration through the Book of Mormon text like you've never experienced before!

My name is KC, and for the past few years, I've been working on a website that might be described as the "Web 2.0 Edition of the Book of Mormon". It's hard to explain and describe, it really needs to be experienced to understand exactly what it is. Anyway, the address is http://bookofmormononline.net , and I really think it has the potential to do a lot of good. So check it out, and let me know what you think!