The Book of Mormon is not for kids


BrioCyrain
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The Book of Mormon is written to teach us powerful lessons for individuals and societies. Children can read and learn from the Book of Mormon, however, some parents may want to use caution or skip over the very violent parts (such as the death of Shiz, or cannibalism). I don't recall many Primary classes where they teach those points, even though the Book of Mormon is quoted from.

That said, it is a very different point on violence than what one finds in movies and video games. Those are often for pleasure, or are gratuitous. In the Book of Mormon they are briefly noted to show the horrors of Desolation and war.

To over-focus on the violence in the Book of Mormon is to miss the most important parts, anyway. Why keep the kids from the whole book, when just censoring a few pages can do the job without keeping them from enjoying the rich treasures to be found therein?

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I was 50 and barely make it through that movie. I had to stop several times because I was sobbing so hard. I don't recommend seeing it until a person is personally ready for it, regardless of age.

I would not watch The Passion of the Christ if you paid me. From everything I have heard, it was a pornography of violence. I have much better things to do with my time and thoughts than to watch such crap, such as picking scabs and posting on internet forums.

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I guess I live in a different kind of home, but I don't get the emphasis on sheltering or protecting (searching for the right word here) our kids from an understanding of what reality looks like. We'll make it age appropriate, but basically I don't get why we should keep kids away from an understanding that violence is a part of the human race (and most other things that live on planet earth for that matter). Stuff dies. Things eat things. There are wars and soldiers and funerals and parades. You can't have any sort of meaningful study of history without studying wars and death. What's the point of keeping this information from kids?

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My children had all read the BOM cover to cover when they were 13,10,9.

My youngest child (a boy) is about to turn 12 he is reading it again on his own because he wants to.

We just played a game called the Iron Rod and our middle child answered more Book of Mormon questions then my wife and I together.

If we don't expose our children to the Book of Mormon when they are young how can we expect them to be strong in the Gospel through the tough teen years?

Yes there is much violence in the scriptures, just as there is in what they learn in history classes. Cartoons, Teen shows, even G rated movies have forms of violence in them.

BTW there is a difference between reading a historical account of something and reading a novel or watching something full of violence.

If we want our children to grow strong in the gospel we need to immerse them in the gospel at a level they are ready for as soon as possible.

I know a few children who were raised on the Book of Mormon picture stories which are much tamer and when they prepare for a mission and read the real Book of Mormon they have a major testimony issue because they don't understand what the gospel history really is.

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I would not watch The Passion of the Christ if you paid me. From everything I have heard, it was a pornography of violence. I have much better things to do with my time and thoughts than to watch such crap, such as picking scabs and posting on internet forums.

Not really, it is a very moving movie which brings home the terrible cruelty that crucifiction is and shows what the saviour endured so we might gain salvation. Its a movie about faith and the hope that comes from that faith. Though it's not suitable for children, that does not mean its a pornography of violence and it certainly isn't crap.

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Not really, it is a very moving movie which brings home the terrible cruelty that crucifiction is and shows what the saviour endured so we might gain salvation. Its a movie about faith and the hope that comes from that faith. Though it's not suitable for children, that does not mean its a pornography of violence and it certainly isn't crap.

Yes. I find it ironic that we talk about the Saviour's sacrifice in nearly every Sunday, but when someone drives home the point by making a film about it, it offends everyone.

I think it's important to know just what we're talking about.

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Not really, it is a very moving movie which brings home the terrible cruelty that crucifiction is and shows what the saviour endured so we might gain salvation.

Having never seen the movie, I can nevertheless state with absolute assurance that it does not portray a significant fraction of what the Savior endured so that we might gain salvation.

Though it's not suitable for children, that does not mean its a pornography of violence and it certainly isn't crap.

I might perhaps take your word for it. Or not. In either case, I will never watch it. The very idea is repulsive: "Let's watch a man be slowly tortured to death, and then say how wonderful it is!"

Christ's atonement was wrought primarily in the Garden of Gethsemane. The crucifixion was an ugly dénouement to the real suffering of the atonement (though McConkie believed and taught that the pains of Gethsemane returned to Christ on the cross). In any case, it is the spiritual cost that we celebrate, not the ruthless torture of the flesh.

Any movie that celebrates torturing someone to death and makes it the front and center of the film sounds like pure crap to me. I'd sooner pollute my mind with some vomitous fornication flick like American Pie then claim entertainment in watching someone get tortured to death.

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Some kids are more sensitive than others so it's really impossible to make an accurate blanket statement about this. I think eventually everyone must accept that the world can be a cruel and brutal place, but some kids are better off learning later when they have matured somewhat.

Originally Posted by Vort

I would not watch The Passion of the Christ if you paid me. From everything I have heard, it was a pornography of violence.

Even I thought the violence in The Passion was overdone - and I was able to sit through Kill Bill volume 1 without blinking. Don't get me wrong, it had it's moments (the flashback involving Mary Magdelene was especially moving) but I can't see anyone being moved to become Christian after watching that gore-fest (though apparently some people did drop on their knees in the theater and convert on the spot). Personally, I thought The Last Temptation was a much better movie and I gained a much deeper appreciation of Jesus' sacrifice after watching it.

Edited by Origen
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I would not watch The Passion of the Christ if you paid me. From everything I have heard, it was a pornography of violence. I have much better things to do with my time and thoughts than to watch such crap, such as picking scabs and posting on internet forums.

I can understand you choosing not to watch it. However, to merely repeat such dismissive commentary, when you have not seen it...especially when so many have reported being deeply moved toward faith by it, seems out of character for you. Some could not get past the very realistic violence of it. However, this film struck me as a powerful meditation on the suffering of the Christ. It was raw, but authentic.

I would add that while Christ's suffering was spiritual, it was also very physical. Why deny that reality? Christ was fully human. It really hurt to be beaten, tortured, suffocated...crucified. Golgatha is not in competition with Gethsamene. It detracts not one iota from Christ's spiritual wrestling at the Garden, that He suffered tremendous physical pain leading up to and including Calvary.

Edited by prisonchaplain
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  • 4 weeks later...

All you have very good points, which I must agree with my sister upon the crucifition mentality, we aren't meant to "celebrate" christ's death, but celebrate the resurrection and the fulfillmet that the resurrection gave everyone through the atonement.

That and I have to agree that most of the violence in the book of mormon is generalized.

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Christ was fully human.

Um, about that.

If he's the only begotten of the father, and had no earthly father, how is he fully human? It's quite known that he was "Half-human" and half-god. Thus, the son of god who was able to endure a lot more than any of us can imagine. Going without food for months=not fully human, walking on water= not fully human, taking all the sins of the world=not fully human, and surviving his heart being pieced=instant death for a fully human, but somehow he survived and went on his business until he "gave up the ghost" where he "died" on his own accord. That and the resurrection cleary states he was able to go back into his body on his own accord, not sure how many of us can do that.

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Um, about that.

If he's the only begotten of the father, and had no earthly father, how is he fully human? It's quite known that he was "Half-human" and half-god. Thus, the son of god who was able to endure a lot more than any of us can imagine. Going without food for months=not fully human, walking on water= not fully human, taking all the sins of the world=not fully human, and surviving his heart being pieced=instant death for a fully human, but somehow he survived and went on his business until he "gave up the ghost" where he "died" on his own accord. That and the resurrection cleary states he was able to go back into his body on his own accord, not sure how many of us can do that.

Peter also walked on water. Would you say he was also not fully human?

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He walked on water with the help of Christ, I'm pretty sure if Christ wasn't there to give him the power he wouldn't have been given the ability to walk on water. The only times we are given godly powers is if the Lord or our Heavenly Father wants us to do something.

So faith and/or priesthood are nothing? You are partially right in your assertion, I wonder if you know which part you are right about.

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The priesthood is there for us to do god's work, I doubt that if Moses wanted to part the red sea just to part the red sea, the red sea would obey him.

If it's not god wish to do something, it's not gonna happen. Kind of like how many of us die even when some of us try to use the priesthood, if heavenly father rather have his children with him, the priesthood will let the person die since the priesthood only really works if god wants it to work in our favor.

Kind of like how some prayers/blessings don't go in our favor, because god has something else planned.

If you pray for no severe weather and a tornado comes through your town, it's not lack of faith..it's just that god would rather let the tornado go through.

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  • 11 months later...

I know this was a year ago, but I'll reply anyway.

"The priesthood is there for us to do god's work, I doubt that if Moses wanted to part the red sea just to part the red sea, the red sea would obey him."

Doesn't the same hold true for all of Christ's miracles and prayers? Surely He never did anything contrary to the will of the Father. The same rule applies to both Christ and ourselves, so it cannot be an adequate argument that Christ was not fully human. And honestly, I think finding any distinction between us and Christ is ultimately moot. God, mankind, angels, in our belief system are these not the same species? The differences lie in quality of attributes, rather than type of being.

Also, the Roman soldier pierced the Savior through the heart after He was already dead.

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I can't read the entire thread. I stopped at page 2.

It must be nice for people to have the luxury to say The Book of Mormon is not for kids because of the violence it portrays.

Coming from the Philippines, I just have to remember that Americans never had to live through violence every day of their lives.

Dude, we don't watch R-rated films, not because it is violent, but because it GLORIFIES violence. You don't watch violence to be entertained. But, when you have kids being recruited or even abducted at a very young age to join the National People's Army or the Abbu Sayaff or... even just having kids sell themselves to prostitution or have kids beat each other up over a piece of meat in the trash - or die on the street for lack of food and water... you don't tell your Filipino kids to "close your eyes because it's too violent!".

Edited by anatess
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Dude, we don't watch R-rated films, not because it is violent, but because it GLORIFIES violence. You don't watch violence to be entertained.

My thought exactly. Heaven help me if I allow myself to be entertained by portrayals of torture, death, and misery.

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  • 1 month later...

I, personally, would disagree with the OPs assertion. In our home, before any of our children are baptized they must read the whole Book of Mormon and apply the challenge given by Moroni.

Actually today, I get to baptize my daughter, who two weeks ago finished reading the Book of Mormon and applied Moroni's challenge.

My oldest son, the second time he read the Book of Mormon (he is eleven and on his third time reading the Book of Mormon), I told him the most important learning in the Book of Mormon is about Jesus Chirst. I asked him to come down stairs and tell me what he learned about Christ. Every night until he finishd the Book of Mormon the second time, he came down stairs, when he read, and would tell me what he learned about our Savior.

This was great because it allowed me to share with him additional knowledge or correct what he had misunderstood.

I am all for children reading the Book of Mormon, they must receive a testimony themselves, and what better way to gain a testimony of the BoM then by reading it themselves and applying Moroni's promise.

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A few weeks ago in Gospel doctrine, a question about all of the war in the book of Alma was brought up. I can't remember the exact numbers the teacher used, but he pointed out that out of all of the plates that Mormon had to abridge, these chapters make up a surprising percentage of the Book of Mormon. Why would he choose to include so much war and violence? One of the possible reasons (not the best one, but an interesting thought nonetheless) was that perhaps he was inspired because it would keep young men preparing to go on missions interested and engaged. I thought it was kind of a funny comment, but later my husband told me that's a totally feasible thought.

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Several years ago our neighbor gave us Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the war chapters in the Book of Mormon by John Bytheway. (This was the first talk I'd heard by Bro. Bytheway.)

The Book of Mormon was written for our time. They are talking to us. In my adult life I think America has been at war somewhere almost continually. Sometimes our leaders don't label the conflict a war but its war nonetheless. I've listened the the CD talk several times and every time I learn more about protecting my family and my testimony from the war chapters. I even learn more now when I read them because I look at them from a different perspective than I used to.

In keeping with the thread, I think its very important for children to understand what war will do to a people. What better place to teach that than in scripture.

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I remember when I was a young kid growing up in the church, that me and my classmates never really "read" the book of mormon, and were taught simple lessons on how and why heavenly father and jesus christ loves us. It only took 'til recently for me to hink why the classes were set up that way.

The book of mormon is not for kids

And it's because simply the fact, the Book of Mormon is filled with violence and other themes that aren't really kid friendly IMO. Do we really want kids to read about people getting dismembered and how really evil some of people in the BoM are? That and IIRC one of the last books where someone was so "evil", that when his head was chopped clean off, the rest of his body was still swinging his sword? Graphic material like that would seem traumatic to a kid IMO.

History is not very "kid friendly"... Many times i'd say not people friendly at any age. Yet if we ignore it, we both forget, and repeat mistakes and failures.

The book of mormon leaves out a very great amount of nitty gritty details. The few details it does have are in there for a reason. I also agree that when we teach kids from the scriptures that one has to go to their level to help them understand whats being taught.

Out of the scriptures we have, the book of mormon would be my first choice for teaching children out of.

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