i feel like i should start with the bible, my sister missionary think i should start with BOM


MissSpider
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hi there

i am a new member of the church. i actually been to christian school for 8 years and had finish bible several times , but i have been inactive for 3 years(i still pray but not often and not read bible)

i have been baptize to the church about 2 months ago. i have been reading Book of MOrmon to 2Nephi18 how ever i felt it is quite hard to understand because sometime it has cross reference to bible. i lost almost all my knowledge about bible already (i can still remember some concept) i got often confuse about law of Moses , and the house of Israel, Isaiah etc.

so i pray and i feel that i need to study bible first. the old testament , then book of mormon and then the new testament.

but my sister missionary told me that i should start with the book of mormon and use the bible as a reference in sometime.

what should i do? i feel like i should start with bible so i will have strong start. but the sister said that the president teach that knowing the book of Mormon is more important.

not sure what to do,, i couldnot go with both option cause it is too much to study in one time :confused:

Edited by MissSpider
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hi there

i am a new member of the church. i actually been to christian school for 8 years and had finish bible several times , but i have been inactive for 3 years(i still pray but not often and not read bible)

i have been baptize to the church about 2 months ago. i have been reading Book of MOrmon to 2Nephi18 how ever i felt it is quite hard to understand because sometime it has cross reference to bible. i lost almost all my knowledge about bible already (i can still remember some concept) i got often confuse about law of Moses , and the house of Israel, Isaiah etc.

so i pray and i feel that i need to study bible first. the old testament , then book of mormon and then the new testament.

but my sister missionary told me that i should start with the book of mormon and use the bible as a reference in sometime.

what should i do? i feel like i should start with bible so i will have strong start. but the sister said that the president teach that knowing the book of Mormon is more important.

not sure what to do,, i couldnot go with both option cause it is too much to study in one time :confused:

Go with the answer you got to your prayers.

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When I was a new christian the first thing I wanted to do was go to church. Be with those who could encourage and lead me, teach me.

Heavenly Father made it real clear what I should do, He said, "read my word".

I thought that was why I was to go to church, so it could be 'taught' to me.

That is what I answered my Father with. Again, "read my word".

I says, but I can't understand it. The same comforting voice says, "just pass it before your eyes".

That I could do, and the wonder of what the Holy Spirit gave me was awesome. Still can't get over that thirty five years later.

Just wanted to add a little encouragement to the OP.

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hi there

i am a new member of the church. i actually been to christian school for 8 years and had finish bible several times , but i have been inactive for 3 years(i still pray but not often and not read bible)

i have been baptize to the church about 2 months ago. i have been reading Book of MOrmon to 2Nephi18 how ever i felt it is quite hard to understand because sometime it has cross reference to bible. i lost almost all my knowledge about bible already (i can still remember some concept) i got often confuse about law of Moses , and the house of Israel, Isaiah etc.

so i pray and i feel that i need to study bible first. the old testament , then book of mormon and then the new testament.

but my sister missionary told me that i should start with the book of mormon and use the bible as a reference in sometime.

what should i do? i feel like i should start with bible so i will have strong start. but the sister said that the president teach that knowing the book of Mormon is more important.

not sure what to do,, i couldnot go with both option cause it is too much to study in one time :confused:

If I was training and had acquired a personal, respected and recommended coach - I would listen to and train by my coach. If I felt I could do better on my own - I would consider my own track record and the track record of my coach before I would consider my own advice in the matter.

Much of the advice you are getting on the forum is from individuals that have some track record of their own. Many have forgotten what it is like to be a coach training someone involved in what it is you need. I know of no better coach than a full time missionary for someone in your circumstance - G-d selects and inspires missionaries for a reason.

The Traveler

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Which testament of the Bible are you considering? If you read the New Testament it is easier and less confusing without all old laws that are no longer applicable. As you read check the Book of Mormon references. It will be slower but will help you see how the Book of Mormon ties into the Bible. It would be most useful to use the version with the LDS reference guide. That way you get the references to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenents and the Pearl of Great Price as you go. Unless you are lucky and have a LDS app on a reading device that references all the books at the click or tap. That would be an awesome way to study.

I recommend the LDS Scriptures Premium, or the LDS Gospel Library apps. Both were free when I got mine I believe. I know the LDS Gospel Library is free. They both have the lesson guides by the way and a whole lot more.

Edited by annewandering
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When The Book of Mormon was first published, it didn't have all the cross-references and other study helps that are in them now.

I would challenge you to read The Book of Mormon... but read it fast, like a novel. Follow the narrative and the story line.

BTW, 2 Nephi is a rather tough book because Nephi quotes a lot of Isaiah. It could easily make us wonder if we have our Biblical understanding in place. I would skip forward to 2 Nephi 25 where the narrative picks up again.

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I was already very comfortable with the Bible when I converted LDS. Of course, before I was LDS, everything about the Bible was "different". The Catholic understanding of the Bible is highly dependent on the doctrines that Catholicism teaches.

So, as an investigator to the LDS Church, I read the Book of Mormon instead of the Bible. Why - because if I would have read the Bible again - it would still hold the same interpretation that I had as a Catholic. Because, I'm not as familiar with what LDS doctrine teaches. Reading the Book of Mormon puts a solid foundation on the LDS doctrine because there's no "different interpretation" of it. So that, when it references the Bible, then I would sometimes open the Bible to that reference (sometimes, I don't bother) as I was reading the Book of Mormon then when I read that Bible reference, I read it with the LDS concept, not the Catholic concept. So that, after reading the Book of Mormon and having gone through the entire Gospel Principles class (one year's worth), I went and re-read the entire Bible with my LDS eyes.

You might not notice this now as a "new convert" who has not been as active in your previous Christian faith, but just the very simple thing of seeing God as a Trinity instead of a Godhead can put quite a different spin to Bible verses. Things like pre-mortal existence and eternal marriages that is absent in mainstream Christian religious doctrine can really put a different understanding of even just the Book of Genesis that I really think it is better to read the Book of Mormon to jiggle you out of mainstream Christian understanding of the same Bible.

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hi there

i am a new member of the church. i actually been to christian school for 8 years and had finish bible several times , but i have been inactive for 3 years(i still pray but not often and not read bible)

i have been baptize to the church about 2 months ago. i have been reading Book of MOrmon to 2Nephi18 how ever i felt it is quite hard to understand because sometime it has cross reference to bible. i lost almost all my knowledge about bible already (i can still remember some concept) i got often confuse about law of Moses , and the house of Israel, Isaiah etc.

so i pray and i feel that i need to study bible first. the old testament , then book of mormon and then the new testament.

but my sister missionary told me that i should start with the book of mormon and use the bible as a reference in sometime.

what should i do? i feel like i should start with bible so i will have strong start. but the sister said that the president teach that knowing the book of Mormon is more important.

not sure what to do,, i couldnot go with both option cause it is too much to study in one time :confused:

Start with 2 Nephi 10-11 and see where that leads you.
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My suggestion of what to do may take longer than the other posts have said to do, but I think it would be worthwhile. I would set both the LDS version of the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon out, and when the one of the footnotes would reference the other; I would go to that passage. Also if I were you, I would see if my ward had a Gospel Principals class, and if not, ask the Bishop if he could create one. There are also great Seminary and Institute Manuals that the Church produced that are great at explaining things.
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As a missionary we would constantly ask individuals to read the Book of Mormon. At the end of my mission, if a person was struggling reading the Book of Mormon I would find out why.

I discovered on my mission, that some people used this to verify if anti-Mormon literature were correct. Some people were told, the Mormons don't believe in the Bible and that is why they ask you to read the Book of Mormon.

Although, the above isn't correct and we do believe not only in reading the Bible and Book of Mormon, we also believe in reading the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. We also believe in reading the Ensign, New Era, and Friend. However each member must decide for themselves what is most important.

Here is why, as members, we encourage the reading of the Book of Mormon foremost, than any other scripture we have (The Introduction page of the Book of Mormon) as given by Joseph Smith:

Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I 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.”

We have a promise that we will draw closer to God by reading the Book of Mormon than any other Book. It is the Book which was received and translated for out time.

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Hi MissSpider. If you really want to study both the Book of Mormon and understand how it relates to the bible by using the footnotes, you can use the lds.org online scriputures. It has links and you can quickly click the footnotes and see what things mean, go further into definitions of new things from the footnotes, then use "back" on your browser to continue where you were reading from.

I would go to the Book of Mormon in the online link, then click on the bible footnotes that you want to read about from there.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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