Book of Mormon common

[Sunday21]

Is anyone else having difficulty getting this thing to work? Or is it just me? Love "step by step through the Book of Mormon", life-saver. Also youtube's Discussions on the Book of Mormon by byu university. Very helpful!

Ridges book series, 3 for the Book of Mormon, are really easy to follow. The Book of Mormon is reproduced in its entirety so you just need one book. No flipping back and forth. I bought ridges' Isaiah made easier and it is a lifesaver. What a friend we have in Ridges. That guy is the man.

Detest "the Book of Mormon made harder". Like I need that! Asks interesting questions but doesn't answer them. Highly annoying.

Any suggestions for explanations for beginners? Not the hideous "lectures on faith". What language is that book written in? Is there a JST translation?

Edited January 14, 2016 by Sunday21

[Vort]

 

Detest "the Book of Mormon made harder". Like I need that! Asks interesting questions but doesn't answer them. Highly annoying.

 

Then you misunderstand its purpose. Answers come from the Holy Ghost. That series of books simply helps give you questions to ask and ponder as you read. It does not pretend to be an authoritative source for those answers -- as no other book should pretend to, either. It is an aid in your seeking, giving you possible areas to search.

 

Any suggest for explanations for beginners? Not the hideous "lectures on faith". What language is that book written in? Is there a JST translation?

 

The Lectures on Faith were written by Sidney Rigdon in a question-and-answer format, which was very common in early 19th-century didactic writing. Not so much used today, since the modern reader does tend to find it annoying, but the doctrine contained therein is pure gold.

 

For beginners, my sincere suggestion would be to read the book through from front to back, then do it again, then again. Just keep on doing so. After three or four or five readings, you will begin to have an understanding of the structure of the narrative and the teachings found therein. Then just keep on reading it, and you will spend the rest of your life harvesting the fruit of that book. Every time you read it, your harvest will be greater. Don't ask me how such a thing is possible. I don't know how, but I know from experience that it's true.

[Sunday21]

Also very handy, ldsliving and meridien magazine, both available online. Goes through each Sunday school lesson. You can google the title of the lesson and the title of the magazine. This how I survived "acts". You know it is not easy to go from zero familiarity with scripture, having been a lifelong atheist, and try to read the bible. I did not even know that Jesus was Jewish! That was a surprise. I explained this to my sister and she still doesn't believe me.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Sunday21

[Sunday21]

Then you misunderstand its purpose. Answers come from the Holy Ghost. That series of books simply helps give you questions to ask and ponder as you read. It does not pretend to be an authoritative source for those answers -- as no other book should pretend to, either. It is an aid in your seeking, giving you possible areas to search.)

The list of things that I do not understand about my faith is long. I do not even know who Sidney was.

Sorry. I can't make head or tail out of "lectures on faith" or "book of mrmon made harder". Not a clue. I also am stumped when the Sunday school manual or the ensign asks a question. It took me about a year to answer one of the questions, I will never forget that one. "Why is it important to be humble". I spent a year pondering that. Converts need more help! It does not help that I am normally assigned to nursery, primary or sheparding new members through the investigators class instead of Sunday school for big people.

I did buy a very handy timeline for the Book of Mormon online which was very helpful. I discovered that there were 4 nephi's. No wonder I am confused. If the Book of Mormon was written for our day, why didn't those people pick different names for their children instead of having so many repeats? For heaven sakes there are two Ammon's. And stop with the flashbacks people! And no adding people from different time periods on at the end! Continuity people! I hear there is a book called the "24 hour book of mormon" which is just plot. That might be useful. Where is the miniseries? This book would be ideal! Lots of fighting, cool terrain, dasterly bad guys, gangsters, canabalism. Hollywood where are you?

Edited January 14, 2016 by Sunday21

[Jane_Doe]

It took me about a year to answer one of the questions, I will never forget that one. "Why is it important to be humble". 

 

That's fantastic!  I wish more people (converts and life-longs) could follow your example here.  Too often we just recite a book answer and do not ponder the depth.

 

 Converts need more help! It does not help that I am normally assigned to nursery, primary or sheparding new members through the investigators class instead of Sunday school for big people.

 

 

FYI, if you want to attend Big People Sunday school, all you go to do is ask.  

 

 I discovered that there were 4 nephi's. No wonder I am confused. If the Book of Mormon was written for our day, why didn't those people pick different names for their children instead of having so many repeats? For heaven sakes there are two Ammon's. And stop with the flashbacks people! And no adding people from different time periods on at the end! Continuity people! 

 

I'm sorry, but this makes me laugh so hard.  I know exactly the point you're making!

 

On a more serious note, yes a study guide can be quite useful.  Have you checked out the Book of Mormon Seminary and Institute manuals?  

[Guest MormonGator]

 

 

On a more serious note, yes a study guide can be quite useful.  Have you checked out the Book of Mormon Seminary and Institute manuals?  

 

 I second this. It's very handy, in particular for converts like me who weren't raised with the book of Mormon. 

[David13]

I have read it through, from cover to cover.  Twice.

A little dry reading.  But I'm not done yet.

It is true and all good stuff, but I need the classes like this year, Gospel Doctrine on the Book of Mormon.  It gets me into the specifics of it, and certain topics and points.

I have been recommended to The Book of Mormon Made Easy.  I haven't found it but it may be too easy there.

Last night I found a good one on the Tree of Life.  David Bednar talk from 2011 on Lehi's Dream.

Also I'm going to institute/adult gospel and that helps. 

I need the questions and the direction to a verse that says a particular thing.

That helps me to learn. 

But it will take a great deal of time.

dc

[David13]

 

That's fantastic!  I wish more people (converts and life-longs) could follow your example here.  Too often we just recite a book answer and do not ponder the depth.

 

 

FYI, if you want to attend Big People Sunday school, all you go to do is ask.  

 

 

I'm sorry, but this makes me laugh so hard.  I know exactly the point you're making!

 

On a more serious note, yes a study guide can be quite useful.  Have you checked out the Book of Mormon Seminary and Institute manuals?  

 

 

I'm attending Big People and Little people Institute/Adult Gospel Study.

 

And Big People Sunday School, Gospel Doctrine.

 

I have checked out Seminary and Institute manuals.  One of them has coloring book illustrations.  And is simple.  And brief.  But they have the message.  I need a little more than that, but it helps if I only have 10 minutes to study.

dc

[Sunday21]

That's fantastic! I wish more people (converts and life-longs) could follow your example here. Too often we just recite a book answer and do not ponder the depth.

Thank you. I need some encouragement. Lost and wandering through the Book of Mormon. Mosiah is very confusing.

(FYI, if you want to attend Big People Sunday school, all you go to do is ask. )

Life in the mission field is a very different world. Almost everyone here is a convert. There are no spare people. You do not decline callings. There is no one else to ask. We are all essential. And we are all confused by Mosiah. My bishop, also a convert, is just as confused as the rest of us. It does not help that the person teaching is also a confused convert. although actually, it is often quite fun we read out the questions in the manual one by one. There is a long pause and we gather our collective wisdom and give each question a go. Truly the blind leading the blind. There is a 20 year old woman who was born in the church and she sometimes guides us through things but she is often elsewhere as she is one of the few who knows what is going on.

(I'm sorry, but this makes me laugh so hard. I know exactly the point you're making!

(On a more serious note, yes a study guide can be quite useful. Have you checked out the Book of Mormon Seminary and Institute manuals?

Thank you. I am using both the seminary and institute manuals. There are both helpful but I am still confused. There is just so much information to adsorb at the same time. How the church works, the vocabulary, the culture. Changing habits, viewpoints. Giving up coffee. Every day I learn something new and sometimes the missionaries make up commandments to be funny! I learnt not long ago that we don't buy lottery tickets. (Is that true by the way?). And genealogy, and going to the temple, and the Book of Mormon! There is so much information in the Book of Mormon! A different use of language, geography, weapons, a lot of gospel information! People convert to this religion in their 70s. How I ask you? How? And by the way, Please help us run this social service agency! Edited January 14, 2016 by Sunday21

[bytor2112]

The Book of Mormon for LDS Familes....Bookcraft I think. They do one for the bible as well. Very informative.

[Sunday21]

Thank you bytur! Pictures- nice ones!- and explanations. Very nice! I thought there had to be something for children somewhere.

[Guest]

Sunday,

 

Seriously, this is not a joke or a way of insulting you.  As a missionary I had an investigator who had trouble with the archaic language of all scriptures.  He said he would try to read the BoM, but he wouldn't get much out of it for a few years as he got used to it.  He asked for a version that was easier to read.

 

I mentioned the "Book of Mormon Reader".  It's a children's version with pictures.  It has about the same format as a comic book.  At least this will get you the major stories.  

 

But you have to read the book itself or you don't get stories like Zenos, or Zeniff, or Lachoneus, or many important principles about how to deal with Gadiantons.

[Sunday21]

Thanks. Not insulted!

[Guest]

Confession time:

I've only read the BOM once through from beginning to end.  Once.  Yep.  Before I was baptized.

 

The rest of the time, I just read certain passages from different parts of the book to study... I may have read the book in its entirety a dozen times if I put my studies together.  But, I probably read certain sections 500 times while other sections only a dozen times - if that.

 

Our ward is currently going through a Book of Mormon marathon... On the last Sunday of December, they handed out a bookmark with the BOM divided into 90 parts and you are supposed to read 1 part a day starting the New Year so you should be done in 90 days.  I went through the first 3 days and hasn't gotten back to it yet.

Edited January 15, 2016 by anatess

[Sunday21]

We did the marathon too. Same bookmark! My bishop said that the ward would reap blessings if we completed. I and others did it. I hope someone in the ward was blessed!

[Guest MormonGator]

Confession time:

I've only read the BOM once through from beginning to end.  Once.  Yep.  Before I was baptized.

 

The rest of the time, I just read certain passages from different parts of the book to study... I may have read the book in its entirety a dozen times if I put my studies together.  But, I probably read certain sections 500 times while other sections only a dozen times - if that.

 

Our ward is currently going through a Book of Mormon marathon... On the last Sunday of December, they handed out a bookmark with the BOM divided into 90 parts and you are supposed to read 1 part a day starting the New Year so you should be done in 90 days.  I went through the first 3 days and hasn't gotten back to it yet.

Nothing wrong with that at all. I bet your faith is stronger than someone who has read it cover to cover 50 times but doesn't understand a word of it.

[classylady]

Confession time:

I've only read the BOM once through from beginning to end.  Once.  Yep.  Before I was baptized.

 

The rest of the time, I just read certain passages from different parts of the book to study... I may have read the book in its entirety a dozen times if I put my studies together.  But, I probably read certain sections 500 times while other sections only a dozen times - if that.

 

Our ward is currently going through a Book of Mormon marathon... On the last Sunday of December, they handed out a bookmark with the BOM divided into 90 parts and you are supposed to read 1 part a day starting the New Year so you should be done in 90 days.  I went through the first 3 days and hasn't gotten back to it yet.

 

 

 

My cousin's ex-husband once asked me how many times I had read the Book of Mormon.  I didn't answer because I didn't think it was relevant to my testimony.  He proudly boasted that he had read the Book of Mormon, cover-to-cover, 7 times.  He has since left the church.

 

I don't keep track how many times I've read the Book of Mormon.  I know it does help me, but how we read it is a personal choice. 

Edited January 16, 2016 by classylady