Book of Mormon Reading Group?

[zil2]

18 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:

curelom

I was gonna get one of these, but the shelter said it's at least a 3-year waiting list, so I got Klaw instead.

[Carborendum]

9 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

I remember my first time around reading this, there was something (in the Book of Mormon I had then) about Laban being "high up in the church". Since this was 600BC there couldn't have been a "church" per se, and I wondered if "church" was a clumsy reference "Temple" or "synagogue".  I asked the missionaries about this, but I couldn't get them to see what I was asking.

Actually, it wasn't all that clumsy.  It was a perfect translation. 

• Synagogue was not a word that the Jews would have used in 600 BC.  Its origin was the Greek word meaning assembly (that was several hundred years later).  At the time, it was not specific to the Jews. By the 1800s in the US we do know that it was used by Jews.  But it is not known how many Christians would have known the word at all, or how many Jews would have used the word either.
• The word church comes from Old English.  And by the 1800s was the common meaning of any religious assembly house, as well as the community/organization that gathered there.  
• The Jewish word keneseth meant assembly.  Although, today's Jews use the broader meaning of community.  The building itself was beth keneseth (assembly house).

So, the Hebrew word that Nephi would have known for the assembly (the people) would have been keneseth.  This did not necessarily mean the building (beth keneseth).  It meant the people or group.  And to Nephi, that had the same meaning as church to the 1800s Christian.

When Zoram mistook Nephi for Laban, he began talking with him about the "brethren of the (religous) community."  And the best translation into English would be Church.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Carborendum

[zil2]

15 hours ago, zil2 said:

I might wait to see how many chime in - e.g., for today's reading, only three of us actually commented on the reading.  Perhaps it will make sense to make a thread per book or per week or something.  Let's leave this one at least for the first several chapters of 1 Nephi, and go from there.

@Jamie123 - please chime in on whether / how you'd like it broken out.  Pam is right that one thread will likely get unwieldy.  I'm thinking one per week or so would work out better.  E.g. this one can hold up through the 15th (1 Nephi 1-16) or we can start a new one tomorrow and go Sunday through Saturday.  Whatever works for you.  (One per book probably isn't a good idea as some books are a single chapter and Alma has a zillion chapters.)  And one per day seems like too many - also, some discussions will likely carry over...

I has perused the Scripture Study Forum and its sub-fora (it has to sub-flora or sub-fauna).  Between the "Book of Mormon" (originally for the 2012 Gospel Doctrine lessons) and the "Reading the Book of Mormon" (described as for a group reading one chapter per day), I think we should go with "Book of Mormon" (in part because I don't want to use the other's sub-sub-fora (one per book)).

Further, I like the idea of one post per week covering whatever we read that week.  Unless someone shows up with objections, I'll start one in the morning and the week will go Monday through Sunday (which works well since we end on a Sunday, it's also what folks outside the US are likely used to, and it's what we use for the Come, Follow Me lessons).

Which means I'll be posting my thoughts on 1 Nephi 4 and 5 here.  Klaw has just come to join me, so apparently we're having family scripture study again today.  Wish us luck!

[zil2]

These would be the thread titles, if we follow my proposed plan - I can change these, but thought including the date and chapters would help - and it would let me create them ahead of time for anyone who wanted to jump ahead...

Book of Mormon Reading Group: 11 Sep - 17 Sep 2023 (1 Nephi 6 - 1 Nephi 18)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 18 Sep - 24 Sep 2023 (1 Nephi 19 - 2 Nephi 9)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 25 Sep - 01 Oct 2023 (2 Nephi 10 - 2 Nephi 28)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 02 Oct - 08 Oct 2023 (2 Nephi 29 - Omni 1)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 09 Oct - 15 Oct 2023 (Words of Mormon 1 - Mosiah 13)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 16 Oct - 22 Oct 2023 (Mosiah 14 - Mosiah 29)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 23 Oct - 29 Oct 2023 (Alma 1 - Alma 12)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 30 Oct - 05 Nov 2023 (Alma 13 - Alma 25)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 06 Nov - 12 Nov 2023 (Alma 26 - Alma 37)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 13 Nov - 19 Nov 2023 (Alma 38 - Alma 51)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 20 Nov - 26 Nov 2023 (Alma 52 - Helaman 1)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 27 Nov - 03 Dec 2023 (Helaman 2 - Helaman14)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 04 Dec - 10 Dec 2023 (Helaman 15 - 3 Nephi 13)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 11 Dec - 17 Dec 2023 (3 Nephi 14 - 4 Nephi 1)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 18 Dec - 24 Dec 2023 (Mormon 1 - Ether 7)
Book of Mormon Reading Group: 25 Dec - 31 Dec 2023 (Ether 8 - Moroni 10)

(Yes, I wrote a script to generate that list - hooray for LDS programmers with nothing better to do! )

[zil2]

1 Nephi 4

Perhaps it's a mistake that we lose the optimism and confidence of youth (or most of us seem to, anyway).  Perhaps simple faith ("Hey, Moses managed to part the Red Sea, so we can do this!") is a good thing.

v4 & 6 - How often to I grumble about an assignment?  How often do I want to know the details before being willing to start.  "Easy to be entreated" comes to mind again.

v13 (and v36) suggests to me that Laban would have gone looking, had he lived.  Maybe he would have awoken too soon and staggered home running into Nephi on the way.  Or maybe when the brass plates were gone, he would have known who took them and sent his men in search...

v25 - why ask Zoram to follow?  Perhaps Laban wouldn't have deigned to carry the plates himself and Nephi had to remain in character.  Perhaps the Spirit prompted him and Nephi just didn't mention that (or realize it).

Chapter 5

v5 Lehi also has that complete confidence in the Lord - so much so that he uses the past tense for something yet to happen.  Do I have such confidence in the Lord's promises?

We should be grateful that we can just download our own copy of the scriptures and log on to FamilySearch for our genealogy - no brass or swords required.

Edited September 10, 2023 by zil2

[zil2]

Klaw appears to be dreaming of eating.  Finally I can relate to parents complaining about how their children don't pay attention during family scripture study!

[Jamie123]

17 hours ago, zil2 said:

I might wait to see how many chime in - e.g., for today's reading, only three of us actually commented on the reading.  Perhaps it will make sense to make a thread per book or per week or something.  Let's leave this one at least for the first several chapters of 1 Nephi, and go from there.

@Jamie123 - please chime in on whether / how you'd like it broken out.  Pam is right that one thread will likely get unwieldy.  I'm thinking one per week or so would work out better.  E.g. this one can hold up through the 15th (1 Nephi 1-16) or we can start a new one tomorrow and go Sunday through Saturday.  Whatever works for you.  (One per book probably isn't a good idea as some books are a single chapter and Alma has a zillion chapters.)  And one per day seems like too many - also, some discussions will likely carry over...

I think you're absolutely right. I had no idea this idea would be so popular, and the thread is going to get unwieldy. A new thread per week sounds good.

[zil2]

1 hour ago, Jamie123 said:

A new thread per week sounds good.

Off I go to make the first!

[SilentOne]

I may join when you catch up to where I am.

[laronius]

22 hours ago, Just_A_Guy said:

1 Nephi becomes more poignant when we remember that Nephi is writing this story down the second time (he’s already written the large plates), and he’s writing over twenty years after the events he’s writing about, and he knows the later events—the arguing, the disintegration of the family group after his failed efforts to maintain unity, the ensuing bloodshed that he has seen and that he knows is only the beginning of a thousand years of war that must end in extermination.  This is Nephi the (guilt-ridden and somewhat disillusioned, Hardy suggests) old man, writing about Nephi the invincibly optimistic boy.  

I think this is a really important point because we aren't reading daily journal entries from Nephi but rather a retrospective narrative that tells a story with an overarching purpose. And he tells that purpose right up front.

In 1 Nephi 1:1 he makes this seemingly contradictory statement of "having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days..." This statement is a perfect lead in to what's coming.

Later in that same chapter he records a vision of his father where he sees in imagery the Savior and his 12 disciples during their mortal ministry. It's not elaborated greatly upon but it must have been significant because while he also sees the horrific destruction of Jerusalem, his home and people his response is one of rejoicing. Why? "Because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!"

Then to end the chapter Nephi tells about how the life of his father is in danger for preaching to the people about the coming of the Messiah but once again we see no fretful handwringing but rather a declaration of hope and Nephi's overall intended purpose in his writing: "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

This message of deliverance and the Deliverer can be found all throughout Nephi's writings and ultimately the entire Book of Mormon and if we miss it then we have failed to understand it's true message, regardless of what else we may have learned in the process of reading it.

[Jamie123]

14 hours ago, zil2 said:

Off I go to make the first!

Ok thanks Zil I'll wait till you create the new thread before I comment on today's reading

[zil2]

2 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

Ok thanks Zil I'll wait till you create the new thread before I comment on today's reading

'Twas done:

 

[Jamie123]

1 hour ago, zil2 said:

'Twas done:

 

Sorry to ask a stupid question, but how do I get directly to this thread? (I see that it is on the "book of mormon" forum but I don't see a link to that forum on the main forum index (unless I missed it)

Edited September 11, 2023 by Jamie123

[zil2]

16 minutes ago, Jamie123 said:

Sorry to ask a stupid question, but how do I get directly to this thread? (I see that it is on the "book of mormon" forum but I don't see a link to that forum on the main forum index (unless I missed it)

No problem - there are enough BofM subs that it can be confusing:

From the forum home page go to Gospel Boards > Study Boards > Scripture Study Forum > Book of Mormon and that's where our threads will be listed.  (I know, deep dive, so to speak, but it was the most logical sub-forum for it.)

[zil2]

PS: I forget that a lot of people use mobile phones and it can be more of a nuisance to navigate those (especially since TH's mobile version doesn't have all the features of the desktop version - like the "notification" and messaging icons).  On my Android phone in Chrome, I would get there like this:

• Tap the Activity button at upper left
• Tap the Home icon that's now in the same place
• Scroll down to Gospel Boards
• and the rest is the same as previously stated

[zil2]

On 9/9/2023 at 1:15 PM, zil2 said:

v11+: Complaining makes things worse.  See v4.  Perception is everything.  Don't focus on what you lost or even on present difficulties - trust the Lord's promises of what's to come.

Just tripped over a clip from a BYU Devotional ("Remember Lot's Wife", Jan 2009) by E. Holland wherein he compares Lot's wife to Laman and Lemuel, speculating that perhaps she was longing for whatever "precious things" Sodom and Gomorrah had offered (my re-wording).  Good summary: "In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future."