The Book of Mormon, Digging Deeper

There seems to be a disconnect between accounts in the Bible and the corresponding secular histories of the times. For example, critics love to point out that there is no real evidence that Moses and the Israelites ever fled Egypt nor wandered in the desert for forty years. That is, no evidence other than the biblical account. The same with Abraham; The Pearl of Great Price says explicitly that Abraham went to Egypt to teach the Pharaoh, personally, the principles of Astronomy, and yet there is no corresponding secular account of that. So what gives? Is the Bible just a book of fables, or wishful thinking on the part of Jewish historians? Well, I don't think so; and I am anxious to show you why I know these stories are true; and why they specifically don't show up in secular histories.

If you are weary of diving into Isaiah because you think his words are confusing, you are not alone. Isaiah is probably the most feared set of scriptures to tackle in the Bible...or in 2nd Nephi. and even Nephi was forced to comment on his people's lack of understanding of the words of this great prophet. and yet, the Savior commanded us all to search them and study them. So how do we do that? I invite you to listen in and find out.

Detractors of the Church often like to throw scripture bombs at us thinking that they can somehow prove to us that we are wrong and blow up our testimonies. this can sometimes work with members who do not have much depth to their beliefs but for any true Latter-Day Saint with a real testimony of the gospel, these efforts can prove futile at best, and often, actually help boost our faith in the restored gospel. one such 'Bomb' that is often thrown our way is Galatians 1:8, which speaks of havens and other gospels. the implication is that Moroni was a false messenger and the resulting Book of Mormon is evil. So today let's take a look at this verse and associated writings and see just what all the fuss is about.

Temples are places of learning; but what may go unnoticed by many patrons is that every element of the temple is a lesson, not just the ceremony and instruction given there. The very structure of the temple itself, the lighting, the decorations, the landscaping, even the fence around it, all point to elements of Father's kingdom and all can teach us important truths about the universe and our place within it.

For a body of faith that follows a Man/God who taught the nobility of humankind, and the virtues of Christian values such as kindness, patience, temperance, forgiveness, charity, understanding and love, oh, and don't forget non-judgment, it seems paradoxical that so many wars and conflicts, and persecution and discrimination, have been put upon people in the name of Jesus Christ. Certainly, there was nothing within His teachings that would have inspired such behavior and certainly there was nothing 'Christlike' within those actions. So why has so much suffering been foisted upon the world in the name of Jesus? Maybe, just maybe, we are doing it wrong.

The list of Biblical and Book of Mormon prophets, includes a number of men who once displayed questionable character or judgement. Some might say that all men are flawed and so this is the only pool the Lord has to draw from, but I think it goes deeper than that. As Saul, the apostle Paul was a terrible man. So too, Alma the younger when the angel stopped him on the road. It seems the Lord has never had a problem calling flawed men into his service, and invariably those men rose to the calling which they were given. In our dispensation the pattern continued. Certainly, early church history was filled with amazing men, but they were men who had to overcome personal weaknesses of their own. And they did, and they served effectively for the Lord. so what is the lesson we can learn from this and how can this heal and grow our own faith? Tune in and find out.

This episode explores human potential and the worth of a soul. I believe that most people do not fully realize the wonderful destiny that awaits them when this life is through. Many philosophers, thinkers and holy men have commented on the soul and the greatness of it. Among people who to have had encounters with UFOs and alien beings, they claim that the message they receive is that we have no idea of the potential we hold...and this is born out as well by our scriptures and the words of the prophets.You are a child of God...ponder that! Let that sink in...and don't ever forget it!

An honest effort to apply the proper elements of critical-thinking to the content of the Book of Mormon - Something which the outside critics and scholars refuse to do.

Dispensations are an interesting element of the gospel. One would think that the word of the Lord would come to earth and stick around for all time, but that is not how it happens. every new dispensation follows the apostasy of the prior one. But it is not that clean. Seems the old dispensation likes to hang around and confuse those who have embraced it rather than accept the new one. We will discuss the consequences of this overlap in this episode. I hope you find it interesting.

the enemies of the early church tried desperately to destroy the narrative and the impact of the Book of Mormon. to a degree they were successful by pointing out all the inconsistencies they felt they had discovered within its accounts. But Anachronisms have a funny way of turning around with a little time and effort. Over the last almost two hundred years since its publication, many of those anachronisms have turned to testimonies of its truthfulness. Today, we'll take a look at some of them and see where they stand now.

It seems life today is full of contention and disputations. We see it everywhere, most particularly on the T.V. News. But that may not be the best measure to use. The News needs contention and disputations in order to hold the public's interest. Hopefully your life is not as full of drama as the world seems to offer. In any event the question remains...is it possible to live in a world without constant contention, , and disputations, and drama, at every turn?Well, yes, it is. The Book of Mormon tells us of many times that the people lived in peace and prosperity. It clearly shows us how they achieved that, and also, how they lost that. So, are those lessons we can learn today? And if so, how can we apply them? The Book of Mormon was written for us, so the lessons in it must be for meant for us as well. Let's see if we can take them to heart.

They say that timing is everything...in almost everything that we do. I believe that when it comes to the Book of Mormon, the timing of its appearance to the world was and remains one of the most impressive elements of it. To say the things it says and to realize that it said them well before the rest of the academic and scientific world caught up is one of the things that makes it great as well as unique. Today we are going to explore some of those things. I hope you enjoy it and find it illuminating.

We can be stubborn creatures. We tend to get set in our ways and firm in our opinions, leaving little room for ways we are not familiar with. In the Book of Mormon this was exhibited by the pride of the people and their unwillingness to humble themselves before God. But as Alma encountered the Zoramites he found a people who had been compelled to humble themselves, not because of the word of God but because of their extreme poverty. but this gave him the wonderful opportunity to teach them about faith and humility...true humility.I suspect there are some lessons in there for us. I invite you to listen!

Both Nephi and Paul cried out, "O wretched man that I am". these were two of the most righteous and valiant men of the scriptures, and if they are wretched men, then what hope do we have?As we were sent to earth, it was with the understanding that we would have flaws and weaknesses built in. We know that because the Lord himself told us so. As a result, we find ourselves committing sin on occasion, even as we know the right thing to do. Why is that? Well, be of good cheer; there is hope for us all.

The book of Helaman is a rich source of history and intrigue as the Nephites and the Lamanites approach the Meridian of Time and the birth of the Savior. here is where we see the introduction and early gains of the Gadianton Robbers, the large migration of many of the Nephites and Lamanites to the lands to the far north, even as far as the Great Lakes...and we are introduced to Samuel, the Lamanite and his precise and profound prophesies concerning both the birth and the death of the Savior. I invite you to join me for this discussion as we see if there is anything that we might apply to our lives today.

Resurrection... our resurrection, is at the heart of the plan of Salvation. But it turns out to be one of the hardest elements of the gospel plan to believe in. Today we are going to take a hard look at the doctrine and nature of resurrection and see if we can figure out why that is.We are also going to examine the nature of the resurrected beings that have helped restore our gospel in this last dispensation and see what we can learn about them...and hopefully, what we can look forward to for ourselves when the time comes and we are resurrected.

For centuries, Priests and teachers have lectured us and warned us of the horrors of Hell, and the terrible judgements of God that await the sinner. But latter-day revelation has shed new light on the subject and I think, perhaps, it's time to modify our thinking on those subjects just a bit. How does Hell fit in with our understanding of the three degrees of glory... and... does God really punish us, or are we just victims of our own actions and the consequences that follow?I invite you to join me for a discussion on these interesting topics.

The book of 1st Nephi is an extraordinary tale of the departure of Lehi and his family from Jerusalem into the wilderness and the eight year saga that ensued. The rich detail that accompanies this tale is remarkable for its specificity and the fact that almost two hundred years of research have only strengthened its claim of authenticity.I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

For some, the challenge to balance obedience to a commandment against the exercise of our God-given agency can be a tough road to navigate. But it needn't be. The Lord and the modern-day prophets have told us clearly how we can do this and they are very consistent. All we have to do is listen very carefully.

The Word of Wisdom is so much more than a revelation about coffee, and tea, and alcohol, and tobacco. I invite you to tune in and listen for yourself. You just might hear something new!