Book of Mormon Evidence

Joseph Smith said, “Let man first get rid of his destructive propensities and then we may look for a change in the serpents’ disposition.” This is one of the reasons we love going to the temple.

“Nephi’s building of the temple was to bless the lives of his people. Elder Maxwell explained the significance of temple worship in our day when he said, “The real act of personal sacrifice is not now nor ever has been placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal that is in us upon the altar—then willingly watching it be consumed! Such is the ‘sacrifice unto [the Lord of] a broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ (3 Nephi 9:20).” Neal A Maxwell, Meek and Lowly 1987. Joseph Smith during Zion’s Camp, stopped some men from killing rattlesnakes and then said, “…Let man first get rid of his destructive propensities and then we may look for a change in the serpents’ disposition.” The Prophet Joseph Smith also taught us about faith and sacrifice saying, “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things.” Joseph Smith Jr. Lectures on Faith. President Ezra Taft Benson succinctly restated the message of Abraham 3:25 when he said: “The great test of life is obedience to God… We are not here to test or “prove” God, but to be tested and proved ourselves. We are on trial, not God.” Ensign, May 1988.

Nephi ordained his brother Jacob and others to teach in the temple. Jacob 1:17. Nephi knew his people needed the greater light that a temple would provide. Nephi’s faith is a great example to us all of passing this important test of life, and the building of the first Nephite temple was a sign to all, of his devotion to the Great Jehovah.

Here I discuss the importance of the Temple and the importance of where it is placed and why. There is a reason you and I love the beauty of being on the mountain tops.” Rian Nelson

D&C 124:25–27. “Build a House to My Name for the Most High to Dwell Therein”

The building of the Nauvoo Temple was the fifth attempt by the Latter-day Saints to build a house of the Lord. The other attempts include Jackson County, Missouri; Kirtland, Ohio; and Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri. Only the Kirtland Temple was completed before the one in Nauvoo, and it was desecrated, as Brigham Young explained: “The Saints had to flee before mobocracy. And, by toil and daily labor, they found places in Missouri, where they laid the corner stones of Temples, in Zion and her Stakes, and then had to retreat to Illinois, to save the lives of those who could get away alive from Missouri, where fell the Apostle David W. Patten, with many like associates, and where were imprisoned in loathsome dungeons, and fed on human flesh, Joseph and Hyrum, and many others. But before all this had transpired, the Temple at Kirtland had fallen into the hands of wicked men, and by them been polluted, like the Temple at Jerusalem, and consequently it was disowned by the Father and the Son.” (In Journal of Discourses, 2:32.)https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-124-a-solemn-proclamation-the-priesthood-order-is-established?lang=eng

D&C 124:28. What Is Meant by “The Fulness of the Priesthood”?

President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:

“Joseph Smith said … , ‘If a man gets a fulness of the Priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.’ [History of the Church, 5:424.]

I hope we understand that. If we want to receive the fullness of the Priesthood of God, then we must receive the fullness of the ordinances of the house of the Lord and keep His commandments. …

Let me put this in a little different way. I do not care what office you hold in this Church, you may be an apostle, you may be patriarch, a high priest, or anything else, and you cannot receive the fulness of the Priesthood unless you go into the temple of the Lord and receive these ordinances of which the Prophet speaks. No man can get the fulness of the Priesthood outside of the temple of the Lord. There was a time when that could be done, for the Lord could give these things on the mountain tops—no doubt that is where Moses got it, that is no doubt where Elijah got it—and the Lord said that in the days of poverty, when there was no house prepared in which to receive these things, that they can be received on the mountain tops. But now you will have to go into the house of the Lord, and you cannot get the fulness of the priesthood unless you go there. (Elijah the Prophet, pp. 45–46.)” Joseph Fielding Smith

What’s Going on in the Book of Mormon Isaiah Chapters?
Here Are 3 Insights into the Verses

by Tammy Uzelac Hall 

Question: Isaiah 2:2 and 2 Nephi 12:2 say that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains. What exactly does this mean?

Answer: Mountains were among the first places where God would commune with and teach His people His ways—they were essentially temples. Here are a few examples of people in the scriptures who communed with God on mountains:

• Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 3)
• Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16–19; Doctrine and Covenants 131:5)
• The Brother of Jared on Mount Shelem (Ether 3:1)
• Enoch on Mount Simeon (Moses 7:2)
• Nephi on an unnamed mountain (1 Nephi 11:1)

The experiences the prophets had on the tops of mountains held great significance. It was here that Moses received the call to deliver Israel. It was here that Nephi received the interpretation of his father’s dream, and where the Brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord. 

In New Testament times, it appears that Peter, James, and John all received their endowment while on the Mount of Transfiguration [See Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. (1954–56), 2:165]. While on the mount, they received the more sure word of prophecy when it was revealed to them that they were sealed up unto eternal life (2 Peter 1:16–19; Doctrine and Covenants 131:5). Source Editor’s Note: Tammy Uzelac Hall is the host of  LDS Living’s Sunday on Monday

Another example of how mountains are similar to temples is from more recent Church history, as you will read below about Pioneer Addison Pratt

Ensign Peak

“From the time the pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley until the present, Ensign Peak has received recognition beyond its geological importance. The peak is best described as an undistinguished hill, rising over a thousand feet from the northern edge of the Salt Lake Valley, approximately one mile north of the Utah State Capitol Building. While unremarkable in most ways, the peak has received attention from community and religious leaders because of its historical importance.” Ensign Peak: A Historical Review Dennis A. Wright and Rebekah E. Westrup

How one Utah hill became a Mormon temple — for a day

“History • Ensign Peak provided the backdrop for several well-known early Salt Lake City events, but it also played host to the first LDS temple ordinance in Utah.

Jutting up like a rounded brown thumb a mile north of the Utah Capitol, Ensign Peak boasts a unique claim: This humble hill once served as a Mormon temple — at least for one day and for one person.

Many of the crowds flocking to LDS General Conference this weekend will visit some of the 14 other Mormon temples in the Beehive State (with three more planned or under construction). Few may realize that the hill north of downtown Salt Lake City played host to the first LDS temple ordinance performed in Utah.

The peak has much other historical significance, too, ranging from Brigham Young proclaiming he saw it in a vision as the hill beneath which Mormon pioneers should settle to an LDS belief that the site represents fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Ensign Peak’s history as a temple is unusual because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints normally reserves its most sacred sacraments — including eternal marriage — for specially designed and dedicated buildings.

One of those temple ceremonies is called the endowment, a word meaning gift. The church’s website says that “as part of this ordinance, we are taught about the purpose of life, the mission and atonement of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father’s plan for his children. We gain a glimpse of what it will be like to live in his presence.”

Before mobs forced Mormons to flee Nauvoo, Ill., members crowded an early LDS temple there to receive the endowment before trekking westward toward Utah.

To show the importance of temples, Young designated the site for the Salt Lake Temple just days after he arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. But that iconic temple would not be completed for 46 years. Other Utah temples would be finished before that in St. George, Logan and Manti, but they still were decades away.

Meanwhile, Addison Pratt missed the opportunity to receive his endowment in Nauvoo because he was away as a missionary in the South Pacific. In 1849, he was about to leave again on a mission to the Society Islands, or French Polynesia. He and LDS leaders wanted him to receive that ordinance before he left, and Ensign Peak essentially became a temple for the purpose.

Minutes of the event — published in the book “The Development of LDS Temple Worship 1846-2000” — record that on July 21, 1849, Young, six members of the faith’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other general authorities met atop the hill with Pratt at 6 a.m.

Young prayed and “consecrated the spot for the present purpose of giving … Pratt his endowment that we might have power to erect a standard that should be glorified in the eyes of all its beholders, that no unholy thing might come here, that thy servants may come here to offer up prayers and obtain the ministration of angels.”

LDS historian B.H. Roberts wrote that the “action was in harmony with the instructions of the Prophet [LDS Church founder Joseph Smith] in Nauvoo when he said that these ordinances of the temple under certain circumstances might be obtained on the mountaintop, as Moses obtained them.”

Devery S. Anderson, editor of “The Development of LDS Temple Worship,” wrote that Pratt’s endowment is the only one documented to have occurred on Ensign Peak.

Other endowments would be performed before permanent Mormon temples were up and running in the Salt Lake Valley, according to the book, including in an early Salt Lake City building called the Council House (which later burned down) and a temporary temple dubbed the Endowment House on Temple Square.

Pratt, originally a whaler from New England, served several LDS missions, including the faith’s first foreign-language mission (he had learned Hawaiian as a young sailor). For a short time, he offered classes in Utah to teach Tahitian to other potential proselytizers, essentially operating the church’s first language training center for missionaries.

Among other historical highlights for Ensign Peak, George A. Smith — a counselor to Young — said that Mormonism’s second prophet saw the hill in a vision and was told LDS pioneers should settle beneath it, according to Dennis Wright and Rebekah Westrup, who wrote a chapter about the hill’s history in “Salt Lake City: The Place Which God Prepared.”

George A. Smith said Young recognized the hill when he arrived in the valley because of that vision.

Young climbed Ensign Peak two days after he arrived in the valley with other leaders and began planning the new settlement using the view from that hilltop.

Wilford Woodruff, an early apostle who later led the LDS Church, suggested while there — according to a plaque on the peak — that it was a fit place “to set up an ensign” to fulfill Isaiah 11:12.

That Bible passage proclaims, “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

A Mormon hymn, “High on the Mountain Top,” was written by Joel Johnson and inspired by Ensign Peak, along with other Isaiah prophesies saying that “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” in the last days (Isaiah 2:2).

Wright and Westrup wrote that the current monument and flagpole atop the hill was built in 1934, and included stones gathered from the Mormon Pioneer Trail and various LDS historical sites, including the Sacred Grove in New York (where founder Smith said he saw God).

A public trail up to the peak, with a monument garden at its base, starts off Ensign Vista Drive in Salt Lake City. Utah LDS temples and dedication dates

St. George, 1877.
Logan, 1884.
Manti, 1888.
Salt Lake, 1893.
Ogden, 1972, rededicated 2014.
Provo, 1972.
Jordan River (South Jordan), 1981.
Bountiful, 1995.
Mount Timpanogos (American Fork), 1996.
Vernal, 1997
Monticello, 1998.
Draper, 2009.
Oquirrh Mountain (South Jordan), 2009.
Brigham City, 2012.
Payson, scheduled for June 7.
Provo City Center (formerly the Provo Tabernacle), under construction.
Cedar City, announced. —

“What is the LDS endowment?

Mormons go to temples to take part in “endowment” ordinances for themselves and for people who have died. The symbolic ceremony includes ritual re-enactments of the creation, Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden and humankind’s mortal journey and ultimate return to God’s presence. In the Salt Lake and Manti temples, live actors portray these scenes. But in all other Mormon temples, the story is told through films. During the ceremony, LDS temple goers make promises to the Almighty to act, speak and think according to heaven’s commands.”

Sources: Encyclopedia of Mormonism, lds.org — Peak prophecy

“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Isaiah 11:12″
https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2298685&itype=CMSID

Hill Cumorah DVD Here

Do you think a Prophet or Apostle would ever use the word FACT or PROOF or EXACT or DEFINATELY; whether in a daily conversation or as a revelation unless he believed it was indeed TRUE?

Jonathan Neville said, “Most members of the Church still believe the Hill Cumorah is in New York, a few miles from Palmyra.

Church leaders have consistently taught this for over 160 years. No member of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve has ever taught Cumorah was anywhere other than New York. New discoveries in Church history validate this teaching.

However, some intellectuals in the Church—including faculty at BYU and CES—promote the theory that the Book of Mormon took place in Central America (Mesoamerica). This theory teaches that there are “two Cumorah’s.” They admit that Joseph Smith got the plates from the hill in New York (one Cumorah), but they rationalize that New York is too far from Central America (Mesoamerica) to be the scene of the final battles of the Jaredites and the Nephites. They also claim Mormon’s depository (Mormon 6:6) is somewhere in Mexico.

These intellectuals are teaching their students that the prophets and apostles are wrong about the New York Cumorah.

Because these intellectuals have trained thousands of LDS students at BYU and CES, their ideas have permeated the Church. The “two-Cumorahs” theory is on display every time you see a depiction of the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica. This theory has caused confusion among members and investigators. But the teachings of the prophets are clear and consistent. 

In Letter VII (July 1835) President Cowdery described the Hill Cumorah in New York. He explained that “at about one mile west rises another ridge of less height, running parallel with the former” and declares it was a “fact that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed.” He emphasized that “in this valley fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites.” “This hill, by the Jaredites, was called Ramah; by it, or around it, pitched the famous army of Coriantumr their tent… The opposing army were to the west, and in this same valley, and near by.” He also explained that Mormon’s depository of Nephite records (Mormon 6:6) was in the same hill.” Joseph Smith Papers, here. Jonathan Neville http://bookofmormonwars.blogspot.com/

Book of Mormon Central Know-Whys

It is important to BOMC to establish when Moroni or Joseph called the hill in New York “Cumorah.” They say it wasn’t before the mid-1830’s or in 1842. They want to make room in their narrative that Cumorah could be a hill in NY and one in Mexico not necessarily by the name of Cumorah. Like in the Church Publication “Saints” they do not ever call it Cumorah, but simply they call it, “hill” or “the hill.” Heartland shows below that the name was used several times before BOMC claims and show it is the one and same hill where Joseph received the plates from Moroni and it is the same place that the final battles happened for both the Jaredites and the Nephites.

According to BOMC
The First Time the Word Cumorah was Mentioned.

“There is “no historical evidence that Moroni called the hill ‘Cumorah’ in 1823” during his first encounter with the Prophet Joseph Smith. The name Cumorah came into “common circulation [amongst Latter-day Saints] no earlier than the mid-1830s.”2…

“As far as can be determined, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself only associated the hill in New York with the Cumorah in the Book of Mormon towards the end of his life. In an 1842 epistle the Prophet spoke of hearing “Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:20).7 Before then, Joseph left the name of the New York hill where Moroni gave him the plates unnamed in his accounts of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.8”  Post contributed by BMC Team November 29, 2018 KnoWhy #489

According to Heartland
The First Times the Word Cumorah was Mentioned.

1- Early 1827– Joseph Smith (quoted by his mother Lucy Mack Smith)

“Stop, father, Stop.” said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord; that the time had come for the record to <​be​> brought forth; and, that I must be up and doing, and set myself about the things which God had commanded me to do: but, Father,’ continued he, ‘give yourself no uneasiness concerning the reprimand that I have received; for I now know the course that I am to pursue; so all will be well.”

It was also made known to him at this interview, that he should make another effort to obtain the plates on the 22d. of the following September; But this he did not mention to us at that time.”

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/111

2. [Moroni, after telling Joseph about the record, said] “but you cannot get it until you learn to keep the commandments of God For it is not to get gain. But it is to bring forth that light and intelligence which has been long lost in the Earth.

Now Joseph beware or when you go to get the plates your mind will be filled with darkness and all manner of evil will rush into your mind. To prevent you from keeping the commandments of God that you may not succeed in doing his work and you must tell your father of this for he will believe every word you say.

The record is on a side hill on the Hill of Cumorah 3 miles from this place. Remove the grass and moss and you will find a large flat stone pry that up and you will find the record under it laying on 4 pillars of cement— then the angel left him.” 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41

3-  April 8, 1831 Oliver Cowdery’s Speech to the Delaware Indians about the Book of Mormon. Oliver Cowdery (quoted by Parley P. Pratt) during the mission to the Lamanites (D&C 28, 30 and 32).

“This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario County.

“In that neighborhood there lived a young man named Joseph Smith, who prayed to the Great Spirit much, in order that he might know the truth; and the Great Spirit sent an angel to him, and told him where this Book was hid by Moroni; and commanded him to go and get it. He accordingly went to the place, and dug in the earth, and found the Book written on golden plates.

“But it was written in the language of the forefathers of the red man; therefore this young man, being a pale face, could not understand it; but the angel told him and showed him, and gave him knowledge of the language, and how to interpret the Book. So he interpreted it into the language of the pale faces, and wrote it on paper, and caused it to be printed, and published thousands of copies of among them; and then sent us to the red men to bring some copies of it to them, and to tell them this news. So we have now come from him, and here is a copy of the Book, which we now present to our red friend, the chief of the Delawares, and which we hope he will cause to be read and known among his tribe; it will do them good.”

We then presented him with a Book of Mormon.

There was a pause in the council, and some conversation in their own tongue, after which the chief made the following reply: “We feel truly thankful to our white friends who have come so far, and been at such pains to tell us good news, and especially this new news concerning the Book of our forefathers; it makes us glad in here”—placing his hand on his heart.

Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44896/44896-h/44896-h.htm

4-  April 8, 1831 Oliver Cowdery’s Speech to the Delaware Indians about the Book of Mormon.

Oliver Cowdery wrote a letter dated April 8, 1831, from Jackson County, Missouri, to the Saints in Kirtland. He described some of the events of the mission to the Lamanites.

I think everyone agrees that “early” members of the Church believed the American Indians in the U.S. and its territories were Lamanites. Here, Oliver refers to the Delaware Indians as the “deleware Nation of Lamanites.”

That fits pretty well with what the Lord said in D&C 28, 30 and 32.

Below is the full Quote

“Aged Chief and Venerable Council of the Delaware nation; we are glad of this opportunity to address you as our red brethren and friends. We have travelled a long distance from towards the rising sun to bring you glad news: we have travelled the wilderness, crossed the deep and wide rivers, and waded in the deep snows, and in the face of the storms of winter, to communicate to you great knowledge which has lately come to our ears and hearts and which will do the red man good as well as the pale face. Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from sea to sea—from the rising to the setting sun; the whole land was theirs; the Great Spirit gave it to them, and no pale faces dwelt among them. Thousands of moons ago, when the red men’s forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land, the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will, and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book; together with their history, and the things which should befall their children in the latter days. “This Book was written on plates of gold, and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. “It was then that the people prospered, and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth; built buildings and cities, and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do. “But they became wicked: they killed one another and shed much blood; they killed their prophets and wise men, and sought to destroy the Hook. The (heat Spirit became angry, and would speak to them no more; they had no more good and wise dreams ; no more visions ; no more angels sent among them by the Great Spirit ; and the Lord commanded Mormon and Moroni, their last wise men and prophets, to hide the Book in the earth, that it might be preserved in safety, and be found and made known in the latter day to the pale faces who should possess the land ; that they might again make it known to the red man ; in order to restore them to the knowledge of the will of the Great Spirit and to His favor. And if the red man would then receive this Book and learn the things written in it, and do according thereunto, they should be restored to all their rights and privileges; should cease to fight and kill one another; should become one people; cultivate the earth in peace, in common with the pale faces, who were willing to believe and obey the same book, and be good men and live in peace. This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which lull is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario County. “In that neighborhood there lived a young man named Joseph Smith, who prayed to the Great Spirit much, in order that he might know the truth ; and the Great Spirit sent an angel to him, and told him where this Book was hid by Moroni; and commanded him to go and get it. He accordingly Went to the place, and dug in the earth, and found the Book written on golden plates. But it was written in the language of the forefathers of the red man; therefore this young man, being a pale face, could not understand it; but the angel told him and showed him, and gave him knowledge of the language, and how to interpret the Book…

5- First formal Church History, 1834-1835– Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith wrote a series of essays, published as letters, about early Church history, including the restoration of the Priesthood, the visit of Moroni, and Joseph’s recovery of the plates. Letters I and II were published in The Messenger and Advocate in Kirtland, Ohio, in October and November 1834. An excerpt from Letter I was canonized in the Pearl of Great Price as a note to Joseph Smith-History. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/1#full-transcript

Oliver Cowdery, “Letter VII,” July 1835

By turning to the 529^th and 530^th pages of the book of Mormon¹²⁰ you will read Mormon’s account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah. (it is printed Camorah, which is an error.) In this vally fell the remaining strength and pride of a once powerful people, the Nephites—

Oliver Cowdery, “Letter VIII,” October 1835

1. I have now given sufficent on the subject of the hill Cumorah—it has a singular and imposing appearance for that country, and must ex[c]ite the curiosity curious enquiry of every lover of the book of Mormon:
2. You will have woundered, perhaps, that the mind of our brother should be occupied with the thoughts of the goods of this world, at the time of arriving at Cumorah, on the morning of the 22^nd of September, 1823, after having been rapt in the visions of heaven during the night, and also seeing and hearing in open day; but the mind of man is easily turned, if it is not held by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and you will remember that I have said that two invisible powers were operating upon his mind during his walk from his residence to Chumorah, and that the one urging the certainty of wealth and ease in this life,
3. You will remember that I said, two invisible powers were operating upon the mind of our brother while going to Cumorah. In this, then, I discover wisdom in the dealings of the Lord: it was impossible for any man to translate the book of Mormon by the gift of God, and endure the afflictions, and [p. 98] temptations, and devices¹³³ of satan, without being overthrown unless he had been previously benefited with a certain round of experience:
4. To W[illiam] W. Phelps
   “Soon after this visit to Cumorah, a gentleman from the south part of the State, (Chenango County,) employed our brother as a common laborer, and accordingly he visited that section of <​the​> country;…
   As ever your brother in the Lord Jesus” Oliver Cowdery

Blog about Leaders saying Cumorah in NY is a fact: Prophets and Apostles Know it as Fact

THREE OPINIONS ON NEUTRALITY

Why Geography Matters by Rian Nelson

“I think there is importance with the Brethren being neutral on Geography, Evolution and other difficult issues. They want us to gain our own witness to secondary information. They have given us sound doctrine and I try hard every day to live my religion.

I believe the Land of Promise spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the United States of America. The Constitution was created by the Lord, that Adam and Eve were placed on this same land and the New Jerusalem will be on this same land. No need for me to check out Mesoamerica anymore as I did for 40 years.

Just like Evolution. I don’t believe we came from an ape and I know that matter cannot come from nothing. I don’t have to look into science to figure this out, but by the witness of what the scriptures tell us.

I don’t expect Pres Nelson to come right out and tell me where the Book of Mormon events happened or if we came from an ape, I know through sound reasoning the answer that makes most sense to me. Now if the Brethren say otherwise I would always listen to them first, but in my opinion the Church is neutral on difficult issues that exist to help each of us individually come to a knowledge of the “truth of all things” as promised in the Book of Mormon. I don’t need to be commanded in all things!

All the teachings from current Brethren and those before them and from the Prophet Joseph Smith are to be taken as given. They are guides to the answers I seek. I leave one example on believing that the United Sates is the Choice and Promised land, I quote Pres Nelson when he was President of the Quorum of the Twelve who said, “The Book of Mormon reveals that Joseph, the son of Jacob who was once sold into Egypt, foresaw the Prophet Joseph Smith and his day (see 2 Ne. 3:6–21) and noted that there would be many similarities in their lives. Centuries later, the Prophet Joseph stated, “I feel like Joseph in Egypt.” (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, ed. Dean C. Jesse, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984, p. 409; spelling modernized.) The Book of Mormon reveals that the inheritance of Joseph, son of Israel, was not forgotten when, as promised in the Abrahamic covenant, land was distributed to the tribes of Israel. Joseph’s inheritance was to be a land choice above all others. (See Ether 13:2, 8.) It was choice not because of beauty or wealth of natural resources, but choice because it was chosen. It was to be the repository of sacred writing on plates of gold from which the Book of Mormon would one day come, choice because it would eventually host world headquarters of the restored church of Jesus Christ in the latter days.” A TREASURED TESTAMENT By Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “…Truly rock-ribbed faith and uncompromised conviction comes with its most complete power when it engages our head as well as our heart… Truth borne by the Holy Spirit comes with, in effect, two manifestations, two witnesses if you will—the force of fact as well as the force of feeling… I believe God intends us to find and use the evidence He has given—reasons, if you will—which affirm the truthfulness of His work… Evidence is still evidence even if it is not immediately observable… “My testimony to you tonight is that the gospel is infallibly true and that a variety of infallible proofs supporting that assertion will continue to come until Jesus descends as the ultimate infallible truth of all. Our testimonies aren’t dependent on evidence—we still need that spiritual confirmation in the heart of which we have spoken—but not to seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique, persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate. Thus armed with so much evidence of the kind we have celebrated here tonight, we ought to be more assertive than we sometimes are in defending our testimony of truth… Farrer [English cleric Austin Farrer] said: “Though argument does not create conviction, lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.”… May our Father in Heaven bless us and an ever-larger cadre of young scholars around the Church to do more and more to discover and delineate and declare the reasons for the hope that is in us, that like those converted Lamanites, we may with bold conviction hold up to a world that desperately needs it “the greatness of the evidences which [we have] received,” especially of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the keystone of our religion. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” The Greatness of the Evidence By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland August 16, 2017

I leave you with true words of a prophet, “Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts, that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it. I might paraphrase President Brigham Young in saying, “I wish I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people” to the truth and power of the Book of Mormon.” President Russell M. Nelson The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?“

Lehi’s Family (Left): Travels to the Promised Land recounts the story of Lehi and his family as they travel from Jerusalem to America, the Promised Land. Beautiful and engaging artwork portrays stories from 1 Nephi including obtaining the brass plates from the wicked Laban, Nephi’s broken bow, the vision of the Tree of Life, the building of Nephi’s ship, and the Lehite voyage to the Promised Land.

For children ages 3 and older. Illustrated by the author, Robyn T. Pearson.

Does the Geography of the Book of Mormon Matter? By Rod Meldrum

“Does the geography of the Book of Mormon matter? The book is true no matter where it happened. Right? This is a response I have heard many others say and one I have said myself many times. But reading in 3 Nephi this morning made me change my mind. I think the Book of Mormon geography does matter.

When Christ appeared to the Nephites as the resurrected Savior, He blessed them, He taught them He prayed with them and for them. He also quoted to them the words of Isaiah. He reminded them that they had been given THIS LAND for their inheritance and were warned that they would not be allowed to remain on THIS LAND if they did not remain faithful. This emphasis shows the significance of the LAND to the Book of Mormon people, and the people who would be brought by the hand of God to THIS LAND and now occupy THIS LAND.

Christ himself said, “great are the words of Isaiah” and He commanded the Nephites and all who read the Book of Mormon to search his words. If the words of Isaiah are great and we are commanded to read them and study them and ultimately understand them, then I believe we most certainly should understand where THIS LAND is and we should understand who the Lord is taking to when he talks about the inhabitants of THIS LAND. Because he is in fact talking directly to those who are on THIS LAND and if you don’t know where that is you can’t fully understand the message.

Does the geography of the Book of Mormon matter? With over 1400 references to “this land” in the Book of Mormon I’m not sure how the Book of Mormon prophets could have made it clearer. THIS LAND matters. Geography matters. Those of us on THIS LAND the “promised land,” the Land of Liberty, the Land of the New Jerusalem need to know who we are. America is THIS LAND. America is a covenant land. I live on THIS LAND. Even the chapter heading of 3 Nephi also confirms this truth.

Israel will be gathered when the Book of Mormon comes forth–The Gentiles will be established as a free people in America–They will be saved if they believe and obey; otherwise, they will be cut off and destroyed–Israel will build the New Jerusalem, and the lost tribes will return.

I am learning more each day about what the prophecies say about me, my fellow Gentiles and my House of Israel sisters and brothers on THIS LAND. I desire to understand my covenant that I have made with the Lord and the Book of Mormon is the “voice crying from the dust” helping me understand it. The geography of the Book of Mormon matters to me.” Rod Meldrum FIRM Foundation President

COME  FOLLOW ME GEOGRAPHY by Bob Webster

Our friend Bob Webster wrote this article about geography you will enjoy. He recently gave a talk at our Virtual Expo. See website to view by members here: https://bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com/ To sign up for a 3 month membership for over 600 videos visit here:

“Despite the official statements that the Church remains neutral on Book of Mormon Geography (BoMG), the artists paid by the Church consistently portray BoMG as if it happened in meso-America.

For example, to illustrate the early chapters of Mosiah, the pictures on pp 50, 52, 57, 58, 61, 62, 66, 70, & 74 portray a geographical mindset/paradigm of tropical vegetation, cut-stone buildings and mountainous terrain. The same bias is evident in famous paintings in BoM editions, chapel walls and Temples.

Of all the physical features available on earth to represent those chapters, why were those chosen consistently? Since the Church claims to maintain neutrality on geography, WHY were features representative of tropical Central America chosen consistently? 

Since there are so many known and verified BoMG locations associated with Missouri, North America, why not display that terrain in church-approved artworks?  Since scholars know that Moses specified ramps to approach a holy temple, and specifically forbid cut-stone steps, why show them (p.62) in a publication teaching God’s people Truth about BoM reality? Truth is taught visually as well as by the written word, as we all know. Temple ordinances rely on it.

Considering that the BoMG location of the Hill Ramah-Cumorah in New York State was officially declared by the Church First Presidency in 1990, and the location of one of the Nephite-Lamanite battlegrounds was verified by Joseph Smith at Zelph’s Mound in Ilinois, and the locations of three other BoM cities – Manti. Melek and Zarahemla –  are all authenticated in Church historical records, why weren’t any of those environments used as background scenery for those artists’ renderings? Who guides and edits the artists?

Even the locations of The Garden of Eden, Adam-ondi-Ahman and New Jerusalem are scriptural, church history, geographical locations.  Any of those would have been undisputed choices for illustrating BoM lessons in the official Come Follow Me Manual, without violating “BoMG neutrality.”

Is it coincidental that BoMG references are consistently removed by writers of both of the Church’s official historical record, SAINTS, as “The Standard of Truth?”  Who edits the writers?” Bob Webster  Pleasant Grove, UT.  84062

THE UNTOLD TRUTH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

BY NOLAN MOORE/AUG. 9, 2017 and APRIL 20, 2018

Everybody knows Abraham Lincoln. His face is plastered on the penny and chiseled on Mt. Rushmore. He’s been portrayed in movies by actors like Henry Fonda and Daniel Day-Lewis. There are statues of the guy in countries like Mexico, England, Cuba, and he’s even got his own Walt Whitman poem. With his iconic top hat and epic beard, the 16th president is one of the most fascinating Americans who’s ever lived and a man with a rich history of unbelievable, untold truth.

LINCOLN THE MILITIAMAN

Long before he was commander-in-chief, Lincoln got first-hand military experience during the 1832 Black Hawk War. The conflict started when the Native American Chief Black Hawk (pictured above) started butting heads with the US government. White settlers were taking Black Hawk’s turf, and when the chief got angry, the Illinois governor called up a militia, summoning 1,500 men for battle.

One of those guys was 23-year-old Abraham Lincoln, who was elected captain of his company, a moment he later described as “a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since.” However, Lincoln had a difficult time at first keeping his men in line. When he started giving orders, his troops responded with insults like, “Go to the devil, sir!” On another occasion, his company got so drunk on stolen liquor that they couldn’t march, so Lincoln was forced to carry a wooden sword for two days (instead of a real one) as punishment.

Lincoln disobeyed orders himself on another occasion, firing his weapon within 50 yards of camp. As a result, he was arrested and stripped of his saber for 24 hours. Despite these setbacks, Lincoln was considered a good soldier with a solid sense of right and wrong. When a Native American walked into camp looking for a job, Lincoln’s men wanted to shoot the interloper, but Abe intervened, telling his men to stand down. When they called him a coward, Lincoln responded, “If any man thinks I am a coward, let him test it.”

Naturally, nobody was willing to throw down with Lincoln, who spent his free time competing in wrestling matches. However, even though he reenlisted with the militia two more times as a private, Lincoln never saw any combat, although as he later explained, he did have “a good many bloody struggles with the musquetoes [sic] and, although I never fainted from loss of blood, I can truly say I was often very hungry.”

HIS ODD CONNECTION TO THE DONNER PARTY

Don’t be fooled. Just because it’s called the “Donner Party,” that doesn’t mean people were having any fun. This 1846 wagon train famously got stuck in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, and the hungry settlers were forced to partake of their fellow pioneers. Of the 87 people who left Illinois for California, only 48 made it out alive. While this expedition is closely associated with cannibalism, it also has some crazy connections to America’s 16th president.

In 2010, historians discovered four muster rolls—registers of troops in military units—among the possession of James Reed, a Donner Party pioneer (pictured above). This Illinois businessman was kicked out of the expedition after stabbing a dude to death, but Reed’s wife stayed with the train, carrying the papers to California. Decades later, researchers looking over the rolls noticed Lincoln’s name listed alongside Reed’s, as the two men were friends who’d served together in the Black Hawk War.

Reed had gotten a hold of the muster rolls and probably kept them for personal reasons. But in addition to spotting Lincoln’s name, the researchers also noticed that Lincoln had written a few lines on the document himself, describing how Captain Jacob M. Earleys had been mustered out of the militia on July 10, 1832. Lincoln’s handwriting had traveled through the Sierra Nevada mountain range and made it through intact, while most of the people involved were turned into pâté.

This isn’t Lincoln’s only connection to the Donner Party, though. According to historian Michael Wallis, Abe had actually considered going with Reed to California, but his wife, Mary Todd, was pregnant and Lincoln was getting started in politics, so the couple decided to stay in Illinois. However, as the Donner Party pulled out of Springfield, Illinois, Mrs. Lincoln was actually there to send them off. Read More: https://www.grunge.com/79311/untold-truth-abraham-lincoln/?utm_campaign=clip

Researchers: Donner Party member carried Lincoln documents on journey

By the CNN Wire Staff July 20, 2010

Researchers have made an unexpected discovery among the items a member of the Donner Party kept in a carpetbag on the group’s ill-fated journey to California: a military document with Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting on it.

Donner Party member James Reed and his family carried muster rolls with Lincoln’s name on them among their treasured heirlooms, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum said in a statement released Monday.

A team of librarians, historians and handwriting experts combined forces to confirm that Lincoln’s writing was on one of the documents, which list Lincoln and volunteer soldiers who fought in the 1832 Black Hawk War.

“We often find documents that detail fascinating stories about Abraham Lincoln’s life and times, but it is rare indeed for the document to have such an intriguing history after it was written,” said Daniel Stowell, director of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln. “That these documents detail part of Lincoln’s military service and that they accompanied the Donner Party to California makes them doubly significant.”

All four of the muster rolls include “Private Abraham Lincoln” among the list of soldiers. On one of them, experts say two-and-a-half lines are clearly written in Lincoln’s hand. And the documents reveal that Lincoln had a horse worth $85 and equipment valued at $15, noting that Lincoln received one tent that was United States property to be returned at the end of his service.

The lines Lincoln wrote said: “Muster Roll of Captain Jacob M. Earleys Company of Mounted Volunteers Mustered out of the service of the United States By order of Brigadier General Atkinson of the United States army on White Water Rivers of Rock River on the 10th day of July 1832.”

The documents are part of the James Frazier Reed Collection at the California State Library. Source

Donner Party: List of Members Here

The Truth About Abraham Lincoln

[Author Unknown]
Little has been published about the early life of Abraham Lincoln. However, during a search of some old property records and will in a small courthouse in central North Carolina, Alex Christopher the author of “Pandora’s Box,” in one of the old will books dated around 1840, he found the will of one A. A. Springs. Upon reading the will he was shocked and amazed at the secret that it disclosed, but one must remember that it is a known fact that wills, even though they are classified public records the same as property and corporation records, they are rarely combed through as he was doing at the time, and these records hold many dark secrets that can be hidden in public view, but are never uncovered because there are very few who research these old records.

This practice of hiding secrets in public view and the conspirators can say, when faced with the facts and accused of concealing the records; they can reply “Well it was there in the public record in plan view for any and all to find.” In the will of A. A. Springs was the list of his property. it went into detail to whom the property was to be dispersed and it included his children.  Mr. Christopher, and others, were looking to find what railroads and banks this man might have owned and had left to his son, Leroy Springs. He didn’t find anything like that, but he did find the prize of the century. On the bottom of page three of four pages was a paragraph where the father, A. A. Springs, left to his son an enormous amount of land in the state of Alabama which amounted to the land that is today known as Huntsville, Alabama and then he went into detail to name the son and at first Mr. Christopher and the others with him couldn’t believe what they were seeing, but there it was the name of the son and it was “ABRAHAM LINCOLN!“

This new information that they had about the Springs (real name Springstein) family, this was just another twist to add to the already manipulative family. This new information about Lincoln built a fire under them to see where this new lead would take them, because everything they had found in the railroad and banking saga had been a real mind-bender.  They figured this one would be the same; so they inquired at the local archives and historical records on families and found a reference to one Abraham Lincoln in the family genealogy of the family of the Carolina by the name of McAdden, in a published genealogy on the family.  The family members in the Carolinas were in a limited edition that at one time could be found in the public libraries.  The section on Lincoln and the story went something like the following: “In the late spring of the year of 1808 Nancy Hanks, who was of the family lineage of the McAdden family was visiting some of her family in the community of Lincolnton, North Carolina.  While on her stay with family in the Carolina’, she visited with many of the neighboring families that she had known for many years; one such visit was the Springs family.  The sordid details had been omitted but obviously the young Nancy Hanks had found herself in a compromised position and was forced to succumb to the lust of A.A. Springs.  She became pregnant as a result.  There were no details of a love affair or an act of violence on a helpless female.  Abraham Lincoln was the result of that act, which leads one to wonder if the name ‘Lincoln’ was real or a fabricated name for the area of conception was ‘Lincolnton.’  Was there really a Thomas Lincoln?  Since the ‘Spring’ were of the race that called themselves Jewish, that made Lincoln part Jewish and as part of the Springs family, he also became a relative of the Rothschild family by blood.”

Blog Here: DID ABRAHAM LINCOLN READ THE BOOK OF MORMON?

The following information was derived from information that exists in the Smithsonian, National Archives, the Congressional Library, Courtroom Police files, public and private libraries and storage vaults across the United States and Europe: “Abraham Lincoln was slapped three times with a white glove by a member of the Hapsburg royal family of Germany (Payseur family relatives) during a White House reception in 1862.  The German royal family member demanded a pistol duel with the, then, President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.  The blows to the face stunned Lincoln but he non-verbally refused to participate in the duel by bowing his head before walking out of the reception room.”  What had ol’ honest Abe done to so enrage and up-set the royal European personage?

It seems that the practice of promiscuity was running rampant in many families in those days and the German King Leopold had an illegitimate daughter named ‘Elizabeth‘ who was sent to America, where she lived in a very comfortable manner.  Although Leopold could not recognize her position, he was very interested in her life.  In the early or mid 1850s, Abraham Lincoln and Elizabeth began having sexual liaisons that produced twin daughters named ‘Ella‘ and ‘Emily‘ in 1856.  The regal German father who was so royally up-set with ol’ honest Abe probably had full knowledge of what the true blood line of Lincoln really was.  Abraham’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, did not find out about Elizabeth, Ella and Emily until 1865.  Previous to being informed about Elizabeth and the twins, Mrs. Lincoln had developed a ravaging dependency on Opium.  Her main supplier of the drug was a former member of the Confederate Intelligence community, he was a former member because the Southern gentlemen did not approve of his drug pushing and unreliable behavior.  It was because of his involvement with the Southern Intelligence Community, Mary’s supplier – John Wilkes Booth – knew about the lover and the illegal twins.” The Truth About Abraham Lincoln

“Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd, was into the occult. Abraham Lincoln was a Rosicrucian and a member of the Order of the Lily’s Council of Three along with Paschal Beverly Randolph and General Ethan Allen Hitchcock. The Todd family are considered by the Illuminati as part of the Collins bloodline (one of the top illuminati families that has managed to remain low key. It is believed that the Collins family has been kept secret because they wield more power than the Rothschilds or the Rockefellers. Research shows the family has been connected to witchcraft since they arrived in New England in the 1630’s, and at least part of the British Collins family are Jewish).” Source

The Truth About Abraham Lincoln continues, “After being spurned by the Confederate intelligence community, Mary’s ‘candy man‘ approached and became involved with the Rothschild Empire of Europe, for he realized the European banking moguls would be very interested in his pipeline to the White House.  (At this time) Abraham was searching for an issue that would unite the North and South after the Civil War ended.  The issue needed to be popular to all levels of American citizenry so they could ‘rally around the Stars and Stripes’ thus rapidly healing the wounds of the bloodiest war in history.  Lincoln  was seriously considering one major movement or event that would galvanize his fellow Northern and Southern patriot countrymen into cutting loose the United States of America from the dictatorial grip of the Hapsburg’s bloodline of banking control in Europe.  All the time, the Rothschild’s were trying to take control of the entire world monetary system, and at that time the Rothschild’s were trying to get a foot-hold in America and find a way around the British, Virginia Company, and French Bourbon family that were gaining control in this country through government help …

Lincoln found himself in real hot water, because under the Virginia Company covenant, the 48 families that formed it were all of the Holy Grail Bloodline.  This country was to be an extension of what all the royal families of Europe controlled.  The royalty of Europe is ‘Hapsburg,’ no matter what their name is.  The royal family of England is one such example.  Now what Lincoln did is he wanted to become independent of the cogenant (in favor of his family) on the Rothschild side … the Rothschild’s and their family bloodline have always been undermining the affairs of the Hapsburg’s and stealing the monetary control away from them.  No matter what the history books say, the Rothschild’s didn’t get (total) real control on things in America and the Federal Reserve until the Springs usurped the Payseur family companies in the early 1920’s …  (But Lincoln had fallen from Rothschild grace also and so, due, in part to his Executive Order to print United States Greenbacks, thus interfering with the Jewish International Banks profits).  It appears that the Rothschild family wanted Lincoln embarrassed to the maximum degree.  (So) Mary Todd’s drug dealer (John Wilkes Booth) was hired to kidnap the President of the United States.  Abraham would be put on a boat for a two month cruise of the Atlantic where he would be injected with and addicted to Opium and then dumped on the streets of Washington.  While the forcefully addicted President was stumbling around our nation’s capital, the press would be informed of Elizabeth, Ella and Emily.

The drug pusher (Booth) and collaborator (agent) of the Rothschild’s had his perfect accomplice in the plot to kidnap and discredit the leader of the North American Continent in the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln.  After being informed of Abe’s lover and the twins and the kidnap plot by her drug supplier, Mary was promised that after her husband resigned or was impeached, she and Abe would be moved to Europe to live happily ever after with plenty of Opium.  Superficially, Mary expressed a desire to live in Europe with plenty of Opium and no Civil War or Politics to distract her husband or family.  But her drug suppler had totally underestimated the confusion, desperation and anger of Mary Todd Lincoln.

The plotters decided the Presidential snatch needed to take place in a public, yet discreet location where minimum witnesses would be present.  There were too many potential witnesses at the White House.  Two hours before the capture was to take place, Mary Todd had on the floor, a tantrum, because Abe had decided not to go out of the White House that night.  Mary’s outrageous outburst caused Abe to change his mind and the First family departed.  Several minutes after arriving at the kidnap location, Mary instructed the family bodyguard to take a position that placed the First Family out of his visual sight.  The position also required the bodyguard to traverse several flights of stairs to reach Abe and Mary should he be needed for any reason …  A wagon with a wooden cover arrived at the back entrance of the kidnap location with several men including Mary’s Opium supplier.  The plan was for the drug pusher to traverse the backstairs entrance, silently move down a hallway, and open an unlocked door to a darkened room where Mary and Abe were sitting.

After entering the room, Mary’s drug man (Booth) would tell the President an urgent message was waiting for him at the War Department.  Before descending down the backstairs, Abe would be knocked out with a chloroform cloth.  The kidnappers would load the limp body into the covered wagon and swiftly stow Lincoln on an Opium boat for a novel ‘cruise‘ of the Atlantic Ocean.  When Booth actually opened the door to the darkened room where Abe and Mary were sitting, he went into a panic and shock.  Abe was asleep with his head on Mary’s left shoulder and the First Lady had her head turned toward the left looking at the door …  When she was sure the man who opened the door was Booth, she turned and looked at the President to be sure the pistol she was pointing would explode beneath the lower left earlobe of her husband.

Before Mary pulled the trigger, John Wilkes Booth, drug supplier to the First Lady, realized he was the patsy in all this mess.  But he did not know if he was only Mary’s patsy or also a chump for the Rothschild family.  Were the men hiding around the back door of Ford’s Theater there to help Booth with the kidnapping or there to point the false finger at the ‘innocent‘ Booth?  Booth was not about to run into the hallway or down the backstairs to find out the answer to that question.  The only escape route was to jump the balcony and crash onto the stage during the performance.  That night, Booth gave a literal interpretation of the theatrical phrase ‘break a leg‘ as he fractured one of his during his leaping act from ‘lethally loony Mary’ and the men lurking around the back entrance of Ford’s Theater.

In a novelty case located on a wall in Ford’s Theater is ‘The Gun That Shot Abraham Lincoln.’  If anyone (assassin) were to kill a head of state, they would use a revolver, because several bullets might be needed to accomplish the murder and stop any guards during the escape.  One would only use a one-shot pistol if they were absolutely sure they had intimate access to the victim.  The gun on the wall of Ford’s Theater is a derringer – the perfect weapon for the left handed female assassin who did not attend her husbands funeral.  Mary Todd was not hiding in her room due to overwhelming grief and sorrow; she was imprisoned in her room with two armed guards for two weeks after killing her husband.

In the 1860’s, an Act of Congress mandated the compensation of widows of former and active Congressmen, Senators, Vice Presidents and Presidents.  The month and duration was ratified by both Houses of Congress for each widow.  Mary Todd Lincoln applied for her widowers compensation three times and was denied the mandated compensation three times by both Houses of Congress.  An unknown benefactor paid for Mary’s passage to Europe where she died in small cottage in Germany.

In 1867, the Secret Service was founded so that drunken municipal law enforcement could not unwittingly participate with drug-addicted First Ladies or Gentlemen in vengeful high-brow killings of philandering Presidents of the United States.  (To cover up the murders committed which would reflect a bad light for the presiding Administration, such as the Foster murder of President Clinton’s administration).  Before Booth jumped out of the balcony of the Presidential Box of the Ford Theater, he shouted at General Riley and his wife who were sitting to the right-front of the Lincolns.  Booth’s words expressed his innocence but also sealed the fate of the Riley’s.  Within a week of the shooting, General Riley and his wife were packed off to an insane asylum where they both died of ‘unknown causes‘ within 30 days of being committed.” (Pandora’s Box, by Alex Christopher, pp. 282-286). http://usa-the-republic.com/items%20of%20interest/abraham%20lincoln.html

More Reading Below

Blog Here IS ABRAHAM LINCOLN A HEARTLANDER?

THE ASSASSINATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lincoln’s Missing Bodyguard. What happened to Officer John Parker, the man who chose the wrong night to leave his post at Ford’s Theatre? https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lincolns-missing-bodyguard-12932069/

Originally Answered: How did the Lincoln’s security detail mess up and not prevent his assassination?

Lincoln’s security didn’t mess up.

Lincoln’s assassination was meticulously planned. Lincoln had an excellent bodyguard, a United States Marshal named Ward Lamon. Ward Lamon was sent out of town on an errand days before Lincoln’s assassination. Before he left Washington, he told Lincoln not to go to the theater while he was absent. Lamon said it was too dangerous. Lincoln respected Lamon’s wishes and did not plan to attend the theater. Lincoln had to be enticed into going to the theater.

Let’s review the preparations for the killing.

Ward Lamon was sent out of town on an errand that would take him a week to do.

Ford’s theatre was selected as the location for the killing. Someone installed a brace on the hallway door leading to the president’s box to keep people from entering once the brace was set in place. A hole in the wall was made to secure one end of the brace. A piece of matching wallpaper was placed over the hole to keep people from noticing it. The brace was left behind the door so the killer could find it.

Remember that L.C. Payseur hired Leroy Springs to operate a host of his companies. Leroy Springs’ father was A.A. Springs and was the secret father of Abraham Lincoln. In 1808, Nancy Hanks, of the Scottish McAdden family, visited some of her own family and the Springs family at Lincolnton, North Carolina. That is when A.A. Springs impregnated her, and her child was named Abraham Lincoln. Troy Cowan, Author of: “They Wanted Lincoln Dead.” Updated September 9, 2015

They rejected the Illuminatti- Abe Lincoln and JFK

“Abraham Lincoln’s Rothschild blood was kept very secret, but he grew up to be a famous lawyer, a secret leader of the Rosicrucian’s and President of the United States. It is believed from the evidence that the establishment conspiracy, concocted the person of Thomas Lincoln out of thin air. The actual early history of Abraham Lincoln is shrouded in myth and mystery, and as one encyclopedia puts it, “We know little about the family of his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln”.

While a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln had a sexual liaison with Elizabeth, who was the illegitimate daughter of Belgian King Leopold I (1790-1865), who is also of elite blood lineage. Abraham Lincoln and Elizabeth had two twin daughters Ella and Emily in 1856, who were adopted out. Lincoln actually had a fairly large number of illegitimate children.

ILLUMINATI GOALS

Now A.A. Springs, who was both the biological father of Leroy Springs and Abraham Lincoln left an enormous amount of land, in what is now Huntsville, Alabama, to his son Abraham Lincoln. Huntsville has become a hotbed of New World Order (NWO) activity. Some of the mind-control research the intelligence community conducted, was done at Huntsville.

The Rothschilds even named one of their boys after Abraham Lincoln, his name was Lincoln Rothschild. Although Abraham Lincoln secretly had powerful occult blood, he was a great man in his own right. Just like John F. Kennedy (JFK), he had the strength of personality to refuse to bow to the Illuminati’s instructions. Lincoln refused to go down the path that his distant European International Banking Rothschild relatives wanted for the United States.

The Illuminati goal was to split the United States into easier to control states. However, just as with JFK (the man who could work miracles) who also came from a top 13 family, a large scale conspiracy involving many government officials including the Secretary of Defense was put into place to assassinate Lincoln (not according to this research). There are numerous indications that show that the Rothschilds were in part behind the assassination of Lincoln”.

Six Corporations who Own the World and run by the Illuminati

Rian Nelson’s Personal Opinion on this entire Article:

“Historians seem to take great pride in publishing something new, particularly if it illustrates a weakness or mistake of a prominent historical figure. For some reason, historians and novelists seem to savor such things. If it related to a living person, it would come under the heading of gossip. History can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult—often impossible—to verify. The writer or the teacher who has an exaggerated loyalty to the theory that everything must be told is laying a foundation for his own judgment. He should not complain if one day he himself receives as he has given. Perhaps that is what is contemplated in having one’s sins preached from the housetops.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

I love this article by Elder Packer above.  I quote it often. I would say this. Abraham Lincoln is a Saint sent by the Lord for our Nation. No matter what he has or has not done, he is a Man of God. Lincoln to me is just like Washington, Reagan and Trump. Great men who are directed by the Lord. The purpose of me bringing up the stories I read or hear is not always because they are true. It is because I want people to not be lazy and just accept everything they hear and read.

Two things stood out to me about these stories about Lincoln and the reason I published it is: I had never heard of a different version of who shot Lincoln. I still think it is possible that his wife as a drug addict may have done it for money etc but to me that is not important. In Red is the biggest take away from the article.

“Abraham Lincoln’s Rothschild blood was kept very secret, but he grew up to be a famous lawyer, a secret leader of the Rosicrucian’s and President of the United States. It is believed from the evidence that the establishment conspiracy, concocted the person of Thomas Lincoln out of thin air. The actual early history of Abraham Lincoln is shrouded in myth and mystery, and as one encyclopedia puts it, “We know little about the family of his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln”...

The Rothschilds even named one of their boys after Abraham Lincoln, his name was Lincoln Rothschild. Although Abraham Lincoln secretly had powerful occult blood, he was a great man in his own right. Just like John F. Kennedy (JFK), he had the strength of personality to refuse to bow to the Illuminati’s instructions. Lincoln refused to go down the path that his distant European International Banking Rothschild relatives wanted for the United States.

The Illuminati goal was to split the United States into easier to control states. However, just as with JFK (the man who could work miracles) who also came from a top 13 family, a large scale conspiracy involving many government officials including the Secretary of Defense was put into place to assassinate Lincoln (not according to this research). There are numerous indications that show that the Rothschilds were in part behind the assassination of Lincoln”. https://payseurs.com/rothschild-payseur/

Both Kennedy and Lincoln are great presidents who were trying to take down the Cabal also called the 13 Illuminati Families with Rothchild and Rockefeller being two of them. Lincoln and Kennedy are both from those two evil families and they broke outside of it and were killed because they did so much damage to the Cabal. This is the same thing Trump is doing today but he will succeed in taking down the Cabal. You’ll see Trump will be back as the Lord is with him.

For those concerned how this occultic “Joseph Smith” could make its way into Church publications, President Ezra Taft Benson offered this advice, “Sometimes from behind the pulpit, in our classrooms, in our Council meetings and in our church publications we hear, read or witness things that do not square with the truth. . . . Now do not let this serve as an excuse for your own wrong-doing. The Lord is letting the wheat and the tares mature before he fully purges the Church. He is also testing you to see if you will be misled. The devil is trying to deceive the very elect.” Ezra Taft Benson, “Our Immediate Responsibility” (BYU Devotional, Provo, October 25, 1996), https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson_immediateresponsibility.

I have noticed some peculiar beliefs behind some very intellectual men and women that are good active members.
They believe in Christ and the Gospel (10)
They believe in the Doctrine of the Church (10)
They believe the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve (10)
They believe in past Prophets and Apostles mostly. (Most likely disagreeing slightly with Joseph Fielding Smith, Ezra Taft Benson, and David O. McKay. (9)
They believe members of the Quorum of the Seventies mostly and have very few different opinions. (9)
They believe their peers, and scholars but have a few different opinions. (8)
They believe The Prophet Joseph Smith very often but always try and put him down, or make him human. (7)

I realize I am generalizing, but I am trying to make a point. In my opinion it seems many historians, professors and intellectuals try and bring Joseph Smith down just a notch more often than anyone else as Elder Packer says below.

“Some historians write and speak as though the only ones to read or listen are mature, experienced historians. They write and speak to a very narrow audience. Unfortunately, many of the things they tell one another are not uplifting, go far beyond the audience they may have intended, and destroy faith. What that historian did with the reputation of the President of the Church was not worth doing. He seemed determined to convince everyone that the prophet was a man. We knew that already. All of the prophets and all of the Apostles have been men. It would have been much more worthwhile for him to have convinced us that the man was a prophet, a fact quite as true as the fact that he was a man. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

Quotes about Intellectual Opinions

“Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a Prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead people, then he should be exposed, his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false” .Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1 (Bookcraft, 1960), 188

I have come to believe that it is the tendency for many members of the Church who spend a great deal of time in academic research to begin to judge the Church, its doctrine, organization, and leadership, present and past, by the principles of their own profession. Ofttimes this is done unwittingly, and some of it, perhaps, is not harmful. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

This problem has affected some of those who have taught and have written about the history of the Church. These professors say of themselves that religious faith has little influence on Mormon scholars. They say this because, obviously, they are not simply Latter-day Saints but are also intellectuals trained, for the most part, in secular institutions. They would that some historians who are Latter-day Saints write history as they were taught in graduate school, rather than as Mormons. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

President Brigham Young admonished Karl G. Maeser not to teach even the times table without the Spirit of the Lord. How much more essential is that Spirit in the research, the writing, and the teaching of Church history. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

Author: John E. Clark Takes Joseph Down a Notch

Bio: “Dr. John E. Clark’s interest in archaeology began innocently at the age of six when his oldest brother helped him hunt for arrowheads around their house in Burley, Idaho. By the eighth grade his interest in artifacts eclipsed that in dinosaurs, and he decided to become an archaeologist. In high school he taught himself how to chip arrowheads and has studied and taught ancient technologies since that time. While completing BS and MA degrees in anthropology at BYU in the 1970s, he became excited about Mesoamerican mythology and archaeol­ogy, especially Maya writing and calen­dar systems.” Source

Quote from Dr. John Clark: “Had circumstances permitted a marked grave for the slain prophet, a fitting headstone could have read, “By Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and Proprietor.” Such an epitaph, taken from the title page of the Book of Mormon, captures the enduring bond between the man and the book, and also the controversy which coalesced around both with the book’s publication and the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. In the ensuing and continuing “war of words” (Joseph Smith—History 1:10) and prejudice, redemption may hang on the single preposition “by.” What hand did Joseph have in producing the book?

Joseph claimed he translated by the power of God an ancient record inscribed on golden plates entrusted to him by an American angel. His account of the origin of the Book of Mormon is, to understate the obvious, outrageously incredible. One critique dubbed it “knavery on two sticks.”3 Or is it? Are Josephs claims truth or nonsense? How can one know? This question implicates classic antitheses between science and religion, reason and faith. I consider both
faith and reason here in evaluating competing explanations of the book. When confronted with the book, most people reject it because of its cover story. Sterling M. McMurrin, a former Latter-day Saint, said critically, “You don’t get books from angels and translate them by miracles.” Archaeological Trends and Book of Mormon Origins, John E. Clark Source: BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 4 (2005), pp. 83–104. Published by: BYU Studies

You can evaluate on your own Dr. Clark’s opinion’s above about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

Jonathan Neville Refutes John E. Clark

“Clark’s article starts on page 83. I’m not going to reproduce the whole thing here, just a few sections that I’ll comment on in red, as usual.

p. 85: Most Mormons fall into a more subtle error that also inflates Joseph’s talents; they confuse translation with authorship. They presume that Joseph Smith knew the contents of the book as if he were its real author, and they accord him perfect knowledge of the text. This presumption removes from discussion the most compelling evidence of the book’s authenticity–Joseph’s unfamiliarity with its contents. To put the matter clearly: Joseph Smith did not fully understand the Book of Mormon. I propose that he transmitted to readers an ancient book that he neither imagined nor wrote. This paragraph is full of logical fallacies and fact avoidance. Start with the idea that Mormons are falling into “a more subtle error” when they presume Joseph knew the contents of the book and had a perfect knowledge of the text. In fact, Joseph re-read the text many times, correcting it in some cases. In 1842, he re-read it again (I think because Winchester was challenging it), yet he made no corrections. During the translation, Joseph spelled out words for Oliver Cowdery. But prior to even beginning the translation, Moroni and others tutored him. Joseph wrote: “I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known unto me.” Joseph knew far more about the cultural context than the book itself reveals. There is zero evidence that Joseph was unfamiliar with its contents; what he was unfamiliar with is the Mesoamerican setting. This is why Clark and other Mesoamerican proponents insist Joseph didn’t understand the book. It is a logical fallacy to assert that because Joseph transmitted an ancient book he neither imagined nor wrote, he therefore could not understand the book. The assertion that one can only understand a book one writes is not just nonsensical; it defies the very purpose for writing.  Clark wrote an article to convey his understanding of the topic. His argument would mean that because his readers did not write his article, they cannot understand it. This argument is akin to that made by the old Catholic priests who didn’t want people having access to the Bible because they could never understand it. To see Jonathans complete article visit, The Worlds of Joseph Smith by Jonathan Neville

Intellectuals Love the Seer Stone V. Urim and Thummim. Why?

“Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim by the Stoddard’s places the Book of Mormon translation on trial, presenting the latest research in one of the most comprehensive treatments of the translation process to date providing encouragement for Latter-day Saints who fear they have been “betrayed” by the translation history taught by the Church for over 190 years.

Did Joseph Smith study and master the Nephite language? Did the Prophet tutor some of the early Brethren in ancient Nephite characters?

Did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon using a dark seer stone in a hat?

Why are progressive historians creating a new history using sources from a man who vowed to wash his hands in the blood of Joseph Smith, while boasting that he had deceived the Prophet and his God?” Joseph Smith Foundation

Below is part of one chapter of that book. This chapter will expose many Historian’s and Professors trying to take Joseph Smith down a notch in his credibility. I just think it makes Joseph look more as a Prophet of God. We only try to ruin and take down those whom we fear the most.

Indolent Treasure Digger: The Josiah Stowell Letter

“Mark Hofmann continued to forge and sell an increasingly prodigious number of documents, including a letter from Joseph Smith to his wife Emma, which he sold to Brent Ashworth for $6,000. Other documents included: a letter dated January 13, 1873, from Martin Harris to Walter Conrad, a letter dated January 23, 1829, from Lucy Mack Smith to Mary Pierce, and a letter dated April 2, 1873, from David Whitmer to Walter Conrad. Hofmann produced a half-page fragment of the book of Mosiah, a fragment from the book of Helaman, and other seemingly unimportant artifacts, such as Spanish Fork Co-Operative notes. All of these and more served to bolster Hofmann’s persona as a bona fide historical documents expert. Before the exposure of his fraud and subsequent downfall, the Church would add at least 446 Hofmann forgeries to its collection. Even then, this staggering list “represents only a fraction of the documents that passed through Hofmann’s hands.” … To read more about the Mark Hoffman forgeries read, Faith Crisis Volume 1 We We’re Not Betrayed. Stoddard’s at their Best!

A Product of the Times?

“With the eventual release of the [forged] Josiah Stowell Letter, headlines such as, “Letter Revealing Mormon Founder’s Belief in Spirits, Occult Released“ sent a shockwave through the Latter-day Saint community, leaving many members reeling. Progressive historians, authors, and journalists began weighing in on the implications and its effect on the Church. Peggy Fletcher, an editor for Sunstone, and subsequent religion writer for the Salt Lake Tribune, commented: 

Mormon intellectuals “will have to revise their traditional understanding” of the origins of their church, she said, and the letter will raise questions “in some minds” about the divine inspiration of their faith. 

Jan Shipps, a prominent non-Latter-day Saint New Mormon Historian, commented after the release of the Josiah Stowell Letter, that in light of Hofmann’s documents, “. . . educated Mormons who have managed to hold off their questions of the truth of their church’s origins will have to face the fact that Joseph Smith didn’t tell the whole story.” 

The essence of the progressive history argument—that Joseph Smith was involved in treasure digging and ritual magic, and covered it up (essentially lying)—necessarily challenges the integrity of the Prophet Joseph Smith. In his histories, Joseph made his affiliation unambiguously clear in relation to his money digging: that he had only worked for hire, had never indulged in it as a profession, nor had he engaged in it as a hobby or for personal interest. He had merely worked for someone else, who was a treasure digger, and had done his best to persuade his employer to give up the useless venture. Suggesting that Joseph Smith was a treasure digger effectively charges the Prophet as being deceptive and misleading. 

If Joseph Smith was not honest, his deceit would immediately discredit the Restoration of the Gospel, as President Joseph Fielding Smith would later teach:” 

“Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a Prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead people, then he should be exposed, his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false . . . .” Joseph Fielding Smith

Seer Stone V. Urim and Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial continues, “The doctrinal and historical upheaval during the 1980s left many members desperately struggling with what to believe. Marvin S. Hill, former progressive American history professor at BYU, commented that: “It [the Josiah Stowell Letter] shows that Joseph was deeply into some of the money-digging techniques, and it forces a lot of historians to reevaluate the many accounts of Joseph’s money-digging activities prior to getting the Book of Mormon plates.”

As we will see later, a central theme of the New Mormon History includes a restructuring of Joseph Smith’s character. A few years prior to the publication of this work, a progressive Latter-day Saint historian informed the authors of his goal to “take Joseph Smith off of the pedestal to which he has been placed by past Presidents of the Church and manuals.” Progressive historians understand that to change the Restoration, or to change the Church, one must change its foundation—its origins. 

Those who accepted the Josiah Stowell Letter as genuine history while at the same time seeking to accept Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, faced the challenge of melding two contending worlds: Christianity and magic. Reflecting that concern, The Washington Post published an official statement justifying dowsing and magic treasure digging as “common practices of the times,” and that Joseph Smith’s practice “does not appear unusual in the context of the times”: 

A statement from the church’s First Presidency in Salt Lake City appeared to play down the significance of the Smith letter — for which church officials reportedly paid $25,000 — by characterizing it as an interesting historical document reflecting common practices of the times.

“The letter speaks of a procedure that we in our time would refer to as similar to the use of a dowsing rod,” said the statement. “This does not appear unusual in the context of the times.”

Richard L. Bushman, progressive historian and author of Rough Stone Rolling, would later echo this argument, adding that Joseph was “involved in magic,” had “treasure-seeking greed,” and that magic was a “preparatory gospel” in training the young man as a prophet of God. However, Bushman argued that “all sorts of treasure seekers were also serious Christians,” so to him, it just wasn’t a big deal: See Blog on Bushman Here

It was no more scandalous than say gambling, playing poker today. A little bit discredited and slightly morally disreputable but not really evil. And when it was found that all sorts of treasure seekers were also serious Christians, why not the Smiths too? So, instead of being a puzzle or a contradiction, it was just one aspect of Smith family culture and not really anything to be worried about.

Contrary to Bushman’s claims, when Mormonism Unvailed was published in 1834, accusing the Smith family of involvement in magic, treasure digging, etc. the public was incensed. The First Presidency reported that Hurlbut’s claims “fired the minds of the people with much indignation” against Joseph Smith and the Church. No good Christian in Joseph Smith’s day heard Hurlbut and thought, “Those Smiths are kind of weird but no big deal.”

The accusations of magic and treasure digging Hurlbut & Howe conjured up carried grave implications for early 19^th-century Americans, and were published with the specific intent of destroying Joseph Smith’s character. Just as his enemies had hoped, the publication resulted in increased and intense persecution. When “serious Christians” in Joseph Smith’s day—and this is true as well for serious Christians in our day—heard that Joseph Smith was “expert in the arts of necromancy” and that he had spent his boyhood “digging into the hills and mountains” searching for gold, the slanders destroyed his credibility and impeded interest in the ongoing work of the Restoration of the Gospel. Viewed as ‘blots’ on the character of the young Prophet, most of the persecution leveled against the Church in 1834 was rooted firmly in these scandalous tales.” By James and Hannah Stoddard, Seer Stone V. Urim and Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial!

Historians seem to take great pride in publishing something new, particularly if it illustrates a weakness or mistake of a prominent historical figure. For some reason, historians and novelists seem to savor such things. If it related to a living person, it would come under the heading of gossip. History can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult—often impossible—to verify. The writer or the teacher who has an exaggerated loyalty to the theory that everything must be told is laying a foundation for his own judgment. He should not complain if one day he himself receives as he has given. Perhaps that is what is contemplated in having one’s sins preached from the housetops. The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

The Lord Jesus Christ

On Memorial Day we remember and respect with honor anyone whom we love and respect who has died. I begin by respecting and showing love for my Savior Jesus Christ. He died for all that we may live again. He suffered for all that our sins be forgiven. He created this world and looks after us daily. There is no greater person in my memory this day than the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Parents and Ancestors

Next my memories go to my wonderful Parents who have both passed. They taught me the true principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are loved and I think of them daily. They knew just how to love and teach me, so that I would one day grow up from being a silly boy to a blessed man with a wonderful eternal wife Stacy, and two wonderful children and two beautiful and special granddaughters.

I have a wonderful Ancestor who many of you know named John Howland, who was saved from drowning during the Mayflower voyage. John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley are my 10th great grand parents through their oldest daughter Desire. Blog Here: Joseph Smith is also John Howland’s 5th grandson through John Howland Jr. and Emma Smith is John Howland’s 5th great granddaughter through Hope Howland.

John Howland probably had a greater impact on the history of the United States than many. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are unaware that they owe their very existence to Howland as they celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that commemorates a feast shared between Native Americans and the Pilgrims of the Mayflower. Howland boarded the ship as a servant of Carver, the first governor of the New Plymouth Colony, but he almost never made it to the New World. He fell overboard in the middle of the Atlantic during a gale but grabbed a trailing rope and was hauled back aboard by sailors using boat hooks. I am in some very blessed ancestry as I remember those who have died before me this Memorial Day.

I love the United Stated of America and feel so blessed to have been born here. I don’t take it for granted as I try often to share my blessings with others. I remember all the fallen heroes of any previous war or conflict, men and women who died in the line of duty to protect the freedom of our great country, our country that has been call a Promised Land, a Land Choice above others and the Land of the Book of Mormon events.

I love Fiji and Kiribati

I don’t love the people of the USA more than anyone else. I served the Fijians and Kirabati people and love them very much. I was the first mission companion of Elder Naborisi (left) in 1975 and I baptised Paul Whippy in 1977. I sure love them and know that Fiji is a blessed place. I love the Native Americans as my parents served the Navajo, Hopi and Apache in New Mexico. My son served the Inuit’s of Alaska. I have always admired and loved the Jews very much as our brothers from Judah. The fact remains the Lord chose the USA, not because it’s better but because it was His choice just as choosing Israel was His choice. I love the world but I also love the USA the most, just as others from their country should love it the most. I believe exactly as Pres Hinckley said here, “I should like to say a few words about America…No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America…surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty.” Gordon B. Hinckley Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”, BYU Speeches of the Year, October 29, 1974, pp. 267-68 ) Notice he said “CHOSEN” because it was chosen, no other reason.

Places I Visited

President Thomas S. Monson/Joseph Smith

“Our Heavenly Father inspired Christopher Columbus in his discovery of America. Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of the renaissance period. Our Heavenly Father inspired men and caused that they would dream dreams and see visions and discover marvelous instruments and inventions which would enable them to set forth upon the oceans and to be led to the place where our Father in Heaven would have them led. Our Heavenly Father inspired the man who invented movable type, that His holy word, as found in the Bible, could be printed and disseminated widely to the people. Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of . . . the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and . . . Bill of Rights, that . . . by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate (USA) where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr. His life’s mission would alter the course of all future events. Thus, came Joseph into the world.” Teachings of Thomas S Monson 2011 (Twenty-First Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermon, December 11, 1963) I love Joseph Smith who I praise this wonderful Memorial Day.

Adam to Americans – All in North America

I also this memorial day reflect on all that God has done for our country. First Adam was placed here near Adam-Ondi-Ahman. He allowed Noah to protect this Promised Land by ridding North America of all it’s evil except 8. The Lord always reserved America to those who would covenant with Him and stay righteous. That’s why the Lord sent the Jaredites back to this Promised Land because of their righteousness. They sadly died as evil at the Hill Ramah in upstate New York. Then the Nephites were brought to live in America, but they were here only 1,000 years and their wickedness saw them destroyed at the same hill as the Jaredites, but they called it Hill Cumorah. Then almost 1,000 years later the Lord sent Columbus to this Promised Land as He inspired Columbus to discover a route to the Bahamas which had a group of natives called the Taino’ who had came from Florida living here. He guided the Puritans and Pilgrims to come to America and in 1620 they established Plymouth. Now today we thank the Lord for allowing the Gentile nations of Europe to come back here to America where we have gone full circle from Adam in about 4,000 BC to today in 2021, and the same place we will end up in the New Jerusalem here in America in Missouri. What a choice land we have been blessed to live in. And all those immigrants who come here legally are welcomed with open arms to enjoy America with us.

Lehi’s People and Mulek

Speaking about Lehi’s people, “Joseph wrote, “They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph.”  It is possible that Joseph Smith was referring to Zoram after all, clarifying he was not a Jew. He may have been referring to those who accompanied the Mulekites (presumably Phoenicians). But it is also possible that he was referring to others who accompanied Lehi… To summarize: I think Lehi brought servants and landed in a mostly uninhabited area in Florida, among a small population of hunter/gatherers who lacked a well-organized society. Moroni’s America page 84-86

Jonathan Neville More on Columbus

“Here’s a map showing Columbus’ route of discovery. Nephi does not describe the “man among the Gentiles” making multiple voyages. He refers only to the first voyage that took him to “the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.” For that reason, I focus on the first voyage.

The green line in the map is Columbus first journey to the Americas. The pink line is his route home. The yellow line is the route of the Mulekites from Moroni’s America. The orange line is Lehi’s route from Moroni’s America.

I think Lehi landed in Florida for all the reasons I’ve explained in Moroni’s America. He may have sailed south of Cuba to get there because of ocean currents and wind, but it’s interesting that Mulek, Lehi and Columbus converge on the same areas.

Of course, the first people Columbus encountered were from Florida (they had inhabited the Bahamas). So if you want to believe Columbus was the man identified by Nephi, then the first people he encountered were not from Mesoamerica or South America; they were from North America, not far from where Lehi originally landed (in Florida).

If you have Mesomania, you’ll ignore Columbus’ first voyage, the only one Nephi described, and instead focus on his later voyages where he sailed along the coast of Honduras. Then you’ll say Honduras is “close enough” to Guatemala and southern Mexico.

You’ll also claim that although Lehi landed on the west coast of Central America (or Chile, or Baja, or Panama), and Columbus sailed by the east coast, they both went to the same promised land.

For me, Nephi’s description makes far more sense if Lehi, Mulek, and Columbus converged on the same basic place in the Caribbean. I even think Nephi’s vision of “Columbus,” which he had before they left the old world, helped him recognize the promised land once he arrived there.”

But that’s just me.” Source: Book of Mormon Wars

“In the next part of his article, Brother Clark sets forth the Columbus argument that so many M2C writers have relied upon. I engage this just to show how easy it is to support one’s argument by attacking an easy target and ignoring arguments that contradict what you’re advocating.

Fortunately for Brother Clark, Brother Curtis is an easy target. Brother Clark quotes him as writing, “Columbus didn’t actually come to North America…” Of course, that’s factually wrong. The Bahamas and Cuba are north of southern Mexico and are part of North America.” Moroni’s America

“Here’s a map above showing Columbus’ route of discovery. Nephi does not describe the “man among the Gentiles” making multiple voyages. He refers only to the first voyage that took him to “the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.” For that reason, I focus on the first voyage. The red line in the map is Columbus first journey to the Americas. The black line is the route of the Mulekites all the way up the Mississippi River and was stopped by the the Des Moines Rapids so the Mulekites landed near Montrose Iowa (Zarahemla). I believe that be cause of the following scripture in Omni 1:15-16.

“Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon. And they journeyed in the wilderness, and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” Omni 1:15-16

In other words Mosiah met the Mulekites in Zarahemla (Montrose, Iowa) the same place they had always been . If the Mulekites would have traveled up the St Lawrence seaway how would they have landed in Iowa, the place they had always been? I know Wayne and others believe the Atlantic route for the Mulekites and it could be either way.

The blue line is Lehi’s route. I think Lehi landed in Florida for all the reasons I’ve explained in Moroni’s America. He may have sailed south of Cuba to get there because of ocean currents and wind, but it’s interesting that Mulek, Lehi and Columbus converge on the same areas.” Jonathan Neville Moroni’s America.

Jonathan Neville continued, “I’ve shown previously that, in fact, the first place Columbus landed (probably–the location remains open for debate) was the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. This is less than 400 miles from Florida. (Many LDS tbelieve Lehi landed in Florida.) On that first voyage, Columbus also visited Cayo Cruz in Cuba, which is only 134 miles from Florida.

By contrast, San Salvador is 1,400 miles from the east coast of southern Mexico. M2C intellectuals think Lehi landed on the west coast of southern Mexico or Guatemala, which of course is even farther away from San Salvador, Cayo Cruz, and the other places Columbus visited in 1492.

M2C intellectuals like to invoke all of Columbus’ voyages, because on his fourth voyage in 1502 he visited Trujillon on the east coast of Honduras, which is closer to their Mesoamerican setting. But it’s still far away. In addition to being the wrong coast, Trujillo is 300 miles away from Guatemala City.

Plus, before Columbus’ fourth voyage in 1502, Cabot landed in Newfoundland (1497) and Cabral landed in Brazil (1500), so it’s difficult to justify Columbus 4th voyage as the one Nephi described in 1 Nephi 13:12. Before the time of the events in verse 13, when “other Gentiles” are coming, the man in verse 12 had already sailed upon the many waters “unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.” This means the Bahamas and Cuba, not Mesoamerica. Columbus’ fourth voyage to Honduras was too late to qualify.

If, as I believe, Lehi and Nephi crossed the Atlantic and landed in Florida, they would have sailed roughly the same route Columbus did through the Caribbean. (The Mulekites also sailed along a similar route, as I explain here.)

There’s another important point. Assuming Lehi sailed all the way to Florida through the area Columbus visited, it’s not surprising that Nephi, having had a vision of the promised land, recognized the place when they sailed through the area on their way to the landing site in Florida. The M2C theory requires that Lehi landed on the west coast of Mexico, an area Columbus never saw or even came close to, which raises the question of how Nephi would have recognized it from his vision.

I realize all of this is getting in the weeds, but when M2C scholars insist Columbus visited Mesoamerica and not North America (meaning the U.S.), we have to assess their claims. No matter how you look at it, Columbus and Nephi are aligned with Caribbean voyages but not with a theory that has Lehi landing on the west coast of Mesoamerica.

This is a digression from Cumorah, obviously, but Brother Clark’s Columbus discussion fails to take into account these critical elements. As do the Columbus arguments of all the M2C proponents.” Jonathan Neville

See another blog here about Columbus

Abraham Lincoln Loved America and Niagara

“When Columbus first sought this continent—when Christ suffered on the cross—when Moses led Israel through the Red-Sea—nay, even, when Adam first came from the hand of his Maker—then as now, Niagara was roaring here. The eyes of that species of extinct giants, whose bones fill the mounds of America, have gazed on Niagara, as ours do now. Co[n]temporary with the whole race of men, and older than the first man, Niagara is strong, and fresh to-day as ten thousand years ago. The Mammoth and Mastadon—now so long dead, that fragments of their monstrous bones, alone testify, that they ever lived, have gazed on Niagara. In that long—long time, never still for a single moment. Never dried, never froze, never slept, never rested, Abraham Lincoln

Mark E. Petersen

“We know that various explorers discovered America anciently, well before Christopher Columbus. The Norsemen came over to what they called Vinland, as you remember, and there were others. It is interesting to read about them, but, mark you, not one of them established permanent colonies. God would not allow them here. Colonization was reserved for the people whom the Lord himself would bring to this country. Even though there were earlier discoveries of America, none of them counted so far as God was concerned because he had his eye upon Columbus.

I hope that when you read the Book of Mormon you will read carefully the last chapter of first Nephi, which refers to the day in which we are living. In this chapter Nephi talked about this land and the gentiles who in latter days would be brought here. Then he said:

And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded [the scattering of the ten tribes and the Jews to all parts of the world], that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land [the United States]; and by them shall our seed be scattered. [Through the Indian wars the Indians were scattered by the early Americans.]

And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.

And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. [1 Nephi 22:7–9]” The Great Prologue by Mark E. Petersen.

Ezra Taft Benson Great Words about America from Joseph Smith Foundation

“When this nation was established, the Church was restored and from here the message of the restored gospel has gone forth-all according to divine plan. This then becomes the Lord’s base of operations in these latter days. And this base-the land of America—will not be shifted out of its place. This nation will, in a measure at least, fulfill its mission even though it may face serious and troublesome days. The degree to which it achieves its full mission depends upon the righteousness of its people. God, through His power, has established a free people in this land as a means of helping to carry forward His purposes. It was His latter-day purpose to bring forth His gospel in America, not in any other place. It was in America where the Book of Mormon plates were deposited. That was no accident. It was His design. It was in this same America where they were brought to light by angelic ministry. [1]. It was here where He organized His modern Church, where He, Himself, made a modern personal appearance [2]; [3]. It was here under a free government and a strong nation that protection was provided for His restored Church. Now God will not permit America, His base of operations, to be destroyed. He has promised protection to this land if we will but serve the God of the land [4]. He has also promised protection to the righteous even, if necessary, to send fire from heaven to destroy their enemies [5]. No, God’s base of operations will not be destroyed. But it may be weakened and made less effective.

How to Win World War III

One of the first rules of war strategy-and we are at war with the adversary and his agents-is to protect the base of operations. This we must do if we are to build up the kingdom throughout the world and safeguard our God-given freedom. We must protect this base of operations from every threat-from sin, from unrighteousness, from immorality, from desecration of the Sabbath day, from lawlessness, from parental and juvenile delinquency. We must protect it from dirty movies, from filthy advertising, from salacious and suggestive television programs, magazines, and books. We must protect this base from idleness, subsidies, doles, and soft governmental paternalism which weakens initiative, discourages industry, destroys character, and demoralizes the people. To protect this base we must protect the soul of America-we must return to a love and respect for the basic spiritual concepts upon which this nation has been established. We must study the Constitution and the writings of the Founding Fathers. If we are to protect this American base, we must realize that all things, including information disseminated by our schools, churches, and governments, should be judged according to the words of the prophets, especially the living prophet. This procedure, coupled with the understanding which will come through the Spirit of the Lord, if we are living in compliance with the scriptures, is the only sure foundation and basis of judgment. Any other course of action leaves us muddled, despondent, wandering in shades of gray, easy targets for Satan. If we fail in these pressing and important matters, we may well fall far short of the great mission the Lord has proffered and outlined for America and for His divinely restored Church. [6] I testify to you that this is a choice land, that God held this hemisphere, as it were, in the palm of His hand for hundreds, yea, thousands of years in order that the great mission of this land might be undertaken and might be accomplished. [7] This is a great country and certainly this greatness was foreshadowed and foreseen by ancient prophets who lived here, prophecies made by the brother of Jared [8], by Lehi, by Jacob [9], and by Nephi of old [10]. It is enough to know that this nation has a prophetic history. All of the great events that have transpired here, including the coming of Columbus and of the Pilgrim fathers, were foreseen by ancient prophets [11]. It was predicted that those who came to this great land would prosper here, that they would humble themselves before the Almighty, that the power of God would be with them, and that this nation would move forward to its great destiny. [12]. [13] I bear witness that America’s history was foreknown to God; that His divine intervention and merciful providence has given us both peace and prosperity in this beloved land; that through His omniscience and benevolent design He selected and sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of our government [14]. These men were inspired of God to do the work they accomplished. They were not evil men. Their work was a prologue to the restoration of the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ. It was done in fulfillment of the ancient prophets who declared that this was a promised land, “a land of liberty unto the Gentiles,” and that is us [15]. [16]

I testify that America is a choice land. (See 2 Nephi 1:5.) God raised up the founding fathers of the United States of America and established the inspired Constitution. (See D&C 101:77–80.) This was the required prologue for the restoration of the gospel. (See 3 Nephi 21:4.) America will be a blessed land unto the righteous forever, and is the base from which God will continue to direct the worldwide latter-day operations of His kingdom. (See 2 Nephi 1:7.)

The restoration of the gospel and the establishment of the Lord’s Church could not come to pass until the Founding Fathers were raised up and completed their foreordained missions. Those great souls who were responsible for the freedoms we enjoy acknowledged the guiding hand of Providence. For their efforts we are indebted, but we are even more indebted to our Father in Heaven and to His Son, Jesus Christ. How fortunate we are to live when the blessings of liberty and the gospel of Jesus Christ are both available to us. 2

The coming forth of the Constitution is of such transcendent importance in the Lord’s plan that ancient prophets foresaw this event and prophesied of it. In the dedicatory prayer for the Idaho Falls Temple, President George Albert Smith indicated that the Constitution fulfilled the ancient prophecy of Isaiah that “out of Zion shall go forth the law” (Isaiah 2:3). 3

History is not an accident. Events are foreknown to God. His superintending influence is behind the actions of his righteous children. Long before America was even discovered, the Lord was moving and shaping events that would lead to the coming forth of the remarkable form of government established by the Constitution. America had to be free and independent to fulfill this destiny. 4

Before the gospel could again shine forth its resplendent light, religious and political freedom first had to be restored. This land had been preserved as a continent apart from the religious oppression, tyranny, and intolerance of Europe. In time, emigrants came to the new land and established colonies. By and large, they were a God-fearing people. A war was fought for their independence, and by God’s intervention, victory was achieved (see 1 Nephi 13:16–19). By that same omnipotent power the Constitution was born (see D&C 101:80), which guaranteed religious and political liberty (see D&C 98:5–8). Only then was the time propitious for the kingdom of God — that “stone cut out without hands” — to be restored (see Dan 2:34). 5″ Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson; “I Testify”, General Conference, October 1988 “Responsibilities of Citizenship,” BYU, Provo, Utah, 1954

1. ↑ Book of Mormon Introduction
2. ↑ D&C 20:1
3. ↑ Joseph Smith-History 1:17
4. ↑ Ether 2:12
5. ↑ 1 Nephi 22:17
6. ↑ Ezra Taft Benson, Title of Liberty, pp. 88-91; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 571
7. ↑ Ezra Taft Benson, CR October 1954, Improvement Era 57 [December 1954]: 922; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 574
8. ↑ Ether 13:8
9. ↑ 2 Nephi 10:18-19
10. ↑ 1 Nephi 13:13-20
11. ↑ 1 Nephi 13:12-13
12. ↑ 1 Nephi 13:15-19
13. ↑ Ezra Taft Benson, “Responsibilities of Citizenship,” BYU, Provo, Utah, 22 October 1954; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson p. 575
14. ↑ D&C 101:80
15. ↑ 2 Nephi 1:7
16. ↑ Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, p. 23; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 578

1. Ezra Taft Benson, “I Testify”, General Conference, October 1988
2. Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 604; from an address given at the Bicentennial Ball, Salt Lake City, UT, 18 Sep 1987
3. Ezra Taft Benson, CHB 16; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 595
4. Ezra Taft Benson, CHB 10; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 587 
5. Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure 116; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 109 
6. John Quincy Adams, Independence Day speech, Newburyport, MA, July 04, 1837

Don’t pretend that our complaints alone will solve America’s problems.
REPENT
Your tolerance for an individual does not grant them license to do wrong.
FORGIVE

The messages of two of my Heores

Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, USA (Ret.)

“It’s a simple fact of life that people like to complain… I understand the allure of this mentality. I can complain with the best of them. Yet, patriots can’t pretend that our complaints alone will solve America’s problems”.

President Russell M Nelson

“We must recognize at the outset that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate. Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue.”

General Michael Flynn Has an Urgent Message To Americans

It’s a simple fact of life that people like to complain. If you don’t believe me, just watch the evening news. Even when we say we don’t, each one of us has an innate desire to lament everything that is wrong with the world.

Sadly, this problem is nothing new. In Scripture, we read how the children of Israel complained that they were going to die of starvation in the wilderness. The Lord answered in spite of their attitude by miraculously providing them with a daily supply of food that tasted “like wafers made with honey.” Incredulously, it wasn’t long after that the Israelites were complaining that the Lord’s miraculous all-you-can-eat buffet was not good enough for them.

I understand the allure of this mentality. I can complain with the best of them. Yet, patriots can’t pretend that our complaints alone will solve America’s problems. If we are going to see meaningful change, we must be willing to take action.

In his essay titled “The Way to Wealth,” Benjamin Franklin said “Friends and neighbors complain that taxes are indeed very heavy…. We are taxed twice as much by our idleness…. Let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us: ‘God helps them that help themselves.’” Franklin not only wrote these words but lived them too. He was a patriot willing to take action when others were only willing to complain.

All of our Founding Fathers exemplified that same spirit of tenacity, but I find it much more encouraging to know that they made a way for us to turn our complaints into action. In the First Amendment, we have secured a right to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” These words mean that American citizens have a right not only to air our complaints but to do so with the understanding that we demand action from the proper authorities. The proper authority to petition will vary depending upon the grievance, but the inalienable right of the citizen remains true regardless.

Exercising this right is a patriot’s responsibility, a fact highlighted by the Memorial Day we commemorate in just a few days. As we memorialize the sacrifice of countless brave men and women who gave everything to secure our liberties, empty complaints should taste like sawdust on our lips. We have no excuse not to honor their courage with our actions.

If you don’t know where to begin, start small. Raise the American flag for Memorial Day and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with your family. If you can’t get a flag that quickly, Flag Day is just around the corner. Once you’ve done that, find good groups of active patriots in your area. Internet forums can never take the place of the camaraderie that comes with local patriots acting together to better their community.

I also hope you will listen to the first episode of my new podcast, where I dig deeper into why Americans should stop complaining and start doing. You can find the podcast exclusively at AmericasFuture.net, where you can also leave a donation to support our ongoing work. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, USA (Ret.)
Chairman, America’s Future, Inc.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
F YOU LOVE NEWS, YOU’LL LOVE OUR HOMEPAGE! May 29, 2021

“Teach Us Tolerance and Love”

Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Dear brothers and sisters, I join my brethren in extending Easter greetings to each of you, while expressing personal gratitude for the atonement of Jesus Christ, for His example, and for His teachings that have motivated my message today.

I have been impressed to speak on the subject of tolerance—a virtue much needed in our turbulent world. But in discussing this topic, we must recognize at the outset that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate. Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue.

I attended a “laboratory of tolerance” some months ago when I had the privilege of participating in the Parliament of the World’s Religions. There I conversed with good men and women representing many religious groups. Again I sensed the advantages of ethnic and cultural diversity and reflected once more on the importance of religious freedom and tolerance.

I marvel at the inspiration of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he penned the eleventh article of faith: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” [A of F 1:11]

That noble expression of religious tolerance is particularly poignant in light of the Prophet’s personal persecution. On one occasion he wrote, “I am at this time persecuted the worst of any man on the earth, as well as this people, … all our sacred rights are trampled under the feet of the mob.”

Joseph Smith endured incessant persecution and finally heartless martyrdom—at the hands of the intolerant. His brutal fate stands as a stark reminder that we must never be guilty of any sin sown by the seed of intolerance.

Two Great Commandments to Love

Revealed to that revered prophet was the fulness of the gospel. He was tutored by the resurrected Christ, whom Joseph adored. He taught doctrines declared by the Lord, including these He gave in response to the question of an exacting lawyer:

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Hence, our highest priorities in life are to love God and to love our neighbors. That broadly includes neighbors in our own family, our community, our nation, and our world. Obedience to the second commandment facilitates obedience to the first commandment. “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

Parental Love

That concept is easy for mothers and fathers to understand. Parental love includes gratitude for service extended to any of their children, especially in their time of need.

I was amused recently when one of our grown children confided that she had always thought that she was her daddy’s favorite daughter. She was surprised to discover later that each of her eight sisters harbored that same feeling. Only when they had become mothers themselves did they realize that parents hardly have favorites. (Incidentally, our only son never had to wonder who was our favorite son.)

Our Father in Heaven loves all of His children, too. Peter taught that “God is no respecter of persons:

“But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”

Yet His children can be so intolerant with one another. Neighboring factions, whether they be identified as groups or gangs, schools or states, counties or countries, often develop animosity. Such tendencies make me wonder: Cannot boundary lines exist without becoming battle lines? Could not people unite in waging war against the evils that beset mankind instead of waging war on each other? Sadly, answers to these questions are often no. Through the years, discrimination based on ethnic or religious identity has led to senseless slaughter, vicious pogroms, and countless acts of cruelty. The face of history is pocked by the ugly scars of intolerance.

How different our world would be if all parents would apply this inspired instruction from the Book of Mormon: “Ye will not suffer your children … that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another. …

“But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.”

If such training occurred, children and parents around this globe would join in singing, “Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving; Teach us tolerance and love.” Men and women would respect their neighbors and the beliefs held sacred by them. No longer would ethnic jokes and cultural slurs be acceptable. The tongue of the tolerant speaks no guile.

Independence and Cooperation

While we strive for the virtue of tolerance, other commendable qualities need not be lost. Tolerance does not require the surrender of noble purpose or of individual identity. The Lord gave instruction to leaders of His restored church to establish and maintain institutional integrity—“that the church may stand independent.”

Meanwhile, its members are encouraged to join with like-minded citizens in doing good. We are grateful for the many examples of heroic service rendered in times of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, or other disasters. Such cooperative efforts to help neighbors in distress transcend any barriers posed by religion, race, or culture. Those good deeds are latter-day love in action!

Humanitarian relief rendered by members of this church is extensive, multinational, and generally unpublicized. Even so, there are doubtless many who wonder why we don’t do more to assist the innumerable worthy causes to which our hearts respond.

Of course we are concerned with the need for ambulances in the valley below. But at the same time, we cannot ignore the greater need for protective guardrails on the cliffs above. Limited resources needed for the accomplishment of the higher work cannot be depleted in rescue efforts that provide only temporary relief… We are but the builders; the architect is almighty God.

Missionary Responsibilities

Latter-day Saints throughout the world work side by side with others—regardless of race, color, or creed—hoping to be good examples worthy of emulation. The Savior said: “I give unto you a commandment, that every man, both elder, priest, teacher, and also member, … prepare and accomplish the things which I have commanded.

“And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness.”

This we are to do with tolerance. While in Moscow in June 1991, in that spirit of preparation and with sincere respect for leaders of other religious denominations, Elder Dallin H. Oaks and I had the privilege of meeting with the presiding official of the Russian Orthodox Church. We were accompanied by Elder Hans B. Ringger and the mission president, Gary L. Browning. Patriarch Aleksei was most gracious in sharing a memorable hour with us. We perceived the great difficulties endured for so many years by this kind man and his fellow believers. We thanked him for his perseverance and for his faith. Then we assured him of our good intentions and of the importance of the message that missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be teaching among his countrymen. We affirmed that ours is a global church and that we honor and obey the laws of each land in which we labor.

To those with an interest in the fulness of the restored gospel—regardless of nationality or religious background—we say as did Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Keep all the truth and all the good that you have. Do not abandon any sound or proper principle. Do not forsake any standard of the past which is good, righteous, and true. Every truth found in every church in all the world we believe. But we also say this to all men—Come and take the added light and truth that God has restored in our day. The more truth we have, the greater is our joy here and now; the more truth we receive, the greater is our reward in eternity. This is our invitation to men [and women] of good will everywhere.”

Each of you with a testimony of the truth of the restored gospel has opportunity to share that precious gift. The Lord expects you to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness.”

Baptism Transcends Background

On every continent and across isles of the sea, the faithful are being gathered into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Differences in cultural background, language, gender, and facial features fade into insignificance as members lose themselves in service to their beloved Savior. Paul’s declaration is being fulfilled: “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Only the comprehension of the true Fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of man. That understanding inspires desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.

Our Creator decreed “that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.”

Intolerance seeds contention; tolerance supersedes contention. Tolerance is the key that opens the door to mutual understanding and love.

Risks of Boundless Tolerance

Now may I offer an important note of caution. An erroneous assumption could be made that if a little of something is good, a lot must be better. Not so! Overdoses of needed medication can be toxic. Boundless mercy could oppose justice. So tolerance, without limit, could lead to spineless permissiveness.

The Lord drew boundary lines to define acceptable limits of tolerance. Danger rises when those divine limits are disobeyed. Just as parents teach little children not to run and play in the street, the Savior taught us that we need not tolerate evil. “Jesus went into the temple of God, and … and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers.” Though He loved the sinner, the Lord said that He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.” His Apostle Paul specified some of those sins in a letter to the Galatians. The list included “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

“Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, … wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

“Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.”

To Paul’s list I might add the regrettable attitudes of bigotry, hypocrisy, and prejudice. These were also decried in 1834 by early Church leaders who foresaw the eventual rise of this church “amid the frowns of bigots and the calumny of hypocrites.” The Prophet Joseph Smith prayed that “prejudices may give way before the truth.” Hatred stirs up strife and digs beneath the dignity of mature men and women in our enlightened era.

Paul’s list included “uncleanness.” As members of the Church entrusted with its holy temples, we are commanded that “no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into [His] house to pollute it…”

Tolerance and Mutual Respect

Our commitment to the Savior causes us to scorn sin yet heed His commandment to love our neighbors. Together we live on this earth, which is to be tended, subdued, and shared with gratitude. Each of us can help to make life in this world a more pleasant experience. Not long ago the First Presidency and the Twelve issued a public statement from which I quote: “It is morally wrong for any person or group to deny anyone his or her inalienable dignity on the tragic and abhorrent theory of racial or cultural superiority.

“We call upon all people everywhere to recommit themselves to the time-honored ideals of tolerance and mutual respect. We sincerely believe that as we acknowledge one another with consideration and compassion we will discover that we can all peacefully coexist despite our deepest differences.”

That pronouncement is a contemporary confirmation of the Prophet Joseph’s earlier entreaty for tolerance. Unitedly we may respond. Together we may stand, intolerant of transgression but tolerant of neighbors with differences they hold sacred. Our beloved brothers and sisters throughout the world are all children of God. He is our Father. His Son, Jesus, is the Christ. His church has been restored to the earth in these latter days to bless all of God’s children. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Full Article Here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1994/04/teach-us-tolerance-and-love?lang=eng

#GiveThanks

Video Below:
President Russell M. Nelson on the Healing Power of Gratitude

#comeuntojesus #lds #jesus

Tear Jerker
Come Unto Jesus | Madilyn Paige

My Newest Blog Titled:
JFK’S 1961 Prophecy EXPOSES Obama, Hillary, Pope Francis, and the NWO

Dana Young – Ancient Plants: A Message from the Ground
55 Minute Video

In 1995, Dana Young began his scientific discovery into the world of alternative medicine and essential oils. After years of personal study and training with the leading experts and authorities of alternative medicine and essential oils, he was able to glean a broad understanding of the chemistry and science of essential oils. Dana is one of the very few people in the world who has been involved with every aspect of essential oil production. Because of this, he has extensive knowledge of the importance of the seed selection, propagation, cultivation, harvesting, distillation, and quality testing of essential oils. Dana provides a unique and robust understanding of essential oils that no other essential oil provider in the industry can offer. His knowledge and background of these medicinal plants provide Be Young with the highest quality essential oils on the market.

Link if you are logged into your Streaming Account:
https://bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com/videos/apr-2021-virtual-expo/dana-young-ancient-plants-a-message-from-the-ground/

Spotted Bee Balm – Why is it significant in the Book of Mormon? Kevin Price, PhD biogeography (plant ecology) 85 Minute Video

Rapidly Emerging Technologies for Archaeological Site Surveys and Virtual Reality 3D Modeling: Looking for the Great City of Zarahemla

Dr. Kevin Price grew up in the small town of Green River, Utah (watermelon country). He served as a missionary for two years in the California, Anaheim mission under the leadership of Elder Rex C. Reeves. He attended Rick’s College (now BYU-Idaho), then transferred to BYU in Provo where he met his wife, Melinda and was married in the Salt Lake Temple. He has two daughters; Kaylie is director of marketing for a company in Wisconsin and Julia is in her last semester at BYU in the School of Business. Kevin severed in his Kansas ward as the High Priest’s Group Leader, Gospel Doctrine Instructor and Secretary to the Young Men’s program. He now serves as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.

He did his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at BYU in Rangeland Ecology and Ph.D. at the University of Utah in Geography specializing in biogeography (plant ecology), remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) (or computerized mapping and analysis). He was a professor for 3 years at Utah State University, 19 years at the University of Kansas and 6 years at Kansas State University. He has conducted research throughout the world and has been the Keynote or Invited speaker on drone applications in agriculture and natural resource management throughout the world at over 100 conferences. He served as a scientific advisor to NASA, NOAA and a former US Secretary of State.

Kevin is currently the Chief Emerging Technologies Officer for Air Data Solutions with offices throughout the US. He analyzes drone and airplane acquired imagery including natural color, color infrared, thermal and LiDAR.

During his presentation he will introduce attendees to emerging mapping technologies and demonstrate how they can be applied to a variety of challenges with emphasis in archaeology. His ultimate desire is to help find the Great City of Zarahemla which he believes to be in the US.

85 Minute Video
Link if you are logged into your Streaming Account:
https://bookofmormonevidencestreaming.com/videos/apr-2021-virtual-expo/spotted-bee-balm-why-is-it-significant-in-the-book-of-mormon/

Ancient Medicine Coming Out of the Ground

May 2021: Plants Ready For Planting in the Exact Same Spot when Mormon Came with his Father Down the River Sido to Zarahemla in AD 321.We believe in the restoration of all things. The truth shall come out of the ground.

We believe in the restoration of all things. The truth shall come out of the ground.

We are happy to report that the medicine plant from the Book of Mormon will next week be growing at the Zarahemla Temple Site. This is a return to a time and place where the Nephites 2,000 years ago enjoyed the marvelous health benefits of a plant that saved their lives when they suffered from fevers that were and are still common to areas in the Mississippi River Valley.

The circle is complete. We can now tell the ancient people that we are following in their footsteps, and as we do, we are witnessing the truth coming out of the ground. We know that as we discover the truth of Zarahemla, we will only discover the truth of the Book of Mormon.

The plant has been studied for is ability to protect people during times of bacterial and viral biological warfare.  We found it to have 56 compounds and it is MUCH more effective in controlling antibiotic resistant bacterial strains when used as a whole essential oil as opposed to isolated compounds such as just the thymol or the carvacrol, which are its two most abundant compounds.  So, synthesized thymol or carvacrol are much less effective for disease control. The synergistic effects of the 56 combined compounds are what makes it much more effective.

Tall upright stems are topped by unusual and dramatic tufted lavender-pink flower bracts surrounding creamy yellow leopard-spotted blooms from June to August. These highly adaptable plants grow to two feet in height and their long-lasting blooms are greatly attractive to bees, hummingbirds and many butterflies. Highest level of the chemical “Thymol” in all the mints. It can be used for a variety of medicinal purposes, usually being external. Plants prefer moderately moist but well-drained soil in full sun but will tolerate poor soils, some shade and a reasonable amount of drought once established.

Bee Balm belongs to the mint family. Also known as Horsemint, it is a flowering scented herb that is native to the United States. If you brush, crush or cut the plant, a refreshing lemony citrus fragrance is released. It attracts all types of pollinators; honeybees, bumblebees, miner bees, plasterer bees, butterflies and hummingbirds! The leaves and flowers of Bee Balm are used in a tea commonly known as Oswego tea, drunk by several Native American tribes. From the Lakota to the Ojibwa to the Navajo, many tribes used this plant for fevers, colds, coughs, nausea, digestion, and acne. Today it is commonly used to help treat digestive & upper respiratory tract issues.

I have attached the white paper that Dana Young, Wayne May and I wrote on the plant. In this white paper we discussion many facts about the plant and tell you about the most common compounds in the plant, but we do not know that some of the less abundant compounds are not very important to the effectiveness of the plant – the Hopewell and Native Americans certainly knew of this plants importance.” Kevin Price PhD.

©2021 Heart Land Research Group | 2681 Milan Street Easton, PA 18045

“Our great friend Rod Meldrum was sharing with me his desire to eventually make a huge film about the heartland utilizing all the players and their talents to contribute to such a movie. Rod is an absolutely wonderful man who has touched the lives of so many. His strong belief in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon has driven him to share this important testimony with anyone he can. His first book called Prophecies and Promises that he co-authored with Bruce H. Porter was a very scripturally based witness that supports the following quote. “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry promised Ensign Dec. 2012” Rian Nelson

Joseph Writing a letter to his wife Emma while in Atlas, Illinois on the Mississippi River June 4, 1834. From Joseph’s own handwriting we learn that his Zion’s camp journey from Ohio to Indiana, to Illinois, to Missouri he called this land he crossed, “The Plains of the Nephites” No further evidence needed!

“Wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.“Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56

My Heartland Friends

I would love to have the history of the Heartland model geography be made known through film some day soon. There have been many people involved and each has a story to tell.

“Bruce Porter has done extensive research for the BYU’s Religious Studies Center, on the Pearl of Great Price and the Book of Abraham, and been instrumental in the research and discovery of the Antonio Lebolo Will. Bruce’s testimony, research, and message are dedicated to the truthfulness of the scriptures, and in particular the Book of Mormon, the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of course Jesus Christ and the necessity to Come unto Him for Salvation.

I’d have to say that in my view Wayne May was the one who originally began openly showing evidences of the Book of Mormon geography in North America, however there were others even before Wayne really got going in his research.

Delbert Curtis’s book Christ in North America, and VHS videos by Ron and Jeff Garff and Dwayne Erickson all contributed information and research.

My own research involving DNA was developed before I ever met Wayne and meeting him in Provo was the start of the archeological portion of my study. I was mesmerized. 

The Church was going through some tough times as claims were being made in about 2002 that DNA disproves the BofM. My DNA research came into play at the height of that controversy which gave my first DVD, DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography, a real reach into the Church’s membership with over 80,000 DVD’s going out in about 2 years and leading to more people learning about the evidences than ever before. I continued to share my determined belief that the United States is indeed the Promised Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon.

Wayne had worked with a tour company to get a group to go back to visit these amazing sites but they couldn’t get enough people to sign up to make it work, until Wayne and I got together and hosted the first ever Book of Mormon in North America inaugural tour with Mary Ellen Elgrin. That was the first of many, many tours that would bring the North American setting for the Book of Mormon into the homes of hundreds, and ultimately hundreds of thousands of faithful saints.

Because of the midwestern location of all this and feeling the need to differentiate this geography from other previous models involving North America, like the hemispheric models, I coined the term “Heartland Model” for this geography theory because it happened in what is typically called the “Heartland” of America and because I felt that “Heartland” had a nice warmth of tone to it that folks could relate to. Thus the ideas put forward as the North American models began to be recognized by friend and foe in websites and blogs as the Heartland Model Geography.

My dear friend Amberli Nelson has taken it upon herself to research the Law of Moses in the Book of Mormon and has explained how the animals and plants necessary to practice the Law are only found in North America which rules out the Book of Mormon events happening in Mesoamerica. She is also the first one to decode the Newark Earthworks as she tells how it represents a complete ancient earth work and explains our entire gospel Plan of Salvation. Amberli’s research and presentations on DVD have inspired thousands of people. She is a very dynamic speaker.

Steven Smoot has been a friend for many years and his extensive research includes many important areas. His love for the Native Americans is incredible and feels their pain every time he speaks about the “Trail of Tears” and the suffering that happened to the Natives. Steve has an amazing book called “The Lost Civilizations of North America” and he shares with us how the ancient explorers and archaeologist have kept the truth from us. They hid the story of the Natives Americans as being a wonderful, spiritual people who are far more advanced than intellectuals want to tell us. Anything that doesn’t fit the current reality of these deceitful Archaeologist they declare as a hoax or fake.

Jonathan Neville had acquired a tremendous knowledge on the geography subject and felt intrigued enough by the research that he decided to join a tour. It was on that tour that I was able to provide more in depth info that lead to Jonathan’s incredible contributions to the overall model through in-depth Church History research and understandings. Jonathan has many friends who believe in Mesoamerica and he continues to write books (15 now I think), and show us all why the heartland is the place where the Book of Mormon happened. His knowledge about Church History is tremendous. He has brought to light Oliver Cowdery’s letters which speak so forthright about only one hill Cumorah and he also shows us how Joseph actually used two separate sets of plates during translation. He has discovered Benjamin Winchester, who is the “Smoking Gun of Book of Mormon Geography.”

James Stoddard and his daughters Hannah and Leah and sons Isaiah and Ephraim are descendants of Hyrum Smith and their hard work at the Joseph Smith Foundation has brought so much light and truth to the entire gospel. They can answer the difficult questions about the Book of Mormon and have shared much about the true importance of Joseph Smith to this entire work. They were the first ones to explain that Joseph did not use the rock in the hat for translation, as the only first hand witnesses, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery testified that only the Urim and Thummim was used for translation. They have done amazing research into the possibility of the Nephites being found in many parts of the world outside of the United States and are experts in comparing the timelines of the Book of Mormon events with the timeline of our events today. They are huge supporters of the Traditional values of the Church and are constantly revealing that Revisionist Historians are trying to change our history. They have discovered people like Leonard Arrington, Richard Bushman and other seemingly gospel stalwarts that are changing our known history, and trying to reduce Joseph Smith’s role as a Prophet in the way they discuss him.

I had a shared feeling with my good friend Boyd Tuttle over 14 years ago while in New York. We looked around at the pageant and thought, wouldn’t it be nice for all of these people to know the truth about this Hill Cumorah and they would all know this is the only hill Cumorah? The reality is becoming more and more of a reality. Boyd is a great book publisher and has published my favorite book in the world, The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon. His edits and suggestions added so much value to this publication. We have now printed over 30,000 copies in a year and a half. We love the Book of Mormon and its spiritual witness of truth, and we have included many secondary witnesses and artifacts, truths and possibilities of showing how the events happened in North America.

I am grateful for the strong bond I have with an amazing editor named David Hocking. He is the Managing Editor of The Annotated Book of Mormon which has been created to help readers understand the everlasting gospel as explained in the text, together with what the modern prophets and apostles have taught about it. The text has been formatted so readers can identify natural conversations, poetic speech patterns, prophecies, and the words of God. The annotations include prophetic commentaries on quoted scripture and the use of colored text. These elements bear witness to the divinity of this ancient text by drawing upon Hebrew tradition—much different from the nineteenth century rural America known to Joseph Smith. He also has books called, Annotated Isaiah, Annotated Jasher and will be doing Annotated Enoch soon. All this work began over 10 years ago as David tried to make the scriptures come alive for his son who was on a mission. His son learned to love David’s textual versions just as we, his readers do as well.

One of our talented friends is Val Chadwick Bagley, the Cartoonist Man. He has done cartoons for the Church for over 40 years now. About 2013 we asked him to do some cartoons for the Heartland group. He didn’t know much about us and the thought of giving up drawing for the fun and dynamic Mesoamerican cartoons never even entered his mind. Until we had him draw a few things that caught his eye and heart. When we had him draw a rickety wagon full of gold plates and artifacts being pulled by a Llama from Mesoamerica to New York (3,787 miles), Val finally got the idea of, “how is that possible”, I think the Heartland model looks correct to me. Since then he has drawn over 300 cartoons for us and has an amazing 96 page book called “It Came to Pass Where.”

Now about our two Native American friends whom we love. Mike “Painted Pony” (Chippewa) and Betty “Red Ant”(Navajo) LaFontaine who live in Jacksonville Florida. About 5 years ago they attended our Book of Mormon Evidence Conference in Orem Utah and fell in love. Every speaker they loved and the spirit of love and joy amongst the people was overwhelming. After the conference was over they began speaking with Rian and thanking all who made this wonderful event happen. After a few minutes of speaking, Rian asked Red Ant, if she would like to speak at our next conference in 6 months. She was stunned by she is such a natural. She said yes and the rest is history as she shares her story about the Great Spirit (Christ) every time. She came across a most beautiful hymn by WW Phelps called “O Red Man” that she plays with the drum and sings so beautifully. Mike makes the gorgeous drums himself. They participate in all of our magnetometry expeditions, our looking for Zarahemla events, they sell books for us, held meetings with hundreds and are great physical and spiritual support to all of us. They constantly remind us that they know the Book of Mormon happened in the USA and they are a constant reminder to us all, that we Gentiles are to take the Gospel to the Lamanites.

There is one more best friend I can’t leave out of the Heartland project and many other things we have discovered together. I love Dean Sessions. We met each other in Mesa, Arizona about 33 years ago and have been fast friends since. As we were doing scientific study together, I branched off into the truths and geography of the Book of Mormon, its DNA and other historicity, and he continued rigorous study in History, Geology, Anthropology, Science, Biology, etc. What a mind Dean has. He has inspired all of us with his aggressive and truthful research into history as no one has ever done before. Dean W. Sessions is the author of the Universal Model (UM 3 Volumes and over 2,500 pages) and founder of the Millennial Science Foundation. Sessions has a B.S. Degree in Science from Brigham Young University and in 1990, Sessions began studying in both archeology and geology where a number of important new discoveries in these fields were made over the next few years. From this initial research and experimentation, a number of inaccuracies in theoretical aspects of modern science was found leading to the realization that a complete revolution in science needed to take place. As he has shown, Einstein’s Theory is still only a theory!

Rian Nelson first began his Heartland journey when he met me while promoting an Arnold Freiburg art event at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. When I discussed about “a Mound” with him and what it was, he caught fire and has been burning up the internet with his geography research and blogs ever since.  He has created hundreds of Book of Mormon Heartland maps we all enjoy and he has had many professional artists create amazing paintings of Heartland scenes that are all in our Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon. His daily blog posts contain some of the most thorough answers to information about the Book of Mormon, The Church and its History, Anachronism’s, Love of Country, the Heartland Geography, Science and Education, Government and anything else others may have questions about. He manages all my websites and social media and continues to organize our bi-yearly Conferences.

So there’s a lot to this story, and if the story needs a couple of good antagonists we could talk about the attacks from FARMS, FAIR, Maxwell Institute, Lost Civilizations Documentary, Simon Southerton, John Dehlin, the Church History Dept, and others…  it’s all part of the story! 

We as a group might differ in certain specifics ideas, but my feeling is that unless this is going to be a 100 hour series we don’t need to take time discussing area’s of disagreement, when I feel we have some 95% agreement on everything else.  I’d want to put out the positive message upon which we agree.

Your brother in the gospel and in truth,”

Rod Meldrum and input from Rian Nelson

To me, it seems science has missed the mark for many years now. Einstein’s theory is still just a theory and not true, man has not evolved from an ape, the creation time of this earth did not take billions of years, and the dinosaurs are the age of Adam not millions of years old.  There have been many of these scientists and intellectuals who have completely disagreed with the new book, Universal Model. In my opinion that means Dean Sessions author of Universal Model, is on the correct path, because for years I have believed the opposite of what most of today’s scientists believe.  I am learning that the more the professors of the large and spacious buildings say something is true, I think the opposite is usually the right answer. Read a portion of Universal Model at the very end of this blog about New Scientific Evidence for a Universal Flood. There is an article in LDS Living by Stephen O. Smoot here, that I have a hard time believing. I believe the flood was a true account and was a world wide global event and no part of the story was a myth. I share below a small portion of Mr. Smoot’s article.

 

(This Stephen O. Smoot mentioned above is not our great heartland friend named Steven Edgar Smoot, author of Lost American Antiquities. Stephen O. is a liberal professor who supports the Mesoamerican theory. 

Was the Flood a Global or Local Flood?

“Modern believers are confronted with geological and other scientific evidence (in addition to the ancient literary context of Genesis) that casts serious doubt on the feasibility of a worldwide catastrophic flood sometime (presumably) around 3,000 BC that wiped out all animal and human life save that which was spared on Noah’s ark. In response to these challenges, some have wondered if perhaps the flood described in Genesis drew from memory of a localized event, perhaps a particularly bad flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Given the somewhat ambiguous meaning of the Hebrew word eretz (“earth,” “land”), rather than the “earth” (meaning the spherical globe) being entirely flooded, instead perhaps Genesis meant to convey that the “earth” (meaning the land or local region where Noah dwelt) was inundated (Moses 1:29). Or perhaps a local flood was mythologized into a global one to symbolically signify the renewal or recreation of the earth from out of a primordial universal ocean (Genesis 1:2). Latter-day Saints have likewise wrestled with this question and have come to varying conclusions (some more traditionalist, others more moderate). Apostle John A. Widtsoe acknowledged in 1943 that from a revelatory point of view we simply do not know enough to conclusively settle this matter. “The fact remains that the exact nature of the flood is not known. We set up assumptions, based upon our best knowledge, but can go no further.” He continued: We should remember that when inspired writers deal with historical incidents they relate that which they have seen or that which may have been told them, unless indeed the past is opened to them by revelation.

The details in the story of the flood are undoubtedly drawn from the experiences of the writer. Under a downpour of rain, likened to the opening of the heavens, a destructive torrent twenty-six feet deep or deeper would easily be formed. The writer of Genesis made a faithful report of the facts known to him concerning the flood. In other localities the depth of the water might have been more or less. In fact, the details of the flood are not known to us.” 5 Answers to Difficult Questions About Noah and the Flood by Stephen O. Smoot Complete Article here In my opinion the flood was real and a worldwide event. The scientists today are intellectualizing the creation, flood, age of man, evolution, global warming, and many other things that just don’t make sense.

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Book of Mormon Central  Science Concerns Author(s): Michael R. Ash Self-Published, 2015 Pages: 79-8075) (75) The Bible and LDS scriptures teach that there was no death before the fall.

Answer: There is no official doctrine regarding the antiquity or creation of the Earth or life on Earth.

We know that much of what we read in the scriptures is allegorical or symbolic. Many LDS believe in both Adam and Eve and that science is correct regarding the progression of life on Earth. Ancient societies (as well as modern societies) understood God’s revelations as well as His creations from within a context of their worldviews (here we go again… their “language”). Some Biblical scholars (such as non-LDS John Walton) argue that the creation account of Genesis is based on—what he calls—a functional creation. When we “create” a committee we are not creating a physical structure but rather organizing things (in the case of a committee those “things” would be people) to populate and steward the organization. Those who wrote the Old Testament believed that the creation was an on-going process an enterprise in which we are intimately involved—just like a committee continues to function long after it’s “created.” Instead of seeing the creation accounts like modern people read them today (as creating a product with an Erector Set), ancient peoples “believed that something existed not by virtue of its material properties, but by virtue of its having a function in an ordered system.”35 “Creation,” notes Dr. Walton, “thus constitutes bringing order to the cosmos from an originally nonfunctional condition…. Consequently, to create something (cause to exist) in the ancient world means to give it function, not material properties.”36 The function of creation was to give order, roles, organization, and jurisdiction to the cosmos—which includes Earth and all life. The story in Genesis described the organizational powers between us and God while setting a pattern to guide us in our relationship with the divine. Dr. Walton explains that the creation of Adam and Eve has archetypal significance and they stand as representations for all of God’s children. Humankind is connected to the ground from which we are drawn. Womankind is connected to mankind from whom she is drawn. In both male and female forms, humankind is connected to God in whose image all are made. As such they have the privilege of procreation, the role of subduing and ruling, and a status in the garden serving sacred space (Gen 2: 15)…. Neither the materials nor the roles are descriptive only of the first individuals. This creation account gives people their identity and specifies their connectivity to everything around them.37 By understanding that the scriptures are not meant to reveal the scientific and mechanical workings of the universe we are free to accept or reject pre-Adamites, evolution, and death before the fall, based on intellectual arguments instead of from a position that assumes we have infallible 80 scriptures and infallible ancient prophets.

76) Science has proven that there was no worldwide flood.

Answer: There is no official doctrine regarding the scope or depth of Noah’s flood. Many LDS believe that the flood was localized—to Noah, the “earth” (and this is supported by how the word is used in Hebrew) would have referred to the land in his vicinity. Noah would not have known about the earth in a global sense (as we do today). If everything he saw was underwater, to his world the “earth” would have been flooded.

77) Science discredits the Bible.

Answer: The Bible is not a history book or a science book and doesn’t claim to be. Ancient cultures had a much different view of literature than we have today. God did not (and does not) reveal every detail of every scientific or historical fact to every prophet (there is no need for such revelations). Biblical authors had pre-scientific worldviews and wrote according to how they understood things in their day. As Galileo said, paraphrasing Cardinal Baronius (the Vatican’s librarian), the intent of scripture is “to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.”38 https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/ash/2019-10-09/13_science_concerns.pdf https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/ash/2016-08-10/bamboozled-by-the-ces-letter-final1.pdf https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/ash/2016-08-10/bamboozled-by-the-ces-letter-final1.pdf Book of Mormon Central Science Concerns Author(s): Michael R. Ash

 

Joseph Smith Foundation Commentary

We must decide if we believe in the miraculous accounts of the scriptures dealing with the Creation, the Fall, the universal flood, the dividing of the continents, the confounding of languages and the miracles of Jesus. The scriptural account differs greatly from modern academia. One modern biologist, who rejects the miracles of the scriptures, spoke in contempt of the universal flood:

“. . . the story is ignored as childish nonsense in most of the academic world, given no more attention nor validity than Grimm’s fairy tales.” ^[1]

This same intellectual has spent much of his life promoting the theories of Darwinism while belittling the words of latter-day Prophets of God. He has given this rationale for his rejection of the miracle of the flood:

“Can one really fit ten million species onto a single ocean-going vessel, feed and care for them all with their often very restrictive diets or living conditions (many of which we are helpless to duplicate even with modern systems), and keep it all going with just eight people for an entire year? The answer, plainly, is no.” ^[2]

A belief in the scriptural account of the Creation and Fall and the miraculous narrative of the universal flood requires faith, including a belief in the power of God to perform miracles. The Prophets of God in this dispensation have possessed this faith. Note their uncompromising faith in the miracles of the scriptures contrasted with the quibbling knees of some moderns. President Howard W. Hunter has testified:

“The Old Testament unfolds the story of the creation of the earth and mankind by God. Should we now disregard this account and modernize the creation according to the theories of the modernists? Can we say there was no Garden of Eden or an Adam and Eve? Because modernists now declare the story of the flood is unreasonable and impossible, should we disbelieve the account of Noah and the flood as related in the Old Testament?” ^[3]

Primary children are taught the realities of God and His work on this earth. In growing older, is this faith retained? President Hunter continued by quoting the Savior’s words in Matthew relative to the universal Flood as a type of the Second Coming. As the earth was completely baptized and washed of all wickedness by the waters of the flood, so at the Savior’s Second Coming will the earth be baptized by fire and completely cleansed yet again ^[4]. Commenting on this passage, President Hunter continued.

“In this statement the Master confirmed the story of the flood without modernizing it. Can we accept some of the statements of the Lord as being true and at the same time reject others as being false?” ^[5]

“. . . as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. . . . Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” ^[6]

The Lord has asked each of us to strive for child-like faith. President Hunter continued by explaining that Jesus Christ believed in a literal universal flood; that same Jesus Christ who taught that He was the resurrection and the life. Faith in the miracles of the scriptures is essential to faith in the Atonement and Resurrection. President Hunter continued:

“How can we modernize the story of the flood, or refer to it as a myth, and yet cling to the truth of the [Atonement and Resurrection]? How can we modernize the Bible and still have it be a guiding light to us and a vital influence in our beliefs?” ^[7]

Finally, President Hunter added his testimony of the literal miraculous events as found in the Bible record:

“There are those who declare it is old-fashioned to believe in the Bible. Is it old-fashioned to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God? Is it old-fashioned to believe in His atoning sacrifice and the resurrection? If it is, I declare myself to be old-fashioned and the Church to be old-fashioned. In great simplicity, the Master taught the principles of life eternal and lessons that bring happiness to those with the faith to believe.” ^[8]

So what of the literal flood? Why are those who hold to the evolutionary teachings so adamant that there was never a literal universal flood? Simply stated, the universal flood approximately 4300 years ago conflicts with the dating of civilizations, the accepted growth of civilizations, the evolutionary development of man, the current accepted geological beliefs and several other fundamental themes of popular biology, anthropology, geology and so forth. The fact is, it can’t be both ways. Either the planet was shorn of human life and most forms of animal life a little more than 4 millenia ago, or life has been developing as the Darwinian adherents affirm. This is why most individuals trained in the learning of the day take a position that: 1. The scriptural account is a myth, 2. The flood was a local event, not worldwide catastrophe, 3. A mixture of the two former propositions. The scriptures, however, are very clear that these attempts to reconcile Darwinism and the prophetic record are impossible. The literal universal flood is supported by the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants and the writings of the presidents of the Church. In addition to all of these witnesses, a bit of common sense adds an additional witness. Why would the Lord command Noah to gather two of every animal and 7 of the clean animals working for many years and load them into an ark if the Flood was a local event? Would He not rather ask Noah to move himself and the animals to another valley away from the limited flood? Noah would have had great cause to be upset with the waste of work and effort in building an ark that was completely unneeded. There is additionally the witness of the tradition of nearly every culture on the earth. Nearly all cultures contain the Flood story in their history from the American Indians to the Chinese. The Chinese record is very interesting. Fu Xi and Nuwa are the principal ancestors of the Chinese. They reportedly came out from a flood when the earth was completely washed and were responsible for reseeding or repopulating Asia. The Chinese tapestries and images depicting Fu Xi and Nuwa also contain distinctive LDS symbols. This is particularly interesting as the Pearl of Great Price contains the record of the descendants of Shem and Ham, but not Japhath. This history and numerous other non-sacred accounts must be rejected if one is to have faith in the modern scientific suppositions. In accepting Darwinism do we reject the scriptures, the prophets and historical records? What of the objections that the animals could not fit on the ark? Please see the lecture by Terry Mortenson entitled Noah’s Flood: Washing Away Millions of Years. What of scientific evidence? There is a mountain of evidence for the literal universal Flood. Nearly all geologists cominig from a Biblical perspective find evidence for the Flood. One example is Steven Austin. Please see Mount St. Helens: Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe. Additionally, see the RATE team’s research in  Thousands . . . Not Billions. To accept Darwinism must one reject the scriptures, the prophets, history and true science?

Prophetic Statements

Joseph Smith

In the days of Noah, God destroyed the world by a flood, and He has promised to destroy it by fire in the last days: but before it should take place, Elijah should first come and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, etc. ^[9] Adam was made to open the way of the world, and for dressing the garden. Noah was born to save seed of everything, when the earth was washed of its wickedness by the flood; and the Son of God came into the world to redeem it from the fall. ^[10] [11]

Brigham Young

If we read the requirements made by Jesus, by the Father, or by any messenger sent from the Heavens to the children of men we shall find nothing that will injure any human being or that will destroy the soul of one of the sons or daughters of Adam and Eve. . . . The world may in vain ask the question, “Who are we?” But the Gospel tells us that we are the sons and daughters of that God whom we serve. Some say, “We are the children of Adam and Eve.” So we are, and they are the children of our Heavenly Father. We are all the children of Adam and Eve, and they and we are the offspring of Him who dwells in the heavens, the highest Intelligence that dwells anywhere that we have any knowledge of. . . . What are His commandments to us? Has He commanded us to build an ark? No. He told Noah to do that for the salvation of those who would go into it; and after he had built it, and had preached righteousness for a long space of time, warning the people of the coming judgments of the Almighty, how many believed his testimony? Only eight souls, and they were members of his own family. All the rest were swept from the face of the earth. This is according to the account given to us in the Old Testament which we believe. I know that there are a great many in the world who are so wise in their own eyes that they are not disposed to believe the account contained in the Bible of the Creation, of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the antediluvian world and other things, but we profess to believe, and we do or should believe these things. ^[12] [God] told Noah to [build an ark] for the salvation of those who would go into it; and after he had built it, and had preached righteousness for a long space of time, warning the people of the coming judgments of the Almighty, how many believed his testimony? Only eight souls, and they were members of his own family. All the rest were swept from the face of the earth. This is according to the account given to us in the Old Testament which we believe. I know that there are a great many in the world who are so wise in their own eyes that they are not disposed to believe the account contained in the Bible of the Creation, of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the antediluvian world and other things, but we profess to believe, and we do or should believe these things. ^[13] There is a passage of Scripture that reads thus:—”For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren,” &c. Whom did he not foreknow? I do not think there is anybody now on the earth, or that has lived before us, or that will come after us, but what he knew. He knew who would be his anointed; he has had his eye upon them all the time, as he had upon Moses, Pharaoh, Abraham, Melchizedek, and Noah, who was a chosen vessel to build the ark and save a remnant from the flood. Did you ever hear the story of an old man that came to Noah when he was building the ark? “What, Mr. Noah, are you still at the ark? You are a veritable old fool, building an ark far away from any water! How are you going to float it?” “Wait a little while, and I will show you: by-and-by the Lord will break up the might deep and send forth the waters and drown the wicked.” “Oh, you are a fool, Noah! You had better build a good house, and plant and till the earth. I am going home,” &c. “Go on,” said Noah; “by-and-by you will learn that I am right.” They waited year after year, and by-and-by the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the rain began to descend. The old man came along, and Noah said to him, “What do you think now, neighbour?” “Oh, this is only a shower; it looks like clearing up; it will soon be over.” In a short time the old man came again, wading in water to his knees, when Noah said, “Well, what do you think now?” “Oh, it will soon clear away.” He came again, and that time he was paddling along in water up to his neck, and said, “Won’t you take me in, Noah?” “I have got my load; all who have received tickets are aboard, and those who have not tickets cannot come aboard. What do you think of it now, old man, is it only a little shower?” Then it was not, “Damn old Noah!” but they were crying, “Oh, Mr. Noah, take us in.” ^[14] Marvel not that the kingdom of God is not in its fulness. Marvel not that you see every man and woman subject to the passions that belong to fallen nature. There never was a Prophet on the earth but what was subject to passions, as we are. Every son and daughter of Adam that has come into this world has been subject to sin, and prone to wander. . . . When we have streets paved with gold, we will have placed it there ourselves. When we enjoy a Zion in its beauty and glory, it will be when we have built it. If we enjoy the Zion that we now anticipate, it will be after we redeem and prepare it. If we live in the city of the New Jerusalem, it will be because we lay the foundation and build it. If we do not as individuals complete that work, we shall lay the foundation for our children and our children’s children, as Adam has. If we are to be saved in an ark, as Noah and his family were, it will be because we build it. ^[15] The earth, the Lord says, abides its creation; it has been baptized with water, and will, in the future, be baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, to be prepared to go back into the celestial presence of God, with all things that dwell upon it which have, like the earth, abided the law of their creation. ^[16] This earth in its present condition and situation, is not a fit habitation for the sanctified; but it abides the law of its creation, has been baptized with water, will be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost, and by-and-by will be prepared for the faithful to dwell upon. ^[17]   By Joseph Smith Foundation

1. ↑ Duane E. Jeffery, Noah’s Flood: Modern Scholarship and Mormon Traditions
2. ↑ Duane E. Jeffery, Noah’s Flood: Modern Scholarship and Mormon Traditions
3. ↑ Howard W. Hunter, That We Might Have Joy [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], p. 22
4. ↑ Matthew 24:36-39
5. ↑ Id., at p. 23
6. ↑ Matthew 24:36, 41
7. ↑ Howard W. Hunter, That We Might Have Joy [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], p. 23.
8. ↑ Ibid.
9. ↑ Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 337.
10. ↑ Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 12.
11. ↑ History of the Church 1:283
12. ↑ Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854-1886], 13: 312
13. ↑ Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 13: 314
14. ↑ Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854-1886], 8: 229 – 230
15. ↑ President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854-1886], 8: 352 – 353
16. ↑ Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954], 393.
17. ↑ Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954], 102.

The Flood and the Tower of Babel

By Donald W. Parry

“Because of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Latter-day Saints have additional knowledge that confirms the reality of these world-changing historical events.

I think you will love this article from our friends at the Universal Model. Visit universalmodel.com

True Quotes of Proper Translation- Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery are the only two First Hand Witnesses.

“In the Wentworth Letter, the Prophet wrote: “With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God” (History of the Church, 4:537).

“In the October 1834 Messenger and Advocate [the Church newspaper in Kirtland, Ohio], Oliver Cowdery wrote: “These were days never to be forgotten to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated, with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon’” (Messenger and Advocate, 1:14; Also known as Letter I Oliver Cowdery to William W. Phelps, 7 September 1834). This quote is CANNONIZED in our Scriptures. See * after JSH 1:75

The testimony borne by Oliver Cowdery upon his return to the Church was as follows: “Friends and Brethren: My name is Cowdery, Oliver Cowdery. In the early history of this Church, I stood identified with her, and one in her councils. True it is that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance; not because I was better than the rest of mankind was I called, to fulfill the purposes of God. He called me to a high and holy calling. I wrote with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, ‘holy interpreters.‘ I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the ‘holy interpreters’“ (as cited in Smith, Restoration of All Things, 113).

Joseph Fielding Smith and Grandson Kip Myers

“King Mosiah possessed ‘two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,’ called by the Nephites Interpreters, with which he translated the Jaredite record [Mosiah 28:11–14], and these were handed down from generation to generation for the purposes of interpreting languages. How Mosiah came into possession of these two stones or Urim and Thummim the record does not tell us, more than to say that it was a ‘gift from God’ [Mosiah 21:28]. Mosiah had this gift or Urim and Thummim before the people of Limhi discovered the record of Ether. They may have been received when the ‘large stone’ was brought to Mosiah with engravings upon it, which he interpreted by the ‘gift and power of God’ [Omni 1:20–21]. They may have been given to him, or to some other prophet before his day, just as the Brother of Jared received them—from the Lord. “That the Urim and Thummim, or two stones, given to the Brother of Jared were those in the possession of Mosiah appears evident from Book of Mormon teachings. The Brother of Jared was commanded to seal up his writings of the vision he had when Christ appeared to him, so that they could not be read by his people. … The Urim and Thummim were also sealed up so that they could not be used for the purpose of interpreting those sacred writings of this vision, until such time as the Lord should grant to man to interpret them. When they were to be revealed, they were to be interpreted by the aid of the same Urim and Thummim [Ether 3:21–28]. …“Joseph Smith received with the breastplate and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the Brother of Jared [D&C 17:1]” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:223–25). Source Book of Mormon Student Manual Chapter 50 Ether 1–5 Ether 3:23–24, 28. Two Stones of King Mosiah

What My Grandfather Joseph Fielding Smith told Me about the Seer Stone

“While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation. The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22–24. These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes.” Wallace Kip Myers, Great Grandson of Joseph Fielding Smith; Email from Kip Myers to his Nephew Kevin Price on May 19, 2021

Two Amazing Books- Refute the Stone in the Hat!

Seer Stone V. Urim and Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial! by James and Hannah Stoddard

$20.00 Length: 240 pages

Seer Stone v. Urim and Thummim places the Book of Mormon translation on trial, presenting the latest research in one of the most comprehensive treatments of the translation process to date providing encouragement for Latter-day Saints who fear they have been “betrayed” by the translation history taught by the Church for over 190 years.

Did Joseph Smith study and master the Nephite language? Did the Prophet tutor some of the early Brethren in ancient Nephite characters?

Did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon using a dark seer stone in a hat?

Why are progressive historians creating a new history using sources from a man who vowed to wash his hands in the blood of Joseph Smith, while boasting that he had deceived the Prophet and his God?

Has The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covered up its history for nearly 200 years?

A Man that Can Translate by Jonathan Neville New!

Description
$18.95

Joseph Smith, Jr., and his principle scribe, Oliver Cowdery, claimed that Joseph translated the golden plates with an instrument the Nephites called “interpreters.” Joseph and Oliver called them Urim and Thummim. Some of their contemporaries claimed instead that Joseph merely dictated words that appeared on a seer stone he placed in a hat. The dual narratives were well known in 1834. In response, Joseph and Oliver formally reaffirmed that Joseph used the Urim and Thummim. They reiterated that position for the rest of their lives. In recent years, historians have revived the seer stone narrative. Which version is correct? Urim and Thummim or seer stone? Can they both be correct, or is it an either/or situation? Some historians have reconciled the discrepancies by simply redefining the term “Urim and Thummim” to mean both the Nephite interpreters and the seer stones, but that revisionist approach contradicts the plain historical usage. This book explores the historical evidence and proposes a solution that vindicates the testimonies of Joseph and Oliver while also accepting the statements of the observers as to what they saw. Except what they actually saw was not what they thought they saw.

The Urim and Thummim was the instrument of translation. These facts set the record straight. By Bruce Lloyd

1. Joseph and Oliver were the 2 people most involved in the translation.

2. Joseph says 6 times in his history in the Pearl of Great Price that it was translated with the Urim and Thummim.

3. The Lord gave the brother of Jared a Urim and Thummim about 2200 BC to be used in the future as an instrument of translation.

4. King Mosiah the First used the Urim and Thummim to translate the large stone that Coriantumr engraved during the last 9 months of his life while he lived with the People of Zarahemla.

5. Mosiah’s grandson and son of Benjamin, Mosiah the 2nd used the Urim and Thummim to translate the 24 Jaredite plates found by the people of Limhi.

6. Mormon probably spent 10 to 20 years of his life abridging the 1000-year history of the Nephites, Lamanites, and Mulekites. Why would the Lord preserve the Urim and Thummim and records going back about 4,000 years if the plates and the Urim and Thummim were not used?

7. Since Moroni did not have a copy of the first translation of the 24 Jaredite plates, he did the 2nd translation using the Urim and Thummim. This same Urim and Thummim was placed in the stone and cement box in the hill Cumorah near Palmyra, NY by Moroni and then given to Joseph smith about 1,400 years later.

8. Joseph used the Urim and Thummim to translate the Book of Mormon.

9. The 1834 Letter I of VIII letters from Oliver Cowdery to W. W. Phelps says Urim and Thummim. These 8 letters were written in 1834-35 to refute the lies in the first anti-Mormon book. This book promoted the seer stone in a hat lie in an attempt to discredit Joseph Smith and the church.

10. The 1842 Wentworth Letter says Urim and Thummim.

11. At a conference held in Kanesville, Iowa on the 24th of October, 1848, Oliver Cowdery said it was translated with the Urim and Thummim.

12. David Whitmer was a powerful witness of the Book of Mormon. However, he was excommunicated in 1838. He opposed Joseph Smith in many areas. he started his own church and he never rejoined the church like Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris did. David didn’t believe the need for a priesthood restoration or the Doctrine and Covenants, etc. In 1887 (over 57 years after the translation), David publishes, “An address to all believers in Christ.” He promotes the false seer stone in a hat lie. See https://archive.org/details/addresstoallbeli00whit.

13. Although the various bogus seer stone in the hat statement vary in many ways, there are some common statements about “Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light (Whitmer, p12).”

14. Do you realize how silly the seer stone in a hat is compared to the Urim and Thummim? One was created by God and the other by man. Why didn’t the Lord give the brother of Jared a hat? If the light was so bright, why didn’t they translate at night? Most homes of the 1800s had small windows and could easily control the lighting with curtains or a blanket. Think how uncomfortable it would be to be bent over a hat pressed to your face all day–serious back pain. Think how hard it would be for the scribe to hear Joseph’s muffled statements with his face buried in the hat. Think how hard it would be for Joseph to see what was on the stone with a 2 or 3-inch focal distance. Some accounts said that whole sentences appeared on this 3x4x5 cm stone. Well, you should know that there was no punctation. The printer had to add the sentence punctuation. You should also know that the average sentence length is about 25 words. You would be lucky to get 4 or 5 words with a 10-pitch font to display on a curved surface rock and it would be out of focus. To make this ruse more believable, artists now show Joseph’s face 10 to 16 inches away from the bottom of the hat.

15. Readers and leaders can be overly influenced by scholars.

16. Remember that the Gospel Topic Essays were written by anonymous scholars. Some have been changed since the original version. They use very deceptive footnoting. These essays are NOT scripture!

17. Leonard J. Arrington was the first Church Historian in more than a century who was not a General Authority. He served as Church Historian from Jan 1972 to February 1982. Leonard was at odds with a few members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles because of the work being produced by the Church Historian’s Office (revisionist history). See https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi… and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/…/history-is-then…

18. Remember that Hiram Page tried to lead the church astray with a stone in 1830 (D&C 28). Satan loves a counterfeit!

19. How many revelations were given in the Doctrine and Covenants via a seer stone? Zero. How many revelations were given via the Urim and Thummim? At least 8 sections (Sections 3, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17).

20. The interview of Richard Bushman by John Dehlin is crazy. Which one is the most destructive to the faith of church members? Is it the one who has been excommunicated for apostasy or the “credentialed changer of church history and Saints editor?” Wait, they both have a PhD.

21. 2 Nephi 9:28-29 is prophetic and powerful. 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

22. Mosiah 28:11-16 is additional proof that Joseph did NOT use a seer stone in a hat.

“Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi; 12 And this he did because of the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know concerning those people who had been destroyed. 13 And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow. 14 Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages;15 And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people; 16 And whosoever has these things is called a seer, after the manner of old times.

23. Isn’t it interesting that Joseph could translate just fine using the Urim and Thummim regardless of lighting conditions? Was the fake seer stone so underpowered in brightness (lumens) that it had to be placed in a hat to read the display? Why put limits on God? Have you ever been in a meeting with a powerful projector and the image on the screen was easily viewable without turning off the room lights? I have. It’s all about lumens and foot-candles. The more lumens, the brighter the light will be. Some people use the false analogy about how hard it is to read a cell phone screen while they are outside in the bright sunlight. Joseph was inside a house with small windows. Cell phones are designed to minimize power consumption for longer battery life. If you had a powerful battery with the right cell phone design and settings, users could see the text and graphics on the screen of a cell phone in bright sunlight. It’s all about lumens and foot-candles.

Look at Joseph’s description of light during the first vision. It was “light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun” and “in the midst of that light I saw two Personages.” Also compare with Moroni’s first visit to Joseph, “I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday” and “The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person.” Joseph also said, “After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left dark.” Joseph didn’t require any special lighting or a hat to see these heavenly messengers.

No special lighting was required to use the Liahona (words would appear on spindle from time to time). A modern-day teleprompter works fine indoors or outdoors. In Daniel 5, the astrologers didn’t have any trouble reading the writing on the wall in Belshazzar’s palace. However, only Daniel could provide the interpretation. Why would God provide an underpowered seer stone that couldn’t be read in normal lighting conditions? It doesn’t pass the common-sense test.

I will follow what Joseph and Oliver said, not the intellectuals, scholars, and apostates.” By Bruce Lloyd- Contact Bruce Here Bruce Lloyd

On my personal blog is the evil about Adrenochrome here.

Joseph Smith is the Prophet of this Last Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, and the Lord Himself said to Joseph, “Behold, there shall be a record kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ, D&C 21:1

“It is impossible to determine the number of “interviews” Joseph had with Moroni, but twenty-two visits are often identified. “Moroni—Joseph Smith’s Tutor” By H. Donl Peterson

The importance of Moroni and Joseph Smith communicating with each other is of vital importance. How could a young unlearned farm boy become a great Prophet of the Lord? Being taught by angels and having a personal tutor in the form of Moroni is the answer.

What Did Joseph Learn From Moroni?

“During his initial visit with Joseph Smith, Moroni informed Joseph that his sins had been forgiven and that he had been chosen to bring forth the sacred record of the ancient Americans. But that was not all. In his 1832 account of the visitation, the Prophet reported simply that he learned “many things concerning the inhabitants of the earth.” In his 1835 account, he said that Moroni “explained many … prophesies.” And in the 1842 Wentworth Letter, Joseph Smith wrote that Moroni taught him “that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fulness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the millennial reign.” Moreover, he wrote, “I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious dispensation.” Joseph Smith’s Tutor” By H. Donl Peterson

Editors Note: Those at Book of Mormon Central claim Joseph did not know much about the Nephites or about the geography of the Book of Mormon. Why would they say this in light of over 22 visits with Moroni? It is very likely that Moroni showed Joseph actual places in the USA of where events happened. Joseph could not have seen those things if he was far away in Mesoamerica could he?

Book of Mormon Central said, “Just because Joseph translated the Book of Mormon does not mean he received revelation as to the whereabouts of those events. He may have had some strong opinions on the matter but his opinions changed with time and reflected his best intellectual efforts to discover answers, just like any curious individual. Since he never claimed to know the geography from revelation we should not make this claim for him. No prophet has claimed revelation on Book of Mormon geography.” [See all my quotes here from Prophets, Apostles and Leaders about Hill Cumorah and Ramah only in NY.]

Book of Mormon Central continues, “To the critics (and some members) this suggests that Joseph knew everything about the Book of Mormon peoples, saw exactly what their lives were like, and would know where the events took place. Firstly, Lucy dictated her thoughts nearly two decades after Joseph’s vision. Her retelling may not have been as accurate as if she had recorded the event immediately after it transpired… Secondly, just because Joseph saw such things in vision does not mean that Joseph knew the location of the events.” Book of Mormon Geography Author(s): Michael R. Ash Source: Shaken Faith Syndrome: Strengthening One’s Testimony In the Face of Criticism and Doubt Published: Redding, CA; FairMormon, 2013 (2nd Edition)

“As we look into the record, we find that after the first visit to the Hill Cumorah, Joseph told the story of the history of the early American inhabitants to his family. His mother wrote: “From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth—all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age.” This sounds like the first family home evening of this dispensation.

Then she continued to say: “We were now confirmed in the opinion that God was about to bring to light something upon which we could stay our minds, or that would give us a more perfect knowledge of the plan of salvation and the redemption of the human family. This caused us greatly to rejoice, the sweetest union and happiness pervaded our house, and tranquility reigned in our midst. During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, pp. 82-83. This was before he received the plates. He must have received this by revelation, for he knew the whole story of the content of the record that is now the Book of Mormon. He had had five long visits with Moroni, and his mother says he received many revelations.” Eldred G. Smith, Conference Report, October 1967, pp. 82-84

Joseph Smith Learned from Native Americans Close to Home

Moroni, the Link between Ancient and Latter-day Prophets

“It is significant that Moroni trained Joseph Smith by teaching him from the scriptures. It may be that the Prophet’s great love for the Bible was a by-product of this experience, because for the rest of his life he taught others by using the scriptures. It is also worthy of note that with the exception of Paul’s phrase that the weak would confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27–29)—which Moroni cited to introduce the topic of Joseph Smith’s work—all of the other scriptures quoted by Moroni come from the Old Testament. In using the words of ancient Israel’s prophets to instruct the messenger to modern Israel, Moroni symbolically tied the gospel dispensations together—the actual realization of which is a major goal of the Restoration. Moroni, an Israelite prophet, was the first emissary to provide the link between ancient dispensations and the dispensation of the fulness of times.

The visitation of Moroni to Joseph Smith holds an important place in our church history. With Moroni’s appearance, the process of restoring lost truths and educating the Prophet gained great impetus. Under the care and instruction of that great prophet of ancient America, the Prophet Joseph Smith received training and guidance that ultimately will lead to the restoration of all things. To all this Moroni’s first visits were a prelude—an instructional session from which Joseph Smith and all of us have learned the course that we are to pursue as we continue in the Lord’s service.” Moroni’s Message to Joseph Smith By Kent P. Jackson

Joseph Smith during his lifetime more than likely knew about many of the Indian Chiefs below, who were from the same vicinity as him. Some lived at the same time as Joseph Smith and he may have also spent time with many of them. I share some unique articles below that you may find interesting in understanding young Joseph and his opportunities to learn from Native Americans.

“Use of Ganargua Creek dates back to pre-colonial times. It was a primary stopover point for the Iroquois on their trade routes. Mormonism founder Joseph Smith also had an interest in the creek after hearing a speech from Seneca Indian Chief Red Jacket at Palmyra in 1822. Before the Erie Canal was constructed in 1817, Ganargua Creek originally met the Canandaigua Outlet in Lyons to form the Clyde River.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganargua_Creek

“The Iroquois Confederacy had been a functioning democracy for centuries by Benjamin Franklin’s day. Sometime between 1000 and 1450, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca Nations came together to become the Iroquois Confederacy, and in the early 18th century they were joined by the Tuscarora’s. Referred to as the Six Nations by the English, and the Iroquois by the French, the Confederacy called themselves the Haudenosaunee, or People Building a Long House.” By Cynthia Feathers and Susan Feathers www.upenn.edu/gazette/0107/gaz09.html

“Contrary, then, to widespread assumptions during Joseph Smith’s lifetime that the Onondaga migrated to the New York region, it becomes clear that they originated here as a small, narrowly localized amalgamation of a few villages near Onondaga Lake, during the century before Columbus’ discovery of America” Beauchamp’s Aboriginal Place Names of New York;

“How America Was Discovered is a story told by Handsome Lake (Seneca Prophet), and documented by Arthur C. Parker, about a young minister who meets the one he perceives to be the Lord, who then asks him to go to a new land and bring with him cards, money, a fiddle, whiskey, and blood corruption. In return the young minister will become rich. The young minister sought out Christopher Columbus, and with the help of his crew, traveled to the Americas. They turned back to report what they had seen, which caused an immigration of people from Europe to the Americas. Along with the people came the five things that aided in destroying the natives. The end reveals that the “Lord” in the gold castle was actually the devil, and that even he knew what he had caused was wrong.” Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto.

Red Jacket

“On the one hand, there are parallels between Handsome Lake’s teachings and Book of Mormon, economic and social interactions between Iroquois and white settlers at the time were still extensive during the early decades of the 19th century, and Lucy Mack Smith wrote that Joseph talked about Indians “as if he had spent his whole life among them.” Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: S.W. Richards, 1853. “Joseph Smith was interested in the people who lived around him. Young Joseph was a member of the juvenile debating club in Palmyra during 1822 when Red Jacket, arguably the most widely-known Seneca of this period, delivered a speech in town. Joseph also liked to hang out on Ganargua Creek (Mud Creek Map Above) in the area where Iroquois travelers camped. He had interest and access.” Joseph Smith and the Code of Handsome Lake Lori Taylor, Ph.D.

The Onondaga Nation at the great white pine tree in Syracuse NY on the shores of Onondaga Lake is where the message of peace was planted, and the hatchets were buried according to many researchers. Similarly, the Lamanites , “…buried the weapons of war, for peace.”  (“a peacemaker crossed Onondaga Lake in a stone canoe, how he convinced warring nations to bury their weapons beneath a tree of peace.”) Sean Kirst Syracuse.com (Compare Alma 24:19)

“The Onondagas: These have special interest… this warrior, Zelph, was an Onondaga, as well as a “white” Lamanite, and that the Onondagas (of New York), consequently must be of Lamanite lineage.” J.M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon

In the summer of 1805, a number of the principal chiefs and warriors of the Six Nations of Indians, principally Seneca’s, assembled at Buffalo Creek, in the State of New-York, at the particular request of a gentleman missionary, (Rev. Mr. Cram,) from the State of Massachusetts. The missionary being furnished with an interpreter, and accompanied by the agent of the United States, for Indian Affairs, met the Indians in council, and had a talk with them; when their Chief delivered the following answer:
“Friend & Brother. —It was the will of the Great Spirit that we should meet this day. He orders all things and has given as a fine day for our council. He has taken his garment from before the sun, and caused it to shine with brightness upon us. Our eyes are opened, that we see clearly; our ears are unstopped, that we have been able to hear distinctly the words you have spoken. For all these favors we thank the Great Spirit, and HIM only.

Brother. This council fire was kindled by you. It was at your request that we came together at this time. We have listened with attention to what you have said. You requested us to speak our minds freely. This gives us great joy; for we now consider that we stand upright before you, and can speak what we think. All have heard your voice, and all speak to you as one man. Our minds are agreed.

Brother. You say you want an answer to your talk before you leave this place. It is right you should have one, as you are at a great distance from home, and we do not wish to detain you. But we will first look back a little, and tell you what our fathers have told us, and what we have heard from the white people.
Brother. Listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their feats extended from the rising to the setting of the sun. The Great Spirit had made it for the use of the Indians. He had created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals for food. He had made the bear and the beaver. Their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered them over the country, and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread. All this He had done for his red children because he loved them. If we had some disputes about our hunting ground, they were generally settled without the shedding of much blood. But an evil day came upon us. Your fore-fathers crossed the great water and landed upon this island. Their numbers were small. They found friends, not enemies. They told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men, and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them, we granted their request, and they sat down amongst us. We gave them corn and meat, they gave us poison [alluding, it is supposed to ardent spirits] in return.

The white people had now found our country. Tidings were carried back and more came amongst us. Yet we did not fear them. We took them to be friends. They called us brothers. We believed them, and gave them a larger seat. At length their numbers had greatly increased. They wanted more land; they wanted our country. Our eyes were opened and our minds became uneasy. Wars took place. Indians were hired to fight against Indians, and many of our people were destroyed. They also brought strong liquors amongst us. It was strong and powerful and has slain thousands.

Brother. Our seats were once large and yours were small. You have now become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us.

Brother. Continue to listen.

You say you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to his mind, and, if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right and we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given to us, and not only to us, but to our forefathers, the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people.

Brother. You say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the book?
Brother. We do not understand these things. We are told that your religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down from father to son. We also have a religion, which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us their children. We worship in that way. It teaches us to be thankful for all the favors we receive: to love each other, and to be united. We never quarrel about religion.

Brother. The Great Spirit has made us all, but he has made a great difference between his white and red children. He has given us different complexions and different customs. To you he has given the arts. To these he has not opened our eyes. We know these things to be true. Since he has made so great a difference between us in other things; why may we not conclude that he has given us a different religion according to our understanding? The Great Spirit does right. He knows what is best for his children; we are satisfied.

Brother. We do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.

Brother. We are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians; we will then consider again what you have said.

Brother. You have now heard our answer to your talk, and this is all we have to say at present. As we are going to part, we will come and take you by the hand, and hope the Great Spirit will protect you on your journey, and return you safe to your friends.

As the Indians began to approach the missionary, he rose hastily from his seat and replied, that he could not take them by the hand, that there was no fellowship between the religion of God and the works of the devil.” Red Jacket

It being afterwards suggested to the missionary that his reply to the Indians were rather indiscreet; he observed, that he supposed the ceremony of shaking hands would be received by them as a token that he assented to what they had said. Being otherwise informed, he said he was sorry for the expression.

NATHANIEL COVERLY, Printer, Milk St. Boston.

Early Mormon Lamanism, Forgotten Apocalyptic Visions, and the Indian Prophet

The year 1890 looms large in American history. It ranks up there with 1776, 1877, and 1945 as important dates that historians have used to organize our past. It also shapes collective memory. Mormons most readily associate 1890 with the Woodruff Manifesto and the ?official? end of polygamy. For Americans, and westerners more specifically, 1890 represents the end of the Frontier, the most American part of our history, to paraphrase Frederick Jackson Turner. According to C. Vann Woodward, the 1890s marked the hardening of segregation in the South.

1890 also marked the date of the last significant massacre of between 150 and 300 Oglala Lakota Indians (Sioux) at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. As the last major altercation between a Native group and the U.S. military, Wounded Knee has taken on great significance in Western and Native histories, marking the symbolic date of the last time that Native peoples had the potential to rise up militarily to define their own destinies. As Philip Deloria has noted, ?Some people? especially white Americans? dated the end of the old days to 1890, when U.S. soldiers had surrounded and slaughtered Big Foot’s band at Wounded Knee Creek. . . . Wounded Knee seemed to mark a. . .division across time. It split old days apart from new days (even as memory and shared culture stitched them together again).?For white America,

Wounded Knee marked the end of the ?Indian Wars? of the late nineteenth-century, the last of the ?heroic yet doomed? military struggles over the fate of the continent. Wounded Knee also had significant consequences for what might be called ?Lamanism,? or the cultural production of Lamanites among white Latter-day Saints. As John-Charles Duffy suggests, the massacre ended ?armed resistance to the U.S. government. . . .[and] Indians’ submission to the reservation system dulled apocalyptic expectations about Lamanites violently reclaiming their promised land.?[2] In truth, it is doubtful that most white Mormons today, or even most Mormon historians for that matter, recognize the full significance of Lamanites/Native Americans in early Mormon history.[3] When The Book of Mormon appeared in 1830, it was a radical document, one that envisioned the eradication of much of white America by Native Americans and the absorption of a small group of converted Gentiles into the chosen remnant of Jacob (see especially 3 Nephi 21). Much of Joseph Smith’s Zion project centered around the promise of the large-scale conversion of Lamanites and rumors circulated from the 1830s through the 1890s of a white Mormon/Native American alliance that would wipe out white America. Parley P. Pratt, in his highly influential Voice of Warning, addressed Native America in saying that the very places of their [that is, white Americans] dwellings will become desolate except such of them as are gathered and numbered with you; and you will exist in peace, upon the face of this land, from generation to generation. And your children will only know, that the Gentiles once conquered this country, and became a great nation here, as they read it in history; as a thing long since passed away, and remembrance of it almost gone from the earth.[4]

Perhaps due to the rampant rumors of the white Mormon-Native alliance, Pratt deleted this passage from subsequent editions. Ironically, with the possibility of such Indian violence existing only in memory or distant millennialism after 1890, it has been white Mormons who have largely forgotten the violent Lamanism of the early church.

White Mormons have also forgotten that some early Saints looked for the Lord to raise up a great Indian prophet. In late 1830, Ohio newspaperman Eber D. Howe noted that Oliver Cowdery and his companions continued ?on their mission to the Indians (or Lamanites, as they term them) in the ‘far west,’ where they say a Prophet is to be raised up, in whom the tribes will believe.?[5] This is intriguing. Unfortunately, surviving evidence has not been located to flesh out what else Cowdery, JS, or others thought of this Indian prophet. However, when Orson Pratt prepared annotations for the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon, his footnote for 2 Nephi 3:24, And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exeeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren.

Pratt noted that the one to be risen up would be ?an Indian prophet.?[6] Howe’s use of the phrase ?to be raised up? suggests that Cowdery and others had this verse in mind when talking about this Indian prophet, although without more evidence, we can’t know for certain.

Wyandots (Hurons), the Delaware’s, the Cattaraugus (Seneca Iroquois), and the Shawnees

The missionaries visited the Wyandots (Hurons), the Delaware’s, the Cattaraugus (Seneca Iroquois), and the Shawnees during this first Lamanite mission. While we do not know for sure why these groups were chosen for proselyting, Lori Taylor has noted that each of these Native nations claimed prophetic traditions. The Hurons spoke of Deganawidah, the Master of Things and the Peacemaker, a Huron prophet who taught the Iroquois Confederacy a new social order of cooperation. The Delaware’s followed Neolin, a prophet who encouraged his people to reject European ways in favor of the old ways, in order to gain favor with the Great Spirit. Neolin was associated with Pontiac and his war in 1763-1764. The Iroquois believed in Handsome Lake, a prophet who received heavenly visitations in 1799-1800 from four visitors who encouraged him and his people to embrace traditional practices and to observe the ceremonial cycle. He encouraged his people to give up alcohol, witchcraft, and other vices. And lastly, the Shawnees followed Tenskwatawa, brother of the famous Tecumseh, who taught that the Shawnee needed to reject white ways in order to push back white settlement. Tenskwatawa learned from Handsome Lake and taught some things that appears to be influenced by Christianity. Although it is unclear how much the early Mormons knew about these prophets or the Native peoples who claimed them, Taylor’s speculation that the missionaries proselyted the Wyandots, Delaware’s, Cattaraugus, and Shawnees for this reason remains intriguing. Equally fascinating is Taylor’s analysis of a story told by some contemporary Iroquois that JS knew about Handsome Lake’s teachings (who was active in western New York until his death in 1815) and that the Book of Mormon was shaped by Handsome Lake’s ideas.[7] Whether there is any truth to such accounts awaits further investigation by ethnohistorians, but one thing is certain, the Book of Mormon and early white Mormon interpretations of it had more in common with the apocalyptic visions of Neolin, Tenskwatawa, and other Native prophets than with the views of most other white Americans of the nineteenth century.
_______
[1] Deloria, Indians in Unexpected Places, 15-16.
[2] Duffy, ?The Use of ‘Lamanite’ in Official LDS Discourse,? Journal of Mormon History 34, no. 1 (Winter 2008): 131.
[3] Walker, “?Seeking the ‘Remnant’: The Native American during the Joseph Smith Period,? Journal of Mormon History 19, no. 1 (1993): 1-33. Walker argues that historians have largely failed to recognize the centrality of Native Americans in early Mormonism. Mormon historians are not alone in marginalizing the importance of Native Americans when writing about nineteenth-century America. See Susan Scheckel’s The Insistence of the Indian: Race and Nationalism in Nineteenth-Century American Culture for a discussion of the centrality of Natives in nineteenth-century America and the tendency of twentieth-century historians to emphasize slavery as the central race question of the century. Much of the new New Indian History of the last two decades has recovered the power and agency of Native peoples in early American history. See Richard White, The Middle Ground, Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground, Ned Blackhawk, Violence Over the Land, and Pekka Hamalainan, The Comanche Empire, for some of the best examples of this new literature.
[4] As quoted in Underwood, The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, 80.
[5] ?The Book of Mormon,? The Painesville Telegraph, 30 November 1830, 3.
[6] Thanks to Robin Jensen, the 2004 Joseph Smith Papers Student Researcher of the Year, for checking the reference for me.
[7] Taylor, ?Telling Stories About Mormons and Indians,? PhD. Diss, State University of New York at Buffalo, 2000, 141-60, 306-51. Taylor notes that Handsome Lake’s nephew, Red Jacket, spoke in Palmyra in 1822.
Native Americans and early Mormonism. Juvenile Instructor

Joseph Smith and the Code of Handsome Lake

by Lori Taylor, Ph.D.

Lori Taylor has three degrees in American Studies: Ph.D. from the SUNY at Buffalo, M.A. from The George Washington University, and B.A. from Brigham Young University. Through all of those degrees, she chased down the ways people frame and reframe the cultural and historical tidbits from which they make deep meaning. The joy in historiography for Lori is the story that makes THEN interesting NOW.
In 1994, sitting in a Western-themed lodge in Billings, Montana, a friend and colleague told me a story that I spent the next several years hunting down. I’m trained as a folklorist and oral historian, so the play of story, memory, and forgetting influence my understanding of histories. Whether the concept of “truth” plays any part in an exploration of this story, I’m not so sure. If the concept of “fact” is slippery for historians, “truth” is even more so.

“You’re a Mormon?” Nicholas said to me. “Oh, boy, do I have a good story to tell you.”
He spent more than an hour telling me about a sundance at Turtle Mountain in 1987 when dancers were talking as they prepared for the dance. It was here that he first heard the story he told me.
“Hey, you guys ever hear the story of how the Mormons came to be?” Wabanimkee had asked Nicholas and the other dancers. “The real story?”[1]

He told them about hard times in western New York after the War of 1812. The Senecas’ transition from their pre-white-settlement lives to the new reality after two generations was not going well. Iroquois have long been farmers, but crops had failed during the year of no summer in 1816. The local Indian agent wrote, “The situation of the Indians is truly deplorable.”[2]

During this period of transition and difficulty, the story goes, a young Joseph Smith worked as a field hand. He met Seneca field hands who were not like the other Senecas who were “into alcohol and debauchery and stuff.” He asked them why they were “so solid, so stable, so strong. And they say, well, they were followers of Handsome Lake.” Who was Handsome Lake? They told him.

Handsome Lake spent the last 15 years of his life, from 1800 to 1815, encouraging his people to turn away from alcohol, gambling, promiscuity, witchcraft, and the worst excesses that came with the settlers. He asked them to follow a code and a ceremonial cycle that maintained their Haudenosaunee identity while also embracing elements white Christian values. He preached of the need to adjust in order to survive. It wasn’t until 1826 that the women Faithkeepers of Tonawanda asked Handsome Lake’s grandson to recall the words of the teacher.[3] From these recollections, they created the Code of Handsome Lake, which has since evolved into the Gaiwiio (Good Word), the syncretic American religion practiced today as the longhouse religion of the Haudenosaunee. For most Iroquois, Handsome Lake is a prophet.

The Seneca field hands told Joseph Smith that Handsome Lake “found a way of blending” the best of Iroquois traditions and the best of Christian traditions “because his vision told him that they only way his people were going to survive is if they held on to the root, the main root of who they were throughout time that gave them a sense of identity and strength and consistency of heritage.” They had to incorporate the new into the old “in order for them to get along in this new society that was forming.”
Hearing the story of mixing two world views into a New World view, Joseph Smith said, “this is just what the white people need because they’re just as pitiful as the Indians are. And, because it’s a new world for everybody, what the white people need to do is to take the best of their Christian heritage and traditions and stuff that come out of their European ways and mix it with the indigenous ways of the people who have lived on this land for a long time.”

“And, so what he decided, what was really needed was an equivalent of Handsome Lake’s Gaiwiio, but for the white people, maybe with a little more Christian emphasis.”

What about all of the books and gold, the dancers asked the storyteller. The Senecas helped Joseph Smith, he said. “We’ll be better, us Indians will be better off if you white people do just like we did to get along here in this new world. We’ll be better off if you folks can understand us a little bit more by taking in some of our world view, too. So, we will help you. We will help you bring this new word. We will help you bring the Word to your own people.”

The teller of the story goes on to outline melting of the gold paid Tonawanda Senecas by the British for their help during the War of 1812 into tablets like Moses’ commandments, a story that bears no resemblance to reports of thin, brass plates found in construction of the Erie Canal during that generation. They told their stories in their own writing, taught him how to read it, then told him how he would make the discovery of his golden book a media event.

The story ends, and the sundance went on. Nicholas told me the story, and he told a few others, just as Wabanimkee had told a few others before.

In the years I spent asking whether such events could be possible let alone plausible—years I spent in graduate school in western New York with Haudenosaunee teachers, students, and friends—I heard a few much shorter versions of the story.

Among the questions I asked during my research was, what other comparisons have been made by those familiar with both the Iroquois longhouse and Mormonism? Edmund Wilson, on a tour of the Six Nations for the New Yorker in the 1950s, visited Philip Cook, Mohawk of Akwesasne. Cook was a convert to the LDS church. He told Wilson that he wondered whether Joseph Smith might have been influenced by Handsome Lake through Senecas in western New York, but “he concluded that no white man at the time could ever have had access to their ceremonies or understood what was said if he had.”[4]
Tracing the lines of acquaintances of all the people I know who know this story (at least, those who told me they know this story),[5] I find that one man knew them all or knew who told them. In another of Edmund Wilson’s articles for the New Yorker, he wrote of Wallace “Mad Bear” Anderson, in 1958 a dynamic man of 31 years old. Mad Bear become one of those elders who for young people in the 1960s and 1970s imparted Indian wisdom and stories. He also, in his extensive travels, made connections with indigenous peoples around the world and worked to bring them together. He spread Iroquois stories and his contemporary interpretations far and wide as a merchant seaman then as a travelling elder.
Mad Bear Anderson is the trickster figure in the story of Handsome Lake followers and Joseph Smith—possibly a source, possibly just a very strong teller of the tale.

Could these events have happened?

On the one hand, there are parallels between Handsome Lake’s teachings and Book of Mormon, economic and social interactions between Iroquois and white settlers at the time were still extensive during the early decades of the 19th century, and Lucy Mack Smith wrote that Joseph talked about Indians “as if he had spent his whole life among them.”[6] Joseph Smith was interested in the people who lived around him. Young Joseph was a member of the juvenile debating club in Palmyra during 1822 when Red Jacket, arguably the most widely-known Seneca of this period, delivered a speech in town. Joseph also liked to hang out on Ganargua Creek (Mud Creek) in the area where Iroquois travelers camped. He had interest and access.

On the other hand, melting down gold for thick tablets seems unlikely for quite a few reasons, including economic reality and cultural skill sets, and a coordinated cross-cultural media event is more of our day than of the 19th century. Even if such an event as described in the story actually happened in time, it is unlikely there would be any historically useful trace beyond memory through story.
Is the story possible? Sure. Is it plausible? Probably not, at least not in the specifics. After 200 years, a story can stretch to meet a lot of different needs. I’ve frequently heard people say after hearing the story, “I always wondered about that.” This story makes connections between peoples, connecting a few dots of curiosity. That may be the need it meets. Then again, it may bring up more questions than it claims to answer as it sparks an interest in what happened hundreds of years ago between early Mormons and their Haudenosaunee neighbors.

A generation ago, after scholars went through New York, turned it upside down and shook it out, someone asked if there is “anything new to be found in the history of the Church in New York.”[7]
Scholars have looked for influences on Mormonism in Puritan roots, evangelical revivals, hermetic traditions, folk magic, and in various social movements. Given the fact that Joseph Smith lived in Iroquoia—New York, Ontario, and beyond—we can include those historical sources for another potential area of influence. There is plenty “anything new” in Mormon history where it meets the parallel space of Indian Country. I’m confident more areas of influence will be added to the list in time as well.
Of course there is an endless new history to be written. We look in different places. We find different traces of the past. We ask different questions as we ourselves change. And, we rewrite histories we thought we knew when they no longer answer the questions we ask about our past. If history weren’t so fluid, there wouldn’t be much point in our discussing it here.

NOTES
The story and the questions come from my PhD dissertation, Telling Stories about Mormons and Indians (State University of New York at Buffalo, 2000).
[1] Nicholas C. P. Vrooman, “Handsome Lake, Joseph Smith, and the Word,” recorded 7 November 1994. For clarity, I’ve made my paraphrase and quotation of the story italics.
[2] Erastus Granger to Acting Secretary of War, George Graham, 20 January 1817. In Charles M. Snyder, ed., Red and White on the New York Frontier: A Struggle for Survival. Insights from the Papers of Erastus Granger, Indian Agent, 1807-1819 (Harrison, New York: Harbor Hill Books, 1978): 85.
[3] Elisabeth Tooker, “Iroquois Since 1820,” in Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15, Northeast, ed. Bruce G. Trigger (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1978): 452. There were others who contributed to the codification of the teachings of Handsome Lake as well.
[4] The New Yorker articles were published as Edmund Wilson, Apologies to the Iroquois (1959, 1960; Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1991): 123.
[5] Even as a colleague read over this post before I sent it, he said, “Now I understand better what my grandfather said to me about Seneca gold.” People I’ve known for years sometimes come up with pieces around the edges of this story.
[6] Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: S.W. Richards, 1853): 85. If she told her stories in chronological order, the dates of these recitals would be 1823 or 1824.
[7] Chad Flake, review of The Restoration Movement: Essays in Mormon History, eds. F. Mark McKiernan, Alma R. Blair, Paul M. Edwards, BYU Studies 15/3 (Spring 1975): 373.

New theory connects a Native American prophet with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon

by Jana Riess on Religion News Service

“Peter Manseau published a wonderfully engaging book on American religious history. One Nation, Under Gods is chock-full of “Aha!” moments, but for purposes of this blog I wanted to talk with Peter about his chapter on early Mormonism’s interplay with Native Americans.
In particular, I was intrigued by a theory about the origins of the Book of Mormon that I had not heard before. (As you can read below, Peter is eager to point out that he was not the first to make a connection between Joseph Smith and the Seneca prophet Handsome Lake, but it was certainly new to me.) — JKR
RNS: First off, you say in the book that Joseph Smith “came to look upon Native Americans not merely as an evangelical challenge but as a key to understanding the Christian scriptures . . . . Why did Smith alone see the New World as a missing piece in the story the Old World told about itself?” Great question. What do you think?
Peter Manseau: The biggest theological problem Europeans faced when they arrived in America was what to do with Native Americans, whose existence suggested God created a population that didn’t fit into their biblical worldview. This prompted questions: “Do they have souls?”, “Are they of the devil?” For Joseph Smith, it was “Are these people mentioned in the Bible after all?” If they were, it solved a theological puzzle.
RNS: So you see Joseph Smith as being interested in the Hebraic origins of Native Americans. What is the connection with Handsome Lake?
Manseau: Handsome Lake was of the Seneca people, the brother of a chief called Cornplanter, who became known in the late 18th century as someone who had welcomed the Quakers in his village. Handsome Lake meanwhile was known as a ne’er-do-well and a drunk. One winter, he became sick and it seemed like he was going to die. While he lay dying, he had a vision of several figures who came to him and told him to reform his life. They instructed him to write down the visions as a message that came to be known as the Code of Handsome Lake.
Handsome Lake’s vision blended Native American and Quaker religious ideas. It really took hold among the Seneca, the Iroquois. He became quite well known for it.
Handsome Lake’s revival might be considered the Native American outgrowth of the Second Great Awakening that began in the region. This of course is where we find Joseph Smith as well, who grows up very much interested in Native American culture and the lore that existed all around him. He, too, was interested in the general question: what do you do religiously with Native Americans as a people not accounted for in the original revelation? Whether through revelation or imagination, he proposed an alternate story that accounts for them.
What scholars now are beginning to do is investigate how Joseph Smith was influenced by Native American culture, and specifically by a movement such as Handsome Lake’s.
RNS: Interesting. You note in the book that Handsome Lake’s nephew lectured in Palmyra just one month before Smith claimed to have found the golden plates.
Manseau: Handsome Lake’s nephew was another Iroquois leader named Red Jacket. He presented his ideas — not quite the Code of Handsome Lake, but something similar — when he was in Palmyra lecturing very shortly before Joseph Smith claimed to have discovered this new scripture that incorporated Native Americans into biblical history.
RNS: Did Joseph attend that lecture?
Manseau: It’s likely. It seems that given who he was at the time — a teenage boy very interested in Native Americans — the arrival of this renowned chief would have been a big deal. It was publicized in the Palmyra Gazette and other newspapers.
RNS: How did you first learn about this connection?
Manseau: I came across an unpublished dissertation by Lori Taylor, who wrote about the idea of Handsome Lake having potential influence on Joseph Smith. I had seen it referenced on Juvenile Instructor.
RNS: Bottom line: Was Joseph Smith influenced by Handsome Lake, even indirectly, in writing the Book of Mormon?
Manseau: Maybe. But the other side of the coin that apologetics would offer is that the Book of Mormon, being an ancient text, had influenced Native Americans from generation to generation so that there was already a remnant of Book of Mormon truth in Seneca culture. Then it becomes a question of in which direction influence might have moved.” Jana Riess 

Interesting Information:

When serving as Mission President to the Seminole Indians in Central Florida, Murray J. Rawson was teaching a group of the tribe about the Book of Mormon when he was interrupted by their Chief, saying: “We had a war long ago with a light skinned people around the Great Lakes. We conquered them but we had so much respect for their warrior chief that we buried him at the mouth of the Oswego River that is in New York State. We don’t discuss this very much because it is an embarrassment to us. President Rawson then asked why this is an embarrassment, and the Chief replied, “ Our history is written on metal plates and buried in a hill in New York, but we don’t know which hill!” (Talk given to missionaries in training at the MTC, Provo, Utah 1979, by President Murray J. Rawson).

“In 1837, Elder Parley P. Pratt, one of the early defenders of the church, wrote a work entitled, “A Voice of Warning,” which has been published in many different editions in Europe and America. In the edition of 1885, published at Lamoni, Iowa, page 82, there is a quotation from Mr. Boudinot, which reads as follows: Mr. Boudinot in his able work, remarks concerning their language: “Their language in its roots, idiom, and particular construction, appears to have the whole genius of the Hebrew; and what is very remarkable, and well worthy of serious attention, has most of the peculiarities of the language, especially those in which it differs from most other languages. There is a tradition related by an aged Indian of the Stockbridge Tribe, that their fathers were once in possession of a ‘Sacred Book’ which was handed down from generation to generation, and at last hid in the earth, since which time they have been under the feet of their enemies. But those oracles were to be restored to them again, and then they would triumph over their enemies and regain their. ancient country, together with their rights and privileges.” JOURNAL OF HISTORY APRIL, 1909 Published by Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

(Above) In 1844 A.D. a newspaper called the “Prophet” published to the world in 1844 this broadside page declared that the Stick of Joseph had been translated and published into English for the first time. Notice the quote at the bottom from the aged Indian.

What Else did Joseph Teach or Learn from the Nephites or Native Americans?

1- “The whole of our journey, in the midst of so large a company of social honest and sincere men, wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord, picking up their skulls & their bones, as a proof of its divine authenticity… During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country-Nephites, Lamanites, etc.” Joseph Smith Papers Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834 Page 56

2- “The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti…” Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 296“September 25, 1838. We passed through Huntsville, Co, seat of Randolph Co, Pop. 450, and three miles further we bought 32 bu. of corn off one of the brethren who resides in this place. There are several of the brethren round about here and this is the ancient site of the City of Manti, which is spoken of in the Book of Mormon and this is appointed one of the Stakes of Zion, and it is in Randolph County, Missouri, three miles west of the county seat.” Journal of Samuel D. Tyler, filed in Church Historian’s Office. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3: 239  History of Joseph Smith page 296

3- “We came through Huntsville, the county seat of Randolph county . . . A mile and a half west of Huntsville we crossed the east branch of Chariton (River), and one and a half miles west of the river we found Ira Ames and some other brethren near the place where the city of Manti is to be built, and encamped for the night on Dark creek, six miles from Huntsville. Traveled this day seventeen miles. Distance from Kirtland, seven hundred and fifty-five miles.” Joseph Smith Documentary History of the Church, 3:10:144:1

4- Joseph Smith accompanied several Church members in exploring the area around Lyman Wight’s northern Missouri home. In his journal, A. Jenson wrote: “The [Kirtland] camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti.” A. Jenson, Historical Record, Book 1, p. 601 Millennial Star 16:296

5- “In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country…” Wentworth Letter reprinted in Ensign July 2002

6- Joseph said that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians . . . By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.” Joseph Smith’s Letter to The American Revivalist Feb 2, 1833 (Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 273)

7- “He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…” Joseph Smith Journal, November 9, 1835; The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Volume 1:1832-1839(Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 88-89.

8- “From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any that ever lived upon the face of the earth–all seated in a circle, father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the Bible through in his life: he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study… During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode, their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.” Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845 Book 4 Joseph Smith Papers

9- “Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel;” BofM Title Page

10- “You shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them;… and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites. D&C 28:8-9

11- “Thus ended our first Indian mission, in which we had preached the Gospel in its fullness and distributed the record of their forefathers among three tribes… west of Missouri.” Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p 56-61

12- “I accordingly went down, and met Keokuk, Kis-Ku-Kosh, Appenoose, and about one hundred chiefs and braves of those tribes (Sac, Fox), with their families.” … and instructed them in many things which the Lord had revealed unto me concerning their fathers, and the promises that were made concerning them in the Book of Mormon.” Joseph Smith Papers; History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 Addenda page 10-11

Joseph Smith gave us so much to help in the preparation for the coming of the Savior. He was taught by angels. There are some in the church that say Joseph didn’t really know the geography of the Book of Mormon. I don’t believe that. Just think of all he was taught, not by physical means only, but by the Spirit of God. He learned more than we can imagine and I believe Joseph did know all about the Nephites in this land of the United States of America.

“Following is a list of some of the personages who appeared to Joseph Smith to restore priesthood keys, to deliver divine instructions, or to perform other functions. The sources History of the Church and Journal of Discourses are abbreviated as HC and JD. The Prophet Joseph communicated with other messengers who previously had lived righteously on earth, but the precise nature of these visits is not known. These personages include Seth, Isaac, Jacob, and the Jewish and Nephite Apostles [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the Asiastic continent. see Journal of Discourses, 21:94]. In addition, Joseph Smith saw other angels in vision, some of whom are identified in recorded revelation (see, for example, D&C 107:53; compare History of the Church, 3:388). See my other blog here about all of Joseph Smiths Tutors.

Just yesterday I posted about many in our US Military that are honorable and Christlike, and I called them God’s General’s. You are able to see from that blog that those higher up in the Joint Chiefs of Staff respect and honor our Constitutional rights. Now I find several articles that say just the opposite about some renegades in our Military that like Marxism and also information of our current President Biden disrespecting our Military. Remember we must learn and pray for the good of this world. We can’t just always expect our leaders to do what is right. Yesterday’s blog here

Moroni shares with us why having righteous leaders in our world and in our Military is critical. “For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil. Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. Moroni 7:11-13

There is also some great news. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected the Biden administration arguments in a case from Rhode Island that police should be allowed to enter homes without a warrant to seize handguns. Article at the end of this blog.

Why Aren’t More Speaking Out? US Military Losing Moral High-Ground

“The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words, Duty—Honor—Country.”
General Douglas MacArthur, final address to West Point

WARNING: Military Officers Supporting And Enabling Marxism In DoD Will Face Accountability

by L Todd Wood May 17, 2021

U.S. military officers betraying their oath to the Constitution, and supporting, even just enabling the Marxist infiltration currently underway in the Department of Defense, need to be fully aware the Nuremberg defense will not hold up in a courts martial.

“I was just following orders,” is not going to cut it, when those orders command the destruction of the nation you swore to defend, against foreign and DOMESTIC enemies.

Every lie will be revealed.

You will be held accountable, eventually.

With the removal from command of Lt Col Lohmeier, USAF, for eloquently warning of this infiltration in his book Irresistible Revolution, there is no longer any doubt about what is happening. There is no longer any place to hide.

By supporting the racist ideology, the cultural Marxism of critical race theory, being pushed by our enemy in Beijing — the Chinese Communist Party — you are committing treason against the American people.

You will pay the price for this diabolical deception.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why more officers are not stepping up, and speaking out.

Do you have no courage?

Do you have no honor?

Are you being paid?

Are you worried about your career, so you turn a blind eye while the current Marxist military leadership destroys the greatest republic in the history of mankind?

The U.S. military used to held to a higher moral ground. Not any more. You are squandering the legacy of millions who died before you defending our beloved republic.

There are no more excuses. Live up to your oath, or face the eventual wrath of America. CD Media

Biden quietly reverses order to lower flag in honor of police; offers reason, but not publicly

May 17, 2021 | Tom Tillison| 

The Biden administration ended up with egg on its face over a snafu involving the American flag.

Adding to the confusion, the White House tried to quietly rectify what was reported as an oversight in an apparent attempt to avoid embarrassment — seems it’s always the coverup that gets ’em — instead of going on record to own the blunder.

President Joe Biden had ordered flags on Saturday to be flown at half-staff in honor of law enforcement, only to suddenly reissue a proclamation on Friday ordering the flags to be flown at full-staff. Given that Biden appears to be controlled by the radical left faction of his party, who are notably anti-police, the move raised plenty of eyebrows.“To Be A ‘Good Liberal’ Is To Surrender Your Safety, Your Sanity, Your Wellbeing.”PauseNext video1:10 / 25:47SettingsVoltaxFull-screen

While it’s not a stretch to think that Biden was pressured to reverse the initial call to lower the flags in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day, which honors officers killed or injured in the line of duty, turns out Saturday was also Armed Forces Day.

Falling on the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day mandates that flags be flown at full staff — U.S. Code states: “The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.”

In reporting on the fiasco, The Washington Post cited a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly, who called the fumble a “once-in-a-decade” thing.

“This weekend is a once-in-a-decade scenario based on the flag code. As a result, flag code dictates that the flags should not be lowered today,” the anonymous source told the Post. “The president stands by the message of his proclamation and his longtime commitment to working with law enforcement to build safer communities.”

Of course, by failing to be upfront about what appears to be an honest mistake, and considering the Democratic Party’s current disposition toward law enforcement, the administration drew immediate scorn — rightfully so.

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted: “In case you had any question as to where President Biden stands on police, now you know.”

“Earlier this week Joe Biden announced that flags would be flown at Half Staff tomorrow to honor the men & women in blue who died in the line of duty,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. “Today he ‘Friday news dumped’ that he’d changed his mind: in his opinion, they aren’t worthy of lowering the flags. Unacceptable!”

Mast’s tweet caught the eye of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called the decision “bizarre.”

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu called Biden’s sudden change “outrageous” in a series of tweets posted on Friday.

“Late tonight Joe Biden quietly tried to reverse his Peace Officers Memorial Day Proclamation, hoping no one would notice they are no longer calling for flags to fly at Half Staff across the USA honoring our men women in blue,” the Republican governor said. “This is outrageous and precedent breaking.

“On May 10th, the Biden Administration announced in a release flags would be flying at Half Staff across the country to honor our heroes on the front line. Tonight, in the eleventh hour, the Biden Administration is now no longer calling for flags to fly at Half Staff,” he continued.

Sununu went on to say that New Hampshire “will continue to honor the men and women who have died or been injured in the line of duty by flying flags at Half Staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day as we have always done, and as is right.”

When the governor learned of the reported reason Saturday, he faulted Biden for not offering a public explanation for the decision.

“The fact remains that it was a disrespectful act by the president to reverse his directive to lower flags at 6 p.m. the night before, without even an explanation to law enforcement or their families who were expecting for their losses to be honored today, and with no reference made at all to Armed Forces Day,” Sununu said, according to the Associated Press. BPR Business and Politics

Supreme Court Unanimously Rebuffs Biden Administration on Warrantless Searches for Handguns

BY MATTHEW VADUM May 17, 2021 Updated: May 17, 2021

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected Biden administration arguments in a case from Rhode Island that police should be allowed to enter homes without a warrant to seize handguns.

The ruling in the case, Caniglia v. Strom, court file 20-157, came May 17.

Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America and the affiliated Gun Owners Foundation, praised the new decision.

“The Supreme Court today smacked down the hopes of gun grabbers across the nation,” Pratt said.

“The Michael Bloombergs of the world would have loved to see the Supreme Court grant police the authority to confiscate firearms without a warrant. But the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Fourth Amendment protections in the Bill of Rights protect gun owners from such invasions into their homes.”

Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York mayor, is an activist and major funder of gun-control groups. Read the rest on Epoch Times here

We Love the Constitution

“This was the place of three former civilizations: Adam’s, the Jaredite, and the Nephite. This was also the place where our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith inaugurating this great and last dispensation. The Lord has also decreed that this land should be “the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, . . . the holy sanctuary of the Lord” (Ether 13:3). Here is our nation’s destiny! To serve God’s eternal purposes and to prepare this land and people for America’s eventual destiny, he “established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom [he] raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80). The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson pp. 587-588  https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson_gods-hand-nations-history/

(MUST READ and PRAY about this!)

Moroni, God’s General

“(And he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land— For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church. And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come. And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.” Alma 46:13-16

The Constitution for the united states of America (see about definition below) was established by the Lord Himself through righteous wise men. It was established to protect our personal freedom and keep us from tyranny. This Constitution remains today in a shattered yet lawful state and as we can find even just a few righteous and moral men to hold true to that Constitution, we will be blessed.

“We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education“

“In order that there may be no misunderstanding by bishops, stake presidents, and others regarding members of the Church participating in nonchurch meetings to study and become informed on the Constitution of the United States, Communism, etc., I wish,” said President McKay, “to make the following statements that I have been sending out of my office for some time and that have come under question by some stake authorities, bishoprics, and others.

Church members are at perfect liberty to act according to their own conscience in matters of safeguarding our way of life. They are, of course, encouraged to honor the highest standards of the gospel and to work to preserve their own freedoms. They are free to participate in nonchurch meetings that are held to warn people of the threat of Communism or any other theory or principle that will deprive us of our free agency or individual liberties vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States.

The position of this church on the subject of Communism has never changed. We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work among men that exists on the face of the earth.

In this connection,” President McKay continues, “we are constantly being asked to give our opinion concerning various patriotic groups or individuals who are fighting Communism and speaking up for freedom. Our immediate concern, however, is not what parties, groups, or persons, but with principles. We therefore commend and encourage every person and every group who is sincerely seeking to study constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us. We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it.

Supporting the FBI, the police, the congressional committees investigating Communism, and various organizations that are attempting to awaken the people through educational means is a policy we warmly endorse for all our people….” (President David O. McKay, The Improvement Era, June 1966, p. 477; Conference Report, April 1966, p. 109,)

“I bear witness that this Church position given by our inspired leader – our Prophet-leader – is sound, timely and clear. The need for such counsel has never been greater.

Brethren and sisters, I have talked straight to you today. I know I will be abused by some for what I have said, but I want my skirts to be clean.” Ezra Taft Benson Our Immediate Responsibility

“There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: “A republic, if you can keep it.” The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health.” Dr. Richard Beeman is professor of history and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania

Constitution in Scriptures

77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood. D&C 101:77-80

Hanging by a Thread?

The documents show that Joseph Smith did prophesy a number of times that the United States and the Constitution would be imperiled and that the elders would have a hand in saving them. The first known record of the prophecy dates to July 19, 1840, in Nauvoo, when the prophet spoke about the redemption of Zion. Using Doctrine & Covenants 101 as a text, he said, “Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.” D. Michael Stewart, Brigham Young University, Department of History (Joseph Smith Papers, LDS Church Historical Archives, Box 1, March 10, 1844.)

This Constitution is the key to our nation, the United States of America being the Promised Land, choice above all. Because of the strength of our Military they pledge to sustain and honor our Constitution. This Constitution is the legal contract between “we the people” and God. This is why today I trust General Mike Rogers, General Michael Flynn, General Thomas McInerney Ret. General John E. Hyten Air Force, General James C. McConville Army, General David H. Berger Marines, Admiral Michael M. Gilday Navy, General Charles Q. Brown Jr. Air Force, General John W. Raymond Space Force, Admiral, and Karl L. Schultz Coast Guard. This highest command of our US Military today honor and respect President Donald J. Trump as our current Commander in chief. These are some of God’s Gererals.

General Mike Rogers

In January 2014, the Obama Administration announced Rogers’ nomination as director of the National Security Agency and the commander of the United States offensive cyberoperations unit in the Department of Defense. Rogers succeeded General Keith B. Alexander, who served as the NSA director for nine years, and became the first IWC officer to achieve the rank of admiral. Although the NSA directorship does not require Senate approval, Rogers had to be confirmed by the Senate to head United States Cyber Command, for which the Senate unanimously confirmed him… In January 2018, Rogers announced he would be retiring from the NSA in the spring. Wikipedia

According to most of the large countries in the world, their MILITARY is the most trusted department in the governments. That is very true in the United States and always has been. Why? they are the Captain Moroni’s and Nephi’s, and King Benjamin’s of our societies. In essence they are “God’s Generals” I believe any one of good character and belief in God is, God’s General. See my blog honoring the Joint Chief’s of Staff in our Military here:

Trust in the military exceeds trust in other institutions in Western Europe and U.S.

BY COURTNEY JOHNSON

Western Europeans and Americans tend to trust their militaries much more than other national institutions.

Large majorities in eight Western European countries surveyed by Pew Research Center late last year said they trust the military, ranging from 84% in France to 66% in Spain. And on a similar survey question asked in the United States earlier this year, 80% of Americans said they have confidence that the military will act in the best interests of the public.

Other institutions received far lower marks on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Gadianton’s of today are the Cabal, Deep State (including the majority of Congress, Senate and the Supreme Court), Illuminati, Mafia, Terrorists, most of Washington DC, City of London, the Vatican, the Freemason’s the Satanists, Luciferians, Reptilians, Rothchild’s, Rockefeller’s and many more.

Helaman 6:18

17 And behold, I am Giddianhi; and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us.
18 And now behold, those murderers and plunderers were a band who had been formed by Kishkumen and Gadianton. And now it had come to pass that there were many, even among the Nephites, of Gadianton’s band. But behold, they were more numerous among the more wicked part of the Lamanites. And they were called Gadianton’s robbers and murderers. Helaman 6:18

Helaman 6:24-31

24 And whosoever of those who belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and their abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their country, but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton and Kishkumen.
25 Now behold, it is these secret oaths and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world, lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction.
26 Now behold, those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit—
27 Yea, that same being who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the world. And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth.
28 And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell.
29 Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time.
30 And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.
31 And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver. Helaman 6:24-31

Freemen, Lachoneus, and Moroni’s of today are: Donald Trump, General Michael Flynn, General Thomas McInerney, General Michael Rogers, Former Sec of State Mike Pompeo, Dan Scovino, Lin Wood, Sidney Powell, Mike Lindell, Congressmen Burgess Owens, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Senator Rand Paul along with many more.

Freemen—Nephite group vowing to defend freedom [c. 67 B.C.]

Alma 51:6-7

6 And those who were desirous that Pahoran should remain chief judge over the land took upon them the name of freemen; and thus was the division among them, for the freemen had sworn or covenanted to maintain their rights and the privileges of their religion by a free government.
7 And it came to pass that this matter of their contention was settled by the voice of the people. And it came to pass that the voice of the people came in favor of the freemen, and Pahoran retained the judgment-seat, which caused much rejoicing among the brethren of Pahoran and also many of the people of liberty, who also put the king-men to silence, that they durst not oppose but were obliged to maintain the cause of freedom. Alma 51:6-7

Lachoneus, Today’s Michael Flynn?

3 Nephi 3:9, 16-19

16 And so great and marvelous were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus that they did cause fear to come upon all the people; and they did exert themselves in their might to do according to the words of Lachoneus.
17 And it came to pass that Lachoneus did appoint chief captains over all the armies of the Nephites, to command them at the time that the robbers should come down out of the wilderness against them.
18 Now the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of all the armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was Gidgiddoni.
19 Now it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also was the chief judge. 3 Nephi 3:9, 16-19

Joseph Smith Campaign for President of the United States

By Arnold K. Garr Department Chair, Church History and Doctrine

“On January 29, 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith formally decided to run for the office of president of the United States. What did he hope to accomplish?

It began in 1839. The Prophet Joseph Smith, finally free after more than four months of imprisonment in Liberty, Missouri, had settled in Illinois, and the Saints had begun building what would become the city of Nauvoo. With the Missouri persecutions fresh in their minds, the Saints sought redress for the grievances they had suffered, but they were not successful.

Frustrated, Joseph determined to seek help from the federal government. After all, weren’t all Americans guaranteed the protections found in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution? The very first of these is generally taken as a guarantee of the right to practice religion freely…

According to the Prophet, the president [Van Buren] treated them rudely and declared: “Gentlemen, your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you. … If I take up for you I shall lose the vote of Missouri.”

Joseph Smith’s disappointing visit to Washington, D.C., became a turning point for him. His people had been abused and unjustly treated in Missouri, and the president of the United States had refused to help. The Church leaders would remember this neglect when the time came for another presidential election…

Joseph Smith’s Platform

Joseph wasted little time in preparing a platform for his campaign. He met with William W. Phelps and dictated to him the headings for a political pamphlet titled General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States, the foundation document for his presidential platform. The platform didn’t specifically mention the Latter-day Saints’ persecution in Missouri; instead, it offered solutions for many of the nation’s most pressing problems.

The most important plank in Joseph’s platform concerned the powers of the president. Joseph wanted to give the chief magistrate “full power to send an army to suppress mobs … [without requiring] the governor of a state to make the demand.”

Eliminating slavery was another important part of his platform. He wrote in General Smith’s Views: “The Declaration of Independence ‘holds these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;’ but at the same time some two or three millions of people are held as slaves for life, because the spirit in them is covered with a darker skin.” Instead of simply calling for the abolition of slavery, Joseph Smith’s platform would have Congress “pay every man a reasonable price for his slaves out of the surplus revenue arising from the sale of public lands, and from the deduction of pay from members of Congress.”

The platform also proposed changes to Congress. Joseph wanted to reduce congressional pay from eight dollars to two dollars per day. He wanted to have only two members of the House of Representatives for every one million people.

In addition, Joseph favored extensive prison reform, forming a national bank, and annexing Oregon and Texas. He favored extending the United States “from the east to the west sea,” but only if Native Americans gave their consent.

On February 24, the Prophet had 1,500 copies of the pamphlet printed. Copies were mailed to the president of the United States and his cabinet, the justices of the Supreme Court, senators, representatives, editors of principal newspapers, postmasters, and other prominent citizens. Source

Joseph Smith was willing to do his part. What have you and I committed to do for the success of our country? Call me if you want to read something better than Fox News of the Main Street Media. There are many places to go.

OPEN STATEMENT (Today’s Freemen, 124 of God’s Generals)

Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty.

Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the “will of the people” our Constitutional Republic is lost. Election integrity demands insuring there is one legal vote cast and counted per citizen. Legal votes are identified by State Legislature’s approved controls using government IDs, verified signatures, etc. Today, many are calling such commonsense controls “racist” in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic. Additionally, the “Rule of Law” must be enforced in our election processes to ensure integrity. The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020. Finally, H.R.1 & S.1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic.

Aside from the election, the Current Administration has launched a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights in a dictatorial manner, bypassing the Congress, with more than 50 Executive Orders quickly signed, many reversing the previous Administration’s effective policies and regulations. Moreover, population control actions such as excessive lockdowns, school and business closures, and most alarming, censorship of written and verbal expression are all direct assaults on our fundamental Rights. We must support and hold accountable politicians who will act to counter Socialism, Marxism and Progressivism, support our Constitutional Republic, and insist on fiscally responsible governing while focusing on all Americans, especially the middle class, not special interest or extremist groups which are used to divide us into warring factions.

We  welcome others to join with us as we continue our effort to defend the  U.S. Constitution and the American way of life. Flag Officers 4 America

What Happened to our “Organic and Original Constitution?

It is my opinion along with many others that the election of 2020 was fraudulent. If our great country is to be that shining beacon on the hill, we must correct our elections to make them accurate. Fraud has now been proven (See Arizona) and this fraud has been going on for many years, possibly even the last three presidential elections. That is sad. Don’t just sit there, do some research. The main stream media won’t tell you the truth, but you can find out if it means enough to you. I know for a fact there was fraud.

What should be done? Should we leave it alone and just move on and let it happen again? Should we just let President Biden be the winner and fix it next time? What would honest people do? Shouldn’t we follow that document that the Lord himself created for us, even the “Constitution for the united states of America” This is its proper name until 1871 when Washington DC with the act of 1871 changed the name to: “THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA“ and made it a corporation by being capitalized under the ownership of Britain. Notice the switching of the “for” and the “of”? Read my blog here: https://www.bofm.blog/would-any-one-person-lay-down-his-her-life-simply-for-a-corporation/

Capitalization — an insignificant change? Not when one is referring to the context of a legal document, it isn’t. Such minor alterations have had major impacts on each subsequent generation born in this country. What the Congress did with the passage of the Act of 1871 was create an entirely new document, a constitution for the government of the District of Columbia. The kind of government THEY created was a corporation. The new, altered Constitution serves as the constitution of the corporation, and not that of America. Think about that for a moment.

Native American Founders

Benjamin Franklin complemented the “order and decency” of Iroquois public councils. Speakers would be met with silence, allowed to deliver their words uninterrupted, and even received several minutes after speaking to add anything they had forgotten. 

Franklin marveled, “How different this is from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where scarce a day passes without some confusion that makes the Speaker hoarse in calling to order.” He went on to complain about “polite companies” in Europe who interrupt each other, forcing everyone to speak loudly and quickly.

The U.S. Senate, as designed by the Constitution, was meant to similarly represent “order and decency.”

The Founding Fathers certainly studied their history, drawing upon influences from ancient Rome to John Locke to help create their fledgling country. Yet the ideas the Founding Fathers got from Native Americans hardly ever receive due credit from historians, though their democratic procedures largely shaped the democracy Americans know today. As the European settlers waged centuries of war against the “savages” in the Americas while stealing their land and slaughtering innocent people, they also ripped off their ideas. Whose ideas were the Founding Fathers influenced by? The most influential group was the Iroquois, who created the first participatory democracy in North America. 

The Native influence on the Founding Fathers provided them with numerous ideas about democracy and politics, and is probably something you never knew about America’s founding. Native Americans shaped the Founding Fathers’ conception of a successful republic and even the symbols of a new nation. Yet, in the end, they remain shut out of history books in favor of the Magna Carta and ancient Greeks. But no longer will the influence of the Iroquois people be pushed to the side of American history.

In the 1780s, Benjamin Franklin wrote “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” In spite of calling them “savages,” he complimented the Native Americans, making note of “Indian rules of politeness” and how such manners played into effective diplomacy. These descriptions featured not a group of bloodthirsty savages, but respectable groups whose customs and traditions could serve the burgeoning American government.

Franklin made this exact point when he wryly noted, “Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the same of theirs.” Source

The Word “Constitution” According to Scripture

“According to the laws and constitution of the people” D&C 101:77

“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.” D&C107:80

“Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.” D&C 109:54

“And that law of the land which is constitutional” D&C 98:5

Who are God’s Generals Today?

Six of the 8 Generals leading our nation support the Constitution above one man or above our current congress. These 6 Generals support Trump because they saw that the election was a fraud. The Congress and Supreme court say it wasn’t fraudulent. In this case we have a dual presidency and the constitution says the Military’s job is to give the authority to the Commander in Chief they feel is the correct person or they could call for new elections.

All 8 Generals of the Joint Chiefs of Staff served during Trump’s term and served in Biden‘s term as well. General Milley (1) and General Hokanson (7) were just fired by unanimous vote as these two went against the other six in saying Trump is our Commander in Chief. Milley and Hokanson were sent to GITMO. (See my Blog Here) This shows our Military’s in charge of the government and President Trump is the Commander in Chief and President Biden is the President of a bankrupt corporation. The Congress and Supreme court allowed a fraudulent election according to the US Military. They have the correct election count of 410 electoral votes for Trump as every vote in the election had a special watermark on it, and the Space Force verified the count. This will be proven in Arizona and other states. For all Chiefs visit here

You can verify my story below. Of course NBC and Milley say he stepped down. That is wrong in my opinion as the other article below shows something very different.

Biden, Harris, Milley Charged With Treason, Tribunals at White House, Mass Arrests, Martial Law

A US Military operation has already been hiding nightly Tribunals taking place on Capitol Hill and the White House since 20 Jan. 2021. Secret Service operatives, military personnel, ambulances and an eight foot high barbed wire fence had surrounded Capitol Hill since Biden’s inauguration in Jan.

For the past fifteen months military Special Operation forces under a US Interim Military Government have been executing arrests of prominent active and retired politicians, according to another inside source.

Since 2016 US Attorney General for Utah John Huber and his 740 investigators have filed over 500,000 indictments in federal courts and held State Grand Juries across the nation. Charges included Treason, human and child trafficking, murder, assassinations, drug smuggling and RICO money laundering.  

On Wed 14 April, US Army Gen Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was arrested and charged with Treason by Pentagon police officers, along with General Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau. The generals were removed to a C-17 transport plane that took both to GITMO to face military tribunals. https://realrawnews.com/2021/05/pentagon-coup-joint-chiefs-overthrown/

Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley discussed resigning over role in Trump’s church photo op

The Pentagon’s top general discussed resigning amid criticism over his participation in President Donald Trump’s controversial photo opportunity at a Washington church, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologized over the incident Thursday, saying, “I should not have been there.” Click title for entire article.

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America

05/15/21

“The entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED! This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms. Additionally, seals were broken on the boxes that hold the votes, ballots are missing, and worse. Mark Brnovich, the Attorney General of Arizona, will now be forced to look into this unbelievable Election crime. Many Radical Left Democrats and weak Republicans are very worried about the fact that this has been exposed. The DELETION of an entire Database and critical Election files of Maricopa County is unprecedented. Many other States to follow. The Mainstream Media and Radical Left Democrats want to stay as far away as possible from the Presidential Election Fraud, which should be one of the biggest stories of our time. Fox News is afraid to cover it—there is rarely a mention. Likewise, Newsmax has been virtually silent on this subject because they are intimidated by threats of lawsuits. One America News (OAN), one of the fastest growing networks on television, and the “hottest”, is doing a magnificent job of exposing the massive fraud that took place. The story is only getting bigger and at some point it will be impossible for the weak and/or corrupt media not to cover. Thank you to OAN and other brave American Patriots. It is all happening quickly!” Donald J Trump

Letter Signed by 124 Retired Military Leaders Issues Urgent Call for Americans to Get Politically Involved

May 14, 2021 by Annalisa Pesek, The New American:

A no-holds-barred letter signed by 124 retired U.S. generals and admirals has been released by the group “Flag Officers 4 America,” entreating Americans to enter the political arena and get involved — “to act to Save America.”

The former military leaders, all fierce upholders of the Constitution, cautioned that America is at risk of losing its “historic way of life,” and warned against Democrats’ welcoming of “Socialists and Marxists.” They further cited internal threats to the United States, including “dishonest and unfair” election processes advanced through progressive legislation such as H.R. 1 and S.1, censorship of the press, violating citizens’ right to free speech, and any agreements with China or Iran.

“Our Nation is in deep peril,” opens the letter. “We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty.”

“Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the ‘will of the people’ our Constitutional Republic is lost,” reads the letter. Referring to recent election integrity demands emerging from several states, the military leaders issued an unsparing indictment of those “calling such commonsense controls ‘racist’ in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic.”

The letter demands “the FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020.”

Fighting for the Constitutional rights of all Americans, the officers further condemned the more than 50 game-changing executive orders Biden signed during his first 100 days in office. They identified national security issues, such as the high-cost call for open borders, any and all accommodating agreements with China — “the greatest external threat to America”— the discontinuation of the Keystone XL Pipeline project, along with the deployment of the U.S. military at the U.S. Capitol and the subtle but steady implementation of “politically correct policies like the divisive critical race theory … at the expense of the War Fighting Mission.”

The letter goes on to rebuke the current administration’s reversal of the “effective policies and regulations” set forth by former President Trump, stating:

Aside from the election, the Current Administration has launched a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights in a dictatorial manner, bypassing the Congress, with more than 50 Executive Orders quickly signed, many reversing the previous Administration’s effective policies and regulations.

Signatories of the letter, all of whom have “pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,” whether “domestic” or “foreign,” include New Hampshire Senate candidate and retired Army Brigadier General Donald Bolduc; retired Army Lieutenant General William Boykin; and former deputy national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan, retired Vice Admiral John Poindexter.

Since even before the 2020 presidential election and the extensive COVID lockdowns with their shuttering of businesses, schools, and churches, Americans’ rights have been increasingly trampled upon. TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

Open Letter from Retired Generals and Admirals

Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty.

During the 2020 election an “Open Letter from Senior Military Leaders” was signed by 317 retired Generals and Admirals and, it said the 2020 election could be the most important election since our country was founded. “With the Democrat Party welcoming Socialists and Marxists, our historic way of life is at stake.” Unfortunately, that statement’s truth was quickly revealed, beginning with the election process itself.

Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the “will of the people” our Constitutional Republic is lost. Election integrity demands insuring there is one legal vote cast and counted per citizen. Legal votes are identified by State Legislature’s approved controls using government IDs, verified signatures, etc. Today, many are calling such commonsense controls “racist” in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic. Additionally, the “Rule of Law” must be enforced in our election processes to ensure integrity. The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020. Finally, H.R.1 & S.1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic.

Aside from the election, the Current Administration has launched a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights in a dictatorial manner, bypassing the Congress, with more than 50 Executive Orders quickly signed, many reversing the previous Administration’s effective policies and regulations. Moreover, population control actions such as excessive lockdowns, school and business closures, and most alarming, censorship of written and verbal expression are all direct assaults on our fundamental Rights. We must support and hold accountable politicians who will act to counter Socialism, Marxism and Progressivism, support our Constitutional Republic, and insist on fiscally responsible governing while focusing on all Americans, especially the middle class, not special interest or extremist groups which are used to divide us into warring factions.

Additional National Security Issues and Actions:

• Open borders jeopardize national security by increasing human trafficking, drug cartels, terrorists entry, health/CV19 dangers, and humanitarian crises. Illegals are flooding our Country bringing high economic costs, crime, lowering wages, and illegal voting in some states. We must reestablish border controls and continue building the wall while supporting our dedicated border control personnel. Sovereign nations must have controlled borders.

• China is the greatest external threat to America. Establishing cooperative relations with the Chinese Communist Party emboldens them to continue progress toward world domination, militarily, economically, politically and technologically. We must impose more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect America’s interests.

• The free flow of information is critical to the security of our Republic, as illustrated by freedom of speech and the press being in the 1st Amendment of our Constitution. Censoring speech and expression, distorting speech, spreading disinformation by government officials, private entities, and the media is a method to suppress the free flow of information, a tyrannical technique used in closed societies. We must counter this on all fronts beginning with removing Section 230 protection from big tech.

• Re-engaging in the flawed Iran Nuclear Deal would result in Iran acquiring nuclear weapons along with the means to deliver them, thereby upsetting Mideast peace initiatives and aiding a terrorist nation whose slogans and goals include “death to America” and “death to Israel” . We must resist the new China/Iran agreement and not support the Iran Nuclear Deal. In addition, continue with the Mideast peace initiatives, the “Abraham Accords,” and support for Israel.

• Stopping the Keystone Pipeline eliminates our recently established energy independence and causes us to be energy dependent on nations not friendly to us, while eliminating valuable US jobs. We must open the Keystone Pipeline and regain our energy independence for national security and economic reasons.

• Using the U.S. military as political pawns with thousands of troops deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building, patrolling fences guarding against a non-existent threat, along with forcing Politically Correct policies like the divisive critical race theory into the military at the expense of the War Fighting Mission, seriously degrades readiness to fight and win our Nation’s wars, creating a major national security issue. We must support our Military and Vets; focus on war fighting, eliminate the corrosive infusion of Political Correctness into our military which damages morale and war fighting cohesion.

• The “Rule of Law” is fundamental to our Republic and security. Anarchy as seen in certain cities cannot be tolerated. We must support our law enforcement personnel and insist that DAs, our courts, and the DOJ enforce the law equally, fairly, and consistently toward all.

• The mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief cannot be ignored. He must be able to quickly make accurate national security decisions involving life and limb anywhere, day or night. Recent Democrat leadership’s inquiries about nuclear code procedures sends a dangerous national security signal to nuclear armed adversaries, raising the question about who is in charge. We must always have an unquestionable chain of command.

Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration, our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic. The survival of our Nation and its cherished freedoms, liberty, and historic values are at stake.

We urge all citizens to get involved now at the local, state and/or national level to elect political representatives who will act to Save America, our Constitutional Republic, and hold those currently in office accountable. The “will of the people” must be heard and followed.

Signed by 124 Retired US Generals

Download entire letter below
https://flagofficers4america.com/opening-statement#393e50a9-590e-4cf3-a356-84bf2eec4e5b

Disclaimer

This blog is written in my own words. I don’t represent Rod Meldrum, FIRM Foundation, Book of Mormon Evidence.org, nor The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am fully responsible for the content of this information. To see my personal blog about How Q and Anon began its US Military Intelligence click here.

In the Book of Mormon, a brass ball with two pointers that gave directions—as a compass—and also spiritual instruction to Lehi and his followers when they were righteous. The Lord provided the Liahona and gave instructions through it.

“The fact that “compass” is the interpretation of LIAHONA might suggest that LIAHONA was not immediately recognizable to the native Lehite speaker. This may have been due to a shift in the language between LEHI I’s day and ALMA II’s mention of the word about 500 years later, or it may be that the word is not part of the base Lehite vocabulary, i.e., it may come from another language base, perhaps EGYPTIAN. I believe the latter to be more likely. I am unaware of any proposed EGYPTIAN etymologies.

Reynolds & Sjodahl (1:188) point out that this need not mean the mariner’s instrument known and used widely since the 12th c. AD, for the English word “compass” means “a circle or a globe in general, a round, a circuit,” which describes the shape of the LIAHONA, the “curious ball.” They derive the name from HEBREW l, “to,” + yah “Yahweh,” + ʾon, an EGYPTIAN city On (= Greek Heliopolis, “city of the sun”). From this they derive the meaning “to God is light” or “of God is light,” adding that the EGYPTIAN form of HEBREW ʾon is *annu** (R&S 1:229; Reynolds, Dictionary of the Book of Mormon, p. 303; Sjodahl, Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, p. 11; and reiterated in Ludlow, Companion to the Book of Mormon, p. 113; similar is). This etymological explanation is rather unlikely because ancient Near Eastern people did not mix languages, especially in the onomasticon.” LIAHONA – Book of Mormon Onomasticon

Alma 37:38-47

38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.
39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.
40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
41 Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey;
42 Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.
43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.

Tohono O’odham Nation (Nickname Papagos)

“The Hopis say that they came across the ocean. The Navajos believe they came up from the other side of the earth through a tube. The Papagos believe they were guided to this land by divine means.

Recently I was on the Papago Reservation. One of our new converts to the Church there told me this story:

“I had never joined any church because the ministers and the priests did not teach the Bible as I read it. I couldn’t read it and make it say the same things the other churches said it did. I speak the Papago language. I have lived among them all my life. I know their story and their traditions. And as I read the Book of Mormon that was placed in my hands by missionaries, I recognized the stories of the Papagos, and I knew the book was true. Your missionaries read the Bible the same way I did. These are the reasons I joined the Church. The Papagos believed they crossed the ocean and came to this land, that in the ships and on the trails they were guided by a ball. In this ball was a needle that pointed the direction they were to go. In the Papago language yet today, the name of this ball is ‘Liahona.’ LAMANITE TRADITION by Golden R. Buchanan PRESIDENT, SOUTHWEST INDIAN MISSION IMPROVEMENT ERA APRIL 1955 SPECIAL LAMANITE ISSUE

EARLY CHEROKEE HISTORY

“It is the belief of the Cherokee People that they came to the land of the New World from the direction of the East Ocean riding on a white cloud. There seems to be in the legend the existence of some type of round instrument which directed the voyage.

Although not totally clear, it seems that the instrument which di­rected the voyage was ball-shaped and contained another like it within itself. It contained a liquid, making the floating devices within to congregate at times to give direction to the eyes of the beholder.

(This description of the so-called “Liahona” is the first rendition I have come across outside of the Pueblo Indian legends). The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico relate a story of a man who is in search of his “other brothers” who originated from the same land he did, and came to this land after the great destruction. However, he is led to his brothers by the means of an awl which “pointed in the direction of whither he should go. The story says that he was able to communicate with the awl in all circumstances and receive both direction and instruction from the instrument, so that he was able to locate his brothers safely in the new land of promise. (Note given by Paul Enciso.)” A SPECIAL REPORT on the RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE of the CHEROKEE INDIANS By: J. Murray Rawson. Murray Rawson, Former Florida Mission President and Special Indian Emissary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following is a poorly recorded audio talk from Pres Rawson to BYU Missionaries in 1979 at the MTC in Provo, UT  https://archive.org/details/MurrayRawsonIndianTraditions

The Liahona and Aaron’s Rod?

“…The pot of manna and Aaron’s rod from the Ark of the Covenant and the Liahona from the Nephite reliquary. Are these really parallel? They are indeed. In general terms they’re parallel as memorials of God’s mercy to the children of Israel in their Exodus and God’s mercy to Lehi’s family in their exodus. But the parallels get much more specific. The pot of manna memorialized God miraculously providing the Israelites with sustenance on their journey: Exodus 16:13-15: “In the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing…. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna, for they wist not what it was.” Aaron’s rod had been an instrument for divining God’s will. To settle dispute over who had right to serve in the priestly role in the Tabernacle, each of the twelve tribes placed a rod before the Ark. Aaron’s rod then budded, demonstrating that it was his family that had been chosen for these duties.

What sacred object was associated with these functions in the exodus of Lehi’s family to their New World promised land? How did they divine God’s will, and receive sustenance from Him? It was the Liahona through which they learned God’s will and by which they were led to the provisions that sustained them on their journey. The giving of the Liahona, as described by Nephi, was surprisingly similar to the giving of the manna: “As my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship” (1 Nephi 16:10). Regardless of whether, as it seems, the bestowal of the Liahona was intended to evoke that of the manna, the preservation of a pot of manna and the preservation of the Liahona memorialized the same divine blessings of sustenance upon Moses’ people and upon Lehi’s.” Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages Don Bradley August 2012

Shining Stones

In a side note, it is interesting to hear about additional miraculous help on ocean voyages. Lehi had the Liahona and the Brother of Jared had shining stones. What about shining stones on Noah’s Ark? Both the Liahona and shining stones are guidance from the Lord, just as Moses traveled by miraculous means with the children of Israel.

“Shining stones are not unique to the book of Ether. One reference to a shining stone in Noah’s ark appears in the Jerusalem Talmud, stating that a stone in the ark shone brighter in the night than in the day so that Noah could distinguish the times of day (Pesachim I, 1; discussed in CWHN 6:337-38, 349). Shining stones were also said to be present in the Syrian temple of the goddess Aphek (see CWHN 5:373) and are mentioned several times in the pseudepigraphic Pseudo-Philo (e.g., 25:12).” Encyclopedia on Mormonism Author: Tanner, Morgan W.

ABSTRACT

The Liahona was given by the Lord as a communications device for Lehi to determine the appropriate direction of travel. This device contained two pointers, only one of which was necessary to provide directional information. But the Liahona was more than just a simple compass in function, for it additionally required faith for correct operation. Since a single pointer always “points” in some direction, the additional pointer was necessary to indicate whether or not the first pointer could be relied upon. This proposed purpose for the second pointer conforms to a well-established engineering principle used in modern fault-tolerant computer systems called “voting,” in which two identical process states are compared and declared correct if they are the same, and incorrect if they are different. Hence the second pointer, when coincident with the first, would indicate proper operation, and when orthogonal, would indicate non operation.

Question: Was the Liahona simply a magnetic compass that was out of place in 600 B.C.?

To use the word compass as a name for a round or curved object is well attested in both the King James Version of the Bible and the Oxford English Dictionary

It is claimed that the description of the Liahona as a “compass” is anachronistic because the magnetic compass was not known in 600 B.C. One critical website notes that “the COMPASS which DIRECTED one’s course wasn’t invented yet for many centuries.”

To use the word compass as a name for a round or curved object is well attested in both the King James Version of the Bible and the Oxford English Dictionary. The Book of Mormon refers to the Liahona as “a compass” not because it anachronistically pointed the way to travel, but because it was a perfectly round object.

1 Nephi 16:10, 30

10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.

30 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain, according to the directions which were given upon the ball.

This object did give directions, however this object was referred as “a compass” because it was a perfectly round object.

The purpose of the two spindles is not explained, however, one assumes that one of them provided directional information

The fact that the Liahona is referred to as a “compass” and that it contained spindles leads one to assume that it was used like a modern compass. However, there is no indication that either of the spindles pointed to magnetic north. If one of the spindles was used to provide directional information, the inference is that it simply pointed the direction that they were to go, which would not be magnetic north.

The Book of Mormon does specifically indicate, however, that the Liahona was used to direct the travels of Lehi’s party based upon writing that appeared upon the object

As Nephi put it, the “directions which were given upon the ball”:

29 And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

30 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain, according to the directions which were given upon the ball. 1 Nephi 16:29-30 (emphasis added)

Alma 37:38–47. The Liahona

Over the years several General Authorities have described different means in which the Lord continues to guide us in our journey of life, like a Liahona.

Elder W. Rolfe Kerr of the Seventy compared the words of Christ to the Liahona: “So we see, brethren and sisters, that the words of Christ can be a personal Liahona for each of us, showing us the way. Let us not be slothful because of the easiness of the way. Let us in faith take the words of Christ into our minds and into our hearts as they are recorded in sacred scripture and as they are uttered by living prophets, seers, and revelators. Let us with faith and diligence feast upon the words of Christ, for the words of Christ will be our spiritual Liahona telling us all things what we should do” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 38; or Ensign, May 2004, 37).

President Thomas S. Monson compared the Liahona to an individual’s patriarchal blessing: “The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives. … The gift to which I refer is known as a patriarchal blessing” (Live the Good Life [1988], 36).

President Spencer W. Kimball compared the Liahona to the light of Christ, or our conscience:

“Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of a ball … ?

“… The Lord gave to … every person, a conscience which tells him everytime he starts to go on the wrong path. …

“… Every child is given it” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1976, 117; or Ensign, Nov. 1976, 79).

Elder David A. Bednar compared the Liahona to the gift of the Holy Ghost:

“As we each press forward along the pathway of life, we receive direction from the Holy Ghost just as Lehi was directed through the Liahona. …

“The Holy Ghost operates in our lives precisely as the Liahona did for Lehi and his family, according to our faith and diligence and heed. …

“And the Holy Ghost provides for us today the means whereby we can receive, ‘by small and simple things’ (Alma 37:6), increased understanding about the ways of the Lord. …

“The Spirit of the Lord can be our guide and will bless us with direction, instruction, and spiritual protection during our mortal journey” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2006, 31; or Ensign, May 2006, 30–31).

“This 13th century frontispiece from the Codex Vindobonensis 2554 shows God as creator using a compass—so named not because it is used for navigation, but because it is used to draw arcs and circles.

Alma 2 explained why the director the Lord gave to Lehi was called the Liahona

…I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director — or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it (Alma 37:38).

Believing it was called a compass because it pointed the direction for Lehi to travel is a natural interpretation by the modern reader.

As a verb, the word “compass” occurs frequently in the King James Version of the Bible and it generally suggests the idea of surrounding or encircling something. Note the following usages:

Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 2 Chronicles 4:2

They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. Psalms 118:11

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. Joshua 6:3

From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about. Psalms 17:9

In a few cases (e.g. Exodus 27:5; Proverbs 8:27; Isaiah 44:13) it is used as a noun, and suggests something which encircles another thing.

A third common situation in the KJV is the use of the phrase “to fetch a compass” (e.g., Numbers 34:5; Joshua 15:3; Acts 28:13), which if not recognized as a verbal phrase could be wrongly seen as presenting “compass” as a noun.

In every case, it is clear that, at least in Jacobean England, the word was regularly treated as meaning either a round object, or something which moved in a curved fashion. The Book of Mormon text uses a form of Jacobean English–and does not contain expressions that were introduced after 1700. This has implications for how we read the text. The critic treats something important as insignificant.

Further evidence of the archaic meaning of the word comes from a study of the rather lengthy listing for the word in the Oxford English Dictionary. It includes definition 5.b.:

“Anything circular in shape, e.g. the globe, the horizon; also, a circlet or ring.”

the clock can also be referred to as a compass, yet it points at the time.

If critics insist on reading this as a “mariner’s compass,” even this may not be as anachronistic as they have assumed

Naturally-occurring magnetic ore was being mined by the 7th century B.C., and its magnetic properties were first discussed by the early philosopher Thales of Miletos around 600 B.C…” The Design of the Liahona and the Purpose of the Second Spindle Robert L. Bunker

“What do we now learn about the Liahona?

• Words can appear on the two pointers and change periodically
• The Liahona was digital in some way and not just mechanical
• The Liahona works by faith and diligence

Is the power source a celestial battery, or is it powered moment by moment by the light of Christ which is in all things (D&C 88:13)?

As I stated at the beginning, I saw this word “director” stand out to me in Alma and got curious about it. I opened my “Scripture Notes” app that I have recently created and did a search for “director” and found five results which included one use of the word in plural form. Of these verses, four referred to the Liahona. However, one verse stood apart. After reading the other four in Mosiah 1:16; Alma 37:38, 45; and D&C 17:1, the verse in D&C 3:15 was notably different.

Well, Nephi gets the direction he needs and again provides food for the family and their faith is restored. But that’s not the end of this story.

Searching for our Director

“15. For thou hast suffered the counsel of thy director to be trampled upon from the beginning.”

This was the scriptural equivalent of an Easter egg. The Lord hid this meaning in the scriptures just waiting for us to find it.

In this verse the Lord calls himself the director, just as four other verses refer to the Liahona as the director. He’s essentially equating these terms by doing this.

To summarize: of the five verses in scripture that use the word ‘director,’ four are references to the Liahona, and one (D&C 3:15) is a reference to the Lord being the director. Just as Lehi’s family was led in the wilderness by the Liahona when they were faithful, the Lord is our director in our wilderness (mortality) when we are faithful. The Liahona is a symbol of the Lord. I also like that D&C 17:1 calls the Liahona “miraculous” because God is a God of miracles.” From the blog titled Christ is the Liahona in our Wilderness by Oak Norton, creator of a Scripture App Tool called “Scripture Notes.

All Searching Eye

The Joseph Smith Foundation says, “The all seeing eye was defined as “the all searching eye of the Great Jehovah” by President Brigham Young and Elder Orson Hyde.¹  This symbol is believed to represent the omniscience of God and His ability to perceive all things.   The Heavenly eye can be found depicted in many LDS structures including the St. George and Ogden tabernacles,² the original ZCMI logo and was even included in the architectural drawings for the Nauvoo Temple.³

Two all seeing eyes are engraven on the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple, one on the east and another on the west.  Each of the emblems are shown peering out from a veil.  The east veil has a tassel, perhaps to remind the Saints that they are marked as a covenant people and must keep the commandments.  The House of Israel in ancient times also wore tassels for a similar reason.⁴ 

In addition to the Salt Lake Temple, the original drawings for the Nauvoo Temple show that plans had been made to include the all seeing eye in the large semicircle windows.⁵

Ancient History

The symbols employed by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as part of the Restoration were used throughout the history of the earth.  Some see the all seeing eye as Satanic or originating from the Illuminati, a secret conspiracy society founded in 1776. This is easily disputed, as historians believe this symbol was included on early Jewish amulets and seals and later depicted on historic Christian art. ⁶ 

Remember all things good from God are usually adopted and implemented as evil by Satan. You can detect the All Seeing Eye (Good) vs the Third Eye (Evil) through the gift of the Holy Ghost. “In the early days of the Church, many were curious about angels, spirits, and resurrected persons. About the time Joseph Smith recorded this revelation, he wrote: “A man came to me in Kirtland, and told me he had seen an angel, and described his dress. I told him he had seen no angel, and that there was no such dress in heaven. He grew mad, and went into the street and commanded fire to come down out of heaven to consume me. I laughed at him, and said, You are one of Baal’s prophets; your God does not hear you; jump up and cut yourself: and he commanded fire from heaven to consume my house.” (History of the Church, 5:267–68.)

Doctrine and Covenants 129 describes the difference between angels who have gone through mortality and have been resurrected and those who are still spirits. It also gives three keys “whereby you may know whether any administration is from God” (v. 9).

The Prophet Joseph Smith may have known these keys long before this revelation was recorded. Earlier, Michael helped the Prophet by detecting Satan, who had appeared to Joseph as an angel of light (see D&C 128:20).” DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS STUDENT MANUAL SECTION 129, KEYS FOR DETERMINING IF ADMINISTRATIONS ARE FROM GOD

Joseph Smith Foundation continues, “Some historians believe that the All-seeing eye was used by the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Assyrians and possibly sewn into an Egyptian monastery curtain from the 5-6 century.  The All Seeing Eye is also included in another prominent location, one constantly visible to every American.

Great Seal of the United States

The Great Seal of the United States is filled with symbolic design.  It contains the all seeing eye surrounded by the words “Annuit Coeptis”.  This motto was chosen by Charles Thomson, the seal’s final designer.  Charles Thomson himself stated, “The Eye over it [the pyramid] and the motto Annuit Cœptis allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favor of the American cause.” This reminder of God’s providence was also included on the first currency of our new nation.  

Michigan Tablets

The All Seeing Eye can also be found on North American artifacts like the Michigan Tablets which date to the time of the Nephites.  

1. Brigham Young, JD 2:32, 6 April 1853, Orson Hyde, JD 2:84, 6 October 1854
2. Brittany Mangus, Prepare Now for the Temple: An Essential Guide for Young Adult Sisters
3. Symbols in Stone, pg. 107
4. Symbols in Stone pg. 141
5. http://users.marshall.edu/~brown/nauvoo/all-eye.html
6. Allen H. Barber, Celestial Symbols

Source: LDS Temples by Joseph Smith Foundation

The Eye of Providence (God)

The Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light or Glory, meant to represent divine providence, whereby the eye of God watches over humanity.A well known example of the Eye of Providence appears on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which is depicted on the United States one-dollar bill. Wikipedia

The Eye of Providence (Mason’s)

Today, the Eye of Providence is often associated with Freemasonry, first appearing as part of the standard Freemason iconography in 1797 with the publication of Thomas Smith Webb’s Freemasons Monitor.[10][11]

In this use, the Eye, representing the all-seeing eye of God, serves as a reminder that humanity’s thoughts and deeds are always observed by God—who is referred to in Masonry as the Great Architect of the Universe. Typically, the Masonic Eye of Providence has a semicircular glory below it, and is sometimes enclosed by a triangle.

Popular among conspiracy theorists is the claim that the Eye of Providence shown atop an unfinished pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States indicates the influence of Freemasonry in the founding of the United States. However, common Masonic use of the Eye dates to 14 years after the creation of the Great Seal. Furthermore, the only Mason among the members of the various design committees for the Great Seal was Benjamin Franklin, whose ideas for the seal were not adopted. Likewise, various Masonic organizations have explicitly denied any connection to the creation of the Seal. Wikipedia

Many of the celebrities in Hollywood have adopted many signs and symbols revealing their adherence to the evil third eye. They will hide one eye which exposes only one eye as an evil symbol. Hollywood and many professional athletes will also put a triangle around their eye or a triangle by itself to represent the same thing. When you see another evil sign of the apparent “ok” sign with your fingers in an “o” shape and three fingers extended, that shows another evil sign of “666” These have become the secret signs of Satan worship which is in many celebrities lives. See blog here mostly about the righteous eye: https://www.bofm.blog/symbols-the-all-searching-eye/ Here mostly about the evil eye: https://www.bofm.blog/pharmakeia-sorcery-deception/

Book of Mormon Central Logo Explained

“BMC, the most prominent advocacy group for M2C, was founded by, and is currently operated by, followers of Dr. John Sorenson, who wrote this about the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah:

“There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd. Hundreds of thousands of Nephites traipsing across the Mississippi Valley to New York, pursued (why?) by hundred of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.” 

Mormon’s Codex, p. 688.

Those involved with BMC are awesome, faithful Latter-day Saints whom I personally like and admire for their work, with the exception of their approach to the teachings of the prophets on this topic.

The simple answer is that the people who founded and currently manage BMC have been promoting M2C for decades. 41 years ago they founded FARMS, an organization that was abolished in 2010.

Many readers have no idea what FARMS is, so let’s discuss it.

BMC is managed by the founders of FARMS. They convinced themselves decades ago that the prophets were wrong about Cumorah and that M2C is the only viable explanation for the Book of Mormon.

To understand BMC, you need to understand FARMS,

Here’s an example from a 1979 paper. Notice how the theory is stated as a fact. The Book of Mormon is the religious chronicle of a small group, descendents [sic] of a common ancestor, who migrated to Mesoamerica and flourished for nearly 1000 years before being culturally assimilated and then militarily annihilated by the larger and more powerful native civilization.  

In 1984 the FARMS newsletter titled Insights explained why the logo incorporates a Mayan glyph:” Jonathan Neville M2C triumvirate: from RLDS to Book of Mormon Central

The Pineal Gland and Its Biggest Secrets – The Ancient People Knew About It

November 10, 2020 November 11, 2020  

The Pineal Gland, rightfully named so thanks to its overall resemblance to a pine cone, is by far one of the most strange and unexplainable parts of our human bodies.

If you’ve ever studied for a Biology test you should know that it is located near the brain and it is usually referred to as “the third eye” by many experts and casuals alike.

In ancient times this was believed to be the secret to unlocking our full potential, a means for us to tap into our inner eye and discover the secrets to the universe.

It was often referred to as a direct reference to the Eye of Horus and the knowledge that one beholds and according to experts this is the main muscle that we use when we meditate and manage to disassociate from within to see ourselves from an outer perspective.

Others even go as far as to say that the Pineal Gland might very well be the link between parallel universes, that when we have a near-death experience the Pineal Gland is the one we need to thank for the vision of our lives within that parallel universe.

Pine-Cone and Third Eye Symbolism
Jennyfrenz posted on Apr, 2 2014

Many different cultures, through out the ages, reference the third eye and pine cone. Modern theories suggest that this is most likely a reference to the pineal gland. Symbology of the pineal gland can be traced to many civilizations such as the Romans, Meso-Americans, Egyptians, Babylonians and the Greeks. Even the Catholic Church displays imagery of the pineal gland, Vatican Square houses the largest pineal like statue in the world. The ancient cult of Dionysus and the Masons of modern times, both have third eye symbolism in their imagery.

Is there ancient knowledge of this gland that previous cultures had access to, somehow becoming lost through the ages? What role does the pineal gland play in our spiritual experiences? If the sole function of the pineal gland is to secrete the hormone melatonin, which regulates the sleep/wake cycle, (modern scientists are still debating over the complete function of this gland) then why did the ancients seem to place so much importance on Third Eye representation?

Our pine(al) gland is shaped like and named after the pinecone. It is located in the hypothalamus, near the center of the brain and is about the size of a grain of rice. Nearly all vertebrate species have a pineal gland, with a few exceptions. The main function of the pineal gland is to regulate the sleep/wake cycle (secretes the hormone melatonin and amino acid tryptophan) and influence sexual development.

The pineal gland has been called “the seat to the soul” and “epicenter of enlightenment” and is a sacred symbol to many different cultures, throughout history. In addition to spiritual consciousness and enlightenment, pinecones have also been used as symbols depicting everlasting or eternal life.

Plato from Republic:
“..en every man there is an Eye of the soul which..it is far more precious than ten thousand bodily eyes, for by it alone truth is seen..”

Even the Bible seems to hint that our third eye is important.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy your whole body will be full of light.”
Matthew 6:22

The following are a few of the depictions of pinecone and third eye references:

The Eye of Horus, also known as The Eye of Ra, is one of the most familiar symbols from ancient Egypt. The similarities between a cross section of the pineal gland and the Eye of Horus/Ra are very clear.

The Egyptian Staff of Osiris(1224 BC) depicts two intertwined serpents rising up and meeting with pine cone.

In King Tut’s burial mask a kundalini like serpent is emerging from the area of the pineal gland.

The Meso-American god, Quetsacoatl is often depicted wearing a necklace made out of pine cones.

The ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are filled with pinecone imagery and symbolism.

Another Cambodian reference, a Shiva head with third eye symboism.

The Sumerian god, Marduk with a pine cone in hand

As previously mentioned, the largest sculpture of a pinecone is in Vatican Square, along with other pinecone imagery seen on the popes staff.

The Greek god, Dionysus also carries a staff with a pine cone. A statue from the cult of Dionysus (late Roman Empire) has a pinecone on the thumb.

images courtesy of…

There are many other cultures not mentioned here that have pine cone and third eye imagery in their artwork. I believe there is so much we have yet to uncover about our pineal glands and that is the seat of the soul. It would seem the ancients placed some importance on the third eye. What did they know they we don’t?
edit on 2-4-2014 by Jennyfrenzy because: (no reason given)

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread1005914/pg1