How I Understand Chosen vs Choice
I think there is importance in 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 that is what we should focus on. I know through the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true. However, I love to seek for other truth and as Moroni has said “I may know the truth of all things”
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, 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 President 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, and then pray about it, 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!
“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. Jessee, 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 Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Ensign: July 1993 here:
I paraphrase what Pres. Nelson mentioned above, where was the repository of sacred writings, and where is the headquarters of the Church?, in other words, what was the Land Chosen by God? The USA. Not Greenland, not Brazil, not, Guatemala, not Quebec, but the land chosen was the heartland and the territory of the United States. See my blog here about being chosen, not necessarily as being the best country or the most beautiful, but the Choice of the Lord.
This is very simple to understand, and those who believe in a different location of the events of the Book of Mormon just don’t understand the quote by Elder Perry who said, “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 Ensign Dec. 2012
Arabic Translation of the Book of Mormon
“This [Arabic] translation was different from other translations, for this was to be a translation back to the original language of the book…
As Latter-day Saint leaders, we are aware of the Semitic origin of the Book of Mormon. The fact that an Arabic scholar such as this [Hanna] seems a beautiful internal consistency in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s translation of the book, is of great interest, for the Prophet Joseph did not merely render an interpretation, but a word for word translation from the Egyptian type of hieroglyphic into the English language. Brother Hanna said the Book of Mormon simply flowed back into the Arabic language.” A Treasured Testament Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Ensign 1993
Reflections of Sami Hanna
Elder Russell M. Nelson
General Sunday School Presidency 1976
**Disclaimer** Elder Nelson has mentioned Sami Hanna in several talks. All the information mentioned in this talk regarding what Mr. Hanna learned during his translation of the Book of Mormon into Arabic is accurate and verifiable. Why I have a disclaimer is because I have not been able to find where this particular talk originated. It may be from one specific talk or it may be a compilation of several talks. The origin of this talk itself is not what’s important. What is important is that everything mentioned in it is true.
I chose to include this talk on my website because it is important for people to understand the unique grammatical and linguistic characteristics of the Book of Mormon and that a teenage farm boy would not have been able to produce such writing without formal training. I’ve also included the entire text of Elder Nelson’s 1993 article which also refers to Sami Hanna.
For anyone interested in learning more, here’s a link that gives more information about linguistic issues in the Book of Mormon. Source:
A Native Egyptian, Aware of the Semitic Origin of the Book of Mormon
“My neighbor, Sam Hanna, is a native Egyptian. He is an academic scholar who moved into our neighborhood to accept an assignment with the University as a specialist in Middle Eastern Studies and the Semitic group of languages such as Arabic, Abyssinian, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Assyrian. Being a newcomer into our community, he felt the Mormons were a bit of a curiosity.
Upon learning the name Mormon came from our belief that the Book of Mormon is divine scripture, he was intrigued by the existence of the Book of Mormon. He has erroneously thought this was American literature. When he was told that the Book of Mormon was translated from the ancient Egyptian or modified Hebrew type of hieroglyphic into the English language by the Prophet Joseph Smith, he became even more engrossed, for this was his native language and he knows much about the other Semitic languages as well as the modern languages.
So challenged was he by this book that he embarked on the project of translating the Book of Mormon from English to Arabic. This translation was different from other translations, for this was to be a translation back to the original language of the book. To make a long story short, the process of this translation became the process of his conversion; for he soon knew the Book of Mormon to be a divine document even though he knew virtually nothing of the organization of the Church or of its programs. His conversion came purely from the linguistics of the book which he found could not have been composed by an American, no matter how gifted. Some of his observations I think will be of interest to you, as they were to me, for they clarify some of the unique aspects of the book.
- Jarom 1:2: “It must needs be …” This expression, odd and awkward in English, is excellent Arabic grammar. Elsewhere in the book the use of the compound verbs “did eat,” “did go,” “did smile,” etc., again awkward and rarely used in English, are classical and correct grammar in the Semitic languages.
- Omni 1:18: “Zarahemla gave a genealogy of his fathers, according to his memory.” Brother Hanna indicates that this is a typical custom of his Semitic forebearers to recite their genealogy from memory.
- Words of Mormon 1:17: Reference is made here as in other parts of the Book of Mormon, to the “stiffneckedness” of his people. Brother Hanna perceives that this word would be a very unusual word for an American youth as Joseph Smith to use. An American would likely prefer an adjective such as stubborn or inflexible. But the custom in the Arabic language is to use just such a descriptive adjective. Stiff-necked is an adjective they use in describing an obstinate person.
- Mosiah 11:8: “King Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings and ornamented them with fine work and precious things, including ziff.” Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the word “ziff” referred to in this scripture? This word, although in the Book of Mormon, is not contained in dictionaries of the English language. Yet it translates freely back into the Arabic language, for ziff is a special kind of curved sword somewhat like a scimitar which is carried in a sheath and often used for ornamentation as well as for more practical purposes. The discovery of the word “ziff” in the Book of Mormon really excited my neighbor, Brother Hanna.
- Alma 63:11 Reference is made to Helaman, son of Helaman. Why did not Joseph Smith interpret this as Helaman, Jr., which would have been more logical for him, bearing the same name as his father, Joseph, and being named Joseph Smith, Jr. In Arabic, Brother Hanna explains, there is no word “junior” to cover this circumstance. Their custom is to use the terminology Joseph, son of Joseph; Helaman, son of Helaman, etc.
- Helaman 1:3: Here reference is made to the contending for the judgment seat. Brother Hanna observes that the use of the term “judgment seat” would be quite strange to an American who might have used a more familiar noun such as governor, president, or ruler. Yet, in Arabic custom, the place of power rests in the judgment seat and whoever occupies that seat, is the authority and power. The authority goes with the seat and not with the office or the person. So, this, in the Semitic languages, connotes the meaning exactly.
- Helaman 3:14: In this verse, there are a total of eighteen “ands.” Reviewers of the Book of Mormon have, on occasion, been critical of the grammar in such a passage where the use of the word “and” seems so repetitious. Yet Brother Hanna explains that each of the “ands” in this verse is absolutely essential to the meaning, when this verse is expressed in Arabic, for the omission of any “and” would nullify the meaning of the whole verse.
- Helaman 3:18-19: Have you wondered why the Book of Mormon cites a numbering system such as this? Do we say “forty and six, forty and seven, forty and eight”? No, Joseph Smith’s natural interpretation would more appropriately have been forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight without the “ands.” Brother Hanna excitedly observes that the use of “and” in “forty and six” is precisely correct Arabic. Remember they number as well as read from right to left and recite their numbers with the “and” to separate the columns.
Well, I have just cited a few of these examples. There are many more! As Latter-day Saint leaders, we are aware of the Semitic origin of the Book of Mormon. The fact that an Arabic scholar such as this seems a beautiful internal consistency in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s translation of the book, is of great interest, for the Prophet Joseph did not merely render an interpretation, but a word for word translation from the Egyptian type of hieroglyphic into the English language. Brother Hanna said the Book of Mormon simply flowed back into the Arabic language.
You will be pleased to know that the Arabic translation of the Book of Mormon is now complete; that it will soon be available in this language which is read and spoken by 150 million people. Actually, there are about 700 million people who are able to read Arabic who now do not have access to the precious truths of the Book of Mormon. This is over two times the number of people on earth during the Savior’s earthly ministry, at which time He challenged His disciples to preach the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.” Source:
Our Head as well as Our Heart
“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…” Jeffrey R. Holland The Greatness of Evidence Aug 2017
This information above is amazing evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It is in my opinion, “secondary evidence” to my head and to which the spirit has already witnessed to me as truth. I am applying Elder Holland’s words from above. This secondary evidence is the same in relationship to the true geography of the Book of Mormon and to the true instrument used to translate the Book of Mormon. Secondary Evidence is all over the place from archaeology, to artifacts, to directions, to geology, to text, to scripture, to direction, and to many witnesses of prophets and apostles that say there is ONLY ONE Hill Cumorah in NY. See many quotes here: If there is only one Hill Cumorah, then the Mesoamerican theory disappears. If the final battles happend on the Hill Cumorah in NY, the same theory disappears. This theory only exists today as a reference point as Elder Joseph F. Smith said.
“Because of this theory [Mesoamerica] some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all… It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12
A Critical Omission?
A Treasured Testament by Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “As Oliver Cowdery testified a few years later: “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…the history or record called The Book of Mormon.” (JS–H 1:71n.)
The Full Quote in Scripture is:
“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.’ (JS–H 1:71n.)
Read the quote above in blue with the red ellipses and then read what the ellipses replaced in words in red above. Of course, I love President Nelson and all the Apostles, and I am not accusing anyone of doing anything wrong. I am just commenting on a quote in the Scriptures that I think has more value without the ellipsis. That’s it!
I am trying to make the point that some trusted historians, intellectuals and/or editors, may have their own agenda at times and they may undermine the work of the Lord, whether intentionally or not. Why would they leave out the very important words about the instrument that Joseph used to translate? (with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters)
So we know that Oliver Cowdery in “Scripture” says that the Urim and Thummim and the Nephite Interpreters were the same instrument. No seer stone is ever mentioned to translate in the plates.
See my special PDF of Hard Evidence below, from the Scriptures that say Joseph USED the Interpreters that were found with the gold plates in the Hill Cumorah. (Period) There was not a Liahona or a Sword buried with the plates either. See my blog here:
I report, you decide, as our friend Wayne May says.
