"What is the truth, now?"
I couldn't believe my ears when my sister came home from seminary today and said how her teacher, remarking on the wording in Alma 23:19--"weapons of peace, or their weapons of war, for peace" or something like that--said that Mormon had made a mistake/typo when he was writing on the plates. And by her account he was not making it clear that was his opinion. He was actually telling his students that Mormon made a mistake.
I was so angry for the next few minutes at that teacher. I mean, seminary teachers have an unimaginable impact on teenagers. Why on earth would you say something like that? But as I calmed down, I wondered if it was possible that Mormon really had made a mistake.
Suddenly I was completely confused with my whole life. I've gotta be honest: this is just the latest in a long series of unfortunate events to shake my faith. Frankly, guys, in the last three months my testimony has been driven down to the bone. My testimony of Joseph Smith has lowered to a little more than just belief. I don't know if the Book of Mormon is true or not anymore, even. It's gotten to a point where it's like, "It is possible that Joseph Smith didn't write the Book of Mormon."
Little things lately have led me down to that point; noticing things that seem like miswordings, noticing that some prophets lived for over one hundred years implausibly...this just takes the cake. It is said that Joseph Smith never asked to go back to a sentence or a repeat...meaning that if he did write it and he made a mistake, it would be difficult to cover up.
Then again, if the Book of Mormon is real, then it was written in a Semitic language, which excuses a TON of improper grammar and oxymorons/antithesises such as "weapons of peace". If the Book of Mormon is all that it promises to be, then that means that every single, solitary word and phrase is important. Every single thing counts and has an eternal, doctrinal meaning.
I used to see those things. I used to see something special and important in every single sentence of the Book of Mormon...that's why it was so special...but then, can one really demand perfection from Mormon? On the other hand, assuming he has the Urim and Thummimn and the power of God with him, should we expect error?
I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. At this point, I'm really not so sure about Christ, either. I only know that there is a God and that there is a Christ. But that is just about it. I don't know if Christ is who He said He was, or how to come unto Him. Or even if I can anymore.
"Who's Got My Back?'--Creed, from Weathered, 2001
Run, hide
All that was sacred to us, sacred to us
See the signs
The covenant has been broken by mankind
Leaving us with no shoulder, with no shoulder
To rest our head on...
Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
What is the truth now?
There's still time
All that has been devastated can be recreated
Realize
We pick up the broken pieces of our lives
Giving ourselves to each other, ourselves to each other
To rest our head on...
Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
What is the truth now?
Tell me the truth now...Tell us the truth now
I was so angry for the next few minutes at that teacher. I mean, seminary teachers have an unimaginable impact on teenagers. Why on earth would you say something like that? But as I calmed down, I wondered if it was possible that Mormon really had made a mistake.
Suddenly I was completely confused with my whole life. I've gotta be honest: this is just the latest in a long series of unfortunate events to shake my faith. Frankly, guys, in the last three months my testimony has been driven down to the bone. My testimony of Joseph Smith has lowered to a little more than just belief. I don't know if the Book of Mormon is true or not anymore, even. It's gotten to a point where it's like, "It is possible that Joseph Smith didn't write the Book of Mormon."
Little things lately have led me down to that point; noticing things that seem like miswordings, noticing that some prophets lived for over one hundred years implausibly...this just takes the cake. It is said that Joseph Smith never asked to go back to a sentence or a repeat...meaning that if he did write it and he made a mistake, it would be difficult to cover up.
Then again, if the Book of Mormon is real, then it was written in a Semitic language, which excuses a TON of improper grammar and oxymorons/antithesises such as "weapons of peace". If the Book of Mormon is all that it promises to be, then that means that every single, solitary word and phrase is important. Every single thing counts and has an eternal, doctrinal meaning.
I used to see those things. I used to see something special and important in every single sentence of the Book of Mormon...that's why it was so special...but then, can one really demand perfection from Mormon? On the other hand, assuming he has the Urim and Thummimn and the power of God with him, should we expect error?
I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. At this point, I'm really not so sure about Christ, either. I only know that there is a God and that there is a Christ. But that is just about it. I don't know if Christ is who He said He was, or how to come unto Him. Or even if I can anymore.
"Who's Got My Back?'--Creed, from Weathered, 2001
Run, hide
All that was sacred to us, sacred to us
See the signs
The covenant has been broken by mankind
Leaving us with no shoulder, with no shoulder
To rest our head on...
Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
What is the truth now?
There's still time
All that has been devastated can be recreated
Realize
We pick up the broken pieces of our lives
Giving ourselves to each other, ourselves to each other
To rest our head on...
Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
What is the truth now?
Tell me the truth now...Tell us the truth now
posted by Alexander at 7:04 PM
9 Comments:
Actually, those mistakes make me believe even more. They were writing on gold plates where they couldn't erase what they were writing. So, naturally, when you write you sometimes make mistakes. You can't go back and change it and you can't cross it out, 'cause then it looks like another symbol. Therefore, you just have to say, "Or, rather, this is what I meant to write." It only makes sense that there would be a few instances like that.
i like the imagery of weapons of peace. in reality, most of the weapons that they were using were literally weapons of peace.
the Book Of Mormon HAS to be true. there's no possible way that it can't be. the work that was accomplished by Joseph Smith COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE by any other way than by the hand of God. it's historically, logically and grammatically correct, the multiple story lines going on all match up, it doesn't conflict with itself or anything in the physical world contradicts it. even the syntax of the individual people testifies of it's truth. each person has his or her own speech patterns. it's subconscious, you can't alter it greatly. it's a verbal thumbprint. they can actually be graphed out and it's really cool. anyway it's been done to the Book of Mormon and the variation in it is SO wide that it's NOT POSSIBLE to have faked it. nephi speaks hugely different from ether, and mormon's and moroni's are very similar, as they are father and son.
not only does the Book of Mormon testify of itself, but just as alma said (and you did last year):
Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.
it's TRUE. You Know It. Don't Forget or be shaken from that.
My particularly church is pretty aware that, while I accept the BOM as Divinely Inspired, and I'm open to the possibility of its accuracy, I don't have unquestioning belief in its absolute truth. They're okay with that. As I've gotten more into the church, I've discovered degrees of flexibility I was not aware of, as an outsider.
I'm probably the only guy who ever answered a baptism interview question with, "Well, Buddha teaches us that..."
well, if budda teaches truth then there's nothing wrong with it. by the by, what church do you belong to?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Marcus, it's not a mistake. There is a definite possibility that the SEMINARY TEACHER was wrong, not Mormon and maybe oh heck, your sister just maybe, might have, misunderstood the seminary teacher's meaning. there are so many simple explanations. we are all human and none of us are prophets of God, so how can WE expect to be perfect? How can WE expect to know everything? Mormon didn't make the mistake, WE disciples made the mistake. We should all be more careful about how we view the sacred things of the Church. Miss Terri, there is a lot of physical "evidence" disproving the B.O.M. Yes, I could fake different people's speech patterns, truly not that hard, but that's not the point. We don't rely on physical evidence. . . . .WE RELY ON THE HEAD OF THIS CHURCH! Jesus Christ has given us both personal revelation, Marcus, you know it to be true, so don't deny that you have been taught by Christ and the Holy Spirit. Your Heavenly Father knows you and your trials. He will stir you up unto a remembrance of the Lord Your God. He always does. Peace, Marcus.
P.S. I learned "The Scientist".
i disagree, but the cool thing is that it's okay. i'm allowed.
It's true...I believe that it's possible to fake word prints...though the Book of Mormon word prints are so interwoven complex system-like, that it's too unlikely that Joseph Smith did it by accident.
Hey, and thanks v the k. He's Mormon, guys.
that's what i was thinking, but still. oh, one point that my dad mentioned is that they hang a man THEN CUT THE TREE DOWN. this never happened in America. they always left the bodies to rot clean. later research showed that it's Old Jewish custom to cut down the tree a man was hanged on and then even bury the tree with the man. that's a type of fingerprint that would be pretty much impossible to fake it JS's time period. just a side cmment of the dia
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