Quentin L. Cook

“We live in perilous times when many believe we are not accountable to God and that we do not have personal responsibility or stewardship for ourselves or others. Many in the world are focused on self-gratification, put themselves first, and love pleasure more than they love righteousness. They do not believe they are their brother’s keeper. In the Church, however, we believe that these stewardships are a sacred trust.”
Quentin L. Cook

Come What May & Love It

quote

"Living God's commandments obligates a person to a life of goodness—goodness to society and a genuine helpfulness to humanity, and excluding from one's life hatred, enmity, immorality, selfishness, drunkenness, jealousy, and dishonesty. "May we experience the joy of regular attendance at sacrament meeting and feel the blessings of eternal progression in our personal lives through wholehearted compliance, in spirit and actions, with the sacred words of the sacrament. "The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: 'Reading the experience of others, . . . can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience through the ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 324.) "The sacrament is one ordinance that allows us to experience a personal relationship to God and enlarges our knowledge and understanding of Him and His Only Begotten Son. "Our personal reward for compliance with the covenants and obligations in the ordinance of the sacrament becomes the companionship of God's Holy Spirit. This is the light that leads to eternal life. The divine virtues associated with the partaking of the Lord's Supper are to keep His divine life ever in mind; to love the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength; and to labor to bring to pass His ultimate purpose—the eternal life of man."


David B. Haight

life mission

What is your life mission?

This is a question they posed in institute tonight and it just got me thinking. If we could really figure out what the heck we're supposed to be doing, it would sure make life a lot easier! But then again, don't we already know what we are supposed to be doing? I know that if we follow the living prophets, we will be guided and led in the right direction. I watched a devotional talk from Elder Bednar today about recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost. How many of us have asked ourselves the famous question: "Is it just me, or is that a prompting from the Holy Ghost." I loved his advice...

STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT.

Yep, that's what he said. He said that if we stay true to our covenants, keep the commandments, and are "good boys" and "good girls," we will be led by the Holy Ghost constantly and probably not even know it. But he will gently lead us back to Heavenly Father. So, even better obedience... that's what I am going to work on!

Boyd K Packer... brilliant!

What Does Salt Taste Like?

I will tell you of an experience I had before I was a General Authority which affected me profoundly. I sat on a plane next to a professed atheist who pressed his disbelief in God so urgently that I bore my testimony to him. “You are wrong,” I said, “there is a God. I know He lives!”

He protested, “You don’t know. Nobody knows that! You can’t know it!” When I would not yield, the atheist, who was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of testimony. “All right,” he said in a sneering, condescending way, “you say you know. Tell me how you know.”

When I attempted to answer, even though I held advanced academic degrees, I was helpless to communicate.

Sometimes in your youth, you young missionaries are embarrassed when the cynic, the skeptic, treat you with contempt because you do not have ready answers for everything. Before such ridicule, some turn away in shame. (Remember the iron rod, the spacious building, and the mocking? See 1 Ne. 8:28.)

When I used the words Spirit and witness, the atheist responded, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” The words prayer, discernment, and faith, were equally meaningless to him. “You see,” he said, “you don’t really know. If you did, you would be able to tell me how you know.”

I felt, perhaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then came the experience! Something came into my mind. And I mention here a statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith: “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas … and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977, p. 151.)

Such an idea came into my mind and I said to the atheist, “Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.”

“Of course I do,” was his reply.

“When did you taste salt last?”

“I just had dinner on the plane.”

“You just think you know what salt tastes like,” I said.

He insisted, “I know what salt tastes like as well as I know anything.”

“If I gave you a cup of salt and a cup of sugar and let you taste them both, could you tell the salt from the sugar?”

“Now you are getting juvenile,” was his reply. “Of course I could tell the difference. I know what salt tastes like. It is an everyday experience—I know it as well as I know anything.”

“Then,” I said, “assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.”

After some thought, he ventured, “Well-I-uh, it is not sweet and it is not sour.”

“You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.”

After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, “I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!”

living prophets tidbits

Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

D&C 81:5

A number of years ago an article appeared in Christianity Today entitled "Why Your Neighbor Joined the Mormon Church." Five reasons were given:

1. The Latter-day Saints show genuine love and concern by taking care of their people.

2. They strive to build the family unit.

3. They provide for their young people.

4. Theirs is a layman's church.

5. They believe that divine revelation is the basis for their practices.

After a brief discussion of each of the above, the author of the article concluded:

In a day when many are hesitant to claim that God has said anything definitive, the Mormons stand out in contrast, and many people are ready to listen to what the Mormons think the voice of God says. It is tragic that their message is false, but it is nonetheless a lesson to us that people are many times ready to hear a voice of authority.

Donald P. Shoemaker, "Why Your Neighbor Joined the Mormon Church," Christianity Today 19, no. 1 (11 October 1974): 11­13

By their fruits ye shall know them... interestingly enough that's not how the world sees it.

“Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God… Those who talk of blind obedience may appear to know many things, but they do not understand the doctrines of the gospel. There is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control. We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.”

(“Agency and Control,” Ensign, May 1983, 66).

tidbits

Just a couple tidbits from a couple talks I read this morning:

Such a prayer of faith might include some of the following elements:

· • Thanking Heavenly Father for the doctrines and ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, which bring hope and happiness into our lives.

· • Asking for courage and boldness to open our mouths and share the gospel with our family and friends.

· • Entreating Heavenly Father to help us identify individuals and families who will be receptive to our invitation to be taught by the missionaries in our homes.

· • Pledging to do our part this day and this week and petitioning for help to overcome anxiety, fear, and hesitation.

· • Seeking for the gift of discernment— for eyes to see and ears to hear missionary opportunities as they occur.

· • Praying fervently for the strength to act as we know we should.

Gratitude would be expressed, and other blessings might be requested in such a prayer, which would be closed in the name of the Savior. And then the consecrated work of that prayer would continue and increase.

- Elder Bednar

Why Should We Love God?

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become.

- Elder Uchtdorf

Profile of a Prophet

One of the best talks that I have read in a long time :) Enjoy!

PROFILE OF A PROPHET

Hugh B. Brown

I should like to dispense with all formality, if I may, and address both faculty and students as my brothers and sisters. I adopt that form of salutation for several reasons: first, practically all who are here are members of the Church that established and maintains this university; second, I believe in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man; and third, I do not intend to give a lecture, certainly not an oration or even a sermon, but simply wish to bear my testimony to my brothers and sisters.

I should like to be for a few minutes a witness in support of the proposition that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in our day and that this is His Church, organized under His direction through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I should like to give some reasons for the faith I have and for my allegiance to the Church.

Perhaps I can do this more quickly by referring to an interview I had in London, England, in 1939, just before the outbreak of the war. I had met a very prominent English gentleman, a member of the House of Commons, formerly one of the justices of the supreme court of England. In my conversations with this gentleman on various subjects—“vexations of the soul,” he called them—we talked about business, law, politics, international relations, and war, and we frequently discussed religion.

He called me on the phone one day and asked if I would meet him at his office and explain some phases of the gospel. He said, “I think there is going to be a war. If there is, you will have to return to America and we may not meet again.” His statement regarding the imminence of war and the possibility that we would not meet again proved to be prophetic.

When I went to his office he said he was intrigued by some things I had told him. He asked me to prepare a brief on Mormonism.

I may say to you students that a brief is a statement of law and facts that lawyers like President Wilkinson prepare when they are going into court to argue a case.

He asked me to prepare a brief on Mormonism and discuss it with him as I would discuss a legal problem. He said, “You have told me that you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. You have said to me that you believe that God the Father and Jesus of Nazareth appeared to Joseph Smith. I cannot understand how a barrister and solicitor from Canada, a man trained in logic and evidence, could accept such absurd statements. What you tell me about Joseph Smith seems fantastic, but I think you should take three days at least to prepare a brief and permit me to examine it and question you on it.”

I suggested that we proceed at once and have an examination for discovery, which is, briefly, a meeting of the opposing sides in a lawsuit where the plaintiff and defendant, with their attorneys, meet to examine each other’s claims and see if they can find some area of agreement, thus saving the time of the court later on.

I said perhaps we could see whether we had some common ground from which we could discuss my “fantastic ideas.” He agreed to that quite readily.

I can only give you, in the few minutes at my disposal, a condensed and abbreviated synopsis of the three-hour conversation that followed. In the interest of time I shall resort to the question-and-answer method, rather than narration.

I began by asking, “May I proceed, sir, on the assumption that you are a Christian?”

“I am.”

“I assume you believe in the Bible—the Old and New Testaments?”

“I do!”

“Do you believe in prayer?”

“I do!”

“You say that my belief that God spoke to a man in this age is fantastic and absurd?”

“To me it is.”

“Do you believe that God ever did speak to anyone?”

“Certainly, all through the Bible we have evidence of that.”

“Did He speak to Adam?”

“Yes.”

“To Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Joseph, and on through the prophets?”

“I believe He spoke to each of them.”

“Do you believe that contact between God and man ceased when Jesus appeared on the earth?”

“No, such communication reached its climax, its apex, at that time.”

“Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God?”

“He was.”

“Do you believe, sir, that after Jesus was resurrected, a certain lawyer—who was also a tentmaker by the name of Saul of Tarsus—when on his way to Damascus talked with Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified, resurrected, and had ascended into heaven?”

“I do.”

“Whose voice did Saul hear?”

“It was the voice of Jesus Christ, for He so introduced Himself.”

“Then, my Lord—that is the way we address judges in the British Commonwealth—I am submitting to you in all seriousness that it was standard procedure in Bible times for God to talk to man.”

“I think I will admit that, but it stopped shortly after the first century of the Christian era.”

“Why do you think it stopped?”

“I can’t say.”

“You think that God hasn’t spoken since then?”

“I am sure He hasn’t.”

“There must be a reason. Can you give me a reason?”

“I do not know.”

“May I suggest some possible reasons? Perhaps God does not speak to man anymore because He cannot. He has lost the power.”

He said, “Of course that would be blasphemous.”

“Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps He doesn’t speak to men because He doesn’t love us anymore and He is no longer interested in the affairs of men.”

“No,” he said, “God loves all men, and He is no respecter of persons.”

“Well, then, if He could speak, and if He loves us, then the only other possible answer, as I see it, is that we don’t need Him. We have made such rapid strides in science and we are so well educated that we don’t need God anymore.”

And then he said—and his voice trembled as he thought of impending war—“Mr. Brown, there never was a time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why He doesn’t speak.”

My answer was: “He does speak, He has spoken; but men need faith to hear Him.”

Then we proceeded to prepare what I may call a “profile of a prophet.”

Perhaps you students would like to amplify what I must condense today and draw your own standard or definition of a prophet and see whether Joseph Smith measures up.

We agreed between us that the following characteristics should distinguish a man who claims to be a prophet:

1. He will boldly claim that God had spoken to him.

2. Any man so claiming would be a dignified man with a dignified message—no table jumping, no whisperings from the dead, no clairvoyance, but an intelligent statement of truth.

3. Any man claiming to be a prophet of God would declare his message without any fear and without making any weak concessions to public opinion.

4. If he were speaking for God he could not make concessions, although what he taught would be new and contrary to the accepted teachings of the day. A prophet bears witness to what he has seen and heard and seldom tries to make a case by argument. His message and not himself is important.

5. Such a man would speak in the name of the Lord, saying, “Thus said the Lord,” as did Moses, Joshua, and others.

6. Such a man would predict future events in the name of the Lord, and they would come to pass, as did those predicted by Isaiah and Ezekiel.

7. He would have not only an important message for his time but often a message for all future time, such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and others had.

8. He would have courage and faith enough to endure persecution and to give his life, if need be, for the cause he espoused, such as Peter, James, Paul, and others did.

9. Such a man would denounce wickedness fearlessly. He would generally be rejected or persecuted by the people of his time, but later generations and descendants of his persecutors would build monuments in his honor.

10. He would be able to do superhuman things—things that no man could do without God’s help. The consequence or result of his message and work would be convincing evidence of his prophetic calling: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).

11. His teachings would be in strict conformity with scripture, and his words and his writings would become scripture. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).

Now I have given but an outline that you can fill in and amplify and then measure and judge the Prophet Joseph Smith by the work and stature of other prophets.

As a student of the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith for more than 50 years, I say to you young men and women: by these standards Joseph Smith qualifies as a prophet of God.

I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God because he talked like a prophet. He was the first man since the apostles of Jesus Christ were slain to make the claim that prophets have always made—viz., that God had spoken to him. He lived and died like a prophet. I believe he was a prophet of God because he gave to this world some of the greatest of all revelations. I believe that he was a prophet of God because he predicted many things that have come to pass—things that only God could bring to pass.

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, declared, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). If Joseph Smith had the testimony of Jesus, he had the spirit of prophecy. And if he had the spirit of prophecy, he was a prophet.

I submit to you, and I submitted to my friend, that as much as any man who ever lived, he had a testimony of Jesus, for, like the apostles of old, he saw Him and heard Him speak. He gave his life for that testimony. I challenge any man to name one who has given more evidence of the divine calling of Jesus Christ than did the Prophet Joseph Smith.

I believe the Prophet Joseph Smith was a prophet because he did many superhuman things. One was translating the Book of Mormon. Some people will not agree, but I submit to you that the Prophet Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon did a superhuman work. I ask you students to undertake to write a story on the ancient inhabitants of America, to write as he did without any source of material. Include in your story 54 chapters dealing with wars, 21 historical chapters, and 55 chapters on visions and prophecies. And, remember, when you begin to write on visions and prophecies, you must have your record agree meticulously with the Bible. You must write 71 chapters on doctrine and exhortation, and here, too, you must check every statement with the scriptures or you will be proven to be a fraud. You must write 21 chapters on the ministry of Christ, and everything you claim He said and did and every testimony you write in your book about Him must agree absolutely with the New Testament.

I ask you, would you like to undertake such a task? I would suggest to you too that you must employ figures of speech, similes, metaphors, narrations, exposition, description, oratory, epic, lyric, logic, and parables. Undertake that, will you?

I ask you to remember that the man who translated the Book of Mormon was a young man who hadn’t had the opportunity of schooling that you have had, and yet he dictated that book in just a little over two months and made very few, if any, corrections. For over one hundred years some of the best students and scholars of the world have been trying to prove from the Bible that the Book of Mormon is false, but not one of them has been able to prove that anything he wrote was not in strict harmony with the scriptures—with the Bible and with the word of God.

The Book of Mormon not only declares on the title page that its purpose is to convince Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, but this truth is the burden of its message. In 3 Nephi it is recorded that multitudes of people testified, “We saw Him. We felt of His hands and His side. We know He is the Christ” (see 3 Nephi 11:14–15).

Joseph Smith undertook and accomplished other superhuman tasks. Among them I list the following:

He organized the Church. (I call attention to the fact that no constitution effected by human agency has survived 100 years without modification or amendment, even the Constitution of the United States. The basic law or constitution of the Church has never been altered.)

He undertook to carry the gospel message to all nations, which is a superhuman task still in progress.

He undertook, by divine command, to gather thousands of people to Zion.

He instituted vicarious work for the dead and built temples for that purpose.

He promised that certain signs should follow the believers, and there are thousands of witnesses who certify that this promise has been fulfilled.

I said to my friend, “My Lord, I cannot understand your saying to me that my claims are fantastic. Nor can I understand why Christians who claim to believe in Christ would persecute and put to death a man whose whole purpose was to prove the truth of the things they themselves were declaring; namely, that Jesus was the Christ. I could understand their persecuting Joseph if he had said, ‘I am Christ,’ or if he had said, ‘There is no Christ,’ or if he had said someone else is Christ. Then Christians believing in Christ would be justified in opposing him.

“But what he said was, ‘He whom ye claim to serve, declare I unto you,’ paraphrasing what Paul said in Athens: ‘Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you’ (Acts 17:23). Joseph said to the Christians of his day, ‘You claim to believe in Jesus Christ. I testify that I saw Him and I talked with Him. He is the Son of God. Why persecute me for that?’

“When Joseph came out of the woods, he had at least four fundamental truths, and he announced them to the world: first, that the Father and the Son are separate and distinct individuals; second, that the canon of scripture is not complete; third, that man was created in the bodily image of God; and fourth, the channel between earth and heaven is open and revelation is continuous.”

Perhaps some of you are wondering how the judge reacted to our discussion. He listened intently; he asked some very pointed and searching questions; and, at the end of the period, he said, “Mr. Brown, I wonder if your people appreciate the import of your message. Do you?” He said, “If what you have told me is true, it is the greatest message that has come to this earth since the angels announced the birth of Christ.”

This was a judge speaking—a great statesman, an intelligent man. He threw out the challenge: “Do you appreciate the import of what you say?” He added, “I wish it were true. I hope it may be true. God knows it ought to be true. I would to God,” he said, and he wept as he said it, “that some man could appear on earth and authoritatively say, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’”

As I intimated, we did not meet again. I have brought to you very briefly some of the reasons why I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. But undergirding and overarching all that, I say to you from the very center of my heart that by the revelations of the Holy Ghost I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

Although these evidences and many others that could be cited may have the effect of giving one an intellectual conviction, only by the whisperings of the Holy Spirit can one come to know the things of God. By those whisperings I say I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I thank God for that knowledge and pray for His blessings upon all of you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

quotes

“Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. It is not simply what is legal; it is what is virtuous. It is not reserved to the mighty or high in station but instead rests on a foundation of personal responsibility, integrity, and courage. Doing one’s duty is a manifestation of one’s faith.” Keith B. McMullin

“The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.” Julie B. Beck

Here are some of the notes I used for my talk - sorry they don't make much sense probably! But there might be some good things in there :)

Story of the brother of Jared…

Take the brother of Jared… he knew that he needed to go to the promised land, right? They had an entire OCEAN to cross. Imagine getting your family together… sitting down for a little family council… well kids, wife, etc – we have this goal of getting to the promised land but I have some bad news – we’re going to have to swim there. IMPOSSIBLE. They were going to need help…. So the Lord had them make boats. Boats of safety that would get them to their destination.

Wouldn’t you feel better climbing aboard a sturdy boat?... because what happens next?

Vs 4: they got aboard… commending themselves unto the Lord…

Vs 5: FURIOUS WIND… towards the promised land

Vs 6: No monster of the sea could break them

This is an intense journey! Thank goodness for the boats.

Today I was asked to speak about being the Lord’s covenant people. My first thought was, what does that even mean? I took it a little step deeper and asked myself, how am I a covenant person? You can ask yourself – how are you a covenant person?

We make promises to the Lord through covenants. These are very individual and personal moments between God and us. Making these covenants is like making the individual decision to get on the boat so that God can take us to the promised land – Eternal Life.

Just as the boats kept the Jaredites safe from the furies of the ocean, our covenants keep us safe from the furies of the world. We are always pressing forward to the goal of Eternal life. But, we feel the furious winds, don’t we? Sometimes we feel buried by the world and have no idea when our prayers will be heard and we’re back on top. Sometimes these “monsters of the sea” attack… but when we are surrounded by our covenants, we can be safe.

We’ve been promised protection, forgiveness, the spirit, and eternal life as we keep our covenants – what a blessing!

It is amazing that so many times our covenants feel more like obligations rather than privileges or blessings. How can we celebrate our covenants on a daily basis? I love the story of when Alma invited his people to make covenants… they clapped their hands and shouted for joy! Do we feel like shouting for joy when we renew our covenants every week? Now… I have never shouted for joy as the sacrament is being passed around, but I have felt immense gratitude. Sometimes I feel like my life is going crazy and the furious winds are just too furious and I can’t stay afloat. I am so grateful for that time on Sunday when I can ponder what is going on, take the sacrament, and feel confident that God is helping me towards Eternal Life….

Didn’t want to get baptized until 99 ½ … but now I realize that through renewing my covenants, I can be clean every day.

I would like to suggest 3 ways that our covenants (baptismal or temple) help us as a covenant people.

Anchors us down & gives us hope

Unites us together

Sets us free

Anchors us down/gives us hope

Bonnie D Parkin:

There are both stormy seas and calm waters in life. But as Ether tells us, “Hope cometh of faith, [and] maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4). Covenants anchor us to solid ground, which, amidst the storms, makes our promises not only meaningful for eternity but vital for today.

Today is the BEST DAY YET….. something better is to come.

Unites us together

Look around you… we are all here because we chose or are choosing to become part of God’s covenant people. We are stronger together. We are united as a ward family, as a church, and eventually with our own families… the covenant of temple marriage unites a family in a way that the world cannot.

Keeping your covenants not only blesses you, but it blesses everybody around you… Hna Santillan – Emily – Oscar

Sets us free

Gentle-hearted King Benjamin said: “Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ. … And under this head ye are made free” (Mosiah 5:7–8).

What are me made free from? SIN. We come unto Christ – the true liberator.

A scripture a day keeps Satan away

1 Nephi 1... and starting 2!!

So this morning I am reading in 1 Nephi 2! I finally finished one earlier this morning (it was wonderful) and now I am on to chapter 2 and it feels great haha. I need to figure out a more efficient system I guess :). A couple interesting tidbits from chapter one:

*there are 30 references to deliverance in 1 Nephi

*Lehi was praying and "there cam ea pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock" - this rock was likely an altar.

*What struck me while reading 1 Nephi 1 this time was that God really loves all of His children. I especially loved vs 14 where it talked about how His "power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth." Sometimes it is hard to imagine Him loving everyone so so much - but I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and how it helps me see that a little bit more each time I read it.

*vs. 20 - they "sought to take his life." They probably wanted to stone him (what a horrible way to die). Interestingly enough, "stone" in Hebrew means "eben" - or a combination of the father and son. Pres. D says that stoning, therefore, is a symbolic judgement of God

*I like vs 20. A LOT!

*"faith" in Hebrew comes from the root "aman" & it means "to make sure." The Greek word is "pistis" and it means "to obey." That gives a different spin on what our part of the deal is with faith - no passiveness allowed! We actually talked a lot about how to actively use our agency last night in my institute class. For something we fought so hard for, we need to use it as much as possible :) - in good ways of course!

Starting chapter 2:

it's the end of Lehi's prophesying mission. This part had never made me sad before but this time I definitely felt something different as I read "And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness." Lehi had been preaching diligently to the people of Jerusalem. He was from the Jerusalem, Israel mission and I am sure that he was attached to some of his investigators. He probably still had hope for them... and then he got transferred out. Permanently... I bet he was sad. Even though on areas in my mission we weren't having much success, I still felt pain when I got transferred out and had to leave the people I loved behind. Lehi, as a prophet, likely had a special gift to really love the people and see them more the way God sees them... and leaving them behind was like leaving them to their deaths. Ayyyy.

Well, I'm off to school! HAVE A GREAT DAY! The scriptures rock!

Oh, and to answer your question, dad, Ezekial and John were 2 examples of prophets that had to eat their scriptures... look it up - it's pretty interesting.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 16:14-16

"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands wither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks."

A really good friend pointed this sweet scripture out to me recently. I like it because we can think about the Biblical (and obviously Book of Mormon) times and how people were always referencing the story of Moses... and this scripture says that one day people are going to stop talking about that as the big story and will start talking about other miracles... Like the first vision... or the little personal miracles we experience. We can see that happening today. And of course, these verses talking about the missionary work of today too - that it really is searching diligently for the ones who are ready.

scriptures... run for your lives!!

Did you know that some prophets had to eat their scriptures? I hope they were tasty.

beautiful quote

“The more we know of Jesus, the more we will love Him. The more we know of Jesus, the more we will trust Him. The more we know of Jesus, the more we will want to be like Him and to be with Him by becoming the manner of men and women that He wishes us to be (see 3 Ne. 27:27), while living now ‘after the manner of happiness’ (2 Ne. 5:27).” Neal A. Maxwell

some symbolism

Picture I took at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple on Saturday

"As sovereigns, choosing to yield to the Highest Sovereign is our highest act of choice. It is the only surrender which is also a victory! The putting off of the natural man makes possible the putting on of the whole armor of God, which would not fully fit before!" - Neal A. Maxwell

I had a delightful scripture study this morning in 1st Nefi 1 (again! haha), but I'm at the library at the moment and don't have my BoM notes with me... so - how about some MISSION NOTES? Yes? Yes.

How do we know that Christ was resurrected? Where is the evidence we have for that other than a few witnesses (ok, there have been a lot!) that saw Him after he was resurrected? It is on faith that we have to believe in the resurrection and believe that we too will be reunited with our bodies one day. It takes the same kind of faith to believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that the original plates existed. There are some interesting similarities between what "evidence" we have for the BoM and what "evidence" we have of the Resurrection.

Resurrection of Christ
body placed in a tomb
sealed with a stone
angel came to witness
body felt by witnesses
ascends into heaven

Book of Mormon
plates also placed in a "tomb"
sealed up with a stone
angel came to bear witness
plates felt by witnesses
ascends into heaven

Interesting, huh?

Now let's talk about some symbolism of numbers in the scriptures. Now, I am sure that these aren't representative in EVERY case, but it can sure give neat insights into some scripture stories. Got this list from Pres. D at a zone conference one transfer

1 - God
2 - opposition
3 - covenant
4 - man
5 - Atonement
6 - didn't get that one
7 - whole & complete
8 - new beginning

For example, the arc only had 8 people on it when mankind had to start over again. I didn't write any more examples down and I don't have time to ponder on it at the moment, but see what you can come up with!

*man + covenants = whole & complete... perfected

quote

“We don’t acquire eternal life in a sprint—this is a race of endurance. We have to apply and reapply the divine gospel principles. Day after day we need to make them part of our normal life.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Genesis 1 & 2

"Over the last hours I have come to understand other blessings from 'always remembering him.' I thought of a family in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I met years ago: a father, mother, and two teenage daughters who belonged to no church but read the Bible together every day. They pondered the Savior's life and his words. When we found them they had decided that Christ would have a church and that they should find it. They knew that it would have prophets and Apostles at its foundation because that is what Christ had left in his church in the meridian of time. They knew that the resurrected Lord had appeared to his Apostles."And so when we testified that God, the Father, and his Son, the Savior of the world, came to a boy prophet, Joseph Smith, that seemed right to them. When they heard us testify that Peter, James, and John appeared and restored priesthood, they knew that would have to have happened. And the Holy Spirit, which they also recognized, told them it was true. I realized sometime last night or early this morning that they recognized the truth, that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, in large part because they had always remembered him. Every day they had gathered to read about him and his words, and so they remembered him. And after they were baptized they were ready to follow the living prophet because they knew the Savior always speaks to his prophets to bless his people." Henry B. Eyring

It was a story from Albuquerque - cool, huh?! Anyway, that is true - the closer we are to Christ and the more we follow Him the more we realize that the church is true. It's a good cycle.

Ok, now I am going back to yesterday's class notes! First of all, a wonderful quote from my professor that I wrote down - "You just have to open your Book of Mormon and your fingertips start to get warm from the spirit...!" He was comparing the BoM and the Bible saying that a lot of times it can be harder to feel the spirit through the Bible because it isn't as pure, translated correctly, and it is harder for us to relate to the stories until we dig deeper... but, we can still feel the spirit when we read the Bible of course - just maybe for some of us it will take a bit more effort.

All right, our list on who is God... we have sets of descriptive words here

Group #1:
all knowing
lawyer: precise
power
control
provider
professor
protector
big talker
in charge

Group #2:
gives us a chance
interested
Father/friend
artist: into the details
approachable: one-on-one
allows choice
love
human characteristics
satisfied
facilitator
optimist
shares

Do you see a difference between the two groups? Interestingly enough we can see that first list mostly in Genesis 1 and the second list in Genesis 2. There seems to be a contradiction between His characteristics... the first group seemingly very much focused on justice and the second more on love and understanding. Do we sometimes wish for the justice side for our "enemies" and the mercy side for ourselves? I know I've done that before. After discussing it for a while we came to the conclusion that these aren't "separate sides" of God's personality, but rather 2 parts that make up the whole of who He is. In order to be perfectly just and perfectly loving, He has to be able to demonstrate all of these characteristics so that we can learn from Him. I don't know if I am making sense to you guys, but it makes sense to me in my head!

Genesis 1: top down (God's perspective - it ends with man)... very logical... the spiritual creation?
Genesis 2: bottom up (human perspective - it begins with man)... aesthetic: organic, the physical creation?

There are a lot of patterns/themes in genesis...
- violence & sex
- birthright violations
- parental favoritism (which seems to be the cause of a lot of problems!)

We talked about wells and the significance of them - there are a lot of times when prophets or other important people find their wives by a well. A well is a symbol of fertility and life. There is a pattern in almost every Bible "well scene."
1. man leaves home and travels far
2. meets a woman at a well
3. water gets drawn
4. woman rushes home (always the same Hebrew word for "rushes")
5. meal
6. betrothal

I've always heard my whole life that Rebekah was just so kind and generous to get all of those camels water (which it was a big job!), but somebody pointed out that she was also a very smart girl. Obviously those guys were rich with all of those camels laden with gifts and stuff... maybe we don't think enough about what her intentions might have been! No, I know she was a great woman (or girl, she probably was only about 14) with a lot of faith who really followed the spirit - because she did exactly what she needed to (what the Lord had said) to mark her as the chosen one. Sometimes I worry that I'm not following the spirit enough to do all that I need to. Every day a little bit better, right?

Who is God?

Man I have been slacking on my scripture blog! I promise to improve :). I'm going to be quick again tonight because it is already 12:22 at night and I am beat. But, I wanted to just express my testimony of the God. We talked a lot today in my literature and the Bible class about the nature of God and who we see Him as. We wrote a paper on this topic focusing on the first three chapters of Genesis. We came up with some very interesting insights and I will write about them soon. But, what it came down to for me is that He is the perfect father. As simple as that - He has a beautiful balance of justice, mercy, love, knowledge, power, acceptance, and about a million other characteristics. He is completely trustworthy and dependable. He is perfect. I am so grateful to know my God. I know that a lot of religions teach that us mere humans can't have a real relationship with Deity. I know that is not true. I know that we can have a relationship with God and that that is what he wants! That is why He has given us the scriptures, prophets, each other, His son... they are tools that bring us to Him so that eventually we can feel comfortable living in His presence.

"The future is as bright as your faith." Thomas S. Monson

1 Nephi 1

Hahaha.... I saw this picture and just had to laugh. But it's true - Nephi SHOULD be our hero... he was a man of incredible faith, incredible devotion to the Lord, and he put up with a lot to help us have the scriptures and the doctrines that we had today. Who is my hero? Well, Nephi is of course!

Jumping into 1 Nephi 1 today...

A few things I learned from President D's notes:

* Nephi did not write his books like a journal... from different clues we can see that he wrote in retrospect... for example, in the opening paragraph of 1st Nephi, before chapter 1, is written by Nephi, and includes events as late as the arrival in the promised land (1 Ne. 18:23). In the subtitle to 1st Nephi and again in 1 Ne. 10:1, Nephi mentions his "reign and ministry." Nephi does not begin to "reign" until 2 Ne. 5:18-19.

*"Let's just put down on paper a little outline of this chapter. I think it would look something like this:
a prophet prays
has a vision
sees heavenly messengers (apparently including Jesus)
receives a book
is rejected by most of the people

Now that's a rough outline of the story you described in chapter 1. Does it look at all familiar to you?" (Jeffrey R. Holland, "Daddy, Donna, and Nephi," Ensign, Sept. 1976, 9)

.... JOSEPH SMITH anybody?!

*There is an interesting comparison we can make between Lehi and the prophet Jeremiah (who was another prophet in Jerusalem during the same time period). While Lehi was called to leave Jerusalem and inherit the promised land, Jeremiah was asked to stay and be a witness to the destruction of Jerusalem. They both were priests (Lehi from the Melchizedek line and Jeremiah from the Aranoid family), both were Patriarchs... etc etc. I like what President Donaldson highlighted in his notes, however, that we can view Jeremiah and Lehi as symbols of Israel's relationship with the Lord.... Jeremiah's life was a symbol of the justice of God and the impending destruction of Jerusalem. However, he sought solace and comfort in his relationship with the Lord and prophesied the return and restoration of his people (see Jeremiah 30-31). We can view Lehi's life as a symbol of the "tender mercies of the Lord." Although he had to go through severe trials, he was able to help deliver his family from destruction and inherit another promised land.

*Jeremiah and Moses were both symbols of Christ - 2 different aspects of his mission.

"Moses was a prophet who demonstrated the power of God over the elements and over Israel's enemies. He had the power to prophesy the future. He was a deliverer, redeemer, and lawgiver. Moses, in one of his final sermons, pronounced one of the most prominent of the messianic prophecies: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jeremiah, throughout his ministry, eloquently demonstrated to his people the type of a suffering servant. Because he had delivered his message, Jeremiah was persecuted, isolated, falsely accused, imprisoned, and tried for his life. He protested his innocence: "But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter" (Jeremiah 11:19; cf. Isaiah 53:7)."

Wow. There is SO MUCH to learn... so I didn't even get close to getting through 1 Nephi 1 this morning... maybe I need to be more selective on what I want to learn and focus on. Well, it was a very interesting study at least! Hope you all could learn something too :) It is very interesting to think about the "call" of a prophet... Jeremiah was called to be a prophet as a child whereas Lehi was called as an adult (already married and with children). The Lord calls us to do things when we are ready and when he needs us. He will call us to be witnesses of certain events and people so that we can testify about them. I am very grateful for our prophet, Thomas Monson and for the guidance we receive from him and our other leaders. I know that if we just follow them and try to be obedient (like Nephi!) we will be happy and successful... in the manner that GOD wants us to be.

temples

I just want to say that I love temples. We went to the Salt Lake temple this morning to do a live session and it was soooo wonderful. The spirit inside is so strong and it is just such a beautiful place to be. I know that it is the house of the Lord and that if we need guidance, peace, reassurance, knowledge, or whatever - we can find it there! Some new friends and I were discussing a project we want to do - we're going to make Saturdays temple day and go to a different temple in Utah every weekend :) I can't wait.

Few thoughts from Pres. D's notes:

"Before even arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young’s mind was focused on the erection of a temple, for he had seen the Salt Lake Temple in vision.
Just four days after their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, in July of 1847, President Brigham Young strode to a spot that inspiration had obviously fixed in his mind. Pointing his cane to the parched ground, he declared: “Here we will build a temple to our God.” Elder Wilford Woodruff placed a marker on the designated site.
President Young later declared “I have never looked upon that ground, but the vision of [the six- spired Salt Lake Temple] was there.”
This declaration by President Young was a pronouncement of a prophet of God. In the midst of the summer, camped in a desert, with the pressing needs of food, shelter, and even survival weighing heavily upon the minds and hearts of the newly arrived pioneers, their prophet-leader reminded them of the “solemnities of eternity” (see D&C 43:34) which should also be resting upon their minds.
The construction of the Salt Lake Temple would not be completed in Brigham Young’s lifetime, but in my own heart I feel that both he and Joseph Smith were allowed to be present on that glorious occasion on 6 April 1893, when President Wilford Woodruff dedicated this magnificent house of the Lord. In fact President Woodruff recorded in his journal:
“If the eyes of the congregation could be opened they would [have] seen Joseph and Hyrum [Smith], Brigham Young, John Taylor, and all the good men who had lived in this dispensation assembled with us, as also ... all the Holy Prophets and Apostles who had prophesied of the latter day work. ... They were rejoicing with us in this building which had been accepted of the Lord.”

repentance quote

"When we sin, we turn away from God. When we repent, we turn back toward God."The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to 're-turn' toward God (see Helaman 7:17)." Neil L. Andersen

Abraham & Isaac

I LOVE MY LITERATURE AND THE BIBLE CLASS. Ok, with that said, let's discuss what I learned about today! Our class was on "reading between the lines of the Bible." He told us that 90% of the story is not in the written words but that we have to ask questions and really dig deep into the meanings, emotions, feelings, and implications that the stories have. Today we dissected the story of Abraham and Isaac (the sacrifice part). What a treat! Really, I always liked the story, but today I loved it. It sure makes a difference when you try and jump into the story.

Just some points we talked about today that could make for interesting discussion if you all have time one day:

* let's think about Sarah here... how did she feel?
*Abraham's neighbors were most likely still practicing human sacrifice (this was during the time that human sacrifice was really turning over to animal sacrifice, but human sacrifice, nonetheless, was still being practiced). Abraham likely had doubts about having to sacrifice his only son, his promised son, but maybe the thought came to him, "Do I love my God as much as my neighbors their heathen Gods?"
*Other possible thought from Abraham: What did I do wrong? Is this a punishment? What do I need to repent of? (sacrifice was a form of repentance)
*Burnt sacrifices were NOT a pretty thing. We discussed what Isaac and Abraham were likely thinking about as they climbed Mount Moriah... this is how our teacher described the burnt offerings of the time:
- cut the sacrifice's throat and let it drain into a basin
- with a reed (or something similar) you have to take the blood and shake it around... all over the altar, all over the sacrifice, all over the sacrificer. What a horrible thought for a loving father!
- quarter the sacrifice
- separate the entrails and burn some and let others stay out for the birds

ok, that's enough details about what is a sacrifice. Suffice it to say, it was not a pleasant experience and the thought of having to do that to his son was probably nearly unbearable.

*Isaac was likely around 35 years old... and Abraham 135 years old.
*Parallels to Christ's ultimate sacrifice: Isaac is really the main focal point here
- Isaac was the only son
- they went to the mountain on the 3rd day (symbolism with the #3)
- Isaac had to carry the wood that would be used as part of the sacrifice (Christ carried His cross)
- Isaac was looking for Abraham at one point and had to call out to him (left alone)
- Isaac was willing and trusting
- 2 servants were left at the bottom of the mountain... disciples were left outside of Gethsemane.

*Abraham was almost sacrificed as a child and an angel intervened. I think that he probably had hope that the same thing would happen. Being a prophet, however, I am sure that he saw the parallels between what he was asked to do and what would happen with Christ (he knew the prophecies). It is also interesting to consider that Christ is the God of the old testament and that he was very much involved in this, Abraham's (and Isaac's) test. But the difference between this test and the test that He endured was that He had to "drink the cup" and make the sacrifice.

*Why would God ask this of Abraham? They were friends! Abraham was God's main prophet on the earth and had given him so many promises! We came up with a lot of theories. Maybe Abraham needed to see the evidence of his own faith so that he would be stronger for it, maybe God wanted him to understand the sacrifice of Christ more fully. Maybe we understand the atonement better by reading about this struggle.

*It says that God "tempted" Abraham (although this is changed in the JS translation)... but we can find comfort in this because we know that we will "never be tempted above that which we are able." God knew Abraham could do it.

Well, that is all I'm going to write about tonight because it's BEDTIME. If you have any comments - feel free to share!

Oh, & side note: in Hebrew, "Adam" means "man" or "dirt"... we all come from the dirt. Interesting, eh?

just some thoughts

Today I studied about recognizing and following the spirit... because that's what I taught to the MTC teachers today! Just a couple thoughts...

We often wonder if it is OUR thoughts or the influence of the spirit when we have different desires. I love Moroni's words in Moroni 7. Well, actually he is talking about the teachings of his father and so we could arguably say that they could be Mormon's words... but that is besides the point. Anyway, he talks about how if something is good then it is of Christ. The spirit leads us to be more Christlike and to follow Him more perfectly... therefore, we can know that if we have a desire to do something good or Christlike, then we are following the spirit. I can remember back to when I was deciding to go on a mission. I didn't have a big "ah ha!" moment and I can remember feeling really frustrated about it... but reading from D&C 4 and thinking about my desire to be a missionary - I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a good desire. All good desires come from the spirit/from Christ and so I decided to go for it! I knew that Heavenly Father would stop me if I was heading in the wrong direction. Lo and behold - I am now a return missionary so we now know what He wanted me to do. I am so grateful for that.

How can we hang on to the spiritual impressions we receive? WRITE THEM DOWN. I need to start a personal revelation journal or something. The more we treasure up and use what we are given, the more we will receive!

Ok, that's enough rambling for one night. I'm going to bed early!

more on the title page....

As I continue my study of the title page, I find myself thinking a lot about the last couple of authors... Mormon and his son Moroni. They had extremely hard lives and spent a good part of it writing and protecting this record. While perusing Pres. D's notes, I came across a part that talked about the author of the title page. Apparently there has been some discussion about who wrote the title page - we know that it wasn't Joseph Smith because it is part of the translation (the title page was actually found on the last leaf of the plates) but we aren't quite sure if Moroni wrote the title page by himself or whether there were also parts from his dad. The main reason that people question this is because the first paragraph is a bit repetitive

"Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed--To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof--Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile--The interpretation thereof by the gift of God."

The conclusion was that it was all written by Moroni but he repeated himself only to "further illuminate the divine destiny of this ancient record." Mormon had previously stated his "purpose statement" for the Book of Mormon - "For behold, this [the Book of Mormon] is written for the intent that ye may believe that [the Bible]; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them. And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; . . . and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, . . . following the example of our Savior, . . . it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. (Mormon 7:9–10; see 5:14–15)"

"Perhaps the most compelling evidence for Moroni's authorship of the entire title page comes from a study of two unusual words or word combinations that appear infrequently in the Book of Mormon. The word interpretation appears 7 times in the Book of Mormon text, written once by Nephi and 6 times in the writings of Moroni (Mormon 9:7, 34; Ether 2:3; 4:5; 15:8; Moroni 10:16). The words seal(ed) up occur only 14 times in the Book of Mormon, 5 times by Nephi and 9 times in Moroni's writings (Ether 3:22–23, 27–28; 4:5; 5:1; Moroni 10:2). Those expressions do not appear anywhere in Mormon's translated writings, yet they do occur in the very portions of the title page that some scholars have attributed to both Mormon and Moroni. The distribution of those expressions weighs heavily in favor of Moroni as the sole author."

Anyway, maybe that's not that important - but I thought it was interesting! I hadn't even thought about it before :)

Well... that's it for my study notes right now because I need to prepare my lesson for the MTC interview tomorrow! YIKES!

title page

Just starting from the beginning of the Book of Mormon. The very title page is intriguing - THE BOOK OF MORMON Another Testament of Jesus Christ. What is the purpose of the book then? To testify of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not just a collection of good stories (although I LOVE the war stories :) ) or good advice... it is an actual tool to help us get to know the most important person in our lives - Christ! He is referenced once every 1.7 verses (or roughly every 2 sentences).

OK - I am pretty sure that I have heard this list in the past and I've thought about it sometimes - but I was so excited to find this list in Pres D's notes... this is a list of what YOU would have to do if you wanted to produce something of the same caliber as the Book of Mormon. If somebody can accomplish THIS without the help/inspiration of God... then maybe, just maybe they can have a good argument against the validity of this amazing book.... ENJOY!

1. Write a history of ancient Tibet covering a period from 600 B.C. to 450 A.D. Why ancient Tibet? Because you know no more about Tibet than Joseph Smith (or anyone else) knew about ancient America.
2. You are 23 years of age.
3. You have had no more than three years of formal school education, and have spent your life in backwoods farming communities.
4. Your history must be written on the basis of what you now know. There was no library that held information for Joseph Smith. You must use none. There is to be no research of any kind.
5. Your history must be 531 pages and over 300,000 words in length.
6. Other than a few grammatical corrections, you must have no changes in the text. The first edition as you dictate it to your secretary must stand forever.
7. This record is to contain the history of two distinct and separate nations, along with histories of different contemporary nations or groups of people.
8. You must describe their religious, economic, political, and social cultures and institutions. Cover every phase of their society, including the names of their coins.
9. Change your style of writing many times. Many ancient authors contributed to the Book of Mormon, each with his own style.
10. Weave into your history the religion of Jesus Christ and the pattern of Christian living.
11. You must claim that your smooth narrative is not fiction with moral value, but true and sacred history.
12. You must include in you book fifty-four chapters dealing with wars, twenty-one historical chapters, fifty-five chapters on visions and prophecies. Remember, when you begin to write visions and prophecies, you must have your record agree meticulously with the Bible. You must write seventy-one chapters on doctrine and exhortation, and you must check every statement with the scriptures or you will be proven a fraud. You must write twenty-one chapters on the ministry of Christ, and every thing you claim he said and every testimony you write in your book about Him must agree absolutely with the New Testament.
13. Many of the facts, claims, ideas, and statements given as absolute truth in your writing must be entirely inconsistent with the prevailing beliefs of the world. Some of these worldly beliefs must be the direct opposite of your claims.
14. Included in your narrations will be authentic modes of travel; whether or not those ancient people used fire; description of their clothing, crops, mourning customs, and types of government. You must invent about 280 new names that will stand up under scrutiny through the years as to their proper application and derivation.
15. You will have to properly use figures of speech, similes, metaphors, narrations, exposition, descriptions, oratory, epic lyric, and parables.
16. You must invite the ablest scholars and experts to examine the text with care, and you must strive diligently to see that your book gets into the hands of those eager to prove it a forgery, and who are most competent to expose every flaw in it.
17. Thorough investigation, scientific and historical evidence, and archeological discovery for the next 125 years must verify its claims and prove detail after detail to be true, for many of the details you put in your history are still buried beneath the soil of Tibet.
18. You must publish it to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people declaring it to be the word of God and another witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.
19. The book must not contain any absurd, impossible, or contradictory statements. Your history must not contain any statement that will contradict any other statement elsewhere in the volume.
20. Many theories and ideas as to its origin must arise, and after discovering and examining the facts, they must fail. You have claimed that your knowledge had come from divine origin, and this claim continues to stand as the only possible explanation. The strength of this explanation must not decrease as time passes, but actually increases to the point where it becomes the only logical explanation.
21. Your record is to fulfill many Bible prophecies, even in the exact manner in which it shall come forth, to whom delivered, its purposes, and its accomplishments.
22. Call down an angel from heaven in the middle of the day and have him bear testimony to four honest, dignified citizens of your community that the record is the word of God. These witnesses must bear the angel's testimony to the world, not for profit or gain, but under great sacrifice and severe persecution, even to their death beds. You must put that testimony to the test by becoming an enemy to these men.
23. Thousands of great men, intellectual giants, national and international personalities, and scholars for 165 years must accept your history and its teachings even to the point of laying down their life rather than deny their testimony of it. 24. You must include with within the record this promise: "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost."
25. Missionaries must bear record to the world for the next 165 years that they know the record to be true because they put the promise to the test and found it to be true. The truth of it was manifested to them by the power of the Holy Ghost.
26. Over 52,900 plus competent salesman must be so sold on your book that they gladly give up two or more years of their lives to take it to all parts of the world for distribution. They not only pay their own way during these years, but return bearing testimony that the time spent will remain as one of the highlights of their lives. They receive nothing in return for their efforts but the joy of having shared your book with others.
27. Your book must not only raise the standards of millions of people but do it in such a way that they become one of the great moral, ethical, and dynamic marvels of the day. They must become world renowned for this. 28. For the next 20 years you must watch those that follow and you, your family, and the dearest of your loved ones persecuted, driven time after time from their homes, beaten, tortured, starved, frozen and killed. Tens of thousands must undergo the most extreme hardships in your presence just because they believe your claims concerning the origin and content of what you have written on ancient Tibet.
29. You must gain no wealth from your work, but many times lose all that you have. Like those that believe you, you must submit yourself to the most vile persecution. And finally after 20 years of this, give your own life in a very savage and brutal manner, for your testimony concerning your history book. This must be done willingly on your part.
30. Start right now and produce this record which covers 1,000 years of history, doing it, not in the peaceful atmosphere of your community, but under the most trying of circumstances which include being driven from your home several times, and receiving constant threats upon your life. Please have your book completed, talk a friend into mortgaging his farm to raise money to have it printed - all in 60 days. There is only one answer: The Book of Mormon is a divine record. If not, its origin must be stated and its claims must be explained by the critic. It isn't enough to merely discard it as false and forget about it!

Just a few more tidbits/quotes from Pres. Donaldson's notes (emphasis added by me):

"No member of this Church can stand approved in the presence of God who has not seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon" (Joseph Fielding Smith in Conference Report, Oct. 1961, 18)

"It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called "the words of life" (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance." - Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1986, pp 4-7

"The Book of Mormon is not just a book that helps us feel good; it is a heavenly document that helps us be good. It is not only an invitation to come unto Christ; it is a pattern for accomplishing that consummate privilege. It is not just a book about religion. It is religion." - Robert L. Millet, "So Glorious a Record", Ensign, December 1992