Mormon Bloggers

One of the prophets that Nephi and Lehi were aware of was Jeremiah. Lehi mentioned him later when he said, “they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison.” (1 Nephi 7:14) Clearly things were getting pretty serious in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 26:12-20 12 ¶ Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. 13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. 14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. 15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. 16 ¶ Then said the princes and all the... Read the rest of this entry »

Here is another fine posting from Catherine Aurelia over at CARM (Christian Apologetic Research Ministry). This time, in a thread entitled Have We Now Reached a Point Where the Mormons are Unwilling to Defend Mormonism? This came from one of many anonymous poster (this time, an actual Evangelical Christian who claims to be tired of [...] AKPC_IDS += "250424,";Popularity: unranked [?] Read More →

What exactly was Lehi doing in Jerusalem? Weren’t most of the tribes of Israel scattered by now? Yes, most were. But not quite all. For one thing, we know that the tribe of Judah stuck around beyond New Testament times. But Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh. “And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.” (Alma 10:3) The reason I bring this up is that according to the Old Testament, the descendants of Judah and Manasseh got Jerusalem as their Israelite inheritence… And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh; 1 Chronicles 9: 3 …which explains what a non-Judah descendent was doing in Jerusalem in 600 BC. AKPC_IDS += "249041,";Popularity: 1% [?] Read More →

A new post entitled “The Mormons Are Now Our Friends” is now available at The Fulness. Reminder: The Fulness blog has moved to www.justandtrue.com AKPC_IDS += "245872,";Popularity: 1% [?] Read More →

A new post is now available at The Fulness. Reminder: The Fulness blog has moved to www.justandtrue.com AKPC_IDS += "241759,";Popularity: 1% [?] Read More →

It takes a lot of confidence to say, “I know I’m right.” In fact, I’d have to say it takes more than confidence – it takes spiritual conviction. Even the accomplished scientist won’t say, “I know this theory is true.” So what is it that gives Nephi the right to say that he knows the things he’s writing is true? Some would call this blind, naïve, or delusional. But that’s assuming that Nephi is wrong. But he’s not wrong, and he knows it. 1 Nephi 11:16-17 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. 2 Nephi 4:35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen. 2 Nephi 25:7 But... Read the rest of this entry »

“When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice, because he seeks to do his will, he does know most assuredly that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life. It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him.” Lectures on Faith There are many reasons why Nephi was justified in killing Laban. The first and foremost reason is that the Lord commanded... Read the rest of this entry »

A new post on the topic of confession is now found at www.justandtrue.com which is the new home for .The Fulness blog Please engage in the discussion here. AKPC_IDS += "239154,";Popularity: unranked [?] Read More →

Right after Nephi had been “blessed” by the Lord because “he had sought Him diligently, with lowliness of heart”, the Lord provided a way to prove him to see if he would truly “keep His commandments”. What is the assignment given from the Lord? 1 Nephi 3:1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father. 2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem. 3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass. 4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness. 5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them,... Read the rest of this entry »

Like I previously stated, I believe that 1 Nephi, Chapter 2 establishes the groundwork for the entire rest of the Book of Mormon. We have seen how Nephi recorded the pattern for gaining a sure testimony from the Lord, through his Holy Spirit, by his righteous desire and humble request. We have also been shown the progression of prophet, priest, and king, needed to arrive at a “blessed” position from the Lord. We have been given the definition of “blessed” as that of the Abrahamic Covenant, or the PPL, eternal priesthood, eternal posterity and a land inheritance. And finally, we are shown specifically that Nephi’s posterity are the ones who are given this land of promise because of Nephi’s righteous actions. (We will explore this further in the next few chapters.) Let me explain that last statement. Through the blessing that Nephi received from the Lord, he is led to a land of promise that was prepared for him above all other lands, for his posterity for eternity. This... Read the rest of this entry »

1:2 “the language of the Egyptians” I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. That sounds to me like Lehi wrote in Hebrew style, but in the Egyptian language – well, some kind of Egyptian language. Obviously Lehi would be fluent in Hebrew, but why would he speak or at least know how to write in Egyptian? “We don’t know what Lehi’s occupation was, but since he was conversant in the Egyptian language and he seemed some-what familiar with the ways of the desert, it is logical to assume that he had some occupation or some previous experiences that utilized both skills.” H. Donl Peterson, “Father Lehi,” in First Nephi, The Doctrinal Foundation, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988), 55–66. Okay, so I guess Lehi probably did work that was facilitated by a knowledge of the Egyptian language. I looked... Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the Neighborhood News In our Personal Touch with Rebecca Cressman segment, she interviews Mark Justice, President of the Castle Valley Pageant. Mark alongside theater directors, producers, technical crew and a cast of hundreds of volunteer actors gather together every other year to portray the trials, triumphs and tragedies of some of the first settlers of Castle Valley Utah, who set out to homestead a vast frontier. The Castle Valley Pageant celebrates the settlers faith in a strange and often unwelcoming land. Volunteers and members of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers host a “pioneer village” exhibit that instructs visitors on the skills required to survive as a pioneer. The first performance of the Castle Valley Pageant occurred on 11 and 12 August 1978. Since then it has grown from a small, simple production into a spectacular event, performed in an outdoor amphitheater with seating for 4,000. This year’s Castle Valley Pageant runs through August 7th, 2010.... Read the rest of this entry »