Double-agent! Talking about Helaman 2

While studying Helaman 2, I loved learning about the servant of Helaman who was a double-agent, or a spy. It was fascinating! In this video I discuss more about him and what I learned from this study of the scriptural record. 

Click the link below to watch the video on my youtube channel:

A discussion on Helaman's spy in Helaman 2

Don't hesitate to join the discussion in the comments section. See you soon...

NO-ONE is out of reach of repentance and forgiveness

While studying the book of 3Nephi, it suddenly became alarmingly apparent that NO-ONE is out of reach of repentance and forgiveness.

While most attention in 3Nephi is often placed on the appearance and administration of the resurrected Jesus Christ (which is the highlight of the entire account, and which is usually a first reference that our missionaries turn to when introducing the Book of Mormon), it is the first nine chapters that have stoked my intrigue on this occasion.

The book of 3Nephi opens with the remarkable fulfillment of earlier prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus Christ. An ancient American prophet named Samuel had predicted a new star arising at the time of Jesus' birth, along with three straight days of light. This miraculous phenomenon occurred just as unbelievers were about to put to death those who clung to the words of this prophecy.

"for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.

And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth...

And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given...

And it came to pass that a new star did appear, according to the word."

(3Nephi 1:15-17, 19, 21)

Following this astonishing event, things took a turn for the worse as unbelief spread. A band who were known as the Gadianton Robbers (kind of like a present-day ISIS) began terrorising and murdering, killing the governors of the land and conspiring to overthrow the government. Wars between the Robbers and the Nephites took place, the government was broken up and the people divided themselves into tribes, each with their own laws.

Emissaries of God preached repentance to the people. Here it became apparent to me that even amongst such terror and carnage and murderous intentions and behaviour, the message of repentance was still being offered. 

The reality that even the hardest of hearts can change and be softened is one of the overwhelming messages of the Book of Mormon. 

NO-ONE is out of reach of repentance and forgiveness.

The Nephites were so quick to forget Deity, so quick to fall into sins and wickedness. In a number of instances, they deteriorate from God-loving, humble people into prideful, persecuting people, committing all kinds of degrading behaviour. 

I marvel at just how fast they gave up the standard of truth and holiness. Yet prophets constantly offered repentance and a way back. 

NO-ONE is out of reach of repentance and forgiveness.

The Book of Mormon exposes the sins of evil-designing people and the consequences of such sustained behaviour accompanied by rejection of repentance. In 3Nephi chapter 8 we read from the record that a chain of natural disasters occurred over a 3-hour time period, resulting in the death of the more reprobate population and causing what is described in the record as a "vapor of darkness" which was so thick and consuming that candles, torches and fire couldn't be lit, and the sun, moon and stars couldn't penetrate the darkness. This horrifying condition lasted for three days. The people were aware that this phenomena coincided with the death of Jesus Christ in Israel.

And so I arrived in my reading at 3Nephi chapter 9. After being gripped by the political intrigue, terrorism, murderings and wickedness, as well as the silent minority who believed in Jesus and practised holiness, and reading of the natural disasters which re-shaped the whole land, I approached the message of salvation:

The voice of Jesus Christ was heard throughout the whole land.

After detailing the destruction of the wicked and the lands in which they resided, I couldn't help but well up with tears when I read from verse 13 the calm, gentle and re-assuring voice of Jesus Christ to all who survived, and which felt like a face-to-face with me:

"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"

NO-ONE is out of reach of repentance and forgiveness.

I don't know if there is a more beautiful sentence in the Book of Mormon. As I read it, it filled me with hope, with love, with a longing to find this Jesus who can be so merciful to his people who are repeatedly going astray and forsaking him and his gospel.

He continues in verses 14-15 and 22:

"...if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God...Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved."

It is clear that no matter how far we have fallen, how deep we have waded into sin, how thoughtlessly we have abandoned Him, His love and mercy is constantly offered through repentance and pious behaviour. These words were spoken to the people of the ancient Americas almost 2,000 years ago, but are extended to me and you today.

Regardless of who we are, where we are, or how our life is being lived, we are invited by the Son of God Himself to repent and turn to Jesus and be partakers of his salvation.

What a stress-busting, peace-inspiring, hope-filled, anxiety-easing, burden-lifting, re-invigorating and life-changing message that is!!!

The clear and crisp message I'm getting from the Book of Mormon is:

NO-ONE is out of reach of repentance and forgiveness!

Washington D.C. Temple

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds temples all around the world where faithful members go to learn more of Jesus Christ and his plan, receive ordinances for themselves, and perform vicarious work for their deceased ancestors. These temples are beautifully constructed both inside and out. They are designed to direct our thoughts heavenward and seal families together for eternity. The redemptive work that is performed here is not to be found anywhere else on the earth. All people are invited to experience for themselves the grandeur and blessings of temple work by qualifying themselves to enter the House of the Lord.  In the meantime, I'll be taking you through the A to Z of our temples.

WASHINGTON D.C. TEMPLE

The Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Washington D.C. Temple is another 'show-stopper' of a structure, adorned in Alabama white marble with its distinctive six golden spires, and an Angel Moroni on top, as is common in many other temples around the world. At 288ft high, it is the church's tallest temple.

The Washington D.C. Temple is one of only five temples featuring the Angel Moroni holding the golden plates.

The Angel Moroni holding the golden plates atop the Washington D.C. Temple

(A bit of backstory information here: the golden plates refer to the ancient records inscribed upon gold plates which the same angel directed Joseph Smith to in 1827, located buried under the ground in a hill near the village of Manchester, New York. It was the same Moroni who, 1,400 years previously, and very much mortal, hid these plates in this precise spot. Joseph Smith translated them to English by the gift and power of God, and they became known as 'The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.'

A popular piece of art depicting Moroni burying the golden plates in around 421AD

As the Angel Moroni is such an important figure in the early church history, and is seen as heralding the restoration of the gospel, he is featured on many temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, blowing a trumpet towards the east, ushering in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth.)

The Washington D.C. Temple

The spires of the Washington D.C. Temple

Spires detail of the Washington D.C. Temple

The inspiring Celestial Room inside the Washington D.C. Temple

Entrance to the Washington D.C. Temple

Inscribed on every temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the words 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD - THE HOUSE OF THE LORD,' following after the inscription placed on Solomon's temple in the Old Testament. Each temple is a consecrated and dedicated building where sacred gospel ordinances can be administered; literally it becomes a 'house of the Lord.'

Following are a few examples of the signage on other temples:

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I thought of Enos

Looking for role models from the Book of Mormon who are applicable and relevant today can be very hard. Most of the characters have either waged war on their enemies or killed someone, neither of which is an advisable way to live.

Everyone has their favourite person in the Book of Mormon.

Mine is Enos.

Enos is the real man.

I think of Enos a lot.

Nephi beheaded another human. Ammon cut off other humans' arms. Captain Moroni executed the death penalty on otherwise innocent humans. Teancum murdered another human in act of revenge.

There were also many good points about these people, and their darkest moments I mentioned above may be rationalised away by many with decent arguments. Yet the point remains: how is beheading someone relevant to me? Chopping off limbs? Supporting the death penalty? Being filled with revenge and anger? 

And then there was Enos.

Here's a picture of Enos praying

What do we learn about Enos from the Book of Mormon?

We learn that he valued his parents' teachings so much that the memory of their words were able to suddenly and vividly come to his mind. We learn that he was an imperfect person who was magnified and emboldened by the power of prayer. He had gone off into the forest hunting beasts, which we may assume was a very normal activity in his life, and ended up having a profound spiritual experience. We learn that his energy and motivations in prayer was for people - for his own welfare and the welfare of ALL others. 

Enos also possessed a reverence and respect for the written record and requested for divine assurances that the record of his people might be preserved. The Book of Mormon on my dining table today is that very record that Enos was so concerned about around 2,500 years ago. 

We also learn that Enos understood that the Lamanites had something against the Nephites but that he lived amongst a people who tried to resolve conflicts and plead their innocence of false assumptions by peaceful means.

Enos is my role model. I too strive for peaceful resolutions to conflicts. I can relate to having spiritual experiences in the often normal and mundane tasks of the day. I am imperfect like him and stand in need of repentance like him. I understand the 'struggle' of prayer, of spending long minutes in quiet but pained thought and determined frustration to say what I want to say and not what I've been conditioned to say. To pray for people; myself, friends, enemies, local and world leaders, church leaders, all who have a need. That these are often the most fulfilling and meaningful prayers.

So when I was wondering where on earth to read in the Book of Mormon the other day, I thought of who I judged to be a good character and who I totally admired in the record. I thought of my role model. 

I thought of Enos. 

Testimony

This is one post in an A-Z series of 26 where I am writing about living as a Mormon in the wilderness of Kuantan

In many a discussion with non-member friends, we have come to a crossroads over "testimony" and Mormons' oft-repeated declaration of "I know" when sharing about spiritual feelings. How can one bear testimony of Joseph Smith and his role as an authorised prophet when we haven't even physically seen him, nor possess any sort of personal physical evidence that such a person actually existed? How can we say "I know God lives" when it's near enough physically impossible to see God? And they are fair points which I took on board and pondered. I came to wonder what exactly is my testimony.

A testimony is described using words such as 'witness', 'evidence' and 'proof', which physically speaking makes our familiar declarations of God, Jesus and Joseph Smith somewhat inaccurate.

What I think we really mean by sharing our testimony is 1. making a statement of what we believe to be true, and 2. declaring what we know to be true after obtaining such information by personal spiritual means, for example through the gift of the Holy Ghost or by the spirit of Christ, and not necessarily by physical means.

And we are all able to receive that type of conviction according to our desires.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained it succinctly:

"When we know spiritual truths by spiritual means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as scholars and scientists are of the different kinds of knowledge they have acquired by different methods." (General Conference, April 2008)

As Mormons, we term this set of beliefs as "testimony" - I prefer to label it as "spiritual convictions."

In the Book of Mormon, a man named Alma used a tree as an analogy in testing the word of God to gain spiritual convictions. At one point he said:

"And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand."

(Alma 32:34)

In bearing testimony, or sharing spiritual convictions, of the truths of the restoration, it's not that we saw Joseph Smith receive the visitation of God and Christ, not that we saw the golden plates upon which lay the ancient writings that he translated with a seer stone, nor that we saw the angel Moroni visit Joseph Smith on numerous occasions, delivering and later collecting those plates, but that through studying and considering these things in the scriptures and accounts provided, we have noticed the change for better in ourselves. We have become a better person and developed Christlike attributes. We know for certain that the word has swelled our souls. 

Therefore, a Mormon testimony, as it is called, becomes more of a witness of ourselves - of the positive change which has taken place in ourselves because of the words of God. It's like saying,

"Look what the restoration has done for me. Look what the doctrine delivered from Christ to Joseph Smith and Joseph Smith to me has done for me. It has made me better, enlightened my mind, expanded my thoughts and increased my spiritual convictions. Therefore 'I know' that the Book of Mormon, the source of this increased spirituality, is true and that Joseph Smith served as a prophet of God."

We bear testimony or share spiritual convictions of the truth of the restoration and the divinity and works of Jesus, and we do so because of the visible, tangible impact they have had on us.

Mormon

This is one post in an A-Z series of 26 where I am writing about living as a Mormon in the wilderness of Kuantan

The word 'Mormon' is inextricably linked with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It always has been and always will be.

Of course, the beginnings of Mormonism and why it is referred to as such, are rooted in the appearance of the Book of Mormon, touted by Joseph Smith as an additional book of scripture. He found the record buried in the ground and translated it first using instruments provided with the record, and second with a gemstone he previously discovered in a mine.

Joseph Smith's seer stone which he found in a mine and later used in the translation process of the Book of Mormon

An artist's depiction of Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon record by using a seer stone in a hat which revealed characters followed by their translation in English

It's an incredible set of circumstances and claims, which incidentally, I have spent 14 years seriously studying and believe to be entirely factual. 

But you can imagine the wild excitement at the time the Book of Mormon seemed to pop out of nowhere. People believing in the Book quickly began to be called 'Mormons' in a derogatory fashion. So for those on the outside, we became known as Mormons and the Mormon Church and our theology became known as Mormonism.

In more recent times, the church appears to have taken on the stance, "if you can't beat them, join them," and now embraces to an extent the name 'Mormon' when describing the church and its members. It now also helps in quickly identifying who we are, which is more difficult when using the real name, 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.'

Regardless of the process by which the Book of Mormon was translated, and how valid or scandalous one may view it, the proof is in the pudding, so to say.

Now, I have traipsed through the quagmire of etymology surrounding the word 'Mormon' including the oft-quoted, perhaps satirical and metaphorical explanation given by Joseph Smith/W.W.Phelps that "Mormon means more good." Mr. Smith was probably trying to portray to his detractors that if the Bible means good, then the Book of Mormon means more good, referring to the more correct translation of the latter.

Mormons who believe that the word literally translates to 'more good' are almost conclusively in error. To break up Mormon as mor- (from English 'more') and -mon (from Egyptian 'good') is impossible as the Nephite people in the Book of Mormon never knew English as the language didn't even exist then. So there is no way that mor- could be derived from the English 'more.' Gordon B. Hinckley, 14th President of the church, commented that Mormon means more good is simply a nice motto for church members to use as they wish.

Studies of Egyptian, Hebrew and Arabic have drawn some possibilities of the root MRM or MRMN as translating to 'good,' 'beautiful,' or 'everlasting love' (Though do take into account that the Prophet-Historian Mormon did compile the Book of Mormon record in Reformed Egyptian).

Which leaves us stuck with an etymological puzzle of Mormon.

Mormon, one of the last of the Nephite people in the record, was named after his father Mormon, who in turn most likely got his name from the land of Mormon, which signifies the first usage of the word, around 146BC. 

In Mosiah 18 we read of this land called Mormon. It was a well-loved place, a place of trees and fountains, obviously very scenic. It was also a place where gospel covenants were administered and received, where spiritual convictions were realised, and where the beginnings of a church of Christ were formed.

The word Mormon is repeated almost a dozen times in Mosiah 18 and six times in verse 30 alone.

Malaysia is my Mormon.

My missionary service was filled with administering and receiving gospel covenants on a regular basis in Malaysia. I lived the gospel with great devotion in Malaysia. Malaysia was a place where I received intense spiritual convictions. I also helped to lay the foundations for a branch of the church to later spring up in Sitiawan, Malaysia.

Malaysia is my Mormon.

Here I am (centre) preparing to administer the gospel covenant of baptism to a consenting candidate, accompanied by other missionaries in Ipoh, Malaysia, 2004

Where is your 'Mormon'? Why is it special to you?

Book of Mormon

This is one post in an A-Z series of 26 where I am writing about living as a Mormon in the wilderness of Kuantan

We have this remarkable book, an ancient record of scriptural proportions. The Book of Mormon confirms our Biblical link to the Jews. The opening of the Book of Mormon occurs in Jerusalem around 600BC with a group of Jews going on an epic voyage through desert and sea which went unknown to the general population of Jerusalem, and unrecorded in the Holy Bible.

The Book of Mormon, therefore, would be of particular interest to Jews and Christians alike. To Jews due to this particular migration to the ancient Americas. To Christians as this record makes continuous mention of Jesus Christ throughout its 1,000 years of history, including a ministration of the Saviour on the ancient American continent after his resurrection.

Content aside, the Book of Mormon carries additional value as a testament to Joseph Smith's seership skills as the translator of an ancient document, and not the author of a fictional work. Don't get me wrong, there are many who cling to the belief that Mr. Smith made the whole thing up. Even if that was the case, it would still be an incredibly amazing feat to produce a 500-page, 1,000-year story in around 65 days! At worst, he is a master author; at best, an instrument in the hands of God.

Former BYU Professor, Hugh Nibley, offered this challenge to his students:

"Since Joseph Smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so experienced or well-educated as any of you at the time he copyrighted the Book of Mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester (which will give you more time than he had) a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. Call it a sacred book if you will, and give it the form of a history. Tell of a community of wandering Jews in ancient times; have all sorts of characters in your story, and involve them in all sorts of public and private vicissitudes; give them names--hundreds of them--pretending that they are real Hebrew and Egyptian names of circa 600 b.c.; be lavish with cultural and technical details--manners and customs, arts and industries, political and religious institutions, rites, and traditions, include long and complicated military and economic histories; have your narrative cover a thousand years without any large gaps; keep a number of interrelated local histories going at once; feel free to introduce religious controversy and philosophical discussion, but always in a plausible setting; observe the appropriate literary conventions and explain the derivation and transmission of your varied historical materials.

"Above all, do not ever contradict yourself! For now we come to the really hard part of this little assignment. You and I know that you are making this all up--we have our little joke--but just the same you are going to be required to have your paper published when you finish it, not as fiction or romance, but as a true history! After you have handed it in you may make no changes in it (in this class we always use the first edition of the Book of Mormon); what is more, you are to invite any and all scholars to read and criticize your work freely, explaining to them that it is a sacred book on a par with the Bible. If they seem over-skeptical, you might tell them that you translated the book from original records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim--they will love that! Further to allay their misgivings, you might tell them that the original manuscript was on golden plates, and that you got the plates from an angel. Now go to work and good luck!

"To date no student has carried out this assignment, which, of course, was not meant seriously. But why not? If anybody could write the Book of Mormon, as we have been so often assured, it is high time that somebody, some devoted and learned minister of the gospel, let us say, performed the invaluable public service of showing the world that it can be done."

The Book of Mormon vindicates Joseph Smith's Prophethood. I have read it thoroughly over a dozen times and find no objection with adding it to the canon of sacred scripture.

What have you gained from the Book of Mormon? If you are not of the Mormon faith, would you consider reading it, if not for a spiritual conversion, at least for captivating religious history?

The missing voice of the Lamanites

For years now I have wondered about the Lamanites and the absence of their voice in the Book of Mormon. The BoM is pretty much written entirely by those who identified themselves as Nephites and is therefore heavily biased in their favour.

We are heavily influenced to feel that the Nephites were the good guys and the Lamanites were the bad guys during this 1,000 year record of these people. 

Could one family really cause 1,000 years of hatred and enmity, so bad that it resulted in the entire annihilation of both peoples, leaving just one man remaining to complete the history and bury it in the ground?

You see, history is just that. It's written by one voice at a time, while other voices are either lost or subterfuged so that they are blurred from existence. We can never understand the full history of anything. Which leads me to the lost voice of the Lamanites.

The lost voice of the Lamanites.

It all started with two intolerant Arabs named Lehi and Nephi, who, in the BoM record, are obviously cast as the 'good guys' who believe in God while Laman, the elder brother of said Nephi, is continuously painted as the instigator of all contention. But it was simply because of Laman's disbelief in the God that his father and brother so devotedly trusted, that led to him losing what was rightly his - his father's inheritance.

We always look at it from the point of view of Nephi, well, because that's the only perspective we are offered in the BoM. 

What if we looked at things from a different angle? 

What type of record would we see if it was written by Laman? 

A painting depicting Nephi in one of numerous tussles with his brothers, Laman and Lemuel. I wonder how Laman would have recorded the events while they travelled for eight years through the Arabian desert?

We only ever get told about Laman, and his 'partner-in-crime' Lemuel, by Nephi. Unfortunately, we don't get to hear their thoughts and feelings, like we do with Nephi. We are made aware that things became so heated between the brothers that Laman attempted to kill Nephi on a few occasions, which was hardly surprising given the strict Old Testament Law of Moses this family would still have followed and which pervaded everyday life. 

I can appreciate that that didn't help the family relationship too. But do we understand why Laman felt so bad about his younger brother?

Laman was enjoying life in Jerusalem, was part of a rich family, and as the firstborn, was in line to rightfully receive his father's inheritance. His perfect life was shattered by a dad who claimed to see visions telling him to leave Jerusalem and wander around the desert. They were then sent back and forth on long journeys home only to trade away all their possessions to a king who tried to kill them - for a historical record. 

You can see why Laman would have 'murmured' while traipsing through the Arabian desert.

After giving up their house, possessions and guaranteed meals each day, Laman and Lemuel were obliged to wander through the hostile Arabian desert for 8 years with suddenly no hope for the future, no idea where they were going, or what would become of them. Then after landing in America, after struggling through one perceived injustice after another, their father hits them with this bombshell:

"And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing.

But if ye will not hearken unto him I take away my first blessing, yea, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon him."

(2 Nephi 1:28-29)

Can you begin to imagine the utter disbelief and shock that Laman must have felt after hearing that his very birthright would be taken away from him if he didn't follow his little brother, who would now be a leader over him?!

From Laman's point of view, this must have felt like a scandal.

I similarly come from a spiritually divided family. But just because the non-believing parent doesn't go to church, read the scriptures or hold the same values as we do, doesn't mean that parent is in the wrong. He is still the leader of the home and no decision should be made without his approval or consent. His voice is just as important as our religiously-influenced voices.

And so I wonder with great intrigue about the missing voice of the Lamanites and how it would have sounded.