Golden Plates From 600 BC Found In Bulgaria

This is the second post in the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon series that I have written about.  Those familiar with Mormon history will know that Joseph Smith claimed that he was given golden plates from which he translated the writings which now comprise the Book of Mormon.  Many disbelieve this claim and it is often a stumbling block for people who try to believe in the Book of Mormon.  However, an ancient record, recorded on golden plates has been discovered in Bulgaria.  This record has been dated to around 600 BC and is considered the oldest complete book in the world.  

Joseph Smith described the plates, from which he translated the Book of Mormon, as follows; 

These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving. (History of the Church, 4:537)

 While the plates found in Bulgaria do not contain the same information as the Book of Mormon it is still a fascinating find in the fact that it shows plates existed as a means of preserving records around 600 BC, which is the time that Lehi and his family left Jerusalem.  


Here is the source link if you would like to read more: Maxwell Institute 

The Book of Mormon - Translated Back to Egyptian

There have been many critics of the Book of Mormon over the years, including those who doubt its authenticity based on the fact that it was produced by an uneducated farm boy from upstate New York.  This post is the first in a series regarding the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.  

Elder Russel M. Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles related the following account regarding a man translating the Book of Mormon back into Egyptian and becoming converted to the gospel.  In the Book of Mormon we read that the record had been written in the "characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech."  (Mormon 9:32).  Since the record was originally written in a form of Egyptian, it would seem natural for it to follow some of the literary styles of the language.  The following document will cover several of the literary artifacts that confirm it is a true record.  

It is my testimony that the Book of Mormon is not only a true historical artifact, relating the history of the inhabitants of North and South America but also that it is another witness of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  It has been a confirmation to me that he is our Savior and that he is the Savior of the entire world, not just the Jews who lived in Jerusalem during his mortal ministry.  

The Temple - Ancient and Modern Houses of the Lord

Anciently God commanded his people to build holy places of worship; places separate from the world.  He commanded Moses and the Children of Israel to build a Tabernacle (Exodus 26) and this served as the holy place until the building of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6).  Both the Tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon were unique in the fact that they were dedicated houses to the Lord, designed for special rituals and worship.  They were places so holy that the Lord himself could literally come to them and dwell. "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them," (Exodus 25:8).

The Tabernacle was a portable temple in the fact that it could be moved around from place to place.

Solomon's Temple was in a fixed location, although it too had the same features as the Tabernacle did.

Likewise, in our day we have dedicated temples to the Lord.  They are set apart from the world and special ordinances are performed there, both for the benefit of ourselves and for our family members that have passed on.  Just as the Tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon in ancient days had ordinances and rituals that helped Israel look to the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the temples in our day help us remember the sacrifice of the Lord.  While the ordinances are different because the Lord fulfilled the Law of Moses and no longer requires the shedding of blood as a sacrifice (see Matthew 5:17 and 3 Nephi 12:17-18) they are still rich in symbolism just as the ancient rituals were.

The reason temples exist, then and now, is to remind us of the Atoning sacrifice of the Son of God.  Each time I go to the temple I feel peace and I always leave with more resolve to follow the Lord than when I entered.  As the world gets more and more wicked the Saints of the Lord will need the temples more than ever.  President George Q. Cannon, then a member of the First Presidency of the Church made this statement:

"Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence."  (In "The Logan Temple," Millenial Star, Nov. 12, 1877, 743).  

Other leaders of the church have also spoken and written on the importance of the power of the temple in overcoming the evil of the world.  Here is a link to an article by President Boyd K. Packer relating to temples: The Holy Temple.

Each modern Temple displays the inscription; "Holiness to the LORD, the house of the LORD."

With these things said I am going to post a note written by Vaughn J. Featherstone who is an emeritus general authority in the Church.  It is titled, "A Haven In A World Of Turmoil," and was written June 1, 1987.

My testimony is that the Lord loves his people enough that he commands them to build temples, not only to perform required ordinances for salvation, but also as a place of safety and security in an ever darkening world.  He loves us and has not forgotten any of us.

The Pre Mortal Existence of Mankind

I believe in the pre mortal existence of mankind and that we lived as spirit sons and daughters of God before our births here on the earth.  We lived for many ages of time in the presence of our Heavenly Father and we learned, grew and progressed in an attempt to become like Him.  In due course of time many had advanced as far as they could while in a spirit state and thus it was necessary for God to create a plan in order for us to continue forward.

To be sure, this is a doctrine that is not accepted by most of Christendom, yet it does not alter the fact that it is a common theme found not only in our scriptures but in writings and tradition from many cultures all over the world.

While the Bible and The Book of Mormon are not saturated with references to this pre-mortal state of existence, there are definitely some references to it.  Here are a few of my favorite;

Bible

• Job 38:4-7 The sons of God shouted for joy before the Earth was formed
• Ecclesiastes 1:11 No remembrance of former things
• Ecclesiastes 12:7 Return to that God
• Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee
• John 20:17 My Father and your Father (Jesus has a Father)
• Hebrews 11:13 We are strangers here on the Earth

Book of Mormon

• Alma 40:11 The spirits will return to God after death

The Pearl of Great Price

• Abraham 2:22-23  Abraham was chosen before he was born

While this is not even close to being an exhaustive list of scriptures it does clearly indicate that a condition of life before our mortal births existed and is references in many books of holy writ.  

It is important to note that those who are opposed to this doctrine often say that it is just a Mormon interpretation of the scriptures. Yet, writings have come forth in recent years that were not available to any of the leadership of the church when the doctrine of pre-mortality was revealed.  In a talk given by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, we are given insight into apocryphal writings that indicate that our lives here are but a short time of our total existence thus far. 

A few ancient writings, unavailable to Joseph Smith or anyone else at that time, have since appeared. Apocryphal writings may contain truths to be discerned, for “whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom.” (D&C 91:5.) This is an example from the Nag Hammadi Library. In the Apocryphon of James, Jesus reportedly told an afflicted Peter and James, “If you consider how long the world existed before you, and how long it will exist after you, you will find that your life is one single day and your sufferings one single hour” (“The Apocryphon of James,” in The Nag Hammadi Library in English, ed. James M. Robinson, San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1978, p. 31.) (1985 October General Conference, Premortality, a Glorious Reality, Sat. Morning Session - Neal A. Maxwell)

We have existed for ages and ages since before the world was created.  We lived, grew and were able to choose between good and bad.  This sheds much light on the reasoning behind why all of us are born into different conditions.  If God is no respecter of persons, how is it fair that some of His children are born into favorable conditions while others are born into poverty and sickness?  The answer to that is we have been placed here according to how we acted and who we chose to follow prior to our coming into mortality.  From the same talk I relate the following.

"Everything in our life happens as though we entered upon it with a load of obligations contracted in a previous existence ... obligations whose sanction is not of this present life, [which] seem to belong to a different world, founded on kindness, scruples, sacrifice, a world entirely different from this one, a world whence we emerge to be born on this earth, before returning thither."  (Marcel Proust, in Gabriel Marcel, Homo Viator, New York: Harper and Row, 1963, p. 8.)

Knowing this helps us to understand that, despite our circumstances, we are all brothers and sisters and ought to treat one another with love and mercy.  In fact, those who were born into better conditions than others may be under more scrutiny as to their behavior while in mortality than those who are born into less favorable conditions.

Premortality is not a relaxing doctrine.  For each of us, there are choices to be made, incessant and difficult chores to be done, ironies and acversities to be experiences, time to be well spent, talents and gifts to be well employed.  Just because we were chosen "there and then," surely does not mean that we can be indifferent "here and now."  Whether foreordination for me, or foredesignation for women, those called and prepared must also prove "chosen, and faithful."  In fact, adequacy in the first estate may merely have ensured a stern, second estate with more duties and no immunities!  Additional tutoring and suffering appears to be the pattern for the Lord's most apt pupils.  (1985 October General Conference, Premortality, a Glorious Reality, Sat. Morning Session - Neal A. Maxwell)

A final item I want to discuss is a document written by John Taylor, who was the third president of the Church.  It is titled "The Origin and Destiny of Women."  Although it was written to a woman, the underlying principles can be applied to men as well.

It is my testimony that we are brothers and sisters, here in the attempt to prove faithful to all the commandments of God.  When we see one another as literal children of God and literal brothers and sisters we cannot help but become more disposed to kindness, love and understanding for all the short-comings and foolish mistakes of those around us.  Let us ever be filled with charity.

Keys For Avoiding Deception

It seems proper that in the course of my writing I should attempt to be as correct as possible.  With that in mind I want to reiterate that I am merely human and I make mistakes.  That being the case I think it may be profitable to post some information from a document I received in October, 2006 from my mission president.  It is titled "Keys For Avoiding Deception" written by Elder Marion G. Romney is an excellent guide on seeking out true doctrine.  Elder Romney was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as a member of the First Presidency of the Church. 

I will post the document in its entirety as attached photos to this post but before that I will list the four basic ways one can determine a true doctrine against a false doctrine.  

Elder Marion G. Romney listed the following guidelines to assist one to distinguish between divine truth and its counterfeits:

1. Does it purport to originate in the wisdom of men, or was it revealed from heaven?  If it originated in the wisdom of men, it is not of God.
2. Does the teaching bear the proper label?  If any teaching purporting to be from Christ comes under any other label other than that of Jesus Christ, we can know it is not of God.  
3. The teaching must not only come under the proper label, but it must also conform to the other teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. Does it come through the proper Church channel?

I can tell you that these guidelines have always kept me in the right path when I have studied the gospel and tried to learn or understand new things.  

Along with these guidelines it is important to remember that one must have the Spirit of the Lord as their companion in order to gain any kind of edification during learning.  The prophet Brigham Young stated, 

"...I want you to remember that you ought not to teach the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God."  - Brigham Young University Mission Statement -

 So, dear reader, live so that you may have the Spirit of the Lord as your guide and follow the guidelines from an apostle of the Lord and you will surely fall into correct paths as you endeavor to study the word of the Lord.