. People from Islam use Allah, ...)"Book of Mormon" contains 15 books, e.g. First Book of Nephi, Second Book of Nephi, Book of Jacob , .... , Book of Ether, Book of Moroni.
The books were named after the authors, e.g. First Book of Nephi was written by Nephi, Book of Jacob was written by Jacob , the Book of Ether was written by Ether, and so on.
Except the Book of Ether, whose date I am not sure, the rest were written between 600 B.C. to 420 A.D.
I don't know. If you are a archaeologist/historian, and have knowledge in this, I would be grateful if you will let me know.
The Jaredites were the most ancient people in America. But there happened a fierce civil war between two kings, and they all perished in many fierce battles. History of the Jaredites may be found in Book of Ether , one of the 15 books in The Book of Mormon.
Before the Lamanites destroyed all Nephites, the Nephites lived mainly in the South, starting from Mexico, and the Lamanites mainly in the North. Nephites were more advanced in technology than the Lamanites, and their influence remained, though most of them were killed by the Lamanites. Both Lamanites and Nephites were descendants of Lehi, a Jew of the lineage of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of Issac, son of Abraham.
No, I am a Chinese living in Hong Kong, but I am a Christian. Moreover, I preach the teachings of the Almighty GOD, who created the whole universe, and the teachings of Jesus, who is Almighty GOD appearing in human form. Jesus taught us many things about how to live a godly life. I have put their teachings in true.htm.
I read the Book of Mormon by accident. Several months ago, I was surfing the net, searching for "kindness, mercy, ... " . One of the listings was from the Book of Mormon, from the web site of LDS. I read "The First Book of Nephi" online, and I also read the testimonies of 11 people (8 people + 3 people). I was immensely impressed by the First Book of Nephi. I rang up LDS's office in Hong Kong and got a copy. After reading the book twice, I am convinced that it is a true historical records of Native Americans from 600 B.C. to 420 A.D.
I disagree with LDS because they hold the precept of "Modern Day Prophet", whereas, I think that if a person is honest, upright, and fears GOD, and repents of his past wrongs and lives a godly life according to the teachings of GOD and Jesus, and loves those teachings more than his own life, GOD will give him "the Spirit of Truth". Once GOD has given him this "software", he will have to exercise his judgement and not to obey blindly. My motto is WHAT IS RIGHT, AND NOT WHO IS RIGHT.
The fact that I advocate the book of Mormon does not imply that I advocate LDS. If you join their church, you MUST ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF.
I did not know the term "the Great Spirit" before. I know it when I read the Book of Mormon.
Lehi (of the lineage of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of Issac, son of Abraham) had four sons. Laman was the eldest, and Nephi, the youngest. Lehi was a righteous man, and GOD told him to flee Jerusalem during the reign of Zedekiah, because of the wickedness of the people there, and GOD was about to destroy Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
Lehi obeyed and left for the Arabia peninsula along the Red Sea. After several years, GOD told them to make ships and sail away. GOD also gave them a "compass" to guide them.
Lehi loved Nephi more, because he was more god-fearing and upright than Laman, and hence would trust Nephi. Therefore Laman hated Nephi, and taught his children so.
There were many wars between the Lamanites and the Nephites. In around 420 A.D., the Lamanites killed all the Nephites, except some who surrendered.
The term "The Great Spirit" was used by the Lamanites. Though Laman did not know GOD as well as his father Lehi did, he still had some idea of the GOD of his father, and this gave rise to the term.
(Note : people use different names for LORD, the creator of Earth. Our ancestors of old (Chinese) used the term "King above the heaven" . People from Islam use Allah, ...)
Once LORD ( = GOD) had created the Earth, LORD set up angels as "policemen". If people keep LORD's Laws, they will be blessed. But if they break LORD's Laws, they will be cursed. This is a universal rule, applicable to all race and all people in the world. This is called "covenant", a sacred trust between GOD and people on earth.
During ancient times when the Israelites sinned, and would not repent, even though LORD sent prophets to tell them to repent repeatedly, they would not listen. LORD destroyed them all by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
In China, in the years after the Cultural Revolution, there was a severe famine, and more than a million people died. This was because of the sins they committed during the Cultural Revolution.
The Nephites were destroyed by the Lamanites around 420 A.D. also for the same reason, they broke LORD's Laws.
LORD allowed the Native Americans to be killed by the Westerners also for the same reason, they broke LORD's Laws.
Not even so, people who break LORD's Laws now, and would not repent, will be destroyed too.
I fear GOD and I dare not break LORD's Laws, or else I will be destroyed likewise.
When GOD created the Earth, he created angels, arch-angels, (they are spirits and cannot be seen by us). Also he gave some angels charge of the humans, of the birds, of the trees, of the seas, .... Much like "Minister of Forestry, Minister of Fishery, Minister of Energy, Minister of Education, Minister of Justice, .... " in our present day Governments.
As LORD gave the angels "free will", much like LORD gave us "free will", and we can choose to be a good person, or choose to be a bad person.
Some angels chose to be bad, and this caused many bad spirits in the world.
LORD taught us (the first commandment in Ten Commandments) not to worship anything other than Him. Hence we will not worship spirits, angels, NOT EVEN GOOD ANGELS OR ARCH-ANGELS, because they are all created by LORD. (One Japanese Christian woman said that she would RESPECT her ancestors, but not worship them. She would worship only LORD.)
Some bad angels had great power, but we are not to obey them nor fear them nor worship them. Because if we befriend with them, or obey them, or worship them, they will lead us to break LORD's Laws sooner or later, and that would be the destruction for us.
My personal thinking was that the Lamanites would not pursue after "fleshy pleasures, e.g. sex, homosexuality". This may be seen from "The Book of Jacob"
----------------------------------------------------------- [Jacob 3:5] Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father--that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. [Jacob 3:6] And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. [Jacob 3:7] Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator? -------------------------------------------------------------
Thus, if we pursue after "fleshy passions" and break LORD's Law - "You shall not commit adultery", we will perish some day.
Our aims of life should be "righteousness of LORD", and not "fleshy passions like sex and good food, money, possession, fame, life of enemy, long life, big achievement (though we have to use the "talents" given to us to serve, to contribute our small part.)", because all our "hardware" and "software" are given to us by LORD, our creator.
As Lehi and his children knew Egyptian, apart from Hebrew, they would either write in Hebrew or in Egyptian. They chose to write in "reformed Egyptian", an improved version of "Egyptian hieroglyphic writing", because their writing had to be engraved onto brass/gold plates, and "hieroglyphic writing" can cramp a whole sentence into the space of one small square !
According to the author :
-------------------------------------------------------------- [Mormon 9:32] And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, 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 9:33] And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. ---------------------------------------------------------------
I have once searched the web for "Mayan hieroglyphic writing", and found a site http://www.halfmoon.org/writfolk.html full of information.
The plates were handed down generation to generation, and were added to by the one who was entrusted with the plates.
The last person who held the plates was Moroni. Though he was not in the world 420 A.D., but he was resurrected by LORD just as Jesus was resurrected.
Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and told him the place where the plates were buried. Moroni did not gave Joseph Smith the plates at once, but told him to return to the same place year after year for 4 years, in order to test him. Joseph Smith obeyed, and came to the place year after year for four years, and Moroni handed him the plates. After Joseph Smith finished the translation, Moroni took back the plates, and they are now in heaven.
You will find a detailed account of the whole incident in the front part of the Book of Mormon.
Yes. As LORD is GOD of Justice, and if justice cannot be fulfilled in this world, it will be fulfilled in another world. If we do evil in this life, we will be punished after death in Hades, until we have received the full penalty of our sins. If we do good, but are wronged by evil-doers, we will be recompensed in Paradise after death, until we get our full legal compensation.
Finally, will come the Judgement Day, when one will receive the second death, or eternal punishment, or eternal life according to our deeds.
Our life in this world is a probation, to see if we are qualified for the new heaven and new earth. Hence we must live an honest, upright, godly life according to the teachings of LORD, and follow the foot-path of Jesus.
LORD : "But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done he shall live : for the righteousness which he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the LORD GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does the same abominable things that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, he shall die." [Eze 18:21-24]
Therefore, you will have your sins forgiven, if you repent and forsake your old wrongs, and do what is lawful and right from this moment onwards. This redemption is possible because Jesus died for us on the cross, and fulfilled the legal requirement of "the penalty of sin is death".
If you have some good Christian brothers or sisters nearby who will baptize you, that is good. But if not, you may baptize yourself by immersing yourself completely in water (e.g. in a river, or in a pool, or even in your bath tub), and pray to GOD of your repentance and your willingness to live a new life.
You also have to learn the teachings of Jesus, (who is in fact GOD appearing in human form, in flesh, to teach us), by reading the Gospels of Matthew/Luke/John (Bible, American Standard Version), and then the New Testament, and then the Old Testament. The first chapter of Old Testament is extremely important : it teaches us the basic precept of Christianity, i.e. Steadfast Love.
Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew Chapter 5 to 7) is also extremely important. They are the teachings of Jesus.
My personal opinion is that they are all correct EXCEPT one : "if a people is cursed by LORD, their skin will turn black". This has never been mentioned in the Bible. There are many ancient texts, but they are NOT ALL FROM THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
My opinion is that we read the Bible because we are "thirsty", a deep sense of "emptiness". And teachings of Jesus and of LORD can quench our thirst.
When I was young, I read a parable : there were two thirsty men. They both dug wells. One dug only one well, but dug deep. Another dug many wells, all too shallow. At last, one got water and the other died of thirst.
The Bible contains the full teachings of LORD and of Jesus, and we should concentrate on this "well". The Book of Mormon, which contains the history of over 1000 years, and were written by godly brothers in sincerity and godliness, provides us with valuable historical lessons, but it is not to replace the Bible.
I think everyone should exercise one's own judgement, and investigate with own eyes and form own independent judgement. No better way to do this than reading the book yourself and forming your own judgement. The book may be download from "PG, Project Guttenberg http://www.promo.net/pg ". Printed copies are available from the many preachers from LDS (but beware of some of them, who will make you belief the false precept of "Modern Day Prophet", as the full teachings of LORD and Jesus are in the Bible, and we are to follow
I am not teaching you not to listen to elders, but you MUST exercise judgement before acceptance.
Remember LORD's teachings : "You shall not follow a multitude to do evil; nor shall you bear witness in a suit, turning aside after a multitude, so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his suit." [Ex. 23:2-3]