What is your thoughts/understandings of the "Book of Mormons". I do know
the basic-basics like the historical foundations and so-on, but, not the
"Why/What/How do Mormons Beleive".

Please dont paste the Wikipedia entry [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon ] - share your thoughts,
thats more interesting.

This is one I now very little about.

I do know this.

I was once down to nothing with children to support. I went to all the
usual places.

I got ABSOLUTLY NO HELP FROM ANY CHURCH... I was not a member.

Out of desperation I went into a mormon tabernacle. I was ushured in to
see one of their elders. He was friendly, he was humble, he extended
what resources his church could offer me AND ASKED NOTHING IN RETURN BUT
THAT SOMEDAY I PASS IT ON.

They payed my rent for 2 months. They paid my bills for 2 months. They
fed my children for 2 months.

So what I know of them is only by their works.

Does that help.

I watched a show on PBS last night about the Mormon faith and from what
I understand is that they believe in the same Bible and Jesus that most
christians believe, only they also believe that Joseph Smith was a
prophet and he added a few more books. They have alot of traditions and
rituals similar to the catholic faith. I found it all very interesting
because I never knew much about them either.

Helping a man when he's down. Can't argue against that one. Pretty good
fundamental position to start from.

I have learned on thing.

In order to accept that faith you must also place Joseph Smith between
you and Christ and Christ between you and god.

I personally can not accept one man between me and the father... Why
would I agree to place a second man there.

What I do know about the Mormons is that when Christ arose from the dead
He was said to have visited the Indians in the US. The books about what
He had to say were written and then stowed in some sort of cave or
something. Then Joseph Smith was said to find these books and started
the Mormon religion based on them.
I have a very good friend who is Mormon and he and my beliefs are very
close. They believe the basic Christian truths about God and Christ but
their lifestyle is stricter than mind in that I know they do not believe
in drinking. There has been a split in the Mormon Church and the newer
one does not believe in having more than one wife.
My knowledge on Mormons is very limited but that is what I know.

I am a non-practicing mormon... PAGRBY has most of it.. Joseph Smith was
a little boy and growing up he didn't know which faith to follow and as
a teen frustrated he went into a grove in the woods in NY and knelt
down, cause all religions say if you want to know something to pray
about it and he felt that much had to be true so he did that. He whole
heartedly prayed and he was visited by God and his Son, and God had
pointed to his son and said listen to him. And Joseph was told not to
join any of the churches cause non of them hold the whole entire truth
to the bible. Some religions thought lets build a church on baptism and
so they built their church on that and some knew about keeping sabath
holy so they built their church on that...and so on and so on....but at
the beginning God had sent down to each of us a prophet...and each time
the prophet fell and when a prophet fell we had dark ages...but God said
he wouldl not abandon us so he called on Joseph Smith to be a
prophet...and so he was led to the golden plates and he was given the
gift to translate the plates...the plates which is the BOOK OF
MORMON...not another bible but the rest of the holy bible...It is pieces
of the bible that aren't in the bible but they go hand in hand...
The Book of Mormon is about the journey taken to the Old Americas which
was actually down towards South America...and the journey up to our
Americas.....its actually a very interesting story to read. Hope that
helps...

Yeah that part about multiple wives...not true with the true LDS
church...lol In the bible they had multiple wives but that was just to
replenish the earth sort of speak...

I got to go to a service one time but it was like years back to the
Church of Later Days Saints. The Mormons visited our house and talked
about Moroni. The man and his wife said we were all spiritual beings
before we inhabited fleashy ones later. FamilySearch.com which is a part
of the Temple work with sealing by way of dead baptising helped me a lot
in tracing my roots.

Adven, you may have misunderstood the basic Ideas of this faith. The
church does not Put Joseph Smith on the same plateau as the Holy
trinity, God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. It is believed he is a
prophet and as Girl stated her was taken by Gods Guidance to a place
where the golden plates were hidden. During his handling of these
plates/tomes he was given the gift to translate them into the English
Language.

His inspirations and guidance were to translate these plates/tomes and
begin a new church in the original fashion of a believer in the Bible as
a whole as far as it is translated correctly, and the translations of
these plates of the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Americas. This is
what is in the Book of Mormon, this is the basis of the Mormon Faith.

Also there is another book that is referred to in this religion called
The Doctrine and Covenants. This text is the inspirations of Joseph
Smith and the leaders of the church in the early days. They are believed
to be inspirations of God also, and in as much are used as the Bible and
The Book of Mormon for learning the ways of Christ.

There is one more book that is used also it is called the Pearl of Great
Price.I believe it is also of Gods/Christs teachings. This is also used
in the beliefs, however I don't see it used as much as far as scripture
quotes.

I watched the same show on PBS the other night and was impressed at the
amount of good information they had to offer. It was insightful and
opened a few eyes I am sure. It showed a few who were discontent with
some of the beliefs and what occurred as a result, excommunicated, these
people were not happy about what occurred to them however it didn't
appear that the faith they have changed much.

It seemed that there might be more than one show about the faith so I
will be keeping my eyes out for when it might be shown again.



G

AdventureBegins,

"... I got ABSOLUTLY NO HELP FROM ANY CHURCH... I was not a member.

Out of desperation I went into a mormon tabernacle. I was ushured in to
see one of their elders. He was friendly, he was humble, he extended
what resources his church could offer me AND ASKED NOTHING IN RETURN BUT
THAT SOMEDAY I PASS IT ON.

They payed my rent for 2 months. They paid my bills for 2 months. They
fed my children for 2 months."


Walking the talk!!! Very touching and very impressive in these days of
hypocrisy and cynicism.

Thanks AB. for shaving a layer of cynicism off of my outlook!

Took some off of my outlook also V.

They got something from it though.

As they stood by me in my time of need so also will I stand by them if
they should ever need.

though I am not a member I will allways be a friend.

That is something I have always found refreshing in general about those
of the Mormon faith, as a rule they truly LIVE their belief, they don't
just go through the motions.

On the other hand, the other thing I have always found interesting is
that the Bible has this "ultimate copywrite law". In the book of
revalations it states that any book or work which comes after the bible
is from the devil. Just like that, bam. of course, the book of mormon
appeared some 1500 years after the Bible, so the question I always like
to ask is...just how does a Mormon reconcile the two books considering
one says the other is "of the devil".?

Grypon>

I did not misunderstand. They do not place J. Smith on the same level
as the Christ.

They do place him between you and christ.

You must accept him (in their opinion) before you can proceed to christ
and thence to the father.

It is the only reason I did not join that religion. As far as the
'living of the life' they impressed me.

Tomokum>

that is a strange and enlightening comment.

If by changing the book or adding to it the book becomes invalid ALL
current versions are invalid.

For even the smallest change (a period, a comma, a simple word
translated wrong would be changing a jot or a tittle.

Not necessarily changes, because according to most theological circles,
interpretation from another language does not constitute change. Even
the King's James Version, which comes under much criticism, has held
true to the basic message or "Word" of the book. However, the Book of
Mormon is considered a "work that comes after" because not only the 1500
year publication difference, but because none of the passages have any
correlation to either the Old or New Testaments.

Keep in mind that I am NOT religious, make no claims at Christianity,
and am functionally a "spiritual agnostic"; I just happen to love
reading . If you read the verse though, right there in revelations
towards the end, in ANY version of the Bible there is no mistaking the
language or the intent.

They believe that they are lost scriptures. I was baptized mormon, and
now I think they're f*cked in the head and hypocritical as a MF'er. As
in all types of people, there are some cool folks that are mormon, but I
can't do their religion anymore, UH UH!!

I did get to do some of those baptizm's for the dead at the Oakland
temple though, and that was a f*ckin cool feelin. But you have to be
approved or some sh*t to go in and do that, was kinda wierd.

Oh my, how things do change in 20 or so years. I am not a Mormon. I did
spend several years attempting to understand the religion, mostly
because it is a 'current' new religion who historical documentation
allows one a great insight into the minds of those who "follow" a
religion.

So, If any would choose to answer I have some qustions. Mind I studied
on my own.

In my studies: Joseph Smith found/was led into the hills of New York
where a cave was opened to him. In it were ancient texts.
At a point later he was given the ability to translate these texts.
1. Is it true that in the beginning of the book of Mormon is a list, a
testimonial of some original members of the faith, that testify that
this is true? However, they never saw, not once any collaborating
evidence?

2. Joseph Smith was baptised by Jesus and given the gift of Prophacy.
It was this that made him a Prophet. Is it true that in this faith,
every single "president" or residing prophet must be ordained by one who
was ordained in a link of those directly related back to Joseph Smith?

3. Is it true that every "president" of the faith is considered a
prophet and they have the right to make adjustments to the faith as they
believe they have been instructed so to do? Is this not why there are
many updates to the religious code, to the Book of Mormon?

4. The orginal Mormon faith does is not a Christian based faith. Is it
true they believe that Jesus was a prophet, as Joseph Smith is a prophet
and nothing more?

5. Is it true that within the hirearchy, there were many symbolic,
dogamatic rituals, including a secret handshake? And it it also true
that these remained secret until about the 1970's, when defecting
members revealed these secret rituals? And were they not astoundingly
the same or similiar to those of another secret society - the Free
Masons?

6. Brigham Young was an ordained minister, with direct ordination as
prescribed in the Mormon code. As the President as the leading
Prophet, he changed the codes to include Poligamy. Therefore it had to
be correct. Until another future Prophet, was told that was in
error???

7. According to much doctrine that I had read, there are differnt level
of heaven, to which a man can aspire. Only men aspire, as their wife or
wives follow them to whichever level they reach. Unwed daughters also
follow their fathers. True?

8. For the reasons stated above, women were to support their husbands
in all religious ventures, as their welbing, their status in heaven
depended on their husband?

9. Again referencing heaven, one of the ways to gain status in heaven
was amass a chain of Baptized family members. This was one of the
reasons that geneology was so important. For finding ancestors and
baptizing them grew the chain. Of course it also "saved" the soul of
the ancestor who would follow the baptizer into 'his' kingdom, his
heaven.

Just an observation, you know all those chain scams some years ago, the
pyramid scams - well I see that None but Jesus, will have a higher place
in heaven than Joseph Smith, throug him all mormons are baptized.

I could ask a hundred more questions, but this will sufice for now.

Thanks for all the thoughts being posted. I was most impressed with
Adventure's statement about being helped by the Mormons without being
coerced into joining the church.