“To Keep Them in the Right Way” These chapters are straightforward–Moroni, shocked he hasn’t been killed yet, shares information about the organization of the church. He teaches about: The Gift of the Holy Ghost Ordination of priests and teachers Gives the sacrament prayers Baptism and Church order This is an ideal time to discuss the… Continue Reading
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“By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled” This lesson contains one of the crown jewels of the Book of Mormon–the sublime verse on weakness and strength in 12:27. There are other gems worthy of study, discussion, and application in this chapter. We have the idea that we can be the angels whom God uses to answer… Continue Reading
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We have put out 22 episodes of Engaging Gospel Doctrine so far! As we wrap up the Book of Mormon and look forward to covering Doctrine & Covenants and Church History, this seemed like an ideal time to put out a mini-episode covering what we have accomplished, what we plan for next year, and what… Continue Reading
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In this lesson we get to discuss the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon (which made up the bulk of the plates as Joseph described them)! What is contained in the sealed portion? What can we learn from the instructions regarding how to access them? We are going to examine these chapters on several… Continue Reading
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After Mormon’s final plea to the House of Israel, Moroni takes over the record. His despair and loneliness is palpable and touching in the beginning of Mormon 8. There are several thought provoking gems in these chapters about weakness, pride, caring for the needy, and theological points about the nature of God and judgment. Moroni’s… Continue Reading
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Poignantly placed after the description of the Lehite utopia, these are the darkest, most disturbing chapters in the Book of Mormon. It seems a fitting time to wrestle with the human potential for evil, the reality of the terrible things we do to each other, almost as a rule. And after reading his life’s work,… Continue Reading
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These chapters include an account of the happiest, most righteous, productive years in all of Book of Mormon history, the model utopian society that endured almost two hundred years after Jesus’ appearance. Unfortunately, we only read about that time period (which surpasses the time covered by Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, and 3 Nephi!) for eighteen brief… Continue Reading
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These chapters function as a sermon and reflection about the scriptures. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 54 and Malachi 3-4. He recommends the writings of Isaiah and urges Nephi to supplement his own records. Then in a bittersweet twist, we are excluded from the climax of the story–Mormon tells us that Jesus reveals all things, that… Continue Reading
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Am I correct in concluding that these chapters fall in that category of scripture that most members read without comprehension? When we think “Isaiah chapters” 2 Nephi comes to mind, but 3 Nephi has its share as well, with some Micah thrown in. These chapters in brief talk about how in the latter days Israel… Continue Reading
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These chapters of the Book of Mormon contain some of the most moving and tender moments in all of scripture. Jesus heals the sick, one by one. The crowd weeps with joy. Jesus blesses little children and the scene becomes ineffable. Angels minister to the children and Jesus weeps. All take the sacrament and Jesus… Continue Reading