For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon is a central part of our faith. It is another testament of the Savior, Jesus Christ — just as the Old Testament and New Testaments teach of Him (as Jehovah in the Old Testament and Christ, the Messiah in the New Testament).

The Church is creating new live-action videos to represent stories and doctrines from the Book of Mormon. Sharing this marvelous book with the world is one of the things that is central to the Church’s mission. Why?

First of all, the Book of Mormon teaches even more about Jesus Christ. It talks of God’s dealings with people who lived on the American continent, witnessing that even anciently (long before the interconnected world we now live in) God was engaging with and speaking to prophets and others in parallel to what He was doing in Biblical, Old World settings. The Book of Mormon is written for Jews and for Christians, for any and all who want to understand more about the Bible, about the purposes of the law of Moses, about God’s grand vision for His children and their eternal well-being.

The pinnacle of the book records Jesus Christ’s interactions with the people on the American continent, after His resurrection and ascension into heaven. It’s an amazing account that spans several chapters, and includes various visits of Christ — to a multitude of people, to 12 disciples He chose to teach truth, and a particularly poignant account of His interactions with the children who lived around this area.

The Book of Mormon is also a book that simply — yet profoundly — impacts the lives of individuals. As Elder Robert D. Hales once said (paraphrasing), God so often speaks to us individually as we study and ponder scriptural texts. This is true of the Bible, and it is true of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon also is the vehicle for people to experiment with what Mormons believe about latter-day prophets, the restoration of priesthood authority, and the reality of life after death.

You can request a free copy of the Book of Mormon. If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and would like to share how the Book of Mormon has influenced your life, please comment below.

Learn more about the Book of Mormon videos below.

The post New Book of Mormon videos in the works appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

8 Points to Consider: The Authenticity of the Bible is a Patheos podcast (I Believe) hosted by Karen Trifiletti. She is hosting has an upcoming series on the authenticity of the Bible, with insights from author, amateur scholar, and Bible enthusiast, DM Johnson.

Here are some text snippets from the podcast. You can listen to the entire overview/intro podcast here:

DM Johnson: “I tend to be a guy that goes off of evidence. I believe that faith isn’t believing where there’s no evidence; I think it’s believing where there is evidence and putting our trust in that direction. I’ve always thought it’s interesting that generations ago we only had a few sources from which to get our information. But now, in the internet age, anybody can publish anything. So it’s really hard for somebody to sift through evidence for different matters. You have all of these different conspiracies and different things. When you start getting into issues around something like the historicity of Jesus Christ or the Bible, I just thought it would be fun to actually weigh that evidence and go through it.”

In this overview podcast, DM Johnson sets the stage for eight different types of evidence for the veracity of the Bible.

1. Extra-biblical evidence
2. Manuscript evidence
3. Archaeology
4. The historical method
5. Gospels are based on eyewitnesses
6. Evidence pointing to the resurrection
7. Undesigned coincidences of the Bible
8. Prophecies about Jesus

Image by Raul 654 from Wikimedia Commons used under the following license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

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As I sat in our Sunday School class last week, I was struck again by what a treasure the Doctrine and Covenants is to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But I was also struck as we read the Introduction by how the Doctrine and Covenants could help those not of our faith understand more about Mormon beliefs and doctrine. I thought of our readers here at Mormon Women who are curious about Mormonism, and so I would like to introduce you to the Doctrine and Covenants as a resource to understand more about Mormon beliefs, Church organization, Church history, and, most importantly, our belief in Jesus Christ.

The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of revelations, most of which were received through Joseph Smith. The voice speaking in all but a couple of the sections is Jesus Christ — a latter-day record of His dealings and His words and His teachings. That fact alone teaches much about what Mormons believe — we believe that just as God spoke through prophets and apostles in ancient times, He has spoken in more recent times as well. We believe He continues to speak to us through living prophets, which is why our General Conferences are so important to us.

The Doctrine and Covenants is part of the scriptural canon for Mormons, along with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price. In the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants,

the doctrines of the gospel are set forth with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the earth, the future conditions of man after the Resurrection and the Judgment, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family. Likewise, the gradual unfolding of the administrative structure of the Church is shown with the calling of bishops, the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Seventy and the establishment of other presiding offices and quorums. Finally, the testimony that is given of Jesus Christ—his divinity, his majesty, his perfection, his love, and his redeeming power—makes this book of great value to the human family and of more worth than the riches of the whole earth.

We know as Mormons that we are often known for talking a lot about The Book of Mormon (and how that book compliments the Bible as another testament of Jesus Christ and His dealings with ancient people living on the American continent). But I’m not sure many people know as much about the Doctrine and Covenants, and it’s another book that can help people understand our faith.

Many of the revelations serve a sort of double purpose — they were addressed to individuals who played a role in early Church history, but they also often contain teachings and messages for us. As always when engaging scripture, we are encouraged to understand both the historical context but also the personal application of principles that may be taught. And, as always, we are encouraged to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in knowing what God would have us learn and ponder.

We invite those who may be interested in our faith to peruse the Doctrine and Covenants as part of your search for more information about our doctrine and beliefs. And if you are interested in understanding more of some basic church history, read along with us in Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is also being used as part of the Sunday School curriculum this year.

The study guide for our Sunday School course this year can be found here: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History

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Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible, just as other Christians do. And we also believe in the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ. It’s a record of the Lord’s dealings with people who came to/lived on the American continent in ancient times (most of the book spans the time period from about 600 B.C. to 421 A.D.

The Book of Mormon helps us understand more about the mission of Jesus Christ, of His power, mercy and grace, of our complete reliance on Him. It teaches us about how we can become more like Him, what we can do in our lives to follow Him.

You can read what Mormon women have to say about the Book of Mormon at these (and other) Book of Mormon blog hops, hosted at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ.

Testimonies of the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon Forum

And, actually, Mormon men join in on the sharing as well. See this post, for example. Middle-aged Mormon Man writes:

This book is one of my best friends. It is there to:

-comfort me when I am grieving,

-counsel me when I am struggling,

-give me peace when I am in turmoil,

and

-call me out when I need it.

And for Lego fans out there, you might enjoy hearing about the Book of Mormon from a fellow Lego fanatic. (He’s used Legos to represent several stories in the Book of Mormon!)

If you are a Mormon blogger and would like to join in on the Book of Mormon Forum/blog hop, hop on over to Jocelyn’s blog to find out more.

The post Mormon Women testify of the Book of Mormon appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Some of you may be wondering what the Book of Mormon is all about.

Besides being the ancient historical record of multiple families who were led by God out of Jerusalem, for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon is considered the word of God along with the Bible. It was preserved for our day to teach us the things we need to do to return home to God’s presence with our families. It is filled with experiences, counsel, warnings, promises all meant to help us here and now.

Here is an experience I had recently where the Book of Mormon’s teachings blessed my life and my family:

“All hands on deck!” my husband called.

“6:38am? Really?”

I lay in my bed angry, frustrated, fuming over my husband’s “way too early on a Saturday morning” call to paint the deck. Yes, I murmured against my husband. Big time.

“6:38 AM!”

My daughter came to the bedroom door, and I knew I had to get up. I knew I needed to get on board with the “take good care of our home” idea, but that didn’t stop the murmuring. All the way downstairs. It was my husband’s vision – he should paint it, and let me sleep!

I shut myself in the bathroom, and began to discuss it with the Lord.

“6:38am? Really?!!!”

That was when the reminder came, in a quiet whisper: “Remember Sariah!” I had to smile.

Sariah is a woman who, in the Book of Mormon, murmured against her “visionary” husband, too. As I opened the Book of Mormon to read her experience, I couldn’t help likening her complaint unto my own.

Talking to her husband, Lehi about the vision he had received for their family, she said, “Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.” (1 Nephi 5:2)

I couldn’t help but giggle as I changed it to read: “Behold thou hast led us forth from the beds of our sleepiness!”

In her worry, Sariah had forgotten an earlier faith-filled exchange between her husband Lehi and her youngest son, Nephi:

“And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.
“Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.
”And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:5-7)

I had forgotten the Lord’s promise that “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

It was only after the trial of Sariah’s faith – her willingness to follow her husband’s vision — that she recognized God’s blessings to her and her family. Only then could she say with unwavering faith:

“Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them.” (1 Nephi 5:8)

It was only after I stopped murmuring, and trusted in the Lord, changing my attitude toward the whole deck painting, of course, that I was able to see the wonderful fruits of obedience to God’s commandments.

Because I changed my attitude, the other members of the family were more willing to help. We spent the next few hours painting, and laughing, and having fun together. I even learned that my husband’s favorite pizza is actually sausage – never knew that before! We learned more about our son’s mission experiences – a sweet opportunity we may not have as much time to share in the future.

And we have a beautifully painted deck!

Sariah’s son, Nephi explained that his brothers murmured because they didn’t understand God’s dealings with His children. Before my “change of heart” experience that morning, I don’t think I totally understood either God’s reasoning either. Little did I know that that 6:38 am awakening would become a treasured memory of a wonderful time with my family.

God knew it, though!

The post The Book of Mormon on Family Relationships appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you have heard of MormonSoprano. If you haven’t, now’s as good of a time as ever to explore her blog. Her site is filled with uplifting content. And this video that she created is no exception.

But the post itself about her debut into video-making was just such a fun read, we wanted to share that, too. In her own words….

(And, you know, if you have ever considered making a movie for YouTube, it really is a good read…you might learn from her experience how to save a few steps! {grin})

(As a side note, if you were wondering, first person essays don’t always have to be formal essays, and they don’t always have to be submitted here in their entirety (although original content that hasn’t been posted on your blog will allow us all to work together to share more uplifting content around the web). Links to blog posts work, too, if your site is consistent with our mission here.)

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