Day 29 - Helaman 11-16; D&C 113-116; Abraham 5; JS Matthew

[pam]

Discussion

[KeithLBrown]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Scripture Reference: Doctrine and Covenants 115:1-4

1 Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and also my servant Sidney Rigdon, and also my servant Hyrum Smith, and your counselors who are and shall be appointed hereafter;
2 And also unto you, my servant Edward Partridge, and his counselors;
3 And also unto my faithful servants who are of the high council of my church in Zion, for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world;
4 For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [emphasis added by this author]

TEXT OF FIRST PRESIDENCY LETTER OF 23 FEBRUARY 2001

As the Church grows across boundaries, cultures and languages, the use of the revealed name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (D&C 115:4), is increasingly important in our responsibility to proclaim the name of the Savior throughout all the world. Accordingly, we ask that when we refer to the Church we use its full name wherever possible. While this official name is not being shortened, the contractions "The Church or "The Church of Jesus Christ" are acceptable.

We discourage referring to the Church as "The Mormon Church," "The Latter-day Saints Churchn or "The LDS Church."

When referring to Church members, we suggest "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." As a shortened reference, "Latter-day Saints" is preferred, but "Mormons" is acceptable.

We of course will continue to use the word Mormon in proper names like The Book of Mormon or Mormon, Tabernacle Choir, and as an adjective in such references as the "Mormon pioneers."

A copy of this letter should be posted in Church buildings. Further detail on references to the Church and its members will be forthcoming in Church publications.

Sincerely yours,
Gordon B. Hinckley
Thomas S. Monson
James E. Faust
The First Presidency

Adapting 'Mormon' to Emphasize Christianity

New York Times/February 19, 2001

By Gustav Niebuhr

"I don't mind being called a Mormon, but I don't want it said that I belong to the Mormon Church," said Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Council of the 12 Apostles, which, together with the church's three- member First Presidency, exercise the highest level of authority within the 11-million-member church. Elder Oaks said the church would not discourage use of the term Mormon for church members, although he said it officially prefers they be known as Latter-day Saints. Nor, he said, will the church seek to change names like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Mormon Trail and the Book of Mormon.

The word Mormon is taken from the book, where it refers both to a geographical area and also to a prophet of that name. He said the decision, taken by the First Presidency and the Council of the 12, (but not yet announced to church members), needed to be seen in context, as a "deliberate reaffirmation" of a long effort in favor of wider use of the church's full title. "We haven't adopted a new name of the church," Elder Oaks said, noting that Mormons regard the full name as having been revealed by God to Mormonism's first prophet, Joseph Smith. "We have adopted a short-hand reference to the church that we think is more accurate."

[pam]

Slowly but surely I am catching up. I stated I WOULD finish this reading assignment in the 40 days..and gosh..I'm going to do it. Now only 2 days behind.

[pam]

Helaman 11:6 they did perish by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land

Remarkably, the Lord is able to be selective with his punishments. Wars, famines, and plagues affect the lives of everyone in society, but the wicked are the first to go. In the days of Amaron, the record states:

‘…the more wicked part of the Nephites were destroyed.
For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land.
Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.’ (Omni 1:5-7)

The same process of selective destruction will attend the Second Coming. All will be affected by the great destructions that have been prophesied, but the destroying angels specifically target the wicked. The other way in which the destruction is selective is that the righteous are gathered out from the wicked, hence the charge, ‘Go ye out from Babylon’ (DC 133:5). Similarly, the Lord has warned, ‘I will not spare any that remain in Babylon’ (DC 64:24).

Joseph Smith
“the destroying angel will…exercise his tremendous mission upon the children of disobedience; and destroy the workers of iniquity, while the Saints will be gathered out from among them, and stand in holy places ready to meet the Bridegroom when he comes.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 92)

[pam]

What I find so interesting in all this reading is how the people can go from being repentant and humble to wicked and back again. They are shown multiple times the power of God and they plead repentance..live humbly for a few years and then are right back at it again. It's not until they are shown another sign of the power that they once again humble themselves.

[pam]

Helaman 12:1 thus we can behold

The last several chapters have shown how quickly the Nephites would switch from righteousness to wickedness. By now, the reader should be able to recognize when Mormon steps in to editorialize. He almost always begins with a phrase like, “and thus we see,” or in this case, “And thus we can behold.” Accordingly, Helaman 12 represents Mormon’s commentary on this time period of vacillation. During this chapter, Mormon discusses the pride cycle, the nothingness of man, the power of God, a little bit of astronomy, and the judgments of God.

As a commentator, it is humbling to see the wisdom of Mormon’s perceptive commentary. While the rest of us make our humble attempts to add some small piece of insight, Mormon’s commentary puts us to shame. He is so filled with the spirit of prophecy and revelation that his commentary on the scriptures is scripture in and of itself. Therefore, the reader is asked to excuse the weakness of those of us who presume to make commentary on his commentary. The following quote puts scriptural commentaries, such as this one, into the proper perspective.

Elder Ronald E. Poelman
“There are many commentaries available, and they have a valid use, but they are not a substitute for the scriptures…Unfortunately, many people use them as a substitute. This analogy may help to demonstrate how much better it is to read the Bible rather than just read a commentary:

“When I used to travel on business, if I had any spare time, I liked to go to art museums. I would buy a little guide book when I first arrived at the museum and read through it before I went to see the exhibits so I could understand what I was going to see, something about the artists, and the work itself. Such reading enhanced my appreciation of the real thing. But if, having read the guide book, I had said, ‘I know all about what’s in the museum,’ and left I would have missed the experience of seeing the real art exhibits and having my mind and soul stirred by them.

“But that’s what some members of the Church do. They’ll read the commentaries as a substitute for the real thing. They will teach the commentary instead of the scriptures. The fact is that the real thing…has the promise of the Spirit associated with it, whereas the commentaries are just another exercise and are useful to help us into the real thing. But the real thing is the scripture themselves. There is a spirit in them that, if we’re open to it, will not only help us to understand but will also give us the witness that these things are true. That makes all the difference in our behavior.” (Church News 01/01/94)

[pam]

Helaman 13:4 they would not suffer that he should enter…therefore he went and got upon the wall

Elder Andrew W. Petersen
“There are daily walls to climb in our own lives. They present themselves most often as invitations for growth: the daily challenges of parenting, a difficult assignment at work, a new calling in the Church, a sacrament meeting or stake conference talk to present, a lesson to be given in priesthood meeting or Relief Society.

“I well remember my first morning of tracting as a new missionary in Cordoba, Argentina. My senior companion knocked on the first door and presented, what seemed to me, a very impressive door approach in fluent Spanish. The next door was mine! The walls of Zarahemla could not have seemed any higher than the short distance from the sidewalk to the front door. In spite of my limited Spanish, my faith, prayers, and a desire to learn and obey sustained me as I ‘climbed upon my wall’that morning.

“When temptations present themselves, as surely they do, we must climb upon the daily walls of life and learn to say no.” (Heroes From The Book of Mormon, p. 160-1)

[KeithLBrown]

Originally Posted by pam

Slowly but surely I am catching up. I stated I WOULD finish this reading assignment in the 40 days..and gosh..I'm going to do it. Now only 2 days behind.

That's the spirit! I saw a post on Twitter from Seanette and she says that she is catching up on the reading first and then she will post all of her notes. I can't believe that there are only 10 days left in the challenge.

[pam]

I know. The time has gone quickly and I really am so enjoying this. I am looking forward to the next challenge.

[pam]

Helaman 14:2 five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God

Rarely are prophecies specific regarding the timing of events, but Samuel prophesies the exact timing of the coming of the Son of God in the flesh. We might wonder why the exact time of the coming of the Second Coming is not given. Wouldn’t it be nice if the prophet said in General Conference, “Brothers and Sisters, we have five years before the Lord is going to come again”? Some of us almost expect him to say something like this, but our hopes will not be realized. The Second Coming is a time of judgment, especially for the wicked. In the parable of the ten virgins, the wise virgins had to watch and wait to be ready. No specific time could be given, otherwise they could have purchased oil for their lamps right before the appointed time.