All Things Witness

Thoughts on the mission and power of Jesus Christ

Tag Archives: Book of Mormon


by Leave a comment

Time to Talk About the ‘P’ Word

I’ve been putting off this post for some time, but some recent events have brought to me the feeling that now is the time. I believe the Lord wants me to now add my voice to those of many others. So, here goes …

Yesterday was my wife’s and my 31st wedding anniversary. There is no doubt in my mind that there is no better woman I could have at my side and I’m so glad that all those years ago I asked her to marry me, and that she said ‘Yes’.

I can’t say that those intervening years have been anything other than ‘bloody hard’ at many times. But it’s simply not possible to put into words just how much love I have for my wife. To say that I love her with all my heart is a huge understatement. She is part of my heart. She is part of my mind. She is part of my very soul. There is no part of me in which she isn’t a huge part. I truly feel that we are one.

Here’s the problem. On the one hand, the church I belong to (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes known as Mormons), has no teachings more glorious than the ‘eternal sealing’ of husband and wife. I love that concept – that we have been married ‘in view of the eternities’, as the prophet Joseph Smith said, and that we will be together forever. However, at the same time, the church I belong to also believes in polygamy1.

Continue reading →
Woman lying in bed waking up


by Leave a comment

Awakening

If you’re a believer in the Book of Mormon, then you’ve probably read the opening chapters of 1 Nephi seeing the young man Nephi as the example we are to follow. As we read the scriptures – any scriptures – we tend to put ourselves in the shoes of the ‘hero’. After all, we’re to pattern ourselves after the lives of righteous men and women of the past, right? Abraham and Sarah, Enoch, Noah, Deborah, Esther; in the Book of Mormon: Nephi, Alma and Helaman. Of course, Christ is our great exemplar, but many of these ancient prophets show us patterns to follow in our quest to become like Him.

While that is true, I believe there are also other characters and people we are supposed to consider ourselves as – not in terms off what we should be doing, but perhaps given by prophets as something of a ‘reality check’ of where we actually are in our lives. A few years ago as I began another read of the Book of Mormon, the realisation came to me that Laman and Lemuel serve exactly that purpose; and at the very beginning of 1 Nephi, the Jews at Jerusalem do, too.

Latter-day Saints like to talk about how wicked Laman and Lemuel were. We would never be like them, right? Except … maybe we are.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Greater Things

I’ve just finished reading 3 Nephi on my latest read-through of the Book of Mormon. I’m always amazed at how much more I gain from this magnificent book of scripture each time I read it, and marvel at how much more there must be to learn, if I could only have eyes to see.

Christ begins speaking to the people in the land from chapter 9 of 3 Nephi, then appears to them in chapter 11. The last words we have from Christ to the Nephites are in chapter 28, so it makes about 20 chapters in total containing the direct teachings of Jesus.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

For Our Day

‘I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents…’ (1 Nephi 1:1). Latter-day Saints will be familiar with these words and can probably quote much of the rest of this verse, having read it and heard it countless times over the years.

It’s not possible for me to put into words just how much I love the Book of Mormon, It was written specifically for our days and is so wonderfully complex, beautiful and applicable that I constantly marvel at it. 

Now, if you’re not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you might be a little wary of the Book of Mormon. You might think the ‘Mormons’, as we are usually known, are a little weird, maybe you worry that we’re a cult, or maybe you’ve heard some really troubling things about our history (or present). You might want to stay away from the Book of Mormon in order to keep your distance from the religion.

Continue reading →