A Study of the Book of Mormon

Mosiah 12:20-24 The verses quoted in this section are taken from Isaiah 52:7-10 .  In context, I have to remind myself that these priests that quoted them where utterly clueless on the very points of doctrine that make this verse of scripture so rich in meaning and significance. Perhaps they used this passage of scripture through some gross distortion of it, as justification for their vain and pacifying promises to the people of Noah. But oh how beautiful and rich in symbolism is the true meaning of these verses. There is a verse of one of our hymns ("Come, Ye Disconsolate") that concludes with this line: "Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal." I feel that the significance of these verses is in the reality of that statement. As I work through these verses, I am asking myself why are these verses so significant and reassuring at the same time. What follows is a personal Q and A relative to the verses quoted from Isaiah. What is the significance of being in the...

Mosiah 12:17-19 There is a footnote in verse 19 on the word "withstand," stating that Abinadi was able to withstand all the wicked priests' questions. The footnote leads to Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-6 which describes the spiritual gift used by Abinadi. In my opinion, this requires a great deal of faith to execute: Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say. How do I keep myself in such a mood of Spiritual discernment that I may be able to hear the Spirit whispering to my heart? There is more to this instruction, because I find myself this morning asking if I have ever been able to do this: to speak in the very moment that it is needed. There are a few choice experiences where in capacity as a ward missionary I have been blessed to do so. I suppose I was con...

Mosiah 12:9-16 It is a common attitude among the wicked to deny their wickedness. I've cross referenced a couple of other scriptures on verse 14 for the term "guiltless" where people are found to take the same stance. This causes me to ask myself, what is the difference between a wicked and righteous individual. The wicked will profess their perfection and guiltless state. The wicked will ask questions such as "What great evil [have we] done?" ( vs. 13 ) or "How knowest though that we have cause for repentance?" ( Alma 21:6 ). In all cases they are in complete denial of any wrong  doing on their part. Contrast this with attitude of the truly righteous, who in other terms are also called "the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness". (See Alma 27:18 ). In Luke 7, the centurion who seeks the Savior to heal one of his servants, says "Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:" ( Luke...