Mormon 1:18 And these Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again.

19 And it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite.

Sorcery has been a sinful evil in all ages. It was present in the courts of Pharaoh (Ex. 7:11) and Nebuchadnezzar. (Dan. 2:2.) Israel's prophets inveighed against it. (Isa. 47; 57:3; Jer. 27:9.) Apostate Nephites revelled in its mysteries. (Alma 1:32; Morm. 1:19.) Peter and John fought its evils in their ministries (Acts 8:9-11; 13:6-8), and its power is prevailing with great success over much of the earth today. (Rev. 9:20-21.) Indeed, by her power and sorceries, the great and abominable church has deceived all nations in the last days. (Rev. 18:23.)

(source: Mormon Doctrine, Sorcery)

Jesus told the unbaptized thief on the cross:

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

...and this He said to the man just before they all died and went to the Spirit World. So we see that this man went to paradise without baptism. Baptism is an ordinance that must be completed before one can enter into the Celestial Kingdom, and before their resurrection. So souls wait in the Spirit Paradise for baptisms to be done for them by proxy, in the temples of God...by a faithful mortal, a savior on Mount Zion. (see TPJS Section Four 1839-42 p.190)

The prophet Alma described the Spirit World as having two parts, a Prison and a Paradise.

Alma 40:11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil--for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house--and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

3 Nephi 11:2 And [the Nephites] were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.

3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.

4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.

5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.

6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:

7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name--hear ye him.

8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

You can ask your Bishop, but my advice would be to marry in the temple, not for the purpose of hurting anyone, but for the purpose of being most respectful to God's ordinances. God comes first, not family, according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He said:

Matthew 10:36 And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household.

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

If you can go now, then do it, because you do not know what the future holds... your opportunities are now. A temple marriage is stronger than a civil marriage, the covenants are more, it is for eternity.

Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Gospel doctrine is synonymous with the truths of salvation. It comprises the tenets, teachings, and true theories found in the scriptures; it includes the principles, precepts, and revealed philosophies of pure religion; prophetic dogmas, maxims, and views are embraced within its folds; the Articles of Faith are part and portion of it, as is every inspired utterance of the Lord's agents.
(source: Mormon Doctrine)

So, anything that is truth can be doctrine. This is why we must rely on the power of the Holy Ghost to know what is true. If the living prophet teaches us "new" doctrine, how shall we know of its truth or error unless the Holy Ghost teaches us? We must rely on the Holy Ghost to let us know.

Moroni 10:5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I think we can all learn a lot of things from each other. There is good in all churches. But there is a fulness, and there are some false doctrines in the world today. I would use the Book of Mormon prophets to illustrate truth and error. You may be aware of some of the ancient American prophetical teachings pertaining to some of the things that have also crept into the Catholic Church. Case in point: the baptism of little children. Around 400 AD the prophet Mormon taught his prophet son Moroni:

Moroni 8:5 For, if I have learned the truth, there have been disputations among you concerning the baptism of your little children.

6 And now, my son, I desire that ye should labor diligently, that this gross error should be removed from among you; for, for this intent I have written this epistle.

7 For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying:

8 Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.

9 And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.

10 Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach-- repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.

11 And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

12 But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!

13 Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell.

14 Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.

15 For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.

The Lord sets clear through His prophets in the Book of Mormon that little children are alive in Christ, they are pure, they are already whole, and there is no need to baptize them. Baptism is unto repentance. If the Catholic Church is teaching and practicing this doctrine of baptism for little children, how can it be perfect?

The original manuscript was not consulted for the editing of the 1837 edition. However, in producing the 1840 edition, Joseph Smith used O to restore some of its original readings. In October 1841, Joseph Smith placed O in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House. Over forty years later, Lewis Bidamon, Emma Smith's second husband, opened the cornerstone and found that water seepage had destroyed most of O. The surviving pages were handed out to various individuals during the 1880s.

There has been controversy concerning the value of the Apocrypha. In 1833, while engaged in revising the King James version by the spirit of revelation, the Prophet Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord as to the authenticity of the Apocrypha. The books of the Apocrypha were inspired writings in the first instance, but subsequent interpolations/changes had perverted and twisted their original contexts.

D&C 91:1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha--There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly;

2 There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men.

3 Verily, I say unto you, that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated.

4 Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth;

5 And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom;

6 And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited. Therefore it is not needful that it should be translated. Amen.

The Book of Mormon is a very unique work of the Lord. It was specially prepared by one great prophet, even Mormon, as an abridgement of hundreds of prophetical records from a 1000 year period of ancient America. It was prepared specifically for our day, for this people and for the world. It was preserved in its purity, and it came forth pure as well. Today is stands as the most correct book. Joseph Smith said:

To me this is talking about the personality of God, not His physical being. He doesn't respect people in a partial way, and He can be counted on as a constant in His perfection. He will always be true to his word. He doesn't change His colors, so to speak. He is a constant for us.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

In the Book of Mormon days, capital punishment was in place. In fact the "socialists" of that time, or "King Men" were put to death under certain circumstances:

Alma 62:9 And the men of Pachus received their trial, according to the law, and also those king-men who had been taken and cast into prison; and they were executed according to the law; yea, those men of Pachus and those king-men, whosoever would not take up arms in the defence of their country, but would fight against it, were put to death.

10 And thus it became expedient that this law should be strictly observed for the safety of their country; yea, and whosoever was found denying their freedom was speedily executed according to the law.

Let us hope that in our day, we can maintain the safety of our country, even while there are those among us who seek to destroy the Constitution of the Land, and implement other means of gaining power, because of their secret combinations. Moroni taught US:

Ether 8:24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.

Here is how Jesus is the Father and the Son, as taught in the Book of Mormon by the prophet Abinadi:

Mosiah 15:1 AND now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.

2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son--

3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son--

4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.

5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men--

We have many theories of men which have yet to be proven false, but they are yet theories. They may be true, they may be false, but we use our faith to either believe or disbelieve them.

Now my faith tells me that the Book of Mormon is true. There were horses here, and cattle, and Nephi, and Lehi, and Jesus Christ did walk this land too! The book is miraculous, and God tells us it is true if we read it and ask Him in the name of Christ. That is our evidence.

Mosiah 15:7 Yea, even so [Christ] shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men--

D&C 88:106 And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the seventh angel, saying: It is finished; it is finished! The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. (see also Revelation 16:17)

Now as pertaining to the rest of us, Jesus has commissioned Apostles with Priesthood to take the gospel to all the world.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Thus we see that belief and baptism are both necessary to be saved. Faith and works. Faith without works is dead. The Priesthood, which those Apostles held, was passed on to them from Jesus Christ, by the laying on of hands (see 1 Timothy 4:14). He commissioned them to do His work.

Paul was trying to teach (in Hebrews) the deadness of the Law of Moses which was fulfilled in Christ. He was not trying to teach the deadness of the Priesthood to us, only in the older ordinances of the Levitical Priesthood which were fulfilled in Christ. Certainly there were Jews in that day who had trouble accepting these monumental changes in doctrine and practice!

But the Melchizedek Priesthood continued. Peter taught in later years:

1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

also

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

One of the greatest prophets who ever lived, Nephi, taught us what God taught him: how important it is to follow the example of the Savior and be baptized after true repentance:

2 Nephi 31:11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism--yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.

15 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

2 Nephi 9:23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.

25 Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him.

26 For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.

27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!

People are responsibile and accountable for what they hear, no matter who the messenger. We should not be a respecter of persons, because God isn't (Acts 10:34)

The spirit of Christ is given to all people that they may know good from evil. If they ignore this spirit of Christ, the Holy Ghost, they will be held accountable.

The prophet Moroni wrote:

Moroni 7:16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.

and King Benjamin spoke:

Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Studying seriously enough or not is a choice we make. If we wrest the scriptures, that is a choice too, for which we will be held acountable.

Since God's Church is for mankind (sinners), not for the inhabitants of heaven or those who have already passed their test, then the three Nephites were not part of a Church. They were as angels.

3 Nephi 28:30 And [the three Nephites] are as the angels of God, and if they shall pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus they can show themselves unto whatsoever man it seemeth them good.

The question is, HOW did Ammon accomplish this...

His brothers went up and began to teach the word, and they were promptly locked up in prison and tortured with hunger and nakedness. Ammon, on the other hand, desired to be a servant of the King Lamoni, and he waited patiently for the right opportunity. When it was right, he shared the word.

We can learn from this. Service to others softens hearts, creates opportunities, and provides chances for these people to "see your light" that it may shine on a hill and not be hid.

"Let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

22 And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.

This is not the first time the Lord has changed skin colors, in the Book of Mormon. It took place a long time ago in the Old Testament as well.

As we know from the record, our first parents of the human race were Adam and Eve. What race were they? Nobody knows. But this much we do know, our children who are born to us look like we do. How then did there come to be so many races and languages on this earth?

If God can make the changes that He did at the Tower of Babel, even to the extent of changing languages, then why would we deny that He could make a change to small group of the families of the wicked brothers of Nephi, and call them Lamanites? He did make the change, but it was for the purpose of separating the people of God from those that hated God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

Sanctification is the process of becoming a saint, holy and spiritually clean and pure, by purging all sin from the soul.

The power of the Holy Ghost purifies the heart and gives an abhorrence of sin:

Alma 13:12 Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.

King Benjamin's people in the Book of Mormon illustrate the sanctification process. They humbled themselves and prayed mightily that God would apply the atoning blood of Christ and purify their hearts. The Spirit came upon them and filled them with joy; a mighty change came into their hearts and they had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually".

Mosiah 5:1 AND now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them.

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.

4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.

5 And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never- ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.

6 And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant.

2 Nephi 2:11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so ... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.

15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.

18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind.

Mormon 1:2 And about the time that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age, and I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe;

3 Therefore, when ye are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called Shim; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people. And when he was only 15 years old, Mormon was visited by Jesus Christ, and began to preach, Mormon 1:16 ...but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had wilfully rebelled against their God; and the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their iniquity.

17 But I did remain among them, but I was forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts; and because of the hardness of their hearts the land was cursed for their sake.

At 16 Mormon was appointed by the people of Nephi to be the leader over their armies. Mormon was an extremely awesome individual. As a youth, he led the nation.

In 1855, Elder Joseph F. Smith (son of Hyrum Smith), was appointed to preside on the island of Maui with Sixtus E. Johnson and Simpson A. Molen as assistants. At this time he was but sixteen years of age, when called to succeed Elder Francis A. Hammond in conducting the affairs of the mission in Maui. This was a grave responsibility for one so young, nevertheless he was greatly respected by his brethren and all with whom he came in contact.

The ages and terms of service of full-time missionaries have varied over the years, and exceptions are made according to circumstance. In 1990, unmarried men ages nineteen through twenty-five, or occasionally older, were called to serve for twenty-four months. Unmarried women ages twenty-one through thirty-nine were called to serve for eighteen months, and those age forty through sixty-nine were called to serve for twelve months. Married couples normally served for either twelve or eighteen months.

In that same talk, Brigham Young said "For their abuse of that race, the whites will be cursed, unless they repent." It is good to read the whole thing. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.10, p.110, Brigham Young, March 8, 1863). Brigham Young said many things that were all true. He was right. He was always right. But it is hard to take when we have so much political correctness today to get everybody up in arms and offended at certain words. When Brigham Young taught that death on the spot was the penalty, he was referring to the Law of Moses, and when the people were governed by ecclesiastical authority (the Church). Death for adultery was in place, death for touching Mount Sinai, death for murder, cursing your father or mother, a lot of things got death as the penalty!

But today, we are all governed not by our prophets directly, but by the Constitution and the laws of the land. It would be good if there was a penalty for adultery, it sure is needed! Anciently it was death.

My take on all of those things that she mentions is that they are all true, but it is important to understand the context of everything. The Book of Mormon DID contain specific accounts of where people's skin color did change according to their wickedness or righteousness. But that was that people. This does not mean that today skin color has ANY bearing on personal righteousness. It was how the Lord handled the separation of these people in that day (Nephites and Lamanites from 600 BC to 421 AD). It provided ample opportunity for the Lord to allow the enemies of the Nephites (the Lamanites) to stir them up unto repentance by warring against them. It worked many times. People were smitten. People were humbled. People repented. The Lord certainly knew what he was doing to keep a covenant people of the Lord for over 1000 years!

Moroni 10:30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

Alma 32:17 Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.

18 Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.

19 And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression?

20 Now of this thing ye must judge. Behold, I say unto you, that it is on the one hand even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to his work.

21 And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

22 And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.

23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.

24 And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out--now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true--

25 For I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves; for I verily believe that there are some among you who would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might.

26 Now, as I said concerning faith--that it was not a perfect knowledge--even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves--It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

Now we have a clue in the New Testament to the time of his crucifixion, but not of his birth; that is, we know that he was crucified on Friday, for all of the Evangelists testify that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, and that on Friday Jesus was hung on the cross... Journal of Discourses, Vol.15, p.261, Orson Pratt, December 29, 1872

I have never heard before of the idea that Jesus was lifted up on the cross on a Thursday. We have the New Testament record concerning the timing of Christ's crucifixion, and the mention of the sabbath, which we understand was a Saturday, not a Friday.

On the night of His crucifixion, the record states:

Mark 15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

2 Nephi 26:29 [The Lord] commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.

30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

3 Nephi 17:17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

Having established that there are at least two beings in the Godhead, and the third is the Holy Ghost, we know that the creator of this earth, Jesus Christ, is in parnership (if you will) with other perfect and eternal beings. That is how God works.

God our Father has a very vast family, and Jesus Christ was His most beloved Son. Jesus Christ was selected among all His sons to be the Savior of the world. Lucifer was rejected, and a third of the hosts of heaven followed after Lucifer when there was a war in heaven. These were cast out of heaven.

1 Nephi 10:21 ...no unclean thing can dwell with God...

Since no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God, that is why these spirit brother and sisters of ours were cast out of heaven, because they became rebellious and unclean.

Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

So we see that Satan was in heaven at one time, and at that time, he was OK enough to still be there. But he turned on God, just as Judas turned on the Savior, and he and a third part of the hosts of heaven lost their first estate and were damned forever.

Since all of us who are here on earth kept our first estate in heaven, we have opportunity to move onward, and if we fully believe in Jesus Christ we can become exalted like He is now. Jesus said to John:

The Book of Moses, which also covers some of the same time period renders this more clear:

Ether 1:3 And as I suppose that the first part of this record, which speaks concerning the creation of the world, and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower, and whatsoever things transpired among the children of men until that time, is had among the Jews--

4 Therefore I do not write those things which transpired from the days of Adam until that time; but they are had upon the plates; and whoso findeth them, the same will have power that he may get the full account. ...and then he goes on to write the genealogy of the prophet Ether back to the first man of this civilation, even Jared.

8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.

3 Nephi 12:28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart.

29 Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart;

30 For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell.

Jesus taught that "whosoever" looks upon a woman in lust, commits this adultery in his heart. "Whosoever" can include a young unmarried man as well. Jesus did not qualify this statement for married men only. The sin of adultery/fornication is capable of being committed by all.

The late prophet Harold B. Lee (and many others!) wrote:

Upon translation of the Book of Mormon into the known language of the day, words were used that were familiar to Joseph Smith, for he was the one through whom the Lord worked. All we have to do is read the scriptures such as the New Testament to see how differently language styles come through depending on who wrote the books. To me, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about the same events, yet used different words in many cases to describe the events. These books are also (in my opinion) significantly easier to read than the writings of the great Apostle Paul, who was multi- cultural being a Jew, a Roman citizen by birth, and familiar with Greek as well. As he speaks to different peoples in his apostolic missionary work efforts, it can be difficult to follow his line of reasoning if one does not consider to WHOM he is speaking, and considering WHAT he is emphasizing. He was dealing with the closure of the law of Moses (a major change for the people) with many individuals who were either considering the new doctrines of Christ, or were holding on to the older law. Thus the emphasis on grace and the deadness of the law (which many today interpret as license not to worry about keeping the commandments, the ordinances of baptism, etc.)

In Paul's theology, the doctrines of salvation by grace and justification by faith do not eliminate but require the absolute necessity for high personal standards of conduct (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21).

So what is my point? These prophets wrote what they felt, and what they were inspired to write. They covered the same topics with different words: their words, their style.

Alma 7:11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Alma reveals that the Savior suffered affliction and pain, and was not absolved from temptations of any kind, so that he might fully understand his people. There is a popular myth which teaches that good people know little if anything about the power of temptation. This is patently false. It is the wicked who know little of its allure, its seducing force, and its punishing power because they never resist. How do they know what it is like to have to be strong for an hour, a day, or a year. The Savior never gave in. He stands alone as the one who never fell captive to the enticements of sin for an entire lifetime. He knows more about the power of temptation than any. For this reason, he can "succor his people according to their infirmities.

Here are the exerpts from Church History journals:

"The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County, which has been appointed as one of the stakes of Zion, and is the ancient site of the City of Manti, and pitched tents at Dark Creek, Salt Licks, seventeen miles. It was reported to the camp that one hundred and ten men had volunteered from Randolph and gone to Far West to settle difficulties." (taken from the history of the travels of the Kirtland Camp)

So how do we know if what we have is more or less than what others have? Well, we can't speak for others, only ourselves. If the "fruit" of the tree of our faith is delicious, and we know it is because we like the way it tastes, then why would one abandon such a tree bearing fruit? Would one chop down a perfect fruit tree, and go searching for another tree?

Alma 32:37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

This is the proof of one's faith: are they truly enjoying the fruit of the Spirit...

Now as to our ability to judge what other faiths have to offer, it is a simple matter of considering the doctrines, praying about them, seeing if they are compatible with that which we have already come to know is true by the power of the Spirit and personal prayer...etc. If we have tasted of fruit, and it is sweet and wonderful, there is no need to reject that which we know. It is a benchmark by which other things can be judged.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16.)

The prophet Ezekiel also received a revelation concerning the keeping of the record of these "other sheep" who were descendants of Joseph of Egypt. Joseph was of the House of Israel, and had Ephraim and Manasseh for sons. The Book of Mormon is a record of Lehi and his family who were of the House of Israel, and were led by the Lord to the Americas. The prophet Ezekiel wrote about the record that they would keep, which would come forth in our day to be a tool for the gathering of Israel:

Ezekiel 37:15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions:

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou [meanest] by these?

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which [is] in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, [even] with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

1 Nephi 11:33 And I, Nephi, saw that [Jesus Christ] was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.