----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 6:06
AM
Subject: [TruthTalk] Geography of Never
Never land
Why are Greek names such as Lachoneus, Timothy, Jonas, and Alpha &
Omega
in a book that should have absolutely no Greek influence?
Blaine: The answer should be obvious, Kevn--the Book of Mormon
was
translated into English, which has a lot of Greek and even Latin in
it.
Why haven't any of the Book of Mormon proper names such as Nephi,
Laman, Zarahemla, etc. been found in all of the many writings that have
been
found in Mesoamerica?
Blaine: Again the answer should be obvious if you have read the
Book of
Mormon as you claim to have done--The entire Nephite civilization
was
destroyed by the Lamanites about 375 AD. The record
says, in fact,
that the Lamanites hunted down straggling Nephites, and if
they would not
deny the Christ, they were killed. Moroni was one
of the last to be
caught and killed, but not before he buried the sacred
records in the
earth to hide them from the Lamanites. Otherwise,
even the gold plates
might have been destroyed.
The BoM does mention cultural traits of the
Lamanites which were still
evident when the Spanish Conquistadors
arrived. One such evidence was
the Lamanites were still sacrificing
their enemy captives to their
gods--huge piles of skulls of captive
victims were found near the
sacrificial alters by the Spanish.
Judy:
Are these the Aztecs you are referring to, like Montezuma? They did
have
human sacrifice going on and they were pagans... but I've never heard
of
Nephites and Lamanites.
Blaine: Aztecs,
yes. In the many centuries since the Nephite culture was
destroyed by the Lamanites, it does not surprise me that there is little if
anything left to remind anyone of the once great and numerous people who
called themselves Nephites. The Conquistadors, along with their Catholic
relgion, had much to do with this destruction. In Mexico, for
instance, huge libraries of written materials about the native culture
were piled up and burned by the Spanish/Catholic rulers.
The reason given for this massive deatruction? The materials were said
to be of the devil. All that remains are a few codexes, which
furnish some insight into these ancient peoples, but it is very
scant. One of the codexes does show light skinned people working
alongside some darker people--I keep thinking that perhaps the Catholic
monks who were resonsible for such destructions were laboring along the
same narrow lines as the person in charge of the Catholic inquisition, in
which millions of men and women--mostly women--were accused of witchcraft then
burned at the stake. At least burning seemed to be a favorite
method of getting something out of the way if it contradicted one's bigoted
little views of how things ought to be. I strongly suspect the written
materials may have dealt with some of the traditions of a White God that are
now only passed on orally among the peoples of Meso and Sud America, and many
tribes of North America as well. Knowing as I do that many modern
Christians get defensive at the suggestion that Jesus Christ visited the
remnants of Israel in the Americas, because its not in the Bible, I can easily
understand what might have been going on in the minds of the monks.
There is, by the way,
some evidence that Jesus Christ visited the peoples in Britain and
Scandinavian countries after his resurrection. There is a tradition
among the Irish that Jesus preached to them while standing on the Stone of
Scone, otherwise thought to be the stone Jacob used as a pillow once after he
wrestled with God in Bethel. and changed his name from Jacob to Israel.
It is associated with the British throne at the present
time.
Blaine:
The Book of Mormon gives a similar account as the Lamanites closed in
on the Nephites during their final days: Mormon 4: 14 "And
they (Lamanites ).
did take many prisoners both women and children, and did offer them
up
as sacrifices unto their idol gods." Mormon 4: 15 "And it came to
pass, in
the three hundred and sixty and seventh year, the Nephites being very
angry because the Lamanites had sacrificed their women and children, . .
.
they did go forth against the Lamanites with exceeding great anger,
insomuch
they did beat again the Lamanites and drive them out of their lands."
Mormon 5:21--"And when they (Lamanites) came the second time,
the
Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceeding great
slaughter;
their women and children were again sacrificed unto
idols.")
Judy:
Oh! So the story is that the unrighteous completely wiped out the
supposedly righteous? Where was their god?
Blaine: That is a very insightful
question, Judy. The good guys, the Nephites, were doing much the same as
present day Gentiles do in America--they worshipped God with their lips but
their hearts were far from God. You asked in a previous post why
anyone needed the Book of Mormon when they have the Bible. Besides being
a second testament of Jesus Christ, sent to Jew and Gentile, the Book of
Mormon has a secondary purpose. It is a book describing in great detail
the fall of a great and mighty people, who were fair skinned as you and I, but
who fell into iniquity because they became rich and prosperous, and indulged
in many evil practices, such as secret murders, secret combinations, robbing,
persecutions, strifes, malice, whoredoms, lasciviousness, lying,
cheating, stealing, love of money, etc. Sound familiar? The
Book of Mormon warns of these evils in our day. It warns that unless the
Gentiles repent, they too will fall, as the Nephites did, as they continue to
worship God with their lips, but their hearts are far from
Him. Read some of these more explicit warnings.
"...it (the BoM)
shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it
shall come even as one who shall speak from the dead. And it shall come
in a day when the blood of saints shall cry because of secret combinations and
the works of darkness. Yea, and it shall come in a day when the power of
God will be denied, and churches become defiled, when leaders of churches and
teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them
who belong to their churches. . . . Yea, it shall come
in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the
earth; there shall be murders and robbing, and lying, and deceivings,
and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; where there shall be many
who will say, do this, or do that, for the Lord will uphold such at the last
day . . .Behold, I, Moroni, speak unto as if you were
present, and yet you are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you
unto me, and I know your doing. And I know that ye do walk in the pride
of your hearts." Mormon: ch 9
Kevin:
3 Nephi uses Words from the KJV, such as "mammon", "synagogues",
and
Aramaic word "raca" Matthew. These words would have had no
meaning to
the Nephites!
Blaine: Why not? The language of the golden plates was
Reformed
Egyptian, but the Book Mormon makes it clear that the Hebrew
language was
also spoken. Aramaic is a close cousin to Hebrew and was
spoken by many
Jews.
Kevin:
"Faith, as well intentioned as it may be, must be built on facts,
not
fiction -- faith in fiction is a damnable false hope." Thomas
Edison
Blaine: Good thought. Maybe you really should get your
facts staright
before jumping to any more rash
conclusions. (:>) (snip> "One of the
grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to recieve truth. Let it
come
from where it may." An American Prophets Record: The Diaries and Journals
of Joseph Smith, p. 395 ...Galatians 4:6 Am I therefore become your
enemy,
because I tell you the truth?
Judy:
The perfect question right here would be Pilate's statement "What is
Truth?"
and this is the question each of us should ask ourselves. The way I see
it,
I can believe the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of scripture or I
can
believe Joseph Smith who authoried the BofM. They cannot both be
Truth
because they are contradictory... and Galatians 4:6 definitely does not
apply
here. Paul was speaking truth - not one of his teachings conflict
with the
rest of scripture. Joseph Smith's teachings do fit with much of
anything
that I can see so far.
Judy
