Today's Enlightenment

I think I'm addicted to morn- reading about Mormons online. Kind of like porn, only I'm not in any way saying I look at porn or anything like unto it, morn just has the same addictive nature to it.

Today's morn is a menage a trois, that is to say "The Three Witnesses." I decided that if I am going to really find out if the Book of Mormon is true then I will take on Moroni's challenge and see what happens. I have read the Book of Mormon cover to cover probably three or four times in my life. I memorized all the scripture mastery verses and even lettered in seminary. To be honest though, I never earnestly knelt down to pray about it's truthfulness. I don't think at the time I needed or desired to. I already "knew" it was true. I didn't need to find out if it was or investigate it any further.

Today I opened my BOM to the very beginning where the introduction and witness accounts are found. I think in my previous readings I skipped over these parts just as one would skip over the preface of a textbook in college. Like an Oreo cookie the important stuff in in the middle right? Well apparently I missed the wholesome chocolaty goodness of the outer cookie! I read today the accounts of the three witnesses and then of the the eight witnesses to the BOM. After reading only what is written in those few paragraphs I wrote down a few questions I had.

1. Why were the first three witnesses shown the plates by an Angel, but the eight witnesses were actually shown the plates by Joseph Smith himself? What is the significance there?

2. Why were many of these men related to Joseph?

3. Was the Urim and Thummim that was used to translate the first pages of the BOM the same "seer stone" that some claim Joseph put in his hat to translate the rest of the BOM?

Well I googled my morn and found two differing articles discussing the witnesses to the BOM. The first is written in favor of the church http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=21 and the second not so much http://www.exmormon.org/file9.htm. Both articles make good points and I'm trying to remain as objective as possible while doing my research because my mom once told me not to believe everything I read (with the exception of the Book of Mormon).

My conclusions:

1. The first three witnesses were perhaps visited by an angel rather than shown the plates because they were in a different location at the time.

2. I'm still not sure if the three witnesses ever physically held and handled the plates. Some accounts say they did and others say that their witness was more visionary.

3. The second article I linked to states that 4 of the 8 witnesses only saw and held the plates covered in a cloth which I find interesting as the account written in the BOM lead me to believe they all actually saw the plates. I suppose that could be my own misinterpretation.

4. For whatever reason many of the witnesses ended up leaving the church at some point- some later returned other did not. The church's standpoint is that even though some left the church they never denied their testimony of the BOM.

5. There are differing opinions about the personal character of these eleven individuals.

6. The "seer stone" was not the same as the Urim and Thummim.

7. Many of the witnesses were related to Joseph probably because they were the ones who were in closest contact with him when he was translating.

All in all I am not sure that I am one bit clearer about whether the church or the BOM is true. Yea Verily.

Letter to Natalie

I recently discovered a blog written by Natalie R. Collins that has had me roaring with laughter and also contemplating church teachings. Tonight I wrote a letter to Natalie asking for advice on breaking away from the LDS church.

Natalie,

I found your blog recently when I was googling information about the LDS church. I am a born and bred Utah Mormon. What had me googling the Mormon Church was a recent yearning to find answers to questions regarding church history and other such things. When I started reading your blog I couldn’t stop. You had me rolling with laughter with your brutal honesty of the Mormon culture here in Utah. I have read nearly every entry from beginning to present. My husband even started worrying that I was having some kind of cyber love affair because I have been literally glued to the laptop for the last week.

My reason for contacting you is that I am curious to know more about how you left the church and how you were able to deal with your family not approving of you leaving. I ask this because through my research and pondering and praying my guts out for that burning in the bosom feeling I have found that perhaps what I have been taught to believe my whole life is false. I am scared shitless (literally I have made myself sick with worry and have had chronic diarrhea for weeks now- sorry TMI)! I don’t know how my family is going to take it when they find out. Luckily I have the support of my dear husband who started questioning years before I did and is willing to go on this journey with me. I have not even made my decision known to my bishop. In fact I even went to church today and taught a lesson to the 14 year-old Sunday school class. Luckily it was on Old Testament, but I did “forget” to teach the part of the lesson where Joseph, son of Jacob, was promised in the Joseph Smith translation of the bible that one of his descendents would be a “choice seer” of course referring to Joseph Smith himself. I did find it convenient that Joseph Smith was able to “correct” the bible to prophesy of himself, but this is all beside the point.

Do you have any words of advice on where to start with this journey? How do I keep positive relationships with my family while still standing by my beliefs? Again, I am scared to start breaking away, but I can’t continue to follow something that I don’t whole heartedly believe.

Thanks,

kjourney