Pride

Dear Readers,

I was inspired to write a little about pride today. I used to think that pride was defined as selfishness, being self involved, like the world revolves around the prideful, haughtiness, arrogance, or having a large ego,but through study, I have found that these are all symptoms of pride, just like jealousy, boasting and bragging.

I found, firstly, that the bible dictionary in the LDS scriptures does not include pride. It is left undefined. Then I came across chapter 18 Beware of Pride in our Teachings of the Presidents of the Church Ezra Taft Benson manual that,"The central feature of pride is enmity--emnity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means 'hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.' It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us."

This was brand new to me. Not only did I learn that my definition of pride had been wrong, but now I also had a diffinition for enmity.

 I began to ponder upon this, and found that it was true. When one is prideful, one thinks they are better than God, that they don't need God, and can even hate God. Also, when one is prideful, one thinks they are better than others, that they don't need others, and can even hate others.

Indeed, sometimes pride is against one's self. One can boast of a great feat because they are ashamed of other aspects in their life. Getting angry at someone, because of their good fortune, is in a mild form, jealousy, but is still routed in pride. One opposes other people because they have what one "deserves" or desires.

To simplify, Paul said concerning the prideful in Phillipians 2:21 "my will not thine be done." This goes for God and man. A boss wants someone to do something, and they don't like it. The individual's will contending against the boss, pride. An individual does not want to keep the Sabbath day holy. The individual's will contending against God, pride.

Sayings like, "I want what they have.", "I am better than you.", "I do what I want." These are all statements of pride. Pride is not a "friendly competition" but rather direct defiance.

If these are what pride is, how do we get rid of it. The remedy of pride is humility. Humility is being humble. You can be in humble circumstances, and yet still not be humble. Like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, he was nearly killed by his own father, scaring him for life, banished, hunted, and wanted dead or alive. He was even living in a modest abode with his grandfather, hiding who he is and was. Yet he was not allowing this chance to be humble sink in.

He was still prideful in his heart, until his heart was softened. One can even be in a state of grandeur and importance, having all the necessities and extravagance of life, and still be humble. Thus it works both ways.

What are some of the characteristics of humility? Compassion, a willingness to learn, to grow, and serve with charity (charity being the pure love of Christ) are just a few of these "fruits" of humility.

So, how is humility a remedy for pride? I will draw on Christ's parable in Matthew 9:16, "No man putteth a new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse."

I never quite understood this parable, until I was on my mission. In my first area, my first transfer (6 week period) I ripped a big hole in my pants. They were new pants, but they were behaving like old. Luckily, the mother of the house I was staying in was willing to patch it up. She sowed a large portion of "new cloth" under the rend, thus repairing it, or so we all thought. A week or two later, the pants ripped again, just this time, it was along the sown edge of the patch. I understood then, that the new fabric was being pulled from a stitch, and it did not have as much give as normal fabric has with itself. Thus, the rend was made incredibly worse. (below are not the actual pants, just a representation of patching and stitching)

Pride is the opposition, contention, or rending and tearing. It pulls apart and separates. If an individual simply tries to cover it up, or make visual repair, the "rend is made worse" and pride just becomes worse, and manifests in different ways.

Humility is the antidote because it is not repairing the problem. Humility removes the problem. This is why it takes repentance for us to be humble. or to have humility. The "re" in "repentance" means to go back, and start anew. Like having a whole new pair of pants. The pride, or rend, is no longer there, because you are a different person, or a new pair of pants.

In a similar way Zuko finally allowed humility and repentance to enter his heart. He realized he could not change the past, or fix everything he had done, but that he could start again. He, essentially, reinvented himself as a good person. Indeed, he went from being one of the antagonists to being one of the protagonists, or heroes.

In this way, humility heals pride. In closing, I would like to point out that, in my comparison with pants and tears, the rend of pride can return, and often does while we are here in mortality, but that does not mean that the remedy changes, or does it mean that if we have a some pride we cannot cover it up or repair it with a patch, it just means that ultimately, pride will need to be completely removed if we are to be completely whole again.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, and that it has gotten you thinking. Feel free to post any comments, I would love to read them.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Seed

Dear Readers,

I was watching Joel Osteen the other day, and he gave a sermon that got me thinking. He compared us, not the word of God like Alma does in Alma chapter 32 of the Book of Mormon, to the seed being planted.

In Joel's comparison, we are a seed, in our shell. If we stay where we are, on the surface, we do not progress. I would like to explore this more in depth. Being on the surface, we are exposed, driven with the wind, or our to-do-list, without any real meaning or purpose besides with dealing with this problem or that problem. Also, seeds on the surface are so much more prone to being eaten and gobbled up by the bird and other animals of the adversary.

But when the the seed is planted, other things change. Again, we are not the planter in this metaphor, we are the seed. God is the planter, and when He chooses to plant us, imagine what the seed can go through. It was on the ground, in the sun, possibly not alone, but surround by others. A false feeling of being safe. Now it is in the cold, moist ground. It is dark here. No light. Filled with loneliness. If this was the end of our state, then it would truly be horrible, but God, our Planter, has something better in mind.

After He plants us, He waters us and nourishes us, wanting us to grow, wanting us to use the blessings He gives us in faith to break out of our shell, and reach for the sunlight again. That we may sprout and gain root and begin to grow.

However, if we do not use these blessings He gives us, and just let the water soak us, it gives place to molds and rot. This should be used as a reminder and a warning. In Alma's parable, he points out that if the seed is good, it will grow, if it is bad, it should be plucked away. There is two indicators as to if the seed is bad. First, if the seed does not grow, even though it was watered and nourished. Therefore, do not think that you are a "bad seed" because you do not see yourself growing. At this stage, it is your choice whether or not to use the nourishment and blessings God gives you, and He will give you enough. If you are using it, but do not see yourself growing, that might just be because you are buried deeper than you think or wish,  but that also means that you are likely meant to be something bigger and stronger that you thought you were.

Thus, God is taking a chance with us. He knows us, He knows whether or not we are ready, and whether or not we can grow. Only if He thinks it will be worth His time, does He plant and nourish the seed. Then it is up to us. Do we allow the loneliness, despair and darkness to overwhelm us, and rot us away, or do we use it to break forth and become what we are meant to become. 

I may not have been buried alive before, but I know what it feels like to be buried alive by my emotions, by despair and loneliness. I think that everyone must go through this at some point in their lives, if only for the initial repentance process to come closer to Christ. This I know as well, there is hope, you can expect things to get better, because God does want things to get better for you. 

I am reminded of a quote by George E Carpenter: "Our only concern should be to do better than we did yesterday. Step-by-step is the law of growth. God does not expect the acorn be a mighty oak before it has been a sapling." After this first change of heart, this redemption from darkness, what are we to do with the light now shining on us? Grow and become better, stronger. God does not expect too much from us, just to do what we were made and designed to do, with the resources He has given us. 

I would now like to remind you, your roots are still in the dark. Remember, though you have the light now, it does not mean that the dark of night will not come, that despair will not come from time to time. Yet we need to remember, that it is only for a small moment, and do not let it consume us. Just because your roots, your anchor, your past, has been in the dark, it does not mean that it is holding you back. Indeed it makes you stronger. It makes it so that when the winds blow, and the floods roll, and the lightning strikes, you can still progress, still have life in you, and continue to grow. 

Just because life wears on you, and at times, seems like it is trying to kill you, don't let it. God has bigger, better plans for you. 

As again with the roots. Roots grow as well, and we need to let them. When the rough times come, we need to focus on growing our roots. Though they are still in darkness, if we build upon them, as a firm foundation, we can soar higher and higher. 

Once we have grown big and strong enough, that we can weather most of life's challenges, then what are we to do? We begin to produce fruit, with acts of service or love, words of kindness and compassion, things that benefit the lives of others, and not just our own, Or, as I left off earlier, there is the second example Alma gives of a "bad seed". This bad seed is one who produces bad fruit. This is also a choice, but made later in life. It is what you decide to do with your life, after you have established it. Thus, the good fruit is the good things you do, and the bad fruit, the bad things you do. 

As a reminder, trees bear fruit throughout their lives, usually after they mature a bit. Then, they start off with one or two fruit, and only produce more, after they grow a bit more. 

This brings us to the thing that distresses and troubles me the most. It usually brings me down the darkest of despairs. When the purging happens. In John 15:2 it says that "and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring for more fruit." In my life, when truly begin to feel like I am accomplishing something, doing something good, or well, that it is bearing fruit in my life, and I can rejoice with it.... it is taken away. God, our Planter, our Gardener, he purges our fruits from us, that they may be laid up in store for us, and for others to benefit from after this life. It has been the most heart wrenching thing I have gone through, and it has happened countless times throughout my mission, and my life. As long as I keep trying and bearing fruit, it will continue to happen to me. 

I expect that most of you, who read this, have felt the same, felt like right when you get a handle of things, everything falls apart. Try to remember that during these times, God is, almost saving the game, saving all that you have accomplished, to be magnified and multiplied hereafter, and with this moment of saving, we have the opportunity to produce "more fruit". He is so merciful in this way, though we may not always see it. 

Like the Mormon Message: The Will of God

God has plans for us. He know what He wants us to be. He knows how happy we can be, how much fruit we could have. We need to trust in Him, even if we are being pruned or purged. I have often enjoyed the old saying, "When God closes a door, He opens another one." Though, this is not very accurate. When God closes a door, He is allowing us to open another one. He does not open it for us, He may tell us which door to try, but ultimately, we have to open that door and walk through it. 

I hope that you have learned from this metaphor, or parable of the seed. I did not directly establish which kinds of seeds or plants each of us are, for God has different purposes and expectations for each of us. I just hope, that these general examples will help you keep your hope, grow your faith, and trust in God and His plan as your Planter and Gardener. Feel free to comment below, especially if anything I have said has inspired you.

Love,

Jacobugoth

Geography of the Book of Mormon

Dear Readers,

This is something that I have been confused about since I was in Lander, WY on my mission. I was raised believing that the Book of Mormon peoples were on both of the American Continents. 
I had a vague understanding that the Nephites were in North America, "The Land Northward" and the Lamanites were in South America, "The Land Southward". Thus meaning that the stories of the Book of Mormon all would have taken place in Central and North America, besides the un-precise geography of the missionary expeditions of Ammon and his brethren. 

Then, while watching a movie called, "DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography", I was introduced to a new concept, that the entirety of the Book of Mormon, and its people, were on the North American Continent. 

This was troubling for me. I felt like everything I knew or had imagined about the Nephites and Lamanites and their culture was wrong. Thus, it took me to my knees. I prayed for God to give me comfort concerning this matter, at least until after my mission, where I could study it out further.

Thus, I come to my creation of this post. What I shall show hereafter are some of the evidences I have found for and against different locations for the Book of Mormon to have taken place, ultimately summed up by my own belief, after having weighed geography, anthropology/archaeology, scripture, and revelation together.

First of all, I will mention the actual DNA truths that the movie pointed out. I have confirmed these quotes with their sources.


"Science" 2 January 1998: Vol 279 no 5347 pp 28-29
Calibrating the Mitochondrial Clock by Ann Gibbons

"Regardless of the cause, evolutionists are most concerned about the effect of a faster mutation rate. For example, researchers have calculated that “mitochondrial Eve”—the woman whose mtDNA was ancestral to that in all living people—lived 100,000 to 200,000 years ago in Africa. Using the new clock, she would be a mere 6000 years old.

No one thinks that's the case, but at what point should models switch from one mtDNA time zone to the other? “I'm worried that people who are looking at very recent events, such as the peopling of Europe, are ignoring this problem,” says Laurent Excoffier, a population geneticist at the University of Geneva."

Mitochondrial Eve: The Plot Thickens
Trends in Ecology and Evolution (tree) vol 12 issue 11 November 1997 p 422-423
"They sequenced 610 base pairs of 197 individuals from 134 independent mtDNA lineages...and found...such a high mutation rate would indicate that Eve lived about 6500 years ago - a figure clearly incompatible with current theories on human origins."

This is further proof that the Bible is correct, and adds evidence to creation, rather than evolution.

The movie goes on to mention that part of why Rob Meldrum created this presentation, was because of a study conducted that had the results of the American Indians, especially in South and Central America, having Asian ancestry. In conducting his own research inquiry, he discovered these references. 


"Science" vol. 280, 24/04/1998, p. 520
Genes May Link Ancient Eurasians, Native Americans
"Anthropologists have long assumed that the first Americans, who crossed into North America by way of the Bering Straight, were originally of Asian stock. But recently they have been puzzled by surprising features on a handful of ancient American skeletons, features that resemble those of Europeans rather than Asians,"
"The new data, from a genetic marker called Lineage X, suggest a 'definite--if ancient---link between Eurasians and Native Americans,' says Theordore Schurr, a molecular anthropologist from Emory University in Atlanta..."
"Now a new genetic study may link Native Americans and people of Europe and the Middle East..."

"Science" vol. 280, 24/04/1998, p. 520
Genes May Link Ancient Eurasians, Native Americans
"Haplogroup X was different... They analyzed blood samples from Native American, European, and Asian populations and reviewed published studies. 'We fully expected to find it [Haplogroup X] in Asia", like the four other Native American markers, says Brown."
"To their surprise, however, haplogroup X was only confirmed in the genes of a smattering of living people in Europe and Asia Minor, including Italians, Finns, and certain Israelis."

Distribution of mtDNA Haplogroup X among Native North Americans
Amerian Journal of Physical Anthropology 110:271-284 1999
"Curiously, haplogroup X is found in modern populations of Europe and Southwest Asia but not in those of Central Siberia, which is now regarded as the source of the peopling of the New World."

Haplogroup X has been confirmed to be an ancient haplogroup, because of its relations to several different peoples related by genetics, but not related in language. This is deduced because of how  languages change over time when groups are separated regionally. 

All of this helps prove that not only are there "Native Americans" or more accurately "American Indians" that have genes tying them back to Israel and European heritage, but that the Book of Mormon is correct in its cooperation with the Bible and the truths contained therein. 

To further prove this, the Prophet Joseph Smith called missionaries in Doctrine and Covenants 28:8, to preach the gospel to the "Lamanites". Those individuals served missions in the Ohio reservations. Having mentioned to you, my readers, the DNA evidences, which have yet to be explained through regular migration means, such as the Bering Straight, could in all likely hood, be the result of boat transportation by Lehi and his family.

Now that I have discussed some things that I could not actually prove or discern from just reading the Book of Mormon, I will begin by how Lehi left Jerusalem.

In 1 Nephi 2:4-5, Lehi departs from Jerusalem, with his family, into the wilderness, near the shore of the Red Sea. Below is the "possible route" that the Book of Mormon Institute Manual has.

This course is then fairly confirmed by an article in the February 2001 Ensign: news of the Church: LDS Scene which states: "Book of Mormon linked to Site in Yemen. A group of Latter-day Saint researchers recently found evidence linking a site in Yemen, on the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula, to a name associated with Lehi’s journey as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Warren Aston, Lynn Hilton, and Gregory Witt located a stone altar that professional archaeologists dated to at least 700 B.C. This altar contains an inscription confirming “Nahom” as an actual place that existed in the peninsula before the time of Lehi. The Book of Mormon mentions that “Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called Nahom” (1 Ne. 16:34).

This is the first archaeological find that supports a Book of Mormon place-name other than Jerusalem or the Red Sea, says Brother Witt. "

Thus, with the path fairly confirmed, there is now the means of transportation. Now, the boat was not made after the workmanship of man, but after the design of God. This would mean more function, stability and be very close to the ships that Columbus used with their harnessing of wind. Thus with the world wind currents (below)

The ship would have been propelled by the wind roughly the entire way. Especially with a compass like device such as the Liahona, they would have been able to steer. (1 Nephi 16:10) This course also would take the ship right through the area where storms are formed, near Morocco and Portugal, that can create the hurricanes which devastate the east coast. A ship designed by God would withstand such a storm, while have the people on board severely afraid for their lives. (1 Nephi 18:13)

So, if this is the verified beginning, what about the verified end? We know that both groups of people, the Nephites and the Jaredites, were wiped out at a place called the Hill Cumorah,(Mormon6:4) or Hill Ramah (Ether 15:11), respectively. This is the same hill that Joseph Smith claimed that he received the gold plates (The Book of Mormon) from, being buried under a rock. He did this in upstate New York. This would mean that the Hill Cumorah is roughly here, by the great lakes. (see below)

I found and wonderful website: http://www.mormongeography.com/
A new model for the Book of Mormon Geography
By James Lee Warr
On this site, Mr. Warr takes great effort to prove the geography of the Book of Mormon in Central America, with the landing and etc. Which I was very appreciative of. Sadly, if such a place was the scene of the Book of Mormon, he placed the Hill Cumorah in Cerro San Gil, Guatemala. (See Below)

Thus, it would be like proving the geography of the Book of Mormon by disproving its origin, meaning, the plates being found in upstate New York.
Not to mention the narrow neck of land. In Alma 22:32, it describes this neck of land being a day and a half's journey. Nowhere in Central America is there a narrow enough stretch of land. Panama itself is 40 miles wide, and filled with mountains and forest. In the past, I had dismissed this by saying that this was before Christ's death, and that the mountain range was formed during all of that destruction. This would be true, if it was Aaron who actually recorded this. Instead, it is a written account, that was later abridged by Mormon. Thus it has Mormon's insights and clarity after the destruction at Christ's death.

This means that the purposed stretch of land, from the DNA movie is the next best bet.

I found an amusing website :http://www.bookofmormonpromisedland.com/Walk%20the%20Walk.htm which has the statement/story of a gentleman who actually walked this purposed line along Bountiful in a day and a half.

Thus, we have proven that my old theory of the Book of Mormon's landscape was quite false. Yet, the purpose of learning about the geography of the Book of Mormon was to help grow a firmer testimony of it and the message it holds. So let us continue.

When Lehi and his family landed, they traveled many days into the wilderness. If they landed in the gulf of Mexico, as depicted above, it is a very marshy, swampy, quagmire area. They would need to travel inland to find a good place to camp, thus the Land of Nephi. Also, it is important to note the use of tents (Mosiah 2:6), very similar to the American Indian teepee.

Here they also built wood buildings, including a temple modeled after Solomon's Temple (2 Nephi 5:16), only not as extravagant. They also made use of gold, silver and precious ores. There were also goats and horses. (1 Nephi 18:25) Now, there are wild goats all over North America. They prefer the mountains, because otherwise they fell prey too easily to the predators. 

The horses are quite controversial. Many archaeologists are confident in the fact that horses were not introduced into America until Columbus's time. However, as the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron indicated so well, the horses thrived in the wild. In the Book of Mormon Institute Manual chapter 5 we find, "There was controversy regarding horses in the Western Hemisphere before Columbus arrived. However, modern archaeological discoveries have shed new light on the subject: “‘Fossil remains of true horses, differing but very slightly from the smaller and inferior breeds of those now existing, are found abundantly in deposits of the most recent geological age, in almost every part of America, from Escholz Bay in the north to Patagonia in the South. In that continent however, they became quite extinct, and no horses, either wild or domesticated, existed there at the time of the Spanish conquest, which is the most remarkable as, when introduced from Europe the horses that ran wild proved by their rapid multiplication in the plains of South America and Texas that the climate, food, and other circumstances were highly favorable for their existence."

Next, in Doctrine and Covenants 125:3 Joseph Smith calls the land on the other side of the river from Nauvoo, Zarahemla. This puts Zarahemla here (see below) across the River Sidon, or Buffalo Creek as we know it today. This is directionally confirmed by Alma 6:7, in which Zarahemla is on the west side of the river. 

Another city to mention is the City of Lehi. In Alma 50:15, it is described as being built after a "particular manner" which was "north by the borders of the seashore". Reasonable comparison can be drawn with the ruins of the city in East Fork Works Clermont County, Ohio.

Now, it is obviously not on the seashore of one of the great lakes, but it is on the seashore of a lake, William H. Harsha Lake. There is no doubt that it is made after a "particular manner" with references to a menorah, an oil lamp, and some other symbols found in the Holy Temple. 

This city, as well as countless others found in this area, are built with mounds of earth, and were build by those who were called the "Mound Builders".

The Ojibwa Indians, located by the Great Lakes, wear turbans, and are considered the "Mound Builders". 

Zelph Mound Account: History of the Church vol 2:79-80 Joseph Smith, during the Zion's Camp march, said:
"During our travels we visited several of the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country--Nephites, Lamanites, etc., and this morning I went up on a high mound, near the river, accompanies by the brethren. From this mound we could overlook the tops of the trees and view the prairie on each side of the river as far as our vision could extend, and the scenery was truly delightful. 

On the top of the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars having been erected one above the other, according to the ancient order; and the remains of bones were strewn over the surface of the ground. The brethren procured a shovel and a hoe, and removing the earth to the depth of about one foot, discovered the skeleton of a man, almost entire, and between his ribs the stone point of a Lamanitish arrow, which evidently produced his death. Elder Burr Riggs retained the arrow. The contemplation of the scenery around us produced peculiar sensations in our bosoms; and subsequently the visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton we had seen was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the eastern sea to the Rocky mountains. The curse was taken from Zelph, or, at least, in part--one of his thigh bones was broken by a stone flung from a sling, while in battle, years before his death. He was killed in battle by the arrow found among his ribs, during a great struggle with the Lamanites."


Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes can easily be considered seas, especially when taken in the Jewish idea of sea. Comparing Red Sea, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee. There are places on Lake Ontario where you cannot see the other side. 

In Helaman 3:8, it says, "...from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east." Thus attributing the rest of the great lakes, and no other lake, sea, or ocean formations in such cardinal placements are found in the Americas.

Another memorable body of water was the "waters of Mormon". (Mosiah 18:5) Which had a "fountain of pure water", that was large enough to gather a group of 204 people around and baptize them. (Mosiah 18:16) Brother Meldrum speculates that this fountain is located at Big Springs Missouri. I am inclined to agree with him because of the clearness of the water, and the amount of water that pours out of that spring. I think that it was roughly between 200-800 gallons of water per day.

Not to mention, the scriptures talk about places to hide. There are even remnants of ancient stairs here.

Next, when Christ died, cities were destroyed by fire (3 Nephi 8:8).
Stones don't burn, like this Mayan temple.

 But the wood houses in North America burn. Like this longhouse.

People were taken up in whirlwinds (3 Nephi 8:16). Like a tornado

Are most abundantly found in this region. Tornado Alley.

There are also references to the use of cement by the Nephites (Helaman 3:7). Amazing how the pueblo resembles cement work.

Then there is the majestic buffalo. I had the opportunity to see a few on my mission in Montana. They migrate, from the north, and are found mostly on the west side of the Mississippi. Thus, they are likely some of the "wild beasts" that the Book of Mormon talks about, also including deer, elk, and moose. I will quickly mention the "Cureloms and the Cumoms" (Ether 9:19) are possibly buffalo, because I am not sure if Joseph Smith knew what a buffalo was called, and possibly the mastodon. Considering both of these were well before the Nephites and the Lamanites.

Also, the buffalo have helped to prove that bodies left un-buried disappear and dissolve into dust. 60 million buffalo were slaughtered on the plains, and their bodies have easily disintegrated in a mere 200 years, let alone the bodies of humans from 400 A.D.

Yet, within the fore mentioned mounds of dirt, there are bodies and artifacts.
Including head plates of copper (Alma 43:38)

breast plates of copper.

I realize that what is shown above is not what most of us view as a breastplate. I usually think of medieval knight suit of armor breastplates. This, however, is more like the breastplates that Israel used, form example, the breastplate of Judgment in the tabernacle/temple

arrowheads of both copper and stone (Alma 49:2)

There has also been some controversy over the terms of metals such as "steel" and "brass". For brass, the term bronze was not used until much later and began in England, as reference to a special type of copper tin alloy. The the Book of Mormon, and even Biblical "brass" could also mean bronze, or just a copper tin alloy. 

As for "steel". Book of Mormon Institute Manual Chapter 5 says this. "One commentator explained the use of steel in theBook of Mormon: “The overall question of the use of metals by Book of Mormon cultures is an important topic that deserves detailed attention [see John Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (1985), 277–88]. … There are five explicit references to metal weapons and armor in the Book of Mormon. Two are references to Near East weapons: ‘the blade [of Laban’s sword] was of the most precious steel’ (1 Nephi 4:9), and Nephi’s bow was made of ‘fine steel’ (1 Nephi 16:18). The existence of steel (that is, carburized iron) weapons in the Near East in the early sixth century B.C. has been clearly demonstrated. Robert Maddin writes, ‘To sum up, by the beginning of the seventh century B.C. at the latest, the blacksmiths of the eastern Mediterranean had mastered two of the processes that make iron a useful material for tools and weapons: carburizing and quenching’ [“How the Iron Age Began,” Scientific American, Oct. 1977: 131]” (William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill, “Swords in the Book of Mormon,” inWarfare in the Book of Mormon, ed. Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin [1990], 345–46)." 

There were parts of the middle east that were using steel. Lehi, being a "merchant or smith with ties to Egypt" (http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Lehi), would have easily gotten or made a steel bow for Nephi, and Laban being such a person of nobility could have obtained a sword of steel, either by purchase, or by stealing, as he was so prone to do (1 Nephi 3:26). 

There were also several such remains and artifacts that have been discovered in New York.


Antiquities of the State of New York p 100
"...the area was a depository of the dead. It was a pit excavated to the depth of four or five feet, filled with human bones,... Hundred seem to have been thrown in promiscuously, of both sexes and all ages. Numberous barbs or arrow-points were found among the bones and in the vicinity."

Antiquities of the State of New York p 144
"In excavating the canal through the bank... another burial-place was disclosed, evidently more ancient, for the bones crumbled to pieces almost immediately upon exposure to the air,... The number of skeletons are represented to have been countless..."

Also, the American Indians, more than those located in South and Central America, wore the notorious Lamanite loincloth.(Alma 3:5) 

Lastly, I would like to mention, that I was not entirely wrong with my original understanding. My perception was dictated on the possibility of the Lamanites spreading and doing all kinds of things down in South America. Due to those original DNA findings, of those people being of Asian decent, it is likely that the Lamanites found the tribes of Asians that did cross over, either by the Bering Straight or by other means, and had relations with them. This would also account for the Lamanites always having superior numbers when fighting the Nephites (Alm 43:51). Thus I was partly right, that the Lamanites had mingled, at least in part, to the point of being on Central and South America.

I hope that you have enjoyed both my research, and the way in which I have presented it. The facts, the scriptures, and the revelations have convinced me on the Book of Mormon's geography, and I hope that you too find that it strengthens your testimony. As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment them below.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Reincarnation

Dear Readers,

I felt impressed that I needed to write a post about my beliefs and understand of reincarnation. From what i understand, reincarnation is the spirit of an individual being born into a different body after the body dies, and the nature of the new body, whether human, animal, or other, is the result of that individual's choices in this life. Thwn, with a new kife and a new body, the cycle starts again.

I remember, on my mission, that I was teaching and wonderful woman and her husband about the Plan of Salvation. The Plan of Salvation, also called the Plan of Happiness, is God's plan for us to return to Him. Various steps, points, or principles of this plan include: pre-mortal life, the creation of the world, Adam and Eve and their fall from grace, our earth life, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, death, the spirit world: including paradise and prison, resurrection judgement and immortality, and finally the three degrees of glory: Celestial, terrestrial, and telestial.

I do not recall at which point the sister made her comment, but she roughly said, "What is your church's standing on reincarnation?" This question took me by surprise, I had only been on my mission for about 12 months, and never before had anyone asked about reincarnation. So, my companion and I took a quick breather, and the Spirit instructed me to ask her a question, "Are you asking because this is a belief you have?" She confirmed that it was. Then I asked, "Do you believe in reincarnation because of experiences you have had?"

She then proceeded to tell me about how she had always had a love of mountains, and has memories of being on mountains she has never been to before. She also has memories of a woman dressed in red, in the West, like a bordello harlot.

I had no idea what to say. I have not had any experiences myself like that. The only similarity is that I always loved monsters and creatures. From as far as my parents and I can remember, even to the present day, I still love monsters. This did not help me answer her initial question, but it allowed the Holy Ghost to work through me and testify to all of us in the room of a truth. In our pre-mortal life, not all of us having been born at the same time, come to the earth to be born at different times. After the creation of the world, what do our spirits do while waiting to be born in the flesh? Do they just sit there and do nothing, or do they accumulate intelligence? Not just learning from God, but what about likes and dislikes?

This is what the Spirit testified to us, that our very spirits have personalities, that her spirit likely either helped with the creation of mountains, or at least visited them in her pre-mortal life. This is where she gained her love for them and their beauty, and God saw fit to allow some of those pre-mortal memories to seep through the veil.

As for the harlot in red, she could have been an ancestor in the flesh, which this sister's spirit visited, either for support or just to learn what trials she might face in mortality. Another possibility, is that the harlot's spirit was a dear friend of her's in the pre-mortal life, and that she was looking out for her friend.

These answers satisfied her inquiry and helped her understand that though reincarnation is false doctrine, it does not mean that the reasons the doctrine was created are not true.

This answer helped me in a later situation. It was roughly 6 months later. My companion and I were teaching a less active member and his non member, investigating housemate. Again, we were teaching the Plan of Salvation, and the member mentioned how the cycle then repeats for reincarnation. First, we tried to emphasize that the kingdoms, or degrees of glory, are a final place estate after the resurrection. Then, again perceiving that there was a reason behind his belief, I asked him if he has had experiences that have lead him to believe in reincarnation. He said yes, then I said that from what I have come to understand, memories of past events that have never happened to us in this life, are memories we got to keep from our pre-mortal lives, as we went for learning and growing. I was surprised at how quickly he agreed with me, because he said, I understand now, I felt the Spirit tell me that what you said is true. All the while, the investigator had been actually on the missionaries' side, not having a belief in reincarnation.

My main point is, that the doctrine or belief of reincarnation was derived and developed because of these memories that religious leaders could not understand or explain in any other way. Since the truth has been restored through Joseph Smith and modern revelation, we can see clearly now, and have acceptance, and even appreciation for these memories, or personality traits.

Having said that, I would like to address the growing disillusionment, or clarity behind the doctrine of reincarnation.

I enjoy many shows, including Avatar: the Last Airbender. In this cartoon, Aang, the Avatar, is a "reincarnation" of Avatars from the past. He, being able to communicate through the spirit world, is able to talk to his past selves. Something I found intriguing was that they were each individuals. They had their own personality, their own morals and values, and most importantly, their own lives lived. This leads me to believe that part of this doctrine it is not spirits that are reincarnated into bodies, from one life to a next, but rather, some power choosing or following a life. In the case of this show, it is like the Avatar power is born again, or more accurately, given, to an individual in each generation, after the current Avatar passes on. Then this power acts like a tie or bond between the different spirits who had used that power while in mortality, keeping them close.

I have speculated/compared the very bending powers in the Avatar show, to the priesthood. Having some authority that allows one to command the very elements to obey. Then there is the mantle of the priesthood, with the keys to the administrations thereof, which are passed down from Prophet of God to Prophet of God. This reminds me of what it means to be the Avatar. Are not the Prophets of old tied to those who have lead us in these latter days? Did they not hold the same power? Is not that a bond that connects them through space and time? Evidence of this would be the example of shortly after Joseph Smith's death, the members of the church did not know who the next Prophet should be, so they had members of the 12 Apostles speak. When President Brigham Young stood up and spoke, he spoke with Joseph Smith's voice and appearance. How could this be, unless the Prophet Joseph Smith's spirit had been with Brigham Young?

The idea of a power or influence bonding with someone else what recently re-emphasized to me while watching Naruto Shippuden. There were two brothers who fought and caused a great war. Their ideas and traits were "reincarnated" at least twice. One brother having his power come from friends, the other from inherit power within himself. Their powers, preserved in what the show calls chakra, which is essentially spirit energy and energy from the body being molded together, latches on to individuals who possess those same traits. Somewhat influencing the individual to nurture and focus on those traits.

This pointed out to me that it is not the same spirit, just in a new body, but residual effects or powers from the past being used again.

Lastly, in the X-files tv series, Maulder runs into a lady with multiple personality disorder, who "turns out" to just retain memories and personalities of past incarnations. Maulder has one as well who had been very close to one of hers. Then the show taught that these spirits group together with other spirits they are familiar or close with.

This reminded me of some episodes of Charmed that were very similar. However, with the knowledge of reincarnation being false, how would this kind of behavior be explained. For me, it was the key in the X-files philosophy, that the spirits group around those they are familiar with. What if those "past selves" are just spirits who have attached themselves, like the chakra from Naruto, to an individual. Thus, reliving vicariously through that individual, those things that were meaningful or profound to them. Two spirits in love choose two passionate lovers to be reciprocals of their love. Two brothers fighting choose two brothers, or close friends, and re-experience their hate.

After writing that, I cannot help but make the comparison to Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural. They are two brothers who do not get along a lot of the time. One follows their father blindly, and the other rebels. This was used as an explanation/example of Michael the Archangel and Lucifer the Son of the Morning. Their Father was God, and Lucifer rebelled. They, in this show, as spirit/graceful beings wanted to possess Sam and Dean's bodies to reenact their fight on earth and perform the battle of Armageddon. Thus again, beings or powers choosing people of like character or circumstance to be vessels for them.

To reiterate for the last time, there are three possibilities as to why reincarnation is a false doctrine. First, and having been testified of on two occasions by the Holy Ghost, is that some of us have memories from our pre-mortal life. Second, mostly my own reasoning using the truth I know and the depictions presented me, that reincarnation is power of the past, almost like priesthood power, Third, again my own speculation, that spirits of the past haunt, posses, or just tag along with us during mortality.

The only time that "reincarnation" would be truth, as defined as a spirit receiving a new body after death that may be different from the old and comes as a result of one's choices in this life, would be with the resurrection. For there are bodies celestial, terrestrial, and telestial, all differing in glory because of the judgment (Doctrine and Covenants 76). Then, and only then, does it meet the criteria, but it does not cycle through again.

As for me, and what I truly believe, and not just speculate or theorize, is that in most cases, these experiences are memories of the pre-mortal life. Unless I have a reason to gain further light and knowledge beyond this, I rest.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, and feel free to comment any ideas or understanding you have on this subject. For or against what I have talked about. Even if you believe in reincarnation and just want to bear your testimony of it, feel free to do so.

Love,
Jacobugoth