REL A 275 Wilcox Exam Study Guide

REL A 275 Wilcox Exam Study Guide Most important focus when presenting BoM? - The person we are giving it to. Thank them, give short genuine testimony, be specific about what the BoM means to us. Main purpose outlined on title page? - 1. show great things Lord has done 2. Know covenants of the Lord nce all that Jesus is the Christ 4. That we may be found spotless Main purpose restated on last page? - 1. remember how merciful the Lord hath been 2. that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee 3. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him 4. that ye become holy, without spot. Reason for "and thus we see" - Repetition helped emphasize the main points What was taken out of the Bible? - The covenants (baptism and temple ordinances) that are in the BoM perspective of those who postpone making covenants for fear of breaking them - They think that it is better to wait or to not make covenants because the consequences will be worse if they make them than if they do not. Appropriate response when people say LDS worship different Jesus - We know him better because we have the BoM, the temple, testimony from prophets, etc. so we have a bigger window to see Christ out of and we can see him more clearly. Reasons LDS believe in Christ - We have felt him in our lives. We know him because we have a strong, deep foundation from things like the BoM, prophets, the temple, etc. Reason for division btw 3 and 8 witnesses - 3 witnesses-- Spiritual (angels) 8 witnesses-- Physical (what they are made of, pages, engravings) Purpose for God requiring faith before sending witness - Having faith before seeing the physical thing make seeing the physical thing have meaning Shows our trust in God Three main categories of evidence - geography other texts ? Response to those who say witnesses were hypnotized - People who are hypnotized do not remember what happened while hypnotized ?? Significance of witnesses staying true to their testimonies despite apostasy - They could not deny what they had seen because God knew what they had seen. They would be condemned if they did Those to whom Nephi bore an everlasting farewell (2 Nephi 33:14) - To his people as instruction for them (we are part of those people he is talking about) Reason Nephi keep additional set of plate (1 Nephi 19:3) - 1. for a wise purpose (Martin Harris losing 116 pages) 2. instruction for his people Significance of phrase "and it came to pass" - This was a way to start a new paragraph This meant they were taking about the past not the present Effect of president Benson's emphasis on the BoM on # of verses quoted in conference - The BoM was quoted twice as much after this Most cited verse in conference in last 50 years - 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. Prophetic themes revealed in the most cited BoM verses in conference - 1. Becoming like Christ (He came to show us this) 2. How de we become like Christ? 3. Big picture (Why obey?) How we make a mockery of the plan of redemption (Jacob 6:8) - Jacon 6:8 Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you? Theological dilemma avoided by knowing God had us - God had all of us, he didn't create us. There is evil in the world, but did God create evil? **No, God did not create evil, he had the devil and the devil is evil.