tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84426282024-03-13T09:37:01.552-06:00Straight and Narrow Blog". . . it is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning. If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, it is a hard matter to get right."
-- Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, Ill. April 7, 1844Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-58835581589055652102021-09-14T22:22:00.000-06:002021-09-14T22:22:20.871-06:00Taking the Stone Out of the Hat Part 3: Rescuing the Urim and ThummimThe history behind The Book of Mormon translation is based on the written record. Who writes the history and what they have to say has a strong impact on how the events are understood. The Urim and Thummim found with the gold plates has a lot of evidence, where the stone in the hat a few strong statements. It is assumed that history comes fully formed in a textbook or what was written by an Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-3534272034973198772021-09-05T22:14:00.005-06:002021-09-05T22:41:02.079-06:00Taking the Stone Out of the Hat Part 2: A Convenient InconsistencyChallenging the stone in the hat translation story can be difficult for those unfamiliar with the documents. For every quote supporting the Urim and Thummim as the only instrument used to translate the golden plates, some other quote will be used to justify the stone as at least a companion tool. Anyone with access to the documents will, with time, realize how confusing the whole becomes. These Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-15412202222119916312021-08-24T23:58:00.004-06:002021-08-25T17:37:07.147-06:00The BYU Institutions Need a Change of DirectionSpiritual and Academic problems at "The Lord's University" have slowly escalated over the years. All Brigham Young University schools became full of the World and less of the Spirit. The original mission to educate the Saints while committing to Spiritual development seems less equal. Worldly education has drastically overtaken teaching by the Spirit in each classroom. The places that should be aJettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-64444500653452684352021-08-16T00:25:00.008-06:002021-09-01T19:33:42.255-06:00Taking the Stone Out of the HatFor several generations the story of how the Book of Mormon came about was taught the same way as Joseph Smith presented the translation. He was worried about religion and decided to pray for answers. A vision of the Lord and God appeared and instructed him not to join any church, but remain worthy of more knowledge. A short time later while again praying to know his standing with the Lord, an Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-81015262965904923942015-12-27T15:54:00.000-07:002015-12-27T15:55:43.119-07:00Church History in Pictures: Translation of a BookAfter Joseph Smith was visited by the Angel Moroni, he was told to go to a hill where he would find a record of an ancient American civilization. He at first worked the farm with his father without mentioning the vision, but related it to his father when exhibiting physical weakness. Trusting in the vision, Joseph Smith Jr's father told him to find the place located on what would later be Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-71334940879963125972015-12-06T15:53:00.003-07:002015-12-06T16:32:09.710-07:00Church History in Pictures: Visions from HeavenThe first years of Joseph Smith Jr.'s life was not very eventful. His mother in her own recollections states he lived like any other youth. The most noteworthy events for several years was constant moving to new locations.
From the LDS institute textbook Church History in the Fullness of Times Student Manual second chapter:
During Joseph Smith’s earliest years, his family moved Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-71912366855403122142015-10-24T15:47:00.001-06:002015-10-24T15:47:40.097-06:00Church History in Pictures: Birthplace of Joseph SmithThought of doing a project where I present places of LDS Church history in pictures. This post will focus on the Birthplace of Joseph Smith Jr. He was born on Dec. 23, 1805 on the town line of Sharon and Royalton, Vermont. A white granite obelisk marks the general area of his birth as a memorial.
The monument is 38 and a half feet tall for every year of the Prophet Joseph Smith's life. NearbyJettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-61894071137725156992015-10-04T21:19:00.001-06:002015-10-04T21:28:25.356-06:00My "Favorite" General Conference ApostlesAll of the General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are important witnesses of the Savior Jesus Christ. Many people have a "favorite" they like to listen to and get the most out of their talks. Over the years there are some that I also seem to pay attention to more than the others as personal preference. This post will list those Apostles of the Lord, briefly commentJettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-83922038366979348742015-09-20T13:32:00.001-06:002015-09-20T13:32:09.664-06:00The Stone in the Hat and the Miracle of Translation
“You find magic wherever you look. sit back and relax. all you need is a book”
- Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat
"Oh, Man will fly all right - ho-ho-ho! - just like a rock."
- Archimedes the Owl from Disney's Sword in the Stone
What can I say? I was, apparently, lied to by whoever I can point a finger at as responsible. Artistic renderings, Sunday School lessons, General Conference talks, Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-85753923144942232542015-02-22T20:06:00.000-07:002015-02-22T20:08:33.901-07:00What the LDS Church Really Says about Reading Anti-Mormon LiteratureThose members less inclined to know the history of the LDS Church, especially the more complicated parts, express concerns that they were told to keep away from reading non-faithful material. They claim to have been taught to always turn to Church sanctioned material only and avoid non or anti-Mormon literature. No doubt there has been warnings of the harmful effects of the less than official Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-36568000603596413552014-10-05T07:38:00.000-06:002014-10-05T07:42:37.638-06:00Out of Darkness and Into LightPondering death can be tricky. There are several emotions that are involved with the thoughts, from hope of an afterlife to the fear of pain and suffering. Hearing about a person who took their own life, was killed by actions that could have been avoided, accidents and disease, or at the hands of another is always unpleasant. The saying, "they are resting and in a better place," can be slightly Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-24738551988304377382014-07-06T06:47:00.002-06:002014-07-06T06:47:28.145-06:00I Don't Wear White Dress Shirts... that often. They just don't appeal to or look good on me. How far back this aesthetic concern goes in my life I am not sure. Perhaps its only as recently in my life timeline as returning from my mission. Every day from dusk until dawn a missionary wears white shirts and ties, if not suits, as a servant of the Lord. Like any uniform, after the official reason for its use ends it feels good toJettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-6104052927639960402014-04-19T00:31:00.000-06:002014-04-19T00:31:25.281-06:00Easter Messages from LDS Prophets
"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. But in connection with these, we believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost, the power of faith, the enjoyment of the Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-59211904052848173272014-04-06T10:28:00.000-06:002014-04-06T10:28:57.292-06:00The Story of Noah and the ScripturesEveryone is talking about the new Noah movie, wondering if its better described as anti-Christian or pure entertainment. The movie collector of critical ratings Rotten Tomatoes has it in the mid 70 percent for critics and in the 40 percent for viewers. The box office has mixed audience result with a respectable showing of over $40 million during the opening weekend. Movies might give promise withJettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-2692473058995512842014-01-25T07:45:00.000-07:002014-01-25T07:47:10.653-07:00Jesus in the Modern WorldIn the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was praying alone with his Disciples when he asked what people thought of him. They answered according to Matt 16:14, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets," with Luke 9:19 adding he might be, "one of the old prophets [who] is risen again." He then asked what they thought, and one Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-74049698292106941982013-11-03T14:47:00.002-07:002013-11-03T14:53:13.854-07:00Church History in the 1970s Ensign MagazineAlthough known as mostly a spiritual devotional magazine for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members, the Ensign has published important and interesting history articles. Some years contain a handful of material while others are full of them. It seems to depend on what scriptures are studied during a cycle. The collection here is not comprehensive, with many regional and Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-37328173295480220242013-10-11T23:25:00.000-06:002013-10-11T23:28:08.527-06:00Mormon Rock Music FestivalThe number of Mormons in the rock music industry has grown over the years, with some of the best music coming from bands that have them as leads. I started to daydream of getting my favorites together for a music festival. Of course, I don't have any money or connections to make such a thing happen. The next best thing is to gather live performances from the Internet and collect them under one Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-50978492342859531562013-04-27T06:00:00.000-06:002013-04-27T06:00:34.006-06:00Marriage and Children, a Commandment of GodP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }
The
topic continues to come up what is the roles of men and women in the
Church. It is a subject that many feel passionately about one way or
another. Since the family is the basic unit then discussion should
start there. Generally both genders are commanded to get married and
have children as shared responsibilities. It is the first role of any
Church member to Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-2089591422006226302013-04-06T06:36:00.003-06:002013-04-06T06:36:42.690-06:00Shroud of Turin: Easter Relic
Spring slowly arriving brings Easter, a remembrance of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was slain for the sins of the world and came back to life so that all could be saved. Christians everywhere this time of year commemorate the occasion when sin and death were conquered by the love of God who watched His only Son suffer and die so that all may live. The Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-79397595944028864872013-03-23T09:31:00.000-06:002013-03-23T09:31:03.050-06:00Jackson County Missouri and the Garden of EdenDo you believe that the Garden of Eden was located in Jackson County Missouri?
No I don't. Although there have been eyewitness reports and some statements by Church Presidents, most of what they say is unsubstantiated. The men were honest enough in explaining that Joseph Smith talked about stones as alters Adam made after expulsion from the Garden. Still, the only official and Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-69168926931082939842013-02-03T13:00:00.002-07:002013-02-03T13:00:19.720-07:00Suggestions for Giving a Good Sacrament TalkHaving finished partaking of bread and water in memory of the Savior's atoning sacrifice, a young man walks up to the podium. He pulls out notes copied by printer from information found on the LDS Church website. Nervously he clears his throat and prepares to face a group of people familiar to him, but often no more than acquaintances. He puts on a smile to cover true feelings of discomfort.
"Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-20503980981681558172013-01-21T21:23:00.001-07:002013-01-21T21:26:41.396-07:00Mormonism: Scrutinized, but Not UnderstoodAfter Romney lost the Presidency I thought most major reporting on Mormonism would be gone. For the most part it is, but there were a few last shots left. One came from NPR called Mormonism: A Scrutinized, Yet Evolving Faiththat seemed to continue the misunderstandings and mistakes. Most of it is arguable at best.
Despite going to the trouble of quoting three Mormons who should know better, Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-35328323112841790602012-12-17T22:00:00.001-07:002012-12-17T22:05:25.647-07:00A Very Merry Mormon Video ChristmasHere is a celebration of Christmas with LDS Videos. Enjoy!
An Angel Foretells Christ's Birth to Mary
Mary and Elisabeth Rejoice Together
Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem
Shepherds Learn of the Birth of Christ
The Christ Child Is Presented at the Temple
The Wise Men Seek Jesus
Jesus Turns Water into Wine
Jesus is Baptized by John
For God So Loved the World
Joy to the World: Mormon Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-24424523390348493052012-11-25T15:04:00.000-07:002012-11-25T15:04:31.292-07:00Importance of Historicity for Book of Mormon TheologyThere has been lots of kerfuffle about if apologetic work is damaging or necessary. My own response is its not dangerous, but it can be spiritually irrelevant or stagnant. At the same time there is a time and a place for defending the faith or some teachings. For each person who might have been turned off by the work, there are an equal number inspired by apologetic arguments and grow more Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442628.post-80716788681487557472012-11-03T06:58:00.001-06:002012-11-25T14:54:20.132-07:00Mormons and the ParanormalSome Mormon Ghost Tales
When leaves start turning bright colors of amber and orange and occasionally the first snow falls, its that time of year again. At the end of October ghosts, ghouls, strange beings, and killers walk the streets. Kids laugh and candy is handed out as if grown on trees. You guessed it; Halloween has arrived.
I have to admit that Thanksgiving is a good day of rest Jettboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00300495482595955440noreply@blogger.com0