General Conference

Every six months The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds what is called a "General Conference." In the conference the First Presidency (the President of the church and his two councilors), the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other leaders give speeches on religious topics. The conferences typically occur on the first weekends of April and October.

This conference featured talks on a wealth of subjects, and some of my favorites are listed below. I encourage you to go to the conference website and look at more.

President Monson spoke on the changing world we live in and how to find joy in the journey of our lives.

Sister Beck spoke on the purpose and mission of the Relief Society, the LDS organization for women.

Elder Hales spoke on how to discuss controversial topics with others in a loving and Christlike way.

Elder Ballard spoke on missionary work and the growth of the church.

Elder Nelson spoke on "celestial marriage," a kind of marriage available in LDS temples.

LDS Teachings: God

When Jesus lived on earth, He taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven. (Matt. 6:9) Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter Mormons) believe that we are literally the spirit children of our Heavenly Father. (1 Cor. 8:6, A of F 1) When Mormons speak of "God," they usually refer to God the Father. He is the Supreme Creator of all things and the omnipotent Ruler of the universe. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit join God the Father in what is called the "Godhead." They too are gods and are one in purpose and unity with the Father. However, Mormons believe that these two Beings are separate from (or are not the same Being as) God the Father. God has a physical body.

God is merciful, loving, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and is present everywhere through His spirit. Before this world existed He created a plan which would allow us to progress to become more like Him. This plan required a Savior (Jesus Christ) and our own obedience to enable us to progress. God loves us and wants us to have faith and trust in Him.

More information about God: see the entry on God in the LDS Bible Dictionary, entry on God at lds.org, entry on God in LDS Topical Guide.

Attributes of God: Mosiah 4:9, Jacob 4:9, Luke 6:36, Alma 12:33, John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-8, Alma 41:3-4, Jeremiah 32:17, Moses 1:3-6, 39, Alma 26:35, Moroni 7:22, Joseph Smith History 1:11-20.

God has a physical body and is not the same being as Christ or the Holy Ghost: Talk by Elder Holland, D&C 130:22, Matt. 3:17, Acts 7:55.

Jesus on Prayer - "Even You"

Some of my favorite of Jesus' teachings focus on prayer. He taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father (Matt. 6:9), in His name (John 14:13-14) for the things that we need, and also to give thanks to God for what we receive. At least three times Jesus uses examples which I like to call the "even you" passages. In essence, Jesus says even we know what it means to be asked for something and to respond to the request - even if it is not convenient. The moral of these stories is that if even we know how to do this, then how much more so will God do it, who loves us perfectly and has all power? Here are the references:

Matthew 7
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Even we, in our imperfect state, know what it means to give a good gift to our children - how much better can God do than us? The next passage expands the idea:

Luke 11
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

In this passage, the person asked for the favor did not want to help; he was in bed, and it would be a bother to get up and help his friend. The fact that the men are friends is not enough to get him up; however, because of the petitioner's insistence ("importunate" means "troublesomely urgent: overly persistent in request or demand"), the friend eventually gets up and grants the request. Again, the moral of the story is, if even this guy was willing to help his friend when it was inconvenient, how much more willing and able will our Heavenly Father be to answer our petitions, if we have faith and trust in him? And finally, the last passage:

Luke 18
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Here we encounter a character even worse than the friend in bed. Jesus frames the parable to show that the only reason why the judge ended up helping the widow was because she kept asking. The first thing to notice is that the woman she asked was a widow, which (I imagine) in the context already put her in a state of relative disadvantage when making petitions. Second, the judge didn't fear God - apparently this meant that he wasn't afraid that God would punish him for not doing his duty; he lived for himself. Lastly, he didn't "regard man," which I guess means either he wasn't easily persuaded or that he didn't have a powerful enemy who someone could use to get him to do something. In sum, the judge had no personal reason to help the widow. However, "because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." He was just so sick of her coming and asking for help that he was willing to do what she wanted just to get rid of her. Again, the teaching is that if even this lousy judge would respond to a request for help, how much more will our Father in Heaven, who is perfect, respond to our prayers?

I know that God hears our prayers and answers them as we pray in faith.

(For more on prayer, see also: the entry on prayer in the LDS Bible Dictionary and on the LDS website.)

What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 4 of 4

In this post we will finish our brief survey of the Book of Mormon, noting some important teachings and events from the books of Mormon, Ether, and Moroni.

These books comprise the most tragic portion of the Book of Mormon. In them we read of the demise and destruction of two major civilizations: the Jaredites in Ether and the Nephites in Mormon. The book "Mormon" begins about 322 years after Christ's birth and re-introduces us to the editor of the entire book which bears his name, a prophet-historian named Mormon. It was he who, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, selected, edited, and commented on the writings which would eventually comprise most of the Book of Mormon (Mormon's son Moroni would add to the writings after his death).

During Mormon's life the people were quickly descending into self-destruction because "wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land." (Mormon 1:13) Wars raged constantly, and late in his life Mormon knew that his people (the Nephites) would soon be completely destroyed. However, he also knew that the record he was working on would be preserved and brought to light at some point in the future. In chapters 3, 5, and especially 7 Mormon tells the purposes of the Book of Mormon: to persuade all "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God," (5:14) to call us to repentance, (7:3, 5, 8) to tell the descendants of the Lamanites about their ancestors, (7:1, 5) to persuade us to believe in the Bible, which Mormon knew would come forth, (7:8-10) and to impress upon us the fact that we will all stand before Christ one day to be judged of our works. (3:22) (see also the Title Page to the Book of Mormon)

Mormon's people were eventually defeated in a colossal battle in 384 A.D. Hundreds of thousands of his people were killed, and only Mormon, Moroni, and twenty-three other people survived. (6:15) Mormon mourned for the loss of his people, writing "O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! . . . O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy." (6:17, 22)

In time, Mormon was also killed by the Lamanites, but before he died he entrusted the record to his son Moroni. All alone for at least 21 years, Moroni wandered where he could to avoid being killed. His writing comes to several "finales," as if he was expecting to die at any time, but his enemies never catch him, so he continued to write. (see Mormon 9:33-37, Ether 5, Ether 12: 38-41, Moroni 1:1, Moroni 10) As he wandered he wrote a brief history of the "Jaredites," a group of people which came from Babel when the tower of Babel was being built. (Ether 1, see also Genesis 11) Moroni wrote the history based on a collection of records that had been found many centuries earlier. These records tell of a man whom we know by the title "the brother of Jared." He was a righteous prophet and received many revelations from God, including a personal visitation of Jesus Christ. (Ether 3) God guided these people from the Middle East to the Americas, and there they lived for many generations. Ultimately, however, the people became prideful and greedy and killed one another in a massive war. In addition to 3, notable chapters include 2, 4, 8, and 12.

Moroni finished this history and then included a few chapters on priesthood ordinances (that is, special religious acts done by persons who hold the authority to act in God's name) and church governance. (Moroni 2-6) He also wrote down some letters which he had received from his father earlier in life. (Moroni 7-9) Lastly, he included a promise about how someone could know if the record he was keeping, the Book of Mormon, was a true book. He wrote:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)

I encourage the reader to follow Moroni's invitation. I have read the Book of Mormon, pondered it in my heart, and asked God if it was true. God answered my prayers by the Holy Ghost, giving me a calm, peaceful assurance that the Book of Mormon is a book of scripture, written by prophets of God.

What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 3 of 4

The subtitle to the Book of Mormon reads "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." Like the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon contains the writings of prophets who saw Christ and wrote down His gospel. The most significant event in the Book of Mormon is the personal visit of Christ to the people in the Americas. He healed their sick, preached his gospel, and established his church among them. This post will highlight some important teachings and events from Christ's ministry, as well as other significant happenings from the books of Helaman, 3 Nephi, and 4 Nephi.

The book of Helaman begins about 52 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Right from the first chapters we see the formation of a criminal organization known as the "Gadianton Robbers," which, in some form and with a few gaps, will be a major problem for the people right until the end of the Book of Mormon. The aim of the Gadianton Robbers was "to murder, and to rob, and to gain power," (Hel. 2:8) and in some cases they were extremely successful in these endeavors. At one point the Robbers gained "the sole management of the government" through treachery and deceit (Hel. 6:39); later, after the Robbers virtually disappeared because of war and famine, they made a comeback and "did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites [the two major divisions of peoples in the Book of Mormon]" (Hel. 11:32); and finally, near the time of Christ's death, the Robbers caused a complete disintegration of the government by fomenting internal divisions and assassinating a top political leader. (3 Nephi 7:1-2)

Paradoxically, the Gadianton Robbers grew fastest and were able to attract the most new recruits in times of relative ease and prosperity, at times when people had least need to steal and commit crime to get what they needed. Prosperity seems to be the one trial which was most likely to lead the people of the Book of Mormon to lose their faith. We read (just in the books covered in this post) that the people were righteous and remembered God when there was a great famine (Hel. 11), when they saw a dramatic sign of God's power (3 Nephi 1), and when they are threatened with destruction by war (3 Nephi 2-5); but within a few years of each of these events the people had forgotten God and returned to their wickedness. Mormon, a prophet who edited the book which bears his name, gave this agonized commentary after the people were saved from a famine: "And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds . . . and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity." (Hel. 12:1-3) Retaining a change of heart regardless of circumstance is a major challenge for all disciples of Jesus Christ; thus, Alma earlier had taught that "blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble." (Alma 32:16)

A series of natural disasters occurred in the Americas at the time of Jesus' death in Jerusalem. We read that cities were destroyed by fire (3 Nephi 8:8), floods (3 Nephi 8:9), avalanches (3 Nephi 8:10, 3 Nephi 9:2-12), and that other disaster occurred. (3 Nephi 8:5-23) Prophets had foretold that such events would accompany Christ's death. (Hel. 14:20-29) After several months a large group of people was discussing the signs of Christ's death when Christ Himself appeared to them. He introduced Himself in the following words: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning" (3 Nephi 11:10-11) Chapters 11-29 of 3 Nephi record Jesus' teaching and ministry. Jesus . . .

• invited the people to feel the prints of the nails in His hands, feet, and side, so that they would know He was the "God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth," and had died for their sins. (11:14-15)
• gave power to certain people to baptize and taught them the correct manner of baptism. (11:21-28)
• taught that "he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another." (11:29-30)
• taught his docrine, saying that we must: 1. believe in Christ; 2. repent of our sins; 3. be baptized; and 4. receive the Holy Ghost. (11:31-36)
• said that the people were the "other sheep" He spoke of in the Bible. (15:21-24; see also John 10:16)
• healed the sick and blessed the children one by one. (17)
• instituted the sacrament, as He had done in Jerusalem. (18:1-12)
• quoted scripture from the Bible, including Isaiah 54 (22), and Malachi 3 (24)and 4 (25). He also repeated to the people much of the Sermon on the Mount. (12-14)
• commanded the people to call the church in His name. (27:2-10)

More could be added, and I encourage the reader to read the entire account in chapters 11-29. If you read nothing else, read chapter 11. Here Jesus announces His divinity and teaches His doctrine in a simple yet powerful way. Those who accept Christ's invitation to "come . . . unto me" will find peace and joy beyond anything they have yet experienced. I know this is true by the way God has blessed me as I sincerely try to follow Christ.

4 Nephi is a very brief book that covers nearly 300 years. After Jesus' visit the people were so changed that they and their descendants were righteous for 170 years. During this time "there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people . . . and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God." (1:15-16) Sadly, the people eventually became lifted up in pride (1:24, 43) and became wicked. In part 4 we will see how this pride led to the destruction of most of the people.

What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 2 of 4

About 400 years and 27 pages separate the end of 2 Nephi from the beginning of Mosiah. A few brief books written by Jacob, Nephi's younger brother, and his descendants give us some information about this period, but we really know very little. In contrast, the books of Mosiah and Alma cover about only 80 years but fill 223 pages (about 40% of the Book of Mormon). These books contain amazing stories and sermons given by some of the most memorable characters of the Book of Mormon: King Benjamin, Abinidi, Alma the elder, Alma the younger, Ammon, Amulek, Captain Moroni, Helaman and his 2000 warriors, and others. This post will take a quick look at four themes which are important in both books: our need for a change of heart, God's ability to answer our prayers, war, and missionary work.

One of the central themes of the books of Mosiah and Alma (and the whole Book of Mormon) is our need to have our hearts changed through our own repentance and the atonement of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus teaches Nicodemus that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) In the books we discuss in this post we see the process of being "born again" happen several times, and I will highlight only two significant episodes. The first comes from chapters 1-5 of Mosiah. King Benjamin was a righteous king who hard worked hard for the welfare of his people. As he neared the end of his life he called his people together to teach them important things about God and themselves. At the end of his speech, he asked if his people believed the words which he had spoken. They responded, saying: "Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) The central point of this passage is truly amazing: it teaches us that through Christ, our dispositions can be changed so fundamentally that we no longer have any desire to do bad things. It's not that these people wanted to be out sinning, but were scared of what God would do to them if they did. No, they had become "new creatures" (2 Corinthians 5:17) through Christ, and only had the desire to do good continually. Of course, a change like this takes work to retain, but Christ makes is possible for us to achieve true, lasting changes in our character.

Another person who experienced a similar "mighty change" of heart (Alma 5:13) was Alma the younger. Alma's father, known as "Alma the elder," was a righteous man and a leader in the church. However, we read that Alma the younger "was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people." (Mosiah 27:8-9) Alma the elder prayed "with much faith" for his wayward son (Mosiah 27:14), and in due time the Lord sent an angel to call Alma the younger to repentance. (Mosiah 27:10-17) Alma the younger was so shocked by the appearance that he fell to the ground and could not move. (Mosiah 27:19) However, in his incapacitated state Alma was still conscious, saying that "I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments." (Alma 36:13) In this state of despair Alma prayed for forgiveness, and God forgave him. God's forgiveness filled him with indescribable joy. (Alma 36:18-22) From this moment of conversion on Alma worked tirelessly to "bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." (Alma 36:24) Alma taught that this true change of heart, which he had experienced, was available to everyone: "all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters. And thus they become new creatures." (Mosiah 27:25-26) (Other stories of conversion include those of Alma the elder (Mosiah 17-18), the four sons of Mosiah (Mosiah 27), Zeezrom (Alma 15), Lamoni and his people(Alma 18-19, especially 19:33), Lamoni's father and his household (Alma 22), and some of the Zoramites (Alma 31-35).)

This last story is also a great example of our next topic: God's ability to answer our prayers. Alma the elder prayed for his wayward son, and Alma the younger prayed for forgiveness. God answered both of their prayers by granting special assistance or grace. Another great story of how God answered the prayers of his people comes from an earlier chapter in the life of Alma the elder. Alma was once a false "priest" to a wicked king, Noah, but was converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ through the teaching of the prophet Abinadi. He left Noah's kingdom with a group of followers and established a city. After some time the city was overtaken by a hostile group and the people were forced into slavery. In this condition, Alma's people prayed for deliverance, but their captors threatened to kill anyone who prayed. (Mosiah 24:10-11) We read that the people prayed to God in their hearts, and God responded by saying, "Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:13-14) We read that God did empower the people to "bear up their burdens with ease" (Mosiah 24:15) and that they were soon delivered out of bondage (Mosiah 24:16-22). We should remember that in any situation, God can help us cope with and overcome difficulties in our lives in one of these ways. (For more on prayer, see the entry on the subject in the LDS Bible Dictionary, or see Mosiah 4:2-4, Alma 22:17-27, Alma 31:24-36, Alma 33:3-11, Alma 34:17-27, Alma 36:17-21, Alma 46:11-18)

Moving on, the Book of Mormon, like virtually any record of human history, has its share of wars and contentions. Chapters 43-62 (excluding 45) of the book of Alma cover about 14 years and constitute the most detailed discussion of an ongoing armed conflict in the Book of Mormon. Much of the writing focuses on Captain Moroni, the preeminent military commander of the Book of Mormon. Moroni revolutionized the way battle was conducted in his time by innovations in city fortifications (Alma 49, 50:1-6), use of protective armor (Alma 43:18-21), "stratagem" (Alma 43:27-42. 52, 55), and his ability to rally public support (Alma 46:11-28, 62). Moroni defended his people against many invasions and put down power-hungry coups within his own nation (Alma 46, 51, 59-62).

Though Moroni was "was a strong and a mighty man" and "a man of a perfect understanding" (Alma 48:11), the true source of his success was his righteousness and faith in God. Once, when Moroni was confronted with an enemy within his own nation which threatened to overthrow the government, Moroni wrote down on a banner the things he was willing to fight for: "in memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." (Alma 46:12) Moroni "did not delight in bloodshed" (Alma 48:11) and only fought when he had to. Even when he had his enemies at a disadvantage he often offered them a way out on the condition that they surrender their weapons of war and promise never to fight his people again. (Alma 44:1-7, Alma 62:27-29) Moroni's leadership and administration were so effective that "there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni." (Alma 50:23)

Lastly, Mosiah and Alma tell the stories of many great missionaries. A missionary is someone who tells other people about God and the gospel, or the "good news" of Jesus Christ's redemption for us. People who have received a true change of heart through Christ's atonement have a strong desire to share what they have learned because they want others to have the joy they have found. As we saw above, Alma the younger received a mighty change of heart, and we read that he spent much of the rest of his life telling others about the gospel. (see Alma 4-5, 7, 8, 9-15, 29, 31-35, 43) Another great missionary was Alma's friend Ammon. Ammon was present when the angel came and called Alma to repentance. He too received a change of heart and spent fourteen years preaching the gospel to a group of people hostile to his own. (Alma 17:4) Some of the people who were converted through his teaching had previously been a violent and war-loving people, but they buried their weapons of war deep in the earth as a sign to God that they would never do violence to others again. (Alma 24:12-19) Other converts declared "that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil," (Alma 19:33) and were filled with joy. (Alma 19)

The joy found by these converts and others is available to all through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have found great joy and comfort in my own life as I have sincerely tried to understand and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ in my own life. The Book of Mormon can help you understand Jesus Christ better, and it can help you achieve a true change of heart, similar to that of Alma the younger. If you would like to receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon or talk to current missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, call 1-888-537-7111, click here, or go to mormon.org to set up an appointment.

What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 1 of 4

The Book of Mormon is an amazing book. I have read it several times and I know that it is a book of inspired scripture from God. In this "What's in the Book of Mormon?" series of posts, I will give a brief introduction to The Book of Mormon, sharing what I think are some of the most significant teachings and events from the book.

The Book of Mormon starts with the story of Lehi and his family, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem in about 6o0 B.C. Lehi called the wicked people there to repent, but they rejected him and God commanded Lehi to leave. Lehi traveled through the desert and eventually crossed the ocean to the Americas. The Book of Mormon is (for the most part) the record of Lehi and his posterity; it covers a period from about 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. It contains the writings of prophets, as does the Bible. (For more information, see the official Introduction to the Book of Mormon.)

This post will outline some important teachings from the prophets Lehi and his son Nephi, contained in the books of 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi . I hope my comments will inspire the reader to look directly at the text of these books. I will organize the post around four major themes, which I think are some of the most important themes from these books. The themes are: 1) God speaks to His prophets; 2) Christ is our Redeemer; 3) reading scriptures and keeping records is very important; and 4) the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel.

1) God speaks to His prophets: 1 Nephi in particular is a book in which we see God over and over directing, teaching, and revealing things to His servants the prophets. In the very first chapter of 1 Nephi, Lehi sees a vision of God, the Son of God, and the destruction of Jerusalem. In chapter 8 of this book Lehi sees a vision (known as the vision of the "tree of life") in which he sees symbols of the love of God, the temptations of the Devil, the power of God's word, and the pride of the world. Later, in chapters 11-14, Nephi (Lehi's son, an important prophet) sees a more detailed version of that same vision and the historical events which correspond to the symbols, and in chapter 15 Nephi gives the interpretation of the vision. In addition to visions, God directs Lehi to leave Jerusalem because of the wickedness of the people (1 Nephi 2:1-3), tells him what his sons need to do to prepare for their journey in the wilderness (1 Nephi 3:2-4, 1 Nephi 7:1-5), and guides him as they travel. God instructs Nephi how to build a boat which will carry them to the promised land (1 Nephi 17:7-8, 18:1-4) and gives him other instructions. Other examples could be given of how God reveals things to his people (see 1 Nephi 3:28-30, 4:6, 5:17-22, 10:2-14 17-19, 2 Nephi 5:1-5) In short, this book and the entire Book of Mormon testify that God speaks to His prophets.

2) Christ is our Redeemer: Nephi and Lehi constantly teach that Christ is our Redeemer and the only Way for our salvation. The following are a sampling from some of the many times they teach about Christ: (Lehi) "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit . . . there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved." (2 Nephi 2:6-9) (Nephi) "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do . . . And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:23, 26) Other references include: 1 Nephi 11:21-33, 1 Nephi 19:10, 2 Nephi 1:15, 2 Nephi 9, 2 Nephi 25:13, and 2 Nephi 31:13.

3) Reading scriptures and keeping records is very important: Both 1 and 2 Nephi are written by Nephi from the first person perspective. Three chapters (6, 9, and 19) in 1 Nephi are reflections on why Nephi is keeping the record. In 6:4 and 19:18 he tells us why he is doing it: "For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved;" "And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer." When hard times come to Lehi's family, Nephi relates to the the history of God's dealings with the house of Israel (see 1 Nephi 17:23-43). This story shows that Nephi was an avid student of the scriptures, and could recall and employ them when needed. In 2 Nephi, 16 of 33 chapters (and a few more verses) are quotations from the book of Isaiah, the same Isaiah found in the Bible. (2 Nephi 6:6-7, 7, 8, 12-24, 27; the corresponding chapters and verses in Isaiah can be found Isaiah 3-14, 29, 49:22-26, and 50-52:1-2.) Of the scriptures, Nephi says: "For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." (2 Nephi 4: 15-16)We would do well to follow his example.

4) The scattering and gathering of the house of Israel: Through both the Bible and other scriptures brought forth by Joseph Smith, we know that God made a covenant with Abraham that through him "all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal." (Abraham 2:11; see also Genesis 12:3) Throughout scripture, the people willing to follow God's prophets have frequently been referred to as "the house of Israel," Israel being Abraham's grandson and a particularly noteworthy prophet. In 1 and 2 Nephi, Lehi and Nephi frequently talk of God's dealings with the house of Israel. They teach that though the house of Israel was (and would be) scattered for disobedience, God is merciful and would gather them in the future. Nephi teaches that being gathered to the house of Israel means coming "to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer." (1 Nephi 10:14) Nephi further teaches that membership in the house of Israel is open to all: "as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel." (2 Nephi 30:2) Other important references include 1 Nephi 1:13, 10:12-14, 15:12-20, 19:15-17, 22:11-12; 2 Nephi 6:5-18, 25:14-18, 29:14, 30; also, see Jacob 5.