1 Nephi 6 and 9–The Things of God

Posted on August 4, 2026 by bonniesimone

I’m putting these 2 chapters together because they are an interlude in the story explaining the purpose of Nephi’s writings. In 1 Nephi 6 he explains that he desires to write the things of God. What an awesome desire and responsibility! It expresses Nephi’s commitment and love for God. He wants to persuade others to come unto the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who is Jesus Christ. If we come unto Jesus Christ we can be saved. This is Nephi’s ultimate desire. As we continue in the Book of Mormon we see that this is the desire of all the prophets in the Book of Mormon. Every prophet is true to this purpose.

The prophet Mormon, the chief compiler of the Book of Mormon, whom we meet much later in the record states the same purpose: “that ye may believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, which ye shall have among you. . .  And I would that I could persuade all ye ends of the earth to repent and prepare to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.” Jesus Christ, himself, states at the conclusion of his ministry to the Nephites,  “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. (3 Nephi 27:13) Mormon’s son, Moroni, final words to us at the end of the Book of Mormon are to invite us come unto Christ.

Moroni 10:32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him. . . 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

This is the ultimate goal of our earthly experience–to be sanctified in Christ and be presented “holy and without spot” to our Father in Heaven. I think this singular purpose of inviting all to come unto Christ and be sanctified in him is unique in a book authored by many different writers spanning almost 1000 years, from 600 BC to around 400 AD.

Chapter 9–For a wise purpose–God knows all things from the beginning.

In Lectures on Faith Joseph Smith lists the character and attributes of God. Joseph says that it is impossible to exercise faith in God unless we have a correct idea of his character and attributes. Over and over in the Book of Mormon these characteristics and attributes of our loving Heavenly Father are exemplified.

The following are characteristics of God. He is unchangeable, merciful and gracious, no respector of persons and a God of truth.

The following are attributes of God. He has all knowledge, all power, is perfectly just and fair in all judgment.

This is such a beautiful list! As I contemplate those characteristics and attributes I love my Father in Heaven even more, especially that he is merciful and gracious. How can one not love a Father such as this. This is a God we can go to with complete confidence that he will hear us and respond to us.

In 1 Nephi 9 Nephi gives examples of some of God’s attributes. He is commanded to make an additional set of plates to record the “more part of his ministry.” It is a more spiritual record. It is often referred to as the “small plates of Nephi.” The “large plates of Nephi” includes a more political record of their kings and wars. It was probably written about 30 years after his family left Jerusalem. They had arrived on the American continent and by that time there had been wars and contentions between Nephi and his brothers. Hence Nephi knew about them.

Nephi is commanded to make this additional record. Typical of Nephi he obeys the Lord without knowing the reason. He simply says it’s “for a wise purpose, which purpose I know not.” Then, as he stated when he was commanded to go back and get the Brass Plates, he knows that God prepares a way to accomplish all his works. In verse 6, he reiterates two of the attributes of God that Joseph mentioned. God knows all things from the beginning and God has all power to fulfill his words.

Almost a thousand years later, Mormon, the compiler of the Book of Mormon, finds this small record among the many plates that have been kept by the Nephites, and includes them in his final record. He uses language similar to Nephi’s, he states:

Words of Mormon 1:7 And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.

It is not until Joseph Smith begins to translate the Book of Moron we learn the the reason why Nephi was commanded to make them. God knew of a mistake that would happen 2400 years later! After translating the beginning of the Book of Mormon from the large plates of Nephi, Joseph gave a copy of these first pages of the Book of Mormon to Martin Harris to show his wife. Some wicked men stole the manuscript from her to set Joseph up. Their intent was to alter the words so that when Joseph translated it again they could point out his errors and expose him as a fraud. God commanded Joseph not to retranslate the portion they had stolen, but to instead translate these small plates. This is amazing to me! God truly knows all things from the beginning and put things in motion to compensate for this mistake.

Personal application: The Book of Mormon is a precious book indeed! God truly knows all things from the beginning. He knows me and the mistakes that I have made. As I repent he can compensate for my mistakes. I remembered a talk that I heard in General Conference in October, 1993, almost 33 years ago, It’s amazing that I thought of it and found it. I’m includeing it this post “for a wise purpose I know not.”

“Every woman who has raised children worries about the mistakes she has made. I feel deep sorrow when I realize that I have hurt my children’s feelings, been impatient, or let opportunities to bless them slip by. But each of us may have hope in the atonement of Christ, not only that we may repent and be forgiven but that through his grace our children can be healed of the emotional wounds we may have inflicted and compensated for the errors we may have made. Christ has said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

1 Nephi 5–The Brass Plates–a precious record

Posted on July 31, 2026 by bonniesimone

How does one measure the worth of an object? Perhaps one way might be the effort that one would extend to take care of it or the joy one might feel in receiving it. In 1 Nephi 5 we read of Lehi’s joy in receiving the Brass Plates. He finds them to be of “great worth.” What brought Lehi such great joy? Through the Brass Plates they could preserve the commandments of the Lord to their children. His thoughts were on his descendants. They had left the main body of the Jewish people and were on their own. They needed an anchor–their spiritual heritage.

Personal application: I, too, like Lehi want to leave my children a spiritual heritage, a love for the scriptures. What would my life be without the scriptures? They anchor me to Jesus Christ.

To me, reading about the contents of the Brass Plates is another testimony that Joseph Smith couldn’t have simply made up the story. He had about 2 years of formal schooling. His family read the Bible, but didn’t have the Bible study tools that we had. Did he know about the construction of the Bible? The Brass Plates contained the first 5 books of Moses plus a record of Jews own to the reign of Zedekiah. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Lehi. How would Joseph have known of a Biblical timeline. We later learn of other prophets mentioned in the Book of Mormon that are not included in the Bible, such as Zenock, Zenock and Neum. These prophets give a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. We will meet them later and talk about them.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nephi 5–A joyous return

Posted on July 30, 2026 by bonniesimone

In chapter 5 we gain insights into the relationship between Lehi and Sariah. We don’t know how long Nephi and his brothers were gone when they went back for the Brass Plates. We know from 1 Nephi 2 that they traveled three days fleeing Jerusalem before they stopped to pitch their tent. We gather from the record that they had to leave Jerusalem in a hurry and traveled as fast as they could. Going back to Jerusalem may have happened at a slower pace. We also don’t know how long they were in Jerusalem before Nephi obtained the Brass Plates. However long it was, it was of such a length that Sariah was worried about their safety. I’ve been in that position–where I’ve worried about the safety of my children. Without any information about them you watch and wait, fear and worry mounting with each passing hour. It’s easy to let our imaginations run wild with scenarios of possible dangers. In Sariah’s case there were undoubtedly many dangers involved in her sons trip back to Jerusalem. They had fled Jerusalem with very lives in danger. What if her sons were recognized by those who sought to take the life of Lehi?

Sariah expressed her fears to Lehi blaming him for their present danger and accuses him of being a visionary man. Lehi’s response is an example to all of us of a humble Christlike response. He does not get angry back or try to justify himself. He takes full responsibility for his actions. He understands her concerns and comforts her. He admits that he is a visionary man. He has seen the things of God, and he reassures her that God will bring their sons back safely. After their joyous reunion they take the time to offer thanks. This act of offering thanks with burnt offerings wasn’t just a quick prayer. A burnt offering functioned specifically as a gift of highest value to express thanks, loyalty, and awe.

Personal application: How can I respond to criticism or negative events with humility and how can my thanks for my blessings be a gift of highest value. If my time is valuable then I can spend more time giving thanks for how good God is to me and my family.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nephi 4–Led by the Spirit, scriptures, covenants

Posted on July 29, 2026 by bonniesimone

After Nephi’s pep talk to his brothers in the first few verses of chapter 4, we come to the gripping story of Nephi being commanded to kill Laban. Much has been written about this incident to justify or to criticize it. There are many incidents in the Old Testament when the Israelites were commanded to kill their enemies. To the modern reader, me included, these can be hard to understand, but I know that “He (God) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. “(2 Nephi 26:24) This is starting point for me in understanding all scripture.

Later in the 1 Nephi 17, Nephi explains that God does not destroy a people until they are “ripened in iniquity.”  “Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth,” 1 Nephi 17:35, 37

If one accepts the sovereignty of God and his “goodness and long-suffering” towards the children of men, and I do, then I can accept that God commanded Nephi to kill Laban. The scripture says the Nephi is constrained by the Spirit. I looked up the word “constrained.” It means “forced, restricted, or unnatural. “It describes a person, action, or thing that is held back, limited by rules, or acting under pressure rather than freely. This is the first time I’ve looked up this word and I think it fits perfectly for this situation. Nephi is repulsed by the idea of killing a man. This is also a testimony for Nephi’s ability to hear the spirit. The idea of killing Laban didn’t originate in Nephi’s mind.

Personal application: When listening to the spirit, we will often be prompted to do something that we never would have thought of on our own. Sometimes it may not be what we want to do, but if we obey the reason will come later and we will be blessed for it.

Nephi then goes through his thought processes. He remembered the Lord’s admonition that if they kept the commandments of the Lord they would prosper in the land. He knew they couldn’t keep the commandments unless they had the scriptures. So often God has emphasized to his children the importance of the scriptures. The children of Israel were commanded to keep God’s word in their hearts. They were to teach them diligently to their children. They were to “bind them for a sign on their hands” and “frontlets between their eye” and to write them on their doorposts. Joshua was commanded to meditate on the law day and night. The Brass Plates contained the law and commanments. The value of the scriptures cannot be underestimated. The spiritual survival of Lehi’s family depended on having the scriptures so much so that it was “better that  that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.” (1 Nephi 4:13)

Personal application: My spiritual survival is dependent on not only reading the scriptures, but feasting on them every day.

After obtaining the plates from Zoram, Laban’s servant, Zoram is persuaded to join Nephi. It’s interesting to note that even though Zoram originally viewed Nephi as an enemy, Zoram’s fear were allayed when Nephi offered him his freedom with an oath. An oath was inviolable in Old Testament times. Inviolable means something is sacred, unbreakable, or too important to be broken or harmed. Zoram knew that Nephi would honor his oath.

Personal application: An oath can be compared to making a covenant, I have made sacred covenants with my Heavenly Father. They are sacred, unbreakable and too important to be broken of harmed.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nephi 4–Nephi’s pep talk

Posted on July 27, 2026 by bonniesimone

Despite being chastised by an angel, Laman and Lemuel continue to doubt that they can obtain the Brass Plates. I call the next few verses Nephi’s pep talk. He says “let us be faithful in keeping the commandments,”let us go up,” in other words “we can do it, let’s go!” I can picture him as a coach at halftime when his team is discouraged! Nephi has no doubt that his task can be accomplished. To bolster their lagging faith he reminds them of past times that the Lord has performed miracles. I think that’s important for all of us when we feel our faith lag. We can remind ourselves of past spiritual experiences and the small miracles that have happened in our lives. We can imagine ourselves in the locker room with the Savior getting our pep talk for these last days. I can also imagine him quoting Jacob 5:71 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.

It’s too bad Laman and Lemuel didn’t want to suit up for the game.

Moroni, the compiler of the Book of Mormon, must have taken inspiration from Nephi when he encourages us in Mormon 9. He encourages to believe in Christ, doubting nothing. The Lord reminds us in D&C 6:36 to “Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not.” Nephi had obtained his own testimony and once he did he didn’t look back. He was “all in.”

There is so much more in chapter 4 that I’ll write about in the coming days. We’ll talk about Nephi’s thought processes before he was able to carry out the Lord’s command to kill Nephi and the importance of carrying scriptures with them.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

1 Nephi 2 and 3 insights–prayer, faith, being led by the Spirit

Posted on July 27, 2026 by bonniesimone

1 Nephi 2

I love the phrase “blessed art thou.”  What does the Lord value in his children?  The phrase “blessed art thou” lets us know.  Lehi is blessed because of his faithfulness.  Nephi is blessed because of his faith, his seeking the Lord diligently and his humility. How can I be more diligent and humble in seeking the Lord? What would that look like?

1 Nephi 2:1 For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life.

1 Nephi 2:19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart. (humility)

Nephi desired his own testimony.  Nephi cried unto the Lord and the Lord answered his prayer.  He softened his heart.  Maybe Nephi didn’t want to leave Jerusalem like his brothers, but God softened his heart so he could accept what his father wanted them to do.  What a great example to us all! 

1 Nephi 3:1
Nephi says that he returned to his father’s tent after “speaking with the Lord.”  He didn’t say he talked to the Lord.  His said speaking with the Lord.  That implies a 2 way communication.  

Personal application: I can seek the Lord more diligently with humility. I can listen more when I pray.


Nephi’s famous declaration “I will go and do the things which the Lord commands.”  The reason he willing to go and do is because he knows God will be with them.  He has faith that God will prepare the way therefore he can go forward.  That is so applicable in our lives.  God is at the helm.  The phrase “prepare the way” is mentioned several times in the scriptures.  John the Baptist was to prepare the way before the Savior’s ministry.  The implies that God has a purpose—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of his children.  He has a plan—the Plan of Salvation and He prepares the way and He knows the beginning and the end.  Those are the 3 P’s—purpose, plan, preparing the way.

1 Nephi 3 also gives us insight into Nephi’s leadership skills. He was determined to obey God’s commandment. He tried to persuade his brothers with reasons why it was important to accomplish their task. He knew why obtaining the Brass Plates was so important. He gives us insight into the importance of the scriptures–they contained the words of the prophets and they could preserve their language with the written word.

When the angel comes to stop Laman and Lemuel from beating Nephi and Sam, the angel doesn’t tell them how they are to obtain the plates, he simply tells them that the Lord will deliver Laban into their hands. Again, they are to have faith, but Laman and Lemuel can’t see how it will happen. That’s the way faith works. We can’t see the ending from the beginning.

Personal application–we may not know the how of solving our problems at the beginning, but we can faith that God knows the how and we can go forward in faith. That’s what Nephi did. He was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand what he should do. Maybe if he knew beforehand he wouldn’t have gone forth!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My daily study of the Book of Mormon

Posted on July 25, 2026 by bonniesimone

I know it’s been a long time since I posted, but I want to start again to witness of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is an additional witness of Christ to the Bible. I have come to know Christ more completely through the Book of Mormon. Nephi states in the beginning of the Book of Mormon that his intent in writing is to persuade his readers to “come unto the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob and be saved;” 1 Nephi 6:4

Later he says in 2 Nephi 25:23 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.

I love the word “persuade.” I can imagine a loving Father in heaven trying to persuade us and beckon us to come unto Christ. Nothing is forced in God’s kingdom. We have to choose to believe.

I did a word search on “believe in Christ.” That particular phrase is mentioned 11 times in scripture. They are all in the Book of Mormon. “Believe in Christ,” “come unto Christ,” “come unto me” are examples of Christ’s invitation to us. It’s an invitation not a coercion. All are invited. The Book of Mormon is our written invitation.

2 Nephi 26:33 “he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

I’m starting again to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. I’m trying to memorize the chapter headings. I read a book called “Be a Book of Mormon Expert in 5 minutes a day.” It’s a simple memorization method to become more familiar with the Book of Mormon, the content, the historical narrative and the doctrinal chapters. I’ll be posting about my fresh perspectives on my daily reading.

https://witnessofchristblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin/index.php
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Clay Christensen’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Posted on December 3, 2014 by bonniesimone

Every now and then I read a testimony from someone else that has such a powerful impactClay Christensen on me that I need to share it.  Such is the testimony of Clay Christensen.  You can read his bio here http://www.claytonchristensen.com/biography/.  I don’t know him personally, but have rubbed shoulders with him in very small ways.  He majored in economics at BYU.  My husband, David, also majored in economics.  They were in the same economics class.  Brother Christensen invited David to study with him.  David soon realized what an amazing person he was and wondered what Brother Christensen was getting out of the study!   Also, he was my daughter’s bishop when she went to school at Wellesley.  He was once a member of the Council of Seventy for the church.  He’s also worked in the nursery. He wrote the book The Power of Everyday Missionaries.  He has had severe health challenges of late.  His faith is such that he says that doesn’t matter which side of veil he serves.  He wants to do missionary work wherever the Lord calls him.  Here is his testimony of the Book of Mormon:

 “I was born into a wonderful Mormon family, and as I grew up I found few reasons to disbelieve the teachings of the church. My parents had deep faith in its precepts, and their example and encouragement were powerful–I believed in my parents, and I knew that they believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was not until I was 24, however, that I came to know these things for myself.  I had been given a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in England. After I had lived there for a few weeks, far away from the supportive environment in which I had been raised, it became clear that adhering to Mormonism in that environment was going to be very inconvenient.  In fact, doing the sorts of things I described in the first part of this essay within the Mormon congregation in Oxford would preclude my participation in many of the things that had made Oxford such a rich experience for prior recipients of my scholarship. I decided, as a result, that the time had come for me to learn for certain and for myself whether Mormonism was true.

I had read the Book of Mormon before – seven times, to be exact. But in each of those instances I had read it by assignment – from my parents or a teacher – and my objective in reading it was to finish the book. This time, however, my objective was to find out if it was a true book or a fabrication.   Accordingly, I reserved the time from 11:00 until midnight, every night, to read the Book of Mormon next to the fireplace in my chilly room at the Queen’s College. I began each of those sessions by kneeling in verbal prayer. I told God, every night, that I was reading this to know if it was His truth.  I told Him
that I needed an answer to this question – because if it was not true I did not want to waste my time with this church and would search for something else. But if it was true, then I promised that I would devote my life to following its teachings, and to helping others do the same.  I then would sit in the chair and read a page in the Book of Mormon. I would stop at the bottom of the page and think about it. I would ask myself what the material on that page meant for the way I needed to conduct my life. I would then get on my knees and pray aloud again, asking the Lord to tell me if the book was true. I would then get back in the chair, turn the page, and repeat the process, for the remainder of the hour. I did this every evening.

After I had done this for several weeks, one evening in October, 1975, as I sat in the chair and opened the book following my prayer, I felt a marvelous spirit come into the room and envelop my body. I had never before felt such an intense feeling of peace and love. I started to cry, and did not want to stop. I knew then, from a source of understanding more powerful than anything I had ever felt in my life, that the book I was holding in my hands was true. It was hard to see through the tears.   But as I opened it and began again to read, I saw in the words of the book a clarity and magnitude of God’s plan for us that I had never conceived before. The spirit stayed with me for that entire hour. And each night thereafter, as I prayed and then sat in that chair with the Book of Mormon, that same spirit returned. It changed my hear and my life forever.” http://www.claytonchristensen.com/beliefs/

 

Posted in Testimony | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Does the LDS Church Lie?

Posted on December 3, 2014 by bonniesimone

News headlines are notoriously misleading.  They often used “trigger” words to create a certain impression.  Such were the recent headlines concerning the articles published on the church website concerning plural marriage.  The Huffington post headline was Mormon Church Admits For First Time That Founder Joseph Smith Had A 14-Year-Old Bride,”  This post was an AP article which included a short video of an interview with the Reverend Paul Raushenbush.    In the interview the interviewer uses the words that the church’s essays were trying to “justify” Joseph’s actions.  It also included some quotes from the essays on the church website.    Another headline in the UK Telegraph was “Mormon Church Finally Admits Founder Joseph Smith was Polygamist with 40 Wives.”

In both headlines the words “admits for the first time” and “finally admits” imply that this knowledge was never admitted before.   David Grant wrote a post for LDS.net from which I’d like to quote.  I like the way he says it.

Mormon History Was Never Hidden

“For instance, the word, “admits,” is charged with accusation that there had been a previous denial of some kind. On the contrary. Off the top of my head I can think of three definitive declarations that attest to the practice of polygamy early in church history: Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, a 1905 Improvement Era article by Prophet Joseph F. Smith, and a 1992 Ensign article.

In fact, being a student of Joseph Smith and history, I learned of these 14-year-old “brides” (another baggage-laden word) and 30-40 wives in my early twenties as a student at Brigham Young University, as I combed through journals and other documents in a quest to get to know and understand Joseph Smith better.

The events and history of Joseph Smith’s marriage to teenage and other brides have been well known and documented within available resources since there were accounts written of the event way back in history. All anyone had to do was look… and some did.

The information has been readily available for anyone to read. For example, Richard Bushman, in his book, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, has attempted to write more objective historical accounts of Joseph Smith and has included more difficult events in his history. Thanks to Bushman, the names of Joseph’s wives have rested on thousands of Mormon bookshelves since its publication in 2005.

Internet reach and information ease fluidity resulting in the availability and sharability of history have put the Church in the new and sometimes uncomfortable position of having to clarify interpretations of events, statements and doctrines when it would rather testify.”

I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  To my knowledge the church has never lied about any of its history.  It pains me to have those insinuations “out there.”  As the church stated in its essays, accurate historical documents have been sketchy:  “Many details about the early practice of plural marriage are unknown. . .  The historical record of early plural marriage is therefore thin: few records of the time provide details, and later reminiscences are not always reliable. Some ambiguity will always accompany our knowledge about this issue. Like the participants, we “see through a glass, darkly” and are asked to walk by faith.”

Shelving Doubts Until Further Light and Knowledge Comes

David Grant goes on to say:

“It may be astonishing to some, and they may think me delusional, dishonest or brainwashed, but I can look at all of the evidence, including Joseph Smith’s marriage to a “14-year-old bride,” and still say without hesitation that his claims are truthful. That he saw the heavenly beings he said he saw and that the Book of Mormon is divine scripture and his role in bringing it forth is reported accurately.

Of the many intervening considerations that have allowed me to get to that conclusion in the face of disparaging and difficult circumstantial evidence, four have been the most useful: deep historical study of primary sources; the return of prodigals; the Book of Mormon; and, spiritual work.”

He cites individuals in Joseph’s time and in our modern times who have “come back” to Joseph.  Individuals who resolved their questions.

“The experiences of these men and many like them have caused me to wonder and have stood in the way of my departure as I have had occasional and sometimes serious doubts and concerns when I have gone so far as to say, “do I need to seek truth elsewhere?”. Their experiences have effectively challenged me to shelve my doubts for a time until further light comes, which it always has.”

I, like David Grant, have shelved my doubts.  I recognize that many haven’t been able to “shelf” with doubts.  I have no criticism of them.   Spiritual work and a testimony of the Book of Mormon have buoyed me up.

Posted in Testimony | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Difficult questions–Plural Marriage

Posted on December 3, 2014 by bonniesimone

Coming from a Framework of FaithJoseph Smith

I think every woman at some point of their spiritual journey in the LDS church has had to come to terms with plural marriage.  I think most men have also, but I don’t think it’s such a “hot button” for them.  At least, not what I have noticed.   My approach to difficult questions are to always come from a framework of faith and seeking to understand.  Because of I have a firm testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith, I have had questions and a lack of understanding, but not doubt.   Lest one think the journey of faith has been easy, let me assure you the questions have sometimes been HUGE.

Co-existing with Unanswered Questions

I don’t have all my questions answered, but I can live with that.  Faith can co-exist, in fact, always does, without complete understanding.  Richard Bushman who wrote “Joseph Smith: A Rough Stone Rolling” said that we simply cannot understand plural marriage in our day and time and culture the way Joseph understood it.  That may seem like a cop-out to some, but to me it is satisfying.   I’ve had my soul searching issues that I’ve sought answers for in prayer, temple attendance and increased obedience.  Some I’ve had a resolution with, some not. I’ve relied on the testimonies of prophets, apostles and other respected mentors in my life to get me through those times.  I’ve often felt like Peter when the Lord asked him if he would also desert him as many others had.  Peter said, “Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”  I sometimes feel the same way about the prophet.Joseph.  He restored all the beautiful doctrines of the restoration that I love.  If I desert him, I lose so much of what I hold dear.  I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  That I cannot deny.  That has carried me through some rough times.

It’s not the purpose of this blog to go into the details of plural marriage.  The church has done am excellent job of that with their posted essays.   I have always known about plural marriage in the church.  I’m a product of polygamous marriages.  I’ve know that Joseph practiced plural marriage.  I knew that it was a source of great conflict with Emma.  I’m surprised at the people who said they didn’t know these things.   When the church posted the essays of plural marriage, my reaction was this is not new information, only more detail.  Moreover I was encouraged and uplifted by the church’s essays. They were honest. They relied on known facts.  Nothing was whitewashed.  The difficulties were spelled out.  As the record states: “Many details about the early practice of plural marriage are unknown. . . . The historical record of early plural marriage is therefore thin: few records of the time provide details, and later reminiscences are not always reliable. Some ambiguity will always accompany our knowledge about this issue. Like the participants, we “see through a glass, darkly” and are asked to walk by faith.”    It was made clear that those faithful early saints initially abhorred the thought of plural marriage.  Through deep and earnest prayer many gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the principle.   How I admire them!  What a trial of faith!   I can’t think of a greater trial of faith.  Here is what Lucy Walker recorded.

Lucy Walker recalled her inner turmoil when Joseph Smith invited her to become his wife. “Every feeling of my soul revolted against it,” she wrote. Yet, after several restless nights on her knees in prayer, she found relief as her room “filled with a holy influence” akin to “brilliant sunshine.” She said, “My soul was filled with a calm sweet peace that I never knew,” and “supreme happiness took possession of my whole being.”

Do I trust Father?  Living True to Covenants

I  have read and studied many articles and blogs on plural marriage.  People whom I’ve never met have strengthened me with their blogs and websites.   One individual in particular, Greg Smith, influenced me in this regard.  He gave a talk at the 2009 FairMormon Conference.   It’s a lengthy article going into claims made against Joseph Smith, but the most important part of the article, to me, is the account of his personal journey in studying about Joseph and plural marriage.  After he read some disturbing claims about Joseph and plural marriage, and knowing that he had many things yet to learn and understand about the topic, and knowing that he didn’t have years to devote to looking up primary sources he expressed the following sentiments:

“So, I determined then to take that to the Lord and it was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. The scriptures talk about having the Spirit give you words—give you words to pray when you don’t know what you should say (e.g., Romans 8:26, 3 Nephi 19:24). Well, I thought I knew what I was going to say, but apparently that wasn’t what I was supposed to say, so I ended up saying something quite different from what I knelt down intending to talk about.  Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself telling my Father in Heaven what bothered me and instead of begging him for answers or insisting upon them (as I had half planed to do) I found myself telling him that I would not forsake him, that I would not forsake our relationship, that I was not going to turn my back on it or on him. And, that I was not going to abandon my covenants. I told him that come what may, I would do whatever he wanted me to do. And then, I asked him if it would be spiritually dangerous for me to commit the kind of time and energy and effort and intellectual work that this project would probably require.

“I thought this was going to be the first of many struggling prayers over the issue. But God is gracious and he told me very clearly that I was quite free to investigate it, that it would all work out, though he gave me no idea of how or in what way, and that I had nothing to worry about. And here I am, four years later, talking about it—you must be careful what you ask for, you may get it. I almost think he was a little bit unfair! If I had known this was part of the deal—I did not bargain for this. I did not set out to be the person people ask about plural marriage. Anyone out there who wants the title can see me after. . .

“But, the problem was, in that moment, when I first approached God with this, was that my spiritual life did not have four or five years, which is how long I’ve been doing this now, to sit in the church archives. My spiritual life could not be put on hold for that long. How long could I halt between two opinions? If Joseph be Baal or a sexual predator, don’t follow him. Jesus called the apostles and did not tell them to spend three or four years with the primary sources before deciding to answer the call to “Come, follow me.”

And for me, ultimately, the question (I see now) had nothing to do with plural marriage at all. Plural marriage was only the catalyst for a much more fundamental question and that question was, “Do I trust Father?” And I see now, by the grace of God, that my instinctive reaction was to do that, to express my trust and, amazingly, to mean it.  http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/fair-conferences/2009-fair-conference/2009-everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-plural-marriage-but-were-afraid-to-ask

I feel much like Greg Smith.  I have committed to Father that I trust Him and I will be true to the covenants which I have made with Him.

Posted in Testimony | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment