Podcast appearances and mentions of Bruce R Mcconkie

Dr. Matthew Bowman has just released a new biography on Joseph Fielding Smith. Bowman is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. The Mormon Studies chair Bowman holds at Claremont Graduate University is the oldest in the country, having been established over 15 years ago. Bowman is the third person to hold the chair, following Richard Bushman and Patrick Mason. Patrick Mason left Claremont to take the chair at Utah State University. https://youtu.be/6VrK15TQVcY Don't miss our other episodes with Dr Matthew Bowman! https://gospeltangents.com/people/matthew-bowman/ Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission. Mormon Studies Other Mormon studies chairs exist at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley (held by Deidre J Green), and the University of Virginia. Although not directly affiliated with Claremont, the late Jan Shipps is credited with making the study of the Mormon tradition a legitimate academic pursuit for those outside the tradition, enabling universities like Claremont without historical ties to Mormonism to establish such a chair. Before the endowed chair, Anne Taves, a professor interested in Mormonism, taught American religious history at CGU, and Armand Mauss was involved in fundraising and occasionally taught classes. Introductions to Mormon Thought Bowman is also involved in the "Introductions to Mormon Thought" book series, which he co-edits with Joseph Spencer. Published by the University of Illinois, the series aims to stimulate the growth of Mormon intellectual history through accessible introductory volumes on important Mormon thinkers. The series broadly defines "Mormon thinkers" to include artists like CCA Christensen and Minerva Teichert, alongside more traditional intellectuals. The books are intended to be short, accessible, and explore how these individuals influenced how members of the Mormon tradition understood themselves. The series uses the term "Mormon" intentionally broadly to encompass all denominations and movements originating from Joseph Smith's work, including fundamentalist Mormons and figures from the Community of Christ. While initially planned for 10-15 books, the series is doing well and is expected to continue. Other volumes in the series cover figures such as Eugene England (by Christine Hagund), Vardis Fisher (by Mike Austin), Sonia Johnson (by Chris Talbot), Lowell Bennion (by George Handley), Hugh Nibley (by Joseph Spencer), and Richard Bushman (by JB Haws). A future volume is planned on Eliza R. Snow (by Deidre Green), and Bowman hopes for one on Sheri Dew. Joseph Fielding Smith Bowman chose to write his book in the series about Joseph Fielding Smith, though his initial interest was in Bruce R. McConkie. He agreed to write about Smith instead to secure another author's participation in the series. Bowman views Joseph Fielding Smith as Bruce R. McConkie's intellectual parent and considers him the most significant LDS theologian of the 20th century, leaving a deeper and more persistent mark than others like James E. Talmage. While McConkie was influential, Bowman sees him more as a systematizer of his father-in-law's ideas rather than being an original. Other significant 20th/21st-century Mormon thinkers mentioned include B.H. Roberts, Margarita Bautista, Sheri Dew, and Leverne Parmley.. A significant fact about Joseph Fielding Smith is that he was the grandson of Hyrum Smith and the son of Joseph F. Smith. Bowman emphasizes that being a "Smith" was incredibly important to Fielding Smith, shaping his sense of duty and responsibility to continue his family's work. His memories of his father and uncle's violent deaths and his father's need to hide from federal marshals profoundly influenced him, fostering a sense of defensiveness and a perception that the world was hostile and persecuted the family f...

Everything we do in this life, especially living worthy of a celestial marriage, prepares us to become like our Father in Heaven. Click here to view the full speech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement are the foundations of salvation. As we understand them better, we can live to gain eternal life. Click here to see the speech page.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We will not be saved by our works, but Christ's grace does not absolve us from effort. True faith in Jesus Christ requires action. Click here to see the speech page.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us as Matthew Harris returns to discuss Gordon B. Hinckley's efforts to address lingering racism in the church, the push to remove Bruce R. McConkie's Mormon Doctrine from shelves, and members' calls for an apology for the church's past racism. We also explore Elder Holland's attempts to rebrand these doctrines as "folklore," the continuation of racist teachings by BYU professors like Randy Bott, and the creation of the Gospel Topics Essays. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Como uma pessoa pode tornar firme seu chamado e eleição? Quem é o Segundo Consolador? Qual a relação entre o chamado e eleição e o Segundo Consolador? O que acontecerá com quem não tiver seu chamado e eleição assegurado nesta vida? Ed Sousa e Gustavo Rodrigues conversam sobre essas e outras questões neste episódio. Referências deste episódio: - Bruce R McConkie, Mormon Doctrine. p.109, 687 - Manuscript History of the Church, adendos do vol. C-1, páginas 8–9, josephsmithpapers.org - "John 13-17", New Testament Teacher Resource Manual, seminaries and Institutes, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah. - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Three 1838-39, p.150. - thesecondcomforter.com - "What is meant by the Second Comforter?" em askgramps.org/what-is-meant-by-the-second-comforter.

Join us today as we meet again with historian Matt Harris to discuss his new book “Second Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality.” Matt Harris talks about the relationship between the Church and the John Birch Society and how the church changed its mind on supporting the Martin Luther King holiday. Additionally, Harris discusses how the harmful teachings of Bruce R. McConkie's book “Mormon Doctrine” lived on even after his death. Professors Eugene England and Steven Epperson were pushed out of BYU for their more liberal views. How the Strengthening the Church Members Committee keeps these members in check. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Em 2 Pedro 1:10 lemos que devemos procurar fazer cada vez mais firme a nossa vocação (chamado) e eleição. Mas o que estas palavras significam? Como somos chamados e eleitos? O que as escrituras e os profetas modernos ensinam sobre esse assunto? Ed Sousa e Gustavo Rodrigues conversam sobre essas e outras questões no primeiro episódio da nova série Chamado e Eleição. Referências deste episódio: - Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 3: 356. - Bruce R McConckie, Mormon Doctrine, (Bookcraft second edition) p. 109. - Joseph Smith's Commentary on the Bible, comp. Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994), 136. - Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:530. - origemdapalavra.com.br/palavras/profecia

In this episode, we join Matt Harris to discuss the aftermath of lifting the priesthood and temple ban in the LDS Church. We explore how Bruce R. McConkie's account of the revelation was embellished and the damage control efforts by top church leaders. We also examine President Kimball's controversial remarks about Native Americans and his later regret over those comments. This discussion focuses on chapter eight of Matt Harris' book, "Second Class Saints." We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you! Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Best Ever General Conference Talk on Preparing for the Return of Christ! And Two Songs, I Bowed on My Knees and In Christ Alone. ACU Sunday Series. A Prophetic Call to Prepare for the Latter Days In this powerful address by Bruce R. McConkie, prophetic warnings about the upcoming challenges and desolations are issued, urging individuals and the church to prepare both spiritually and temporally. Drawing on teachings from Jesus, John, and Joseph Smith, the Bruce R. McConkie emphasizes the importance of obedience, self-reliance, and righteousness to withstand the tribulations foretold in scriptures. The call underscores the necessity of embracing God's commandments, working diligently, and maintaining independence from worldly powers to secure spiritual and temporal salvation. Watch the video at- https://youtu.be/y3Xs-kXDTYQ?si=k2DS6F8B0Zy8de7v The Words of Christ 7.73K subscribers 14,203 views Jul 26, 2024 #ScriptureCentral #ComeFollowMe #Mormon To Receive Daily the Words of Christ: https://ok.theurlis.com/Subscribe Hit the

THE BLACKS AND THE PRIESTHOOD, Part 2 of Chapter 13 of The Church and The Gospel    Pages 200 to 206   The Seed of Cain Enoch was a man endowed with the power of God, for we read that he could speak the word of the Lord and “the earth trembled” or he could turn rivers of water “out of their course,” or make the “mountains fall” before him. Yet when he preached the word of the Lord, he went forth among “all the people, save it were the people of Canaan. . . .” Enoch saw that the people were “a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.” Those who were less valiant in pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known to us as the Negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth through the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against God. . . . (Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie, pp. 476-77)

RFM delves into the subject of affinity fraud, Mormon style! Unfortunately, some famous and respected names in Mormon leadership got into the act. RFM shares some personal stories about Mormon affinity fraud, as well, and rounding out the show are some comments from last week's episode, featuring comments from some members of George W. Pace's… Read More »Mormon Affinity Fraud and Bruce R. McConkie: RFM: 360

RFM delves into the subject of affinity fraud, Mormon style! Unfortunately, some famous and respected names in Mormon leadership got into the act. RFM shares some personal stories about Mormon affinity fraud, as well, and rounding out the show are some comments from last week's episode, featuring comments from some members of George W. Pace's… Read More »Mormon Affinity Fraud and Bruce R. McConkie: RFM: 360 The post Mormon Affinity Fraud and Bruce R. McConkie: RFM: 360 appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

  In the August 11, 2024 episode of The Interpreter Radio Show, our hosts are Terry Hutchinson, Mark Johnson, and Kevin Christensen. They discuss Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon lesson 36, the FAIR Conference, books on Bruce R. McConkie and Joseph Fielding Smith, the completion of the Critical Text Project, and Kevin's latest article […] The post Interpreter Radio Show — August 11, 2024 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Esta nova série abordará tópicos relacionados ao Milênio, os mil anos de paz em que Cristo reinará na Terra. Neste primeiro episódio, Ed Sousa e Gustavo Rodrigues conversam sobre os eventos que antecedem ao Milênio, como a Terra será preparada para este período, como Satanás será amarrado e que tipo de pessoa viverá a era milenar. Referências deste episódio: Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah [1982], pp.675-677 Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine. p.494 Joseph Fielding Smith - Doutrinas de Salvação, volume 1 p.82 Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, 16:312 Neal A. Maxwell, “O, Divine Redeemer”, Conferência Geral, outubro de 1981 Wendy Nelson, Devocional Mundial para Jovens Adultos, 10 de janeiro de 2016, Brigham Young University – Havaí

We will not be saved by our works, but Christ's grace does not absolve us from effort. True faith in Jesus Christ, which alone can save us, requires action. Click here to view the speech page.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On This week’s Mormon Newscast we cover the recent comments from Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons along with the recent fireworks fiasco while also taking a look at the upcoming film Heretic as well as a recent article on Bruce R. McConkie and TikTok on Hymnal Brainwashing. The Mormon Newscast Facebook page –… Read More »Fireworks From Dan Reynolds & Utah [The Mormon Newscast 028] The post Fireworks From Dan Reynolds & Utah [The Mormon Newscast 028] appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

Bruce R. McConkie on War and Coming Tribulation. Song- Whom Shall I Fear.   https://youtu.be/fKvJbUoMca8?si=fIFjIrBKo0yzmsSx Bruce R. McConkie on War Witnesses of Christ 11.4K subscribers 2,000 views Feb 24, 2022 Elder Bruce R. McConkie Quorum of the Twelve Apostles The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints From the April 1979 General Conference   https://youtu.be/mVNE1Zn8KQU?si=D444LbuDwXsq4Ik8 Elder Bruce R. McConkie on Coming Tribulation Witnesses of Christ 11.4K subscribers 1,535 views Feb 24, 2022 SALT LAKE CITY Elder Bruce R. McConkie Quorum of the Twelve Apostles The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints From the April 1980 General Conference   Song- Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies) Chris Tomlin   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    For Come Follow Me lesson manual and materials visit- Come, Follow Me For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/come-follow-me/2023?lang=eng     For a list of 100+ episodes of ACU Sunday Series visit- https://www.podbean.com/site/search/index?kdsowie31j4k1jlf913=85cb8104bdb182c048b714ad4385f9e82a3aeb49&v=ACU+Sunday+Series+ Note- Click on “100 Episodes Found” in upper right corner.   For many different Podcasts based on the ‘Come Follow Me' program visit- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=come+follow+me+   Subscribe to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the latest videos: http://bit.ly/1M0iPwY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchofjesu... Twitter: @Ch_JesusChrist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChurchOfJes... Website: ChurchOfJesusChrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints   BYUEducationWeek   Get a Free Book of Mormon | ComeUntoChrist Church of Jesus Christ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org › requests › free-...   The Book of Mormon brings you closer to Jesus. Click to download a free digital copy of the Book of Mormon and learn about it with online missionaries.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Strength of Youth To help you find the Way and to help you make Christ's doctrine the guiding influence in your life, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has prepared a new resource, a revised version of For the Strength of Youth.   For over 50 years, For the Strength of Youth has been a guide for generations of Latter-day Saint youth. I always keep a copy in my pocket, and I share it with people who are curious about our standards. It has been updated and refreshed to better cope with the challenges and temptations of our day. The new version of For the Strength of Youth is available online in 50 different languages and will also be available in print. It will be a significant help for making choices in your life. Please embrace it as your own and share it with your friends. This new version of For the Strength of Youth is subtitled A Guide for Making Choices. To be very clear, the best guide you can possibly have for making choices is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the strength of youth. So the purpose of For the Strength of Youth is to point you to Him. It teaches you eternal truths of His restored gospel—truths about who you are, who He is, and what you can accomplish with His strength. It teaches you how to make righteous choices based on those eternal truths.13 It's also important to know what For the Strength of Youth does not do. It doesn't make decisions for you. It doesn't give you a “yes” or “no” about every choice you might ever face. For the Strength of Youth focuses on the foundation for your choices. It focuses on values, principles, and doctrine instead of every specific behavior. The Lord, through His prophets, has always been guiding us in that direction. He is pleading with us to “increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”14 He is inviting us to “hear Him.”15 He is calling us to follow Him in higher and holier ways.16 And we are learning in a similar way every week in Come, Follow Me.     ACU Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For The Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless. --------------------------------------------------------

Are we capable of affecting lasting change in the lives of others? As Dr. Brian Mead examines Ammon's journeys, he uncovers the heart of missionary work and the power of conversion.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM27ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM27FRPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM27PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM27ES YOUTUBEALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE00:00 Part I  - Dr. Brian Mead00:49 Themes in this week's lesson02:15 Introduction of Dr. Mead04:16 Come, Follow Me introduction6:41 Mosiah 28:1-2 - Sons of Mosiah teach the Lamanites08:01 Alma 17:2-3 - Mormon tells the reunion first12:16 The angel was the beginning of testimonies13:24 A recipe to prepare for teaching 15:12 Alma 17:4 - A 14-year mission ups and downs18:51 “We aren't done with her yet”20:42 Alma 17:11-15 - Two goals amidst wild ferocious people25:55 Bruce R. McConkie's “The Three Pillars of Eternity”27:56 The Plan of Redemption is about relationships31:02 Consecrated families send missionaries34:29 Alma 17:22-4 - Ammon and the king26:19 Ammon and the flocks38:31 Serve, win, and lead41:51 Alma 17: 27 Ammon protects the flocks 44:06 Ammon or Jesus?46:46 Affliction and opportunities48:18 Dr. Mead shares a personal story about a change of personal plans51:07 Alma 17:52 - Good examples “unto them in me”55:23 Alma 18:1-10 - Overview57:28 The power of service in spiritual work1:00:20 Alma 18:12-13 - Ammon helps us reach our neighbors1:02:58 Alma 18:20-24 - Wise yet harmlessEnd of Part 1 - Dr. Brian MeadThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Forty-six years ago this month, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under then-President Spencer W. Kimball, lifted its prohibition preventing Black men from entering the all-male priesthood and Black women and men from participating in temple rites. This historic shift, the most significant since the faith stopped practicing polygamy, abruptly ended this racist ban, but it hardly ended racism within the church. After all, 126 years of theological justifications for the ban remained, including influential works such as “Mormon Doctrine” by apostle Bruce R. McConkie. Cleanup still needed — and needs — to be done. Building on President Gordon B. Hinckley's outreach efforts, current church leader Russell M. Nelson has called on members to lead out against racism and has cemented ties with the NAACP. Matthew Harris' new book, “Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality,” explores the history of the priesthood/temple ban, from its racist roots under Brigham Young to its removal and its aftermath, with an eye especially on its effects on Black Latter-day Saints. With unprecedented access to the papers of Kimball, McConkie, Hugh B. Brown and Joseph Fielding Smith, Harris offers an insider view of the decision-making process among the church hierarchy regarding issues of race and this momentous move. Join us for this conversation.

In honor of Mothers' Day, host Martin Tanner, describes the origin of the LDS doctrine of a Heavenly Mother, from Joseph Smith, as described by Eliza R. Snow, Zina Huntington, Parly P. Pratt, Brigham Young, and others.  And, its confirmation by Gordon B. Hinckley, James E. Faust, Bruce R. McConkie, Spencer W. Kimball, James H. Talmage, B.H. Roberts and many others.  The idea of a Heavenly Mother is found in three LDS hymns, in several official Church manuals, in the Joseph Smith History of the Church, the Ensign, Times and Seasons, and many other sources. Martin Tanner also describes the Biblical sources for a Mother in Heaven, the Early Christian scriptures refering to a Mother in Heaven, and ancient Jewish sources for the belief in a female deity in Jewish thought and doctrine.

Do we simply use our agency or do we rely on inspiration from God? The fact is that we can't move forward without either when we counsel with the Lord. Click this link to view the speech page.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Convidada de hoje: Jac Pozza do instagram "Nutrida pela Boa Palavra"" A citação que Carol traduziu do Livro de David Ridges é a seguinte: "Essas coisas" no versículo 30, acima, referem-se ao versículo 27. Na verdade, você pode querer desenhar uma seta de "essas coisas" referindo ao versículo 27 em suas próprias escrituras.Uma pergunta comum que surge nas aulas é: "Será necessário praticar o casamento plural se eu atingir a exaltação?" A resposta é "Não". Bruce R. McConkie dá a resposta da seguinte forma (adicionado em negrito para apontar a resposta):"A partir de registros bíblicos fragmentados que estão agora disponíveis, aprendemos que o Senhor ordenou que alguns de seus antigos santos praticassem o casamento plural. Abraão, Isaac e Jacó - entre outros (D&C 132) - se conformaram a esse princípio enobrecedor e exaltador; toda a história da antiga Israel foi aquela em que a pluralidade de esposas era uma ordem de matrimônio divinamente aceita e aprovada. Aqueles que entraram nesta ordem sob o comando do Senhor, e que mantiveram as leis e condições pertencentes a ela, ganharam para si mesmos a exaltação eterna no céu mais alto do mundo celestial."Nos primeiros dias desta dispensação, como parte da prometida restituição de todas as coisas, o Senhor revelou o princípio do casamento plural com o Profeta. Mais tarde, o Profeta e os principais irmãos foram ordenados a entrar na prática, o que fizeram com toda a virtude e pureza de coração, apesar da consequente animosidade e preconceitos das pessoas mundanas. Depois que Brigham Young levou os santos ao Salt Lake Valley, o casamento plural foi abertamente ensinado e praticado até o ano de 1890. Naquela época, as condições eram tais que o Senhor, por revelação, retirou o comando para continuar a prática, e o presidente Wilford Woodruff emitiu o Manifesto orientando que ele cessasse (Woodruff, Discursos de Wilford Woodruff, pp. 213-18)."Obviamente, a prática sagrada começará novamente após a Segunda Vinda do Filho do Homem e a inunção do Milênio (Isaías 4)."O casamento plural não é essencial para a salvação ou exaltação. Néfi e seu povo foram negados o poder de ter mais de uma esposa e, no entanto, eles poderiam ganhar cada Bênção na eternidade que o Senhor já ofereceu a qualquer povo. Em nossos dias, o Senhor resumiu por revelação toda a doutrina da exaltação e a baseou no casamento de um homem com uma mulher (D&C 132:1-28) Depois disso, ele acrescentou os princípios relativos à pluralidade de esposas com a estipulação expressa de que tais casamentos seriam válidos apenas se autorizados pelo Presidente da Igreja (D&C 132:7, 29-66).“Todos os que fingem ou assumem se envolver em casamento plural neste dia, quando aquele que segura as chaves retirou o poder pelo qual são executados, são culpados de maldade grosseira" (McConkie, Doutrina Mórmon, 578).

The love of a celestial marriage can be powerful enough to overcome the trials of life, and even to overcome death itself. Click here to view the speech page.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement are the foundations of salvation. As we understand them better, we can live to gain eternal life. Click here to view the speech page. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most important decision you can make in this life is choosing your eternal companion. Don't settle for less than eternity. Access the speech page here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gospel that we believe and preach is that of the original apostles—the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That truth can change lives. Access the speech page here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruce R McConkie is fomous for advocating that the Catholic Church is the "Great & Abominable Church" mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Is that offensive to Cristina Rosetti, a Catholic? She'll respond to that in our next conversation. We'll also talk about religoius violence from the Crusades to Mountain Meadows. What does she think of that? Is religion in decline, or is it readying for another upswing? Check out our conversation... https://youtu.be/q3Hb0jIX9vU transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

On today's episode we return the "people we can't be friends with" segment. We talk about why we won't marry club girls and how they don't want to marry us, how out of touch Sam Smith is with reality, the church finances and why we really don't care about the fact that they're richer than everyone and close it out with some spiritual thoughts, specifically special witnesses of Christ...did Bruce R. McConkie see Christ? Follow us! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/latterdaytakes/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkMsWiqVxTvQP2tU98MJMDQ Twitter - https://twitter.com/harperdanderson Write in to Latter-day Takes: latterdaytakes@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/harper-anderson/support

Guess what! This is the end of our deep dive into The Millennial Messiah, by Bruce R McConkie! It's party time!  We go over the last 4 chapters and then discuss our conclusion. Then, we will watch the 2010 movie Legion, with a mormon lens because it works WAY too well with that. Then we'll finish off the episode with some good news about a BYU protest!   MOGP: Legion (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038686/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3  FInd where it's streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/legion    Happy News:  https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/12/stanford-marching-band-mocks-byu-gay-wedding-skit-football-game/   Other Appearances:    LIVE SHOW! Mon, Dec 26, 2022 — We will talk about media. All things media — books, movies, music, etc.    Come see us on Aron Ra's YouTube channel! He's doing a series titled Reading Joseph's Myth BoM. This link is for the playlist:   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXJ4dsU0oGMKfJKvEMeRn5ebpAggkoVHf    Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com 

Olá, Paz do Senhor, hoje estaremos vendo uma introdução do livro de Efésios. A Epístola aos Efésios foi escrita pelo Apóstolo Paulo. Paulo declarou estar preso na época em que escreveu a Epístola aos Efésios (Efésios 3:1; 4:1; 6:20). É possível que essa epístola tenha sido escrita quando Paulo esteve preso pela primeira vez em Roma, aproximadamente entre os anos 60 e 62 d.C. Nessa época, Paulo estava em prisão domiciliar, mas tinha liberdade de receber visitas e de ensinar o evangelho (Atos 28:16–31), Paulo divide sua obra em três segmentos principais, os capítulos um a três introduzem princípios relativos ao que Deus tem feito, os capítulos quatro e cinco expõem princípios sobre nossa existência atual e o capítulo seis apresenta princípios a respeito de nossa luta diária. “Efésios é uma epístola para o mundo inteiro, para judeus e gentios, para marido e mulher, para pais e filhos, para servos e senhores. É a declaração da palavra e vontade de Deus nos dias de Paulo e é a voz da inspiração em nossos dias; é uma epístola de apelo e aplicação universal. (…) Essa epístola é um dos melhores textos de Paulo e aborda questões fundamentais, aborda o evangelho de Deus em toda a sua glória salvadora” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary [Comentário Doutrinário do Novo Testamento], 3 vols., 1965–1973, vol. II, p. 489). O estudo da Epístola aos Efésios pode inspirar os alunos a abandonar as coisas deste mundo, a desenvolver-se espiritualmente e aprender a participar mais plenamente da união fraternal da Igreja. Em diversas traduções da Bíblia (inclusive na de João Ferreira de Almeida), no texto de Efésios 1:1 lê-se que essa epístola se dirige aos “santos que estão em Éfeso”. Contudo, os manuscritos mais antigos de Efésios não contêm as palavras “que estão em Éfeso”, o que indica a possibilidade de que Paulo não tenha escrito essa epístola especificamente aos Efésios, mas, sim, a diversas congregações de santos que incluiriam os Efésios. Éfeso serviu de sede para o trabalho de Paulo durante sua terceira viagem missionária (Atos 19:9–10; 20:31) e ele tinha grande afeição por aquele povo (Atos 20:17, 34–38). Nessa epístola, Paulo dirigiu-se aos membros gentios da Igreja (Efésios 2:11) que talvez fossem recém-conversos (Efésios 1:15). O objetivo da carta era promover a espiritualidade e o testemunho dos que já eram membros da Igreja. Os principais objetivos de Paulo eram ajudar esses conservos a obter mais conhecimento espiritual de Deus e da Igreja (Efésios 1:15–18; 3:14–19); promover a união, particularmente entre os membros gentios e judeus (Efésios 2:11–22; 4:1–16; 5:19–6:9) e incentivar os santos a resistirem às forças do mal (Efésios 4:17–5:18; 6:10–18). Muitos santos em Éfeso viviam em tal retidão que foram selados para a vida eterna. Efésios contém muitos ensinamentos e conceitos que soam familiares aos santos dos últimos dias. Estes são alguns deles: a preordenação, a dispensação da plenitude dos tempos, o Santo Espírito da promessa, a importância dos profetas e apóstolos, a ideia de uma única Igreja verdadeira e os diversos ofícios, chamados de funções dentro da organização da Igreja. Essa epístola também contém alguns dos ensinamentos mais sublimes encontrados nas escrituras com relação à família Efésios 1:1–4:16, Paulo aborda a questão da preordenação dos santos para receber o evangelho; a dispensação da plenitude dos tempos; o selamento pelo Santo Espírito da promessa; a salvação pela graça; a união entre os santos gentios e judeus na Igreja; um só Senhor, uma só fé e um só batismo; o propósito da Igreja; a Igreja é organizada sobre o alicerce de profetas e apóstolos, tendo Jesus Cristo como principal pedra de esquina. Paulo ensina que Deus reunirá todas as coisas em Cristo na dispensação da plenitude dos tempos.

Our long-awaited deep-dive deconstruction of Adam-God Doctrine, or theory, depending on who you ask. What is it? Who taught it? Why is it controversial? How is it treated by the corporate Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today? ‘As we are, god once was, as god is we may someday become' is a tried-and-true Mormon doctrine and the Adam-Eve-Gods Doctrine fits perfectly within this logical loop. As the title of the doctrine alludes to, Heavenly Father took the form of Adam with one of his wives, Heavenly Mother Eve, to create and populate the earth, after which he went to Adam-ondi-Ahman, in Missouri, where he ascended back to godhood to continue his charge from Elohim to create worlds without end. Then we dive into the nearly-final segment of Bruce R. McConkie's Millennial Messiah. McCranky loves the idea of fire burning the sinners and his charged language justifies the physical suffering and burning of anybody who isn't Mormon or living its dictates. Further, when Jesus returns to reign in the millennium he will rule with an iron rod; the future dystopian Mormon theocracy is a dangerous and unforgiving land. How all these teachings pervade Mormon culture to this day can be seen by Mormons periodically carrying out the will of gods by causing the suffering and death of sinners and those who oppose the kingdom of God. Mormonism creates dangerous men, yet the church never suffers the repurcussions. We round out the episode with some happy news about cannabis legislation heading to President Biden's desk.   Show Notes:  FairLatterDaySaints Adam-God theory https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Mormonism_and_doctrine/Repudiated_concepts/Adam-God_theory Brigham Young's Teachings on Adam by Matthew B. Brown (2009) https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2009_Brigham_Youngs_Teachings_On_Adam.pdf JS On the Plurality of Gods http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/sermons_talks_interviews/smithpluralityofgodssermon.htm JS King Follett Discourse https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/King_Follett_Discourse The Evening and the Morning Star May 1834 article about Adam https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/5884 The Position of Adam in Latter-day Scripture and Theology by Rodney Turner (1952) https://web.archive.org/web/20150328213004/http://mormonbookshelf.com/wiki/The_Position_of_Adam_in_Latter-day_Scripture_and_Theology/Introduction Council of Fifty Minutes https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/council-of-fifty-minutes-march-1844-january-1846-volume-1-10-march-1844-1-march-1845/389#full-1189529701479850981 Nauvoo Expositor https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nauvoo_Expositor The Mormons, or Latter-Day Saints in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake by John W. Gunnison (1852) https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/rbc/rbc0001/2019/2019gen35226/2019gen35226.pdf Women of Mormondom by Edward Tullidge (1877) http://ia800907.us.archive.org/31/items/womenofmormondom00tullrich/womenofmormondom00tullrich.pdf Brigham Young first public speech on Adam-God Doctrine April 1852 General Conference https://journalofdiscourses.com/1/8 Celestial Marriage by Orson Pratt Oct 1852 General Conference https://journalofdiscourses.com/1/9 Our Own Liahona by Spencer W. Kimball (1978 denunciation of Adam-God Doctrine) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1976/11/our-own-liahona?lang=eng Quotes on Adam-God Doctrine from various church leaders http://www.mormonthink.com/QUOTES/adamgod.htm Adam-God resource repository https://www.adamgod.com/ The Adam-God Doctrine by David John Buerger (Spring 1982) https://www.jstor.org/stable/45225052?seq=3#metadata_info_tab_contents   Happy News:  https://themarijuanaherald.com/2022/11/u-s-senate-passes-marijuana-and-cannabidiol-research-expansion-act-sends-it-to-president-biden/   Other Appearances:    Come see us on Aron Ra's YouTube channel! He's doing a series titled Reading Joseph's Myth BoM. This link is for the playlist:   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXJ4dsU0oGMKfJKvEMeRn5ebpAggkoVHf    Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com    iTunes reviews: We need more!   

It's time for the next installment of The Millennial Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie! Before that, we talk about Zion. What was it, what did/does it mean to various faith traditions, and what's the Mormon slant of Zion? McCranky spends this entire episode discussing how incredibly awesome the future Mormon theocracy, Zion, the New Jerusalem, built upon the American continent, is going to be! We wrap up with some happy news from Salt Lake City attempting to mitigate homelessness in Zion.   Show Notes:  Repository of LDS Zion resources  https://www.margiesmessages.com/zionnew.html   Bruce R. McConkie Come: Let Israel Build Zion https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1977/04/come-let-israel-build-zion?lang=eng   Spencer W. Kimball Becoming the Pure in Heart https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1978/04/becoming-the-pure-in-heart?lang=eng   Harold B. Lee Strengthen the Stakes of Zion https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1973/04/strengthen-the-stakes-of-zion?lang=eng   Todd Christofferson Come to Zion https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1973/04/strengthen-the-stakes-of-zion?lang=eng   David A. Bednar Put On Thy Strength, O Zion https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1973/04/strengthen-the-stakes-of-zion?lang=eng   David J. Larsen Enoch and the City of Zion; Can an Entire Community Ascend to Heaven? https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/enoch-and-the-city-of-zion-can-an-entire-community-ascend-to-heaven/   Mormonwiki: City of Enoch https://www.mormonwiki.com/City_of_Enoch   EoM: Zion https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Zion   Mormonwiki: Zion https://www.mormonwiki.com/Zion   MOGP:    Steel Meets Steel — 10 Years of Glory, by Hammerfall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiVsLtR7sKs   Ethnic Cleansing: https://www.history.com/topics/holocaust/ethnic-cleansing  Armageddon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon  Tel Megiddo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Megiddo  Valley of Jezreel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jezreel_Valley  Gog and Magog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gog_and_Magog  Henry V, Act IV, scene i, William Shakespeare: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/henryv/henryv.4.1.html  Hymn Before Action 1890, Rudyard Kipling: https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_action.htm  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_Before_Action  Happy News:  https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/salt-lake-city-council-votes-to-move-forward-with-tiny-home-village-to-house-homeless  Other Appearances:    Come see us on Aron Ra's YouTube channel! He's doing a series titled Reading Joseph's Myth BoM. This link is for the playlist:   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXJ4dsU0oGMKfJKvEMeRn5ebpAggkoVHf    Mormon Book Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS35GXy3XRY   Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com 

What a fun grouping of topics! We do a relatively long deep-dive into the history of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has dealt with organic evolution and how the stance has changed over time. Of course, the Book of Mormon is predicated on eugenics, as is the history of Utah, so we also include this more controversial subject as it is related. Then we dive into Bruce R. McConkie's Millennial Messiah where he continues to harp on his favorite topic, the end times. Turns out the book title is very revealing of the subject matter. We wrap the episode with a new press release from the White House about government-funded research.   Show links:  Improvement Era article (Official publication on organic evolution) https://archive.org/details/improvementera28011unse/page/1088/mode/2up Organic Evolution (current Church official) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/organic-evolution?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR2JSViKt8X5b58lHFTGwP223jzjn9pm5Vi9Y1j2kz94QC8bjCHNrhuPpMk Pew Research interview with Russel M. Nelson https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2007/05/16/in-focus-mormonism-in-modern-america/ Ben Spackman analysis of Official Church essay https://benspackman.com/2022/06/an-annotated-version-of-the-new-church-history-evolution-topic/?fbclid=IwAR2AhOens_H9jWsIZVzw9YZCro0syh7TsHuZ-G4C44BX9p46z2lMDwRs_CY How Darwin's Book holds up 150 years later https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-darwins-descent-man-holds-150-years-after-publication-180977091/ Descent of Man http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F937.1&viewtype=text&pageseq=1 Orson Pratt's statement possibly favorable to theological evolution https://bycommonconsent.com/2015/04/30/orson-pratt-and-god-emergence-as-fundamental-mormonism/ Man; His Origin and Destiny by Joseph Fielding Smith http://www.sainesburyproject.com/mormonstuff/Man%20His%20Origin%20and%20Destiny.pdf “BYU Packet” https://biology.byu.edu/00000172-29e6-d079-ab7e-69efe5890000/byu-evolution-packet Mormons and Genetics by Mary V. Rorty Sunstone 2003 https://web.stanford.edu/~mvr2j/mormons.html   Millennial Messiah   Blood moon: https://www.space.com/39471-what-is-a-blood-moon.html  Babylon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon  Babylonia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonia    Dragonheart (metal music): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMaLY2wF94c    Happy News: Delivering equitable access to all government funded research to the public: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2022/08/25/breakthroughs-for-alldelivering-equitable-access-to-americas-research/  Come see us on Aron Ra's YouTube channel! He's doing a series titled Reading Joseph's Myth BoM. Bryce showed up for episode 7 and Shannon was added in on Episode 8. They will be on Saturday's. This link is for the playlist:   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXJ4dsU0oGMKfJKvEMeRn5ebpAggkoVHf    Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html

We've discussed Mormon endtimes on numerous episodes, but this time we will also discuss some results. Mormonism breeds dangerous men; men who believe the end of the world is coming. Bruce R. McConkie loved the idea of the endtimes. He wrote about it so much that we decided to cover what Mormon Doctrine says are the signs of the endtimes. Then, because we know you just can't get enough of McCrankie, Shannon will give the 5th segment of Millennial Messiah which, surprise surprise, is all about the death and destruction that is going to happen in the second coming. Then we actually will end the episode leaving you with a feeling that the world isn't completely on fire with some really cool news about green infrastructure. So fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night!  Show links:    Mormon Endtimes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Coming_in_Mormonism https://mormonbeliefs.org/mormon_beliefs/mormon-doctrine-salvation/do-mormons-believe-in-the-end-times/ https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/04/28/no-george-washington-didnt-believe-in-the-mormon-god/#wrap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/08/576502739/judge-dismisses-federal-case-against-cliven-bundy-and-sons-bars-retrial https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-bundy-mistrial-2018-story.html https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/uncategorized/episode-169-conversations-across-the-aisle-with-bryan-hyde/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-appoints-dayle-elieson-interim-united-states-attorney   Happy News:   https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/green-infrastructure-benefit-frontline-communities    Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!  

In Mormon Fundamentalism there are names that everybody knows. Then there are a distinct few who's influence is felt all through the community. On this episode we talk about one such man, Ogden Kraut. I sit down with Kevin Kraut Ogden's son to talk about his Dad. We cover Ogden's upbringing, his mission, and his work as a Mormon fundamentalist historian and author. Some of the most fascinating portions is hearing about Ogden's interactions with folks like John Koyle, Bruce R. McConkie, Hugh Nibley, and Cleon Skousen. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dave-kirkenbower/support

Yes, it's time for our next installment of the Millennial Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie. Before that, however, we're doing a deep-dive into the history of the BYU center in Jerusalem. We discuss how it came to be, the hurdles overcome, and the strange and mysterious ways in which Mormon God works. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints punched far above its weight class in the sphere of international politics to shoehorn this place onto the Mount of Olives! Then we round out the episode with some happy news about scrap wood being used more sustainably.   Show Links:  Interview of David Galbraith https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-9-no-1-2008/jerusalem-center-near-eastern-studies-reflections-modern-pioneer Orson Hyde: A Life of Lessons Learned by Roy Huff https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-3-no-2-2002/orson-hyde-life-lessons-learned Eliza R. Snow 1875 Jerusalem trip journal https://archive.org/details/palestietourutah00smit/page/260/mode/2up The Haifa German Cemetary and the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center https://rsc.byu.edu/missionarys-story/haifa-german-cemetery-brigham-young-university-jerusalem-center Mormon Missionary Miracle in Jerusalem https://historyofmormonism.com/2012/10/11/mormon-missionary-miracle-in-jerusalem/ In the Footsteps of Orson Hyde by Blair Van Dyke, LaMar Berrett https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/in-the-footsteps-of-orson-hyde-subsequent-dedications-of-the-holy-land/ Provo becomes Sister City https://www.newspapers.com/image/469494086/?terms=byu%20jerusalem&match=1 Couple Donates $267,992 to BYU Jerusalem Center https://www.newspapers.com/image/286499702/?terms=byu%20jerusalem&match=1 Israeli Jews Fight New Mormon Center by William Claiborne 12/24/1985 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/12/24/israeli-jews-fight-new-mormon-center/2d7fe78d-4cac-4ed9-ab41-b76a69fb56d9/?fbclid=IwAR0IEoaFWdjjI0CsF3_7DJZ-G9v45a3EcaZieJrt9xYhb_OehR6xCYtudBw Three sets of brothers… https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/2012-11-03/three-sets-of-brothers-serve-in-six-different-temples-as-temple-presidents-48850   Happy News:   https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/reforestation-hubs-trees-landfills    Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!

The end is neigh at hand, or so Abrahamic believers have been saying for over 2000 years. Mormonism has its own special brand of the apocalypse and endtimes. This launches us into the next installment of the Millennial Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie. He talks about the endtimes as well, along with the role of the Book of Mormon. The final chapter we cover he leans deep into the white supremacy of Mormon theology. Be prepared, because we weren't. Then we wrap the show with an op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune from a long-time listener and patron, Dave Winslow, about the problems with violent rhetoric coming from the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   Be sure to tune in to our next live hangout on June 6th at 6 p.m. MST wherein we'll review Under the Banner of Heaven. Supporters at Patreon gain access to join the conversation on air!   If you'd like to share your experience for the upcoming PRIDE month episode (Ep 99), please do so through social media or a direct email to glassboxpodcast@gmail.com.   Show notes:    Links: View of the Hebrews by Ethan Smith 1823 https://archive.org/details/ViewOfTheHebrews1823EthanSmith/page/n81/mode/2up?view=theater Hope of Israel by Manasseh Ben Israel 1650 http://olivercowdery.com/texts/1650hope.htm Stick of Joseph flyer Dec 1844 https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-2-document-3-stick-of-joseph-1844/1   Happy News: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2022/05/19/dave-winslow-lds-leaders/   Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!

Elder McConkie offers his testimony of Christ's divine parentage. We, too, can testify of his identity as the Son of God; we can "declare his generation." Support the show: https://ldsp-pay.ldschurch.org/donations/byu/byu-speeches.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk about Mormon priestcraft and show just how much they fit into their own description, all while denying it, of course. (Mormons and their leaders are awfully good at that!) This will lead us directly into part 2 of Bruce R McConkie's book Millennial Messiah. We have an enjoyable time also discussing Martin Luther and the rise of Protestantism. We will also talk about why we think McCrankie hated Catholicism so much.  Then we'll close it out with some amazing news about a successful Malaria vaccine. Enjoy!  Show notes:    Main topic: Priestcraft Priestcraft:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/priestcraft?lang=eng The Dangers of Priestcraft:    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teaching-seminary-preservice-readings-religion-370-471-and-475/the-dangers-of-priestcraft?lang=eng  A Popular History of Priestcraft In All Ages and Nations:    https://archive.org/stream/popularhistoryof00howiuoft/popularhistoryof00howiuoft_djvu.txt   MOGP: Millennial Messiah by Bruce R McConkie  Martin Luther: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther  The Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses  Protest Reformation:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation  Catholic Counter-Reformation:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-Reformation  Council of Trent:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent  These countries have the most religious freedom:   https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/religious-freedom  Tyndale Bible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndale_Bible  Happy News:  More Than One Million African Children Protected by First Malaria Vaccine:   https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220421-more-than-one-million-african-children-protected-by-first-malaria-vaccine    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!   iTunes reviews: We need more!   

It's time to break into our next long-form review of Mormon literature; Bruce R. McConkie's Millennial Messiah! We get an idea for the purpose and objective of the book as well as McCrankie's pet issues right off the bat. He speaks of the heresies integral to false prophecy and warns of the various movements and political groups are anti-Christ. But before we crack open the spine of this tome, our main segment is a brief deep-dive into Mormon prophecy. What is it? From where does it come? How reliable are Mormon prophecies and can they be trusted? And the greatest question with which some believers may wrestle, what's Joseph Smith's batting average? We round out the show with some happy news about government diversity in Portugal!   Show notes:  Mormon Prophecy: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/archive/publications/the-truth-about-the-god-makers/ic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prophecies_of_Joseph_Smith https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-march-september-1838/41 https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-1839/2#historical-intro#josephsmithpapers https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/prophecies-of-joseph-smith?lang=eng&adobe_mc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_of_1833 https://www.jstor.org/stable/43200790 https://mit.irr.org/joseph-smith-william-miller-and-prophetic-speculation   MOGP:  Book of Common Prayer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer  Edward VI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VI  Indulgences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indulgence  Protestant Reformation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation    Happy News:  https://www.portugal.com/news/portuguese-government-announced-the-majority-of-ministers-are-women-for-the-first-time-ever/   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!   iTunes reviews: We need more!

"Nor are the days of our greatest sorrows and our deepest sufferings all behind us. They too lie ahead. We shall yet face greater perils, we shall yet be tested with more severe trials, and we shall yet weep more tears of sorrow than we have ever known before. We honor our forebears and reverence our prophets. We rejoice in the goodness of God to them and thank him and them for the heritage that is ours." -Elder Bruce R. McConkie Hold to the Rod! iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../lds-fishers.../id1607875415 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3EBd9aMSwgO1JrSKN75AEJ iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-lds-fishers-of-men-92275180/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-53623457 Music: www.bensound.com While I am a member in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the views expressed in my videos are my own and do not officially represent the Church. If there is ever a conflict, the Brethren and the keys are right and I am wrong.

Today on the Talk Mormonism podcast I am joined by Terryl Givens, popular LDS scholar, and author. He is currently a Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research fellow at Brigham Young University, and author of several noteworthy books on Mormon history and theology. Terryl is known for books such as People of Paradox, By The Hand of Mormon, and the Pearl of Greatest Price. He has also coauthored several books with his wife Fiona, including The Christ who Heals, The Crucible of Doubt, and All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between. Most recently, Terryl has authored an expansive biography of Eugene England, one of the most infamous characters in modern LDS history. The book is Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism available now through the University of North Carolina Press. An intellectual perhaps ahead of his time, England found himself in the crosshairs of LDS church authorities on several occasions for his theological speculations and political activism. Although somewhat controversial for the time, many of England's positions have shown him to be a visionary who was simply ahead of the Mormon curve. He refuted the idea of a priesthood and temple ban on Black members of the church, critiqued institutional sexism, and struggled with Mormon narratives of prophetic infallibility.    Terryl Givens and I will spend some time reflecting on England's life: his formative years as a missionary to Samoa, his activism at Stanford, formation of the Dialogue journal, and of course, his notorious conflict with Bruce R. McConkie. We'll also talk about the social and religious shifts that culminated in what Terryl calls the "crisis of Mormon modernism." You can order "Stretching the Heavens" at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Heavens-Eugene-England-Mormonism/dp/146966433X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QXG1ZILZSXI9&dchild=1&keywords=eugene+england&qid=1631217982&s=books&sprefix=eugene+england%2Caps%2C180&sr=1-1 

Included in Bruce R. McConkie's “Seven Deadly Heresies” list was the notion that there could be progression between kingdoms of glory. He said people “neither progress from one kingdom to another, nor does a lower kingdom ever get where a higher kingdom once was. Whatever eternal progression there is, it is within its sphere.” This supposition, however, comes in direct conflict with a host of other church leaders who have voiced support for the idea of progress from kingdom to kingdom. Joseph and Hyrum, James E. Talmage, B.H. Roberts, and J. Reuben Clark among others believed in eternal increase from one kingdom to the next.

Fixed audio!  Historian Dan Vogel is one of the premiere experts on the life of Joseph Smith.  In part one of our interview, we will talk about his early life growing up in Mormonism, and I was a bit surprised to find out what a big fan of Bruce R. McConkie he was! https://youtu.be/uPPqFGMrO7M Dan:  I really liked research and writing on early Mormon history. Ever since I was about 16 and then going on it pretty hard. Before my mission, I had read all the standard works. I had practically all the inspired version, all the changes underlined in it from reading Bruce R. McConkie's, New Testament Commentary. When I read those three volumes, as a teenager, GT:  You were a McConkie Mormon, then? Dan: Yes, and he came to my mission. GT: Oh, really? Dan:  Yeah. He came to my mission. GT:  Where did you go? Dan:  Birmingham, England. He came my mission. He was one of my heroes, because he was a scriptorian, and I was kind of scriptorian myself, as a kid. You know, I was really gung ho on seminary, going to seminary and raising my hand, "I know that! I know that!" So I was very annoying. GT: This is early morning seminary? Dan: Oh, yeah. GT:  I feel bad for these people outside of Utah that don't have release time seminary. That was too early for me. We will talk about his mission, and his change in beliefs.  By the way, at the beginning of this episode, I introduce Dan as "Dr. Dan Vogel."  He does not hold a Ph.D., so that is not correct.  Sorry about that slip up on my part, but I hope you enjoy the rest of episode 1.  Check out our conversation….. Dan Vogel no longer believes in the LDS Church, but he used to be a big fan of apostle Bruce R. McConkie!

We're continuing our conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Chadwick, New Testament scholar at BYU.  We'll talk about why Book of Mormon helps date birth of Christ.  We'll also talk about critics who complain that it says Jesus was born at Jerusalem.  How does Dr. Chadwick respond to that charge? https://youtu.be/ij9HYUHRXbk Jeff:  Bethlehem is just five miles south of ancient Jerusalem in terms of a town in a town. Today. Bethlehem is to Jerusalem the lead the way Orem is to Provo. If there weren't a political barrier there, because Israeli territory separates from Palestinian territory, you wouldn't know you were crossing from Jerusalem to Bethlehem today. They're literally that close. But they were five miles separate anciently. But Bethlehem was easily described in ancient texts as being in the district or county of Jerusalem or what Nephi himself calls, the Land of Jerusalem. In Alma 7:10, it does say Jesus was born at Jerusalem, the land of our forefathers. So, it is referring to Jerusalem as a land instead of a city. In other words, someone is born in Salt Lake County. Whether he's in Salt Lake City or whether he's in... GT: Sandy or Herriman... Jeff:   ...somewhere else there. Well, if you're born in the land of Jerusalem, you're in the vicinity there. There are some ancient texts that do refer to, we think, to Bethlehem as being in the land of Jerusalem, including some Egyptian texts. So, there's nothing wrong with that. GT:  So Egyptian texts say he was born in Jerusalem? Jeff: No, not that. They say that Bethlehem is a town in the district or Land of Jerusalem. One of the el Amarna texts, which actually dates long before 600 BC, notes, Bethlehem, a town in the Land of Jerusalem. So, it was not unusual in ancient times to refer to Bethlehem, if you had any reason to refer to it, as a town in the Land of Jerusalem. Alma 7:10 has never been one of those things that I've lost any sleep over. There are plenty of things you have to work to describe in scripture, but that one is not a problem. We'll also answer other questions, like this: Didn't Joseph Smith say Jesus was born on April 6th? Jeff: Joseph Smith made no statement on the timing of the birth of Christ. What Joseph Smith did was dictate the language of Doctrine and Covenants, section 20. But Doctrine and Covenants, section 20, verse one, which says that the church was established on the sixth day of April 1830 years after the coming of the Lord in the flesh. [This] was to note within the calendaring system, accepted at that time and still in ours, the date of the founding of the Latter-Day Saint Church, not the date of Jesus' birth, in saying, and by the way, this is J. Reuben Clark in his book, 'Our Lord of the Gospels,' which was another Latter-Day Saint commentary on the life of Christ, which appeared 50 years after Brother Talmage's. Brother Clark took the position that Doctrine and Covenants section 20 verse one is not giving the imprimatur of accuracy to our current calendar. That what Doctrine Covenant Section 20 verse one is simply doing is saying the church was established on April 6 in the year we generally refer to as 1830, the year of our Lord. That's all, not more or less. In elder Bruce R. McConkie's series called 'The Mortal Messiah,' he actually asks kind of in an end note to one of his chapters, what was the year of Jesus' birth. Then after saying this is a question about which the learned delight to debate, he goes ahead and debates it. What he does is he states what Elder Talmage's position was in Jesus the Christ where he used Doctrine and Covenant section 20, verse one to suggest that Jesus was born on April 6th, 1830 years before the church was founded, but then he also points out what President J. Reuben Clark said, which was that gospel scholarship in general throughout Christianity, based on historical documents available, particularly about the life of Herod the Great and about Roman dating,

Dr. Matt Harris has uncovered that apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote Official Declaration 2, which allowed for the first time in 120 years, open ordination of black church men, and allowed blacks access to the LDS Temple ordinances.  This may seem especially ironic, given the fact that McConkie had long justified the ban through the Curse of Cain and Curse of Ham in his book, Mormon Doctrine.https://youtu.be/I7n9Ku5MzaEMatt:  President Kimball knows what he is doing.  He needs to get Elder McConkie's buy-in.  When he gets Elder McConkie's buy-in that the ban needs to be lifted, I mean he feels that there is a tremendous weight off his shoulders.This isn't to take away of course any of the spiritual aspects of the temple and the revelation, and the things that the apostles will recount afterwards about it being the most magnificent spiritual experience of their life.  I think that's all very authentic and genuine, but it just speaks to President Kimball's remarkable leadership, that I order to do this, “I've got to really work with my associates and massage them and help them to understand that this is the right thing to do."  To me that is an incredible, remarkable exercise in leadership on President Kimball's part, because he doesn't want to create a schism in the Twelve like President Woodruff had under his leadership.I am sure as the church president that President Kimball could have just done something unilaterally.  But if there is no buy-in, what is the point?  Right?  If people don't realize that this is the right thing to do, that's really one of the most remarkable things is that he gets the buy-in from Elder McConkie.  Not only is there buy-in from Elder McConkie, the biggest doctrinal hardliner, but it is Elder McConkie who writes the Second Official Manifesto that will be added to the Doctrine & Covenants.  That is his language.We will also discuss a candid discussion between President Kimball and an official from the Carter Administration, who expressed displeasure with the ban. Matt:  Also, going on behind the scenes is President Kimball's meeting with a man named Jack Carlson.  He is Ph.D. in economics from Harvard.  He is a liberal Mormon democrat.  He is one of the proud three in the ‘70s!  {chuckles} He works in the Carter Administration.  He calls Jack Carlson into his office, and just has this very candid discussion.  This is in I think '76-77, somewhere in there.  He calls in Jack Carlson and his wife, just the three of them:  President Kimball and the Carlsons.  He says, “Jack, why do the Carter people hate us so much?”He said, “President, don't you get it?“No, tell me.  That's why you are here.”He said, “They hate our views on ERA, our views towards women and ERA.”  This is in the midst of the ERA movement. Of course, Utah was the holdup, arguably one of the states that kills the amendment, to be honest.  The church was against it, and that galvanized opposition.  “The other thing is, they don't like our views towards black people.”President Kimball, without missing a beat, says, “We've got to change this policy, but I can't.  I am worried.  I am worried about how the saints in the South will take this policy.”  It's the same thing McKay had to deal with, you remember?  “I am worried about my brethren in the Twelve.”  That's what he said.Matt gets into some other interesting details as well, such as Merrill Bateman's mission to Nigeria in the early 1970s.  This is an interview you don't want to miss (in addition to our previous discussion of Pres Kimball!) Did you know Elder McConkie wrote Official Declaration 2?Check out our conversation….[paypal-donation] 

In our next episode with Dr. Matt Harris, we will talk about how President Kimball persuaded the apostles to lift the priesthood and temple ban on black church members.  It turns out the Brazil Temple was a key part of that, as well as Bruce R. McConkie's change of heart. https://youtu.be/BCluCf6bA5A Kimball knows the consequences of doing something unilaterally without quorum buy-in.  He sees that in church history, and he experiences it himself during the McKay administration.  So, President Kimball recognizes this is such a delicate task, and that if he is going to make this, arguably, probably the most momentous—not arguably.  In the 20th century, it is the most momentous decision in the church, second maybe only to plural marriage, giving black people the priesthood. So, he knows he has to have buy-in.  How do you get buy-in from people who have very, very deep-seated racial views? ... President Kimball announces the Brazil Temple.  This is a bulwark to help the brethren to come along with this.  He recognizes that you can't have temple in this heavily bi-racial nation, where the people who sacrificed and do so much to build the temple are shut off from it.  I mean he understands this. We will also get into more detail on Monroe Fleming's "almost" ordination in 1969! Matt:  The “loyal negro” at the Hotel Utah is Monroe Fleming.  He had been working there for years.  Church leaders all knew him.  Of course, it is a church-owned property.  He was a very faithful member.  I think he joins in the early ‘50s, so clearly he is a pioneer in the church.  He comes of age in the church before the priesthood revelation, so he understands the restriction.  But it is not clear if there is going to be an announcement; it's just that “We are going to ordain this loyal negro man.”  That's all it is.  I think Hugh B. Brown mentions Monroe Fleming in a different document, but the McKay document that I have, it's just “a loyal negro member at the Hotel Utah.” Pres. Kimball Announced a new temple in Brazil to get buy-in to help apostles understand why ban needed to be lifted. Check out our conversation!  Don't forget to listen to Matt describe how McKay almost ordained Monroe Fleming in 1969.

There are 3 "Givens" that we can not prove, but are the foundation for our faith. Because these "Givens" can not be proven, they have to be given to you by our Heavenly Father. This episode talks about what they are, and how you can KNOW that they are true. ---Transcript--- Hey everyone, this is Russell and I want to welcome you to this episode of the podcast. This is one that I am super excited to share with you guys because this is actually a talk that I wrote almost three years ago. I gave it in a ward we were in, and then recently after that we moved to a different ward and I had a chance to kind of rewrite this thing, and then I shared it as a class inside the Elder's Quorum and then a couple of months later I got asked to speak in church again and I wanted to share it with so many people. So I kind of reworked it again and shared it again. I knew that if and when I ever started this podcast that this was going to be really the first episode after the introduction, because this is the foundation. If you think about anything in life, if you think about a building, the first thing people do is lay the foundation. And if the foundation is brittle and soft, the building will collapse, it will tip over, it won't be very good. You think about relationships, the foundation is the beginning, when you first meet your spouse. The time, the energy, the effort you put in the foundation is the key. It's what makes the relationship great. In a business it's the same thing. Everything in life that's good and everything that's going to become great starts with having the right foundation. I think a lot of times people get into religion or beliefs or things like that and they don't really have a foundation. They're going off of opinions or thoughts or things. I remember once hearing Elder Bruce R. McConkie speak and he said his job was not to try to force his beliefs on other people, his job was to figure out what does God actually believe and then match and align our beliefs with his. Because what we believe, we have beliefs that come and go, but we need to know what the truth is and then we need to shift our beliefs to the truth, because the truth is really the only thing that matters. So that's kind of what I wanted to begin with here, the three givens presentation is all about that foundation and aligning yourself with the truth. And when you have that as the foundation, that gives you the ability to have everything else you want in life. It gives you the ability to go from good to great and beyond. So that's what this presentation is about. Because those that don't have this initial foundation, there will be a time in everybody's life, and it's happened in different parts of my life, I know it's happened in your life and people around you where the test and the trials and the temptations come and they come hard. It's rare that any of us get to escape this life without any of those things. And this foundation, at least for me, is what gives me the ability to know and to wake up with absolute certainty all the time. I talked about this in the initial podcast and I'm sure we'll have an episode just on this, but there's three questions we need to know. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? And to really understand that, you have to understand the three givens. This is the foundation of everything. There's a quote from Jeffery R Holland that I love that talks about this, about when the trials and temptations and all these things come and they try to destroy us. How are we going to take that? What are we going to do? And he said, “When difficult times come upon us, when temptation seems all around, will we be, are we now prepared to stand our ground and outlast the intruder? Are we equipped for combat to stay loyal for as long as it takes? To stay true for the duration of the war? Can we hold fast to the principals and the people that truly matter eternally to us?” So that's my question for you, are you? And if not, it's the foundation we need to build a solid foundation. For me this is the foundation of my faith. Some of these things, depending on who's listening, I know we've got people who are members of the church listening and so you will know and understand some of these things. We have people who were part of the church who have left, who suddenly things are going to be hard for. You're not going to want to believe them. But like I said, it's not about what we believe, it's about what is the truth. What does God believe? We need to believe what he believes because it's what's true. Then we also have people who are non members here who, some of these things may be brand new to you. Some of you may believe one or two of them, or understand a couple of them, but some may be foreign. But there are three essential things we must know, as the foundation of our faith. So to kind of give you guys the back story behind this, why do I call this the three givens? The reason, when I was in 8th grade, I had a teacher and we have a lot of teachers in school, and my guess is most of you guys don't remember any of your teachers names. There are very few that I remember their names. But there was one teacher I had in a subject I didn't really love, it's math. But he was so excited about math. When he would come, he was so excited about math. His name was Mr. Turner, and he would come in and start teaching and talking, and I didn't know half the time what he was talking about, but he was so excited and so passionate. And for me now, fast forwarding all these years later as someone who is an educator and an author and someone who speaks, that passion and enthusiasm is what makes people remember you. Mr. Turner was someone who was just so passionate about math, and while I think I struggled in his class mostly because I wasn't a good student and was not in the right spot in my life to really learn and grow, I do remember this random conversation he had the first day he had the first day of class. It was about a concept that he called the givens. It was funny, as I was first preparing this talk a couple of years ago, I was like I need to email Mr. Turner and see…I'm sure he doesn't remember me, I was the quiet, awkward kid in the back who didn't ever raise my hand, but I was listening. So I emailed him, in fact, I found the email just recently here, so in the email I said, I was able to find his email address somewhere online, and I didn't know if it was him or not, but I wanted to try and see. Because I wanted to make sure I understood this right. So my email to him was, “Hey Mr. Turner, I'm sure you don't remember me, but you were my 8th grade geometry teacher back in 1993.” Which actually, as of today, was 24 years ago, crazy. Anyway, “You were honestly one of the best teachers I've had through my entire schooling, even college. I wanted to thank you for that. Also, I'm actually writing a talk for church tomorrow and I had flashback back to the first day of 8th grade where you were talking about the foundations of math. I'm not sure if I remember this one 100% correct, but you said something about there being givens that were un-provable, but we had to believe them for the rest of math or geometry to work. I think there was a line, a line segment, a point, and probably a few others. Did I get that right?” “In my talk I'm going to relate that faith and how there are givens that you have to have to believe in, that aren't really provable. Anyway, I want to let you know, 21 years later, that the kids remember what you're teaching and it still has an impact on them. Thanks, Russell Brunson.” So I got an email back from him a couple of days later that said, “Thank you so much for the email. It does my heart good to know what I'm teaching truly has an impact on my students. Your 21 year old memory is pretty good. The three givens are a point, a line, and a plane. Let me know how your talk went, I'm sure it's going to be excellent given that it was related to math. Thanks Mr. Turner.” So what he said, and I want to kind of sum this up. What he said is basically, if you look at geometry, I remember him always talking about Euclidean geometry and about how cool Euclid was and all these things. He was so excited. But he said all this whole theory, this whole science, everything based on geometry is all provable except for three things. But these three things are the foundation points and I can't prove these, but if these three things are true, if they're a given, then all of geometry works. If you take them away everything crumbles. He said these are the three things. One is a point, a line, and a plane. If we define these things, this is a point, this is the line and the plane, I can't prove those but these are the three givens. And based on the fact that these three givens, if we believe that they're true, all of math works. And I just remember when he told me that, how amazing…for me it tied so much to faith. If you think about faith, there are things you have to have faith in that we can't prove them, but if we believe in them then everything else great in this world happens because of that. So the reason why I knew that a point and line and plane were true is because Mr. Turner said, “These are true and because they are true, therefore all geometry works.” So for me, I was like what are the givens of my faith? Things that aren't, that I can't prove are true but they are true. What are those things? And just like I had to get Mr. Turner to tell me, “Hey Russell, these are the three givens.” I need somebody who I trust to tell me that these givens are true. And it can't be someone here on this earth, because people here on earth are persuaded, they have all sorts of different agendas and ideas and things like that, it has to be somebody eternal. It has to be God. So for me, I figured out these were the three givens of my faith. And if these three things are true, then everything else amazing in my life became amazing because of these three things. And I can't prove them, the only way you can prove them is to go and ask God, which is my message of this entire podcast. I will never try to logically convince you of anything. What I'm going to do is try to inspire you and get you excited to go ask God yourself. And if I was looking at what I should be asking him, what do I need to know is true? It's these three givens. Because after you understand these and you believe these and he has told you they are true, everything else in your life will be built around it and you'll have absolute certainty, absolute confidence. You'll know exactly where you came from, why you're here and where you're going. So these are my three givens, and if you're taking notes, write these down, because these are the foundation of my faith and of your faith, and I believe that they are true. Not because I convinced myself or I can logically prove it to you, but because God has told me. These are things that he will tell you as well if you will ask him. Alright, so number one, my first given is there is a God and he loves us. That's given number one. Given number two is that Jesus is the Christ. And given number three is that the Book of Mormon is true. Those are my three givens. Now again, I know this not because of myself, but because I asked God and I received revelation directly from him on all three of these and I'll talk about that as we kind of go on. But the coolest thing for you, as I share these things with you, don't take my word for it. Please don't take my word for it. I want you to hear it and then I want you to see the pattern of how I got my answer and then I want you to take action and I want you to follow that pattern as well. That's my only goal from this. But if these three things are true, I promise you, the plan of happiness, everything else that comes from that is all true. But these are the three givens that I can't prove. Just like in geometry, I can't prove a point, a line, or a plane, but because they are true, this amazing thing called geometry is possible. Alright, let's hear that once again. Number one, there's a God and he loves us. Number two, Jesus is the Christ. Number three, the Book of Mormon is true. Like I said, depending on where you are coming at this, if you're already Christian you probably already believe in number one and two. If you're Mormon you probably believe one, two and three. If you were Mormon at one time and you've left the faith, you probably don't believe number three, and maybe don't believe number two. I know you're all in different spots. So my encouragement to you is to look at this, this is the foundation of faith. You need to know, not based on your own opinion, based on God's opinion. What's his opinion on these three things? Figure it out and everything else will change for you. Alright, let's jump into this. Given number one, there is a God and he loves us. For me, when I was born into this world I just assumed there was a God and I think most people do as well. I fast forward 19 years of my life and I had a chance to go on a mission, I went to Cherry Hill, New Jersey and I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was scary, it was fun, it was exciting. But it was pretty cool. I had a chance to knock on doors and teach people about God and about Christ and all these amazing things. And what was interesting is as I was going out there I assumed everyone believed in God too. We all believe in God. And as I started knocking on doors and talking to people I found out really quickly that a lot of people don't. In fact, not only do some people not believe in God, they don't believe in Christ, they don't believe in God, they don't even believe in anything. And as I met atheists and agnostics and other people out there, I was like, huh. And some of them had very convincing arguments, they were very logical. I was like, huh. As you're going door by door by door trying to explain to people about this amazing thing that's happened and they're coming back saying, “That doesn't even matter because there is no God.” After a while I started wondering, is there a God? I always assumed there was, but I don't know. All the sudden I got scared. I'm trying to convince people that the Book of Mormon is true and that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that his church is back here on earth, but I started thinking, but what if there's no God? If there's no God this whole thing collapses. This is one of the givens. If this isn't true then everything else disappears. I realized, I gotta know if this is true. I have to know there's a God. I assume there is, but how do I know? I need to know this, I can't just go on blind faith. I need to know. So for me, it started this study of trying to understand who God was. I'm sure we'll have episodes that will go deeper into that, but it's outside the concept of today. Today, I needed to know that. So I started studying the Book of Mormon, which we'll talk about why it's such an amazing book here in a minute. But in the book there's a really cool story. There's a guy named Alma who is a prophet and he had a fight with this guy named Korihor who's an antichrist. And it's in Alma chapter 30, verse 44, if anyone wants to read it. But Korihor was someone who did not believe in God and he came out and he started preaching to all these people, laughing, “Why are you following the prophets? Why are you caring about a God? There's this guy named Jesus who's supposed to be coming in the future, I'm sure it's going to happen. They're just telling you this stuff about God because they want to control you and they're trying to take away your agency and all these things and that's why they're doing this.” And Alma the prophet was like, “What are you talking about? You know that's not true. We don't make any money from this, we're volunteering our time, we're working with our own hands to pay for our own things. We're here to help each other and God is true.” And they started fighting back and forth and finally Korihor comes back to Alma and says, “Well if you would show me a sign, if you just show me a sign, then I will believe you.” And Alma, I'm sure, I'm envisioning this situation, he's debating with this antichrist, I'm sure that he had the situation where the antichrist is looking like, “Are you serious? You need a sign?” and this is what Alma said in Alma 30:44, chapter 30, verse 44 he said, “Thou hast had signs enough, will you tempt your God? Will you say show unto me a sign when you have a testimony of all these, they brethren, all the holy prophets and the scriptures are laid before thee and all things to note that there is a God. Yea, even the earth and all the things upon the face of it, yea and it's motion and all the planets which move in the regular form, do witness that there is a supreme creator.” Alma is basically saying, “Look around. Do you not see what's happening around us? There's a sun that comes up every morning and goes down. There's a moon and all these things. There's breath and life and plants and animals and birth and death. These amazing creations had to have a creations had to have a creator. Plus you have these scriptures in front of you. These scriptures, these are people who have met God, who have talked to God, who have written stories on it. You have all the testimony of your brethren, people who have interacted with him. What more do you need? Do you honestly need a sign?” And Korihor came back and said, “Yeah, I need a sign. If you show me a sign, then I'll believe you.” And I just imagine Alma, letting out a sigh of breath and be like, “Alright, well if the Lord wants it done, he'll send you a sign.” What happened to Korihor is he was then struck dumb. He lost his voice and they came back to him and said, “Okay, there's your sign. What do you think?” and he can't talk and he's freaking out and starts writing down on a piece of paper, “You're right. I can't talk. Only God could have done this, I believe there's a God now. Take this away, I want to be able to speak again.” And they're like, “No, if you get your voice back, you're going to continue to go down the same path.” He said, “No, it wasn't me. Satan came and convinced me to do these things and taught me the words to say, but let me talk again and I promise I'll come back and I'll do good now.” And Alma basically said, “Well, it's up to God. If he wants to give it back he can, but it's kind of up to him.” And the Lord didn't give him his voice back. So Korihor ended up going house to house begging for food and eventually it says he was trodden down and died. I don't know what the word trodden means, in my head it's horses stomping on somebody, but I don't know if that's true or not. All I know is he went through a horrible experience and then he died. As I read that, I just started thinking. I'm looking around me and realizing he's right, Alma was right. All things denote that there is a God. The fact that I live here on this earth, that 37 years ago I was born, I had these amazing parents, I grew up, eventually I was able to find my wife and now we have kids. Just all these things that are happening, all things denote that there is a God. And as I started looking around, in the scriptures they talk about the plan of happiness, and I look as I followed this plan, which some say was made up or invented or whatever. Korihor would have said it was created because they're trying to hold you back. I look at the more I follow this plan of happiness, the more I do what's right, the more I follow these commandments of God, the more that I try to be like him and try to do what he would want me to do, the more happy I've been in my life. And as I've deviated from that path, that's when I feel, the times in my life that have been dark, that I haven't felt happiness. As I look at our creator, look at our father and the plan he's created for us and as I followed it, it is what's gotten me to know that there is a God. I think for all of us that needs to be the first question. We have to know beyond ourselves. If we pray, when we pray and then receive an answer, that's how you know there's a God. Someone told me there's this guy you gotta meet, I don't know who he is, but as soon as I meet him the first time and I hear his voice, I know that he's real. So for me, I started praying on my mission, begging and pleading for answers, as I heard his voice, I knew that he was real. I testify to you that there is a God in the heavens. He is literally our father. I know that he loves us, he cares about us more than we will ever know or understand while we're here on this earth. But number one is true. There is a God and he loves us. I don't know that because I was logically convinced but because I have heard his voice, and I know that you can hear his voice too, but you gotta ask. You gotta pray and when you do that he'll respond to you. So that's given number one, there is a God and he loves us. Alright given number two, Jesus is the Christ. Once again, this is something that in my naivety, growing up in Utah, I assumed everyone believed in Christ. You know, I thought the argument was “Is the Book of Mormon a real thing?” I thought that was the question. But for the majority of the world, they aren't even Christians. I look at today, I was in 8th grade 24 years ago, so I was on my mission almost 20 years ago and back then as I was knocking on doors in New Jersey I was shocked at how many people didn't believe in Christ. But today it's even worse. Christianity, 20 years ago I would have assumed the majority of people thought they were Christians. But today with Facebook and with my interaction with literally thousands and thousands of people around the globe, most people I don't think consider themselves Christians anymore. I have people come to me and say, “Russell, are you Christian?” I say, “Of course I am.” And they're like, “Man, I can tell.” I'm like, 20 years ago I think everyone identified themselves as Christian. It's shocking to me that they're not. So because of that, it gets even more complicated now. We need to know that. So the question is how do you know that Jesus is the Christ? That's a good argument. How do we know that? There's a book that talks about it, we've seen some movies on TV but how do we know? Believing is good, but we can know. When you know it becomes a firm foundation as opposed to just kind of hope. So on my mission, I'm out there tracting and we're knocking on doors and meeting people, and again up to that point in my life I just assumed that everyone believed in Christ. Or that the majority of people did. And we went to this lady's house and knocked on her door and she let us in and we had the chance to teach her. For her, her daughter had actually passed away in a car wreck three or four years earlier. And she was, you could see she was still really, really struggling with it. We go back and have these discussions with her and talk about life and again, going through the three questions, where do we come from, why are we here, and where are we going. And helping her understand that, not just from her own perspective but from her daughter's. “Where did you and your daughter come from? What's the purpose here? Her dying early? Where is she going now?” and helping her understand that. We taught her for a bunch of weeks and then one day she called us or we went by her house, I can't remember exactly what the situation was. But she said, “Hey, there are these debates that are going to be on TV. It's a Christian/Muslim debate and I want you guys to be here to help support me as I'm watching this.” As missionaries, normally we don't watch TV, maybe it wasn't the right thing for us to watch, but I thought you know this is an investigator that we're working with and I was kind of fascinated. I hadn't met a lot of Muslims up to that point. I didn't know what they believed and I was curious. I wanted to see this debate happen. So we went to her house and she turned on the TV and we had a chance to watch this debate. And what's cool is there was a Christian and there was a Muslim and each of them had a chance to come up and present to the world what they believe. And everything's obviously very logically based. But it was fascinating watching this debate as they're going back and forth and back and forth.They keep taking turns and like, tag teaming each other. And I remember watching, I think we watched about three hours. And when these debates ended I was sitting there just fascinated because I learned so much about Muslims and what they believe and what the core sect of Christianity believes and all sorts of things. I remember afterwards the investigator is like, “Oh yeah, that Christian guy destroyed the Muslim.” And I started thinking, and as I was listening, I didn't feel the same way. I felt very strong that the Muslim guy had a lot stronger foundation he was on. And as the Muslim guy kept attacking the Christian guy in these debates, what he kept coming back to, he said, “Why do you guys believe Christ is the savior?” and the Christian guy said, “Because it says it in the bible.” And the Muslim guy would come back and say, “You have one witness. You can't rely everything on this one witness. The Muslim believe because we have witness of this and this and there's multiple people and sources and stuff showing that this is true. Right now you're relying on the Bible saying the Bible says that Jesus is the Christ, therefore it is true. But what makes you believe the Bible's true? What if it's not? What if it's….” And he kept attacking. And what was funny and interesting to me, what'd he say, he said, “You guys say that the Bible is the word of God because it says it's the word of God. There's only one testament, there for it can't be true.” That's what the Muslim guy kept saying. And as I was hearing that I was like, he's right. What's the proof? I love the Bible, more than most people. In fact, I have tons of Christians be like, “Well you've never read the Bible.” I'm like, “Have you?” and they're like, “No.” and I'm like, “Well I actually have. And I actually really enjoy it.” So it's funny, when they tell me that and very few of them have actually read it. Yes, I have read the Bible, I love it, it's amazing. But it's one testament. And I started smiling as I was explaining to this woman, I said, “Look, the Christian guy didn't have a lot to stand on because he had this one testament. If he had another testament, if there was another section of the world, if there were other people in a different part of the world who saw Christ, who saw the wounds in his hands and his feet, and would say, yes we saw him. Then the Christians would have won instantly because that was the argument.” But I know if I would have went to that Christian debater and I would have said, “Hey dude, you're awesome. I have this really cool book it's called The Book of Mormon, it's another testament of Jesus Christ.” He would have said, “You're evil, get that away from me.” And I say, “No, you don't understand. You have this amazing book called the Bible, it's the people in Jerusalem. They saw Christ, he came to them after he was resurrected and they saw the wounds in his hands and his feet. And they said, Jesus is the Christ. And it's true, I believe it. But the problem is it's one testament. You don't know. If there's a car wreck on the side of the road and this horrible accident happens and there's one witness and then you go to court and the guy's like, ‘this is what happened.' It doesn't stand up very strong, but there's three or four people, all who have the same testimony saying, ‘Yeah, that is actually what happened.' Then guess what happens? Suddenly it becomes a very strong case. Look, there's three people, different situations, different parts of life, who all said the same thing, therefore it's probably true.” “So the Book of Mormon, what it is, it's these people in ancient America, the same time that Christ was in Jerusalem and he was crucified and he died and then came back and they saw the wounds in his hands. Then he ascended up into heaven and then he came to the other side of the globe, to the Americas. And this is before they had cell phones or fax machines or post offices or even boats for crying out loud that could get there. He came to the other side of the world, came to them and said, ‘Hey you guys, my name is Jesus Christ, your prophets talked about me as well. Feel the wounds in my hands and my feet. I was just crucified, I did what your prophets have been talking about. Feel the wounds in my hands and my feet.' And they did, and they wrote these things down, and that's what the Book of Mormon is.” “It's an ancient record of people who lived the same time that Christ was in Jerusalem, but after Christ was crucified, after he left there, he came to the people in America and they saw the same thing.Now we have these two books from two separate sides of the world, two witnesses of Christ saying, ‘yes, he did die and he did rise again.” And I as I started looking at it from that lens, I said, that is the power. That is what makes, that's why the Book of Mormon is so essential. It's the second testimony, it's the second witness of Jesus Christ. It was just fascinating to me. But after we left that discussion I went back and kept thinking, I believe Christ is the savior and we have these two different witnesses, but I've never even asked. I've never asked God. I assumed it was true but how am I supposed to go tell people the Jesus is the Christ if I don't know that? What if this guy that was the Muslim debating guy was right? And I remember I was scared by that. I remember towards the end of my mission I was reading the New Testament, and I wanted to read it chronologically because I wanted to hear the stories in the order. So Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John if you've read them, Matthew tells the whole story from his point of view, then Mark tells the story from his point of view, then Luke does, then John. So I found this table you could read, okay read Matthew these verses, then Mark, then Luke, then John. And it told all the stories chronologically. So I read the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in chronological order and as I'm reading these things I'm hearing, I'm getting this beautiful glimpse and view of the Saviors life as he's going through his ministry and his birth, his life, his ministry and then his Crucifixion. And I remember the day, I remember the chair I was sitting in, in New Jersey, as I read about the Crucifixion and just the emotion, the pain, and all those things I felt as I read that. I remember as I finished those chapters that day for my study, it ended with Christ being put into the tomb, and then I left that day to go out and start knocking on doors and start talking about Christ. I remember being nervous for the next day, because I knew the next morning I was going to read about the resurrection. I remember thinking, I've read about it before, but I don't want to believe it, I want to know. I want this to be a given. I want to know, I want to be able to have this so strong in my foundation of my faith, that nothing could ever rock me, no matter what. I need to know. And that whole day as we were knocking on doors, I was praying, when I read this tomorrow, Heavenly Father I need to know. I need to know if Jesus Christ is my Savior. I need to know, I need an answer to this prayer. I kept praying and praying and praying. And the next morning I woke up and I remember being scared, and I knelt down and I said a prayer saying, “Heavenly Father, I need to know if Jesus is the Christ. I believe he is. I've been going out there doing and serving and taking this on faith, but I need to know.” And that morning as I opened up my scriptures and I started reading about the resurrection I felt it. I felt it from our Heavenly Father, and he told me that Jesus is the Christ. He's our Messiah, he's our Redeemer. He came not just to save me, but to save my family. He came to save my friends. He came to save the people that went before me, the people who come after me, he came to save you. But we have to listen to him, we have to understand. I remember feeling so much relief after that experience and being like, understanding at that point that my faith that I've been running with for so long, now I knew that it was true. And one of my favorite scriptures, no that's not true. This is my favorite scripture. My favorite scripture is in a book called the Doctrine and Covenants, and it's in Section 19 verse 16-19. It's the only time in scripture where Christ himself explained what he did for us. There are a lot of people who tell this story. You hear it from Matthew, and Mark, and Luke, and John's perspective. You hear it from other prophet's around the world. You hear it from a lot of different places, but this is the only time where Christ himself explained what that experience was like for him. So I want to share with you, in his own words. Doctrine and Covenants, Section 19, verses 16-19, he said, “For behold I God have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer if they would repent. But if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I. Which suffering caused myself, even God the greatest of all to tremble because of pain and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink. Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” As I heard that I was just like, man! Listen to how he explains that, he said, “which suffering caused myself, even God the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain. And to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit.” That's what he went through for us. When I imagine that and visualize it, I see the pain that he went through, it's amazing. It was part of the plan, and we're going to talk in other episodes about the plan and make it more clear, but he did that for us. In a thing that we call the Atonement, it's a big word, but in a way that doesn't make sense to all of us obviously, but his suffering and what he did in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then what he suffered again on the cross, somehow made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins. So that we can return back to our Heavenly Father, so we can live with him again someday. So we can live with Christ, so we can live with our families up in Heaven. And for me, that is so vitally important because I love my family. I love my mom and my dad, I love my brothers and my sisters, I love my kids, I love my wife. And if I knew that this life was the end, and I if I knew that I was going to die and it was going to be the end of it, this life would be miserable. What would be the point of any of it? But because Christ came, because he did what he did, because he fulfilled this plan of happiness and he became our Savior, our Messiah, our Redeemer, and he gave us the ability to be forgiven of our sins so we could become clean and we could someday return back to Heavenly Father, because of that I get to be with my family again. I get to be with him again. And it's the coolest thing in the world. I want to testify to you that I know that Jesus is the Christ. Our Heavenly Father has told me. It's not something that I doubt, or I waver, or I wonder. I know it's true. But what's cooler is I know that you can know it's true. You don't have to take my word for it, you don't have to take anyone's word for it. You don't have to listen to Christian/Muslim debates. You don't have to listen to anything. All you gotta do is go ask him. He wants you to know. He needs you to know. Because when you do that, it'll change your life. It'll change the people's life's that you're entrusted with, your kids, your family, people around you. But you need to know. So given number two is Jesus is the Christ. Okay, that brings me now to given number three, which is the Book of Mormon is true. Now, the first two givens are ones that most people inside of Christianity believe already, this is one that may be a little bit of a stretch for you. But I want to kind of bring you back to what we talked about earlier. It's not important for us to try to get other people to try to believe our opinions, the goal is to figure out what is God's opinion, what is actual truth and then conform our belief's to that. So for those of you guys who have heard of Mormons and you may be freaking out, I don't want you to, I want you to suspend your judgment, listen to what I have to say, and then I want to challenge you to find out for yourself if it's true. Because if it is true, this is the most important thing you will have ever heard. If it's not true, then it doesn't really matter. But you need to know. So with that said, I'm going to jump right into this. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our conversion. Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, so what is a keystone? If you look at an archway, a keystone is that thing in the middle that holds everything together. If the keystone collapses or breaks the entire arch collapses as well. And I know and we know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints lives and dies on the fact of if the Book of Mormon is true or not. Now the coolest thing about this, and I want you guys to understand this because this is just common sense, and it takes a minute to understand this. But the Book of Mormon is literally the key that you can use to figure out if anything is true. So let me explain how it works. So think about inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, people always come up to me, “I have questions. I have concerns.” Or whatever, and I'm like, “Cool, what are the concerns?” And they're like, “Okay well, you guys used to have plural marriage, or you didn't let blacks have the priesthood for a while, or women don't get the priesthood. Or what do you believe about gay marriages?” On and on.. I get all sorts of stuff. And I always laugh, I'm like, “Okay cool. Let me explain how this whole thing works. So number one, I recognize your objections. You're telling me that you're concerned about blank, or you have questions about blank?” and they're like, “Yes that is my question.” I'm like, “Cool. Alright, so let me go find the answer to that. And the answer to all your questions you can find inside modern revelation. There is a prophet or an apostle who has spoken about every concern you can dream of. I promise you, you can find that, you can Google it. Go to LDS.org, do a little searching and you'll find the answers to your questions. They're always there.” So number one, I recognize the objection. Number two, I find the answer inside of modern revelation. You may look at that and say, “Okay, well who is this guy, who is Gordon B. Hinkley who said that? He's just some dude, so how do I believe that?” Which is a good, that is the right question. Why should I believe this guy? Why should I believe this person, this prophet or…you say they're a prophet or apostle, why should I believe what they have to say is true or that it even matters? So then the third thing to understand, the answer to that question, if that is true, it has 100% to do with whether or not we have modern prophets and modern revelations. So what I believe is that we have a prophet, just like when Christ was here he had 12 apostles, and when he left he called a prophet, 12 apostles, right. And we believe that same thing is on earth today. We believe in modern revelation. So we believe that when the church or people or whatever have a question that our Heavenly Father reveals those things to the prophet, just like he did in the days of old. He does the same thing today. So the question is, is that person receiving revelation? Is he really a prophet? Do we really have modern revelation? So the only way to know if that is true is to say, okay this is the prophet or the 12 apostles, or whoever the revelation came through inside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, how do I know if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is actually true? Well, what is the keystone? The keystone's the Book of Mormon. If the Book of Mormon is true, that means we have modern day prophets living on Earth today, who receive revelation directly from God and if we have modern prophets on Earth who receive revelation directly from God and they said this, then that is God's will, and therefore we need to conform our will to what God's is. So that's it, every question, every concern, every doubt, everything, all hinges on this one thing, this keystone, this book called the Book of Mormon. So any concern you give me, it's going to be the same thing. I'm going to say, “okay, this is your concern. Here's the answer, but I don't want you to believe in that answer or not. All you need to know is that this answer came from a prophet of God and the way you know if that prophet is actually true, is if the Book of Mormon is true. If the Book of Mormon is true, then the prophet is a prophet and this is what God said.” So all you have to do is figure out if the Book of Mormon is true. Does that make sense? When I first got that, it made so much sense. So it's always funny to me because I hear people who are thinking about leaving the church, who leave the church, they always say, “Oh well, I have all these questions.” Okay, what are the questions? Because I have none right now. I can't think of one question I got. There's some things that I'm trying to figure out and understand, but I have no questions. And they always give me some question and I'm like, “Okay, boom. This is where it's been answered.” And they're like, “Oh well how…” and they have some reason why they don't believe the things of the prophet. I'm like, “Well what's your opinion on the Book of Mormon?” “Well, you know it's a good book…” okay, you need to understand that this is the key. It comes back to that. Is the Book of Mormon true? If the Book of Mormon is true, we have prophets on Earth today. If we have prophets on Earth today, then God has already told us the answer and you just have to believe what the prophet said. Now it's easy, looking back in time, if you're sitting there and you're like, there's this dude named Noah and he's building a huge boat and he came to me and said the world's going to flood, we should get on the boat. Looking back, we're like, “You morons, why didn't you get on the boat. The Earth's going to flood. Noah's the prophet, it makes perfect sense.” But what happened in real life? Everyone's looking around like, “That dude's crazy. Why is he building a boat? Why is he collecting animals? It's starting to rain but the guy's still insane.” It starts flooding up and soon the entire world's destroyed. That's where we're at today. We have prophets. They're here. I know it, I believe it. Heavenly Father told me. Now it's your shot to figure that out. Do we really have prophets? How do I know that? The way I know that is this thing, this keystone called the Book of Mormon. That's the key, that's why it's so important. That's why it's one of the three givens. Because if it is true, then a whole bunch of amazing stuff has happened that you need to know about. It means that God has restored his church on earth, it means there's a prophet, 12 apostles, it means there is revelation come from heaven. It means there's authority. All these amazing gifts and keys and things, that's why Mormons are so excited. That's why people look at me like, “Russell, why are you so excited all the time?” Do you not realize what's happening around us? Our Heavenly Father is here, living. Giving us revelation and messages and if we listen to him, he tells us what to do and I don't have to stress about things. I know where I came from, I know why I'm here, I know where I'm going and I don't have doubt. I have absolute certainty because Heavenly Father told me the Book of Mormon is true, therefore I know that we have modern day prophets, that means revelation is here, I know where I'm going, I'm not concerned. So that's what I need you guys to understand. I want to tell a story about someone I met on my mission, her name was Robin, and Robin actually grew up in Arizona. She was an anti-Mormon. Now, what is an anti-Mormon? Anti-Mormon is somebody who not only is like, not a member of the church but who is actively fighting against the church. So she was so deep into it that she would go out and she would proselyte, she'd find the missionaries where they were knocking on doors and follow them and try to save the people as they would leave. She actually had her own radio show where she had hours every single day talking about how evil the church was and how the doctrines were false and how we're leading people astray and all sorts of stuff. And she did that for years in real life. And then she decided to move to New Jersey. So she left her anti-Mormon friends and all those people and went to New Jersey, and when she was there she was just doing her normal thing and studying and learning. And one day she was like, thinking about all this stuff with the Mormon church that she would talk about, all the weird things we do and believe and all sorts of stuff. And for some reason, she had this aha. What if instead of looking at this, here's all these evil things, I'm going to look at it from their perspective, what if these things were true? Which, I thought was a really good question to ask. What if these things were true? What would that mean? So she started going through the different doctrines, “Here's this thing. What if that was true? What would that mean?” And she'd study and learn about it and she's like, “Huh. What about this one. What if this was true?” and just by changing her perspective it changed the questions and changed what she was searching for and how. And after a while, every time she would go down a different topic and say what if, it would open up a whole new world to her. And one day she was like, “I have a lot of questions now, I need to ask somebody.” So I don't know if she saw or she called, but somehow the sister missionaries in our area got a hold of her and they started teaching her. And I still remember because I was the District Leader at the time, and I remember getting a phone call from one of the sister missionaries saying, “We met this lady named Robin, she's amazing but she used to be an anti-Mormon and she has all sorts of questions, we don't know how to answer them.” So they started bringing me in to answer some of the questions too, which was really fun. And every week, every time they'd do a discussion, she started coming to church, coming to church, she had a whole list of questions. We'd answer question after question and they weren't the type of questions you'd normally get on your mission, they were the deep ones where you're like, “Wow. How do you even know about that?” Not that anything is hidden or secret, but it was just I didn't even know the answer to a lot of these things. So I'd be like, “Well let me go find out.” And I'd go research and study and ask questions and come back, “okay, this is what I found out.” And the questions kept coming and kept coming. And then one day I saw her, I was like, “Alright Robin, what's our question for today?” and she said, “I don't have any more questions.” I was like, “What do you mean you don't have any more questions? You are the question queen, you always have questions.” And she's like, “Guess what happened Elder Brunson?” I'm like, “What?” She's like, “I've been reading the Book of Mormon, as you know and finally I decided to do what you guys keep telling me and I prayed about it and our Heavenly Father told me it's true. I don't have any more questions anymore. I just want to get baptized.” And I just remember how powerful that was. It was kind of funny, her biggest concern, she's like, “Well, I want to get baptized, but my husband hasn't been doing this journey with me and he used to do anti-Mormon stuff with me and I'm pretty sure he's going to be upset about it.” So it took her like two or three weeks for her to get the courage to go talk to her husband and finally she said, “Husband…” I don't remember his name, “I'm thinking about getting baptized.” And he's like, “Alright.” And she's like, “Aren't you mad?” and he's like, “No, you're the one that hated the Mormons, not me.” So she was so excited and wanted to get baptized and what's funny, she was an amazing person, she was into all sorts of crafts and things like that and doing cool stuff, and she'd been going to Relief Society and all the Relief Society women fell in love with her and she wanted to teach Relief Society on Wednesday. But she only wanted to teach Relief Society if she was actually a member. So I remember we did the baptism for her on a Wednesday night and then did the confirmation afterwards and that night she taught Relief Society. It was just so cool to see somebody, for me, who had come from such a far extreme. One side of the extreme was, she was actively fighting against the church, she hated it. But as soon as she shifted her questions to “What if this is true? What would that mean for me? What would that mean for my family? What if this was true, what would that mean?” And then to sincerely search for those questions. And it's okay to have questions, we all have questions. But the only real question that we need to understand and know is, is the Book of Mormon true? And when she asked that, our Heavenly Father told her and then the rest of the questions went away, because now she knew. And the same thing is true, the exact same thing is true for you. I wanted to share that story with you because it shows just how big and how fast a change can happen when you're willing to stop and ask. So if you have questions, that's okay. It's not bad to have questions or doubts or concerns or whatever, but know where to get the answers. The wrong place to get the answers is this thing called Google. Now I am an internet marketer, once again if you Google my name you will see, for the last 14 plus years of my life I have been manipulating the search engines, the algorithms and everything to make money for myself and my businesses and it's done great. I also have friends who have manipulated the search engines in really bad ways and basically anything they want to publish they can. And they write and do all sorts of stuff and rank things, I mean it's crazy. So if you want to try to find answers going to Google, just know that the answers you are getting are from somebody who has an agenda who's putting in the time and the money and the effort to get that ranked where it needs to be. I want you guys to be fully aware of that, it's not difficult to gain the search engines for someone who's spent a decade of their life doing it. It's not difficult. So that's not what you need to put your faith in. The reason why the Book of Mormon is such a powerful thing is because unlike the Bible, if you know the history of the Bible, the Bible came and it's amazing and I'm going to do a whole podcast on this, but there was a time when nobody had access except the people who were in charge of the church. And as it started getting passed out, things changed and things were modified. And as amazing as the book is, you can tell that many of the plain and precious things have been taken away from it. Many of the doctrines have been hidden or distorted or whatever, for evil purposes. So you have to understand as you're going in with the Book of Mormon, it was translated once. The book that I have, this original one, one of the original 5,000, it went from Golden Plates, Joseph Smith reading it to somebody and writing it down, to going to a printer and it was printed on paper, and that's it. It hasn't been translated over a hundred years or centuries. It is what it is. So the question is, is it true? Robin found out. As soon as she found out it was true, that means we have modern prophets, that means all these other things are true. So for you, that's the key, it's the keystone when you understand that. It is true. Now I want to tell you kind of my, how I got my testimony of the Book of Mormon and how this became one of my givens, it became the foundation of my faith.  So I was in New Jersey, I was about 7 months into my mission. It was funny because I always wanted to receive an answer to my prayer. I had prayed about asking Heavenly Father if the church was true, and I never received an answer. I remember my dad, when I was growing up, he told me his conversion story and he was in the MTC when he got his testimony. So I thought, okay cool. When I'm in the MTC I'll get my testimony. When I got there, I started going through it and I didn't get it. I remember leaving on the plane to New Jersey, flying and being like, oh my gosh. I don't have a testimony. I believe this is true but I don't know. I need to know. In my mission I was going through and I was doing the motions, I was trying, I was praying and I found out later, I had to go through this trial of my faith. They always say, faith precedes the miracle. This was a trial of my faith and I had to go through there and I had to repent and I had to clean up my life and my thoughts and my actions. I had to become a better person and through going through this repentance process while I'm out serving the Lord, just really figuring it out. About 7 months into my mission I had an amazing experience. I had a zone leader, named Elder Franco, it's fun actually, during the last General Conference, I hadn't talked to him in 20 years, I saw him on Facebook. Someone in his family got called to be a General Authority or something. So I saw him pop up there. So I actually just messaged him. I'm like, “Hey, I don't know if you realize, you were instrument in changing my life. A huge change, a directional shift.” And he's like, “Really? What happened.” And I told him. We had this zone conference that he was running and he asked me if I'd read a talk and it was a talk from Bruce R. McConkie, and it had some powerful quotes, I'm going to share a bunch of them with you guys here. But he had me read this talk, I'm going to read one piece of this to you. He said, and I read this during the intro podcast as well. Bruce R. McConkie said, “These are deep and solemn and ponderous matters. We need not think that we can trifle with sacred things and escape the wrath of a just God. Either the Book of Mormon is true or it is false. There's no middle ground. Either it came from God or his spawn in the infernal realms. It is not and cannot simply be another treaty on religion. Either it came from Heaven or from Hell and it's time that all those who seek salvation to find out for themselves whether it's from the Lord or if it's from Lucifer.” So he had me read that part of the talk and then I sat down and Elder Franco stood up and he said, “Alright you guys, did you hear what Elder Brunson just said? We are either servants of the Lord or servants of Lucifer. And I don't know about you, but I want to find out right now which one it is, because either we're doing the right thing or we're doing something very, very evil. And we need to find out.” So he said, as a missionary we had a group of probably 20 of us, and he said, “Let's kneel down and let's ask Heavenly Father right now if the Book of Mormon is true because we need to know. He's called us on this mission to go out there and tell other people about this message, this thing that's happened, but we need to know if this is true. Otherwise, we could be doing, we could be serving the opposite side.” And I remember as he said that, my palms started sweating and I got these butterflies and I was so nervous because I had prayed dozens of times a day for the last 7 months and beyond, begging and pleading and asking Heavenly Father to let me know the church was true. I was so scared in that moment. What if it's not, what if I put my faith in the wrong thing. I started getting so nervous. Then we kneeled down and Elder Brager was the person who said the prayer. Elder Brager starts saying the prayer and he said, “Heavenly Father, we're gathered here together as a group of your missionaries, here to serve thee in the best way that we know how. But we have question for you, Heavenly Father, is the Book of Mormon true?” And then he waited. And in that moment I felt the spirit stronger than I have ever felt before or since, as Heavenly Father told me that the Book of Mormon was true. Then Elder Brager said, “Heavenly Father, is Jesus Christ our savior?” and again I felt the spirit so strong. And for me, in that moment, my prayer was answered and I knew, I didn't think, I didn't hope, I didn't believe, I knew that the Book of Mormon was true. I knew that the message that we had, that we were giving, was from God. When I knew that, everything shifted for me. It wasn't a hope or belief or faith, it was knowledge, it was a given. Heavenly Father told me and because I now knew that there was a God and he loved me and because I knew that Jesus Christ was our savior, because I knew the Book of Mormon was true, everything else became possible because of that. All the other amazing things that happened inside of the church, everything in my life, the entire plan of happiness, everything that's happened from that point forward in my life became true because that day the foundation of my faith became complete. Because I knew that the three givens were true. Now, I want to kind of speak for a moment on the Book of Mormon because I don't want people to dismiss this. I've had some people that I share with and they go, “Ah, that's great but you know, I've got the Bible.” And if you dismiss this, you are literally missing out on the most important message our Heavenly Father is trying to give to you and I need to try to clarify that. So hopefully the first quote here helped, and I'm going to kind of read part of it, but it basically said, “…it is not and cannot simply be another treaty on religion. Either it came from Heaven or from Hell and it's time for all those who seek salvation to find out for themselves whether it's from the Lord or it's from Lucifer.” It's from the Lord, there's a reason why he did this big deal, a reason why he came to Joseph Smith and told him to translate this book. It wasn't just that he was bored and needed something to do for the weekend. It's because there was a very vitally important reason why he needed this thing to be done. So you need to find out first off, is this from the Lord or is it from Lucifer. That's number one. Number two, this is some more quotes from Bruce R. McConkie, and those who don't know Bruce R. McConkie yet, he's my favorite dead apostle. He is amazing, but of the people who have ever been in our church, he's probably the biggest scholar ever. In fact, if you look at the triple combination that us Mormon's like to use, the footnotes were basically done by Bruce R. McConkie. The entire footnotes between the Old Testament, the New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, like insane, that was basically his notes, the footnotes. There's probably nobody on planet earth that knows and has read and understands the Bible more so than him, I would argue. So I wanted to share that in context with this quote he said. He said, “I have an unbound appreciation for both the King James version and the inspired version of the Bible. I stand reverential awes, I read it and I ponder the wonderous words they contain. I do not believe there is a person on earth who has a greater respect for or appreciation for the Holy Bible than I do. Now I say this in a prelude to making these flat and unequivocal declarations. Number one, most of the doctrine set forth in the Book of Mormon far surpass their comparitable recitation than the Bible. Number two, this Nephite record bears a plainer and purer witness of the divine sonship of Christ and the salvation that comes in and through his holy name, than do the old world scriptures. Number three, men can get nearer to God, can have more of the spirit of conversion and conformity in their hearts, can have stronger testimonies, can gain a better understanding of the doctrines of salvation through the Book of Mormon than they ever can through the Bible. Number four, more people will flock to the gospel standard, more souls will be converted, more of scattered Israel will be gathered, and more people will migrate from one place to another because of the Book of Mormon than ever was or will be the case with the Bible. Number five, there will be more people saved in the Kingdom of God, ten thousand times over, because of the Book of Mormon than there ever will be because of the Bible.” I remember hearing missionaries say, “Oh yeah, the Bible's awesome, the Book of Mormon is a good book just like that.” And that's not the truth, the Book of Mormon is a better book, it's a clearer book, it's a plainer witness. We need to be bold in that statement. The Bible is amazing and if it had not been for evil men who have taken it and done things with it, it would be perfect. Again, we believe that the Bible is the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. But because of the translation, because of all the stuff, and I'm going to talk about the history of that so you guys understand and have a very clear picture of what's happened, where it's gone, and where it is today. The Book of Mormon, though, is clean, it's pure. When you read it, it makes more sense. When you read it, it's clear. All of the things that were confusing in the Bible, it comes back like we talked about earlier, with the two separate witnesses. There's things that Christ talks about in the Bible, that don't make perfect sense, or the apostle, the things they talk about. You're like, “I kind of understand that but I need some clarification.” And because of those confusions we're always…churches start popping up, someone's like, “I think it means this.” And they're like, “No, it means this.” And they fight and argue and all these things happen. Whereas, the Book of Mormon is the second book, it was only translated once. It came from people on the opposite side of the world, and Christ came to them and told them the same gospel, so now we have both of these books. You read them together and it's like, “No, this is what Christ meant. This is what he actually said. Before translators changed and manipulated things, this is what the actual thing said, the way he gave it to people in America.” It's powerful, it's not a good book, it's the most important book ever. That's the first thing to understand. Number two, why do we have and why do we need the Book of Mormon? Again, I talked about this during the intro session, but I want to talk about it again. So this was Joseph Fielding McConkie, it's Bruce R. McConkie's son, he said, “Why a Book of Mormon? Because it's the perfect test of spiritual integrity. Acceptance of the Book of Mormon requires the same faith that was necessary to accept Christ in the meridian time. As he was opposed by false traditions and a corrupt priesthood, so the Book of Mormon is opposed today. The doctrines are the same, the opposition is the same and the courage and faith necessary to accept it are the same.” So how you treat, how I treat, how we treat the Book of Mormon, is how we would have treated Christ if he was here today. That's why it's so important. So you're like, “Oh cool, it sounds nice.” And you push it away, that's how you would have treated Christ. When I read that, when I understood, I was like, “Are you kidding me?” My attitude towards this thing, is what my attitude is and would be towards Christ. It is the same. The doctrines are the same, the opposition is the same, the courage and the faith necessary to accept it, are the same. Are you guys getting this, does that make sense? That's why the Book of Mormon is so important. Now, it's interesting, as I've had people that I love, family members, friends who have left the church. They always leave based on these things that aren't based on the three givens. They leave based on, “Oh I read this thing over here and someone said this about Joseph Smith.” Or “I read this and I don't believe this.” Or “I want to do this in my life.” There's reasons why they leave. But what's interesting is that they don't leave because they don't believe in the Book of Mormon, they leave because Satan has somehow tricked them with some external thing. Jeffery R. Holland said, “If he or she wants to leave this church it must be done by crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit. It is in that sense, the book is what Christ himself said it to be, a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, a barrier on the path of t

I wanted to start this podcast with a very important question. Is the Book of Mormon from heaven or hell? There is no middle ground and it's essential for everyone who is seeking salvation to find out for themselves if it's true. ---Transcript--- Hey everyone, so again, my name is Russell Brunson and I want to welcome to you guys to the very first podcast here on the Book of Mormon Challenge. And I'm not going to lie, it's something that I have been almost starting, probably on and off, for the last year, year and a half or so. I actually first had the idea while sitting in General Conference, it was almost like a calling that I needed to do this and then I didn't. And then I felt like I should do it, and then I didn't, and I back and forthed as we sometimes do. And today's actually an interesting day. My wife and my kids are out of town and I'm home alone. I woke up this morning, getting ready for church and I felt like today was the day. So I got home from church and had kind of a really cool moment where I had a chance to start thinking through this and what this Book of Mormon Challenge was supposed to be. I had purchased the domain name, I had some ideas, but I didn't really know what, where, or how. Sometimes you start taking the first step forward and the Lord tells you what to do and how to do it. So I'm praying that I'm going in the direction that he would have me do. I wrote the intro for this podcast a few minutes ago and I recorded it and hopefully by listening to that you kind of know a little bit about what this podcast is about. So to kind of begin with, because I'm sure some of you guys who are just finding this randomly on iTunes or someone told you to listen to it, you have no idea who I am and the reality is it doesn't really matter who I am. The story and this message is not about me, but just to give you guys some context to who you are listening to, who's talking, my name is Russell Brunson. And yes, the story I told during the intro of the podcast is true. I was born in the LDS church. LDS stands for Latter Day Saints, for those who don't know, the Mormon church. And growing up I didn't know much about what we do, and I went to church and listened to the songs and those type of things. As I got older I remember hearing my dad share with me his testimony about how he found out the Book of Mormon was true. And it was probably, you know my dad is a tough guy, and it was probably one of the few times in my life I've ever seen him cry, was when he told his story. He got his testimony of the Book of Mormon while he was in the MTC waiting to go on his mission to Switzerland. I remember as I was preparing for a mission, thinking cool, I'll just take care of it at the MTC, I'll be good to go. I went to the MTC and I got there and I didn't get a testimony, I didn't have one. And then as I left the MTC I didn't have one and I started going to New Jersey where I served my mission. I'm knocking on doors and I was scared because I didn't have a testimony. I will tell you guys how I received my testimony and kind of the whole experience behind it, actually in the next episode, but I did. And because of that, I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and because of that my life shifted. Everything since that moment when I found out, when God told me, this is the truth, it set me on a different trajectory. And I look now, almost twenty years later, the fruits of that decision and that answer, it's been amazing. At the same time, now I've got a beautiful wife, we've got 5 kids, I've got a business, I've got over 100 employees, I'm doing a lot of things. If you Google my name you'll learn a little about who I am, even though, once again, it doesn't matter. I have a big company, I've written two books through a traditional publisher, I've written a lot of other books as well with a software company, a lot of things that are happening. And as happens to most of us, because of so many things happening, a lot of times we forget about the things that are most important. A while ago I was walking around my house, we live in a beautiful home, and I see Book of Mormon's laying in different spots around the house and realizing that we hadn't picked up those, as a family, for months, if not even longer. And I was looking at that one night, just looking at one of these books, it was laying there and I was like, “This book is not important, it's vitally important to salvation for myself, for my kids, for those who I care and I love and it is the key to help us understand Christ today. And we just throw them on the ground. They're just sitting there and we don't open or read them and this book that should be the most important thing in the world has become just a commodity, it's just sitting there. It didn't really matter to us as a family. I remember how much that bothered me, so I remember thinking I have to make this special again, but how do I do that? So what I ended up doing, I started searching for an original copy of the Book of Mormon. I remember when I was on my mission somebody had said, there was one for sale on EBay or something, it had sold for like $150,000, I don't know, something crazy like that. So I'm like, I'm going to see if I can find one. So I started searching and through my searching I think I found 6 that were actually for sale. Some of them were really expensive. One of them was owned by Hyrum Smith, who was Joseph Smith's brother, it was for sale for over a million dollars. There was one from Samuel Smith, who was the first missionary of the church ever, it was on sale for over a million and then it went down from there. There was a $500,000 one, a $200,000, $100,000, an $80,000 and then I found one that was cheaper as well. I ended up purchasing, not the million dollar one, I purchased one that was a lot cheaper, but it was funny because I didn't…It was actually an EBay auction and I didn't buy it, and it expired. And then later, a couple of months later he relisted it, I was like, I had all this emotional drama. Finally I decided you know what, I'm going to do it. Because I need to make this special to me again. And it's interesting because, I know there's a lot of different people listening to this. There are people who are not members of the LDS church, there are people who used to be, who left, and there's probably people who are members of the church. So regardless of where you're at, I want you to understand that I needed and I wanted this to be special to me and my family and I wanted to treat this like it was probably treated when it first came out. When Joseph Smith printed the first 5,000 copies, people financed their entire lives to be able to print this book and when they got it, it was like when it touched their hands for the first time, I can't even imagine what that felt like. You hear the stories about Parley P. Pratt, when he got the book and he sat down and he spent, he started reading and read for an entire day until he finished it. He said that sleeping and eating became a nuisance because he wanted to read this book. I think about the first missionaries, when somebody came to England and they handed one of these books to someone, what that must have felt like, and how special that could have been and should have been and probably was. And I wanted that again. So when we ordered the book, it was right before General Conference, which those who aren't members of our church, General Conference is when the Prophet and the 12 Apostles speak to us twice a year. So I called up the person I bought it from, I said, “Can you overnight this to me. I want this before conference. I want to show my kids this.” So it showed up and we had this just amazing moment with my kids where I had a chance to tell them the history of the Book of Mormon and how it came about. We talked about the Gold Plates and the whole origin story of the Book of Mormon, which I'm sure we'll cover in more detail in future episodes, But how it came about and the sacrifice that went into this thing. I showed pictures online on LDS.org of where it was printed at the Grandin Building, the whole thing. We talked about there was only 5 thousand copies that were printed and how most of them have been destroyed or have fallen apart. I said, “Hey you guys want to see something cool?” and I opened it up and I pulled this book out and let my kids touch it and it was so cool in their eyes. They're like, “Dad, this is one of the first ones? This is one of the ones you talked about?” I'm like, “Yeah, how cool is that?” Since then, it's been fun to share it with people around me. A lot of times someone has an heirloom like this and they put it in a glass case and air proof it so that fingerprints don't destroy it because they're looking at it as an investment. But for me it was never an investment for financial purposes. I wanted the investment for me and my kids, being able to read it as a real book. So It's been such a cool experience. And as we read it as a family it's been fun because, you know the first time it was printed, think about this, it was back in the early 1800's and they didn't have printers and things like that, so they were taking letter by letter and put them on these things and then they'd stamp ink on it, and stamp the ink onto the pages. It was crazy. So there's little typo's and little errors and things like that, that somewhere between the translation, you know the people reading it, to the people putting the metal pieces in to spell all the words out of this huge book, the little issues. So as we say something in the book that sounds different, like “Shall” versus “shalt” or just little typos like that, the kids will raise their hand and it's come to be a really cool, special thing. That's why we did it, and shortly after that I felt like I wanted to share this experience with more people. Because if other people, if I can make the Book of Mormon more real for other people as well, it will transform their lives as it has transformed mine. So that's why this podcast and this challenge and everything has been created. I'm just not sure exactly what's going to happen on bookofmormonchallenge.com but it'll be a challenge for all of us to go through, to find out if this book is true, or if you're a member who left, or if you are a member who believes, how to actually take this book and use it as a tool to radically shift your life and the life of your family. So that's what this is all about. And again, I don't know the path of where this is all going yet, I just know that this is the direction that I am supposed to go. My biggest fear with this podcast, honestly, and why I don't think I've done it for the last year, year and a half since I first had the idea was, I teach, I'm an educator, I've written books, I speak at seminars all around the world, I have audiences of…our next event coming up we have 3500 people will be there, I'll be speaking for 3 days onstage. I'm not afraid of speaking or teaching, I do that all the time. My biggest fear is teaching within the church, teaching about God, because it's not me. I'm fully aware of that. I can speak at an event, I can get people excited, I can tell stories in a way that motivate and get people excited. But if I go on this mission to serve you guys in this way, if I don't have the spirit with me, I know that none of this will matter. Because this is not about me being a good teacher, it's about me, allowing or letting or having, or whatever, the spirit speak through me to you. So I pray as I do this that I'll have the spirit so that you will not just hear what I say, but you feel what the spirit wants you to learn through these messages. And I'm going to try as close and as hard as I can to stay close to the spirit so I can deliver this in a way that will give you the ability to feel the spirit and make the changes you need to. With that said, as I'm going through this I am 100% fully aware that I am going to mess up a lot in this. I'm going to teach things that maybe aren't doctrinally correct, things that I think are right, things that are my opinions, or things like that. So a big thing, this is not the doctrine of the church, this is according to Russell. I'm going to try to stick as close as I can to the doctrines, what we know are true. But if I mess up, don't blame the church, blame me. That's a big thing. The second thing is if I say something, don't take my word for it. That's the most amazing thing about God is that the power he has given us is not take things blindly on faith. Faith is not about blinding believing and walking. He says, learn something and then bring it to him, and pray, and ask, and he'll tell you if it's true. So if you hear me talk about the Book of Mormon, about concepts, about doctrine, about ideas, about things that I believe are true, the reason why I'm sharing them is not because I'm a genius or because I made them up or anything, it's because I heard them, and then I prayed, and then the Lord told. I know that God answers prayers and I know he'll answer your prayer if you ask. So if you're confused or you wonder or whatever, ask. I'm sure we'll do a podcast going deeper into how to do that and what to look for and what you're trying to feel, but he is the ultimate giver of truth and he will let you know if it's true. Alright, so why am I doing this podcast? A couple of reasons. Number one, I've got the 5 most amazing kids on Earth, by far. Someday I'm not going to be here and I want this to be archived forever. I want my kids to know what I believe. I want them to know that forever. My kids, my grandkids, I want people to know what I believe. And I want my testimony to stand. That's number one. Number two is because there's a lot of people in my world around me who see what I do in the business side of things or other places, and I want them to be very clear on where I stand and what I believe. I'm hoping that I have people who aren't members who wonder, “Why is Russell so happy all the time? Why is he so excited? What is wrong with this guy?” I want you to understand what is wrong with me is this. I am happy, I have this spirit, I understand where did I come from, why I'm here on Earth, and where I'm going. And when you understand those things with absolute clarity, you can't help but be happy and be excited. Yes, there are sad, depressing, horrible things that happen but when you understand the plan, it makes you free, it makes you happy. So for those around me who are wondering why I'm so happy, I want this to help you understand where I stand, what I believe and hopefully it will give you the boost, the inspiration, whatever you need to figure it out for yourself as well. Because the third reason I have here on my notes is, if I can help one other person understand this and feel what I feel, they say in the scriptures if you help one soul come to Christ how great will be your joy in Heaven with that person. And I hope this will be a tool to help at least one other person. And if I do that it'll be worth the time and the energy that I put into it. And number four, the last one is that I know how I work and I know that when I'm focusing on something I will learn it and I will get more from it. For example, when I have to teach a lesson in church and I have the whole week to prepare, I prepare, I study, I learn, I get so much value in that week I'm like flawless. Satan can't tempt me. I can't struggle, I can't deviate, I do everything perfect and I love that feeling. And then when I don't, it's harder, life is harder to focus. A little while ago I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting and I told the Bishop from the pulpit, I said, “If there's ever a calling for a full time sacrament speaker, please tell me. Call me to do that. I would love if every week I just had a chance to give a talk.” And after I sat down, I had this epiphany. I was sitting there thinking, maybe I can't give a talk in Sacrament every week, but I can have that feeling, what if I……and that was one of the reasons why I wanted to start this podcast. If every Sunday I have a chance to record a podcast, and I have all week to study and prepare and get ready for it, and then I record it, it'd be the same thing. I'd keep the spirit with me throughout the entire week. It gives me focus on my studying, it gives me a reason to do it and when I do that I'll enjoy it. And each Sunday I'll have a chance to record this for you guys and hopefully it will help you as well. But honestly, it's a selfish reason for me, to help me stay on the straight and narrow path, which hopefully is okay for me to do. I hope you guys do the same thing. I think everyone should be publishing. We don't talk more about our beliefs. We should be writing blogs and doing podcasts and talking. So hopefully, if this inspires one other person to do the same thing as well, that is awesome. That is another purpose behind it. Alright, so before I wrap up this session, I want to just talk about two things. Because this is why I'm doing this podcast, and this is why it matters, and this is why it matters for you to listen and to pay attention and to read the Book of Mormon and then to pray about it. Because I have so many friends who, I'm not shy about, my friends know I'm Mormon, they know my beliefs. They're always like, “Oh that's nice Russell. That's cool that you guys believe that.” I'm like, “I don't just believe that, I know it.” And I don't want people to dismiss it. So I'm going to talk about two things that can be seen as kind of harsh, but it's important because I need you to understand how important this is. I remember on my mission I would knock on people's doors and I'd share the message of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ coming to Joseph Smith. I'd share this amazing experience that literally has transformed everything, and I'd share with somebody and they're like, “Wow, that's so cool.” I'm like, “I know. Can we come back and teach you more?” or they'd say, “That's awesome, I believe that's true, I believe that actually happened.” I'm like, “That's amazing. So will you read the Book of Mormon?” and they're like, “No, I'm good.” And I'm like, “What?” Do you understand? You need to understand the severity of this. If this is true, this is the most important thing that's ever happened on planet Earth outside of the atonement of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. This is the most important thing that's happened on Earth besides that one thing. What's cool is they actually tie together directly. So I'm like, I would almost bring concerns to people's minds initially because I'm like, “I need you to understand how important this is.” So that's kind of my goal right now. I'm going to probably raise some concerns, but that's good because it's going to help you understand why this is important. Because I don't want you listening along and be like, “Oh that's nice, I'm going to listen and get inspired once a week or whatever.” No! This is not about inspiration, this is about change. If you don't make a change in your life, there's no purpose to this at all. And you have to understand the severity of what we're talking about for you to understand why you need to make that change. So these are two quotes. One is from a father, and one's from a son. The father was one of the 12 apostles. He's my favorite dead apostle, he's no longer on Earth now. And I will talk about my favorite living and dead apostles, but my favorite one who has passed away, his name is Bruce R. McConkie and speaking of the Book of Mormon this is what he said, “These are deep and solemn and ponderous matters. We need not think we can trifle with sacred things and escape the wrath of a just God. Either the Book of Mormon is true, or it is false. There is no middle ground. Either it came from God or it spawn from the infernal realms. It is not and cannot simply be another treaty on religion. It either came from Heaven or it came from Hell. And it's time for all those who seek salvation to find out for themselves whether it's from the Lord or if it's from Lucifer.” Alright, now that's about as dramatic of a line draw in the sand as you can make. You're here today listening to the Book of Mormon Challenge podcast and as I've just stated, there's not a middle ground. Either this book, that I'm holding in my hands right now, again this is one of the original 5 thousand books. Either this book was given to us from God, or was given to us from Satan. That's it. There's no middle ground. So for you, you need to understand that, and be like, “Okay, if this came from God I need to get it in my hands and I need to read it and understand. I need to ask God if it's true. If it came from Satan, then everything Russell's talking about is pure evil.” There's no middle ground. It's not like, this is a nice book, this is a good book. It's either from Heaven or Hell and that's it. So for any of us, who are true seekers of truth and want to understand why are we here, the three big questions. Where did we come from? Why are we here? And Where are we going? If you want to know those answers to those questions, they are here within this book and you will understand them with perfect clarity, but you have to understand first that this book either came from Heaven or Hell. It's vital for you to find that out. I can't tell you. I can tell you what I believe, but you have to know. And it's so vitally important that if you don't figure that out, if you're like “it's not that big of a deal.” If you're wrong, “oh yeah, it's gotta be evil.” Or “It's got to be good.” Or whatever. You can't just be like, “Oh yeah, I'm sure it's a good book.” No, it's not a good book, it's either from Heaven or from Hell and you have to figure this out for yourself. That's how important this is. So I'm putting that on you. This is the challenge that we're going through, the Book of Mormon Challenge. The challenge is for you to figure that out. Is this from Heaven or is this from Hell? I promise you as you read these pages, you will feel and you will know and you will understand where this is from. But also understand that when you understand and when you find out where this is from, you have to change your life in accordance with that. That's the second half of the challenge. We'll get to that later. But right now that is the challenge for you to find out. Is this book from Heaven or from Hell? As Bruce R. McConkie said, “It's time for all those who seek salvation to find out for themselves whether this is from the Lord or if it's from Lucifer.” So that's the challenge you guys, and I want you to understand that. I'm saying it as boldly as I possibly can because it's that important. People always talk about, “Oh yeah, it's a good book…” No, it's not. It's not another treaty on religion. It either came from Heaven or from Hell and for all those who are true seekers for salvation, you have to find out for yourself. Alright that's number one. Number two, my next question I get a lot and I understand is people ask, “Why do we need a Book of Mormon? We have the Bible, we have these other things, why do we need that? Why would God make this other thing come to us? What's the purpose of it, what's the reasoning?” Okay, I'll get into that the next episode. We're going to go deeper into that, but there's a quote from Bruce R. McConkie's son, his name is Joseph Fielding McConkie. When I heard this the first time I got it, and I understood it. This is what he said, “Why a Book of Mormon? Because it's the perfect test of spiritual integrity. Acceptance of the Book of Mormon requires the same faith that was necessary to accept Christ in the Meridian time. As he was opposed by false traditions and a corrupt priesthood, so the Book of Mormon is opposed today. The doctrines are the same, the opposition is the same, and the courage and the faith necessary to accept it are the same.” So what that means is this book right here, that I'm holding in my hands, how we treat this book is the exact same way we would treat Christ if he was here today. I want you guys to understand that. How do you treat the Book of Mormon right now? People always say, “If Christ was here I would have been one of the one's that fought for him. I wouldn't have let him be crucified. I would have been on his side. I would have been one of his disciples. I would have been one of his followers.” Well, he's not here today, he's risen, he's back in heaven, he will be coming again for the second coming hopefully sooner than later, anxiously waiting that. But he's not here today, so what did he do? He sent something and these words, inside of this book, they're his words. Everything it talks about is his. The words, the lessons, the messages, the stories, the doctrines, this is Christ's doctrine. How you treat this book is how you would have treated Christ if he was here today. This was the test. This is our test of spiritual integrity. So think about it, the reason I started this whole challenge is because I was looking at that. I was looking at this book sitting on the ground, you know my kids have kicked around, it's sitting there, laying there a Book of Mormon, a blue one, sitting there. I'm looking at that thinking, how am I treating this? How I treat that book is how I would treat Christ if he was here. I'd just lay him on the side and I walk around and do my other stuff. Too busy with my daily life. Too busy with my work, with my kids, with school, with all this stuff to even notice he's there. When you think about it that way, it changes things. How you treat this book, is how you would treat Christ if he were here today. So for me, I thought I need a change or else there's going to be a day when it's too late. I'm going to see him again and at that day I don't want to be someone who said, “I didn't cherish your message, I didn't listen, I wasn't paying attention.” I want that day to see him and be able to give him a hug and know that I treated him the way that he deserved to be treated. So this book, this amazing book that I cannot wait to get into with you guys, and for those who have not read it yet, I cannot wait for you guys to read it. For those who have read it, I cannot wait to re-inspire you, re-get you excited about it because this book, the way we treat this book is how we'd treat Christ. And if all of the craziness of our days is keeping us from this book, and keeping us from this message and keeping us from this thing, then we're missing it. We're missing the whole point. All the other things are just distractions. How we treat this book is how we'd treat Christ if he was here on this Earth. So this challenge is about a couple of things. First off, this challenge is for you to figure out where this book is from. Either it came from Heaven or from Hell. Either it came from the Lord or From Lucifer. It's time for us, for all of us who really care about salvation, those who want to return back to our Heavenly Father, it's time for us today, to figure out if this came from Heaven or from Hell. That's number one. Number two, after we find out and we understand who this is from, we understand that these are Christ's words, this is his teachings, his message, his doctrine, his principles, everything wrapped into a perfect book. As soon as we understand that, then the next challenge is how we're going to treat this book. How are you going to treat this message?  Is it going to be something you read every once in a while, like I've been guilty of doing? Or is it going to be something you grab onto and hold with your hands and share with other people? My goal with this challenge is for the latter. I want all of us sharing this message and this podcast is my initial attempts towards that. Bookofmormonchallenge.com that's coming my next challenge towards that. And I'm encouraging you guys to participate in this, and I hope that you do and I hope that you take this for the importance that it is. This is literally the most important message you'll hear in your life. This book as you will find, will teach you about God, it will teach you about Christ, it will teach you about his sacrifice he made for us. It will teach you about the way we can repent and return back to him. It will teach us how to be there together as a family. Everything that you need to know to answer the three questions. Who are you? Actually the first one, where did you come from? Why are you here? Where are you going? Those questions will help you understand who you are and when you know who are, it'll change everything. Your life will be happier, your future will be brighter, and life will be better. So that's my goal with this podcast. I'm so excited that you are listening to this, and next episode I'm going to be talking about a concept I call the three givens. I'm really excited for that. This is a talk I gave in church a little while ago, I've been preparing and talking and thinking about this for a long time and I'm so excited to share that with you. With that I'm going to end this intro episode. If you know anybody else who you think would be interested to listen, tell them this story, “I met this crazy guy, he went and spent a fortune, bought one of the original 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, and he did that because he wanted to find out if it came from Heaven or from Hell and you should listen to this podcast.” And tell them that and let them subscribe and let them listen to this message and then give them the challenge. Tell them, “You've got to find out for yourself. Russell figured it out for himself, I figured it out for myself, other people have figured it out for themselves, now it's your turn. Is this from Heaven or is this from Hell? You need to find out.” This is not something you should be trifling with, not something you should just wash away and be like, “Oh, I read something online so it's evil.” If you're trusting people's opinions on Google, you are insane. Being an internet marketer now for over 14 years I know how simple it is to publish anything you want online. Do not trust other people's opinions. The only thing you should trust, is God's opinion. This is something that is so vitally  important to your salvation, to your happiness, to everything. It's not something you should trifle with, “Oh, I read this article about this.” Or “Oh, my friend said this.” Or whatever. The only person that needs to tell you that this is true or not is God. I can't tell you that. I'm going to be excited because I am and I'm going to talk about this, share ideas, my only goal is to inspire you enough to go and ask God if this is true. That's it. I'm not trying to convince you of anything. That's not my goal or my purpose ever. I cannot convince you of this. If I logically convince you that this is true, guess what's going to happen? As soon as you start moving down this path, Satan's going to come and he's going to turn the heat up and you will not be able to withstand the trials and you will leave. I have family members people I love more than anyone on Earth who have left the church. Because they didn't know this book is true. They hadn't read, they hadn't prayed, they hadn't gotten the message, they had not had Heavenly Father tell them that this is true. So when the heat came up, they left. I have friends who were members of the church, went on missions and when the heat came up they walked away. The heat will be turned up. I want you to understand that. When you accept this, and you understand it, temptations and trials and people will come around you and try to pull you and rip you away from that. That's how Satan works, he does not want you to be happy. He will do everything in his power, so if I logically convince you of this, someone can un-logically convince you just as simple. Now I say that as, not to be cocky or anything. I've written books on persuasion, I think there's few people on Earth who understand persuasion better than me. I can persuade people of anything. But if I can persuade you of one thing, you can be persuaded away. My job, my goal of this podcast is not to persuade you of anything, it's to get you excited enough to dive into the book so that you will then go and ask God, and he will tell you. And if he tells you, then you will know it's true. Over the last probably 20 years or so, since he told me, I've had insane amounts of pressure from every single side trying to pull me away from this message, but guess what? God told me it was true. So nothing can, I can't be moved. I believe him. And there's nothing that anyone can do ever to take that away from me. You need to have that same thing. But you're not going to get it from me logically convincing you of anything, so I'm not going to. All I'm going to do is hopefully get you excited enough to read the book and then to pray. God will tell you and then you'll know, just like I know. That's the goal you guys. Thank you again for listening to this podcast, please invite others you know to listen to it as well, and on the next episode I'm going to talk about the three givens. And this is the core foundation of your testimony. In God, in Christ, and in the restoration of the church through the Book of Mormon. So thank you guys again so much for listening. I appreciate you guys and I'm excited to start this journey with you. I hope that this message gets you excited enough to read the book and to treat it the way that it deserves to be. And that's all I got today. So thanks again you guys and I'll talk to you all again soon. Bye everybody.