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Posted: Friday 18 April 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 13: Melchizedek--None were greater
In this chapter, Alma continues his speech to Zeezrom and people of Ammonihah who have gathered. He told them all about the holy priests that were ordained directly from God, and how some people listened to the priests and some didn't. The priests w ...
Posted: Thursday 17 April 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Guess what book replaced the Book of Mormon as the #1 book on the list of life-changing books
Yesterday there was an article in the Deseret News entitled, "The Book of Mormon claims No. 1 spot on list of life-changing books." It was great news for the Salt Lake City newspaper, a paper owned an operated by the LDS Church.
Here are some excep ...
Posted: Wednesday 16 April 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 12: "This is the thing which I was about to explain..."
After Amulek shut Zeezrom up, Alma hopped on the soapbox and continued preaching. A crowd had gathered, and he wanted to take full advantage.
Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him i ...
Posted: Tuesday 15 April 2014 ( 10 years ago )
And I beheld when the moon became as blood
(Since there's a lot of Christian hysteria over the tetrad of lunar eclipses that began last night, I thought I'd repost this from August 27, 2007.)
Did you see it last night? I did. The moon darkened and turned red, just like the Bible said it w ...
Posted: Friday 04 April 2014 ( 10 years ago )
How many did God kill in the Book of Mormon?
In a previous post, I compared the number of people killed in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Quran. Since then, my son Philip and I have taken a much closer look at the Book of Mormon, and it turns out that I missed quite a few killings in that firs ...
Posted: Friday 21 March 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Bill Maher: Holy Ship (and Drunk With Blood)
In case you missed it last week, here it is again for you.
And here's a tweet that Bill Maher sent today.
Thanks Bill!
...
Posted: Tuesday 11 March 2014 ( 10 years ago )
According the the Book of Mormon, Jesus is his own father
Joseph Smith was a bit confused about the relationship between Jesus and his father.
He saw the two of them together in his very first vision. Here's how he described it:
I retired to a secret place in a grove and began to call upon the Lord, whi ...
Posted: Sunday 09 March 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 11: How much is a Senine of gold worth?
The Law of Mosiah established a basic legal system to deal with disputes (mostly financial disputes from the sound of it). A plaintiff could bring a case to the Judges, and then the accused person would be brought to the courtroom for a trial. Prett ...
Posted: Saturday 01 March 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Yes Elder Price, the Mormon church still believes that you'll get your own planet
"I believe that God has a plan for all of us. I believe that plan involves me getting my own planet."
This is a quote from Elder Price in the "Book of Mormon" musical.
If you haven't heard the song that this quote it is taken from ("I Believe"), ...
Posted: Wednesday 26 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 10: The Evil Lawyers of Ammonihah
Amulek then hops on the soapbox. He tells his story, beginning with his fascinating genealogy. Then he explains how until a few days ago, he was just like them.
Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; ...
Posted: Sunday 23 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 9: Alma Speaks Again to the People of Ammonihah
In the last chapter, Alma was visited by an angel who told him to return no Ammonihah and preach to them again. He returned to the city, met a friend (Amulek), and worked his nerve up to preach to the people again.
When Alma started to preach the ...
Posted: Saturday 22 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Behold, The Bridegroom Cometh
This video is featured at the LDS.org website, which seems somehow appropriate, given the church's recent apology for its polygamous past.
But what the hell was Jesus thinking when he came up with this parable? Can you imagine a modern religious ...
Posted: Tuesday 18 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 8: Alma, the Door-to-Door Salesman
After finishing up in Gideon, Alma returned to his home in Zarahemla to rest. A year or so later he decided to go preach in Melek. Melek was in the West, across the Sidon river, on the edge of the wilderness.
And now it came to pass that Alma retur ...
Posted: Monday 17 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 7: Jesus is Coming
In the last chapter, Alma left Zarahemla to go visit the new city of Gideon, and preach to the people there. When he arrives, he starts his speech by explaining why he hadn't visited already. You see, he was a little preoccupied before because he wa ...
Posted: Saturday 15 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 6: Alma Goes to the City of Gideon (in the Valley of Gideon, There Having a City Built, Named for Gideon, Who Was Slain By the Hand of Nehor With the Sword)
After Alma finished his speech, he reorganized the church a little bit. He ordained priests and elders, and allowed church membership to anyone who wasn't yet in the church, so long as they repented of their sins and were baptized.
And now it came ...
Posted: Thursday 13 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 5: Repent! (Or ye shall be cast into the fire)
Now that Alma is a full-time preacher, he had time to give the long speeches that he had always wanted to give, but never had the time for. He went all over Zarahemla, and throughout all the land, and spoke to the people.
He reminded them of all of ...
Posted: Wednesday 12 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 4: Alma Appoints Nephihah
The Nephites began to enjoy peace in the sixth year of the reign of the Judges. They were still recovering from the nasty war, in which so many of their people had died and much of their economy was destroyed (flocks, herds, fields of grain, etc.)
...
Posted: Wednesday 12 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
A Darwin quote for Darwin Day
For Darwin Day, I thought I'd (re)post one of my favorite Darwin quotes. Here it is:
I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent & omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within ...
Posted: Thursday 06 February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 3: God Set a Mark Upon Them
The war was over. The Nephites buried their dead quickly, where they died, without even counting them. There were too many to count.
And it came to pass that the Nephites who were not slain by the weapons of war, after having buried those who had b ...
Posted: Thursday 30 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 2: Amlici seeks to become king, and Alma puts a stop to it
One of the new challengers to the church was named Amlici. He drew away many followers of the old church, and he even started to consider becoming king himself.
And it came to pass in the commencement of the fifth year of their reign there began t ...
Posted: Sunday 26 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Alma 1: Priestcraft: Whoring and Babbling in the promised land
In Alma's first year as Chief Judge, he had an interesting murder case brought before him. There was a man named Nehor who had started a new church, and his church was getting pretty successful. Many people were believing his words, and some of them ...
Posted: Wednesday 22 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 29: The End of Mosiah
Mosiah asked the people who they wanted to be king, and the people answer, "Your son, Aaron!"
Now when Mosiah had done this he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to know their will concerning who should be their king. ...
Posted: Tuesday 21 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 28: Mosiah's sons go on a mission
After Mosiah's sons were done preaching to everyone in Zarahemla, they wanted a bigger challenge. They decided to ask the king if they could go to the land of Nephi and preach to the Lamanites.
Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had ...
Posted: Monday 20 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Some Bible Stories for kids (to help the Bible Society with its new campaign)
The Bible Society announced a new campaign for Christian parents that encourages them to read Bible stories to their kids.
And I think that's a great idea.
Here are a few Bible stories to get them started. (I've added links to the Brick Testament ...
Posted: Saturday 18 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 27: A visit from God's angel
The unbelievers were not behaving themselves. Apparently they were persecuting the believers so badly that Mosiah had to consult with his priests and then make a proclamation.
And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on th ...
Posted: Thursday 16 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 26: What to do with the unbelievers?
Just as things are starting to go really well for the new church, it starts to be threatened by the "rising generation" of unbelievers. Sound familiar? Maybe the Book of Mormon was prophesying about today.
Now it came to pass that there were many o ...
Posted: Wednesday 15 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
The Thinking Atheist Podcast and other news
We are busy working on the Skeptic's Annotated Book of Mormon at the moment, but there have been a few interesting things come up about the SAB that we wanted to share. First off, Steve was on the Thinking Atheist Podcast with Seth Andrews yesterda ...
Posted: Wednesday 15 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 25: Speeches, Speeches and more Speeches
When Alma's people returned to Zarahemla, King Mosiah called a meeting of all the people.
And now king Mosiah caused that all the people should be gathered together. 25.1
When everyone was gathered together, Mosiah read (and caused to be read!) th ...
Posted: Saturday 11 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Science proves Muhammad right: Dogs avoid the E-W direction when pooping (because dogs are devils)
A recent study in Frontiers of Zoology has found that dogs use the earth's magnetic field to align themselves in a North-South direction while defecating or urinating.
Our analysis ... indicates that dogs not only prefer N-S direction, but at the ...
Posted: Saturday 11 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 24: Another daring escape
Amulon and King Laman (the King of the Lamanites) were getting quite cozy. Laman appointed Amulon and his brethren to be teachers over his people, in the land of Shemlon, Shilom and Amulon.
And it came to pass that Amulon did gain favor in the eyes ...
Posted: Wednesday 08 January 2014 ( 10 years ago )
Mosiah 23: Nevertheless the Lord Seeth Fit to Chasten his People
Remember back in Mosiah 18 where Alma starts a secret church in the woods after defending Abinadi and almost gets killed by King Noah? Well, Mosiah 23 picks up where 19 left off. Alma and his people depart into the wilderness (with their flocks, an ...
Posted: Sunday 29 December 2013 ( 10 years ago )
114 Bible-based New Year's Resolutions for 2014
The Christian Post has an article suggesting 10 Bible-based New Year's resolutions for 2014. And I think that's a wonderful idea. So wonderful, in fact, that I thought I'd try to help them out with that. Here is a list of 114 ways to apply the Bible ...
Posted: Tuesday 10 December 2013 ( 10 years ago )
The LDS church finally admits it was wrong about race. (So it now rejects its own scriptures.)
The LDS church has finally confessed. It admits that it was wrong about race from the church's beginning in 1830 until 1978 when God changed his mind about black people.
Here is what the new document "Race and the Priesthood" says about it:
Today, ...
Posted: Thursday 05 December 2013 ( 10 years ago )
Smashing little ones against stones: Putting Psalm 137:9 in context
I'm often accused of taking things out of context. And sometimes, I suppose, I'm guilty of that. But generally if I fail to adequately consider the context of a biblical text, the context makes a seemingly bad passage even worse. Psalm 137:9 is a g ...
Posted: Wednesday 04 December 2013 ( 10 years ago )
The two wives of Yahweh: Aholah and Aholibah
There's a strange story in Ezekiel 23 about two sisters, Aholah and Aholibah. It is a story that is seldom told by Bible believers. And that's a shame, since it sheds so much light upon God's biblical plan for marriage.
Aholah and Aholibah were s ...
Posted: Wednesday 27 November 2013 ( 10 years ago )
Pope Francis: Islam and the Quran are opposed to every form of violence
In his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel"), Pope Francis pontificates about Islam.
Here's what he said in paragraph 253.
Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followe ...
Posted: Wednesday 20 November 2013 ( 10 years ago )
The Poverty and Justice Bible: Another exercise in dishonesty
20 Nov 13 Note: Back in January of 2009, after President Obama took the oath of office (without a Bible), the Evangelical Alliance sent him a copy of "the poverty and justice bible." Now the American Bible Society is sending copies of the same edit ...
Posted: Monday 18 November 2013 ( 10 years ago )
The Skeptic's Annotated "Noah" trailer
...
Posted: Saturday 16 November 2013 ( 10 years ago )
Drunk With Blood: Audiobook preview
Well, we're finally back from our cross-country road trip. I'll put up a few more pictures (I'll even include one of Steve Weeks!) and tell you about our adventures in a later post. Until then, I thought I'd let you preview the first few chapters of ...
Posted: Wednesday 06 November 2013 ( 10 years ago )
On the road with the SAB: The Magnet Theater in New York City
Steve was sick, so I filled in. The show will be up next week, but an audience member tagged me in this photo:
Here's the link.
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