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I have a friend who I’ve known since him and I have been part of singles branch from several years ago. He used to be quite active in the church and have a strong testimony of it all. We both have been single for a long time because of things we can’t control and thing we can. His faith crisis I believe started when he moved out of state and moved back to my home town. Nice guy and everything. He strives to live by the church standards and still has a testimony of church teachings, in general. Unfortunately, much of his faith was shaken when he started researching church history and other things about the church in more depth. Parts about the history of the Book of Mormon bother him. One has to do with American Indians being descendants of the the Lamanites, when the DNA evidence doesn’t support that. Another has to do with certain animals that the Book of Mormon mentioned that existed on the American continent, when nobody can find proof of some animals existing there. The best I can do for him has been to just listen to him and let him decide how he wants to attend church. What suggestions would recommend? Listening is important. I would have give a lot just to have someone willing to listen and not judge, and that’s why I am so grateful I found this site – I can truthfully state what I believe and no one here judges. There are many who share your friend’s concerns about the BoM. I think the church has tried to make itself an all-or-nothing thing, i.e. the BoM being the keystone of the religion and statements along the lines of “if JS was a prophet, the rest is all true.” Part of my faith crisis was exactly that – I had found some things to not be true so if it is all or nothing, it’s nothing. Fact is, it’s not all or nothing. There are legitimate untruths about the BoM, JS, and other things. What is true is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The BoM can still be worthwhile in that it does teach the gospel and it does contain other worthwhile teachings, just as does the Bible (which is also flawed). If your friend is seeking advice, that’s what I’d share with him. And invite him to come here. If they’re looking for faith promoting answers, FairMormon is a reassuring website. It can sometimes cause more problems than solutions as it opens additional cans of worms. It’s also sometimes challenging to me in that there are some ‘issues’ that have very unsatisfying answers and actually go some way to confirming it’s an issue. Even so, it’s a group of members who are trying to answer these concerns. He might find it useful:
http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms/Animals But more than these answers, your friend will need a change of paradigm. I used to presume that when a prophet spoke it was the equivalent of God speaking – word for word in every word.
The way some of the church leaders of the past have talked about Lamanites/Native Americans, it’s very clear that they believed that the entire population of the North/South Americas were direct descendants of Laman and Lemuel. That the whole thing was populated from ’empty.’ It wasn’t, they were mistaken. A huge part of my faith transition is accepting that Paul was right when he said:
Quote:“…whether there be prophecies, they shall fail… whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away… For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away… For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:10)
Paul had a vision of Christ and was a founding father of Christianity. Those conditions, prophesying in part, was not ended by the Restoration. Our leaders have told us this many, many times. Some just preferred not to listen. Maybe it’s easier to presume that the prophet speaks perfectly and sees with complete clarity. That belief means we don’t have to worry about anything other than “following the prophet.” That’s a nice idea but it’s not designed like that.
President Uchtdorf encourages us to find peace with this principle: “We simply do not know all things—we can’t see everything. What may seem contradictory now may be perfectly understandable as we search for and receive more trustworthy information. Because we see through a glass darkly, we have to trust the Lord, who sees all things clearly.” (What Is Truth? CES Devotional, Jan 2013)
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2013/01/what-is-truth?lang=eng There will remain, for individuals and leaders, unanswered and incorrectly answered questions. How do we deal with that? Elder LeGrand Richards, an apostle and therefore a prophet, seer and revelator, gave a reply that I appreciate in an interview with Wesley P. Walters when asked a question about why something had been done a certain way: “We don’t know… We’ll just have to wait and find out.” (16th August 1978)
Prophets don’t know everything. Sometimes they prophecy in part. Sometimes it’s the wrong part! I’ve learnt to be ok with that.
Thank you, mackay and DarkJedi. Both replies are excellent advice. I especially like this:
Quote:
Paul had a vision of Christ and was a founding father of Christianity. Those conditions, prophesying in part, was not ended by the Restoration. Our leaders have told us this many, many times. Some just preferred not to listen. Maybe it’s easier to presume that the prophet speaks perfectly and sees with complete clarity. That belief means we don’t have to worry about anything other than “following the prophet.” That’s a nice idea but it’s not designed like that.President Uchtdorf encourages us to find peace with this principle: “We simply do not know all things—we can’t see everything. What may seem contradictory now may be perfectly understandable as we search for and receive more trustworthy information. Because we see through a glass darkly, we have to trust the Lord, who sees all things clearly.” (What Is Truth? CES Devotional, Jan 2013)
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/c … h?lang=engThere will remain, for individuals and leaders, unanswered and incorrectly answered questions. How do we deal with that? Elder LeGrand Richards, an apostle and therefore a prophet, seer and revelator, gave a reply that I appreciate in an interview with Wesley P. Walters when asked a question about why something had been done a certain way: “We don’t know… We’ll just have to wait and find out.” (16th August 1978)
Prophets don’t know everything. Sometimes they prophecy in part. Sometimes it’s the wrong part! I’ve learnt to be ok with that.
Sorry so very much. Ray even emailed me and gave me his phone number and email address. I will see if my friend wants to talk to him.
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