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Back in my Young Adult days, I read Prophecy for Modern times by Cleon Skousen. It was generally considered a bit controversial, and most people attached the classic disclaimer “not approved by the church” to it. He talked about the biblical references to Gog and Magog, about a great War that would exist between the two “camps” and how civilization would fall as result of his war, leaving only a place lead by Christ, probably in America, where there was order and safety. Also talks about a great divide “across the waters” which could be the Atlantic and or Pacific oceans.
I have often wondered with the apparently escalating conflict between faith-based terrorist groups in the Middle East, and the rest of the world, whether Gog is the terrorist groups, and Magog is America and their allies. If the terrorists ever got hold of nuclear weapons, heaven help us…the scale by which these terrorist organizations seem to be growing, and their tactics, much like the Gadianton Robbers in the Book of Mormon, have often made me wonder about this…provided you believe in the Bible’s ability to predict world events given its tendency to use generalities that can be used to justify many different events as fulfilment of prophecy…
Thoughts?
I choose to view these types of apocalypse based prophecies as the hope for a marginalized religious sect to be triumphantly vindicated at the end of the world. When the Mormons fled the borders of the U.S. to go reside in the desert, many seemed to literally believe that the cities of the east would soon be destroyed and that they would only find refuge and peace from the coming calamity by isolating themselves.
http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=24891 That certainly does not fit the current situation … and so our interpretations evolve according to our circumstances.
I’ve never appreciated Cleon Skousen’s work. That is all.
🙂 Old-Timer wrote:I’ve never appreciated Cleon Skousen’s work.
That is all.
🙂
I actually came to say the same thing. Lots of his own opinion and conjecture IMO. But I hold no ill will toward those who get something out of his writings, it’s just not my cup of tea.History repeats itself. I think that’s how prophecy works. In a way its one way of saying, “Yes, I believe in the historicity of the Book of Mormon.” The Book of Mormon is true because contains stories that have happened. That are happening now, and will continue to happen forever. There are many similarities between the Exodus story in the OT, Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem and arrival to the promised land, the early saints march west, and the refugees of today. I think that’s why sacred texts are so revered. The actors are different, but script is the same. We could probably add our own history to the sacred texts, as far back as what we know about the Roman Empire. Are there parallels between the rise and fall of the Roman empire with the Nephites and the Lamanites? Yes. If we tried to find similarities between the condition of the world described in the Book of Mormon, and our own today, would we find any answers to our questions? Quote:Unknown wrote:
If we tried to find similarities between the condition of the world described in the Book of Mormon, and our own today, would we find any answers to our questions?
No.
The murder and violent death rates are at all time lows for the world. Birth control, indoor heating and AC, germ theory, hygiene practices, and surgical success are all game changers. Our ability to preserve food is amazing. People no longer worry about starving to death during the winter months. There is still hunger in the world. But those problems tend to be due to supply chain issues. The food is available, getting it past corrupt officials and through war zones is the issue.
We can read the BOM and talk about how success and power too often leads to wickedness and ungodly thoughts. But who gets to decide what is power and what is success? Is being literate enough to be in danger? In this country, we all live better than kings did just a few 100 years ago.
This particular question hits a nerve with me. As long as one follows everything the Church says, we are considered righteous and devout by our LDS peers. Question anything, and suddenly, we are seen as wicked and unrighteous and being led astray by the adversary. This long tradition of teaching the cycle of righteousness and wickedness from the BOM shuts down any conversation that a church authority feels threatened by.
IMO, If you believe the BOM to be the word of God, good for you. Accept that as a truth in your life, and move on to helping people and making a difference in this world.
Quote:Accept that as a truth in your life, and move on to helping people and making a difference in this world.
Amen.
amateurparent wrote:If you believe the BOM to be the word of God, good for you. Accept that as a truth in your life, and move on to helping people and making a difference in this world.
I would like to alter this slightly with:
If you believe [insert scripture or belief system here] to be the word of God, good for you. Accept that as a truth in your life, and move on to helping people and making a difference in this world…
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