Last Sunday’s Book of Mormon lesson in 3rd hour

[Anonymous]

Have we already talked about this and I missed it? How did it go? I’m normally elsewhere 3rd hour so I didn’t feel that I could jump in to the conversation too much. (It’s like that for me when my calling is in YW or Primary….)

I didn’t see any openings for a discussion of differing beliefs in the literalness of the BOM, and I’m wondering how things were in your lessons.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t have a discussion on literalism, but we did have some discussion about the BoM being the “most correct book.” When that started to degenerate into the BoM is better than the Bible I was able to point out D&C 42 (thanks to the link in the manual) and that in the temple we’re taught that both the Bible and the BoM contain the fullness of the gospel and we can’t say one is better or more important than the other in that respect. It was taken well and did redirect the conversation away from a more hardline black & white tone.

[Anonymous]

We’re still a week behind in my ward. I’m not sure how that happened, I thought when things like WC and SC came along we just skip the lesson for that week to keep things on the global schedule.

Anyway, I get the benefit of seeing what everyone else experienced and coming semi prepared for when it’s my turn.

[Anonymous]

I broke out a good JS quote on the matter to try to sway the conversation. I did it Armand Mauss style, clearly stating that it was The Prophet Joseph from the book Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 71.

Quote:

Then if this is the case, and if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed, with all our former professions and our great love for the Biblewe must fall we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out.

[Anonymous]

Luckily I have two kinds in nursery and as the HP’s contemplated on how to flood the earth with the BofM I quietly stepped out and hung out with my boys in nursery. It was much more fun and peaceful.

But seriously, listening to the HP’s attempt to work up the courage to flood the earth with the BofM was so sad. I mean, I think I would have rather had a tooth pulled than sit through a lesson like that again. I’m just glad they didn’t aske me what I thought; not sure what the response would have been when I replied “I don’t. I don’t think about it all.”

[Anonymous]

I mentioned that the Book of Mormon itself says twice that one of its central purposes is to help people believe the Bible – and described how I have heard multiple stories of how praying for an answer to one prayer, with a focus on understanding God’s mercy, opens people’s hearts to pray about other things – and how “new eyes” allow people to read the Bible and understand it differently.

I said I respect people who read the Book of Mormon daily (like the instructor stressed), but that I personally like to read the Bible just as much, since I see that as fulfilling part of the purpose for which the Book of Mormon was written.

[Anonymous]

I know this was last weeks topic, but we had a double dose of it this week. Crazy part was, the teacher asked for examples from the class of times when people had given out BoM and how had it gone. 3 out of 4 had been horrid, friendships lost, family members walking out, etc. But they each said, even though it cost them the relationship, they felt they had done good.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

[Anonymous]

mom3 wrote:

I know this was last weeks topic, but we had a double dose of it this week. Crazy part was, the teacher asked for examples from the class of times when people had given out BoM and how had it gone. 3 out of 4 had been horrid, friendships lost, family members walking out, etc. But they each said, even though it cost them the relationship, they felt they had done good.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

When we moved to Iowa I went around the neigborhood with the missionaries to introduce myself and to provide a normal human face to the Mormons at the same time. Win-win right? No! This should be listed as the quickest way to alienate yourself from the neighborhood. Our next door neighbor came over the next day to forcefully return the BoM that the missionaries had left with his teenage daughter. That turned into a simmering fued for the next few years until we moved.

I also had my best non-Mormon friends in Vegas ask why another Mormon friend had given them a BoM with a testimony written in the front. They were hurt and bewildered by the implications.

[Author]

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