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The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ
By Joseph Smith Jr.

This book starts out by explaining that it is an “abridgment” of the record of a people named the Nephi and the Lamanites who where Israelites; the book was written to the Lamanites, the Jews, and the Gentiles. The story goes that it was written on gold plates by a man named Moroni and hidden until 1823 in what is now New York State. It is also from the Book of Ether a record of the people of Jered who where scattered at the time of the Tower of Babel.
INTRODUCTION. The book purports to be “Gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas”. Written by a prophet-historian named Mormon from the accounts of many ancient prophets it is the story of two groups: the first came from Jerusalem in 600 BC and became the Nephi and Lamanites, the other from the dispersion at the time of the “confounding of tongues at the Tower of Babel” they where the Jaredites. After thousands of years all where destroyed except the Lamanites and they where the “principal ancestors of the American Indians”. The “crowning event” of the story comes after Christ is resurrected and comes to America to preach to the Nephites. Mormon gave his writings to his son Moroni, he “added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the hill Cumorah”. On September 21, 1823 Moroni now an angel came to Joseph Smith and told him about the gold plates. In time the plates where given to Joseph Smith and he was told how to translate them. Eleven other men saw the plates also: a Cowdery, four Whitmers, a Harris, a Page, and three Smiths, including Joe’s father.
When Moroni came to Joseph, as he was in prayer, he told him about the hidden gold plates and two stones in silver bows fastened to a breastplate called the Urim and the Thummin the possession of which allowed one to translate the plates. Moroni comes and goes in a blaze of light three times that night telling Smith successively about judgements of famine, sword, and pestilence coming in “this generation” and how Satan will want him to keep the gold. The next day Moroni appears again and tells Joe to inform his father about all that has happened and then Joe goes to the place where Moroni said the gold was hidden. Under a large stone on the west side of a hill near Manchester, Ontario County, New York State in a stone and cement box where the plates, the Urim and Thummin, and the breastplate. Moroni tells him he must return each year for four years before he will be allowed to take the goods. On September 22, 1827 he was given the goods and he kept them until he gave them back to Moroni on May 2, 1838. Joseph Smith then published what he translated in 1830.
There where four kinds of plates: the Plates of Nephi (Small Plates = spiritual info, and Large Plates = history from the time of Mosiah), Plates of Mormon, Plates of Ether (history of the Jaredites), and the Plates of Brass (brought by the people of Lehi from Jerusalem in 600 BC). These became the Book of Mormon in fifteen parts as hidden by Moroni in 421 AD.
THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI. Nephi talks of the “language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians” (was his father an Egyptian living all his life in Jerusalem)? In the “first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,” Nephi’s father Lehi saw a “pillar of fire”… “and saw and heard much;”. He then begins to “prophesy” about Jerusalem’s wickedness; but his fellow Jews are angry and decide to kill him. Lehi goes to the wilderness with his wife Sariah and his four sons Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and the youngest Nephi. After awhile Lehi sends his sons back to the city to get “the plates of brass” (a record of the jews [first five books of Moses] and a genealogy of his forefathers [back to Joseph]) from Laban who not only refuses to give up the plates but steals all their fathers wealth and desires to kill them. The two oldest sons are angry and beat the other sons but an angel stops them and tells them to go back and get the plates. Nephi finds Laban drunk and cuts off his head with his own sword then takes the plates of brass. Laban’s servant Zoram then joins the family. The sons return to Jerusalem again and return with Ishmael and his family. Nephi then makes the “Plates of Nephi” large plates contain the secular history and small plates the sacred things. After rehashing a lot of the old and new testament Nephi has a vision (as a dream) of “the land of promise” and the “church of the Devil” a “great church” (Roman Catholicism?) and a man named John who writes of the end. Then they all marry the daughters of Ishmael. In the morning as Lehi leaves his tent he finds “a round ball…of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.” They take off in a south-southeast direction and travel for many days ending near the Red Sea (East Bank). If you travel South/South-East from Jerusalem down the east coast of the Red Sea (was it called that 2600 years ago?) the road would dead-end on the Gulf of Aden in Yemen.
Next while hunting, Nephi breaks his bow of “steel” and makes one out of wood then looking into the “ball” they found directions for finding game. The same ball that showed them the direction to go now had writing in the “ball” that changed from time to time and answered their questions. Ishmael dies and is buried at Nahom. After going east for eight years (many children were born), they came to Bountiful by the sea called Irreantum where Nephi is told to build a ship. If you travel east from the east coast of the Red Sea at any point in the southern half you come to the Arabian Sea on the coast of Yemen or Oman. India is to the east, the Indian Ocean is to the south, and Africa is to the southwest. CHAPTER 18. Nephi’s father has two more sons Jacob and Joseph. The ship is finished and loaded and they set off for the Promised Land. After being driven before the wind … for many days they arrive at the Promised Land around 589 BC. What direction would the winds blow you from the coast of Yemen or Oman? There they find beasts in the forests, cow, ox, ass, horse, and goat. In 600 BC North America had no horses could they have landed in India and become the Aryans? Nephi then writes his plates. Then more from the old testament is retold.
THE SECOND BOOK OF NEPHI. Lehi dies. The brothers had argued many times so now the Nephites and the Lamanites separate. Nephi and his people move away and establish a new home where they work with “wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores,…” (the American Indians worked with stone tools). Next the “Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them” (the Lamanites) “And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed” Nephites whites and the Lamanites blacks. It was now forty years since they left Jerusalem and many pages rehash the old and new testament stories. The whole story of Christ is foretold 560 years before it happens.
THE BOOK OF JACOB (The brother of Nephi) Now fifty-five years has passed since they left Jerusalem. Nephi dies and his people began to grow wicked including “desiring many wives and concubines,” and riches. Jacob condemns the unauthorized practice of plural marriage. The Nephites become more wicked than the Lamanites. The Nephites become wanderers.
THE BOOK OF ENOS. THE BOOK OF JAROM. THE BOOK OF OMNI. Three hundred and twenty years have now passed and a people called Zarahemia are discovered who had come across the ocean after the Babylon captivity, they join the Nephites. They also hear of a person called Coriantumr whose people had moved north at the time of the “Lord confounded the language of the people”.
THE WORDS OF MORMON. Mormon “abridges” the records that have been made by his forefathers on the plates. He talks of seeing the destruction of his people the Nephites, it is now “many hundred years after the coming Christ” (remember that Christ came to America and taught his people after the resurrection) and he is about to hand over the records to his son Moroni.
THE BOOK OF MOSIAH. Mormon recounts King Benjamin’s speech given four hundred and seventy six years after they had left Jerusalem. Then he recounts Benjamin’s successors who traveled back to a place where some of the people had gone and become vassals of the Lamanites here they found twenty-four gold plates that can not be read. Then the book goes into page after page of stories about various groups and many battles.
THE BOOK OF ALMA. The king uses the “ball and stones” to read the 24 Jaredite plates and decides that the masses must not know what they say (“mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works…oaths, and their covenants, and their agreements in their secret abominations,…signs and their wonders) except that the people where destroyed because they where bad (secret murders and secret combinations?). Dozens more pages are filled with descriptions of battles between the many different tribes. The greater part of the center of the book is about the message of ‘repent or die’ and battles between the tribes as they multiply and expand out over the land.
THE THIRD BOOK OF NEPHI (A different Nephi) It is now the time of Christ’s birth and death. CHAPTER 11. The resurrected Christ appears as they “saw a man descending out of heaven” he talks at length to them and much of the new testament is retold. Twelve disciples are appointed. And then he “departed”.
FORTH NEPHI. It’s now 320AD and everyone is “wicked” so Ammaron … did hide up the records”.
THE BOOK OF MORMAN. The Nephites are all killed (hundreds of thousands) by the Lamanites except Mormon and Moroni and twenty-two others. Its now 400 AD and everyone is dead except Moroni who hides the plates written in “reformed Egyptian” although he would have preferred to use Hebrew.
THE BOOK OF ETHER. (The record of the Jaredites from the 24 plates) Remember the Jaredites had been part of the dispersion at the Tower of Babel when God “confounded the language of the people” (time ?). Jared, his brother, their friends and families where told to go north to the sea and then to build barges (with tops). The barges where loaded and animals and seeds where loaded and the wind blew them for 344 days toward the “promised land”. Many many years go by, they multiply and begin to fight with one another. Millions are slain, all are killed, and the Jaredites are gone, only Ether’s record is left.
THE BOOK OF MORONI. This is the last section in the book and sets the stage for the Mormon religion. CHAPTER 1. “The Nephites who will not deny Christ are put to death.” CHAPTER 2. “Jesus gives the Nephite apostles the power to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost.” CHAPTER 3. “Elders ordain priests and teachers by the laying on of hands.” CHAPTER 4. “How the elders and priests administer the sacramental bread.” CHAPTER 5. “The mode of administering the sacramental wine is set forth.” CHAPTER 6. “Repentant persons are baptized and fellowshipped –Church members who repent are forgiven – Meetings are conducted by the power of the Holy Ghost.” CHAPTER 7. “An invitation to enter into the rest of the Lord – Pray with real intent – The Spirit of Christ enables men to know good from evil – Satan persuades men to deny Christ and do evil – The prophets manifest the coming of Christ – By faith miracles are wrought and angels minister – Men should hope for eternal life and cleave unto charity.” CHAPTER 8. “Infant baptism is an evil abomination – Little children are alive in Christ because of atonement – Faith, repentance, meekness and lowliness of heart, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end lead to salvation.” CHAPTER 9. “Mormon prays that grace and goodness may rest upon Moroni forever.” CHAPTER 10. “A testimony of the Book of Mormon comes by the Holy Ghost – The gifts of the Spirit are dispensed to the faithful – Spiritual gifts always accompany faith – Moroni’s words speak from the dust.” The end.

Take from the book published 2/1999 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Most people have heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing and they know the Mormons are from Salt Lake City Utah, but that’s all they know about this religion. How many know that eighteen-year-old boys are called “elders”, how many know that they wear magic underwear? How many know they think Christ came to the Americas after he was resurrected? How many know that they think if they live a righteous life that when they die they will be given a planet in space to be the god over (as was their god)? How many know that they live all over the western states, indeed all over the world?
The book talks of the first group of Jaredites going north from Babylon and then sailing west to North America some time in the far distant past and the second group of Nephites coming in 600BC and using “steel” tools. Before Columbus the natives of the Americas where stone age peoples with no steel. When the book was printed in 1830 we knew far less about ancient America than we do today.
Their leaders are called: ‘Apostles’, they have ‘Prophets’, they think they are from Jewish stock, and they are called the latter day ‘Saints’.
The book as you would expect is a morality play. Live a righteous life and god will be with you, otherwise he will destroy you. When bad, the people fight with each other and kill each other. The Jaredites are completely destroyed because of their wickedness and the bad section of Nephites becomes the Lamanites who kill the Nephites when they go bad. Then god gives the Lamanites black skin and they remain as the Indians. All that is left is the “plates” that the angle Moroni gives to Joseph Smith when it is time.
What really fascinates me is how one man could start this far-fetched “religion” in 1830 and have it grow until today 170 years later there are millions of follower. This just illustrates for me how the Christian religion probably got started 2000 years ago. What the appeal is to the followers I don’t know for its mainly just another Protestant sect with a twist.

Crazy Bob 2003 AD

The Temple of Karnak, How Rogue Judges have been strangling your Democracy

D.J. Connolly 250 pages, soft cover, 2000 AD

The author informs us he is a “reformed bureaucrat” but that is all we are told. The title comes from a comment made by one of the justices when he observed the new ornate Supreme Court building back in the late nineteen thirties that they would look like “nine black beetles in the Temple of Karnak”, a reference to the ancient Egyptian religious Temple.

The Constitution gave the power to make laws to the Congress, and the power to enforce those laws to the Courts. The book starts out by explaining “stare decisis” a Latin term that has become the rule of “precedents”. After one judge rules on a case the next similar case is decided the same way because the first one had set the ‘Precedent’.

The author points out that part of our problem stems from our continued use of ancient English Common Law (in chapter two he gives us a good explanation of that), and that right from the beginning of our nationhood in 1790 we had trouble with the courts then controlled by the Federalists. Our present trouble with liberal/left wing judges starts with an interestingly ironic twist. In 1958 a group of Communists defied a court order and were given three years in jail for “criminal contempt” their lawyers asked for a jury trial and the courts refused. Then by the mid-nineteen sixties the court had swung to the left so when a federal judge issued a court order to integrate the public schools of the south and the elected Governor of Mississippi refused he was charged with contempt. His lawyer asked for a jury trial and the judge refused knowing the Mississippian’s would let him off. It went to the Supreme Court were it was ruled that he had no right to a jury. The precedent had been set back in 1958, even if a judges order is unconstitutional, you can be charged with contempt of that order, and that is valid. Now anyone over the age of fifty knows that everyone in the country agreed with the judge saying that those racist southerners deserved it, never thinking that next it would be their kids turn. It is so true that we get the government we deserve.

1982 the court ordered the taxpayers of the state of Texas to pay for the education of illegal aliens. 1994 the citizen’s of California passed Proposition 187 at the ballet box to end the taking of their money to educate illegal aliens, one federal judge overruled the desires of all the voters and said they could not do that, precedent had been set in Texas. Sheer insanity.

Next the author claims that the court decision in the Dred Scott case of 1857 was the cause of the Civil War of 1860. Abe Lincoln did not have to fight that war and he alone was responsible for all the dead men on both sides, a simple boycott of southern cotton would have ended the dying slave business, then the enslaved Africans could have been repatriated. Instead liberal thinking and greedy businessmen in the north as well as the south were responsible for that murderously ridiculous war. Liberal thinking and greedy businessmen are the root causes of all are problems and it is no small coincidence that the two political parties that control our destinies represent these two factions.

Next the author goes on about things he would not have in his world and blames it on the courts misuse of the fourteenth amendment. I am not opposed to, “nude dancing in bars”, outlawing school prayer, protecting abortionists, I am opposed to so-called gender equity, forced busing to integrate schools, and affirmative action, so who do we please. When there is no victim such as in nude dancing, outlawing forced prayer in public schools, and abortion you can only object on moral grounds and morals and religion are one and the same; our Constitution clearly demands that our Government keep religion out of the issue. On the other hand affirmative action and forced busing created whole new classes of victims of discrimination.

The author then goes on to give us a pretty convincing argument that the courts were the cause of the Great Depression, and points out that in 1929 one percent of the population had 36% of the wealth. He then deals with the Warren Court and points out that it was in 1957 that the court opened the floodgates of Hell when they said that laws that controlled communist subversion were unconstitutional. We could hear Khrushchev cheering all the way from Russia. The court ruled in favor of the communists in 22 out of 31 cases. In 1967 when young Americans were dying fighting communists the court ruled that communists had a right to work in defense plants. Nikitia was right when he pounded his shoe on the table at the UN and said they would destroy us from the inside.

The author dislikes the fact that the courts understand the need to keep religion out of government and spends a great deal of his time complaining about, birth control, abortion, pornography, “dirty movies”, topless dancing, homosexual perversion, paganism, and even claims that all that has “inspired legions of rapists and child abusers” a statement that is completely untrue. What he really objects to is the fact that the courts allowing the above “trashed traditional American religious values” well those are not my values or a lot of other citizens that have rights equal to his. He would prefer that the first amendment only protect political speech, at least until they arrest him for the free expression of his believes.

He rightly blames the ACLU for Affirmative Action Laws that have been legally discriminating against some citizens in the name of equality. He sees the feminist movement for what it is, forcibly taking power from some citizens to fulfill a sexist agenda. He rightly sees that Affirmative Action Laws in schooling have destroyed the education, and future prosperity, of millions of citizens and cost the taxpayers billions of dollars. But then he turns right around and decries the Miranda warning as anti-law-and-order failing to understand the danger to all of a police state.

He does clearly see that the social disease called liberalism feeds on it’s self in as much as if you act the liberal all the other rich and well connected powerful liberals will take you to their bosom. So if you wish to be part of the in-crowed, and many judges do, you must spout the party line; it is this cancerous decease that is killing the idea of the “Land of the free and the home of the brave”. First it will be the Second Amendment and then they will be back for the First; in fact they have already started with the so-called hate crime laws to limit free expression, it will only be a matter of time until they start burning books, and authors.

The problem goes back to our founding as a nation when one half wanted to rule over the other half, in the name of wisdom. If you think that only your ideas are valid all you need to do is take over and impose your will. Ah, Lenin would be proud of all you totalitarians on the left and the right.

But I say buy this book, study it, it contains many interesting facts and will give you the ammunition you need to debate your foes.

Crazy Bob 2000 AD