The Book of Mormon Project

I just realize that I should have done an Easter posting last Sunday. I have to work on Sunday nights and I have been too caught up in another matter I won’t talk about. My wife and I don’t have kids so the holiday is not as fun as it would be if we did. We did have a Sunday dinner before I went to work, which was nice. She spoils me too much. Easter is one of my favorite holidays of the year. It marks when spring is finally here or will be if the weather makes up it’s mind on whether to be winter or summer. When I was growing up, the only times my family went to Church was on Christmas and Easter and maybe a couple of times in between. My family was more of a traditional one when it came to the holidays. We would have ham dinner, read about Christ’s story in the Bible, and watch the epic religious movie on the tv that was showing that night. My favorite was The Greatest Story Ever Told from 1965. This was aired almost every year at Easter. Very well done and detailed. Of course, you can argue over the historical details but over-all it was a great film. Another favorite that was shown when I was growing up was The Bible: In the Beginning from 1966. It was from watching these movies and reading the Bible on my own is what shaped how I believe in God. Of course Easter is more that eating dinner and watching movies. It is to celebrate the greatest sacrifice anyone could make for another. Easter is celebrated differently by all Christian faiths but the message is the same. The Son of God died to save us from our sins and was resurrected on the third day after He was crucified. This represented a new beginning. To shed our old lives and habits and to start fresh. Jesus Christ being the Son of God had the power to take Himself off the cross and prevent this from happening. Instead He chose to follow the commandment of His Father and to finish His mission on earth. This is the greatest example of following the commandments of God without question and was the most unselfish thing a man could do. He committed the ultimate sacrifice so that we may all return to Heaven to be with our Father and Creator. He also showed that He was human as well and asked His Father “why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This showed that He had human weaknesses as well, the same as all of us do in moments of terrible trials and struggles.

I want to thank my God and Father in Heaven for sending His Son to earth to show us how to be like Him and how to have better relationships with our fellow men and women.

Happy Easter!!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for visiting this site and making this site a success. I wasn’t sure at first if anyone would be interested in downloading Books of Mormon for their computer or how well this site will be received.  Again, thank you for visiting.

I have been reading some discussions on what a true Christian is and I thought I would share what I believe. A while back, while Mitt Romney was running for a nomination for presidency, there was a lot of discussions on whether LDS members are true Christians or not. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and have the right to believe what they want. But no one has the right to condemn another for what they believe in, no matter what faith you belong to. What does it mean to be a Christian? A basic definition is one who follows a Christ-like life. Christ has taught to love one another as I have loved you. This is the most difficult commandant man can follow. We are prone to being selfish, bitter, have angry thoughts, fighting, and all the other human weaknesses we have. Christ has provided a way to overcome these weakness. Jesus Christ has taught us how to forgive one another and how to be charitable in our lives. The more we serve each other righteously the more Christ-like we become. Jesus Christ never taught us to sit in judgement of another’s faith or way of life but to accept everyone as their own brother or sister. So, if you are earnestly striving to live the laws of God righteously irregardless of your faith you are living a Christ-like life. There are also many people who live Christ-like lives who do not belong to any faith. They are the ones who help the stranger whose is stranded on the side of the road because the car died. They are the ones who visit a sick friend or stranger or donate their time in natural disasters in whatever way they can.  Whenever you are in service  to another person you are being a Christian. This is taught in all the scriptures of all the faiths in the world. To be righteously serving one another and to live the laws of God, Krishna, Buddha, etc. depending on what you name God. God or whatever you call Him in your faith will judge you on your faith, your service to your fellow man and how well you live your lives.  This is an universal concept taught by Christ and the reason why we are called Christians to those that have accepted Christ as part of their beliefs.

I was baptized and christened a Catholic when I was baby then later I became a born-again Christian when I was ten then later on I joined the LDS Church in my late twenties.   So, I am familiar with the ways of Christians. In my twenties, I was trying to figure out what was all the common elements found in every faith and I wanted to join a Church that Christ established on earth and taught all the common elements that I found in all the faiths of the world. The common elements that I found are faith in a supreme God and creator, love and charity for all mankind, commandments on how to righteously conduct our lives based on the ten commandments and a Saviour of all mankind from our sins. The Church I was looking for as described in the Bible has prophets, revelators, teachers, elders, deacons and a well organized system. I believe that God needs and wants a well organized Church to fulfill His purposes. He is perfect so He needs a perfect system. What I have learned before I joined this Church I learned on my own and most what I have learned was confirmed after I joined this Church. I also learned a little bit of ancient history and archaeology and had my own theories as well. I never read the Book of Mormon before I joined so my theory that Phoenicians possibly came over and settled here was confirmed when I saw a video of Lehi’s family arriving in the New World. I investigated very heavily the claims of the Church and everything I learned I had no reason not to believe in. What is wrong with believing in the Word of Wisdom? It is a standard of a healthy living. What can’t God have a body like we do? It says in the Bible we are created in His image. An image is a copy or a similitude of an object or person. He is our Father in Heaven. Why wouldn’t He give us the same opportunities to be like Him in Heaven? All good fathers want their children to be like him. I saw no reason not to believe that He would re-establish His Church on the earth in the early 1800’s knowing what I know about New England history and people’s attitudes towards new ideas and  faiths. People still had a Puritan way of thinking at that time. Their way was the only way to live a Christ-like life. So, I saw no reason why all  this and more can’t be true. I have had many experiences before and after I joined that proves to me that He is with me always and has given me plenty of opportunities for growth. But unfortunately, like a spoiled child, I very often take Him for granted and my life will start sliding down hill and then I will wake up and start doing that I should be doing to stay close to God. I don’t understand everything God teaches in the scriptures or why He allows certain things to happen but I still strive to live a Christ-like life and to work on following His commandments.  If I decide to leave the LDS Church at some point in the future it will be based on my own decision and not because someone told me it is false.

I hope you can now understand where I stand in the debate over whether LDS members are Christian or not. I have a strong belief in Christ and in God and strive to live the commandments. I believe that God is real and continues to give revelations through His prophets. I see no reason why He can’t or won’t restore His Church  on this earth. No matter what faith you belong to He is still God and He is our Father in Heaven. He has the right to do what He wants with His people on this earth to fulfill His purposes.  I believe that the Book of Mormon is a true record of an ancient record of the people of the New World and it contains the Gospel of Christ and important lessons we need to learn in our lives. I believe we have and need a prophet of God to teach us the things that God wants us to learn. This is what I chose to believe in and no amount of scriptures or discussions will change this. The Holy Spirit will guide me and direct me to know what I should learn and accept what is right or wrong in my life. I mean no offense to anyone who reads this post and if I do please forgive me. I am merely expressing my testimony and thoughts on what it means to be a Christian.

I found this site on New York Mormon’s website. It is a Russian LDS resource site. If you know of anyone that has a Russian Book of Mormon available either online or to download please let me know. Thanks.

I just added the Doctrine and Covenants to the site. There are 8 international versions plus an English version. Please visit the International page or the English Downloads page for your version.

I found this site while surfing the Internet tonight. The owner has been translating the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. I cannot guarantee its accuracy and his site says he needs help proofreading the translation. His site contains many resources on Judaism and Mormonism.

Update: This is Tom Irvine’s ongoing effort to translate the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. This is only a partial translation of the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. This is NOT endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor is it the official translation of the Church. If you would like to proofread or help in the translation please contact him. For more information please visit his site.