Money’s a bit tight lately, so I’d thought I’d just let it go.

Then I checked the stats. It still gets about 35 hits/day, and if you google “lds temple preparation,” it’s #2, only behind lds.org Given that ranking and the amount of misinformation out there, I’m probably going to spend the money to renew, and let those stats remotivate me to finish some things here.

Any thoughts or encouragement for me, readers? Convince me it’s worth saving

Lots of people are confused. So, I will clarify.

Local congregations or “wards” (you can find out about what meetings are like and locate the nearest ward to you here) of the LDS Church meet weekly in churches, often referred to as “the church,” like ” Hey, I’ll see you at the church for the meeting.” Anyone can attend, visit, walk in, etc. Smaller units are called “branches” but still meet in a church, if they have one. Otherwise, they may meet in someone’s house or a rented building.

A collection of wards branches is known as a Stake (drawn from Isaiah and the book of Doctrine and Covenants). One of the church buildings in the geographical stake is designed to accommodate larger meetings of multiple wards and branches at the same time, at a twice-yearly meeting called Stake Conference. This larger building (which most often resembles a normal church except in size) is known as a Stake Center. There are church buildings and stake centers throughout the world.

Tabernacles are rare, and haven’t been built for a long time. In the Bible, the tabernacle was the temporary and portable temple, but also the “tent of meeting” for the Israelites. Tabernacles in early LDS history served the same purposes as Stake Centers today, in allowing larger numbers of LDS to congregate together. The Salt Lake Tabernacle used to be where the world-wide twice-yearly General Conference was held and broadcast from, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang. (A new building has recently replaced the Tabernacle to accommodate larger numbers of people, the Conference Center.) Tabernacles are open to anyone.

Temples, by contrast, are not used for regular weekly meetings, but are reserved for special ordinances for active LDS who meet certain standards of belief, practice, and ethics. Prior to the dedication of a temple, anyone can tour it, but after the dedication of the Temple, it is reserved for those who meet the standards we believe God has established. Pictures of some interiors have been published. (See here for pictures of the Salt Lake Temple interior, for example.)

So, to sum up- Churches and tabernacles are open to anyone, and there are far more of the former than the latter. Temples are open to anyone prior to being dedicated, but are afterwards limited to LDS who live the standards we believe God sets in order to enter his house.

However, there are some positive developments. FARMS, BYU Studies, and some others have made many of their materials more freely available than before, so I’ll be going through and adding or correcting all my links.

I have some other essays to be added, such as what the creation account is doing in the temple, what its purpose is there.

Finally, I’m proud to report that MormonMonastery ranks very highly for certain searches about LDS TEmples and ordinances. Often, it is the only positive or pro-Mormon link on the first page of searches, the rest being anti-cultist or exMormon pages. Some of them still outrank the Monastery, but that can be helped by other bloggers or site creators linking to the Monastery. This is good work, and it’s helping people. If you have a page or blog, consider linking here, so that those searching for good information find it.

1. Frederick Axelgard. “1 and 2 Nephi: An Inspiring Whole.” BYUS 26:4 ():53-66.
2. Noel Reynolds. “Nephi’s Outline.” BOMA, 53-73. Also in BYUS 20:2 ():131-150.
3. Rulon D. Eames. “First Book of Nephi.” EM, ??.

1 Nephi 1-7 Daniel Peterson. “1 Nephi 1-7.” FARMS Transcript.1 Nephi 1:1

1. Nephi’s name.
   • John Gee “A Note on the Name Nephi.” JBMS 1:1, 1991.
   • Paul Hoskisson. “What’s in a Name? Nephi.” JBMS 9:2. p. 64-65. Missing from FARMS’ site.
   • Matthew Brown. “Internal Textual Evidence for the Egyptian Origin of Nephi’s Name.” Insights 22:11.
   • Cf. “Four Suggestions on the Origin of the Name Nephi.” in Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon, ed. John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1999), 1-5.
2. Nephi’s goodly parents.
   • Nephi’s “goodly parents” – Probably doesn’t mean ” good” but ” well-off.” From Marc Schindler’s site.
   • Also, see my brief defense of this idea under Comment #1 here.
3. Syntax and long “broken” sentences.
   • Brian Stubbs. “A Lengthier Treatment of Length.” JBMS 5:2 (1996):82-97. “Book of Mormon language frequently contains lengthy structures of rather awkward English. Some may consider these to be instances of poor grammar, weakness in writing (Ether 12:23-26), or the literary ineptness of a fraudulent author; however, I see them as potentially significant support for a translation from a Near Eastern language in an ancient American setting. Many of these lengths of awkward English parallel Semitic (and Egyptian) patterns, particularly the circumstantial or hal-clause. In response to critics of my previous proposal to that effect, this article is a lengthier treatment of these lengthy structures found in the Book of Mormon.”
   • Brian Stubbs. “A Short Addition to Length: Some Relative Frequencies of Circumstantial Structures.” JBMS 6:1 (1997):39-46. Follow-up article.
   • Cf. Larry G. Childs. “Present Participle Adjuncts in the Book of Mormon.” JBMS 6:1 (1997): 24-38.
4. “The Learning of My Father.” TLBMM, 25-29.

1 Nephi 1:2-“language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the Language of the Egyptians”

1. Ricks, Tvedtnes, others say Hebrew. “Since the Book of Mormon is largely the record of a Hebrew people, is the writing characteristic of the Hebrew language?” Ensign, Oct. 1986, 64.
2. John A. Tvedtnes, “Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon: A Preliminary Survey.” BYUS 11:1 ():50-60.
3. Hugh Nibley. Lehi in the Desert, p 12. Argues for Egyptian, not Hebrew.
4. “Book of Mormon- Language” EM, 179-181 for a summary.
5. Ben McGuire. ” Did Lehi Use Egyptian?” FAIR paper. A minor criticism of the Book of Mormon is that no believing Jew, circa 600 B.C., would have used Egyptian to write anything–let alone a spiritual record! This FAIR Paper presents the facts–biblical and secular– concerning Egyptian use in the seventh century B.C.
6. Cf. John S. Thompson, “Lehi and Egypt” GLJ, 259-276 and  Aaron Schade “The Kingdom of Judah: Politics, Prophets, and Scribes in the Late Pre-exilic Period.” GLJ, 299-336. Background on Israelite and Egyptian culture and why Lehi would have known it.
7. Cf. Mormon 9:32

1 Nephi 1:4

1. Background.
   • John W. Welch. “They Came from Jerusalem: Some Old World Perspectives on the Book of Mormon.” Ensign, Sept. 1976, 27-31.
   • Keith Meservy. “Jerusalem at the Time of Lehi and Jeremiah.” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 23-25.
   • For a longer treatment, see Jerusalem, the Eternal City, “Events leading to the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.” p. 94-111.
   • Robert F. Smith’s “Book of Mormon Event Structure: The Ancient Near East.” JBMS 5:2 (Fall 1996), ?? is a technical bibliographical article with many references that sets the Book of Mormon into its Near Eastern timeframe..pdf format here.
   • John W. Welch and Robert D. Hunt. “Culturegram: Jerusalem 600 B.C.” GLJ, 1-40.
   • David Rolph Seely and Robert D. Hunt. “Dramatis Personae: The World of Lehi (ca. 700-562 B.C.)” GLJ, 41-64.
   • Cf. 1 Nephi 7:14
2. Lehi and Sariah
• S. Kent Brown and Terrence Szink. “Lehi.” EM, ??.
• ” The Names Lehi and Sariah- Language and Meaning.” (pdf) JBMS 9:1 (2000):??.
• Paul Hoskisson. ” The Names Lehi and Sariah—Language and Meaning.” JBMS 9:1 (2000):??. (pdf)
• Response to Paul Hoskisson’s ” Lehi and Sariah” (pdf) JBMS 9:1
• Lehi & Sariah Comments (pdf) JBMS 9:1
• Response to the Comments (pdf) JBMS 9:1
• Endnotes (pdf) JBMS 9:1
• Cf. Sariah under 1 Nephi 2:5.
3. “…there came many prophets”
• “Mediators and Messengers: The Role of a Prophet” TLBMM, 30-35.
• Prophets contemporary with Lehi include Jeremiah, Uriah (Jer. 26:20-24), Ezekiel apparently begins his ministry after being hauled to Babylon.

1 Nephi 1:6

1. Donald W. Parry “Why is the phrase ‘and it came to pass’ so prevalent in the Book of Mormon?” Ensign, Dec. 1992, 29.
2. Cf. 1 Nephi 1:2

1 Nephi 1:7

1. Lehi’s calling as a prophet.
   • John W. Welch. ” The Calling of a Prophet.” FNDF, 35-54. This is superseded by his  recent “The Calling of Lehi as a Prophet in the World of Jerusalem.” GLJ, 421-448.
   • Blake Ostler. “The Throne Theophany and Prophetic Commission in 1 Nephi: A Form Critical Analysis.” BYUS 26:4 (): 67-95. There’s more on this somewhere…
   • John W. Welch.” Lehi’s Council Vision and the Mysteries of God.” FARMS transcript. Doesn’t load correctly.
   • Cf. 2 Nephi 16
2. Lehi’s house
   • Jeffrey R. Chadwick. “Lehi’s House at Jerusalem and the  Land of his Inheritance.” GLJ, 81-130.

1 Nephi 1:16-17 S. Kent Brown. “Recovering the Missing Record of Lehi.” FJTZ, 28-54.

1 Nephi 2:4 Jeffrey R. Chadwick. “Lehi’s House at Jerusalem and the  Land of his Inheritance.” GLJ, 81-130.

1 Nephi 2:5

1. Jeffrey Chadwick. “Sariah in the Elephantine Papyri.” JBMS 2:2, Fall 1993.
2. Camille Williams. ” Women in the Book of Mormon.” JBMS 11:1, ??.
3. Camille Fronk. ” Desert Epiphany: Sariah & the Women in 1 Nephi.” JBMS 9:2, ??.
4. Ken Haubrock. “Sam: A Just and Holy Man.” JBMS 5:2, Fall 1996.
5. John A. Tvedtnes et. al. “Book of Mormon Names Attested in Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions.” JBMS 9:1 p 42-51. The Hebrew is only available in the.pdf version. This article was criticized by Thomas Finley, an Evangelical Old Testament scholar. Tvedtnes et. al responded in FRB 15:1, ??.
6. Alan K. Parrish. ” Laman.” EM, ??.

1 Nephi 2:6-7 Sacrifice, authority and priesthood.

1. Anon. “Authority to Sacrifice among the Nephites” JBMS 8:1, 1999. p. 71.
2. Paul Hoskisson. “By what authority did Lehi, a non-Levite priest, offer sacrifices?” Ensign, March 1994, p.54.
3. David R. Seely. “Lehi’s Altar and Sacrifice in the Wilderness.” JBMS 10:1, 2001.
4. Cf. Mosiah 2:3 and 1 Nephi 5:9.

1 Nephi 2:9-10.

1. George D. Potter “A New Candidate in Arabia for the Valley of Lemuel.” JBMS 8:1, 1999. p 54-63.
2. A river emptying into a fountain- Paul Hoskisson. “Textual evidence of the Book of Mormon.” FNDF p (around footnotes 29-33)

1 Nephi 2:11

1. John A. Tvedtnes. ” A Visionary Man.” JBMS 6:2, ??.
2. “A Visionary Man.” TLBMM, 36-38.

1 Nephi 2:13- Fred Woods. “Why didn’t Jews in Old Testament times believe Jerusalem could be destroyed?” Ensign, Dec. 1995, p. 52-53. Cf. Jeremiah 7 for his temple sermon in which he argues that the Jerusalemites can’t rely on the temple to save them from destruction.

1 Nephi 3:3

1. Hugh Nibley. An Approach to the Book of Mormon, p 120-126
2. John L. Sorenson ” The ” Brass Plates’ and Biblical Scholarship.” Dialogue 10 (Autumn 1977): 31-39. Available without footnotes. Reprinted in NCAS, 25-39.
3. IBOM, 430-31
4. Kevin Christensen stuff.
5. Sidney B. Sperry. ” Some problems of Interest Relating to the Brass Plates.” - JBMS 4:1, ??.

1 Nephi 3:27 LaMar C. Berrett ” The So-called Lehi Cave” JBMS 8:1, ??.1 Nephi 3:29 “Rod as a Symbol of Power.” TLBMM, 43-44.

1 Nephi 4:2 “Let Us be Strong.” TLBMM, 39-42.

1 Nephi 4:6 See Acts 20:22, and Hebrews 11:8.

1 Nephi 4:9

1. Brett Holbrook. “The Sword of Laban as a Symbol of Divine Authority and Kingship.” JBMS 2:1, 1993, p. 39-72.
2. Daniel Rolph. “Prophets, Kings, and Swords: The Sword of Laban and Its Possible Pre-Laban Origin.” JBMS 2:1. p. 73-79.
3. Hugh Nibley. LDWJTJ, p. 107.
4. William J. Hamblin and Brent Merril. “Swords in the Book of Mormon.” WBM, p.329-352.
5. John A. Tvedtnes. ” The Workmanship Thereof was Exceedingly Fine.” JBMS 6:1, ??.
6. William Hamblin. “Steel in the Book of Mormon.” Meridian Magazine.
7. See Enos 1:20 for other weaponry.

1 Nephi 4:10

1. John W. Welch. “Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban.” JBMS 1:1, Fall 1992.
2. Alternately, Paul Hoskisson has suggested that Nephi was justified under the Israelite law of False Witness. According to Deuteronomy 19:16-19, if a witness accused someone of a crime, and the accusation was shown to be false and malicious, the punishment due the accused would be done to the accuser. In Nephi’s case, Laban accused him of being a “robber” and was going to kill him (1 Nephi 3:13), the punishment for being a robber (Cf. Welch, “Thieves and Robbers” REBOM p. 248)
3. Hugh Nibley makes several interesting points regarding differences between Western and Eastern cultural standards in LDWJTJ, p. 87. Cf. The introduction to An Approach to the Book of Mormon, p. xii. Some Arabic students in his BOM class were shocked that Nephi waited so long to kill Laban. See also An Approach to the BOM, 112- 115 for Nibley’s ancient parallels that show that the slaying of Laban is completely at home in the ancient world.
4. For a very simple approach (essentially “because God said so”), see Rodney Turner. “Why did the Lord command Nephi to slay Laban when to do so was contrary to the commandment ‘thou shalt not kill’?” Ensign, Feb. 1996, p. 62.

1 Nephi 4:13

1. John Welch. “Better that one man should perish.” Insights, June 1998. Requires some scrolling down.
2. Cf. John W. Welch. “Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban.” JBMS 1:1, Fall 1992.( or.pdf)
3. CBOM, 115.
4. John A. Tvedtnes. “A note on slaying of Laban.” SHIELDS.

1 Nephi 4:19

1. William J. Hamblin. “Armor in the Book of Mormon.” WBM, 400-425.
2. AASBM p. 262.
3. Cf. Enos 1:20 for other weaponry.

1 Nephi 4:23. Anon. “‘Let Us Be Strong’: Nephi’s Courage in the Context of Ancient Near Eastern Military Exhortations.” Insights 22:9.
1 Nephi 5:9

1. S. Kent Brown. ” What were those sacrifices offered by Lehi?” FJTZ, p. 1– 8. Shorter version in Insights 21:9.
2. Cf. 1 Nephi 2:6-7 and Mosiah 2:3.

1 Nephi 5:10 – Noel B. Reynolds “The Brass Plates Version of Genesis.” BSABF II, p. 135-174.1 Nephi 5:13 David Rolph Seely and JoAnn H. Seely “Lehi and Jeremiah: Prophets, Priests and Patriarchs.” JBMS 8:2. 1999. p. 24-35 .

1 Nephi 7:2

1. Sidney B. Sperry. “Did Father Lehi Have Daughters Who Married the Sons of Ishmael?” JBMS 4:1, p.235-239.
2. See 1 Nephi 7:6

1 Nephi 7:6

1. John L. Sorenson “The Composition of Lehi’s Family.” BSABF II, p. 174- 193. Reprinted with postscript in NCAS, 1-24.
2. “Lehi’s Family Tree.” The New Era. A very brief article that includes discussion of Nephi’s sisters.

1 Nephi 7:14

1. S. Kent Brown and David Rolph Seely. “Jeremiah’s Imprisonment and the Date of Lehi’s Departure.” RE, 2:1, 2001. p.15-32.
2. Cf. 1 Nephi 10:4 for articles on Book of Mormon chronology and dating.

1 Nephi 8:2 Corbin T. Volluz. ” Lehi’s Dream of the Tree of Life: Springboard to Prophecy.” JBMS 2:2, ??.
1 Nephi 8:19 John A. Tvedtnes. ” Rod and Sword as the Word of God.” JBMS 5:2, ??.

1 Nephi 8:20

1. Noel B. Reynolds. “Was the Path Nephi Saw ‘Strait and Narrow’ or ‘Straight and Narrow.’” JBMS 10:2:??.
2. Paul Hoskisson, “Straightening Things Out: The Use of Strait and Straight in the Book of Mormon” JBMS 12:2 (2003) or.pdf format.

1 Nephi 8:26, 33. “The Queen of Sheba, Skyscraper Architecture and Lehi’s Dream.” JBMS 11:1, 102-103. Based on Brown’s article in his New Book. Add reference.

1 Nephi 8:27 “Merismus.” TLBMM, 45-48.

1 Nephi 10:4

1. AASBM, 270-76.
2. John L. Sorenson. “Comments on Nephite Chronology” JBMS 2:2.
3. Randall Spackman. “Introduction to Book of Mormon Chronology: The Principal Prophecies, Calendars, and Dates.” FARMS.
4. “The Jewish/Nephite Calendar.” JBMS 7:1, 48-59.
5. Jay Huber. “Lehi’s 600 Year Prophecy and the Birth of Christ.” FARMS.
6. John P. Pratt. ” Book of Mormon Chronology.” EM, vol. 1, pp. 169-171.
7. Cf. 1 Nephi 7:14.

1 Nephi 10:14

1. Noel Reynolds. “The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets” BYUS 31:3 (1991): 31-50. Shorter version found in REBOM 257-9.
2. Cf. Jacob 7:6.

1 Nephi 10:18. John Tvedtnes. “From the foundation of the world.” Insights 21:3.

1 Nephi 11

1. Daniel C. Peterson. “Nephi and His Asherah: A Note on 1 Nephi 11:8-23.” in JBMS 9:2. Longer version in MSAW p.191-244.
2. Allen J. Christensen. “The Sacred Tree of the Ancient Maya.” JBMS 6:1.
3. Wilfred Griggs. “The Book of Mormon as an ancient Book.” BYUS 22:3 ():259-279.

For lengthy discussions of Izapa Stele 5, see

1. Stewart Brewer. “The History of an Idea: The Scene on Stele 5 from Izapa Mexico as a Representation of Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life.” JBMS 8:1, p.12-21.
2. John Clark. “A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stele 5: A Step towards Interpretation” JBMS 8:1, p. 22-33.
3. V. Garth Norman. “What is the current status of research concerning the ‘Tree of Life’ carving from Chiapas, Mexico?, ” Ensign, June 1985, 54.

1 Nephi 11-14 Andrew C. Skinner “The Foundational Doctrines of 1 Nephi 11-14.” RE 2:2, p. 139-155.1 Nephi 13-14

1. Stephen Robinson, “Nephi’s ‘Great and Abominable Church’” JBMS 7:1, 1998. p.34-39. Longer version available as “Early Christianity and 1 Nephi 13-14″ FNDF, 177-192.
2. Mike Ash, “Mormon Myths: The Great and Abominable Church.” From his website,  Mormon Fortress. Traces a traditional (but false, as shown by Robinson above) interpretation of the great and abominable church as the Roman Catholic church.

1 Nephi 13:12

1. Arnold K. Garr. Christopher Columbus: A Latter-day Saint Perspective (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992) Few will have this book, so I recommend the review.
2. Mark L. Grover, review of Arnold K. Garr, “Christopher Columbus: A Latter-day Saint Perspective” BYUS 32:4 (1992):206-??.
3. Jensen, De Lamar review of Oliver Dunn and James E. Kelley, Jr., trans., “The Diario of Christopher Columbus’s First Voyage to America, 1492-1493; and Delno C. West and August Kling, trans., The Libro de las Profecias of Christopher Columbus” BYUS 32:4 (1992):196-??.
4. Contrast with AASBM 85. When  Lehi arrived, 7. Check these two.

1 Nephi 13:26 “The Plain and Precious Parts.” REBOM 37-40.

1 Nephi 14:27 Dean L. Marriott, “I Have a Question: Is the book of Revelation the remainder of the vision Nephi recorded in 1 Nephi?” Ensign, June 1987, 25-26.

1 Nephi 15.

1. S. Kent Brown, “New Light from Arabia on Lehi’s Trail.” EAEBM, 55-126.
2. Eugene England. “Through the Arabian Desert to a Bountiful Land: Could Joseph Smith Have Known the Way?” BOMA, p. 144-154.
3. Noel Reynolds. “Lehi’s Arabian Journey Updated.” BOMAR p.379-390.
4. Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton. “In Search of Lehi’s Trail, Part 1.” Ensign, September 1976 and ” In Search of Lehi’s Trail, Part 2.” Ensign, October 1976. An investigation of the location of the trail Lehi’s company used to travel across Arabia. While this research has been superceded by that of the Astons (below), it is still good reading.
5. Warren P. Aston & Michaela Knoth Aston. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LEHI: New Evidence for Lehi’s Journey across Arabia to Bountiful (SLC: Deseret Book, 1994). Reviewed here.
6. George Potter and Richard Wellington. Lehi in the Wilderness: 81 New Documented Evidences that the Book of Mormon is a True History. (Springville UT: Cedar Fort, 2003). Though its authors tend to be dogmatic, this is nevertheless a good treatment with some good insights and lots of color pictures. Reviewed here.
7. Cf. 1 Nephi 17:4

1 Nephi 15:20

1. John A. Tvedtnes ” Isaiah Variants in the Book of Mormon.” In Isaiah and the Prophets, ed. Monte Nyman. (Provo, Utah: 1984), 165-77. FARMS reprint.
2. Kevin Barney, “Isaiah Interwoven” FRB 15:1 (2003):353-402.

1 Nephi 16:10 Robert L. Bunker “The Design of the Liahona and the Purpose of the Second Spindle.” JBMS 3:2.1 Nephi 16:23

1. William J. Hamblin “The Bow and Arrow in the Book of Mormon.” WBM. p. 365-391.
2. Appendix, “Why did Nephi make a New Arrow?” WBM 391-393.
3. “Nephi’s Bow and Arrows.” REBOM 41-43.

1 Nephi 16:34

1. S. Kent Brown. “ ‘The Place that was Called Nahom’ : New Light from Ancient Yemen.” JBMS 8:1. p. 66-68.
2. Alan Goff. “Mourning, Consolation, and Repentance at Nahom.” RDBOM, 92-100.
3. Anon. ” Nahom and the ‘Eastward’ Turn ” JBMS 12:1, ??.
4. Warren Aston. ” Newly Found Altars from Nahom.” JBMS 10:2, ?? (.pdf only).
5. Cf. 1 Nephi 15

1 Nephi 17-18.

1. John L. Sorenson. “Transoceanic Crossings.” FNDF, 251-270. Reprinted with postscript in NCAS, 41-63.
2. Stephen C. Jett. “Before Columbus: The Question of Early Transoceanic Interinfluences.” BYUS 33:2 (1993):245-272.

1 Nephi 17:4

1. S. Kent Brown. “A Case for Lehi’s Bondage in Arabia” JBMS 6:2, 205- 217.
2. S. Kent Brown. “Sojourn, Dwell and Stay: Terms of Servitude” FJTZ, 55-59.

1 Nephi 17:5

1. Warren Aston. “The Arabian Bountiful Discovered? Evidence for Nephi’s Bountiful.” JBMS 7:1. p. 4-11.
2. Paul Hoskisson with Brian Hauglid and John Gee. “What’s in a Name? Irreantum.” JBMS 11:1, 90-93. Available here in.pdf format.

1 Nephi 17:41

1. Wallace Hunt. “Moses’ Brazen Serpent as It Relates to Serpent Worship in Mesoamerica.” JBMS 2:2, ??. Also contains discussion of “fiery flying serpents.” Cf. Life in Biblical Israel p. 84
2. Diane Wirth. “Quetzalcoatl, the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ.” JBMS 11:1, 4-15.
3. Brant Gardner’s Quetzalcoatl papers.
4. Andrew C. Skinner. “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon.” JBMS 10:2, ??..pdf only.

1 Nephi 18

1. David L. Clark “Lehi and El Nino: A Method of Migration” BYUS 30:3 p.57-65.
2. Add AASBM, Thor Heyerdahl.

1 Nephi 18:2 “A New Beginning” TLBMM, 49-52.

1 Nephi 18:23

1. John L. Sorenson. “When Lehi’s Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?” JBMS 1:1, 1992. Reprinted in NCAS, 65-104. Cf. 1 Nephi 20-21.
2. Gardner, Brant. “The Other Stuff: Reading the Book of Mormon for Cultural Information.” Review of Nephite Culture and Society: Selected Papers by John L. Sorenson. FRB 13:2 (2001): 21-52.
3. Matthew Roper. “Nephi’s Neighbors: Book of Mormon Peoples and Pre-Columbian Populations.” FRB 15:2 (2003) :91-128 .pdf format only. Requires current subscription.
4. Brant Gardner. ” A Social History of the Early Nephites.” FAIR paper.
5. “Did Lehi land in Chile?” REBOM, 57-61.
6. Cf. William J. Hamblin. “Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archeology of the Book of Mormon.” JBMS 2:1, p. 193-95.

1 Nephi 19:3 David E. Sloan. ” Nephi’s Convincing of Christ through Chiasmus: Plain and Precious Persuading from a Prophet of God.” JBMS 6:2, ??.1 Nephi 19:10 Three days of darkness. See 3 Nephi 8:23.

1 Nephi 20-21

1. S. Kent Brown. “What Is Isaiah Doing in First Nephi? Or, How did Lehi’s Family Fare so Far from Home?” FJTZ, 9-27.
2. John Gee and Matthew Roper. “‘I Did Liken All Scriptures Unto Us’ -Early Nephite Understandings of Isaiah, and the Implications for ‘Others’ in the Land.” In The Fulness of the Gospel- Foundational Teachings from the Book of Mormon- The 32nd Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003):51-65. On “others,” see 1 Nephi 18:23

1 Nephi 19-22 Andrew Skinner. “Nephi’s Lessons to his People: The Messiah, the Land, and Isaiah 48-49.” IBOM, 95-122.

• Summary.
• A copy may be downloaded from BYU Studies for 2.00 from that page.
• Prior to 1877, few ordinances for the dead were performed, due to the prevailing conceptions of family and sealing at the time (ie. “adoption.” For more on that topic, seeJames B. Allen, “Line upon Line,” Ensign, July 1979 and Gordon Irving, “The Law of Adoption: One Phase of the Development of the Mormon Concept of Salvation, 1830-1900,”  BYU Studies 14:3 )

• Examines the history and symbolism of the SLC Temple- moonstones, starstones, sunstones, jupiter stones, etc. , as well as elevator shafts and other myths about the interior.
• Summary.
• Free download from BYU Studies.

• Details Hugh Nibley’s involvement with the Apostles and First Presidency on the “history and significance” of the Endowment at a time when changes were being considered. First page of chapter in .pdf format. ISBN 1-58958-020-6

Instead we talked about… nothing. Fluff. One of the comments after reading the two verses was to point out the JST in Amos 3:6- “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done known it?” Because, you know, God doesn’t commit evil. At least, in English.

The JST here seems to negate the idea that God commits evil. Let’s look at the broader context, before and after, as well as other relevant passages.

Amos 3:1-7 contains a series of rhetorical questions of cause-and-effect in a context of judgment and covenantal curses.

Israel is God’s chosen people. He redeemed them from Egypt and gave them his Torah. They are therefore held to a higher standard, and are therefore punished.

v. 2- “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

Then our cause-and-effect questions.

3 Can two walk together (effect), unless they [first] meet (cause)? No.
4 Will a lion roar in the forest (effect), when he hath no prey(cause) ? will a young lion cry out of his den (effect), if he have taken nothing (cause)? No.

5 Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth (effect), when there is no trap for it (cause)? Does a snare spring up from the ground (effect), if it has taken nothing (cause)? No.
This brings us to v. 6, which has some reversals.

6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city (cause), and the people not be afraid (effect)? shall there be ra’ah in a city (effect), and the LORD hath not done it?

Trumpets were roughly the equivalent of emergency sirens, and generally indicate bad things happening.

7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared (cause); who will not fear (effect)? The Lord GOD has spoken(cause); who can but prophesy? (effect)

Cause and effect have brought the prophets down to prophesy against them. The cause is their wickedness. The effects are, first, prophetic declarations that they need to repent. Second, if they do not, the Lord will do “evil” or ra’ah in their city.

What is ra’ah? It can be moral evil, yes, and God doesn’t do that. But God clearly commits the other kind of ra’ah, “disaster, calamity, difficulty” and this happens to be the promised curse of the Mosaic covenant for breaking faith with God.

As the Word Biblical Commentary points out, “People who hoped that Yahweh would bring only help and never harm were forgetting that his covenant provided for curses as well as blessings. In effect Amos’ seventh question could be paraphrased: “Do you really think that Yahweh would never punish you even if you deserve it?” Or, “When I prophesy disaster from Yahweh, am I not doing exactly what I ought?””

At least two other passages teach that God does commit this kind of ra’ah in response to unrepentant transgression of covenant.
Lamentations 3:37-42 Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities (KJV “evil,” Heb. ra’ah) and good things come? 39 Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: 42 “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.

Jeremiah 18:8 if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil (ra’ah), I will change my mind about the disaster (ra’ah) that I intended to bring on it.
Joseph Smith modified this passage in the JST (not included in the quad) to read, “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of withhold the evil that I thought to do unto them.” Though he modified the verb (Heb. nicham means “to change one’s mind” or “to feel bad,” routinely translated as “repent” in the KJV), Joseph left the phrase that God was going to bring evil upon that nation if they did not repent.

Does God commit moral evil? No. But he does bring a kind of evil -disaster, calamity, and difficulty – on nations that transgress their covenant, as promised in the Mosiac covenant at Sinai (as in Deu. 28, which spells out the promised blessings and cursings) and as demonstrated in various scriptures and the disasters of 3 Nephi. This is just the kind of “evil” Amos is leading up to in chapter 3.

A church email to me said that this wouldn’t happen until sometime early next year. This early release is very good news, as it was one of the last remaining stumbling blocks in translating these pages into Spanish. That and I still need a translator. (No one responded to my email about it.)

The first is Ed Kimball’s “History of LDS Temple Admission Standards” in The Journal of Mormon History, Spring (1998): 135-175. It has recently been made available both on the JMH DVD as well as on-line, from the University of Utah library, where you read it one page at a time from the menu on the left.

Kimball traces the requirements to enter the temple from Brigham Young’s day through today,the history of the Temple Recommend, and Temple Recommend interview questions.

In 1856, the Temple Recommend interview and questions had not yet been standardized to the semi-formal procedure it is today. The First Presidency sent a letter stating that those recommended by local leaders should

be those who pray, who pay their tithing from year to year; who live the lives of saints from day to day; setting good examples before their neighbors. Men and women, boys and girls over 16 years of age who are living the lives of saints, believer in the plurality [plural marriage], and do not speak evil of the authorities of the Church, and possess true integrity towards their friends.

Though the Word of Wisdom would not become a formal requirement to enter the Temple until the late 1920′s, in 1886 the First Presidency instructed, among other things, that it is”inconsistent to carry the smell of whiskey and tobacco into the sacred precincts of the Lord’s House.”

As the church grew, the interviews and requirements were standardized and refined, eventually giving us what we have today. While the specifics have varied, the primary requirements have changed little.

A fascinating and useful article for understanding the history behind Temple recommend interviews, listed in several places on the pages here at the Monastery. 4 thumbs up.

Greg Kearney, “The Message and the Messenger: Latter-day Saints and Freemasonry” 2005 FAIR Conference Presentation  

But there is a need.

As you may notice, I have above thist post an non-linked icon for the Spanish translation of the Temple Preparation FAQ. And now I have lost my translator. The poor guy got called as Bishop. Between that, his PhD program, and two small children, he doesn’t have a lot of time.

And so, I am taking informal applications to replace him. I can’t offer you anything but the satisfaction of helping prepare people for the Temple who otherwise have little in the way of preparatory resources.
Now, ideally, your Spanish skills would be close to those of my last translator. He was a native English speaker, but spent ten years of his youth in Mexico city. He served a Spanish speaking mission, received a MA in Spanish, and is working on a PhD in both Computational and Spanish linguistics.

Who’s first?

Same comments apply here as to his Mormon Stories podcast above.

• Reproduced here.
• Gospelink (subscription required)

• Similar caveats as above. Available in .PDF format. (If that link doesn’t work, go here and hunt for it by title or author.)

• Older and very outdated source, previous to any of the scholarship listed on this page, in .PDF format. (If that doesn’t work, go here.)