Prayer: The Foundation of Spirituality©

PRAYER: THE FOUNDATION OF SPIRITUALITY©

REMARKS AT THE 2024 CRM REUNION

Danel W. Bachman

4 October 2024 

[Introduction: On 4 October 2024 the California Roseville Mission (2002-2005) held a reunion. The following is a copy of my remarks at that event. It is included here because I thought perhaps some would like to have a footnoted version for their files.  If you would like a PDF version of this talk, and an annotated list of about 150 talks and articles on prayer, send me an e-mail requesting it to: DanBachman@comcast.net]

***

We have been home from the CRM for nineteen years, and we are beginning to see some of your sons, and perhaps daughters serve missions.  That really makes us feel old! And as you can see we are getting old.  We are hobbled with mobility and stability issues. But we fight back trying to stay physically active. It is an honor to speak to you tonight.  I will be fairly brief.(1) I’ve picked just one thing to share, which I hope will be enlightening, edifying, and motivating to you. 

Some of you have heard me quote the great football coach, Vince Lombardi who said, “Excellence is achieved by the mastery of fundamentals.”(2) I would like to address a fundamental of our religion with you.  As I’ve reflected back on the things I’ve learned that I could have done better as a mission president,  one stands out from the perspective of nearly 20 years. I wish I would have taught you more about spirituality and it’s very foundation--prayer. It was a serious omission, and I’m in repentance mode. Tonight is my attempt at rectifying a bit of that omission. 

First, and this is no surprise to anyone, but prayer is a commandment. Our Heavenly Father not only invites us to “come to him” and to call upon him, he actually commands it and many scriptures attest to this.(3) Some of our leaders have called attention to the likelihood that the commandment to pray may be the most frequently repeated commandment found in the scripture.(4) I emphasize, however, He doesn’t just command us to pray. All that God does for us is because he loves us, especially his commandments.(5) Our Savior atoned for us because he loves us.(6) As mediator and advocate, out of love he authorizes us to use his name to call upon our Father, and out of love he teaches us how to do it. When we exercise our agency to keep this commandment, it gives him the opportunity to guide, protect, deliver, strengthen, comfort, help, build, and lift us back into God’s presence.

I emphasize this point in order to ask you a rhetorical question. But first, some background. Lots of anecdotal evidence suggest the Latter-day Saints, including leaders, could be more dedicated to communing with our Father in Heaven. President Spencer W. Kimball was particularly concerned with this. As an apostle he interviewed hosts of prospective missionaries (in my day they did that), and many leaders in stakes and wards. He was “shocked”(7) by what he found when he inquired into their prayer habits, personal and family.  So, here is my question: If President Kimball was your bishop or stake president interviewing you for a temple recommend and he asked you if you strived to keep the commandments, you as most of us usually do, would say “Yes, I strive to keep them.” But, what if he then said, “Lets talk about one of those commandments which is vital to your spirituality.  How well do you keep the commandment to pray?” Would your answer add to President Kimball’s  shock? Or, would it bring a smile to his face? I must stress, when you really think about it, what an amazing privilege it is to be invited–nay, commanded–to stay in regular communion with Almighty God– as our Father.(8)

Improving our communication with God is my theme and second principle. I know of two talks about prayer which have the word “improve” in their title--one from a prophet, the other from an apostle.(9)  Moreover, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, wrote: “Yet, given the times in which we live, improving our prayers should be one of our deepest desires if we are genuinely serious about growing spiritually.”(10) President Ezra Taft Benson pled, to “conscientiously strive to improve our communication with Him is my earnest plea....”(11)

In the spirit of improving my prayers as I prepare for my final exam, I have prepared this collection.  (Show the binder.) It contains many of the approximately 150 talks and articles about prayer I have tracked down in the last few years. It also contains some of my outlines, notes, and especially collections of quotations–for my frequent review to refresh my ever weakening memory.

Beloved missionaries and families, I cannot tell you how spending ½ an hour a day over an extended time in studying scriptures and these talks and articles, has taught me about prayer. It is becoming one of the great intellectual and spiritual odysseys of my life. As I have exercised my agency to daily ask the Lord to teach me how to pray,(12) to help me improve my prayers, to teach me how to pray in faith(13) how to pray mightily,(14) fervently and efficaciously,(15) with all the energy of my heart,(16) and to guide me to sources and resources so I can do my part to educate myself, I have learned something I want to share with you about improving your prayers. 

If you will be humble enough to hear it, I will be courageous and bold enough to say it. Unless you have undertaken such a study of prayer and engaged in a sustained effort to improve your prayers, there is very likely much more you do not know about prayer than what you do know.  I do not say this in the spirit of talking down to you. I do it with the desire to motivate and uplift, because this statement grew out of my own experience. I have learned much more about prayer since beginning this project than I knew about prayer before starting it. And the process continues almost on a daily basis.  

In early September I came across two interesting examples of improving prayer. Some of you may know that B. H. Roberts is one of my Mormon heroes, so I was excited to learn that he once said that he considered it was his highest achievement, after a lifelong period of association with the Lord, that he had learned how to pray.(17) The same day I found this statement in the April 1974 General Conference, by Apostle Marvin J. Ashton about President Spencer W. Kimball.  

“Those of us who have the great blessing of daily, intimate association with President Kimball have heard him observe in the very recent past that with each passing day, prayer in his life has a new dimension. ... [T]hough he, Spencer W. Kimball, is a prophet of God, yet learns he to pray by praying.”(18)

We must be patient and persistent in improving our prayers. I have also learned this divinely important principle. The Lord teaches us–he gives to us– as Isaiah, Nephi, and  Joseph Smith each taught, “line upon line, precept, upon precept, here a little, and there a little....”(19) I believe the things which God has to teach us about prayer are inexhaustible from a mortal perspective!  

I invite you to take more seriously and be more intentional in improving your prayers. I commend the idea of preparing your own binder on prayer to help you improve them. One of my prized files of quotations is about what to pray for. It is not surprising that the living prophets and apostles are constantly teaching and giving directions about how to pray and what to pray for. Many of those are about ongoing issues and needs. May I suggest in all seriousness, that it is almost mandatory that we keep such a collection of quotations in order to remember it all, and to keep abreast of the latest directions about what to pray for!

For example, out of a 57-page file of quotations on the topic, I share just a few interesting things our leaders have taught and invited us to pray for or about:  Joseph Smith:  “... brethren seek to know God in your closets....”(20)  Sister Michelle Craig: “Open my eyes to see things I might not normally see.”(21)  Elder Klebingat: “Pray that you will never experience indifference or resignation regarding personal doctrinal blind spots....”(22)  Pres. John Taylor:  “Pray for the revelations of God, ... that we may ... understand the laws of life....”(23)  Psalm 119:18 contains this wonderfully eloquent one-line prayer: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”  

Who among us knows and understands, or ever will know and understand, the atoning mission of the Savior so well that we could not use His help to gain a more “enlightened understanding”?(24)  

President Nelson promised: “As you ponder and pray about doctrinal principles... new insights will come and principles relevant to your situation will distill upon your heart.”(25)   Pres. Eyring: “Tell [God] how much you want what it is that he wants so much to give you.”(26) And Elder Bruce McConkie taught “...James urges us to ask for wisdom which in principle means we should seek all of the attributes of godliness.”(27) In that spirit, Elder Christofferson said, “...ask Him to bestow upon you the pure love of Christ.”(28) He was repeating Mormon’s instructions in Moroni 7:48. Incidentally, in Moroni 8:26 Mormon adds, “which love endureth by diligence unto prayer....”(29)

Thirdly, and very briefly, I encourage and invite you to systematically study what the scriptures have to teach you about prayer. Here are just two of the many examples of principles and doctrines I cherish from my study. They highlight the importance and significance of prayer.  D&C 101:7-8:  They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble. 8) In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.” The principle is: “If we go before the Lord in prayer on a consistent basis, He will be there when we urgently need Him.”(30)  

If you want to have your socks knocked of about casual, perfunctory, mind-wandering, sleepy, inattentive prayer, read Moroni 7:6-10, particularly verse 9. Moroni is quoting his father Mormon:  “And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.” The book of Ether uses the same word evil in speaking of the Brother of Jared after the Lord chastised him for three hours for “remembering not to call upon God.” (Ether 2:14) Ether 2:15 reads in part: “And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord....” If it is a commandment to pray, and we don’t do it, our disobedience is a sin of some level of rebellion, and is therefore evil in the eyes of God.

One final example. One of the easiest ways to get an answer to prayer is to ask for the fulfillment of one of God’s numerous promises to you.  Here is a precious  promise from God about prayer found in  D&C 19:38: “Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth ....” [Emphasis added.]

I leave with you my testimony, humbly and sincerely. Through this experience in the last six months and more, like Enos, I have spent the whole day in prayer.  In my case not all at one time, but  at ½ hour, 3/4 hour or an hour at a time, sometimes more–for days and days upon end-for many months. I have repeatedly invited him to teach me how to pray and he has been doing so line upon line, and precept upon precept. I thank God for my closet–to me it is the forest wilderness of Enos and the mountain top of Moses and Nephi.  I thank him for these exhilarating and peak spiritual experiences.  

I pray I have enlightened you, edified you, challenged you, and most of all motivated you regarding your own spiritual quest and prayers, in the name of Jesus Christ.  

Notes:

1.  Brevity: In most cases I make a point and/or state a principle without further elaboration, trusting a RM from CRM can follow through with your own further elaboration!

2.  Vince Lombardi, in, Glenn Van Ekeren, Speaker's Sourcebook II, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1994, 142.

3.  Here are a representative few: Moses 5:1, 4-8, the first commandment of God to Adam  and Eve outside the Garden was to worship and pray.  It is still in effect.  Lk. 18:1; 1 Thess. 5:17-18; 2 Ne. 32:9; Mos. 18:23; 3 Ne. 18:15, 18-21; D&C 19:28.

4.  See: Marion G. Romney, “Maintaining Spirituality,” Ensign (November 1979):16;  Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Improving Our Prayers,” in Brigham Young University 2002-2003 Speeches, Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, 2003, 159.

5.  The first overt statement about the command to pray to catch my attention comes from Sara Lee Gibb, “Prayer, the Divine Connection,” BYU-Idaho devotional, 1 November 2005, 5.

Available online at: 

https://video.byui.edu/media/Sara+Lee+Gibb+%22Prayer%2C+the+Divine+Connection%22/0_9h1l7mfw   Accessed 23 September 2024.

6.  D&C 34:3; 138:3-4; see also,  Rudger Clawson, Conference Report, October 1921, 36;  Hugh B. Brown, Conference Report, April 1962, 108, or “Are the Latter-day Saints Christian?” The Improvement Era (June 1962):409;  Ezra Taft Benson, Come Unto Christ, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983,76; Neal A. Maxwell, “‘O How Great the Plan of Our God!’ (2 Ne. 9:13),” address to CES Religious Educators, 3 February 1995; Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘Therefore, What?’” address to the CES New Testament conference at BYU, 8 August 2000, 9; Neal A. Maxwell, “Testifying of the Great and Glorious Atonement,” Ensign (October 2001):14, 15;  M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign (May 2004):84, 85; Merrill J. Bateman, “Lessons from the Atonement,” in Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson, eds., To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009, 5;  Jeffrey R. Holland,  “Leading as the Savior Would Lead,” interview as part of the Leadership Enrichment Series, conduced by the HR Department of the Church, Ralph Christensen interviewer, 9 November 2011, 10;  Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona (May 2012):33;  Quentin L. Cook, “The Lord Is My Light,” Ensign (May 2015):66; M. Russell Ballard, “The Greatest Generation of Young Adults,” Ensign (May 2015):70; Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace,” Ensign (May 2015):107; Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Behold the Man!” Ensign (May 2018):107-108;  Russell M. Nelson, “Jesus Christ is Your Savior,” For the Strength of Youth, (April 2022), internet edition, no pagination; Alan T. Phillips, “God Knows and Loves You,” Liahona (November 2023):50; Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Garment of the Holy Priesthood,” Liahona (September 2024):7.

7.  Spencer W. Kimball, “Prayer,” The New Era (March 1978):14-15.

8.  Several leaders have remarked about this in their talks, but I particularly recommend the comments of F. Enzio Busche, in his 2 June 1981, devotional at BYU entitled, “‘This is Life Eternal.”  This is a great talk for several other reasons, particularly his elaboration on the title which comes from John 17:3.

9.  Ezra T. Benson, “Improving Communication with Our Heavenly Father,” in Prayer, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1977, 110-15, and Joseph B.  Wirthlin, “Improving Our Prayers,” in Brigham Young University 2002-2003 Speeches, Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, 2003, 159-66. 

10.  Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1980, 91, emphasis added.

11.  Ezra T.  Benson, “Prayer,” Ensign (May 1977):34, emphasis added.

12.  Russell M. Nelson, “The Price of Priesthood Power,” Ensign (May 2016):68; Keith B. McMullin, “New Testament Words of Jesus: Prayer,” Ensign (January 2003):48.

13.  Jacob 3:1 as only one example.

14.  Enos 1:4, among others.

15.  James 5:16.

16.  Moroni 7:48.

17.  J. Richard Clarke, “The Gift that Matters Most,” in Brigham Young University 1981-82 Fireside and Devotional Speeches, Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, 1982, 59.

18.  Marvin J. Ashton, “A Time of Urgency,” Ensign (May 1974):36-37, emphasis added.

19.  See, Isaiah 28:10, 13; 2 Nephi 28: 30; and D&C 98:12.  This version is from D&C 128: 21.

20.  Joseph Smith, “The Holy Ghost,” editorial in Times and Seasons 3, no. 16 (15 June 1842):825; also in HC 5:30-31.

21.  Michelle D. Craig, “Eyes to See,” Ensign (November 2020):16.

22.  Jorg Klebingat, “Defending the Faith,” Ensign (September 2017):53.

23.  John Taylor, cited in Neal A. Maxwell, Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1977, 122-23.

24.  The phrase comes from, George W. Pace, “Roadblocks to Prayer, The Instructor (September 1968):361.

25.  Russell M. Nelson, “Living by Scriptural Guidance,” Ensign (November 2000):17-18.

26.  Henry B. Eyring, “The Family,” Brigham Young University 1995-96 Speeches, Provo: BYU Publications & Graphics, 1996, 65.

27.  Bruce R. McConkie, “Why the Lord Ordained Prayer,” Ensign (January 1976):7-12.  Also in, Prayer, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1978, 10. I believe this is a most profound statement--connecting the development of the attributes of Christ with wisdom and one worth our serious study and contemplation!

28.  D. Todd Christofferson, “When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign (May 2004):12.

29.   Emphasis added.  This suggests to me that the gift of charity is not necessarily permanent, or at least not always evident in our lives, but it "endures" or remains with us "by diligence unto prayer"--constantly asking to keep it active and alive is us.  To me this is a wonderful and profound insight which must be connected to the exhortation to seek the gift of charity found in Moroni 7:48.

30.  Cheryl C. Lant,  “Prayer,” in Brigham Young University Speeches 2007-2008, Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, 2008, 130-1.

Evidence Seventy-Six: The Book of Mormon and the Israelite Tradition of Blessing God After a Meal©

101 Reasons Why I Believe Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.

Evidence Seventy-Six:  

The Book of Mormon and the Israelite Tradition of Blessing God After a Meal© 

There is an interesting Israelite and Jewish tradition of blessing the Lord and others after eating a meal.  Deuteronomy 8:10 instructs the Children of Israel, “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shall bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.” The issue is the Lord does not want Israel to forget the source of their blessings as is stated in Deuteronomy 6:10-12. In verses 10 and 11 the Lord says he is going to give the Israelites a land full of good things which they did not produce and concludes with the injunction “when thou shalt have eaten and be full; then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee” from Egyptian bondage. A similar sentiment, phrased in the negative is found in Deuteronomy 31:20 where Israel is describe as having eaten, were filled, and “waxen fat,” but then “turn to other gods, and serve them.”  

David Bokovoy and John Tvedenes tell us that all of this later became a Jewish practice of reciting a series of blessings after a meal is known as the birkat ha-mazon, four blessings after eating bread or other blessings on other foods.(1)The same kind of observance is found in a poem in the Dead Sea Scroll collection of poems in a Qumran hymnal designated by Theodore Gaster as an “Invitation to Grace After Meals.”(2) It is also noted in several passages of the mystical tradition of the Zohar.(3)  Bokovoy and Tvedtness tell us all of this tradition of blessing after meals relates to the account in the Old Testament when Esau sells his birthright. Isaac prepares to bless Esau but it can only be offered after Esau fills Isaac’s request for him to prepare his favorite savory dish. “[M]ake me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.” (Gen. 27:4: compare the same sequence in Rebekah’s instructions to Esau in Gen. 27:7.) Jack Welch tells us even the early Christian document Didache, stipulated prayer “after being filled” during communion.(4)

So, it is extremely interesting against this Jewish/early Christian background, to learn that at least two passages in the Book of Mormon contain the same ancient idea! This Israelite tradition of offering a blessing or giving a blessing after meals is found in Alma 8:22, which reads:

And it came to pass that Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto God. (Emphasis mine.)

Tough it is not an exact match with the provision of Deuteronomy 8:10 to bless the Lord for the good of the land; as Bokovoy and Tvedtness note, “the context of Deuteronomy 8:10 is gratitude to God....”(5) I would add that it is an argument of silence to say Alma did not bless God for the good of the land. We do not know what he said in that prayer of thanks, but obviously Alma, in a spirit of gratitude, remembers the source of his blessings as he blesses Amulek and expresses “thanks unto God.” Subtle though this passage is, so subtle, in fact, it is easy to pass over the sequential implications of it, one must ask how Joseph Smith continues to come up with these “zingers” which reflect ancient customs, of which he was likely unaware, as often as he does?

Another account is as equally likely to be passed by without notice. 3 Nephi 18:8-18 recounts Jesus giving the sacrament of bread and wine to the Nephites “and they were filled” (3 Ne. 18:9.) In 3 Nephi 20:9 a similar thing happens again with a twist.  

Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.

It really wouldn’t be right, if Hugh Nibley didn’t weigh in on this subject. In an essay, “Christ Among the Ruins,” he shows parallels between the Coptic document the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles and the Book of Mormon. Parallel to 3 Nephi 20:9, he finds the following in the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles:

And straightway his word came to pass in exousia [authority, as requested].  His blessing fell upon [shope] the bread in the apostle’s hands.

And all the people ate and were filled.  They gave praise to God.(6)

It is important to note that the Deuteronomy provision in 8:10 is that the blessing follows having eaten and “art full” as in the Didache and Gospel of the Twelve Apostles. In each of the Book of Mormon cases, this same language attends the prayer. Alma ate bread and “was filled”; and when the Nephites first partook of the sacrament they “were filled,” and the second time “they were filled with the Spirit.” It seems more intentional than chance that this important phrase, stipulated in Deuteronomy, is explicitly mentioned in the relevant Book of Mormon passages.(7)

How did the New York farm boy do this?  Was he among the luckiest of farm hands when he decided to write a book to deceive the world, or is his statement that it was translated by the gift and power of God, the best explanation?

Thank God for Joseph Smith and the little “zingers” that fairly surfeit the Book of Mormon text as evidences that it came from God.

Lets think together again, soon.

Notes:

1.  David E. Bokovoy and John A. Tvedtnes, Testaments: Links between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible, Tooele UT: Heritage Distribution, 2003, 161.

2.  Theodore H. Gaster, The Dead Sea Scriptures, 3rd ed., Garden City N.Y.: Doubleday, 1976, 219-21, see especially stanzas 13-14, title emphasis mine.

3.  John W. Welch, “From Presence to Practice: Jesus, the Sacrament Prayers, the Priesthood, and Church Discipline in 3 Nephi 18 and Moroni 2-6,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5, n. 1 (1996):134.

4.  Harry Sperling, Maurice Simon, and Paul P. Levertoff, The Zohar, New York: Bennet, 1958, 2:364.

5.  Bokovy and Tvedtness, Testaments, 163.

6.  Hugh W. Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1989, 421, bold emphasis mine.  I believe this is Nibley's translation of the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles.

7.  As is so often the case, there was a rabbinical debate over what it took to “be filled.”  See Bokovoy and Tvedtness, Testaments, 162 and accompanying notes.

“Former President Turns Bible Huckster”©

This ought to actually turn your stomach–Donald Trump’s hypocritical and blasphemous peddling of $60.00 Bibles, in a last-minute before Easter attempt to grab some more cash from his cult followers!  In the marketing video Trump said “All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book!” If you believe the last statement, I have some land in Florida that is for sale to you cheap! But, if it is his “favorite book,” he shows absolutely no sign of having learned anything from it. (As an example, see the previous blog entry.)  His huckstering video comes in the same week the judge set a date for his trial to pay off a porn star with whom he had a sexual affair, to prevent her from revealing the details before the 2016 election. The irony is that the former President does not even recognize the irony of how phony this really is. The absolute and monumental hypocrisy could not be more apparent!  His cute little slogan, “Make America pray again” added insult to injury.  Would that DJT would pray for guidance as we know Washington and Lincoln did.  Despite his assertions otherwise, Trump cannot hold a matchstick to either of them. Yet a score or more millions of people want this man as a hero and exemplar for their children and grandchildren. Astonishing!  Coming out of the mouth of the most corrupt President in the history of the United States, this also amounts to blasphemy–huckstering in the name of God and his Holy Son!

Huckestering?  You bet.  Just this week the Washington Post called attention to the “fine print” attached to Trump’s recent fund raising pitches which indicate to the unsuspecting who don’t or can’t read the fine print, that a significant chunk of the proceeds goes first to an organization that is paying a significant part of his legal bills.  In this case, the Bible, the attentive viewer will note, is not being sold by Trump for Trump ostensibly, but his “name, likeness and image” are used under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC” which is the same group that is associated with his $400 dollar “Never Surrender” sneakers.(1)  You can be sure the man is not advertising this Bible for sale out of the goodness of his black heart. The only reason he is doing this is because there is money to be made for him.

Hypocrisy! Blasphemy! His recent campaigns are an ongoing downward spiral revealing ever more how low this man can and will go! I’ve always been a “Never Trumper” and in view of the ever-growing evidence of his absolute characterlessness, corruption, and ambition, I am proud to say that.  I encourage you to join me in not only not voting for him, but doing what you can, like this blog, to resist this wannabe dictator.

Let’s think together again, soon.

Notes:

1.  “CIC Ventures LLC — the limited liability company mentioned at the end of the answer — is listed in Trump's 2023 financial disclosures with him as its manager, president, secretary and treasurer, as The Washington Post reported. The same company is also listed at the bottom of the website for Trump's sneaker deal he announced in February 2024 and is associated with other products he previously endorsed, the Post also reported.”

Jordan Liles, “Fact Check: How Trump Is Profiting from Endorsement of Bibles Costing $59.99 Each, According to the God Bless the USA Bible Company,” Snopes Website, 28 March 2024, available online at:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/fact-check-how-trump-is-profiting-from-endorsement-of-bibles-costing-59-99-each-according-to-the-god-bless-the-usa-bible-company/ar-BB1kHSJR

See also:

Amy B. Wang and Marianne LeVine, “Trump has sold $59 Bibles, $399 sneakers and more since leaving office,” The Washington Post, 27 March 2024.

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/27/trump-selling-bibles-sneakers/

"ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast." YouTube, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_wDQiEluJ4.

Bump, Philip. "Analysis | An All-American Bible — with a Cut of the Sales Going to Trump." Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024, 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/26/trump-bible-sales-money/.

Colvin, Jill. "Trump Is Selling 'God Bless the USA' Bibles for $59.99 as He Faces Mounting Legal Bills." The Associated Press, 26 Mar. 2024, 

https://apnews.com/article/trump-god-bless-usa-bible-greenwood-2713fda3efdfa297d0f024efb1ca3003.

An Unintended but “Spot On” Commentary on Donald Trump’s Propensity of Name Calling and Labeling by an Important Religious Leader

[DWB Introduction: The following comments by Russell M. Nelson were made long before Donald Trump appeared on the political scene, so, of course, they were not directed to him.  Nevertheless, the timeless truths of the Gospel apply to all people at all times.]

"Unfortunately, our modern society is caught up in divisive disputation. Often unkind nicknames are added to—or even substituted for—given names. Labels are invented to foster feelings of segregation and competition. For example, athletic teams acquire names to intimidate others, such as “Giants,” “Tigers,” “Warriors,” and so on. Harmless you say? Well, perhaps not overly important. But that is only the beginning. More serious separation results when offensive labels are utilized with the intent to demean.

Even worse, such terms camouflage our true identity as sons and daughters of God. The desire of my heart is that we might rise above such worldly trends. God wants us to ascend to the highest level of our potential. He employs names that unify and sanctify. He gave a new name to Abraham’s grandson Jacob, saying, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men.” In Hebrew, the term Yisra’el means “God prevails.” Jacob was given a name to match his divine destiny.

When we embrace the gospel and are baptized, we are born again. We take upon ourselves the sacred name of Jesus Christ. We become as his sons and daughters and are known as brothers and sisters. We become members of his family; he is the Father of our new life.

...

When we know who we are and what God expects of us, we are filled with hope and made aware of our significant role in his great plan of happiness.

... Our faithful Latter-day Saints are filled with hope and motivated by love of the Lord Jesus Christ. With that hope, we assiduously avoid labels that could be interpreted as derogatory. When the Nephites were truly righteous, their previous patterns of polarization vanished. “There was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. …

“There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

“And how blessed were they!”

Unfortunately, the sequel to that story is not a happy one. This pleasant circumstance persisted until “a small part of the people … had revolted … and taken upon them the name of Lamanites,” reviving old prejudices and teaching their children again to hate, “even as the Lamanites were taught to hate the children of Nephi from the beginning.” And so the polarizing process began all over again.

I hope that we may learn this important lesson and delete segregating names from our personal vocabularies. The Apostle Paul taught that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Our Savior invites us “to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God.”(1)

Let’s think together again, soon.

Notes:

1.  Russell M. Nelson, “‘A More Excellent Hope,’” Ensign (February 1997):62-3, emphasis by DWB. 

Evidence Seventy-Five: Twenty-Three Prophecies about Joseph Smith in 2 Nephi 3©

101 Reasons Why I Believe Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.

Evidence Seventy-Five:

Twenty-Three Prophecies about Joseph Smith in 2 Nephi 3©

Introduction: I was privileged to teach The Book of Mormon for many years as an Institute instructor.  One of my favorite chapters in a book with many, many favorite chapters, is 2 Nephi 3. Many readers will know the background story. An elderly father Lehi, anticipating his demise, gathers his family and bestows upon them blessings. Chapter 3 is the account of his blessing upon his youngest son Joseph who was born during the wilderness wanderings as the family/colony traveled south along the western Arabian coast. In the course of the blessing, Lehi tells Joseph he and Lehi are descendants of the ancient Biblical Joseph who was sold into Egyptian bondage by his jealous and ambitious ten older brothers.  Lehi told Joseph that the Lord made “great” covenants with Joseph in Egypt. He was also a “seer” and “saw our day,” meaning the days of Lehi. One of the promises he received was that from among his descendants God would raise up a righteous branch “unto” the House of Israel. The branch was to be “broken off,” yet “remembered in the covenants of the Lord” who would be important in the latter days when they would be brought out of “hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.”  (2 Ne. 3:4-6.) The branch broken off was Lehi’s colony who settled in the New World, “this precious land of promise.” (2 Ne. 1:10)

Then, Lehi tells his son Joseph, that Joseph in Egypt spoke of a future individual who would come from his posterity “who shall be a choice seer,”(1) and he repeated the phrase in the next verse. (2 Nephi 3:6-7.) This is the first of almost two dozen prophecies about Joseph Smith which are found in vss. 6-20.  Later in the account Nephi writes that Joseph in Egypt “prophesied concerning all his seed. And the prophecies he wrote, there are not many greater.”(2 Ne. 4:2) It is this author’s contention that the twenty-three prophecies concerning Joseph Smith by Joseph in Egypt are among those which there are not many greater. Consider a close scrutiny of the following list:

1. He will be a “choice seer” to be raised up unto the posterity of Joseph in Egypt.

a. 2 Ne. 3:6  For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. `

2. He shall be raised up out of the posterity of Joseph in Egypt.  

a. 2 Nephi 3:7    Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins....

3. He shall be esteemed highly among the posterity of Joseph in Egypt.

a. 2 Nephi 3:7 “ ... and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. ...”

4. He will be commanded to do a work for the posterity of Joseph in Egypt which will be of great  worth unto them.

a. 2 Nephi 3:7   “...And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them...”

5. The great work he will do for the posterity of Joseph in Egypt will bring them to a knowledge of the covenants which the Lord made with the fathers of Joseph–i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

a. 2 Nephi 3:7   “... even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.”

6. He shall be commanded to do no other work besides that which God commands him.

a. 2 Nephi 3:8 “And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him.”

7. God will make him great in the eyes of God, for he will do the work of God.

a. 2 Nephi 3:8   “And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.”

8. He will be great like Moses.

a. 2 Nephi 3:9   “And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.”

9. He is a seer raised up from the posterity of Joseph in Egypt to whom God will give power to bring forth his word to the posterity of Joseph in Egypt.

a. 2 Nephi 3:11   “But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins....”

10. He will be given power to convince the posterity of Joseph in Egypt of his word which has already gone forth among them (the Bible).

a. 2 Nephi 3:11   “...and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.”

11. His writings and the Bible will “grow together.”

a. 2 Nephi 3:12   “Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together,...”

[12-16].  The uniting of Joseph Smith’s writings with the Bible will produce five important effects to: 

12.    Confound false doctrine.

13.    Lay down contention.

14.    Establish peace among the posterity of Joseph in Egypt

15.    Bring the posterity of Joseph in Egypt to a knowledge of their fathers in the latter days.

16.    Bring the posterity of Joseph in Egypt to a knowledge of the covenants of the Lord.

g. 2 Nephi 3:12   “...unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.”

17. Out of weakness he shall be made strong in the day when the Lord’s works to restore his people, the House of Israel.

a. 2 Nephi 3:13   “And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.”

18. He will be blessed so that those who seek to destroy him will be confounded and the fulfilling of this promise is sure.

a. 2 Nephi 3:14     “... that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;”

19. His name shall be called after Joseph in Egypt, the same name as his father.

a. 2 Nephi 3:15   “...his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father.”

20. He shall be like unto Joseph in Egypt and the Lord will bring forth by his hand the salvation of the Lord’s people.

a. 2 Nephi 3:15   “And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.

21. God will make for Joseph Smith a spokesman like he will do for Moses.  (See vs. 17.)

a. 2 Nephi 3:18   “...I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman...”

22. He will write the writing of the posterity of Joseph of Egypt; the spokesman will “declare it.”

a. 2 Nephi 3:18   “...I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.”

23. His writings will be those things which are expedient in the eyes of the Lord, and it will be as if the posterity of Joseph of Egypt were crying from the dust.  It will be the cry of repentance in simple words.

a. 2 Nephi 3:19-20   19)  And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith. 20) And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words.

Much could be said about this list.  Indeed, for most of my career I intended to write a book about the prophecies of Joseph in Egypt about the Prophet Joseph Smith and include a chapter on each of the prophecies. Alas...good intentions. Some of these prophecies have captured the attention of some authors more than others. Among them #s 1, 5, 8, 11, 17, 19, and 20. Nineteen is perhaps the best known because it identifies the subject of these prophecies by name–Joseph, named after Joseph in Egypt and his own father–Joseph Smith, Sr. This list also includes the promises that Joseph Smith will be like Moses (#8), and like Joseph in Egypt himself, (#20).  

One of the most astounding of all these prophecies is little noticed and almost never commented upon.  It is #7. There God said, “I will make him [Joseph Smith] great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work”!!  The questions immediately arise: “What does one have to do to be considered great in the eyes of God?” and “Has this ever been said of anyone else in scripture?” I will answer them in reverse order.  Indeed, only one other person has had this said of him.  Luke 1:15 says of John the Baptist: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord....” Matthew 11:11 may give some insight into this when it says, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist....”  Joseph Smith said this was true because John the Baptist was given two important missions no other prophet had–1), he was entrusted to prepare the way “before the face of the Lord,” and 2), he  was entrusted to baptize the Savior.(2) Joseph of Egypt’s statement was that Joseph Smith would be great and do the work of the Lord. Most LDS know that is an allusion to Moses 1:39, “this is my work and my glory–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” John Taylor wrote a brief account of the martyrdom which was later canonized as D&C 135. Therein he testified that Joseph Smith “lived great, and died great in the eyes of God, and his people.” (D&C 135:3) In the same section he rendered one of the most eloquent, memorable, and oft quoted passages about the Prophet’s saving work: “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.” (D&C 135:3, emphasis added.)  Verse 24 of 2 Nephi 3 speaks of a future “mighty” one who will “do that which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel....”(3) Joseph Smith, of course, as the head of this final dispensation, laid the foundation of the Restoration.

I will reserve comment on some of the other prophecies in this amazing collection perhaps for other blogs, but I would like to conclude this one with some observations I think carry a lot of weight as evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. All of the above prophecies have or are in the process of being fulfilled. How astounding is that? Who among us under age twenty-five would be willing to write twenty-three prophecies about ourselves and our spiritual work in life for the world to see and evaluate? And then for them to be fulfilled, several in notably miraculous ways over which Joseph Smith had no control. Who can gainsay that he was God’s prophet when evaluated on the basis of these twenty-three statements and their fulfillment?  

But there is more. As far as I know, and I’ve spent most of my life studying Joseph’s life and teachings–as far as I know he never breathed one word or alluded in any way to any of these prophecies!(4) He appears to have dictated them to Oliver Cowdery and then let them stand on their own without further comment or discussion. To me this is remarkable for at least two reasons. The first is what it suggests about his humility and confidence in the word of the Lord. It was both an act of humility and supreme faith to include twenty-three prophecies, many of them far reaching in their scope and others with detail that can be verified, and simply let them stand for others to evaluate and comment upon. Magnificent, Joseph!

Second, Joseph’s silence on this matter is a strong argument against his authorship of the book.  How so? Precisely because he never sought to capitalize on these statements.  No, he never used them to increase his influence over his followers. He did not try, using this material, to elevate his status among them either. If he were a self-seeking, money-grubbing, high-handed, power-hungry con man, then here is his golden opportunity is it not? If he is a genius-charlatan pawning himself off as a prophet why leave this set of gems untouched, unmined, unexploited?(5) It doesn't speak well of his skill as a fraud to leave a treasure as valuable as this is not cashed in!

Thank God for Joseph Smith!

Let's think together again, soon.

Notes:

1.  Unless otherwise noted, all emphasis is mine.

2.   Joseph Fielding Smith, comp., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1967, 275.

3.  Most commentators on verse 24 assume this is a summary statement about Joseph Smith.  However in 1947, Elder Spencer W. Kimball spoke of this as a future Lamanite leader.  See Conference Report, October 1947, 22.  More recently, Monte Nyman, retired BYU professor of religion, published a multi-volume commentary on the Book of Mormon in which he cites this reference by Elder Kimball, adds another, less clear, reference by Joseph Fielding Smith, then adds his own analysis favoring Elder Kimball’s interpretation.  See, Monte S. Nyman, I, Nephi, Wrote this Record: A Teaching Commentary on The First Book of Nephi and The Second Book of Nephi, Volume 1, Orem, UT: Granite Publishing and Distribution, 2003,  427-28.

4.  I do not mean this to sound boastful.  If there is something out there where the Prophet commented on or alluded to the prophecies about him in 2 Nephi 3, it is neither obvious or well known, and I know of no commentator on 2 Nephi 3 who calls attention to any such statement.

5.  I’m grateful to Dan Peterson for this perspective and argument, which an anonymous family member of his applied to other aspects of the Book of Mormon.  See, Daniel C. Peterson, “‘All Can Partake, Freely,’” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 42 (2021): xiii. 

 

I Agree with Bob Costas's Assessment of Donald Trump

 I AGREE WITH BOB COSTA’S ASSESSMENT OF DONALD TRUMP

Today [Saturday 24 February 2024] legendary sports caster Bob Costas was interviewed on CNN and ask about his opinion of Donald Trump.  

Costas said... 

“He is by far the most disgraceful figure in modern presidential history. He's only become more disgraceful since 2016 and since 2020. He is a bubbling cauldron of loathsome traits....

You have to be in the throes of some sort of toxic delusion and in a toxic cult to believe that Donald Trump has ever been, in any sense, emotionally, psychologically, intellectually, ethically, fit to be President of the United States.”

I could not agree more!

Let’s think together again, soon.

Source:

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bob-costas-donald-trump-is-most-disgraceful-figure-in-modern-presidential-history/ar-BB1iPvqa?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=557e533ec2824f1498fb70131aaee9e5&ei=19

I listened to the excerpt and added the word “ethically” to the second paragraph, which the report missed.

Donald Trump the Epitome of “Projection”©

 Donald Trump the Epitome of “Projection”© 

At a political rally on 5 August 2023, presidential candidate Donald Trump lashed out at Special Counsel Jack Smith who is prosecuting cases against him. He used what has now become common language–Smith was “deranged,” “sick,” “maniac.”(1)  I noticed long ago that one of Trump’s habits, probably calculated, is to accuse his opponents of the same things of which he is guilty. In recent weeks, commentators, pundits, and now some of the press are calling attention to this phenomenon as “projection.” Projection in this context is a psychological term. On the Psychology Today website, projection is explained as:

...the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection—attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another. For example, if someone continuously bullies and ridicules a peer about his insecurities, the bully might be projecting his own struggle with self-esteem onto the other person.

The concept emerged from Sigmund Freud’s work on defense mechanisms and was further refined by his daughter, Anna Freud, and other prominent figures in psychology.(2)

It is interesting that “projection” is often a defensive mechanism growing out of insecurities and fears. Given Trump’s constant projection on to others his own egregious thinking and behavior, this may tell us even more about Trump than the projection itself. It suggests insecurities and fears may drive this behavior at the deepest levels of his infantile-juvenile mind.  

But, I think there is more to it because projection is one of the favorite techniques of autocrats, demagogues, tyrants, and dictators. Just this week Trump accused Joe Biden of trying to destroy American democracy.  We have been warned for years, and in recent years and months, a plethora of books mostly from Republicans, many former members of the Trump administration, are being published to “warn” America of Donald Trump’s intent to cast aside the Constitution and destroy American democracy. Liz Cheney’s book which came out today, Oath and Honor: A Memoir and Warning, is the most recent example. Equally interesting is this month’s The Atlantic magazine is given over entirely to two dozen essays about “If Trump Wins.”

Jack Smith may be one of the least “deranged” attorneys Donald Trump has ever encountered, especially when compared to Rudi Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and John Eastman. And if you hear those around Smith in the legal profession, he also may be one of the most dedicated, thoughtful, clear eyed, and under control prosecutors Mr. Trump has had to deal with. Smith is anything but “sick” physically or emotionally. He is not obsessed, but he is tenacious, dedicated, and thorough, which may well spark DT’s fears and insecurities.  As for “maniac,” which Webster’s online dictionary defines as “someone who is or acts mentally unsound, especially: a person who behaves in a wildly foolish, reckless, or dangerous manner,” well, none of these things fit Jack Smith, but each one is a bull’s-eye accurate description of the former President himself!

Pay close attention to Mr. Trump’s words and how often he “projects” his own thinking, desires, wishes, and actions on to his opponents and enemies. It is quite uncanny. But, please believe him when he says the Constitution should be terminated, and when, though he believes without any evidence but his own fears and insecurities, that Biden has weaponized the DOJ against him, therefore he will do the same if he becomes President again. I agree with Liz Cheney and many others who warn that he is the greatest threat to our democracy since World War II, and he will make every effort to set himself up as our dictator. I’ve believed this about him from the time he entered the political arena, and everything I have seen from him since confirms that original impression. I’m glad that so many of his former associates and others, are raising the warning trumpet. Though the MAGA base may be hardening against all of this, I believe they must also be shrinking in size, because it is so obvious that he is the one obsessed, sick, and maniacal–in his quest for power.

Let’s think together again, soon.

Notes:  

1.  David McAfee, “‘This guy is a maniac’: Donald Trump lashes out at Jack Smith at event,” Raw World Daily, available online at: https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-jack-smith-2662816861/?utm_source=msn

2.  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/projection