Tag Archives: Mormon

Book of Mormon Socialism: The Marxist Gadianton Robbers

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[Cross Posted from Sixteen Small Stones]

Some LDS proponents of Socialism like to compare capitalism to the infamous Gadianton Robbers in the Book of Mormon. It seems a simple line to draw between the “Profit Motive” of Capitalism and the secret combination of the Gadiantons to “get gain.” Too simple in fact. A more careful reading shows that in some ways the Gadianton Robbers seem to be more like Marxist Revolutionaries.

Chapter 3 of the book of 3rd Nephi in the Book of Mormon is interesting in that it is one of the few sections of the text which purports to give us a glimpse of how the Gadianton Robbers viewed themselves, rather than how they were viewed by Mormon and his Nephite protagonists. Verses 2 through 10 are the record of an epistle written to the governor of the Nephites, Lachoneus, from the leader of the Gadianton Robbers, Giddianhi:

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Guest Post: Becoming New Creatures

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Christ continually invites us to abandon old habits, attitudes, and thoughts and replaces them with newer and better ones.

The following guest post from Jeffery Thane is cross-posted at LDSPhilosopher.com.

As repeated in the Book of Mormon countless times, prophets have long prophesied that Christ would come to earth to redeem His people. Abinadi taught that “God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth … that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead … and redeem his people.” Abinadi was murdered for preaching this, but Alma, Abinadi’s sole convert, continued to teach others about “the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ.”

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Guest Post: The Eye of Faith

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If faith is like an eye (Alma 32:40), then it’s a way of seeing, not a way of getting by without seeing at all.

By Jeffrey Thayne

We often talk about faith as the absence of sight. For example, we are taught that “if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen,” and “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.” We often visualize faith as taking a step into the unknown, or trusting that which we cannot see. This conception of faith is partly true. However, for a moment, I would like to explore faith as a way of seeing, not just the absence of sight. It is sight enlivened by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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A chaplain for all

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The following guest post comes from retired United States Army Colonel John F. Rudman. Millennialstar.org is hopeful that you and others from your battalion will be able to re-connect with Captain Davis. Thank you for your service!

In 1990, I was fortunate enough to take command of 5th battalion, 3rd Field Artillery in Germany. This period in history was rather volatile for the US Army as we had just ended the Cold War and orders went out to downsize the Army, as happens after each major threat is defeated. Shortly thereafter, in August 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, but the Army continued to de-activate units. While it built up forces to counter the invasion: not an easy thing to do or even contemplate. My unit found itself in the middle of a squabble that was unparalleled as we went from de-activation, to deployment, to de-activation, to weapon change to no weapon change, and on and on and on. Concurrently, 112 soldiers were stripped out to fill other units. The battalion received eleven different missions over a period of just under six months. In the end, we re-deployed as a unit to the United States, and then re-armed from an 8” battalion to a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Battalion at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

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Guest Post: Resolutions? How About 52?

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The following guest post comes from Skip Hellewell, founder of Word of Wisdom Living, a blog about the Word of Wisdom.

Skip Hellewell is an engineer who spent his career in the medical field before taking up writing.  Though he has the greatest respect for the medical profession, he also recognizes the limits of medicine, as practiced today.  This understanding led to his focus on prevention as a health and longevity strategy.   Skip is the father of six children, grandfather of fifteen, and the husband of Clare.  He is a fifth-generation Mormon and a student of the Word of Wisdom, the Mormon code of health.  Skip and Clare divide their time between Laguna Beach, California, and the small town of Midway, in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.

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