Question: What "plain and precious" teachings does the Book of Mormon provide regarding the present day?

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Question: What "plain and precious" teachings does the Book of Mormon provide regarding the present day?

Book of Mormon doctrines relating to our day

• The answer to the age-old question 'How can God be a god of love, yet have commanded the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites?' (1 Nephi 17:32–45)
• When nations ripen in iniquity, the Lord destroys them. (1 Nephi 17:37-38, 2 Nephi 1:7, Alma 45:16, Ether 2:8-12)
  • Before destroying them, he sends prophets to warn them (2 Nephi 25:9)
  • People are ripe for destruction when they cast out the righteous from among them (Helaman 13:12-14) (see also Genesis 18:23-33)
• Priestcraft defined and condemned (2 Nephi 26:29-31)
• God is a God of miracles, the same yesterday, today, and forever, but works among the children of men according to their faith (2 Nephi 27:23, Ether 12:12 (7-22), Mormon 9:7-11,15-21, Moroni 7:27,37 (35-38) Moroni 10:7-19)
• "All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:44) (Note that none of the 300+ exoplanets discovered move in a regular form! see also Abraham 4:16-18)
• Two more proofs there is a God: (2 Nephi 2:13)
  • Our conscience (the light of Christ) witnesses to good and evil acts. Evolution didn't give us that!
  • We and all things exist- if there were no God, all things would vanish. (Note that this answers one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of physics - why was there one part in a billion more matter than antimatter created at the Big Bang (broken symmetry)- leaving us!)
• Under what circumstances we are justified in going to war (Alma 43:45-47, Alma 48:14-16,Alma 43:29-30)
• The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign that the Lord has commenced to gather Israsel and fulfill his covenants (3 Nephi 29:1-9)
• "Touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing" (Moroni 10:30)
• How we can become an instrument in the Lord's hand:
  • keep the commandments throughout our lives, and actively do good to bless those around us (2 Nephi 1:24)
  • do much good in word and deed (2 Nephi 3:24)
  • bring people to a knowledge of the truth, even though you may endure "much tribulation and trials" Mosiah 23:10)
  • Help people escape bondage (Alma 1:18)
  • "Be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples in me" (Alma 17:9-11)
  • see also Alma 26:3, Isaiah 54:16, and references to "servants" in Jacob 5.

Other plain and precious things in the Book of Mormon

• "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass, and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls" (Alma 37:6, 1 Nephi 16:9)
• The Lord will not give a commandment without preparing a way for us to obey it. (1 Nephi 3:7, 1 Nephi 17:3)
• The guilty take the truth to be hard (1 Nephi 16:2)
• Joseph of Egypt's vision of what would befall his posterity to the last days (2 Nephi 3:5–16)
• The best sermon on gratitude and humility ever given (Mosiah 2:19-25)

• The difference between physical death and spiritual death (Alma 12:16)
• How to teach with power and authority (Alma 17:1-3)
• The preaching of the word of God has a more powerful effect to lead people to do that which is just than anything else, even more powerful than the sword. (Alma 31:5)
• When we are slothful and forget to exercise faith and diligence, then the Lord's marvelous works cease in our life, and we do not progress in our journey (Alma 37:38-46)

• "Bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love" (Alma 38:12)
• The Spirit of Christ is given to every man to know good from evil (Moroni 7:16-17)
• Everything which invites men to do good, and to believe in Christ is sent from God. Everything which persuades men to do evil, believe not in Christ, and deny Christ is of the devil (Moroni 7:16-17)
• The role and ministry of angels (Moroni 7:25,29-32)
• By the power of the Holy Ghost, men may know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5)

Notes

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