Let’s talk about ships. That is right ships. Nephi’s ship to be exact. There is not much on it in 1 Nephi 18: 2 he says “Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.” He then goes on a little to talk about how he prayed often to be inspired to know how to build the ship. The next few verses mention how even Laman and Lamuel thought that when it was finished it looked good. That is about all we get about the ship.
Yah want to know what intrigues me the most is how much an educated scholar can get out of just those few lines of the scriptures. I am not even going to try and impose by saying I am that scholar. The information that I am going to relay to you is mostly me mimicking the scholars from the movie in my Book of Mormon class. They noted that in Nephi’s’ time ships were built with the timbers laying parallel, and it was not until Columbus’s time that the ships started to be built looking like a ribcage. It was this difference in construction that made it possible for New World exploration because the ships could cross wider stretches of ocean. There was an in-depth analysis in the movie about the subject, and I watched in aw. What is that… one, two, three lines from The Book of Mormon and hours of research latter we have a better understanding of Nephi and the will of God.
It was undeniable that the facts of the ship were interesting to listen to, but more importantly it made me realize almost every line of The Book of Mormon has that potential. Because I understood what the ship was like I knew that Nephi was obedient. Nephi would have had to know a little bit about ship building in order to understand that God did not want him to build a normal ship. Imagine if God told you that you had to go and build an airplane… don’t worry I don’t know were to start either. Nephi did know were to start though, and God used his previous knowledge to progresses the eternal plan of salvation.
My professor wanted me to talk about how I felt about the movie. Specifically the aspects that “prove” The Book of Mormon historically. It led back to the idea that a boy with a minimal education logistically had no clue that in Nephi’s time the modern ships could not cross the Pacific ocean. I am eighteen and currently receiving one of the best secondary educations in the world, and I just found out that 600 BC ships were built differently than Columbus’s ships. The Professor wanted me to answer if information like this built my testimony? I say yes.
For all we know God taught Nephi how to build a flying saucer that looked enough like a ship that to Nephi it was the only proper word to describe “God‘s ship.” The important aspect that I took away though was that I should study the scriptures; a single line could hold a key building principle to my testimony. All knowledge is truth and applying secular knowledge to the scriptures is not like pouring oil into water. It is more like adding light on light, because they are both truth. The point that the scholars were trying to make was not to shove The Book of Mormon in someone’s face and scream “eat it.” No I think that they were really trying to understand the verses better. That is what I should do more in my personal scripture study, research.
Facts like how Nephi built his ship can not be the core center of a strong testimony. A testimony is going to have to with stand the temptations of the Devil, and he can knock something as weak as that over really quickly. I am merely saying that it adds to a testimony. We pray for truth. We fast for truth. We ponder truth. We listen to Book of Mormon videos in Seminary for truth. We ponder it out in our own minds so we can have a better understanding of truth. The base is the same we are seeking truth. All of the facts the graphs, the charts they had in the movie pointed to one idea for me-- seeking truth, and that is what builds my testimony.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thank you John Adams
In my mind the Founding Fathers all were a laminating wall painted one shade, with the same texture, and even strokes. They were the blob in history that helped to start our country, and even though I recognized that they were different people I did not bother to establish those differences. This week as we studied John Adams in American Heritage I realized that if all of the Founding Fathers were one mold the Declaration of Independence would never have been completed, and the “what ifs” would resolve in an endless argument altering the course of our history as we know it.
When Professor H put in a movie during class I sat in the dark wondering if I was really in collage or not. Most movies I have watched in class depict raspy voiced old men wearing white wigs centered on top of their powdered faces, and some mellow dramatic voice in the background narrating the obvious events on the screen. None of them have impacted me as much as the movie John Adams that we watched last week. Suddenly the Founding Fathers became plural.
John Adams particularly stood out. It was strange to see him working as a farmer in the opening scene, and I tried to imagine senators today turning manure over with their bare hands. I had a hard time imagining myself turning manure over bare handed. There is more to it than just saying that John Adams was working with what he had. Modern equipment makes it so that farmers can bail hay, feed, milk, and scrap corals for daily thousands of animals. It is difficult for me to comprehend doing everything by had, but John Adams owned and managed a respected farm. Obviously John Adams knew how to work, but it is important to note that he worked well. He also expanded his education, and was involved in politics. From the life that he lived I have a feeling he worked just as hard in these studies as he did in his milk barn.
Abigail Adams was probably my favorite character in the movie, and it was all the more reason to respect John Adams. It seemed that the majority of the information I read about John Adams came from letters that he had written to his wife. History recognizes their relationships as an example of a healthy husband and wife relationship. John Adams and Abigail Adams were able to discuss family, politics, and social issues in their letters. In the movie when Abigail asks Washington to deliver her letters to her husband he comments on how not only would John Adams benefit from her advise, but the rest of them would also. John Adams must have talked about his wife enough for Washington to recognize that her opinion was valuable to her husband. To me this portrayed that not only her Husband respected her, but other established members of society did also. When learning about historical figures I like to learn about their wives, because I find it revealing. John Adams established remarkable things in public, but what makes me really awed is that he was able to establish a relationship with his wife.
When John Adams went to congress in 1775 after the Lexington and Concord shootings he wanted the members there to realize that they were not simply dealing with a political issue, but they were dealing with people’s lives. Another time he showed this concern was when George Washington’s troops needed food, clothing, cannons, and ammunition. John Adams pleaded to send the requested equipment there, because he knew that people were suffering. While drafting the Declaration of Independence John Adams mentioned the inhumane act of slavers, and during his speech to persuade the delegates to vote for independence he recognized that lives would be taken on both sides. He valued life, and what caused me to ponder is that he believed that freedom was worth the price. John Adams was not simply willing to let others give up their lives for freedom, but he was willing to give up his. It took years before our country felt prepared to go to war, and it would take several more before this great country would be established. Throughout all of that John Adams remained dedicated to his dream of freedom, and spent hours laboring to ensure that I, a Brigham Young University collage student, had that freedom. Thank you John Adams.
When Professor H put in a movie during class I sat in the dark wondering if I was really in collage or not. Most movies I have watched in class depict raspy voiced old men wearing white wigs centered on top of their powdered faces, and some mellow dramatic voice in the background narrating the obvious events on the screen. None of them have impacted me as much as the movie John Adams that we watched last week. Suddenly the Founding Fathers became plural.
John Adams particularly stood out. It was strange to see him working as a farmer in the opening scene, and I tried to imagine senators today turning manure over with their bare hands. I had a hard time imagining myself turning manure over bare handed. There is more to it than just saying that John Adams was working with what he had. Modern equipment makes it so that farmers can bail hay, feed, milk, and scrap corals for daily thousands of animals. It is difficult for me to comprehend doing everything by had, but John Adams owned and managed a respected farm. Obviously John Adams knew how to work, but it is important to note that he worked well. He also expanded his education, and was involved in politics. From the life that he lived I have a feeling he worked just as hard in these studies as he did in his milk barn.
Abigail Adams was probably my favorite character in the movie, and it was all the more reason to respect John Adams. It seemed that the majority of the information I read about John Adams came from letters that he had written to his wife. History recognizes their relationships as an example of a healthy husband and wife relationship. John Adams and Abigail Adams were able to discuss family, politics, and social issues in their letters. In the movie when Abigail asks Washington to deliver her letters to her husband he comments on how not only would John Adams benefit from her advise, but the rest of them would also. John Adams must have talked about his wife enough for Washington to recognize that her opinion was valuable to her husband. To me this portrayed that not only her Husband respected her, but other established members of society did also. When learning about historical figures I like to learn about their wives, because I find it revealing. John Adams established remarkable things in public, but what makes me really awed is that he was able to establish a relationship with his wife.
When John Adams went to congress in 1775 after the Lexington and Concord shootings he wanted the members there to realize that they were not simply dealing with a political issue, but they were dealing with people’s lives. Another time he showed this concern was when George Washington’s troops needed food, clothing, cannons, and ammunition. John Adams pleaded to send the requested equipment there, because he knew that people were suffering. While drafting the Declaration of Independence John Adams mentioned the inhumane act of slavers, and during his speech to persuade the delegates to vote for independence he recognized that lives would be taken on both sides. He valued life, and what caused me to ponder is that he believed that freedom was worth the price. John Adams was not simply willing to let others give up their lives for freedom, but he was willing to give up his. It took years before our country felt prepared to go to war, and it would take several more before this great country would be established. Throughout all of that John Adams remained dedicated to his dream of freedom, and spent hours laboring to ensure that I, a Brigham Young University collage student, had that freedom. Thank you John Adams.
Learning by faith lecture
I wanted to see if I really learn something new every day. My goal this weekend was to write in my journal one thing that I learned from that day. Friday came and went; Saturday went just as quickly, and then before I knew it I was sitting at my laptop Sunday night wondering what I had learned. The weekend felt like it had rushed by so quickly there was no possible way I could have learned something. So I started writing down what I had done step by step.
According to Bloom’s Taxonomy I was stuck in the “knowledge” level of thinking. As my list grew I recalled details. Most of them were about myself. How I felt? Why I reacted the way that I did? It did not take long for these questions to evolve into: What I could have done differently? What I handled well? Before I knew it I was learning hundreds of things. My weekend that had seemed so meaningless began to unfold ideas and that is when I started learning.
It was then that I realized I had learned at least one thing a day. I finally made the connection that seeking learning by study and with faith requires reflection. That is why the prophets encourage me to keep a journal. If I want to learn from my experiences I need to take the time to ponder and have a personal reflection. Inviting the spirit to be actively involved in my reflection will also benefit.
When Joseph Smith recorded the first vision he mentions that he read in King James and then pondered the things in his heart. He held a personal reflection. Just as the lecture on Thursday focused on learning, or the ability to obtain light and truth, with faith Joseph Smith learned by pond ringing and studying the verse in his heart.
The idea of studying things out in my heart rang true as I realized that life gives me a new lesson everyday. If I really want to learn from the events of that day though I need to reflect upon them. I learned a lot this weekend not because I did a lot, but because I studied them out in my heart.
According to Bloom’s Taxonomy I was stuck in the “knowledge” level of thinking. As my list grew I recalled details. Most of them were about myself. How I felt? Why I reacted the way that I did? It did not take long for these questions to evolve into: What I could have done differently? What I handled well? Before I knew it I was learning hundreds of things. My weekend that had seemed so meaningless began to unfold ideas and that is when I started learning.
It was then that I realized I had learned at least one thing a day. I finally made the connection that seeking learning by study and with faith requires reflection. That is why the prophets encourage me to keep a journal. If I want to learn from my experiences I need to take the time to ponder and have a personal reflection. Inviting the spirit to be actively involved in my reflection will also benefit.
When Joseph Smith recorded the first vision he mentions that he read in King James and then pondered the things in his heart. He held a personal reflection. Just as the lecture on Thursday focused on learning, or the ability to obtain light and truth, with faith Joseph Smith learned by pond ringing and studying the verse in his heart.
The idea of studying things out in my heart rang true as I realized that life gives me a new lesson everyday. If I really want to learn from the events of that day though I need to reflect upon them. I learned a lot this weekend not because I did a lot, but because I studied them out in my heart.
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