Author Archive for Steve Wells

2 Nephi 26: All those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 16, 2012
.
Nephi tells us, once again, all about Jesus, 600 or so years before Jesus existed.

After Jesus dies he will rise from the dead and come visit the Nephites in North America. The Nephites will learn about his birth, death, and resurrection; then all hell will break loose. Proud and wicked Nephites will stone to death the Nephite saints and prophets, then God will cause the proud and the wicked to be swallowed by the earth, covered with mountains, carried away by whirlwinds, crushed by falling buildings, destroyed by thunder, lightening, earthquakes, and fire.
After Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children.

Many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.

And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them.

All those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts.

They that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.

And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts. 2 Nephi 26:1-6
After the wicked kill the righteous and God kills the wicked, Jesus will heal whatever survivors there may be and there will be peace for three or four generations. Then the Nephites will "yield to the devil," be destroyed again, and "go down to hell."
But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.
And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people ... they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil ... therefore they must go down to hell. 2 Nephi 26:9-10 
Sometime after the Nephites are destroyed, the Gentiles (Non-Mormon Protestants) will start believing that Jesus is the Christ.
It must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God. 2 Nephi 26:12
In the last days, after the Gentiles are converted, Nephi's seed will dwindle in unbelief and be smitten by the Gentiles. God will camp out against the dwindlers and "all those that dwindle in unbelief shall not be forgotten."
I prophesy unto you concerning the last days.
After my seed ... shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about ... all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten. 2 Nephi 26:14-15
Then, in the latter days of the last days, the truths in the Book of Mormon will be written, but those who dwindle in unbelief won't believe them because "they seek to destroy the things of God."
For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God. 2 Nephi 26:17
And it will come to pass that those who dwindle in unbelief will be smitten (again) by the Gentiles.
And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles. 2 Nephi 26:19
Then the Gentiles will stumble "because of the greatness of their stumbling block" by building evil churches according to the secret combinations of the devil (who founded all the non-LDS churches).
The Gentiles ... stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches ... which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice.
And there are also secret combinations ... according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things. 2 Nephi 26:20-22
Which leaves us with the only true church: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You know, the one that teaches love and tolerance toward all. (Its code name is "Zion" in the Book of Mormon.)
The Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love, and except they should have charity they were nothing. 
But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.
For ... the Lord ... denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. 2 Nephi 26:30-33


Some Bible verses for Mother’s Day

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 14, 2012
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It's not easy to find a good Bible verse for Mother's Day.
But here are the best I can find.

From the book of Hosea.
Plead with your mother, plead: ... let her ... put away her whoredoms ... and her adulteries from between her breasts;  Lest I strip her naked ... and slay her with thirst.  
And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms. ...For their mother hath played the harlot.
Now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. Hosea 2:2-10
Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. ... I will love them no more.  ... Yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. Hosea 9:14-16
 Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up. Hosea 13:16
And Deuteronomy.
The tender and delicate woman among you ... her eye shall be evil ... toward her son, and toward her daughter, And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them. Deuteronomy 28:56-57

Or how about the inspiring words of Jesus?
I am come to set ... the daughter against her mother. ... He that loveth ... mother more than me is not worthy of me.  Matthew 10:35-37
Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.  Luke 11:27-28 
If any man come to me, and hate not his ... mother ... he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 
Behold, thy mother ... seek(s) for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother? Mark 3:32-33
Woman, what have I to do with thee? (Jesus talking to his mother)   John 2:4
Any of these would look nice on a Mother's Day card, don't you think?

Happy Mother's Day!


What the Bible says about Homosexuality

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 11, 2012
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Homosexuality is an abomination to God (like shrimp).

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 18:22

Except that unlike eating shrimp, the punishment for homosexuality is death.

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 20:13

Or exile.

Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD ... And he took away the sodomites out of the land. ... Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. 1 Kings 15:11-14

Jehoshaphat ... walked in all the ways of Asa his father ... doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD ... The remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land. 1 Kings 22:42-46

And the New Testament is just as intolerant toward homosexuals.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (God will make you gay!) Romans 1:26-27

God gave them over to a reprobate mind ... without natural affection ... they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:28-32

The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom ... neither fornicators ... nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind ... shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for ... them that defile themselves with mankind ... and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine ... These filthy dreamers defile the flesh. 1 Timothy 1:9-10

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha ... giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh ... suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 7-8

Except for Jesus (who hung out with 12 guys and never said anything bad about homosexuality) who said that  you can increase your chances of being raptured by being gay. (So pray to be gay!)

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Luke 17:34-35

And finally, rejoice and be glad when you see homosexuals (lead about by silly, lusty, educated women), because then you'll know for sure that Jesus is coming soon.

In the last days ... men shall be ... without natural affection ... lovers of pleasures ... lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ... ever learning. 2 Timothy 3:1-7


2 Nephi 25: Nephi speaks (somewhat) plainly about Jews, Jesus, and Joseph Smith

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 9, 2012
.
Nephi finally gives us a break from quoting Isaiah (2 Nephi 11-24) and begins to speak (somewhat) about the the 13 chapters he copied from the King James Version of the Bible (about 2200 years before that translation existed).
Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. 2 Nephi 25:1
First he tells us about Jews.
The Jews ... works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations. 2 Nephi 25:2
Then he explains why no one understands Isaiah.  To understand Isaiah properly, you need to delight in plainness and be filled with the spirit of prophecy. And Nephi is full of prophecy and plainness.
The words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy ... My soul delighteth in plainness unto my people. 2 Nephi 25:4
But Nephi's soul delights in more than just plainness; it also delights in the words of Isaiah. (That's probably why he included 13 consecutive chapters from Isaiah. See 2 Nephi 11-24)
My soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah. 2 Nephi 25:5a
The trouble with Jews (besides doing abominable works of darkness) is that Jews just don't understand Isaiah and prophets. The only people that understand such things are people that are taught after the manner of the Jews. (You've got to be taught by Jews without becoming one yourself.)
The Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews. 2 Nephi 25:5b
And lucky for us, Nephi is from Jerusalem and knows all about all things such as and suchlike.
 But behold, I, Nephi ... have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about. 2 Nephi 25:6
With his prophecy credentials intact, Nephi proceeds with his own prophecy according to his plainness.
Behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness. 2 Nephi 25:7
He starts by telling us a bit more about Jews. God has destroyed them from one generation to the next because of their iniquities.
As one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of iniquity, even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities. 2 Nephi 25:9
Nephi prophesies that in another 600 years or so, the evil Jews will reject and crucify Jesus because of their hard hearts and stiff necks.
The Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks ... They will crucify him. 2 Nephi 25:12-13
And woe unto whoever fights against God's church (the Mormons), which will show up in another 2400 years or so.
 Wo unto them that fight against God and the people of his church. 2 Nephi 25:14
And, of course, woe unto the the Jews. They'll be scattered among all nations and be scourged by God for many generations until, finally, they are persuaded to believe in Christ.
Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations. ... After they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for ... many generations ... they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ. 2 Nephi 25:15-16
Meanwhile, God will inspire Joseph Smith to write find and translate the Book of Mormon, which is, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, a marvelous work and a wonder. ("A Marvelous work and a wonder" is LDS-speak for the Book of Mormon.)
The Lord ... will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder. 2 Nephi 25:17
That the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph [Smith], that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand." 2 Nephi 25:21
And now Nephi gets precise about his Christ prophecy: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will be born 600 years after Nephi's dad (Lehi) left Jerusalem.
According to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem ... his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 Nephi 25:19
Nephi reminds us about some of the plain and wonderful things that are found in the Hebrew scriptures:  the fiery serpents (Num. 21:6-9) and the water-bearing rock (Ex.17:6, Num.20:11)..
I have spoken plainly that ... the Lord God ... gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth. 2 Nephi 25:20
And the rest of his prophecy is all about Jesus H. Christ. There's no other name that can get you saved.
There is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved. 2 Nephi 25:20
So believe in Christ.
We labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ. 2 Nephi 25:23
We believe in Christ. 2 Nephi 25:24a 
Look forward to Christ.
Look forward with steadfastness unto Christ. 2 Nephi 25:24b 
Be alive in Christ.
We are made alive in Christ because of our faith. 2 Nephi 25:25a
Talk of Christ.
We talk of Christ.  2 Nephi 25:26b
Rejoice in Christ.
We rejoice in Christ.  2 Nephi 25:26c
Preach of Christ.
We preach of Christ.  2 Nephi 25:26d
Prophesy of Christ.
We prophesy of Christ. 2 Nephi 25:26e
The Nephites did all these Christian things six centuries before Christianity existed.

So don't let anyone tell you Mormons aren't Christians.


Bill Maher on Mormonism: I’m very sorry if I called your horseshit bullshit.

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 6, 2012
.


Jon Stewart’s only fear: Religion

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 4, 2012
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Jon Stewart isn't afraid to criticize people for their nasty beliefs -- unless the source of those beliefs is religion. Then, whatever it is, it's OK with him.

Here's how he put it on last night's show:
You can't cherry pick the worst aspects of a religion and then hold every member of that religion solely responsible for it. 
Yes, you can. That is exactly what we should do.

We should hold Mormons responsible for the racism that is found throughout the Book of Mormon; Jews, for the cruel and intolerant passages in the Hebrew Scriptures; Christians, for the nasty bullshit in both of their testaments; and Muslims, for the entire hodgepodge of hateful horseshit that is the Quran.

The individual members of a religion are not solely responsible for the worst aspects of their religion. But they are responsible for believing it.

And we should hold them responsible for every rotten cherry on their religion's tree. If they don't like the cherries, they should pick another tree.

Here's the Daily Show video.


Dan Savage is right about the Bible: It’s Bullshit

Published
by
Steve Wells
on May 1, 2012
.
A couple weeks ago, Dan Savage discussed the Bible with a group of journalism students.

Here is what he said (see video below) -- along with some of the bullshit from the Bible that believers ignore while pretending to believe it.

The Bible, we’ll just talk about the Bible for a second. People often point out that they can’t help it – they can’t help with the anti-gay bullying, because it says right there in Leviticus, it says right there in Timothy, it says right there in Romans, that being gay is wrong.
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 18:22
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 20:13 
The law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind.... 1 Timothy 1:9-10
 In the last days ... men will be ... without natural affection. 2 Timothy 3:1-3
 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another ... God gave them over to a reprobate mind ... they which commit such things are worthy of death. Romans 1:26-32
We can learn to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about gay people. [applause] The same way, the same way we have learned to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about shellfish,
And all that have not fins and scales in the seas ... shall be an abomination unto you: ... Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. Leviticus 11:10-11
 about slavery, 
Of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you ... they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever.  Leviticus 25:44-46
If a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and ... he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money. Exodus 21:20-21
Servants [slaves], be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 1 Peter 2:18
(See here for more bullshit from the Bible on slavery.)
about dinner, 
These shall ye not eat ... swine ... it is unclean unto you. Deuteronomy 14:7-8
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Romans 14:21
And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man. Ezekiel 4:12
about farming,
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.  Deuteronomy 22:10
about menstruation, 
If a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness. Leviticus 15:19-30
If a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, and hath not ... come near to a menstruous woman..... Ezekiel 18:5-6
about virginity, 
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife. Deuteronomy 22:28-29
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Matthew 25:1
about masturbation. 
And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also. Genesis 38:9-10
If any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall ... be unclean. Leviticus 15:16
Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:28-30
[applause]
We ignore bullshit in the Bible about all sorts of things. The Bible is a radically pro-slavery document. Slave owners waved Bibles over their heads during the Civil War and justified it. The shortest book in the New Testament is a letter from Paul to a Christian slave owner about owning his Christian slave. 
Philemon: This short letter was written by Paul to his slave-owner friend and fellow believer, Philemon. Paul was writing about Onesimus, who he had recently converted, and who happened to also be a runaway slave belonging to Philemon. Since Paul was in a position of authority among believers, this would have been a great opportunity for him (and God) to condemn slavery -- if he (and God) had anything against it, that is. But apparently he didn't. Instead he returned the slave to his owner without so much as a word against the institution of slavery. 
(Note: Philemon isn't quite "the shortest book in the New Testament" -- 2 and 3 John are a bit shorter.) 
And Paul doesn’t say “Christians don’t own people.” Paul talks about how Christians own people.

We ignore what the Bible says about slavery, because the Bible got slavery wrong. Tim — ah, Sam Harris, in A Letter To A Christian Nation, points out that the Bible got the easiest moral question that humanity has ever faced wrong. Slavery! What’re the odds that the Bible got something as complicated as human sexuality wrong? 100% percent.

The Bible says that if your daughter’s not a virgin on her wedding night – if a woman isn’t a virgin on her wedding night, she shall be dragged to her father’s doorstep and stoned to death. 
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her ... And say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And ... say ... these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. ... But if ... the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel, then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die. Deuteronomy 22:13-17
Callista Gingrich lives. [applause] And there is no effort to amend state constitutions to make it legal to stone women to death on their wedding night if they’re not virgins. At least not yet. We don’t know where the GOP is going these days. [audience laughs]

People are dying because people can’t clear this one last hurdle. They can’t get past this one last thing in the Bible about homosexuality.

One other thing I wanna talk about is — [chuckles] — so, you can tell the Bible guys in the hall that they can come back now, because I’m done beating up the Bible. [applause]

It’s funny, as someone who’s on the receiving end of beatings that are justified by the Bible, how pansy-assed some people react when you push back. [applause]



And here's a great video on the subject by Zinnia Jones.


A Perfect Case for Biblical Justice: Thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 28, 2012
.
When reading God's commandment in Deuteronomy 25:11-12, have you ever wondered if such a punishment is really necessary?

Here's the passage.
When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
Well, wonder no more.

China News 24 reports that a woman came to the assistance of her husband in a fight by grabbing the other man's testicles. She squeezed them so hard, in fact, that the man died.

Now, thanks to the Bible, we know what to do with her.






The Book of Job

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 28, 2012
.


Mitt Romney: The Ryan budget is a marvelous work and a wonder

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 27, 2012
.
A few weeks ago, President Obama made fun of Mitt Romney for describing Paul Ryan's budget as "marvelous" by saying,
Marvelous is a word you don't often hear when it comes to describing a budget. It's a word that you don't often hear generally.
Which is true, generally, unless you're a Mormon.

Mormons love the word "marvelous." It was one of Joseph Smith's favorite words. He used it 50 times in the book of Mormon, compared to the 24 times it is found in the King James Version of the Bible. And since the Bible is nearly five times as big as the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon is about ten times as "marvelous" as the Bible.

Here's a table to summarize the marvelousness of these two marvelous books.

Bible Book of Mormon
Marvelous 24 50
number of verses 31,102 6553
Occurrences per 10,000 verses 7.7 76.3

But one of the phrases that Joseph Smith loved the most was "a marvelous work and a wonder." He used it to describe his own work, the Book of Mormon, and Mormons have used it as a code name for their sacred text ever since.

Here is how the phrase is used in Mitt Romney's third favorite book. (His favorite book is either Battlefield Earth or the Bible.)
And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men. 2 Nephi 25:17
Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.2 Nephi 27:26
So when Romney called the Ryan budget "marvelous," he was using a word that is often heard in Mormondom. I suspect that if Romney was fully unzipped, he would say it is "a marvelous work and a wonder" just like the Book of Mormon.


The Book of Mormon: The whiter the skin, the closer to God

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 24, 2012
.
Tim Giago, the founder of the Native American Journalist Association, has an excellent article with this title at the Huffington Post. It inspired me to find the verses in the Book of Mormon that mention skin color.

Here's what I found. Let me know if I missed any.

Mary (Jesus's mother) was exceedingly fair and white.
And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. 1 Nephi 11:13
Jesus, of course, was as white as his mom, as were his disciples. Indeed, after they were blessed by Jesus, the disciples became whiter than anything else on earth -- as white as Jesus even!
It came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof. 3 Nephi 19:25
And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus.  3 Nephi 19:30
The Nephites (God's favorite people) were also white and exceedingly delightsome.
It came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people. 4 Nephi 10
Even the Gentiles (white, non-Mormon Protestants in Mormon-speak) were exceedingly fair and beautiful.
 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. 1 Nephi 13:15
But the Lamanites (or Native Americans) were not. They were once "a delightsome people," but God made them a dark-skinned, "filthy and loathsome people, led about by Satan" because of their unbelief and idolatry.
This people ... shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people ... because of their unbelief and idolatry. ... They were once a delightsome people ... But now, behold, they are led about by Satan. Mormon 5:15-18
Still, there is some hope for Native Americans. If they convert to Mormonism, their skins will turn white, and they will become a "delightsome." (The original "white" in this verse was later changed to "pure" to soften the obvious racism of this prophecy.)
And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and delightsome people. 2 Nephi 30:6
It happened before. God removed his curse from the "good" Lamanites (the ones that "united with the Nephites"), and they "became exceedingly fair, with skins "white like unto the Nephites."
It came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites; And their young men and their daughters became exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites. 3 Nephi 2:14
And it can happen to you, too. If you turn to God and become Mormon, God will make your skin spotless, pure, fair, and white.
O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white. Mormon 9:6
So there you have it. According to the Book of Mormon, the whiter the skin, the closer to God.


A Green Bible Verse for Earth Day

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 21, 2012
.
Repost for Earth Day
Here is a verse that is marked green in the world's most dishonest book -- The Green Bible.
Therefore thus says the Lord God: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on human beings and animals, on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched. Jeremiah 7:20, The Green Bible
I have no idea why it's marked green, except that the words "animals", "trees", and "fruit" are in it.

And yet when you read chapter 7 of Jeremiah, the meaning of this verse is clear enough: God's wrath will be poured out on the environment to punish humans for worshiping incorrectly.

There are no green Bible verses. There are only verses dishonestly marked green in the Green Bible.


Martin Basher: Book of Mormon condemns Mitt Romney to hell

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 20, 2012
.
Mitt Romney is going to hell, if the Book of Mormon is true, that is.

Martin Basher pointed this out on his MSNBC show by exposing a few of Mitt's more recent lies and quoting from Mormon scripture.

The first quote is from the Doctrine and Covenants.
(Mislabeled in the video as "Book of Mormon" -- The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of LDS scripture but it is not in the Book of Mormon.)
All liars, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, and the whoremonger and the sorcerer, shall have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death. Doctrine and Covenants 63:17
The second is from 2 Nephi. (9:34, not 2:34 as said in the video)
Wo unto the liar for he shall be thrust down to hell. 2 Nephi 9:34
Here's the video.


Achieving a Celestial Marriage: What Mitt and Ann Romney believe about God, marriage, and working moms

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 16, 2012
.
What does Mitt Romney believe about working mothers?

Well, as with most things Mitt Romney says, it depends on when you ask. Lately he says  that "all moms are working moms"; a few months ago he said that "even if you have a child two years of age, you need to go to work." But the apparent inconsistency is easily resolved: the first statement referred to wealthy moms (like his wife, Ann) and the latter statement to everyone else.

So what does Mitt Romney really believe about working moms? To find out, we need to see what the Mormon church teaches about God, marriage, and working mothers.

Fortunately, it's all laid out in Achieving a Celestial Marriage, the LDS Church's official manual for instructing  young Mormons about marriage.

Here are some excerpts. (Emphasis in the original)

First, about God.

GOD WAS ONCE A MORTAL MAN
(1-2) He Lived on an Earth Like Our Own
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!" Joseph Smith, Teachings, p. 345 
(1-3) He Experienced Conditions Similar to Our Own and Advanced Step by Step
GOD IS NOW AN EXALTED MAN WITH POWERS OF ETERNAL INCREASE
(1-4) Our Father in Heaven Lives in an Exalted Marriage Relationship
(1-5) We are Literal Children of God, Part of His Family Unit
(1-6) We Lived with Our Heavenly Parents Prior to Coming to Earth
WE ARE GODS IN EMBRYO
(1-7) We Have the Potential to Become like Our Heavenly Parents
About Marriage
 EXALTATION IS ATTAINABLE ONLY IN FAMILY UNITS
ONLY THROUGH CELESTIAL MARRIAGE CAN A PERSON BECOME LIKE GOD
(1-12) The Lord Commands Marriage
(1-13) Exaltation is Based on Celestial Marriage
 "No man shall receive the fulness of eternity, of exaltation, alone, no woman shall receive that blessing alone; but man and wife, when they receive the sealing power in the temple of the Lord, if they thereafter keep all the commandments, shall pass on to exaltation, and shall continue and become like the Lord." ( Joseph Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:43-44)
(1-14) "Then Shall They Be Gods, Because They Have No End"
(1-15) Only Resurrected and Glorified Geings May Become Parents of Spirit Offspring
 (1-19) Celestial Marriage Makes it Possible for Us to Claim Our Mortal Children in Eternity As Well As to Propagate Ourselves Throughout Eternity
"We will become gods and have jurisdiction over worlds, and they worlds will be peopled by our own offspring." (Joseph Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:43-44, 48)
About Contraception and Birth Control
BIRTH CONTROL -- THE CHURCH'S STAND
(16-6) Those Who Practice Birth Control Will Reap Disappointment
(16-8) The Root Reasons for Birth Control
"... in most cases the desire not to have children has its birth in vanity, passion, and selfishness."
(16-10) Unwillingness to Have Children -- an Onslaught Against the Home 
GOSPEL ANSWERS TO THE POPULATION EXPLOSION PROBLEM
 "The precepts of men would have you believe that by limiting the population of the world, we can have peace and plenty. That is the doctrine of the devil." (Ezra Taft Benson in CR, Apr. 1969, p. 12
And, finally, about working moms
THE WOMAN: WIFE, HELPMEET, AND MOTHER
(14-8) Present-Day Allurements Versus the True Responsibilities and Influence of Women
"It is of great concern to all who understand this glorious concept that Satan and his cohorts are using scientific arguments and nefarious propaganda to lure women away from their primary responsibilities as wives, mothers, and homemakers. We hear so much about emancipatioon, independence, sexuual liberation, birth control, abortion, and other insidious propaganda belittling the role of motherhood, all of which is Satan's way of destroying woman, the hom, and the famliy -- the basic unit of society. . . ."
(14-14) It is Seldom Justifiable for Mothers to Work
"How can mothers justify their abandonmnet of home when they are needed so much by their offspring? Rationalization must take over as they justfy themselves in leaving home and children." Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, pp. 116-17.)
So there you have it. That is what Mitt and Ann Romney believe about working moms. They believe that there shouldn't be any (Except for "working moms" like Ann Romney).


Your ziff is safe with Mitt (What the Book of Mormon says about taxes)

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 16, 2012
.
(Re-post for tax time)
I know Romney doesn't like to talk about his Mormon faith. And it's unconstitutional for us to ask him about it or even think about it. But I just can't help it.

What does the Book of Mormon say about politics? Taxes, for example.
Well here's a quote from Mitt's second or third favorite book, the Book of Mormon. (His favorite book is either Battlefield Earth or the Bible.)
And now it came to pass [things often come to pass in the Book of Mormon] that Zeniff [don't you just love Book of Mormon names?] conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father. For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness. And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain. Mosiah 11:1-3
So King Noah was a bad guy (everyone in the Book of Mormon is either a good guy or a bad guy) who didn't keep God's commandments, had lots of wives (like Joseph Smith), and did all kinds of abominable things in front of God and everybody (also like Joseph Smith). And this bad king taxed the people 20% of all their gold, silver, copper, brass, iron, fatlings, and grain. Oh, and on their ziff, too.

Now only a bad king would put a 20% flat tax on everything, including ziff.
The point of these verses (if there is a point) is that taxes are evil and a flat tax of 20% is especially evil. Just what the heck ziff might be is another matter entirely.

Mormon apologists admit that they don't really know what ziff was, but they say it might have been some type of metal. But I doubt it.

I bet it was beer.


Book of Mormon Action Figures: Before and After the Curse of Blackness

Published
by
Steve Wells
on April 12, 2012
.
This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite items: Book of Mormon Action Figures. (They're even better than those from My Dinner with Andre.)

Here, for example, is Laman, before and after God darkened his skin.



But in order to really appreciate them, you need to know something about Laman and his descendants (the Native Americans), as told in the Book of Mormon.
  1. "Laman and (his evil brother) Lemuel ... were like unto the Jews."  (Being like a Jew is about as bad as it gets in the Book of Mormon.) 1 Nephi 2:11-13
  2. Laman  was "white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome" before the curse, but God caused "a skin of blackness" to come upon him for disobeying his older brother Nephi. 2 Nephi 5:21
  3. God also cursed the Lamanites  (Laman's descendants) causing their skin to turn dark and making them "loathsome" to His people (the Nephites). 2 Nephi 5:22, Alma 3:8
  4. God forbids intermarriage between the Nephites and Lamanites. Those who mix seed with the Lamanites will be cursed by God with "the same cursing". (Their skin will be blackened.) 2 Nephi 5:23, Alma 3:9
  5. God's curse on the Lamanites caused them to become a sinful, polluted, filthy, idle, ferocious, bloodthirsty, and loathsome people, who delighted in murdereing, robbing, and plundering. God cursed them because of what their fathers did.  2 Nephi 5:24, Alma 17:14-15, 26:24, Jacob 3:5, Enos 1:20, Mosiah 10:12, 25:11
  6. If you don't repent, God will make your skin even darker than that of the Lamanites. Jacob 3:8
  7. The Lamanites "loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts." Jarom 1:6
  8. The Lamanites shaved their heads and ran around naked. Mosiah 10:8, Alma 3:5-6, 43:37, 44:17
  9. God loved the Nephites, but hated the Lamanites "because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers." Helaman 15:3-4
  10. God removed his curse from the "good" Lamanites (the ones that "united with the Nephites"), and they "became exceedingly fair, with skins "white like unto the Nephites." 3 Nephi 2:14-16
  11. "The Lamanites ... did teach their children that they should not believe." 4 Nephi 38
  12. The Lamanites (or Native Americans) were once "a delightsome people", but God made them a dark-skinned, "filthy and loathsome people, led about by Satan" because of their unbelief and idolatry. Mormon 5:15-18
I wonder if Mitt Romney loves these action figures as much a I do.