Comments on: Old School Scripture Mastery

By: Mark A. Clifford

Mark A. Clifford — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:50:49 +0000

Thank you. This post is an extremely observant and helpful insight.
I had noticed (and read commentary on) the extensive use of un-identified but verbatim quotes that recur throughout the Book of Mormon (for instance the “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence” which appears repeatedly, there are many others).
I had not read ’til now any discussion of the announced use of extended, memorized quotes. But as you observe this is clearly a common practice among the Lehites. It signals a reverence for religious history and the power of memory that nicely mirrors the teaching of the text on these subjects. I also find it cool that the authors did not hesitate to approprate, enlarge, and even fundamentally alter source material; one thinks of the Tree of Life becoming for Alma and something that grows inside of the believer, an improvisational turn on Lehi’s founding vision.

By: jsg

jsg — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:39:55 +0000

Far more impressive than Abinadi’s recitation of Isaiah was Alma’s recitation of Abinadi:

“But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken.” (Mosiah 17:4)

Surely the Lord had a hand in that feat.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:15:37 +0000

Yeah, well, we all could do that if we spoke reformed Egyptian.

By: Angie

Angie — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:44:28 +0000

Our stake presidency challenged the stake’s seminary students to a Scripture Mastery contest.

By: John Hancock

John Hancock — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:05:46 +0000

Thanks for posting this article Robert.
The words of Isaiah (probably preserved in thier purest form by the Book of Mormon authors) have great power to persuade all men to come unto Christ, to keep covenants and remember the great things the Lord has done – for Nephi’s brothers, his people, his posterity, and all of the house of Israel, including those living today and future generations. It is interesting to note when the prophets, such as Lehi, Jacob and Nephi, read the words of earlier prophets, rehearse them from memory, or WRITE them. (e.g. 2 Ne 11:8)

We have a lot to learn from the Islamic tradition, and the Jewish tradition for that matter, in enhancing the memory arts. The gift of remembering plays an important role in inspiring people to abide by the precepts of the Book of Mormon and thus to draw nearer to God and live as Nephi did -delighting in the gospel, or as Abinadi did – with the words written in his heart.

By: Peter LLC

Peter LLC — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:02:11 +0000

Did the speaker himself endorse the canonical version of the text at some point, or was the editing process analogous to the member states of an international organization debating amendments to the chairman’s summary?

“This is what we talked about.”

“No, that was never mentioned.”

“It was, but shouldn’t be included; we don’t want to set a precedent.”

“Last time we said that and no one had any problems, so why the opposition now?”

“Well, if we change the chapeau to reflect that only some of us said that…”

By: Steve Fischer

Steve Fischer — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:59:00 +0000

I can still recite the canonized account of Joseph Smith’s first vision from memory…albeit in Italian. I have to back-translate whenever I want to recite it in English.

I made excellent progress earlier this year at memorizing my favorite passage from the Old Testament: Job 33:14-30. I unfortunately failed to permanently lodge it in my long-term memory.

For the most part, my mastery of the scriptures is limited to “doesn’t it say something somewhere about (whatever)?” I am horribly dependent on search engines.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:22:48 +0000

who’s gonna fork over the money to create Abinadi’s School?