Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Other Churches Teaching that Native Americans Originated from Israel!



This video popped up in my feed yesterday and I was delighted to see that leaders of other Christian faiths are teaching that Native Americans originated from Israel! For me, it’s another witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I was so happy, I left this as my comment below the video.

I love this! Amen :) It supports what I already believe as a fan of the Book of Mormon. A great history of the ancient tribes in America and their record of coming here from Jerusalem, as well as their incredible prophecies about America.

One of their ancient prophets in the Book of Mormon prophesied of the destruction and demise of their future generations in America because in his day they killed off the prophets on the land and turned from the word of God. He said that they would be scattered and smitten by the white Gentiles who would arrive on this land to colonize it. 

1 Nephi 13:12-15 

12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. 

13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. 

14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten. 

15 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. 

But there was a prophecy given for their hope and salvation in our day. I love these verses:
 "And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews." 

“And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.” (2 Ne. 30:4–5.) 

"And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.” (1 Ne. 14:1–2.)  

Beautiful scripture ❤️

After posting, I received some unkind comments towards my comment, even though it was from my heart. I did not respond, and I don't wish to expand on what was said.

I follow many different Christian leaders on social media because I am inspired by so many. Their testimonies are additional witnesses to what I already believe and I have even learned some things that were very helpful. I am so grateful for the diversity we have not only within the church but outside of it. 

It brings me so much joy to find common ground and share little bits and pieces of truths with each other that build us up rather than tear us down. Sometimes I find that many in the Christian community are not so kind or accepting towards my own beliefs when they find out I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I am always doing my best to love them anyways and respect their opinions about me. I am hopeful that one day they will see the good fruits of our members and notice the light and the service we freely offer – and give us a chance. A chance at just being friends without judgment or criticism. We can chat about our love for the Savior, our love for His gospel, miracles we have experienced…but as soon as they find out I am Mormon a wall goes up. We shouldn’t see labels on those around us, we should see everyone as a child of God. We are all equally loved by Him, therefore we should love each other just as much as we love Him. 

I am hopeful that one day others who are not favorable of Mormons will understand that our testimonies about what we believe are very real, personal, and sacred to us. If the Spirit had not born witness to our hearts, we would not have a testimony. This applies to members of all faiths. A testimony is a very personal thing. If the Spirit did not bear any witness to you of light and truth about your faith, you would not believe it. We all belong to the churches that we do, because the Spirit guided us to them. They are right for us because we have been guided to them. I cannot tell another person what is “right” for them just as another person cannot tell me what is “right” or “wrong” for me. The Lord knows us and knows our individual needs. He guides us to where we need to be. It is important to respect that. Our paths are all different, we are all at different places in our lives, different levels of light and knowledge, and we are all doing the best we can with what we know. All who follow the Savior Jesus Christ belong to the Church of the Lamb. Our doctrines may differ but our principals are still the same. We can surely unite on that.

Religion is good because it gives us standards to live by. It helps us rise to a higher potential. No matter what church we belong to, if our religion teaches peace and love – then we are in a good church! We all want to share what we believe because it has made us so happy! We want to share that happiness. When guided by the Spirit, I often share my beliefs with others if they seem interested or they ask, however I never force my opinions or beliefs on anyone. Even missionaries are taught to always serve and love all people first. If you have truth you want to share, others will not want to hear it if you are telling them their beliefs are wrong or evil or they have been deceived. Criticizing others for what brings them joy, is a sure sign of personal unhappiness. When someone is truly happy and truly has the Spirit with them, they are at peace and don’t feel the need to criticize others for their differences. The core of the gospel is treating others how you would want to be treated and loving everyone without conditions attached. I am hopeful that someday we’ll get there, or at least close to it!

Not all people in the Christian Community are critical towards Mormons, and yes, there are even some Mormon’s who don’t practice the Golden Rule themselves. Regardless of our experiences with people outside of our faiths, we should seek to give everyone we meet the benefit of the doubt. We should express gratitude that our Father in Heaven has given us free agency so that we can believe what feels right to us. We are all so blessed! 

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