Riff This Vibe

Joseph Smith said of the Book of Mormon that it is, "the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” ( Intro to the Book of Mormon paragraph 6 ). What is a precept and why should I abide by a precept? This is the final episode of season 2 of our study of Law, Government, and Society...

Why do we love games so much? Is life a game? What is game theory and what does is have to do with The Book of Mormon? Today's reading is Alma 17:19-34 , which is the beginning of one of the more famous stories in the Book of Mormon. The story could have turned out much differently if it wasn't for a game changing situation. That same thing is true for all of humanity except for the game c...

Why so much war in The Book of Mormon? Is it all a metaphor? Thanks to Brian Steed's work on this topic. View his website here . Read Alma 43 to prepare for this week and bring your questions or insights to our discussion.

Mormon just got 100 times cooler! He wrote 3rd Nephi in chiastic structure, but with a different style or personality than Nephi's chiasms. Of course Christ is the entire point of the Book of Mormon and His visit is the pinnacle event of 3rd Nephi. This episode may open your mind to some deeper pondering of what Mormon is trying to tell us, and how he's trying to teach us exactly what we n...

What does the Book of Mormon have to do with the years leading up to Christ’s birth and then his post-resurrection visit to the people of the Americas? And what do those accounts have to do with prepping for the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ? To learn more about Mormon’s bullet points of preparation for Christ’s coming, or about the priceless treasure and necessary steps to reach it, take a look at t...

God is trying to elevate you. Satan is trying the opposite. God is trying to unite groups of believing, covenant people to build a better world and prepare for exaltation. Satan has installed a twisted and treacherous counterfeit community. Ether 8 is crucial reading for individuals and societies seeking to elevate their situation.

This week's lesson is from a story about a wicked king, powerful prophet, and death by fire and other interesting points from the Book of Mormon's Book of Mosiah 12 through 17. Why is it so easy for Satan to use religious ideas or scripturish philosophies to get us off track? How can one get back on track? How are you liking your study of the Book of Mormon? Can you see more now why Moroni...

What is the relationship between written records (plates), especially the word of God or the laws of God, and power? Do the people you look to for power, or as powerful or influential people get their power from the laws of God, or some other source? Do you get your power and influence from studying the word of God? What other factors contribute to the level of power and influence people have? The...

What does this have to do with the Book of Mormon? Well it seems that King Benjamin uses a variation of this style of prophetic lawsuit to teach his people with great effectiveness. Does this seem fair? Does the idea of a covenant with God, and then a lawsuit style reprimand seem like something God would do? Why would the prophets use such strong language? Is it enough to just be a good person or...

Today we need to talk about the law of witnesses. Why are witnesses a big deal? What are the rules for witnesses? What is God’s law of witnesses? How is Nephi an expert witness? What do Book of Mormon chiasmus have to do with witnesses? Compare 2 Nephi 1:10 with 2 Nephi 33:10-11 and search for more connections in Nephi's 2nd Book. Bring your questions and insights to the discussion!

Well here’s a vibe to riff on- in all three of these things: nations, ships, and relationships, the glue, the thing that makes it them each strong and successful is the same. The Book of Mormon will prove that to you as you study 2 Nephi 5 and 1 Nephi 17 . Are you using the right glue in whatever it is you are building?

How do you stay strongly focused on Christ despite the opposition? Have you tasted the fruit? There are some vibes to riff. How strong is the opposition to you? Are you aware of Satan’s siege warfare tactics presently employed against you? Or about Satan’s plans for future fiery darts? Would you like some backup? Check out 1 Nephi Chapter 8 , and if you’d like, you can also look at chapters 11 and...

It seems as though the ancient authors of the Book of Mormon used advanced literary skill, including multiple layers and parallels, to help their modern readers deeply ponder the truth. One of those literary devices used in Hebrew writings, including in the Old and New Testaments is that of Chiasmus. Chiasma are self-reversing poems. The ideas are presented, ABC, then repeated in reverse order CBA...

Do you notice anything sort of strange about the final Book of Mormon author's promise located in Moroni 10? In season 2 we pick up where we left off discussing the broad topic of Law, Government, & Society in the Book of Mormon. These ideas are meant to help you create new ideas and questions regarding this ancient record and how it helps you draw nearer to God.

If God gave us freedom to choose, then why has He also given us so many rules? What is His purpose? What happens when we make our own rules or do our own thing? This episode highlights the purpose of commandments and discusses the Book of Mormon's central and most important event, the personal visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ, to the Americas. The verse of the day is 3 Nephi 12:5

26. The Book of Mormon's third anti-Christ voice is the most radical one of them all. Korihor led many people away, and his arguments are still alive today. This episode features many modern witnesses testifying against the false claims of the ancient anti-Christ. The Book of Mormon verses for today are Alma 30:27, 31

This story is about one guy’s influence on society. We talked last time about how belief impacts understanding. Ultimately, only I get to choose what I will believe. And what I choose to believe will impact my understanding of the truth. Today's verse is 2 Nephi 26:29.

The question for the day is this: How does belief impact understanding? The story for today in from Alma 1 and is about the group of people that believed the false teachings of the anti-Christ, Nehor. The verse to consider in this discussion is Mosiah 26:3

The first of three anti-Christ figures in the Book of Mormon is Sherem, who uses legalistic language to lure his followers away from the doctrine of Christ. One of the most important things to help us safeguard our faith in Christ is what happens among the people after Sherem's lies are exposed. That can be found in Jacob 7:23 . Are you falling for faulty arguments?

What is the doctrine of Christ? What does it mean to you? What happens when there are cracks in one's understanding of Christ, or His doctrine? Today's verse is Jacob 7:2 and the story is about Sherem's opposition to the doctrine of Christ found in the Book of Mormon.

Joseph the prophet said this about the Book of Mormon: “ I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Why did he say this? If there is a way to get nearer to God, then I want that. Most of the time we only find what we're looking for...

How effective are punishments in changing behavior? What happens when they don't work? This episode explores these questions, and others, as well as how the Book of Mormon helps us find answers. The verse of the day is Alma 34:10 .

What do punishments and penalties have to do with parties? Probably not what you think! Read 2 Nephi 2:13.

Why should I care about lawmaking, whether it be my own, or those in my nation, state, or city? Am I aware of the laws being created or altered that will impact my freedom? Today's verse is Alma 51:2 . Do I want more laws or fewer laws? And Do I want strict or lenient laws? I invite you to think about these things, and write down a question or thought before you come to class.

Does my vote matter? Today we look at the case of Paanchi one more time and discuss the voices and votes of people in Book of Mormon times Helaman 1:8 . I also reference Matthew 25:31-33 in hopes to make another connection to the topic of individual liberty, agency and accountability. Write down at least one thought as you consider these ideas and bring that to the discussion. Keep on smiling!