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Book of Mormon Lesson 31: "Firm in the Faith of Christ"

Alma 43-52

The Surprising Meanings Behind "Enos" and "Noah": Insights into Book of Mormon Names

Ancient scripture writers often used the literary pattern of paronomasia (word plays and word puns) to convey significant theological messages (see hereand here). Bible and Book of Mormon authors used names of individuals as a means to teach core principles. If we could read the original Hebrew and Egyptian texts of the Book of Mormon, we’d find names repeated thematically throughout the text. Just as a modern persuasive writer today will repeat their thesis statement in multiple ways throughout their writing, so too, ancient prophets used names and derivatives of names to reinforce in meaningful ways the major idea they wished for readers to see in the text.

Trailer: Mormon Tabernacle Choir Releases New CD with Renowned Welsh Singer

Lesson Helps

New Testament Lesson 33: "Ye Are the Temple of God"

By Ted L. Gibbons

1 Corintians 1-6

Taylor Swift Gives Latter-day Saint Family $15K, Inspires More to Help

By Lindsey Miller

Between sweeping award shows and traveling the globe for her Reputation Stadium Tour, Taylor Swift manages to find time to connect with her fans through social media. Taylor Swift “stan” (super fan) accounts are common on Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter where fans connect through their common love of the pop star.

Latter-day Saint Life

5 Things for Parents to Remember When Your Child Doesn't Choose the Church

By Robert L. Millet

My wife, Shauna, was talking with a friend one morning when the conversation turned to children. The woman spoke rather unkindly about a family she knew and of the problems some of the daughters had had. "What kind of parents would let their children do such things?" the woman asked very pointedly. My wife timidly suggested that we really ought not make those kinds of judgments. The woman replied, "No, what I mean is, there's no way my children would ever do those things." Shauna responded, "I hope you're right. But I wouldn't say that if I were you. Children can change overnight."

Latter-day Saint Life

The Surprising Meanings of "Abish" and 5 Other Book of Mormon Names

By Dr. Taylor Halverson, Brad Wilcox, and Matt Bowen

In ancient Israelite storytelling, the meaning of personal names was used to enhance the memorability of a story. Consider the name of Noah in Genesis 6–9. His name in Hebrew, nōaḥ, means “rest,” which represents a major theme in Noah’s story: The dove sought rest as it searched for land. The ark finally rested on a mountaintop. In addition, Noah’s name written backward, ḥn, means “grace,” pointing to a sub-theme of the Noah story, highlighted in Genesis 6:8, where we read that “Noah [nḥ] found grace [ḥn] in the sight of God.” By learning the meanings within Noah’s name, ancient listeners could remember that they, like Noah, could find rest through the grace of God.

From the Church

Church Article Shares How Mormons and Muslims Can Build Common Ground, What Church Leaders Have Said About Islam

Recently, the Church published an informative article about Islam in the Ensign. Before the article, a note states, "Because it is important to understand those of other faiths, Church leaders felt that it would be helpful to provide an overview of the history and teachings of Islam, the world’s second-largest religion."

Lesson Helps

New Testament Lesson 33: "Ye Are the Temple of God"

By Ted L. Gibbons

Someone has called Corinth the Las Vegas of the Ancient World. It was a city of 250,000 citizens and another 400,000 or so slaves. It was located just off the Corinthian Isthmus, and was a crossroads for travelers and traders. It was a city of typical Greek culture; its people were interested in Greek philosophy, and placed a great value on wisdom.

Lesson Helps

Old Testament Lesson 27: "The Influence of Righteous and Wicked Leaders"

By Ted L. Gibbons

Prophets are not required to do things that make sense to anyone but God. Their prophetic utterances are often received with ridicule and derision. Their actions are frequently misunderstood. But what Ahijah did to Jeroboam must have seemed strange beyond all comprehension: