Exactness

Most LDS consider the word "exactness" a symbolic totem of sorts.  It represents temple commitments and how they are to live out their lives.

I searched the word "exactness" in my Gospel Library app.  In the Old Testament, there were zero citations using the word "exactness".  However the word "exact" occurs once in the Epistle Dedicatory, and reflects an idea synonymous with the word "specific".  After that, the word "exact appears four times.  The word "exacted" appears twice.  "Exaction" occurs twice.  In every case, outside the Epistle Dedicatory, it refers to taxation or collection of moneys or debts.

In the New Testament, only the word "exact" appears, and only one time.  Also referring to the tax collector (AKA "publican") collecting no more than he is required.

In the Book of Mormon, here is the count:

• exact - 1
• exacted - 1
• exactness - 1

The use of "exactness" is the only one which refers to something other than taxes or collection of monies.  However it is completely possible that the word exactness did refer to the traditional use of the word, however in our modern reading we equate the word with "precise" or "specific".  A linguistic or scripture scholar might be able to consider an alternate meaning for this. 

Doctrine and Covenants uses the word "exactly" three times, all in Official Declaration 1.  All cases refer to a definition synonymous with the word "specific, precisely". 

The Pearl of Great Price uses the word "exactly" one time.  It is when Joseph says a pillar of light was exactly over his head.  

I find it extremely peculiar that this word is used so infrequently in scripture.  The total count comes to 20 times, in various forms, throughout hundreds of pages of scripture.    

The EET (Earliest Extant Transcripts) and my Sloppy Coppy

1. I'm so excited to share this.  Below is a message from Chris Hamill, who has asked for help in distributing this message.  Several months ago I had some impressions to seek out a copy of the Book of Mormon in Microsoft Word form.  Something that I could edit and do so fairly quickly using the "replace" editing tool.  I felt prompted to make a "translation" that my kids could read a little more readily that used language they were familiar with.  I hoped to share my love of it and hopefully spark some love for it in them too.  In asking around for such a copy, I was connected to Chris Hamill, who shared with me that he was working on this extensive project described below.  In my religious tradition I have tended to hold fast to the "as long as it is translated correctly" to the 8th Article of Faith.  And I tended to believe that no other Bible beyond the KJV would do, neglecting the fact that Joseph Smith was commanded extensively to work on a new translation of the Bible.  The Bible is not intended to be a stumbling block between faiths, nor is it to be an idol to worship as we seek to discover God. As there are countless languages in the world, it seems appropriate to me that it would serve us well to get as close to the original intent of the scriptures as possible, but that cannot always be done with definitive language.  The scriptures are to describe spiritual concepts in physical terms, which is really difficult, if not sometimes impossible in this world.  But there is something important about discovering the original intent of the speaker of the words in scriptures, and unfortunately adulteration happens over time, as our language changes.  Chris and his friends have sought to overcome some of the adulteration that has happened, and help us as readers get more acquainted with the original intent and words of the earliest copies of the Book of Mormon and other scriptures revealed through Joseph Smith.  The information below describes their efforts in their own words. 

A small group of us has spent most of the year going through the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, reaching back to the original manuscripts to get as true a version of what Joseph offered us as possible and showing what changes have happened since his death. We are getting bids to have a triple combination volume printed in the coming months. For the moment we want to make people aware of this effort. Electronic versions of the scriptures are free for download at
anoffenderforaword.blogspot.com in Word, PDF and some ebook formats. There are also instructions for using a Kindle reader or app with the PDFs as an ebook. The PDFs give a clear representation of how the volume will look.

We will notify everyone when orders can be placed for your own copies. We are trying to keep the cost to around $20 per copy. These will be printed on biblestock paper and will have large margins for easy note taking. An effort to produce a complete JST bible is also underway. A complete Kindle JST KJV is available by Ken Lutes on Amazon. He is the one working on a complete print version. When that work is ready to order we will let you know. He is not a part of this movement.

This volume of scripture is not official to the Remnant Movement in any sense, and we hope they may be of interest to Mormons of all types. While many of us felt inspired during the process, we offer this volume as a gift to our Lord and to our friends and families. Feel free to take this work and improve on it.

2. As I described above, months ago I was prompted to create a revision for my children.  In receiving a copy from Chris, I began doing some edits of words to essentially create a 2016 language friendly copy of the Book of Mormon.  The Bible has dozens of editions in languages to help readers read and understand it.  There are copies for children, teenagers, and people of multiple languages.  It seemed peculiar to me that the Book of Mormon had never seen such a revision for children or teenagers, although it has been translated to multiple languages.  As I began editing the MS Word copy, someone shared on a FB Group that there were two other copies on the market, edited for easy readability for readers who needed help understanding the big words. One is here and the other is here.  There may be more.  I purchased both and set my project aside, thinking the work I intended to do had already been squared away by someone else... times two!

It wasn't until a few months passed that I felt to open up one of the copies I purchased, and I discovered that I didn't appreciate the interpretation that the one copy held of the concept I was studying.  It held a current LDS view of the Holy Spirit, while the original Book of Mormon holds a different view, which is the one that Joseph Smith explained in the Lectures on Faith.  The new edition did exactly what we avoid translations for the purpose of doing.  It changed the meaning to fit our current paradigm, while not holding to the original intent.  It absolutely LOST the spiritual meaning in favor of a completely morphicized (I just made that word up) view.

In trying to create my own translation for my kids, I see how difficult this is. It's really impossible to create a translation that everyone will like, agree with, or appreciate.  But there is absolutely a richness I discovered when taking that original file, and editing it for my own purposes, and trying to do so while seeking to maintain the original spiritual intent.  Mormon... that dude had quite a task!  Some examples of things I did in my version:

• Changed "ye" to "you.
• Changed "thee" to "thou". 
• Removed the "-eth" suffixes of as many words as I could find.
• Removed ALL punctuation. 
• Removed "and it came to pass" and replaced with "and so then". (I discovered that "and so then" is very redundant, but it also speeds up the reading as I don't get stopped up by it as I did with the prior words.  I use "so" a lot in my day-to-day language.)  

I'm currently contemplating what to do with "behold", as it's frequently used but seems to have multiple meanings.  It brings me, as the reader, to the point of stopping and questioning why these words were chosen.  It also shows language patterns, especially when certain phrases are used repeatedly in connection with a certain concept.  It has been a rich, rich experience which only unfolds more open to me.  

So I'm going to add, when time allows, links on this site to download your own digital copy of the work Chris and the gang have done.  But I HIGHLY encourage you to mark it up!  Save it once as an original, then choose how you'd like to edit it (if at all) and save it again as a new version.  Let it broaden your love for the message.  The purpose of this book, which Nephi says right at the beginning his intent is to bring us to Christ.  How awesome is that?!?!?!  Fall in love with the characters and their hearts, and get to know them.  

And finally, I kept asking, as I made my edits, if this is something that could be shared.  I don't know that my edits will be useful to anyone else.  But I did decide to share them as I go.  This will likely be a project that I fail at.  So don't commit me to being perfect at this.  But I'm going to go chapter by chapter and translate it for my children.  I'll be sharing them at a basic site located here: [edit] http://simplebookofmormon.blogspot.com/.  It is a sloppy copy!  I have intentionally misspelled "Sloppy Coppy" to illustrate that is it absolutely NOT perfect.  But it has helped me, and I suppose it may help some readers who are dyslexic, who get slowed down by punctuation, or who really need to loosen their shoe's lachets a bit if you know what I mean as they read for content over grammar.  I DARE you to print out the pages of the EET linked above, chapter by chapter, and mark them up.  Use them for advanced study.  I can't imagine the Lord would be displeased in the efforts to get to understand these riches further, even if we got a few words wrong.  Use it well my friends! 

Hearts

"A heart is able to sustain life 70 - 80 - 100 years. But the heart that takes time to touch another heart has truly accomplished something that will outlast both of their lifetimes."

This quote was hand typed onto a page inserted into a notebook given to a friend of mine. She gave me the name of the sister who wrote it, but it's hidden away on my closed Facebook account.

While at BYU, I attended a Book of Mormon class offered by Reed Benson, President Ezra Taft Benson's son. As part of the course, he had us read and semi-memorize some of his father's talks.  One of them was his "Beware of Pride" talk.  It was stressed that President Benson felt that one of the key messages of the Book of Mormon was pride, and the cycle that followed a proud people.

During the most recent Passover, I began reading the story of Moses.  I observed the repeated use of the word "hard-hearted" in the account, and I began drawing hearts around the word "heart", in any form.  This practice took over my study of all scripture (and sometimes other books too), and has become an interesting visual as I flip through my scriptures.  

A day or so ago I was led to Psalms 24.  I read it over and over.  These verses stuck out: 

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and his righteousness from the God of his salvation.  This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.  Selah.  - Psalms 24: 4-6

As I was cleaning out some boxes yesterday, I came across an old book about baptism.  It was interesting to me, that the primary lesson for the intended childhood audience was that doing and performing good and was the key to making it into God's kingdom.  Yet that is all about outward things, and we are a people of outward ordinances.  But the Lord wants a pure heart.

When I skim over the pages in the Book of Mormon that I've read with my children since Passover (springtime), it is somewhat astounding to view how frequently hearts are referenced.  I'll paste in some page views for your viewing pleasure.

Since beginning this practice with my little red pencil, it has been astounding to see how frequently I come across the word "heart", referring to God speaking to one's heart, being hard-hearted, soft-hearted, and other variations.  Almost every time I open up the scriptures, there it is, regardless of whether or not I am looking at the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, or Pearl of Great Price.

It's also been tempting to start drawing hearts around similar words that refer to the same concept (like beloved, love, swelling, etc.).  My kids have really enjoyed having a reason to draw in their scriptures too.  More importantly it has reminded me as I read, that the Lord looks upon our hearts, and even more than pride, this is one of the most dominant themes in the written word – all of them.

God IS Love.  It is no wonder that so much effort is made to point out that this center for feeling love is so crucial for our understanding.  I wonder if we ignore it, in lieu of preferring to focus more on the damnable negativity and others' sins?  Guilty!  But working on it.

Love conquers all.  Charity is the Pure Love of Christ.  Without charity man is nothing.  Let us focus more today on Love than we did yesterday.  I believe this has more to do with rising up than we may have any idea of.   

Thcriptures

Dear Austin,

Tonight you read "thcriptures" with us for the first time.  What a joy!  We read D&C 36.  It was just you and Magdalene and Josten and I.  Magdalene wanted to read, but the decided not to, and while she was being wishy-washy, you started reading, which caused her to pitch a fit.  Despite that, how beautiful, to hear your little kindergartener voice reading scriptures, as if you'd been reading them all your life!  Where did you learn to read like that?  I never heard you read your school books quite so well.  What a tender gift, to hear your new-found knowledge being applied to the words of our Lord.  From the mouth of babes.

~Mom<3