In light of the fact that March is women’s history month, I felt it would be appropriate to have the next installment of “lists of ten” feature ten women in the Book of Mormon. It’s no secret that religious texts tend to have male centric themes, are often set in the framework of patriarchal lineages, and at times can be downright misogynistic. Women are often written off as mere footnotes, or else are ignored completely. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich articulated this when she noted that “well-behaved women rarely make history.”

In examining the Book of Mormon narrative, we learn of several women, some well behaved, and some not, who had a great deal of influence on those around them and had pivotal roles in the sequence of events in which they found themselves.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. The resurrection was the crowning element of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and is an essential and centric feature of the Gospel.

The people of the Book of Mormon, although far removed from the Holy land, were well aware of the promise of the Resurrection. Alma taught the Zoramites:

“…Begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead…” (Alma 33:22)

In addition to demonstrating understanding of the physical and eternal nature of the resurrection, the Book of Mormon also uses the resurrection in symbolic terms to illustrate the more abstract concepts of redemption and rebirth that are otherwise more difficult to grasp.

In preparation to serve a mission myself I have come across a book called “Preparation Precedes Power” from a family member. It has been helpful in strengthening me and preparing me to serve the Lord on a full-time mission. As I have been reading I have realized that we can all be missionaries at any point in our lives. So how do we do that?

Most likely we would all like to be better missionaries by setting good examples and hoping that someone just might show some interest. However, chances are that whenever such circumstances arise and there is even a glimmer of interest, we don’t know exactly how to articulate the Gospel or our beliefs, even if we know them well.

So what are our beliefs? How do we explain who we are and what we know? The following contains several excerpts from the 11th chapter of “Preparation Precedes Power”, where Randy L. Bott gives us a pretty good idea of how to explain what we believe using the Book of Mormon.

Today commemorates the life, mission and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The latter half of the 20th century saw some tremendously significant changes in terms of attitudes and outlooks about people and society. Dr. King was certainly at the forefront of the movement, and was instrumental in advocating liberty and a level playing field for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, culture, or skin color.

The Book of Mormon’s references to race and skin color are a matter of great controversy. There are in fact passages that are quite jarring when considered in an educated and politically correct arena, most notably the reference to the Lamanites’ “sore cursing” in the same breath as their “skin of blackness” in 2 Nephi 5:21, and the infamous “[white/pure] and delightsome” passage in 2 Nephi 30:6. These difficult verses have been the root of many heated debates, but my purpose in writing this is not to provide apologetics for these, but rather to look beyond them and examine what else the Book of Mormon has to say about race. The truth is, all things considered, the message of the Book of Mormon is actually strikingly congruent with the dream of Martin Luther King Jr.

During the Christmas season, it is not uncommon to hear religious people bemoan the “over commercialization” of Christmas and implore others to remember the “true meaning.” The implication seems to be a call for more nativity scenes, less Santa; more “O Holy Night,” less “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.” Additional perspective can be gained on this issue by referring to the Book of Mormon, which records multiple references of people anticipating and remembering the birth of Christ, or the “true meaning” of Christmas: