2008-12-07

Svithe equals.....



Mentions of Christ over total word count.

Someone asked me recently how I, as a Christian, can accept extrabiblical scripture. I have many answers to this question, but here's one in Nephi's words:
    And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

As a Christian, I like that attitude and I want to know more.

Here's a fascinating stat: the Book of Mormon (according to the formula above) mentions Christ more frequently than even the New Testament. Hard to believe, isn't it? I mean---the whole New Testament is about Jesus Christ.

But then, so is the Book of Mormon. That's its whole job, to convince us that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.

(Incidentally, I have to believe that were this only the Gospels v. the Book of Mormon, the Gospels would win. But I don't have numbers for that.)

Anyway, that's why the Book of Mormon --- and I why I think any Christian would do well to check it out, even if it seems unbelievable. I, a Mormon, enjoy the occasional Lutheran prayer book or Presbyterian hymnal. I grant you I've never read one cover to cover (usually because I've mostly perused them while visiting their services; I love visiting other religions' services), but I do find beauty and worth in them.

Jesus would never tell us to shun others who strive to follow him --- Didn't he say that "he that is not against us is for us"? --- even if their path is called Baptist or Catholic or something other than what we call our own. And I think the Book of Mormon offers most of his sweet truths to us.




this svithe on thmusings
last week's svithe

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