엑소더스

My very Buddhist, Korean wife and I went to see that terrible movie Exodus. I should have know better than to see a Ridley Scott epic, but I was still interested in seeing a biblical movie.

My wife and I had the following conversation:

Wife: "How does Moses relate to Noah?"

(We had seen Noah* some months before, and I had an interesting time trying to explain Noah to her.)

Me: "Noah was first. Then came Abraham, and then came Moses."

Wife: "Is this story [the Exodus tale] a myth?"

Me: "Some of it probably is mythologized and/or metaphorical, but Moses was a real person who rescued the Hebrews. And he was a prophet."

Wife: "So, the plagues were all real?"

(I was surprised that she knew this, because her knowledge of the details of Christian theology are limited. I have been trying to help her out, but the process is a little slow.)

Me: "How do you know about the plagues?"

Wife: "I saw The Ten Commandments."

Me: "Very good."

Cecil B. DeMille, I take my hat off for you. You have had more missionary moments than any other person I could name...ever. No matter who I talk to, if I mention the name Moses, your epic movie comes up. You didn't need CGI. All you asked for was a few thousand extras and a few thousand animals. You directed such a classic movie, and now even Buddhists in Korea know of one of the Prophets and Dispensations of the Church.

When the movie ended, my wife said that Charlton Heston was much better of a Mo-Say (the Koreans pronounce Moses' name as "Mo-Say" 모세). Although, I feel that Bale added a complexity to the character that Heston lacked, but Heston's portrayal was much more memorable and powerful.

And, I have realized that the biblical movies that were controversial and way-off from the original text have offered much better Missionary Moments because of the conversations that can be had.

*More on Noah in a later post.

The Burden of Proof

Burden of Proof is defined as: 

When two parties are in a discussion and one asserts a claim that the other disputes, the one who asserts has a burden of proof to justify or substantiate that claim. An argument from ignorance occurs when either a proposition is assumed to be true because it has not yet been proved false or a proposition is assumed to be false because it has not yet been proved true. This has the effect of shifting the burden of proof to the person criticizing the proposition. While certain kinds of arguments, such as logical syllogisms, require mathematical or strictly logical proofs, the standard for evidence to meet the burden of proof is usually determined by context and community standards and conventions.

The idea of the Burden of Proof comes up a lot in religious debates. Basically, it says that the burden lies on the person making the claim (i.e. I believe God exists) to show the evidence and proof for a claim. The person denying the claim (i.e. I don't believe in God) has no burden of proof (and anyway, you can't prove a negative in the first place, so the statement, 'You can't prove God doesn't exist,' is a fallacious statement).

If I say, "The Book of Mormon is Scripture and came through revelation," the Burden of Proof is on me to prove this claim, not for the other person to prove the negation. I know that it is impossible to prove a negative, so when believers say, "You can't prove there is no God," that statement is meaningless, because no one can prove a negation.

But, there are some times when the non-believer (Atheists, Agnostics, Rationalists, Neo-Atheists, Free Thinkers, Humanists, and Those-who-don't-like-labels-and-so are-labeled-as-such...whatever you refer to yourself as) seems to have the Burden of Proof just as the believer has. 

When I say, "The Book of Mormon is Scripture," and the non-believer says "No, the Book of Mormon is not true and not Scripture," the Burden of Proof is on me, because I am making the claim and the non-believer is just denying my claim.

However, when the non-believer makes the claim that the Book of Mormon is a fraud, that statement should also have the Burden of Proof. If I say, "The Book of Mormon is Scripture," and the non-believer says, "No, the Book of Mormon is a fake and a fraud," isn't the Burden of Proof on both of us to show and prove our claims? 

In an older post on a Facebook religious debate group (I frequent them when I am in my office), I asked "When you all see the Bible, D&C, Pearl of Great Price, and the Book of Mormon, how would you describe it? What do you think it is?"

One guy quickly figured out quickly that I had an alternative reason for asking this question than pure curiosity. He was right. I wanted to know people's opinions first, because I made this post.

I got many various answers, like:

Morgan ****:  "A fairly boring contradictory fairy tale used to try to coerce people into acting a certain way. Personally I like my fiction to be more consistent thematically"

Craig *******:  "I think that the bible was a bunch of misunderstood stories created by people who didn't understand nature. All the mormon stuff is an obvious attempt at fraud, that only the super naive would fall for."

Kurt ******* ******:  "Bunk!"

John *****:  "The Book of Mormon is the same exact thing the Bible is, a collection of stories, by guy claiming to be inspired, writing on behalf of imaginary inspired people, about a bunch of imaginary stories, and misunderstood history."

Mike ****** ******:  "Myths, fairy tales. Humanity grasping at straws, trying to explain why things like earthquakes and lightning happen without science and coming up with magical explanations of the universe. In the case of the D&C, and smith's other writings I see it as narcissism distilled into print."

Nathan ********:  "Those books are "entertainment" and "guidebooks" for people that don't like thinking for themselves. Old school snake oil "self-help" books that con artists use to dupe rubes and the young out of their money and time, etc."

  

Now, my question is: Wouldn't all these people have the Burden of Proof to show and prove their ideas and opinions just as much as I would have the Burden of Proof to show and prove that the Book of Mormon, the D&C, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Bible are all Scripture? Don't we both have the Burden of Proof? None of these people have to prove a negation.

For instance, "All the mormon stuff is an obvious attempt at fraud." Wouldn't Craig have the Burden of Proof to show that (at least) Joseph Smith was committing a fraud and intentionally fooling people with something he knew was fake? But, Craig said, "All the mormon stuff," so I would assume that he has the Burden of Proof to show that the Pearl of Great Price, the D&C, and the Book of Mormon were created, written, and presented by people who knew they were fake, but were presented to the public anyway for some fraudulent purpose?

Even Mike's answer that the Scriptures (some or all, I don't know) were "Myths, fairy tales." That statement is not a negation and put a claim that the Scriptures were myths and fairy tales; written, created, and presented for a certain reason, probably for some lesson.

Even when Jared ******* said the Scriptures (all or some...he wasn't clear) were "Myth wrapped in lies wrapped in horseshit." This would require the Burden of Proof on his part, to show me which parts are myth, which parts are lies, and which parts are horseshit. Or, if every single part of the Scriptures are myths and lies and horseshit, wouldn't this still require the Burden of Proof?

I am not trying to shuck off the Burden of Proof on my part. And, I am not trying to pass the responsibility on to someone else. I am just saying that some cases seem to require both parties (the believer and the non-believer) to present their proof because they would both of the Burden of Proof.

Nathan claimed that "We know they are full of **** from experience and science." Doesn't the Burden of Proof fall on Nathan to show this?

오늘의 생각

I imagine David Bowie....

And Alan Rickman....

In Spirit Prison, right now, being helped by Boyd C. Packer.

부처님, 지금 어디 계신가요?

As the snow continued to fall on the University of Utah campus, my wife was getting more and more distraught. She hates snow and she hates the cold. In her Korean fashion, her feelings came out in a vocal expression. "Stop snowing! I hate snow!" 

I said, "Ask Buddha for it to stop snowing."

My wife is Won Buddhist (a sect of Buddhism in Korea), and although I'm Mormon, we agreed to never force each other's religion on the other and to learn from each other. 

She asked, "Is Buddha here in Salt Lake City?"

"There are mountains everywhere around here and we are pretty high up in elevation, so I am sure he's here." 

NOTE:  According to the Won Buddhists, Buddha only lives in the mountains, and to go and visit him for repentance of sins, help, and general offerings, we must exert all our mental and physical energy to get to him. 

"Oh, good. Buddha, please make it stop snowing."

Then, after a moment of walking, my wife said, "Jason, on Sunday, ask God to make it stop snowing."

"I don't need to wait until Sunday, I can ask Him anytime."

"But, you have to go to the church building..."

"No. That is just a place to gather together for Him. I can pray to Him anytime."

"Really? Good. I hate snow. Ask Him to stop."

"Sure. I will pray tonight."

Flash forward to about a week later and our household goods arrived and my wife was happy because the Buddha arrived with it. And, her pray beads.

She said that if I was going to pack a bunch of Korean Bibles then she was going to bring Buddha. That was fine, of course. And, anyway, I like the Indian version of the Buddha. He seems more jolly, and I can relate to the fat guy. 

And, the lessons in Mormonism and Christ continue with my wife, and she is getting more into the idea of Heavenly Father.

열쇠

When I was very young, my mother was always at home; and on special occasions, my brother and I could stay up and greet our father when he came home from the paper mill. My brother and I would wait for our father to come through the door, reeking of the awful smell of the paper mill, and then run away, laughing and giggling. Our father got a laugh out of this as he put down his briefcase and unlatched his enormous keychain from his belt and set it on the counter right next to our very 20’s style oven. I was always fascinated by those keys, and keys in general. There were so many of them—shining, rusty, and chipped. Gold colored, silver, and rusty. On my father’s days off, he would leave those keys where he had set them the night before and I would always sneak a peek and sometimes take them into my room and admire them―imagining some scenario where I was an adventure on explores and the keys would open secret rooms. I expected the day when I would have many keys that I could put on a keychain. I already had a few cheap, plastic key chains I had picked up at some overpriced, Made in China souvenir shop on one of my family’s many excursions to museums and other cities. I always loved keys and the locks they went with.

When I started playing Nintendo and the Legend of Zelda, I was awed by the idea of a Skeleton Key—a key that could open any door. Link, the main hero in the Legend of Zelda, had to search for one key to open one door, until he came to the Castle (Level Eight) where he could get the Skeleton Key. 

Horror movies were full of Skeleton Keys that opened dark and haunted places, which always gave me nightmares.

When I got a little older, I read The Indian In The Cupboard series, about a magic key that brought plastic figurines to life—especially an Indian (hence the title). I would search through our house and find keys that weren’t being used, take them, and put them on a key chain that I would carry around in my pocket all day. The keys were way too many and would weigh down my shorts, but the discomfort didn’t really bother me, because I had keys—lots of keys. Keys… keys were everywhere. My parents would ask me what I was doing and my siblings would, of course, ridicule me. Keys. Keys. Keys.

I remember when my parents needed two car keys for the car. One was used for the ignition and the trunk and the other was used for just the ignition (or something like that, I can’t quite remember the exact details). 

What I did remember were the plastic covers on the top part of the car keys as compared to the lack of decoration of house keys. In literature even (another big part of my life), keys played an interesting role. The poets and novelists who spent time as POWs or in federal/state prisons talked of the jingling of the keys as the guards would approach closer to their cells.

There are the keys to Heaven giving to Peter. There are the keys to the bottomless Pit. There are the keys of the Pit. The keys to success. Keys are everywhere. And, most importantly, the Keys to the Priesthood were restored, and I managed to attain the my Melchizedek priesthood so now I hold a few metaphorical, spiritual keys, just as I did when I had the Aaronic Priesthood. Those Keys were lost and given back to us, thank fully.

And, times are changing, and the metal keys are fading, being replaced by keypads and remote keys, which saddens me a little. I miss the cling cling of the keys, like the sound of a customer entering a mom and pop store, or they are reminiscent of the wind chimes which were rusty yet aesthetically pleasing─a constant in every house in the country.

The Keys of the Priesthood were something I didn't understand well when I joined the church, but I came to realize the responsibility inherent in these Keys and what that meant to me as a member of the LDS church. They fill the years with memories and comfort, just like the keys from my childhood, but there is that responsibility that I need to willfully embrace. I can't look at the Keys as something imaginative like I did as a child. These Keys to the Priesthood are real and do have an effect on the real world, unlike those times of youthful imagination that filled my early years.

I have lost my apartment keys once and misplaced my car keys another time, but I learned from those experiences about keeping the keys close. But, oh, if I ever lost the Keys to the Priesthood, that would be devastating to me.

7일

I have done it!!!! I’m the man!!!!  

I have finally completed the mission/game I set up for myself over a year ago. I didn't expect it to be near as hard as it was, but it has been a good challenge—and really really difficult. 

I have grown since starting this personal game also.

I had the thought of doing this game after watching "How I Met Your Mother." One of the characters, Barney, had been trying to have "the Perfect Week," which (in the show) meant seven women in seven days. But, I wanted to change the game into a more spiritual game, so I attempted to have the Perfect Missionary Moment Week. This meant that I needed to have seven missionary moments in seven days. 

There were a few rules I set up:

Rule One: I couldn’t just ask someone if they knew about Mormonism or hand them a flyer or business card. The other person needed to prompt the moment or I needed to do a little Three Steps of Mormon.

In my point of view, the best missionary moments have come when the other person has an interest or an issue and Mormonism or the LDS church or the scriptures can help them out.

Rule Two: If I had two missionary moments in the same day, that was a bonus, but it didn't mean that the second missionary moment could count for the next day. I needed to be able to say, "On Monday, X happened; and on Tuesday, Y happened...." There needed to be a Missionary Moment for each day. 

Rule Number two ended up being the hardest obstacle, because I would sometimes have three missionary moments in one day, but then have nothing the next day. 

The other big problem was Saturday. 

Oh, Saturday, thy art a heartless snob!

Saturday was the big problem with the Perfect Week, because I usually just spent Saturday at home with the wife or doing grad school work on the computer. It was hard to have a missionary moment on Saturday for me.

But, after a year, I finally managed to have the Perfect Missionary Moment week! You all have the right to be impressed. I will expect praise and presents the next time I see you all. 

And, this is what happened during the perfect week:

Saturday

I got to talk to my European Mason friend about Mormonism some more and gave him a Book of Mormon. This was the same guy who I messaged the first five chapters of the First Book of Nephi to him (verse by verse) to wake him up.

Because of this Missionary Moment on a Saturday (which is always difficult), I was off to a good start.

Before he left back to Seoul, I gave him a Book of Mormon which he promised to read, especially on the train ride back to Seoul

Sunday

I had gotten the Thai Book of Mormon I asked for some days before, and my Thai Facebook friend said she would happily accept it. We talked about it over Facebook Messenger. She had never even heard of the Book of Mormon before. I talked with her on Sunday and mailed it on Monday. She shared the Book of Mormon with her two friends, as she told me on that Thursday over Facebook Messenger.

Monday

I had some pictures of the General Authority. My students saw the pictures and asked me about them. I told them about keeping the pictures and using them similar to the Jesus picture. You remember the journal entry? The Jesus picture kept me focused and kept reminding my office mate about Jesus. 

I had the pictures cut out when my students came in. I had to go to the bathroom and when I came back they had done this: 

Yeah, it was a little creepy, but they did ask me who they were and I got to explain and help their curiosity 

Tuesday

I was searching for a certain Facebook group, but I misread/misunderstood the group name, so when I messaged the administrator of the group and asked to be admitted into the group, I got a message over Facebook Messenger that was very interesting. I quickly understood that I had misunderstood what the Facebook Group was not what I thought it was, but I kept talking to this middle-aged woman. She had recently left the RLDS church and has been recently having a little trouble with her faith as she has been studying up and praying about the LDS church. She has recently been going to an LDS ward with some other former RLDS ladies. We had a long discussion about conversion and baptism into the LDS church and what had brought us to the LDS faith. This all happened by accident, but it was a good opportunity to share my testimony with someone who has been struggling with her faith. There are still a lot of things of the RLDS church and the Restoration Branch that she has held to be true, and she has had a hard time letting some of them go for what has been giving to us in the Revealed Gospel. 

This story will unfold some as time goes by. I friended her on Facebook and promised to keep in contact with her. 

Wednesday  

A long time friend of mine (over thirteen years) is now a professor at the same uni I work at. She was a Korean exchange student at MSU in America when we met and we have stayed friends since then. I helped her get a job at my current uni. One of her other friends became a Presbyterian a few years ago, and then I got my faith and became a Mormon about two years after that. Her family is very Buddhist, so she has been very curious about have these spiritual awakenings and coming to accept God and Jesus. Her friend and I have tried to get her to understand.

On Wednesday, I gave her a Book of Mormon to read. She asked about it and we got to talk about it for a little while.  She started reading it in class while monitoring a final test. I told her to wait until she gets to Alma and the Reign of Judges, because she will be really interested in that part.

Thursday

Usually, when I want to go out and eat lunch, I can message a few students and they will join me for lunch. Today, I messaged a girl student of mine and she said she would meet me for lunch. A friend came with her (another of my students). While I was waiting in the fast food joint, I was reading the Scriptures. When they came in, they asked me what I was reading. Directly, this led into a conversation about Mormonism.

Friday

There is a large Africa International Student Organization in Daegu Catholic University and Daegu University. Many moons ago, I had asked the Missionaries in our ward for a bunch of different Book of Mormons from different African countries. Over the months, I managed to give a lot of them away, but I still have about eight of them in my office. 

One of my female Korean students is a mentor for the group—helping them get around, translation, and setting up ‘cultural trips’ for them. I have helped out now and then with the Africans. I know most of them because I studied Korean with a few of them some years back. Some Zambians, Nigerians, Kenyans, Ghanans, and those of the Congo are students at my university. I have asked them off and on if they want a Book of Mormon or come to church. Some of the Nigerians, students from the Congo, and the Zambians have all gotten Books of Mormon. 

Today, two of the African students who I have recently friended on Facebook asked me if I had a Book of Mormon in their language. Apparently, they saw the Bhuku Ramormoni (The Ibo translation for the Nigerians) in his apartment and asked where he got it. The Nigerian told them that I had a lot of different translations of the Book of Mormon and I could probably give them one. Considering that they are currently in a country whose native language is Korean and who favors English, any book in their native language is very appealing. I realized this idea some months ago and figured it would be a good chance for some missionary moments. 

Anyway, this morning I was asked if I had a Book of Mormon in Shona (Zimbabwe) and one in Twi (Ghana). Luckily, I have one in both languages. So, I contacted my student and asked if she could get the Books of Mormon to the two African students. She just came by my office and got the two Books of Mormons, promising to get them to the African guys this Sunday when they meet. 

이단 리스트

The official Korean Church Organization releases a list of Heresy and Fake Churches around Korea. Mormonism is 34th on the list (not by importance, just alphabetical order).

So much more Missionary work to do, especially in terms of how the LDS church is perceived (Turtle moments, Willow moments, and every kind of Missionary Moment):

한국교회 이단 사이비 종교 명단

1 가계 저주론 (이윤호 목사): 합신(2001/86위험한 사상), 통합(2006/91/사이비성 농후) 

2 기독교과학교회 (크리스챤사이언스) (차순영) 

3 강림휴거교회 (김재규) 

4 구원파 (권신찬, 박옥수, 이요한 목사): 기성(/이단사이비집단), 고신(이단), 통합(이단), 

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34 몰몬교 (말일 성도 예수그리스도의 교회) (한인상, 美, 요셉스미스): 합신, 고신, 기성, 기장 

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206 이희준 목사(합동선목총회장 역임): 직통계시, (기독교이단사이비연구소) 이단규정 

207 조성기 목사(통합총회 사무총장): (한기총)이단 옹호 

208. 한기총 질서위가 ‘이단 옹호자’로 규정한 이들은 한장총 이대위원장인 김학수 목사(백석)를 비롯해, 

박형택 목사(합신), 이희수 목사(통합), 박남수 목사(개혁선교), 윤재선 목사(대신)로 총 5명이다.

I see this list and think, "There is always a lot of need to spread the fullness of the Gospel around the world." I don't want to tell anyone that their religion is wrong, but I would rather help them find the Fullness of the Gospel. This list, to me, is a shopping list for what is needed in this consumer-ridden world. 

This is a list of two hundred and eight churches, denominations, and sects who should hear the Fullness of the Gospel.