Changed Opinion

I entered into the Mormonism unit with a screwed opinion on the religion, as my only experiences with the Mormon faith have been reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, and being asked for donations in the Salt Lake City Airport. For those of you who have not read the Krakauer book, I highly recommend you check it out, it is very interesting.

Anyways,  from a first time readers perspective, The Book of Mormon may seem like a grueling test to read and not fall asleep, while still trying to understand how the stories translate into an actual legitimate religion. The accounts feature trials in tribulations that are definitely applicable to our lives, and the lives of our ancestors as  I mentioned in my previous blog relating the Gadianton robbers to the Native Americans. However, before Friday, I still failed to really draw what I felt was due from the Book of Mormon, after finishing reading it, I still came off with a bit of a blank, “so what?” thought process.

In class, we watched a moving video about a Jamaican man who through the Book of Mormon became inspired and eventually changed his entire life. After watching, I felt inspired even though it was only a few minutes long. The way he describes his experience with the Book of Mormon, helping him to see god in a new way and recognize his presence, honestly made me want to re-read the Book of Mormon with that idea  in mind.  This may sound wishy washy, but I was actually inspired by his clear and positive message.  

Using the text to not necessarily formulate an opinion but to help provide a new way of noticing gods presence and the effects of his realm of influence was something I had not thought of before watching the video. This sounds absolutely crazy, but I am actually going to re read the book over winter break and see if my opinion changes on the way I perceive this religion, as well as noticing gods prescience and influence in daily life. 

Don’t worry- I’m not converting to Mormonism ,  I just feel as if I owe it some more time and effort to develop and adequate understanding of the religion.

Here is a link to an article on the Jon Krakauer book, Under the Banner of Heaven

Note- somewhat graphic and disturbing, but definitely worth a read

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/books/thou-shalt-kill.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm