I was invited to come onto The Stick of Joseph show recently and presented some ideas from an old post here on oneClimbs but with a whole bunch of new twists; special thanks to my broski, Chris for arranging everything.
The Paul brothers were very genuine and fun to talk to and I appreciated being able to do a long form discussion on this topic because I had a lot of fun preparing for it.
Although I spend about 2 hours talking about this, I think it’s just scratching the surface.
I probably made some mistakes, missed some things, etc. but I really thing there’s something here worth looking into and I hope that much more knowledgable individuals can take a crack at it in the future.
I think my biggest takeaway isn’t that this is some kind of evidence of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon because I already know it’s authentic. To me, as an artist and very visual person, I’m just really connecting with Alma’s inspired creativity and think it deserves more recognition.
Stay tuned for more, because this was only the first of two episodes we recorded and I’m really thrilled about the next topic.
Download the presentation
Here’s a link to download the presentation that I used on the show, feel free to use it, distribute it, or even add to it as you study and explore on your own.
7 Comments
Thank you for sharing your knowledge on Alma 32/33. These ideas/insights were enlightening and illuminated Alma’s words for me. I went through the chapters 32 and 33 highlighting the words and jotting down notes.
I have a question. When you spoke about 18 mentions of faith in the chapters were you speaking of only Alma 32 or 32 and 33 combined? I have looked over and over and can only find 17 in Alma 32 (even used Scripture Notes to double check) and 2 in Chapter 33 for a total of 19. Were you speaking of 18 mentions of faith in just 32? If so, I have missed one. These were places I found mention of faith; 18, 21, 21, 21, 26, 26, 27, 29, 30, 30, 34, 36, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43. In chapter 33: 1, 23. Total 19. What did I miss?
As an aside, I was curious about the 19th letter and looked to see its meaning and whether it might add to my understanding of Alma’s teachings. I found this: KUF, numerical value 100, represents death and negative thought, speech, action. On the other (hand), it invites transformation. Just as the design of the 3 sided BET embodies a certain tension that is resolved in the 4-sided MEM, so does the foot of the KUF call out to be elevated from its station below the horizon. We have the ability to transform the irrational to the super rational thus directing our thoughts, our speech, our action solely toward God and holiness. (chabad.org)
Pondering this relative to your thoughts on baptism, water, and becoming, I think this number also fits with what Alma was teaching. I also like the placement of the word faith at the beginning and end of Alma’s teachings in 33, it seems to frame everything he says there.
My question is, did I miss one of the mentions of faith in chapter 32? Can you point that out to me, please? I do not doubt I may have missed something.
Thank you again for inspiring me to look more deeply.
Pam
Good catch, and I’ll try to explain. I’m using Alma 32 and 33 which are all part of one sermon, but in Alma 33 if you look carefully there is a 19th mention of the word “faith” in Alma 33:1 but I’m not counting that one because it is part of Mormon’s commentary and not part of Alma’s actual sermon.
That’s just how I approached the text here but I wouldn’t rule out other approaches like looking at the sum total of the words including Mormon’s as well. It’s possible that both could be useful.
Thank you for that insight. I did not pick up on Moroni’s comment being 33:1. Your approach makes total sense but also I like the option of looking at the total of the words as well. Thank you for your response.
Steve,
You did a great job on these Alma Chapters. I’ve found quite a few in the earlier chapters of Alma. Once we find the context it opens up….I completely agree. It actually makes me realize how multi-dimensional the gospel is and why it’s best understood by revelation. I did download the presentation but it’s only showing an image. Is there a pdf format? Anyways…keep doing good work and spread the Gospel(good news). Cheers.
Thanks, Mahonrri, I went ahead an added a pdf below the Keynote presentation, hope that helps!
Steve,
Thank you for making all your thoughts accessible. I just downloaded your stick of Joseph presentation and can’t wait to dive into it and study it with the Scriptures. I’ve had similar thoughts to start publishing some of my insights and just haven’t done it and you’re inspiring me to start. Thanks again.
Awesome, Kip, it’s been a huge blessing to write articles and share them like this over the years. If you think that publishing your own insights would be of value you should totally do it. One of my favorite quotes that helps me stop procrastinating because I fear that what I create may be sub-standard, etc. is “You have to be the disaster before you become the master.” – John Lee Dumas, host of Entrepreneurs on Fire
Another inspiring quote: “You start by sucking, and then you get better, and eventually you suck so little, you’re actually good.” – Garrett J. White
Hope that helps ;) Good luck in your endeavors!