Explanations for Accessibility

Elder Ulisses Soares's talk focused on The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon, and as such, I didn't take many notes about it. I already knew the basics of the story. I knew about the Angel Moroni and the Gold Plates. I knew about the miraculous translation and the difficulties of publication. I knew about the witnesses and Moroni's Promise. There wasn't much in Elder Soares's talk that was new to me. However, I know that that's not true for everyone who heard his talk.

There must have been a few non-members within the sound of his voice that Saturday Afternoon. There must have been a few people who hadn't heard about the Book of Mormon, who didn't know much about it, or at least didn't know the details of how God got it to us through the service of Joseph Smith. There had to have been at least a few people for whom Elder Soares's talk was news to them, perhaps even earth-shattering news. Elder Soares didn't give his talk for me, someone who had been reading from and about the Book of Mormon since I was a child. He gave his talk for them.

Since I was raised in the church, and since most of the people I know have been members of the church about as long as I have, I sometimes forget that not everyone who might attend a church meeting (or stumble upon my blog) knows all the lore and stories we know. I could mention "Moroni's Promise" in passing, like I did earlier in this blog post, and sure, most people who read it would get it, but some people might not, and those people would almost certainly be timid enough not to ask. Sure, some people might be bold enough to ask, or curious enough to look for an answer themselves, but they shouldn't have to. If I'm going to talk about, or even mention, something that one of my readers might not know, it would be courteous of me to explain it, like I try to do with the D&D and Magic stuff, just in case.

Moroni's Promise is a common term for a promise given by an ancient prophet, Moroni, that if we would sincerely read and pray about the Book of Mormon, God would tell us that it's true. Moroni was the one who finished the work of compiling the Book of Mormon onto thin, gold plates. Much later, as an angel, Moroni delivered the plates to Joseph Smith, who translated the book through divine inspiration and managed to get it published, despite his poverty, through the generous financial support of a man named Martin Harris. Martin Harris and several others saw the plates personally and offered their witnesses of the book's truth and authenticity. One can learn more by reading Elder Soares's talk and/or The Book of Mormon itself.

Such explanations may take an extra moment or two to read or write, but if they help others, they're worth the extra effort. I need to remember that life-long members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aren't the only ones who hear the messages I share. Those who are unfamiliar with our doctrine, lingo, and stories may need some explanations. I should try to be thoughtful enough to provide them, as Elder Soares did.