Why the Name "Admirer of Ammon"?

I chose the name "Admirer of Ammon" in rememberence of the great missionary in the Book of Mormon, Ammon. A good portion of the story takes place in the Book of Alma chapters 17-19, but his story is continued later in Alma. (Just a head's up if you already have a knowledge of the Book of Mormon you can basically skip the next paragraph, if not, enjoy.)

Ammon began as a skeptic of the Church of Christ and tried to turn people away from the teachings of the prophets; that is until a life changing encounter with an angel caused him to fully come unto the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From that point on he, his three brothers, and Alma the younger devoted themselves to God's work. He and his brothers felt they should teach the Gospel to their brethren, an apostate group, the Lamanites. Ammon went to one of the kings of the Lamanites, King Lamoni, and declared himself as a servant to the king; Ammon was assigned to help attend to the king's flocks. Ammon, in a miraculous feat, defended the flocks from a great number of thieves. He smote of many of their arms in defense of the king's property. He used the arms as evidence of the thieves attack. King Lamoni was taken aback and inquired as to how Ammon could pull-off such a great feat. Ammon then used this opportunity to preach unto the King of the ways of God. The King and many of his people were then converted, thanks to Ammon's missionary work in the land.

Okay, that is a very,very simplified version of the story of Ammon, but I just wanted to give those who had never heard it the basic gist of it. I have a great admiration of Ammon. He is an amazing example to all, of how we should go to great lengths to preach the Gospel. and act as an instrument in the saving of many's souls. I hope to be somewhat like Ammon (granted I'm not the best at chopping off people's arms...), to be an "instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren... to the knowledge of the truth" (Alma 17:9).

On a somewhat related side note there is a interesting Foundation of Ancient Research and Mormon Studies' (FARMS) article by Bruce H. Yerman entitled, Ammon and the Mesoamerican Custom of Smiting Off Arms (The article can be found at http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?id=183&table=jbms). The article states,

Cutting off an enemy's arm in battle not only rendered him utterly helpless but also netted the victor a grisly trophy to carry from the scene of battle that would validate his prowess in hand-to-hand combat. Documents from Mexico and Guatemala reveal such a pre-Columbian custom.

I apologize to those with weak stomachs, but I cite this evidence in support of the Book of Mormon. I pose a rhetorical question, How would a 'country boy' farmer, with a education level that on par with a fourth grader, from a rural area in New York, in 1830 "come up with" something so specific, that we know have found actual evidence supporting it? The chances he simply 'made it up' are slim to none. Joseph Smith could not have known the arms of enemies were used as "trophies", just as they were used by Ammon when he presented them to King Lamoni. This is just one small example of culture, technology, and customs in the Book of Mormon that have recently been discovered, through archaeological evidence to be true of Mesoamerican groups (the most probable location of the Book of Mormon). Evidence like this just help me build my testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is true and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, truly, God's Church here on earth.

The Beginning of the Blog

Well I won't try to fool anyone, this is my first blog, so please bear with me. One big influence I have for starting a blog is to shed some light on an ever growing, controversial subject of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I say controversial because it seems more and more (especially on this great 'internet highway' we travel on) misinformation, false information, and simply ignorant and bigoted information are being spread around by "anti-Mormons" (for lack of a better term).

I myself am no stranger to the--at times hostile--attacks on the Church. I was introduced to the Gospel in my senior year of high school, by long time friends who were LDS (life-long members). One of them gave me the Book of Mormon, upon my request. I was curious to see just what the deal was with this church. What I had learned of the church was mostly hearsay and from such great outlets like South Park (which does not exactly accurately represent the faith...). Once I picked up the Book of Mormon I immediately felt the Spirit. I learned so much from my reading. I took the challenge posed by Moroni, and was answered back a resounding "Yes", the Book of Mormon is in fact true and was divinely translated by Joseph Smith Jun. I was ready to join the Church, be baptized, but apparently my parents were not (and still are not) ready for me to do so. They became worried about my interest in the Church and started looking at the all too readily available anti-Mormon rhetoric out there. So now I am somewhat "forbidden" from going to Church; I have thus far respected my parents wishes and plan on continuing to do so.

Enough background history on myself. Another driving force I have for starting a blog is from a speech by Elder Russel M. Ballard. In which he stated, "The Lord over the centuries has had a hand in inspiring people to invent tools that facilitate the spreading of the gospel. The Church has adopted and embraced those tools, including print, broadcast media, and now the Internet... Now, to you... and all other faithful members of the Church, as you graduate from this wonderful university, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet...".

Well that's about it for my 'introduction'. Hopefully I'll be able to clear up some misconceptions of the Church, as well as talk a bit about myself.

Lastly I just wanted to make it clear that I am NOT affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the views I share are my own.