“If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts,
the power to endure will crumble.”
-Henry B. Eyring
From that quote, I picture two distinct images in my mind.
First I see an image of a coal power plant. As coal is taken
to and burned at a plant, it generates electricity. We can then use that
electricity to power everything from lights, to computers, to even cars now.
These things help our lives move forward.
Faith is power. To generate that power, we need to add
elements to our lives such as meaningful scripture study, mighty prayer, and
purposeful service. As we let activities like those burn within our souls, they
change us and generate faith. Faith is the power—the energy source that
motivates us to keep moving forward and endure to the end.
Second, I see an image of a foundation, and this is the
image that President Henry B Eyring writes about. In order to have a strong
foundation, there must be solid ground underneath. Next you pour the
foundation, and after some curing time, you have a strong foundation.
In building a foundation of faith, the only way to have
solid ground underneath is to have personal integrity. The actual foundation is
then poured as a mixture of different elements. Meaningful scripture study,
mighty prayer, and purposeful service would all be good faith-building elements
in that mixture. Next there must be a
passage of time to let the mixture harden, which allows the foundation to be
strong. Faith takes time to solidify in our souls. Remember, it is letting the
right elements have time to solidify, and not the passage of time alone that
creates a foundation of faith.
I’m grateful for Elder Eyring’s April 2012 conference talk entitled
Mountains to Climb. It has given me
two images in my mind that remind me how important faith is in our lives to
help us endure to the end and to help us in a world of changing values stay
steadfast and immovable.
It is much more cost
effective for insurers to try to stop disease before it occurs than it is for
insurers to treat disease after it occurs.
Not only is it cheaper to prevent than to cure, doing so
improves the quality of life people live. If you’re healthy you tend to stay
out of hospitals, have more energy, and don’t get diseases like heart disease
and diabetes. Unfortunately, we live in a society that excels at disease care
more than actual health care—protecting and caring for your health. It’s easier to treat symptoms than it is to actually deal with underlying issues. However, with this
method you just move from one fire to the next, and never extinguish the actual
source of the problem.
Employer Physical
In order to encourage healthy habits, reduce healthcare
costs, and improve individuals quality of life, my employer has a program that offers its employees $50 for getting a mini physical and another $50 for being
healthy according the metrics they measure. If you are deemed unhealthy in a
category, there are financial incentives to improve.
I went in on August 30, 2012, for my physical.
I was sure that I was going to get the $100 prize because I felt healthy. My
results were as follows:
*Posting this info is probably a HIPPA violation on myself.
Oops. :)
They weren’t worried about body fat. 13% is their target
goal for that. What they were worried about was my HDL Cholesterol level. HDL cholesterol
is good cholesterol which helps prevent heart disease by cleaning your arteries.
It keeps plaque from building up and sticking to the artery walls. The goal
there is 40 mg/dL.
Because of my levels of HDL cholesterol, I was not going to
get the full $100 because I was putting myself at risk for heart disease. I may
not have received the full incentive, but I did receive the motivation to make
some changes.
Changes
In order to improve HDL cholesterol, it’s important to exercise
regularly, and to eat fruits and vegetables.
It takes months to see results with HDL cholesterol because your blood composition
has to change.
Fixing my exercise schedule won’t be too hard. My goal is 30
minutes of moderate exercise 4 days of the week. I was really good at this up
until March, when I hurt my left leg and right foot. They’re mostly better now
though. I have home equipment, and I bought a pass to the gym. Exercise can be
fun if you find the right activities. If you find the wrong ones, it’s torture.
Luckily I love to swim, run, and lift moderate weights.
Fixing my diet is going to be the major challenge. I love to drink milk, Capri Suns, juice, and other sugary
drinks. I love to eat high sugar foods like ice cream and fruit snacks. I love
to eat higher fat foods like sandwiches smothered in mayo and cheese. In fact, I've always joked that my cheese addiction is what would kill me. It was funny
because I never believed it. Now it’s not so funny.
For the past week, I’ve made an effort to improve my
consumption of fruits and vegetables by focusing on each meal.
For breakfast, I made a lot of whole grain waffles and froze
them to make them more convenient. I eat those waffles loaded with fruit, like
blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries—no syrup. With that I will have a
small glass of orange juice, and a small glass of milk. Other days of the week,
I’ll have one bowl of Cheerios, one piece of toast with low-fat peanut butter,
a banana, and a small glass of orange juice.
For lunch, I still have sandwiches. However, instead of
loading up on cheese and mayo, I load up on vegetables; Green peppers, yellow
peppers, tomatoes, avocados, and red peppers piled up high on whole wheat bread. As sides, instead of fruit snacks and a Capri Sun, I have carrots, craisins, nuts, and
water. I have to say that I like the new lunch more than I thought I would.
For dinner, I make two weeks worth of meals every other
Friday afternoon and then freeze them. The meals have a small portion of low
fat meat, like chicken or fish, a lot of vegitables, and some whole
grain rice or pasta.
With fruits and vegetables, the saying is 'five to stay alive, but nine is divine'...
Resources
Some of my favorite health resources that have been inspiring me as I start this journey are:
Well Steps -https://www.wellsteps.com/
- Well Steps is a company that does health consulting for companies. Its
president is Steve Aldana, who was a BYU professor until 2007. The company has
a book I love to read called The Culprit
and the Cure that explains current health research in an easy to understand
and apply way.
I’m really making an effort, so hopefully all of these
changes will result in high HDL cholesterol levels. I really get scared when I think about a heart attack, a stroke, or diabetes. I’m excited to have another
physical in 6 months. Bring on the results because I’ll be ready!
In Matthew 26, Christ is with his Apostles eating a Passover
feast. As they eat, Christ tells the
disciples that one of them will betray him. They are all very sorrowful and
every one of them asks, “Lord is it I?”.
I've always been drawn to the question “Lord, is it I?” because
it invites personal reflection and taking an inventory on your life.
Revelation can be cultivated abundantly if we are mentally
clean, are physically clean, have pure intent, are obedient, and place
ourselves in righteous environments.
Revelation can’t be grown if we are haughty, prideful,
conceited, or arrogant, if we let emotion rule our lives, or if we seek praise
or recognition.
From either of these lists, “Lord, is it I?”
To be mentally clean, am I actively trying to learn and
grow, or am I content to watch hours and hours of Netflix each day? What types
of material do I fill my mind with?
Is my physical environment disorganized keeping my thoughts
cluttered, or am I organized and clean in an environment where I can more
easily receive revelation.
How obedient was I this week? Did I actively read scriptures
to learn, or did I read just to mark something off my list? How were my
prayers? What did I draw from church this week? Did I go to institute?
What did I do this week, solely for attention or praise from
others?
What are my motivations? Why do I do what I do?
Do I do things for others, or mainly for myself?
Of course, with each inventory you take, the central
question moving forward becomes “How can I improve going forward?”
As we humble ourselves and make needed corrections, we
become ‘fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of
inspiration. This gives us divine power to accomplish what needs to be done.’
16 And
also, ye yourselves will succor those
that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto
him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth
up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps
thou shalt say:
The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and
will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he
may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But
I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to
repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth
forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For
behold, are we not all beggars?
Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which
we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all
the riches which we have of every kind?
24 And again, I say
unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day
to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that
ye say in your hearts that: I give not
because I have not,
but if I had I would give.
25 And
now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned;
and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
26 And
now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the
sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless
before God—I would that ye should impart of
your substance to the poor,
every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the
hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their
relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
27 And
see that all these things are done in wisdom and order;
for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than
he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that
thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
-Mosiah 4:16-19;24-27
What does the Lord say here about giving among those who have
limited resources? He says they are guiltless if they can’t give much, so
long as they acknowledge that they would give more if they had more. You can’t
just say that and be excused from giving; your heart must truly believe it.
What does the Lord imply, and what can we infer about those
who have much? The Lord says the more you have, the more you should give,
whether that is of your time, your talents, your knowledge, or your resources.
Where much is given, much is required.
Is that what really happens in society today? Do wealthy
people actually give more of their time and resources?
I recently read a study published in the Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology entitled "Having
Less, Giving More: The Influence of Social Class on Prosocial Behavior". Shephane
Cote and Bonnie Hayden Cheng from the University of Toronto, and Paul Piff,
Michael Kraus, and Dacher Keltner from the University of California-Berkley
conducted the study. Their purpose was to examine how social class influences
prosocial behavior.
Researchers noted that lower classes have fewer economic
resources, fewer educational opportunities, less access to social institutions,
subordinate rank in society, increased stress in relationships, and more
violence in their homes. The poor attribute these factors as major reasons that
there are rich and poor people in the United States. Meanwhile the wealthy can
buffer themselves more easily from life’s disruptions by using their material
wealth and access. The wealthy are more likely to believe that the rich and
poor divide comes from internal traits and efforts. The poor orient to the
external social environment, while the wealthy to internal characteristics.
Because the poor orient more towards social environment, the
researchers hypothesized lower class individuals would be more concerned with
the needs of others relative to upper class individuals, and, guided by this
concern, would act in a more prosocial fashion to improve others’ welfare.
To test the hypothesis, the researchers performed four
experiments that would test generosity, charitable donations, trust, and
helping behavior.
The first experiment was designed to test the generosity
levels classes. One week prior to the experiment, the participants received an
email where they were asked to answer an online questionnaire about personal
information. The week between was designed to reduce the likelihood that the
questions would bias their actions during the actual task. The day of the
experiment, the participants began by completing tasks unrelated to what the
researchers were actually testing. The last task was the actual experiment. In
the last task, the participants were informed that they had been paired with an
anonymous person in another room. Participants were given 10 points and their
task was to decide how many of those points they wanted to keep for themselves,
and how many they would give away. Their partner would have no input, and the
responses would remain anonymous. Their cash payout for participating would
correlate with how many points they had at the end. Higher allocations to the
anonymous partner reflected higher levels of altruism because it represented
sacrificing their own material interests for the well being of another.
The researchers found
that, as predicted, lower class individuals allocated a larger portion of their
points to their partner than upper class participants did.
The second study was designed to test support for charitable
donations. Participants were manipulated by the experimenters into feeling they
were one social class or the other. After the manipulation, participants were
asked to allocate an annual salary into different spending categories including
food, housing, gifts, and charitable donations. Finally, participants were
asked to provide personal information including salary.
Participants induced to feel less wealthy believed that a
greater portion of income should go to charitable donations (4.65%) than those
induced to feel wealthy (2.95%).
The third study was designed to test trust among the social
classes. In this online study, participants first filled out information about
themselves. Each individual was then told they were being remotely paired with
another participant. The participant was told they had 30 points to allocate
between themselves and their partner. The points they gave to the partner would
then be tripled, and the partner would have to opportunity to give points back.
For this game trusting meant that one would be willing to allocate points to
their partner, despite the risk that their partner might night reciprocate.
As predicted, lower class participants allocated more of
their points to their partner in the trust game than wealthy participants did.
The fourth study was designed to test prosocial helping
behavior. For this test participants were secretly assigned to a neutral prime
or a compassion-inducing prime. The participants were told they would complete
a series of tasks with a partner. The first participant was told that the
second participant was running late, so the first participant was told to watch
a short video clip, and remember as much as they could for a memory test. The
neutral prime group watched a clip from the movie All the Presidents Men, while
the compassion prime group watched a clip on child poverty. After the video,
participants filled out the memory form. A second female actress would then
enter the room showing signs of distress. She would ask if she could still participate,
even though she was late. The moderator would say that she could, but that some
of planned tasks would have to be eliminated due to time. The moderator would
then hand the list of tasks to the participant, telling them allocate four
tasks to themselves and five to the female participant. The total number of
minutes each task would take was listed, and varied from task to task. The more
minutes each participant took on themselves, the more willing to help they were.
Participants induced to feel more compassion reported more
compassionate feelings, and exhibited more compassionate behavior in the study.
Compassion moderates the tendency for lower class individuals to express more
prosocial behavior than upper class individuals.
The conclusion of the study is that less affluent people are
more attuned to the needs of others because they are more dependent on others to
achieve their desired life outcomes. This makes them more aware of people in
their same situation. Affluent people can use their wealth and internal talent
to fortify them better from the storms of life, and are less attuned to seeking
out people who struggle. Affluent people aren’t intentionally stingier, they
just have to be primed to recognize problems and to see people struggling around
them. Once they are primed, affluent people are just as likely to give as less affluent
people.
What is the takeaway? Where much is given, much is required.
The Lord expects those with more to give more. If this doesn’t come naturally,
you can ‘prime’ yourself by putting yourself in situations where you see suffering
around you. Then you are likely to give because you realize you have been given
much.
Making Things Up
Again—A newly empowered Elder Cunningham sets out teach to teach the people
of Africa. All the people of Africa want to hear about is how to stop aids and
other tragedies they face. Elder Cunningham makes things about what the
scriptures say about curing aides, and other topics. This song is both crude
and doctrinally irreverent. Song 2/5; Offensiveness 5/5
Spooky Mormon Hell
Dream—After telling white lies about doctrine, Elder Cunningham feels guilty
but rationalizes that it is to help the people. Meanwhile, Elder Price is
reflecting on his life and the sins he has committed, including stealing a pastry
from his kitchen and lying about it, and abandoning his mission companion. He
has a nightmare about Hell. There is crude language. Song 4/5; Offensiveness
2/5
I Believe—Awakening
from his Hell dream, Elder Price recommits to his mission, and decides that his
only goal is to convert the warlord. This song is the most complex so far for
me to write about. It shares the feelings of a missionary who envisioned that
his mission would be perfect, and the internal struggle he feels when it doesn’t
always go that way. That is quite a relatable feeling that many missionaries
feel. There are many faith promoting lines, like ‘I must trust that the Lord is mightier (than
a warlord) and always has my back,’ ‘I believe that the Lord, God, created the
universe’, and ‘I believe that He sent His only Son to die for my sins’. I have
two problems with the song. First, the writers go out of their way to point out
some of our unique beliefs without providing any context. That way the beliefs
seem less rational. Kolob, blacks and the Priesthood, having planets, and the
Garden of Eden in Missouri are all in there. (On a positive note, there are no
references to polygamy. If that was in there, the writers would have hit all of
the major fringe doctrines.) Second, I have a problem with the assertion that a
Mormon just believes. Gaining a testimony is a lifelong process. Yes, there are
times when we have doubts, but if you’ve never doubted, and never struggled,
you won’t develop the faith necessary to sustain belief. People who just simplistically
believe are like those who build their foundations on sand. When the first rain
storm comes to challenge their beliefs, the foundation of their testimonies is
likely to wash away. Those develop a deeper faith by asking questions, and
finding answers through methods like scripture study and prayer are stronger
more like those who build their foundations on rock. Song 4/5; Offensiveness
3/5.
Baptize Me—Several
Africans agree to be baptized. This is a song Elder Cunningham and one of his
female converts sing to each other. All I care to say about this song is that
it is a double-entendre. Song 1/5; Offensiveness 5/5.
I Am Africa—The
newly successful missionaries feel a oneness with Africa. Song 1/5;
Offensiveness 0/5
Orlando—This song
is not on the soundtrack, so I have no idea what it is like. For plot movement,
this song is Elder Price being once again disappointed by his failure to
convert the warlord, and other failures throughout his life.
Joseph Smith American
Moses—The Mission President and other Church Leaders come to visit the
Uganda because of the success the missionaries have had. The African converts
put on a show about what they have learned about the church. This is supposed
to be the comedic high point of the show because of the African’s misunderstandings
about actual church beliefs, but it is too crude and doctrinally insensitive
for me to enjoy it much. The Mission President is stunned at the false
doctrine, moves the missionaries to other areas, and declares that none of the
converts are actually members of the church. Song 1/5; Offensiveness 5/5.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
(Reprise)—This song isn’t on the soundtrack either, but it is the main
female convert being sad that she is not actually a member of the church, and
will not escape Africa for Salt Lake City. Mad about what happened, the female
convert tells the villagers that Elder Cunningham was eaten by a lion.
You and Me (But
Mostly Me) (Reprise)—This song is also only in the musical. Elder Cunningham
is sad about the turn of events for his converts. Elder Price has an epiphany
about how what actually matters is ensuring that religion actually helps people.
The two fully reconcile as missionary companions and believers.
(Story break: The villagers convince the female convert that
Elder Cunningham had their best interest at heart by making up stories that
would give them hope in their daily lives, rather than the actual truth. She
forgives Elder Cunningham. Meanwhile, the warlord attacks the village. Elder
Price and Elder Cunningham return. Elder Cunningham claims he rose from the
dead after being eaten by the lion. The two missionaries drive the warlord out
of the village. )
Tomorrow Is A Latter
Day—The missionaries and the Africans come together and agree to work together
to improve the planet because, after all, we are all Later-day Saints. It
features the Africans serving as missionaries for the gospel they follow, which
seems to be some the distorted truth that Elder Cunningham taught. For a closer
of a musical, it had some good parts (the Hello Reprise) and some boring parts
(the rest). Song 2/5; Offensiveness 2/5.
Thoughts
The musical turns out to be rather sweet. It deals with the
importance of helping others no matter the circumstances of their lives, being disappointed
and finding motivation to carry on, and having hope for a better tomorrow.
However, there is no getting around the fact that this musical uses very crude
language and has some very crude plot pieces. The musical distorts our
doctrine, and is irreverent to stories and teachings that we hold sacred as
Latter-day Saints. If and when it ultimately
travels to Salt Lake City, I for one will not be in the audience.
Elder Holland, when speaking at Harvard, talked about the
musical briefly and said his response to those who had seen it would be, ‘you’ve
seen the musical, now read the book.’ He talked about how the church used the
publicity of the musical to promote the ‘I’m a Mormon’ campaign to people in
New York and other metropolitan areas.
The church’s official response read, ‘The production may attempt to entertain audiences
for an evening, but theBook of
Mormon as a volume of
scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.’
The Book of
Mormon does change lives. It does teach doctrines such as faith, baptism, and
repentance that, if lived, help people return to live with a God who loves them
deeply and personally. It does nothing but preach of Christ, his divinity, and
his mission. The stories in the book will change your life if you take the time
to study them, reflect on them, and apply their lessons. This is what I
Believe.
This is my review of the Book of Mormon Musical by Trey
Stone, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. These are the same people who created
South Park and Avenue Q, so you know this musical is bound to be offensive in
both crude and a doctrinal way.
Why would I want to listen to it then? First, The Book of
Mormon Musical is still the biggest hit on Broadway almost two years after its
debut. Thousands have seen the show, and tickets are still impossible to get.
Within the next few months a Chicago cast, London cast, and touring cast will
begin putting on the show. As more people see it, they may have questions about
the church. For many, this may be all they know about us. I think it is important
to know where they are coming from when that conversation begins. Second, a lot
of times I think as members of the church we over-react to criticism and jokes
about the church. (Not to say that there isn’t a line that can be crossed. I’m
looking at you Bill Mahr.) I think this comes from our background of being
persecuted as a church, having our members murdered and being driven from place
to place. To relate well to others in society, we need to be able to handle the
criticism and mockery better and to not take everything so personally, especially
when others don’t mean to be overly offensive. All this said, I don’t intend to
listen to this non-stop, memorize it, and embrace it as the best musical of all
times because I know that in parts it is crude and doctrinally incorrect. This
is purely for understanding.
Hello – This song
serves as the introduction the musical. It features missionaries ringing
doorbells and introducing people to the Book of Mormon. The song is up-beat,
innocent, and fun. It also gives positive introductions to the Book of Mormon,
saying the book is a most amazing book, a book about America a long time ago, a
book with awesome parts, a book that can change your life, a book of Jesus
Christ, a book with information you can really use, a book about eternal life,
and that the book is free. The song also introduces Elder Cunningham, a new
missionary who is somewhat dumb as to what we actually believe, but that is
obvious. There are two brief parts of the song that I dislike. First, they say
Jesus lived in the USA. It makes us seem crazy because the U.S. was formed in
1776, and Christ never actually lived here, he just visited thousands of years
before that. In the world there is one fold, and one shepherd. We believe he
visited people in the old and new world during his ministry. Second, in the
song several of the missionaries tell people to have fun in hell if they reject
the message. Setting aside our beliefs about the afterlife, seldom (hopefully never,
but missionaries aren’t perfect) would a missionary actually say that to
someone’s face. Overall I really enjoy this song as an introduction to the
musical. Song 5/5; Offensiveness 0/5.
Two By Two – In this
song, the missionaries at the MTC are assigned companions and areas of the
world to serve by someone that sounds like a game show host. It’s not quite how
that works, but it helps move the plot along more so than explaining the call letter,
and how companions are actually assigned. It captures how missionaries wonder
where they will go, and how they hope for fun locations before they actually
know where they’ll be. The missionaries are the soldiers of the Church of Jesus
Christ—of Latter-day Saints. The song is up-beat and enjoyable. Key to the plot
is Elder Price, the hot-shot know-it-all missionary is assigned to serve with
Elder Cunningham, the idot missionary. They will serve in Uganda. Song 4/5;
Offensiveness 0/5.
You and Me (But
Mostly Me)— This song is about the hope a missionary feels when he first
goes out. He hopes to change the world, and convert hosts of people. Elder
Price knows he is going to be a good missionary, while Elder Cunningham knows
he is not as good. Every hero needs a sidekick, and every captain a mate,
right? Song 4/5; Offensiveness 0/5
Hasa Diga Eebowai—Did
I mention this musical was written by the creators of South Park? Here is the
first evidence of that. Let’s just say that the title translates to something
that says the people of Uganda don’t care much for God. When bad things happen,
they curse God. It’s the only way for them to get through war, poverty, famine,
and everything else bad that happens. Having a saying makes is all seem better.
Yeah. This song is crude and offensive. It makes Africa seem like a terrible and
a backwards place. It uses crude and offensive language throughout. I would
have only given this song a 3 or 4 on the offensive scale, but the tribal
chants the last minute of the song shoot it straight to the top of the scale.
Song 2/5 Offensiveness 5/5
Turn it Off—This
is the District Leader teaching the new missionaries how to deal with disappointment,
but I’m pretty sure this song is only in there to attack the Church’s position
an homosexuality. ‘When you start to get confused about thoughts in your head,
don’t feel those feelings, hold them in instead’. When it is pointed out that
you’re okay with the church if you don’t act on those feelings, the song turns
into ‘keep it down, like a dimmer switch on low, because nobody needs to know’.
Just know that the church does not tolerate abuse whatsoever, thinks you should
be with dying family members instead of at the Apple Store, and knows that God
loves all of his children unconditionally, but expects chastity from all people
who are not married. Also, I feel bad if people are so simplistic that they
believe they can ignore problems and they go away. Part of the purpose of
prayer is understanding and accepting God’s will. Ignoring reality does not
draw you closer to God and does not enlighten you. If you really have to
struggle to understand an issue, that is when God can tutor you, and that is
when you grow the most. Song 4/5;
Offensiveness 4/5.
I Am Here For You—Elder
Cunningham tries to comfort Elder Price, who is discouraged because they haven’t
baptized anyone yet. Elder Price has doubts that they will, while Elder
Cunningham has faith they will, and that his dad will finally be proud of him.
Song 2/5; Offensiveness 0/5
All-American Prophet—This
song is all about Joseph Smith. It explains that he was a prophet who found the
plates, met with Moroni, translated the Book of Mormon, published and
distributed the book, moved west, and was ultimately martyred. The song is factually inaccurate, and does its
best to make the story seem untrue in my opinion. They go out of their way to
make it seem like Joseph simply started digging by a tree in his backyard to
find them. In reality, he was lead to them by the angel Moroni after other
miracles had transpired. God puts people where he needs them to be, so it is no
surprise that Joseph was near the plates. The major problem I have with the
song is that it repeatedly argues that Joseph refused to let anyone else see
the plates and even if it made people question him, and that that questioning was
what God was going for. Right in the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon,
there are statements from 11 witnesses that they saw the physical plates. Song
3/5; Offensiveness 4/5
Sal Tlay Ka Siti—An
African woman starts believing in the church because of the danger she faces in
Africa, and thinks that Salt Lake City must be Paradise on Earth. Paradise?
Maybe not, but I really like Salt Lake! It is interesting to listen to what the
woman believe Paradise would be like. This song is the most ballad-like of the
first act. Song 3/5; Offensiveness 0/5
Man Up- This song
leads into intermission and has a rock tinge. Elder Price is discouraged, and
requests a transfer to Orlando. He is sure the Lord has made a mistake on his mission
call. He also dumps Elder Cunningham as a companion. (As if that is how either
of those things remotely work! I’m sure a lot of missionaries wish that it were
like that though…) Alone, Elder Cunningham realizes that he must man up and be
the leader now. Song 2/5; Offensiveness 1/5
