Dumbest LDS Urban Legends

[Calm]

There was one about a soldier in [insert war here] that was carrying a pocket size BoM in his front pocket. A bullet that should have gone through him like soft butter pierced the BoM part way, but didn't go all the way through. The verse it stopped on was, "Even as ye have obeyed my commandments, ye shall be spared" or something like that.

I wonder how you tell the exact page it stopped on?

This was actually going on when ZLMB was functioning. There was a picture of the book with the bullet etc. It was the current to do in Iraq for this particular claim, I think there was even a picture of the soldier making the claim. We had an extensive discussion analyzing the whole thing. I can't remember what the conclusion was...whether or not the picture supported the claim. I do remember it being rather fun playing detective though.

[Calm]

Oh ya! This is a good one!

There was an email circulating a while back about 2 non-LDS professors that were studying redwoods in Oregon. They cut down one redwood that was supposedly thousands of years old, and while dissecting it found a knife that had been embedded in the trunk, which grew around to preserve it. On the handle of the knife were 2 Egyptian symbols. One was pronounced "Mor" and the other was "Oni". The scholars, who had never even heard of the BoM, were baffled at what the 2 symbols meant. An LDS professor got word of it and showed them Moroni in the BoM at which point the 2 professors converted on the spot.

That is a completely new one to me. Sounds more like a myth created for fun rather than seriously believed....though I would say that for quite a few of these.

[Calm]

I am pretty certain this particular story is a myth.

Most likely if it was among Muslims since alcohol is generally prohibited.

[Calm]

LOL! Isn't second Nephi though the "Jesus gospel" part. . . if anything, that is the best part. . . and this is coming from someone with an unorthodox view on the Jesus story!

That's third Nephi. Second Nephi is the Isaiah references.

[Zakuska]

I am sorry, but why do you believe he was shot in the chest if there is no evidence?

I can only go off his word and the word of his companion who witnessed it and gave a police report.. (No I don't have a certified copy)

There where 3 shots one pointed at his chest and like I said... "One must have missed". Maybe one of the Bicept shots was actually the one at his chest and then another one missed.

Like I also said I have to wonder.

[Flyonthewall]

I met a fellow in Bountiful who claimed he was the fellow this happened to...

...though my inner skeptic was (and is) somewhat dubious.

As to the garments protecting a person from burns, Orrin Hatch has testified on national television that it happened to him in a gas explosion (on a family fishing boat, IIRC).

In both instances, we have first hand testimony- one we can verify, the other we cannot.

It's the same issue with any faith promoting story- who is credible and whom do you choose to believe?

I can more easily give credit to garments saving him from burns, if that was all he was wearing, but the clothes over the garments most likely did the bulk of the protecting.

[selek]

I can more easily give credit to garments saving him from burns, if that was all he was wearing, but the clothes over the garments most likely did the bulk of the protecting.

Believe it or not, I'm inclined to agree- though Hatch did specify he was burned through his clothes, but not through his garments.

Whether thats an effect of layering or of the vestments is, of course, a matter of personal interpretation.

I'm not willing to gainsay someone else's personal experience or personal understanding of what happened to them, but I've yet to see a pair of garments with a large "S" emblazoned on the chest.

If I'm going to fight a fire, I'm going in five layers or wool and Nomex, not just my garments.

If someone was protected by their garments- whether from flame, bullet, or the amorous attentions of Paris Hilton, such protection would be innately personal blessing for the faithful- not a quality inherent in the vestments themselves.

On the other hand, it is arguable that the garments saved the life of one of the last century's most notorious apostates- Mark Hoffman- and by extension, protected the Church.

Hoffman, half-dead from his own evil and incompetence, recieved a priesthood blessing and first aid because the responders noticed his garments and ministered to him.

Had he died there, the full extent of his crimes might never have been known.

[spinner]

Anyway, lets hear some good ones!

- SlackTime

A young man waiting for his mission call gets a very thin envelope letter from the missionary department. All that's inside is an instruction to call a phone number. Turns out it's the direct line of an apostle, who informs the missionary that he is being called on a secret prosyletizing mission to Mainland China. I can't tell you how often I heard this one when I was teaching Chinese at the MTC.

[SlackTime]

A young man waiting for his mission call gets a very thin envelope letter from the missionary department. All that's inside is an instruction to call a phone number. Turns out it's the direct line of an apostle, who informs the missionary that he is being called on a secret prosyletizing mission to Mainland China. I can't tell you how often I heard this one when I was teaching Chinese at the MTC.

Ah, I had heard and forgot this one. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks all. And I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving.

- SlackTime

[Brenda]

I have a VERY hard time believing this. Not to derail again, but CFR.

Sorry! I missed your post.

Here it is.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/10/20090410mormon-growth0410-ON.html

Oops. I can see others have already done my job. Thanks.

[Brenda]

Has anyone mentioned the myth of garments saving the lives of Mormons who have been shot? I heard several stories like this about missionaries in other countries.

Not all these stories are myths.

[maxrep12]

Here is a myth that hasn't been mentioned;

The Smithsonian Institute uses the Book of Mormon as an archaeological guide.

This myth was actively perpetuated by LDS members, so much so that the Smithsonian Institute finally issued a standardized reply letter with a lengthy list of anachronisms that would preclude the BOM from being an ancient text.

Thats one of the pitfalls of the spreading of myths - sometimes the story reaches the wrong audience.

[Calm]

This myth was actively perpetuated by LDS members, so much so that the Smithsonian Institute finally issued a standardized reply letter with a lengthy list of anachronisms that would preclude the BOM from being an ancient text.

CFR that this was the reason please.

[phaedrus ut]

CFR that this was the reason please.

The Wikipedia entry for Archeology and the Book of Mormon mentions it was LDS members spreading the rumor that caused the Smithsonian directors to compose a form letter. To quote the wiki:

During the early 1980s, reports circulated in LDS culture that the Book of Mormon was being used by the Smithsonian to guide primary archaeological research. This rumor was brought to the attention of Smithsonian directors who, in 1996, sent a form letter to inquiring parties stating that the Smithsonian did not use the Book of Mormon to guide any research, and included a list of specific reasons Smithsonian archaeologists considered the Book of Mormon historically unlikely.

If you look a the supporting footnotes and the years of editorial discussion(within the wiki entry)the reality of this urban legend being in LDS culture doesn't not seem to be a point of controversy.... but I think you knew that.

Phaedrus

[maxrep12]

This myth was actively perpetuated by LDS members, so much so that the Smithsonian Institute finally issued a standardized reply letter with a lengthy list of anachronisms that would preclude the BOM from being an ancient text.

CFR that this was the reason please.

Oh come on! Heck, I could even find several apologists to back me on this one.

Edit - Ahh, I just noticed Phaedrus answered the CFR from Calmorah, (which I presumed was more about burying a critical point in make work).

[Calm]

[

If you look a the supporting footnotes and the years of editorial discussion(within the wiki entry)the reality of this urban legend being in LDS culture doesn't not seem to be a point of controversy.... but I think you knew that.

I never heard it growing up myself, never heard it anywhere except in these kinds of discussions in fact. I was not challenging it, but simply wondering about the extent of it being used and being too lazy to look it up myself. I don't remember the extent of it being discussed in previous discussions though it might have been as it's been years since I've heard this particular legend discussed on the boards. I remembered the letter being issued as well as a revised letter, but the details were fuzzy for me and again, I was being too lazy to look it up myself to refresh my memory.

add-on: now that I've read the entire entry, it unfortunately does not tell me how widespread this was prior to the Smithsonian getting involved and in fact, it says the Smithsonian only responded once the rumour that LDS were saying it was brought to their attention, not that they responded because of letters being written to them (if I am reading it right, bad night last night and the cobwebs are still in my brain). I am now wondering if a lot of letters were written independently so to speak as I had previously assumed were or if was more of people checking to see if the rebuttal of the legend was not legend itself.

Thanks for the effort though I wish you were less paranoid about why I asked.

[Calm]

Edit - Ahh, I just noticed Phaedrus answered the CFR from Calmorah, (which I presumed was more about burying a critical point in make work).

You guys are way too suspicious. I did say "please" after all.

I am mostly on these boards to learn, not to debate. CFR is about asking for references and may or may not be a challenge to prove something. I may not CFR a lot for details any more, but that's only because I'm much more familiar with most things being discussed these days than once upon a time.

[volgadon]

Hey, congratulations on the marriage.

When I was investigating this sweet missionary told me this story.

There was a soldier in Iran (Iraq, Afganistan, can't remember). He was patrolling the area and they befriended some children. He taught them about the BoM and the WoW. The children's family invited him to dinner and offered him wine. He didn't want to be rude so he drank it. The father than pointed out what a hypocrite the soldier was and cast him from the house. The children no longer believed anything he said.

Granted this missionary told me the story as a means of saying you should practice what you preach, but I am pretty certain this particular story is a myth.

I wouldn't be too hasty in dismissing this story. It was probably either coffee or black tea (depending on whether this was Iraq or Afghanistan), though I doubt the father cast him out of the house. The father simply would have had zero respect for him, pure and simple.

[volgadon]

Most likely if it was among Muslims since alcohol is generally prohibited.

That really depends on the region and ethnicity, I know plenty of Muslims who drink.

[volgadon]

I have heard a couple about garments saving lives.

One was during a war, not sure which one but most likely WWII, a solder was hit with machine gun fire, and survived. Across his back/front where he was hit, were red welts under his garments.

A man is burned in a fire and has severe burns everywhere but where his garments covered him.

My mother's uncle was in the marine armored corps in the Pacific Theatre (I woulkd like to say in the Peleliu landing, but am not 100% certain), his Water Buffalo was hit, set ablaze, and everything he was wearing burned except his garments.

I am not saying that the garments are magical, I'm sure that were he wearing something similar but profane, the results might be the same. What is important is the reason why he was wearing an extra layer.

It was his obedience to the covenats he had entered into which saved him that day.

[Flyonthewall]

My mother's uncle was in the marine armored corps in the Pacific Theatre (I woulkd like to say in the Peleliu landing, but am not 100% certain), his Water Buffalo was hit, set ablaze, and everything he was wearing burned except his garments.

I am not saying that the garments are magical, I'm sure that were he wearing something similar but profane, the results might be the same. What is important is the reason why he was wearing an extra layer.

It was his obedience to the covenats he had entered into which saved him that day.

And to me too, it is the obedience to the covenants they represent that is the protection. I agree with you that if garments save someone from being burned, it is not due to any "magical" properties.

[charity]

I really liked this one, and was sorry to see it debunked.

At Pearl Harbor, one of the Japanese pilots had been assigned to drop his bomb on the Hawaiian Temple. Three times he tried, he would be lined up, have the temple in his signts, and then it would just disappear from his sight. After those three attempts, he turned back to the ship, and dropped his bombin the ocean so he would not be returning with it. He later became a member of the Church. And so 50 years or so after the event, finally told this experience.

[SeattleGhostWriter]

Snoop Dogg joining the LDS Church.

The only three Nephite stories I remember came from Samoans who said that three Native looking giants stood guard at a temple and later identified as three nephites

[Kenngo1969]

How about the ones about entire units from Utah escaping combat in Iraq/Afghanastan unscathed, while units from other states are decimated ... a la the Stripling Warriors?

[Calm]

Wasn't there one going around that there was a missionary zone or whatever meeting to be held that was canceled on 9/11, thus saving all those missionaries' lives?