2003
Of All Things
August 2003

“Of All Things,” New Era, Aug. 2003, 36

Of All Things

“Read the scriptures. You will not get a testimony of the Book of Mormon unless you read the Book of Mormon.”
(Ensign, Jan. 1998, 72)
—President Gordon B. Hinckley

Test Your LDS I.Q.

You might already know what happens in the stories of the Book of Mormon, but do you know where they happened? Test your knowledge of Book of Mormon geography.

  1. When King Mosiah fled with his people, the Nephites, he joined the Mulekite people. What was the name of the land the Nephites fled to, the place where the Mulekites lived?

    1. Gidgiddonah

    2. Lehi-Nephi

    3. Zarahemla

  2. This place was a “place of arms” for the Lamanites.

    1. Onidah

    2. Shemlon

    3. Ammoron

  3. This is the name of both a Nephite prophet and a body of water where Alma the Elder performed baptisms.

    1. Alma

    2. Mormon

    3. Laman

  4. Ishmael was buried in a place called Nahom. What does Nahom mean in Hebrew?

    1. a place of trees

    2. consolation

    3. burial place

  5. What was the name of the land where the wicked Zoramites first lived?

    1. Rameumptom

    2. Antionum

    3. Ammonihah

  6. What land did the Nephites give to the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi for an inheritance?

    1. Bountiful

    2. Irreantum

    3. Jershon

Answers:

Art Online

If you’re really into art, then you need to check out www.lds.org/museum. The Museum of Church History and Art is just a click away on the Church’s Web site. You can have a virtual tour of the museum’s faith-promoting exhibits or see a gallery of previous winners of the museum’s International Art Competition.

The competition is held every year, and you can fill out an entry form and submit photos of your artwork online. The entry form is available in seven languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Write Away!

Do you have a story about honoring the priesthood? The New Era would like to hear about it. Send us your true story (of no more than 1,000 words) about honoring the priesthood, fulfilling your Duty to God requirements, or how your life has been blessed by the power of the priesthood.

You can send your story to:

New Era

50 East North Temple

Salt Lake City, Utah 84150

or you can e-mail it to:

newera@ldschurch.org

Leadership Tip

Most people aren’t born with the ability to speak well in public or to direct a group. But don’t worry. Leadership ability can come with time and hard work.

If you want to develop your leadership skills, try volunteering for something that will build your confidence, like a school or community service organization. Accept every Church calling extended to you, and do your best at it, knowing the Lord called you and will help you.

The Song of the Heart

The hymnbook we now use was published in 1985. Over 150 years ago, Emma Smith compiled the Church’s first hymnal (see D&C 25). The Church’s hymnals changed many times over the years.

Emma’s 1835 compilation had 90 hymns, more than a third of which were written by Church authors. The hymns were words only; they did not include the musical accompaniment. Our current hymnbook has 26 of those original hymns.

The Manchester Hymnal, which was published in 1840 in Manchester, England, included 271 hymns. The Church used that hymnal for 87 years.

The first Church hymnbook to include music with the text of the hymns was called the Psalmody. It was published in 1899. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir used this version for its performances.

There were a few more versions of the hymnbook before the 1950 edition was published, which was mostly a combination of two of the previous Church hymnals.

Today, our green hymnbook contains 341 hymns, with 160 of the hymns written by Church members. What the Lord told Emma Smith still holds true: “The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (D&C 25:12).