Semitic Language Attributes

According to Mormon 9:32-34 The Book of Mormon was originally written in a language called Reformed Egyptian, which was adapted from Egyptian.  Egyptian is now a dead language, meaning nobody speaks it as their primary language.  The written language of Egyptian was primarily used as a scribal or shorthand language, meaning one could convey more or less the same amount of information in much fewer characters.  This, Mormon indicates, was the reason they chose the language, because they were writing upon plates of gold, meaning space on these plates would be very precious.  Not only was the ore hard to come by at times (Mormon 8:5) but writing the history in their native language of Hebrew would have greatly expanded the size of the plates and thereby reduced their practicality.
Mormon also said that nobody but they used Reformed Egyptian, which was why the Lord provided a means of translation (the Urim and Thumim).  But, since we know it was based on Egyptian and Hebrew, we also know that it was a Semitic language, which is one of the major families of languages in the world, of which Hebrew and Arabic are the only ones still spoken today.  Now, the first language that the Book of Mormon was translated into in our day was English.  However, it is often evident when a text is translated from one language to another, especially when great care is taken to preserve the exact meaning of the original.  So if the Book of Mormon was really translated from Reformed Egyptian, we should see some evidence of this.

The Question:
What evidence is there that the Book of Mormon was originally written in a Semitic language?

Witnesses of the Book of Mormon

In matters legal, historical, scientific, and religious, we recognize the significance and the importance of first-hand accounts, also known as testimonies or witnesses.  The scriptures frequently tell us that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (see 2 Corinthians 13:1 for example), and the Lord's Church and His Gospel are full of instances in which this pattern is followed.  Among these are the testimonies of the witnesses of the truthfulness and divine origin of the Book of Mormon.

The Question:
Were there witnesses who saw the Gold Plates that the Book of Mormon was translated from, and are their testimonies dependable?

The other sin of Sodom

When it comes to homosexuality, the Church has been accused of having a double standard.  The Church very clearly denounces homosexual behavior and defines marriage to be "between a man and a woman" (The Family).  And yet the Church has also reached out to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) individuals, especially recently with the website mormonsandgays.org.  It saddens me when I hear about members of the Church who have come out as LGBT and were immediately shunned or ridiculed by members of their own ward; people who should have been their friends.  It saddens me because I know that's not how the Savior would treat that person, and it's not how the General Authorities of the Church have taught that they should be treated.

The Question:
How does the Church teach that LGBT individuals should be treated?

Where is the "Choice"?

For decades now, the right of a woman to have an abortion has been a hotly contested issue, and more and more lately politicians have been using it to garner votes.  The liberal media has been resorting to shameful slander in an attempt to vilify those who oppose abortion, claiming that they want to keep abortion illegal in order to keep women in subjugation.  I do not claim to know all that motivates both sides of this issue, but we are capable of observing the effects that it has on individuals and on society.  The issue of abortion raises troubling questions about how we view and value human life.  As a member of the Church, and also as a human being, I am diametrically opposed to the doctrine that a life can be ended as soon as it becomes inconvenient.  And nowhere is this doctrine more prominent than in the issue of abortion.

The Question:
"What do Mormons believe about abortion?  Is it ever justified?"