May 13, 2020
Four years ago, Danny Kofoed made discoveries
in the Book of Mormon that have radically changed his views about
it. As he re-read the book from cover to cover in preparation for
lessons he would teach in Gospel Doctrine class, he found in there
much greater richness, especially with regard to what it says about
God and the type of relationship God is calling us to, than he had
ever imagined. In the many years between the previous times he'd
studied the book, really difficult circumstances that were far
beyond Danny's control led to his being able to see more clearly
than ever just how loving and accessible God really is, and it was
this centering that had unfolded in his life that allowed him to
see this God presented over and over again within that the Book of
Mormon pages. It is so easy to think about the portions of the Book
of Mormon that talk about performance of ordinances and other more
mechanical ways that we too often feel we must do or follow in
order to approach God, as well as the warnings we find of "if you
don't do x, y, and z you're not going to make it," and similar
rhetoric. Yet in every conversion story, and in much of the
reflections by prophets and leaders found in various places, the
key idea is God's absolute merciful and loving nature and that we
are all invited to experience the Divine directly, for ourselves,
without organizational or behavioral hoops.
In this two-part episode, Danny joins Latter-day Faith host
Dan Wotherspoon to talk about his journey and all
that led him to a place to appreciate the wonderful theology
present in the Book of Mormon. And, most specifically in this
conversation, Danny takes us into one of the most powerful sections
of the book: Alma and Amulek's encounter with Zoramite worship and
their message to those who had been left out of it, not allowed to
join in the worship that they had been taught to think was the only
way they could approach or please God. Crestfallen and despondent,
they were able to open up their hearts to the messages of God's
character as merciful and desiring communion with them in every
place, on any day, and in all moments of their lives.
By emphasizing the Zoramite context, Alma's "experiment" about
planting a seed allows us to see what the seed actually is (and
what it IS NOT) in a way we likely would miss otherwise, and how
seeing this expands the power of these Book of Mormon passages far
beyond what we taught as missionaries and/or encounter in Sunday
School. The seed is not about truth claims that relate to
a church or ordinance or anything as small as that. The seed spoken
of is a seed that, if well attended to, can spring up into a full
tree that will nurture and sustain us ever and always. It's the
kernal and experiences held within its casing that can truly
transform us from inside out.
Listen in! Danny's passion is inspiring and infectious, and even if
you might not always decide to listen to shows related to the Book
of Mormon, the message in this episode far transcends the book's
stories and settings. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.