Jaradites Rugby Sports Club

THE BOOK OF MORMON
CHALLENGE
1 If one scoffs at the missionary’s explanation of the Book of Mormon, he is in so many words claiming it to be false : that it is a fraud formulated through the efforts and talents of a common man.

2 Occasionally you hear someone say, “ I could believe your Mornon Doctrine if
I just didn’t have to swallow the story about Joseph Smith being a man of God
and translating the Book of Mormon from some golden plates that he claimed
he found in a hillside.

3 What is produced by one man, can always be duplicated by another man. The challenge the Book of Mormon makes to the world is that of duplication. The book complies with every one of the following conditions, and in order for you to produce a similar record, you must comply with the same conditions. Here is the challenge can you accept it?

4 You must be between 23 and 24 years of age.

5 You cannot be a college graduate. In fact, you can have no more then 3 years of formal education, and have spent your life in backwood farming communities.

6 Your history must be written on the basis of what you now know. There was no library that held information for Joseph Smith. You must use none. There is to be no research of any kind.

7 You must write a book with 239 chapters, 54 of them about wars, 21 about history, 55 about visions and prophecies, and remember when you begin to write about visions and prophecies you must have your record agree meticulously with the Bible.

8 You must have 71 on doctrine and exhortation, and here too, you must check every statement with the scriptures or yours will be proven to be a fraud.

9 21 chapters on the ministry of Jesus Christ and everything you claim he said, and did and every testimony you write in your book must agree absolutely with the New Testament. There must also be 17 chapters on missionary work.

10 Your history record must be 531 pages long, with over 150 words per page. It must be over 300,000 words in length.

11 You must add 180 proper nouns to the English Language. William Shakespeare added 30.

12 You must write a history of an ancient country, such as Tibet covering a period from 600BC to 420 AD. Why Ancient Tibet? Because you know no more about Tibet than Joseph Smith knew about Ancient America.

13 The record is to contain the history of two distinct and separate nations, along with histories of different contemporary nations or groups of people.

14 Your record must describe the religious, economic, political, and social cultures and institutions. Cover every phase of their society including the names of their coins.

15 Change your style of writing many times, many ancient authors contributed to the Book of Mormon each with his own style.

16 You must announce that your smooth narrative is not fiction but true, yes, sacred history.

17 You must use in your record properly, figures of speech, similes,metaphors, narrations, exposition, description, oratory, epic, lyric and parables.

18 Included in your narration will be authentic modes of travel, whether or not these ancient people used fire; description of their clothing, crops, mourning customs, and types of government.

19 You must invent about 280 new names that will stand up under scrutiny
through the years as to their proper application and derivation. None of these names are to begin with the letters D, F, Q, U, V, W, X, Y.

20 Although very little is even claimed to be known about these ancient civilizations, many of the facts, ideas, and statements given as true in your record must be entirely consistent with the prevailing beliefs of the world.

21 Your record is to fulfil many Bible prophecies, even in the exact manner in which it shall come forth, to whom it shall be given and its purposes and accomplishments.

22 The ancient civilizations you write about must be almost unknown when you publish your manuscript.

23 You must have it published and distributed in over 187 nations in the world today, and translated into over 110 different languages. Sales of the Book since it was first published in 1830 must reach 145 Million copies in the year 2009. Only the Holy Bible has sold more books.

24 The book must not contain any absurd, impossible, or contradictory statements. Your history must not contain any statement that will contradict any other statement elsewhere in the Volume.

25 Thorough investigation, scientific and historical evidence, and archaeological discoveryfor the next 179 years must verify its claims and prove detail after detail to be true. For many of the details you put in your history are still buried beneath the soil of Tibet.

26 You must invite the ablest scholars and experts to examine the text with care, and you must strive diligently to see that your Book gets into the hands of those eager to prove it a forgery and who are most competent to expose any flaw in it.

27 Many theories, and ideas as to the Books origin must arise, and after discovering and examining the facts, they must fall. You have claimed that your knowledge had come from a divine origin, and this claim continues to stand as the only possible explanation.

28 The strength of this explanation must not decrease as time passes, but actually increase to the point where it becomes the only logical explanation.

29 You must call down an angel from Heaven in the middle of the day and have him bear testimony to three honest, dignified citizens of your community that the record is true, and that it is their responsibility to bear testimony of it, which they do.

30 They will do this not for profit or gain, but under great sacrifices and severe persecution, even to their death beds. You must put that testimony to the test by becoming enemies to these men.

31 This angel that has visited you as a messenger from God, must have a name and must be connected with your history.You must have long conversations with him and must leave at least 22 documented written accounts of these visits and many of the reasons why these visits took place.

32 Other people associated with you will also leave documented writings of visits made by this same messenger to them and the reasons why?

33 Eight other witnesses must testify to the world that they saw the ancient records in broad daylight and they handled them and felt the engravings thereon.

34 You must find a farmer to mortgage his farm to finance the publication of the first 5000 copies of your book. The person he finds must be of the understanding that neither he nor you will ever receive any monetary remuneration from it. You must sell the book at cost price.

35 Thousands of great men and women. Intellectual giants, national and International personalities, and scholars for the next 178 years must subscribe discipleship to the record and accept your history and teachings even to the point of laying down their lives

36 Your book must not only raise the standards of millions of people but do it in such a way that they become one of the great moral, ethical and dynamic marvels of the day. They must become world renowned for this.

37 The next 20 years you must move house 17 times, and watch your loved ones being persecuted, driven time after time from their homes, beaten, tortured, starved, frozen, and killed. Tens of thousands must undergo the most extreme hardships in your presence because they believe your claims.

38 You must gain no wealth from your work, but many times lose all that you have, and must submit yourself to the most vile persecutions. And finally after 20 years of this, give your own life in a very savage and brutal manner, for your testimony concerning your book. This must be done willingly on your part.

39 Start right now and produce this record, not in the peaceful atmosphere of your community but under the most trying of circumstances which includes being driven from your home many times. Please have your book completed and printed in 60 days.

40 After pauses for sleep and food, when you are dictating to a sternographer you must never ask to have the last paragraph or last sentence read back to you. Other than a few grammatical corrections, you must have no changes in the text and it must stand forever.

41 You must include within the record this promise to the future reader :

“ And when ye shall receive these things, l would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10 : 4-5)

Millions must bear record that they know the record to be true, because they put the promise to the test. They must do this, for the next 179 years.

42 Then for the next 179 years over 1,000,000 competent salesmen must be so sold on your book that they will gladly give up two or more years of their lives at their own expense to take it to all parts of the world. They will receive nothing in return for their efforts, but the joy of having shared your book with others.

43 The Church that you belong to is then approached by one of the major book publishers in the world who see your book as a popular addition to their range of religious books.

They want to sell it commercially at 8 times its current costs. An agreement is signed by the two parties and the initial distribution figure is 200,000 copies. Your book will now for the first time in its 174 year distribution history, be available in bookstores for the public to purchase.


44 PARLEY P. PRATT - LATTER - DAY APOSTLE
Was converted to the Church through reading the Book of Mormon. The First time he ever saw one, he expressed these words :

“ My eyes beheld the Book of Mormon that book of books..which was the principal means, in the hands of God of directing the entire course of my future life. I opened it with eagerness, and read its Title Page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this l commenced its contents by course.

I read all day, eating was a burden, l had no desire for food, sleep was a burden when the night came, for l preferred reading to sleep. “ As l read, the Spirit of the Lord was upon me, and l knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly, as a man comprehends and knows that he exists. “

Autobiography of Parley P.Pratt, Page 36 - 37

45 JOSEPH SMITH PROPHET AND TRANSLATOR OF THE BOOK OF
MORMON HAS STATED :
“ I told the Brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the Keystone of our Religion and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book “

History of the Church, Volume 4, Page 461

THE BOOK OF MORMON IS OF DIVINE ORIGIN, AND IS TRULY ANOTHER TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST.

Bounce Back!

In 1985, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a short cassette tape that focused on helping people with feeling positive.

The twenty-minute tape was a creative presentation of the idea that "disappointment is an unavoidable fact of life," but that "it can also be full, and rich and wonderful, if you don't let the bad times rob you of hope."

"There are lots of ways to deal with disappointment, overcome problems and bounce back from the hard times. And there are lots of ways to find the hope that you need to carry on. This tape is a collection of thoughts, ideas and music that can help you bounce back."

I've enjoyed this tape for years, and thought it would be a good idea to share the transcript (taken from the inner flap) of the message with anyone else who might find it helpful.

How to Bounce Back - Ten Ideas

Idea No. 1 - Be Your Own Best Friend

It's hard to bounce back if you're always down on yourself. A low self-image and the way you act because of it, sets you up for failure and disappointment. It creates a downward cycle that leads to sadness and depression and feeling of not wanting to try again.

When you're honest with yourself and present yourself honestly to others, you start to feel good about yourself. You realize you are a good person, an important person. You've broken the downward cycle, and you've started to bounce back.

Idea No. 2 - Be Realistic

There's nothing wrong with making big plans for the future--even if they sometimes get into the realm of pure fantasy.

What's important is that you are able to keep your expectations realistic. For instance, a great job is not going to come looking for you. That's going to take some effort on your part.

But once you make up your mind about what you want and go after it, look out, World!

Idea No. 3 - Pick Yourself Up

Most of the time you'll have to take the initiative to get yourself out of the dumps. Don't wait for a friend to call to cheer you up. You make the call.

Sign up for an art class, take a tour of the city, try out for a play, invite friends to dinner. The important thing is not what you do, but that you do something.

It's funny how when you look for the positive, you find it.

Idea No. 4 - Give of Yourself

When you get involved with others and their problems, suddenly yours don't seem so overwhelming. Now that's bouncing back in the best of ways, because you're not the only one who benefits. And it can be as simple as being the listening ear for another's frustrations.

Giving of yourself is the best gift of all because it comes back in so many ways.

Idea No. 5 - Give Yourself a Break

More often than not, people are more concerned with what's wrong with themselves than they are with what's wrong with you. They don't spend all their time looking at you trying to discover your weaknesses.

The only real observer of your problems is you. And you know something? You're not half bad.

Idea No. 6 - Get a Move On

Don't put your life on hold waiting for your hopes and dreams to come true. Just because life has "cheated" you out of something doesn't mean you have an excuse for not living up to your potential.

There are so many exciting possibilities, so many wonderful things to do and learn.

Each life is precious. It's far too valuable to waste, just sitting around. The more you do nothing, the more powerless you feel, and the more you feel that life is living you instead of the other way around.

Idea No. 7 - Talk to Your Family

Talking about your problems is a good way to bounce back--especially when you can share them with someone in your own family. They love you. They care about what happens to you. They want to help.

But sometimes it's hard to start these discussions because you're afraid they won't understand or they'll be disappointed in you.

Yet, even though it might seem awkward at first, it's worth the effort. Your family can be a great source of comfort and reassurance when things get hard.

Idea No. 8 - Accentuate the Positive

fThe way you look at a situation has a lot to do with how you respond to it. It's the old question of whether the glass is half full or half empty. A little creative thinking and a concious effort to see things in a positive way can turn things around. The ordinary becomes the extraordinary. A stumbling block becomes a stepping stone.

Idea No. 9 - Learn from the Hard Times

Be glad for the challenges that come into your life. They're difficult to appreciate when you're trying to deal with them. But those are the very times when you grow.

Life is a series of good things and not so good things, and you need the bad to appreciate the good. Hard times build character. Negative events become positive lessons that better equip you to cope with future trials.

And it's during the hard times that you really get to know yourself. You are forced to look closer at yourself to find the hidden reserves of strength it takes to overcome adversity.

No person or thing can make you happy. You have to find happiness and joy within yourself.

Idea No. 10 - Realize You're Not Alone

The human spirit is remarkably resilient. We fall down--or get knocked down--yet somehow we manage to bounce back. But it can be hard.

When disappointments crowd in on you, somtimes you feel so alone, and so unable to go on. But when you look within yourself, way down deep inside, you come to the realization that you're really not alone.

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See Also

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently created a new website called Provident Living. Among other things, there's section on Social and Emotional Strength.

Some of the issues covered are topics such as self-esteem and self-worth, anxiety, depression, stress management, suicide, and many more.

For other Church products, visit the Online Distribution Center. Bounce Back is currently out of print.

Transcript copyright © 1985 Bonneville Media Communications

Return to the Nephite Network

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson invited "the less-active, the offended, the critical, the transgressor" Sunday to come back and "feast at the table of the Lord and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the Saints."

In his first address to the entire 13-million member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the newly sustained 16th "prophet, seer and revelator," Monson echoed sentiments of welcome and inclusion that were hallmarks of his recent predecessors.

He spoke during the Sunday morning session of the church's 178th Annual General Conference, held in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City and beamed via satellite to LDS chapels across the globe.

Monson encouraged Mormons to show kindness and respect "for all people everywhere. The world in which we live is filled with diversity. We can and should demonstrate respect toward those whose beliefs differ from ours."

The new president said he was overwhelmed by church members' symbolic gestures of support offered Saturday. "As your hands were raised toward heaven, my heart was touched. I felt your love and support, as well as your commitment to the Lord," he said.

Monson has enjoyed meeting with Mormons in many nations, he said, and he plans to continue traveling, as the late President Gordon B. Hinckley did.

"I pledge my life, my strength - all that I have to offer - in serving the Lord and in directing the affairs of his church in accordance with his will and by his inspiration," Monson said.

Waikato Times 16th June 2005
Club of the week

Jaradites aim to keep the game in perspective

The Jaradites Rugby Sports Club is based at Church College of New Zealand at Templeview,with all home games played at that venue.Most of the clubs players, but not all are from the surrounding Latter Day Saints community.

The club was formed in 1989 as the Jaradites rugby league club and over the ensuing decade became the largest league club in the Waikato.

However political differences within that code - in particular a perceived bias against the Jaradites refusal to play on Sundays - saw the club opt out of league and into rugby in 1998.

Current club president Charles Sunnex was one of the original founders and also drove the switching of codes in 1998.

He emphasises that while the club has empathy with the local Temple View community, it is not affiliated to the LDS church.

We are open to all players, irrespective of religion.
Our senior club has 46 registered players, and about 10 per cent are non-Mormon.

“ We also have two junior boys teams and about 95 per cent of those kids and their families are non-Mormon.
“ I suppose they all just like what we stand for and how we operate.”

Sunnex claims the club is one of three worldwide with a Mormon connection, the others being George Nepia’s former club MAC in Hawkes Bay, and at Brigham Young University in the US at Utah.

The club has one senior team vying for championship honours with Mangakino in Division 1B, under the guidance of coach TeRa Arthur.But in recent seasons Jaradites has had several teams including a women’s side.

Sunnex hopes the significant increase in registered players this year should lead to a Presidents grade team next season.

He points out with pride that 33 of our 46 registered players served their two-year missions for the church when they were 19-20 years old.
“ You have to keep rugby in perspective these days.”
“ There are more important things in life.”
Not a bad attitude to have in today’s professional rugby environment.

John Holt

Mafi in rugby heaven
By Jon Geddes
February 22, 2005

A FORMER Mormon missionary plucked out of Sydney University second grade and who has attended only one previous Super 12 match is the bolter in the NSW Waratah squad to play the Chiefs on Friday night.

"I can't believe this time I am playing," a stunned 24-year-old Winston Mafi said yesterday.

In a surprise selection, he has beaten Wallaby squad member Cameron Shepherd for one of the NSW reserve back spots in the tournament opener at Aussie Stadium.

Mafi's meteoric rise began after he was spotted by Waratah coach Ewen McKenzie running around in the lower grades with Sydney University last season and was given a chance on the Waratahs' tour of Argentina.

"I didn't play any first grade games for Uni and, to be honest, I didn't expect to be signed, so I am pretty happy to be here," the winger-outside centre said.

McKenzie said what he liked about Mafi when he first saw him play was that he was not half-hearted and did everything 100 per cent.

"We could tell he had the raw ability but every time he carried the ball he beat a tackle or carried guys four or five metres," McKenzie said.

"He not afraid of anything. I think this game is going to be a physical encounter and will suit his style."

Mafi prepared for his professional rugby career by working for two years as a missionary with the Mormom Church in Melbourne -- a calling he paid for out of his own pocket.

"I came back a bit stronger from all the biking on the hills in Melbourne," he said.

"I'm more physical now than ever in my rugby, so it was pretty good."

During that time Mafi would knock on doors and talk to other people on the street, returning home last April as a more confident person.

"I learnt a lot about myself that I didn't know before -- I learnt to talk to people and understand where people were coming from," he said.

Mafi's beliefs also place restrictions on his life away from the rugby field.

"There is no drinking, no smoking and I don't go out," Mafi said. "When I finish training I just go home."

McKenzie joked that he was one player who was pretty easy to find on a Saturday night.

But Mafi doesn't find that any sort of a burden, even in the professional sporting environment in which he now finds himself.

"Growing up as member of the church I was very disciplined from an early age, he said. "It was just natural, I know what to do."

And the strongly religious Mafi said he has been well accepted by the other Waratah players.

"They are awesome, everyone here is a Christian in some sort of way," he said.

Mafi, who has signed a two-year contract with NSW, will have his own personal fan club at Friday night's game.

He is one of 10 children, the youngest of whom is six.

One of his brothers and a sister have followed in Mafi's footsteps and are currently away from home working as missionaries.

The one problem he has to deal with in the lead-up to Friday's game is how to allocate the four tickets he has been given.

The Daily Telegraph

23.11.1999: Solomon Powers his Way on to World Scene
By: GILL Mary Anne

If you'd told Daniel Solomon this time last year that he would be travelling to Finland for the world bench press championships in December 1999, the Hamilton-based powerlifter would have thought you were crazy.

Since he gave up rugby league because of an injury 12 months ago, Solomon's rise to the top has been staggering.

Earlier this month he smashed the national record at the New Zealand bench press championships in Timaru.

Competing in the 125kg senior men's class, Solomon lifted the record to 250.5kg.

The 30-year-old Work and Income NZ worker qualified for the world championships in Helsinki as a result and will leave early next month with his wife Debbie.

Ashburton's Tania Green, also in the sport for little over a year, is the only other Kiwi travelling to Finland.

Solomon started powerlifting when he injured his left knee playing for Waikato rugby league team the Jaradites.

Les Mills head trainer John Gillett could see that Solomon had the right physique for powerlifting and steered him towards the sport. Since then he has broken four national records.

Solomon, bom and bred in the tiny East Coast settlement ofWhakaki, is humble about his success.

He said his will to succeed came from his children, Asteena, 8, and Daniel, 6.

"They're the motivating factor behind me doing this. I love youth and I love working with children, they motivate me to do it.

"I know there's a lot of youth out there who have physical talents. I'm trying to be some sort of role model to them."

Solomon weighs 122kg and is 1.78m tall.

He spends six hours a week training for the three powerlifting disciplines, squat, benchpress and deadlift.

He has lifted 320kg in the squat and 300kg in the deadlift. Benchpress remains his favourite, though. He competes in the 110-125kg weight category.

Solomon had to raise $8500 to travel to Finland. He got support from Avalon Auto Spares, Debt Recovery Co (Auckland) and CEN Sports Supplements.

Some 156 competitors will attend the world championships from December 9-14. Solomon will lift against 17 others.

CAPTION:

POWER LIFT: Daniel Solomon training in Hamilton for the world bench press championships. PICTURE: Andrew Gome

11.06.1998: Jaradites Threat to Otorohanga

Otorohanga's expected progression through the grades of Waikato rugby has hit a new barrier.

The former King Country club champions were expected to breeze through the Waikato senior reserve A grade when they made their controversial switch of unions this year.

But they did not reckon on a former rugby league club trying their hand at rugby union for the first time.

Jaradites came from behind to beat Otorohanga 19-17 at their Weka St, Frankton, headquarters on Saturday to take a one-point lead in the competition.

The teams start again with a top-eight competition after this round, but at the end of that it will only be the top-placed club that has a B side and does not already have a team in the senior first or second divisions that will earn the right to challenge the bottom second division side for senior status.

Jaradites club president Charles Sunnex said they had two senior teams and five junior sides, all of which switched from league.

"We've lost a few players because of the move, but some of them are trickling back," Sunnex said.

"Not all of our players have come from rugby league. Since we switched we've attracted a lot of rugby players."

Jaradites had to score three tries in the last 15 minutes to win Saturday's game after trailing 17-0. They previously had a draw with Hamilton Marist, while Otorohanga Gold had run up a series of big scores.

09.05.1998: Five Join Northern Zone Maori

Five Waikato players have joined the Northe rn Zone Maori mgby team playing two matches in Melbourne.

The team, who departed yesterday, include Hamilton Old Boys players Kramer Ronaki and Jamie Mum, Hamilton Marist's Dave Dillon, Adrian Wharawhara of United Matamata Sports, and Tapua Gudgeon, who plays for senior reserve club Jaradites.

Mum came in as a late replacement for injured Nicky Little.
Northern Zone Maori are to play Victoria and a Melbourne Invitation side and were hoping on their return to play a North Harbour team in the curtain-raiser to next Friday night's Super 12 match at Albany.