This is an activity we did using the software LDS View. The program lets you search for specific words in the scriptures and shows you which books they are found. I had some amazing experiences and some awesome insights regarding what I found while doing this project. Here are the results! 

1. “Plain” - 2 Nephi 31:2-3, 32:7, 33:5-6

It is so interesting to me that the word “plain” or “plainness” is found 7 times within 2 Nephi 31-33, which is about 5.5 pages. This is especially interesting because in the Book of Mormon, it is only said 51 times. The book is around 500 pages long, so every ten pages or so the world “plain” should occur. Why does Nephi use this word so often?

Nephi uses this word much more often than any other prophet. Plain is used 34 times in 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi combined. What can we learn from this?

Nephi states, in 2 Nephi 31:3, that “[his] soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men.” He is trying to teach us that there are no mysteries with God, and that in time, God will reveal everything to us. God is light, and there are no mysteries in light. 2 Nephi 26:33, which is out of today’s reading, but still applicable, states “he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men.”

2. “Strait and narrow path” - 2 Nephi 31:18

The phrase “strait and narrow path” is used a lot in the Mormon culture. We are familiar with this phrase because it shows us the way to get to heaven. The interesting thing I learned when I typed this phrase into lds view is that this phrase is only used in the Book of Mormon. In fact, this phrase is only used in 1 and 2 Nephi.

What does this tell us? This tells us that there really were many prophets who wrote this book. How could Joseph Smith, and uneducated farm boy, write each book in the Book of Mormon differently? The book is true!

3. Doctrine of Christ - 2 Nephi 31:21

The Doctrine of Christ, which states that men must follow Christ, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end to be saved, is a very important part of LDS doctrine. This is the simplest way of teaching people how they are to behave in order to return to their Heavenly Father. What is really interesting is the fact that the Doctrine of Christ is also found in the New Testament. This isn’t something Mormons made up, it is a doctrine that has been around since the time where Christ lived on the earth.

This was an amazing witness to me that the Book of Mormon is in fact another testament of Jesus Christ. It teaches the same doctrine that Christ taught while he was here on the earth. God is unchanging, and his doctrines are forever. What an amazing gospel we belong to!