Temple prep - Endowed from on High "Lesson 1"

I'm reading the Church Education System's manual for temple preparation and adding my two cents. Text found here. 

Objective

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). The writers of this manual are using this verse to validate the temple endowment drama in which Elohim repeatedly sends Jehovah (understood to be Jesus) and either Michael the archangel (understood to be Adam, the first man) or Peter, James and John of New Testament fame off on errands of making all of Creation and giving humans very special messages. The very special messages are Masonic hand signs, handshakes and passwords. I honestly can't see how this gives you any significant knowledge about who God and Jesus Christ are. We already know they're the Alpha and Omega tag team that will rock the universe forever. How about a little insight into what makes them laugh or maybe their favorite foods?

To help class members understand that the plan of salvation is taught in the temple. That's it? Do we have to keeping reading? I think we got the lesson down pat. I have no idea how you can be baptized and attend church meetings for an entire year and still need help with the layout of the Plan.

Preparation

1. Before class begins, prepare a chalkboard or poster illustration of the incomplete diagram showing the plan of salvation (see page 3). Oh dear Lord! Are you teaching 7 year olds? (You may wish to make a similar incomplete diagram on a piece of paper for each class member to complete during class discussion.) They'll fill the whole thing out in 30 seconds of shear boredom. You know that, right?
   
2. Make sure that each class member has access to a copy of the scriptures. Why? The scriptures don't discuss the modern Mormon temple in much detail at all. Also provide a copy of the booklet Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple for each class member. Drop the booklet, it's awful. Consider instead providing everyone with the script used for the endowment. These should have been ordered as part of the class materials. That's right, dude. You didn't order them? You fucked up.
   
3. You may want to assign several class members to help you with the second section of the lesson. You could give the scripture references mentioned under each part of the plan of salvation (premortal life, the Fall, etc.) to a class member and ask him or her to come to class prepared to summarize what these scriptures teach about the plan of salvation. This will be sure to annoy most of the students you choose.
   
4. If the Come unto Me videocassette is available, you may want to show “Man’s Search for Happiness,” a 13-minute segment. That's one corny-ass film. You might not want to show it.
   

Lesson Presentation

The Temple Is a Spiritual School

It's a school that gives the same lesson every single day all day long with no Q&A sessions, no class discussions, no homework, no quizzes or tests. It's not a very good school. 

Invite someone to give an opening prayer.

Explain that the scriptures will be used in each lesson. This way years later when their wondering where all the weird temple stuff comes from they'll have a vague impression that it came from scripture. Encourage class members to bring the scriptures to each class. It sucks when you have keep handing out library copies to these kids.

Distribute a copy of Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple to each class member. Explain that this is the student supplement for the course. Material from the booklet will be discussed throughout the lessons, and each class member should read the booklet during the weeks the course is taught.

Begin the lesson by explaining that the temple is a spiritual school that helps us learn more about the purpose of life and the plan of salvation. You really have to hammer this point because otherwise there's no way your students will feel like they've learned much more about the purpose of life and the plan of salvation.

Have class members read the following quotations, which explain some of what we learn in the temple:

President Gordon B. Hinckley said that the temple “becomes a school of instruction in the sweet and sacred things of God. Sounds great, but what is he referring to? Here we have outlined the plan of a loving Father in behalf of His sons and daughters of all generations. The same plan we learned by heart in Primary or a different one? Here we have sketched before us the odyssey of man’s eternal journey from premortal existence through this life to the life beyond. Like the sketches we've discussed countless times in Primary? Great fundamental and basic truths are taught with clarity and simplicity well within the understanding of all who hear” But not much understanding will be found by those who think a little more carefully. (“The Salt Lake Temple,” Ensign, Mar. 1993, 5–6).

President Brigham Young taught that the temple ordinance called the endowment gives us instruction necessary for eternal life: “Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father” And yet Jesus never ever spoke of Freemasonry as necessary ordinances because Freemasonry wouldn't come into existence until maybe 1400 or 1500 years later. To assume that the temple endowment is an essential ordinance to Christianity is to make a gross error.(Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 416).

Have class members read John 17:3.

• What does this scripture teach about the most important knowledge we can obtain? I've already explained one reason why using this verse in reference to the temple is fantastically out of place. See above.

Explain that in the temple, we learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and we are able to grow closer to Them. What more do we learn about Heavenly Father? That his name is Elohim and that he delegated the creation of the universe to Jehovah, Jesus' secret name. Most members probably already know this. We learn about Their plan for us, which is referred to in the scriptures by various titles, such as the plan of redemption or plan of salvation. We learn that it requires knowledge of Freemasonry for us to get to heaven.

“We will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25). Will humans willingly enslave themselves to our will?

• What has helped you learn about the plan of salvation thus far in your life? Primary, Sunday School, FHE, and everything else the Church required me to do, but nothing in my real life, day to day experience.
• How has your understanding of the plan of salvation blessed your life? It gives me a rewards system and a reason to think that I'm destined for somewhere better than everyone else in the world who isn't an active believing LDS.

In the Temple We Are Taught the Plan of Salvation

Explain that as part of the temple endowment, the plan of salvation is taught. This has already been stated more than once. The bad news about this temple teaching is that it produces more questions than it answers. This section of the lesson will help the class members prepare to understand these teachings in the temple. Let's hope!

Refer to the incomplete chalkboard illustration and review the following information, using the scriptures to help the class members understand the ideas. As the scriptures are discussed, write them on the appropriate lines on the chart. If the class members have their own copies of the chart, have them add the scripture references to their charts. Uh! Boring.

If you have assigned class members to help you, ask them to present their information on the plan of salvation. Explain that this discussion will focus on the following questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here on earth? Where are we going after this life? Ah, yes, the big questions.

Premortal Life

1. We are spirit children of God, our Heavenly Father, and we lived with Him before coming to earth (see Romans 8:16–17). Um, I think you mean Elohim.
   
2. Heavenly Father called a great council in heaven (see Abraham 3:22–23). He presented a plan for our eternal development and happiness, which is called the plan of salvation. We chose to follow His plan. So did Satan, if you think about it.
   
3. In harmony with the plan, Jesus Christ, the Firstborn Son of Heavenly Father, volunteered to be our Savior (see Moses 4:2; Abraham 3:27). Which means his blood, obtained through torture, magically fixes everything wrong in the universe.
   
4. Lucifer, another son of God, rebelled against Heavenly Father’s plan and “sought to destroy the agency of man.” He and his followers were cast out of heaven and were denied the privileges of receiving a physical body and experiencing mortality. Throughout the ages, Satan, as Lucifer is now called, has tried to make all mankind miserable like himself by tempting them to be wicked (see Moses 4:1, 3–4; 2 Nephi 2:17–18). I think it's time we be the better man and forgive Lucifer.
   

The Fall

1. Adam and Eve were chosen to be the first of Heavenly Father’s children to come to earth and were placed in the Garden of Eden. At that time, their bodies were not mortal (see Moses 3:7–8, 21–23). This happened about 6000 years ago. No doubt about it.
   
2. Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. Why did God tell them not to eat it if he really needed them to in order for his plan to work? Because he's a dick. As a result, they were separated from God’s presence. The more you learn about God, the less this sounds like a punishment. This separation is called spiritual death. It almost sounds as good as "death panels". God's got a good PR team. They became mortal, which means that their physical bodies would eventually die. Of everything mentioned so far, I think mortality is the only thing that makes sense. This is an observable reality confirmed by science, unlike the rest of this story. They also became able to have children. What? Were they in a perpetual state of prepubescence? Is this real doctrine? The change to the mortal condition is called the Fall More good PR work. (see 2 Nephi 2:19–25; D&C 29:40–41). So far you haven't explained anything an active Mormon of at least a year wouldn't already know.
   

Mortal Life

1. All those who chose in the premortal life to follow Heavenly Father’s plan gain a physical body by being born on this earth. During our mortal life, we are tested to see whether we are willing to live by faith and obey Heavenly Father’s commandments when we are not in His physical presence (see Alma 34:32; Abraham 3:24–26). Heavenly Father has decided on an interesting set up.
   
2. In mortality, each person is free to choose whether he or she will follow God or follow Satan (see 2 Nephi 2:27). His didactic methodology is also very "interesting".
   

Death and Resurrection

1. When we die, our spirits enter the spirit world, and our bodies remain on earth. Isn't the spirit world just another realm of the earth? Is it somewhere else? Does this mean Mormons believe in ghosts? This period of separation continues until the time of our resurrection. The spirits of the righteous are received into a state of peace and happiness, which is called paradise. Not a perpetual state of missionary work trying to convert the nearly 100% of the earth's population that has never hear of God's plan? The spirits of the wicked are placed in a state of darkness, which is sometimes referred to as a prison (see Alma 40:9–14; see also 1 Peter 3:19). Do you want to be confined to the hole until you resurrect?
   
2. The Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ provide the way for all mankind to overcome physical death by being resurrected. Demigod blood is awesome like that! Resurrection means that our spirits and perfected bodies will be reunited for eternity (see 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Nephi 9:10–13; Alma 11:42–44). Even if you're headed for Outer Darkness. You'll at least be happy suffering totally misery in a perfect resurrected body. God's a generous fellow.
   
   “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (Articles of Faith 1:3). Put another way, God's plan allows for a maximum return of just about 2/3 of his spirit children! That's a pretty good investment return, isn't it?
3. The Atonement of Jesus Christ also provides the way for us to be forgiven and cleansed from sin so we can dwell in the presence of God. Because you're a filthy dirty sinner and we all know it. The Savior suffered for the sins of all mankind in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. As a result of His Atonement, we can repent of our sins and receive forgiveness. As we live the gospel, we can qualify to receive the gift of eternal life and become like Him (see Mosiah 3:5–12). Once again, none of this information should be new to someone who has gone through the discussion or Primary and was baptized. This lesson is terribly unnecessary and not going to be of much help to someone going through the temple.
   

Kingdoms of Glory

At the time of resurrection, each person will be assigned to a kingdom of glory. Those who are righteous will inherit greater joy and blessings than those who do not obey God’s commandments (see 1 Corinthians 15:35, 40–42).

1. The telestial glory is for those who do not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ or the testimony of Jesus or the prophets of God, and who live sinful lives (see D&C 76:81–88, 98–103). I have some thoughts about the telestial kingdom! First off, it has a weird-ass name...
   
2. The terrestrial glory is for the honorable people of the earth who are deceived and for those who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ (see D&C 76:71–79). Quitters like me!
   
3. The celestial glory is reserved for those who obey the commandments and receive the ordinances, overcome all things by faith in Jesus Christ, and become pure in heart (see D&C 76:50–70). This place must totally kick ass!

Before going on, I have to ask, is it strange to anyone else that all of this information has to be pooled from all across the scriptural canan? Would you think that one of the Nephis or Almas or Mormons would have written about this a little more clearly? I do. I think that if this is how the plan really is, someone in the New Testament would have spelled it out very clearly. If this is the plan that every prophet has learned about since Adam, I think it's safe to say the Old Testament should have a chapter or two (or ten) outlining this whole thing. Instead we get to piece it all together from a selection of verses that require a fair amount of interpretation. God really loves his puzzles. 

Ask class members to respond to the following questions: If they're still awake.

• What did you learn about the plan of salvation that you did not know before? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! SERIOUSLY. NOTHING.
• How do you feel when you think about Jesus Christ’s part in this great plan? Very confused. God's sense of justice is very Bronze Age and violent. It also strikes me as wholly ineffectual. I've never been able to sacrifice a living creature and have past mistakes be made right. How does that work exactly?
• How can we show Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that we are grateful for Their plan? We don't have to show them anything because we're already completely naked before them. They can see through our hearts and minds.

To emphasize the great importance of the Savior’s Atonement in the plan of salvation, write the third article of faith below the completed chart as shown. We had to memorize this when we were 8 years old. Let's consider that the people taking this class are 18. That makes 10 years of repeating this article of faith. Don't you think they've got it by now? Doesn't this feel brainwashy at all to you?

 Conclusion

Emphasize that the temple provides us with knowledge about this plan, knowledge that brings great blessings into our lives. I would love what significant details the endowment offers. I've done it many times, read through it several more. The temple offers nothing enlightening, just a bunch of bizarre "symbolic" details. Setting kids up to think they'll learn something new about the Plan seems dishonest to me. Promising "blessings" also seems dishonest. It's an invisible carrot that will never have a name or shape. Bear your testimony about the blessings you have received because you understand the plan of salvation and live the principles of the gospel. Invent something. Anything. You can say something generic like that because of the temple your family is happier, or that because of the temple you know more about God's plan. Just say something. And cry a little bit. But whatever you do, don't make any hardline promises. We'd hate for these kids to have real expectations!

You may want to conclude by showing “Man’s Search for Happiness.” Linked above.

Temple prep - "Not without Opposition"

The following text is taken from the pamphlet "Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple" (2002) and annotated by me.

Temples are the very center of the spiritual strength of the Church. That's right, all of you who are too young to go to the temple or who only attend you're 3 hours of block meetings on Sunday, do family home evening on Monday, manage Boy Scouts on Tuesday, help with Mutual on Wednesday, and go to Relief Society enrichment events on Thursday, and help move a neighbor on Saturday, YOU'RE PERIPHERICAL, you're just flies buzzing around the outhouse. Start going to the temple every Friday. We should expect that the adversary will try to interfere with us as a Church and with us individually as we seek to participate in this sacred and inspired work. Fear the Devil, kids. Assume that anyone and anything that might distract you is a tool of Satan. There be witches about and they're after you! The interference can vary from the terrible persecutions of the earlier days to apathy toward the work. That's right. If you're not gung ho about all this, you're under the influence of the Evil One! The latter is perhaps the most dangerous and debilitating form of resistance to temple work. The greatest lie Satan ever convinced us of is that he doesn't exist! The Boogeyman is real!

Temple work brings so much resistance because it is the source of so much spiritual power to the Latter-day Saints, and to the entire Church. Not because it's the source of much boredom, bafflement, annoyance, discomfort, silliness, and emptiness?

At the Logan Temple cornerstone dedication, President George Q. Cannon made this statement:

Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence. So I guess the world has gotten a heck of a lot better over the past 150 years. We have so many temples now, Satan must be horribly weak by now. (In “The Logan Temple,” Millennial Star, 12 Nov. 1877, page 743.)

"Satan, I renounce thee! Now take me back to the temple!"

When members of the Church are troubled or when crucial decisions weigh heavily upon their minds, it is a common thing for them to go to the temple. This is because they have been advised by Church leaders to take their problems to the temple, so they do. It is a good place to take our cares. So says another LDS apostle. Thanks, Boyd (R.I.P.). In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective. By staring at the backs of others heads while we watch a shit movie? You've got to be joking. There, during the time of the temple service, we are “out of the world.” You put "out of the world" in parentheses because we're really not. We're just pretending.

A large part of the value of these occasions is the fact that we are doing something for someone that they cannot do for themselves. And believe me, sitting on your ass in a comfy chair for a couple hours is a much better way to help someone than rolling up your sleeves and breaking a sweat outside in the world where your living and breathing neighbors live. Don't doubt that Jesus would have sat in air conditioning watching movies instead of treading dusty roads lined with sick people and prostitutes had he been given the chance. As we perform the endowment for someone who is dead, somehow we feel a little less hesitant to pray fervently to the Lord to assist us. I've never heard anyone say this ever. When young married couples have decisions to make, if they are near a temple there is great value in attending a session. It reminds the young couple that they should be giving the church more money and having more children to baptize. There is something cleansing and clarifying about the spiritual atmosphere of the temple. Is there? What is that something? What are you talking about? This sounds like BS.

Sometimes our minds are so beset with problems, and there are so many things clamoring for attention at once, that we just cannot think clearly and see clearly. So go to the temple to work on deciphering all the arcane symbolism! :S At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can “see” things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known. Kids, just go on a hike or sit by a river for fuck's sake. Learn to meditate or something. Don't work through life's problems by watching a stupid dramatic production about how Satan is after you.

The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Generic blessings or do you have something specific in mind? Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. Why not? Why would we go to the temple and expect blessings not associated with temple attendance? We will be blessed in all of our affairs. Are you saying we'll see extra financial benefits at work? I'm pretty sure in the temple movie Satan promises Adam and Eve money... We will be eligible to have the Lord take an interest in our affairs both spiritual and temporal. Awesome! You really are promising temporal blessings like Satan did! Great job. I'm reconverted to temple attendance. :S

Temple prep - New Era "Making Important Covenants"

Allie Bradford, 20, Utah, USA

I received my mission call in January to the Cape Verde Praia Mission! I’m really excited about my mission, but I was just as excited to be able to go through the temple and receive my endowment. Probably because you had no idea what to expect for either the temple or your mission.

Both my bishop and my stake president reminded me that the temple is not merely a stepping-stone to the mission. Did you need that reminder? I can't imagine why you would. The covenants I make in the temple are literally vital for my salvation; a mission is not. I'm not sure temple covenants are vital. New Testament writers never brought them up and neither did the Jaredites, Mulekites or Lehites. Only Joseph Smith brings them up and only then after he became a Freemason.

I prepared to go to the temple by focusing on my baptismal covenants, reading the booklet Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple, reading my scriptures daily, and praying a lot. Baptismal covenants cover everything, so that's good. The only thing the temple adds are promises of secrecy. The temple prep booklet is worthless. It didn't tell you a damned thing that you didn't already know and neither did what you read in the scriptures or felt when you prayed. To truly prepare for what you'll do, you should have Googled the endowment ceremony or watched it on YouTube. Or both. Then you'd know what you were getting into. I felt like I was about as prepared as I could have been, without actually knowing specifically what was going to happen. That's totally how I felt too! Man, was I wrong.

I feel like I’ve been preparing for my endowment my whole life. You have been. Remember all those Primary songs and that eternal marriage talk? I wasn’t really nervous about it, even though I still didn’t know what to expect. Yes! We have so much in common! I had my parents, other family members, and temple workers escorting me the whole time, so I was never alone. Never alone, yet barely informed of anything.

Before I went to the temple, I got the same advice from a lot of people: Don’t worry about trying to learn or remember it all the first time, don’t stress about the symbolism, and don’t worry if you don’t understand everything; just focus on feeling the Spirit. That what I was told too. Unfortunately I just felt uncomfortable. That’s just what I did, and my first time in the temple was a very good experience. The Spirit was so strong. I guess this is where you and I differ. I felt confused and wondered why no one had properly informed me of what this experience would be like. So who's feelings are most valid, yours or mine?

The things that happen in the temple are different from the way we worship outside the temple. Because they're stolen from the Freemasons and have absolutely nothing to do with Christian worship. But the Spirit is the same, and that’s the most important thing. It didn't feel the same to me! I felt like I was in an entirely different church. When we’re worthy and prepared to be there, we can truly feel God’s presence in His house. Polly want a cracker? I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to receive my endowment and make those important covenants. Your baptismal covenant already covered that shit, yo! I look forward to going back again and again. Totally! Until you get bored out of your mind.

That time of month

Dear brothers and sisters, I just want to remind you that it's the last day of the month, so if you haven't done your home teaching (brethren!) or visiting teaching (sisters!!) you'd better be sure to whip up a batch of cookies and take them over to your assigned families tonight!!!

We all know how much kids love cookies and how those cookies are the only thing keeping the neighbor kids from hating our guts totally and completely for interrupting their evening with an hour of boring parent talk, five minutes of awkward "tell us about school" talk, and the even more awkward ten minute "here's this month's lesson" talk. We all know how awful that is, right? These poor kids. What do we think we're doing for them by making them sit quietly while we adults blabber on and on about whatever the hell isn't interesting at all to anyone anywhere?

We might say it's not really for the kids, it's for us. We might, but I think we'd be lying to ourselves. Do we really need to have neighbors come over and read a few paragraphs from an article in a magazine we're already subscribed to? Oh yeah, and didn't we already read and study and pray about that very article in preparation to share our thoughts on it with about three other families already? And aren't these articles little more than a rehashing of yet another primary lesson? How is this supposed to be beneficial again? I'm not seeing the purpose of rehearsing this monthly farce we call "teaching".

Is it about our pride? Is it about making higher ups happy?

Surely it's not for us. Oops! There goes the timer on the oven! I'd better go pull the cookies out.

All manner of manners of every kind

So The Book of Mormon sucks shit to read. I'm sorry, but it does. The hero prophet stories get old fast, the wars drag on and on, it repeats the Bible ad nauseam, and it makes poor excuses for poor writing. If you have any other book on your reading list, read that one first. Or if you just have to read The Book of Mormon, try this version, at least it has some character.

One of my personal favorite literary tactics in The Book of Mormon is repetition. It's about as amusing as watching a dog chase its tail for 500 pages. The tiring use of "and it came to pass" (occurring 1404 times) is the most famous example of why The Book of Mormon is considered chloroform in print, but there are plenty of other repetitions. The author(s) uses "all manner of" and "of every kind" in attempt to abreviate the cataloging of artifacts, activities, behaviors, and beliefs, which IS USED A LOT, is another way the author(s) fills up pages without saying much. It's an attempt to sound smart and biblical (the KJT rarely uses "all manner of" more than once or twice per book) but that instead creates redundancy and vagueness. I mean, how are we supposed to know what all the manners and kinds are unless they tell us what those manners are explicitly? I guess in a way that vagueness makes The Book of Mormon a work designed to trigger the apologist imagination. And yet the book itself is very limited in its imagery and narrative. You might say that the record of the Nephites and Jaredites plays in a manner like unto a broken record.

I don't blame the ancient writers for the overkill of "all manner of" and "of every kind," I blame the translator who should have known how to better render Ancient New World Hebrew into English.

Here are the 200+ "manner of"s and "of every kind"s you'll find in the text. They're not all egregiously awful, but most are. I've organized them in a handful of imperfect categories.

EVIL DOINGS & PUNISHMENTS:

"after this manner of language had my mother complained against my father" (1 Nephi 5:3)

"it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine" (1 Nephi 8:27)

"I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up; and I saw many cities that they were sunk; and I saw many that they were burned with fire; and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof" (1 Nephi 12:4)

"after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations" (1 Nephi 12:23)

"I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots" (1 Nephi 13:7)

"after this manner did my brother Laman stir up their hearts to anger" (1 Nephi 16:38)

"after this manner of language did my brethren murmur and complain" (1 Nephi 17:22)

"all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity" (1 Nephi 22:23)

"the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner" (2 Nephi 8:6)

"that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness" (2 Nephi 9:9) 

"as his rod was upon the sea so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt" (2 Nephi 20:26)

"Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews [...] I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations" (2 Nephi 25:1-2)

"they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions" (2 Nephi 26:6)

"they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations" (2 Nephi 27:1)

"I, Jacob, spake many more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them" (Jacob 3:12)

"there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. And after this manner do I write concerning them." (Enos 1:23)

"nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness" (Mosiah 2:13)

"the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a very cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren." (Mosiah 24:7) This sounds like Mormons today (e.g. Mitt Romney)!

"there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity" (Mosiah 29:14)

"all his iniquities and abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and bloodshed, and the stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner of iniquities which cannot be enumerated" (Mosiah 29:30)

"they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness" (Mosiah 11:2)

"he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities" (Mosiah 27:8)

"he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching" (Alma 1:6)

"they did persecute them, and afflict them with all manner of words" (Alma 1:20)

"those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness" (Alma 1:32)

"the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel" (Alma 4:6)

"how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness?" (Alma 5:22)

"ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness" (Alma 5:23)

"they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness" (Alma 11:20)

"they were full of all manner of wickedness" (Alma 13:17)

"And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying: How shall we look when we are damned? And many such things, yea, all manner of such things did they say unto them; and thus they did mock them for many days." (Alma 14:21-22)

"those priests who did go forth among the people did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of lasciviousness" (Alma 16:18)

"they ought not to murder, nor to plunder, nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to commit any manner of wickedness" (Alma 23:3)

"he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain" (Alma 25:12)

"we have suffered all manner of afflictions (Alma 26:30)

"after this manner did he preach" (Alma 30:12)

"this put an end to the iniquity after the manner of Korihor" (Alma 30:58)

"he did go on in the same manner as he did in the land of Gideon; yea, he went on to blaspheme" (Alma 30:30)

"they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld" (Alma 31:12)

"he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods" (Alma 31:24)

"because they shall dwindle in unbelief and fall into the works of darkness, and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities" (Alma 45:12)

"not long after their dissensions they became more hardened and impenitent, and more wild, wicked and ferocious than the Lamanites—drinking in with the traditions of the Lamanites; giving way to indolence, and all manner of lasciviousness" (Alma 47:36)

"the law should be altered in a manner to overthrow the free government and to establish a king over the land" (Alma 51:5)

"Kishkumen and his band, who had covenanted with him, did mingle themselves among the people, in a manner that they all could not be found" (Helaman 1:12)

"they might murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God" (Helaman 6:23)

"ye have set your hearts upon the riches and the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and steal, and bear false witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity" (Helaman 7:21)

"we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One" (Helaman 12:2)

"except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him" (Helaman 12:3)

"how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity" (Helaman 12:5)

"your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities" (Helaman 13:22)

"ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them" (Helaman 13:24)

"if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him" (Helaman 13:26)

"they were girded about after the manner of robbers" (3 Nephi 4:7)

"Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world. And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity" (3 Nephi 6:15-16)

"men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake" (3 Nephi 12:11)

"shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations" (3 Nephi 16:10)

"there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world" (4 Nephi 1:24)

"there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner of wickedness" (4 Nephi 1:27)

"the people did harden their hearts, for they were led by many priests and false prophets to build up many churches, and to do all manner of iniquity" (4 Nephi 1:34)

"gold and silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner of traffic" (4 Nephi 1:46)

"there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations" (Mormon 8:31)

"there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities" (Mormon 8:36)

"they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms" (Ether 8:16)

"I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people" (Ether 8:20) And yet he includes extensive passages from the Bible, a book which is held among essentially all people.

"they had sworn unto him to do all manner of iniquity" (Ether 9:10)

"they adopted the old plans, and administered oaths after the manner of the ancients, and sought again to destroy the kingdom" (Ether 10:33)

"he did do all manner of iniquity in his days" (Ether 11:10)

"there were robbers, and in fine, all manner of wickedness upon all the face of the land" (Ether 13:26)

"after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one" (Moroni 7:17)

"Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent." (Moroni 8:16)

FOOD & LIVESTOCK:

"we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind" (1 Nephi 8:1)

"we did take seed of every kind" (1 Nephi 16:11)

"there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men" (1 Nephi 18:25)

"the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses." (Enos 1:21)

"with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits" (Mosiah 9:9)

"all manner of grain and all manner of fruit of every kind" (Mosiah 10:4)

"gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families" (Ether 1:41)

"they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind" (Ether 2:3)

PROSPERING:

"after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled" (1 Nephi 1:15)

"he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches" (1 Nephi 3:16)

"I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits" (1 Nephi 11:41)

"we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind" (2 Nephi 5:11)

"we lived after the manner of happiness" (2 Nephi 5:27)

"there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews. But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews" (2 Nephi 25:5-6)

"many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores" (Jacob 2:12)

"I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind" (Mosiah 2:11)

"I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you" (Mosiah 2:12)

"Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?" (Mosiah 4:19)

"we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us" (Mosiah 7:22)

"they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla but returned to this land, having traveled in a land among many waters, having discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been peopled" (Mosiah 8:8)

"they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth" (Alma 1:29)

"having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things" (Alma 9:22)

"A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain." (Alma 11:7)

"his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss" (Alma 18:43)

"I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions" (Alma 36:27)

"myself, and also my men, and also Helaman and his men, have suffered exceedingly great sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of every kind" (Alma 60:3)

"all the prisoners of the Lamanites did join the people of Ammon, and did begin to labor exceedingly, tilling the ground, raising all manner of grain, and flocks and herds of every kind" (Alma 62:29)

"he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies" (Alma 62:50)

"there are many books and many records of every kind" (Helaman 3:15)

 "they did have an exceeding plenty of gold, and of silver, and of all manner of precious metals, both in the land south and in the land north" (Helaman 6:9)

"their women did toil and spin, and did make all manner of cloth, of fine-twined linen and cloth of every kind, to clothe their nakedness" (Helaman 6:13)

"they did take with them all that they had not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and they did return to their own lands and their possessions" (3 Nephi 6:2)

"they were not united as to their laws, and their manner of government" (3 Nephi 7:14)

"Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them" (3 Nephi 17:7)

"all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one" (3 Nephi 17:9)

"having healed all their sick, and their lame, and opened the eyes of their blind and unstopped the ears of the deaf, and even had done all manner of cures among them, and raised a man from the dead, and had shown forth his power unto them" (3 Nephi 25:16)

"there were great and marvelous works wrought by the disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; and all manner of miracles did they work among the children of men" (4 Nephi 1:5)

"there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness" (4 Nephi 1:16)

"Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things; And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man." (Ether 9:17-18)

"the Lord God would send or bring forth another people to possess the land, by his power, after the manner by which he brought their fathers" (Ether 11:21)

"after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men" (Moroni 7:32)

THE RIGHT WAY:
"after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren" (1 Nephi 3:21)

"after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah" (1 Nephi 5:6)

"after this manner of language did she speak" (1 Nephi 5:8) 

"after this manner of language did my father prophesy and speak unto my brethren, and also many more things which I do not write in this book" (1 Nephi 10:15)

"after this manner has the prophet written" (1 Nephi 19:24)

"I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order" (2 Nephi 6:2)

"Then shall the lambs feed after their manner" (2 Nephi 15:17)

"after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men" (2 Nephi 31:3) 

"after this manner did they teach them" (Jarom 1:11) 

"after this manner we keep the records, for it is according to the commandments of our fathers" (Omni 1:9)

"after this manner he did baptize every one" (Mosiah 18:6) 

"Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon" (Mosiah 25:18) 

"all these things did Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God" (Mosiah 26:38) 

"he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage" (Mosiah 29:40)

"I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus" (Alma 5:44) 

"he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind" (Alma 7:11)
 
"these are the names of the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their value. And the names are given by the Nephites, for they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews who were at Jerusalem; neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews" (Alma 11:4)

"And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption." (Alma 13:2)

"this is the manner after which they were ordained" (Alma 13:3)

"they were ordained after this manner" (Alma 13:8)

"after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner." (Alma 31:23)

"let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:27)

"they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken, or how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken, which he said must be planted in their hearts; or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith" (Alma 33:1)

"not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice" (Alma 34:10)

"I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions" (Alma 34:40)

"we do not suppose that this first resurrection, which is spoken of in this manner, can be the resurrection of the souls and their consignation to happiness or misery" (Alma 40:17)

"the Lamanites did come down into the land of Zarahemla, and did declare unto the people of the Nephites the manner of their conversion" (Helaman 6:4) 

"some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions" (3 Nephi 6:13)

"after this manner shall ye baptize in my name" (3 Nephi 11:27)

"After this manner therefore pray ye" (3 Nephi 13:9)

"after this manner do they bear record" (3 Nephi 17:16)

"I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people" (Mormon 1:2)

"these things are written unto the remnant of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner, because it is known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them" (Mormon 5:12)

"the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech" (Mormon 9:32)

"it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites" (Ether 3:17)

"he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them" (Ether 15:33)

"The manner which the disciples, who were called the elders of the church, ordained priests and teachers" (Moroni 3:1)

"after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers" (Moroni 3:4)

"The manner of administering the wine" (Moroni 5:1)

"their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 6:8)

"he spake concerning faith, hope, and charity; for after this manner did he speak unto the people, as he taught them in the synagogue" (Moroni 7:21)

"after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me" (Moroni 8:9)

TOOLS & WORKMANSHIP:

"Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee" (1 Nephi 17:8)

"tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me" (1 Nephi 17:9)

"the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship. Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men" (1 Nephi 18:1-2) Here Nephi says essentially the same thing five different times but only in two different ways.

"we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper" (1 Nephi 18:25)

"I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance" (2 Nephi 5:15)

"I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine" (2 Nephi 5:16)

"I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness" (Mosiah 10:5)

"he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass" (Mosiah 10:11)

"king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper" (Mosiah 11:8)

"whosoever has these things is called seer, after the manner of old times" (Mosiah 28:16)

"their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews" (Alma 16:13)

"there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship" (Alma 37:39)

"in time they might have timber to build their houses, yea, their cities, and their temples, and their synagogues, and their sanctuaries, and all manner of their buildings" (Helaman 3:9)

"they did still continue to build up churches unto themselves, and adorn them with all manner of precious things" (4 Nephi 1:41)

"Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord" (Ether 2:16)

"they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish" (Ether 2:17)

"he did obtain all his fine work, yea, even his fine gold he did cause to be refined in prison; and all manner of fine workmanship he did cause to be wrought in prison" (Ether 10:7)

"And they did work in all manner of ore, and they did make gold, and silver, and iron, and brass, and all manner of metals; and they did dig it out of the earth; wherefore, they did cast up mighty heaps of earth to get ore, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of copper. And they did work all manner of fine work. And they did have silks, and fine-twined linen; and they did work all manner of cloth, that they might clothe themselves from their nakedness. And they did make all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash. And they did make all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts. And they did work all manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship." (Ether 10:23-27)

WEAPONS & WARS:

"I beheld many generations pass away, after the manner of wars and contentions in the land" (1 Nephi 12:3)

"I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords" (2 Nephi 5:14)

"we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war—yea, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war" (Jarom 1:8)

"two hundred and thirty and eight years had passed away—after the manner of wars, and contentions, and dissensions" (Jarom 1:13)

"I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent" (Mosiah 9:16)

"I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people" (Mosiah 10:1)

"they went again even the third time, and suffered in the like manner" (Mosiah 21:12)

"they did arm themselves with swords, and with cimeters, and with bows, and with arrows, and with stones, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons of war, of every kind" (Alma 2:12)

"Amlici did arm his men with all manner of weapons of war of every kind" (Alma 2:14) 

"they would suffer death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or cimeter to smite them" (Alma 27:29)

"his people were armed with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war" (Alma 43:18) 

"they were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni" (Alma 49:8)

"the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war" (Alma 49:9)

"many cities [...] all of which were strongly fortified after the manner of the fortifications of Moroni" (Alma 51:27)

"Amalickiah did pitch his tents in the borders on the beach by the seashore, and after this manner were they driven" (Alma 51:32)

"they had suffered great afflictions of every kind" (Alma 56:16)

"notwithstanding the Lamanites being cut off from their support after this manner, they were still determined to maintain the city" (Alma 57:11)

"ye have been appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send forth against the Lamanites" (Alma 60:2)

"they are murdering our people with the sword, yea, our women and our children, and also carrying them away captive, causing them that they should suffer all manner of afflictions" (Alma 60:17)

"the Lamanites had gathered together an innumerable army of men, and armed them with swords, and with cimeters and with bows, and with arrows, and with head-plates, and with breastplates, and with all manner of shields of every kind" (Helaman 1:14)

"in this manner they did fall upon them and cut them down to the earth" (Helaman 1:24)

"Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make weapons of war of every kind, and they should be strong with armor, and with shields, and with bucklers, after the manner of his instruction" (3 Nephi 3:26)

"the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years, in the which time they did hope to destroy the robbers from off the face of the land" (3 Nephi 4:4)

"they did fall upon my people with the sword, and with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of weapons of war" (Mormon 6:9)

"And they did make all manner of weapons of war." (Ether 10:27)

"when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men, women and children being armed with weapons of war, having shields, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle" (Ether 15:15)

"they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death" (Moroni 9:10)

CONGRATULATIONS! You made it to the end of a long list of example of really bad writing and translating. How do you feel? Invigorated by the Spirit? If not, let me leave you with yet another choice verse after the manner of Book of Mormon manners:

"a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work" (Helaman 3:14)

Oh dear lord, The Book of Mormon could have been a hundred times more repetitive? Now that's not even funny.