My TBM nephew is entering the military soon.

He asked me if the church still provided servicemen with free scriptures.

In my day, decades ago, the church provided small book of mormons and a book of lessons, hymns and details on running church services and performing ordinances.

These books easily fit in your pocket.

In my day they had a red cover, presumably to make it more likely the commies would let you keep your book if captured

Does anyone know if they still provide these or not?

Here's a link to their website for military resources


https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/military/church-resources-for-military-members?lang=eng

Thank you. I passed that along.

They've been known to stop bullets. Get him a pocket watch to make sure.

And sure enough, there were jokes about it miraculously stopping bullets. (Never heard a serious "faith-building" anecdote, though.) Two jokes about stopping bullets.

One, I've read here and elsewhere:
"I heard Brother Ammon's Book of Mormon stopped a bullet!"
"How deep did it go?"
"As far as Alma."
"Figures--nobody can get through Alma."

Two: The Christian Science "textbook" is "Science & Health, With Key To the Scriptures." But there's also a compendium of Mary Baker Eddy's other writings, "Prose Works Other Than Science & Health," lots and lots of chapters and booklets.

"You know, we could publish Science & Health in steel. Along with the King James Bible, it could offer some tangible protection."
"Heck, let's do the same with "Prose Works. We'd have enough for a complete flack jacket!"

I heard the bullet stopped st 2 Nephi because no one can get through the words of Isaiah.

You can buy a paperback copy for $3, or read it online for free, and not have to lug the book around on transfers.

Or just ignore it completely.

The military version was quite small. Smaller than a paperback.

While I didn't care for the book of Mormon, there was an additional book called principles of the gospel.

It wouldn't pass muster these days as it held some older now disavowed doctrine.


I think there was a third book in the set but I can't remember if it was doctrine and covenants or something else.


Of course now most service members have access to electronics making a world of difference from 50 years ago.

My father was a WW2 Vet. I found this in our family library with his name inside.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275993670497?hash=item4042813361:g:qj4AAOSwa6Rk1sb7&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0Cq4Sp9FqGjZVK6G0u10dhCmgCPRxMLPOIYSg8SkEL8KehE3KxLx5cbznAljOBEhiDTben5Berya46%2FqvnIJA2qoc%2B7F%2B3%2BgG6aWvoD3aJKVt0ezckYJoTehqAOGmMLP20gvQQqoPu0ZkYyI3dfWDzjkZtp5Dea%2Btrd5plaAMqrjF%2FGQFAKIul2j0nVrddDlf6RckaOzjAU4kd9nBlx0lKN%2B2YSyQaaUtX3g4w%2BNCmCS%2BmFhn4BR4nuNkAs86FBClJMrYhdZOP4%2BDiIL53vII%2Bk%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR86r5b_qYg

That was way cool, Villager!

Thanks!

I should have said one like this. I want to hang on to the one with his name in it. He said very little about the war during his lifetime, he admitted to being a little "shell shocked". He went into Omaha Beach on day +5 as a reconnaissance officer.

"Shell shock" is what they called it after World War One and World War Two. During and after the Vietnam War it was termed "the thousand yard stare." Now we call it PTSD.

Society likes to forget the long-term consequences of war, so people and institutions tend to "forget," which is why new words keep having to be made up.

Omaha Beach cannot have been a good experience.

When you're near-sighted, it's only a 400 yard stare...

I got them handed to me during a mandatory non-denominational church service. Afterwards, some officer representing the Mormons got us together and gave us each the set.