Thought of the Day about Mormonism; Paul & Alma

I’ve often wondered how many Mormons are familiar with the conversion story of the Apostle Paul. I wonder if they know he authored thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament (some credit him w/ Hebrews making it fourteen).

I wonder if they’re aware of who he was as Saul of Tarsus and who he became as Paul the Christian missionary.  I know that as a Mormon I’d never heard of him. I hadn’t spent the time to discover Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, nor did I know he was beheaded in Rome for declaring the gospel.

All this brings me to this place in the Book of Mormon and the unproven story of Alma.  If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Alma you can read about his conversion story in the twenty-seventh chapter of Mosiah.

Like Saul of Tarsus, Alma made his living by persecuting the body of Christ. The problem with Alma’s conversion story is timing. He lived circa 100 BC.

After reading this story a number of times over the years I can’t go without pointing out a few of the remarkable “coincidences”.  Take a look and ask yourself;

What are the odds of this happening twice?

What are the odds of this happening 130+ years before Jesus’ birth?

How many years had Alma persecuted the Christians in 100 BC?

How many Christians were persecuted?

How many Christians converted to Christianity after Alma’s remarkable conversion story?

Before Alma’s conversion, just what did he do in life? Was he a farmer, a banker, a teacher?