American Testament: The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible and is a record of God's dealings with His chosen people in the New World. The main purpose of the Book of Mormon is "to the convincing of Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations." (Book of Mormon Title Page) It was written by ancient American prophets for our day (Mormon 8:35) and is an American testament of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Friday, May 7, 2010

What is the Book of Mormon?

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Newcomers to this site or the Book of Mormon can get a quick summary of the provenance and purpose of the Book of Mormon from a new page dedicated to its translation and teachings. The video on the page is especially good for getting a 30,000 foot view of the book.

But nothing...nothing equates to actually reading the Book of Mormon.

2 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 8, 2011 at 11:21 AM
Hi. I'm not a Mormon, but I do have Mormon family members and chat with Mormon missionaries often. I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions.

When you say that "nothing equates to actually reading the Book of Mormon", which edition do you mean -- 1830, 1852, 1921...?

I have a copy of both the remnants of the original printer's manuscript for the 1830 edition as well as a copy of the 1830 edition which Joseph Smith pronounced as the "most correct of any book on earth" (Introduction to Book of Mormon).

Have there been any changes since then? How many? How would you qualify Joseph Smith's statement in light of minor and major changes?

Why should one believe Joseph Smith's claims to have "translated" the Book of Mormon when records and evidence show that he neither did actual translating while supposedly working on the Book of Mormon nor did he possess the ability to translate?

In addition, Joseph Smith's diaries have entries stating that he was engaged in "translating" the papyri that have become known to the world as the Book of Abraham (reference History of the Church, 2). When the actual papyri that he used are examined by trained Egyptologist, they say nothing that Joseph Smith claimed they said. Add to this the whole Kinderhook plates incident.

Why should you or I or anyone else trust any thing he ever wrote or said given this bit of evidence that seems to throw doubt onto not just his abilities as a translator, but also onto his character and honesty?

Thanks in advance for any response.

Joshua
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AmericanTestament.comJanuary 14, 2011 at 12:10 AM
BoM Changes - http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai282.html

Translation Process - http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai120.html

Pearl of Great Price - http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai125.html

You shouldn't trust me or anyone else, including Joseph Smith. You should trust God. Read the book, praying as you do so to know of the truth of it. If you are sincere in doing this, God will reveal its truth to you. Many people more skeptical than you seem to be have done this and have gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Just try it. You'll see.
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We are happy to discuss any and every topic and question. We will give wide berth to a variety of opinions and ideas. The only thing we ask is that you return the favor by respecting our right to believe as we do and by not issuing lengthy, inflammatory diatribes meant to shock and confuse anyone not familiar with LDS teachings. They can certainly get that elsewhere. :)