Could the book of mormon be true

The book of mormon lexicon or vocabulary and complexity of writing style is that of an elizabethan era scholar of the early. Usually, the stories involve a significant historical figure not m. The last chapter in the book of mormon invites anyone who reads it, ponders it, and sincerely wants to know if it is true to ask heavenly father in the name of jesus christ. How would you defend the book of mormon in a court of. The conclusion states, much as critics and defenders of the book of mormon would like to use dna studies to support their. Those who take this approach will know by the power of the holy ghost that the book is true see moroni 10. Like the bible, the book of mormon is a collection of sacred writings by ancient prophets, except these prophets lived upon the american continent. The book of mormon purports to give an account of two civilizations formed by families who migrated to the americas. Even one with a masters degree in literature, english, in comparative writing, anything to write a book and claim it. Historicity, geography, and methods of authorship continue to be hotly debated among mormons and exmormons as a way to prove that the book is true or false.

A few years ago i responded to a news article in which the author stated that joseph was a polygamist. One group of families came from jerusalem in 600 bc and afterward separated into two nations, known as the nephites and the lamanites. He foretold of christs second coming in history of the church hc 2. Civilizations of their magnitude and duration would be expected to leave extensive archaeological records. The 1st rule of book of mormon evidence there is no. I have never met anyone in those years that can actually say god told them. This feeling is for them the real proof that the book of mormon is inspired scripture. And when ye shall receive these things, i would exhort you that ye would ask god, the eternal father, in the name of christ, if these things are not true. How could it be that christ would promise that his church wouldnt be. Roberts authored a manuscript titled studies of the book of mormon, comparing the content of the book of mormon with view of the hebrews. To the lds faithful, the book of mormon is the true historical account of a group of ancient israelites who fled jerusalem prior to the babylonian captivity 600 b.

Jan 27, 2010 i could write a fictitious language called troll, the point is the book of mormon claims to be a book of fact, not fiction. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. Apr 22, 2016 not from the book of mormon, which is, as yet, a sealed book to him. Even one with a masters degree in literature, english, in comparative writing, anything to write a book and claim it to be actual fact and have it stand the test of time. The only bible that joseph smith relied on was the king james version. To the point, joseph smith could not have written the book of mormon for at least the following seven literary reasons.

You can testify of the book, share a copy, and invite others to pray about it for themselves. As a result of me publishing my testimony online regarding the book of mormon, ive had hundredsmaybe even thousands of people send me messages with their reasoning about why the book of mormon cant be true. According to elder holland, one of the remarkable contributions of the book of mormon is that, unlike the bible, there is a seamless transition from the period before jesuss mortal ministry with the law of moses to the period after. Problems with the book of mormon catholic answers catholic. Early critics of the book of mormon had a heyday with this one, pointing out that steel did not exist at the time nephi would have written this passage the prevailing knowledge in 1830, so the book of mormon couldnt possibly be true. Feb 28, 2020 in the book, brother callister addresses and refutes counterarguments and presents both physical and spiritual evidence to support that the book of mormon is true. Several investigations and studies which set out to prove that joseph wrote the book of mormon have actua. Study guide 1 1 the book of mormon a says that silk, steel, iron, and coins were all used for almost a thousand years in america from 600 bc to about 421 ad, but. Take away the fact that the book of mormon was translated from heavy gold plates, and instead, reveal all the myraid of sources used as basis for the book of mormon. Did joseph smiths mother believe he could have written. Maybe the book of mormon is true after all greg trimble.

Oh yes, the church folklore will have you believe there is. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. I could write a fictitious language called troll, the point is the book of mormon claims to be a book of fact, not fiction. The book of mormon lexicon or vocabulary and complexity of writing style is that of an elizabethan era scholar of the early 17th century 200 years before joseph smith. Anything can be considered a bible for people who accept it as their bible. A person could read the book of mormon from 1 nephi to moroni and not get an accurate picture of what modern mormon doctrine really entails see our test your knowledge of the book of mormon. Lucy mack smith 17751856, mother of the prophet joseph smith, was a committed believer in her sons divine calling. Roberts concluded, assuming a hemispheric geography theory for the book of mormon, sufficient parallels existed that future critics could claim that view of the hebrews had provided a. Many people accuse lds apologists of lying for the lord. True or not, the book of mormon is a powerful epic written on a grand scale with a host of characters, a narrative of human struggle and conflict, of divine intervention, heroic good and atrocious evil, of prophecy, morality, and law. If a person has a sincere heart and truly desires to know if the book is true, the lord will manifest the truth of it unto that person by the power of. Jan 02, 2016 in this i stand with my own greatgrandfather, who said simply enough, no wicked man could write such a book as this.

As a convert to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, wayne s. When mormon missionaries properly called latter day saints or simply lds come to your door, they will often offer a free copy of the book of mormon and tell you about its author, joseph smith. Then this sweet young girl responded, then you havent researched my church, because i have read every page of the book of mormon and i know its true. I prayed about it, asked for an answer that i could not mistake, and i was visited by 2 angels who shook my hand each. Before you fall to your knees, there are some things you need to know that they are not telling you and wont unless you ask. It might be the funniest thing in the world to me when someone tells me with absolute certainty that the book of mormon isnt true after having admitted never actually reading the book themselves. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Another group came much earlier, when god confounded the tongues at the tower of babel. I was bothered that there has been no archaeological evidence for the claims it makes. Jun, 2019 there are bad book of mormon apologetics.

Discussion regarding the historicity of the book of mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. In this i stand with my own greatgrandfather, who said simply enough, no wicked man could write such a book as this. After each left, another angel showed up, but it was not one from god, and he did not have a body. Joseph smith, the author of the book of mormon, tried to do some miracles such as prophecy a test for a true prophet in deuteronomy 18. They win points with the uninformed, but they hurt us more in the long run. Apr 11, 2011 the other day at the library, i came across a book in one of my favorite genres, even alternate history. There are only two options when it comes to the book of mormon. The gospel is true, the bishop is true, the book of mormon is true, and on and on. Jan 22, 2020 church of jesus christ of latterday saints, book of mormon, mormons, testimony. Could the book of mormon be described as a bible for the native peoples of the americas. Both of the examples are so remarkable that they would appear to be conclusive proof of the book of mormon. As we sat discussing important doctrines, they asked me a question that invariably arises in every discussion with mormon missionaries.

Due to the nature of its origin, that would support the existence of god. Brother callister could almost be seen as an attorney for his client, the book of mormon, which is exactly what a video by the church of jesus christ entitled compelling witness. It seems that if nephi had copied them from the plates of brass in hebrew onto his own record and that if joseph smith had then received the english translation by the gift and power of god, the isaiah passages would read more like the 1830 book of mormon and less. It is either a true record and joseph is a prophet who was called to translate it. Joseph smith preached that the coming of the lord would be in 56 years about 1891.

Recent evidence and scholarship indicates that this is exactly what would. Of course you must do this with sincerity, or it wont work. The religions that grow, succor and motivate people to perform heroic acts of service are usually theologically rigorous, arduous in practice and definite in their. Why you shouldnt ask god if the book of mormon is true. I can tell you i know for myself the book of mormon is true. How do we know that the bible is the word of god, and not the.

These facts establish how plausible it is that the book of mormon really is an artifact of the ancient world. Because of this, we strongly urge prospective converts to closely examine every aspect of mormonism before making a decision to join this organization. If that story is true, then the book of mormon is holy scripture, just as it professes to be. Could the mormon church still be true if the book of mormon. In the book, brother callister addresses and refutes counterarguments and presents both physical and spiritual evidence to support that the book of mormon is true. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Scholars today have varying theories about the true authorship of the book of mormon, but most conclude. Jan 02, 2020 joseph smith, the author of the book of mormon, tried to do some miracles such as prophecy a test for a true prophet in deuteronomy 18. If the book of mormon and the book of abraham are not true. The volume has long invited scrutiny from all branches of science. Did joseph smiths mother believe he could have written the. Joseph could neither have written nor directly translated the. Then, along came the archaeologists to save the day. Smith, they will say, translated the book of mormon from golden plates he dug up in a hill in new york in the early 1800s.

No matter what questions people ask about the book of mormon, the book is its own best defender. Vague, uplifting, nondoctrinal religiosity doesnt actually last. This paper is based on a talk and powerpoint presentation given to the book of mormon lands conference, 20 october 2007. I couldnt possibly cover every book of mormon correlation in one sitting.

As a convert to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Towards the end of her life, and not long after the deaths of her sons joseph, hyrum, and samuel in 1844, lucy, perhaps in part as a salve to her grief, and at the behest of the quorum of the twelve, began recording her familys story. I was going through my notes when i found this paper that my trainer from my mission gave me. Church of jesus christ of latterday saints, book of mormon, mormons, testimony. Im not saying those things make the book of mormon absolutely false, but i think its easier to believe that an imaginative 22 year old could come up with the book after thinking on it for years, than to believe that the bom is a literal history. In this post i wanted to emphasize physical evidencesstuff you can touch, see, feel. Bad book of mormon apologetics lds church is true blog. If the book of mormon is true, then joseph smith was a prophet. Or take away the fact that joseph smith saw visions, spoke to god, jesus, or moroni and received the keys to the priesthood and the authority to bring forth a new church. Jan 23, 2016 early critics of the book of mormon had a heyday with this one, pointing out that steel did not exist at the time nephi would have written this passage the prevailing knowledge in 1830, so the book of mormon couldnt possibly be true.

You are to pray and ask god and the holy ghost will tell you. How do we know that the bible is the word of god, and not. I realized that the most important thing i could do is find out whether or not the book of mormon was true. Joseph could neither have written nor directly translated. In this episode, dave talks about the relationship between faith and unanswered questions.

It is counter to scriptural truth, and it essentially subjects truth to a feeling. My response generated other responses, one of which indicated joseph was a fraud and wrote the book. The other day at the library, i came across a book in one of my favorite genres, even alternate history. The only problem with the book of mormon musical, brooks continued, is that its theme is not quite true. God commanded these prophets to keep a record of their teachings, prophecies, missionary labors, and wars so that we could know concerning the doings of the lord in other lands, among people of old 1 nephi 19. Not from the book of mormon, which is, as yet, a sealed book to him. But if i found out that the book of mormon is truethen everything was going to change. Nov 30, 20 these facts establish how plausible it is that the book of mormon really is an artifact of the ancient world. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents. The bible lacks the characteristic signs of fraud that mark the book of mormon and the book of abraham. Lds apologists have a pretty bad reputation among nonlds, and its not just a good vs evil thing. I too have read every page of the book of mormon, again and again, and i bear my solemn witness, like my greatgreatgrandfather, it is from god. I could go on and on about how much time and money the lds church and its members put into making the book of mormon a literal historical read.

Elder holland emphasized the significance of the book of mormon for those who contemplate leaving the church. Alternate history is a form of writing where stories are told in the real world, but imagining a different turn to the story. How would you defend the book of mormon in a court. Skeptics hate when we say i know the book of mormon is true, but i dont know how else to say it.

Serious study of the book of mormon by latterday saints is flourishing today as never. Dear mormons, you dont know the book of mormon is true. Could the mormon church still be true if the book of. For example, critics of mormonism have shown convincing proof that the book of mormon is a synthesis of earlier works written by other men, of the vivid imaginings of joseph smith, and of plagiarisms from the king james bible. The book of mormon is the book of scripture the church rests upon. There is no question that the isaiah passages in the book of mormon are in the language of the king james translation of the bible. I couldve stayed right there on the beach in my comfort zone. Could the book of mormon be described as a bible for the. A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. The book of mormon will speak for itself faith matters. Jan 02, 2020 next will come the invitation to read the book of mormon, pray, and ask god to show you it is true. Although much could be said on this subject, let us consider just three characteristics of apocryphal literature books falsely claiming to be scriptural revelations.

In the first case, there is a representation of early christians in the americas, and in the second, examples of the very script of the anthon transcript. Horses are mentioned in eight different book of mormon episodes that involve an ancient new world setting. Book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Archaeology itself can be divided and subdivided into numerous disciplines. My response generated other responses, one of which indicated joseph was a fraud and wrote the book of mormon himself, which was an easy task to do. Isaiah in the book of mormon religious studies center.