Brooke Brust
Miss Seabaugh
AP Lang & Comp
October 13, 2013
The Book of Mormon: lies or truth? capitalization
Besides the bible, The Book of Mormon is the most bought religious book throughout the world today. So what is the big deal? The Book of Mormon is the book used for doctrine by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Day Saints and is said, by them, to be “comparable to the Bible” (The Book of Mormon ). It is the account of the two nations living in ancient America as was inscribed on golden plates. These plates were buried in a hillside and later retrieved in 1827 by the prophet Joseph Smith and translated into English through the power of God. The Book of Mormon is the true account of the peoples in Ancient Americas brought forth by God and translated by Joseph Smith.
Book of Mormon speaks of two nations in the Native Americans. One had arrived in America at the time God confused the language of the people at the Tower of Babel known as Jaredites. The second came from Jerusalem around 600BC and known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. In the book The Americas Before Columbus Lowry reports on page 4 that “the first settlement was made shortly after the confusion of the building of the Tower of Babel.” This is the same time written in the Book of Mormon that the Jaredites left and came to America in boats, built under direction of the Lord. Furthermore Bancroft says that “Olmec traditions relate that they came by sea from the East. D. G. Brinton says, “The Mayas claimed that their ancestors came from distant regions in two bands. The largest and most ancient immigration was from the East across, or rather, through the ocean” (Farnsworth ). These accounts and scientific research match the history of the Book of Mormon. On page 12 of The Americas Before Columbus Dr. Spinden and Dr. Morley said they had discovered a stone that they believed told the story of the first landing of the second great group of people in Native Amerca, and that the Mayas had “suddenly made their appearance upon the historical scene on August 6, 613 B.C.” This is the same time the Nephites and Lamanites had arrived in America, as written in the Book of Mormon. The Golden Plates which held the records of these people were buried in a hill and found by a boy hundreds of years later.
Joseph Smith was only 14 when he began to question the multiple sects and religions that vied for his attention. He did not know which sect to join, which each taught from the bible but held different interpretations. Joseph decided to ask of God. He did so in the Spring of 1820 in the wooded grove near his home. There God and Jesus Christ came unto him and expressed that none of the churches were true, and that eventually the fullness of the Gospel would be made known unto him. Three years later an angel appeared unto him and told him of the Gold Plates hidden in the Hill Cumorah in New York that held the writings of the ancient americans. Joseph retrieved the plates in 1827, translated them through the power of God, and had the Book of Mormon printed in 1830. Because of his visions and possession of the plates Joseph went through so much persecution that he had to leave his home state to go to Pennsylvania and was involved in at least 175 lawsuits for claiming various forms of misconduct including: vagrancy, disorderly conduct, conspiracy, assault and battery, and fraud, but was acquitted of all of those charges. Joseph Smith died in 1844, murdered by an angry mob (Joseph Smith History).
Along with Joseph Smith three other men saw the golden plates and helped bring about the translation of the Book of Mormon. The three men, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris went through similar persecution as Joseph Smith, but never denied their testimonies. These men all stand as witnesses of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The men could not have been imposters, people which purposefully mislead the public, because of the lack of motive. The men did not gain fame, wealth, or power, but instead lost all of the above in the pursuit of bringing the Book of Mormon printing to pass. All were persecuted and had to give up social standing and money for nothing in return but the printing of the Book of Mormon, their greater relationship with God, and the bringing of people unto God’s true church. Martin Harris sold 151 acres to pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon and David Whitmer was driven out of Jackson County, Missouri by angry mobs that threatened to kill him unless he denied the truth of the Book of Mormon. too much background information-we could have a BRIEF background but the paper should focus mostly on your reasons, state your claim and your reasons, there is a difference between proving that something is true and arguing a point, see common errors about main points in paragraphs, don’t loose your voice in this
Besides being imposters it has been thought that the men could have been enthusiasts or deluded. If they were full of enthusiasm for the idea of the Book of Mormon then they could have thought that they had seen or heard things that they didn’t hear or see. However enthusiasm would have worn out over time and each witness held that the Book of Mormon was true to their deathbeds. Did Joseph Smith delude the other three men? If Joseph Smith had some powers over these men, than they wouldn’t have kept their testimony after Joseph Smith’s death. The whole church would have fallen away. The only reason that remains is that they were truthful men, and they stand as valid witnesses of the Book of Mormon’s divine nature (The Book of Mormon on Trial).
Some may say that the bible is the whole word of God, so the Book of Mormon is false because no one can add to God’s words. In partial this is true. No one can add onto God’s words but God. Revelations 22:18 reads, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book…” Some interpret this to mean that God will not add any more books or words to the bible. However, John wrote these words before the bible was made. The word bible, coming from the word “biblia” means “a library of small books,” which was finally put together of 66 books in the bible from both the Old Testament and the New Testament later on by church rabis. John was writing the book of revelations and not in the book of the bible. A second possible interpretation would mean that men, when copying, should use original words to keep the prophecy the same. Men should not add onto the words of the prophecy, but God continues to give more prophecies added onto his old ones. God says in Isaiah 28:9-10 that his people should learn, “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” God teaches his people slowly, by giving them more learning over time. God can add onto his words but men cannot.
There are many facts and testimonies that stand as a witness of the validity of the Book of Mormon, but the greatest witness of Jesus Christ and his words in the Book of Mormon is the holy spirit. From the Book of Mormon, Moroni writes in Moroni 10:4,
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; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.
If you sincerely pray to God and ask him if the Book of Mormon is true, after having read it, than God promises he will answer. I testify that he does answer, as the last witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon. That he has answered my prayers and helped me come to the knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is truly another witness of Christ, along with the bible, and that it has brought me closer to God and provided a foundation for my life.
Works Cited
Farnsworth, Dewey, and Edith Wood Farnsworth. The Americas before Columbus;. El Paso, Tex.: Farnsworth Pub. Co., 1947. Print.
Rich, J. Milton, Fritz O. Alseth, Adam Koford, John W. Rich, and Jack West. The Book of Mormon: another witness of Jesus Christ on trial. 4th edition ed. Salt Lake City: J. Milton Rich, 2008. Print.
West, Jack H.. The trial of the stick of Joseph: a lecture series. Sacramento, Ca.: Rich Pub. Co., 1971. Print.Jack H. West
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004. Print.
The Book of Mormon