The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

by ,

Status

Available

Call number

289.322

Publication

Publisher Unknown

Description

English: The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.

Original publication date

1830-03-26

User reviews

LibraryThing member tanstaafl
1. And it came to pass that I, TANSTAAFL, having been born of Mormon parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; which included the Book of Mormon, and having seen many afflictions and cognitive dissonance in the course of my days because of the fact that I was raised
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in the Mormon religion and having read the Book of Mormon nigh unto twenty times, nevertheless, yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mischievousness of Loki, therefore I make a book review of the Book of Moron.
2. Yea, I make a record of my review in the language of English, and not Reformed Egyptian - the language of the Book of Mormon, because everyone knoweth that no one speaks Reformed Egyptian anyway. Behold, I make an abridgment of the review upon computer which I have made with mine own hands; (the review, not the computer) wherefore, after I have abridged the review then will I make an account of mine own review and if thou findest this sentence difficult for your understandings to comprehend then thou wilt not enjoy reading the Book of Mormon, for I make the record of my review in the idiom of the book of Mormon author. Yea, verily, it came to pass that more confusing than Yoda-speak it is.

3. And it came to pass that thus were written the first two paragraphs of my review. And I know that the review which I write true; and I make it with mine own computer; and I make it according to my knowledge. And thus passeth away even the third paragraph also.

4. And it came to pass that my review having been limited to 1000 words by the amazon.com web-site, I realized that my choice of writing style, that being the style inflicted upon the reader by Joseph Smith Jr., Author and Proprietor of the Book of Mormon, was not a good choice for one limited to a small number of words, or for that matter an odd choice for the inhabitants of the ancient Americas who supposedly had to inscribe the lengthy and frequently rambling and meaningless prose on gold plates where space was at a premium.

5. And it came to pass that this part of the review, yea even the middlest part, I shall shew unto you the parts of the review that review the book of which I revieweth. And it came to pass that I chose not to detail in this review the thousands of revisions which the Mormons made to the book after Joseph Smith wrote it, which was supposedly perfectly "translated" by a gift from god, or the many anachronisms which the author included, yea not even the horses that the ancient Americans supposedly had despite the fact that the horse arrived with Columbus nor the steel weapons. Nor even shall I comment upon 54 chapters dealing with wars that bear no resemblance to the actual wars that took place in the ancient Americas, yea and I especially shall not comment upon the accounts of wars with nonsensical accounts of million man armies fighting to the last man and their bones and steel weapons disappearing from the face of the earth. Yea, and it followeth that I also chose not to comment on the many plagiarisms and yea, even plagiarisms of mistranslations, which were included in the book. Yea, verily I chose not to comment on the writing or the story of the book, which Mark Twain called "chloroform in print," especially since I find that remark highly disparaging to chloroform. For it came to pass in the commencement of my preparation for the writing of the review, I realized that a review of the book which pointed out its flaws would be so long, yea, so long as to be longer than the book itself. Yea, and thus passeth away even the middlest part of the review, the longest paragraph, even though it merely toucheth upon the thousands of give-aways as to the fraudulent nature of the book. For yea, this review cannot contain even a millionth part of what was so poorly written in the Book of Mormon.

6. And it came to pass that I decided that my review of the book should mention, before concluding, a list of some of the main themes of the Book of Mormon, and yea I verily mention them thusly: (1) Killing is good, if thou art a teenager and thou hearest voices in thine head telling thee to kill someone, preferably someone drunk so they cannot fight back. 1 Nephi 4 (2) If thou disobeyest God, he will curse thee with a dark skin, 3 Nephi 5:21, Jacob 3:5, Alma 3:6, but (3) If thou art a personage of dark skin, God will make thee white and delightsome, if thou wilt consent to join his church. 3 Nephi 3:15 (4) After Jesus, yea even Christ Our Lord, was killed, he camest to the Americas and killed millions of Native Americans, 3 Nephi 8-9, and (5) Women art completely insignificant except occasionally as breeding stock, passim.

7. And there are many things more which transpired in the Book of Mormon which, in the eyes of some, would be considered great and marvelous, but despite having read the book upwards of twenty times, I cannot remember even one.

8. Thus, I make an end to my abridgement of my review, yea, and now I bid unto all, adieu. I soon go to rest in the paradise of mine abode, until my spirit and body shall again recover from the taxing effort of writing in such a nauseating style. Amen.
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LibraryThing member tanstaafl
1. And it came to pass that I, TANSTAAFL, having been born of Mormon parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; which included the Book of Mormon, and having seen many afflictions and cognitive dissonance in the course of my days because of the fact that I was raised
Show More
in the Mormon religion and having read the Book of Mormon nigh unto twenty times, nevertheless, yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mischievousness of Loki, therefore I make a book review of the Book of Moron.

2. Yea, I make a record of my review in the language of English, and not Reformed Egyptian - the language of the Book of Mormon, because everyone knoweth that no one speaks Reformed Egyptian anyway. Behold, I make an abridgment of the review upon computer which I have made with mine own hands; (the review, not the computer) wherefore, after I have abridged the review then will I make an account of mine own review and if thou findest this sentence difficult for your understandings to comprehend then thou wilt not enjoy reading the Book of Mormon, for I make the record of my review in the idiom of the book of Mormon author. Yea, verily, it came to pass that more confusing than Yoda-speak it is.

3. And it came to pass that thus were written the first two paragraphs of my review. And I know that the review which I write true; and I make it with mine own computer; and I make it according to my knowledge. And thus passeth away even the third paragraph also.

4. And it came to pass that my review having been limited to 1000 words by the amazon.com web-site, I realized that my choice of writing style, that being the style inflicted upon the reader by Joseph Smith Jr., Author and Proprietor of the Book of Mormon, was not a good choice for one limited to a small number of words, or for that matter an odd choice for the inhabitants of the ancient Americas who supposedly had to inscribe the lengthy and frequently rambling and meaningless prose on gold plates where space was at a premium.

5. And it came to pass that this part of the review, yea even the middlest part, I shall shew unto you the parts of the review that review the book of which I revieweth. And it came to pass that I chose not to detail in this review the thousands of revisions which the Mormons made to the book after Joseph Smith wrote it, which was supposedly perfectly "translated" by a gift from god, or the many anachronisms which the author included, yea not even the horses that the ancient Americans supposedly had despite the fact that the horse arrived with Columbus nor the steel weapons. Nor even shall I comment upon 54 chapters dealing with wars that bear no resemblance to the actual wars that took place in the ancient Americas, yea and I especially shall not comment upon the accounts of wars with nonsensical accounts of million man armies fighting to the last man and their bones and steel weapons disappearing from the face of the earth. Yea, and it followeth that I also chose not to comment on the many plagiarisms and yea, even plagiarisms of mistranslations, which were included in the book. Yea, verily I chose not to comment on the writing or the story of the book, which Mark Twain called "chloroform in print," especially since I find that remark highly disparaging to chloroform. For it came to pass in the commencement of my preparation for the writing of the review, I realized that a review of the book which pointed out its flaws would be so long, yea, so long as to be longer than the book itself. Yea, and thus passeth away even the middlest part of the review, the longest paragraph, even though it merely toucheth upon the thousands of give-aways as to the fraudulent nature of the book. For yea, this review cannot contain even a millionth part of what was so poorly written in the Book of Mormon.

6. And it came to pass that I decided that my review of the book should mention, before concluding, a list of some of the main themes of the Book of Mormon, and yea I verily mention them thusly: (1) Killing is good, if thou art a teenager and thou hearest voices in thine head telling thee to kill someone, preferably someone drunk so they cannot fight back. 1 Nephi 4 (2) If thou disobeyest God, he will curse thee with a dark skin, 3 Nephi 5:21, Jacob 3:5, Alma 3:6, but (3) If thou art a personage of dark skin, God will make thee white and delightsome, if thou wilt consent to join his church. 3 Nephi 3:15 (4) After Jesus, yea even Christ Our Lord, was killed, he camest to the Americas and killed millions of Native Americans, 3 Nephi 8-9, and (5) Women art completely insignificant except occasionally as breeding stock, passim.

7. And there are many things more which transpired in the Book of Mormon which, in the eyes of some, would be considered great and marvelous, but despite having read the book upwards of twenty times, I cannot remember even one.

8. Thus, I make an end to my abridgement of my review, yea, and now I bid unto all, adieu. I soon go to rest in the paradise of mine abode, until my spirit and body shall again recover from the taxing effort of writing in such a nauseating style. Amen.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AlexTheHunn
This book is purported to be a translation of tables found by Joseph Smith after being directed to them by an angel named Moroni. This is supposed to be the story of Tribes of Israel in the Western Hemisphere.

Admittely I do not believe this nor accept it - neither historically nor religiously.
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Aside from that, as a book, I was struck by how stiff and boring it is. It doesn't read at all like the Bible, except it the most superficial (and to my mind, worse) ways. It has archaic language and repetitive formulaic phrases; but is simply is dull, draggy, and lacks interesting stories. What's worse, for a religious book, it is not inspiring.
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LibraryThing member StarofSophia
The Book of Mormon is neither as bad as the critics say, nor as good as the fanatics insist. Why did I give it 5 stars? For the way it has influenced my life. Obviously, it was in a good way, or I would have given it a lot less!

The book itself (no matter what you may think of its author) is a
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charming tale from the point of view of 19th century Americans. Many of it's themes which are odd today, were common ideas for the time period. Some examples of this include Hebrews in the Americas, Masonry, Polygamy (believe it or not), and the idea of a religious restoration.

The tone of the book is more like fables quaint mythology than a novel - intertwining history (sometimes boring) with religion and the tales of heroes (although few (like two) heroines).

A final note - to those who point out the absurdity of the Book of Mormon being written in King James English: how better to gain the trust of a KJV saturated society than to present your new scripture in that familiar tone?

Vive la rationalité!
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LibraryThing member keylawk
Moroni came to the Prophet Joseph Smith, Junior, and gave instruction concerning the delivery and "coming forth of the Book of Mormon", with four subsequent and completely identical iterations.

Moroni is the "last of the Nephite prophet-historians". In 421 AD he sealed the sacred record of engraved
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golden plates until "brought forth in the latter days", which was then done in 1823 by his "resurrected personage" visiting Prophet Smith. The plates were translated and then re-delivered to Moroni who "has them in his charge" UNTIL this day May 2, 1838. See Pearl of Great Price, and History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol 1, Ch. 1-6.

Two stones were buried with the metal Plates, apparently to assist with "translation" into modern speech [Smith Intro 3]: URIM and THUMMIM. How important are the "rocks" in the story? We associate stone with Hard Evidence. They are actually named! Perhaps a breeding pair.

Compare, the "pearl" of Great Price, a euphemism for reproduction by means of polygamous child brides. Smith knew we cannot BUY this form of credibility. The import and importance cannot be overstated. However, linguistically, the composition shows direct influences of Smith, not Aramaic (Christ), Syriac, or Hebraic, and no possible connection to a prophet in "a tribe of Joseph", of whom the Indians are still remnant. It has no grammatic or cultic associations with Amerindians or native proto-languages.

The Book of Mormon is a "history" of a Tribe which has no archeological or linguistic corroboration.

Doctrinally, the work emphasizes pre-existence, perfection, the after-life, and Christ's second coming.

Some Pearls: "To be learned is good" and "Woe unto the rich" [2 Nephi 29-30 @75].

The authorized Pamphlet on the text quotes Pauline teaching -- "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, temperance..." Galatians 5:22-23 -- as "feelings" communicated from the Spirit and urged as "personal revelation" that the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through Joseph Smith is true. "You will then need to choose whether you will live in harmony with the knowledge you have received." Excellent choice.

Like the Bible and the Quran, the Book of Mormon is almost never read, rarely quoted in any context, and when recited, almost certainly misunderstood.
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LibraryThing member crowderb
"By their fruits ye shall know them," said Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon's fruits are not bruised and soiled man-made imitations of God's word -- they're the real thing. It comes from God. If the contents of the book could be described in a single sentence, it would be this: the Book of Mormon
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is a testimony to the divinity of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Every page testifies that Jesus Christ really was the Son of God and that there is no other way or means whereby we can be saved. Is that evil? Is that un-Christian? I can't help but wonder if those writing the other reviews have actually read the Book of Mormon. :) On a more personal note, I've read it dozens of times now, and each time I've learned more about Christ and what it means to be a true disciple. If it were falsified -- if Joseph Smith were a fraud -- then the stench of dishonesty would permeate the book like rotten food. The facade wouldn't be able to stand. But the beautiful scent of truth emanates from it with a soul-enriching power that raises men to God, and it stands as a solid, fervent, and sincere witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that true happiness is only to be found in living by their teachings.
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LibraryThing member slaveofOne
Joseph Smith was quite a story-teller, if a charlatan. Once you look past the quasi-Christian theology, you will find an entertaining and compelling historical fiction. If I was going to fabricate a new religion based on an old one, I couldn't do much better than this.
LibraryThing member wjskabelund
It will change your life forever by bringing you closer to Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular opinion, I found that it strengthens the Bible rather than replace it.
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
What can I say? It's a religious text. Like the rest I've read bits and pieces but I have trouble getting past the lack of a plot.
LibraryThing member JVioland
DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DON"T WANT A FRANK OPINION!
Seldom have I encountered such hog-wash disguised as a religious tract. Come on! Who in their right mind would believe this junk?
A synopsis: During America's Great Religious Revival in the late 1820's, a New York farmer, plowing his field,
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uncovers gold plates upon which are written an archaic script. The angel Moroni appears and helps the farmer (Joseph Smith) decode this text. Once decoded, the plates disappear! It turns out to be the account of the Lost Tribe of Israel who had landed on the shores of North America after becoming lost in the Sinai when following Moses in the flight from Egypt! Yes, sir. It describes how the tribe found themselves lost on the shore of the Mediterranean, how they cut down a great forest to make ships that would transport them to the Land of Milk and Honey - Canaan. (Nobody thought of following the shore eastward?) Then they set sail, passed between Sicily and Tunisia (OK they might have been right in the middle of the 90 mile gap and didn't see either shore.) and out through the Pillars of Hercules (less than a 10 mile gap) to land on the east coast of what became the United States where they founded a vast civilization of advanced cities but, because of conflict within the tribe, wars of attrition involving chariots and cavalry, ruined the civilization. Later, during the three days Jesus had descended into Hell (according to all Christian catechisms)he actually visited North America where he preached the Gospel to redeem the descendants of the Lost Tribe.
Seriously? Has anyone discovered any such ancient city? What about horses? There is no evidence of horses in the New World until the Conquistadors arrived.
I do not doubt the sincerity of any Mormon, but, God gave us brains.
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LibraryThing member seanj
Even if you don't believe it's divinely inspired--as I believe it is--this book has a one-of-a-kind history and tells a fascinating tale. I'm surprised more non-Mormons don't read it out of sheer curiosity.
LibraryThing member wwjules
The most important book in my library, and where I can always find something to answer my questions, or in the very least, bring me peace or encouragement.
LibraryThing member arepa
This man-made book is mistakenly accepted by some people as being as authoritative as the Bible. But this is only the musings of a cult leader named Joseph Smith. Those who follow Smith and believe this book would be much better off if they stayed only with the Bible.
LibraryThing member eskimo-pie
This is a book that I read daily to understand more about God and his people. I know that the people in this book are real and add their life story for me to learn from. Lehi and his family traveled to America to start a new life. They all were met with hardships and trials, but half of their
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families stayed true to the gospel and were blessed. I believe that Christ did visit this land to teach the native Indians about Heavenly Father. This is the story of my ancestors.
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LibraryThing member Hamburgerclan
The cover of my copy of The Book of Mormon proclaims it to be "Another Testament of Jesus Christ". As I read the book, I had in mind the other testaments, namely the Bible. I was especially mindful as to how well the three testaments fit together. The problem was, The Book of Mormon never quite
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fit. It tells the tale of Lehi, an Israelite from one of the tribes of Joseph. He is a righteous man, living in Jerusalem around 600 BC, soon before the Babylonians will come and destroy the city and take the people into captivity. God calls Lehi to take his family and leave Jerusalem, which they do, and head towards a new promised land across the waters. They settle in this new country, but troubles arise even as they leave Jerusalem. Sons Laman and Lemuel go along but are not totally on board with Dad and his spirituality. The younger Nephi, however, is a faithful son and heir to his father's faith. The reader is then treated to about a thousand years worth of rebellions and revivals among the children of Lehi, punctuated by prophecies and then a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ.

So that kind of sounds like the history of the children of Israel, right? Well, compare my pedestrian prose above to the rich text of the Old Testament, and you can start to understand my big beef with The Book of Mormon. Except where it quotes the Bible, the text of The Book of Mormon is very bland. Instead of the thought provoking imagery of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel detailing the transgressions of Israel, you get a regular refrain of "Repent ye, repent ye!" over a generic set of sins. Instead of complex characters like David, Ahab or Nebuchadnezzar, you get guys like Nephi or Ammoron who come across as complex as 1950s television characters.

Of course, beyond that, there's the theology. I'm a Lutheran Christian, so I was raised hearing that we're saved by faith in Jesus, not by our own good works. In The Book of Mormon, it's all about the good pious people versus the nasty rebels. Jesus will forgive you, sure, but only after you turn yourself around and start behaving. It goes against what I've been taught. And since The Book of Mormon doesn't read like it's in the same class as the Bible, I'm not inclined to question my current beliefs.
--J.
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LibraryThing member sloDavid
Worth having only as a reference to rebuking Mormonism. Its contents are blasphemy (and, interestingly enough, contradictory in parts to other books in the LDS canon: Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price).
LibraryThing member Sheepshead
Utterly hilarious
LibraryThing member webweber
The most profound book in the world today. Ranks with the Bible, which I love, but is much easier to absorb.
LibraryThing member BevWel
The Book of Mormon is a history of the people who lived in the Americas prior to 421 A.D. There was more than one migration but the main people of this history came from Jerusalem about 600 B.C. The record was kept on gold plates and were edited by a man named Mormon. The edited version was hid in
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the ground by his son, Moroni. Joseph Smith, a modern day prophet, was instructed by God to take the plates and translate them. The Book of Mormon is an account of God's people. The highlight of this account is the appearance of Jesus Christ to this people after His resurrection.
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LibraryThing member jasoncomely
This was my fourth reading of the Book of Mormon, from front to back, and I gained new insights from this handy edition.
LibraryThing member LisaRector
Such a spiritually powerful book!
LibraryThing member colleenharker
Have read it several times through... and still reading!
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
While the language is unfamiliar to modern readers, persistence will yield treasures. After numerous readings, I still discover new insights into God's dealings with His children, and a greater understanding of how following His commandments can bring me greater peace and happiness in my life. This
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book of scripture includes many illustrative stories from the lives of ancient followers of Christ, as well as doctrinal addresses on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Additionally, there is an account of the visit of Christ to the American continent following His resurrection. Well worth a careful reading.
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LibraryThing member rchase
I got this one booby trapped for when mormons come over.
LibraryThing member BethanyBible
The Book of Mormon is the earliest of the defining publications of the Latter Day Saint movement. The churches of the movement typically regard the Book of Mormon not only as scripture, but as a historical record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, written by American
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prophets from perhaps as early as 2500 B.C. to about 400 A.D.
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