The Book of Mormon is one of the most influential, as well as controversial, religious documents in American history, and is regarded as sacred scripture by followers around the world, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the fourth-largest religious body in the United States. According to Mormon belief, The Book of Mormon was inscribed on golden plates by ancient prophets. It contains stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, and also explains that Jesus Christ appeared to the New World after his resurrection. The golden plates were discovered in upstate New York and translated by Joseph Smith, Jr., under the guidance of an angel, Moroni. From this divine revelation, Smith founded the Mormon sect, which is now comprised of more than 12.5 million members worldwide.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The Book of Mormon is one of the most influential, as well as controversial, religious documents in American history, and is regarded as sacred scripture by followers around the world, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the fourth-largest religious body in the United States. According to Mormon belief, The Book of Mormon was inscribed on golden plates by ancient prophets. It contains stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, and also explains that Jesus Christ appeared to the New World after his resurrection. The golden plates were discovered in upstate New York and translated by Joseph Smith, Jr., under the guidance of an angel, Moroni. From this divine revelation, Smith founded the Mormon sect, which is now comprised of more than 12.5 million members worldwide.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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The Book of Mormon
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The Book of Mormon
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Overview
The Book of Mormon is one of the most influential, as well as controversial, religious documents in American history, and is regarded as sacred scripture by followers around the world, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the fourth-largest religious body in the United States. According to Mormon belief, The Book of Mormon was inscribed on golden plates by ancient prophets. It contains stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, and also explains that Jesus Christ appeared to the New World after his resurrection. The golden plates were discovered in upstate New York and translated by Joseph Smith, Jr., under the guidance of an angel, Moroni. From this divine revelation, Smith founded the Mormon sect, which is now comprised of more than 12.5 million members worldwide.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780143105534 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
Publication date: | 09/02/2008 |
Series: | Penguin Classics Series |
Pages: | 640 |
Sales rank: | 139,111 |
Product dimensions: | 5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.30(d) |
Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Laurie Maffly-Kipp, PhD, is the Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Her publications are many and include Women’s Work: From Antebellum America to the Harlem Renaissance; American Scriptures: An Anthology of Sacred Writings; and Setting Down the Sacred Past: African-American Race Histories. Maffly-Kipp taught for twenty-four years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Religious Studies and American Studies. She holds a PhD in American History from Yale University.
Read an Excerpt
The Book of Mormon
The Earliest TextYALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright © 2009 Royal SkousenAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-300-14218-1
Chapter One
The Book of Nephi, His Reign and MinistryAn account of Lehi and his wife Sariah and his four sons, being called, beginning at the eldest, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi.
The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of Jerusalem because he prophesieth unto the people concerning their iniquity and they seek to destroy his life.
He taketh three days' journey into the wilderness with his family.
Nephi taketh his brethren and returns to the land of Jerusalem after the record of the Jews.
The account of their sufferings.
They take the daughters of Ishmael to wife.
They take their families and depart into the wilderness.
Their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness.
The course of their travels.
They come to the large waters.
Nephi's brethren rebelleth against him.
He confoundeth them and buildeth a ship.
They call the name of the place Bountiful.
They cross the large waters into the promised land etc.
This is according to the account of Nephi, or in other words, I Nephi wrote this record.
1 | 1 I Nephi having been born of goodly parents,therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father. And having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days, yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. 2 Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. 3 And I know that the record which I make to be true. And I make it with mine own hand, and I make it according to my knowledge.
4 For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah -my father Lehi having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days-and in that same year there came many prophets prophesying unto the people that they must repent or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.
5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father Lehi, as he went forth, prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people. 6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him, and he saw and heard much. And because of the things which he saw and heard, he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem. And he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen. 8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
9 And it came to pass that he saw one descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noonday. 10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. 11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth. And the first came and stood before my father and gave unto him a book and bade him that he should read. 12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. 13 And he read, saying: Woe woe unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations. Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem, that it should be destroyed and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.
14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and saw many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord, such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty. Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power and goodness and mercy is over all the inhabitants of the earth. And because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish. 15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God, for his soul did rejoice and his whole heart was filled because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shewn unto him.
16 And now I Nephi do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams. And he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account. 17 But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father upon plates which I have made with mine own hands. Wherefore after that I have abridged the record of my father, then will I make an account of mine own life.
18 Therefore I would that ye should know that after the Lord had shewn so many marvelous things unto my father Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold, he went forth among the people and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard. 19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them, for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations. And he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah and also the redemption of the world. 20 And when the Jews heard these things, they were angry with him, yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out and stoned and slain. And they also sought his life that they might take it away. But behold, I Nephi will shew unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord is over all them whom he hath chosen because of their faith to make them mighty, even unto the power of deliverance.
2 | 1 For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and saith unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi because of the things which thou hast done. And because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life. 2 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness. 3 And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord; wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.
4 And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house and the land of his inheritance and his gold and his silver and his precious things and took nothing with him save it were his family and provisions and tents, and he departed into the wilderness. 5 And he came down by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea, and he traveled in the wilderness in the borders which was nearer the Red Sea. And he did travel in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother Sariah and my elder brethren, which were Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.
6 And it came to pass that when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley beside a river of water. 7 And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and he made an offering unto the Lord and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.
8 And it came to pass that he called the name of the river Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea. And the valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof. 9 And when my father saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness. 10 And he also spake unto Lemuel, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord.
11 Now this he spake because of the sti>neckedness of Laman and Lemuel. For behold, they did murmur in many things against their father because that he was a visionary man and that he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance and their gold and their silver and their precious things, and to perish in the wilderness. And this they said that he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart. 12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. 13 Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed according to the words of the prophets. And they were like unto the Jews which were at Jerusalem, which sought to take away the life of my father.
14 And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them that they durst not utter against him; wherefore they did do as he commanded them.
15 And my father dwelt in a tent.
16 And it came to pass that I Nephi being exceeding young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore I cried unto the Lord. And behold, he did visit me and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. 17 And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words. 18 But behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words. And being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, I cried unto the Lord for them.
19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou Nephi because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently with lowliness of heart. 20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper and shall be led to a land of promise, yea, even a land which I have prepared for you, a land which is choice above all other lands. 21 And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. 22 And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren. 23 For behold, in that day that they shall rebel against me, I will curse them even with a sore curse, and they shall have no power over thy seed except they shall rebel against me also. 24 And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed to stir them up in the ways of remembrance.
3 | 1 And it came to pass that I Nephi returned from speaking with the Lord to the tent of my father. 2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem. 3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass. 4 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban and seek the records and bring them down hither into the wilderness.
5 And now behold, thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them. But behold, I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord. 6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord because thou hast not murmured.
7 And it came to pass that I Nephi said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. 8 And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words, he was exceeding glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord.
9 And I Nephi and my brethren took our journey in the wilderness with our tents to go up to the land of Jerusalem. 10 And it came to pass that when we had gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one with another. 11 And we cast lots which of us should go in unto the house of Laban. And it came to pass that the lot fell upon Laman. And Laman went in unto the house of Laban, and he talked with him as he sat in his house. 12 And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the genealogy of my father. 13 And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry and thrust him out from his presence, and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore he said unto him: Behold, thou art a robber and I will slay thee. 14 But Laman fled out of his presence and told the things which Laban had done unto us. And we began to be exceeding sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness.
15 But behold, I said unto them that as the Lord liveth and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. 16 Wherefore let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Therefore let us go down to the land of our father's inheritance. For behold, he left gold and silver and all manner of riches, and all this he hath done because of the commandment. 17 For he knowing that Jerusalem must be destroyed because of the wickedness of the people 18 -for behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets-wherefore if my father should dwell in the land after that he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold, he would also perish; wherefore it must needs be that he flee out of the land. 19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records that we might preserve unto our children the language of our fathers, 20 and also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God since the world began, even down unto this present time.
21 And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of God. 22 And it came to pass that we went down to the land of our inheritance, and we did gather together our gold and our silver and our precious things. 23 And after that we had gathered these things together, we went up again unto the house of Laban. 24 And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban and desired him that he would give unto us the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold and our silver and all our precious things. 25 And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property-that it was exceeding great-he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out and sent his servants to slay us that he might obtain our property. 26 And it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of Laban.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Book of Mormon Copyright © 2009 by Royal Skousen. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction, by Grant Hardy....................xxixTHE BOOK OF MORMON: THE EARLIEST TEXT....................1
Half Title....................3
Title Page....................5
1 Nephi....................72
2 Nephi....................155
Jacob....................180
Enos....................183
Jarom....................185
Omni....................189
The Words of Mormon....................192
Mosiah....................277
Alma....................507
Helaman....................564
3 Nephi....................642
4 Nephi....................647
Mormon....................673
Ether....................717
Moroni....................737
APPENDIX....................739
Reading Group Guide
INTRODUCTION
Since its initial publication in 1830, The Book of Mormon has stood as one of the most original and revolutionary works of faith ever written by an American. Believers, historians, scholars, and skeptics are virtually unanimous in their opinion that the church begun by Joseph Smith in upstate New York and that later flourished on the shores of the Great Salt Lake has indelibly altered the story of Christianity, both in the United States and in the world at large. Beyond such general assessments, however, there are few points regarding The Book of Mormon and the faith it has inspired on which everyone agrees. Even the simple question of authorship is a matter of ceaseless argument: did Joseph Smith conceive and write the book himself? Or was he, as he fervently claimed, led by an angel to unearth a collection of golden plates on which The Book of Mormon had been inscribed? And what of Smith's personal motivations? Did he, as he assured a questioning world, translate and publicize the contents of the sacred plates as a servant of God, entrusted with a holy mission? Or, as his detractors claimed with equal vigor, had he perpetrated an audacious hoax, calculated to fuel his self-serving rise to demagogic power? Controversy has long raged as to the fundamental premise asserted by Smith's purported plates: that centuries before the birth of Christ, a band of pious Hebrews, led by the prophet Nephi, fled the Middle East and sailed, by way of the Pacific Ocean, to the New World, where they established a sophisticated theocratic society and, eventually, received a visitation from the recently crucified Jesus. The Book of Mormon has always stood at the intersection between the impossible and the miraculous.
With this, the new Penguin Classics edition of The Book of Mormon, based on the last edition supervised by Joseph Smith before his violent and untimely death at the age of thirty-eight, readers have a renewed opportunity to revisit all of the fascinating questions that have surrounded The Book of Mormon and, indeed, to pose some new ones of their own. A work of astonishing historical scope, The Book of Mormon lends itself to a broad variety of readings. On one level, it is a sacred text that still informs the spiritual lives of millions of believers—both as a corroboration of the Christian Bible and as an indispensable supplement to the Bible's historical and moral commentaries. From a quite different perspective, one that prefers to regard its accounts as fanciful and fictitious, The Book of Mormon can be seen as the product of one of the most fertile imaginations ever to express itself in print. For yet another community of readers, The Book of Mormon is a key historical artifact of the American past, speaking eloquently of the interests and needs of American society during the time when it first appeared—an era when countless Americans were seeking either a confirmation of their faith or a radical alternative to it. At a time of great religious enthusiasm and upheaval, The Book of Mormon struck some as a profound revelation and others as a shameless blasphemy. As a document of a growing, spiritually inquisitive nation and as evidence of the restlessness and contention that pervaded American religious thought in the 1830s and 1840s, it has no equal.
Still other readers, seeking to relate the current culture of America to its nineteenth-century antecedents, will find much fuel for debate in the Book's sociological assumptions. In a time when a college education lies within the reach of most Americans and wealth is often deemed synonymous with success, it is fascinating to observe The Book of Mormon's uneasy regard of education and affluence. From the standpoint of an era in which both women and African Americans may seriously aspire to the White House, it is both remarkable and unsettling to explore Joseph Smith's assumptions about race and gender. For every reader who has a firm, unspoken sense of what it means to be American or Christian, The Book of Mormon bears destabilizing witness that Americanness and Christianity are terms forever up for grabs.
During the brief, eventful life of Joseph Smith, Americans looked upon a dazzling array of Utopian communities and alternative systems of belief. Today, however, the Shakers, the Millerites, the Brook Farmers, the Fruitlanders, the Hopedale Community, and the Oneida Perfectionists exist almost exclusively in history books. Yet The Book of Mormon and those who honor its teachings remain strong. To discover some of the reasons why is among the more fascinating journeys on which a modern reader can embark.
ABOUT JOSEPH SMITH
Born on December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont, Joseph Smith, Jr., grew up in western New York State, which was then experiencing a period of widespread religious awakening and enthusiasm. As an adult, Smith claimed that, when he was fourteen, God appeared to him, telling him that all the established churches of the time had departed from the true path of religion, and that Smith should join none of them. Seven years later, in 1827, Smith claimed to have discovered a collection of golden plates, buried in the ground, whose existence had been revealed to him by the angel Moroni. Smith averred that, with the aid of special stone and divine assistance, he translated the writings on the plates from a language he identified as “reformed Egyptian.” According to Smith, the writings on the plates comprised the original text of The Book of Mormon, which told of how a band of ancient Hebrews, at divine behest, fled the Middle East and sailed to North America, where they established a true prophetic Christian faith.
Smith published his translation of The Book of Mormon in 1830, claiming that it contained a pure gospel, untainted by the contaminations of the mainstream Christian churches, which The Book of Mormon describes as “the mother of abominations, whose foundation is the devil.” The same year, Smith organized a church in Fayette, New York, which he hoped to use to restore Christianity to its original footing. Community intolerance and financial difficulties compelled Smith and his growing body of followers to relocate repeatedly westward, with sojourns in Kirtland, Ohio, and Independence, Missouri. In 1839, Smith led his people to Commerce, Illinois, which he renamed Nauvoo. Converts to his teachings soon swelled the town's population to twenty thousand, making it briefly the largest city in the state.
The Nauvoo community prospered until February 1844, when Smith, now mayor of Nauvoo, announced his candidacy for president of the United States. Disaffected by his ambitions and his acts of polygamy, a minority group in Smith's flock denounced him in a newly created newspaper, the Nauvoo Expositor. Smith declared the paper a public nuisance, ordered the paper's press destroyed, and declared a state of martial law. Illinois governor Thomas Ford charged Smith with treason against the state of Illinois and had Smith imprisoned in nearby Carthage. On June 27, 1844, a mob of about two hundred men stormed the jail and shot Smith multiple times, killing him. After Smith's death, his followers divided. The larger portion, led by Brigham Young, migrated to the Great Salt Lake in the Utah Territory and founded the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which now claims more than 13 million adherents worldwide.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Readers of The Book of Mormon are often skeptical of the ability of a band of ancient Hebrews to sail all the way from the Arabian Peninsula to the Americas. The problem is not helped by the fact that geneticists have found no trace of Hebrew DNA in any Native American population and that archaeologists have discovered no evidence of any of the ancient Mormon cities mentioned in The Book of Mormon. A variety of other objections have also been raised. Do you have questions concerning the authenticity of The Book of Mormon? If so, how might someone go about persuading you that the book is authentic? If, on the other hand, you do accept the authenticity of The Book of Mormon, what leads you to do so?
- To what extent should factual questions be used to question the spiritual relevance or usefulness of a book of faith? Might not a scripture that is mistaken as to historical or scientific fact still have value as a source of moral and spiritual guidance?
- The Second Book of Nephi, chapter IV, asserts that white skin is “exceeding fair and delightsome” but that God, in order to punish Nephi's enemies, “did cause a skin of blackness to come upon” them, leading them, in turn, to become “an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety.” God is later said to have rewarded Lamanite converts to the Nephite cause by turning them white again (the Third Book of Nephi, chapter I). What effect on The Book of Mormonas a whole is created by its inclusion of statements like this?
- In the Book of Jacob, chapter II, God declares that the keeping of more than one wife is “abominable” and commands, “There shall not be any man among you have save it be one wife.” Nevertheless, Joseph Smith, Jr., the discoverer and translator of The Book of Mormon, was inspired by a later revelation to take multiple wives and encourage his followers to do likewise. Is there any way to resolve this apparent contradiction?
- First-time readers of The Book of Mormon are sometimes surprised to discover that many of the best-known practices of current Mormons, including abstention from tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine, are not addressed anywhere in the text. Based solely on the text, does the way of life encouraged in The Book of Mormon differ from the proper life of a practicing mainstream Christian? Are there practical, as opposed to historical, ways in which Mormonism and other forms of Christianity appear to differ?
- What do you think is the meaning of the parable of the olive trees in the Book of Jacob, chapter III?
- Chapter I of the Book of Alma tells of a preacher, Nehor, who teaches that all men will be redeemed and will have eternal life. Nehor is denounced for propagating a false doctrine, is made to recant this teaching, and is put to “an ignominious death.” Why do you think The Book of Mormon is averse to the concept of universal salvation? Why do you think it extends salvation only to those who repent their sins and express belief in The Book of Mormon's teachings?
- The Book of Mormon in general places much emphasis on the importance of social equality. When divisions between rich and poor assert themselves, the entire Nephite society appears to suffer. Why do you think that the minimizing of class differences is so central to The Book of Mormon's doctrines?
- What views are taken regarding women in The Book of Mormon? How does the patriarchal flavor of the scriptural history of Mormonism compare with ideas of gender described in the traditional Christian Bible or other sacred texts you may have read?
- Some passages in The Book of Mormon express uneasiness about people with superior educations. The book also emphasizes that a person who does not “become as a little child” with regard to matters of belief cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Does The Book of Mormon appear to erect barriers against would-be believers who tend to rely on their heads more than their hearts? How, if at all, might these barriers be overcome?
- The Book of Mormon has undergone numerous textual revisions since its discovery in the 1820s, both before and after the death of Joseph Smith. Why might it be necessary to revise a sacred text? What are some of the potential dangers of doing so?
- Conventional Christianity teaches that Jesus died as an act of supreme mercy for the forgiveness of sins. In The Book of Mormon, the appearance of Christ in the New World is directly preceded by the cataclysmic destruction by fire, flood, and earthquake of at least sixteen Mormon cities, resulting in the deaths of countless thousands of people. Jesus himself claims responsibility for these deaths, which he has meted out as punishments for sin. How can one reconcile the meek, forgiving Jesus of traditional Christianity with The Book of Mormon's account of Jesus's punitive violence?
- Reading a religious text from a standpoint of analysis is a very different experience from reading it from a standpoint of belief. Which position more closely describes your own approach to The Book of Mormon? How might your appreciation of The Book of Mormon change if you read it from another perspective?
- What do you find to be the particular pleasures of reading The Book of Mormon? What are the greatest difficulties in trying to appreciate this text?
- Has reading The Book of Mormon changed your attitude toward Mormonism or toward religious belief in general? In what ways?