Why Is The Book Of Mormon So Beautiful?

[MormonMason]

...

The claim that "even B.H. Roberts admitted that the BoM seemed to be the product of an inexperienced and immature mind" assumes that the Roberts study represents an authoritative, perceptive reading. I find the Roberts study to be shallow and unperceptive, badly dated in light of subsequent work by Nibley, Welch, Sorenson, Gardner, Goff, England, Peterson, Hamblin, and many others. Reliance on Roberts as "Authority" at this late date strikes me as immature and uninformed. The same goes for the recent Michael Coe judgement on the PBS site. He's honest enough to tell me exactly where he plants the seed, and how he nurtures it. Given those facts, I find his poor harvest completely understandable, and not at all threatening to my own judgement.

I can say the same thing about Twain's reading and his judgement. Twain demonstrates no real care in reading and contextualizing the book. A shallow, imature reading by a great writer is still uninformed and shallow. I count myself as an "anyone" who finds the Book of Mormon remarkable, exciting, beautiful reading. And I consistently find that it makes an huge difference in my reading in how I contextualize what I read, and how patient I am with questions that I have.

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

B.H. Roberts, on the other hand, also stated in his cover letter that accompanied his study that the study did not represent his conclusions but rather the conclusions that a critic of the Book of Mormon might reach. He stated in the same letter that in the study his own conclusions are undrawn. Everybody seems to talk about his study while ignoring his own letter detailing why he wrote the study and what was his own approach in his own words.

Twain was just a funny man with a little bit of a twisted sense of humor, bordering on the irreverent. I personally do not take his words as to the Book of Mormon to heart. I found myself laughing at his comments regarding the Book of Mormon as I do for his moments with the Bible and with his wryly perceptive story of what it might have been like with Adam and Eve--from the perspective of one who felt as he did.

[consiglieri]

Hebrew רָקַע (rāqă'), which is what the Hebrew רָקִיעַ (rāq

[MormonMason]

De nada!

[consiglieri]

That was simply . . . beautiful.

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

That was simply . . . beautiful.

Oh no. only a picture of Captin kirk is beautiful. I just cant decide. Do I like Kirk or Picard? lol.

[brightpath]

As part of teaching gospel doctrine class, I have been reading (and reading hard) the Book of Mormon from the beginning and up through the end of the Book of Mosiah so far.

This would be well over my twentieth time reading the Book of Mormon.

When I read the Book of Mormon the first time at age 18, I received a strong witness that it is the Word of God. As important as that experience was to me, I was far from an expert on the contents of the book at the end of that first reading.

It was for me a profound and beautiful experience.

The surprising thing to me is that, the more I read the Book of Mormon, and the closer I read the Book of Mormon, the more beautiful it becomes.

The life I have experienced in the 30-years since I was 18 have informed my reading of the Book of Mormon, and I see depths and insights and experiences related in the Book of Mormon that went unappreciated and unrecognized when I was a teenager; or a twenty-something; or a thirty-something.

The thought that occurred to me the other night upon finishing Mosiah is that the Book of Mormon is "beautiful."

I am not sure of a better way to express it; and this is separate and apart from my spiritual witness that it is true.

It is simply a beautiful book.

I feel good when I read it.

It uplifts me.

I am left to wonder how a book alleged by critics to have been produced in upstate New York in the early 19th century could be so beautiful, and could continue to yield new insights and understandings after 20-readings and 30-years.

Any thoughts?

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

It is so beautiful because it talks about my ancestors and that Jesus Christ himself walked the Americas with my forefathers. It more importantly tells me who I am as a Lamanite(Israel)

[Hoops22]

Do you find the Book of Mormon text beautiful, Hoops?

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

Fair response.

And a fair question that deserves a fair response. And please understand that I do not mean this disrespectfully in any way.

And i have read my share, though not all of the BoM.

But you asked...

No, I don't. I find the language often tortured, as if the author was trying to jam the subject matter into a prescribed section of text. It reads poorly, in my opinion.

[LifeOnaPlate]

Mark Twain called it "chloroform in print," and chuckled that one of the books was called "Ether."

Still, I beg to differ. I find the BoM amply rewarding as a text.

[MormonMason]

Fair response.

And a fair question that deserves a fair response. And please understand that I do not mean this disrespectfully in any way.

And i have read my share, though not all of the BoM.

But you asked...

No, I don't. I find the language often tortured, as if the author was trying to jam the subject matter into a prescribed section of text. It reads poorly, in my opinion.

That, of course, is one of the potentially excellent evidences for the Book of Mormon, though. They only had so much space to work with and they knew it. It speaks from experience in writing on metal and from other experiences. Wherein would Joseph Smith have such knowledge of such things? He could not even afford so much lead or tin!

[MormonPeasant]

Consiglieri,

I've enjoyed the thread and the comments of the others. I, too, have read and reread the Book of Mormon many times and come away more convinced that it is inspired text testifying of Christ and that God is involved in the lives of all people.

Those who malign the book as being a work of plagurized fiction from the 19th century are woefully ignorant of how difficult it truly is to write a book of the scope of the Book of Mormon and to do it in as short a time as did Joseph. They also err trying to link Joseph to others who are purported to have authored the book given the time lines do not correspond.

I find the language beautiful with its pathos over our human failings and with its joy in knowing that Christ lives and redeems us from those failings. I see that it is well written, contrary to what others think, when you view it as a translation from a mid-eastern language that reveals its culture as well. I am deeply impressed by how Mormon organized it and found just the right writings to include. If he did such a great job with the unsealed portion, I can only imagine how wonderful the sealed portion must be.

This really is Mormon's abridgement with Nephi's writings to open and Moroni's writings to close. Nephi's writings are clearly a work he prepared later in his life as he had time to reflect on what had happened to him and his family and what was most important. It is clear to me that he reflected upon his journals before writing in the brass plates. He reminds me of Joseph Smith in how Joseph wrote his own history later in life when he was more mature and sober with respect to the depth of meaning certain events held for him and for us.

With Mormon's editing, I am sure he cleaned up much of what would have been simple drivel to many of us had all the records been reproduced. There are times during the BOM history when there just isnt' anything worth talking about and fortunately, Mormon sped past those times for our benefit (and because the plates were difficult to make and write upon). Further, Mormon was able to transcribe large portions that were eloquent in their own right, such as King Benjamin's address and Nephi's testimony of Christ and his visit to the Nephites after his resurrection.

The last minute additions by Moroni entered solely because he was still able to outwit the Lamanites chasing after him were by no accident. The doctrine condemning infant baptism along with his final chapter witnessing to the world the validity and sanctity of the scriptures compiled by his father are most special in and of themselves.

It isn't a perfect book, but it is a book of God produced by his servants. Of that, I have no doubt.

[consiglieri]

I would like to thank all those who have contributed.

The main reason I posted this thread is because it seems to me that I sometimes get caught up in apologetic evidence for the Book of Mormon to the point that I start failing to recognize the beauty of the book itself as a self-contained text.

It also seemed that maybe, if we talk about something like the "beauty" of the Book of Mormon as opposed to the "truth" of the Book of Mormon, we could maybe do so from something other than strict party lines; and it seems that, on the whole, that has been the case.

Of course, there have been certain posters who have disagreed with the proposition that the Book of Mormon is beautiful, and that is fine, because this is a wholly subjective exercise anyway and I am happy to hear the other side and reasons for it. If we are discussing a painting that I like, I do not feel personally insulted or attacked or defensive if somebody else says they don't like that particular painting, and find something else more attractive.

For myself, after over 20-times reading any book over a period of 30-years, I would expect that it would come to the point rather early that it would stop "speaking" to me about my life situations and begin to run dry. Frankly, I would expect that if it had actually been written in the early 19th century, it would have been dry on the first run; not unlike Solomon Spaulding's manuscript.

Regardless of the manner in which it came forth (which I was not present to witness), I know that the Book of Mormon is an amazing book that continues to speak to me in my life experiences as I approach my 30th anniversary in the Church and my 50th anniversary on the planet (which I am present to witness).

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[seventh_plague]

As part of teaching gospel doctrine class, I have been reading (and reading hard) the Book of Mormon from the beginning and up through the end of the Book of Mosiah so far.

This would be well over my twentieth time reading the Book of Mormon.

When I read the Book of Mormon the first time at age 18, I received a strong witness that it is the Word of God. As important as that experience was to me, I was far from an expert on the contents of the book at the end of that first reading.

It was for me a profound and beautiful experience.

The surprising thing to me is that, the more I read the Book of Mormon, and the closer I read the Book of Mormon, the more beautiful it becomes.

The life I have experienced in the 30-years since I was 18 have informed my reading of the Book of Mormon, and I see depths and insights and experiences related in the Book of Mormon that went unappreciated and unrecognized when I was a teenager; or a twenty-something; or a thirty-something.

The thought that occurred to me the other night upon finishing Mosiah is that the Book of Mormon is "beautiful."

I am not sure of a better way to express it; and this is separate and apart from my spiritual witness that it is true.

It is simply a beautiful book.

I feel good when I read it.

It uplifts me.

I am left to wonder how a book alleged by critics to have been produced in upstate New York in the early 19th century could be so beautiful, and could continue to yield new insights and understandings after 20-readings and 30-years.

Any thoughts?

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

So...is the Book of Mormon what you base your faith on....or is it Jesus Christ?

The BoM is nothing compared to Jesus Christ and His everlasting Glory in my opinion. The more I read about Him in the Bible, the more real He becomes, and I get closer to Him.

Thank You Jesus! Amen!

[Aquilifer]

So...is the Book of Mormon what you base your faith on....or is it Jesus Christ?

Don't be daft. Do you base your faith on the Bible...or Jesus Christ?

The BoM is nothing compared to Jesus Christ and His everlasting Glory in my opinion.

I don't think that's the issue.

The more I read about Him in the Bible, the more real He becomes, and I get closer to Him.

Then you'll love The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ!

Thank You Jesus! Amen!

Amen!

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

So...is the Book of Mormon what you base your faith on....or is it Jesus Christ?

The BoM is nothing compared to Jesus Christ and His everlasting Glory in my opinion. The more I read about Him in the Bible, the more real He becomes, and I get closer to Him.

Thank You Jesus! Amen!

Oh spare us.

Do you just place your faith in the words of dead men or do you belive in Jesus? How did you learn about Jesus? Was it not by the words of dead men? Your double standard is so patheically lame.

You rip down the BoM for no reason then on the same breath concradulate the Bible. What is the Bible?

I have a feeling you do not know waht either books are.

[ebeddoulos]

Seventh, thank you. I missed this thread. If you had not posted I would have missed the testimonies contained within it. I think Aquilifer more than adequately addressed your concerns. I shall just add my own thoughts concerning sscriptures in general.

I collect versions of the Judeo-Christian scriptures. These are mostly in English but there are exceptions found in my personal library. I love them all but the Book of Mormon is indeed very special.

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Praise God!

The Old Testament is full of doctrinal gems such as this.

"Where were you when I laid the the earth's foundations?

Speak if you have understanding.

Do you know who fixed its dimensions

Or who measured it with a line?

Onto what were its bases sunk?

Who set its cornerstone

When the morning stars sang together

And the divine beings shouted for joy?"

Does it make you want to sing and shout with your siblings? It does me! Halleluiah!

Though I much prefer the poetic majesty of the King James Version, one can teach the Gospel even from the wooden phrasing of the New World Translation.

"Most truly I say to you, He that receives anyone I send receives me [also]. In turn he that receives me, receives [also] him that sent me."

Just how receptive are you?

Let us not forget God's powerful promises found in the Doctrine & Covenants:

"The works and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men."

In my mind, no verse in any of the scriptures transcends this:

"For behold, this is my work and my glory -- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

[consiglieri]

So...is the Book of Mormon what you base your faith on....or is it Jesus Christ?

Is my faith based on the Book of Mormon? In a sense, yes. Because it is the Book of Mormon that brought me to Jesus. Because it is the Book of Mormon that the Holy Ghost testified to my heart is the Word of God. And because of the testimony I received that the Book of Mormon is true, I also believe the Bible to be the Word of God.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[flameburns623]

As part of teaching gospel doctrine class, I have been reading (and reading hard) the Book of Mormon from the beginning and up through the end of the Book of Mosiah so far.

This would be well over my twentieth time reading the Book of Mormon.

When I read the Book of Mormon the first time at age 18, I received a strong witness that it is the Word of God. As important as that experience was to me, I was far from an expert on the contents of the book at the end of that first reading.

It was for me a profound and beautiful experience.

The surprising thing to me is that, the more I read the Book of Mormon, and the closer I read the Book of Mormon, the more beautiful it becomes.

The life I have experienced in the 30-years since I was 18 have informed my reading of the Book of Mormon, and I see depths and insights and experiences related in the Book of Mormon that went unappreciated and unrecognized when I was a teenager; or a twenty-something; or a thirty-something.

The thought that occurred to me the other night upon finishing Mosiah is that the Book of Mormon is "beautiful."

I am not sure of a better way to express it; and this is separate and apart from my spiritual witness that it is true.

It is simply a beautiful book.

I feel good when I read it.

It uplifts me.

I am left to wonder how a book alleged by critics to have been produced in upstate New York in the early 19th century could be so beautiful, and could continue to yield new insights and understandings after 20-readings and 30-years.

Any thoughts?

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

Umm . . . .I don't want to flame your post nor mock yur probably honest, heartfelt affection for the BoM--but I think Mark Twain was much more correct in his description of it.

[MormonMason]

Umm . . . .I don't want to flame your post nor mock yur probably honest, heartfelt affection for the BoM--but I think Mark Twain was much more correct in his description of it.

Well, that is easy to remedy for some...skip the Isaiah parts.

Note: I do not do it but I know plenty of people who get to Isaiah and never go any further in the Book of Mormon because it makes little sense to them and they get bored to tears.

Mark Twain also was joking around with the Book of Mormon as he did with the Bible. While there were about a hundred or so more "And it came to pass" phrases in the first edition, the book would never become a small pamphlet if they removed the phrases entirely--as they sometimes do for some of the foreign language editions, replacing the phrase with an asterisk. None of these editions are small pamphlets except those which are only extant in selections of the Book of Mormon text.

Have you read his works on the Bible? They are pretty funny.