How does the spirit witness to me that the book of mormon is true. Is there scientific proof authenticating the book of mormon. Proof that the book of mormon is true, excerpt from. I came to realize that the idea of one having a testimony of the truthfulness of the church was a totally deceitful concept. The book of mormon is a musical comedy with music, lyrics and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone first staged in 2011, the play is a satirical examination of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints beliefs and practices that ultimately endorses the positive power of love and service. When i first encountered the book of mormon, i assumed it was a hoax. King benjamin bore testimony to his sons that the plates of brass, that had been brought from jerusalem and preserved by the hand of god, were true.
And of which is a journal to prepare nations one individual at a time to prepare for his return by abiding by his christs teachings. Some people loved itand some people hated itbut at the end of the day, the experiences i shared are so tangible to me that ill never be able to forget or deny their. Im not going to go over certain implications, like why a need for the plates if joseph didnt use them during the translation process, or text that may or. You can say what you want, but it wont change the fact that i know and i can not deny it jan 02, 2020 next will come the invitation to read the book of mormon, pray, and ask god to show you it is true. You may have heard about moronis promise to all who read the book of mormon. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. This in itself is problematic and amounts to a logical fallacy known as begging the question or circular reasoning. There are no other books that do it as well as this one, which also gives you a free dose of racism, sexism, and historical lies. Bad book of mormon apologetics lds church is true blog. The only bible that joseph smith relied on was the king james version. How to prove that the book of mormon is true quora. Lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. 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.
New york post scrupulously reported and written with krakauers usual exacting flair, under the banner of heaven is both illuminating and thrilling. You cant find any other books that tell you to love and serve people. The book of mormon is a testament of jesus christ whose contents is supposed to be about convincing the world that jesus is the christ, the foretold messiah of the old testament. Archaeological evidence and the book of mormon fairmormon. Jun, 2019 there are bad book of mormon apologetics. The book of mormon the book of mormon claims to be a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. 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. If ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in christ, he will manifest the truth of the book of mormon unto you, by the power of the holy ghost moroni 10. 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. Mar 14, 2020 you can convince god to send the golden plates back down to earth again, then you can take them to a panel of mesoamerican archaeologists and allow them to examine them at length, performing every scientific test on them that they can think of.
A few months ago i wrote an article entitled soyou think the book of mormon is a fraud. So in order to find out if the book of mormon is a true book, is true scripture, you first need to get a copy. Then, very solemnly, theyll testify to you that they know the book of mormon is true, that its gods inspired word, and that it contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel. Book of mormon commentary volume two entitled these records are true is 532 pages in length and covers the books of jacob, enos, jarom, omni, words of mormon and mosiah. Why you shouldnt ask god if the book of mormon is true. Proof that the book of mormon is true book of mormon facts. Feb 16, 2016 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. Jun 17, 2017 is there any archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. The book of mormon shall stand as a testimony against the world, ether 5. Is the book of mormon true notes on the debate book of. Peterson is associate professor of asian and near eastern languages at brigham young university. You can say what you want, but it wont change the fact that i know and i can not deny it book of mormon is the true historical account of a group of ancient israelites who fled jerusalem prior to the babylonian captivity 600 b.
Many a learned person has asked the same thing about the bible or even the existence of god. Theyll assure you that if you read their text in a spirit of prayerful inquiry, you too will receive the testimony of the holy ghost. Archaeology itself can be divided and subdivided into numerous disciplines. They win points with the uninformed, but they hurt us more in the long run.
The story of how it came about is rather fantastic, after all, and the simplest explanation is that the book was a deliberate deception. Lds leaders who admit mormonism isnt true life after ministry. The book of mormon was written for the intent that we may believe the bible, morm. As the above logo depicts, we do respect this mandate, and our model. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. Two of the most prevalent claims for the book of mormon are, there is much archaeological proof to the book of mormon, and the american indians are descendants of israelites who came to america as described in the book of mormon. The real meat of mormonism is found in their other scriptures, the doctrine and covenants and the pearl of great price. Many readers have posed this question, both out of genuine interest and also as a challenge to the book s authenticity. This essay is about how proving the book of mormon is true or false by historical landmarks or by authorship is a huge waste of time. Although it serves primarily as a religious text, it is to be interpreted literally as being an actual, historical record of the inhabitants of the ancient americas. According to the church of jesus christ of latter day saints a. The book of mormon mentions cities, trade, warfare, towers, and the use of armorall of which did exist in the ancient americasyet their existence has not convinced critics that the book of mormon is an authentic ancient text. Oct 19, 2017 in the case of the book of mormon, that something is called the holy ghost. The church pushes people to say they know the church is true.
The book of mormon name, lehi, is also found in the bible. Non mormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. Both the bible and the book of mormon declare themselves to be ancient, historical, and reliable rules of faiththe very word of god. Sep 20, 2017 ideally for believers, the book of mormon is true 1 and true 2. The book of mormon makes you a better person, i get it. The gospel is true, the bishop is true, the book of mormon is true, and on and on. 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. I couldnt possibly cover every book of mormon correlation in one sitting. How does the spirit witness to me that the book of mormon is. There is depth and truth arguably not matched in any other work in the history of mankind. Russell ballard of the quorum of the twelve apostles of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints addresses the question of whether there is scientific proof of the book of mormon.
One of his main purposes is to testify of and confirm things that are true, unto us. In this post i wanted to emphasize physical evidencesstuff you can touch, see, feel. A whiteknuckle mix of truecrime reporting and provocative history. As seen by science, the book of mormon is stronger today than it was in 1830, 1844, 1950, or even 2000, so i expect it will continue to become stronger in the future. If joseph smith was a prophet, then the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is the same church that christ established while he was on the earth. The book of mormon can be true without being historical. 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.
It has been set up to be an all or nothing campaign, where if the book is true, then joseph smith was a prophet and if he was the prophet, then he restored the only true church. The dominant and widely accepted view among latter day saints is that the book of mormon is a true and accurate account of these ancient american civilizations whose religious history it documents. 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. Many people accuse lds apologists of lying for the lord. Dear mormons, you dont know the book of mormon is true.
While reading it, pray to god to know if it is true. Gods word is to be established by two or more witnesses 2 cor. Supporting evidences of the book of mormon are broadly identifiable. Lds apologists have a pretty bad reputation among nonlds, and its not just a good vs evil thing. In fact, there is really very little in that book that is doctrinally disagreeable to orthodox christians. If the book of mormon is true, then joseph smith was a prophet. Harper and others in the history department of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints are transitioning the narrative about the book of mormon, so that it came through revelation and not through translation. The evidence for smiths prophetic calling from god is damning when we examine who really wrote the bom. These claims have historically been taken on faith. In the articlei gave my personal experience with the book of mormon in my college years and also laid out some of the logical reasons why i believe the book to be true. I know, because i received an answer through my prayers from the holy ghost. So the question of all questions deals with the truthfulness of book of mormon.
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. Whenever a mormon suggests we should pray to find out whether the book of mormon is true, we should begin by pointing out that this idea comes from the book of mormon itself. 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. 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. Nonmormon archaeologists speak on book of mormon evidence. The overall trend in the date over the past 175 years fits the expectations for the book of mormon as history rather than hoax. Of course you must do this with sincerity, or it wont work. Home true book of mormon geography lands western new york. However, if that is true, then why does the book of mormon contradict mormon theology. The volume has long invited scrutiny from all branches of science. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has been an object of intense controversy and has been subjected to virtually unparalleled critical attacks. It is also the creepiest book anyone has written in a long timeand thats meant as the highest possible praise.
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