Did Joseph Smith ever quote from the Book of Mormon?

[BartBurk]

Smith said the Book of Mormon was the cornerstone of his religion, but I’ve never seen any sermons where he used the Book of Mormon as a source for doctrine or even quoted from it. He seemed to just ignore it. It really raises a question about whether he ever read it let alone wrote it.

 

[zerinus]

Smith said the Book of Mormon was the cornerstone of his religion, but I’ve never seen any sermons where he used the Book of Mormon as a source for doctrine or even quoted from it. He seemed to just ignore it. It really raises a question about whether he ever read it let alone wrote it.

He quotes most often from the Bible for the same reasons that I do here. He was often challenged that his doctrines were not biblical; so he quotes from the Bible to prove that they were.

In those days the Book of Mormon was not divided into chapters and verses, so he couldn’t exactly quote chapter and verse numbers. But he does occasionally make indirect references to its contents. Here is an example:

We would say to the brethren, seek to know God in your closets, call upon him in the fields. Follow the directions of the Book of Mormon, and pray over, and for your families, your cattle, your flocks, your herds, your corn, and all things that you possess; ask the blessing of God upon all your labors, and everything that you engage in. Be virtuous and pure; be men of integrity and truth; keep the commandments of God; and then you will be able more perfectly to understand the difference between right and wrong—between the things of God and the things of men; and your path will be like that of the just, which shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

This refers to the following verses in the current edition of the Book of Mormon:

Alma 34:

17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;

18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.

21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.

22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.

23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

Interestingly, in the same passage he makes indirect references to other biblical passages as well, notably this one:

Proverbs 4:

18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Joseph Smith was a great scriptorian, and his entire thought patterns were configured around the word of God. It was woven into his very soul, so that whatever he said had scriptural undercurrents running through them.

zerinus

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Zerinus:

I have a copy of the Book of Mormon in my personal library. Please tell me, how do you, personally, know it speaks the truth about Jesus and how to receive eternal life?

 

[zerinus]

Zerinus:

I have a copy of the Book of Mormon in my personal library. Please tell me, how do you, personally, know it speaks the truth about Jesus and how to receive eternal life?

My question to you is, Have you actually read it? If you haven’t, I suggest that you read it first, and then come back to me with your questions.

zerinus

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

My question to you is, Have you actually read it? If you haven’t, I suggest that you read it first, and then come back to me with your questions.

zerinus

It has been awhile since i have read the Book of Mormon. Please tell me the name of the chapter you would like to discuss and i will read it and return.

 

[NewSeeker]

I read it. Many times; in seminary, on my mission, after my mission, after my temple marriage. I prayed sincerely and in faith for years asking God if the book is true, testing the promise of Moroni 10:3-5. I never received any confirmation or witness whatsoever despite my faith, sincerity, and incessant reading of the book.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

I read it. Many times; in seminary, on my mission, after my mission, after my temple marriage. I prayed sincerely and in faith for years asking God if the book is true, testing the promise of Moroni 10:3-5. I never received any confirmation or witness whatsoever despite my faith, sincerity, and incessant reading of the book.

Thank you for your honest (name removed by moderator)ut, NS. I have heard it said that the truth is the truth even if no one believes it, and a lie is still a lie even if everyone believes it.

Regarding your personal experience, what did Mormons tell you is the way to know whether or not the Book of Mormon is true?

 

[zerinus]

It has been awhile since i have read the Book of Mormon. Please tell me the name of the chapter you would like to discuss and i will read it and return.

I don’t have any particular chapter that I would like you to read. I recommend that you read all of it! I just thought that your question would have been more meaningful if it had been asked in the context of actually having read the book.

However, if you would like me to recommend you a chapter to read, so that you can discuss it with me, I recommend the book of Third Nephi. That is the culmination of the Book of Mormon, where the Savior appears to the Nephites after His resurrection, and instructs them in the ways of salvation.

zerinus

 

[zerinus]

I read it. Many times; in seminary, on my mission, after my mission, after my temple marriage. I prayed sincerely and in faith for years asking God if the book is true, testing the promise of Moroni 10:3-5. I never received any confirmation or witness whatsoever despite my faith, sincerity, and incessant reading of the book.

Thank you. In that case we have nothing further to discuss.

zerinus

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

I don’t have any particular chapter that I would like you to read. I recommend that you read all of it! I just thought that your question would have been more meaningful if it had been asked in the context of actually having read the book.

However, if you would like me to recommend you a chapter to read, so that you can discuss it with me, I recommend the book of Third Nephi. That is the culmination of the Book of Mormon, where the Savior appears to the Nephites after His resurrection, and instructs them in the ways of salvation.

zerinus

Third Nephi it is!



I’ll be back when i have read it and have something to ask you. I trust that you will be available to answer my questions or explain what i misunderstand.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Thank you. In that case we have nothing further to discuss.

zerinus

If you don’t mind my asking, and it is not too personal a question to ask, why would you refuse to dialog with NS?

 

[zerinus]

If you don’t mind my asking, and it is not too personal a question to ask, why would you refuse to dialog with NS?

I am not refusing to dialog with him. He has made a statement to which nothing can be said. The only reply that I can give to him is to say that I have read the Book of Mormon, and the Spirit of the Lord witnesses to me that it is true. Neither of us then have anything else to say to each other. He cannot accept my position, and I cannot accept his.

zerinus

 

[why_me]

I read it. Many times; in seminary, on my mission, after my mission, after my temple marriage. I prayed sincerely and in faith for years asking God if the book is true, testing the promise of Moroni 10:3-5. I never received any confirmation or witness whatsoever despite my faith, sincerity, and incessant reading of the book.

This may be not that uncommon. When I read the book of mormon and prayed about it, I did receive a confirmation that it was true. But that doesn’t happen to everyone.

A witness to the book can be had in many ways. It can come from the life that one is leading as a mormon by putting the precepts into practice. Also, it can come in ways that are often not recognizable. On the other hand, like Mother Teresa, I do think that quite often God may not give us a direct spiritual experience or he may withdraw his pressence for a while.

Also, I wasn’t searching for a testimony. I read the book, prayed about it and received it. But I was not searching for it.

That being said, I am an inactive mormon with a good catholic background for which I am grateful.

 

[why_me]

Third Nephi it is!



I’ll be back when i have read it and have something to ask you. I trust that you will be available to answer my questions or explain what i misunderstand.

For a wonderful speech try Mosiah 2:1-41 That was always my favorite.

 

[zerinus]

Third Nephi it is!



I’ll be back when i have read it and have something to ask you. I trust that you will be available to answer my questions or explain what i misunderstand.

You bet! I am looking forward to that!

zerinus

 

[Jerusha]

To bring the thread back on topic, I agree with you, Bart. Z’s example doesn’t fly, since it only indicates a knowlege of the “Indians as degenerate Jews” content. If JS wrote the book, the theological content would have been reflected in his speeches and other writings. The “Spaulding school” says that Rigdon supplied the theological content.

3 Nephi is basically lifted from the NT. No brainer.

I’ll come in this afternoon with some real doozies!!!

 

[NewSeeker]

Zerinus and WhyMe, thank you for allowing my experience to be my experience. Too often church members tell me the lack of a witness is my fault. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to hear that.

I also like what’s written in Mosiah 2. Joseph Smith succinctly captured the essence of the christian disposition in that chapter.

 

[NewSeeker]

Soctrates4Jesus, this is the Book of Mormon passage that is most frequently cited to establish the means for receiving a witness that the book is true:

Moroni 10:3-5

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
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.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may aknow the truth of all things.

Verse 4 sets forth the condition for receiving the witness: sincerity, real intent, and faith. The problem is what to make of people like me who prayed sincerely, with real intent and in faith for that witness, but never received it. Many Mormons blame the person: “the book is true; if you were sincere, you would have recieved your witness. Since you didn’t receive the witness that proves you weren’t sincere.” That’s the logic most Mormons in my experience go by. I used to say the same thing as a teacher and on my mission. How ironic that in the end I never received the witness of the book’s truthfulness.

 

[Jerusha]

The Book of Mormon ranges from the abysmal to the sublime. Read it through in context to get the entire range. If you don’t fall asleep first!!! Here, this will help.

 

[Jerusha]

Mosiah 2:31
“And now, my bretheren, I would that ye should do as ye have hiterhto done. As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father, and have prospered, and have been kept form falling into the hands of your enemies, even so if ye keep the commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered unto you by him, ye shall prosper unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall ahve no power over you”

Note section set aside by *. Typical of the pre-Christian Chrstianity of the BOM before 3 Nephi.

Here is some abysmal stuff:
3 Nephi 21 portrays a Jesus I do not know: See v. 14 - 22.

“Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers; thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands; and I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities. And It will come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away. For it will come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”

We are going to have fun today!!!