Where did the Book of Mormon come from?

[AMDGtoo]

Somehow your plea would seem more sincere if your church didn’t actively “go after” people who do practice other religions. Have you stopped to wonder why the LDS have to have a small army of missionaries going door-to-door if it really did “respect other religions”? The missionaries don’t stop when the person who answers the door tells them that they already go to church and aren’t interested in the LDS message, you know.

 

[jbogedahl]

Somehow your plea would seem more sincere if your church didn’t actively “go after” people who do practice other religions. Have you stopped to wonder why the LDS have to have a small army of missionaries going door-to-door if it really did “respect other religions”? The missionaries don’t stop when the person who answers the door tells them that they already go to church and aren’t interested in the LDS message, you know.

As I recall there are Catholic missionaries too, who “go after” other faiths. In fact much of the area that I grew up in have names derived from Catholic missionaries who were out to preach the gospel to the native Americans. I have also met other Catholic missionaries who are actively teaching non-Catholics. Many of our missionaries and your missionaries join in service projects and humanitarian efforts. Christ sent out missionaries to teach the gospel, is that so wrong? We believe we have something great to offer and I (speaking for myself) respect others’ beliefs and just wish to share my own. Do you share advice with your friends even when they don’t really ask for it because they’re struggling or have some dilemna that you see? That’s basically our message on a spiritual level…

Best wishes,

Jacob

 

[AMDGtoo]

There is a difference between evangelization (to preach the Gospel–what Catholics do) and proselytizing (to convert from one belief or faith to another–what the LDS do).

 

[PaulDupre]

As I recall there are Catholic missionaries too, who “go after” other faiths. In fact much of the area that I grew up in have names derived from Catholic missionaries who were out to preach the gospel to the native Americans.

The Native Americans were pagans who did not know Jesus. The Catholic missionaries brought Christianity to them for the first time.

By contrast, Mormons are “sheep stealers”, trying to get Christians to abandon their historic faith and join your 19th-century sect.

If you can’t see the difference then I truly feel sorry for you.

 

[scapularkid8]

"I am Catholic, an original Christian and I will not be assimilated!

 

[zaffiroborant]

As I recall there are Catholic missionaries too, who “go after” other faiths. In fact much of the area that I grew up in have names derived from Catholic missionaries who were out to preach the gospel to the native Americans. I have also met other Catholic missionaries who are actively teaching non-Catholics.
Best wishes,

Jacob

Funny that, I’ve never had one Catholic knock on my door (at their convenience), and then refuse my “I’m not interested” nope I’ve only seen this from LDS, JW’s and SDA’s. And I bet if you a a few thousand people they’d say the same thing. Now you may argue that we should be out there pestering people if we really believe. I see it more as Thomas Merton did, he basically said the act of blatant proselytizing showed a lack of faith and was really an act of shoring up ones own belief.

 

[Chris_LaRock]

I was raised mormon so I know the story, but since I’ve decided to convert to Catholicism all I want to know is if the Mormon faith isn’t true, where did the BOM come from?

I don’t believe that Joseph Smith and his interpretors just made it up as they went along.

I’m really confused about this because the Mormon faith right now just has so many loopholes in the Doctrines and even the prophet’s doctrines condradict each other, but this is one thing I can’t really seem to figure out.

They didn’t just make it up as they went along. Much of the BoM was copied or paraphrased from the King James Bible. The rest of it was inspired by books they had read, and their own furtile imaginations.

I’d suggest that you get a copy of the 1830 edition of the BoM, and compare it to the BoM currently being used. I got a replica of the 1830 edition on ebay.

 

[PaulDupre]

I was raised mormon so I know the story, but since I’ve decided to convert to Catholicism all I want to know is if the Mormon faith isn’t true, where did the BOM come from?

I don’t believe that Joseph Smith and his interpretors just made it up as they went along.

I’m really confused about this because the Mormon faith right now just has so many loopholes in the Doctrines and even the prophet’s doctrines condradict each other, but this is one thing I can’t really seem to figure out.

This will explain it all.

 

[igator99]

I was raised mormon so I know the story, but since I’ve decided to convert to Catholicism all I want to know is if the Mormon faith isn’t true, where did the BOM come from?

I don’t believe that Joseph Smith and his interpretors just made it up as they went along.

I’m really confused about this because the Mormon faith right now just has so many loopholes in the Doctrines and even the prophet’s doctrines condradict each other, but this is one thing I can’t really seem to figure out.

They believe Jesus came to the Americas? I’m curious what evidence they have of this? They think of the Aztec pyramids as proof! israelrevealed.com/main-r.htm
Does this mean all Mormons are going to hell? They look like such nice people. Will God have mercy on them if they simply grew up believing this to be true?

 

[PaulDupre]

They believe Jesus came to the Americas? I’m curious what evidence they have of this?

No evidence at all. The Book of Mormon (starting in chapter 11 of 3 Nephi) contains an account of Jesus allegedly visiting the Americas and teaching the people following his resurrection in Jerusalem. Most of it is lifted verbatim from the New Testament.

 

[scapularkid8]

No evidence at all. The Book of Mormon (starting in chapter 11 of 3 Nephi) contains an account of Jesus allegedly visiting the Americas and teaching the people following his resurrection in Jerusalem. Most of it is lifted verbatim from the New Testament.

They also believe that American Indians are descended from Israelites…genetic testing shows the American Indians have more in common with Asia genetically and no connection to any Semitic peoples. There are also no ties in the ancient architecture, language, or religion…thanks Nephi, but I think I’m sticking with the Four Gospels.

 

[BartBurk]

They believe Jesus came to the Americas? I’m curious what evidence they have of this? They think of the Aztec pyramids as proof! israelrevealed.com/main-r.htm
Does this mean all Mormons are going to hell? They look like such nice people. Will God have mercy on them if they simply grew up believing this to be true?

God only knows. I sure can’t judge Mormons (or anyone else for that matter). All I can do is pray, “Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again: bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence.” The Mormons certainly have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again. Whether or not they are counted as our brothers and sisters is another question. If not we can include them in the rest of the departed we are praying for.

 

[LutheranDK]

In the absence of a logical argument, simply assert.

Alma

“Do not throw stones if you live in a house of glass”

• Danish proverb.

You did this yourself. You claim the existance of this so-called “reformed Egyptian” and this as the forebearer of Greek and Hebrew, contrary to EVERYTHING archeologists, historians, anthropologians, linguists, etc has told us since their fields of research began.

Both Hebrew and Greek are related to Mesopotamian/Middle Eastern languages - especially Phoenecian (typo?) and Aramaic.
The Greeks even threw out their original alphabet (which no one has yet been able to decipher), and adopted the Phoenecian one.

 

[Strevel]

God only knows. I sure can’t judge Mormons (or anyone else for that matter). All I can do is pray, “Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again: bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence.” The Mormons certainly have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again. Whether or not they are counted as our brothers and sisters is another question. If not we can include them in the rest of the departed we are praying for.

Most don’t know it, but “Rising Again” is not consistant with original “revealed Mormon teachings”. It was added ater. I guess when God was revealing things to the JS guy he forgot about that one thing and had to rush back and reveal it since out perfect God forgot it the first time.

JS was not a prophet. He was a kid caught up in the religious and social furvor of the times. It created many Churches and the whole things just got out of hand. If you throw enough of anythng against the wall, some of it will stick, …and someone will believe it in because it did stick. Yup, that is the defining line used the world over, …throw something against a wall. PALEEZE!

 

[Chris_LaRock]

They also believe that American Indians are descended from Israelites…genetic testing shows the American Indians have more in common with Asia genetically and no connection to any Semitic peoples. There are also no ties in the ancient architecture, language, or religion…thanks Nephi, but I think I’m sticking with the Four Gospels.

Yeah. Jesus came to the ancient americas and started preaching from the king james bible too.

The sermon on the mount, to be exact.

 

[BartBurk]

Funny that, I’ve never had one Catholic knock on my door (at their convenience), and then refuse my “I’m not interested” nope I’ve only seen this from LDS, JW’s and SDA’s. And I bet if you a a few thousand people they’d say the same thing. Now you may argue that we should be out there pestering people if we really believe. I see it more as Thomas Merton did, he basically said the act of blatant proselytizing showed a lack of faith and was really an act of shoring up ones own belief.

We could make a full time job of just searching for inactive Catholics. I wish we had young missionaries like the Mormons going door-to-door just asking lapsed Catholics to consider returning to church. I’m not so quick to condemn the missionary work done by other churches. The question we have to ask is what are we doing to spread the gospel message ourselves? I can’t criticize young people who spend a couple of years of their lives spreading what they believe to be the truth. If we really believe proselytizing shows a lack of faith, we’re probably going to keep losing people to these groups.

 

[why_me]

Joseph Smith, a young Boy, was walking in the woods one day thinking about how to make a buck, er, sorry, thinking on religion when God and Christ appeared to him.

Don

Of course, Joseph didn’t make much money at all throughout his life. In fact, the book of mormon caused him much hardship. Because the mormons were diffferent from the frontier christians, the frontier christians persecuted the mormons, especially JS. He was tarred and feathered and lost two young children due to mob violence. Not to mention the deaths of many more mormons at the hand of mob violence.

At the end, JS lost his life as did his brother. Fact: JS would have been more successful without the book of mormon. He could have organized a wonderful protestant sect and lived a happy and peaceful life. But…

 

[why_me]

Yeah. Jesus came to the ancient americas and started preaching from the king james bible too.

The sermon on the mount, to be exact.

And what if Jesus had a different message in the book of mormon? What would you then say? Of course, the message is the same. Why would it be different?

 

[why_me]

This will explain it all.

Of course the idea that Sidney wrote the book has been around for quite some time. In fact, the idea was around at the time of Sidney Rigdon. Nothing new there.

The problem with the Ridgon theory is that if he wrote the book, he failed miserably in doing so. He was persecuted by mobs, dragged through the streets and left for dead. Not much glory there. And then of course, he was booted out of the church. And yet, he kept his much shut.

Dan Vogel (you can google him) does not support the Ridgon theory at all and puts forth a good case why he doesn’t. He was in an online debate with Dale Broardhurst a year or so ago and no one really one that debate. Dan has a different theory.

And so, the critics cannot exactly agree on the origins of the book of mormon.

 

[BartBurk]

Of course the idea that Sidney wrote the book has been around for quite some time. In fact, the idea was around at the time of Sidney Rigdon. Nothing new there.

The problem with the Ridgon theory is that if he wrote the book, he failed miserably in doing so. He was persecuted by mobs, dragged through the streets and left for dead. Not much glory there. And then of course, he was booted out of the church. And yet, he kept his much shut.

Dan Vogel (you can google him) does not support the Ridgon theory at all and puts forth a good case why he doesn’t. He was in an online debate with Dale Broardhurst a year or so ago and no one really one that debate. Dan has a different theory.

And so, the critics cannot exactly agree on the origins of the book of mormon.

Rigdon would have exposed his own fraudulent work if he had revealed it. He always wanted to start his own brand of Mormonism after Joseph Smith died. He tried to take over the LDS Church and failed, but started his own group. He did have a certain amount of power in the LDS structure before Joseph Smith died. He had no reason to expose himself as a fraud and didn’t.

Do I think Joseph Smith had the ability to create the Book of Mormon on his own – of course he did. B.H. Roberts also believed Joseph could have created it. But I think the Criddle article makes a good case that Rigdon and Cowdrey could have been involved as well.

But we really don’t have to determine how the Book of Mormon was written because its contents are so obviously flawed. It has a 19th century author and doesn’t have anything to do with what really happened in ancient America. There simply weren’t Israelites receiving a visitation from Jesus Christ in ancient America. The evidence from all sorts of disciplines is overwhelming and we’ve presented it all here in various threads. The Book of Mormon is not worthy of my faith and puts its believers in danger of eternal separation from God. May God have mercy on them.