Who wrote the BOM?

[stillsearching]

flameburns623:

I am not a Latter-Day Saint. I was once upon a time. I was providing analysis not invoking my own beliefs.

Dude, i didn’t say you were a mormon. I was just asking what’s this apostasy thing you’re all talking about. I think your answer was cold.

 

[BJ_Colbert]

Imconfused:

There are two very distinct forms of tongues. One acceptable and one not. This is something that is looked at, I am told, during investigation for the need of exorcism. In one, a language which is unknown to the inhabitants of the earth is spoken. It is spoken without actual words and phrases. And yet everyone understands what is being said.
The other, is where a person develops suddenly the ability to understand actual known foreign languages that ethey have never studied. That is apparently what happened in Smith’s case. The LDS consider it a miracle. I’m sure the Pope would find it extraordinary as well John Paul II has stated that actual cases like these are very rare indeed.

I experienced the second form of Tongues you are speaking about while attending a church meeting in Costa Rica a few years ago.  I suddenly realized that I could understand every word being spoken and I do not speak spanish.  I never actually told anyone, as I did not realize how special it was at the time.  But, your posting reminded me of that occurance. It is interesting how things like that happen on special occasions.

Of course you all know that LDS believe that the Book of Mormon was written by prophets on the American Continent during the time the Bible was being written by prophets on the European Continent. They are God’s words written down by his prophets, the two books are equal in importance and go together as instruction from God on how to live our lives and keep His commandments. Since Joseph Smith had never been to the Yucatan and had not seen the pyramids, nor the Mayan people, he may have assumed that the Native Americans were the Book of Mormon people(just speculating) We do not know, but we do believe that the Mayan people are the decendants of the Book of Mormon tribes. The ruins of Copan, in Honduras, and Tikal in Guatemala, Monte Alban in Oaxaca, Mexico all may be ruins from that time and the Book of Mormon people. The LDS Church does not speculate on these things officially, but the members do. I believe these places I have seen are from the decendants of Lehi and the others who settled the Americas in around 600 BC. There are other excavations being uncovered now around Merida that are known to date from 600 BC. The hyroglyphics in Monte Alban seemed like the kind of writing that would have been on the Golden Plates. Gold was plentiful and they did use almost paper thin sheets of gold and brass, to keep records of their people on, so it was not uncommon to find gold used for common things.

Just my humble addition to the question, who wrote the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith only translated it with the help of the Lord. He did not write it. Since God can do anything, there should be nothing strange about Him being able to tell Joseph what to write. I believe in the power of God and that through God’s infinite power man can do amazing things, if it is God’s will that he do those things. I have faith that God still communicates today as He did in Biblical times. I have faith that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and was resurrected with his body and he lives still.
BJ

 

[flameburns623]

stillsearching:

Dude, i didn’t say you were a mormon. I was just asking what’s this apostasy thing you’re all talking about. I think your answer was cold.

Terribly sorry. I and BJRumph as well also misunderstood you. Wasn’t trying to be ‘cold’–just misunderstood what you were saying. FYI: I am Anglican (Episcopalian). After all, your post seemed to be demanding that I justify 'my beliefs, if you’ll take note:

stillsearching:

Dude, what’s the Apostasy? Where is your proof? When did it happen? Do you have proof dating to the time of the apostasy? Or you just got this cool dude who thinks he’s like Elijah or something and god talks to him? Or what? Is that like the four horsemen thing that comes at the end of the world?

The ‘Great Apostasy’ is something derived from the title of a popular LDS book by a Mormon scholar of the early 20th century, James Tamage. It says that the Christian Church began to go awry in the early 2nd century and at some point ceased to be the Church. It was replaced by a counterfeit church–usually understood in Mormonism to be the Roman Catholic Church, though they have never stressed anti-Catholicism to the extent that Reformational Protestants did.

In Mormonism, the Apostasy is also understood to have caused the priesthood to lose it’s authority–so that although Catholic popes or priests might have a more-or-less accurate lineage of succession right back to one or more Apostles–the power and authority of God behind that lineage was lost by lack of faith, disobedience, and false teaching.

Protestants also speak of the Great Apostasy–the term was first coined during the Redormation, I believe. However, Protestants don’t think the Church ceased to exist, only that the visible, hierarchical church became corrupt. Many Protestants think another Great Apostasy will occur just prior to the end of the world.

(You’ll notice that I am speaking here as if Mormons were not Protestants: this is appropriate, as they don’t consider themselves Protestants, usually. And, they were born long after the Reformation period, and their doctrines are pretty far removed from any vestige of orthodox Protestant or Catholic teaching. Nonetheless, in some cases you WILL see Mormons described as ‘Protestants’ so there is no hard-and-fast rule).

 

[BJRumph]

Here is what the LDs site says about the particular Apostacy that is being discussed:

“The gospel of Jesus Christ was lost from the earth through the apostasy that took place following the earthly ministry of Christ’s Apostles. That apostasy made necessary the restoration of the gospel. Through visions, the ministering of angels, and revelations to men on the earth, God restored the gospel. The Restoration started with the Prophet Joseph Smith (JS-H 1: 1-75; D&C 128: 20-21) and has continued to the present through the work of the Lord’s living prophets.”

"When the children of Israel failed to live up to the privileges and covenants of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the Lord took away the higher law and gave them a lesser priesthood and a lesser law (D&C 84: 23-26). These were called the Aaronic Priesthood and the law of Moses. When Jesus came to the earth, he restored the Melchizedek Priesthood to the Jews and began to build up the Church among them. However, the priesthood and the Church were lost again through apostasy. They were later restored through Joseph Smith, Jr. (D&C 27: 12-13; 128: 20; JS-H 1: 73). "

“Apostasy of the early Christian church: This people draw near me with their mouth, Isa. 29: 10, 13. Darkness shall cover the earth, Isa. 60: 2. The Lord will send a famine of hearing the words of the Lord, Amos 8: 11. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, Matt. 24: 24. Grievous wolves shall enter in among you, Acts 20: 29. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him, Gal. 1: 6. There will be a falling away before the Second Coming, 2 Thes. 2: 3. Some people err concerning the truth, 2 Tim. 2: 18. Some people have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof, 2 Tim. 3: 5. The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, 2 Tim. 4: 3-4. There will be false prophets and false teachers among the people, 2 Pet. 2: 1. Certain men crept in denying the only Lord God, Jude 1: 4. Some men said they were Apostles and were not, Rev. 2: 2. Nephi saw the formation of a great and abominable church, 1 Ne. 13: 26. The Gentiles have stumbled and built up many churches, 2 Ne. 26: 20. They have strayed from mine ordinances and have broken mine everlasting covenant, D&C 1: 15. Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people, D&C 112: 23. Joseph was told that the churches were all wrong; their hearts were far from God, JS-H 1: 19.”

“Moroni prophesied about apostasy in the last days, Morm. 8: 28, 31-41. Apostasy will precede the Second Coming, D&C 1: 13-16.”

No, I am not asserting their truthfulness, just presenting the claims as written at LDS-dot-org.

 

[stillsearching]

flameburns623:

Terribly sorry. I and BJRumph as well also misunderstood you. Wasn’t trying to be ‘cold’–just misunderstood what you were saying. FYI: I am Anglican (Episcopalian). After all, your post seemed to be demanding that I justify 'my beliefs, if you’ll take note:

The ‘Great Apostasy’ is something derived from the title of a popular LDS book by a Mormon scholar of the early 20th century, James Tamage. It says that the Christian Church began to go awry in the early 2nd century and at some point ceased to be the Church. It was replaced by a counterfeit church–usually understood in Mormonism to be the Roman Catholic Church, though they have never stressed anti-Catholicism to the extent that Reformational Protestants did.

In Mormonism, the Apostasy is also understood to have caused the priesthood to lose it’s authority–so that although Catholic popes or priests might have a more-or-less accurate lineage of succession right back to one or more Apostles–the power and authority of God behind that lineage was lost by lack of faith, disobedience, and false teaching.

Protestants also speak of the Great Apostasy–the term was first coined during the Redormation, I believe. However, Protestants don’t think the Church ceased to exist, only that the visible, hierarchical church became corrupt. Many Protestants think another Great Apostasy will occur just prior to the end of the world.

Cool dude, It kind of reminds me of those James Bond movies were Goldfinger creates his own nuclear volcano to take over the world. Smith must have been rockin when he wrote all that.

 

[Chazemataz]

I will quote again what HmarieH said: I don’t care if an angel from God told JS to write the book of Mormon, it is not God’s word. If an angel told JS to write the BOM than he is with Satan right now. Afterall God can not exist with sin. That is why no sin will enter heaven. Please read Gal. 1:8-9, “But even if we or an angel from heaven preach to you any other gospel than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Does people becoming Gods of their own dimensions sound like the gospel Jesus preached? Does God come from an infinite succesion of Gods? Does THAT sound like the gospel to you? Moroni is an angel. Wait, I just realised something: Mormons say that if you devoutly study the Mormon scripture then you will become a God. Why, then, is Moroni an angel if he was the son of Mormon, who abriged the BoM? What dummy would choose not to become a God with omnipotent power and instead want to be a simple angelic messenger? Tell me that.