What Is the Book of Mormon?

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF MORMON?

By Dr. FRANCIS W. KIRKHAM

THE Book of Mormon is a strange book. No persons living at the time of its publication had anything to do with the writing or composing of its contents. It was translated from ancient golden plates by the gift and power of God. These records were made available to a young man, Joseph Smith, by an immortal person who called himself Moroni, and declared himself to be the last of a long line of ancient American prophet-historians, who had engraved on metal plates the history of their people.

On at least seven recorded occasions this messenger from God personally instructed Joseph Smith regarding the records and the work he should do. He declared that the records had been carefully preserved and should be translated for the divine purpose of convincing all men that “Jesus is the Christ, the eternal Son of God.” They contained, he stated, the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Saviour had taught it on the American continent shortly after His death and resurrection in Palestine. Because they saw Him and knew Him, they obeyed His commandments. And lo, “There was no contention in the land, because of the love of God in the hearts of people. And surely there could be a happier people among all people who had been created by hand of God.” (Book of Mormon, 4th Nephi: 15:16)

Except for a short interval Joseph Smith had the plates in his possession from September 22, 1827, until about July 1, 1829, less than two years, or until he was twenty-three and one-half years of age. The actual translation of the book began April 7, 1829, and was completed about July 1, 1829, a period of about 90 days, during which time Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, his scribe, lived at Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Fayette, Seneca County, New York.

The translator dictated and the scribe wrote day after day, as their circumstances permitted, until a book was completed. The interpretation of the ancient characters was given by divine power, and there was no revision or correction of the manuscript. Thus this volume of 522 pages was dictated. It is consistent with itself and contains a thousand years of religious history. Probably no existing book makes a similar claim.

Referring to the Book of Mormon, Orson Pratt, one of the original Twelve Apostles of the Church founded by Joseph Smith, says: “This book must be either true or false. If true, it is one of the most important messages ever sent from God to man. If false, it is one of the most cunning, wicked, bold, deep laid impositions ever palmed upon the world calculated to deceive and ruin millions who will receive it as the word of God.” (Divinity of the Book of Mormon, 1842).

The question arises then, What evidence exists of the objective reality of these supernatural events which, if true, are undoubtedly the greatest religious facts of the nineteenth century, also of the many centuries from the time of our risen Lord.

Just as the early Christian Church and the New Testament which it produced are the best evidences of the objective reality of the supernatural events connected with the Saviour’s mission, even so, the Book of Mormon and the Church which came out of the events connected with its forthcoming are the most important evidences of the objective reality of this latter-day “message of God to man.”

The members of the Primitive Christian Church knew the facts of the Master’s life either by personal knowledge or the testimony of those who knew Him. Many, such as Paul, were given special spiritual manifestations. The resurrection and ascension of the Saviour and the coming of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost confirmed all of the previous facts and declarations of the Master’s life and led to the founding of the Primitive Christian Church.

In a similar manner the associates of Joseph Smith and the early converts to the restored Church he founded knew him intimately and the truthfulness of the things he said. They knew the physical facts of the appearance of the Book of Mormon. They knew personally eleven witnesses who saw the golden plates from which the sacred record was translated; three of them were shown the plates by Moroni and solemnly affirmed a voice from heaven declared that the book had been translated by the “gift and power of God.” These men would have been declared competent witnesses before a jury in a court of law. They saw and handled the plates with their own hands and saw the engravings thereon. Not one of these men, to the day of his death, ever denied his declarations of the positive existing reality of the plates. Not one ever denied the divine origin of the book, although many of them ceased to sustain Joseph Smith in his position as leader of the Church he founded.

Like the early Christian converts those who accepted the new revelation were persecuted for declaring what appeared to many as blasphemy against God. Yet Joseph Smith lived to see his people found the largest city in the state of Illinois in 1844 and to predict that they would go to the Rocky Mountains, there to set up an ensign of faith in God and build a commonwealth which would attract the admiration of men.

That prediction has been fulfilled. According to the report of the Commission on Social Trends, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints increased its membership by 290 per cent in 27 years. This is the greatest proportional growth of any Church during this period.

To-day, more than a century after its publication, the Book of Mormon sells 50,000 copies in a year in 17 different languages. It has become the foundation of a great Church with three- quarters of a million members, many of them men and women of high culture and learning, who accept it as a divine record.

Yet Joseph Smith lived the simple life of a western pioneer farmer; he had no ability either by study or by influence of his environment to write such a book—facts amply proved both by newspapers published before the Book of Mormon appeared, as well as statements by both friends and enemies.

Without the assistance of any person or the learning of manuscript of another, he dictated without revision, the entire contents of the book. In the long history of the Church no one who has left it because of disagreements with its leaders, to form another Church, has ever denied the book’s divine origin. Details of these facts are available in many publications 

During the past seven years, the writer has made a study of some 700 books, pamphlets and manuscripts in the New York City Library regarding the origin and history of the Church founded by Joseph Smith. He has also continued his research at the Church Historian’s office in Salt Lake City, also at libraries in Independence, Missouri; Madison, Wisconsin; Boston, Massachusetts; Cleveland, Ohio; and Rochester, New York. He has read carefully editions of two newspapers published at Palmyra, New York, which appeared during the years previous to and immediately following the printing of the book in that city.

From research, he is able to assert that there exists a preponderance of evidence for the following:

1.—The declaration of facts and events by Joseph Smith concerning the origin of the Book of Mormon is true and particularly, that he dictated the contents of the book without revision to his scribe from day to day as circumstances permitted, and that he did this without the aid of a manuscript or the help of another person.

2.—Joseph Smith did not have the ability either through study or the influence of his environment to write the contents of the book.

3.—No adequate explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon has yet been made, other than that given by the translator, although some eight different explanations have been advanced during the past century.

4.—Men who knew the physical facts regarding the origin of the book and who knew Joseph Smith intimately give substantial evidence of the objective reality of the supernatural events connected with the origin of the Book of Mormon.

It remains to-day “a very strange book.” In the words of Orson Pratt, “It is either true or false.” If true, it is evidence of divine intervention in the affairs of men, an objective demonstration of immortality. On a hill in western New York, where Moroni visited the modern prophet, is cast a statue to this immortal man, in appreciation of the work he did among men after he had been dead 1,400 years.

Upon this declaration of facts of immortality and divine love a great Church has arisen and upon this foundation it will realize its destiny.