The real reason I'm going so slow is I haven't been as dedicated as I intended to be. It's been quite a while since I picked it up. I've mostly read a chapter or so with each reading.
I'm likely about a chapter away from finishing the first book of Nephi. The only thing that has really stuck with me is Nephi's relationship with his brothers being sort of rough.
Well, I can tell you right now that 2 Nephi is going to be rough reading as much of it is basically quoting entire chapters of Isaiah. I find Isaiah extremely difficult to understand and a royal pain to get through. Once you get through 2 Nephi, though, it's pretty interesting for the next little while. The next chapters are Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, and then
Mosiah. I love Mosiah! It's got some truly beautiful teachings in it. If you find you simply can't get through 2 Nephi, just skip it entirely and go on from there. Alma is l-o-o-o-n-g. Parts of it are really compelling. One of my favorite parts of the book is
Alma 32:28-43. And I think it's particularly relevant for anyone who is looking for any kind of a spiritual path. Other parts of Alma can put me to sleep. I think they must have been what Mark Twain was referring to when he said that the Book of Mormon is "chloroform in print." Interesting, to me at least, is that the fact that parts of it are so boring actually makes me feel more strongly that it's not "a fraud." (I'll get to you comment about that choice of words later in this post.) If Joseph Smith had simply authored the book instead of translating it, it seems to me that he'd have left all of the boring parts out and just written an exciting page-turner. Much of Alma, for instance, is a secular history of a civilization. There was a period of time when there were a lot of wars going on. These are discussed in quite a bit of detail which, to me, seems unnecessary but which, had I been a part of that civilization, would have been very significant and worth including. If you struggle getting through Alma, take heart in knowing that you're almost through the book. Heleman follows Alma and it's pretty short. Then comes
3 Nephi, which is essentially the climax of the book. It's beautiful, in my opinion. It focuses on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ to some of the people on the American continent. The idea that He ever made such an appearance is laughable to a lot of people. To me, it's like, "Why wouldn't He appear here, too? Why would he appear only to the people in one teeny tiny geographical area and ignore the rest of the world?" The book concludes with 4 Nephi, Mormon, Ether and Moroni.
I don't really feel like I've been getting the message, which is the real problem. I've been using the the audio I downloaded from the website, and the Gospel Library app, although I do have a print copy of the Book of Mormon. Maybe I should stop reading along with the audio, and just read so I can have everything sink in.
Well, if you're not even finished with 1 Nephi, I'd say it's too early for you to have picked up on much of a message. There definitely is a message, but it's unlikely that most people would pick up on it after reading only 1/10 of the book. As for how to go about reading it (or listening to it), I'd say that's a choice you'll have to make on your own. Personally, my mind wanders too much when I'm just listening to it.
I would love your point of view on what constitutes a fraud. I can tell you now that I'm going into this under the assumption that the stories are not historically true.
I guess what I mean by "a fraud" is this: Joseph Smith claimed that he was given an ancient record and that he was commanded to translate it by the power God would give him to so so. When I say that I don't believe it to be a fraud, I mean that I believe it to be what it purports to be. I don't think that Joseph Smith just sat down and decided to write a story which he would attempt to pass off as having actually taken place. On the other hand, while I believe the Bible to be the word of God, there are definitely parts of it that I would say I believe to be figurative, symbolic or allegorical. There is no real reason not to say the same about the Book of Mormon.
Many people who read the Book of Mormon do so looking for anachronisms and proofs that it could not possibly be true. In my opinion, that's not giving the book a chance.
When I ask God in sincerity if the words in the Book of Mormon are true, what exactly am I asking?
I think you'll know the answer to that question once you finish reading the book. The verse I quoted from Moroni 10 says to ask God "if these things
are not true." Stop and think about the following scenario: You see a woman in a parking lot with her arms full of packages. Then, as she walks away from where you first see her, you see a key ring fall to the ground. She gets to her car, and realizes she doesn't have her keys. You pick up the keys you saw fall and go up to her. You say, "Excuse me, but
aren't these your keys?" You've made an assumption, based on what you saw, that the eys are hers. If you didn't think they were, you probably wouldn't even bother to ask her. It's like that with the Book of Mormon and praying about it's truthfulness. After you've read it and given some serious thought to the things it teaches (in this case, I'd say to the message even more than to the actual story line), if you believe that there is a reasonably good possibility that it's teachings are "valid" and "correct," then you pray to ask if you're right.
As I said, I'm not so sure they're historically true (as I said I'm operating on the assumption they are not, but minds can be changed of course), but I don't think that is the only sense in which something can be true.
Yeah, I've got to more or less agree with that. But it would have to have been more than just a fictional account fabricated by a 19th century 23-year old.
Would my denial of the historical truth of the BoM preclude me from being a true believing Mormon?
Some people might say yes. I'd say no, for the simple reason that I don't necessarily think it's any different from the Bible that way.
Should I really put the book down (I'm not going to do that) and pick up the Qur'an?
No, and I should have never suggested you do so. Just read it with an open mind. Who knows where it might lead you.
Thanks for the discusion, I've been interested in your religion for a while but haven't had much contact with you all.
No problem. I'm always available as a sounding board.
Some parts I really like, and other parts I really have to force myself to get through. But if you can't take the "whole pray for a testimony thing" seriously, you might as well just put the book down and start the Qur'an. Basically, the "pray for a testimony" thing is just a take off on James 1:5, which says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not. And it shall be given him." It seems to me that if asking God for help in terms of gaining spiritual knowledge and wisdom is entirely logical, but if it's not to you, then I can absolutely assure you that it won't work.
