The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is known as another testament of Jesus Christ, namely, an account of His dealings with the ancient inhabitants on the American continent. Mormons believe the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel of Christ, and reveals and clarifies a number of doctrines the Bible does not. The Book of Mormon is made up of records of prophecy and revelation, which records were kept by ancient prophets of the Americas over hundreds of years. These records were finally quoted and abridged by a prophet named Mormon, for whom the book is named.
Two broad groups of people are accounted for in the Book of Mormon. One came from Jerusalem to the American continent in 600 BC and afterward separated into two nations known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other civilization came to the American continent much earlier and is known as the Jaredite nation.
The Jaredite nation came to the American continent after the events of the Tower of Babel – in fact, they were guided to the Americas by the hand of the Lord. Unfortunately, the nation eventually split into violent factions and destroyed itself. When Nephite explorers happened on Jaredite lands later, they called it a “land of bones.”
The Nephite nation is the focus of the Book of Mormon – and the Book of Mormon is written by Nephite prophets. They write of their testimonies and prophecies of the coming Messiah and council against sin and selfishness. To a lesser degree, the book also details the Nephite wars with the other principal nation mentioned in the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites, who, “because of the traditions of their fathers,” hate the Nephites ferociously. The wars are primarily defensive, however, and a hope for the conversion of the Lamanites is a running theme throughout the book.
Another running theme throughout the Book of Mormon is something Mormons call the pride cycle. When the Nephites are righteous, the Lord blesses them with prosperity. Eventually, some Nephites take pride in their prosperity and start to set themselves above the less prosperous. Pride and arrogance leads to a general disregard for the prophets and for precepts, especially love and charity. The Nephite nation falls into wickedness and is chastened, whether by famine or war. They repent and the cycle begins again.
The Lamanite nation also goes through cycles. The converted Lamanites convert with such passion and strength that they often serve as examples to the Nephites. At one point, a group of converted Lamanites lay down their arms before an oncoming army of their own people and refuse to fight, because they have vowed before the Lord never to kill again. At another, the children of these Lamanites fight alongside the Nephites and, because of their incredible faith, not one of them is killed.
Jesus Christ comes to visit the people of the Nephites and Lamanites after His ministry and resurrection in Palestine. He established His gospel and Church among the people, who had been awaiting his coming since their ancestors’ arrival six hundred years before. A golden age of peace and charity followed for a number of generations, but when the golden age faded with the memories of the people, they split back into factions and begin warring again. By the fourth century after Christ’s coming, the Nephites, who had become wicked and aggressive, had been utterly destroyed. In Mormon beliefs, the Lamanites are the principal ancestors of the native peoples living in the Americas today.
Mormon, the compiler and abridger of the Book of Mormon, died in one of the final battles. His son, Moroni, added to the end of the book, and hid up the plates. Mormons believe that, in 1823, the same Moroni appeared as a heavenly messenger to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him about the ancient record. Joseph Smith later received and translated the Book of Mormon into English through the power and direction of the Lord. It remains the most well known of all the distinctively Mormon books.
