It Can’t Be Wrong
No religion can ever be completely proven true or false by evidence and human logic alone. There are just too many facts, claims, and stories that conflict, that mislead, or that simply cannot be understood by the average man- or any mortal living on this Earth. The only thing that can truly prove truth or falsehood, and can only prove it to one person at a time, would be some sort of direct communion between God and Man, or Man and Divinity, or Man and whatever form of Deity He comes in contact with. However, sometimes logic and evidence are necessary simply to make someone listen and consider the possibility of a religion’s plausibility. While many, many religions worldwide have little or no supporting evidence to their legitimacy, or even propose that their religion may not be true, by studying the Book or Mormon, its claims and prophecies, and its circumstances of coming to the average human family, anyone would find good reason to suggest its credibility as a divine source.
One of the simplest proofs of the Book of Mormon’s accuracy is its close companionship with the Bible. While not all humans are Christians or even believe in any part of the Bible, those who are can read the Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ) and begin to, in fact, understand the Bible more fully. The Bible’s many translations and alterations have made it a dubious religious text, but the Book of Mormon, if it is true, was never altered or translated without divine guidance. By placing these two books next to each other- first, the divine but somewhat corrupted book with historical backup, and second the historically dubious yet purportedly pure work of religious text- one will see numberless similarities in doctrine, and may even begin to understand the confusion brought about by apparent contradictions in the Bible. For instance, baptism by immersion was used both by Jesus Christ himself as well as throughout the Book of Mormon. Several similar principles, including the Law of Moses and the structure of the church after Christ’s coming are also common between the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Many scholars or other non-Mormon men and women have found supposed contradictions between the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Reading through a list of ten such “contradictions, “ I found it almost amusing, since the “contradictions “ were not between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, but between LDS (Mormon) beliefs and mainstream Christian beliefs- in other words, they stated that the Book of Mormon was wrong because that’s not how they interpreted the Bible. In fact, their last “convincing “ argument was a short list of words used in the Old Testament relating to priesthood ordinances that coincidentally were never used in the Book of Mormon. The problem is that the words they used were so Old Testament-specific and just specific in general, that they could probably have used them to prove the New Testament’s incorrectness with the same list. All in all, understanding the Book of Mormon can help clinch an understanding of the Bible- even if they never use the word “incense" in the former.
The Book of Mormon’s accordance with the Bible, however, will persuade strikingly few. It seems that a large majority of those outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are anti-Mormon to one degree or another. These people need more “scientific” evidence, not just Christian references. Tons of evidences have been pointed out against the Book of Mormon’s plausibility- simple mistakes that no one in Joseph Smith’s time would have ever made- and subsequently proven as completely possible elements of the time. For example, the use of cement was mentioned in the Book of Mormon, which sounds like a ridiculous for such an ancient civilization- and yet, recent findings have shown blatant evidence that Mesoamericans did use cement. So rather that being a ridiculous claim, this mention of cement has become powerful evidence for the Book of Mormon’s credibility.
Similarly, the Book of Mormon speaks of a land named Bountiful, which by the directions given in the Book was located in the Arabian Peninsula on the coast. This land was a fertile land flowing with milk and honey, while the Arabian Peninsula is quite the opposite- a harsh desert. It became a laughable idea that such a colorful, flourishing oasis could exist in the midst of such a barren landscape. Recent research and discoveries have uncovered a surprising epiphany to the situation. Captain Bertram Thomas wrote in 1928 about being pleasantly surprised to decent out of the harsh climes of Arabia into a lush forested area by the sea- just like the Bountiful described in the Book of Mormon. Determined to find these oases, and even pinpoint the precise location of Bountiful, Warren and Michaela Ashton of Australia set out for the harsh lands of Arabia, scouring the shoreline for a possible spot in which this place might be. They found, as expected, a coastline oasis in Arabia, an anomaly formed by monsoons that strike that area of the land. They found six likely sites for the land Bountiful, and then looked at the clues given in the Book of Mormon. It had to be an area on the coast, sensibly accessible by land through Arabia, with fertile soil to grow crops while the family built a ship, a place flowing with “fruit and honey,” with enough timber for the family to have built the ship and a tall, with the possibility of smelting metal ore (which, in itself, is a rarity), probably a cliff where Nephi’s brothers could have cast him into the sea as they had threatened, and nearby mount where Nephi could retreat to “pray oft.” They found this description, in full, in a place called Wadi Sayq, a tiny beach (only 1.5 km wide) with a mountain pass allowing access to it from land.
Another land that has commonly been debated is the land Nahom as it was called in the Book of Mormon. An inscribing in ancient altars in Yemen shows Nahom, or “NHM,” as a tribal name that would have been known in Nephi’s time and environment. A Yemen map showed “Nehhem” as a burial place in the most likely spot for Nahom, and with the inscribing of “NHM,” it is now plausible to link this Hebrew spelling (without vowels) to alternate spellings. Other studies show that the NIMH tribe lived in the area logically connected with Nahom, and trails in the tribe’s ancient dwelling place show that Nephi would have followed incense trails through the land and towards the land of Bountiful. Yet again, a doubtful connection has been clinched by modern discoveries.
Another extraordinary discovery relating to Book of Mormon lands is the modern discovery of a likely spot for the Valley of Lemuel with a continuously flowing river named after Laman in the Book of Mormon. While many experts laughed at the idea of a river constantly flowing into the Red Sea, one such river has been found in a valley- just like the Book of Mormon said. Furthermore, names that were laughed at (like Alma) have been discovered to be real Hebrew names. Volcanic activity has been discovered in compliance with the fires, etc. in Third Nephi in the Book of Mormon, and several other unexpected discoveries have been found in support of the Book of Mormon. Surely, Joseph Smith could never have predicted all of these things that actually happened or existed in the time described in the Book of Mormon.
In fact, of all people to bring about such an amazing book, Joseph Smith would be hard-pressed to create it himself. He was not a scholarly man- in fact, he only had a third grade education. From start to finish, the Book of Mormon came about in a matter of months- a feat that even a team of experts would have a hard time accomplishing. He was only a young man when he translated the book and formed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is hard to believe that such a man could have created such an amazing book- one that has influenced millions, one that has mounds of evidence supporting it, and one that has become the keystone of a religion that has grown exponentially even after Smith’s untimely death.
I have a strong faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and have discovered, no through proofs and evidences, but through prayer, study, and divine communion, that the Book of Mormon is indeed true. I give you these facts that you might not blow off such a great work of God as incredible and an imagination of Man. I don’t expect you to believe in it from just these things, but I hope and pray that you will consider it, even read it and ask yourself and your God if it is true.
Internet Sources
· http://www.jefflindsay.com/BMEvidences.shtml (and linked pages)
· http://www.ldsmag.com/articles/040728ore.html
· http://www.meridianmagazine.com/article ... iship.html
Feel free to debate what I've said or bring up your own thoughts. But make sure you read everything before you post something I've already answered for you.
