Book Of Mormon?

Question

Hi everyone...could you all explain the basic principals of the book of mormon? thanks!

Answer 1

Mormonism in a Nutshell

Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess.
In his present god-state, he rules our world. He has a body of flesh and bones. Since god and his wife are both exalted persons, they each possess physical bodies. In their exalted states as deities, they produce spirit children that grow and mature in the spiritual realm. The first spirit born was Jesus. Afterwards Lucifer was born along with the rest of us. So, Mormonism teaches that we all pre-existed in the spirit realm having been produced from the union of god and his goddess wife. Therefore, we all existed in spirit form before coming down down and entering the bodies of human babies that are being born on earth. During this ‘compression' into the infant state, the memories of their pre-existence is 'veiled.'
God the father, who is called Elohim, was concerned for the future salvation of the people on earth. In the heavenly realm, the Father had a plan for the salvation of the world. Jesus endorsed the Father's plan. Lucifer did not. Lucifer became jealous and rebelled. In his rebellion he convinced a large portion of the spirits existing in heaven to side with him and oppose god. God being more powerful then they, cursed these rebellious spirits to become demons. They can never be born in human bodies.
The remaining spirits sided with God. Since they chose the better way, when it comes time for them to live on earth, they have the privilege of being born in races and locations that are relative to their condition and choice made in the spirit realm.1
In the Mormon plan of salvation there needed to be a savior: Jesus. But Jesus was a spirit in heaven. For him to be born on earth, Brigham Young the second prophet of the Mormon church said that instead of letting any other man do it, God the Father did it with Mary. He said that the birth of our savior was as natural as the birth of our parents. Essentially, what this means is that Brigham Young taught that god the father came down and had relations with Mary, his spirit daughter, to produce the body of Jesus. Though many Mormons will not entertain such incestuous thoughts about God and Mary, this is what Brigham Young taught and as far as we know, this has not been denied by the Mormon church.
Nevertheless, Jesus was born, got married, and had children.2 He died on the cross and paid for sins -- but not on the cross only. According to Mormonism, the atonement of Christ was not only on the cross. It began in the Garden of Gethsemane before he went to the cross.
In Mormonism, men and women have the potential of becoming gods. President Lorenzo Snow said, "As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become." In order to reach this exalted state of godhood, a person must first become a good Mormon, pay a full ten percent tithe to the Mormon church, follow various laws and ordinances of the church, and be found worthy. At this point, they receive a temple recommend whereupon, the Mormon is allowed to enter their sacred temples in order to go through set of secret rituals: baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, and various oaths of secrecy and commitment. Additionally, four secret handshakes are taught so the believing Mormon, upon entering the third level of Mormon heaven, can shake hands with god in a certain pattern. This celestial ritual is for the purpose of permitting entrance into the highest level of heaven.3 For those who achieve this highest of heavens, exaltation to godhood awaits them. Then, he or she, will be permitted to have his or her own planet and be the god of his own world and the Mormon system will be expanded to other planets.

Please see "What does Mormonism teach?" (link, below) for further documentation of Mormon beliefs.

Answer 2

It's main purpose is to convince people "that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations." (Title page, Book of Mormon) and "contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel. " (Introduction, Book of Mormon). It contains records of God's dealings with the people in the ancient Americas. It is a compilation of about 1000 years of their history and prophets teachings.

Some principals taught in it are
Salvation: 2 Nephi 26:24, Mosiah 3:18, Alma 34:37
Resurrection: 2 Nephi 9:11-12, Jacob 4:11, Alma 11:42, Alma 40,
Baptism: 2 Nephi 31:4-12, Mosiah 18, Mormon 8
Faith: Alma 32, Ether 12
Repentance: Mosiah 3:12, Mosiah 27

There are a lot more, but these are some.

Answer 3

Old testament New Testament Another Testament The Book of Mormon settles every question Christianity is divided on - for example: The role of baptism. Who does it. How. What is to be said. Who is to be baptized. When are they supposed to be baptized. The relationship of Jesus to God and the Holy Ghost in the Godhead The relationship between faith, works, mercy, grace, justice, repentance Covenants regarding the house of israel in the last days How the sacrament/eucharist/communion is to be administered - how, by who, when, what is to be said - things that have been lost for centuries with the death of the apostles - and that are hinted in the bible, but aren't answered therein. Its translation of the book of Isaiah differs from the bible, but is the same as the Dead Sea Scrolls translations of the same. It makes known the covenants of God regarding Christianity on the American Continent, or the covenants regarding the land its self, as well as contains prophesies regarding the American Revolution, the discovery of the Americas, the Savior's birth, and the building up of the Lord's Kingdom in the last days, and various warnings regarding the corruptions of governments before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ - it is an amazing book! This and many more things are what are in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. This is why the book is so valuable to Christianity.

Answer 4

Jesus Christ is no respector of persons and loves all of his children, not favoring some over others. To that end, he spoke in John 10:16 of having "other sheep" that he needed to "bring, and they shall hear my voice." He was speaking about his "sheep" or children on the American continent. Christ visited those ancient people after his resurrection. he taught his word to them, and shared his gospel with them. The Book of Mormon is those people's record of the Gospel of Christ. The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible, but rather supports it and is "another witness" of the divinity of Christ. The Book of Mormon and Bible go hand in hand is supporting Christianity.

Answer 5

It's just another testimony of the existence of Jesus Christ. Mormons take it to be the gospel word of God. I'm a Mormon and I believe there's a modern day prophet. I don't believe it's Gordon B. Hinkley though. It's just a book, just like the Bible. Are you thinking of converting?

Good luck

Answer 6

Well, the basics for the Mormon religion is easier. A man named Joseph Smith claimed to see a vision of Jesus in the middle of nowhere in the Mid-West United States. He was then shown the "true path" by this vision. Thus...the Book of Mormon and the Church of Latter Day Saints. Basically Mormon principles are just like any other religion. Do good things in the name of God. Be a good follower of your faith. Wear magic underpants...wait...that last one is only in Mormon-isim. I wish I had magic underpants. There are two kinds of mormons also. The ones who believe in poligamy (minority) and the ones who acknowlege that poligamy is wrong.


By the way, Joseph Smith was a drug using alcoholic who abused prostitues while paying for their services. Oh, and the next wierdest religion besides Mormonisim is Scientology.

Don't get me wrong. Mormons are great. They don't curse, they dont' dance, they don't drink, they don't smoke, they don't put anything in their bodies that could possibly alter their perceptions. They also have sex with their clothes on. Well...maybe just their magic underpants.

Answer 7

Well my friend I would have to agree with Mark Twain as far as the book of Mormon is concerned... I have a copy my aunt gave me and I have come to the same conclusion as did Mr. Samuel Langhorne Clemmons, and to quote from his work under the name of Mark Twain from his book, Roughing It;

CHAPTER XVI.
"All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the "elect" have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so "slow," so sleepy; such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print.
If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle--keeping awake while he did it was, at any rate. If he, according to tradition, merely translated it from certain ancient and mysteriously-engraved plates of copper, which he declares he found under a stone, in an out-of-the-way locality, the work of translating was equally a miracle, for the same reason.
The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James's translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel--half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained; the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern--which was about every sentence or two--he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceedingsore," "and it came to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to pass" was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been only a pamphlet."
Mark Twain

Answer 8

Basically it is another testament of Jesus Christ. It talks about people who came to the America's for various reasons, but mostly to establish the gospel of Jesus Christ in that region. Those who came Before Christ prophesied of his birth. After his Death and resurrection he visited America- in John he talks about Other sheep in his fold- these are the other sheep he spoke of.

I invite you to get a free copy by visiting-
www.Mormon.org

Answer 9

It's a handbook. It teaches men how to become like Christ. It's for the convincing of the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. That's why it makes no sense Chrisitans reject it.

Answer 10

They co-opted Jesus for their own ends just like most other "religions". The basic principles of all the faiths are most clearly defined in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book. The language is clearer, without the myths and dogma.

Answer 11

uh oh

Joseph Smith was a handsome articulate con man who did not like to work hard.

I would have liked the guy

he combined Appalachian folk magic and his upbringing with a Presbyterian mother and a Methodist father to write a book---he used a "seer stone" and gazed into a hat and "translated' it.

He sent his best buddy to Europe on a recruiting drive, and told his buddy's wife that God wanted him to impregnate her.

He was chased out of hometown forwriting bad checks, chased out of Missouri for fraud, then imprisoned in Illinois, when he attempted to escape from the jail he was shot. When he tried to flash some masonic hand-signals at the peoplle who shot him, he was hauled up against the jail, propped up, and shot again.

Mormans are often good people. Unfortunately, they follow a false religion.