And for this very purpose are these plates preserved

1
And for this very purpose are these plates
preserved

• The Role of the Book of Mormon in the Restoration

2
Joseph Smith History

• 28 During the space of time which
  intervened between the time I
  had the vision and
  the year
  1823 I frequently fell into many
  foolish errors, and displayed the
  weakness of youth
• 29 In consequence of these things, I often felt
  condemned for my weakness and imperfections
  when, on the evening of thetwenty-first of
  September, I betook myself to prayer and
  supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of
  all my sins and follies that I might know of my
  state and standing before him

3
Question

• Why, after explaining about the Nephite records
  and their location, would Moroni quote Malachi?
• and he will plant in the hearts of the children
  the promises made to the fathers and the hearts
  of the children will turn to the fathers (JS-1)

4
Purpose of the Book?

• Moroni
• Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by
  the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming
  of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
• He also quoted the next verse differently
• And he shall plant in the hearts of the children
  the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts
  of the children shall turn to their fathers.

• Title Page of the Book of Mormon
• Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of
  Israel what great things the Lord hath done for
  their fathers and that they may know the
  covenants of the Lord

5
Gentiles
Lamanites

• And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile
  that Jesus is the Christ

• to show unto the remnant
• of the house of Israel
• what great things the Lord hath
• done for their fathers and
• that they may know the
• covenants of the Lord

6
DC 3

• 18 And this testimony (of the promises) shall
  come to the knowledge of the Lamanites, and the
  Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who dwindled in
  unbelief because of the iniquity of their
  fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy
  their brethren the Nephites, because of their
  iniquities and their abominations.
• 19 And for this very purpose are these plates
  preserved, which contain these records

7
Question

• Did the Book of Mormon have to be translated and
  published before the Church could be re-organized?

8
DC 20

• 10 The Book of Mormon was given by inspiration,
  and is confirmed to others (the Three Witnesses)
  by the ministering of angels, and is declared
  unto the world by them
• 11 Proving to the world that the holy scriptures
  are true, and that God does inspire men and call
  them to his holy work in this age and generation,
  as well as in generations of old
• 12 Thereby showing that he is the same God
  yesterday, today, and forever

9
Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon
80 Interviews Death bed confession
50 Interviews Death bed confession
30 Interviews Death bed confession
10
Emma Smith1878

• My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of
  divine authenticity--I have not the slightest
  doubt of it. I am satisfied that no man could
  have dictated the writing of the manuscript
  unless he was inspired for when (I was acting)
  as his scribe,
• your father would dictate to me hour after hour
  and when returning after meals, or after
  interruptions, he would at once begin where he
  had left off, without either seeing the
  manuscript or having any portion of it read to
  him. It would have been improbable that a learned
  man could do this and, for one so . . .
  unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.
• "Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a
  coherent and well worded letter, let alone
  dictate a book like the Book of Mormon, and
  though I was an active participant in the scenes
  that transpired, and was present during the
  translation of the plates, and had cognizance of
  things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me,
  a marvel and a wonder, as much so as to anyone
  else."

11
Elder Dallin Oaks

• Some who term themselves believing Latter-day
  Saints are advocating that Latter-day Saints
  should "abandon claims that the Book of
  Mormon is a historical record of the ancient
  peoples of the Americas. They are promoting
  the feasibility of reading and using the Book
  of Mormon as nothing more than a pious fiction
  with some valuable contents
• Two months ago I was stopped by the title of a
  book review, "Who Needs the Historical Jesus?,"
  and the formidable reputation of its author.
  Jacob Neusner, who is Dr., Rabbi, and Professor
• Rabbi Neusner said
• When we speak of "the historical Jesus as
  opposed to the divine Jesus," we dissect a
  sacred subject with a secular scalpel, and in the
  confusionthe patient dies on the operating
  table the surgeons forget why they made their
  cut they remove the heart and neglect to put it
  back.

12
Section 20

• 14 And those who receive it the Book of Mormon
  in faith, and work righteousness, shall receive a
  crown of eternal life
• 15 But those who harden their hearts in unbelief,
  and reject it, it shall turn to their own
  condemnation

13
Did they Listen?

• DC 84
• 54 And your minds in times past have been
  darkened because of unbelief, and because you
  have treated lightly the things you have
  received
• 55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the
  whole church under condemnation.
• 57 And they shall remain under this condemnation
  until they repent and remember the new covenant,
  even the Book of Mormon

14
Mary Lightner

• About this time (age 13), John Whitmer
  came and brought a Book of Mormon. There
  was a meeting that evening, and we learned
  that Brother Morley had the Book in his
  possession the only one in that part of the
  country. I went to his house just before the
  meeting was to commence, and asked to see the
  book Brother Morley put it in my hand, as I
  looked at it,
• I felt such a desire to read it, that I could not
  refrain from asking him to let me take it home
  and read it, while he attended meeting
• I pled so earnestly for it, he finally said,
  "Child, if you will bring this book home before
  breakfast tomorrow morning, you may take it." He
  admonished me to be very careful, and see that no
  harm came to it.

15

• If any person in this world was ever perfectly
  happy in the possession of any coveted treasure I
  was when I had permission to read that wonderful
  book. we all took turns reading it until very
  late in the night. As soon as it was light enough
  to see, I was up and learned the first verse in
  the book. When I reached Brother Morley's they
  had been up for only a little while.
• When I handed him the book, he remarked, "I guess
  you did not read much in it." I showed him how
  far we had read. He was surprised and said, "I
  don't believe you can tell me one word of it." I
  then repeated the first verse, also the outlines
  of the history of Nephi. He gazed at me in
  surprise, and said, "child, take this book home
  and finish it, I can wait."

16

• Before or about the time I finished the last
  chapter, the Prophet Joseph Smith arrived in
  Kirtland, Brother Whitney brought the Prophet
  Joseph to our house and introduced him to the
  older ones of the family (I was not in at the
  time.)
• In looking around he saw the Book of
  Mormon on the shelf,
  and asked how
  that book came to be there. He said,
  "I
  sent that book to Brother Morley."
  Uncle told him how
  his niece had
  obtained it. He asked, "Where is
  your
  niece?" I was sent for when
  he saw me he
  looked at me so
  earnestly, I felt almost afraid.
• After a moment or two he came and put
  his hands on my
  head and gave me a
  great blessing, the first I ever
  received,
  and made me a present of the book