TWENTY-THREE
(1828)
The Book of Mormon was created by advanced human beings for a wise purpose; it was not invented by Joseph Smith.
It counters the Bible and reveals the purpose of mortality and the reality of human nature; and most important, the
need for a Christ—the ultimate politician. The words of counsel given by Christ are all that are needed to find peace
and happiness; but human nature is to look beyond his simple message and invent religion instead. Joseph tried to
convince the people to see the truth, but they chose not to. The individuals chosen to be the three witnesses were each
chosen for a purpose. The 116-page manuscript was also written and then lost for a purpose. More details are
provided concerning the authority and utility of the Urim and Thummim. Joseph took a break from translating the
Book of Mormon. The true concept of a “church” was revealed to, but ultimately rejected by, the people.
A Powerful Book, Even Upon Critical Examination
The critics of the Book of Mormon have every right to, and in many cases are correct
in, their historical-critical analysis of that text. Some, however, incorrectly maintain that the
Book of Mormon was a 19th Century invention that came from the imagination of Joseph
Smith, Jr. What these critics cannot explain is how so many people can read the book and
come to completely different conclusions than what these critics’ analyses produce. If the
critics are correct, then the implication is that every person who believes in the Book of
Mormon is straightforwardly deceived by the alleged author of the book, Joseph Smith, Jr.,
and thus, deemed foolish for believing it and prone to gullibility, generally.
Yet, currently, some of the most powerful men in the world, both in politics and
business, are LDS/Mormon.^1 If one were to believe the critics, then the “barometer” by
which the world measures the prudence and faculties of the people who are at its controls
must also subject everything about LDS/Mormons to critical scrutiny. If it is so easily
apparent that the LDS/Mormon faith and the Book of Mormon are not true, then what does
this say of those members of our society who believe in it and perform a significant role in
managing the affairs of our world? Are they foolish and deceived also? Of course, the same
could be true of all such leaders with respect to whatever ideology they may espouse;
however, the unique minority of the LDS/Mormons, due to the disproportionate influence
they have, is well worth considering.
Some of the more logical critics have conceded to the power of the Book of Mormon.
One wrote, for example:
Of all the American religious books of the nineteenth century, it seems
probable that the Book of Mormon was the most powerful. It reached perhaps
only one per cent of the people of the United States, but it affected this one
per cent so powerfully and lastingly that all the people of the United States
have been affected, especially by its contributions to opening up one of our
great frontiers.^2Another of Joseph’s most renowned and respected critics wrote of the Book of Mormon: