Revision as of 10:20, 29 December 2011

1. REDIRECTTemplate:Test3

Lesson 1: "The Keystone of our Religion"

LDS Lesson Manual

Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual - Lesson 1: The Keystone of Our Religion

1. The Book of Mormon is the Keystone of Our Religion

Helpful Insights

• The Keystone of Our Religion: The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion because the essence of our religion is revelation, and the Book of Mormon is tangible evidence of that revelation has been received. This is why Terryl Givens calls the Book of Mormon the “sacred sign” of our faith. [Terryl L. Givens, By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002), 62-88]
• Witness of Christ: Of the 6,607 verses in the modern editions of the Book of Mormon, 3,925 of them make direct reference to Jesus Christ, an average of 1 reference to Christ every 1.7 verses. [Susan Easton Black, Finding Christ through the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1987), 16-18]
• Keystone Witness of Christ: If BoM is true, then the resurrected Christ was seen and touched by thousands of people in ancient America. Thus, Jesus really rose from the dead and the Atonement is real.
• Fullness of Doctrine: The Book of Mormon lays-out a six point formula as the “gospel” or “doctrine” of Christ. [1]
• Keystone in Doctrine: If the BoM is true, then Joseph Smith is prophet and the doctrines taught in his later revelations are also true.
• Modal for Testimony: The Book of Mormon presents a revolutionary model for revelation as a dialogue that ultimately provides the means for seeking one’s own testimony [2]
• Keystone in Testimony: If a person gains a testimony of the BoM, then they also gain a testimony that (1) God exists, (2) Jesus Christ atonement is real, (3) Joseph Smith is a prophet, (4) the Church is true. [Introduction to the Book of Mormon]

Potential Criticisms and Faithful Information

• Some critics have said the Book of Mormon teachings of Christ are reflective of Joseph Smith’s environment, rather than an ancient Israelite. Recent research actually shows that the Book of Mormon teachings about the Messiah are consistant with ancient Jewish beliefs. or http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2003_Monotheism_Messiah_and_Mormons_Book.html
• The title page says Jesus Christ is the “Eternal God.” Some critics say this is evidence that Joseph Smith started out as a modalist or Trinitarian. specifally pg. 114-139
• Some critics complain the Book of Mormon does not contain the “fullness of doctrine” or the “fullness of Gospel” because it is missing distinctive “Mormon” doctrines. “Gospel” or “doctrine” as used in the Book of Mormon is not meant to be comprehensive [3]
• Some critics say that praying about the Book of Mormon is not an “objective” means of testing it and that the Biblie is the only standard that can or should be used. This idea is contradicted by the Bible itself [4]
• Other critics say that “Moroni’s challenge” is circular reasoning. Such critics are actually engaged in some circular reasoning of their own [5]

Faith Affirmations

2. Many Witnesses have Testified of the Book of Mormon

Helpful Insights

• Angels and Books: The Joseph Smith story actually fits an ancient pattern where prophets are given a heavenly book or hidden record by an angelic messenger or http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=71&chapid=773
• In his 2009 General Conference talk, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland talked about how Joseph and Hyrum Smith went to his death baring testimony of the Book of Mormon, a powerful evidence of its divinity [6]
• Various witnesses have left behind a description of the plates [7]
• Informal Witnesses: In addition to the official Book of Mormon witnesses, some others got to feel the plates while covered, or got to see them under special circumstances [8]

Potential Criticisms and Faithful Information

• Moroni’s Visit: Critics have attacked the story of Moroni’s visit is various ways. Here some of those criticisms are identified and responded to. [9]
• Weight of the Plates: Some critics say the plates would have weighed too much to be lifted and carried as Joseph and others claimed to. This assumes the plates were pure gold [10]
• The Three and Eight Witnesses: Various criticisms have been leveled at the Book of Mormon witnesses. All of these have been responded to by faithful Latter-day Saints. [11]
• Fraudulent Plates? Some critics suggest that Joseph Smith could have manufactured a fake set of plates. and http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Witnesses/Strangite_parallels

Faith Affirmations

• Metal Plates: Since the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, numerous examples of writing on metal plates have been unearthed. Here are some examples. or http://www.templestudy.com/2011/04/07/authentic-ancient-metal-plates/, or http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms/Metal_plates
• Subscriptio: This is the ancient Near Eastern practice of placing the title and authorship of a text at the end of the record, rather than the beginning. Interestingly, Joseph Smith said the title page was a translation of the very last of the metal plates. [12]
• Doubled, Sealed, and Witnessed Documents: Joseph Smith and others who saw the plates said that a portion of them were sealed. This is consistent with known legal practices of the ancient Near-East. or http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=9&chapid=76
• Despite leaving the Church, none of the witnesses ever denied their testimony of seeing the plates or http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=41&chapid=181

3. The Book of Mormon was Written for Our Day

Helpful Insights

• The Book of Mormon is An Ancient Book: While the Book of Mormon was indeed written for our, it is important to remember that the Book of Mormon was not written in our day. Brant Gardner has explained it this way:

“It is popular (and theologically appropriate) to claim that the Book of Mormon was written for our day. This statement emphasizes the modern value of the Book of Mormon. It necessarily treats the text ahistorically. Regardless of the value for our day and the obvious fact that it came forth in our day, it was not written in our day, nor in our language, nor in our culture. Even internally, there is little evidence that Mormon conceived of a future people who were significantly different from those he knew.” [Brant A. Gardner, Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, six volumes, (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2007), 1: viii.]

Thus, it is important not impose modern standards and expectations on to the record. Of course we still can, and should, “liken” the text to our own lives, but at the same time caution must be taken to remember that “likening” is a tool for practical application, not a method of scriptural exegesis. Understanding this is important because many criticisms against the Book of Mormon rely on modern assumptions about the it, rather than what it actually says.

Potential Criticisms and Faithful Information

Faith Affirmations

4. The Book of Mormon can Bring us Nearer to God

Helpful Insights

Potential Criticisms and Faithful Information

• “Most Correct Book”: Many critics claim that because Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon is the “most correct book” it should be error-free. These critics are taking this quote out of context. [13]
• Textual Changes: Some critics point to textual changes as evidence of changing theology or covering up mistakes. Most changes are minor edits to punctuation, spelling, and grammar. The few more significant changes have been examined and discussed by knowledgeable Latter-day Saints [14]

Faith Affirmations

Additional Information Related to the Introductory Material in the Book of Mormon

In the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, it says that the Book of Mormon is a “record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas” and that the Lamanites are “among the ancestors of the American Indians.” This opens up a number issues related to Book of Mormon geography, archeology, populations, and modern DNA studies. The following maybe helpful to Gospel Doctrine instructors who would like to be prepared should any of these issues arise during their lesson:

• Archeology: Critics claim that archeology contradicts the Book of Mormon. [15]
• Geography: Most people assume that the Book of Mormon events spanned across the entire continent. A close reading of the text reveals fairly tight spatial relations. [16]
• DNA and the Book of Mormon: Some critics claim that DNA disproves the Book of Mormon, while some members have claimed that DNA provides evidence for the Book of Mormon. Both claims are incorrect. [17]