The Book of Mormon
The official name of the Mormon Church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon Church (and “the Mormons”) is a nickname—and taken from what? That most famous of the Mormon books of scripture, the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is well known as a primary feature of the Church, although many people don’t know much more about it than that.
So what is this book? In Mormon belief, it is another testament of Christ—a record of His dealings with ancient, Christian inhabitants of America. It contains the fullness of Christ’s gospel, unfolding and clarifying doctrines as a companion to the Bible—a written witness to stand beside it. The Book of Mormon is not the work of one man, but a compilation of many records, kept by the ancient American prophets over hundred of years. Mormon was the one to abridge the book from these records and the book is named after him.
The Book of Mormon compiles the records of two main groups of people. One, who would later split into two groups, came from Jerusalem in 600 BC. These were the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier, at a time we’re not entirely sure of. This group was called the Jaredites.
The Jaredites came to America after the Tower of Babel. The Lord himself guided them there. Although they were initially a righteous people whose language was preserved from being confounded, their history was not a happy one. Their nation split into violent factions and they destroyed themselves by degrees. Nephite explorers would find the Jaredite lands later and call them a “land of bones.”
The nation of the Nephites provides the Book of Mormon’s main focus. All the writers of the Book of Mormon, at that, are Nephites. They write on many topics, testifying of the coming Messiah and counseling against sin and selfishness. Although the book is primarily concerned with doctrine, it is historical as well, with particular focus on the Nephites’ wars with the nation of the Lamanites. These Lamanites used to be one with the Nephites, but “because of the traditions of their fathers,” they now hate the Nephites ferociously. The Nephites’ wars are mostly defensive and a hope for the conversion of the Lamanites is a theme throughout the book.
Another theme of the Book of Mormon is something often called the “pride cycle.” The Nephites are not always righteous, but, when they are, the Lord makes them prosperous. In time, some Nephites become proud of their prosperity and think themselves better than people with less wealth. Through this growing pride and arrogance, the Nephites also begin to ignore the prophets and the precepts of the gospel. Then, the Nephite nation falls into wickedness and is chastened, by famine, war, or other means. They humble themselves and repent and the cycle begins again.
The Lamanite nation, although the Book of Mormon does not contain their records, also has cycles. Converted Lamanites convert so passionately and with such strength that they often serve as examples to the Nephites. One group of Lamanites, after converting, lay down their arms in front of an enraged group of their own people, more willing to die than fight, for they have vowed before the Lord never to kill again. Another, the children of that group of Lamanites, do not make this vow. They fight alongside the Nephites and their faith is so powerful that not one of them is killed.
Jesus Christ visits the Nephites and Lamanites after His resurrection. He establishes his Church and gospel among them and a golden age of peace follows. This lasts for a number of generations, but as the memories of the people fade, so does the peace. The Nephites and Lamanites split back into factions and resumed their wars. By the fourth century after Christ, the Nephites had become wicked and aggressive and were completely destroyed by the Lamanites. In the beliefs of Mormonism, the Lamanites are the ancestors of the native peoples now living in the Americas.
Mormon, the compiler and abridger of the book, died in one of the final battles. Moroni, his son, wrote a little at the end of the book, then hid it. In 1823, Moroni appeared as a heavenly messenger to the Prophet, and Mormon founder, Joseph Smith, and told him about the ancient record. Joseph Smith later received and translated (through the power of the Lord) the Book of Mormon into English, from the golden plates it was written on.