How The Book of Mormon Came to Pass
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Several explanations for the seemingly sudden appearance of The Book of Mormon in 1829 (first published in 1830) have been put forth by both historians and apologists alike. Each holds some value to its advocates while displaying obvious inconsistencies and unexplained features. However, significant new evidence necessitates the revision of all such authorship theories, including and especially the sole-authorship hypothesis—that Joseph Smith, Jr. (between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-three) single-handedly composed all the sentences in The Book of Mormon through creative writing, automatic writing, or inspired dictation. Neoteric observations reveal deliberately hidden details in Mormonism’s keystone scripture that could not have been put there by Smith. What is the real story behind how the two bookending characters (Nephi and Mormon) got their names? Where did the idea of Nephi being guided through the wilderness by a spiritually magnetic compass—a curious ball having pointers, spindles, and writing on its sides—truly come from? In this book, such details are called “Kircherisms,” a new class of anachronisms in The Book of Mormon. These Kircherisms have revealed a fresh set of influences, an undiscovered source text, and a wellspring of intriguing evidence that has never been published anywhere else. With an infusion of new data, this book presents a novel and distinctive exegesis as well as a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive framework for organizing and evaluating the merits of all prior authorship theories. One mechanism, in particular, has emerged as the most comprehensive, evidence-based, and satisfying explanation for how The Book of Mormon came to pass.
Trigger Warning: This book is not written for true-believing Mormons (TBMs). If you are a TBM and you do not yet have a robust support system outside of the Mormon church, do not read this book. If you continue to read it, you accept the responsibility of managing your immediate or eventual faith crisis in a way that will not result in harm to yourself or others.
Customer Reviews
A Remarkable Scholarly Achievement
I heard Lars Nielsen talking about his book on a recent podcast and knew it was something I needed to read right away. Once I got started, it was difficult to put down. The Spalding-Rigdon theory has been around a long time, and has been treated by many writers. Nielsen casts things in a deeply scholarly way, using compelling arguments, literary criticism, and modern textual analysis techniques that make it difficult to refute his assertions. The fascinating connection to Athanasius Kircher is something that will likely be new and startling to almost all readers.
Mormons and post-Mormons will recognize his clever (and sometimes biting) use of phraseology that confirms his intimate acquaintance with Mormon culture.
Detractors will point out that there is a mix of fact and fiction in this book. For example, Nielsen attempts to reconstruct conversations that could have occurred between principal characters in the story, based on what historical fact tells us about their interactions and relationships, even though there is no tangible record of such conversations. Unlike Joseph Smith, Nielsen is fastidious and transparent when he alerts the reader to these transitions from actual history to imagined history. He always makes his purpose clear, and the imagined conversations help the reader gain a deeper understanding of actual events.
I recommend this book to all who are interested in gaining a fuller picture of a narrative that has been dominated for too long by one powerful organization. With this book, Nielsen becomes a compelling voice among many who are thrusting in their sickle with their might to tell a more complete story.
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