84 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now for something a little more balanced, January 5, 2000
This review is from: Book of Mormon (Revised Authorized Version) (Paperback)
Permitted space hardly allows me to do justice to this book, especially considering the many reviews already given. However, I believe that I can add something useful to the discussion and clear up some misconceptions, while avoiding both the zealousness of the believers and the animosity of the detractors. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but my remarks, unless otherwise noted, are directed mainly at the Revised Authorized Version published by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Much ado has been made by Latter-day Saints that this version is published by the Reorganized Church and is therefore not "authorized" or "official." Such criticisms are disingenuous, since a Latter Day Saint may very well make the same accusation of the LDS edition. One reviewer alleges that "[t]his edition has many things which were not translated by Joseph Smith, and are not in accordance with the teachings of the LDS church, and are therefore false doctrines meant to confuse those who don't know any better." This reviewer does not provide any specific examples of this edition making additions that are false doctrine. Despite the differences noted below, there are none that affect the doctrine of the LDS Church.
Latter-day Saints will find plenty of differences between the RAV and the current (1981) edition by the LDS Church. The foreword makes it clear that these changes represent an updating of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Otherwise, this version is hardly what one could call a modern language edition. This version otherwise retains King James style language and is only marginally easier to read. Readers looking for a modern language version of the Book of Mormon should instead be referred to Lynn Matthews Anderson's "The Easy-to-Read Book of Mormon" (Apple Valley, MN: Estes Book Company, 1995).
The RLDS version of the Book of Mormon also follows a different versification system than that of the LDS version. The chapter divisions follow that of the original (1830) edition. In a sense, this does improve the reading by allowing us to more easily view the immediate contexts as they were intended. The chapter divisions of the LDS edition may in some cases lead to misinterpretations. For example, LDS Alma 29 is usually taken to be in the voice of Alma, whereas a reading in the original context shows that this section is more likely to be in Mormon's voice, see RLDS Alma 15.
Most of the reviews of the Book of Mormon can be placed in two categories: unmitigated praise, or extremely critical. The type of response is directly related to whether or not the reviewer believes the book is of divine origin. In both cases, the reviewers usually wind up overstating their cases.
If read merely as a work of historical fiction, you may very well find the Book of Mormon very boring. However, I do not believe that this is the best way to approach this book, simply because of its claims of divine origin. If read as a non-historical work, it should be approached as a work of a religious genius, a snapshot of the religious thinking of a person who would begin a new religious tradition that has millions of adherents around the world. If approached in this manner, the Book of Mormon contains insights into how this religious movement dealt with the religious issues of the day, and provides for more interesting reading than a mere historical novel ever could.
The historicity of the Book of Mormon cannot be proven. Despite one author's opinion that "literary, scholarly, and archaeological evidences that support the Book of Mormon's claims vastly outnumber the unsupported attempts to discredit it," this is not actually the case. Most of the evidences advanced by believers in the book's historicity can be countered by claims that those elements could have been gleaned from Joseph Smith's environment, including chiasmus, so-called Hebraisms, and even some of the archeological claims. I would urge the reader to study that matter for themselves, pro and con, and decide for themselves.
The claim for divine authenticity is another matter, and should be separated from historicity as such. Here, the question is ultimately whether or not God speaks to you through this book. I can't answer that one for you. That is between you and God, regardless of what critics think of the biblical basis for the admonition of Moroni 10:3-5. I can only tell you that for me, the answer is yes.
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17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good book, bad formatting, June 11, 2011
For the record, I am a faithful Latter-day Saint with a great love for the Book of Mormon. I have no problem with the actual content, but this particular ebook version was a disappointment. The verses are double spaced and in courier, so that only one or two verses show up on each page. The chapters lack hard returns, and the table of content only links to the beginning of the various books, so that to get to 2 Nephi 15, you would have to manually scroll through several hundred pages. However, I can't complain about the price, so overall I'd give it two stars.
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44 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seminal Book for American Religious Scene, June 14, 2002
This original version of the Book of Mormon ought to be of interest to anyone who studies religion in general and/or American religions in particular. Certainly any serious student of the Book of Mormon would want a copy of the original. There are neither "faith-shaking" changes for the LDS since this edition, nor is it the same as the Book of Mormon published today in flavor and style.
Prior to Orson Pratt's versification of the text and later modifications and tidying up, the New England roots of the author/translator come through clearly. One must be amazed, if Joseph Smith is a prophet, at the labor he performed under less-than-optimal conditions in his father-in-law's cottage. One must also be amazed, if he was not a prophet, at the complexity of the stories contained in this fascinating work.
This is where it all started. 11+ million people at least nominally believe that this book is Sacred Scripture today. It's worth getting to know. Get a copy for your personal library.
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