7 Goals of the Book of Mormon
Posted by jacobroecker on 12 April 2007 under Philosiphy, Projects | 
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A story has to have a beginning and an end, characters that do more than exist, and some form of causal relationship between the first page and the last. It’s no wonder then that so many commentators on the Book of Mormon have approached the book focusing on it’s most obvious goal—to be an abridged record of an ancient people. The continuity of voice and consistent moralistic narration allow this book of claimed scripture to be an easy story to follow. The commentaries generally start with questions the authors have established. John Bytheway’s commentary on the war chapters answers the question of “How do I apply this to me?” Dr. Nibley’s commentaries answer a series of queries answering a range of questions from “How does the Book of Mormon compare to Clausewitz? to “Is the book [or section of the book] believable history?” Marilyn Arnold’s goal in Sweet is the Word attempts to answer the question of “Why should I appreciate this?”
These authors have spent a great deal of time developing, researching, and answering their own questions, with the intent to bring some new insight to their readers. Usually their answers are well researched, based upon evidence, and presented with an easy to follow organization. By answering such a diverse range of personal questions each commentary contributes to an appreciation of the Book of Mormon’s depth. Understanding that these authors used the Book of Mormon to answer their personal questions is important but the commentaries seem to have produced interpretations for individuals, instead of providing a method for individuals to discover their own interpretation. Existing commentaries show the reader the results of their own self-developed methods, instead of teaching readers how to develop and apply their own.
Because the Book of Mormon is scripture to over 12.5 million people (2005 Membership Statistic, 2006), in 77 different languages (Book of Mormon Editions, 2006) the diversity of the population reading the book appears to have little common ground except for the book itself. Online searches reveal that there are as many as 1,490,000 sites including 8,000 scholarly articles relating to the Book of Mormon (google.com, 2007). Since the book’s audience is so diverse and capable of creating so many different interpretations, there should be a method of analysis that the book supports. This method should be based upon sound principles, provide structure, versatility, and ease of use.
In order to develop an internal method of review some part of the book must declare what the goals of the book are. In (that big thick book) Dr. Ludlow identifies this location as the title page of the Book of Mormon. He explains that this introduction was written by the last contributor to the book, a man by the name of Moroni(2). He goes on to identify three goals of the Book of Mormon. The goals he identifies are sound, but incomplete. They combine different principles, and ignore others. One he fails to acknowledge is the purpose of the book to be an abridged record of two groups of people, the Nephites, and the Jaredites. Most of the Book of Mormon commentaries focus primarily on the book as a narrative, a story with morals. In one review of Alma 60 Dr. Nibley comments on Moroni(1)’s frustration. The insight Dr. Nibley creates is based upon the story line, and is quoted in later commentaries by Dr. Rust (source), and expanded significantly by John Bytheway (source). The commentaries, by focusing on the story line, make it obvious that the book is supposed to be a credible record. The title page’s language makes it less obvious that this is a goal of the Book of Mormon. It’s easy to understand then why Dr. Ludlow only identified three goals for the Book of Mormon. An expanded view shows that there are in fact six.
Ludlow
Expanded
1
To show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers. 2
They may know the covenants of the Lord. 3
To the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.
1
An abridged record of the Nephites & the Jaredites 2
To show the House of Israel the great things the Lord has done for their fathers. 3
That they may know the covenants of the Lord 4
That they are not cast off forever 5
Convincing Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ 6
That God is eternal 7
That God manifests himself unto all nations Ludlow Reference here()
Having six goals not only give us a clearer understanding of the book’s purpose it also gives us a way of evaluating how it achieves its purposes, the basis for a new method of analysis. This new method allows individual interpretation on how any particular section of the book, reaches or fails to achieve these six goals. Its design is to answer the question, “how does this section contribute to the six goals of the Book of Mormon?” The first step would be to select a particular section of the Book, the war chapters, Moroni’s epistle, the Isaiah chapters, Mormon’s letters, King Benjamin’s speech, or Christ’s visit. The second step is simply a matter of looking at the section and finding how it answers each question.
Dr. Nibley argued that the Book of Mormon’s authenticity is proven by the subtle way in which the details of the book are presented. In his essay, “New Approaches to Book of Mormon Study” he identifies language use, proper names, the relationship between Egypt and Israel, and several times shows the book disqualifying as a forgery, to illustrate the validity of the book as an ancient record. (Nibley & year) His pattern of investigation is evident in his writings and can serve as an example for anyone looking to investigate their section based upon the first goal.
The second, third, and fourth goals are addressed to a specific audience. The great events in history are the ones worth remembering. Allusions are made to crossing the Red Sea in 1 Nephi 4:3 “the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.” There are also times when the Book of Mormon quotes Old Testament prophets. The most obvious examples are where the Book of Mormon quotes Isaiah. This is done in 1 Nephi 20-21, 2 Nephi 7-8, 12-24, 27, Mosiah 14, & 3 Nephi 22. Generally these scriptures are commented on by the various Book of Mormon authors before or after being quoted to illustrate the relationship between the past and the present.
The third goal deals with the formalization of God’s relationship with man. There are 42 direct references to “the law of Moses” in the Book of Mormon including Christ’s explanation of its fulfillment in 3 Nephi 15. Moroni(2) explains at the end of the Book of Mormon how to conduct certain religious ceremonies (Moroni 4-5). There are also 32 uses of the word “covenant” within the book. If the section being reviewed contains one of these instances, or alludes to other covenants, then it contributes to this goal of the Book of Mormon.
Various sections of the Book of Mormon deal with assuring the Children of Israel that they are not cast off forever. One of these is the known as the Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5. This chapter spends 77 verses using an allegory to explain the past, present, and future history of the Children of Israel. Depending on which section is chosen to be evaluated, it may be difficult to find as direct a connection as the one in Jacob 5. Instead the analysis may need to focus a few sentences on the argument that revelation designed for a particular circumstance justifies the expectation for revelation for current circumstances. If the section chosen for review contains an example of God communicating to man it supports this goal.
The Book of Mormon as a whole has taken on the subtitle of “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” but for the method being illustrated the goal is to look for references to Christ in that particular section. It’s also more than just looking for references. This goal is one of proof. How does the evaluated section prove that Jesus is the Christ? Nephi talks of proving Christ to his Children saying that “…we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (Nephi Something or other) Discussing the role of Christ as a sacrifice in Alma 34:10 another prophet, Amulek, explains to his audience the need to have a Christ based upon the role only Christ could fill. He says there needs to “be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.”
To prove that God is eternal some authors use language to illustrate their view of the God’s nature. In Alma 60 the author uses past, present, and future tense verbs in relationship to God. This shows that God is a being that has had power, does have power, and will have power to produce the illustrated results. Although more subtle is it none the less effective in describing God’s nature. Depending on the section being evaluated tools such as this may be extremely useful.
The final goal of God manifesting himself to all nations is certainly accomplished in Christ’s appearance to the Nephites in 3 Nephi. Other instances where God communicates to a prophet are still applicable. One example is in Mosiah 3:23 where King Benjamin says that he had “spoken the words which the Lord God hath commanded…” His speech was to his nation, a people geographically separate from those in the Bible, and as his reference was the direct inspiration he had from God. Although less obvious, this is nonetheless used as an example of God manifesting himself to his followers regardless of geographical location. If today’s reader were to ask one of the members of King Benjamin’s congregation if God had spoken to them through their prophet, they would have to point to their original response in Mosiah 4—A resounding YES!
