Book of Mormon, the
This is the main scripture of the CJCLDS. They call it "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." We can think of it as a New, New Testament, or perhaps a "New World Testament," as it is set in the Americas. It, basically, tells a story of different peoples, descendants of Israelites, who migrated to this continent during Old Testament times to escape the downfall of the Tower of Babel or the destruction of Jerusalem. God granted these refugees a "promised land" where they could try to live righteously. Not all of the people lived as their God and father's told them to and this caused tension, creating warring groups. Eventually, the disobedient group of people, the Lamanites, kill all of the obedient people, the Nephites. In the early 1800's, Joseph Smith has visions from these ancient prophets who show him where this book, inscribed on plates of gold, is buried. Ironically, Joseph Smith grew up hunting for buried gold using magic rocks, called seer stones, which he then uses to find and "translate" this book into English.
see also: the Church, fake rocks / real rocks, Lamanites, land, magic / ritual, migration, myth, reify, rocks / stones, "what is"
<--- --->
This is the main scripture of the CJCLDS. They call it "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." We can think of it as a New, New Testament, or perhaps a "New World Testament," as it is set in the Americas. It, basically, tells a story of different peoples, descendants of Israelites, who migrated to this continent during Old Testament times to escape the downfall of the Tower of Babel or the destruction of Jerusalem. God granted these refugees a "promised land" where they could try to live righteously. Not all of the people lived as their God and father's told them to and this caused tension, creating warring groups. Eventually, the disobedient group of people, the Lamanites, kill all of the obedient people, the Nephites. In the early 1800's, Joseph Smith has visions from these ancient prophets who show him where this book, inscribed on plates of gold, is buried. Ironically, Joseph Smith grew up hunting for buried gold using magic rocks, called seer stones, which he then uses to find and "translate" this book into English.
see also: the Church, fake rocks / real rocks, Lamanites, land, magic / ritual, migration, myth, reify, rocks / stones, "what is"
<--- --->