Runtu wrote:Kevin, in fairness to why me, maybe he didn't serve a mission, or he would know this. As you say, the missionary discussions are set up to build increasing levels of commitment. Praying about the Book of Mormon, etc., is just part of the process.
I think what why me really needs is to do some reading from "Korihor's Press". That's how I educated myself. It's clear that he has a very superficial knowledge of Mormonism, and only reads Deseret Book type stuff, if even that.
As the twentieth century draws to a close the Book of Mormon clearly holds center stage in latter day saint scriptural study and appreciation congregations the church educational system individuals and families are focusing on the Book of Mormon with unprecedented enthusiasm largely because of the leadership of president ezra taft benson in his landmark conference addresses in 1986 president benson repeatedly cited the passage from the doctrine and covenants quoted above and reiterated his long standing belief that the church was under condemnation for taking the Book of Mormon too lightly he also announced that the lord has revealed the need to reemphasize the book ofmormon latter day saints responded with an enormous and passionate effort to fully utilize the nephite record such fervor did not always exist early LDS converts were students of the Bible and with no traditions concerning the Book of Mormon they did not readily incorporate the new scripture into their devotions. The early saints valued the Book of Mormon as evidence of the restoration but by the nauvoo period focus on the book had already decreased. As recently as the mid 1930s BYU and the LDS institutes of religion only occasionally featured the Book of Mormon in their curricula. This paper surveys the history ofLDS interest in the Book of Mormon
Hugh Nibley had been taking it seriously since the 1950s.