Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon teachings....

[_Drifting]

*LDS crickets*

[_Chap]

*LDS crickets*

Surely FAIR must have something?

[_Drifting]

*LDS crickets*

Surely FAIR must have something?

Good point, I've been errantly searching the unofficial anti-mormon sources of LDS.org and the Joseph Smith Papers...

[_consiglieri]

At any rate if it were divine then one would think it would have appeared a lot more in his future works. On the contrary he seems to have gone out of his way to develop theology that is either not found in the Book of Mormon or contradicts it.

This is just one of many strange incidents in LDS history.

Joseph Smith produces his magnum opus of translation at the outset of his career as prophet of the restored church, and thereafter virtually ignores it as a source of doctrine.

This seems counterintuitive. Wouldn't the purpose of bringing forth the Book of Mormon and labeling it as scripture (and even the most correct book) be specifically to use it as a source of doctrine?

It does not seem to make a lot of sense, no matter how you view Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith did not completely neglect it, though, as he went through it and edited it at least twice before he died in 1844. If anything, this fact makes Joseph's neglect of the Book of Mormon even more curious.

It may be Joseph viewed the Book of Mormon as a sign of his prophetic calling and not much else, and used it accordingly, as noted by Terryl Givens. The church appears to have continued that view of the Book of Mormon as prophetic sign rather than source of doctrine for over 100 years thereafter, as noted by Noel Reynolds.

I believe it was Reynolds who noted it wasn't until the 1930's (?) that BYU even thought of having a class about the Book of Mormon, its keystone scripture. It was only one semester and the professor who was assigned to teach the class lamented, "How on earth am I going to fill an entire semester with the Book of Mormon?"

I see Joseph Smith as living his life in crescendo, and never one to rest on his laurels. As soon as the Book of Mormon was published, God directed him to "translate" the Bible. Joseph tried his hand at learning Hebrew and Greek in order to read the Bible in its original language. He apparently also learned a bit of German to read the Lutheran Bible, which he thought the best translation.

I think it was his translation of the Bible that led Joseph to reveal new doctrines continually throughout his brief career.

Another thing of interest is that the revelations in the D&C flowed freely up through the end of the Ohio/Missouri period, but after Liberty Jail, Joseph changed his format and taught almost exclusively through sermons in the Nauvoo period.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_zeezrom]

It's very likely he found the Book of Mormon to be extremely boring.

[_consiglieri]

It's very likely he found the Book of Mormon to be extremely boring.

I think the torrent of new revelations that flowed into his mind like an overwhelming surge may well have tended to make it seem that way, true.

Joseph Smith had so much to accomplish and so much to reveal and institutionalize that he had precious little time for dwelling on his past revelations.

You know, now that I think of it, I cannot recall Joseph teaching much from his post-BOM revelations, either.

I know he was quite taken with The Vision now canonized in D&C 76, and even wrote a lengthy poem paralleling its contents, but does anybody here know of a time Joseph quoted from a revelation he had received in order to teach some new doctrine?

The only one currently coming to my mind is the Sermon at the Grove (?) when Joseph merely alludes to the teaching in Abraham that one spirit is more intelligent than another to transcend the textual meaning in order to teach an eternal rescension of the Gods.

Is it possible that Joseph's lack of using Book of Mormon doctrine is mirrored in his lack of using the D&C and PoGP?

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_Drifting]

Is it possible that Joseph's lack of using Book of Mormon doctrine is mirrored in his lack of using the D&C and PoGP?

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

Hmmm...

Did Joseph only teach from the corrupted translation called The Bible?

[_Willy Law]

Early on in my disaffection I remember being really surprised when I read Mormon Enigma, that Emma (who supposedly dusted around the gold plates and was at the Hill Cumorah when Joseph obtained them) sent Jr. off to school with nothing more than a Bible. If I recall correctly she instructed him that the Bible is all he needed to guide his life.

[_consiglieri]

Did Joseph only teach from the corrupted translation called The Bible?

I think it would be fair to say that, in large measure, the vast bulk of Joseph Smith's post-BOM doctrinal revelations and sermons came from his investigation and "translation" of the Bible.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_Willy Law]

Here is the passage I was referring to in Mormon Enigma:
During the spring of that same year Joseph became bored and restless with keeping the store...
With his stepfather's encouragement, he prepared to go to Lewis's former home, Canton, Illinois, to study law. When he left at the end of May, Emma gave him a Bible and said, "My son, I have no charge to you as to what your religion shall be. I give you this Book with this admonition: Make it the man of your counsel; live every day as if it were to be the last, and you will have no need to fear what your future shall be."