Why did Moroni write "Moroni's Promise?"
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:29 pm
I stole this topic from another forum, but it's a great point. If Joseph Smith made up the Book of Mormon, it makes sense to include a chapter that defends the truthfulness of the book. But why would Moroni write that? Why would he think the people who read his plates wouldn't believe they were true? Isn't the fact that someone is actually reading the plates make their truthfulness self evident?
A statement saying it is a true book would come later, from someone analyzing it, rather than from the original author. Is there any other example of an ancient document that has this type of a promise in it. Do other ancient documents have statements that say "This isn't a fraud, I promise." Remember when they found those long lost letters from Abe Lincoln last year? What if the last couple paragraphs in the letters said "And those of you who are reading these letters, if you don't believe they are true, ask god, and he will tell you these really are true letters..." It might send up some red flags. The Bible doesn't have any similar promises. The dead sea scrolls didn't either. The Book of Breathings don't promise that it is a real book of breathings. Anyway, Moroni's Promise just seems funny now
A statement saying it is a true book would come later, from someone analyzing it, rather than from the original author. Is there any other example of an ancient document that has this type of a promise in it. Do other ancient documents have statements that say "This isn't a fraud, I promise." Remember when they found those long lost letters from Abe Lincoln last year? What if the last couple paragraphs in the letters said "And those of you who are reading these letters, if you don't believe they are true, ask god, and he will tell you these really are true letters..." It might send up some red flags. The Bible doesn't have any similar promises. The dead sea scrolls didn't either. The Book of Breathings don't promise that it is a real book of breathings. Anyway, Moroni's Promise just seems funny now