What is the Book of Mormon's religious agenda.

[_Chap]

Of course, a better candidate to have influenced Joseph Smith is James Hervey's Meditations and Contemplations, a book Joseph is known to have owned:

The Son of God, taking up our nature, obeys the law, and underoes death, in our stead. By this means, the threatened curse is executed in all its rigour, and free grace is exercised in all its riches. Justice maintains her rights; and, with a steady hand, administers impartial vengeance; while mercy dispenses her pardons, and welcomes the repentant criminal into the tenderest embraces. Hereby, the seemingly thwarting attributes are reconciled. . . . "To expiate transgressions against an infinite majesty is a most prodigious act: it must cost vastly more than any common surety can pay to redeem a sinful world. What reason have we to believe that Jesus is equal to this mighty undertaking?" All possible reason, replies the apostle; from the dignity of his person, for he is the image of the invisible God, and from the greatness of his works, for by him all things were made.

OK - but again, after all those accounts of theories of the Atonement:

For comparison, will Water Dog quote us the clearest statement of the Book of Mormon's doctrine of atonement (from the Book of Mormon itself, please), and point out what is unique about it?

[_Bazooka]

Money.

It's always money.

[_Equality]

For comparison, will Water Dog quote us the clearest statement of the Book of Mormon's doctrine of atonement (from the Book of Mormon itself, please), and point out what is unique about it?

At least he didn't claim it was "wildly" unique this time. Still waiting for that lengthy list of "wildly unique" contributions to religion and philosophy that the Book of Mormon contains.

[_CaliforniaKid]

You might be interested in this.

That's good stuff, Nevo. Do you ever blog? If you ever need a venue for some of your Mormon research, let me know. I'm an administrator at withoutend.org.

[_Chap]

Water Dog?

[_Chap]

OK, I am getting bored waiting for Water Dog to reveal the 'unique' doctrine of the Atonement contained in the Book of Mormon, by citing the actual texts from the Book of Mormon in which the doctrine is contained.

So I went to the church's own website on the Atonement, and had a look around, following up on each of the seven Book of Mormon references given (D&C and the Bible clearly don't count here, since Water Dog referred to the Book of Mormon).

And guess what? Although the website contains a statement of pretty standard statement of a Penal Substitution view of the Atonement:

The only way for us to be saved is for someone else to rescue us. We need someone who can satisfy the demands of justice—standing in our place to assume the burden of the Fall and to pay the price for our sins. Jesus Christ has always been the only one capable of making such a sacrifice.

... it does not even directly reference a Book of Mormon text in which this familar doctrine is to be found set out at length. All there is is this brief reference in Nephi 2: 5-10:

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

That's pretty ... well, basic isn't it? Where's the unique stuff, Water Dog? If there was any, surely the church's own website would have told us?

[_mackay11]

I've been trying to round up the transcripts of circuit preachers of the 1800s. It's remarkable how much commonality there is.

You might be interested in this.

I certainly am, thanks.

Any views on someone like Asahel Nettleton:

"(great) stumbling block"
"change his heart/change the heart"

Which appear in both language and concept in a way they don't in the Bible (and do repeatedly to the Book of Mormon). Thanks again for the links though. There's the other hand to consider.

http://www.intoutreach.org/NettletonRegeneration.html

[_mackay11]

Of course, a better candidate to have influenced Joseph Smith is James Hervey's Meditations and Contemplations, a book Joseph is known to have owned:

The Son of God, taking up our nature, obeys the law, and underoes death, in our stead. By this means, the threatened curse is executed in all its rigour, and free grace is exercised in all its riches. Justice maintains her rights; and, with a steady hand, administers impartial vengeance; while mercy dispenses her pardons, and welcomes the repentant criminal into the tenderest embraces. Hereby, the seemingly thwarting attributes are reconciled. . . . "To expiate transgressions against an infinite majesty is a most prodigious act: it must cost vastly more than any common surety can pay to redeem a sinful world. What reason have we to believe that Jesus is equal to this mighty undertaking?" All possible reason, replies the apostle; from the dignity of his person, for he is the image of the invisible God, and from the greatness of his works, for by him all things were made.

Do you have a source please for him owning the book and when he got it?

[_CaliforniaKid]

Do you have a source please for him owning the book and when he got it?

https://user.xmission.com/~research/about/books.htm

[_Chap]

Bumping for Wayer Dog - I'd like that unique Atonement stuff in the Book of Mormon please.

If you just thought there was some, and you have now found there isn't any, it would make you more of a stand-up guy if you just said so.

Maybe what you were thinking of was somewhere in the D&C, and not the Book of Mormon at all? There! I've left you a ladder to climb down. Want to use it?