Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

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Physics Guy
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Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Physics Guy »

I've gotten the idea that the Restoration through Joseph Smith, of priesthood and ordinances and church structure, is actually a much bigger deal in Mormonism than the Book of Mormon, which says little if anything about those major Mormon concepts and practices. Even if reading and re-reading the Book of Mormon is also a big part of Mormon practice, the Restoration and the Book of Mormon seem to be pretty loosely connected to each other.

So why not have one without the other? Why didn't the Restoration start in York in 1150, say, instead of in New York in 1830? Perhaps the Nephite records were going to have to wait to be revealed until the 19th century, but why couldn't they have come to a world in which the Gospel and Church had already been restored?

I understand the out-of-character reason, so to speak—that Smith needed a miracle to show in order to establish his status as a Prophet, before anyone would listen to him about a Restoration that conveniently made him a theocratic ruler who wouldn't have to do any actual work ever again in his life. What is the in-world reason, though? What does Mormon doctrine say about the connection between the Restoration and the Book of Mormon? I don't think I've ever heard this, somehow.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Kishkumen »

I am not clear on this idea of Joseph Smith never having to work another day in his life. What does that mean exactly? It seems to me that he remained a pretty busy and hard working person up to the end.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Kishkumen »

In response to the question, maybe the correspondence between sections of the Bible and dispensational ideas had something to do with the perceived need for a new book of scripture.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Res Ipsa »

Physics Guy wrote:
Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:34 pm
I've gotten the idea that the Restoration through Joseph Smith, of priesthood and ordinances and church structure, is actually a much bigger deal in Mormonism than the Book of Mormon, which says little if anything about those major Mormon concepts and practices. Even if reading and re-reading the Book of Mormon is also a big part of Mormon practice, the Restoration and the Book of Mormon seem to be pretty loosely connected to each other.

So why not have one without the other? Why didn't the Restoration start in York in 1150, say, instead of in New York in 1830? Perhaps the Nephite records were going to have to wait to be revealed until the 19th century, but why couldn't they have come to a world in which the Gospel and Church had already been restored?

I understand the out-of-character reason, so to speak—that Smith needed a miracle to show in order to establish his status as a Prophet, before anyone would listen to him about a Restoration that conveniently made him a theocratic ruler who wouldn't have to do any actual work ever again in his life. What is the in-world reason, though? What does Mormon doctrine say about the connection between the Restoration and the Book of Mormon? I don't think I've ever heard this, somehow.
Doesn't the question assume that Smith intended to restore a church at the time he claimed to have found and translated the plates? One of my takeaways from reading Palmer was that the official story of the restoration was retconned to present a logical progression that wasn't actually reflected in the way the whole thing unfolded. The change from the Book of Commandments, which said that translating the plates was the only gift Smith was to receive to the D&C version –– that the translation was the first gift – is one example of retconning.

I don't consider myself an expert on church history, but it seems much more plausible to me that Smith's purpose in purporting to translate the Book of Mormon was to make some scratch by selling the copyright. The idea of restoring the church came later and was done in a kind of ad hoc manner. That, to me, is the most likely out-of-character reason. As to the doctrinal reasoning, if I ever knew it, I've long forgotten it.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by dastardly stem »

As I conceived it, the Book was used to clarify lost biblical teaching, re-affirm Jesus was the Christ or Savior. It also was necessary, apparently, to send the message that all things needed to be restored because..and send the message that Jesus visited people all around the world, sharing his love and message.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Dr Moore »

I suppose one way to think about the question is, without the Book of Mormon what would differentiate Joseph from the many other restorationist/revivalist/reformation preachers of his day?
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by drumdude »

The Sunday school answer is that the Book of Mormon is a necessary clarification of everything that isn’t clear in the Bible.

This has never made any sense to me. Especially since most of Mormon theology and practices aren’t even in the Book of Mormon.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Kishkumen »

dastardly stem wrote:
Mon Nov 28, 2022 4:26 pm
As I conceived it, the Book was used to clarify lost biblical teaching, re-affirm Jesus was the Christ or Savior. It also was necessary, apparently, to send the message that all things needed to be restored because..and send the message that Jesus visited people all around the world, sharing his love and message.
Yes! I think there was always some kind of rectification or restoration that Joseph Smith had in mind. It may not have been the concept of restoring the primitive Church that later developed, I am persuaded that some kind of restoration of something was on the menu. Restoring a now-corrupted Masonry? Restoring lost Gospel truth? Restoring lost Christian teachings? All of this stuff perhaps preceded restoring the primitive Church.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Rivendale »

I asked my seminary teacher this very question back in the 70's . He claimed that the reason the early 1800's was chosen was due to the social and political climate. He said that throughout history the violent rhetoric made it impossible for anyone to stay alive long enough for the restoration to be successful. Frontier America makes me wonder about that logic.
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Re: Why did the Restoration need the Book of Mormon?

Post by Gadianton »

I think I'd start with the Rev's point that the Book of Mormon has a restorationist theme. All the Isaiah stuff and Ezekiel. "A Bible! a Bible!" etc.

I'd move on to Res's point that Joseph Smith was making it up as he went along, and that modern faithful summaries might be cherry picking at times. I think there is a an alternative universe out there that could have ditched the Book of Mormon and still have the restoration.

My addition: do you mean "why did the restoration need something like a Book of Mormon?" to be a restoration, or "why did the restoration need specifically the Book of Mormon we have?"

The latter question is more puzzling, given that the Book of Mormon contains no Mormonism. There is more reliance on the Bible for doctrine than the Book of Mormon, in fact, there is basically zero, zilch in the Book of Mormon that's doctrinal.

For a scholarly version of Mormonism, that's okay, because the Book of Mormon is just one of many records that will be restored, including the dead sea scrolls and in the future, the records of the lost tribes of Israel. They say what they say, and if none of it reflects modern doctrine that's fine because it isn't the point. But from a Chapel Mormon perspective I think it's a problem, because the way the restoration is sold is that the Book of Mormon restores plain and precious truths that were lost and -- no, it doesn't, that's a fundamental talking point that never gets backed up.

Members aren't totally unaware of this. My mom used to say, "The Bible tells you what the commandments are, and the Book of Mormon tells you how to live them." Nice save, but I don't think it's good enough.
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