Written by E

And It Came to Pass: Fancy Palaces & Epic Battles

Day 5: Book of Mormon, Mosiah

I need to be honest here. While I’m enjoying the Book of Mormon, I’m finding the anachronisms to be an astonishing feature. Christian churches in the “New World” hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth? Hmm. Fine palaces with no ruins? Hmm. All of these wars and populations that have no correlation to our understandings of anthropology and archaeology? HMM.

It’s not that I’m seeking to disprove this book. I don’t want to take away something meaningful from people and that is not my job. But if I am noticing these startling disconnects, it’s a big deal. I used to think that the entire LDS religion rested upon whether or not the Book of Abraham (which I’ll read in a handful of days) could be proven. However, now that I’m in the midst of their primary holy book, I’m wondering what the Latter-day Saint movement really hinges upon.

There’s some interesting stories in the Book of Mosiah. Namely, the record of Zeniff presents a brief mention of a large battle. The founding of churches, while feeling out of place, is an interesting tidbit. The whole drama of judges being chosen over Kings is fascinating as well.

But we get a lot more teaching here as we have in several books now. The Ten Commandments make an appearance. Spiritual gifts are weighed and measured. Being a seer is the best one! The nature of the Father and Son is briefly explore. We learn about the First Resurrection that’ll occur. Oh, and we must be born again. All of this is hundreds of years before Jesus. Let’s not forget that Christian theology started to coalesce into various camps in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries.

So, what do I do with this? Do I disregard this sacred text? Do I talk to a missionary? Do I keep reading and imagine what this could mean to an American religious movement? Do I take note of the beauty that is within the text? And the terrible, ugly, racist parts? Well, I’ve done all of the above. The missionaries, bless their hearts, are in this to win souls. I’ll have more to say about them in a future post. The rest of this is just part of the process here. I did not enter into this seeking to become a Latter-day Saint or to legitimize it. But, rather, I want to experience what they experience…and try to see what’s good and right in the text. My own biases appear, of course.

I can see, though, how King Benjamin’s speech is beloved. I can see how liberating the city of Zarahemla moves the story along. I can understand the purpose of pulling the Christian narrative out of its’ normal place in time and into the Book of Mormon. This book is consistent in its Christian message, I’ll give it that. And there’s something comforting about a story that allegedly took place right here in what is now the United States…or Central America (close enough).

Things I Noticed in the Text

  1. Mosiah 2-5, King Benjamin’s Farewell. Another pattern I’ve noticed. When someone is old and they’re about to die in the Book of Mormon, they have a lot to say and die immediately after. Benjamin’s address is fine. It can be used to edify. It is remarkably similar to other addresses like this in the Book of Mormon.
  2. Mosiah 8:15-17, Be a Seer. Being a seer is described as the greatest spiritual gift here. Not surprisingly, Joseph Smith was a seer.
  3. Mosiah 9-22, Zeniff. Say that name 5 times fast. We get a very long interlude in Mosiah about the record of Zeniff, which includes, among many other things, the liberation of Zarahemla (a massive city) and a battle where 3000 Lamanties are slain.
  4. Mosiah 11:8,9, Evil King Noah. Also a part of the record of Zeniff is the story of evil King Noah. Basically, he was just a real jerk. He also built many fine palaces. Umm. Where are those palaces? The ruins at least?
  5. Mosiah 18:17, Church of Christ. Alma the baptizer helps found the official church of Christ 145 years before Jesus’ birth. There’s a lot here. Later on, Mosiah permits Alma to found several churches (25:19)
  6. Mosiah 27:25, Born Again? An interesting phrase coming from a Jewish community: You must be born again. I’m confused, though. Are these communities Jewish? Ex-Jewish? Christian? Something else?
  7. Mosiah 28:25, No More Kings. Alma (the younger) becomes the first chief judge. The Nephites are done with Kings. Noah ruined everything…and good King Mosiah wanted it this way.

This post is part of a larger series where I read the entirety of Latter-day Saint scripture in 15 days. Take a look at the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.