Under
the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, 2003, Excerpts
The Book of Mormon
has been much derided by non-Mormons since before it was even published.
Critics point out that the gold plates, which would presumably prove the book’s
authenticity, were conveniently returned to Moroni after Joseph completed his
translation, and they haven’t been seen since.
In early
nineteenth-century America, vestiges of a previous civilization – ruins such as
the many Indian burial mounds near Joseph’s home – were everywhere. The Book of
Mormon explained the origins of these ancient tumuli in a way that dovetailed
neatly with both Christian scripture and a theory then in wide circulation,
which posited that the American Indians were descended from the lost tribes of
Israel. Joseph’s book worked both as theology and as a literal history of the
New World.
The Book of Mormon
appealed because it was so thoroughly American. Most of its narrative was set
on the American continent. In one of the book’s most important moments, Jesus
Christ pays a special visit to the New World immediately after His resurrection
to tell His chosen people – residents of what would become America – the good
news.
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