I think someone can become more dependent on evidence for the Book of Mormon and then, as a result, spend less time in the Book of Mormon.
But the Lord doesn’t want us convinced. He asks us to choose to be converted.
Evidence convinces. The text converts.
@Mormonger@Protestia An additional testament of Jesus Christ. A different testament of Jesus Christ. Either way you look at “another” it’s still testifying that Jesus is the Christ and that through no other way will you return to the Kingdom of Heaven but through Him.
For nearly 200 years, critics have claimed Joseph Smith “wrote” the Book of Mormon.
Okay.
Then prove it.
Not with assumptions. Not with ridicule. Not with recycled anti-LDS theories that collapse every few decades.
Actually prove HOW he did it.
Show the drafts. Show the outline. Show the research notes. Show the source manuscript. Show the co-authors. Show the revision process.
Because what we DO know is this:
A 23-year-old frontier farm boy dictated ~500 pages in roughly 60 working days with: • no formal education • no manuscript in front of him • no rewrites • no library surrounding him • no modern editing tools
And somehow produced: • complex narrative arcs • hundreds of interconnected names • intricate Hebraic literary structures like chiasmus • ancient Near Eastern themes • internally consistent geography, politics, theology, and chronology
Critics have proposed dozens of theories: • Spaulding theory • plagiarism theory • conspiracy theory • “he was a genius” theory
And when those fail, some even claim: “The devil did it.”
But that creates an even bigger problem.
The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ constantly. In fact, the name “Jesus Christ” appears more frequently in the Book of Mormon than in the Bible when adjusted for length. Its entire stated purpose is to bring people unto Christ, teach repentance, condemn sin, strengthen faith in the Savior, and testify that Jesus is the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.
So the argument becomes:
Satan inspired a book whose entire purpose is to convince people to follow Jesus Christ?
That completely contradicts scripture itself:
“Satan divideth against himself and against none else.” (3 Nephi 18:20)
The Book of Mormon leads millions to: • pray more • repent more • worship Christ more • read scripture more • strengthen families • abandon addictions • serve others • seek holiness
That is the exact opposite of the fruits Christ warned us about when describing false spirits.
Critics have spent nearly 200 years attacking Joseph Smith, yet they still cannot explain where the Book of Mormon actually came from.
At some point, dismissing Joseph Smith requires more faith than listening to him.
Because if he didn’t translate it…
Where exactly did the Book of Mormon come from?
One thing critics rarely acknowledge:
The Book of Mormon is not just “about Jesus Christ.”
It is saturated with Him.
Jesus Christ is referenced 3,925 times in the Book of Mormon — roughly once every 1.7 verses.
And that matters because some critics literally claim: “The devil inspired the Book of Mormon.”
Think about that for a second.
The same book that: • teaches faith in Jesus Christ • teaches repentance • condemns sin • calls people to baptism • strengthens families • teaches charity • testifies of Christ’s atonement • invites people to pray • repeatedly declares Jesus is the Son of God
…is supposedly satanic?
That argument collapses under its own weight.
Critics still cannot explain how Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon naturally: • no drafts • no outline • no manuscript • no formal education • dictated in roughly 60 working days • deeply Hebraic literary patterns • internally consistent narrative structure
So when natural explanations fail, some jump to: “Well maybe Satan did it.”
But Christ Himself taught: “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.”
Why would Satan inspire a book whose entire purpose is bringing people TO Jesus Christ?
At some point, critics have to do more than mock Joseph Smith.
They need to explain the Book of Mormon itself.
I’m still on a high! Our boys took first in state yesterday! Being fully clothed with shoes in a pool is quite the experience! 😂 #waterpolo#statechamps
The louder the seething gets, the more convinced I become that Joseph Smith was exactly who he said he was.
People don’t spend nearly 200 years obsessing over a “fraud” unless he changed the world in a way they still can’t explain away.
A farm boy prays once in the woods and generations later people are still writing books, making podcasts, building channels, and raging online trying to undo what came from it.
And through all of it, the Book of Mormon just keeps changing lives.
Bad men don’t produce good fruit for this long.
So, seethe on.