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The second paragraph of the introduction explains that
there was a civilization that came “when the Lord confounded the tongues at
the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of
years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the
ancestors of the American Indians” (emphasis added).
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This declares the Tower of Babel account a literal and
factual event. If true, this would mean that until about 4,200 years ago
(according to Bible chronologies I’ve seen including those at www.churchofjesuschrist.org)
there was only one language on the earth, then at the Tower of Babel event,
all languages were confounded (except for the Jaredites). This is not
compatible with what we know about the evolution of language. (See also Omni 1:22, Mosiah 28:17, Helaman 6:28, Ether 1:33)
This version of the Introduction to the Book of Mormon states, “After
thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among
the ancestors of the American Indians.” Prior to 2006 the Introduction
said, “After thousands of years, all were destroyed, except the Lamanites,
and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.”
The wording prior to 2006 is more congruent with the:
- Teachings of the prophets and apostles until 2006,
- Doctrine and Covenants Revelations about Lamanites, and
- Narrative of The Book of Mormon itself.
However, paleontology, archaeology, philology, and population genetics
demonstrated that the pre-2006 version of the Introduction is not remotely plausible.
In the Wentworth letter, Joseph explained:
“In this important and interesting book the
history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony
that came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning
of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records
that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of
people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the tower of
Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six
hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the
descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the
Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the
country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the
close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit
this country” (Church History, p. 707).
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The fourth paragraph of the Introduction indicates that, “On
September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, then a glorified, resurrected being,
appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the
ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.”
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For the sake of discussion let’s assume the account of
Moroni’s visit is accurate. Joseph records that this happened in 1823. Yet he
did not have the keys necessary to discern angels. Those keys were given in
1843 in D&C 129 which acknowledges the LDS teaching that the devil can
appear as an angel of light and provides the keys to determine whether an
apparition is a true angel or devil. “If it be the devil as an angel of
light, when you ask him to shake hands he will offer you his hand, and you
will not feel anything you may therefore detect him” (D&C 129:8). So, according
to Mormon scripture, Joseph had no way to discern whether the visitor was a
messenger from heaven or “the devil as an angel of light.”
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The sixth paragraph of the Introduction quotes Joseph
Smith as saying, “that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on
earth.”
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The claim that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book
on earth is certainly extraordinary. And, as Carl Sagan used to say,
“extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” For example, if
someone claimed I should invest all my retirement funds in their business
because it was sure to provide higher than normal returns with almost no
risk, I would find the claim extraordinary. Can you think of any reason not
to demand extraordinary evidence before I even think of investing my money in
the business?
I have compiled my annotations for the Book of Mormon
because I think it is important to demand extraordinary evidence regarding
Joseph’s claims about the book. I hope others will find it useful.
As Hugh Nibley a renowned defender of the Book of Mormon
put it, “The Book of Mormon can and should be tested. It invites criticism” (Comments on the Book of Mormon Witnesses).
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The eighth and ninth paragraphs from the Introduction
indicate that those who follow the instructions of Moroni 10:3-5 “will gain a
testimony of its [the Book of Mormon’s] truth and divinity by the power of
the Holy Ghost” and that other things can be known by this method
(emphasis added).
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Yet, the Spirit of God tells Catholics theirs is the only
true religion. And don’t forget the Muslims, the Spirit of God also tells
them that Islam is God’s one and only true religion. And, so on and so forth.
The problem with relying on the “power of the Holy Ghost” is that it relies
on interpretation of feelings and perceptions that are completely subjective
and cannot be distinguished from one’s own feelings or from the experiences
of others that led them to believe contradictory truth claims.
There are many examples of the Spirit of God convincing people that their
Church is God’s only true church; here is just one video with many examples
retrieved November 17, 2016, presented respectfully by Chris Johnson: My LDS Journey - Follow the Spirit
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