Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief

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Dr. John E. Clark is Professor of Anthropology at Brigham Young University and Director of Brigham Young University's New World Archaeological Foundation based in Chiapas, Mexico. In this talk, he discusses archaeological evidences of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. (32 minutes)

Excerpts from the talk:

"The Book of Mormon still presses the world to take it seriously, and now science is lending a hand. The ... archaeology that has been undertaken in Mesoamerica is confirming historical, geographical, and political facts mentioned in the text."

Dr. Clark points out that the Book of Mormon's central challenge is "the promise that its doctrine leads to Christ" and asserts that its "instructions for coming to Christ are unsurpassed, and this is the infinitely more important destination." He quotes President Gordon B. Hinckley thusly:

"The evidence for [the Book of Mormon's] truth, for its validity in a world that is prone to demand evidence, lies not in archaeology or anthropology, though these may be helpful to some. It lies not in word research or historical analysis, though these may be confirmatory. The evidence for its truth and validity lies within the covers of the book itself. The test of its truth lies in reading it. It is a book of God. Reasonable people may sincerely question its origin; but those who have read it prayerfully have come to know by a power beyond their natural senses that it is true, that it contains the word of God, that it outlines saving truths of the everlasting gospel..."[1]

The full text of this talk, along with numerous source citations and footnotes, is available in English from the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship (formerly known as the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, or FARMS).

Mom, Are We Christians?

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Gary J. Coleman shares his experience growing up as a Christian, and testifies of the Christianity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (10 minutes)

Full text and/or audio available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Português, and other languages (click on the desired language, then April 2007, then scroll down to Gary J. Coleman's talk from the Sunday Afternoon Session).

Elder Gary J. Coleman is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Scriptural Witnesses

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Russell M. Nelson explains how the Bible and the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ complement each other. (15 minutes)

Excerpts from the talk:

"The Bible and the Book of Mormon are both witnesses of Jesus Christ. They teach that He is the Son of God, that He lived an exemplary life, that He atoned for all mankind, that He died upon the cross and rose again as the resurrected Lord. They teach that He is the Savior of the world."

"Love for the Book of Mormon expands one's love for the Bible and vice versa. Scriptures of the Restoration do not compete with the Bible; they complement the Bible."

Full text and/or audio available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Português, and other languages (click on the desired language, then October 2007, then scroll down to Russell M. Nelson's talk from the Saturday Afternoon Session).

Elder Russell M. Nelson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Stone Cut Out of the Mountain

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Gordon B. Hinckley speaks about the rapid church growth since the restoration of the gospel, marvels at some of the singular events of the restoration and the Book of Mormon, and testifies that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. (18 minutes)

Full text and/or audio available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Português, and other languages (click on the desired language, then October 2007, then scroll down to Gordon B. Hinckley's talk from the Sunday Morning Session).

The late President Gordon B. Hinckley was president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon

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Dr. John W. Welch, instructor of Law at Brigham Young University, discusses chiasmus in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Chiasmus is a literary element common in ancient Biblical scripture that also appears throughout the Book of Mormon. It was only beginning to be rediscovered in Joseph Smith's day, in parts of the world far from where Joseph Smith lived and translated the Book of Mormon, and only mentioned briefly within massive reference volumes[1]. Therefore, it is quite improbable that Joseph Smith knew about chiasmus at the time the Book of Mormon was translated, which serves as evidence of the Book of Mormon being an ancient record as opposed to a modern fabrication. (55 minutes)

Following are links to some Book of Mormon scriptures referenced in this talk, for your convenience:

• Mosiah 5:10-12
• Mosiah 3:18-19
• Helaman 6:7-13
• Alma 33:4-11
• Alma 41:13-15
• Alma 36 (the entire chapter—a remarkable example of chiasmus)
  

Video of this lecture is available in English in QuickTime and Windows Media formats.

A Scholar Looks at Evidences for the Book of Mormon

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Dr. Daniel C. Peterson, professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University, discusses several scholarly findings and strong evidences supporting the authenticity of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. (53 minutes)

Transcripts available online in English, Español, Français, Italiano, and Português. Video is also available in English.

Book of Mormon, Testimony of Eight Witnesses

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The Lord chose eight additional men to be shown the golden plates from which The Book of Mormon was translated. Although three of the eight men eventually left the Church, none of them ever denied having seen and held the ancient record in their hands[1]. The Testimony of Eight Witnesses, printed after The Testimony of Three Witnesses in the front of each copy of The Book of Mormon, contains their written statement of their experience in being shown the gold plates. Said they, "we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness of it." (1 minute)

Full text available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, and Italiano.

Book of Mormon, Testimony of Three Witnesses

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The Lord chose three respected men to be shown by an angel the golden plates from which The Book of Mormon was translated. Although all three men eventually left the Church, none of them ever denied seeing the angel or that The Book of Mormon was true[1]. The Testimony of Three Witnesses, printed in the front of each copy of the book, contains their written statement of their experience in being shown the gold plates. They said that "the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things." (2 minutes)

Full text available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, and Italiano.

Book of Mormon, Introduction

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The introduction page of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ briefly explains what the book is, who wrote it, how it came to be translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that eleven witnesses saw and testified of the golden plates from which it was translated, and how you can find out for yourself that the book is true. (4 minutes)

Full text available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, and Italiano.

The Message of the Restoration

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L. Tom Perry declares the message of the restoration, beginning with Joseph Smith's first vision, and on through the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the priesthood, and the formal reestablishment of the Church of Jesus Christ in modern times. (16 minutes)

Full text and/or audio available online in English, American Sign Language (video), Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Português, and 38 other languages (click on the desired language, then April 2007, then scroll down to L. Tom Perry's talk from the Sunday Afternoon Session).

Elder L. Tom Perry is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History

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Joseph Smith, Jr. tells of the religious excitement in Palmyra, New York in 1820, which led him to ask God which church to join. Joseph explains his call to be a prophet, the resulting persecution, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood. (45 minutes)

Full text available online in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, and Italiano.