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).

Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits

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M. Russell Ballard shares several facts that may be of interest to those desiring to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also shares some basic doctrinal beliefs, explains the Church's emphasis on the family, and describes some of the fruits that result from Mormons faithfully practicing their religion. (16 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 M. Russell Ballard's talk from the Saturday Afternoon Session).

Elder M. Russell Ballard is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 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.