|
Studies of the Book of Mormon | 
 enlarge | Authors: Brigham D. Madsen, Sterling M. Mcmurrin
Creator: Brigham H. Roberts
Publisher: Signature Books
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $13.57
You Save: $6.38 (32%)
New (22) Used (6) from $12.38
Rating:  18 reviews
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1560850272
Dewey Decimal Number: 289.322
EAN: 9781560850274
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Good book for those really interested in LDS apologetics September 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed the book simply because it gave me a view (other than the typical pro-LDS view) into the mind of an old-time LDS general authority. Some thoughts:
1)Several reviewers here and on other sites dwell on whether Roberts had become a semi-unbeliever later in life and they point to this book for discussion of that. Frankly, I don't think it matters whether he continued to believe or not, since his personal views on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon don't make the book true or false.
2)However, the book does show how roberts eventually got stumped (rough paraphrase of his own statements) by some critic's questions. He assumed that the LDS apostles, being inspired as he believed, would be able to get further light and knowledge from God to answer the questions. He presented his concerns to them and they gave what he stated were unsatisfying answers.
3)I found this encounter interesting since this happens to lay members all the time. They develop questions, go to their leaders for answers, come away dissatisfied, read stuff by apologists, come away appalled at the lame answers and even dishonesty, then quit or just suffer with cognitive dissonance. It's interesting to read how a general authority went through this and got a similarly poor response.
4)Some reviewers claim the material in the book is outdated. True to some extent, but much of it is just as valid today. The parallels between the Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews are still as striking as ever. And with regard to archeology, etc, the case has continued to grow worse and worse for the LDS church. DNA, for example, has all but shut the lid on church claims, even with the limited geography theories.
 Remarkable in Historic Context August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Those who conclude that B.H. Roberts died a non-believer will be in for a bitter disappointment. It can be argued that this critique of Elder Roberts played a significant role in reevaluating the widely held and silly notion that the Book of Mormon is a history of the entire American continent, a view that has all but vanished among serious LDS scholars. As noted in an earlier review, much of Roberts' criticism topples once the "continent" view is ejected and a "limited geography" model is adopted. This makes Roberts' critique somewhat less than satisfying for the Book of Mormon's critics, yet it remains valuable to the historian as it reflects a step in the evolution of scholarly evaluation. In fact, now that the limited geography models are widely accepted, pieces of the Roberts' puzzle no longer fit. In short, the critique accomplished what it set out to do, and that is applying history, archeology, geography and culture to a land and peoples about which little is known. I suppose that critics will continue to wave this critique under the noses of believers, but if they try it with someone who knows better, they'll draw back a nub. The serious student will read John L. Sorenson and other Mesoamerican-based theories.
A must have to understand the authorship of the Book of Mormon July 14, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is written by B. H. Roberts a general authority for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the church historian back in the 1920's and 30's. He was given the assignment to answer some questions concerning the Book of Mormon. This he attempts to do in the most fair and scientific way possible. In the process he finds a book, "View of the Hebrews", which has a large amount of similarities to the Book of Mormon. He develops a hypothesis that Joseph Smith used this book to base his book on and then tries to find what supporting or not supporting evidence there is to back up the hypothesis. This is a must read for anyone who wishes to learn more about the writing of the Book of Mormon or to understand Joseph Smith better.
An Important Book for Mormon Studies May 25, 2007
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
I have quoted below what Roberts said about "View of the Hebrews," and it is not at all clear that this was not his genuine belief. A couple other reviewers said that Roberts letter about playing "devils advocate" should have been included, and I agree.
Nevertheless, these writers completely ignore the social pressure of Roberts many family and friends. If he had not backed off, he would have lost everything. I personally knew an aged professor who told me that he was an atheist. He had been on a mission decades before, and when he died, he had a Mormon funeral at a Mormon ward.
I'm not making up this story, and in my own life, I could name at least fifteen people who do not believe a word of the Book of Mormon, but who are still on the roles because of social pressure--fear of hurting parents or other relatives, and fear of loosing friends.
The pressure on a public figure like Roberts would have silenced him. If you look at what he wrote below, it is impossible to believe that he was simply playing the "devil's advocate." The picture is much more complicated than that.
Robert's said:
"It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major things in the other. Not a few things merely, one or two, or half dozen, but many; and it is this fact of many things of similarity and the cumulative force of them that makes them so serious a menace to Joseph Smith's story of the Book of Mormon's origin."
"The material in Ethan Smith's book is of a character and quantity to make a ground plan for the Book of Mormon: It supplies a large amount of material respecting American antiquities--leading to the belief that civilized or semi-civilized nations in ancient times occupied the American continents" (B. H. Roberts, p. 240, above).
A Required Read December 29, 2006
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book should be a requirement for anyone studying the Book of Mormon. B.H. Roberts was the first Mormon apologist, President of the First Quorum of Seventies and Mormon Church Historian. B.H. Roberts was additionally recognized as the Mormon Church's most accomplished scriptorian of his day. Apostle Talmage gave Roberts five questions that had been asked by a member. B.H. Roberts researched the questions and went to the Twelve and First Presidency and said he could not give satisfactory answers to the questions. He asked for the Brethren to pray about the questions and get the answers from God. Each of the Brethren stood, bore their testimony of the Book of Mormon and the meeting was over. Roberts was then asked to come up with the best answers he could. These answers were given to the member who originally asked the questions.
This started Roberts on the mission of proving or disproving the Book of Mormon. He reviewed the book for inconsistencies in technology, zoology and anthropology. He presents a study of the technology of steel, glass, the wheel, metal coins and other advances that were questionable. He also covered the problems with horses, elephants, oxen, cattle and other problems. He covered the linguistics and anthropological information available at the time in trying to reconcile an Israelite migration to North America. In all, his conclusions are consistent with the current scientific community. He proposed, and then rejected, what Mormons know today as the Limited Geography Theory. He then undertakes a review of Joseph Smith and the literature available to Joseph Smith and concludes that there are significant parallels to "View of the Hebrews" by Ethan Smith. He did not at the time have the information that Oliver Cowdrey's family were parishioners of Ethan Smith. He concluded that with the structure of "View of the Hebrews", the 1796 version of the King James Bible and Joseph Smith's imagination, he would have no trouble writing the book.
The book is analytical in nature, reviewing all possible options. Mormon Apologists claim that this book was written so the Brethren would know the weaknesses of the Book of Mormon. If you read the book you can clearly see that this is not the case. Roberts was struggling and searching for ways to justify the inconsistencies found in the Book of Mormon. By the end of the study it is clear that he no longer has a testimony of the Book of Mormon. The book was not published for 60 years and finally released in 1985. The Mormon Church has had this information since 1930, but never released it. The problems discussed in this book are the same problems that Mormon apologists struggle with today. The answers that the apologists give are no more satisfactory today than they were at the time of B.H. Roberts.
This book is a necessary read for any budding apologist. It is also a book that can be given to a believing Mormon, because it was written by a recognized General Authority. B.H. Roberts was the editor of the "Complete History of the Church" and the "Mormon Doctrine of Deity."
|
|
|
|
Powered by CBN AssociateStore
| |
