How did the book of Mormon originate?

Answer 1

The Book of Mormon, like The Bible, was written by ancient peoples between the years 2600 B.C. and 421 A.D. The records were eventually collected and transcribed onto metal plates and buried.

In 1828, Joseph Smith, Jr. was lead by an angel to the place where these plates were buried. He translated them into modern English by the power of God.

You can learn more about what Mormons believe about the Book of Mormon, read it online, or order your own free copy, at the "Related Links" below.

Answer 2

The Book of Mormon claims to have originated in ancient America. It tells the story of two Hebrew families - those of Lehi and Ishmael - who heed the warnings of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and escape Jerusalem just prior to the Babylonian Captivity in approximately 600 BC. Being led by God, they eventually travel by boat across the sea to the American continents and establish two tribes founded by the sons of Lehi, the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Book of Mormon chronicles the religious and political history of these peoples covering the next 900 years, including a visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ come to announce the fulfilling of the Law of Moses and the teachings of the New Testament. Eventually the two tribes kill each other off until there is only one righteous man left, Moroni. He buries the record of his people which has been inscribed into metal plates.

1500 years later, a boy named Joseph Smith was searching for truth during the Second Great Awakening. Praying to ask God which church to join, he had a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ instructing him to not join any church. Later, the ancient Moroni visited him and led him to where the plates were buried, along with a translation tool called the Urim and Thummim. Joseph then translated the plates into English "by the gift and power of God" and published the record as The Book of Mormon in 1830.