Resources for Better Understanding the Book of Mormon and Tools for Dealing with Common Attacks on the LDS Faith

Suggestions from Jeff Lindsay, 2018

There are many interesting resources for coping with challenging or meaningful questions about the Book of Mormon and Latter-day Saint religion. Here are some suggested resources that may be of help.

Neal A. Maxwell Institute at BYU (mi.byu.edu):

• FARMS Review of Books (many articles responding to anti-Mormon works or other challenges), with both HTML and PDF available: https://publications.mi.byu.edu/past/farms-review/
• Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (a scholarly source of information about details of the Book of Mormon): https://publications.mi.byu.edu/periodicals/jbms/
• Insights (1981–2013) – a newsletter with some valuable information: https://publications.mi.byu.edu/past/insights/

Books

• Numerous online books (most are free) at the Maxwell Institute: https://publications.mi.byu.edu/books/. Examples:
  • The Book of Mormon and DNA Research (2008), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/the-book-of-mormon-and-dna-research/
  • Noel Reynolds, ed., Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins (1996), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/book-of-mormon-authorship-new-light-on-ancient-origins/
  • Noel B. Reynolds, , Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins (1997), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/book-of-mormon-authorship-revisited-the-evidence-for-ancient-origins/
  • John Welch, Chiasmus in Antiquity (1998) (see chapter on Book of Mormon), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/chiasmus-in-antiquity/
  • Donald Parry et al., eds., Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon (2002), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/echoes-and-evidences-of-the-book-of-mormon/. Sample chapter: John A. Tvedtnes, “Ancient Texts in Support of the Book of Mormon,” https://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1082&index=8.
  • John Welch, ed., King Benjamin’s Speech (1998). Many authors examining various aspects of that ancient speech. https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/king-benjamin-s-speech-that-ye-may-learn-wisdom/
  • Robert Millet, Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues (1998), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/latter-day-christianity-10-basic-issues/. Good answers to 10 tough questions Mormons are often asked.
  • Hugh Nibley, Mormonism and Early Christianity (1987), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/mormonism-and-early-christianity/
  • Daniel Peterson, Offenders for a Word: How Anti-Mormons Play Word Games to Attack the Latter-Day Saints (1998), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/offenders-for-a-word/. Deals with topics like, “Is Mormonism a cult?” and “Are Mormons Christian?”
  • John W. Welch, ed., Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s (1999), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/pressing-forward-with-the-book-of-mormon-the-farms-updates-of-the-1990s/
  • John Sorenson, ed. Rediscovering the Book of Mormon (1991), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/rediscovering-the-book-of-mormon/
  • John Welch, ed., Reexploring the Book of Mormon (1992), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/reexploring-the-book-of-mormon/
  • John Welch, The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount (2010), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/the-sermon-at-the-temple-and-the-sermon-on-the-mount/
  • Stephen Ricks, Warfare in the Book of Mormon (1990), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/warfare-in-the-book-of-mormon/
  • Gerald Bradford, Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon: History and Findings of the Critical Text Project (2002), https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/uncovering-the-original-text-of-the-book-of-mormon/.

 

Other Books:

• Warren P. Aston and Michaela K. Aston, In the Footsteps of Lehi (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Comp., 1994); Warren P. Aston, Lehi and Sariah in Arabia: The Old World Setting of the Book of Mormon (Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Publishing, 2015).
• George Potter and Richard Wellington, Lehi in the Wilderness: 81 New, Documented Evidences that the Book of Mormon is a True History (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2003).
• John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 2013). A huge book loaded with results from a lifetime of work by this professor of anthropology. This build upon his earlier work, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1985).
• Jerry Grover, Geology of the Book of Mormon, detailed scientific info, free online at https://www.academia.edu/18172439/Geology_of_the_Book_of_Mormon
• Donald W. Parry, Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon: The Complete Text Reformatted (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute, BYU, 2007); https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/poetic-parallelisms-in-the-book-of-mormon-the-complete-text-reformatted/.
• For videos, see Lehi in Arabia, DVD, directed by Chad Aston (Brisbane, Australia: Aston Productions, 2015). See trailer at https://www.lehiinarabia.com/. Also see Journey of Faith, DVD, directed by Peter Johnson (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute of Religious Scholarship, 2006), https://journeyoffaithfilms.com/. But Lehi in Arabia is more accurate, more up to date, and most useful.

 

Interpreter Foundation (MormonInterpreter.com) – the new primary source for scholarly publications defending and exploring LDS scriptures and other LDS topics: https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/

 

FAIRMormon: https://www.fairmormon.org/. Book of Mormon evidences (categories): https://www.fairmormon.org/evidences/Category:Book_of_Mormon. Find answers in FAIRMormon’s archive of answered questions: https://www.fairmormon.org/find-answers.

 

Book of Mormon Central: https://www.bookofmormoncentral.org/

 

My writings:

• Book of Mormon Evidences: https://www.jefflindsay.com/BMEvidences.shtml
• LDSFAQ (frequently asked questions): https://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/
• Mormanity Blog: https://mormanity.blogspot.com/
• Articles at The Interpreter: https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/author/jeffl/ and https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/author/jeffl/page/2/