Doing a Little LDS

So I've been meeting with a couple of Mormon missionaries. Before anyone gasps in horror and shock, I must say that the reason is merely to learn more specifically what their doctrine is through personal interaction, as opposed to reading books. Now, a missionary may not be as well catechized as some Mormons, but they are supposed to know enough to make conversions, so it is a good place to start. There's some hope that as we compare Mormon doctrine to Catholic doctrine, they'll start to understand Catholicism a little better. I'm not seeking any conversions here, but a chance to learn the particulars of another faith through a non-hostile lens (I won't say unbiased), and a chance to know where I'm particularly lacking in my own faith.

One thing I'm doing to help meet with the missionaries is to actually read the Book of Mormon. In a way, I feel bad about spending time on it, since I haven't read the full Bible yet, but it is a chance to see what is there and make critical evaluations of it. At the very least, I'll be able to tell future missionaries that I've read it!

I must say that I'm in agreement with other skeptics that the BOM overuses the phrase "And so it came to pass", but that's a literary critique, not a theological critique.

So far, I've felt at times the warm fuzzies that are supposed to convince one that the BOM is true, and at other times I've felt absolutely disgusted with what I've read. (An example of the latter is the portion in Moroni where Mormon writes, calling anathema on any who preaches infant baptism; an example of the former was actually in 2 Nephi talking about the role Christ's sacrifice plays in the history of salvation.)

The biggest sense I have from the BOM (and I'm by no means done with it; I've read bits and pieces of all four Nephi's, Alma, Mormon, and Moroni. That's not the whole thing by far) is a sense of incredulity. 600 years before the birth of Christ, Nephi recorded with vivid accuracy just what Jesus would do, and how it would play into the role of salvation. I find this foreknowledge, so clearly written down, a little far-fetched, given the foreknowledge (or lack thereof) that the Jews in Israel and Judah had of the Messiah. Unlike the Jews, who were very concerned with the Law of Moses and the covenant, the Nephites were already ready for Jesus to come, knowing full well what He would do. From this, I feel most people are justified in claiming that the BOM is the work of a man in the 1800's who had knowledge of what Christ's sacrifice at Calvary meant.

At the same time, I feel I understand why people are swayed by the BOM. I think it is primarily because of the clarity. If one is willing to believe that it was written between 600 B.C. and 400 A.D., one finds a very clear description that isn't obfuscated behind hundreds of lines of poetry or songs of praises. The Old Testament is as clear as a brick wall in comparison. One reading what Nephi purportedly inscribed on brass tablets finds doctrines spelled out and explained (though hardly in an orthodox manner).

There's also, for Americans, a particular allure in believing that Christ came personally to the Americas. Just as the British like to believe that Christ came to England (And did those feet in ancient times / walk upon England's mountains green / and was the Holy Lamb of God / on England's pleasant pastures seen?), and the original inhabitants of England were Trojans who left from captivity and sailed to the misty isles in search of a new home (see Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of England), so would Americans enjoy a special connection with Christ that makes them a chosen people.

I myself am not satisfied with what I've seen so far. I hope to learn more, but--and I apologize to my Mormon friends--I have no intention of leaving the Catholic Church.