One reporter's notebook
A reporter looks at The Book of Mormon.
This week, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints marked its general conference with a reminder of the 200th Anniversary of the birth of the American prophet Joseph Smith.
I came to BYU-Idaho because I am fully invested in the vision he set forth. I would have been a reporter rather than a scholar, so were it not for this career option, I'd probably get back out in the newspaper business. But a position opened here a decade and, well, I came here because I am invested in the vision of the church.
In truth, I believe in the prophet Joseph Smith in large part because I believe in the Book of Mormon. I can tell you all the personal, spiritual experiences I've had and the questions it has answered, but you can get many of those ideas elsewhere from other witnesses and authorities. I'd simply say I have a testimony and that testimony has guided me through difficult days.
May I put my particular expertise on the Book to explain some things that stand out for me as a reporter and a long-time student of non-fiction writing.
If you take the time to look, The Book of Mormon has a remarkable narrative structure. Not only does it have an ancient Hebrew form called Chiasmus, of which I won't speak here, it also is, taken together, a remarkably powerful storytelling form. There is a trend in journalism we call literary journalism which attempts to take storytelling technique from fiction and literature and apply it to non-fiction. Hence, my study of this form has given me new insights into The Book of Mormon, given that it is a non-fiction work.
In this article, I go into further detail with better footnotes, but my limited explanations and examples here should enough to illustrate my point: Suffice it to say, to me this dense narrative is great evidence of the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. I have studied narrative the better part of my adult life. To suggest that Joseph Smith came up with something so remarkably sophisticated in structure and dictated it off the top of his head with no editing revision in what basically amounted to less than two months stretches the utmost credibility even for the most experienced, gifted writer. To say he did it with a third-grade education at the beginning of his adult life at a time when his wife said he struggled to dictate a letter is to provide new evidence of his prophetic call. I have only begun to grasp this remarkable narrative form in the Book of Mormon after studying this book for more than three decades.
If any person not a member of my Church here stumbles on this writing, if any of those investigating this faith do so, I would add this little piece: I plead with you, get a copy of the Book of Mormon. Study it. It will change your life. As you come to know of its truth, you will find, therefore, that dear Brother Joseph is not just a religious thinker, but a true prophet and his teachings, bold as they are, are true.
So, my brief explanation. Consider for a moment a symphony. It starts with a theme and repeats that theme throughout. At the end, the theme is "recapitulated" and brought to a deep conclusion.
Consider, as well, straightforward storytelling, such as in Star Wars or Indiana Jones. These movies generally start with some attention-getting moment -- maybe a giant rock rolling after Indiana Jones, or a raptor eating a worker in Jurassic Park, or a firefight in the Star Wars movie. They are hooks or attention-getters.
Consider, third, classics such as Hamlet where the story rises and falls to an inevitable conclusion. There is a climactic set-up early, a dramatic high-point later, leading to a conclusion that is, often in shakespeare, tragic and sad. (I won't even talk here of the powerful use of foreshadowing in the Book of Mormon.)
The Book of Mormon follows these forms -- in spades. Read how the Book starts out. Most think of the phrase, I Nephi, having been born ... and think of that as the starting point from a narrative point of view. Well, no t really.
The narrative starts with verse five and six where Lehi is praying and:
6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a apillar• of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did bquake• and tremble exceedingly.
7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being aovercome• with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.
8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a avision•, even that he saw the bheavens• open, and he thought he csaw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his aluster• was above that of the sun at noon-day.
Stop for a minute and consider this as a dramatic "hook": A vision from God as luminous nearly as any Isaiah had and nearly as dramatic as the First Vision itself. It is a perfect attention-getter, as I would call it in my writing classes.
Consider the symphonic themes for a moment, all set up in this remarkable first chapter: repentance being cried to those in Jerusalem, prayer, the decline and fall of civilization, the tender mercies of God (verse 20), and, most luminiously, the reality of a Messiah and a god in heaven. Wow. And the book ends with these themes powerfully, does it not?
Moroni, Ether and Mormon all talk of the decline of a civilization -- there are four civilizations that crumble in the Book of Mormon -- Babel, Jerusalem, Nephites and Jaredites.
Prayer is everywhere -- from Enos, to Alma, to Christ in America -- and all therein teach us something of prayer. Then Moroni invites us to prayer about the book itself -- right at the end.
Every major preaching/discourse in the Book of Mormon reflects something of repentance. Then, that last call of Moroni: "Come Unto Christ and be perfected in him" is a glorious call to repentance itself. Take a quick look at the visit of Christ to the Nephites as well. He calls the people to repentance almost at the first in Chapter 9 -- after describing the collapse of cities and Nephite civilizations:
"O all ye that are aspared• because ye were more brighteous• than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal• you?"
Then, if this circular, symphonic form isn't enough, Mormon, in Chapter 30 of 3 Nephi puts on that short, two-verse coda to the visit of Christ in America -- it is a detailed call to repentance:
"HEARKEN, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath acommanded• me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:
2 Turn, all ye Gentiles•, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings ..."
Obviously, the fall of civilization is dramatic in the last chapters of the Book of Mormon -- including the terrible depravity described in Moroni 9. Less obviously, there is a remarkable amount of hope in the last chapters of the Book of Mormon. Mormon's words "Cleave unto charity" and a "I would speak unto you of hope" in chapter seven of Moroni clearly suggest that God, in spite of these warnings is merciful. The last words hold to hope of perfection. These are themeatic "tender mercies."
(There are other parts of this rhythm ... a direct, simple testimony of the book's truthfulness comes within three verses of the book's beginning and within ten of the end of the book.)
Just a word more ... What a classic tragic form. There is a rise of civilization to a high point -- the visit of Christ -- and then a remarkable decline of civilization to the end -- when the civilization dies. This is much like the structure of all the great plays of Shakespeare -- a dilemma, a climax, a denoument. A beginning, a middle, an end. The Book of Mormon is great literature.
I have read much of the great works of what my field calls literary journalism. I have seen elements of these functions of fictional storytelling applied to non-fiction in all the great efforts of this field. None are so dense or so remarkable as the Book of Mormon in my view, just taken from a literary, historical perspective. The presence of these classic literary forms, at once subtle and direct, make this work of non-fiction unique.
The Book of Mormon is an artistic tour-de-force. I testify, as one little journalism professor who has studied the great field of literary journalism, of its truth. I plead with you to read it and pray of it. I have done so and been richly rewarded. See for yourself.
Of course, my views should not be construed to represent anything other than my own views. They are NOT necessarily the views of my department, my university or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the sponsoring institution of my university.