This was one of the quite a few issues I had with Hardy's interpretation of motivation. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear (Matthew 13:11-16, with Joseph Smith Translation in verse 12). To see what your friends thought of this book, Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide, I've had this book on my shelf for something like 10 years, and I've only finally gotten around to reading it. Yet it is unquestionably one of the most influential books ever written. Saw Jacob Walley reading this and he recommended it. People that say bad things about the book have not read it. I read this to try to get some understanding of what Mormons are all about. With over 140 million copies in print, it is a central text of one of the largest and fastest-growing faiths in the world. I borrowed from the library but I will definitely buy. It took me almost two years to get through, partially due to the writing style, but mostly because of the many issues that Grant Hardy mentioned, which I sometimes spent weeks researching. A chapter by chapter podcast to help us Understand The Book of Mormon Show more. ". Insights from my daily study of the Book of Mormon. God is willing to help me understand the words of His prophets, but their messages may not always be easy to hear or to understand. All i have to say is this. A primary role of prophets is to call us to repentance, which means making course corrections or incremental improvements. Long and complicated, written in the language of the King James version of the Bible, it boggles the minds of many. This is not an easy book to read; more like a text on the literary structure of the Book of Mormon. He obviously had a favorite narrator--Mormon. The Made Harder series is proof that making things easier does not always make them better. Laura Hales: Hello. Though the Book of Mormon is didactic with mostly two-dimensional and superficial characters, Hardy shows a way to recognize some of the greater complexities of the text by dipping below the surface of the words to observe the complex narrative structures developed by the internal narrator(s). I am not sure I know yet, but it was fascinating reading. One of the advantages of the hard copy book is the footnotes. This portion felt less well-developed, except maybe as a springboard for further studies. To create our... Mark Twain once derided the Book of Mormon as "chloroform in print." Hardy uses the tools of literary analysis to discover, assuming what the book itself presents on its own terms, what we can really know about those prophet-editors (Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni), and what their choices in regards to embedding other documents, making use of allusion and parallels, and much more can tell us about the world they were describing. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published I've known all my life, as someone who was raised with readings of the Book of Mormon, that the book on its own terms is to be understood as the product of a set of ancient American prophet-editors. This portion felt less well-developed, except maybe as a springboard for furthe. About the best of the vernacular text versions of the Book of Mormon. However, like some others, I had a hard time with Hardy's judgmental approach to several of his subjects. At the very least, read the portion of the book on Nephi. Isaiah must have arrived in the middle of a meeting, because the Lord asks the assembled group without explanation, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Without knowing what he is volunteering to do, Isaiah says, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8, 2 Nephi 16:8). In a vision, he saw the Lord sitting on a throne surrounded by angels. Grant Hardy's book achieves what it sets out to do: "to demonstrate a mode of literary analysis by which all readers, regardless of their prior religious commitments or lack thereof, can discuss the book in useful and accurate ways." It was interesting to note their different styles. Episode 19: The Book of Mormon as Literature with Grant Hardy. In his literary analysis, LDS scholar and University of North Carolina professor Grant Hardy approaches his study of the Book of Mormon by analyzing the distinct voices and themes of the three narrators: Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. They compared the Book of Mormon to V. Nabokov’s Pale Fire. I feel the author did a good job at laying. Anyway, I’m Timothy B. Wilson. But Hardy's guide put more color into the characters. I didn't always agree with Grant Hardy's conclusions at times. Almost five stars, except for the latter half when the study laboriously went through example after example of parallelism. Refresh and try again. In his literary analysis, LDS scholar and University of North Carolina professor Grant Hardy approaches his study of the Book of Mormon by analyzing the distinct voices and themes of the three narrators: Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. We get that you dont believe it. The Savior’s Visit to the American Continent, Lessons from the Writings of Mormon – Part 1, Lessons from the Writings of Mormon – Part 2, Lessons from the Teachings of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon. Hardy is particularly intrigued with the fact that the book is "written" from the viewpoint of three narrators: Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. Not an easy peasy read. 25:1.) It is a wonderful way to see the work as a whole rather than as a series of separate stories/chapters. And I did, and I'm in the middle of reading it again. Although I didn't agree with every conclusion Hardy comes up with, it was a very thought-provoking book which provided much insight. I was fascinated how the deletion of verses changed the experience of reading scripture. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I just stumbled across this site doing a Google search for “easy to understand Book of Mormon”, curious to see how my site ranks. That first version, although preliminary helped to establish criteria for the current project, especially the need for direct access to the original and printer’s manuscripts as well as the clearest photographs of those manuscripts. He also examines literary techniques, such as character development, use of outside materials, embedded documents such as letters, and parallel structure. Hardy is a first rate scholar of religion and Mormonism. You could be forgiven for reading a few particularly enlightening chapters and skipping some of the minutiae that is necessary to fully flush out the author's arguments. This means that if a concept is taught in the Bible, the footnote for the verse in the Book of Mormon can tell you where to find it in the Bible. This promise of Moroni written in the Book of Mormon has blessed me throughout my life. And, Grant Hardy shows, it's far from the coma-inducing doorstop caricatured by Twain. There are books and other aids out there to help you with a subject that you may not fully understand. IF you find the Elizabethan language of the original hard to understand then this make a good companion volume. He reads between the lines, against the grain, and just pays good attention, and his hard work is richly rewarded. 29/04/2020 Duration: 05min Teancum takes his religious liberty into his own hands. 29/04/2020 Duração: 05min Teancum takes his religious liberty into his own hands. Buy Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide by Hardy, Grant (ISBN: 9780199731701) from Amazon's Book Store. Help you better understand the Book of Mormon by listening to this podcast. The Book of Mormon is a sacred text that was published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. He was fine when confining his analysis to the actual evidence in the book. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi. However, like some others, I had a hard time with Hardy's judgmental approach to several of his subjects. We will be talking about another strategy to enhance our study of the Book of Mormon. A chapter by chapter podcast to help us Understand The Book of Mormon Mostrar mais. from Brigham Young University where he studied Ancient Greek. For a faithful member of the Mormon community, or at least anyone who chooses to give the primary distinctive scripture used within the Mormon church, I can't recommend this book more highly. 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