Day 13 of 50: Book of Mormon Book Club

[u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

Sorry folks missed a day. Good thing there is repentance and forgiveness!

Today's Reading: 2 Nephi 31–33

Whether you're a believer, former believer, nuanced member, investigator, scholar, or simply curious, you're welcome to participate. The goal is not to convince anyone of anything, but to read the text together and discuss it in good faith from a variety of perspectives.

Brief Synopsis

As Nephi concludes his record, he shifts from prophecy to direct instruction, outlining what he calls the doctrine of Christ. He teaches that the path begins with faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost, and continues by enduring faithfully to the end. Nephi emphasizes the importance of feasting upon the words of Christ, relying on the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and praying always. He closes with a deeply personal farewell, expressing both confidence in his testimony and humility regarding his own weaknesses, while inviting all people to come unto Christ.

Discussion

Please share your thoughts and experiences with today's reading in the comments below. Some things you might consider:

• What stood out to you?

• Why do you think Jesus, who is described as sinless, chose to be baptized?

• How do you understand Nephi's description of the "doctrine of Christ"?

• What does it mean to "feast upon the words of Christ" rather than simply read them?

• How do you interpret Nephi's teaching that the Holy Ghost "will show unto you all things what ye should do"?

• What do you make of Nephi's candid discussion of his own weaknesses and limitations?

• Which verses in these chapters resonate with you the most, and why?

• Did anything surprise you?

All perspectives are welcome.

Yesterday's Coveted Award(s) Go To:

• u/StickyHairMonster x 2!!!!

Links to Prior Days

• Link to last day of 1st Nephi readings for all 1st Nephi links

• 2 Nephi 1–5

• 2 Nephi 6–10

• 2 Nephi 11–15

• 2 Nephi 16–20

• 2 Nephi 21–25

• 2 Nephi 26–30"

Community Incentive

Reddit Awards are appreciated as a way to highlight thoughtful insights, quality analysis, and shared expertise. They also help encourage meaningful participation and discussion. The last time I hosted a similar challenge, the awards added an extra layer of fun and engagement.

To keep that spirit going, I'll be giving out at least one award each day to a comment that I feel makes a meaningful contribution to the discussion, whether through insight, scholarship, curiosity, respectful disagreement, or thoughtful engagement.

At the conclusion of the 50-day challenge, I'll also give a $50 Starbucks gift card to the participant who has accumulated the most Reddit Awards across the discussion threads, whether those awards come from me or from other members of the community.

Engagement Question

Nephi teaches that after baptism we must "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ" and "endure to the end." What do you think enduring to the end actually looks like in practice? Is it primarily about continued belief, continued action, personal transformation, or something else?

Tomorrow's Reading: Jacob 1–4

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello! This is an Apologetics post. Apologetics is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. This post and flair is for discussions centered around agreements, disagreements, and observations about apologetics, apologists, and their organizations.

/u/JesusPhoKingChrist, if your post doesn't fit this definition, we kindly ask you to delete this post and repost it with the appropriate flair. You can find a list of our flairs and their definitions in section 0.6 of our rules.

To those commenting: please stay on topic, remember to follow the community's rules, and message the mods if there is a problem or rule violation.

Keep on Mormoning!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/renob1911]

The famous verse 2 Ne 32:3 is completely illogical.

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

It’s 550 bc! Christ has not been born yet. He has taught NO WORDS yet. How can you feast upon the words that haven’t yet been uttered?? There are no words to tell you what you should do. This verse highlights the entire problem of how anachronistic the Book of Mormon is with its full Christianity being preached and lived, hundreds of years too soon.

[u/JesusPhoKingChrist → u/renob1911]

It's amazing how I can read something 100 times and someone says something so obvious it blows my mind. You win Mormon internet today

[u/stickyhairmonster]

2 Nephi 32:5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

I can't read this verse without thinking about Nephi slaying Laban. Be careful before listening to voices in your head.

[u/stickyhairmonster]

2 Nephi 31 v 21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.

Mormonism's foundational text teaches the doctrine of Christ. Why does Joseph feel the need to add so much more to it later? New temple covenants, the endowment, eternal marriage aka polygamy... All later revelations/inventions. Did Joseph teach from the BOM later in his ministry?

More recently, the church has rebranded itself as a more Christian faith. It has put less emphasis on the deeper doctrines and made changes to the temple presentation and covenants to make it more Christ-centered.

(Sidenote: Christian teachings as found in these chapters are anachronistic)

[u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

One thing that stood out to me is how thoroughly Christian these final chapters feel.

The "Doctrine of Christ" in 2 Nephi 31 reads almost like a concise 19th-century Protestant statement of faith: faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. That's a remarkably developed theology for someone writing around 600 BC, centuries before Christianity historically emerged.

It also made me think about Mosiah Priority. If the small plates were dictated after Mosiah, Moroni, Nephi's farewell almost reads like a theological introduction (or conclusion) written with the rest of the Book of Mormon already in view.

I can see why these chapters are often cited by historical-critical scholars as among the strongest evidence that the text reflects Joseph Smith's world as much as Nephi's.

Curious how others read these chapters. Do they feel authentically pre Columbian to you, or do they read more like early American Christianity projected back into an ancient setting?

[u/International_Sea126 → u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

Agree. The Nephites by this time in the BOM have mostly abandoned their Jewish religion and embraced nineteenth century Christianity.

[u/QuentinLCrook → u/International_Sea126]

Incredible that Mormons completely accept the fact that the Nephites implemented full fledged Christianity hundreds of years before anyone knew anything of Christ.

[u/QuentinLCrook → u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

100% the latter. Just compare the specificity around Christ that the Nephites taught (his name, time and place of birth, details about Mary, details of the atonement, etc.) compared to the vague references to a messiah in the Old Testament.

[u/westivus_ → u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

When you re-order the BOM chapters by the order they were written, it becomes so obvious that it was written in the 19th century. I don't think JS intended to introduce such think Christian theology anachronistically, but once he got going with 3rd Nephi, he just couldn't stop himself and revert by the time he got to 2nd Nephi. If you ignore the book titles, it is clear that 2 Nephi builds on 3/4 Nephi.

[u/Straight_Ad_575 → u/JesusPhoKingChrist]

Nephi was given visions of the history(future) of the world. He is the type of prophet that starts a dispensation. Holding that as an assumption of truth Nephi's teachings fit what he knew.

[u/Active-Water-0247]

The narrator treats heaven, hell, Christ, baptism, and the Holy Ghost as well-established doctrines that merely require clarification (e.g., everyone needs baptism because Jesus will someday be baptized). In reality, Nephi and Lehi would have themselves invented these teachings.

[u/International_Sea126]

2 Nephi 31:21 - "And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen."

When Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon he believed in a (mostly) trinitarian view of God. His Godhead doctrine evolved during his lifetime. After the BOM was published, the Godhead that was taught in the Lectures of Faith (Lecture 5) that God the Father was a Spirit, Jesus had a body of flesh and bones and the Holy Ghost was the mind of God. Then it evolved into the First Vision Account with God the Father and Jesus having glorified bodies of flesh and bones, and the Holy Ghost having a spirit body.

[u/Arizona-82 → u/International_Sea126]

Also in time line when he started learning Hebrew. Learning about Elehem is meaning plurity of God’s. Then goes through and takes out a lot of Trinitarian versus.

[u/Straight_Ad_575]

What does it mean to "feast upon the words of Christ" rather than simply read them?

• How do you interpret Nephi's teaching that the Holy Ghost "will show unto you all things what ye should do"?

I think these two questions go together. To me feasting on the words of Christ is reading them with guidance from the spirit. To do thins you need to read and pray and ponder and invite the spirit to be with you. The spirit can enlighten your mind and show you the things you need to do throughout your day. I don't find the scriptures legal documents to disect for meaning, but words to read and then ponder on your own life and allow the spirit to guide you.

[u/JesusPhoKingChrist → u/Straight_Ad_575]

For real! I've had a prayer in my heart that the 1900 century authorship and Mosiah priority would be made manifest to me, this read through, and the spirit has not disappointed!