Circle Squared
A Textual Analysis of the Book of Mormon
Chapter 1: "Stiff Nakedness"
Chapter Summary:
The Nephites keep the law of Moses, look forward to the coming of Christ, and prosper in the land--Many prophets labor to keep the people in the way of truth. About 399–361 B.C.
In the same fashion as Enos, Jarom takes the reigns of the gold plates from his father and records virtually nothing. In an attempt to disclaim his brevity and admitted lack of substance, Jarom explains that those who came before him have said all that needs to be said:
"2 ...but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me."
Apparently, Jarom believes that the only reason he should keep any records at all is to track the genealogy of his family. In an inadvertent way, Jarom suggests that his revelations and prophecies are redundant and not very helpful to others--least of all to the target audience of the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites.
I find such self-deprecating humility to be uninteresting, and very often feigned and self-serving. At least, this is my impression of religious people who, in a single breath, claim utmost humility and a divine calling.
Further demonstrating that he is his father's son, Jarom describes the Nephites the same way Enos did, while reminding us that at any moment god could decide to be a dick:
"3 Behold, it is expedient that much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the stiffness of their necks; nevertheless, God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet swept them off from the face of the land."
How nice of god to not destroy his children for doing exactly what he designed them to do.
This line of thinking, if you can call it that, still exists in a large segment of Mormon culture. You may be hard-pressed to find a Mormon spokesman willing to claim specific transgressions to be the cause of a specific calamity (the Church's PR department has made great strides in recent years), but there is no shortage of Mormon laypersons willing to make this connection.
To make matters more disturbing, the Book of Mormon supports such ludicrous illogical leaps, as Jarom indicates here. But, the faithful are also met with catastrophic circumstances every bit as much as the wicked. Just ask Mormons about the persecution of their earliest pioneers. Seriously, ask them. They can't shut up about how downtrodden they were.
So, which is it? Will righteousness or wickedness bring about hardship in life? Which will make one's life less disastrous? Or is it all a crapshoot?
In a rare example of nuance (see my rant on black and white generalizations in the previous chapter), Jarom points out that not every Nephite fits his stereotype of spiritual stubbornness; some might even be good:
"4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith."
It may be that Jarom (or Joseph) is only skimming the surface of a long historical period, but most of the remainder of the chapter is dedicated to praising the Nephites for following the Law of Moses and believing in Jesus "as though he already was." There is some mention of defenses made against the war-hungry Lamanites, who "love murder" and "drink the blood of beasts."
Additionally, there is yet another claim that the ancient Native Americans used iron and steel to make tools, which no archaeologist has been able to corroborate with physical evidence. But who needs evidence when you're a money-grubbing treasure hunter starting a religion based on a gold holy book, which seems to be about as tangible as the warm and fuzzy feelings said to be divine confirmation of the book's authenticity? Ain't that right, Joe?