All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the 'elect' have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so 'slow,' so sleepy; such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle - keeping awake while he did it was, at any rate. If he, according to tradition, merely translated it from certain ancient and mysteriously-engraved plates of copper, which he declares he found under a stone in an out-of-the-way locality, the work of translating was equally a miracle, for the same reason.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker finds the Mormon Bible dull and questions its origin story.
- In plain terms
- The book seems boring and the story of how it was made is hard to believe.
- What can you take from it?
- Skepticism arises from uninteresting text and implausible claims.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a text credible?
- How do you judge religious books?
Another view
Taste in writing style is subjective.
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