Limit search to available items
Book Cover
E-book
Author Wolverton, Susan Stansfield

Title Having visions : the Book of Mormon translated and exposed in plain English / by Susan Stansfield Wolverton
Published New York : Algora Pub., ©2004

Copies

Description 1 online resource (xx, 323 pages) : illustrations, map
Contents The broad vision -- Joseph Smith, Junior -- Joseph Smith's childhood -- Joseph Smith, adolescent treasure hunter -- Joseph Smith's first vision -- Joseph Smith, prophet, seer, and revelator -- Death of the prophet -- The context -- Analysis of the Book of Mormon -- Origin of the native American Indians -- A 19th century view -- Origin of the native American Indians -- A 21st century view -- Will the Lamanites' skin color turn white? -- Contemporary Mormon gender roles -- When the leader speaks -- Re-visions -- Contemporary relevance of the Book of Mormon -- To the modern Mormon Church -- The contents of the Book of Mormon -- Summaries and modern language -- Translations of all chapters
Summary The archaic Elizabethan dialect and vocabulary in which The Book of Mormon was originally written is cumbersome to read and difficult to understand for 21st-century readers, making the language itself a barrier to knowing its content. While both the Bible and The Book of Mormon are written in a similar dialect, one reads like poetry and the other reads like a repetitive textbook. In Having Visions, the author presents an objective, respectful, and faithful translation of its content, accompanied with an historical and scientific context for understanding its insertion into the body of human affairs. In The Book of Mormon, the ancient American prophet Mormon presents the history of his people, the Nephites. The intent of the present book is to present "his story as told," and its relationship to "history as known," without altering its essence. Early readers of this translation have commented on the cardboard characters, the superficial story line and the repetitious narrative. "The battle scenes lack drama and suspense," they've said. "Your writing drones on like a grade-school text book." The fact is, that's the way The Book of Mormon presents the material. Having Visions seeks to trace the narrative through a bewildering stream of verbiage (without straying from a function of translation into analysis), but many sections remain confused; to add drama and elegance of language would be to introduce elements that just are not there. Other readers have been mystified by the inconsistencies in tense, style and narration; Mormon authorities explain them by noting that The Book of Mormon compiles the writings of 27 different authors, later abridged by two different editors before Joseph Smith. It should be noted that exhaustive archeological, genetic, and linguistic research has been undertaken by both proponents for, and detractors of, the existence of the Nephites. So far, no evidence supporting the claim has ever been found for any place, person, or event mentioned in The Book of Mormon, while abundant contradictory evidence has been discovered and independently verified. Susan Stansfield Wolverton is a pen name
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-323)
Notes Print version record
SUBJECT Book of Mormon -- Paraphrases, English
Book of Mormon -- Controversial literature
Book of Mormon fast
Subject RELIGION -- Christianity -- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)
Christianity.
Religion.
Philosophy & Religion.
Genre/Form Controversial literature
Paraphrases
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2004006348
ISBN 0875863108
9780875863108
1280656212
9781280656217