The Book of Mormon

I have recently received a copy of the Book of Mormon from some missionaries that I met at my friends house. I decided that I'm going to read the entirety of it. I can't say whether something is good or bad unless I give it a chance first. Don't knock it 'til you try it. (This applies to everyone!)

I have so far read the First Book of Nephi and I have to say, there are other phrases in that you can start a paragraph with other that, "It came to pass." Seriously the most commonly used phrase in the entire thing is "It came to pass." For God's sake, Nephi (or Joseph Smith depending on your beliefs), get some vocabulary! I tallied all the times that this phrase was used in this particular book. 182 times in 22 chapters. That is 8.27 times per chapter! Each chapter is only two to three pages long! Seriously, I don't care who wrote it, There has got to be more phrases you could use (or better yet just leave it out entirely).

Other than the excessive use of the phrase, "It came to pass." (Crap, now I've got myself doing it!) I thought it was interesting that the character (he's a literary character whether he existed or not), Nephi who narrates this book kept informing the reader that he only put in what he deemed to be holy. That was his reason for not including on the begetting. While I am thankful to the author for not including the begetting (seriously, watching dust collect is more interesting than those chapters of Genesis), I think it was incredibly unnecessary for him to explain why every four chapters. I would think that if he was truly a prophet of god then he wouldn't have to explain himself. Then again, if I was one (likely I never will be), then I'd be a little bit terrified that people would ridicule my work. Seriously, can you imagine having to write down the word of god, then have some old guy sit there and yell at you because it wasn't done traditionally with pages upon pages of begetting?

At the beginning of the book, Nephi actually says that he wrote these on gold plates that he made. If that's the case I can understand not wanting to carve all the begetting. It does, however, seem like a waste of time to write down what you're writing on when whoever reads it can probably see. I guess maybe if you're expecting things it to be translated... It still seems like a waste of time. It even says in Joseph Smith's testimony at the beginning, what the book was originally written upon. (God could just tell Joseph Smith what who made the plates.)

As for other aspects of the book, Joseph Smith's testimony at the beginning seemed a little bit convenient. He says that god told him not to show the plates of Nephi (which had the book of Mormon written on it) to anyone else, but later is informed that he can show them to eight select family members and friends, but then again "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing." (I think that's from The Polar Express.)

One more thing I find amusing and by no means is exclusive to The Book of Mormon, is that the pictures of Jesus are of a blonde haired blue eyed guy. Jesus was born in the middle east. I highly doubt that he was Aryan.