The Book of Mormon: Why I Now See It as Fiction, Not Fact
Growing up Mormon, I was taught that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book on the planet—a miracle of scripture that brought me closer to Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, claimed it was a translation from ancient golden plates buried in the Americas.
But years later, as I researched and critically analyzed these claims, I started to see the Book of Mormon in a very different light. Now, I believe it’s more a piece of historical fanfiction than a factual account of ancient Native American civilizations.
1. The Origins Story Doesn’t Hold Up
The origins of the Book of Mormon are presented as divine and miraculous, starting with Joseph Smith claiming to have found golden plates buried in New York. An angel supposedly guided him to these plates, and he translated their contents into what became the Book of Mormon.
This origin story is fundamental to the LDS Church, yet there’s zero archaeological evidence supporting any of the people, places, or epic battles mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Unlike the Bible, which references real, tangible places we can visit today, none of the Book of Mormon’s locations have been confirmed by mainstream archaeology. For a book that’s supposed to be historical scripture, that’s a pretty big red flag.
2. The Translation Process Wasn’t What We Were Taught
If you grew up in the church like I did, you probably remember pictures of Joseph Smith carefully reading from the golden plates, translating with the help of a scribe. It looked like a straightforward, academic process, right? But here’s the real story: Joseph Smith actually used a seer stone that he placed in a hat, then buried his face in the hat to read whatever “words” appeared. The plates themselves weren’t even in the same room most of the time. The LDS Church only started openly talking about this in recent years, releasing photos of the stone in 2015. For many of us who were taught a sanitized version of this story, it felt like a betrayal.
3. The Book of Mormon Is Packed with Anachronisms
The Book of Mormon mentions things like horses, steel, and even elephants—all things that didn’t exist in pre-Columbian America. It talks about civilizations with chariots and iron weapons, none of which are backed by archaeological evidence. These details might sound normal to someone in Joseph Smith’s 19th-century America, but they’re wildly out of place in a book claiming to be ancient scripture. When questioned, some LDS apologists argue that “horse” might really mean “deer” or that “steel” refers to something like obsidian. But that level of mental gymnastics just doesn’t sit right for a text that’s supposed to be divinely inspired.
4. Suspiciously Similar to Other 19th-Century Texts
If you look closely, the Book of Mormon is strikingly similar to another book from Joseph Smith’s time, View of the Hebrews, which claimed that Native Americans were descendants of ancient Israelites. Sound familiar? View of the Hebrews was published just a few years before the Book of Mormon and included theories, stories, and even plot elements that echo throughout Smith’s work.
Not to mention, around 30% of the Book of Mormon contains passages straight out of the Bible, down to specific phrasing and even punctuation from the King James Version. This all points more toward plagiarism than divine revelation.
5. The Church’s Shifting Stance on Native American Ancestry
For years, the LDS Church boldly claimed that Native Americans were descended directly from a group of Israelites who sailed from Jerusalem to the Americas—a claim that was a key part of Mormon theology.
But then DNA science came along, and it proved that Native Americans are actually more closely related to populations in East Asia, not the Middle East. Since then, the Church has quietly rephrased its doctrine, now saying Native Americans are “among” the ancestors of the people in the Book of Mormon. That’s a pretty big shift, especially for a church that once made bold, definitive statements about these origins.
Conclusion
The Book of Mormon is central to Mormon faith—it’s presented as evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the LDS Church is the one true church. But for those of us who start digging into the origins, translation methods, and archaeological inconsistencies, it becomes harder to see it as anything more than a well-crafted piece of historical fanfiction. If you’re questioning the faith or looking to understand these issues more deeply, remember that it’s okay to ask questions, research, and draw your own conclusions. In my experience, understanding the origins of the Book of Mormon can provide a lot of clarity.
