I am not Mormon, nor will I ever be. But I do indeed have relatives that are. I have read the Book of Mormon in its entirety during my studies of various world religions. I will use this space to tell how this religion started, but I will not digress into its philosophy.
The book was first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, NY. "The Prophet" Joseph Smith was a minimally educated but deeply religious 17-year old farm boy who was praying when, in 1823, an angel appeared before him. Identified as Moroni, the last Nephite record keeper and guardian of the gold plates of Mormon. These metal plates contain the engraved records of a Hebrew family fleeing Jerusalem from the invading Babylonians, sailed across the Oceans and colonized the New World 2000 years before Columbus. The records continue with the accounts of the descendents with their wars and issues of faith.
Moroni told Joseph the plates were buried in a stone box in a hillside (Hill Cumorah) near his home. Joseph found the plates but was forbidden to take them. Four years later Moroni allowed Joseph to take them and he then interpreted them with seer stones. When Joseph finished his manuscript, the angel took back the plates. Twelve people have written testamonies of seeing the plates, and several others have written testamonies witnessing the translation process.
Many believe that the Book of Mormon is a work of fiction due to lack of any archaeological evidence of the plates and the ancient civilizations described in the book. Even Native American history omits any part of a Hebrew origin in the Americas. But his followers cite his lack of education to be able to create such a long complex piece of writing.
Are Mormons Christian? The answer is yes. The Book of Mormon does not replace The Bible...it supplements it. Much as the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible both prophecy the coming of the Savior, so does the Book of Mormon. And after the resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem, He appears briefly in the New World before the Nephites to continue his service on Earth. Both mainstream Christains and Mormons alike are awaiting the second coming whereas today's Jews are still awaiting the first (since they rejected Him last time).
Hill Cumorah Visitor Center: http://hillcumorah.org/
This post was edited by Phil Payette at February 18, 2011 11:33:08 AM EST