The book of Mormon and the future of Mormonism.(Religion)

IN APRIL 1830 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was formally organised, with six members. (1) The scriptural foundation of the church was the Book of Mormon, which had just been published. Mormon Prophet-Founder Joseph Smith, who held the copyright as "author and proprietor", but who is better known to Latter Day Saints as the "translator" of the Book of Mormon, said of the book, which he called the Keystone:

 
   I told the brethren that the Book of 
   Mormon was the most correct of any 
   book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and 
   a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its 
   precepts, than by any other book. 

Since that time the Book of Mormon has been the defining scriptural text of Mormonism. The Mormon Prophet gave many other revelations into the 1830s and up to his death in 1844, when he was murdered by a mob of about 150 men in Carthage, Illinois, while in jail to answer charges stemming from the destruction of a press which printed anti-Mormon material. Some of his other revelations are the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, which includes, purportedly, the writings of Abraham, and revelations from the writings of Moses. All of these revelations are today hotly debated by Mormon, non-Mormon and anti-Mormon scholars, writers and thinkers, as to their merits, their authenticity, and even whether they can pass as genuine Christian writings.

On the Book of Mormon, however, the Mormon leadership is unequivocal, and maintains the stand taken by Joseph Smith. James E. Faust, a member of the church's First Presidency, which consists of the top three men in the church, recently wrote in the church's monthly official magazine, Ensign:

 
   The Book of Mormon is a keystone because it 
   establishes and ties together eternal principles and 
   precepts, rounding out basic doctrines of salvation. 
   It is the crowning gem in the diadem of our holy 
   scriptures. 

Faust further emphasised, "One dictionary defines keystone as 'the central wedge-shaped stone of an arch that locks its parts together'. A secondary definition is 'the central supporting element of a whole'."

However, the main point of great contention about the Book of Mormon today is whether or not it is history. Debates about this rage through the publishing world and the internet. The church leaders, very much aware of the controversy, have distanced themselves from strict or literal claims to history. Faust again: