Every time the question is asked, ‘What are some main themes of the Book of Mormon?’ or ‘What are some of the lessons we learn from the Book of Mormon?’ I always say, ‘Record keeping.’ And then I get weird looks from some people or questioning looks or insulted looks. Maybe record keeping doesn’t seem like an important lesson in comparison with the atonement, faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, prayer, etc. Or maybe I’m overreacting. But the more I read the book the more I see record keeping popping out of the pages.
When Lehi and his ohana left Jerusalem the Lord told him to go back and get the records kept by Laban. It was so important to retrieve these records that they were worth killing for. Nephi was told it was better for one man to perish than an entire nation to dwindle in unbelief. Right there we are taught the importance and power of those brass plates. Then when Lehi examines them in 1 Nephi 5:11-16 we find they contained what we have in the Old Testament down until king Zedekiah and we know there were many other things which we do not have today. These plates were to serve as their scriptures, history book, and genealogy book. I love verse 17 which says, ‘And now when my father saw all these things he was filled with the Spirit…’ Studying scriptures fills us with the Spirit.
Later in Mosiah 1:3-7 king Benjamin teaches us that because of the brass plates we can know the mysteries of God, the commandments of God, things will not be forgotten because they are written down, we will not dwindle in unbelief. But what he said in verse 5 caught my eye this time reading. He said that without the brass plates, “we should have been like unto our brethren the Lamanites who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them because of the traditions of their fathers, which are incorrect.” ZAPP! When we teach our children things contrary to what the scriptures teach us we make it hard for them to believe the truth when it is taught to them. Every time the Book of Mormon talks about the traditions of the Lamanites’ fathers that’s Laman and Lemuel who had the brass plates in their faces but chose to teach their children something else. This makes me worried about what I’m teaching my Sunday school class.
The book of Omni certainly teaches us the dangers of not having records in verses 17-18. The Mulekites brought no records with them and because of that their language became corrupt, they had many civil wars, and they completely forgot about God. I wonder why they were not commanded to bring records with them or even to keep records. Maybe it’s because God would later send them the Nephites. Who knows? By the time everyone is gathered together in Zarahemla the people have a plethora of records. They have the brass plates, the plates of Nephi, the record of Zeniff, the record of Alma and the Jaredite record.
In the Book of Mormon record keeping is a commandment. In the Bible it is mentioned throughout the Old Testament, especially, that records were kept but not by way of commandment. I wonder if that is one of the plain and precious truths that was taken out of the Bible through its many translations.