Skip to main content
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Every Mormon Should Read Studies of the Book of Mormon by B. H. Roberts.

 



I would probably say that the Book of Mormon is one of the most heavily criticized pieces of literature ever put into circulation. These criticisms go back even before it was published. From the moment Joseph Smith claimed he had access to an ancient record that God needed him to translate, people began theorizing about its origins. They criticized Joseph Smith, questioned his motivations, and doubted his inspirations.

Once the Book of Mormon was published, critics finally had the text itself. Since then, it has been torn apart, analyzed, and debated for nearly 200 years. If you want to dive into these criticisms today, you face an overwhelming mountain of material to sift through. That’s where I want to narrow the focus a bit by recommending one book: Studies of the Book of Mormon by B. H. Roberts. (affiliate link)



I recommend it for three reasons. First, it presents excellent criticisms of the Book of Mormon. Second, the controversy surrounding its content and publication history is fascinating. Third, because of the unique character of author, B. H. Roberts.

Who Was B. H. Roberts?

Brigham Henry Roberts was a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, a church historian, and a master theologian. He independently wrote a six-volume comprehensive history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (affiliate link). He defended the faith, published works on the Book of Mormon, and even served as an editor for church magazines.

Within leadership, Roberts was highly respected. He developed curriculum for quorum meetings of the Seventy, ensuring members of the quorum had a strong grasp of the faith's theology. He was such a strong writer that his books are still on shelves today, despite his death in 1933.

What makes Studies of the Book of Mormon unique is that it wasn’t published in his lifetime. Decades after his death, his family approached the University of Utah with manuscripts and correspondence he had left behind. These documents included his detailed studies of the Book of Mormon, as well as letters exchanged with other church leaders. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the university finally published them, complete with introductions by professors B. H. Madsen and Sterling McMurrin.

Both introductions emphasize that Roberts never wavered in his faith. McMurrin even described him as the church’s “chief defender of the faith.” Yet despite Roberts’s loyalty, his manuscripts reveal how seriously he wrestled with difficult questions about the Book of Mormon.

The Five Questions

The manuscripts trace back to a man named Mr. Couch, who raised five questions about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon:

    1. How could the great diversity in primitive Indian languages have occurred in such a short period after about A.D. 400, when the Nephites, whose Hebrew language was so highly developed, disappeared?

    2. The Book of Mormon reports that the followers of Lehi, upon their arrival in the New World, found horses, which were not in existence when the first Spanish explorers arrived.

    3. Although the Jews had no knowledge of steel in 600 B.C., Nephi was reported to have had a bow of steel after he left Jerusalem.

    4. The Book of Mormon speaks of “swords and scimiters,” and yet the word “scimieter” does not appear in early literature before the rise of Mohammedanism, which took place after Lehi departed from Jerusalem.

    5. Even though silk was not known in America, the Nephites knew of and used silk.

Roberts produced a 141-page study responding to these questions. His conclusion was sobering: the church had no adequate answers. He sent his findings not only to William Riter (the man in contact with Couch) but also to the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Quorum of the Seventy.

Roberts insisted that church leaders needed to be familiar with these issues, since they would affect the faith of future generations. But his warnings fell flat. During multi-day meetings where he presented his research, many leaders grew disinterested, went off on tangents, or dismissed his concerns.

Roberts was frustrated. In a letter to President Heber J. Grant, he admitted he was “painfully conscious” that the church was ill-prepared to face critics. Leadership, meanwhile, preferred to ignore the issues. To them, the Book of Mormon simply stood on its own.

Roberts Goes Further

Unsatisfied, Roberts began a second study. This time he explored what sources might have influenced Joseph Smith if the Book of Mormon was not ancient. He examined cultural ideas, sermons, and popular writings of the time—especially theories that Native Americans were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel.

He noted Joseph Smith’s talent as a storyteller, his ability to absorb information, and the possibility that he could have created the book without reading much formal literature. He also examined parallels with Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews, producing a comparative study that he summarized in this collection.

Why This Book Matters

Studies of the Book of Mormon contains three parts:

  • Book of Mormon Difficulties: Roberts’s 141-page response to Couch’s five questions.

  • A Book of Mormon Study: His exploration of sources and influences available to Joseph Smith.

  • A View of the Hebrews Comparison: A summary of a larger unpublished study.

So why do I, as someone who no longer believes in the Book of Mormon, recommend this book? Because Roberts was willing to ask the hard questions.

He stood before the entire leadership of the church and said, “We don’t have answers.” He knew it would cause discomfort, but he pressed forward anyway. That example is powerful.

It shows that questioning is not the same as sinning. It’s part of the learning process. Blindly ignoring doubts brings no growth. But asking questions—no matter how hard they are—opens the door to deeper understanding.

If you stay in the church after asking those questions, more power to you. If you leave, more power to you. All that matters is that you are well informed.

Check Your Understanding:

Test how well you understand the history, concerns, and significance of B. H. Roberts’s work.

1. Why does the article recommend *Studies of the Book of Mormon*?




2. Who was B. H. Roberts?




3. What was unusual about the publication history of Roberts’s studies?




4. What did Roberts conclude after responding to Mr. Couch’s five questions?




5. How did many church leaders react when Roberts presented his findings?




6. What did Roberts explore in his second study?




7. Why is Roberts’s work seen as important today?




8. What does the article say is most important when confronting difficult questions about the Church?




Category:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mormon Blood and the Esther Cohen-Tizer-Epstein Letter

With the recent release of nearly 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files, there have been several connections made regarding Jeffery Epstein paying tuition for several students at BYU. The most notable of which is presented in what is known as the Esther Cohen-Tizer-Epstien Letter.    Some are questioning the authenticity of the letter, but some clues seem to point us to a woman named   Esther Cohen .  Lets look at a few connections. Note that these connections are not an attempt at making any accusations and are simply connections made through publicly available information. I will be updating this page as I find more information. EFTA00129111  Reference to the Seven Bowls School of Nutrition From Esther's website: alchemyofnourishment.com (Update March 04, 2026: The site seems to have been taken down) She began studying nutrition as a teenager: Which also seems to align with her site. Alchemy of Nourishment Along with the claim of residing in Colorado Alc...
3 comments
Read

Candon Dahle to Marry After Child Abuse Conviction

Former BYU baseball player Candon Dahle is expected to marry this week, less than a year after receiving a plea deal that allowed him to avoid sex offender registration despite admitting guilt to two felony counts involving the abuse of a child. News of the wedding has reignited criticism online, where many argue Dahle's return to ordinary life has come far too quickly in light of the allegations against him.  The topic was recently discussed on Instagram by  @justinthenickofcrime View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin (@justinthenickofcrime) Dahle first made headlines in February 2025 when he was charged in Fremont County, Idaho, with felony lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16. According to the probable cause affidavit summarized by East Idaho News , prosecutors alleged Dahle sexually abused an 11-year-old girl and covered her mouth during one of the assaults. Authorities also filed a separate juvenile case in neighboring Bing...
1 comment
Read

Visualization of the LDS Canon

Around the 1230s, Hugh of Saint-Cher and a team of Dominican scholars produced the first Bible concordance, working through the Latin Vulgate and recording where its words appeared. Because modern verse numbers did not yet exist, the compilers divided chapters into smaller lettered sections so readers could locate an occurrence. Printing made the method far more useful. John Marbeck published the first complete concordance to the English Bible in 1550 . Alexander Cruden's Complete Concordance followed in 1737 and became one of the best-known English Bible reference works. The basic structure remained familiar for centuries: choose a word, then receive a list of passages where it occurs. Latter-day Saints soon adopted the same approach for their own scriptures. In 1900, George Reynolds published A Complete Concordance to the Book of Mormon in Salt Lake City. The 852-page volume was the product of roughly twenty years of work and classified the words of the Book of Mormon so reade...
Post a Comment
Read

The "Mormon" Trademark is About to Expire

 The request for Mormon Stories to rebrand has spread quickly through Mormon spaces. Followers learned that om November 14th 2025, the LDS Church had reached out with claims that the podcast was infringing on the “Mormon” trademark. The demand leaned on the legal idea that the Church owns the word.  The request was shared on social media by @mormstories, but those posts seem to have been removed. Fortunately, copies of the email were  shared on reddit. But there is a significant detail sitting behind this entire dispute. The Church will have to renew the "Mormon" trademark in the 2026 to 2027 window.  Source: USPTO database When that time comes, they must prove that they still use the word “Mormon” in active commerce. USPTO rules are clear on this point. A trademark only survives if the owner can show that it is still printed on actual goods or services that are still being sold or distributed. The official guidelines spell it out at uspto.gov under “ Keeping your r...
3 comments
Read

Everything You Need to Know About the Salt Lake Temple

  The Salt Lake Temple will open to the public from April 5 through October 1, 2027, before it is rededicated and again restricted to Latter-day Saints with temple recommends. [2] Reservations opened on September 1, 2026, and one million tour spaces were claimed in less than 24 hours. [1] The Church describes the event as only the second public open house in the temple’s 134-year history. [2] The building visitors will enter is both old and substantially new. [12] [13] Construction began in 1853 and ended with the temple’s dedication in April 1893, but the interior has been altered repeatedly since then. [3] [20] The current renovation adds about 100,000 square feet of underground space, two baptistries instead of one, five instruction rooms, and 22 sealing rooms instead of 13. [12] The temple now rests on 98 base isolators about 20 feet below the structure, part of a seismic system designed to allow substantial horizontal movement during a major earthquake. [14] [24] The chan...
Post a Comment
Read

The Church is Changing the Sunday Schedule... Again

On September 6, 2026, Latter-day Saints will arrive at church to find the second hour rearranged. Sacrament meeting will remain no longer than 60 minutes. Adults and youth will then attend 25 minutes of Sunday School every week, followed by 25 minutes of Relief Society, elders quorum, Young Women, or Aaronic Priesthood quorum instruction. Primary will meet for 55 minutes. The alternating schedule introduced with two-hour church in 2019 will be gone.¹ The First Presidency's March announcement put the change plainly: In the new schedule, sacrament meeting will continue to be no longer than 60 minutes. After a 5‑minute transition, youth and adults will attend a 25‑minute Sunday School class each week. Following another 5‑minute transition, they will attend a 25‑minute priesthood quorum, Relief Society, or Young Women meeting. Primary will continue to meet weekly and will now last 55 minutes.¹ The schedule is a modest administrative revision. The institution capable of making it, thoug...
Post a Comment
Read

The 1911 Salt Lake Temple Photographs

In September 1911, President Joseph F. Smith received eight unauthorized photographs of the Salt Lake Temple interior and a letter from Salt Lake theater promoter Max Florence. Florence said his associates controlled sixty-eight negatives and suggested that, unless the Church bought them, the images could be sold to magazines, postcard makers, or lecture bureaus. Smith refused. “I will make no bargain with thieves or traffickers in stolen goods,” he replied. Within days, the Church published seven of the photographs itself. What had begun as a secret photography project inside the temple had become a public contest over who would control the images and what the public would be allowed to see. [1] , [3] , [4] How Bossard got inside Bossard was twenty-one years old when his name became public in September 1911. He had emigrated to Utah after converting to Mormonism, had been baptized in 1907, and had received an Aaronic Priesthood ordination in 1908. By 1911, however, he had b...
Post a Comment
Read

A Girl's Letters from Nauvoo.

On January 3, 1843, Charlotte Haven sat down in a small cottage overlooking the Mississippi and wrote to her parents in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She had arrived in Nauvoo only days earlier to spend the winter with her brother Henderson and his wife, Elizabeth. Haven was not a Latter-day Saint. Her skepticism appears in the opening lines: [1] As I write Nauvoo, I look at the word with perfect amazement, and almost doubt my own senses when I find myself an inhabitant of this city of fanatics, for never did I expect to see the place, far less to indite letters to my dear parents from it. [1] Haven's letters appeared nearly forty-eight years later in the Overland Monthly under the title "A Girl's Letters from Nauvoo." They are openly critical and should be read as one outsider's testimony, not as a neutral transcript. Still, she recorded small details that official histories often leave out: the bitter cold, muddy streets, unfinished homes, crowded worship services,...
Post a Comment
Read

Are You Temple Worthy?

Temple worthiness isn’t just about "good behavior" in Mormon teaching. It’s a gate that determines who qualifies for the highest blessings the religion offers. The church teaches that only people judged worthy can enter the temple, make covenants, and receive the ordinances that lead to exaltation, which is the belief that humans can become like God and live forever with their families in the celestial kingdom.  This makes worthiness interviews a spiritual checkpoint that can shape someone’s identity, their standing in the community, and even their hope for eternity.    Are You Worthy to Enter a Mormon Temple? Are You Worthy of the Mormon Temple? Yes No Restart Enter the Temple
6 comments
Read

What Would It Take to Show Christianity Is False?

If Christianity's central claims are correct, then the universe has a creator who became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, died for the sins of the world, rose bodily from the dead, and continues to offer eternal life to those who trust in him. If these claims are true, they deserve not merely admiration but allegiance. They would represent the defining events of human history. If they are false, however, the implications are equally profound. Christianity has shaped civilizations, inspired art, influenced governments, comforted the dying, motivated charity, justified wars, and guided the lives of billions of people. A religion with that kind of influence should not simply be accepted because it is ancient or widely believed. It should be examined with the same seriousness its claims demand. C. S. Lewis understood this point perhaps better than anyone. Although remembered as one of Christianity's most influential defenders, he famously observed in God in the Dock: Essays on Theol...
1 comment
Read