Book of Mormon: Artifact or Artifice? Original article at
http://www.nauvoo.com/library/card-bookofmormon.html By RICHARD
PACKHAM Orson Scott Card is a popular and prolific writer of
inspirational fiction and science fiction. He is also a faithful
Mormon. He gives many of his novels a Mormon setting, and draws
many of his themes from Mormon history and Mormon teachings. In
this article he discusses the issue of whether the Book of
Mormon is an authentic ancient document (as Mormons claim), or
rather a work of fiction. Although that may not have been his
intention, Card gives us excellent reasons to view the Book of
Mormon as fiction. In this critique I will comment on most of
Card's arguments, which will be quoted in italics. After telling
us how much the Book of Mormon has influenced his life and his
work, Card begins his analysis of its authenticity: "Either
Joseph Smith's account is true, or it isn't. Either the
witnesses who said they saw the plates lied, or they didn't.
"These are false dilemmas. Two sen