A Māori View of the Book of Mormon

Authors

Louis Midgley

Keywords

Bible, Old Testament, Psalms, Book of Mormon Books, 2 Nephi, Nephi's Psalm, Book of Mormon as Literature

Abstract

The M?ori people read and understood the Book of Mormon from their own cultural perspective. Rather than examining particular verses for doctrinal content, the M?ori viewed the Book of Mormon as a moral story of a people with failings and strengths. They likened the stories to themselves, feeling they lacked the spiritual strength to stay on a righteous path for long. They saw a tragic story of families in conflict and subtribes and tribes quarreling with each other and bent on revenge for personal insults and factional quarrels. The kinship ties seemed particularly relevant to them. The Book of Mormon can be read in multiple ways and will be interpreted according to the cultural background of those reading it.

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Midgley, Louis (1999) "A Māori View of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 8: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol8/iss1/3