Introduction

Thomas Jefferson was a naturalist. He did not believe in anything that wasn't able to be observed. He did not believe in miracles or anything supernatural. However, he recognized Jesus as a great moral leader and the bible as a culturally significant document. He wanted a version of the Bible that had no mention of miracles or anything supernatural, so he made one. He threw out all of the old testament and consolidated all of the gospels into one book. This created a version of the Bible that solely focused on the story and moral lessons of Jesus.

I am very Agnostic. I lean towards the high end of the Dawkins Scale. I think the Bible was created in a time when humans didn't understand the naturalistic world, but were trying to understand the world around them. I don't think the Bible was divinely inspired at all. However, the Bible does have some good moral lessons, and is the common mythology for the culture we live in. I find value in being familiar with it, just as an Agnostic in Greece would find value in the Greek mythology in ancient Greece or an Agnostic in the Nordic countries would find value in being familiar with Nordic mythology. I think Thomas Jefferson's Bible has struck a perfect balance between the 2 views on the Bible.

I see being Mormon as more than just a religious belief. It has a lot to do with ancestry, language, customs, culture, food, religious backgrounds, holidays, dress style, art, homeland, shared life experiences, and folk legends. In short, I believe being Mormon is a matter of ethnicity. As such, I still consider myself Mormon.

Since the Book of Mormon is a culturally significant document to Mormons, both believing and disbelieving, it is important to be familiar with and pass on the stories and moral lessons of the Mormon people to the next generation of Mormons. This version of the book of Mormon still tells the rise and fall of the Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites. It tells about their times of war, their times of peace, and the lessons they learned from both.

I wanted to emulate the work of Thomas Jefferson and create a "Jeffersonian Book of Mormon". The traditional Book of Mormon has too many problems with it, including historically, archeologically, and morally. This version of the Book of Mormon seeks to eliminate those problems. It takes place in a geographically neutral area and time. It also features an ommission of anachronisms, supernatural, and immoral parts of The Book of Mormon. To be very clear, the opinion of the author is that The Book of Mormon is a work of fiction, but still contains important and culturally significant moral lessons and stories.

To create this version of The Book of Mormon, I used the Community of Christ "Revised Authorized Version" and the standard online Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints version to draw from. The verses more closely resemble the CoC version, but the chapters more closely resemble the LDS version. However, the language and formatting have been updated even further to make it more understandable and flow better. In addition, some books, such as Mosiah, have been broken up to more easily differentiate between who the focus of the narrative is on. Where ever these break ups are found, a note as been added to the beginning of the book so you can compare to a traditional version of The Book of Mormon.

This is a great "compromise" for mixed faith couples. It teaches the moral and cultural lessons, but there is no religious aspect or immoral actions (such as beheadings).