The Romantic movement, contemporary with Joseph Smith, was fascinated by storms and chaos—their spontaneous self-organization, complexity, destruction, and unpredictability. Similarly, the Book of Mormon makes much use of chaos, with its many instances of catastrophe, the reappearance of robbers and outlaws, its apparition of Jesus, and the twisted fates of its Nephites and Lamanites. Using contemporary chaos theory, and following The Book of Mormon’s many nonlinear roots, can reveal new insights into its message and meaning.

Brian W. Kassenbrock