Editing Book of Mormon (section)

==== Dialogic revelation ====
{{See also|Revelation in Mormonism}}
In the Book of Mormon, revelation from God typically manifests as a dialogue between God and persons, characterizing deity as an anthropomorphic being who hears [[prayer]]s and provides direct answers to questions.{{sfn|Givens|2002|pp=217–219}} Multiple narratives in the book portray revelation as a dialogue in which petitioners and deity engage one another in a mutual exchange in which God's contributions originate from outside the mortal recipient.{{sfn|Givens|2002|pp=219–220|ps=. Givens refers to Nephi's encounter with Laban in which he is "constrained by the spirit" and to Enos's back-and-forth with the Lord as two examples of "conversational revelation" (1 Nephi 4:10–13; Enos 1:3–17).}} The Book of Mormon also emphasizes regular prayer as a significant component of devotional life, depicting it as a central means through which such dialogic revelation can take place.{{sfn|Givens|2002|pp=218–221}} While the [[Old Testament]] of the Christian Bible links revelation specifically to prophetic authority, the Book of Mormon's portrayal democratizes the idea of revelation, depicting it as the right of every person. Figures such as Nephi and [[Ammon (Book of Mormon missionary)|Ammon]] receive visions and revelatory direction prior to or without ever becoming prophets, and [[Laman and Lemuel]] are rebuked for hesitating to pray for revelation.{{sfn|Givens|2002|pp=221–224}} Also in contrast with traditional Christian conceptions of revelations is the Book of Mormon's broader range of revelatory content.<ref>"Christianity is centered on revelation, which contains within it a message ("good news") meant for the believer. Given this message, what is important is the ''content'' of revelation, while scripture is usually regarded as a mere means of transmission" in {{Cite book |last=Biderman |first=Shlomo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sb4nAAAAYAAJ |title=Scripture and Knowledge: An Essay on Religious Epistemology |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |year=1995 |isbn=9789004378919 |pages=11|postscript=;}} {{Harvnb|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=1392}}: "[T]he ''corpus'' of truth about Himself which God discloses to us"; {{Harvnb|Givens|2002|p=226}}: "We may contrast these examples with Shlomo Biderman's assertion .... In the Book of Mormon, what is important is not one ultimate Truth it embodies, but rather the ever-present reality of revelation it depicts".</ref> In the Book of Mormon, figures petition God for revelatory answers to doctrinal questions and ecclesiastical crises as well as for inspiration to guide hunts, military campaigns, and sociopolitical decisions.{{sfn|Givens|2002|pp=225–226}} The Book of Mormon depicts revelation as an active and sometimes laborious experience. For example, the Book of Mormon's [[Brother of Jared]] learns to act not merely as a petitioner with questions but moreover as an interlocutor with "a specific proposal" for God to consider as part of a guided process of miraculous assistance.{{sfn|Givens|2002|p=220}}