For the first century or more of Mormonism, Mormons valued the Book of Mormon primarily because it served as proof of Joseph Smith's prophethood rather than for its contents. Their religious vocabulary continued to be construed in Biblical terms. Mormon emphasis on the Book of Mormon is a relatively recent phenomenon, perhaps having to do with the general decline in Biblical literacy among non-Mormons. The Book of Mormon now serves just as well for evangelistic purposes as the Bible to an audience that is familiar with neither.
Can I please have a citation on this? I'm not refuting this, but I've read histories regarding Mormons and religions and everything I've gathered pretty clearly says that Mormons viewed the Book of Mormon as equal to the Bible in importance. And many viewed that the book of Joseph Smith's revelations "Doctrine and Covenants" was also nearly as important. I find it really difficult to believe the primacy of the Book of Mormon is somewhat recent (especially since Mormonism was founded pretty recently!)
