It is my understanding that Mormons believe the Bible is altered and incorrect, why?
2007-09-14 18:56:57 · 13 answers · asked by Smarty Pants 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
hmmm.
then why do mormons give out free Bibles?
2007-09-14 18:59:54 · answer #1 · answered by Tim 47 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
We don't believe it is perfect because of how the Bible came to be.
Desiree, please read up on this before you start taking things out of content after all were you quoting Revelations or Deuteromemy
The Bible was not compiled until the 4th Century. It was made up of the Torah (Jewish books) and of scrolls used by Christians. Alexander the Great assigned a scribe to go through the scrolls and choose that that seemed the most correct. The scribe choose of all the scrolls which ones would be in the Bible. Many other scrolls were not chosen or were incomplete/ripped, etc. What is in these other scrolls? Were they things the scribe did not understand, did not agree with or were they just written so long after the first scrolls that they did not hold truth or where they just duplicates of earlier scrolls? He decided what order the books were put in and funny thing is that the scripture in Revelations that Desiree is quoting was actually written before Acts by put later in the Bible. Once this was done it was presented to a council and voted on. The Eastern Church approved this but not the Roman church. They had changes they wanted made. Those changes were made and the Roman Catholic Church approved that version (this is why the Eastern Orthodox / Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church are all using different versions of the Bible.
Then as time went on others revised the Bible even more (there are at least 27 different versions of the Bible in English a lone that I am aware of.
So, how can we be sure the Bible is the complete word of God and that it is translated correctly? We can’t that is why the Mormons feel it is not complete or 100% correct. When examined it is an easy conclusion to make.`
We do believe though it has many wonderful truths and tells of of Jesus and his life and many of his teachings. We also feel the Old Testiment is a very good history of the Jewish people before the time of Christ.
2007-09-16 09:31:13 · answer #2 · answered by idaho gal 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Many Christian denominations have contrary opinion of the the inerrancy of the Bible, ie that every thing is literally accurate and infallibility, ie that what the scriptures say regarding matters of faith and Christian practice are wholly useful and true. Some denominations that teach infallibility hold that the historical or scientific details, which may be irrelevant to matters of faith and Christian practice, may contain errors.
What is the scorecard on these?
Catholics belief that all scripture is sacred and reliable because the biblical authors were inspired by God. However, the human dimension of the Bible is also acknowledged as well as the importance of proper interpretation.
The Eastern Orthodox Church also believes in unwritten tradition and the written scriptures.
Evangelical churches which hold to Biblical inerrancy will often make a prominent, unambiguous statement supporting this in a list of their beliefs.
The Wesleyan and Methodist Christian tradition affirms that the Bible is authoritative on matters concerning faith and practice. The United Methodist Church does not use the word "inerrant" to describe the Bible, but it does believe that the Bible is God's Word, and as such, is the primary authority for faith and practice.
The larger Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada do not officially hold to biblical inerrancy, though there are those within the ELCA and ELCIC who are Inerrantists.
There does not seem to be a uniform belief among Christians. Therefore it is not a surprise that Mormons have an alternative opinion to other churches, but not one totally contrary to all.
2007-09-18 04:17:55 · answer #3 · answered by Isolde 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A great example is how often in the Old Testament the LORD repents. How can a perfect being repent? Either He isn't perfect or the writing isn't. Both cannot be. We do not believe the Bible is totally incorrect. In fact in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon it says "The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel. "
We believe both books contain the fulness of the gospel. There are just some translational errors in the Bible, and a few unclear things.
2007-09-15 10:54:11 · answer #4 · answered by Senator John McClain 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
The Mormon is not the only one that realized the Bible is not totally accurate in some areas. Any one with common sense knows that there are numbers of times the Bible has been translated, and has many many different versions.
So you tell me, for a book that has been handle so much, you sure there is no errors?
We Mormons believe the bible still contains many truths, but we also knows that there are errors in the Bible also.
2007-09-14 20:27:49 · answer #5 · answered by Wahnote 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
"We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly..."
That is one of our articles of faith. We believe there are a few verses - which Joseph Smith retranslated through the direction and power of God - that are not entirely explained in full detail..
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jst/contents
Following are selected portions of the Joseph Smith Translation of the King James Version of the Bible (JST). The Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to restore truths to the Bible text that had become lost or changed since the original words were written. These restored truths clarified doctrine and improved scriptural understanding. The passages selected for the Guide should help improve your understanding of the scriptures regardless of the language into which they are translated.
Because the Lord revealed to Joseph certain truths that the original authors had once recorded, the Joseph Smith Translation is unlike any other Bible translation in the world. In this sense, the word translation is used in a broader and different way than usual, for Joseph’s translation was more revelation than literal translation from one language into another. For more information about the JST, see “Joseph Smith Translation (JST)” in the Guide to the Scriptures.
That is taken from the website given you. If you wish, look it up and see some of those translations, like it says, they are more "further explained" truths than things that are "changed".
We do not think that what is in the Bible is INcorrect, we just believe there are some things that aren't clearly explained and some things had been left out...
2007-09-15 05:32:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋
I am not Mormon and I don't believe that the Bible is perfect. I have no idea what the Mormons believe abut the validity of the Bible, but they still have it.
2007-09-14 19:00:36 · answer #7 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Mormons are Christians. The bible is an edited document that was assembled to support the early church's approved assertions. (see council of Nicaea)
The Church of Later Day Saints have recognised that and also have the book of Mormon as a text. Oddly they do not find the language of that book being consistent with the KJ bible odd.
2007-09-14 19:28:47 · answer #8 · answered by bran_everseeking 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Because our ancestors voted on it. Catholics believe the pope is infallible. It depends on the denomination. My denomination believes that the Bible is not a textbook, but a roadmap, because we are all on a journey. Our final destination is the Holy Land. The messages portrayed in the Bible are stories about great moments in Judaism and Christianity. They are great role models and their actions speak much louder than their words. Did Moses part the red sea? The Bible says he did. The greater message there is that he had so much faith in God that he cried out and asked for the waters to be parted, rather than crossing at another location. Jesus was born a man, and died a man. He taught us lessons of love, hope, and faith. Its his resurrection that made him Holy. I don't know much about Mormons(other than what South Park taught me, and i'm sure thats not exactly accurate) but I do know that they are God fearing people who worship Jesus Christ. I think that is the most important thing.
2007-09-14 19:10:20 · answer #9 · answered by nemorino147 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The Bible was written by MEN, tanslated by MEN, interpreted by MEN, and MEN are imperfect. Therefore, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, etc., are only as perfect as the MEN who wrote them, translated them, etc.
The Bible CAN'T be complete, be ALL the words God is ever going to give us.
IMHO, anyone who believes the Bible to be perfect might just be Bible worshippers.
2007-09-16 06:09:06 · answer #10 · answered by mormon_4_jesus 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Well when priests, monks, etc. had to hand write the bible, it is not too far fetched to see a monk re-writing the bible and accidentally changing a word or two....or, even yet, to see a monk who thought "hmmm Jesus wouldn't have said that, he would said this" and then change a verse in the bible.
We believe the King James Version to be the most correct translation. Although we know it is not exactly how the early books were written.
2007-09-14 19:00:57 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 1⤋