If Mormons believe that the Bible is true. So long as its translated correctly. Because it has been altered several times. What makes The Book of Mormon any better. It has been changed several times as well.
According to the Mormon Church’s teaching manual, Gospel Principles, page 53,
Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon into English through the gift and power of God. He said that it is "the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (History of the Church, 4:461).
Yet, the book which Joseph Smith declared was "the most correct of any book on earth" (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 461) has been revised in over 3900 places. Most of these changes were made to correct embarrassing spelling and grammatical errors (this will be examined in more detail later in this article).
2007-10-19 05:05:40 · 12 answers · asked by Kevin C 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the Book of Mormon.
Changes in Doctrine. Key Passages on Deity in the original 1830 text of the Book of Mormon were changed in the 1837 edition to reflect Joseph Smith’s changing doctrine of Deity. Joseph originally taught that Jesus and the Father were the same person and that God had always been God, but later developed the idea that the Father and Son were separate Gods, each with a tangible body. Smith taught that both God the Father and Jesus had been mortal men. What follows are specific examples from the original 1830 first edition Book of Mormon (which did not have verse divisions) compared with the altered text of recent versions.
Original 1830 Text
Current, Altered Text
1 Nephi 3, p. 25* And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh
[View the 1830 Book of Mormon text.]
*The 1830 text did not have verse divisions.
1 Nephi
2007-10-19 05:06:58 · update #1
Changes to Latter-day Scripture
LDS Leaders Have Made Thousands of
Changes to Mormon Scriptures — Why?
Copyright © 1998 Institute for Religious Research. All rights reserved.
Many people are unaware that over the years the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) has made thousands of changes to its scriptures. LDS leaders have added and deleted words and tampered with previously published revelations by writing in new material and falsely attributing it to an earlier date. What follows are examples of some of the most significant revisions made to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Within this article are links to scanned images of these historical documents from the 1830s.
Changes to the Book of Mormon
According to the Mormon Church’s teaching manual, Gospel Principles, page 53,
Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon into English through the gift and power of God. He said that it is "the most correct of an
2007-10-19 05:09:07 · update #2
here is my source bud.. since you cant comprehend the fact that you have been taught BS your whole life. just accept it and move on man.
http://www.irr.org/MIT/changingscrips.html
2007-10-19 05:14:30 · update #3
Not only has the Book of Mormon been revised over and over, it also contains the plagiarized book of Isaiah, word for word from the KJV.
Run like the wind in the opposite direction from that cult, dear one!
God bless!
2007-10-19 05:18:08 · answer #1 · answered by Devoted1 7 · 2⤊ 8⤋
The Book of Mormon has had printers' and scribes' errors corrected, and some passages clarified. All this was done under the direction of a prophet of God, and therefore with divine authority. The church is not embarrassed at these changes and sees no problem with them - in fact, Deseret Book sells a facsimile of the original 1830 Book of Mormon.
Why would spelling and grammatical errors be embarrassing? Joseph dictated the words God gave him to a scribe. Like him, the scribes were poorly educated and they simply wrote what they heard him say as best they could.
I don't understand why you think it is terrible that the original was not divided into chapters and verses, and these divisions were added later - the same is true of the Bible!
The Book of Mormon does indeed quote large amounts of Isaiah, and it draws attention to this fact. Nephi begins by talking about the importance of scripture and prophecy, and then quotes several chapters of Isaiah because he considers it so important. Each chapter heading says "Compare Isaiah" and the relevant chapter. It is very similar, but not identical to, the King James version. And why shouldn't it be? That was the Bible in use at the time, and Heavenly Father wanted these parts to be recognisable as from the Bible.
Read the Book of Mormon. It is an amazing book. The characters of each of the writers are clear in the text, and there are some quite amazing feats of continuity which even a professional writer would have a hard time constructing.
It is a true work of holy scripture, another testament of Jesus Christ. Why do Christians, who so treasure the Bible and the words of Christ, not rejoice to hear that another record of His life and works has been brought to light?
2007-10-19 05:49:37 · answer #2 · answered by sunnyannie 5 · 6⤊ 0⤋
You got an old and tired argument here. Any book that is continually published will have corrections in grammar, punctuation and spelling, but that is not the point here. The doctrine in the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book, just as Joseph taught. Here is the difference between the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The Book of Mormon was translated directly and subsequently published. Changes since then are mainly grammatical. The Bible was put together by a committee who decided which books to include. These books had been translated and transcribed many times by then. Here's what it all really comes down to. I have a witness of the Book of Mormon through the Holy Spirit, and that's all I really need.
2007-10-19 05:51:14 · answer #3 · answered by Dave F 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Your friend must have been through the temple? Does he still wear Mormon underwear? It's common for people who leave Mormonism to struggle with freeing themselves of covenants they made in the temple. I have no idea why Estrato Seis says there are no secrets in Mormonism, unless he's equivocating over the word "secret." C'mon, the ordinances are secret. Can't they be secret and sacred? Richard Bushman made this comment last week in a lecture, pointing out that members don't even discuss them with each other. It's off-putting the way some members insist it's not a secret when it obviously is.
2016-03-13 01:54:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, that's a poor copy and paste job. There are key parts missing.
Second, Who's the one who can't move on?
Third, it seems like you've already got the "light" you need on the subject, so why ask?
Fourth, look at the process that the KJV translation went through. There were many more people with much more education who worked much longer on the translation. The Book of Mormon had one translator, a handful or scibes who weren't very educated.
2007-10-19 05:43:19 · answer #5 · answered by Senator John McClain 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Since you didn't include the supposed original vs. the supposed altered text, it is not possible to comment on it directly. Yes, the text has had minor changes, under the direction of the first presidency of the church. The doctrine has not changed. Joseph Smith knew from the very beginning, meaning the spring of 1820, that God and Christ were two separate and distinct beings because he saw them and talked to them in the grove by Palmyra when he was 14. His concept of deity was not an evolving thing. Text was conformed to be more correct.
As far as translations are concerned, The Book of Mormon had one translation from reformed Egyptian to English under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Susequent translations from English into the languages of the world have been done under the direction of the first presidency. The Bible underwent multiple translations from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to English or German and many others. I looked at three Bibles in the Portuguese language and the same passage had been translated three different ways. These translations were done by the wisdom of men and I am sure were done as correctly as those men could make it. However, men make mistakes. That is why we rely upon the spirit of inspiration when reading and studying so that we can understand by the spirit and not just rely upon our own understanding.
I testify to you that the Book of Mormon is a true record. Moroni left a warning in the end of the book stating that if there be mistakes in the record, they are mistakes of men, therefore criticize not the works of God. That means that even though men might have made mistakes in the record, the message is still from God and is true.
P.S. I am not impressed by your source. They are nitpicking at unimportant clarifications. The doctrine did not change. The concepts were there all along but for the benefit of weaker individuals, the clarification was added.
2007-10-19 05:19:32 · answer #6 · answered by rac 7 · 7⤊ 3⤋
My question is the Bible. What happened to the books left out? There was a council that decided what books would be part of it and which would not. There is a lot hidden for political reasons over the years. This what drove me out of that faith. Notice the Pagan rituals use in the church. They were included to keep the peace between the two faiths.
2007-10-19 07:32:15 · answer #7 · answered by Barry D 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I read this question until it referenced itself as "this article." Yahoo! Answers is for sincere questions, not for articles. This is what we call trolling. If you want real answers to your questions, post a question instead of copying and pasting from some anti-Mormon website.
2007-10-19 06:04:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
a scintilla of changes in modern true revelation scriptures such as BOM. Compared to the double digits changes in the Bible (& the age of said changes) it is "the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (History of the Church, 4:461).
2007-10-19 05:59:21 · answer #9 · answered by travis 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
not sure where you get your information from. there have been two changes in the book on Mormon. and you seem to be confusing some of the things that came from a prophet's mouth as to what is in the book of Mormon. those are two completely different sources on what we believe.
2007-10-19 05:11:31 · answer #10 · answered by plastik punk -Bottom Contributor 6 · 4⤊ 3⤋
"since you can't comprehend the fact that you have been taught BS your whole life"
It sounds like your a frustrated little soldier of Satan. God bless
2007-10-20 03:55:53 · answer #11 · answered by guest 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋