Mormonism

Ok, just my two cents worth here. I'm also a lapsed mormon, (not as a result of anything done by the church, mostly due to family issues)

One thing you don't seem to take into account when trying to compare the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price to the Bible is simply your assumption that the Bible is correct, as it stands. Latter-day saints believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.

After years of Seminary, and countless hours of studying various religions and points of view, I (along with many others) have come to realize that the modern "Bible" is not, in fact, the same bible text that was written by the Apostles.

Listed below are only SOME of the revisions to the bible that evangelicals claim to be the 'word of god'. Cracks me up that they don't know or want to understand that the bible has been changed, revised and modified for centuries.

Misprints in the Bible have always been of particular concern. An edition in 1631, nicknamed the "Wicked Bible," omitted the word not from Exodus 20:14, changing the prohibition against adultery into the command: "Thou shalt commit adultery." A contemporary historian recorded that

His Majesties Printers, at or about this time, had committed a scandalous mistake in our English Bibles, by leaving out the word Not in the Seventh Commandment. His Majesty being made acquainted with it by the Bishop of London, Order was given for calling the Printers into the High-Commission, where upon Evidence of the Fact, the whole Impression was called in, and the Printers deeply fined, as they justly merited. With some part of this Fine Laud [Archbishop William Laud] caused a fair Greek Character to be provided, for publishing such Manuscripts as Time and Industry should make ready for the Public view.

Other notable changes:

· Latin Vulgate (St. Jerome) c.400: the Bible of the Western Church through the middle ages; still the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church.

· Wycliffe (& Purvey) c.1385: first translation of whole (or most of) Bible from Vulgate into vernacular, medieval English -- [n.b. complete Wycliffe Bible not published until 1850].

· Martin Luther c.1522: translation of the Greek N.T. and Hebrew O.T. into vernacular German; still the standard Bible of German Protestants [Lutheran].

· Tyndale c.1525: translation of Greek N.T. [consulting Vulgate and Luther's German translation] and parts of Hebrew O.T. -- fixed the English translation style.

· Coverdale c.1535: little change from Tyndale's, but with new translations for previously undone portions of O.T. from Vulgate and Luther's [not orig. Hebrew]; Coverdale's PSALMS still used by Anglicans and Episcopalians in Book of Common Prayer.

· Matthew c.1537: Essentially Tyndale's but a publication authorized by the king (Henry VIII); the first authorized or licensed English Bible - [though license was extended to Coverdale's later editions].

· Great Bible (Cranmer) c.1540: revision of Matthew's Bible produced in a large size; undertaken at Cromwell's suggestion and claimed the "Bible appointed to the use of the churches".

· Geneva c.1560: revision/collation of Tyndale's and the Great Bible; first English translation to use the division into verses; considered most scholarly of early English versions; commonly used for many years - especially among Puritans - and commonly brought to America.

· Bishops' c.1568: a rebuttal by the bishops to the Geneva Bible (which they didn't like); borrowed heavily from Great Bible and, actually, also from Geneva Bible - including use of verses; uneven quality but formed basis for KJV.

· Rheims/Douay c.1582/1610: the official [English] Roman Catholic Bible; translation from Vulgate [n.b. Bishop Challoner revised in mid 1700's, sometimes called "Challoner-Rheims Version"].

· King James (or Authorized ) Version (KJV or AV) 1611: the standard authorized Bible of most Protestant churches for 2+ centuries; used the original Hebrew and Greek to inform comparison/revision of earlier English versions - [leaned heavily on Bishop's Bible; much of the language actually goes back to Tyndale's].

So, when you start comparing text of scripture, try figuring out if it's apples to apples or apples to grapefruit.

I'm an ex-Mormon who was strongly into apologetics. I've noticed a few items in your article that are inaccurate. When sharing the gospel with LDS or trying to prevent someone to convert to the LDS church, your information must be entirely accurate or else the walls of defense will come up and the "messenger" will be labeled a liar (by either intent or accident).

Below are my list of corrections with LDS documentation:

• 1) The LDS church releases it's numbers during their semi-annual General Conferences - held in April and October each year. Last head count of membership was 13 million worldwide. The membership grows more rapidly outside the US than inside it. These numbers do not reflect how many members are active, inactive, or having defected (become "apostates") from the LDS church but rather how many names (baptized members - meaning these can include children as young as 8 yrs old) are on their rolls. Regardless of how many people are not active or are now apostates, I don't believe the number would be as low as 4 million.
• 2) You Said: "In addition to using the Bible (which they believe is totally inadequate by itself to tell us what we need to know), mormons believe that the "revelations" received by Joseph Smith which came to be written down as the "Book of Mormon" are Scripture. They also base their religious system on two other books: "Doctrines and Covenants" and "The Pearl of Great Price" as well as the pronouncements of their "living prophets", which they teach are Scripture and binding on all true believers."

  The 8th Article of Faith states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." As far as printed documentation goes, this statement is no different than the 1979 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. However, in pratice one will notice that LDS depend more upon the other three standard works (BoM, D&C, and PoGP) than the Bible itself. Next, you have the Book of Mormon confused with Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph Smith's claim is that the Book of Mormon is the recordings of ancient people here in the Americas that were visited by the Savior. He does not claim to have written any part of it, but have instead translated different parts of it through the Holy Ghost. What is commonly not taught in the LDS church (and is naively defended by many members) is that Joseph Smith read the translation out of a hat (South Park had it right believe it or not). "He also stated that the Prophet translated a portion of the Book of Mormon with a seerstone in his possession. The stone was placed in a hat that was used for that purpose, and with the aid of this seerstone the Prophet would read sentence by sentence as Martin wrote, and if he made any mistake the sentence would remain before the Prophet until corrected, when another sentence would appear. " (-Testimonies of Book of Mormon Witnesses,, p.389-390).

  Now what Joseph Smith did claim and LDS do believe is that the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) were revelations received to Joseph Smith that he wrote down (originally known as the Book of Commandments) with the last few chapters being the exceptions. One example include the ending of polygny (aka polgamy)in one of the two offical declarations included in D&C. Your statement that LDS base their doctrine off the standard works (a quad - Holy Bible, BoM, D&C, and PoGP) and the words of living prophets is accurate. I simply want to expand on this for a moment. When an investigator, new convert, or returning member attends Sunday School (middle block meeting) they are encouraged to attend what is called, Gospel Principals. They are taught the following (in regards to scripture)

  "In addition to these four books of scripture, the inspired words of our living prophets become scripture to us. Their words come to us through conferences, Church publications, and instructions to local priesthood leaders. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9)." Gospel Principals, Unit Three, Chapter 10, p 52

• 3) "Good Mormons are required to do 2 years missionary work". This is also not entirally accurate (and we are shooting for accuracy I assume). Only LDS who are either BIC or convert before they are married will have a chance to serve an honorable two year mission, and even then - only young men. Young men may serve a mission at the age of 19 (or after) for two years , young women at the age of 21 and only for 18 months. If they are married, they must wait until their children are grown and they are able to serve as Sr. Missionaries and then for only 18 months.
• 4) I'd be very interested in where the teaching of eternal progression contradicts the Book of Mormon. The strongest arguement for contradiction comes from polgny in the book of Jacob 2:24-28. But I've not seen one for eternal progression.
• 5) For apologetic reasons, you might want to expand more on the Lorenzo Snow's comment:

  "I could not understand this, but years after in Nauvoo while talking upon a principle of the gospel, the Spirit of God rested powerfully upon me and showed me more clearly than I can now see your faces a certain principle and its glory, and it came to me summarized in this brief sentence: "As man is now, God once was; as God is now man may be." The Spirit of God was on me in a marvelous manner all that day, and I stored that great truth away in my mind. I felt that I had learnt something that I ought not to communicate to others. (15 June 1901, DN, p. 1.) " (Lorenzo Snow, The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, edited by Clyde J. Williams, p.2)

  For this, I refer back to my earlier comments about Gospel Principals on scripture. Notice Lorenzo Snow's comments, "The Spirit of God was on me in a marvelous manner all that day, and I stored that great truth away in my mind." He claims he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost and therefor, this statement is indeed scripture regardless of how FAIR apologetics skew it. Similar comments were also made by both Joseph Smith, Jr and Brigham Young in teaching about the nature of God and how important it was to acknowledge and know the "TRUE" nature of God.

• 6) I know Ed Decker's story about the Mormon god having eternal sex and eternally pregnant wives eternally giving birth to spirit children is very popular among critic circles, but can you provide some comment, teaching, or doctrine that backs this up? If someone talks to a LDS and simply says these things I've mentioned then that Latter Day Saint will zone them out and perceive them as ignorant in what they (LDS) believe.
• 7) Inside the LDS church - Jesus being practicing polgny is not far fetched. In one LDS apologetic book (meaning it defended the LDS church) I read (and loved)made a great case for Jesus having three wives, showed where in the Bible they were named, and how this was simply the custom of the day.
• 8) Baptism for the dead does not simply involve a baptism and the spirits go into a greater paradise. According to LDS teachings, the spirit on the other side must receive the baptism. They then must receive their endowment, they then must receive a sealing (if applicable). They must receive all these things on the "other side" or else it doesn't matter. The proxy is so that the "work" gets down for these spirits in either Spirit Paradise or Spirit prison.
• 9) If you walk up to a Mormon and ask about their magic underwear, they will most likely shut down. They are called garments (more accurate the Garment of the Priesthood) and they are symbolic of the "amour of God" (Eph 6:11,13) and the protection is of faith. They are to be worn at all times except during intercourse, swimming, or showering/bathing.
• 10) Joseph did not say that the Lord would come in 1891. Rather, in D&C 130:15 he claims the revelation that, "Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter." (this is supposed to be the Lord speaking to Joseph). This accusation of a false prophesy is EASILY ignored by almost ANY Latter Day Saint. Read the wording carefully, "IF thou livest" - an apolgetic could easily answer that the Lord did not say that Joseph WOULD live to be 85. The year 1891 comes from the fact that Joseph would have been 85 in 1891 so these two are tied together. The Lord simply said, "IF" he lived he would see the face of man. Since Joseph was murdered before this (as you pointed out, June 27, 1844)this prophesy never technically failed.
• 11) The reason the LDS church does not teach investigators or new converts the deeper doctrines is because of the "meat and milk" (1 Cor 3:2, Heb 5:12). The thing is, in LDS doctrine - this has a different meaning than the Biblical meaning. If one reads the context of these verses, they would learn that meat is obediance to God - spiritual maturity does not come from head knowledge but rather obediance to Him. It's not like LDS don't read the Bible, they simply understand the same verses differently and at times have what appears to be strong support for it as well.
• 12) Burning of the bosom and confirmations - Burning of the bosom is Biblical. Look to Luke 24:13-32. Jesus meets two men on the side of the road, discusses the scriptures and this "Jesus" fellow with them (unknown to them, He is the Risen Christ)and once He reveals Himself to them, He disappears. After He has left and they realize He is their Messiah they say (v 32), "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?". What many don't realize is building doctrine on ONE verse is quite dangerous. I don't believe that God DOES NOT use burning in the heart to express His glory - but I know it's not the only way. Problem is, the LDS church teaches the same thing. Joseph Smith History 1:74 (found within the PoGP) discusses the enlightening of one's mind as the Spirit talking with you.
• 13)Abr 3:9-13
  9 And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.
  10 And it is given unto thee to know the set time of all the stars that are set to give light, until thou come near unto the throne of God.
  11 Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;
  12 And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof.
  13 And he said unto me: This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon. And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven.

  I don't see multiple wives mentioned.

  14)African Americans were able to hold the priesthood during Joseph Smith's day - however, Brigham Young had a "revelation" that prohibited them from holding the priesthood. The seed of Abel would hold the priesthood before the seed of "Cain". In 1979, a new "revelation" was received and African Americans were able to - from that time forward - hold the priesthood.

  "Kindly see chapters 15 and 16, in The Way to Perfection, for further light in relation to the reason why the Negro cannot receive the priesthood. In brief, it is as follows: Because of transgression in the first estate which deprives him in this second estate. Since Cain slew his brother Abel in order to obtain all the rights of priesthood to descend through his lineage, the Lord decreed that the children of Cain should not have the privilege of bearing the priesthood until Abel had posterity who could have the priesthood and that will have to be in the far distant future. When this is accomplished on some other world, then the restrictions will be removed from the children of Cain who have been true in this "second" estate." - Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., 2:, p.188

Thank you for allowing me to add these corrections in the form of a comment so that people may be better and more accuratly educated about LDS beliefs.

-Maggie (former Mormon)-
Believing Christ