On September 21, 1823 an "angel of light"1 purportedly appeared to 17 year old Joseph Smith and told him that ancient gold plates lay buried in a hill near his home in upstate New York. The angel said that the plates contained "an account of the former inhabitants of this continent," and "the fullness of the everlasting Gospel."2 Four years later, on September 22, 1827, Joseph was allowed to take possession of these plates and subsequently translated them from "Reformed Egyptian" into King James English. In 1830 the translation was published as the Book of Mormon. The first edition comprised 5,000 copies. Since that time, the LDS Church estimates that over 60 million copies of the Book of Mormon have been printed. In the decade between 1981 and 1991, 36.1 million copies had been distributed world-wide.3
Joseph Smith taught that "…the Book of Mormon [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."4
As LDS General Authorities explain: "The reason for that statement is because you learn more about Christ in the Book of Mormon than any other book that has ever been written."5
"[It] is the most Christ-centered book ever written. The Master's name is mentioned in some form or another more than once for every two verses."6 That is one of the reasons, according to the Elder, that the subtitle of the Book of Mormon is "Another Testament of Jesus Christ".
"The Book of Mormon is saturated with the Spirit of Christ. If you read it with real intent and pray about it, then you will know. There is no other way to gain a testimony that will sustain you but through the Book of Mormon."7
It is interesting that the Christ one learns about in the Book of Mormon is often times at variance with Christ as He is revealed in the Bible.
One obvious disparity is His birth place. The Book of Mormon records a prophecy which says Jesus would be born "at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers."8 Mormons explain this away by saying that Bethlehem was a "suburb" of Jerusalem, therefore the prophesy is entirely correct. However, Jerusalem was a walled city; the "land" was Judea. An LDS General Authority must have been confused recently when he stated, "…the Son of the Eternal God, condescended to come to earth as a babe born in a manger in Bethlehem of Judea."9
The Book of Mormon also teaches that Jesus is both the Father and the Son--a form of modalism--very distinctly not the Trinitarian concept found in the Bible.10
The most disconcerting picture painted of our Savior in the Book of Mormon is in the events that accompanied His crucifixion.
In the Bible, while Jesus hung on the Cross, He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Graves were opened and "many bodies of the saints which slept arose". The veil of the temple was torn in two. This is a beautiful picture of God's great mercy.
Yet, in the Book of Mormon, God was far from merciful. The events that occurred in the Americas at Christ's crucifixion are described in this way: "…many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate…And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth."11 When the destruction was over the people heard a voice crying, "Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned. And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof…" The recital continues, naming 16 cities along with their citizens that had been utterly destroyed. Finally, the voice proclaims, "Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God."12
The Bible teaches that Jesus would come first as a servant, reserving judgement for the time of His second coming. He said, "…I came not to judge the world, but to save the world…the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."13
The Book of Mormon portrays a Christ that first came in fury and judgement.
The Apostle Paul said, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him…For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."14
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ may or may not teach more about Christ than any other book; but it is a false Christ of which it testifies. It should more accurately be titled The Book of Mormon: Testament of Another Jesus Christ.
Please pray that this book will have no impact and will be unsuccessful in corrupting minds away from the simplicity that is in the only true Christ Jesus.