On average, fifteen thousand copies of the Book of Mormon are printed each day. They are given away at LDS (Mormon) visitors centers and historic sites, freely offered in television commercials, given as gifts by Latter-day Saints to friends and relatives, and distributed by LDS missionaries as they go door-to-door around the world. So important is the Book of Mormon to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that its founding prophet Joseph Smith said, "Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 71)
Smith also said, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was 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)
Mormons accept the Book of Mormon as scripture, believing it to be "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." Yet it is no secret that historical Christianity rejects the book and its claims. LDS Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said, "I can't understand why those of other faiths cannot accept the Book of Mormon. One would think that they would be looking for additional witnesses to the great and solemn truths of the Bible." (The Ensign, 6/00, 18)
Clearly, a book revered by millions of people across the globe as a companion to the Bible deserves examination. Therefore, we offer the following for your consideration.
History
Though no objective evidence has ever been produced by non-LDS scholars to substantiate the story, the Book of Mormon text is said to have come from a set of gold plates Joseph Smith received at the hands of an angel in 1827. The engraved text, "Reformed Egyptian," was translated by Smith into English "by the gift and power of God." (Book of Mormon, Introduction)
The official story supplied by the LDS Church is that Smith, though poorly educated, viewed the gold plates and was able to miraculously translate them. However, friendly eyewitness accounts indicate Smith actually used a "seer stone"--a stone with magical powers. English words purportedly appeared when Smith placed the stone in a hat and blocked out the light with his face. (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 12; Martin Harris, quoted in B.H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:129)
Whatever the process, the resultant manuscript was printed as the Book of Mormon in Palmyra, New York in 1830, the title page bearing Joseph Smith's name and identifying him as author (Smith's designation as "author" was removed from subsequent editions).
Eleven men stepped forward to act as witnesses, statingthey had seen the gold plates. Some even claimed to have been told by God Himself that the work Smith produced was true. Interestingly, four of these eleven witnesses were related to Smith, five were brothers from the Whitmer family, and two others were married to Whitmer sisters.
Great American humorist Mark Twin found this situation amusing and quipped, "I could not feel more satisfied and at rest if the entire Whitmer family had testified." (Roughing It, 105)
By 1838, of the eleven witnesses, only Smith's father and two brothers remained in the LDS Church; two were dead and six others had fallen out of favor with the Prophet and left the faith. Some of these later returned.
In 1841 Smith proclaimed the Book of Mormon to be "the most correct of any book on earth," yet today's edition contains about 4,000 changes from the first edition text. The nature and number of these revisions go well beyond what were required to correct transmission and printer errors. Not even considering spelling and punctuation corrections, these 4,000-plus changes are historical (e.g., Mosiah 21:28: "king Mosiah" vs. "king Benjamin"), grammatical (e.g., Alma 9:32: "they were angry" vs. "they was angry"), and doctrinal in nature (e.g., 1 Nephi 13:40: "the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father" vs. " the Lamb of God is the Eternal Father" 11:18, 21, and 32 have been similarly changed). One is left to ponder why a book produced "by the gift and power of God" would require such corrections and alterations.
Objective Evidence
The stories related in the Book of Mormon talk about civilizations including millions of people who lived in large cities and built magnificent structures. Their industry was quite advanced in the areas of agriculture and metallurgy. Yet, even with concerted effort by LDS archaeologists, no artifacts have been found and officially accepted--even by the LDS Church--as being traceable to these cultures.
Additionally, many things mentioned in the Book of Mormon are out of place for the time and area in which they purportedly occurred. Some examples of these anachronisms include references to iron and steel tools (2 Nephi 5:5), linen and silk clothing (Alma 1:29), and domesticated animals such as cows, pigs and horses (1 Nephi 18:25; 2 Nephi 17:21; 3 Nephi 7:8). According to the Smithsonian Institution, none of these things existed in the New World during Book of Mormon times (approximately 600 BC to 400 AD).
Content
The Book of Mormon claims it contains "the fulness of the everlasting gospel." Joseph Smith said it was the "keystone" of his religion and people "would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." (Book of Mormon, Introduction) Yet much of what Mormonism promotes about God and insists is necessary to achieve one's full spiritual potential cannot be found in the Book of Mormon. For instance, important in the LDS faith but missing from the Book of Mormon are: temple endowment ceremonies; Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood as presently understood in the LDS Church; plurality of Gods; God the Father as an exalted man; three degrees of heavenly glory; the preexistence of human souls; man's eternal progression to Godhood; a Heavenly Mother; and an evil person's assignment to hell as temporary.
Companion to the Bible?
The LDS Church looks at the Book of Mormon and the Bible as companion volumes, both important, both scripture. However, the Book of Mormon is not kind to the Bible, making a point of proclaiming the Bible to be both corrupted and incomplete. The Book of Mormon states, "they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious, and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away." (1 Nephi 13:26) Later the book says anyone who thinks the Bible is sufficient is a fool. (2 Nephi 29:6)
Even though the LDS Church claims the Book of Mormon is entirely consistent with the Bible (Church News 1/1/00, 16), this is not the case. For example, the Bible teaches about the grace of God, which is given as a gift; the Book of Mormon teaches this grace is, in a sense, earned through obedience. (Ephesians 2:8-9 vs. 2 Nephi 25:23, Moroni 10:32) The Bible speaks of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Christ, describing His plea from the cross for the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. Tombs were opened and the dead raised. The Book of Mormon speaks of the same occasion, but in this account, taking place in the New World, Christ brings judgement on the people, destroying entire cities, bringing about the deaths of "our mothers and our fair daughters and our children..." (Luke 23:34; Matthew 27:50-54 compared to 3 Nephi 8:6-9:15)
The Book of Mormon has a distinct biblical sound to it, stemming from the fact that it is written in an Elizabethan King James style. Also contributing to the biblical flavor are the multiple chapters and verses straight out of the Bible which are included in the Book of Mormon text. There are over eighteen chapters from Isaiah reproduced in the Book of Mormon, some verbatim, some with minor changes, and some with extensive changes not supported by ancient biblical documents. One of the more blatant alterations made to Old Testament text recorded in the Book of Mormon is found in a prophecy which Isaiah originally gave predicting the destruction of Jerusalem. It has been rewritten in the Book of Mormon as an alleged prophecy portraying the coming forth of that very book. (Isaiah 29 vs. 2 Nephi 27)
Conclusion
We have prayerfully examined the Book of Mormon and discovered it is not what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims. We invite you to examine the evidence and reach your own conclusion. People all through the ages have regarded numerous and varied texts as scripture. Men have copied and even changed the Word of God to achieve their own ends, but only the true Word of God, the Holy Bible, can succeed in changing men.
The Bible says all people are sinful�enemies of God�and must be changed in order to be acceptable to Him. (Romans 3:23, John 3:3) But we cannot change ourselves. This is a work of God, a gift given to us by His grace, through faith. (Ephesians 2:4-10) This precious, life-giving faith is brought to us through the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) And this Word says:
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:12-13)
For further information and literature contact:
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