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MORMON CHURCH
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THE BOOK OF MORMON, DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS AND THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE ARE SUPERIOR TO THE BIBLE
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In its advertising on television and in other media, the Mormon church offers to supply a free copy of the Holy Bible to any person who makes a request. At other times, both a Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon, "another testament of Jesus Christ," have been offered. One would conclude that both books must contain the same message if they are both part of Mormon religious belief. Just how do the Holy Bible and Book of Mormon fit into the Mormon doctrinal system?
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts four books as scripture; the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These books are called the standard works of the Church. The words of our living prophets are also accepted as scripture."
—Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Principles, p. 51 - 52, 1978
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"The Holy Bible testifies of Jesus Christ and has influenced and sustained millions of His followers. It is a collection of sacred writings containing God's revelations and accounts of His dealings with His children in the Holy Land. The historical accounts in the Bible cover many centuries, from the time of Adam through the death of the Apostles. Likewise, the books of the Bible were written by and about prophets who lived at various times in the history of the world. As you probably know, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains sacred texts written prior to the birth of Christ. Many prophets in the Old Testament foretell the coming of a Savior and Redeemer. The New Testament tells of the life of that Savior and Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ. It also tells of the establishment of His original Church."
Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, official church website.
Since the Mormon church affirms all four books and the revelations of the Mormon living prophets as scripture, then it would be a reasonable conclusion to believe that all four books and the living prophets all teach the same gospel. However, one should not make that conclusion without reservations, because this is not the case and the statements of the church do not indicate the actual place that the Bible occupies in Mormon doctrine. The view of the Mormon church, in relation to the Bible, is found in its historical roots and begins to be revealed in the following:

"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" [Emphasis added. —Ed.]
—LDS Prophet Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price, p. 60, 1842.
Articles of Faith, No. 8.
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"I know the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly—because the Book of Mormon is true." [Emphasis added. —Ed.]
—Of the First Council of the Seventy, Bruce R. McConkie, Improvement Era, June 1968, vol. 71, no. 6, p. 48
Even a casual comparison of the doctrines taught in the three Mormon books and the teachings of the Mormon living prophets, as compared to those taught in the Bible, reveal that there are major differences between the Mormon scriptures and the Bible. These differences are not insignificant, and they affect the basic core doctrines found in the Mormon church and those found in the Bible. The Bible cannot be considered as authoritative scripture in Mormon doctrine, because the differences in biblical doctrines as compared to those in the Book of Mormon and other Mormon scriptures are not minor, but major to the point of being opposite to Mormon teaching. By stating that the Bible is authoritative, or scripture, only "as far as it is correctly translated", the Mormon church asserts that the Bible is not correctly translated and is full of errors. By making that claim as fact, the Mormon church reduces the authority of the Bible to the lowest level of importance in the Mormon doctrinal system and then elevates the Mormon scriptures to a position of authority over the Bible. The Mormon church discloses its true position regarding the Bible in the following quotes:

"Those books that are now compiled in the Bible - and a great many more that are not there - were scattered abroad, and hundreds of years after that, they were hunted up and examined; those that we now have were selected from a great mass of manuscripts and compiled; others were thrown away as non-canonical."
—LDS Elder Charles W. Penrose, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, p. 209, 1883
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"The original manuscripts of the books of the Old and New Testaments are no where to be found; all we have left are mutilated copies containing an incredible number of contradictory readings. From these, uninspired men have translated by their own human wisdom our present version of the Bible, which is so indefinite that it leaves room for different opinions, clashing one against the other ..."
—LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, The Seer, p. 213, 1854.
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"Unlike the Bible, which passed through generations of copyists, translators, and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text, the Book of Mormon came from writer to reader in just one inspired step of translation."
—LDS President Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference Speech, October 1984
Having adopted the position that the Bible is untrustworthy and unreliable, the Mormon church establishes the books compiled and written by Mormon leaders as authoritative, implying that they do not contradict each other. [See: Mormonism Contradicts Itself] The Mormon church then proceeds to establish its own doctrines in place of those found in the Bible. When Mormon Doctrine comes into conflict with biblical authority, the Mormon church claims that the Bible is incorrectly translated or has been corrupted or has been wrongly interpreted by uninspired persons. The Mormon church has made claims that the Bible is inferior since the inception of the church, beginning with the claims of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith presented no evidence to support his claims and today, scholarship and history refute those claims made against the Bible which continue to be repeated as if they were true.

Joseph Smith, the first prophet, president and seer of the Mormon church, established the relationship of the Book of Mormon (which he claimed to have translated) to the Bible, when he stated:

"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." [Emphasis added. —Ed.]
—Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 461
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
Joseph Smith claimed that the Book of Mormon was the ". . . most correct of any book on earth . . . ," so the Bible is assumed to be less correct and less authoritative. There can be no other conclusion.

There are no original golden plates, from which Joseph Smith allegedly translated the Book of Mormon, because they are said to have been returned back to the possession of the angel who revealed their original location. The plates have not been seen since that time. The Mormon church has what is claimed to be a translation of those plates which Joseph Smith stated was perfectly accurate; a claim he made after insisting that the manuscript he presented was the translation of the plates that he did himself. There are no original golden plates to make a comparison with his own translation and there are no original golden plates to confirm that they ever existed. The witnesses presented by the Mormon church could not confirm the validity, accuracy or reality of a translation or that a translation had actually been done, since no one but Joseph Smith had the ability to read the "reformed Egyptian" language that was written on the plates.

Mormon leadership has no ground on which to stand when they claim that corrupt Catholic priests have removed, changed or added many things to the Bible. Those charges were even included in the text of the Book of Mormon.
"And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the foundation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, 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. And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book which is the book of the Lamb of God. And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the knottiness of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hat seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, you, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them."
1 Nephi 13:26-29, Book of Mormon (1924 edition)
Manuscript evidence proves the charges to be false and even Mormon scholars admit to the fact that any changes found in the Bible are of a minor consequence, none of which substantially affect any doctrine found in the Bible.

However, the same cannot be said for the Book of Mormon, because Joseph Smith himself admits to the difficulty. There are "plain and precious things" that have been lost in the Book of Mormon, not the least of which are the first 116 handwritten manuscript pages from the very beginning, written by Joseph Smith. Those pages were never included in the original or any subsequent publication, because, first, Joseph Smith claimed that he ignored two commands of God and, second, Joseph Smith claimed that God told him not to retranslate the missing pages.

Martin Harris asked Joseph Smith if he could take the manuscript home so that his wife could read it. Joseph Smith claimed that he inquired of the Lord two times, whether he should allow the manuscript to leave his possession. He said that the Lord denied his request both times, but Joseph Smith allowed Martin Harris to take the manuscript home in spite of what God had said. It was in the home of Martin Harris that the manuscript disappeared and it is assumed, even by Mormon historians, that his wife destroyed the copy.

Joseph Smith claimed that God told him not to retranslate the missing part, because his enemies were attempting to discredit the translation. As a result, Joseph Smith claimed that if he retranslated the manuscript, his enemies were planning to introduce an altered and forged copy, which would be different from Joseph Smith's retranslated manuscript, claiming that it was the missing original. So, in order to prevent this plot from being successful, the beginning of "the most correct book" ever created was left out, including whatever revelations might have been included in it. The explanation does not conform to logic. Since when does suppression of an original prevent a forgery from being presented? However, no forgery was ever presented as well as the original never appearing again, disappearing from history, seemingly forever.

The reason Joseph Smith did not provide another translation of the original was that the original was not a translation, but it was a story that he had created, and he could not remember the story as he had written it word-for-word. He was in a very difficult situation, because if he rewrote the 116 pages, it would be very different from his original manuscript (which was supposed to be an exact and perfect translation), and he really did believe that his enemies could produce the original, which was his actual hand written manuscript, that would reveal him to be a fraud. His enemies would only have had to produce the original to reveal the deception, never having to resort to a forgery.

It is difficult, at best, to understand how God knew that the pages would be lost, but failed to inform His prophet of the fact, even when Joseph Smith asked Him twice as to whether the manuscript should be loaned to Martin Harris. On the other hand, it is even more difficult to understand why Joseph Smith ignored two direct prohibitions by God in such a simple matter. As a result, the most "correct" book ever produced is not quite as correct as claimed.
{Editor: see, Black Hole In The Book Of Mormon - offsite: www.utlm.org - Utah Lighthouse Ministry}

Joseph Smith had every reason to be afraid that he would be revealed as a forger, because his later translation of the Book of Abraham from some Egyptian papyri that he obtained in 1835 has been proven to be a forgery, yet it was canonized by the Mormon church as scripture and is part of the Pearl of Great Price. The papyri were claimed by Joseph Smith to have been written by Abraham himself, so they would have been about 3,800 years old. The Book of Abraham was published in the church paper, the Times and Seasons in 1842, and has been a part of church doctrine since that time. The actual papyri that Joseph Smith used were recovered in 1967, and instead of being 3,800 years old, they have been dated to about the time of Jesus Christ or later, making them about 1,500-1,800 years old and, unless Abraham rose from the dead to compose them, they could not have been written by him. In addition the papyri (which are written in Egyptian and can be translated) have nothing to do with Abraham, but are an extension of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, called the Breathings. It was from this forged translation that the Mormon church adopted the prohibition against black persons from becoming part of the priesthood in the church. From a forged translation, Joseph Smith presented a false doctrine in relation to Mormon belief.
{Editor:
See: The Book of Abraham, A Spurious and Fraudulent Translation, on the On Doctrine website
See: Tanner, Jerald and Sandra, "Fall of the Book of Abraham," The Changing World of Mormonism, Moody Press, Chicago, 1981, chapter 11, pp. 329-363}


If the Mormon church wishes to consider the Bible to be part of its scripture, then how can a determination be made as to which parts are translated correctly or incorrectly, which parts are missing and which parts have been added? The claim, that the Bible is corrupted, has been made by Mormon prophets and apostles over and over, but no proof has been presented. As things stand, there is no means for the Mormon church to determine which parts of the Bible are missing or are incorrect; those "corruptions" are only revealed when the Bible conflicts with Mormon "revelation". The Mormon church cannot consider the Bible as scripture and it cannot be used in any authoritative way by the Mormon church because the Mormon church does not consider the Bible to be translated correctly or to be complete in content. It also says that passages have been added to the Bible that do not belong. Conversely, the Bible also cannot be said to be incorrectly translated or corrupt, since the Mormon church has no way to demonstrate that this is the case.

The Mormon church still maintains the illusion that it considers the Bible as part of its scripture, even offering it as a free gift in media and on television commercials. How can Mormon leaders, in good conscience, offer the Bible to non-Mormons as a free gift when they consider it to be in error, incorrectly translated, consisting of missing and added books and defiled by corrupt Catholic priests? What type of spiritual service is it, to distribute what they consider to be doctrinal error to those they wish to convert?

The illusion is maintained, mainly as a diversion, the original reason that the Bible was said to be included in the scriptures of the Mormon church. It is a very strange circumstance, that the "translation" of the Book of Mormon was done by Joseph Smith, in 1830, in the linguistical form of the King James version of the Bible which was done in 1611? Why didn't Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon into the form of the English language that was used in 1830? It was necessary to maintain that linguistic connection with the King James Bible, because from its inception, the Mormon church depended upon converts who were familiar with the King James version of the Bible and at the least, considered it to be from God. By presenting "another gospel" that had the same linguistic sound as the King James Version of the Bible, many persons were mislead into thinking that the Bible and the Book of Mormon had some common origin or relationship to each other. That is the pretense that is used in the free gift of the Bible advertising in which it is claimed that the Book of Mormon is "another testament of Jesus Christ", implying that it is one of the same type or nature as the Bible. That advertising is also directed toward persons who have a familiarity and trust in the Bible, however small that familiarity and trust might be; mainly persons of a protestant Christian background, who might think that the Mormon church actually does believe in the Bible as it is written. If the Mormon church sincerely believes that the Book of Mormon is the true revelation of God and the Bible is the crippled and untrustworthy product of corrupt priests, why isn't that belief made known in the advertising offer of a free Bible?

Once a seeker makes an inquiry in order to receive a free Bible, then the Mormon church has the opportunity to meet that person and then present "another testament of Jesus Christ," meaning the Book of Mormon, which it claims is a more perfect book. The Bible is not presented as a means to teach the doctrines that it contains, but is used as a touchstone in order to present another "gospel" that is different from that in the Bible; and then the books, teachings and doctrines of the Mormon church are elevated above the Bible. The seeker is then invited to continue on in the Mormon church, which claims to be the "Church of Jesus Christ" found in the Bible. The Mormon church implies, to the seeker, that it considers the Bible and the Book of Mormon to be equal, when, in fact, the goal is to present Mormon doctrine and not biblical truth.

The Mormon church still claims that the King James Version of the Bible is the best of the worst translations and maintains that if it were translated by "inspired" men it would be scripture as is noted in the quotations below:

"One thing is certain, King James's (sic) translators, being among the wisest men and greatest scholars of their day, did justice to the subject as far as it was possible by uninspired men."
—LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, p. 269, 1874.
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"And whatsoever they {Mormon leaders} shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be he voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation."
—LDS, Doctrine and Covenants 68:4
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
So, if there was a translation of the Bible that was translated by "inspired" men, would the Mormon church accept it as authoritative against its own books?

There is such a translation and it was done by the founder and first prophet of the Mormon church whose name was JOSEPH SMITH!

"After Joseph had translated the Book of Mormon from the gold plates, the Lord commanded him to translate the Bible .... Joseph Smith, a man of no education or learning, comparatively speaking, was commanded to translate the Bible by inspiration."
LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol, 15, pp. 247 - 249, 1872.
As quoted in The Truth, http://www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
Yet, the Mormon church has ignored the translation and has not had it canonized or made part of the books that it claims to be its scripture, although they use parts of it, with which they agree. A few chapters are part of the Pearl of Great Price, which is considered to be scripture, under the title Book of Moses, and chapter 24 of Matthew is also included in the Pearl of Great Price. Why would the Mormon church ignore the majority of such an important part of their scriptures and continue to use the crippled King James Version when they have an "inspired" version that was translated by the founder, first prophet, seer and revelator of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith? There can be only one reason why the Mormon church would not accept the Bible as translated by its own founder and prophet, and that is because what it says is in direct opposition to Mormon doctrine, just as does the Bible, even though not translated by Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith began his "inspired translation" of the Bible, based on the Phinney version of 1828, Authorized King James Version. He did not consult any original documents, but translated by "inspiration" directly from the English text.

"And, despite the frequent argument presented by Mormons that 'lost books' are evidence of the Bible's lack of veracity, Smith's 'inspired' version did not 'restore' the Apocrypha or any 'lost books' to the Bible. Nor did his 'inspired' version make any changes to Esther, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi, Second John or Third John, all of which were deemed 'correct' by Smith. However, The Song of Solomon was designated 'not inspired' and was excluded. Other books of the Bible were altered to varying degrees, with Isaiah receiving more changes than other Old Testament books. Interestingly, the New Testament received more than twice as many changes as the Old Testament!"
The Truth, The Mormonism Web, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
The Mormon church has specified two reasons for not including Joseph Smith's Inspired Version of the Bible as part of their scriptures:
  1. The Mormon church claims that Joseph Smith never completed the translation.
    "The documents provide indications of the mode of the Prophet's procedure. He often revised a passage, later added to or amended it, and then, in a third attempt, clarified it further. Some of his corrections are inconclusive because the marginal note in the text is not specified as to exact placement. In some such cases we infer that he saw a problem but had not yet fully resolved it. This suggests what other evidence tends to confirm: that had he lived longer, he might well have undertaken further corrections or improvements."
    —Dr. Truman G. Madsen, Contributing Editor, "A Study of the Text of the Inspired Revision of the Bible," Improvement Era, March 1970, vol. 73, no. 3, p. 70
    What is being described as the method by which Joseph Smith produced his "Inspired Version" is certainly not the method of any valid translation and does not represent the method by which it is claimed that the Book of Mormon was translated. In the case of the "Inspired Version," Joseph Smith is apparently unsure of which way to proceed and requires numerous reviews to bring the text into a universal conformity with what he wrote in his notes.

  2. The Mormon church claims that Joseph Smith was prevented from completing the translation because of persecution.
    "It was the intention of the Prophet to have this revised version of the Scriptures, which he had made with such laborious care, published in Zion, at the printing establishment of the Church in that place. . . but before the work could even be commenced the persecution arose which made the undertaking impracticable. And such was the unsettled state of the Church throughout the remaining years of the Prophets life that he found no opportunity to publish the revised Scriptures, and to this day there is no authoritative publication of his translation of the Old and New Testament given to the world. . ."
    —LDS Church Historina, B.H. Roberts, footnote to History of the Church, Vol. 1, p. 324, 1902
    As quoted in The Truth, http:/www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
The words of Joseph Smith himself puts the arguments to rest:
"I completed the translation and review of the new testament on the 2nd of February, 1833, and sealed it up, no more to be opened till it arrived in Zion."
—LDS Prophet Joseph Smith, February 2, 1833, Times and Seasons 5:723.
History of the Church, Vol. 1, p. 324.
As quoted in The Truth, http:/www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"We this day finished the translating of the scriptures, for which we returned gratitude to our heavenly Father ... having finished the translation of the Bible a few hours since ..."
LDS Prophet Joseph Smith, President Sidney Rigdon and President F.G. Williams, History of the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 368 - 369, July 2, 1833.
As quoted in The Truth, http:/www.mormonism-web.com, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"
"Smith's 'Inspired' version of the Bible still remained unpublished in 1844, when Smith was killed. At that time, the manuscript came into the possession of Joseph's widow, Emma who promptly separated herself from the LDS church (primarily over doctrinal issues). Emma Smith retained possession of the manuscript and it was eventually printed by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS) in 1867.

Mormonism's reluctance to unconditionally rely upon the Bible stems from its contention that no reliable 'inspired translation' exists. However, that argument is indefensible since it also refuses to embrace even Joseph Smith's allegedly 'inspired' version! It seems more reasonable to deduce that Mormonism is merely precluded from exhibiting confidence in any version of the Bible (even its own allegedly 'inspired' version) because the Bible provides no 'scriptural' basis for Mormonism's clearly non-biblical doctrines. In fact, canonizing Smith's 'Inspired' version would serve to invalidate much of Mormonism's divergent theology! Mormonism has chosen, instead, to continue feigning reliance upon the allegedly 'uninspired' King James Version of the Bible. This enables the group to continue denigrating God's Word as justification for it's claim that Mormonism's divergent doctrines have been eradicated from the Bible, through the omissions and errors of it's allegedly 'uninspired' translators".
The Truth, The Mormonism Web, "Mormonism: Ignoring God's Word?"

The claim has been made, that since Joseph Smith's original manuscript was in the possession of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS), its accuracy cannot be verified, implying that the RLDS church may have altered it in some manner. That argument is now moot, because scholars have examined a copy of Joseph Smith's original notes made by Dr. John M. Bernhisel in 1845 (Bernhisel manuscript). The conclusion is that the Bernhisel manuscript supports the New Corrected Inspired Translation, 1944, printed by the RLDS church.
"1. The recent 1944 New Corrected Edition of the Reorganized Church, which book many interested Latter-day Saints have acquired, if faithful to the original manuscript and a most accurate printing. The editors have scrupulously worked to overcome normal scribal mistakes, typographical errors, and difficult notations (e.g., transposed sentences or confusing marginal notations). Matthews concludes that this edition is worth of trust.
2. The Bernhisel manuscript copy supports the 1944 New Corrected Edition in preference to the earlier (1867) edition. Thus, by implication, it supports the original manuscript."

—Dr. Truman G. Madsen, Contributing Editor, "A Study of the Text of the Inspired Revision of the Bible," Improvement Era, March 1970, vol. 73, no. 3, p. 70
The "Inspired Translation" by Joseph Smith, as it was printed in 1944, is considered to be an accurate version of Joseph Smith's original manuscript notes. The claim by the Mormon church that there is no reliable "Inspired Translation" is simply a false claim. Emma Smith had allowed Dr. John M. Bernhisel to copy the notes from Joseph Smith's original notes to the "Inspired Version" into his own Bible which was later presented to Brigham Young, so it was available to be used.

The presidents of the church also had the ability, as seers, to also deal with the translation, at least that is what is claimed. Yet, the church presented no printing of the "Inspired Translation," but allowed the Reformed Church to print their copy from the original manuscript in 1867 and then print the New Corrected Edition in 1944.

Joseph Smith accomplished his "Inspired Version" from 1830-1833, but by the time of his death in 1844, Mormon doctrine had changed radically, not only from that stated in the Book of Mormon but also from the doctrines that were found in the "Inspired Version of the Bible." In the years from 1833 to 1844, the "Inspired Version of the Bible" was left behind as Mormon doctrine adopted beliefs based on the continuing revelations of Joseph Smith and the subsequent prophets of the church. No longer could Mormon doctrines be supported from the Bible, even from the "Inspired Version." The Bible was claimed to be crippled and corrupted by the Catholics, so it could have no authority, however, if there was a version that was "inspired" through a prophet of the church, especially Joseph Smith, then a day of reckoning would be at hand, particularly if church doctrine did not agree with the "Inspired Version" translated by the prophet. Church leadership very early understood the difficulty, so the "Inspired Version" was said to also be crippled and not authoritative by the claim that it was not completed by Joseph Smith, even though he claimed otherwise. Having never been exposed to the "Inspired Version," most members of the church did not realize the problem.

The truth does reveal itself in the attitude and actions of the Mormon church about the Bible. Far from being part of its scriptures, it is viewed by the Mormon church as an enemy to its doctrines; a book, that to acknowledge as authoritative, would destroy the beliefs and comfortable theories that have been spun from the minds of the leadership, rather than those of the true God of Heaven. In rejecting the authority, reliability and truthfulness of the Bible, the Mormon leadership has, at the same time, accomplished their true purpose, that of rejecting and changing the true work, character and person of Jesus Christ that is revealed in the Bible. By doing that, Mormon leadership is able to substitute another Jesus Christ which is of their own creation; not a real person but a substitute idea which suits their own theology. Even current Mormon leadership admit to the fact that they do not worship the God or Jesus Christ that is taught in the Bible, but the god and Jesus Christ that is part of the teachings and doctrines of the Mormon church.

"In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints 'do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fulness [sic] of Times'"
—President Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS Church News, June 20, 1998
The Jesus Christ of the Mormon Church is not the same Jesus Christ revealed in the Bible, and what He did and taught in the Bible is not what is taught about the Jesus Christ of the Mormon Church. The words that the Mormon church uses are the same as those in the Bible, but the definitions of those words are completely different from the Biblical message.

The mark of the true church and of a true Christian is what is said and believed about Jesus Christ. It is the mark of all false religious systems that they begin with a core doctrine that rejects the Jesus Christ of the Bible, and replaces what He is and taught with something other, from outside the teaching of the Biblical message.

Salvation is dependant on a right view of Jesus Christ and to reject that view is the mark of false doctrine taught by false prophets. It is the primary purpose of false prophets to change the real Jesus Christ of the Bible and His message, in order to deceive others; teaching heretical doctrines that cause belief that damns the soul.

Mormon doctrine, when presented to the uninitiated, becomes a temptation just like that in the Garden of Eden. It is presented as light, but the result is darkness and despair. It presents itself in the following form, just as temptation was presented in the Garden of Eden:
  1. Temptation to Listen to Someone Other Than God. The serpent '...said to the woman'. The Mormons say, 'We have a prophet.'
  2. Temptation to Doubt the Words of the Bible. The serpent said, 'Indeed, has God said ..?' The Mormons say, 'Is the Bible really correct?'
  3. Temptation to Doubt The Motives of the writers and translators of the Bible. The serpent said that Eve would be just like God, but he implied that God did not want her to know that, so God was a liar. The Mormons say, 'The Bible was translated incorrectly and corrupted by 'uninspired' men, meaning the Catholic church, so what it now says is a lie'.
  4. Temptation to Doubt The Truthfulness of the Bible. The serpent said, 'You surely will not die!'. The Mormons say, 'The Bible was corrupted, books were lost and others substituted so you will not be lost by rejecting it."
  5. Temptation to Distort The Words Of God. The serpent implied, "You cannot believe what God says." The Mormons say, "You have the incorrect Bible, but we have the perfectly translated 'other' revelation."
  6. Temptation to Desire For Something other. The serpent said, '...in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God...' The Mormons say, 'We have another revelation from the same Jesus Christ in which you believe'.
  7. Temptation to Desire Of The Body. The serpent said, '...you will be like God...' The Mormons say, 'You will be a God.'
  8. Temptation to Desire Of Sight. Eve saw that the fruit was "...desirable for gaining wisdom..." The Mormons say, 'We will show you the true gospel'.
  9. Temptation to Desire Of Pride. The serpent said, '...you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' The Mormons say, 'You can ascend to be a god, have your own planet, fathering millions of spirit children with your many wives and you will be worshipped by billions of people."
  10. Temptation leads to The Taking. Eve took the fruit and ate, then gave to her husband Adam. The Mormons say, 'Your belief is so close to ours; we are Christians also; why don't you take what we believe and join with us'?
It should always be remembered that the Mormon church does not wish to accept what is written in the Bible, because it does not teach the same doctrine, and for the Mormon leadership to say that the Bible is another testament by Jesus Christ, just like the Book of Mormon, is a false and misleading statement on their part. Even in the Book of Mormon, which establishes itself as its own authority, there is an alleged "prophecy" from 559 - 545 B.C. that condemns and ridicules the people who claim to believe in the Bible:

"And because my words shall hiss forth -- many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travels, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles? O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people. Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. and when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever. Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. "
—2 Nephi 29:3-10, Book of Mormon (1924 edition)
The Book of Mormon claims that the Bible is from the Jews, the ancient covenant people of the god of the Book of Mormon, but the Gentiles who believe in the Bible, as the way of salvation, are foolish for doing so, and are claimed to be the same people who persecuted the Jews. God claims that he speaks the same words to every nation and is not prevented from speaking other revelations "according to mine own pleasure". However, since the god of the Book of Mormon is not consistent in the doctrine that he speaks to different people, ridicules the people who believe the revelation that he spoke himself in the Bible, through the Jews, and contradicts himself between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, it can only be concluded that there is a serious breach of credibility for the god who wrote the Book of Mormon.

The claim, by the Mormon church, is that the church of Jesus Christ became corrupt in the second century A.D. and ceased to exist. This leads to the major question that Mormons cannot answer: Why did God wait 1,600 years to present a "new revelation" to the world through Joseph Smith? Even more puzzling is why was God unable to prevent his first revelation and church from becoming corrupt, but then able to reestablish it 1600 years later? This leads to the third and even greater question: Why does the Mormon church today believe differently from the teachings of the "new revelation" presented through Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon? How can the Mormon church claim that the Bible was corrupted when it does not even follow the doctrines taught in its own revelation, but claims other revelations, through "living prophets" and apostles as replacement doctrines for those taught in its "inspired scripture", the Book of Mormon?

The Mormon church claims that its doctrines and beliefs have never changed. It claims to be a unified church, each congregation being taught the same things at all times. But the claim cannot be supported. The Reformed Mormon Church split off from the Mormon Church of Salt Lake soon after the death of Joseph Smith. There are also other Mormon splinter groups that also claim that they are the true church. Different presidents, prophets and apostles have taught conflicting doctrines that they all claimed were revelations from God. The claims of the Mormon church are without merit and the various differences that exist, and have existed, in the Mormon church and the varying doctrines, need to be revealed and understood. As the Tanners have noted, far from being unified, teaching consistent and fixed doctrines, the Mormon church is a "Changing World".

END OF ARTICLE

Additional Sources of Information:
Mormonism Web Ministries
Utah Lighthouse Ministries
Mormonism Research Ministry
Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints - official Mormon church website

CREDITS:
Information and ideas for this article obtained from:
Mormonism Web Ministries
Utah Lighthouse Ministries
Scott, Latayne Covett, The Mormon Mirage, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, 1979
Tanner, Jerald and Sandra, The Changing World of Mormonism, Moody Press, Chicago, 1981

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