Mormon Scripture – The Book of Mormon/Part 2

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Mormon Scripture – The Book of Mormon Contents

In the Introduction to all editions of the Book of Mormon printed since 1981, Joseph Smith is quoted as saying, “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 that a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (also in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 194). Notice that Smith claimed three things in that statement:

1. The Book of Mormon is more correct than any other book on earth;
2. That it is the “key­stone” of Mormonism;
3. That by following its teachings a person would get closer to God than by the teachings of any other book.

Those are impressive claims, but the evidence doesn’t support them. For example:

1. The Book of Mormon has had over 4000 corrections and changes in it since Smith made that statement. Did “the most correct of any book on earth” really need to be corrected?
2. Not one unique LDS doctrine is found in the Book of Mormon, so how can it be the “keystone” of Mormonism?
3. How can one get nearer to God by abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon when it doesn’t even mention three heavens nor what the LDS requirements are to get to the highest heaven?

Mormonism teaches that God dwells in the celestial kingdom, which is the highest of three heavens. They also believe that the celestial kingdom has three levels or heavens in it. LDS baptism is the gate into the celestial kingdom while “celestial marriage is the gate to an exaltation in the highest heaven within the celestial kingdom,” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 118). When the Book of Mormon doesn’t mention these things, how can one “get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book,” as Joseph Smith claimed?

LDS Apostle, Orson Pratt also made great claims for the Book of Mormon. He wrote, “If we compare the historical, prophetical and doctrinal parts of the Book of Mormon with the great truths of science and nature, we find no contradictions—no absurdities—nothing unreasonable” (Articles of Faith, p. 505). But the first four verses of the Book of Mormon (I Nephi 1:1-4) tell us that Lehi, who was a devout Jew living in Jerusalem, wrote about his activities in the language of his father “which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.” Since Hebrew was the language of God’s people, why did Lehi write in the Egyptian language if he was a prophet of God living in Jerusalem in 600 B.C.? About 608 B.C. King Josiah of Judah was killed in a battle with the Egyptians and after that Israel paid tribute to Egypt (II Chron. 35:20-36:4) and they were avowed enemies. Jeremiah 46:1-2 also declares the Lord was against Egypt. Thus, any Jew in Jerusalem in 600 B. C. who wrote in Egyptian would have been considered a traitor.

Orson Pratt said there was nothing in the Book of Mormon that was in conflict with science or nature. But I Nephi 2:5-9 declares after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem they traveled in the wilderness and came to the shore of the Red Sea where “he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water” which emptied into the Red Sea. Lehi said to his wayward son Laman, “O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness.” But no rivers run into the Red Sea now, nor did any in 600 B.C. The area around the Red Sea is very dry and the only time any water runs into it is when it rains, which is not very often. When it does rain, dry ravines called “wadis” carry the runoff water to the Red Sea. Some maps of the Red Sea area show wadis running into it and people assume they are rivers. But wadis don’t run water continually into the Red Sea like the river in I Nephi 2:9. The Red Sea gets its water from being connected to the Mediterranean Sea on the north and to the Indian Ocean on the south.

If nothing in the Book of Mormon conflicts with science or nature, why don’t Native Americans become white skinned when they become Mormons? And why don’t wicked people and those who apostatize from the true (LDS) Church become dark skinned like they did in the Book of Mormon? In II Nephi 5:21, after being in the promised land of America about 19 years, two of Lehi’s sons (Laman and Lemuel) and their families became dark skinned because of disobedience. Later in III Nephi 2:11-16, the dark skinned Lamanites (American Indians) became white skinned within one year when they repented and accepted the true gospel. That phenomenal change of skin color goes on throughout the Book of Mormon. Being righteous resulted in having white skin while rejection of the truth resulted in having a dark skin. In the Book of Mormon, Mormon 9:9 says, “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing. Verse 19 continues, “And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you that he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.” If this Book of Mormon text is true, American Indians who join the LDS Church today should turn white and wicked people and apostates from Mor­monism would be easy to identify because they would all be dark skinned! But that never happens, so it is out of harmony with science, nature and reality. The color of our skin has nothing to do with being righteous or unrighteous. The Biblical message is about how our nature can be changed through a new spiritual birth when we come by faith to Christ.

Since the Book of Mormon is a key proselyting tool used by Mormons today, we will discuss it again in our next article. For those who wish to read more on this subject, I would suggest Joseph Smith and the Origins of the Book of Mormon, by David Persuitte, published by McFarland and Company in 1985 & 1991 in Jefferson, NC and London.