2.
IS THE BOOK OF MORMON RELIABLE?
Sean and Ben, you guys asked me why
I will not consider praying according to Moroni 2 Cor. 11:2-4 ; Gal. 1:6-9). Sometimes Mormon
missionaries will cite James 1:5
in relation to Moroni 10:4-5 in praying about whether the Book of Mormon is
true or not. It is important to note that James 1:5
does not tell us to pray about whether the Book of Mormon is true. The context
which James is teaching in this passage is about praying to God for wisdom in
trials.
Now as for my reasons on why I will
not consider praying about whether the Book of Mormon is true or not will
become apparent in my examples given below.
First, I would like to
begin by stating what the prophet Joseph Smith said about the supposed
reliability of the Book of Mormon. “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). If this is true, why then has there been
over four thousand changes to the Book since it was first published in 1830?
To be fair, I
went to the Bringham
Young University
To start with, the seven pages of
questions and answers I got from the BYU website are all “Untitled” and do not
give the author's name who answers the questions. However, I do have the
address to where I got the notes from, even though now it appears obsolete.
Nevertheless, I will give it to prove where I had gotten it.[1]
On the third page of the notes, the
answer to my question above begins with the question I am asking.
“Joseph Smith declared that the Book of Mormon was “the most correct of any book on earth” (History of the Church 4:461). If this were so, why have there been over four thousand changes to the Book since it was first published in 1830?”
The unknown author opens up his
answer with this revealing statement, “Correctness need not
refer to the translation, the grammar, or the spelling, only to the content,
notably the doctrine.” What the author is saying here is that “correctness” primarily refers to the “content,
notably the doctrine,” and not to the translation, grammar, or the
spelling. So even if the translation,
grammar, or the spelling is wrong. Correctness in the Book of Mormon
specifically refers to its “content, notably the doctrine.”
And to think that the author would have us believe that the “doctrine”
contained in the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of
any book on earth?” The very doctrine contained in the Book of Mormon is
contingent on the “content” of the very “translation”
of the Book of Mormon itself. So if the translation is wrong, then we can be
certain that its doctrine will be wrong as well. The doctrines of the Book of
Mormon either stand or fall on the “correctness” of the
translation itself. The author is wrong to say that the “correctness”
of the Book of Mormon primarily depends on its “doctrines” and not on the “translation” itself. The truth of the matter is that the very
foundation of the Book of Mormon depends on its translation!
The author, later in his
article, puts to question the
reliability of the Book of Mormon when he writes, “The Book of
Mormon itself indicates that it may contain errors made by the men who wrote it
(Title Page; 1 Nephi 19:6 ; Jacob
1:2; 7:26; Mormon 8:1, 17; 9:31-33; 3 Nephi 8:2 ;
Ether 5:1). Since Joseph Smith must have known about these
statements, his declaration of correctness could not have meant that the book
had no failings whatsoever.” Then the author goes on to
quote Joseph Smith's declaration in History of the Church 4:461. Then the
author emphasizes Joseph's phrase, “abiding by[the]
precepts” as the main context of the Book of Mormon. He
then concludes by saying “it is clear that he was
speaking about its teachings rather than its language or history.” Again, the author would have us blindly trust the “teachings” of the Book of Mormon, even if its
“language or history” is wrong. If
the Book of Mormon's “language or history” is wrong, how can we possibly trust its teaching? Besides, it does
not change the fact that Joseph Smith did say the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book on earth.”
Secondly, Sean you alluded
to the ancient ruins in both Americas Americas
“However, there are new
questions being raised about the origin of North America 's
native Indian tribes. Recent DNA research has uncovered some startling
information that has shaken belief into the well-known religion known as The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormonism.
That DNA research
confirms what anthropologists have been saying for nearly as many years, that
Native Americans are originally from Siberia and Polynesians from Southeast Asia .
The Book of Mormon has
long claimed to present a history of the people of ancient America America Tower of Babel
However, new DNA
research has found that there are many problems associated with this claim.
Indians have come under
much study by anthropologists and are recognized as belonging to the Mongoloid
(Asiatic) characteristics are to be found amongst those countries and peoples
bordering the Pacific Ocean, particularly those from Eastern
Asia .
Simon Southerton was a
Mormon bishop in Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
As Southerton studied
the scientific evidence, the clearer became the contradiction between the Book
of Mormon and the DNA evidence for alternative historical realities. Further
research discovered a statement published by the Washington
“The Smithsonian
Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide.
Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archaeology of
the New World and the subject matter of the
book.”
*****************************************************
When Southerton investigated the DNA evidence further, he
points out that there are problems that were unanswered.
“In the
last decade, scientists from several research groups had tested the
mitochondrial DNA of over 2,000 American Indians from about a hundred tribes
scattered over the length of the Americas Americas Mongolia Mesoamerica (which included
Aztecs and Mayans) had been tested and all but a couple of individuals out of about
500 had mitochondrial DNA of Asian origin. The small fraction of Native
American lineages that were not from Asia appeared to originate in Europe, most
likely Spain. DNA studies also showed that the female ancestors of the
Polynesians came from South East Asia and not the Americas Americas
“All the problems I had been struggling with evaporated
when I reached one simple conclusion. As much as I wanted the Book of Mormon to
be true, I suddenly knew it wasn't,” he points out in the 2004 article. “It
might be full of some remarkable stories and scriptural writings, but it wasn't
history about real people. My belief in the Book of Mormon was the foundation
for my belief in Mormonism. When it was shattered it brought a lot down with
it.”[2]
As we can see from the comments in
the article above, this poses quite a problem for the Mormon Church to resolve.
How can I personally trust the Book of Mormon if I cannot trust its history?
Thirdly, there are some
problems I have come across in the Book of Mormon. They primarily deal with
some of the passages of scripture in the Book of Mormon. Below, I have sought
to document a handful of problem texts.
1.
Ether 2:16-25: Why would the Lord give
instructions to Jared on building barges and forget about the need for
ventilation and light? Jared even had to help God out.
2.
Ether 3:14: The phrase, “Behold,
I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son.” speaks here of
the heresy of modalism. Modalism teaches the view that the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost are simply three modes of manifestation as opposed to three persons
in the one Godhead. However, in the above Mormon scripture under consideration,
we have two modes of manifestation, “I am the Father and the Son.” (See also
Mosiah 15:3).
3.
Ether 15:19-31: This is one of
the craziest supposed historical battles I have ever read! Twice for emphasizes
we read of Coriantumr cutting off the head of Shiz. Yet, we read in verse 31
that after Shizes' head was severed, he “raised up on
his hands and fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.” I
am sorry to inform you, that you cannot struggle for breath without a mouth,
let alone without a head!
4.
Alma 7:10: This
verse here teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ was born in “Jerusalem Bethlehem
of Judaea” (Matt. 2:1; see also Micah
5:2 ) not the supposed land of Jerusalem land of Jerusalem
includes Bethlehem Alma
5.
Mosiah 15:4-5: I believe the
Book of Mormon supports the trinity in some of its passages of scripture. This
is quite evident in the scripture text before us. The phrase in verse 4, “they
are one God” makes this clear. The word “they”
refers to more than one person. Yet “they”
are “one God,” not three
separate Gods as you would have me believe. Verse 5 further confirms this in
these words “being one God.” The term “being”
refers to substance, not purpose. (See also Alma 2 Nephi 31:21; 3 Nephi 11:23-27).
6.
2 Nephi 31:8, 10 : Why
do these verses allude to the Lord Jesus, when not even one verse in the Old
Testament ever mentions the name “Jesus” prophetically?
7.
1 Nephi 22:20 : Why
did the writer of the Book of Mormon quote from Acts
3:22-23 , when he was supposed to be quoting from Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19; 1 Nephi 19:23?
In conclusion, these are but
a mere handful of many problems to be found in the Book of Mormon. So as we can
see from my three points on the question “Is the Book of Mormon Reliable?” The answer
is that the Book of Mormon is deficient in its correctness,
historical/archaeological, and in its scriptural reliability.
Sean and Ben, I believe in being
honest and true to God's Word, and that is what I endeavored to do just that. I
don't have all the answers; for I am still learning in my walk with God. I
genuinely care about you guys as friends. This is why I hope what I have
written here in these pages will be of some help to you guys. Please feel free
to critique and research further what I have written in these pages. If you
feel I am wrong, please feel free to prove that to me. Till then, all the best,
Sincerely:
Jerry
Sheppard.
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