If you have ever come across the Latter-day Saint (commonly referred to as Mormon) missionaries, you are probably familiar with their most common invitation. “Will you read the Book of Mormon?” Translated by Joseph Smith from an ancient Native American record given to him by an angel of the Lord, the Book of Mormon stands as the keystone of our religion. In order to believe in the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one must first read, study, and come to know that this book of ancient scripture is the true word of God.
As far as how Latter-day Saints fall into the broad community of religions, this complicates things a bit. Because of our reliance on the Book of Mormon as a theological foundation, other Christians have labeled us as non-Christian while others claim we are a cult. Those largely unfamiliar with our faith claim that because of our focus on the Book of Mormon and neglect of the Bible, we do not follow the teachings of Christ.
This is simply not the case. Each page is saturated with teachings of Christ from prophets in the ancient Americas. The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is Christ himself coming to visit his covenant children on the American continent to teach them his gospel and set up his church among them. There is a mention of Christ in the Book of Mormon on an average of every 1.7 verses.
While the fact that the Book of Mormon’s main message is to come unto Christ, this does not answer the concerns of other Christians about our belief in the Bible. Theologically, it can be answered very simply. The official subtitle of the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. This affirms that the original testament of Christ lies in the Bible. His divine birth, his mortal ministry, his teachings, his atonement, and his resurrection are all laid out in the Bible. The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible and its teachings but simply adds to its teachings and clarifies key doctrinal points that have been lost, distorted, or misunderstood through time.
Culturally, however, other Christians do make an excellent point: Latter-day Saint membership does not rely on the teachings of the Bible as much as they need to. One reason for this ambivalence of Latter-day Saints towards the Bible is found in a particular interpretation of our scripture. In the Articles of Faith, a list of thirteen essential Latter-day Saint tenants written by Joseph Smith, article eight reads “We believe in 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).
This statement reflects the origins of the Book of Mormon compared to the Bible. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith in roughly nine months. The Bible had hundreds of translators ranging across over three millennia. The Book of Mormon came from one source, golden plates that prophet-historian Moroni buried around 421 A.D. The Bible has no one particular ‘original’ copy but various transcripts spanning multiple centuries that were used to write the Bible we know of today. There is one standard edition of the Book of Mormon while there are hundreds of different versions of the Bible used by various congregations. In short, the Bible has a long history with conspiring or impotent scribes and translators, through intentional changes or naive mistakes, altering the words of the Bible.
As far as how Latter-day Saints fall into the broad community of religions, this complicates things a bit. Because of our reliance on the Book of Mormon as a theological foundation, other Christians have labeled us as non-Christian while others claim we are a cult. Those largely unfamiliar with our faith claim that because of our focus on the Book of Mormon and neglect of the Bible, we do not follow the teachings of Christ.
This is simply not the case. Each page is saturated with teachings of Christ from prophets in the ancient Americas. The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is Christ himself coming to visit his covenant children on the American continent to teach them his gospel and set up his church among them. There is a mention of Christ in the Book of Mormon on an average of every 1.7 verses.
While the fact that the Book of Mormon’s main message is to come unto Christ, this does not answer the concerns of other Christians about our belief in the Bible. Theologically, it can be answered very simply. The official subtitle of the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. This affirms that the original testament of Christ lies in the Bible. His divine birth, his mortal ministry, his teachings, his atonement, and his resurrection are all laid out in the Bible. The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible and its teachings but simply adds to its teachings and clarifies key doctrinal points that have been lost, distorted, or misunderstood through time.
Culturally, however, other Christians do make an excellent point: Latter-day Saint membership does not rely on the teachings of the Bible as much as they need to. One reason for this ambivalence of Latter-day Saints towards the Bible is found in a particular interpretation of our scripture. In the Articles of Faith, a list of thirteen essential Latter-day Saint tenants written by Joseph Smith, article eight reads “We believe in 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).
This statement reflects the origins of the Book of Mormon compared to the Bible. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith in roughly nine months. The Bible had hundreds of translators ranging across over three millennia. The Book of Mormon came from one source, golden plates that prophet-historian Moroni buried around 421 A.D. The Bible has no one particular ‘original’ copy but various transcripts spanning multiple centuries that were used to write the Bible we know of today. There is one standard edition of the Book of Mormon while there are hundreds of different versions of the Bible used by various congregations. In short, the Bible has a long history with conspiring or impotent scribes and translators, through intentional changes or naive mistakes, altering the words of the Bible.
Many Latter-day Saints, me included, have taken the phrase “as far as it is translated correctly” as a Free Get Out of Jail Card for tackling a serious study of the Bible. Why study the Bible, which may not be translated correctly, when we could focus solely on the properly translated Book of Mormon? While I wholeheartedly love the Book of Mormon and its teachings, I don’t think our belief in modern revelation should drown out the words of the Biblical prophets.
Concerning the Bible, Joseph Smith himself declared that “he who reads [the Bible] oftenest will like it best, and he who is acquaitned with it, will know the hand [of the Lord] wherever he can see it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 56). It is not the Bible’s or the Book of Mormon’s fault that many Latter-day Saints don’t enjoy the Bible. The problem lies with us not engaging with and applying the teachings found in the Bible.
This semester I signed up for a New Testament course that covers the book of Acts to Revelation. I expected to learn some cool historical viewpoints about the New Testament, maybe a couple of cool spiritual thoughts, and ride out with an A like I have in most of my previous BYU religion classes. I was sorely mistakenly.
The first day of class, our professor, the passionate, middle aged Australian Sister Strathearn, blew through the syllabus and then shared with us her love of the New Testament. She closed with a fervent testimony, like one from a new convert the Sunday after their own baptism, of the Bible. “I know the Bible to be the true word of God.” Not the Book of Mormon, not the Doctrine and Covenants, not the words of latter-day prophets, the Bible. Her testimony shook the room and called me to repentance a bit. I knew then that I should take Bible study as a Latter-day Saint seriously.
Has it been hard to delve into the Bible? Yes, and I haven’t even gotten to the events of the apocalypse in Revelations! I’m not familiar with the stories of the apostles in Acts like I am with the stories in the Book of Mormon. I get confused when Paul spits off sermons on women in the church. I know very little of the historical context of the era. Despite all these challenges, it has been rewarding. I’ve seen how teachings in the Bible, such as missionary work, the apostasy, and the Holy Ghost, not only corroborate but build upon the doctrine of the Book of Mormon. I’ve come into contact with amazing miracles that I had scarcely heard of. I’ve become more motivated to follow Christ as his apostles so faithfully did in the New Testament.
I’m starting to see that the my Bible shouldn’t be gaining dust on the shelf. Other Christians shouldn’t be having all the fun! I hope that my study of the Bible will become a lifetime pursuit. I hope I will be able to better communicate my beliefs and relate to other Christians outside of the Latter-day faith as I delve into the teachings of Paul, Isaiah, Moses, and Peter. No matter which book of scripture you read from, all lead us closer to Christ. That is what really matters.
Concerning the Bible, Joseph Smith himself declared that “he who reads [the Bible] oftenest will like it best, and he who is acquaitned with it, will know the hand [of the Lord] wherever he can see it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 56). It is not the Bible’s or the Book of Mormon’s fault that many Latter-day Saints don’t enjoy the Bible. The problem lies with us not engaging with and applying the teachings found in the Bible.
This semester I signed up for a New Testament course that covers the book of Acts to Revelation. I expected to learn some cool historical viewpoints about the New Testament, maybe a couple of cool spiritual thoughts, and ride out with an A like I have in most of my previous BYU religion classes. I was sorely mistakenly.
The first day of class, our professor, the passionate, middle aged Australian Sister Strathearn, blew through the syllabus and then shared with us her love of the New Testament. She closed with a fervent testimony, like one from a new convert the Sunday after their own baptism, of the Bible. “I know the Bible to be the true word of God.” Not the Book of Mormon, not the Doctrine and Covenants, not the words of latter-day prophets, the Bible. Her testimony shook the room and called me to repentance a bit. I knew then that I should take Bible study as a Latter-day Saint seriously.
Has it been hard to delve into the Bible? Yes, and I haven’t even gotten to the events of the apocalypse in Revelations! I’m not familiar with the stories of the apostles in Acts like I am with the stories in the Book of Mormon. I get confused when Paul spits off sermons on women in the church. I know very little of the historical context of the era. Despite all these challenges, it has been rewarding. I’ve seen how teachings in the Bible, such as missionary work, the apostasy, and the Holy Ghost, not only corroborate but build upon the doctrine of the Book of Mormon. I’ve come into contact with amazing miracles that I had scarcely heard of. I’ve become more motivated to follow Christ as his apostles so faithfully did in the New Testament.
I’m starting to see that the my Bible shouldn’t be gaining dust on the shelf. Other Christians shouldn’t be having all the fun! I hope that my study of the Bible will become a lifetime pursuit. I hope I will be able to better communicate my beliefs and relate to other Christians outside of the Latter-day faith as I delve into the teachings of Paul, Isaiah, Moses, and Peter. No matter which book of scripture you read from, all lead us closer to Christ. That is what really matters.
Shawn, your blog always inspires me and leaves me with a lot to think about! Thanks for sharing!!
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